Handle

Abstract

To provide a handle capable of enhancing the assembling flexibility and detachability of an end cap.SOLUTION: A handle 22 comprises: a handle body 23 that is made long-sized in the frontage direction of a front plate 21 and is attached to an upper end part of the front plate; and a pair of end caps 30 that can be attached to both end parts of the handle body in the longer direction. The end caps comprise: a cap body part 31 that covers an edge face 23b of the end parts of the handle body in the longer direction; and upper and lower engaging parts 32,36 that extend from an upper end part and lower end part of the cap body part in the longer direction of the handle body and are engaged with an engaged part on the upper end part and lower end part 23c,23d of the handle body respectively. One of the engaged part and the engaging part has protrusions 33,37 protruding in a direction orthogonal to the longer direction of the handle body, and the other has concavities 25b,29b in which the protrusions fit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a handle. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a linear handle that is elongated in the front direction of a front panel provided on the front side of a storage device and attached to an upper end portion of the front panel has been known. For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a handle that includes a handle body that is disposed along the upper end of a door and end caps that are attached to both ends of the handle body. In this handle, a first groove is formed in a fixing plate that is formed in the handle body and fixed to the rear part of the door with a screw, and screw holes are formed on both left and right ends of the first groove. In addition, a second groove is formed above the rear part of the handle body, and small holes are formed at both ends of the second groove. The end cap is formed with a first fixing piece that engages with the first groove and has a hole formed at a position corresponding to the screw hole, and a second fixing piece that engages with the second groove and has a protrusion that fits into the small hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-29408 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the handle described in Patent Document 1 above, the first fixing piece of the end cap is fixed by a screw that fixes the handle body to the door, so it needs to be fixed together with the handle body, and there is a concern that the end cap may be difficult to remove.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a handle that can improve the freedom of assembly and ease of attachment and detachment of end caps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the handle disclosed herein comprises a handle body that is elongated in the front direction of the front plate and is attached to the upper end of the front plate, and a pair of end caps that are attached to both longitudinal ends of the handle body, each of which comprises a cap body portion that covers the end faces of the longitudinal ends of the handle body, and upper and lower engaging portions that extend from the upper and lower ends of the cap body portion in the longitudinal direction of the handle body and engage with the engaged portions at the upper and lower ends of the handle body, respectively, and one of the engaged portion and the engaging portion is provided with a protrusion that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle body, and the other is provided with a recess into which the protrusion is fitted. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The handle according to the present disclosure has the above-described configuration, which improves the freedom of assembly and ease of attachment and detachment of the end cap. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a handle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and an example of a kitchen appliance incorporating a front panel equipped with the handle; [Diagram 2] 2A is a schematic partially cutaway vertical cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a schematic partially cutaway vertical cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2 in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2A is a schematic partially cutaway plan view taken along line YY in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a schematic partially cutaway rear view of the front panel. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are schematic perspective views, partly cut away, of the front plate. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are schematic oblique views showing an example of an end cap provided on the handle, FIG. 1C is a partially cutaway schematic exploded front view of the handle, and FIG. 1D is a partially cutaway schematic exploded rear view of the handle. [Figure 6]1A is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view, partially cut away, showing a modified example of the front panel provided with the handle, and FIG. 1B is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view, partially cut away, showing a modified example of the handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In some drawings, some of the detailed reference numerals used in other drawings are omitted. In the following embodiment, directions such as up and down directions will be described based on the state in which an example of a kitchen device incorporating an example of a front panel equipped with an example of a handle according to this embodiment is installed. Also, based on the state in which one faces the installed kitchen device, the near side will be described as the front and the opposite side as the rear. In the following, the same dimensions, the same plane, and the same surface are not limited to completely the same dimensions, the same plane, and the same surface, but include configurations with appropriate dimensional differences and steps (for example, about 0.1 mm to 3 mm) depending on the target.

[0010] 1 to 6 are diagrams that diagrammatically show an example of a kitchen appliance incorporating an example of a handle according to the present embodiment and an example of a front panel equipped with the handle, as well as modified examples of the front panel and modified examples of the handle. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3(b), the handle 22 according to this embodiment includes a handle body 23 that is elongated in the frontage direction of the front panel body 21 that constitutes the front panel 20 and is attached to the upper end of the front panel body 21. With this configuration, the handle 22 is provided in a line on the upper end of the front panel body 21, giving a neat impression. The handle 22 includes a pair of end caps 30, 30 that are attached to both ends of the handle body 23 in the longitudinal direction. With this configuration, even if the handle body 23 is an extrusion molded product made of metal such as aluminum and is cut to an appropriate length, the end surface 23b that is the cut surface can be covered by the end cap 30.

[0011] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2(a), the front panel 20 includes a front panel body 21 attached to the equipment front panel 3 so as to cover the front surface 3a of the equipment front panel 3 that opens and closes the equipment 2 incorporated in the kitchen device 1. With this configuration, the front surface 3a side of the equipment front panel 3 of the equipment 2 can be covered by the front panel body 21, and a unified design can be achieved with the front surfaces of the other storage sections (4, 7, 9). In other words, the equipment 2 including the equipment front panel 3 can be designed to be unified with the front surfaces of the other storage sections (4, 7, 9) by attaching the front panel body 21 to the front surface 3a side without diversifying the equipment. The front panel 20 includes a handle 22 that is provided so as to extend in the frontage direction along the upper end of the front panel body 21. An example of a specific configuration of the equipment 2, the front panel 20, and the handle 22 will be described later.

[0012] The kitchen device 1 includes an equipment 2 with a front panel 20 attached to an equipment front panel 3, and a storage section (first storage section) 4 having a storage front panel body 11 with a storage handle 12 provided so as to extend in the front direction along the upper end, which is installed on at least one side of the equipment 2 in the front direction. In this kitchen device 1, the front surface 21a of the front panel body 21 of the front panel 20 and the front surface 11a of the storage front panel body 11 are arranged to be on the same plane, and the front surface 23a of the handle 22 and the front surface 13a of the storage handle 12 are arranged to be on the same plane. With this configuration, as will be described in detail later, it is possible to suppress the gap between the handle 22 and the equipment front panel 3, while the front side of the equipment 2 incorporated in the kitchen device 1 and the front side of the storage section (first storage section) 4 adjacent in the front direction are aligned in the front-to-rear direction, thereby improving the appearance.

[0013] Specifically, the kitchen equipment 1 constitutes a kitchen floor cabinet, and as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a tabletop (kitchen counter) 10 that is elongated in one direction, which is the width direction, and equipment 2 and multiple storage sections 4, 7, 9 provided below the tabletop 10. A water tank (sink) 5 is incorporated into one longitudinal side of the top plate 10, and a cooking device 8 is incorporated into the other longitudinal side. An appropriate water faucet 6, such as a mixer faucet, is provided in a position on the top plate 10 corresponding to the water tank 5. In the illustrated example, a gas stove is used as the cooking device 8, but an IH cooking heater or other stoves may also be used. Between the cooking device 8 and the water tank 5 on the top plate 10, a work space is provided.

[0014] The multiple storage sections 4, 7, 9 include a first storage section 4 below the water tub 5, a second storage section 7 below the cooker 8, and a third storage section 9 below the work space. The height dimension and the depth dimension along the front-rear direction of the first storage section 4, the second storage section 7, and the third storage section 9 are the same. The frontage dimensions of the first storage section 4, the second storage section 7, and the third storage section 9 may be appropriately set according to the frontage dimension of the entire kitchen apparatus 1, the frontage dimension of the water tank 5 and the cooking device 8 installed above it, the frontage dimension of the desired work space, etc. In the illustrated example, among the first storage section 4, the second storage section 7, and the third storage section 9, the frontage dimension of the first storage section 4 is the largest and the frontage dimension of the third storage section 9 is the smallest, but the present invention is not limited to such an example.

[0015] The first storage section 4, the second storage section 7 and the third storage section 9 are each formed in a box shape so as to constitute a cabinet main body, and the front side thereof is configured to be divided into multiple levels vertically. On the front side of the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9, there are provided upper front panels 11A, 11A and middle front panels 11B, 11B, and lower front panels 19, 19, which constitute the storage front panel main body 11. The upper front panels 11A, 11A of the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9 are arranged so as to be located directly below the front end of the top panel 10 (see FIG. 2(b)), and are arranged so as to have the same vertical dimensions and to be located at the same height as each other. The middle front panels 11B, 11B of the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9 are arranged so as to be located directly below the respective upper front panels 11A, 11A, and are arranged so as to have the same vertical dimensions and to be located at the same height as each other. The lower front panels 19, 19 of the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9 are arranged so as to be located directly below their respective middle front panels 11B, 11B, have the same vertical dimensions as each other, and are arranged so as to be located at the same height as each other.

[0016] The upper part on the front side of the second storage section 7 is provided so that the front part of the grill section of the cooking device 8 is exposed. The upper part of this second storage section 7 has the same vertical dimensions as the above-mentioned upper front panels 11A, 11A, and is arranged so as to be located at the same height as these. In the example shown in the figure, an example is shown in which a front panel for a small drawer or the like is provided on the outer side of the grill section in the frontage direction. A middle front panel 11B and a lower front panel 19 similar to those described above are provided in the middle and lower sections on the front side of the second storage section 7. The middle front panel 11B of the second storage section 7 has the same vertical dimensions as the middle front panels 11B, 11B of the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9, and is disposed so as to be located at the same height as these. The lower front panel 19 of the second storage section 7 has the same vertical dimensions as the lower front panels 19, 19 of the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9, and is disposed so as to be located at the same height as these.

[0017] The front panels 11A, 11B, 19 of the first storage section 4, the second storage section 7, and the third storage section 9 are generally rectangular flat panels arranged such that the thickness direction is the front-rear direction (depth direction). The front panels 11A, 11B, 19 are arranged such that their front surfaces (11a) are flush with each other in the closed position and do not protrude forward beyond the front end of the top panel 10 (see FIG. 2(b)). The front panels 11A, 11B, 19 are not limited to a configuration in which the front surfaces (11a) are entirely flat, and may be configured such that a mirror panel portion is provided within the frame portion at each of the four peripheral ends so as to be recessed from the frame portion, or may be configured in other ways. The front panels 11A, 11B, 19 of the first storage section 4, the second storage section 7, and the third storage section 9 may be drawer front panels that can be freely inserted and removed in the front-rear direction, or may form hinged doors for swing-out storage. The upper front panel 11A of the first storage section 4 has the water tank 5 at its back side, so it may be a thin hinged door that rotates around its lower end as a fulcrum, or a decorative front panel (front panel) that cannot be opened or closed.

[0018] A recessed portion is provided at the lower end of each lower front panel 19, which is located at a position recessed from the upper portion so that a kick-in space is formed on the front side of the lower end of each storage section 4, 7, 9. No handle is provided at the upper end of each of these lower front panels 19, and the lower end of the upper portion located forward of the recessed portion may form a handhold. A storage handle 12 is provided over substantially the entire upper end of each of the upper front panels 11A and each of the middle front panels 11B in the width direction. Since the storage handles 12 of each of the upper front panels 11A and each of the middle front panels 11B have the same configuration, one of them will be described below as an example, and each of the upper front panels 11A and each of the middle front panels 11B will be described as the storage front panel main body 11.

[0019] 2(b) and 3(a), the storage handle 12 has a storage handle body 13 that is elongated in the frontage direction of the storage front panel body 11 and is attached to the upper end of the storage front panel body 11. The storage handle 12 has a pair of storage end caps 17 (only one side is shown in the drawings) that are attached to both ends of the storage handle body 13 in the longitudinal direction. The storage handle body 13 includes a handhold piece 14, an attachment piece 16 attached along the rear surface 11b of the storage front panel body 11, and a connection piece 15 provided to connect the attachment piece 16 and the handhold piece 14. The handhold piece 14 is formed so as to define a groove-shaped handhold space that opens downward by the upper end of the connection piece 15. The handhold piece 14 includes an upper end piece 14b provided to extend forward from the upper end of the connection piece 15, and a hanging piece 14a provided to hang down from the front end of the upper end piece 14b. The upper end piece 14b is disposed close to the member (top panel 10 or upper storage front panel body 11) disposed above it with an appropriate gap. The hanging piece 14a is formed in an inclined piece shape that inclines slightly rearward as it approaches the lower side. The front surface of this hanging piece portion 14a constitutes the front surface 13a of the storage handle 12. This front surface 13a is formed so as not to protrude forward beyond the front surface 11a of the storage front panel main body 11.

[0020] The connecting piece 15 is provided so as to hang down from the rear end of the upper end piece 14b of the handgrip piece 14. The front surface of the connecting piece 15 is formed as an inclined surface that is inclined slightly forward as it approaches the lower side. The rear surface of the connecting piece 15 is provided so as to be substantially flush with the rear surface 11b of the storage front panel body 11. The connecting piece 15 is provided with a lower end side engaged portion 15a that engages with a lower end side engaging portion 17c of the storage end cap 17 described later, and an engaging portion 15b that engages with the upper end edge of the rear surface side of the storage front panel body 11. The lower end side engaged portion 15a is formed in a groove shape that opens toward the rear side and extends over the entire length in the frontage direction. The engaging portion 15b is formed by the lower end surface of the connecting piece 15 that is placed on the upper end surface of the storage front panel body 11.

[0021] The mounting piece portion 16 is provided via a bent portion so as to be slightly rearward from the lower end of the connection piece portion 15. In other words, the rear surface of the mounting piece portion 16 is located rearward of the rear surface of the connection piece portion 15. The mounting piece portion 16 may be provided with a plurality of appropriate insertion holes at intervals in the frontage direction, through which the shaft portion 18b of a fastener 18 such as a screw is inserted. The storage handle body 13 is attached to the storage front panel body 11 by the fastener 18 fastened to the rear surface 11b side of the storage front panel body 11 via the insertion hole of the mounting piece portion 16. The handle piece 14, the connection piece 15, and the attachment piece 16 may be provided over substantially the entire width direction of the storage front panel main body 11. The attachment piece 16 may have a smaller dimension in the width direction than the handle piece 14 and the connection piece 15 to suppress interference with both side panels of the cabinet main body that constitutes each of the storage sections 4, 7, and 9. In other words, the attachment piece 16 may be provided only on the center side in the width direction of the storage front panel main body 11, and not on both ends in the width direction.

[0022] The storage end cap 17 has a cap body portion 17a that covers the end face 13b of the longitudinal end of the storage handle body 13. This cap body portion 17a may be formed so as to cover the end faces of the handhold piece portion 14 and the connection piece portion 15 of the storage handle body 13, and may further be formed so as to cover the end face of the attachment piece portion 16 located closer to the center in the width direction than these, as described above. The storage end cap 17 extends in the longitudinal direction of the storage handle main body 13 from the upper and lower ends of the cap main body portion 17a, and has an upper end engaging portion 17b and a lower end engaging portion 17c that engage with the upper end engaged portion 13c and lower end engaged portion 15a of the storage handle main body 13, respectively.

[0023] The upper end engaged portion 13c is formed by the groove bottom portion of the groove-shaped handhold space as described above. The upper end engaging portion 17b is formed along the groove bottom surface facing downward of the upper end engaged portion 13c formed by the groove bottom portion as described above and along both groove side surfaces continuing to both front and rear sides of the groove bottom surface. The lower end engaging portion 17c is formed by a press-fit piece portion that is press-fitted into the lower end engaged portion 15a that is groove-shaped as described above. The storage end cap 17 may be attached to the storage handle body 13 by engaging the upper end engaging portion 17b with the upper end engaged portion 13c and engaging the lower end engaging portion 17c with the lower end engaged portion 15a. The storage handles 12 provided on the front panels 11A, 11B, 19 of the first storage section 4, the second storage section 7 and the third storage section 9, and on the upper front panel 11A and the middle front panel 11B are not limited to the above-mentioned configuration and may have various other configurations. Furthermore, the kitchen apparatus 1 is not limited to a configuration having three storage sections 4, 7, and 9 as described above, but may have two or less storage sections, or may have four or more storage sections.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the facility equipment 2 is provided below the working space of the top plate 10, so as to be located between the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9. This facility equipment 2 may be a dishwasher / dryer having a washing function for washing tableware, cooking utensils, etc. stored therein, and a drying function for drying the tableware, cooking utensils, etc. stored therein. The facility equipment 2 is not limited to such a dishwasher / dryer, and may be a dish dryer without a washing function, a sterilization cabinet, etc., or a cool / warm cabinet for storing food, seasonings, wine, etc. at low temperatures, or may be various other built-in devices. This equipment 2 includes a casing that forms an outer shell, and an equipment front panel 3 that opens and closes the front opening of the casing. This equipment 2 may be installed on the floor via legs with adjuster functions provided on the lower end side of the equipment 2, or may be installed on an appropriate frame-shaped base provided with such legs. An appropriate riser-shaped cover or the like may be provided on the lower end side of the casing or the front side of the frame-shaped base, the front surface of which is arranged on the same plane as the front surface of the lower portion of the lower front panel 19 described above.

[0025] The vertical dimension of the equipment front panel 3 is approximately the same as the combined vertical dimensions of the upper front panel 11A, the middle front panel 11B and the lower front panel 19 described above. This equipment front panel 3 may be, for example, a hinged door rotatably connected to the casing with the lower end or one end in the width direction as a fulcrum, or it may be the front panel of a drawer that is provided so as to be freely inserted and removed from the casing. An appropriate operation section 3b that is operated when turning the facility device 2 on / off or when setting various modes may be provided at an appropriate portion of the device front panel 3, for example, at an upper end portion or the like. The equipment 2 including this equipment front panel 3 is installed so that the front surface 21a of the front panel 20 installed on the front surface 3a side of the equipment front panel 3 is flush with the front surfaces (11a) of the front panels 11A, 11B, 19 of the other storage sections 4, 7, 9. The equipment 2 may be installed so as to be recessed under the bottom side of the top panel 10 provided to bridge the first storage section 4 and the third storage section 9 on both sides in the frontage direction.

[0026] The front panel 20 is provided so as to cover the entire front surface 3a of the device front panel 3. The front panel body 21 of the front panel 20 is a substantially rectangular flat plate arranged so that the thickness direction is the front-rear direction, similar to the above-mentioned front panels 11A, 11B, 19. The thickness dimension of the front panel body 21 may be the same as the thickness dimension of each of the front panels 11A, 11B, 19. The vertical dimension of the front panel body 21 is appropriately set so that the upper end surface is flush with the upper end surface of the upper front panel 11A and the lower end surface is flush with the lower end surface of the upper part of the lower front panel 19. The front panel body 21 may be the same color or pattern as each of the front panels 11A, 11B, 19.

[0027] 2(a), the handle body 23 constituting the handle 22 includes a handhold piece 24 and an attachment piece 29 that is attached along a first surface (21b) that is one of the opposing surfaces (3a, 21b) of the device front panel 3 and the front panel body 21. With this configuration, the handle 22 (handle body 23) can be attached to one of the device front panel 3 and the front panel body 21 via the attachment piece 29. The handle body 23 has a connecting piece 25, the surface (rear surface 25a) facing the second surface side so as to abut against the second surface (3a), which is the other of the opposing surfaces, located closer to the second surface side than the surface (rear surface 29a) facing the second surface side of the mounting piece 29, and the connecting piece 25 is provided to connect the handhold piece 24 and the mounting piece 29. With this configuration, the mounting piece 29 is provided in a step lower than the connecting piece 25, and the head 18a of the fastener 18 such as a screw for attaching the mounting piece 29 can be accommodated by utilizing the step with the connecting piece 25. In addition, since the surface (rear surface 25a) facing the second surface side of the connecting piece 25 abuts against the second surface (3a), no gap is formed between the handle body 23 and the second surface (3a), and cleaning properties can be improved. In addition, there is no need to provide a cushioning material or the like to fill the gap, and the appearance and ease of assembly can be improved. In other words, when the storage front panel main body 11 having the storage handle 12 provided at its upper end as described above is attached to the front surface 3a of the equipment front panel 3, the mounting piece 16 and the head 18a of the fastener 18 interfere with the equipment front panel 3, forming a gap between the rear surface of the connection piece 15 and the equipment front panel 3. With the handle main body 23 configured as described above, such a gap is less likely to form.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first surface, which is one of the opposing surfaces (3a, 21b) of the appliance front panel 3 and the front panel main body 21, is the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21, and the other second surface is the front surface 3a of the appliance front panel 3. With this configuration, the connection piece portion 25 is abutted against the appliance front panel 3, thereby preventing a gap from being formed between the handle main body 23 and the appliance front panel 3. In addition, the attachment piece portion 29 is attached so as to be aligned with the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21. As a result, with the equipment device 2 assembled in the kitchen apparatus 1, the front panel main body 21 to which the handle 22 is attached can be attached to the appliance front panel 3. The handhold piece 24 and the connection piece 25 are provided over almost the entire front panel body 21 in the frontage direction. With this configuration, the handle body 23 is provided over almost the entire upper end of the front panel body 21, improving the appearance. Also, a gap between the handle body 23 and the front surface 3a of the device front panel 3, which is the second surface, is unlikely to be formed over almost the entire front panel body 21 in the frontage direction.

[0029] Specifically, the handhold piece 24 is formed so as to partition a groove-shaped handhold space that opens downward with the upper end of the connecting piece 25. The handhold piece 24 includes an upper end piece 24b that is provided so as to extend forward from the upper end of the connecting piece 25, and a hanging piece 24a that is provided so as to hang down from the front end of the upper end piece 24b. The hanging piece 24a is formed as an inclined piece that is inclined slightly rearward as it goes downward. The front surface of the hanging piece 24a constitutes the front surface 23a of the handle 22. The front surface 23a is arranged so as to be on the same plane as the front surface 13a of the storage handle 12 described above. The front end portions of the hanging piece 24a and the upper end piece 24b of the handle 22 are formed so as to overlap the hanging piece 14a and the upper end piece 14b of the storage handle 12 of the upper front panel 11A described above when viewed in the frontage direction. With this configuration, the hanging pieces 14a, 24a of the adjacent front panels 20 and upper front panel 11A have the same configuration, making it difficult to feel uncomfortable when using the handrails, and the appearance can be improved because the upper ends are the same height. The front-to-rear dimension of this handrail piece 24 is larger on the rear side than the front-to-rear dimension of the handrail piece 14 of the storage handle 12 of the upper front panel 11A described above.

[0030] The connecting piece 25 is provided so as to hang down from the rear end of the upper end piece 24b of the handgrip piece 24. The front surface (middle front surface) of the middle part of the connecting piece 25, which is lower than the part that is at approximately the same height as the lower end of the hanging piece 24a, is formed as an inclined surface that is inclined slightly forward as it goes downward. The middle front surface of the connecting piece 25 is arranged so as to be flush with the front surface of the connecting piece 15 of the storage handle 12 of the upper front panel 11A. With this configuration, the front surfaces 21a, 11a of the front panel main body 21 and the upper front panel 11A, as well as the front surfaces of the handgrip pieces 14, 24 and the connecting pieces 15, 25, are aligned in the front-rear direction, resulting in an appearance that is uniform, improving the appearance. The front surface (upper end front surface) of the upper end of the connecting piece portion 25 is formed to be located at a position set back from the intermediate front surface. Between the lower end of the upper end front surface of the connecting piece portion 25 and the upper end of the intermediate front surface, an inclined surface is provided that faces diagonally upward and slopes downward toward the front side.

[0031] The rear surface 25a of the connection piece 25 may have a width dimension of 45 mm or more along the vertical direction. With this configuration, the connection piece 25 that abuts against the equipment front panel 3 of the equipment 2 has a certain width. As a result, even when a front panel body 21A (see FIG. 6(a)) of a different height is attached to the equipment front panel 3 of the equipment 2, which is difficult to adjust in height, as will be described in detail later, a gap is unlikely to be formed between the handle 22 and the equipment front panel 3. In other words, a common handle 22 can be attached to the front panel bodies 21, 21A that have different height dimensions according to the height (counter height) of the top panel 10 of the kitchen device 1, and parts can be standardized. The width dimension of the rear surface 25a of the connection piece 25 may be an appropriate dimension from the viewpoint of weight reduction, for example, it may be 80 mm or less, or 60 mm or less. If the width dimension of the rear surface 25a of this connecting piece portion 25 is about 50 mm (for example, 48 mm to 52 mm), this is suitable for the front panel main body 21, 21A whose height corresponds to the counter height, which is generally 850 mm or 900 mm, with a difference of 50 mm. The example of Fig. 2(a) shows an example in which the front panel 20 is attached to the appliance front panel 3 of the equipment 2 incorporated in the kitchen device 1 whose counter height is lower than the example of Fig. 6(a) described later, and shows an example in which the upper end of the appliance front panel 3 is located near the upper end of the connecting piece portion 25. The rear surface 25a of the connection piece 25 is formed into a flat surface parallel to the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21 over substantially the entire surface, and is disposed so as to be located rearward of the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21.

[0032] The connecting piece 25 is provided with a hollow portion 26 that penetrates in the handle longitudinal direction (frontage direction). With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the weight while ensuring the thickness dimension of the connecting piece 25 along the thickness direction of the front plate. In the illustrated example, the thickness dimension of the middle part of the connecting piece 25, which is formed so that the front side is more forward than the upper end front side as described above, is made larger than the thickness dimension of the connecting piece 15 of the storage handle 12 of the upper front plate 11A described above, and the hollow portion 26 is provided in this middle part. In the illustrated example, the hollow portion 26 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape as viewed in the frontage direction, with the front-to-rear dimension gradually increasing toward the lower side in correspondence with the inclined middle front side as described above. The connecting piece 25 is provided with an engagement portion 27 that engages with the upper edge of the rear surface of the front panel main body 21. This engagement portion 27 is provided in the middle of the connecting piece 25 in the up-down direction, and is formed so as to be located at the lower end of the intermediate portion described above. A lower end portion is provided at the lower end of the connecting piece 25, which is stepped down so that its front surface is located rearward of the front surface of the intermediate portion, and the step surface between this lower end portion and the intermediate portion constitutes the lower end surface of the intermediate portion that becomes the engagement portion 27 that is placed on the upper end surface of the front panel main body 21. This engagement portion 27 is arranged so as to be located at the same height as the engagement portion 15b of the storage handle 12 of the upper front panel 11A described above.

[0033] The lower end portion of the connection piece portion 25 is provided with an engagement groove 28 into which a press-fit piece portion 35 of the end cap 30, which will be described later, is press-fitted. The engagement groove 28 is formed in a groove shape that opens at the front surface of the lower end portion of the connection piece portion 25 and extends over the entire length in the width direction. The engagement groove 28 is defined by a groove bottom parallel to the front surface of the lower end portion of the connection piece portion 25 and inner walls on both sides in the groove width direction. The inner walls on both sides in the groove width direction of the engagement groove 28 are formed in an inclined shape so as to approach each other toward the opening side. In other words, the engagement groove 28 is formed so that the groove width dimension gradually decreases from the groove bottom toward the opening side.

[0034] The mounting piece portion 29 is provided so as to be continuous with the lower side of the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25. The front surface of this mounting piece portion 29 is formed flush with the front surface of the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25. Like the handrail portion 24 and the connecting piece portion 25, this mounting piece portion 29 is provided over substantially the entire width direction of the front panel main body 21 (see FIGS. 3(b), 5(c) and (d)). The mounting piece portion 29 has an insertion hole 29c penetrating in the thickness direction of the front plate, through which the shaft portion 18b of the fastener 18 for fastening the handle body 23 to the front plate body 21 constituting one of the device front plate 3 and the front plate body 21 is inserted (see also FIG. 3(b)). With this configuration, the shaft portion 18b of the fastener 18, such as a screw, can be inserted into the insertion hole 29c to easily fasten the handle body 23 to the front plate body 21 constituting one of the device front plate 3 and the front plate body 21, improving the ease of assembly. The mounting piece portion 29 may have a plurality of insertion holes 29c spaced apart in the frontage direction.

[0035] The mounting piece portion 29 is formed in a stepped shape from the connecting piece portion 25 so that the rear surface 29a facing the second surface side (rear side) of the mounting piece portion 29 is located closer to the first surface side (front side) than the rear surface 25a facing the second surface side (rear side) of the connecting piece portion 25. The step between the rear surface 29a of the mounting piece portion 29 and the rear surface 25a of the connecting piece portion 25 is larger than the dimension along the front plate thickness direction of the head portion 18a of the fastener 18. With this configuration, the head portion 18a of the fastener 18 does not abut against the front surface 3a of the device front plate 3 constituting the second surface, and a gap between the handle body 23 and the front surface 3a of the device front plate 3 is less likely to be formed. In addition, there is no need to perform countersink processing in the mounting piece portion 29 to accommodate the head portion 18a, and the mounting piece portion 29 can be made thinner. The step between rear surface 29a of mounting piece portion 29 and rear surface 25a of connection piece portion 25 may be an appropriate dimension taking into consideration the dimensions of head portion 18a, the strength of mounting piece portion 29, and the thinning of the lower end portion of connection piece portion 25, and may be, for example, approximately 1.5 mm to 3 mm.

[0036] The width dimension of the mounting piece portion 29 in the vertical direction may be an appropriate dimension so that the insertion hole 29c can be formed and from the standpoint of strength and weight reduction, for example, about 10 mm to 20 mm. The handle body 23 constructed as described above may be an extrusion molded product made of a suitable metallic material such as aluminum or stainless steel so as to have a uniform cross-sectional shape over its entire length, or may be a resin molded product.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3(b), the front panel 20 is provided with end spacers 39, 39 which are attached to both ends of the frontage direction of the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21, abutting or adjacent to the lower side of the mounting piece portion 29 of the handle main body 23 described above. As shown in Fig. 2(a), these end spacers 39, 39 are provided below the handle body 23 so as to shield the gap between the rear surface 21b of the front panel body 21 and the front surface 3a of the appliance front panel 3. The dimension of these end spacers 39, 39 along the front panel thickness direction is the same as the thickness dimension of the lower end portion of the connection piece portion 25. These end spacers 39, 39 are elongated in the vertical direction. These end spacers 39, 39 may be provided over the entire front panel body 21 below the handle body 23 in the vertical direction, or over substantially the entire area (e.g., 80% or more).

[0038] The front panel body 21 may be attached to the equipment front panel 3 by suitable fasteners attached to both ends of the front panel body 21 in the front direction from the rear side of both ends of the front panel 3 in the front direction. In this case, the fasteners may be attached to the portions where the end spacers 39, 39 are provided. Also, a suitable temporary holding portion may be provided for temporarily holding the front panel body 21 to the equipment front panel 3 before the main fixing by the fasteners. For example, one of the front panel body 21 and the equipment front panel 3 may be provided with a hook recess for hooking and holding a hook protrusion provided on the other.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 3(b) and Fig. 5(a) to (d), the end cap 30 has a cap body part 31 that covers the end face 23b of the end in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23. The end cap 30 extends from the upper end and lower end of the cap body part 31 in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23 and has upper and lower engaging parts 32, 36 that respectively engage with the engaged parts 23c, 23d at the upper end and lower end of the handle body 23. One of the engaged parts 23c, 23d and the engaging parts 32, 36 is provided with a protrusion 33, 37 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23, and the other is provided with a recess 25b, 29b into which the protrusion 33, 37 is fitted. With this configuration, the end cap 30 can be attached to the handle body 23 before it is fixed to the front plate body 21, or to the handle body 23 fixed to the front plate body 21, improving the degree of freedom of assembly. In other words, there is no need to attach the end cap 30 using the fastener 18 that fixes the handle body 23 to the front plate body 21. Also, the end cap 30 can be attached to the handle body 23 by fitting the protrusions 33, 37 into the recesses 25b, 29b, making it easy to attach and detach without the need to remove the fastener 18. This allows the end cap 30 to be easily detached when it is damaged or when it is to be disposed of separately. Also, the upper and lower protrusions 33, 37 that protrude in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23 are fitted into the upper and lower recesses 25b, 29b, respectively, making it difficult for the end cap 30 to come off outward in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23.

[0040] The upper end protrusion (upper end protrusion) 33 and the lower end protrusion (lower end protrusion) 37 are provided to protrude in opposite directions. With this configuration, even when an external force acts in a direction that causes either the upper or lower protrusion 33 (37) to detach from the recess 25b (29b), the end cap 30 is less likely to come off longitudinally outward from the handle body 23 compared to a configuration in which the upper and lower protrusions protrude in the same direction. The protrusions 33, 37 are provided on the engaging portions 32, 36 of the end cap 30, and the recesses 25b, 29b are through holes provided on the engaged portions 23c, 23d of the handle body 23. With this configuration, even when the handle body 23 is a metal extrusion molding as described above, the recesses 25b, 29b can be easily formed in the handle body 23, and since the recesses 25b, 29b are through holes, when it is difficult to remove the protrusions 33, 37 from the recesses 25b, 29b, it is also possible to remove the protrusions 33, 37 by inserting an appropriate jig or the like. An upper end recess (upper end recess) 25b is provided at the upper end of the connection piece portion 25, the front side of which is covered by the engagement portion (upper end engagement portion) 32 at the upper end of the end cap 30, and a lower end recess (lower end recess) 29b is provided in the mounting piece portion 29. With this configuration, the upper end recess 25b and the lower end recess 29b are not exposed on the front side, and the upper end recess 25b and the lower end recess 29b as well as the upper end protrusion 33 and the lower end protrusion 37 can be made less noticeable.

[0041] In the following, the configurations of the pair of end caps 30, 30 and both longitudinal ends of the handle body 23 to which they are respectively attached will be described using one side as an example, as the two sides in the longitudinal direction have the same configuration. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 4(a) and (b), the cap body 31 of the end cap 30 has a shape that generally corresponds to the shape of the handle body 23 when viewed in the longitudinal direction. The cap body 31 is formed so as to cover the end faces of the handgrip 24, the connection piece 25, and the attachment piece 29 that constitute the end face 23b of the handle body 23. In the illustrated example, the portion of the cap body 31 that covers the end face of the upper end of the connection piece 25 is made wide so as to be larger than the thickness dimension of the upper end of the connection piece 25. In addition, the portion of the cap body 31 that covers the end face of the attachment piece 29 is made wide so as to be larger than the thickness dimension of the attachment piece 29, and has the same width as the portion that covers the end face of the lower end part of the connection piece 25 that is connected to the upper side of the portion.

[0042] The thickness dimension of the handle body 23 of the cap body 31 along the longitudinal direction is set to a relatively small dimension so that the handle body 23 is provided over substantially the entire width of the front plate body 21. The thickness dimension of the cap body 31 may be an appropriate dimension from the viewpoint of strength or making it less noticeable, and may be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 3 mm. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the length dimension of the handle body 23 may be substantially the same as the dimension obtained by subtracting the thickness dimensions of the cap body parts 31, 31 of the end caps 30, 30 on both sides from the width dimension of the front plate body 21.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 5(a)-(d), the upper end engaging portion 32 engages with the engaged portion (upper end engaged portion) 23c at the upper end of the handle body 23, which is constituted by the groove bottom side portion of the groove-shaped handhold space as described above. This upper end engaging portion 32 has a front end piece portion, an upper end piece portion, and a rear end piece portion that are respectively aligned with the hanging piece portion 24a that constitutes the groove inner wall on one side in the groove width direction of the upper end engaged portion 23c, the upper end piece portion 24b that constitutes the groove bottom, and the upper end of the connecting piece portion 25 that constitutes the groove inner wall on the other side in the groove width direction. This upper end engaging portion 32 is made approximately U-shaped by these front end piece portion, upper end piece portion, and rear end piece portion when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23. The dimension of the upper end piece in the front-to-rear direction corresponds to the groove width between the hanging piece 24a and the upper end of the connecting piece 25, and the dimension of the front and rear end pieces in the up-down direction is smaller than the dimension of the hanging piece 24a in the up-down direction so as to be not exposed downward from the hanging piece 24a.

[0044] These front end piece, upper end piece and rear end piece are provided so as to extend from the inner peripheral edge of the portion covering the end faces of the upper ends of the handgrip piece 24 and the connection piece 25 in the cap body 31 toward the longitudinal center of the handle body 23. The extension dimension of the upper end engaging portion 32 from the cap body 31 may be an appropriate dimension from the viewpoints of strength and engageability with the upper end engaged portion 23c, and may be, for example, about 5 mm to 20 mm. The upper end engaging portion 32 may have its front, upper and rear end pieces abutting or pressing against the inner groove surface of the upper end engaged portion 23c of the handle body 23, thereby engaging with the upper end engaged portion 23c.

[0045] The upper end projection 33 of the upper end engagement part 32 is provided so as to project rearward from the rear surface of the rear end piece. In the illustrated example, the upper end projection 33 is substantially circular when viewed in the protruding direction of the upper end projection 33. The protruding tip surface of the upper end projection 33 may be a flat surface substantially parallel to the rear surface, or the insertion direction tip portion, which is the longitudinal center side of the handle body 23, may be an inclined surface so as to facilitate insertion of the upper end engagement part 32 into the groove-shaped upper end engaged part 23c. The upper end projection 33 may also be substantially flat and conical so as to facilitate removal of the upper end engagement part 32 from the upper end engaged part 23c. The protruding dimension of this upper end protrusion 33 (the protruding dimension of the maximum protruding part if it is inclined surface shape) may be an appropriate dimension from the viewpoint of preventing the upper end engaging portion 32 from coming off the upper end engaged portion 23c and from the viewpoint of attachment / detachment, and may be, for example, approximately 0.2 mm to 1 mm.

[0046] The upper end recess 25b into which the upper end protrusion 33 is fitted is provided at the end in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23. As shown in Figs. 5(c) and (d), the upper end recess 25b is provided at the upper end of the connection piece portion 25 that is shielded by the hanging piece portion 24a of the handgrip piece portion 24 when viewed in the front-rear direction. The upper end recess 25b is provided so as to penetrate the upper end of the connection piece portion 25 in the thickness direction so as to open at the front and rear surfaces 25a of the connection piece portion 25. In the illustrated example, the upper end recess 25b is in the shape of a round hole. The upper end recess 25b is provided so as to be in a position where the upper end protrusion 33 is fitted when the upper end engaging portion 32 is inserted into the groove-shaped upper end engaged portion 23c and the cap body portion 31 is in contact with the end surface 23b of the handle body 23. The diameter of the upper end recess 25 b may be a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the upper end projection 33 , and may be slightly smaller than the diameter of the upper end projection 33 .

[0047] As shown in Figs. 2(a) and 4(b), the engaging portion (lower end engaging portion) 36 at the lower end of the end cap 30 is overlapped with the mounting piece portion 29 so that the surface (rear surface) 36a facing the rear side is flush with the rear surface 25a of the connection piece portion 25. That is, the engaged portion (lower end engaged portion) 23d at the lower end of the handle body 23 is formed by the mounting piece portion 29 that is stepped down from the lower end side part of the connection piece portion 25 and forms the step bottom surface of the recessed step portion as described above. With this configuration, the rear surface 29a side of the mounting piece portion 29 that is stepped down from the connection piece portion 25 can be covered by the lower end engaging portion 36, and the appearance when viewed from the outside in the frontage direction can be improved. In addition, when the rear surface 25a of the connection piece portion 25 is arranged to abut against the device front panel 3 as described above, a gap is unlikely to be formed between the lower end engaging portion 36 and the device front panel 3. When the front panel 20 is attached to the equipment front panel 3, the lower end engaged portion 23d, together with the front surface 3a of the equipment front panel 3 and the upper end of the end spacer 39, forms an insertion hole that opens outward in the frontage direction.

[0048] The lower end engaging portion 36 is generally plate-shaped and arranged so that its thickness direction is the front-rear direction, and is aligned with the rear surface 29a of the mounting piece portion 29. The lower end engaging portion 36 is provided so as to extend from the rear end edge of the portion of the cap main body portion 31 that covers the end surface of the mounting piece portion 29 toward the longitudinal center of the handle body 23. The extension dimension of the lower end engaging portion 36 from the cap main body portion 31 may be approximately the same as the extension dimension of the upper end engaging portion 32, and the illustrated example shows an example in which they are approximately the same dimension. The thickness dimension of this lower end engaging portion 36 in the front-rear direction is approximately the same as the difference in level between the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25 and the mounting piece portion 29. Instead of this embodiment, the thickness dimension of the lower end engaging portion 36 in the front-rear direction may be smaller than the difference in level between the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25 and the mounting piece portion 29 so that the rear surface 36a does not protrude rearward beyond the rear surface 25a of the connecting piece portion 25.

[0049] The vertical dimension of this lower end engaging portion 36 corresponds to the vertical dimension of the mounting piece portion 29. In the illustrated example, the vertical dimension of the lower end engaging portion 36 is approximately the same as the vertical dimension of the mounting piece portion 29, but it may be smaller than the vertical dimension of the mounting piece portion 29. When the upper end engaging portion 32 is engaged with the upper end engaged portion 23c as described above, the upper end of this lower end engaging portion 36 abuts or is pressed against the stepped wall surface between the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25 and the mounting piece portion 29, and the front surface abuts against the rear surface 29a of the mounting piece portion 29, and may engage with the lower end engaged portion 23d. The lower end projection 37 of the lower end engagement portion 36 is provided to project forward from the front surface of the lower end engagement portion 36 so as to project in the opposite direction to the upper end projection 33. The lower end projection 37 is substantially circular when viewed in the projection direction of the lower end projection 37, similar to the upper end projection 33. The lower end projection 37 may have a flat surface shape substantially parallel to the front surface at the tip end surface in the projection direction, similar to the upper end projection 33, or the insertion direction tip side portion may be inclined, or may be in a flat, substantially conical shape. The projection dimension of the lower end projection 37 (the projection dimension of the maximum projection when inclined) may be approximately the same as the projection dimension of the upper end projection 33.

[0050] The lower end recess 29b into which the lower end protrusion 37 is fitted is provided at the end of the handle body 23 in the longitudinal direction. The lower end recess 29b is provided to penetrate the mounting piece 29 in the thickness direction so as to open on the front and rear faces 29a of the mounting piece 29. In the illustrated example, the lower end recess 29b is a round hole. The lower end recess 29b is provided so as to be in a position where the lower end protrusion 37 is fitted when the lower end engaging part 36 is engaged with the lower end engaged part 23d so as to be inserted along the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23 and the cap body part 31 is in contact with the end face 23b of the handle body 23. The diameter of the lower end recess 29b may be a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the lower end protrusion 37, and may be slightly smaller than the diameter of the lower end protrusion 37. In the illustrated example, the lower end recess 29b and the upper end recess 25b have the same diameter, and the lower end protrusion 37 and the upper end protrusion 33 have the same diameter, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0051] 2(a) and 5(a)-(d), the end cap 30 is provided with an insertion piece 34 that extends from the cap body 31 in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23 and is inserted into the hollow portion 26 of the handle body 23. With this configuration, the portion of the connection piece 25 that is the middle portion of the end cap 30 in the vertical direction and corresponds to the hollow portion 26 is less likely to be displaced in the thickness direction of the front plate. This is suitable for the end cap 30 being vertically elongated, as in this embodiment.

[0052] The insertion piece 34 is generally plate-shaped and disposed so that its thickness direction is the front-rear direction. The insertion piece 34 is provided so as to extend from a front-rear intermediate portion of a portion covering an end face of the intermediate portion of the connection piece 25 in the cap body 31 toward the longitudinal center of the handle body 23. The insertion piece 34 is formed so that one or both sides in the thickness direction come into contact with or are close to the inner surface of the hollow portion 26 when inserted into the hollow portion 26. The dimension of this insertion piece 34 in the vertical direction may be any appropriate dimension so that the upper and lower ends abut or are close to the top and bottom faces of the hollow portion 26 . The extension dimension of this insertion piece portion 34 may be any appropriate dimension from the standpoint of strength, ease of insertion, etc., and the example shown in the figure shows an example in which the extension dimension is smaller than the extension dimensions of the upper end engagement portion 32 and the lower end engagement portion 36 described above, but is not limited to such an example.

[0053] The end cap 30 is provided with a press-in piece 35 that extends from the cap body 31 in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23 and is press-fitted into the engagement groove 28 of the handle body 23. The press-in piece 35 is generally plate-shaped and arranged so that its thickness direction is the front-rear direction. The press-in piece 35 is provided so as to extend from the front edge of the portion of the cap body 31 that covers the end face of the lower end portion of the connection piece 25 toward the longitudinal center of the handle body 23. The upper and lower edge portions of the press-fit piece portion 35 are provided with inclined surfaces that are inclined toward the rear side so as to engage with the inner walls on both sides in the groove width direction of the engagement groove 28. When the press-fit piece portion 35 is press-fitted into the engagement groove 28, the upper and lower edge portions are engaged so as to be in pressure contact with the inner walls on both sides in the groove width direction of the engagement groove 28, and the front surface of the press-fit piece portion 35 is exposed at the opening side of the engagement groove 28 (see FIG. 4(a)). When the press-fit piece portion 35 is press-fitted into the engagement groove 28, the front surface of the press-fit piece portion 35 is provided so as to be flush with the front surface of the lower end side portion of the connection piece portion 25.

[0054] In the illustrated example, the tip end portion of the extension direction of the press-fit piece portion 35 is tapered toward the tip end when viewed in the thickness direction. The vertical dimensions and thickness of this press-fit piece portion 35 need only be dimensions that allow it to be press-fitted into the engagement groove 28, and may be the same as the groove width and depth dimensions of the engagement groove 28, or may be slightly smaller or larger. The extension dimension of this press-in piece portion 35 may be any appropriate dimension from the standpoint of strength, insertability, etc., and the example shown in the figure is larger than the extension dimension of the above-mentioned insertion piece portion 34 and smaller than the extension dimensions of the upper end engagement portion 32 and the lower end engagement portion 36, but is not limited to such an example. The end cap 30 may be a resin molded product made from an appropriate synthetic resin material such as polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS, or the like.

[0055] The end cap 30 configured as above may be attached to the handle body 23 when the front panel 20, in which the handle body 23 is attached to the upper end of the front panel body 21, is fixed to the device front panel 3 or before it is fixed. When attaching the end cap 30 to the handle body 23, the upper end engaging portion 32 and the lower end engaging portion 36 are inserted toward the center of the handle body 23 in the longitudinal direction to engage with the upper end engaged portion 23c and the lower end engaged portion 23d. At this time, the press-in piece portion 35 is press-fitted into the engagement groove 28, the insertion piece portion 34 is inserted into the hollow portion 26, and the cap body portion 31 is abutted against the end surface 23b of the handle body 23. As a result, the upper end protrusion 33 and the lower end protrusion 37 are fitted into the upper end recess 25b and the lower end recess 29b, and the end cap 30 is attached to the handle body 23. On the other hand, when removing the end cap 30 from the handle body 23, the lower end engaging portion 36 is detached from the lower end engaged portion 23d so that the lower end projection 37 is outside the lower end recess 29b, and the upper end engaging portion 32 is detached from the upper end engaged portion 23c so that the upper end projection 33 is outside the upper end recess 25b. At this time, the cap body portion 31, the upper end engaging portion 32, and the lower end engaging portion 36 may be detached while being elastically deformed, or an appropriate tool or the like may be inserted into the upper end recess 25b to detach the upper end projection 33 from the upper end recess 25b. Then, the end cap 30 is removed from the handle body 23 by moving it toward the outside in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23.

[0056] Next, a modified example of the front panel will be described with reference to FIG. In each of the following modified examples, differences from the previously described example will be mainly described, and explanations of similar configurations will be omitted or briefly described. In each modified example, explanations of the same effects as those of the previously described example will be omitted or briefly described.

[0057] FIG. 6(a) shows a schematic diagram of an example of a kitchen appliance equipped with an example of a front panel according to a first modified example. The front panel 20A of this modified example is attached to an equipment front panel 3 of an equipment 2 incorporated in a kitchen apparatus 1 (see Figure 1) in which the height of the top plate 10 (counter height) is greater than that of the above-mentioned example. In this modification, the height of the top plate 10 is greater than the equipment front plate 3 of the facility equipment 2, and the space between the equipment front plate 3 and the top plate 10 is greater than in the above-mentioned example. Therefore, the dimension along the up-down direction of the front plate main body 21A of the front plate 20A is greater than that of the above-mentioned front plate main body 21. Also, in this modification, an example is shown in which the upper end of the equipment front plate 3 is located near the lower end of the connection piece portion 25 of the handle 22 (handle main body 23) attached to the upper end of the front plate main body 21A.

[0058] In this modification, the rear surface 25a of the connection piece 25 is also disposed so as to abut against the front surface 3a of the device front panel 3, making it difficult for a gap to be formed between the handle body 23 and the device front panel 3. Furthermore, in this modification, the rear surface 25a of the connection piece 25 is exposed more on the upper side of the device front panel 3 than in the above example, but the rear surface 25a of the connection piece 25 is flat except for the above-mentioned upper end recess 25b, making it difficult for the appearance and cleanability to be impaired. The dimensions along the up-down direction of the front panels 20, 20A attached to the equipment front panel 3 of the facility equipment 2 are not limited to the examples described above, and may be any appropriate dimension depending on the counter height of the kitchen apparatus 1.

[0059] FIG. 6(b) shows a schematic diagram of an example of a kitchen appliance equipped with an example of a front panel according to the second modified example. The front panel 20B of this modified example is shown as being attached to an equipment front panel 3 of an equipment 2 incorporated in a kitchen apparatus 1 (see Figure 1) having a top plate 10 at the same height (counter height) as the example of Figure 2(a). In this modification, the main difference between the above-described examples is that the first surface, which is one of the opposing surfaces of the device front panel 3 and the front panel main body 21, is the front surface 3a of the device front panel 3, and the other second surface, which is the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21, and the configuration of the handle 22A. That is, the mounting piece portion 29A of the handle main body 23A of the handle 22A is attached so as to be aligned with the front surface 3a of the device front panel 3. The connection piece portion 25A is located forward of the front surface 29Aa of the mounting piece portion 29A so that the front surface 25Aa, which is the surface facing the second surface side, abuts against the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21. In this modification, the front surface 25Aa of the lower end portion below the engagement portion 27 of the connection piece portion 25A is arranged to abut against the rear surface 21b of the front panel main body 21.

[0060] In other words, in this modification, the mounting piece portion 29A is formed in a stepped shape from the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25A so that the front surface 29Aa of the mounting piece portion 29A is located rearward of the front surface 25Aa of the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25A which is continuous with the upper side of the mounting piece portion 29A. The step between the front surface 29Aa of the mounting piece portion 29A and the front surface 25Aa of the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25A is larger than the dimension along the front plate thickness direction of the head portion 18a of the fastener 18, as described above. The lower end engaging portion 36A of the end cap 30A is provided so as to be able to engage with the lower end engaged portion 23Ad constituted by the above-mentioned mounting piece portion 29A. In this modification, the lower end engaging portion 36A is provided so as to extend from the front end edge of the portion covering the end face of the mounting piece portion 29A in the cap body portion 31 toward the center in the longitudinal direction of the handle body 23. The lower end engaging portion 36A is overlapped with the mounting piece portion 29A so that its front surface 36Aa is flush with the front surface 25Aa of the lower end portion of the connecting piece portion 25A. The lower end engaged portion 23Ad forms an insertion hole that opens outward in the width direction by the rear surface 21b of the front plate body 21 and the upper end of the end spacer 39.

[0061] In this modified example, the handle body 23A may be attached to the upper end of the device front panel 3, and then the front panel body 21 may be attached to the front surface 3a of the device front panel 3. The different configurations described in the above examples may be appropriately modified, rearranged, or combined as necessary. The specific configurations of the end caps 30, 30A and the handle body 23, 23A described above are merely examples, and various other modifications are possible. For example, the end caps 30, 30A may not be provided with the insertion piece 34 that is inserted into the hollow portion 26 of the handle body 23, 23A. The end caps 30, 30A may not be provided with the press-in piece 35 that is press-fitted into the engagement groove 28 of the handle body 23, 23A. In the above examples, the upper and lower protrusions 33, 37 are provided on the end caps 30, 30A, and the upper and lower recesses 25b, 29b are provided on the handle main body 23, 23A, but these may be provided on the opposite sides.

[0062] In addition, in each of the above examples, the upper end protrusion 33 and the lower end protrusion 37 are shown to protrude in opposite directions, but they may also be configured to protrude in the same direction, or further, the protruding directions may be perpendicular to each other or intersect with each other. In addition, in each of the above-mentioned examples, the dimensions of the front panels 20, 20A, and 20B in the vertical direction correspond to the height of the top panel 10 of the kitchen device 1, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. For example, the front surface 3a of the equipment front panel 3 of the equipment device 2 may be configured to have a front panel divided into upper and lower parts in a manner similar to those of the other storage sections 4 and 9, in order to provide a more unified design with the other storage sections 4 and 9. In other words, the front surface 3a of the equipment front panel 3 of the equipment device 2 may be configured to have an upper front panel, a middle front panel, and a lower front panel. In this case, the upper front panel and the middle front panel may be configured to have smaller dimensions in the vertical direction than the above-mentioned front panels 20, 20A, and 20B.

[0063] In addition, in each of the above examples, the front surface 21a of the front panel main body 21, 21A and the front surface 11a of the storage front panel main body 11 are arranged to be on the same plane, and the front surface 23a of the handle 22, 22A and the front surface 13a of the storage handle 12 are arranged to be on the same plane, but this is not limited to such examples. In addition, in each of the above-mentioned examples, the handle 22 is attached to the upper end of the front panel main body 21, 21A that is attached so as to cover the front surface 3a side of the device front panel 3, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the handle 22 may be attached to the upper end of a front panel provided on the front side of various storage sections. In this case, the rear surface 25a of the connection piece portion 25 and the rear surface 29a of the attachment piece portion 29 may be formed in the same plane, or the rear surface 29a of the attachment piece portion 29 may be formed to be located rearward of the rear surface 25a of the connection piece portion 25, and various other modifications are possible. The configurations of each component and part of the handles 22, 22A in the above examples, the configurations of each component and part of the front panels 20, 20A, 20B equipped with these, and the configurations of each component and part of the kitchen apparatus 1 are merely examples, and various other modifications are possible.

[0064] <Additional Notes> The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques. <Technology 1> A handle comprising a handle body elongated in the frontage direction of a front plate and attached to the upper end of the front plate, and a pair of end caps attached to both longitudinal ends of the handle body. The end caps comprise a cap body portion covering the end faces of the longitudinal ends of the handle body, and upper and lower engaging portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle body from the upper and lower ends of the cap body portion and engaging with the engaged portions at the upper and lower ends of the handle body, respectively. One of the engaged portion and the engaging portion is provided with a protrusion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle body, and the other is provided with a recess into which the protrusion is fitted. <Technology 2> The handle according to Art 1, wherein the protrusion on the upper end side and the protrusion on the lower end side are provided so as to protrude in opposite directions. <Technology 3> The handle according to Technology 1 or Technology 2, wherein the protrusion is provided on an engaging portion of the end cap, and the recess is a through hole provided on an engaged portion of the handle body. <Technology 4> The handle body comprises a handgrip portion, an attachment piece portion that is attached along the rear surface of the front plate, and a connection piece portion that is provided to connect the attachment piece portion and the handgrip portion, and the upper end of the connection piece portion, the front side of which is covered by the engagement portion at the upper end of the end cap, is provided with the recess on the upper end side, and the attachment piece portion is provided with the recess on the lower end side.A handle as described in any one of Techniques 1 to 3. <Technology 5> The handle described in Technology 4, in which the mounting piece portion is formed in a stepped shape from the connecting piece portion so that its surface facing its rear side is located forward of the surface facing the rear side of the connecting piece portion, and the engaging portion at the lower end of the end cap is superimposed on the mounting piece portion so that its surface facing its rear side is flush with the surface facing the rear side of the connecting piece portion. <Technology 6> The handle body comprises a handgrip portion, an attachment piece portion attached along the rear surface of the front plate, and a connection piece portion provided to connect the attachment piece portion and the handgrip portion, the connection piece portion having a hollow portion passing through in the longitudinal direction, and the end cap having an insertion piece portion extending from the cap body portion in the longitudinal direction of the handle body and inserted into the hollow portion.A handle as described in any one of Techniques 1 to 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 22,22A Handle 23,23A Handle body 23b End face 23c Upper end engaged part (engaged part) 23d,23Ad Lower end engaged part (engaged part) 24 Handle part 25,25A Connection piece 25a Rear surface (surface facing rearward) 25b Upper end recess (recess) 26 Hollow part 29, 29A Mounting piece 29a Rear surface (surface facing backwards) 29b Lower end recess (recess) 30,30A End Cap 31 Cap body 32 Upper end engaging part (engaging part) 33 Upper end protrusion (protrusion) 34 Insertion piece 36,36A Lower end engaging part (engaging part) 36a Rear surface (surface facing backward) 37 Lower end protrusion (protrusion) 21, 21A Front panel body (front panel) 21b Rear

Claims

1. The front panel has a handle body that is elongated in the front direction and is attached to an upper end of the front panel, and a pair of end caps that are attached to both ends of the handle body in the longitudinal direction, The end cap comprises a cap main body portion which covers the end faces of the longitudinal ends of the handle main body, and upper and lower engaging portions which extend from the upper and lower ends of the cap main body portion in the longitudinal direction of the handle main body and engage with the engaged portions at the upper and lower ends of the handle main body, respectively, and one of the engaged portion and the engaging portion is provided with a protrusion which protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle body, and the other is provided with a recess into which the protrusion is fitted.

2. In claim 1, A handle, characterized in that the protrusion on the upper end side and the protrusion on the lower end side are provided so as to protrude in opposite directions.

3. In claim 1, A handle characterized in that the protrusion is provided on an engaging portion of the end cap, and the recess is a through hole provided in the engaged portion of the handle body.

4. In claim 1, The handle body comprises a handgrip portion, an attachment piece portion that is attached along the rear surface of the front plate, and a connection piece portion that is arranged to connect the attachment piece portion and the handgrip portion, and the upper end of the connection piece portion, whose front side is covered by the engaging portion at the upper end of the end cap, has the recess on the upper end side provided at its upper end, and the attachment piece portion has the recess on its lower end side provided.

5. In claim 4, A handle characterized in that the mounting piece portion is formed in a stepped shape from the connecting piece portion so that its surface facing its rear side is located forward of the surface facing the rear side of the connecting piece portion, and the engaging portion of the lower end of the end cap is superimposed on the mounting piece portion so that its surface facing its rear side is flush with the surface facing the rear side of the connecting piece portion.

6. In any one of claims 1 to 5, The handle body comprises a handgrip portion, an attachment piece portion that is attached along the rear surface of the front plate, and a connection piece portion that is arranged to connect the attachment piece portion and the handgrip portion, and the connection piece portion has a hollow portion that penetrates in the longitudinal direction, and the end cap is provided with an insertion piece portion that extends from the cap body portion in the longitudinal direction of the handle body and is inserted into the hollow portion.

Images