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Description  |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to frameless cabinets and more particularly to
apparatus for connecting a cabinet door to a cabinet wall of a frameless
cabinet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Frameless cabinet constructions having cabinet walls with doors hingedly
connected thereto are well known. German Offenlegungsschrift DE 4405349A1
discloses a structural wall having a recess extending from a front opening
into the interior of the wall. The recess communicates with a slot formed
in a wall side. A hinge member having flanges is connected to the wall
structure by positioning the flanges in the recess and the hinge member
per se in the slot communicating with the recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,200, issued Nov. 26, 1991, shows a hinge suitable for
use with cabinets having inset doors. The hinge can be installed and
adjusted on the door at the installation site. The hinge has hinge wings
which are concealed when the door is in the closed position. The hinge
includes a clamping plate parallel to a leg of a door wing engageable in a
slot in the slotted edge of the door.
The following prior art also is known and believed representative of the
current state of the prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,539, issued Nov. 3,
1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,287, issued Apr. 30, 1996, U.S. Pat. No.
4,799,290, issued Jan. 24, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,141, issued Aug. 15,
1989, U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,616, issued Jul. 12, 1994, U.S. Pat. No.
5,375,297, issued Dec. 27, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,165, issued Apr. 28,
1992, U.S. Pat. No. RE.36,213, issued Jun. 1, 1999, U.S. Pat. No.
RE.30,717, issued Aug. 25,1981, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,077, issued Oct. 1,
1991, U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,072, issued Oct. 7, 1986, U.S. Pat. No.
4,517,706, issued May 21, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,877, issued Oct. 13,
1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,493, issued Feb. 28, 1995, U.S. Pat. No.
5,577,296, issued Nov. 26, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,532, issued Apr. 14,
1992, U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766, issued Nov. 10, 1987, and U.S. Pat. No.
4,976,006, issued Dec. 11, 1990. A frameless cabinet door hinge is closed
in German Offenlegungsschrift DE 4405349A1. Other hinges of some degree of
relevance are shown in pages 93 and 112-114 of the 1998 Charles McMurray
Catalog.
The prior art indicated above does not teach or suggest the invention
disclosed and claimed herein.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention is directed to apparatus for hingedly connecting a
cabinet door to a cabinet wall of a frameless cabinet. The apparatus is
characterized by its simplicity and relatively low cost. Furthermore, the
resultant construction is very strong and will fail only when very high
forces, including hinge "bend back" forces, are applied to the cabinet
door. This is accomplished by distributing such forces to a substantial
area of the cabinet wall, enabling the cabinet incorporating the apparatus
to be constructed of materials of lesser strength or having smaller
dimensions than possible with known prior art approaches. This results not
only in a cost savings but also a more efficient use of natural resources.
For example, employing the techniques of the present invention a narrow
panel of fiberboard can be utilized as the cabinet wall. Tests have shown
that a one-half inch fiberboard panel and the apparatus of the present
invention combine to form an extremely strong structure. This is not the
case when conventional prior art hinge structures are employed with such
material. Of course, the teachings of the invention can be employed with
other cabinet wall thicknesses and materials.
The apparatus of the present invention is for hingedly connecting a cabinet
door and a cabinet wall of a frameless cabinet, the cabinet wall including
spaced wall sides and a wall front extending between the spaced wall
sides. The cabinet wall defines an opening at the wall front and an
elongated recess extending inwardly from the opening into the cabinet wall
between the wall sides.
The apparatus includes a first hinge member for attachment to a cabinet
door and a second hinge member pivotally connected to the first hinge
member.
A double-ended, elongated support plate is affixed to the second hinge
member at one of the ends of the elongated support plate for positioning
through an opening in the wall front of a cabinet wall of a frameless
cabinet into an elongated recess extending inwardly from the opening and
between the wall sides of the cabinet wall, the elongated support plate
having a support plate top and a support plate bottom.
At least one projection is attached to the elongated support plate for
frictionally engaging the cabinet wall when the elongated support plate is
in the elongated recess of the cabinet wall to attach the second hinge
member to the cabinet wall.
Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will
become apparent with reference to the following description and
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating apparatus constructed in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention attached to a
cabinet wall of a frameless cabinet, only a portion of the cabinet wall
being illustrated;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the apparatus being installed on
the cabinet wall, a cover plate being shown prior to attachment thereof to
the rest of the apparatus;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus without the cover plate;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus without the cover plate
supporting a door on a cabinet wall;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the apparatus without the cover plate;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in
FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention
prior to its application to a cabinet wall; and
FIG. 8 is a side, elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 7.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, a preferred form of apparatus constructed in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention is illustrated. The
apparatus is for hingedly connecting a cabinet door to a cabinet wall 10
of a frameless cabinet. The cabinet wall 10 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2)
includes a wall front 12 extending between spaced wall sides 14 and 16.
The cabinet wall defines an opening 18 at the wall front and an elongated
recess 20 extending inwardly from the opening into the cabinet wall
between the wall sides. An elongated slot 22 is formed in wall side 14 and
communicates with the larger elongated recess 20.
The disclosed hinge includes a first hinge member 24 for attachment to a
cabinet door, a portion of which is shown in FIG. 4 and designated by
reference number 25. The first hinge member 24 is of conventional
construction, being of the cup-shaped type, except that it has enlarged
mounting holes or openings 23 which receive screws or other mechanical
fasteners used to attach the first hinge member to the door 25. The
disclosed holes 23 are rectangular-shaped (squares with rounded corners)
and are sized to allow relative movement between the shafts of the
mechanical fasteners and first hinge member to allow adjustability during
installation. When hinge member 24 is attached to the door 25 and a
portion thereof is located in a recess formed in the door.
The hinge also includes a second hinge member 26 pivotally interconnected
with the first hinge member. The principles of the present invention can
be applied to a wide variety of hinge types and sizes.
A double-ended, elongated support plate 28 is affixed to the second hinge
member at one of the ends of the support plate. The support plate is
preferably at least 2 inches long and generally conforms to the dimensions
of the elongated recess 20. FIG. 2 shows the elongated support plate 28
being inserted into the elongated recess 20.
Support plate 28 defines an elongated aperture 30 which receives an
elongated rib 32. Rib 32 projects from a side of the support plate into
elongated slot 22. A plurality of teeth project outwardly from the rib top
and from the rib bottom, the teeth being angularly disposed so that
insertion of the support plate and the rib into the elongated recess and
the elongated slot of the cabinet wall is facilitated. The teeth engage
the cabinet wall material at the top and bottom of the elongated slot 22.
When an outwardly directed pulling force is exerted on the apparatus the
angularly oriented teeth will "bite" into the material of the cabinet wall
to resist removal of the elongated support plate from the elongated recess
and removal of the elongated rib from the slot.
The rib has flanges 36 attached thereto and projecting therefrom. These
flanges are positioned in a depression 38 formed in the support plate
adjacent to the elongated aperture 30 so that a smooth outer surface is
presented by the flanges, the rib and the support plate to facilitate
placement thereof in the elongated recess.
Another component of the apparatus is a cover plate 40 (shown in FIGS. 1
and 2 only) having connector pins 42 projecting therefrom. After the
support plate and rib have been installed on the cabinet wall, the pins 42
are positioned in holes 44 formed in the side of the rib. The cover plate
40 will be releasably retained in the position shown in FIG. 1 due to
frictional engagement between the connector pins and the rib. The cover
could carry a logo or other indicia.
An abutment 48 projects outwardly at the location where the support plate
is joined to the second hinge member, the abutment engaging the wall front
12 to restrict the extent of movement of the elongated support plate into
the elongated recess of the cabinet wall.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention. The
hinge members are of the same construction illustrated in FIG. 1-6 and the
cabinet wall portion corresponds to that in those figures. The only
difference between this second embodiment and the first embodiment
described above is that the elongated support plate 28A forms no elongated
aperture. Nor does a rib project therefrom.
Support plate 28A is in the nature of a flat plate fixedly secured to
second hinge member 26. Angularly disposed teeth extend along the length
of the support plate 28A at the top and bottom thereof.
Attachment of the second embodiment of the invention is simplicity itself,
merely requiring the insertion of the elongated support plate into
elongated recess 20, it being understood that the support plate 28 and
teeth projecting therefrom are sized to engage the material of the cabinet
wall at the top and bottom of the elongated recess.
The elongated support plate serves to distribute forces along a significant
area of the cabinet wall, including any forces resulting from "bend back"
of the cabinet door from its normal maximum open position.
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