Abstract:
A handle for opening and closing a cabinet door, a cabinet drawer or an entry/exit door of a commercial or residential building. The handle includes a first wall member joined to a second wall member that is attached to a third wall member to form a removable handle for opening and closing a door or drawer. The first wall member is flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or drawer, the first wall member flexibly and resiliently moves to form a self-tensioning, self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on the door or drawer allowing the handle to be used to open and/or close a door or drawer.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to handles, and more particularly to removable cabinet door and drawer handles for opening and closing cabinet doors, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise for commercial and residential uses. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise are often manufactured without handles for purposes of allowing the purchaser the ability to select custom handles according to their desired taste. Therefore, it is likely that a purchaser may install and begin to use cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise without installing their respected handles. This may pose a problem for purchasers who wish to use their cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise and have not installed handles because cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise may be difficult to use (i.e. open or close) without the installation of handles. 
         [0003]    Handles can be attached by adhesives. For example, one part of a door handle generally protrudes outwardly from the door for grasping and pulling open or closing the door, while the adhesive portion of the handle is adhesively bonded to a surface of the door. The adhesive attaching may minimizes the possibility of marring the door, which is a concern by many cabinet owners when the handles are attached via fasteners, however, the adhesive attachment of the handle can be messy and may leave an adhesive residue on the surface of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise once the handle is removed. Thus, there is a need for a removable handle that attaches to cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise without the downsides of using adhesive as well as the damage and difficulty that may arise from the use of common fasteners (e.g. nails, screws, staples). 
         [0004]    The invention solves this problem by providing a removable handle permitting the purchaser to easily install the removable handle without the use of additional tools such as screw drivers, drills, and the like or having to use adhesives, screws, nails, staples, or otherwise. Until the purchaser decides on permanent handles, the removable handles of this invention can aid the owner in the opening and closing of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise. Alternatively, if the purchaser does not desire to purchase permanent handles, the removable handles may be utilized permanently to aid in the opening and closing of the cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention meets some or all of the above-mentioned needs by providing a removable handle for opening and/or closing a door or drawer. 
         [0006]    One aspect of the invention is directed towards a handle for opening and/or closing a door or drawer comprising a first wall member; a second wall member integral formed and extending substantially perpendicular from the first wall member; a third wall member attached to and extending substantially perpendicular from the second wall member, the first wall member and the third wall member are substantially parallel to each other and extend generally in the same direction from the second wall member; and/or the first wall member is generally flexible and resilient such that when the handle is attached to a door or a drawer the first wall member flexibly and resilient moves to form a self-grip in conjunction with the second and third wall members on a door or a drawer. 
         [0007]    This aspect of the invention may be further characterized by one or any combination of the following: the first wall member is generally curved; the second wall member further comprises an outer surface opposite and parallel to an inner surface, a first end located opposite and parallel to a second end, and the second wall member is substantially planar in shape; the second wall member further comprises a tab that protrudes from the second end for grasping, and maneuvering a door or drawer; the third wall member is integrally formed with the second wall member; the third wall member is removably attached to the second wall member; the outer surface of the second wall member includes a column of one or more spaced apart and generally parallel to one another ridges; the third wall member further comprises a head defining a bore for receiving the second wall member such that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking; the head matingly engages the ridges of the outer surface of the second wall member so that the position of the third wall member on the second wall member is slideably adjustable and self-locking; the handle comprises a non-marring material, and/or the handle does not fasten to a door or a drawer by an adhesive, screw, nail, or staple. 
         [0008]    It should be appreciated that the above referenced aspects and examples are non-limiting as others exist with the present invention, as shown and described herein. For example, any of the above mentioned aspects or features of the invention may be combined to form other unique configurations of the finished block, as described herein, demonstrated in the drawings, or otherwise. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The features of the present invention shall become clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the attached detailed description along with reference to the following drawings, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the handle in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the handle from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the handle from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the handle in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the handle from  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the handle from  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of the embodiments of the handle from  FIG. 1  attached to a cabinet door. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is an illustration of the embodiments of the handle from  FIG. 4  attached to a cabinet door. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , a handle  10  is shown in accordance with the present invention. As shown, the handle includes a first wall member  20 , a second wall member  30 , and a third wall member  50 . It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the handle  10  may be made from a soft touch plastic that is non-marring, a rigid rubber that is non-marring, a metal composite that is non-marring, or otherwise. 
         [0019]    The first wall member  20  includes an inner surface  22 , and an outer surface  24 . The first wall member  20  is flexible and resilient allowing movement of the first wall member  20  in relation to the third wall member  50 . This allows the distance between the first wall member  20  and the third wall member  50  to increase at certain points when the handle  10  is attached to a cabinet door  60  as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The flexibility of the first wall member  20  allows the member  20  to move such that a grip is formed between the first, second and third wall members  20 ,  30 ,  50 , respectively, and the periphery of the cabinet door  60 . The resilience of the first wall member causes the first wall member  20  and the third wall member  50  to apply opposing forces on the periphery of the cabinet door  60  attaching the handle to the door. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the handle  10  may be pre-tensioned to allow expansion from the range of about ¼ to 3 inches, ⅜ inch to 1 and ¼ inch, or otherwise which is particularly useful with standard doors produced with ¾ inch peripheries as well as custom made doors ranging up to about 1 and ¼ inch of thickness. The first wall member  20  may be curved in a bow shape as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . The curvature of the first wall member  20  facilities installation of the handle and provides resilience for securing the handle to the door. 
         [0020]    The handle  10  further may include a second wall member  30  having an outer surface  32 , an inner surface  34 , a first end  36 , and a second end  38 . The second wall member  30  is substantially planar in shape, and is integrally formed and joined to the first wall member  20 . The second wall member  30  may further include a tab  40  that protrudes from the second end  38  for grasping, and maneuvering the cabinet door  60  open or closed. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art, that the substantially planar shape of the second wall member  30  may also contain indicia (e.g. manufacturer name etc.) on the outer surface  32  of the second wall member  30  as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  (the indicia may be placed at  37 ). The indicia shown is located on the second end  38  but it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the indicia be placed anywhere on the outer surface  32 , and not limited to placement on the second end  38 . The handle  10  may be produced with an insert mold, which allows the mold to be changed as desired to input different forms of indicia on the handle  10 . Alternatively, an adhesive label encompassing indicia may also be utilized in order to label the handle  10  with various forms of indicia. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the indicia may be a company name, logo, decorative pattern, and/or otherwise. 
         [0021]    The handle  10  further includes a third wall member  50 . The third wall member  50  may be generally perpendicular to the second wall member  30 . The third wall member  50  may also be generally parallel to the first wall member  20 . The third wall member  50  may be integrally formed and joined to the second wall member  30 . 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5 ,  6  and  8  another embodiment of the temporary cabinet door handle  10  is shown. For convenience, common reference numerals have been utilized for common components in this embodiment and the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the second wall member  30  may further includes ridges  42  that extend in a column from the first end  36  to the second end  38 . The ridges  42  can be but are not necessarily equally spaced apart from one another and generally parallel to one another. The ridges  42  permit the handle  10  to be adjustable to fit various door  60  thicknesses by allowing the handle  10  to be adjustable. The multiple adjustment feature of the handle  10  in  FIG. 4  allows the handle  10  to be adjustably expandable to grip various peripheries of doors  60  and drawers having a periphery in the range from about ¼ to 6 inches, ⅝ to 2 and ¾ inches, or otherwise. 
         [0023]    In  FIG. 4 , the third wall member  50  may be removable attached to the second wall member  30  as shown in  FIG. 4  and may include an integrally formed head  56  defining a bore  58  for receiving the second wall member  30 . The head  56  fits and may matingly engage into any one of the ridges  42  on the second wall member  30  for allowing the third wall member  50  to be slideably adjustable between the first and second ends  36 ,  38 , respectively, and self-locking with the second wall member  30 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , in operation the handle  10  is removably attached to a door  60 . More particularly, the inner surface  22  of the first wall member  20 , the inner surface  34  of the second wall member  30 , and the inner surface  52  of the third wall member  50  may contact various surfaces of the door  60  when the handle  10  is tension fit and attached to the door  60 . For instance, upon application of the handle  10  to the door  60 , the inner surface  22  may contact the back surface of the door  60 . The other inner surface  34  may contact the intermediate surface of the door  60  and the other inner surface  52  may contact the front surface of the door  60  such that the wall members  20 ,  30  and  50  form a self grip with the door  60 . As shown in the drawings, the handle  10  is attached to a door  60  of a cabinet, but it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the temporary handle  10  may also be utilized on cabinets, cabinet drawers, interior doors, entry/exit doors and/or otherwise. 
         [0025]    Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Plural structural components can be provided by a single integrated structure. Alternatively, a single integrated structure might be divided into separate plural components. Similarly, specific features or components described in the different embodiments of the blocks may be used with other embodiments or may be combined with yet other features or components to form other embodiments. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0026]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed. A person of ordinary skill in the art would realize however, that certain modifications would come within the teachings of this invention. Therefore, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of the invention.