GB2127288A - Handle assemblies for furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

A furniture handle assembly having a backplate provided with a recess 20A and space 22 to accept an end part 14 of a handle, which end part 14 has a slot 15 to accept a pivot 24 integral with the backplate. The slot 15, pivot 24 and space 22 permit the end part 14 to be inserted into the space and hooked onto the pivot during assembly. In use, disengagement is prevented by the end part abutting the article to which the assembly is secured. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Handle assemblies for furniture This invention concerns handle assemblies, for furniture and other articles.

There is a known form of handle assembly which comprises a backplate, shaped to define a recess, and a handle secured to the backplate by a pivot pin or pins in the recess so as to be pivotally movable from a normal position in which the handle hangs down at the front of the backplate to a position projecting angularly forwards from the backplate.

The directional terms, e.g. "front" and "rear" used herein are derived from the usual orientation of such handle assemblies when secured to a vertical surface of an article.

This form of handle assembly is expensive to manufacture because of the amount of labour and time required to fit together the handle, pivot pin or pins and the backplate.

According to the present invention there is provided a handle assembly comprising a pivot, a handle and a backplate; the handle including a body and at least one support part, a front face of the backplate having a recess at least partially accommodating the support part of the handle, and the pivot serving to connect the support part to the backplate; characterised in that said support part has a slot in which the pivot engages, in that a space is provided in the backplate to join the recess to the rear of the pivot; and that said space is arranged so that the support part can be moved rearwards to disengage the pivot from the slot whilst the handle is orientated in a particular orientation in which the body projects outwards from the front face of the backplate.

The space is preferably formed to provide an opening in a rear face of the backplate so that, in use, when the assembly is attached to an article the opening is obscured by the article to prevent or restrict said rearwards movement, thereby preventing disengagement of the handle from the pivot.

Alternatively the backplate may be provided with a member which obscures said opening and obstructs said disengagement.

The backplate preferably provides an abutment iimiting movement of said part so as to prevent said disengagement whilst the body of the handle is in orientations other than said particular orientation.

The handle assembly of the invention has the advantages that the handle can be engaged easily upon the pivot during assembly, and that the pivot can be integral with the backplate instead of having to be a separate pin located in bores formed in the backplate.

The slot is preferably shaped so as to have a mouth at one end of the slot, a bearing portion adjacent an end of the support part and remote from the mouth, and an angled portion intermediate the mouth and the bearing portion, so that said disengagement requires the support part to be moved rearwards and then raised to bring the pivot to the mouth.

The invention also provides a method of making a handle assembly, for an article such as an article of furniture, including the steps of: (a) making a handle comprising a body and at least one support part having a slot therein, and making a backplate having a recess in a front face of the backplate, a pivot in said recess, and a space which joins the recess to the rear of the pivot, and (b) inserting said support part into the recess in a particular orientation so as to enter the space, engaging the pivot in the slot and partially withdrawing said support part from the space to leave the handle pivotally connected to the backplate by engagement of the pivot in the slot.

The method of the invention is preferably performed so that in step (a) the space is formed so as to provide an opening in a rear face of the backplate, and in step (b) the support part is inserted so as to protrude through said opening to enable the pivot to be engaged in the slot.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a handle assembly of the invention in front elevation; Figures2 and 3 show sections of the assembly on the line ll-ll and Ill-Ill in Figure 1; Figure 4shows an enlarged sectional detail; and Figure 5shows an enlarged section detail of a modification of part of the handle assembly.

The handle assembly comprises a handle 10 and a backplate 12. The handle 10 comprises a U-shaped body 13 having two support parts 14 which in this embodiment constitute projecting upper end portions of the handle. Each support part 14 is formed to provide a slot 15. The backplate 12 is shaped to provide a recess 20 in a front face 21, and has two spaces 22 each of which extends forwards to merge with an upper part 20A of the recess in which a pivot 24 is disposed. In this embodiment each pivot 24 extends across the upper part in front of the space 22, and the latter extends rearwards to provide an opening in a rear face 23 of the backplate. The pivots 24 are integral with the backplate.

Each slot 15 has a mouth 30 at one end which mouth 30 interrupts a rear face 31 of the support part 14 some distance from 32 of support part 14; and an angled portion 33 which extends from the mouth towards the centre of the part 14 before turning to extend longitudinally within the part 14 towards the end 32. The portion 33 terminates at a bearing surface portion 34. In this embodiment the slot extends across the width of the part 14 so as to be open at both sides of the portion 14; and the spacing between the surface portion 34 and the end 32 is substantially the same as the distance between the pivot 24 and the rear face 23 of the backplate, as shown in Figure 4.

The rear face 23 of the backplate provides two hollow internally threaded projections 25 to receive fasteners for securing the backplate to an article, e.g.

a furniture drawer.

In use, when the assembly is secured to such an article, the pivots 24 are accommodated in the portions 34 so that the handle hangs from the pivots in a normal position lying in the recess 20, as shown in Figures 1,2 and 3, and the handle can be swung about the pivots to a projecting position, shown in Figure 4. In both positions the handle cannot be moved linearly relative to the pivots through a distance sufficient to bring the pivots to the mouths, because, the backplate provides abutments 26 limiting vertical movement of the handle from the normal position, and because rearwards movement from the projecting position is limited by an inclined end face of the end 32 abutting the front of the article to which the assembly is secured.Only prior to the assembly being secured to the article can the handle be swung upwards into the projecting position, moved rearwards and upwards to disengage the support parts 14 from the pivots and then withdrawn forwards, and this motion is simply reversed for assembly of the handle assembly after the handle has been orientated to enter between the abutments and the pivots. To facilitate assembly, the rear face 31 is stepped across the mouth to provide a projecting shoulder 35, and the spacing of the pivots from the abutments 25 is slightly greater than the thickness ofthe support parts 14.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing example, and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the handle may have one or more of the support parts, and the slot may be of any suitabie shape, e.g. the slot may be straight or curved instead of angled between the mouth and the bearing surface portion. As shown in Figure 5, each support part 1 4A may have two of the slots 15A at opposite sides of the support part, with a web 14B therebetween, and the pivots may be stub pivots 24A which project into but not across parts of the recess or recesses.

The backplate and handle are preferably diecast or injection moulded, so as to obviate machining, pin making and fitting hitherto necessary to provide pivotal connections between the handle and the backplate. The pivot may have any suitable crosssectional shape.

Claims (12)

1. A method of making a handle assembly, for an article such as an article of furniture, including the steps of: (a) making a handle comprising a body and at least one support part having a slot therein, and making a backplate having a recess in a front face of the backplate, a pivot in said recess, and a space which joins the recess to the rear of the pivot; and (b) inserting said support part into the recess in a particular orientation so as to enter the space, engaging the pivot in the slot and partially withdrawing said support part from the space to leave the handle pivotally connected to the backplate by engagement of the pivot in the slot.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein in step (a) the space is formed so as to provide an opening in a rear face of the backplate, and wherein in step (b) the support part is inserted so as to protrude through said opening to enable the pivotto be engaged in the slot.

3. A method as claimed in Claim 2 including the further step of obscuring said opening to prevent the handle being disengaged from said pivot.

4. A method as claimed in Claim 1,2 or 3, wherein in step (a) the slot is shaped so as to have a mouth at one end of the slot, a bearing portion adjacent an end of the support part and remote from the mouth and an angled portion intermediate the mouth and the bearing portion, and wherein in step (b) the support part is lowered to cause the pivot to enter the slot via the mouth prior to the support part being partially withdrawn.

5. A method of making a handle assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A handle assembly made by a method as claimed in any preceding claim.

7. A handle assembly comprising a pivot, a handle and a backplate; the handle including a body and at least one support part, a front face of the backplate having a recess at least partially accommodating the support part of the handle, and the pivot serving to connect the support part to the backplate; characterised in that said support part has a slot in which the pivot engages, in that a space is provided in the backplate to join the recess to the rear of the pivot; and in that said space is arranged so that the support part can be moved rearwards to disengage the pivot from the slot whilst the handle is orientated in a particular orientation in which the body projects outwards from the front face of the backplate.

8. A handle assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the space is formed to provide an opening in a rear face of the backplate.

9. A handle assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the backplate is arranged to be attached to an article so that said opening is obscured by the article to prevent or restrict said rearwards movement, thereby preventing disengagement of the handle from the pivot.

10. A handle assembly as claimed in Claim 6,7,8 or 9, wherein the slot is shaped so as to have a mouth at one end of the slot, a bearing portion adjacent an end of the support part and remote from the mouth, and an angled portion intermediate the mouth and the bearing portion, so that said disengagement requires the support part to be moved rearwards and then raised to bring the pivot to the mouth.

11. A handle assembly as claimed in Claim 6,7, 8,9 or 10, wherein the backplate provides an abutment limiting movement of said part so as to prevent said disengagement whilst the body of the handle is in orientations other than said particular orientation.

12. A handle assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.