US3533127A - Cabinet closure - Google Patents

Description

D. HOOBER CABINET CLOSURE Oct. 13, 1970 Filed Nov. 6, 1968 INVENTOR. DANIEL HOOBER I fiuzky wp United States Patent 3,533,127 CABINET CLOSURE Daniel Hoober, 14-2 Amity St., Patchogue, N.Y. 11772 Filed Nov. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 774,598

Int. Cl. E05f 1/08 US. CI. 16-76 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spring-operated door-closing device for a cabinet door, said spring having a constant force and being coiled about a rotatable hub secured to a bracket aifixed to a door-jamb, the free end of said spring having a hook and being adjustably secured to a ladder suitably mounted to the door.

The doors of kitchen cabinets have been held closed for many years by two general methods. One is that of some type of spring-loaded latch which holds the door shut after spring is compressed and some type of catch is activated; the other is the magnetic catch which holds the door closed by magnetic attraction after the door, with a piece of magnetic material, is closed against a magnet. Each of these devices has a common problem; the force required to open the door must be conveniently 1ight so as not to require an excessive amount of eifort by a busy housewife. The spring-loaded latch meets this requirement reasonably well, but is a relatively complex device. The magnet device meets this also, but it is very poor at catching and holding the door unless it is closed all the way by hand; if the door is swung shut it more likely will bounce open unless the force on the door was just exactly sufficient to reach the magnet.

Neither of these devices perform the essential function of closing the door. This being the case, cabinet doors are very often left open and become a hazard to people who cut their heads on them.

The problem involved in making a spring closing device is concerned with two related problems: (1) The spring force holding the door closed must be slight, and can easily be made so; however, as the door is opened the force becomes greater. When the door is released it returns with a slam, which is unnecessary. (2) Sometimes it is desired that a door remain open while dishes, groceries, etc., are put in; with an ordinary spring this can not be accomplished in a simple manner.

I believe that my invention solves all the problems of closing, holding closed and remaining open when desired. These will become apparent from a description of the device which follows.

In the drawings referred to:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a typical wooden cabinet and door from above;

FIG. 2 is a view of the back of the door, showing an adjustment feature, taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

The key to the device is a constant-force Negator spring 11 which is coiled onto a plastic hub 12. The spring does not change its force when extended so the same force acts on the door throughout its motion.

The spring and hub are enclosed in a bracket 13 3,533,127 Patented Oct. 13, 1970 and held in place by a pin 14. The spring and hub rotate about this pin as the door is opened and closed.

The bracket itself is secured to the cabinet frame by a single wood screw.

On the door is fastened a ladder 15 to which the free end of the spring is attached. There are three cross-pieces on the ladder to take care of two situations; these are the fact that doors come in various sizes in most kitchen cabinets, and the hinges of some doors are more stifi? than others. By attaching the spring to the cross-piece nearer the hinge, the torque on the door is lowered; by attaching the spring to the farthest cross-piece the torque is increased. The variation from the center cross piece, in each direction, is 25%. If this is not suificient, in an extreme case, the entire ladder may be moved to increase or decrease the torque.

Because of the physical location of the bracket and the method of hinging cabinet doors, when the door is opened sufiiciently (usually more than it will remain open until the condition is relieved. A slight push is usually sufficient to start the closing action.

FIG. 2 shows the ladder attached to the door by two of same sized screws 16 used to hold the bracket to the frame.

The bracket and ladder are made of aluminum and the spring of stainless steel.

Finally, on the back of the door near the knob, a piece of sponge rubber 17 is taped. It is impossible to avoid, entirely, the noise of a wooden door hitting a wooden frame. To avoid damage to the finish as well as to reduce the noise, this sponge rubber piece is used.

As can be seen from the description, this is a very simple device which can be easily installed and adjusted. Also, although the description is given for wooden kitchen cabinet doors, there is no fundamental reason that it cannot be used on any cabinet door, wood or metal. Depending on the door shape, :size and material the bracket shape and spring size may vary, but the basic idea should not be changed at all.

I claim for this device, when properly installed:

1. A spring-operated door closure for normally biasing a cabinet door to a closed position and for allowing the door to be maintained in a desired open position, said door closure comprising a coiled spring wound upon a rotatable hub secured to the cabinet by means of a bracket, said spring being of constant force so that the same force acts on the door throughout its motion, said spring having means on the free end thereof adjustably engageable with a ladder suitably secured to the door so that the torque exerted by the spring on the door maybe varied by attaching the spring to a different rung of the ladder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 209,713 11/1878 Randall 16-76 21 1,2 66 1/1879 Schroder 16-76 483,140 9/1892 Daily 16-72 1,178,416 4/1916 Schmucker 16-77 2,895,779 7/1959 Bender 16-77 X-R 3,431,587 3/1969 Bereznak 16-75 XR DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner

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