CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/874,781, entitled DRAWER LATCH and filed on Dec. 14, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/949,667, entitled DRAWER LATCH and filed on Jul. 13, 2007, the entire disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that they are not conflicting with the present application.
BACKGROUND Mechanics' cabinets and tool cabinets typically are fabricated from sheet metal and include a cabinet enclosure with drawers. Examples of mechanics' cabinets are depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,381 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,640 which are incorporated herewith by reference in their entirety.
Typically, in order to provide security for the contents within the cabinet drawers, a locking system is provided. The locking system will normally include a key actuated mechanism which enables locking of the drawers in a closed position. Actuation or release of the key operated mechanism is necessary in order to release or unlock the drawers.
SUMMARY The present application discloses embodiments of drawer latches. The disclosed drawer latches may be used in a wide variety of different applications, including a sliding drawer assembly.
The present application contemplates a drawer latch that may be provided to retain one or more drawers in a closed position unless positively opened by the user of the cabinet. This may be a desirable feature in a cabinet construction in order to preclude accidental opening of drawers, without requiring locking of the drawers in the closed position, such as with a key-operated locking mechanism. Maintaining the drawers in a closed position also inhibits the drawers from opening when the cabinet is, for example, being transported from one location to another.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, a sliding drawer assembly includes a cabinet frame, a drawer, a drawer handle, and a catch member. The drawer is slideably coupled to the cabinet frame. The drawer includes a front wall and a top wall. The drawer handle has a pivot wall that has an edge that is pivotable on or about the drawer top wall to allow the drawer handle to move between a drawer retention position and a drawer release position. When the handle is in the drawer retention position and the drawer is in a closed position, the catch member is coupled to the cabinet frame to maintain the drawer in the closed position. When the handle is in the drawer release position and the drawer is in the closed position, the catch member is decoupled from the cabinet frame to allow the drawer to move from the closed position to an open position.
In another embodiment, a sliding drawer assembly includes a cabinet frame, a drawer, a pull handle, a drawer release handle, and a catch member. The drawer is slideably coupled to the cabinet. The pull handle is fixed to a front wall. The drawer release handle has a pivot wall that is pivotable on or about an edge of the drawer front wall to allow the drawer release handle to move between a drawer retention position and a drawer release position. The drawer release handle may be retained to the drawer by the pull handle. A catch member is connected to the drawer release handle. When the drawer release handle is in the drawer retention position and the drawer is in a closed position, the catch member is coupled to the cabinet frame to maintain the drawer in the closed position. When the drawer release handle is in the drawer release position and the drawer is in the closed position, the catch member is decoupled from the cabinet frame to allow the drawer to move from the closed position to an open position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a drawer latch with a drawer handle in a drawer retention position;
FIG. 1B is a schematic illustration of the drawer latch of FIG. 1A with the drawer handle in a drawer release position;
FIG. 2A is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a drawer latch with a drawer handle in a drawer retention position;
FIG. 2B is a schematic illustration of the drawer latch of FIG. 2A with the handle in a drawer release position;
FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a drawer handle biasing arrangement with a drawer handle in a drawer retention position;
FIG. 3B is a schematic illustration of the drawer handle biasing arrangement of FIG. 3A with the drawer handle in a drawer release position;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a drawer assembly;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a drawer handle of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a view taken along lines 6-6 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 6A illustrates an enlarged portion of the view of FIG. 6 indicated by reference 6A in FIG. 6;
FIG. 6B illustrates an enlarged portion of the view of FIG. 6 indicated by reference 6B in FIG. 6;
FIG. 7 is a view taken along lines 7-7 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7A is an enlarged the portion of the view of FIG. 7 indicated by reference 7A in FIG. 7;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spring and a drawer of the drawer assembly of the FIG. 4;
FIG. 8A illustrates an enlarged portion of the view of FIG. 8, showing the spring disassembled from the drawer;
FIG. 8B illustrates an enlarged portion of the view of FIG. 8, showing the spring assembled with the drawer;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the spring shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a front view taken along lines 10-10 of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along lines 11-11 of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a rear elevational view of a drawer handle and catch assembly;
FIG. 13 is an end view taken along lines 13-13 of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along lines 14-14 of Figure the 12;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the drawer assembly of FIG. 4 in an assembled condition in;
FIG. 15A illustrates an enlarged portion of the view of the FIG. 15, showing the drawer handle and catch assembly disassembled from the drawer;
FIG. 15B illustrates an enlarged portion of the view of the FIG. 15, showing the drawer handle and catch assembly assembled with the drawer;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a retainer of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 17 is a top view of the retainer shown in FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a view taken along lines 18-18 in FIG. 17;
FIG. 19 is an enlarged perspective view of the drawer assembly of FIG. 4, showing coupling of the drawer handle to the drawer with the retainer;
FIG. 19A is an enlarged perspective view of the drawer assembly of FIG. 4, showing the retainer being assembled with the drawer handle and drawer;
FIG. 19B is an enlarged perspective view of the drawer assembly of FIG. 4, illustrating how the retainer mates with the drawer handle to couple the drawer handle to the drawer;
FIG. 19C is a perspective view that illustrates the drawer, drawer handle, and retainer in an assembled state;
FIG. 20 is a perspective of a view of the drawer assembly of FIG. 4, showing coupling of the drawer handle to the drawer with the retainer;
FIG. 21 is a side elevational view of a drawer assembled with a release handle;
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 4 in a fully assembled condition;
FIG. 22A illustrates an enlarged portion of the drawer shown in FIG. 22, with the drawer in an open position;
FIG. 22B illustrates an enlarged portion of the drawer shown in FIG. 22, with the drawer in a closed position;
FIG. 23A is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a drawer latch with a drawer handle in a drawer retention position;
FIG. 23B is a schematic illustration of the drawer latch of FIG. 23A, with the drawer handle in a drawer release position;
FIG. 24 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a drawer latch including a drawer handle biasing arrangement with a drawer handle in a drawer retention position;
FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a drawer assembly;
FIG. 25A illustrates an enlarged portion of FIG. 25 as indicated by reference 25A in FIG. 25;
FIG. 25B illustrates an enlarged portion of FIG. 25 as indicated by reference 25B in FIG. 3;
FIG. 26 is a top view of the drawer release handle and catch member of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 27 is a front view of the drawer release handle and catch member of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 28 is a side view of the drawer release handle and catch member of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 29 is a top view of the spring of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 30 is a sectional view of the spring shown in FIG. 29 taken along the plane indicated by lines 30-30 in FIG. 29;
FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the spring of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 32 is a top view of a drawer pull handle of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 33 is a front view of the drawer pull handle of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 34 is a rear view of the drawer pull handle of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 35 is a side view of the drawer pull handle of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25;
FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a portion of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25 that illustrates assembly of the drawer pull handle to the drawer release handle and the drawer;
FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the portion of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 36 that illustrates the drawer pull handle being secured to the drawer;
FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the portion of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 36 that illustrates the completed assembly of the drawer pull handle to the drawer release handle and the drawer;
FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a portion of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25 that illustrates assembly of a drawer pull handle cover to the drawer pull handle;
FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a portion of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 25 that illustrates assembly of a drawer pull handle end cap to the drawer pull handle;
FIG. 41 is a perspective view of the portion of the drawer assembly shown in FIG. 40 that illustrates the completed assembly of the drawer pull handle cover and end cap to the drawer pull handle;
FIG. 42 illustrates the drawer assembly of FIG. 25 in an assembled condition; and
FIG. 43 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by lines 43-43 in FIG. 42.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION This Detailed Description of the Invention merely describes embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as claimed is broader than and unlimited by the embodiments described herein, and the terms used have their full ordinary meaning.
The present application discloses embodiments of drawer latches. The disclosed drawer latches include a variety of different features. The individual features of the following embodiments may be used alone or in combination with features of other embodiments. The disclosed drawer latches may be used in a wide variety of different applications, including sliding drawer assemblies.
According to an inventive aspect of the present application, a drawer (such as, for example, a cabinet drawer) may be provided with a drawer release handle movably coupled to a front panel of the drawer, with the drawer release handle being movable between a drawer retention position and a drawer release position. While many different configurations may be used to provide a user operable drawer release handle, in one embodiment, a drawer release handle is pivotable on or about a surface of the drawer front panel to disengage a catch member from a corresponding coupling feature (such as, for example, an opening or recess) on an enclosure frame (such as, for example, a cabinet frame).
FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically illustrate an exemplary embodiment of one such sliding drawer assembly 100. The sliding drawer assembly includes a cabinet frame 102, a drawer 104, a drawer handle 106, and a catch member 108. The cabinet frame 102 is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The cabinet frame 102 may take a wide variety of different forms. Any cabinet frame configuration may be used that accepts a drawer.
The drawer 104 is slideably coupled to the cabinet frame 102 as indicated schematically by arrow 110. The drawer 104 may be slideably coupled to the cabinet frame 102 in a wide variety of different ways. Examples of structures that may be used to slideably couple the drawer 104 to the cabinet frame 102 include, but are not limited to, rollers on the cabinet frame and/or the drawer and telescoping slides attached to the drawer and the frame. In the embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 1A and 1B, the drawer includes a front wall 112 and a top wall 114 connected to the front wall. The top wall 114 may be connected to the front wall 112 in a wide variety of different ways. For example, the top wall 114 may be connected to the front wall 112 by integrally forming the top wall with the front wall, by fastening the top wall to the front wall, by welding the top wall to the front wall, or by any other manner that connects the top wall to the front wall. In the exemplary embodiment, top wall 114 is oriented generally transverse to the front wall 114.
The drawer handle 106 includes a pivot wall 120 that has an edge 122 that is pivotable on or about the drawer top wall 114 to allow the drawer handle to move between a drawer retention position (FIG. 1A) and a drawer release position (FIG. 1B). As is known in the art, the pivot wall may be attached to the top wall at any point along its length or to a projection, hinge, or other member that is itself connected to top wall 114. In the embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 1A and 1B, the pivot wall 120 is connected to a user engageable portion 124 of the handle. The user engageable portion 124 of the handle may take a wide variety of different forms. The user engageable portion 124 may have any configuration that allows the user to move the drawer handle 106 from the drawer retention position to the drawer release position. The user engageable portion 124 may also be configured to facilitate pulling of the drawer out of the cabinet frame. The pivot wall 120 may be connected to the user engageable portion 124 in a wide variety of different ways. For example, the pivot wall 120 may be connected to the user engageable portion 124 by integrally forming the pivot wall and the user engageable portion, by fastening the pivot wall to the user engageable portion, by welding the pivot wall to the user engageable portion, or by any other manner that connects or couples the pivot wall to the user engageable portion.
The catch member 108 is connected to the drawer handle 106. When the handle 106 is in the drawer retention position (FIG. 1A) and the drawer 104 is in a closed position, the catch member 108 is coupled to the cabinet frame 102 to maintain the drawer is in the closed position. When the handle 106 is in the drawer release position (FIG. 1B) and the drawer 104 is in the closed position the catch member 108 is decoupled from the cabinet frame 102 to allow the drawer to move from the closed position to an open position. The catch member 108 may take a wide variety of different forms and may be coupled to and decoupled from the cabinet frame 102 in a wide variety of different ways. The catch member and cabinet frame may be configured in any manner where the catch member is coupled to the frame when the catch member is in a first position and the catch member is decoupled from the frame when the catch member is in a second position. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 1A and 1B, the catch member 108 includes a coupling portion 128. A structure 130 is supported by the cabinet frame 102 that includes an opening or recess 132. The coupling portion 128 may include any structure suitable for coupling with the opening or recess of the cabinet frame 102, such as, for example, a tab, prong, detent, hook, or other such projection. When the handle 106 is in the drawer retention position (FIG. 1A), the coupling portion 128 extends into the opening or recess 132 to couple the drawer to the cabinet. When the handle 106 is in the drawer release position (FIG. 1B), the coupling portion 128 is disposed outside the opening or recess 132 to decouple the drawer from the cabinet. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 1A and 1B, the coupling portion 128 includes a tapered surface 134 that allows the drawer to be moved from an open position to a closed position without user movement of the handle to the drawer release position.
In an exemplary embodiment, the pivot wall 120 of the drawer handle is coupled to the top wall 114 of the drawer. The pivot wall 120 of the drawer handle may be coupled to the top wall 114 of the drawer 104 in a wide variety of different ways. The pivot wall 120 may be coupled to the top wall 114 of the drawer in any manner that allows the drawer handle 106 to pivot on or about the drawer 104. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate one embodiment where the pivot wall 120 is coupled to the top wall 114 of the drawer. In this embodiment, the pivot wall 120 includes an extension 200 and the top wall 114 includes an opening 202. The extension 200 extends from a portion of the edge 122 of the pivot wall. Any number of extensions 200 and corresponding openings 202 may be included. The extension 200 extends into the opening 202 to couple the pivot wall 120 to the top wall 114. The edge 122 of the remainder of the pivot wall 120 is pivotable on or about the top wall 114. In one embodiment, the extension 200 is inhibited from being removed from the opening 202. The extension may be inhibited from being removed from the opening in a wide variety of different ways. For example, a retainer member 206 may be coupled to the extension 200 to prevent the extension from being pulled out of the opening 200 of the top drawer wall 114.
In an exemplary embodiment, the drawer handle 106 is biased toward the drawer retention position. The drawer handle 106 may be biased toward the drawer retention position in a wide variety of different ways. Examples of ways that the drawer handle may be biased to a drawer retention position include, but are not limited to, applying a biasing force with a spring (which may include any resilient member that applies a force in response to being deformed), and distributing the weight of the drawer handle such that gravity biases the drawer handle toward the drawer retention position.
FIGS. 3A and 3B schematically illustrate an exemplary embodiment where a spring 300 is used to bias a drawer handle 106 toward the drawer retention position. The spring 300 may be formed from a wide variety of materials. For example, the spring 300 may be made from a flat material, such as a thin spring steel sheet or other flat resilient material. The exemplary spring 300 has a spring opening 302 and is configured to be clipped onto the top wall 114 of the drawer 102. The top wall includes a top wall opening 304 that may be substantially aligned with the spring opening 302 when the spring 300 is clipped onto the top wall. An extension 306 of the drawer handle pivot wall 120 extends through the top wall opening 304 and the spring opening 302 to retain the spring on the top wall. In this application, the spring opening 302 and the top wall opening 304 are “substantially aligned” if the extension 306 may pass through both the spring opening 302 and the top wall opening 304. When the drawer handle 106 is moved to the drawer release position, the spring 300 biases the drawer handle back toward the drawer retention position as indicated by arrow 312 in FIG. 3B. The spring 300 may take a wide variety of different configurations. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 3A and 3B, the spring 300 includes a clip portion 330 and a biasing portion 332. The clip portion 330 is configured to clip onto the top wall 114. The biasing portion 332 is configured to engage the drawer handle and apply force to the drawer handle when the clip portion 330 is installed on the top wall and the drawer handle 104 is moved toward the drawer release position.
Any combination of the concepts described in the context of FIGS. 1-3 may be used in a wide variety drawer assemblies. FIGS. 4-22 illustrate an example of a drawer assembly 400 that includes concepts described in the context of FIGS. 1-3. A wide variety of other drawer assemblies may be made using the concepts described above with regard to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3.
Referring to FIG. 4, the exemplary drawer assembly includes a drawer 404, a drawer handle 406, a catch member 408, a pair of retainers 409, a spring 411, telescoping slides 413, and a catch receiving member 415. The drawer assembly 400 may be used in a wide variety of different types of cabinets. One such cabinet is disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,235 to Mehmen, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the drawer 404 includes a front panel 405 that includes a front wall 412 and a top wall 414. The front panel 405 also includes a bottom panel support wall 515. A pair of outer slots 502 extend through the front wall 412 and the top wall 414. A middle slot 504 extends through the top wall 414. The front wall 412 includes and alignment hole 506 (see FIG. 7A) adjacent to each of the outer slots 502. The front wall also includes a pair of the catch member notches 508.
Referring to FIGS. 8-11, the spring 411 includes a clip portion 830 and a handle engagement portion 832. The spring 411 is made from a flat material, such as a sheet of spring steel. FIG. 11 shows a cross-section of the spring 411. The clip portion 830 is generally U-shaped in section and is sized to clamp onto the top wall 414. The handle engagement portion 832 includes first and second bends 834, 836 to form a general “S” shape. Referring to FIG. 9, a slot 838 is provided in the spring 411 between the clip portion 830 and the handle engagement portion 832. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the spring 411 being installed onto the top wall 414 of the front panel 405. The clip portion 830 snaps onto the top wall 414 such that the slot 838 of the spring 411 is substantially aligned with the middle slot 504 of the top wall 414. When installed, the handle engagement portion 832 extends upward from the top wall 414 and toward a rear wall 450 of the drawer 404 (see FIG. 4).
Referring to FIGS. 12-14, the drawer handle 406 includes a pivot wall 1220 and a user engageable wall 1224. The pivot wall 1220 includes an edge 1222. The pivot wall 1220 includes first and second outer extensions 1226, 1228 that extend from the edge 1222. The outer extensions 1226, 1228 each include a narrower neck portion 1230 and a wider head portion 1232. The pivot wall 1220 includes a middle extension 1234 that extends from the edge 1222. The catch members 408 each include an elongated portion 1250 and a coupling portion 1252. The coupling portion 1252 includes a tapered surface 1254. The catch member 408 is fixed to the user engageable wall 1224 such that the elongated portion 1250 extends past the pivot wall 1220.
Referring to FIGS. 4, 15A and 15B, the drawer handle 406 is assembled with the drawer front panel 405 by inserting the first and second outer extensions 1226, 1228 through the corresponding outer slots 502 and inserting the middle extension 1234 through the spring slot 838 and the middle slot 504 of the front panel 405. The middle extension 1234 retains the spring 411 on the front panel 405. Referring to FIG. 21, with the extensions 1226, 1228, 1234 extended through the top wall 414 of the front panel 405, the edge 1222 of the pivot wall 1220 of the handle 406 is pivotable on or about the top wall 414 of the front panel 405.
Referring to FIGS. 16-18, the retainer 409 is a generally “L,” shaped member in side cross-section. The retainer 409 includes a pair of legs 1600 and a mounting flange 1602. The mounting flange 1602 includes a mounting hole 1604.
FIGS. 19, 19A, 19B and 19C illustrate how the exemplary retainer 409 may be assembled with the front panel 405 to retain the drawer handle 406 to the drawer 404. The legs 1600 of the retainer 409 are positioned in the slot 502 and on opposite sides of the neck portion 1230 of the corresponding extension 1226, 1228. Referring to FIG. 20, the legs 1600 are inserted between the head portion 1232 and the pivot wall 1220 of the drawer handle 406. The mounting flange 1602 is secured to the front wall 412 with a fastener 1900 that extends through the mounting hole 1604. As such, the retainers 409 inhibit the extensions 1226, 1228 from being pulled out of the slots 502 in the top wall 414. The middle extension 1234 is maintained in the middle slot 504 by the retainers on the extensions 1226, 1228. However, any combination of the extensions may be retained to the front panel 405. The catch members 408 extend through the catch member notches 508 and into the drawer 404.
Referring to FIG. 4, the telescoping slides 413 include first portions or first rails 416 attached to side walls 470 of the drawer 404, and second portions or second rails 417 configured to be attached to a cabinet (not shown). In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 4, the catch receiving members 415 are attached to the second rails 417 of the telescoping slides 413. The illustrated catch receiving members 415 include a first plate portion 474 and a second plate portion 476. An opening 478 is provided in the first plate portion 474. The second plate portion 476 is attached to the telescoping slide 413 such that the catch receiving member 415 forms part of a cabinet frame in which the drawer 404 is received. It should be readily apparent that the catch receiving members may take a wide variety of different forms and may be attached or otherwise coupled to the cabinet frame in a wide variety of different ways.
Referring to FIG. 21, when the drawer handle 406 and the spring 411 are assembled with the drawer 404, the spring 411 engages the handle 406. The engagement of the spring 411 with the handle 406 biases the handle 406 to the drawer retention positioned illustrated in FIG. 21. The handle 406 and attached catch member 408 may be pivoted on the edge 1222 of the pivot wall as indicated by arrow 2100 to move the handle 406 and catch member 408 to a drawer release position. Once the handle 406 is moved to a drawer release positioned, the drawer may be pulled out to an open position (as shown in FIGS. 22 and 22A). Referring to FIG. 22B, the drawer may be returned to a closed position simply by pushing in the drawer 404, as engagement of the catch receiving member 415 with the tapered surface 1254 of the coupling portion 1252 pivots the catch member 408 against the spring 411 to allow coupling engagement of the coupling portion 1252 with the opening 478.
Referring to FIG. 4, the handle 406 may include a cover 480. The cover 480 may provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the handle and/or may provide a surface it is easy to grip. The cover 480 may be attached in a wide variety of different ways. In the example illustrated by FIG. 4, the cover snaps onto the handle. End caps 1800 may be attached to the ends of the cover 480 to improve the appearance of the handle 406 and/or to retain the cover 480 on the handle 406.
According to another inventive aspect of the present application, a drawer (such as, for example, a cabinet drawer) may be provided with both a user operable drawer release handle and a rigid drawer pull handle configured to be grasped by the user to open or close the drawer. In one embodiment, the drawer pull handle and the drawer release handle may be assembled together, such that a user may simultaneously grasp both the drawer pull handle and the drawer release handle for efficient opening of the drawer. As another benefit, the drawer pull handle may serve to cover, conceal, or protect the drawer release handle. While may different configurations may be used to provide a user operable drawer release handle assembled with a rigid pull handle, in one embodiment, a drawer release handle may be attached to, or retained on, a drawer by a correction that also affixed a pull handle to the drawer.
FIGS. 23A and 23B schematically illustrate an embodiment of a sliding drawer assembly 100a. The sliding drawer assembly includes a cabinet frame 102a, a drawer 104a, a drawer release handle 106a, a drawer pull handle 107a, and a catch member 108a. The cabinet frame 102a is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 23A and 23B. The cabinet frame 102a may take a wide variety of different forms. Any cabinet frame configuration may be used that accepts one or more drawers.
The drawer 104a is slideably coupled to the cabinet frame 102a as indicated schematically by arrow 110a. The drawer 104a may be slideably coupled to the cabinet frame 102a in a wide variety of different ways. Examples of structures that may be used to slideably couple the drawer 104a to the cabinet frame 102a include, but are not limited to, rollers on the cabinet frame and/or the drawer and telescoping slides attached to the drawer 104a and the frame 102a. In the embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the drawer includes a front wall 112a.
The drawer release handle 106a includes a pivot wall 120a that is pivotable on or about an edge 122a of the drawer front wall 112a to allow the drawer handle to move between a drawer retention position (FIG. 23A) and a drawer release position (FIG. 23B). In the embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the pivot wall 120a is connected to a user engageable portion 124a of the drawer release handle 106a. The user engageable portion 124a of the drawer release handle may take a wide variety of different forms. The user engageable portion 124a may have any configuration that allows the user to move the drawer release handle 106a from the drawer retention position to the drawer release position. The pivot wall 120a may be connected to the user engageable portion 124a in a wide variety of different ways. For example, the pivot wall 120a may be connected to the user engageable portion 124a by integrally forming the pivot wall and the user engageable portion, by fastening the pivot wall to the user engageable portion, by welding the pivot wall to the user engageable portion, or by any other manner that connects or couples the pivot wall to the user engageable portion.
The catch member 108a is connected to the drawer release handle 106a. When the drawer release handle 106a is in the drawer retention position (FIG. 23A) and the drawer 104a is in a closed position, the catch member 108a is coupled to the cabinet frame 102a to maintain the drawer 104a in the closed position. When the handle 106a is in the drawer release position (FIG. 23B) and the drawer 104a is in the closed position, the catch member 108a is decoupled from the cabinet frame 102a to allow the drawer to move from the closed position to an open position. The catch member 108a may take a wide variety of different forms and may be coupled to and decoupled from the cabinet frame 102a in a wide variety of different ways. The catch member and cabinet frame may be configured in any manner where the catch member is coupled to the frame when the catch member is in a first position and the catch member is decoupled from the frame when the catch member is in a second position. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the catch member 108a includes a coupling portion 128a. A structure 130a is supported by the cabinet frame 102a that includes an opening or recess 132a. When the handle 106a is in the drawer retention position (FIG. 23A), the coupling portion 128a extends into the opening or recess 132a to couple the drawer to the cabinet. When the handle 106a is in the drawer release position (FIG. 23B), the coupling portion 128a is disposed outside the opening or recess 132a to decouple the drawer from the cabinet. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the coupling portion 128a includes a tapered surface 134a that allows the drawer to be moved from an open position to a closed position without user movement of the drawer release handle 106a to the drawer release position. In other embodiments, the coupling portions of the catch member and cabinet may be provided in a variety of configurations. For example, the catch member may include a recess, notch, prong or other such structure that interlocks with a corresponding projection on the cabinet frame (not shown).
The drawer pull handle 107a includes a pull wall 150a that is configured to be pulled on by a user to move the drawer from the closed position to the open position. The pull wall 150a is connected to an attachment wall 152a by a top wall 154a in the illustrated example. The attachment wall 152a is fixedly attached to the drawer front wall 112a by a fastening arrangement 156a. The fastening arrangement 156a may be any type of fastener, weld, etc. The top wall 154a may extend along substantially an entire length of the pull wall 150a. The attachment wall 152a may comprise one or more discrete extensions from the top wall 154a, or the attachment wall 152a may extend from substantially the entire length of the top wall 154a. The drawer pull handle 107a may take a wide variety of different forms. Any drawer handle configuration that allows a user to pull the drawer 104a open may be used. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the drawer pull handle 107a is disposed over the drawer release handle 106a.
In an exemplary embodiment, the pivot wall 120a of the drawer release handle 106a is coupled to the edge 122a of the drawer front wall 112a. The pivot wall 120a of the drawer release handle 106a may be coupled to the edge 122a of the front wall 112a of the drawer 104a in a wide variety of different ways. The pivot wall 120a may be coupled to an edge 122a of the front wall 112a in any manner that allows the drawer release handle 106a to pivot on or about the 106a edge 122a. In the embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the pivot wall 120a of the drawer release handle 106a is coupled to the front wall 112a by the pull handle 107a. In this embodiment, the pull handle 107a includes an extension 170a and the pivot wall 120a includes an opening 172a. The extension 170a extends from the top wall 154a. The extension 170a may be integral with the attachment wall 152a or separate from the attachment wall 152a. Any number of extensions 170a and corresponding openings 172a may be included. The extension 170a extends into the pivot wall opening 172a to couple the pivot wall 120a to the drawer front wall 112a. The pivot wall 120a is pivotable on or about the edge 122a of the front wall 112a. In the exemplary embodiment, the extension 170a is inhibited from being removed from the pivot wall opening 172a. The extension may be inhibited from being removed from the opening in a wide variety of different ways. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 23A and 23B, the fastening arrangement 156a prevents the extension 170a from being pulled out of the opening 170a of the drawer release handle 106a.
In an exemplary embodiment, the drawer release handle 106a is biased toward the drawer retention position. The drawer release handle 106a may be biased toward the drawer retention position in a wide variety of different ways. Examples of ways that the drawer release handle may be biased to a drawer retention position include, but are not limited to, applying a biasing force with a spring (which may include any resilient member that applies a force in response to being deformed), and distributing the weight of the drawer handle such that gravity biases the drawer handle toward the drawer retention position.
FIG. 24 schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment where a spring 200a is used to bias the drawer release handle 106a toward the drawer retention position. The spring 200a may be formed from a wide variety of materials and may take a wide variety of different forms. Any arrangement that hinges the handle to the drawer retention position may be used. For example, the spring 200a may be made from a flat material, such as a thin spring steel sheet or other flat resilient material. The exemplary spring 200a has a spring opening or cutout 202a and is configured to be clipped onto the pivot wall 120a of the drawer release handle 106a. The pivot wall 120a includes a pivot wall opening 204a that may be substantially aligned with the spring opening or cutout 202a when the spring 200a is clipped onto the pivot wall 120a. An extension 206a of the attachment wall 154a extends through the pivot wall opening 204a and the spring opening or cutout 202a to retain the spring on the pivot wall. In this application, the spring opening 202a and the pivot wall opening 204a are “substantially aligned” if the extension 206a may pass through both the spring opening 202a and the top wall opening 204a. When the drawer handle 106a is moved to the drawer release position, the spring 200a biases the drawer handle back toward the drawer retention position as indicated by arrow 212a in FIG. 24.
The spring 200a may take a wide variety of different configurations. In the example illustrated by FIG. 24, the spring 200a includes a clip portion 230a and a biasing portion 232a. The clip portion 230a is configured to clip onto the pivot wall 120a. The biasing portion 232a is configured to engage the drawer pull handle 107a and apply force to the drawer release handle 106a when the clip portion 230a is installed on the pivot wall and the drawer release handle 106a is moved toward the drawer release position. The spring cutout 202a may be surrounded on all sides by spring material, or it may be open on one or more sides.
Any combination of the concepts described in the context of FIGS. 23A, 23B and 24 may be used in a wide variety drawer assemblies. FIGS. 25-43 illustrate an example of a drawer assembly 300a that includes concepts described in the context of FIGS. 23A, 23B and 24. A wide variety of other drawer assemblies may be made using the concepts described in the context of FIGS. 23A, 23B and 24.
Referring to FIGS. 25, 25A, and 25B, the exemplary drawer assembly includes a drawer 304a, a drawer release handle 306a, a drawer pull handle 307a, a catch member 308a, a spring 311a, telescoping slides 313a, and a catch receiving member 315a. The drawer assembly 300a may be used in a wide variety of different types of cabinets. The exemplary drawer 304a includes a front panel 305a that includes a front wall 312a and a top wall 314a. A pair of outer cutouts 352a define a top edge 322a of the front wall. A middle slot 354a is defined at the intersection of the front wall 312a and the top wall 314a. The front wall 312a includes and alignment hole 356a adjacent to each of the outer cutouts 352a and adjacent to the middle slot 354a. The front wall also includes a pair of catch member notches 358a.
Referring to FIGS. 26-28, the drawer release handle 306a includes a pivot wall 420a and a user engageable wall 424a. In the embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 26-28, the pivot wall comprises first and second outer extensions 426a, and a middle extension 434a that extend from the user engageable wall 424a. Outer slots 402a are defined through the outer extensions 426a and a middle slot 404a is defined through the middle extension 434a. Referring to FIG. 28, the catch members 308a each include an elongated portion 450a, and a coupling portion 452a. The coupling portion 452a includes a tapered surface 454a. The catch member 308a is fixed to the user engageable wall 424a of the drawer release handle 306a.
Referring to FIGS. 29-31, the spring 311a includes a clip portion 730a and a pull handle engagement portion 732a. The spring 311a is made from a flat material, such as a sheet of spring steel. FIG. 30 shows a cross-section of the spring 311a. The clip portion 730a is generally U-shaped in section and is sized to clamp onto the top wall middle extension 434a (see FIG. 25B). The pull handle engagement portion 732a includes a bends 734a. Referring to FIGS. 29 and 31, a cutout 738a is provided in the spring 311a. FIG. 25B illustrates the spring 311a being installed onto the middle extension 434a of the drawer release handle 306a. The clip portion 730a snaps onto the middle extension 434a such that the cutout 738a of the spring 311a is substantially aligned with the middle slot 404a of the drawer release handle 306a. When installed, the pull handle engagement portion 732a extends slightly downward from the middle extension 434a as it extends toward the pull handle 307a.
Referring to FIGS. 32-35, the drawer pull handle 307a includes a pull wall 1050a that extends at an angle (see FIG. 35) from a top wall 1054a. Outer attachment wall portions 1052a and a middle attachment wall portion 1053a extend from the top wall 1054a. Referring to FIGS. 34 and 36, the wall portions 1052a, 1053a include a wide portion 1060a and a narrower portion 1062a. An attachment hole 1064a is disposed through each of the attachment wall portions 1052a, 1053a.
Referring to FIG. 25, the drawer release handle 306a may be assembled with the drawer 304a by placing the clip portion 730a of the spring 311a on the middle extension 434a of the pivot wall, such that the cutout 738a of the spring is substantially aligned with the middle slot 404a of the drawer release handle 306a. The middle extension 434a and the attached spring 311a are then inserted through the middle slot 354a of the front panel 304a. Referring to FIGS. 25 and 36, when the middle extension 434a is in the middle slot 354a, the extensions 426a, 428a of the pivot wall are disposed on the top edge 322a defined by the cutouts 352a. The catch members 308a extend through the catch member notches 358a. Referring to FIGS. 25 and 36, the pull handle 307a is assembled with the drawer front panel 305a and the drawer release handle 306a by inserting the outer attachment wall portions 1052a through the outer slots 402a of the drawer release handle 306a and inserting the middle attachment wall portion 1053a through the spring cutout 738a and the middle slot 404a of the drawer release handle 306a. The middle attachment wall portion retains the spring 311a on the drawer release handle 306a. Referring to FIGS. 37 and 38, the pull handle 307a is fixed to the front wall 305a by fasteners 1556a that extend through the alignment holes 356a of the front wall and the attachment holes 1064a of the pull handle 307a. Referring to FIGS. 37 and 43, the pivot wall extensions 426a, 428a are pivotable on or about the edge 322a of the front panel 305a and are retained to the front wall 305a by the outer wall portions 1052a of the pull handle 307a.
Referring to FIG. 25, the telescoping slides 313a include first portions or first rails 316a attached to side walls 370a of the drawer 304a, and second portions or second rails 317a configured to be attached to a cabinet (not shown). In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 25, the catch receiving members 315a are attached to the second rails 317a of the telescoping slides 313a. The illustrated catch receiving members 315a include a first plate portion 374a and a second plate portion 376a. An opening 378a is provided in the first plate portion 374a. The second plate portion 376a is attached to the telescoping slide 313a such that the catch receiving member 315a forms part of a cabinet frame in which the drawer 304a is received. It should be readily apparent that the catch receiving members may take a wide variety of different forms and may be attached or otherwise coupled to the cabinet frame in a wide variety of different ways.
Referring to FIG. 43, when the drawer release handle 306a, the drawer pull handle 307a, and the spring 311a are assembled with the drawer 304a, the spring 311a engages the release handle 306a and the pull handle 307a. The engagement of the spring 311a with the release handle 306a biases the release handle 306a to the drawer retention positioned illustrated in FIG. 41. The handle 306a and attached catch member 308a may be pivoted on the edge 322a of the front wall as indicated by arrow 2100a to move the release handle 306a and catch member 308a to a drawer release position. Once the handle 406a is moved to a drawer release position, the drawer 304a may be pulled out to an open position. The drawer may be returned to a closed position simply by pushing in the drawer, as engagement of the catch receiving member 315a with the tapered surface 454a of the coupling portion 452a pivots the catch member 308a against the spring 311a to allow coupling engagement of the coupling portion 452a with the opening 378a.
Referring to FIGS. 39 and 42, the pull handle 307a may include a cover 1780a. The cover 1780a may provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the pull handle 407a and/or may provide a surface that is easy to grip. The cover 1780a may be attached to the pull handle 407a in a wide variety of different ways. In the example illustrated in FIG. 39, the cover slides onto the pull handle 407a as indicated by arrow 1782a. Referring to FIG. 40, once the cover 1780a is in place, end caps 1800a may be attached to ends of the cover. The end caps 1800a may be attached in a wide variety of different ways. In the example illustrated by FIG. 40, the end caps 1800a are attached to the cover 1780a by projections 1802a, 1804a that extend into ends of the cover 1800a.
While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, circuits, devices and components, software, hardware, control logic, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative indicators and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such indicators and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical indicators or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention, the inventions instead being set forth in the appended claims. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.
