US20090041538A1 - Cabinet door frame corner - Google Patents

Abstract

A cabinet door frame corner comprising a horizontally extending frame member having two opposed and spaced-apart side walls joined by a horizontal end wall defining an insertion channel therebetween, at least one of the side walls includes at least one of a male member and a female member; a vertically extending frame member having two opposed and spaced-apart side walls joined by a vertical end wall defining an insertion channel therebetween, at least one of the side walls includes at least one of a male member and a female member; at least one of the horizontally extending frame member and the vertically extending frame member having a section on at least one of the side walls extending inwardly in the insertion channel; a longitudinal single-piece connector having two portions, each portion being insertable in one of the insertion channels of the horizontally and vertically extending frame members, the connector including the other ones of the male members and the female members, the male and female members of the connector engaging into corresponding ones of the male and female members of the vertically extending frame member and the horizontally extending frame member, when the connector is inserted in the insertion channels, for connecting the horizontally extending frame member and the vertically extending frame member together through the longitudinal single-piece connector; the connector having an outwardly extending protuberance abutting the section extending inwardly in the insertion channel when the connector is inserted in the insertion channel.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The invention relates to frames and more specifically to frames used to hold mirrors for cabinet doors.
• 2. Description of the Prior Art
• The prior art cabinet doors, especially medicine cabinet doors, typically comprise an exterior frame which holds a mirror panel. The frame is typically glued or taped onto the mirror and is hinged onto the cabinet. The frame is typically made of four distinct members arranged together to form a rectangular frame. The problem with the frame of these doors is that the members can slowly separate from one another and from the mirror panel which is then free to fall and break. This results in a serious risk of injury for the users.
• A cabinet door is opened and closed repeatedly over the life of the cabinet, which is typically at least ten years. Furthermore, weight is applied on the door by the users who tend to pull the door downward while opening it and thereby facilitate the separation of the frame members and of the mirror from the frame.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• One aspect of the invention provides a cabinet door frame corner comprising a horizontally extending frame member having two opposed and spaced-apart side walls joined by a horizontal end wall defining an insertion channel therebetween, at least one of the side walls includes at least one of a male member and a female member; a vertically extending frame member having two opposed and spaced-apart side walls joined by a vertical end wall defining an insertion channel therebetween, at least one of the side walls includes at least one of a male member and a female member; at least one of the horizontally extending frame member and the vertically extending frame member having a section on at least one of the side walls extending inwardly in the insertion channel; a longitudinal single-piece connector having two portions, each portion being insertable in one of the insertion channels of the horizontally and vertically extending frame members, the connector including the other ones of the male members and the female members, the male and female members of the connector engaging into corresponding ones of the male and female members of the vertically extending frame member and the horizontally extending frame member, when the connector is inserted in the insertion channels, for connecting the horizontally extending frame member and the vertically extending frame member together through the longitudinal single-piece connector; the connector having an outwardly extending protuberance abutting the section extending inwardly in the insertion channel when the connector is inserted in the insertion channel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
• FIG. 1 comprisesFIG. 1A andFIG. 1B, whereinFIG. 1A is a perspective view of a medicine cabinet provided on a wall above a sink in a closed door configuration andFIG. 1B is a perspective view of the medicine cabinet ofFIG. 1A in an open door configuration;
• FIG. 2 comprisesFIG. 2A andFIG. 2B, whereinFIG. 2A is a perspective view of the exterior side of an assembled cabinet door andFIG. 2B is a perspective view of the interior side of the same cabinet door;
• FIG. 3 comprisesFIG. 3A andFIG. 3B, whereinFIG. 3A is an assembled perspective view of the interior side of the four members which form a top left corner of the frame of the cabinet door ofFIG. 2B andFIG. 3B is the assembled view ofFIG. 3A with a vanity mirror affixed to the interior of the frame;
• FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the members ofFIG. 3A;
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the locking plug;
• FIG. 6 comprisesFIG. 6A andFIG. 6B whereinFIG. 6A is an assembled perspective view of the exterior side of three members ofFIG. 3A andFIG. 6B is the assembled view ofFIG. 6A with the mirror panel affixed to the exterior of the frame;
• FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the exterior side of the three members ofFIG. 6A;
• FIG. 8 comprisesFIG. 8A andFIG. 8B whereinFIG. 8A is a side perspective view of the connector with a U-shaped horizontal portion, the protuberances being provided on a free end thereof and whereinFIG. 8B is a top plan view of the connector ofFIG. 8A;
• FIG. 9 comprisesFIG. 9A andFIG. 9B whereinFIG. 9A is a side perspective view of the connector with a double U-shaped horizontal portion, a protuberance being provided on a free end of each U-shaped section and whereinFIG. 9B is a top plan view of the connector ofFIG. 9A;
• FIG. 10 comprisesFIG. 10A andFIG. 10B whereinFIG. 10A is a side perspective view of the connector with an oval-shaped horizontal portion on which are provided the protuberances and whereinFIG. 10B is a top plan view of the connector ofFIG. 10A; and
• FIG. 11 comprisesFIG. 11A andFIG. 11B whereinFIG. 11A is a side perspective view of the connector with a U-shaped horizontal portion, the protuberances being provided on an attached end thereof and whereinFIG. 11B is a top plan view of the connector ofFIG. 11A.
• It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• FIG. 1A is a perspective view of amedicine cabinet10 provided on a wall above asink12. The door of the medicine cabinet has amirror panel14 held by a cabinet door frame (not shown). In this example, the door is opened from the left-hand side and is therefore hinged at the right-hand side.Storage units18 are provided on either sides of thecabinet10. InFIG. 1B, the door of themedicine cabinet10 is opened and the interior side of the cabinet door frame can be partly seen. A vanity mirror is provided inside the door and hinges are used to affixed the door frame to the cabinet box itself. Shelves are provided in the cabinet.
• FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the exterior side of an assembledcabinet door20.FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the interior side of the same assembledcabinet door20. The door appears to be frameless from the exterior side with amirror panel14 affixed to the front of thecabinet door20. Thedoor20 has adoor frame22 which includes multiple elements assembled together to form the door frame. Thedoor20 can also have an interiorvanity mirror panel24 received in the interior side of thecabinet door frame22. Themirror panel14 and thevanity mirror panel24 are affixed to respectively the exterior side and the interior side of the cabinet door frame using, for example, 1/32″ thick double sided tape around the perimeter of the door. Glue could alternately be used to hold the mirrors.
• InFIG. 2B, twohinge apertures26 are provided on either side of the door for attachment to a hinge mechanism (not shown). As will be readily understood, other hinge attachment means could be used and the side of theframe22 need not bear apertures. Similarly, apertures could be provided on both sides even if only one side is used by the hinge mechanism.
• Thecabinet door frame22 is provided with mechanical fasteners to ensure integrity of the frame and ensure that the different portions of the frame are held together. More particularly, a rectangular frame is made of four corners, at least one of which can be the present cabinet door frame corner.
• The top left corner of the interior side of thedoor frame22 without the vanity mirror is shown inFIG. 3A.FIG. 3B shows the same corner with the vanity mirror affixed to the frame.FIG. 4 is an exploded version ofFIG. 3A. The corner of thedoor frame22 is composed of three main members with an optional fourth member. The corner of thedoor frame22 comprises a vertical (upright)longitudinal piece30, a horizontallongitudinal piece40 and aconnector50 used to fasten the verticallongitudinal piece30 to the horizontallongitudinal piece40. An optional locking plug60 can also be provided to ensure integrity of the assembled corner.
• The vertically extending frame member or jamb30 is generally C-shaped and has two opposed and spaced-apartside walls32 and34 joined byend wall36 defining an insertion channel therebetween.Side wall32 has asection32aforming the insertion channel, asection32bextending inwardly in the insertion channel and then has a mirror section32C, adapted to receive thevanity mirror panel24.Section32cis provided with a recess orfemale portion38. The vanity mirror panel, once received in thedoor frame22, is affixed tosections32cand32bwith, for example, double-sided tape applied onsection32c.
• The horizontally extendingframe member40 has two opposed and spaced-apartside walls42 and44 joined by a U-Shapedtop wall46 defining an insertion channel therebetween.Side wall42 will be described more in detail below with reference toFIG. 7.Side wall44 has anexterior portion44a, aninstallation channel48 in the shape of a C-shaped female fastener adapted to receive a molded bumper and amirror portion44b. The molded bumper is optional and is used to, for example, soften the closing action of the doors.Bottom portion44bis adapted to receive thevanity mirror panel24.Top wall46 is U-Shaped to provide a spacing for a user's finger at the time of opening the cabinet door by pulling on the edges of the U-shaped wall. This shape is optional and the top wall need not be U-shaped.
• The connector ordoor cap50 has twoportions52 and54, each portion being insertable in one of the insertion channels of the vertically and horizontally extending frame members, respectively.Vertical portion52 is inserted into the insertion channel ofvertical member30. It includes a firstmechanical locking tab56 on which are provided amale element57 and anabutment58. Once inserted in thevertical member30, themale element57 is received in therecess38 and theabutment58 is abutted to the interior ofsection32bofside wall32. The two members are then solidly assembled. The abutment, shown in the shape of a ramp, prevents the vertical portion from twisting relative to the cap orconnector50 and from sliding out. The abutment could also be provided in the shape of a simple rectangular stop. During assembly theconnector50 slides into the upright30 from a horizontal direction, pushing theside walls32 and34 of the upright30 apart slightly during sliding, the ramp configuration of theabutment58 allowing easier insertion. The connector then snaps into place when the abutment abuts theportion32bof theside wall32 and themale portion57 consequently enters thefemale portion38. The connector could be inserted from the top but it would not be as graceful and would require more force.
• The optional locking plug60 can also be provided to ensure integrity of the assembled vertical member and connector.FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the lockingplug60. Lockingplug60 has awall62 and aprotuberance64 which is adapted to be received into themale portion57 which has been inserted into therecess38.Male portion57 is therefore provided with an opening corresponding toprotuberance64.Male portion57 therefore extends away from the connector while being, for example, perforated in its center, as in a protruding ring, to provide an opening forprotuberance64.
• FIG. 6A is an assembled perspective view of the exterior side of the three members ofFIG. 3 without themirror panel14 affixed to the door frame.FIG. 6B is the exterior side ofFIG. 6A with themirror panel14 affixed to the door frame.FIG. 7 is an exploded version ofFIG. 6A. The interior side of theconnector50 shows that thevertical portion52 has a shape adapted to be received in the vertical channel formed byside walls32 and34 of thevertical member30. Back wall61 of the connector is the only portion of the connector which will be visible once theframe22 is assembled (seeFIG. 6A). Thehorizontal portion54 is provided with twoprotuberances63 and65 adapted to hold thehorizontal member40. Corresponding recesses orholes66 and68 in theside wall42 of thehorizontal member40 are adapted to respectively receiveprotuberances63 and65 whenhorizontal end54 is inserted in the channel of thehorizontal member40. The reason for two recesses, holes orfemale portions66 and68 is to better resist to twisting of thehorizontal cross piece40 from theconnector50. Theholes66 and68 on the horizontally-orientedframe member40 are on one side only of the piece to facilitate tooling. Themirror panel14 is affixed toside wall42 ofhorizontal member40,back wall61 ofconnector50 andside wall34 ofvertical member30 with, for example, double-sided tape applied on each wall.
• To assemble the frame, the male features57,63 and65 of theconnector50 are inserted and held in the female features66 and68 of the horizontally-orientedframe member40 andfemale feature38 of the vertically-orientedframe member30 and the connector ensures integrity of the corner of the frame. The frame can be assembled in any order. For ease of assembly, theconnector50 andhorizontal member40 can be assembled first and then that assembled piece can slide into theupright30. The same male and female features can be provided at the opposite ends of the horizontal and vertical members. Therefore, the same process, with anew connector50 for each corner, is repeated at each corner of the frame to create arectangular frame22. Theinterior vanity mirror24 is affixed to the interior of the frame using double faced tape. The optional molded bumper provided with connectors is secured in the C-shapedfastener48. Themirror panel14 is affixed last to the exterior of the frame using, for example double faced tape. The hinge is installed on the interior side of one vertical member. The cabinet door can then be affixed to the cabinet.
• Alternatively, only one or some of the corners of the frame may comprise the three member arrangement described above and the other corners may have a different arrangement.
• In this example, thelongitudinal pieces30 and40 are made of aluminum and theconnector50 is made of plastic.
• The example described above and illustrated is given for illustrative purposes only, as an indication of a way to embody the present cabinet door frame. Alternate configurations can substantially depart from this example.
• For example, all female and male portions shown can take on a different shape, configuration or arrangement and can even be substituted for one another, for example a protuberance on the connector can be replaced by a hole and the corresponding hole on the horizontal or vertical member replaced by a protuberance. Screws or adhesive could be used to replace some female and male portions.
• Mirror panels14 and24 can be substituted by other types of panels depending on the use proposed for the cabinet.Interior vanity mirror24 is completely optional. The molded bumper is also completely optional. Consequently, the C-shapedfemale fastener48 ofside wall44 is optional.
• Theholes66 and68 on the horizontally-orientedframe member40 are on one side only42 of thepiece40 to facilitate tooling but could alternatively be provided one on each side or both on theother side44. Even though twofemale portions66 and68 are preferred, only one fastening means can be used to attach thehorizontal cross piece40 to theconnector50.
• Abutment58 does not need to have a ramp configuration and can be a simple stop, for example.
• Female portion38 of thevertical member30 can be provided on either side wall. Correspondingmale portion57 will need to be provided on a corresponding side of the connector.
• Theportion32bwhich extends inwardly into the channel of the vertical member could alternatively be provided onside wall34 andwall32 would then be straight.
• The vertical member can be placed horizontally and the horizontal member can be placed vertically.
• The lockingplug60 could comprise a female member instead of a protuberance or could consist in a pin adapted to be inserted in an aperture, for example a tapered aperture, of the male member available when the male member is fitted into the female member.
• The shapes of many portions of the horizontal member, vertical member and connector could be changed without departing from the invention.FIG. 8 toFIG. 11 show examples of different shapes for thehorizontal portion54 of theconnector50, all bearing theprotuberances63 and65. InFIG. 8,horizontal portion54 is a U-shaped horizontal portion, theprotuberances63 and65 being provided on a free end thereof. InFIG. 9, thehorizontal portion54 is a double U-shaped horizontal portion, a protuberance being provided on a free end of each U-shaped section. InFIG. 10, thehorizontal portion54 is an oval-shaped horizontal portion on which are provided theprotuberances63 and65. InFIG. 11,horizontal portion54 is a U-shaped horizontal portion, theprotuberances63 and65 being provided on an attached end thereof.
• The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (5)

1. A cabinet door frame corner comprising:

a horizontally extending frame member having two opposed and spaced-apart side walls joined by a horizontal end wall defining an insertion channel therebetween, at least one of said side walls includes at least one of a male member and a female member;

a vertically extending frame member having two opposed and spaced-apart side walls joined by a vertical end wall defining an insertion channel therebetween, at least one of said side walls includes at least one of a male member and a female member;

at least one of said horizontally extending frame member and said vertically extending frame member having a section on at least one of said side walls extending inwardly in the insertion channel;

a longitudinal single-piece connector having two portions, each portion being insertable in one of the insertion channels of the horizontally and vertically extending frame members, said connector including the other ones of the male members and the female members, the male and female members of said connector engaging into corresponding ones of the male and female members of the vertically extending frame member and the horizontally extending frame member, when the connector is inserted in the insertion channels, for connecting the horizontally extending frame member and the vertically extending frame member together through the longitudinal single-piece connector;

said connector having an outwardly extending protuberance abutting the section extending inwardly in the insertion channel when the connector is inserted in the insertion channel.

2. The cabinet door frame corner ofclaim 1, wherein

said section is provided on at least one side wall of said vertically extending frame member; and

said outwardly extending protuberance is provided on said portion insertable in said insertion channel of said vertically extending frame member.

3. The cabinet door frame corner ofclaim 1, further comprising a locking plug adapted to secure engagement of the corresponding male and female members of the connector and vertically extending frame member when said connector is inserted in the insertion channel of the vertically extending frame member.

4. The cabinet door frame corner ofclaim 1, wherein said protuberance of the connector is a ramp with a non-sloping side adapted to abut said section extending inwardly.

5. The cabinet door frame corner ofclaim 1, wherein said at least one of a male member and a female member of said horizontally extending frame member is two female elements and said portion of said connector insertable in said channel of said horizontally extending frame member has two corresponding male elements.

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