Patent ID: 8235475
Filing Date: 2012-08-07
Classification: E05B

Abstract:
1. A mechanism for interlocking at least two vertically adjacent slide mounted items in a cabinet between the side walls of said cabinet, said items selected from the group consisting of drawers, panels, pivotally mounted panels and fixtures, said mechanism comprising, in combination: at least a pair of telescoping slides for attachment to one of said slide mounted items for slidable movement between a retracted position and an extended position, at least one of each pair of slides including a guide housing mounted on the inner end of the outside channel in opposed relation to the inside channel, said guide housing including a vertical guideway, and said vertical guideway including a pivot axis also located in the slidable pathway; a rotatable cam member pivotally mounted in the guide housing for rotational movement about the pivot axis of said vertical guideway, said cam member including at least one first peripheral lobe for engagement by the slot upon movement of the inside channel to the inside channel retracted position or the inside channel extended position; a further peripheral lobe which projects generally across the diameter of the rotatable cam generally transverse in direction to the movement of the inside channel when the inside channel is in the inside channel extended position; at least one cam follower slidably mounted in the guide housing guideway for cooperative engagement by the further peripheral lobe upon rotation of the cam member by movement of the inside channel toward the inside channel extended position, said cam follower including a coupling element, said coupling element extending generally transverse to inside channel movement; a connecting rod having a shape generally corresponding with the shape of the coupling element and connectable between the coupling element and a next vertically adjacent slide; respective first and second of said cam followers being substantially identical and each including at least one leg so that when the two cam followers are mounted in the guide housing the at least one leg of the first cam follower extends toward the at least one leg of the second cam follower to limit transverse movement toward each other upon movement of the inside channel to the inside channel retracted position; and a tab and groove coupling system interconnecting at least one of said cam followers and said guide housing.