US2941235A - Appliance handle construction - Google Patents

Description

June 21, 1960 A. J. SCHWARTZ E'AL 2,

APPLIANCE HANDLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 12, 1956 24 FIG.8.

INVENTORS ANTON J SCHWARTZ LELAND G. HOPKINS BY%KMM ATTO'RNEY Anton J. Schwartz and Leland G.

United States PatentiO 2,941,235 APPLIANCE HANDLE CONSTRUCTION Hopkins, Mansfield, Ohlo, assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 12, 1956, Ser. No. 615,569

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-116) This invention relates to an improved structure for attaching a handle to a thin panel, such as a metal panel of a door for a domestic appliance.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved thermo-insulating spacing means for attaching a metal handle to a metal panel of an oven door or the like.

It is'another object of this invention to improve the construction for attaching a handle to an outer panel of an oven door or the like where the other side of said panel is inaccessible.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved structure for attaching and locking a handle to a metal panel which is accessible only on one side thereof and in which structure the locking means is concealed when the handle is viewed from the normal viewing position.

It is another object of this invention to simplify the construction of an insulating spacer used for attaching a handle to a thin panel.

A still further object of this invention is to reduce the number of parts required to attach a handle to a metal panel or the like in spaced relationship with respect thereto. I

In accordance with this invention, a molded plastic thermoinsulating spacer is disposed between a panel and a handle to be attached thereto, the spacer having a pair of relatively movable portions extending through an" opening in the panel and forced apart by means of a screw threaded in the spacer, forming a locking means to hold the spacer to the panel. The screw passes through an opening in the handle at an acute angle with respect to the panel and serves to hold the handle rigidly with respect to the spacer and the panel. The spacer handle and screw may all be assembled together on the panel from one side thereof. The screw is inclined with respect to the panel so that it may be conveniently reached by a screw driver from beneath the handle when the panel is in a normal vertical position, but the screw is concealed when the door is viewed in this position from points other than beneath the handle.

The foregoing and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the upper lefthand corner of a metal structure such as an oven door with a handle, shown partially cut away, attached to the structure;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one side of a spacer for attaching the handle to the door structure from the same viewing point as in Fig. l, but on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the handle supporting spacer from the side which faces the door as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the spacer of Figs. 2 and 3 positioned in an opening in a panel;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line V-V of Fig. 4;

Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical sections similar to Fig. 5 showing the spacer in two different positions assumed thereby when being inserted into the panel end; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on line VIII-VIII of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 8, one end of a handle 11 is attached to a thin tflat metal panel 13, such as that of a range oven door 14, by means of a molded plastic insulating spacer 15 and a screw 16. Nylon has been found to be a suitable material for the spacer 15. The spacer 15 comprises a peripheral wall portion 18 having a fiat surface 20 on one side thereof for engagement with the panel 13 and a second surface 22 which is spaced from the panel and abutted by an end portion of the handle 11 as seen in Figs. 1 and 8. Projecting from the spacer 0n the panel engaging side thereof is a relatively rigid anchor or hook portion 24 and a defiectible abutment 26. The hook portion 24 and the defiectible abutment 26 may be squeezed together and passed through a rectangular opening 28 in the panel as indicated in the section views of Figs. 6, 7 and 5, and then forced apart by the screw 16 to anchor the spacer 15 in the panel, as described hereinafter. r

The surface 20 of the spacer which engages the front face of the panel is so constructed that the engagement will take place only at points spaced from the edge of the panel opening 28. This helps to reduce chipping of any frangible finish on the panel by eliminating some forces thereon at the edge of the opening 28.

The wall 18 of the spacer forms a generally rectangular loop and the anchor portion 24 is supported by an integrally molded cross-portion or rib 30 extending across the loop. Since the rib 30 is of large cross section, the anchor portion 24 is relatively rigid with respect to the wall 18. The defiectible abutment 26 is integral with and supported by a torsionally resilient web structure 32 extending across the loop generally parallel with the cross-portion 30. The web 32 is of much smaller cross section than the crossportion 30 and is easily twisted to permit the abutment to be readily deflected relative to the anchor portion 24, as seen in Figs. 7 and 8. The web 32, forming a pivotal support for the deflectable abutment 26, is set back from the plane of the flat surface 20, thus enabling the deflectable abutment to have greater movement at the plane of the flat surface 20 for a given amount of angular movement about its pivotal support.

The cross-portion 30 is provided with a front surface 33 inclined upwardly and forwardly relative the plane of the front and rear surfaces 22 and 20. A square hole or passage 34 is molded in the cross-portion 30 and extends normal to the inclined surface 33 thereof. A portion of the defiectible abutment 26 nearest the anchor or hook portion 24 of the spacer is disposed in alignment with the square opening so that the screw 16 threaded in the square opening will push the defiectible abutment 26 in the direction away from the hook portion and lock the spacer in the panel opening. The spacer is formed of nylon or other suitable thermally insulating material and the screw will deform the walls of the square hole 34 to form threads therein. The hole 34 is made sufiiciently small relative the screw 16 that the spacer will lock the screw in place as the latter is tightened to secure the handle 11.

The handle 11 may be formed of sheet metal with a flat rear wall 35 abutting the flat front surface 22 of the spacer 15 as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The rear wall 35 is provided with a rearwardly off-set portion 36, the front side of which forms a screw head supporting surface 38 inclined with respect to the panel and the rear side being disposed in abutment with the inclined front surface 33 of the cross-portion 30. This off-set portion 36 of the handle has an opening through which the screw 16 extends to clamp the handle to the spacer and wedge the anchor portion 24 and the defiectible abutment 26 apart 3 to engage opposite edges'of the panel opening 28 to lock the spacer therein.

The handle 11 has a front over-hanging portion 42 attached to the fiat rear wall 35 at the top thereof. This over-hanging portion 42 extends downwardly in front of the spacer and screw, making the latter inaccessible with a tool directly from the front on a line normal to the panel and hiding the screw when the assembly shown in v V The Figs. 1 and 8 is viewed from the front or above.

overhanging portion 42 of the handle 11 is sufficiently spaced from the wall 35 to permit a tool to be readily ins'erted from beneath the handle to tighten-the screw 16.

The lower portion of the wall of the spacer may be cut away as seen in Figures I and 2 to make the screw more accessible with a screw driver or the like.

Thespacer as shown in Figure 1 is attached between the end of the handle 11 and the panel 13 to prevent a housewifes apron strings or other garments from being caught behind the end of the handle as shebrushes past the door. The spacer, being formed of a thermally insulating material, prevents the metal handle 11 from receiving heat by direct conduction from the panel 13 where the latter forms a portion of an oven door or the like which may be subject to relatively high heat.

The spacer 15 is self supporting in the panel opening 28 prior to the attachment of the handle 11 and screw 16 thereto. This facilitates assembly of the complete structure. Another advantage of this spacer is that the handle 11 and screw 16 engage no part of the door panel 13 which is usually finished with a frangible material that is readily chipped. Since the nylon spacer is the only structure to contact the panel 13 adjacent the opening 28 the chipping problem present with other handle mounting striictures is substantially eliminated.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A spacer member formed of thermally insulating material for securing a handle in spaced relation to a panel at an opening therein, said member comprising a peripheral wall forming a loop and having a first surface for engagement with a surface of the panel and a second surface spaced from said first surface for engagement by the handle, a pair of ribs bridging the space defined by the peripheral wall, a pair of projections carried one by each rib and extending beyond the first surface of the peripheral wall for reception in the panel opening, said projections having laterally directed shoulders adapted to engage opposite sides of said panel opening at the rear of said panel, one of said ribs having a passage therethrough for reception of a screw adapted to secure the handle to the member, the other of said ribs being torsionally resilient, whereby the projection carried thereby may be deflected into locking engagement with the edge of the panel opening, said projection being disposed to be engaged by said screw and deflected thereby to secure said member to the panel.

2. A spacer member formed of thermally insulating material for securing a hollow handle open at one side in spaced relation to a panel at an opening therein, said member comprising a peripheral wall forming a loop and having a first surface for engagement with a surface of the panel and a second surface spaced from said first surface for engagement by the handle, a pair of parallel spaced ribs bridging the space defined by the peripheral wall, a pair of spaced projections carried one by each rib and extending beyond the first surface of the peripheral wall for reception in the panel opening, one of said ribs having a passage therethrough substantially inclined with respect to a line normal to said first surface of the member for reception of a screw adapted to secure the handle to the member with the screw accessible through the open side of the handle, the other rib being torsionally resilient, whereby the projection carried thereby may be deflected into locking engagement with the edge of the panel opening, said projection being disposedto be engaged by said screw and deflected thereby away from the other projection at the side of the panel away from the member to 'secure said member to the panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,043,146

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