Abstract:
A drawer front includes a removable decorative skin that is configured to be repeatedly removed and installed on the drawer front. Co-acting connection features on the drawer front and the skin releasably retain the skin to the drawer front.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This non-provisional application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/861,874, entitled “Drawer with Replaceable Skin,” filed on Nov. 30, 2006, and 60/861,880, entitled “Replaceable Drawer Front Component,” filed on Nov. 30, 2006 the entire disclosure of each is incorporated herein by reference, to the extent that it is not conflicting with the present disclosure. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a drawer with a replaceable skin and to a drawer with a replaceable skin for installation on a tool chest or tool cabinet. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Storage containers such as dressers, bureaus, and file cabinets having drawers are in popular use. Several exemplary storage devices include tool chests, tool cabinets, and combination tool chest and cabinet units. Tool chests, tool cabinets, and combination tool chest and cabinet units are in widespread use in residential, commercial and industrial settings. 
         [0004]    Tool chests and cabinets typically include a plurality of drawers of similar or various height. The drawers are constructed to form an assembled unit having slides on either side and a front panel. A common construction technique involves the complete assembly of the tool chest or tool cabinet frame by welding or other means. The drawers are manufactured as complete permanent assemblies. Subsequently, the drawers are installed and the entire unit is painted or otherwise finished to produce a uniform appearing exterior surface. This uniform surface includes the exposed front face of the drawers. As a result, the color of the front panel matches the rest of the tool chest or tool cabinet. Absent any repainting, the color or texture of the front face of the drawers can not be readily changed by the consumer. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    A replaceable skin is provided as part of a drawer front for a tool storage unit and for a drawer skin replacement kit and method of installing the drawer skin on a drawer front. The drawer skin includes connection features that facilitate its installation on the drawer front. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Further features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a tool chest having a replaceable drawer front constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the tool chest of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a right side view of the tool chest of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the tool chest of  FIG. 1  showing a drawer having a replaceable drawer front constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention in an extended or open position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the drawer of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6   a  is an exploded rear view of a replaceable drawer front constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6   b  is a rear view of the replaceable drawer front of  FIG. 6   a;    
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a top view of a replaceable drawer front skin constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of a replaceable drawer front skin constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    This Detailed Description of the Invention merely describes embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the specification, including any claims, in any way. Indeed, the invention as described by the specification and any claims is broader than and unlimited by the preferred embodiments, and the terms used in the specification and claims have their full ordinary meaning. 
         [0017]    The present invention will be described for use with a tool chest and a tool cabinet. It should be understood that this is for exemplary purposes only and the invention can be applied to a wide variety of applications. 
         [0018]    The invention is directed to a drawer front having a replaceable skin. The drawer front is designed to be conveniently removed from a tool chest or tool cabinet. After removal, the exterior skin of the drawer front can be replaced by a consumer in an after-market environment. The remove-and-replace operation requires no special tooling or training. The process results in the front face of the drawer front having a new or different ornamental appearance. The skin of one or more drawer fascia assemblies can be replaced to alter the ornamental appearance of part or all of a tool chest or a tool cabinet. 
         [0019]    Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a tool chest  10 .  FIGS. 2 and 3  are top and right side views of the tool chest. The tool chest  10  includes a plurality of drawers  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 . One or more of the drawers is constructed to include a replaceable drawer front  21  ( FIG. 5 ), to be discussed in greater detail. 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a fragmentary front perspective view of the tool chest  10  with one of the drawers  18  pulled away from the chest to a partially extended position. A replaceable drawer front  21  is mounted to the outermost portion of a drawer body portion  35 . The drawer front  21  includes a grip portion  52  adapted to be gripped by a user to move the drawer along its slides. In the depicted embodiment, the grip portion  52  includes two cavities  45  for tool storage. Other embodiments may include alternative features as part of the grip portion  52 . The drawer front  21  includes a bottom portion  54  and a skin portion  50  between the grip portion and the bottom portion. The skin portion  50  is configured to be removed by a user and may be made of a flexible decorative material that is wrapped around the grip portion and bottom portion. Alternatively, the skin portion may be molded or formed material having an aesthetically pleasing appearance such as brushed aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, or a material that includes a painted surface. 
         [0021]    The skins  50  that are installed in the drawer fronts  21  on the drawers of the tool chest  10  may be configured to cumulatively depict components of a single image when installed on the tool chest. For example, the drawer fronts may be configured to depict a sports logo or mascot, a flag, or a motto, when the drawer fronts are installed on the tool chest. When the drawer  42  is in a fully extended position, a user may depress release buttons (not shown) located in or near the slides on either side of the drawer to remove the drawer from the tool cabinet  30 . It should be understood that other structures and techniques for drawer removal can be used in the practice of this invention. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the drawer  18  with the drawer front  21  removed from the drawer body portion  35 . The drawer body portion  35  includes a front panel  46  having a series of exemplary through-holes  48 . The holes are used to mount the drawer front  21  to the body portion  35 . Tabs  75  extending from the back of the drawer front  21  are configured to engage and be retained in the holes  48 . It may be advantageous to provide a mounting configuration that allows the drawer front  21  to be removed and installed without requiring the use of tools. As shown in  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b , the rear side of the drawer front  21  includes a pattern of tabs  75  protruding from the grip portion  52  and bottom portion  54 . The tabs have a narrow neck portion  75   a  and a larger head portion  75   b . The tabs can be of any practical number, pattern and size, but should be corresponding to the holes  48  on the front panel  46  of the drawer to which the replaceable drawer front will be mounted. The holes  48  include a smaller left portion  48   a  adjacent a larger right portion  48   b . When viewing from the perspective of  FIG. 5 , the tabs  75  are in the left portion  48   a  of the hole  48  when the drawer front  21  is installed in a drawer. In other words, the neck portion  75   a  of the tab is in the smaller section  48   a . To remove the drawer front  21 , the user slides the drawer front  21  to the right so that the head  75   a  of the tab  75  becomes aligned and co-axial with the larger right portion  48   a  of the hole  48 . In this position, the user can simply pull the drawer front directly off the drawer. To install a replacement drawer front, the process is reversed. Of course, other hole and tab sizes, configurations, and patterns can be used in the practice of this invention. 
         [0023]    The skin  50  of the drawer front can be removed from a drawer front and replaced with a different skin  50 . A user may chose to do this for a variety of reasons, such as for example, to change the color of the entire front of a tool cabinet or to replace a single skin on a drawer front having an aesthetically damaged appearance. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b , rear views of a drawer front  21  are shown. The view shown is from the rear of the assembly when in an installed position on a drawer face  46 . As already discussed above, the drawer front assembly  21  includes a skin front piece  50 , a grip portion  52  and a bottom portion  54 . It should be understood by those with ordinary skill in the art that any number, size or shape of support pieces can be used in the practice of this invention. The skin  50  is wrapped around either end of the grip portion  52  and bottom portion  54  to form the drawer front  21 . A strap support  63  is mounted to the grip portion  52  by screws  58  at a mounting hole  72  and to the bottom portion at a mounting hole  74  to provide rigidity to the drawer front  21 . Four additional screws  57  are inserted through holes  51  in the skin  50  to mount to two threaded holes  59  in the top support and two threaded holes  59  in the bottom support. It should be understood by those with ordinary skill in the art that any number, size or type of hardware can be used in the practice of this invention. 
         [0025]    An exemplary drawer front  21  is shown in  FIG. 6   b  in assembled form. The size and construction of the drawer front assembly may vary in the practice of the present invention, such as for example, by varying in height and including support straps of various lengths and multiple intermediate horizontal members. Further, the height of the skin  50  may extend beyond the support, such as for example, below the bottom of the bottom support. 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , various views of the skin  50  are shown. The skin in an installed position defines a radius as shown in  FIG. 7  due to the outer surface of the grip portion  52  and bottom portion  54  and due to the position of skin support pads  82 , seen best in  FIG. 6   a . However, the skin can be constructed of a relatively rigid material to create a desired shape for the exterior of the drawer front. 
         [0027]    To remove and replace the skin from a drawer front, the drawer front is first removed from a drawer. A user may chose to remove and replace a skin for a variety of reasons, such as for example, to change the color of the entire front of a tool cabinet or to replace a single drawer having an aesthetically damaged appearance. 
         [0028]    To replace the skin  50 , a user must first remove the four screws  57  with a screwdriver or drill, and then repeat the assembly steps for the drawer front assembly with a new skin. To install the drawer front to the drawer, the tabs of the drawer front are inserted into the through-holes in the drawer and the drawer front is slid into the smaller section  48   b  of the holes. In some embodiments, a lock or securing mechanisms can be used to retain the drawer front in place in an installed position. 
         [0029]    While several embodiments of the invention has been illustrated and described in considerable detail, the present invention is not to be considered limited to the precise constructions disclosed. Various adaptations, modifications and uses of the invention may occur to those skilled in the arts to which the invention relates. It is the intention to cover all such adaptations, modifications and uses falling within the scope or spirit of the specification filed herewith.