Patent Publication Number: US-8534020-B2

Title: Cabinet door panel lock

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This non-provisional patent application does not claim priority to any United States provisional patent application or any foreign patent applications. 
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The disclosures made herein relate generally to the wood door industry. The invention discussed herein is in the general classification of a wood door that permits for expansion of a wood insert panel within the grooves of the stiles of the wood door frame while still allowing for centering of the wood insert panel within the wood door frame. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This section introduces aspects that may be helpful in facilitating a better understanding of the invention. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art. 
     Kitchen cabinets frequently have wood doors which are comprised of a wood frame and a wood insert panel that is dimensioned to have an appropriate thickness to be inserted into grooves around the perimeter of the interior of the wood frame (i.e. all four sides of the framing, including the top rail, bottom rail, left stile and right stile, have standard grooves in traditional cabinet doors). Interior and exterior doors, bathroom cabinets, garage doors, furniture and a variety of other items may also utilize wood frames and wood insert panels. 
     Traditionally, the wood insert panels are placed into the grooves of the wood frame such that the grain of the wood insert panels runs in an up and down (i.e. lengthwise) manner within the wood door frame. Wood expansion primarily occurs perpendicular to the grain due to the absorption of moisture in the wood insert panel. Hence, the wood insert panels tend to expand widthwise within the wood door frame when they are located in a humid environment. As a result of this expansion, wood insert panels located in humid environments have a tendency to press against the interior edge of the frame within the grooves of the stiles, resulting in cracking of the wood frames. 
     To solve this problem, door insert spacers are often inserted into the grooves of the wood frames. These insert spacers allow the insert panel to be spaced away from the interior edges of the frame within the groove. The insert panel makes contact with the insert spacers rather than the edge of the frame within the groove. The insert spacers will compress and allow a limited amount of expansion of the wood insert panels within the grooves of the wood frames as moisture accumulates within the wood insert panels. These insert spacers may consist of a variety of materials and have a myriad of shapes. 
     The spacers are designed to be of appropriate dimension and strength to be inserted into the groove of the frame while still making sufficient contact with the insert panel to center the insert panel and prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. However, the insert spacers are also designed to allow for compression of the spacers when necessary to accommodate expansion of the insert panel when moisture accumulates within the insert panel. 
     Insert spacers have certain limitations because they need to be of sufficient size to allow for expansion of the insert panel within the groove to prevent cracking of the frame, but the spacers cannot be designed to be too thick as they also must serve the purpose of centering the insert panel in the frame to prevent rattling and shifting of the insert panel within the frame. Often the insert spacers simply cannot be adequately sized to perform both the functions of supporting and centering the insert panel and creating a sufficient gap between the insert panel and the frame to permit for the expansion of the insert panel within the frame in particularly humid environments. 
     There is a need in the art for an easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, durable and inexpensive wood door that allows for expansion of a wood insert panel within grooves in the stiles of a wood frame while also allowing the wood insert panel to be appropriately centered and supported in the wood frame. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The preferred embodiment utilizes a wood insert panel with notches and a wood frame with protrusions that correspond with the notches that emanate from the top rail and bottom rail of the wood frame. This design permits expansion of the wood insert panel within the grooves in the stiles of the wood frame while still centering and supporting the wood insert panel within the wood frame. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the protrusions are at the top and center and bottom and center of the wood frame and are crescent shaped or semi-circular. The notches in the wood insert panel are also crescent shaped or semi-circular to accommodate the protrusions from the frame and are located at the top and center and bottom and center of the insert panel to lock the insert panel in place within the frame and keep the insert panel from shifting from side-to-side within the frame. 
     Certain alternative embodiments may utilize a variety of other designs for the protrusions of the frame and the notches in the wood insert panel. For example, a simple dowel could emanate from the top and bottom rails of the frame and be inserted into a corresponding rectangular notch cut into the insert panel. The arrangement of protrusion and notch merely needs to serve the purpose of locking the insert panel in place within the frame. Therefore, the precise shape and location of these interlocking parts is not absolutely critical. In fact, in certain embodiments, the protrusion may be located on the insert panel and the corresponding notch may be located on the top or bottom rails of the frame or within a groove in the top or bottom rails of the frame. 
     Under some applications embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to center the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent rattling of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent the insert panel from falling out of the frame. 
     Under some applications embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to allow the insert panel to be sufficiently spaced from the interior edge of the grooves in the stiles of the frame to allow for expansion of the insert panel within the grooves in the stiles of the frame in humid environments. 
     Under some applications embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to allow the insert panel to be sufficiently spaced from the interior edge of the grooves in the stiles of the frame to prevent cracking of the frame when the insert panel expands in humid environments. 
     Under some applications, embodiments of the invention may provide a relatively easy to use cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications, embodiments of the invention may provide a reliable to use cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications, embodiments of the invention may provide an inexpensive to manufacture cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications, embodiments of the invention may provide a durable cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications, embodiments of the invention may provide a strong cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame. 
     Under some applications, embodiments of the invention may provide a cabinet door or the like having a frame with protrusions emanating from the top and bottom rails of the frame to interlock with notches in an insert panel to prevent shifting of the insert panel within the frame that is aesthetically pleasing and suitable for high end cabinet applications. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some embodiments of apparatus and/or methods of the present invention are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a frontal view of a traditional wood door having a wood insert panel within a wood frame. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a cross-sectional view of a conventional door frame and insert panel with an insert panel spacer placed in a groove of the door frame. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a frontal view of the preferred embodiment of the insert panel as it is situated within a cabinet door frame. 
         FIG. 4  depicts a frontal view of the preferred embodiment of the cabinet door with the left stile removed and rotated and the top rail removed from the insert panel and shown in cross-section. 
         FIG. 4A  depicts a perspective view of the top rail of the preferred embodiment of the cabinet door. 
         FIG. 5  depicts a frontal view of an alternative embodiment of the insert panel. 
         FIG. 6  depicts the method of manufacture for the preferred embodiment of the cabinet door. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  depicts a frontal view of a traditional wood door having a wood insert panel within a wood frame. 
     The wood door has a frame  10  that surrounds a wood insert panel  11 . The frame  10  surrounds the wood insert panel  11  on all sides (i.e. the frame consists of a top rail, a bottom rail, a right stile and a left stile). The wood insert panel  11  and the frame  10  are both substantially rectangular in shape. The wood insert panel  11  is designed to be of such a dimension around the perimeter to securely fit within a groove (not pictured) that runs along the entire inside perimeter of the frame  10  (i.e. a groove is present on the interior of all four sides of the frame  10  to accept the insert panel  11 ). 
       FIG. 2  depicts a cross-sectional view of a conventional door frame and insert panel with an insert panel spacer placed in a groove of the door frame. 
     The frame  10  has a groove  21  that runs along the entire inside perimeter of the frame  10 . The groove  21  is dimensioned to be of appropriate width to accommodate the thickness of the outside perimeter of the insert panel  11 . 
     The groove  21  also is capable of receiving insert spacers such as insert spacer  20 . The insert spacers may be placed at uniform distances from one another in the groove around the entire inside perimeter of the frame  10 . Alternatively, the insert spacers may run continuously in the grooves around the entire inside perimeter of the frame. The insert spacers are designed to center and secure the insert panel  11  in the frame  10  while also providing a compression zone to allow for expansion of the insert panel  11  within the groove  21  of the frame  10 . 
     The insert spacers may be made of a variety of materials, including hollow tubing formed from compressible materials such as PVC or silicone. The insert spacers may also be spherical (“spacer ball”) and made of rubber or foam. The insert spacer  20  shown in  FIG. 2  is spherical in design and is one of the most widely used types of insert spacers. However, because the insert spacer  20  is spherical, it has a depth that is the same as its width. As a result, a wide range of insert panel swelling cannot be accommodated. The width of the insert spacer  20  corresponds with the thickness of the outside perimeter of the insert panel  11  and the depth of the insert spacer  20  (i.e. the compression zone provided by the insert spacer  20 ) is equivalent to the insert spacer width. This same problem persists even when the insert spacers are cylindrical tubing which is also common in the industry. Moreover, both cylindrical insert spacers and spherical insert spacers are susceptible to falling out of the groove  21  of the frame  10  and not being able to serve their intended purpose of securing and centering the insert panel  11  while also allowing the insert panel  11  to swell with moisture in humid environments to compress the insert spacer  20  without destroying the frame  10 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts a frontal view of the preferred embodiment of the insert panel as it is situated within a cabinet door frame. In this preferred embodiment, the frame is comprised of stiles  31  on each side of the insert panel  30  and top and bottom rails  32  on the top and bottom of the insert panel  30 . The insert panel  30  is placed within a groove contained in the stiles  31 , and the insert panel  30  has notches (not visible in  FIG. 3  because the outer portion of the top and bottom rails conceals the notches) at the top and bottom to interlock with protrusions (not visible in  FIG. 3  because the outer portion of the top and bottom rails conceals the protrusions) from the top and bottom rails  32 . 
     In this preferred embodiment, the insert panel  30  has the grain of the wood running lengthwise in an up and down manner that would traditionally be perpendicular to the floor when the insert panel  30  is positioned in the frame and the cabinet door is installed. 
       FIG. 4  depicts a frontal view of the preferred embodiment of the cabinet door with the left stile removed and rotated to reveal the groove and the top rail removed from the insert panel and shown in cross-section (with the outer portion  39  of the top rail which is shown in  FIG. 4A  removed). The left stile  31  is rotated from its initial orientation in  FIG. 3  to permit the groove  34  of the left stile  31  to be visible. The groove  34  is dimensioned to accept the edge of the insert panel  30 . The left stile  31  has a groove  34  cut between an outer portion of the stile  31 , which is visible in both  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , and an inner portion of the stile which is not visible in  FIG. 3  but can be seen in  FIG. 4 . The central portion of the left stile  31  is located under the groove  34  between the outer portion of the stile  31  and the inner portion of the stile  31 . As would be obvious to one skilled in the art, the right stile  31  has a similar structure to the left stile  31 . 
     The top rail is also rotated from its orientation as shown in  FIG. 3  and has the outer portion of the top rail which is shown in  FIG. 3  removed to reveal the protrusion  35  located on the central portion  36  of the top rail. The top rail has a semi-circular protrusion  35  that fits into a semi-circular notch  37  cut into the top of the insert panel  30 . In this preferred embodiment, the protrusion  35  is located in the central portion  36  of the top rail and the central portion  36  has ends (tenons)  38  dimensioned to also fit into the groove  34  of the stiles  31 . The ends  38  located on the central portion  36  of the top rail permit a classic mortise and tenon fit of the top rail into grooves (mortise) of the stiles  31 . Although not visible in  FIG. 4 , another semi-circular notch is cut into the bottom of the insert panel for insertion of another semi-circular protrusion in the bottom rail. As one skilled in the art would readily recognize, the bottom rail has a similar structure to the top rail. 
     The top and bottom rails of the preferred embodiment have a central portion  36  which is not visible from the front (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) when the cabinet door is assembled (i.e. when the frame surrounds the insert panel on all sides). The central portion  36  is located between the inner portion  33  and the outer portion of the top and bottom rails. The outer portion of the top rail which has been removed in  FIG. 4  conceals the notch  37  of the insert panel  30  and the protrusion  35  of the central portion  36  of the top and bottom rails to provide a more aesthetically pleasing design when the door is installed. The inner portion  33  of the top rail is, however, visible in the cross-section shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     It should be understood that in the preferred embodiment, the central portion  36 , inner portion and outer portion of the rails actually create a single piece wherein the central portion  36  is merely the portion of the top and bottom rails located between the inner and outer portions of the rails and the central portion  36  has the protrusion  35  in its center and ends (tenons)  38  for creating the frame through insertion of the ends  38  into the grooves  34  of the stiles  31 . 
     The interlocking of the notches  37  of the insert panel  30  and the protrusions  35  from the top and bottom rails allow the insert panel  30  to be appropriately spaced from the interior edge of the stiles  31  to allow for expansion of the wood insert panel  30  within the grooves  34  in the stiles  31  without damaging the wood frame. The wood insert panel  30  can be placed in the grooves  34  of the frame at such a distance from the interior edges of the stiles  31  that even extreme swelling of the insert panel  30  in humid conditions can be accommodated without the insert panel  30  coming into contact with the interior edges of the grooves  34  in the stiles  31 . 
     In addition, the existence of the interlocking notches  37  of the insert panel and the protrusions  35  of the rails allows for centering of the wood insert panel  30  within the wood frame even in arid conditions when the wood insert panel  30  loses moisture and shrinks widthwise perpendicular to the grain. In dry conditions, without the use of the interlocking notches  37  of the insert panel  30  and the protrusions  35  of the rails, the wood insert panel  30  would ordinarily be free to shift side to side within the grooves  34  of the stiles  31  which could result in the wood insert panel  30  becoming off-center, rattling or even falling out of the grooves  34  of the stiles  31 . 
       FIG. 4A  depicts a perspective view of the top rail of the preferred embodiment of the cabinet door. In this view, all three portions of the top rail  32  are visible. The outer portion  39  and the inner portion  33  surround the central portion having protrusion  35  and ends  38 . 
     Certain alternative embodiments may utilize a variety of other designs for the protrusions from the top and bottom rails of the frame and the notches in the wood insert panel. The arrangement of protrusions and notches merely needs to serve the purpose of locking the insert panel in place within the frame. Therefore, the precise shape and location of these interlocking parts is not absolutely critical. For example, a rectangular shaped notch and a dowel shaped or other rectangular or cylindrical shaped protrusion could also be utilized. The crescent shaped design of the protrusions and notches is preferred simply because it distributes the stresses on the insert panel when the insert panel attempts to shift within the frame which helps avoid splintering of the insert panel and damage to the frame. 
     In certain other alternative embodiments, the protrusions are located on the insert panel while the notches are located within the grooves of the rails of the frame. In this alternative embodiment, the notches located within the grooves of the frame can be crescent shaped/semi-circular and the protrusions on the wood insert panel can also be crescent shaped/semi-circular. The notches are dimensioned to accommodate the protrusions. In this alternative embodiment, the protrusions emanating from the wood insert panel are located at the top and center and bottom and center of the wood insert panel and the corresponding notches are located at the top and center and bottom and center of the rails within the grooves of the frame such that the notches extend slightly deeper than the groove within the top and bottom rails. 
       FIG. 5  depicts a frontal view of an alternative embodiment of the insert panel. In this alternative embodiment, rectangular shaped notches  51  are cut into the top and center and the bottom and center of the wood insert panel  50 . These notches  51  are shaped to accommodate a dowel or other rectangular or cylindrical shaped protrusion emanating from the top rail and bottom rail of a wood cabinet door frame. 
       FIG. 6  depicts the method of manufacture for the preferred embodiment of the cabinet door. The method comprises the steps of: cutting a rectangular wood insert panel having notches at the top and center and the bottom and center of the wood insert panel  60 ; building a rectangular frame having grooves in the stiles to accommodate the insert panel and having protrusions emanating from the top rail and the bottom rail that correspond with the notches of the wood insert panel  61 ; and inserting the insert panel into the frame by inserting the protrusions from the top rail and the bottom rail into the notches of the insert panel while also inserting the sides of the insert panel into the grooves in the stiles  62 . 
     A person of skill in the art would readily recognize that the order of the steps of the various above-described methods is not necessarily critical. A person of skill in the art would also recognize that the methodology of  FIG. 6  could be slightly modified to produce the method of manufacture of a cabinet door or the like in which the protrusions are located on the insert panel and the notches are located in the top and bottom rails or within the grooves of the top and bottom rails. Such a method could involve the steps of: cutting a rectangular wood insert panel having protrusions at the top and center and the bottom and center of the wood insert panel; building a rectangular frame having grooves in the stiles to accommodate the insert panel and having notches in the grooves of the top rail and the bottom rail that correspond with the protrusions of the wood insert panel; and inserting the insert panel into the frame by inserting the protrusions from the insert panel into the notches of the top rail and bottom rail while also inserting the sides of the insert panel into the grooves in the stiles. 
     It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It should therefore be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims.