Abstract:
A securing device for a drawer slide includes a base, a pressing element and a first elastic element. The pressing element is slidably connected to the base. The pressing member has a releasing block. The first elastic element is disposed in the pressing element. When the pressing element is pressed, the releasing block is partially inserted into the base. When the pressing force against the releasing block is released, the pressing element restores its original state. The base is provided with a fixing plate for mounting the base to a drawer. A holding element is provided in a drawer slide to facilitate engagement of the base. By pressing the pressing element, the engagement of the holding element is released.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a securing device for a drawer slide, and more particularly to a securing device to quick assemble and disassemble a slide and a drawer. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   A conventional installation of an undermount drawer slide uses screws as fasteners for securing purpose. A quick assembly and disassembly device was derived later on. 
   These designs have been disclosed by many patent publications, such as, Taiwanese Patent Publication No. I249389 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,261,737; 5,439,283; 5,580,139; 5,632,541; 6,454,371; 6,913,334; 6,945,618; 2004/0095047; 2004/0227440 and 2005/0231083, etc., with regards to the quick assembly and disassembly devices, some of which have further disclosed a micro adjustment of moving up and down position of the slide. 
   Most of them are formed integrally in plastic material, and comprise handles and tenons. The resilient character of the material facilitates the tenon to be held in the slide, while the handle is adapted to release the locking status. 
   Such designs have a larger size, and the material will loose its resilient character after a period of time and loose its holding capability. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the above shortcomings, this invention provides a securing device for a drawer slide which comprises a base, a pressing element and a first elastic element, said base comprising a fixing plate connected with a connecting element, said connecting element having a through hole; the pressing element slidably connected to said connecting element of said base, said pressing element comprising a releasing block corresponding in position to said through hole of said connecting element; and the first elastic element accommodated between said connecting element and said pressing element. 
   Preferably, the securing device further comprises a slide having a horizontal through hole and a holding element at one end thereof, said holding element having an engaging end and a connecting end, said engaging end being inserted through said horizontal through hole and extending outwardly from said slide, said connecting end being disposed in said slide and connected with a second elastic element. 
   Preferably, said second elastic element is a spring. 
   Preferably, said second elastic element is a leaf spring. 
   Preferably, said slide comprises a sleeve at the end of said slide, said sleeve being connected with a knob and a protruding sleeve, said slide having a vertical through hole, said protruding sleeve being inserted through said vertical through hole and controlled by sad knob. 
   Preferably, said sleeve comprises a first case and a second case, said protruding sleeve has inner threads, and said knob comprises a threaded rod and a circular groove, said first case comprising a first recess and a first neck section, said second case comprising a second recess and a second neck section, said first recess and said second recess accommodating said protruding sleeve, said threaded rod of said knob being connected to said inner threads of sad protruding sleeve, notches being provided on said protruding sleeve, protruding ribs being provided in said first and second recesses in relation to said notches of said protruding sleeve, said circular groove of said knob engaging with said first neck section and said second neck section. 
   Preferably, said first case and said second case have a first hole and a second hole in relation to said horizontal through hole of said slide for accommodation of said holding element, said engaging end of said holding element being inserted through said horizontal through hole of said slide and extending outwardly from said slide. 
   Preferably, said slide comprises a sleeve and a knob at the end of said slide, said sleeve having a threaded hole, and said knob comprising a threaded rod, said slide having a vertical through hole, said sleeve being disposed in said slide, said threaded rod of said knob being connected to said threaded hole of said sleeve and extending through said vertical through hole of said slide. 
   It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a securing device for a drawer slide, which has a compact size. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a securing device for a drawer slide, which is easy to operate and has a longer lifespan. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing a base, a pressing element, and a first elastic element of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing a slide, a holding element, and a second elastic element of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view showing a leaf spring of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention incorporated with a drawer; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention showing a pre-connection between a connecting element of the base and the holding element; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention showing a connection between the connecting element of the base and the holding element; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention showing a releasing block of the pressing element pushing an engaging end of the holding element; 
       FIG. 8  is perspective view of a micro adjustment device of a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the micro adjustment device and the slide of the second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the micro adjustment device of the second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 11  is a side cross-sectional view of the micro adjustment device of the second embodiment of the present invention applied to a drawer (in an original position); 
       FIG. 12  is a side cross-sectional view of the micro adjustment device of the second embodiment of the present invention applied to a drawer (in a higher position than the original position); 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the micro adjustment device of a third embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 14  is an exploded view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention showing the micro adjustment device incorporated with the holding element and the second elastic element; and 
       FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention showing that the micro adjustment device is connected with the holding element and mounted to the slide. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a base  1 , a pressing element  2 , a first elastic element  3 , a slide  4 , a holding element  5 , and a second elastic element  6 . 
   The base  1  comprises a fixing plate  11  and a connecting element  12  vertically extending from the fixing plate  11 . The fixing plate  11  has apertures  111 . The connecting element  12  comprises a through hole  13 , a first fixing piece  14 , a second fixing piece  15  and a fixing post  16 . The first fixing piece  14  has a protrusion  141 . The connecting element  12  has a slanting surface  121  next to the first fixing piece  14 . 
   The pressing element  2  is slidably connected to the connecting element  12  of the base  1 , and comprises a releasing block  21  corresponding in position to the through hole  13  of the connecting element  12 . A protruding buckle  22  is provided on an inner closed side of the pressing element  2 , and a pair of insertion plates  23  is provided on the opposite side which is an open side. The protruding buckle  22  of the pressing element  2  is engaged with the protrusion  141  of the first fixing piece  14  of the base  1  with the insertion plates  23  engaging with the second fixing piece  15 . 
   The first elastic element  3  is located between the connecting element  12  of the base  1  and the pressing element  2 . One end of the first elastic element  3  is inserted onto the fixing post  16  of the connecting element  12 . 
   The slide  4  has a horizontal through hole  41  and a vertical through hole  42  at one end thereof. 
   The holding element  5  has an engaging end  51  and a connecting end  52 . The holding element  5  is secured to the through hole  41  of the slide  4 . The engaging end  51  of the holding element  5  is inserted through the through hole  41  and extends outwardly from the slide  4 . The connecting end  52  of the holding element  5  is connected with the second elastic element  6  and disposed in the slide  4 . The second elastic element  6  can be a spring, as shown in  FIG. 2 , or a leaf spring  6 ′, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   To operate the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the base  1  is secured to the inner side of a panel A 1  of a drawer A by means of fasteners A 11  inserting through the fixing plate  11 . The pressing element  2  and the first elastic element  3  are connected to the base  1 . The holding element  5  is disposed in one end of the slide  4  and urged by the second elastic element  6 . 
   To assemble the drawer A and the slide  4  of the present invention, as sown in  FIG. 5 , the drawer A is sliding along the slide  4 . The slanting surface  121  of the connecting element  12  will push the engaging end  51  of the holding element  5  to move inwardly, and the holding element  5  compresses the second elastic element  6 . 
   When the through hole  13  of the connecting element  12  reaches to the engaging end  51 , the second elastic element  6  will push the engaging end  51  of the holding element  5  into the through hoe  13 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The front end of the drawer A is secured to the slide  4 . The connecting means of the rear end of the drawer A and the slide  4  is not the field of the present invention and will not be described hereinafter. 
   To release the securing status of the drawer A, as shown in  FIG. 7 , press the pressing element  2 , the releasing block  21  will urge the engaging end  51  of the holding element  5  to retreat from the through hole  13  of the connecting element  12 , thus the drawer A is released from the slide  4 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a second embodiment of the present invention relates to a micro adjustment device, so that the drawer A may be adjusted its height. The vertical through hole  42  of the slide  4  is provided with a sleeve  7 . The sleeve  7  is connected with a knob  8  which then links a protruding sleeve  9  to move in relation to the vertical through hole  42  of the slide  4 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 10 , a sleeve  7 A is composed of a first case  71 A and a second case  72 A. The first case  71 A has a first recess  711 A and a first neck section  712 A. The second case  72 A has a second recess  721 A and a second neck section  722 A. The first recess  711 A and the second recess  721 A are to accommodate a protruding sleeve  9 A which has inner threads  91 A. A knob  8 A comprises a threaded rod  81 A which is connected with the inner threads  91 A of the protruding sleeve  9 A. Notches  92 A are disposed on the protruding sleeve  9 A. A protruding rib  713 A is provided in the first recess  711 A, and another protruding rib  723 A is provided in the second recess  721 A. The knob  8 A has a circular groove  82 A for engagement of the first neck section  712 A and the second neck section  722 A. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , when the protruding sleeve  9 A is in a retreated position from the vertical through hole  42  of the slide  4 , the bottom of the drawer A engages with the slide  4 . By rotating the knob  8 A, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the threaded rod  81 A raises the protruding sleeve  9 A upwardly and pushes the drawer A upwardly to adjust the height to an appropriate position. 
   As shown in  FIG. 13 , a third embodiment of the present invention comprises a sleeve  7 B and a knob  8 B. The sleeve  7 B is formed in an integral one, without the protruding sleeve  9 / 9 A. The sleeve  7 B has a threaded hole  71 B. The knob  8 B has a threaded rod  81 B which is inserted into the threaded hole  71 B of the sleeve  7 B. 
   As shown in  FIG. 14 , a fourth embodiment of the present invention combines a fixing device and a micro adjustment device together. The fixing device comprises a holding element  5 C and a second elastic element  6 C. The holding element  5 C is connected to the second elastic element  6 C. The holding element  5 C has an engaging end  51 C. 
   The micro adjustment device comprises a sleeve  7 C, a knob  8 C and a protruding sleeve  9 C. The sleeve  7 C is composed of a first case  71 C and a second case  72 C. The first case  71 C has a first recess  711 C and a first neck section  712 C. The second case  72 C has a second recess  721 C and a second neck section  722 C. The first recess  711 C and the second recess  721 C are to accommodate the protruding sleeve  9 C which has inner threads  91 C. The knob  8 C comprises a threaded rod  81 C which is connected with the inner threads  91 C of the protruding sleeve  9 C. Notches  92 C are disposed on the protruding sleeve  9 C. A protruding rib  713 C is provided in the first recess  711 C, and another protruding rib  723 C is provided in the second recess  721 C. The knob  8 C has a circular groove  82 C for engagement of the first neck section  712 C and the second neck section  722 C. The first case  71 C has a hole  714 C. The second case  72 C has a second hole  724 C and a through hole  725 C. The second elastic element  6 C and the holding element  5 C are accommodated in the holes  714 C and  724 C, and the engaging end  51 C of the holding element  5 C extends outwardly from the through hole  725 C. 
   To install the fixing device and the micro adjustment device to the slide  4 , as shown in  FIG. 15 , the sleeve  7 C is disposed in one end of the slide  4 . The knob  8 C is connected to the sleeve  7 C. The protruding sleeve  9 C is disposed in the sleeve  7 C and controlled by the knob  8  to move in relation to the vertical through hole  42  of the slide  4 . The holding element  5 A is disposed in the sleeve  7 C. The engaging end  51 A of the holding element  5 A extends from the horizontal through hole  41  of the slide  4 .