Patent Publication Number: US-2005134056-A1

Title: Cabinet door locking system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This patent application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/746,771 filed Dec. 23, 2003, for CABINET DOOR SYSTEM, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND  
      Some interior doors may utilize a knob or other similar method to secure the door in the closed position. However, these types of securing configurations may not typically be used for kitchen and other cabinet doors. Kitchen and other cabinet doors may be kept closed by spring-equipped hinges or by gravity closing means. These configurations may not operate satisfactorily when intending to keep children out of the cabinet, or during an earthquake or other events when the contents of the cabinet may move.  
      What is needed is a securing configuration that will allow the door to remain secured to the cabinet until unsecured by a user.  
     SUMMARY  
      Provided are exemplary embodiments that may include a cabinet door securing is system, including a plate spring, a shaft configured to disengagedly couple to the plate spring, a knob coupled to the door, the shaft coupled to the knob and configured to move from an unactuated position to an actuated position, wherein the plate spring couples to the shaft when the shaft is in an unactuated position, and may be uncoupled from the shaft, when said shaft is in an actuated position. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a system according to an exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 2  is front view of a plate spring protecting housing.  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a system in the actuated position according to an exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 4  is a cross section of shaft along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3  according to an exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 5  is an elevational view of a plate spring direct mount system according to an exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of plate spring with bracket according to an exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 7  is an end view of the shaft according to an exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 8  is an elevational view of a doorknob and shaft according to an exemplary embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the embodiments may be constructed and/or utilized. The description also sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.  
      A cabinet door securing system according to an exemplary embodiment is shown in  FIG. 1 , generally at  8 . System  8  may include a door  10 , a shelf or interior of the cabinet  11 , and a shelf bracket  12 , that is configured to coupled to shelf board  11 , or the interior of a cabinet. System  8  may also include a biasing member, or plate spring  14 , which may have a straight end cut. System  8  may also include a rotatable shaft  16 , which may couple to shaft holder  13  via pin  32  entering shaft hole  33 . System  8  may also include a plate spring  14 , which may be configured to couple to shaft  16  at notch  15 , to secure the door in the closed position such that when shaft  16  is coupled to plate spring  14  it will not disengage unless rotated.  
      Biasing member  14  may be a plate spring as shown, however, other configurations may be utilized without straying from the concepts disclosed herein. Biasing member/plate spring  14  may be made from metal, plastic, other materials, or a combination thereof, as desired. Similarly shaft  16  may be made of metal, plastic, wood, or combinations thereof, among other materials, as desired. Plate spring  14  may also be configured to allow the door to move toward the cabinet, sliding along the upper surface of a first tapered end of shaft  17 , until it reaches shaft notch  15 , and then may couple to shaft  16  at shaft notch  15  to secure to the system.  
      System  8  may further include fasteners  25 , which may fasten doorplate  20  to door  10 , as well as plate spring  14  to bracket  12 . Furthermore fasteners  25  may also fasten bracket  12  to shelf  11 . Although a screw or bolt has been shown, it will be appreciated that other fastening configurations and methods may be utilized including nails, adhesives, and other configurations and methods, as desired.  
       FIG. 1 , shows a system, according to an exemplary embodiment, with the door  10  moved toward shelf  11 , or toward the interior of the cabinet, as shown by directional arrow A. As shown, the end of spring plate  14  has to slide on the taper slope  17 , of a first end of shaft  16 , and then rise to the top surface of shaft  16  and when reached to the notch  15  engage the notch  15  and/or shaft  16  and secure the door to the interior of the cabinet.  
      Shaft  16  is shown in the unactuated position, or its normal steady state condition when the door is securely closed, as shown by directional arrow A. Again shown is doorplate  20  which may be fastened to door  10  via fasteners  25 . Furthermore shaft  16  as extends through the cabinet door  10  and is coupled to handle or doorknob  23 , tightened on shaft end  29  (shown in  FIG. 9 ) by screw  22 , which enters keyhole  30  (also shown in  FIG. 9 ), so as not to turn or slip on shaft  16 .  
      With this configuration the door may remain closed until a user actuates the system by turning the doorknob or handle  23 , and shaft  16  is actuated, and the door may be pulled open. With this configuration small children or others may not be able to open the door by just pulling the knob, and plates and other objects forced into the door when earthquakes occur, may not open the door.  
      System  8  may further include a spiral or coil spring  18  which may couple to rotatable shaft  16 , as well as to door  10 , shaft holder  13  or bracket  20  to bias rotatable shaft  16  in the unactuated position. System  8  may further include a pin  19  which may limit the rotational travel of shaft  16  via stop  21 , as shown. It will be appreciated that other systems and configurations may be utilized for biasing rotatable shaft  16  without straying from the concepts disclosed in this disclosure.  
       FIG. 2  is a front view of bracket  12 , according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, bracket  12  may have a cover  26  or leg/sidewalls, however it will be appreciated that this cover, or leg/sidewalls are not necessarily needed if the bracket is coupled under the shelf board or side walls of the cabinet. However, if it is used on the shelf board or on the floor of the cabinet, where objects are put, then plate springs need protection, and those may be included to further enhance the system. Also shown is plate spring  14  coupled to bracket  12 . Although plate spring  14  is shown as coupled to bracket  12 , it will be appreciated that plate spring  14  may also be directly connected to the interior of the cabinet and/or to shelf board within the cabinet, as desired. Furthermore other configurations may be utilized, as desired.  
      Bracket  12  may further include a channel  27  which would allow bracket to move laterally with respect to fastener  24  such that the bracket may be selectively positionable within the system.  
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a system, according to an exemplary embodiment, with shaft  16  in the actuated position, and plate spring  14  uncoupled from shaft  16  and the door opening and moving away from shelf  11  as shown by directional arrow C. As shown, a user may turn the handle or knob  23  as shown by directional arrow B, to turn shaft  16  and notch  15 , raising up plate spring  14  to the top surface of shaft  16 , such that plate spring  14  is uncoupled from shaft  16 , and there will not be anything to prevent the door from opening. When the user releases the knob, the spiral spring  18 , will bias the shaft  16  to the unactuated position. In the unactuated position, the system may couple to the interior of the cabinet when the door is moved to the closed position. In this manner small children may not be able to open the door, just by pulling the knob. Additionally this may allow objects within the cabinet or other enclosure to remain inside the enclosure when an earthquake or other event occurs that may cause the contents to fall out.  
       FIG. 4  shows a cross section view of the shaft along line  4 - 4  from  FIG. 3 , the door plate  20 , fastening screws  25 , and the spiral spring  18 . One end of spiral spring  18  is held by rotation limiting through pin  19 , causing the other end of through pin  19  to touch the stop pin  21  and keep the shaft notch  15  upright (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). When inactivated, the other end of spiral spring  18  is on shaft holding bracket  13 , and the through pin  19 , can move only between stop pin  21  and bracket  13 .  
       FIG. 5  shows the plate spring  14  directly mounted on shelf board  11 , or anywhere in the cabinet, and can be adjusted by washers  28  and screw  24 .  
       FIG. 6 , is an elevational view of bracket  12 , where the plate spring  14  is fitted to bracket  12  by screw  25 , and the bracket  12  may be coupled to shelf board  11  by screw  24 , and may be adjusted in channel  31 . This may make the system very versatile and usable with a wide variety of existing and new cabinet systems.  
      Bracket  12  may be made from metal, wood, plastic, rubber, or any combination thereof, or other materials, as desired. Similarly the other portions of the system may be made from similar materials, or other suitable materials as desired. It will be appreciated that other configurations and devices may be used to create the same movements and configurations, as desired.  
       FIG. 7  is a front view of the shaft  16 . As shown, the shaft  16  is holding bracket shaft hole  33  in the middle. Further shown is the taper end  17 , and the dotted line shows the depth of notch  15 .  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the handle or doorknob  23 , with tightening screw  22 , which when tightened, enters into key hole  30  on shaft end  29  to secure the knob from turning on the shaft, or being pulled or pushed out.  
      Furthermore,  FIG. 8  shows an elevated view of shaft  16 . Also shown are spiral or coil spring  18 , one side of the trough pin  19 , and second end  29  of shaft  16 , where the key hole  30  is indicated, in the other end of the shaft  16 , the taper end  17 , and the notch  15 .  
      As generally depicted in  FIG. 1 , when the cabinet door  10  is pushed closed by a slight force, or some self-closing configuration, the shaft  16  may advance by entering the housing plate  12 , which is installed adjacent to the cabinet shelf board  11 , until shaft notch  15  reaches the plate spring  14 . Plate spring  14  may then engage notch  15 , to couple with shaft  16 , and thereby secure the door to the rest of system. The door will remain secured until a user or other source of force turns the knob  23 , which actuates shaft  16 , and thereby disengages plate spring  14  from notch  15 .  
      In closing it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein are illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure. Other modifications that may be employed are within the scope of the disclosure. Thus by way of example, (shaft holding bracket may be eliminated, or replaced by second plate spring,) but not of limitation, alternative configurations may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein. Accordingly, the drawings and description are illustrative and not meant to be a limitation thereof.