Recessed Pull

Abstract

A recessed pull includes a cover anchored over and behind an elongated aperture in the header by a trim piece having lock ears which project through the aperture. The lock ears fit through keyed portions of the cover for sliding engagement relative thereto in a plane generally parallel the front wall of the header to position the ears over portions of said cover to secure the cover and trim piece to each other with the front wall sandwiched in between.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a recessed pull for mounting on a movable member. Such a movable member might be a desk drawer, a door on a cabinet, etc. For purposes of illustration, the recessed pull of this invention will be specifically described in conjunction with a drawer. However, it will be appreciated from the ensuing specification that the recessed pull of this invention is applicable for use in conjunction with any type of member which requires a pull.

The conventional drawer includes a drawer head having a flat front wall with means attached thereto for opening and closing the drawer. Typically, a forwardly projecting handle is mounted to the front wall for opening and closing. However, a distinct disadvantage of these types of pulls is the consistency with which the projecting handles are bumped into by persons or articles passing by, which can result in injury to the persons or articles and or the handle itself. Present proposals suggest a recessed pull mechanism wherein an elongated aperture is provided in the front wall of the drawer head which aperture is enclosed by a cover anchored over and behind the aperture thus eliminating the problems concerned with the projecting handles. Present proposals however are unsatisfactory in that they are difficult and cumbersome to mount to the drawer head. Since the cover is positioned behind the front wall of the head, a trim piece is required to cover the outer edge of the aperture.

All of these proposals known to applicant involve some type of mechanical fastener such as a metal screw, bolt or the like which must be inserted into and through one or more of the trim piece, header wall and cover and appropriately tightened to anchor the pull cover and trim piece to the front wall of the drawer head. This is not only time consuming, but requires the additional manufacturing steps of properly indexing and drilling appropriate holes or brackets to mount the fasteners through. In addition, sufficient trim body must be provided to which the mechanical fastener can be applied. As a result, the exposed portion of the trim piece detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the drawer head. Thus, there is a need today for a recessed drawer pull assembly which can be mounted to the head of a drawer in simple and positive fashion which eliminates the need for mechanical fasteners.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved recess pull construction which substantially eliminates the problems of prior art constructions as above described. This is accomplished by eliminating all separate fastening mechanisms and providing a means whereby a unique construction of the cover and trim piece provides the sole means for mounting them to the front wall of the drawer head.

Further, in accordance with this invention no special tools are required to assemble the recessed pull and the assembly is simple and easy. The number of components making up the pull are minimum and easy to fabricate. Also, in accordance with this invention the trim piece can have a very slim line in appearance.

More specifically the recessed pull of this invention includes a cover member mounted behind the front wall of a drawer head for enclosing an aperture therein. A trim piece abuts against the front surface of the wall and encloses the periphery of the aperture. The trim piece includes means projecting through the aperture for sliding engagement relative to the cover in a direction generally parallel to the plane of the front wall to index and secure the cover and trim piece to the drawer head.

A preferred form provides one or more ears projecting from the trim piece through the aperture. The ears fit through corresponding keyed portions on the cover. A sliding engagement is provided so that when the front wall of the cover and the drawer head are positioned between the ears of the trim piece and trim piece body, movement of the cover in a direction generally parallel to the plane of the trim piece locks the cover and trim piece together with the header wall sandwiched in between. By eliminating the necessity of mechanical fasteners the assembly not only permits the use of a trim piece which is in fact "trim" but also reduces the amount of labor involved and hence the overall cost of the assembly since the amount of material necessary to provide appropriately indexed receiving apertures is also eliminated.

Finally, another aspect of this invention sandwiches the cover between the front and rear walls of the drawer head in a snug interference fit to prevent rattling of the drawer head and of the cover within the drawer head. Because of such an interference fit, the front wall and back wall of the drawer head can merely be snapped together without the use of special fasteners.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a filling cabinet showing a drawer head incorporating the recessed pull provided by this invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the trim piece;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pull cover proposed by this invention;

FIG. 4 is a right end view of the cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the trim piece taken along line V--V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the trim piece taken along line VI--VI of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the trim piece and cover mounted in a drawer head taken along line VII--VII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along line VIII--VIII of FIGS. 1 and 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the trim piece taken along line IX--IX of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 10 is a left end view of the cover shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the preferred embodiment, the drawer pull assembly 20 for drawer 12 is secured to the front wall 16 of drawer head 14 (FIG. 1). Drawer pull assembly 20 includes a trim piece 24 which fits into an aperture 18 (FIGS. 7 and 8) in front wall 16 and a cover 22 which fits over aperture 18 on the back of front wall 16. Cover 22 is slidably secured to trim piece 24, with front wall 16 sandwiched therebetween, by means of keyed portions 72 on cover 22 (FIG. 3) which cooperate with ears 104 on trim piece 24 (FIG. 2). The back wall 17 of drawer head 14 snaps into engagement with front wall 16 and presses snugly against cover 22 to prevent rattling of the assembly of back wall 17 to front wall 16 and of cover 22 to front wall 16.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a fragmentary view of a desk 10 having a drawer 12 mounted to the cabinet for sliding movement to open and close the drawer. The drawer is shown as having a drawer head 14 comprised of a front wall 16 and a rear wall 17 (FIG. 7) which are appropriately connected to each other and to the drawer sides 19 and bottom 19a in a conventional manner, the details of which do not effect the embodiments of this invention.

The front wall 16 is provided with a horizontally elongated aperture 18 (FIGS. 7 and 8) located centrally in the header. It is a primary object of this invention to provide a recessed drawer pull assembly 20 which can be mounted to the front wall of the header in such a unique fashion as to eliminate the necessity of mechanical fasteners.

The drawer pull assembly 20 includes a cover 22 adapted to enclose the aperture from behind the front wall and a trim piece 24 which is adapted to abut against the front surface of the front wall and cover the outer periphery of the aperture 18 while at the same time being adapted to interconnect with the cover to index and anchor the cover and trim piece into place.

The cover 22 (FIG. 3) includes a back panel 30, a pair of end panels 32 and 34, and an upper and lower pull portion 36 and 38. The upper pull portion 36 extends forwardly at 44 and then curves downwards to form a vertical front panel 46 and forms, along with the back and end panels and upper recess (FIG. 7) so the person wishing to pull drawer 12 open can insert his hand through aperture 18 and grasp the inside of portion 36 to pull the drawer towards him to open it. It will be appreciated that this is also one customary way to close the drawer, i.e., to grasp a portion of the front wall of the drawer head and the interior of upper portion 36. Likewise, bottom portion 38 extends horizontally at 54 and curves upwardly to form a lower vertical front panel 56 and forms a lower recessed portion which permits opening or closing of the drawer by grasping the cover and front wall 16 in a fashipn similar to that explained with respect to the upper recess. The entire cover 22 while susceptible to various fabrication methods can be shaped out of an integral piece of formable metal which is stamped out of a sheet. The end walls are simply folded normal to the back panel while the upper and lower pull portions are shaped in the curved configuration shown. Preferably, one or more anchoring tabs 58 (FIG. 3) are bent and pressed over the end panels 32, 34 so that the cover maintains its overall rectangular configuration.

Each of the front panel portions 46 and 56 of the cover member includes a flat outer surface (FIGS. 3 and 7) which abut against the inner surface of front wall 16 of drawer head 14 when the cover is properly positioned relative thereto. The front portions 46 and 56 of the cover terminate in generally horizontal interior edges 68 and 70, which preferably project inwardly beyond the horizontal edge portions of aperture 18, the significance of which will be described hereinafter. In other words, front panels 46 and 56 of cover 22 form an elongated aperture which is narrower than aperture 18. With reference to FIG. 3, the opposed edges 68 and 70 of front portions 46 and 56 of the cover also include a plurality of cut-out keyed portions 72 comparable to an elongated notch. Keyed portions 72 are provided to permit the insertion of one or more ears 104 projecting from trim piece 24, the significance of which will likewise be described hereinafter.

Referring briefly to FIGS. 3, 4, and 10, attention is directed to the configuration of end panels 32 and 34 of cover member 22. The end panels are shown having a planar configuration similar to the cross section of cover 22. However, with respect to end panel 32, its width is slightly less than that of the cover so that the front face portions 46 and 56 of the cover are spaced from outer edge 110 of end panel 32 as shown in FIG. 4. This clearance between face portions 46, 56 and outer edge 110 of end 32 permits the insertion of trim piece 24 by sliding it endwise as will be described more thoroughly when the particular details of the trim piece are specifically introduced hereinafter.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, trim piece 24 is shown having upper and lower rails 80, 82 and a pair of side rails 84, 86. The trim piece has a rectangular configuration nearly corresponding to aperture 18 for fitting over the outer periphery thereof with the outer surfaces 88 of the rails (FIG. 1) forming a smooth and continuous decorative cover for the aperture periphery. Each rail 80 and 82 of the trim piece includes an inwardly projecting flange 92 and 94, respectively, (FIG. 6) having stepped cross sections which provide a pair of nesting ledges or grooves 100 and 102 for abutment respectively with the peripheral edges of apertures 18 in front wall 16 and upper and lower edges 68 and 70 of cover member 22. This permits the trim piece to be positioned over aperture 18 with flange portiosn 92 and 94 projecting through the aperture and with the upper and lower edges of the aperture coming into abutment with the trim piece and resting in ledge or groove 100. As noted earlier, the inward edges 68 and 70 of upper and lower front face portions 46 and 56 of the cover project inwardly beyond the aperture edges and hence come into abutment with the trim piece in the lower groove 102. Side rails 84 and 86 include an inwardly projecting flange 96 and 98 respectively (FIGS. 2 and 9) to abut against the edge of aperture 18 so that the outer surface 88 of side rails 84 and 86 will cover the aperture opening.

The preferred form of trim piece 24 includes three pairs of oppositely aligned ears 104a, 104b, and 104c on the upper and lower rails 80 and 82 (FIG. 2). Ears 104a are on one end of the rails while ears 104b are positioned on the opposite end with ears 104c positioned intermediate ears 104a and 104b at the mid section of the rails. The function of ears 104 is to sandwich portions of the cover member and header wall within ledge or groove 102 or 100 to anchor the entire assembly 20 to the drawer head.

A cam lobe 112 (FIGS. 2 and 9) is provided on one end of lower rail flanges 94 and projects inwardly beyond the inner edge 111 and rail flange 94. Lobe 112 includes a camming surface 114 designed to flex portion 56 of cover member 22 away from end panel 32 when the trim piece is inserted endwise with relation to the cover 22 to permit the lobe to pass between portion 56 and edge 110 of end panel 32 (FIG. 3). Once the lobe clears end panel 32, portion 56 which is preferably resilient will snap trim piece 24 back into place with the end 116 of lobe 112 in abutment against the inner wall of end panel 32 to prevent unintentional endwise displacement of the trim piece once it is indexed into place over the cover as will be described in more detail shortly.

To anchor trim piece 24 to cover 22, the trim piece is positioned within aperture 18 of front wall 16. Cover 22 is then placed over trim piece 24, on the rear side of front wall 16, offset to one side so that two pairs of ears 104b and 104c are projected through the cover opening by fitting through keyed portions 72. This will offset ears 104a and cam lobe 112 away from end panel 32 of cover 22. To interlock the two elements, cover 22 is moved endwise so that portions of cover edges 68 and 70 adjacent keyed portions 72 slide behind ears 104b and 104c, in grooves 102. The cover 22 is moved endwise until flange 98 of side rail 86 comes into abutment with end panel 34 of cover 22. Ears 104a will be positioned over cover edges 68 and 70 similar to ears 104b and 104c. The clearance between edge 110 of end panel 32 and front face portions 46 and 56 of cover 22 permits flange 96 and lobe 112 to be inserted through this clearance. The clearance defined is preferably equal to the dimensional projection of flange 96 so that a substantially frictionless insertion is provided. However, cam lobe 112 projects beyond flange 94 and 96. The sloped cam face 114 will flex the corner 113 (FIG. 3) of front face portion 56 away from end panel 32 to permit the lobe to pass through the clearance and be positioned within the confines of the cover. Once the lobe 112 clears end panel 32, the resilient characteristic of front face portion 56 will snap the trim piece into place with end 116 of lobe 112 in abutment against the inner wall of end panel 32.

Referring briefly to FIGS. 3, 4 and 10, the clearance between outer edge 110 of end panel 32 and front portions 46 and 56 of cover 22 is preferably equal to the width of rail flanges 92, 94 and 96 to permit easy sliding movement of the trim piece relative to the cover. This clearance is not required with respect to the opposite end panel 34 (FIG. 10) since the trim piece is moved endwise toward end panel 34 until flange 98 of side rail 86 is in abutment with end panel 34 thereby indexing the trim piece with respect to the cover. This abutting relationship will not exist between end panel 32 and rail flange 96 in the preferred form and hence cam lobe 112 is provided to prevent unintentional displacement of trim piece 24 relative to cover member 22 once the trim piece is properly indexed over the cover.

It will be appreciated that cam lobe 112 could be positioned on either the upper or lower rail flanges 92 or 94 although the end of either rail flange which includes the cam lobe is the end of the trim piece which is offset over the cover when it is initially inserted therein.

Other forms of interlocking the trim piece to the cover are envisioned without departing from the broader aspects of the locking assembly between the trim piece and cover. It may be adequate for example to provide sufficient wedge engagement between ears 104 and edge portions 68 and 70 of the cover such that when the trim piece is moved endwise into position, further endwise displacement will not occur. This of course necessitates a slightly more difficult insertion of the trim piece into the cover as a result of the wedge engagement. Yet another form might provide foldable tabs projecting endwise from front portions 46 and 56 similar to tabs 58 shown which are folded over after the trim piece is inserted to prevent its removal therefrom.

Once drawer pull assembly 20 is in place on front wall 16, back wall 17 of header 14 is secured to front wall 16 (FIGS. 7 and 8). Front wall 16 is bent over and then down at its top to define a retaining lip flange 16a. Back wall 17 is bent over at 17b and then upwardly at its top to define an upwardly projecting locking flange 17a. Flange 17d projecting forwardly from the top of locking flange 17a provides a lever which can be depressed to flex horizontal portion 17b downwardly. At its base, back wall 17a includes downwardly projecting hooks 17c which hook into appropriate apertures in the bottom 19a of drawer 12.

Thus, back wall 17 is assembled to front wall 16 by first positioning locking flange 17a behind lip flange 16a and by then deforming resilient horizontal portion or flange 17b downwardly slightly to allow hooks 17c to slide into their apertures in bottom 19a. The length of horizontal portion 17b and the distance from hook 17c to the main vertical portion of back wall 17 are sufficiently short that back wall 17 presses snugly against the rear panel 30 of cover 22. This interference fit insures that the assembly of back wall 17 to front wall 16, and of cover 22 to front wall 16, will not rattle.

To recapitulate, trim piece 24 is positioned within aperture 18 of front wall 16 of drawer head 14 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Cover 22 is then positioned over aperture 18 and trim piece 24 on the rear side of wall 16 and is offset with respect to trim piece 24 so that two pairs of ears 104b and 104c can be inserted through keyed portions 72 of the cover. Since the trim piece is not completely symmetrical as a result of the utilization of cam lobe 112, the two pair of ears to be positioned will be those spaced from the end including the cam lobe. With the trim piece so positioned, the upper and lower peripheral edges of aperture 18 are indexed in grooves 100 of rail flanges 92 and 94 while the upper and lower edges 68 and 70 of the cover are positioned adjacent thereto in grooves 102. The cover is then moved endwise so that ears 104b and 104c are moved out of keyed portions 72 to lock behind adjacent portions of edges 68 and 70. The cover is indexed into position when flange 98 of trim piece 24 abuts against cover end panel 34 and is locked endwise when cam lobe 112 clears end panel 32 after having flexed the upper and lower front portions 46 and 56 of the cover away from end panel 32 to permit the lobe to clear the panel. The indexing and endwise locking will occur simultaneously.

According to the unique concepts presented, it is no longer necessary to utilize some form of mechanical fastener to anchor the recessed drawer pull assembly. As a result, the overall width of rail trim surfaces 88 can be reduced significantly once mechanical fastening means are not required. This permits a trimmer, more aesthetically appealing trim piece than was heretofore possible. In addition, the trim piece and cover are less than complex and hence less expensive since the necessity for mechanical fasteners is eliminated. This also simplifies the overall assembly of the recessed drawer pull thereby providing additional savings.

Although but one embodiment has been shown and described in detail, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skills in this art that the details of construction of this particular embodiment may be modified in a great many ways without departing from the unique concepts presented. It is therefore intended that the invention is limited only by the scope of ethe appended claims rather than by particular details of construction shown, except as specifically stated in the claims.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed as defined as follows:

1. A movable member, such as a drawer, door or the like comprising: a front wall, said front wall having an aperture therein, a pull means including a cover behind said front wall for enclosing said aperture, and a trim piece in abutment with the front surface of said front wall, said trim piece enclosing the outer periphery of said aperture, said cover and trim piece including cooperating means slidably engageable in a direction generally parallel to the plane of said front wall whereby said cover and trim piece are secured to said front wall by positioning said cover and trim piece on opposite sides of said front wall, at said aperture, and sliding one with respect to the other until said cooperating means engage.

2. A movable member according to claim 1 wherein said cooperating means includes one or more ears on said trim piece projecting rearwardly from the main body of said trim piece, through said aperture, and fitting through keyed portions of said cover, said sliding engagement acting to position portions of said cover between said ears and trim piece main body to lock said cover and trim piece to said front wall over said aperture.

3. A movable member according to claim 2 wherein said cover includes a back panel, a pair of end panels, and upper and lower front panel portions defining an opening generally corresponding to said front wall aperture, said front panel portions of said cover being spaced from the outer edge of one of said end panels, said trim piece including an upper, lower and pair of end rails, said ears projecting from said upper and lower rails, said trim piece including a pair of oppositely aligned second ears on one of said upper and lower rails which are offset from said cover when the other of said ears are inserted through said keyed portions so that when said cover is moved endwise to anchor said cover to said front wall and to said trim piece, said pair of oppositely aligned second ears are moved through said space between said upper and lower panel portions of said cover spaced from the outer edge of said one end panel so that said pair of second ears position portions of said cover between said upper and lower rails and said pair of second ears.

4. A movable member according to claim 2 wherein said cover includes a back panel, a pair of end panels, and upper and lower front panel portions defining an opening generally corresponding to said front wall aperture, said front panel portions of said cover being spaced from the outer edge of one of said end panels and being resilient relative thereto, said trim piece including a camming lobe on one end thereof and projecting inwardly with respect to said cover, said lobe, during said sliding engagement, camming one of said front panel portions away from said one of said cover end walls so that when said lobe clears said end wall it will snap inwardly beyond the said edge of said end wall to prevent unintentional endwise displacement of said trim piece relative said cover when said cover and trim piece are interconnected.

5. A movable member according to claim 2 wherein said trim piece is comprised of an upper, lower and pair of end rails having outer faces exposed with respect to said front wall for enclosing said aperture and inner faces in abutment with the peripheral portion of said aperture, said rails including flanges projecting inwardly therefrom, through said aperture in said front wall, said ears being positioned normal to said flanges and being spaced from said rails.

6. A movable member according to claim 5 wherein said cover includes a back panel, a pair of end panels and upper and lower front panel portions defining an opening generally corresponding to said front wall aperture, the interior edges of said upper and lower front panel portions projecting beyond the upper and lower edge portions of said aperture, said upper and lower rail flange portions including a stepped cross section defining a pair of edge-receiving grooves for receiving and indexing said upper and lower aperture edges of said upper and lower front panel portion edges, said grooves being positioned in said flanges intermediate said upper and lower rails and said ears.

7. The movable member of claim 1 which comprises: a rear wall; means securing said rear wall to said front wall and spacing said front wall and said rear wall a distance slightly less than the depth of said cover whereby said cover is sandwiched snugly between said front wall and said rear wall.

8. The movable member of claim 7 in which said means securing said rear wall to said front wall comprise: means on said rear wall interengaging means on said front wall to define a snap fit therebetween.

9. The movable member of claim 8 in which: said means on said rear wall includes a flange projecting forwardly and then upwardly from the top thereof to define a locking flange and hooks projecting downwardly from the bottom thereof, and said means on said front wall includes a flange projecting rearwardly and then downwardly from the top thereof to define a lip flange; a bottom wall operably connected to said front wall, said bottom wall including apertures therein; said locking flange being positioned behind said lip flange towards said front wall and said hooks being positioned in said apertures.

10. The movable member of claim 9 in which said flange projecting forwardly and then upwardly from the top of said rear wall is resilient and can be flexed downwardly to allow said locking flange to pass beneath said lip flange.

11. A recessed pull for enclosing an aperture in the wall of a member requiring a pull, said pull comprising: a cover piece adapted to fit behind said wall and enclose said aperture, and a trim piece in abutment with the front surface of said wall, said trim piece enclosing the outer periphery of said aperture, said cover and trim piece including cooperating means slidably engageable in a direction generally parallel to the plane of said wall whereby said cover and trim piece are secured to said wall by positioning said cover and trim piece on opposite sides of said wall, at said aperture, and sliding one with respect to the other until said cooperating means engage.

12. The pull according to claim 11 wherein said cooperating means includes one or more ears on said trim piece projecting rearwardly from the main body of said trim piece, through said aperture, and fitting through keyed portions on the front of said cover, said sliding engagement acting to position portions of said cover intermediate said ears and trim piece main body to lock said cover and trim piece to said wall over said aperture.

13. The pull according to claim 12 wherein said trim piece includes lock means engagable with said cover piece when said trim piece is indexed and secured to said cover piece, said lock means preventing unintentional endwise removal of said trim piece relative to said cover piece.

14. A pull according to claim 11 wherein: said cooperating means includes one or more ears on said trim piece projecting rearwardly from the main body of said trim piece and through said aperture; said cover includes upper and lower front panel portions defining an opening generally corresponding to said wall aperture, said front panel portions including a space therebehind, between said front panel portions and any other portions of said cover, said space being located at least at one end of said cover whereby said ears can be moved through said space behind said front panel portions of said cover and into position behind said front panel portions.

15. A pull according to claim 14 wherein said cover includes a back panel, and at least one end panel, said space behind said upper and lower front panel portions being generally between said front panel portions and said end wall, said front panel portions being resilient relative to said end wall; said trim piece including a camming lobe on one end thereof and projecting inwardly with respect to said cover, said lobe, during said sliding engagement, camming one of said front panel portions away from said end wall so that when said lobe clears said end wall it will snap inwardly beyond the edge of said end wall to prevent unintentional endwise displacement of said trim piece relative said cover when said cover and trim piece are interconnected.

16. A pull according to claim 15 wherein said trim piece is comprised of an upper, lower and pair of end rails having outer faces exposed with respect to said wall for enclosing said aperture, and inner faces in abutment with the peripheral portion of said aperture, said rails including flanges projecting inwardly therefrom, through said aperture in said wall, said ears being positioned normal to said flanges and being spaced from said rails.

17. A pull according to claim 14 wherein said trim piece is comprised of an upper, lower and pair of end rails having outer faces exposed with respect to said wall for enclosing said aperture, and inner faces in abutment with the peripheral portion of said aperture, said rails including flanges projecting inwardly therefrom, through said aperture in said wall, said ears being positioned normal to said flanges and being spaced from said rails.

18. A pull according to claim 17 wherein said cover includes a back panel, a pair of end panels and upper and lower front panel portions defining an opening generally corresponding to said front wall aperture, the interior edges of said upper and lower front panel portions projecting beyond the upper and lower edge portions of said aperture; said upper and lower rail flange portions including a stepped cross section defining a pair of edge-receiving grooves for receiving and indexing said upper and lower aperture edges and said upper and lower front panel portion edges, said grooves being positioned in said flanges intermediate said upper and lower rails and said ears.