Cabinet door
Disclosed herein is a cabinet door that preferably includes a panel, reinforcing members, fasteners, adhesive tape, hinges, and a handle. The panel preferably defines an outer perimeter and has a continuous channel formed therein. The reinforcing members are preferably positioned in the continuous channel and substantially within the outer perimeter. The panel preferably has a plurality of threaded bores formed therein, and the reinforcing members preferably have a plurality of passages formed therethrough in axial alignment with the plurality of threaded bores. The fasteners preferably extend through the passages into the threaded bores to secure the reinforcing members to the panel. The hinges and the handle are preferably secured to the panel, and the tape preferably adheres to surfaces of the reinforcing members flush with the outer perimeter.
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The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/022,583 filed Dec. 24, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/369,744 filed Sep. 6, 2001, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to a cabinet door. Specifically, the present invention relates to a cabinet door having one or more reinforcing members.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the past, a cabinet door having a metal frame has been developed for enhanced resistance to warping. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,745 (the “'745 patent”) discloses a composite door for cabinets and the like. The composite door includes multiple panels and a metal frame. The composite door further includes upper, lower, and side frame members covering the metal frame.
However, the composite door of the '745 patent is fairly complicated and not easy to manufacture. What is needed in the art is a cabinet door having simple construction that provides enhanced resistance to warping.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention overcomes the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art discussed above by providing a cabinet door having a panel and one or more reinforcing members.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the cabinet door includes a panel defining an outer perimeter and having a continuous channel formed therein. The panel is preferably formed from solid wood. The continuous channel is preferably formed along the outer perimeter and has a plurality of threaded bores formed therein along the continuous channel. The cabinet door also includes one or more reinforcing members positioned in the continuous channel and substantially within the outer perimeter. The reinforcing members have a plurality of passages formed therethrough. The cabinet door includes a plurality of fasteners extending through the plurality of passages into the plurality of threaded bores to secure the reinforcing members to the panel.
The cabinet door also includes an adhesive tape having an adhesive surface that adheres to the reinforcing members and a display surface that has a wood-like appearance. The cabinet door further includes a handle and one or more hinges secured to the panel. Additional embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFor a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
As discussed in applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/022,583, the cabinet doors 12 can be provided with a design or a portion thereof disposed thereon, which may be painted, carved, lacquered, inlaid, etc. For example,
Referring to
As stated above, the cabinet door 12 includes the panel 14 and the frame 16. The cabinet door 12 further includes a plurality of fasteners 24, a plurality of hinges 26, a handle 28, and a plurality of strips or a strip of an adhesive tape 30. With reference to
With reference to
The panel 14 has a plurality of channels 36 forming a continuous channel along the periphery of the panel 14. As principally shown in
With reference to
The panel 14 has an outer perimeter 44 and a rear perimeter 48, which are principally shown and referenced in
The frame 16 is shown in
The frame 16 is attached to the panel 14 such that the frame 16 is substantially disposed in the channels 36 and contained substantially within the outer perimeter 44 and the rear perimeter 48. In this regard, the rear side of the frame 16 is substantially flush with the rear surface 20 of the panel 14, and the outer sides of the frame 16 are substantially flush with the side surfaces 32 of the panel 14. Each of the passages 52 formed through the frame 16 is in axial alignment with a corresponding one of the threaded bores 42 of the panel 14.
Due to the attachment of the frame 16 to the panel 14, the panel 14 is inhibited from excessive warping. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the panel 14 is also inhibited from excessive warping, because the panel 14 is formed from a solid, single piece of wood. Moreover, the frame 16 is not visually perceptible from a front view of the cabinet door 12.
The fasteners 24 are preferably machine screws. Each one of the fasteners 24 extend through a passage 52 into a threaded bore 42 to secure the frame 16 to the panel 14. Each one of the fasteners 24 preferably extends substantially parallel with respect to the front surface 18 and the rear surface 20 and substantially perpendicular with respect to the side surfaces 32.
The hinges 26 and the handle 28 are preferably conventional and any suitable hinges 26 and handle 28 may be used in accordance with the desired aesthetic and/or functionality. The hinges 26 are positioned in the sinks 34 formed in the panel 14. Screws secure the hinges 26 to the panel 14, but any suitable means known in the art may be used. One or more screws are also used to secure the handle 28 to the panel 14, but any suitable means known in the art may be used.
The adhesive tape 30 includes a display surface 54 having an appearance similar to the front surface 18 of the panel 14. The adhesive tape 30 also includes an adhesive surface 56 opposite the display surface 54. The adhesive surface 56 secures the adhesive tape 30 to the side surfaces 32 of the panel 14. The adhesive surface 56 also secures the adhesive tape 30 to surfaces of the frame 16 contiguous with the outer perimeter 44. The adhesive tape 30 preferably conceals the frame 16 from being visually perceptible from at least the top, side, and bottom views of the cabinet door 12. The display surface 54 of the adhesive tape 30 has an appearance similar to that of wood.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a cabinet door having enhanced resistance to warping. Embodiments of the present invention include means for providing said enhanced resistance (e.g., a frame) without having said means being visually perceptible from a front view of the cabinet door. The present invention provides a relatively simple construction that does not require high manufacturing costs or complicated tooling.
It shall be understood to one skilled in the art that the panel 14 may have variations from that shown and described. For example, although the panel 14 is preferably formed from a single board of solid wood, the panel 14 may be formed from any suitable material known in the art, such as particle board, plastic, and/or a composite, and in accordance with any conventional method for forming cabinet doors. As another nonlimiting example, although the panel 14 is shown to have a continuous channel formed therein, the panel 14 may have one or more channels and said one or more channels may be either continuous or non-continuous. Moreover, while the panel 14 is shown to have the channels 36 formed adjacent the outer perimeter 44, the panel 14 may have one or more channels spaced inwardly from the outer perimeter 44. Although the channels 36 are preferably defined by the channel wall surfaces 38 and the channel bottom surfaces 40 shown and described herein, the panel 14 may have any suitable number of planar and/or curved surfaces formed therein defining a channel. Also, while the channels 36 are preferably cutouts, the channels may be formed in accordance with any suitable method now or hereinafter known in the art. It shall also be understood to one skilled in the art that the frame 16 may have variations from that shown and described. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, adjacent reinforcing members 50 may have a pair of complementary ends to create an aesthetically pleasing interconnection therebetween.
It shall also be understood that the relative terminology used herein, such as “front”, “rear”, “side”, “bottom”, etc., is solely for the purposes of clarity and designation and does not limit the spatial positioning of the invention or otherwise similarly limit the invention. Said relative terminology shall not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
It shall be further understood that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A cabinet door, comprising a panel defining an outer perimeter and having at least one channel formed therein and at least one reinforcing member positioned in said at least one channel and substantially within said outer perimeter.
2. The cabinet door of claim 1, wherein said panel is formed from wood.
3. The cabinet door of claim 1, wherein said panel is formed from a single, solid piece of wood.
4. The cabinet door of claim 1, wherein said at least one reinforcing member forms a frame.
5. The cabinet door of claim 1, wherein said panel has a plurality of threaded bores formed therein along said channel, said frame has a plurality of passages formed therethrough in alignment with said plurality of threaded bores, and said cabinet panel further comprising fasteners extending through said passages into said threaded bores.
6. The cabinet door of claim 1, wherein said at least one reinforcing member is formed from a metal.
7. The cabinet door of claim 5, wherein each one of said at least one reinforcing member is welded to each adjacent one of said at least one reinforcing member.
8. The cabinet door of claim 1, wherein said at least one channel forms a continuous channel along said outer perimeter.
9. The cabinet door of claim 8, further comprising an adhesive tape having an adhesive surface positioned in contact with said at least one reinforcing member such as to substantially conceal at least a portion of said reinforcing member.
10. The cabinet door of claim 9, wherein said adhesive tape has a display surface opposite said adhesive surface, said display surface having a similar surface appearance as said panel.
11. The cabinet door of claim 1, further comprising at least one hinge secured to said panel.
12. The cabinet door of claim 1, further comprising a handle secured to said panel.
13. A cabinet door, comprising:
- a panel defining an outer perimeter, said panel having a continuous channel formed therein along said outer perimeter and a plurality of threaded bores formed therein along said continuous channel, said panel including a rear surface and a front surface opposite thereto;
- a frame positioned substantially within said continuous channel and substantially within said outer perimeter, said frame having a plurality of passages formed therethrough in alignment with said plurality of threaded bores;
- a plurality of fasteners extending through said passages into said threaded bores securing said frame to said panel, said plurality of fasteners being substantially parallel with said rear surface and said front surface;
- at least one hinge secured to said rear surface; and
- a handle secured to said front surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 3, 2005
Publication Date: Oct 13, 2005
Applicant:
Inventor: Jay Kim (Suffern, NY)
Application Number: 11/144,149