Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Background of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a pull which is
adapted to be secured to a member such as a drawer front
or cabinet door and, more specifically, to a pull adapted
to be secured to the member by fasteners inserted through
preformed openings in the member.
Drawer fronts and cabinet doors are typically manu-
factured with preformed holes for receiving pull mounting
fasteners after the drawers and cabinets are finished.
Frequently, drawers and cabinets are delivered to whole-
salers and retailers without the pulls attached. The
contractor or purchaser then selects the style of pull to
be installed on the cabinet doors and drawer fronts.
Whether the pulls are attached by the factory or by an
installer, the preformed holes insure accurate placement
of each pull on the drawer front or cabinet door.
Commercial standards have been developed with regard
to the suggested spacing for the fasteners used to secure
a pull to a drawer or cabinet. These st~n~rds are
generally adhered to by both the manufactures of cabinets
and the manufactures of cabinet hardware to insure inter-
changeability between different manufacturers.
Commercial stAn~rds, however, are not uniform
throughout the world. For example, the commercial stan-
dards adhered to in the Unites States frequently differfrom the commercial st~n~rds adhered to in Canada and
the western European countries. Specifically, with
regard to the present invention, the standard spacing
between fasteners for a pull requiring two fasteners is
three inches in the United States. In contrast, ninety-
six millimeters is the standard spacing between fasteners
for a similar pull manufactured in Canada or the western
European countries. Prior pulls are typically manu-
factured to meet either one or the other of these two
standards.
~ 7
To compete in the global marketplace with a given
pull design, the manufacturer of prior pulls must tool
for and produce two sets of substantially similar pulls,
the only difference between the two sets of pulls being
that one set is made for use with cabinets having pre-
formed holes in accordance with the United States stan-
dard and one set is made for use with cabinets having
preformed holes in accordance with the Canadian and
western European standard. Even a manufacturer that does
not export its pulls must often provide pulls for use
with both standards to accommodate imported cabinets. In
addition, wholesalers and retailers of cabinet hardware
must stock and be able to provide the otherwise identical
pulls in order to meet both standards.
Summary of the Invention
The general aim of the present invention is to pro-
vide a new and improved pull which is interchangeably
useable with cabinets and drawers having preformed holes
for receiving mounting fasteners where the spacing
between the holes is established in accordance with
either one of two different standards.
A more detailed objective of the invention is to
achieve the-forgoing by providing a pull having separate
and alternately useable means for receiving the mounting
fasteners.
A still more detailed objective is to locate two
sets of openings in each pull so that the spacing between
each set is in accordance with the spacing requirements
of each of the two different st~n~Ards.
These and other objects and advantages of the inven-
tion will become more apparent from the following
detailed description when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
Brief Descri~tion of the Drawings
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a new and improved
pull incorporating the unique features of the present
invention and shows the pull mounted on a drawer front.
S FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the pull and a
portion of the drawer front.
FIG. 3 is a top view as seen along the line 3-3 of
FIG. 2 with certain parts being broken away and shown in
cross-section.
FIG. 4 is a view as seen along the line 4-4 of FIG.
3.
FIG. S is a view similar to FIG. 3 but shows an
alternate way of securing the pull to the drawer front.
While the invention is susceptible of various modi-
fications and alternative constructions, a certain illus-
trated embodiment hereof has been shown in the drawings
and will be described below in detail. It should be
understood, however, that there is no intention to limit
the invention to the specific form disclosed, but on the
contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
alternative constructions and equivalents falling within
the spirit and scope of the invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
-
For purposes of illustration, the present invention
is shown in the drawings as embodied in a pull 10 (FIG.
1) which, while suitable for other purposes, is es-
pecially useful for mounting to a member such as a cabi-
net door or the front panel 11 of a drawer.
The pull 10 (FIG. 2) includes an elongated handle 12
and preferably two integrally formed and longitudinally
spaced mounting portions or feet 13 shown located at each
end of the handle. Means such as blind threaded holes 14
(FIG. 4) are located in the mounting feet for securing
the pull to the drawer front 11. As shown, one threaded
2 ~L 5 ~ ~ 1 7
hole 14 is located in each mounting foot 13 and projects
inwardly from the face 15 of the foot for receiving a
threaded mounting fastener 16 (FIG. 3).
Openings 17 are preformed in the front panel 11 of
the drawer by the drawer manufacturer to insure accurate
placement of the pull on the finished drawer. The pre-
formed openings 17 are typically spaced in accordance
with a commercial st~n~Ard which establishes the
suggested spacing between the openings. The pull 10 is
also manufactured in accordance with the commercial stan-
dard with regard to the spacing between the threaded
holes 14. Voluntary adherence with a commercial standard
insures that pulls from different manufacturers can be
used interchangeably on the drawer.
When the pull 10 is mounted to the front panel 11,
the threaded fasteners 16 are slidably inserted into the
preformed openings 17 from the back side 18 of the front
panel and are tightened into the threaded holes 14, draw-
ing the faces lS of the mounting feet 13 into firm
engagement with the front panel. The means for securing
the pull to the drawer front may also include internally
or externally, threaded studs projecting from the feet or
any other means integral with or received in suitable
openings in the feet for securing the pull to the drawer
by way of the preformed openings 17 in the front drawer
panel.
In accordance with the present invention, the pull
10 is uniquely constructed with alternately useable pairs
of longitll~;n~lly spaced threaded holes 14, 19 (FIG. 4).
As a result, the pull is uniquely adapted for use with
drawers and cabinet doors having either preformed open-
ings 17 spaced at a first predetermined distance or pre-
formed openings 20 (FIG. 5) spaced at a second predeter-
mined distance.
More specifically, the threaded holes 1~ comprise a
first pair of threaded holes and the threaded holes 19
comprise a second pair of threaded holes. As shown, the
21~5~7
threaded holes 14 are separated from one another by a
first predetermined distance and the threaded holes 19
are separated from one another by a second predetermined
distance, the second predetermined distance being less
than the first predetermined distance.
In the disclosed embodiment, the center distance or
spacing between the threaded holes 14 and the preformed
open;ngs 17 (FIG. 3) is in accordance with the commercial
s~An~Ard typically adhered to by drawer, cabinet and pull
manufactures in Canada and the majority of the western
European countries and is approximately ninety-six
millimeters. The center distance or spacing between the
threaded holes 19 and the preformed openings 20 is in
accordance with the commercial stAn~rd typically adhered
to by drawer, cabinet and pull manufactures in the United
States and is approximately three inches.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the
present invention brings to the art a new and improved
pull which is uniquely configured to be mounted to a
drawer or cabinet door having preformed openings spaced
at either of two stAn~rdized distances. Accordingly,
the tooling and inventory costs associated with manufac-
turing and providing a pull having a particular design
for both of the standardized distances are significantly
reduced.
