REMOVABLE HANDLE

Abstract

A handle for opening and closing a cabinet door, a cabinet drawer or an entry/exit door of a commercial or residential building. The handle includes a first wall member joined to a second wall member that is attached to a third wall member to form a removable handle for opening and closing a door or drawer. The first wall member is flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or drawer, the first wall member flexibly and resiliently moves to form a self-tensioning, self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on the door or drawer allowing the handle to be used to open and/or close a door or drawer.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to handles, and more particularly to removable cabinet door and drawer handles for opening and closing cabinet doors, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise for commercial and residential uses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise are often manufactured without handles for purposes of allowing the purchaser the ability to select custom handles according to their desired taste. Therefore, it is likely that a purchaser may install and begin to use cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise without installing their respected handles. This may pose a problem for purchasers who wish to use their cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise and have not installed handles because cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise may be difficult to use (i.e. open or close) without the installation of handles.

Handles can be attached by adhesives. For example, one part of a door handle generally protrudes outwardly from the door for grasping and pulling open or closing the door, while the adhesive portion of the handle is adhesively bonded to a surface of the door. The adhesive attaching may minimizes the possibility of marring the door, which is a concern by many cabinet owners when the handles are attached via fasteners, however, the adhesive attachment of the handle can be messy and may leave an adhesive residue on the surface of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise once the handle is removed. Thus, there is a need for a removable handle that attaches to cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise without the downsides of using adhesive as well as the damage and difficulty that may arise from the use of common fasteners (e.g. nails, screws, staples).

The invention solves this problem by providing a removable handle permitting the purchaser to easily install the removable handle without the use of additional tools such as screw drivers, drills, and the like or having to use adhesives, screws, nails, staples, or otherwise. Until the purchaser decides on permanent handles, the removable handles of this invention can aid the owner in the opening and closing of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise. Alternatively, if the purchaser does not desire to purchase permanent handles, the removable handles may be utilized permanently to aid in the opening and closing of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets some or all of the above-mentioned needs by providing a removable handle for opening and/or closing a door or drawer.

One aspect of the invention is directed towards a handle for opening and/or closing a door or drawer comprising a first wall member; a second wall member integral formed and extending substantially perpendicular from the first wall member; a third wall member attached to and extending substantially perpendicular from the second wall member, the first wall member and the third wall member are substantially parallel to each other and extend generally in the same direction from the second wall member; and/or the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on a door or a drawer.

This aspect of the invention may be further characterized by one or any combination of the following: the first wall member is generally curved; the second wall member further comprises an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, a first end located opposite and parallel to a second end, and the second wall member is substantially planar in shape; the second wall member further comprises a tab that protrudes from the second end for grasping, and maneuvering a door or drawer; the third wall member is integrally formed with the second wall member; the third wall member is removably attached to the second wall member; the outer surface of the second wall member includes a column of one or more spaced apart and generally parallel to one another ridges; the third wall member further comprises a head defining a bore for receiving the second wall member such that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking; the head matingly engages the ridges of the outer surface of the second wall member so that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking; the handle comprises a non-marring material, and/or the handle does not fasten to a door or a drawer by an adhesive, screw, nail, or staple.

It should be appreciated that the above referenced aspects and examples are non-limiting as others exist with the present invention, as shown and described herein. For example, any of the above mentioned aspects or features of the invention may be combined to form other unique configurations of the finished block, as described herein, demonstrated in the drawings, or otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention shall become clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the attached detailed description along with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the handle in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the handle from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the handle from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the handle in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the handle from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the handle from FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of the embodiments of the handle from FIG. 1 attached to a cabinet door.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the embodiments of the handle from FIG. 4 attached to a cabinet door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, a handle 10 is shown in accordance with the present invention. As shown, the handle includes a first wall member 20, a second wall member 30, and a third wall member 50. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the handle 10 may be made from a soft touch plastic that is non-marring, a rigid rubber that is non-marring, a metal composite that is non-marring, or otherwise.

The first wall member 20 includes an inner surface 22, and an outer surface 24. The first wall member 20 is flexible and resilient allowing movement of the first wall member 20 in relation to the third wall member 50. This allows the distance between the first wall member 20 and the third wall member 50 to increase at certain points when the handle 10 is attached to a cabinet door 60 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The flexibility of the first wall member 20 allows the member 20 to move such that a grip is formed between the first, second and third wall members 20, 30, 50, respectively, and the periphery of the cabinet door 60. The resilience of the first wall member causes the first wall member 20 and the third wall member 50 to apply opposing forces on the periphery of the cabinet door 60 attaching the handle to the door. As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 10 may be pre-tensioned to allow expansion from the range of about ¼ to 3 inches, ⅜ inch to 1 and ¼ inch, or otherwise which is particularly useful with standard doors produced with ¾ inch peripheries as well as custom made doors ranging up to about 1 and ¼ inch of thickness. The first wall member 20 may be curved in a bow shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The curvature of the first wall member 20 facilities installation of the handle and provides resilience for securing the handle to the door.

The handle 10 further may include a second wall member 30 having an outer surface 32, an inner surface 34, a first end 36, and a second end 38. The second wall member 30 is substantially planar in shape, and is integrally formed and joined to the first wall member 20. The second wall member 30 may further include a tab 40 that protrudes from the second end 38 for grasping, and maneuvering the cabinet door 60 open or closed. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art, that the substantially planar shape of the second wall member 30 may also contain indicia (e.g. manufacturer name etc.) on the outer surface 32 of the second wall member 30 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (the indicia may be placed at 37). The indicia shown is located on the second end 38 but it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the indicia be placed anywhere on the outer surface 32, and not limited to placement on the second end 38. The handle 10 may be produced with an insert mold, which allows the mold to be changed as desired to input different forms of indicia on the handle 10. Alternatively, an adhesive label encompassing indicia may also be utilized in order to label the handle 10 with various forms of indicia. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the indicia may be a company name, logo, decorative pattern, and/or otherwise.

The handle 10 further includes a third wall member 50. The third wall member 50 may be generally perpendicular to the second wall member 30. The third wall member 50 may also be generally parallel to the first wall member 20. The third wall member 50 may be integrally formed and joined to the second wall member 30.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 8 another embodiment of the temporary cabinet door handle 10 is shown. For convenience, common reference numerals have been utilized for common components in this embodiment and the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the second wall member 30 may further includes ridges 42 that extend in a column from the first end 36 to the second end 38. The ridges 42 can be but are not necessarily equally spaced apart from one another and generally parallel to one another. The ridges 42 permit the handle 10 to be adjustable to fit various door 60 thicknesses by allowing the handle 10 to be adjustable. The multiple adjustment feature of the handle 10 in FIG. 4 allows the handle 10 to be adjustably expandable to grip various peripheries of doors 60 and drawers having a periphery in the range from about ¼ to 6 inches, ⅝ to 2 and ¾ inches, or otherwise.

In FIG. 4, the third wall member 50 may be removable attached to the second wall member 30 as shown in FIG. 4 and may include an integrally formed head 56 defining a bore 58 for receiving the second wall member 30. The head 56 fits and may matingly engage into any one of the ridges 42 on the second wall member 30 for allowing the third wall member 50 to be slideably adjustable between the first and second ends 36, 38, respectively, and self-locking with the second wall member 30.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in operation the handle 10 is removably attached to a door 60. More particularly, the inner surface 22 of the first wall member 20, the inner surface 34 of the second wall member 30, and the inner surface 52 of the third wall member 50 may contact various surfaces of the door 60 when the handle 10 is tension fit and attached to the door 60. For instance, upon application of the handle 10 to the door 60, the inner surface 22 may contact the back surface of the door 60. The other inner surface 34 may contact the intermediate surface of the door 60 and the other inner surface 52 may contact the front surface of the door 60 such that the wall members 20, 30 and 50 form a self grip with the door 60. As shown in the drawings, the handle 10 is attached to a door 60 of a cabinet, but it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the temporary handle 10 may also be utilized on cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise.

Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Plural structural components can be provided by a single integrated structure. Alternatively, a single integrated structure might be divided into separate plural components. Similarly, specific features or components described in the different embodiments of the blocks may be used with other embodiments or may be combined with yet other features or components to form other embodiments. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed. A person of ordinary skill in the art would realize however, that certain modifications would come within the teachings of this invention. Therefore, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of the invention.

Claims

1. A handle for opening and closing a door or drawer comprising:

a first wall member;

a second wall member integral formed and extending from the first wall member;

a third wall member attached to and extending substantially perpendicular from the second wall member, wherein the first wall member and the third wall member extend generally in the same direction from the second wall member; and

wherein the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on a door or a drawer.

2. The handle of claim 1, wherein the first wall member is generally curved.

3. The handle of claim 1, wherein the second wall member further comprises an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, a first end located opposite and parallel to a second end, and the second wall member is substantially planar in shape.

4. The handle of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first wall member, the second wall member, and the third wall member further comprises a tab that protrudes for grasping, and maneuvering a door or drawer.

5. The handle of claim 1, wherein the third wall member is integrally formed with the second wall member.

6. The handle of claim 1, wherein the third wall member is removably attached to the second wall member.

7. The handle of claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the second wall member includes a column of one or more spaced apart and generally parallel to one another ridges.

8. The handle of claim 7, wherein the third wall member further comprises a head defining a bore for receiving the second wall member such that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking.

9. The handle of claim 8, wherein the head matingly engages the ridges of the outer surface of the second wall member so that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking.

10. The handle of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a non-marring material.

11. The handle of claim 1, wherein said handle does not fasten to a door or a drawer by an adhesive, screw, nail, or staple.

12. A handle for opening and closing a door or drawer comprising:

a generally curved first wall member wherein the curved shape facilitates installation of the handle;

a second wall member integral formed with the first wall member, wherein the second wall member further comprises an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, and the second wall member is substantially planar in shape;

a third wall member attached to and extending substantially perpendicular from the second wall member, wherein the first wall member and the third wall member extend generally in the same direction from the second wall member;

wherein the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on a door or a drawer; and

further wherein the handle comprises a non-marring material.

13. The handle of claim 12, wherein the third wall member is integrally formed with the second wall member.

14. The handle of claim 12, wherein the third wall member is removably attached to the second wall member.

15. The handle of claim 14, wherein the outer surface of the second wall member includes a column of one or more spaced apart and generally parallel to one another ridges.

16. The handle of claim 15, wherein the third wall member further comprises a head defining a bore for receiving the second wall member such that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking.

17. The handle of claim 16, wherein the head matingly engages the ridges of the outer surface of the second wall member so that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking.

18. The handle of claim 12, wherein said handle does not fasten to a door or a drawer by an adhesive, screw, nail, or staple.

19. A handle for opening and closing a door or drawer comprising:

a generally curved first wall member;

a second wall member integral formed and extending substantially perpendicular from the first wall member, wherein the second wall member further comprises an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, a first end located opposite and parallel to a second end, a tab protruding from the second end, and the second wall member is substantially planar in shape;

a third wall member integral formed and extending substantially perpendicular from the second wall member, wherein the first wall member and the third wall member are substantially parallel to each other and extend generally in the same direction from the second wall member;

wherein the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on a door or a drawer; and

further wherein the handle comprises a non-marring material.

20. The handle of claim 19, wherein said handle does not fasten to a door or a drawer by an adhesive, screw, nail, or staple.

21. A handle for opening and closing a door or drawer comprising:

a first wall member;

a second wall member integral formed and extending substantially perpendicular from the first wall member, the second wall member further comprising an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, a first end located opposite and parallel to a second end, a tab protruding from the second end for grasping and maneuvering a door or drawer to which the handle is attached;

wherein the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second wall member on a door or a drawer.

22. A method for opening a door or drawer having no installed handle comprising:

providing a removable handle having a first wall member and a second wall member, wherein the second wall member includes a first end and a second end;

providing a tab portion integrally formed with and extending from the second end of the second wall member;

grasping the tab portion;

placing the handle onto an edge of a door or drawer such that a grip is formed between the first wall member, the second wall member, and the tab portion;

maneuvering the door or drawer to a desired position.