Stackable divided drawer partition

A drawer partition includes a molded, one-piece, plastic tray with a base wall and upstanding side walls. The side walls have laterally aligned and longitudinally spaced-apart dovetail-shaped grooves in the inner surfaces thereof slidably mateable with dovetail-shaped tongues at the ends of divider panels for dividing the tray into compartments. Pairs of ribs define slots on the side walls to receive end edges of the divider panels. Pairs of flexible legs on the bottom edge of the divider panel are snap-fitted into apertures in the base wall to lock the divider panels in place. The bottom outside edges of the side walls have longitudinal grooves mateable respectively with the upper edges of the side walls of another partition to facilitate guided longitudinal relative sliding movement of stacked partitions. Each tray has front and rear end portions which respectively have recessed outer and inner surfaces to permit overlapping nesting of the ends of longitudinally aligned partitions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to devices for organizing the contents of 
drawers. The invention particularly relates to a drawer partition system 
including insertable, integrally formed drawer partitions for dividing a 
drawer into a plurality of compartments. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
It is often desirable that drawers in storage chests, such as tool chests, 
be capable of subdivision into a plurality of compartments for segregating 
various articles stored therein. Many systems have been devised for this 
purpose, including systems utilizing insertable, elongated, channel-shaped 
trays. Typically, such trays are produced in a variety of heights or 
depths for use with different-depth drawers. This requires a large 
inventory of parts. Also, prior partition trays have typically been 
provided in lengths to match the front-to-back length of a specific 
drawer. This also requires a large inventory of partition lengths to 
accommodate different-length drawers. 
It is known to provide such partition trays with removable divider panels 
for subdividing each partition tray into sub-compartments. In many such 
arrangements, the divider panels simply drop into slots or grooves and can 
easily be dislodged in use. Arrangements have been provided for locking 
such divider panels in place, but they have heretofore generally involved 
the use of additional discrete locking elements or complex locking 
arrangements requiring locking to both horizontal and vertical surfaces in 
the partition tray. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved 
drawer partition which avoids the disadvantages of prior partitions while 
affording additional structural and operating advantages. 
An important feature of the invention is the feature of a drawer partition 
which is readily stackable to afford layered partitioning in 
different-depth drawers. 
Another feature of the invention is the provision of a drawer partition 
with removable dividers which are firmly and yet simply latched in place. 
Still another feature of the invention is the provision of a drawer 
partition which can be nested end-to-end with other like partitions. 
A still further feature of the invention is the provision of a drawer 
partition of the type set forth, which is of simple and economical 
construction. 
These and other features of the invention are attained by providing a 
divided drawer partition comprising: a tray including a rectangular base 
wall and opposed upstanding side walls each terminating at an upper edge, 
each of the side walls having at least one groove therein substantially 
dovetail-shaped in transverse cross section and extending downwardly from 
the upper edge of the side wall, the base wall having at least one 
aperture therethrough, and an elongated divider having tongues 
respectively disposed at opposite ends thereof and a resilient latch 
structure projecting therefrom along a bottom edge thereof, the tongues 
being shaped for mateable sliding engagement respectively in the grooves 
and the latch structure being shaped and dimensioned to be resiliently 
snap-fitted in the aperture, the divider being shaped and dimensioned so 
as to be receivable in the tray in a use position extending between the 
side walls with the tongues respectively received in the grooves and with 
the latch structure snap-fitted in the aperture for dividing the tray into 
two compartments respectively disposed on opposite sides of said divider. 
The invention consists of certain novel features and a combination of parts 
hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and 
particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that 
various changes in the details may be made without departing from the 
spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a tool chest, generally 
designated by the numeral 10, which may be of the type used by mechanics 
in automotive service stations and the like. The tool chest 10 has a 
plurality of drawers 15, each of which has a rectangular bottom wall (not 
shown) and an upstanding front wall 16, opposed upstanding side walls 17, 
an upstanding rear wall (not shown) and a drawer pull 18 fixed to the 
front wall 16 and projecting forwardly therefrom, all in a known manner. 
Each of the drawers 15 is illustrated as being a laterally wide and 
vertically relatively shallow drawer, but it will be appreciated that the 
tool chest 10 could be provided with drawers of varying shapes and sizes. 
One of the drawers 15 in FIG. 1 is illustrated with a plurality of drawer 
partitions or inserts 20, each constructed in accordance with and 
embodying the features of the present invention, for partitioning the 
drawer 15 into a plurality of compartments arranged side by side. As 
illustrated in FIG. 1, the open drawer 15 contains a plurality of 
substantially identically-sized and shaped drawer partitions 20. However, 
as will be explained in greater detail below, it will be appreciated that 
drawer partitions in accordance with the present invention could be 
provided in a number of different sizes and configurations. 
Referring also to FIGS. 2-8, each drawer partition 20 includes a generally 
channel-shaped tray 21, which is of unitary, one-piece construction, 
preferably being molded of a suitable plastic material. The tray 21 has a 
rectangular base wall 22 provided with a plurality of longitudinally 
spaced-apart rows of apertures 23 therethrough, each row including at 
least two apertures 23 aligned laterally of the base wall 22. Preferably, 
each aperture 23 is generally rectangular in shape. Formed in the bottom 
surface of the base wall 22, respectively in surrounding relationship with 
the apertures 23, are shallow recesses 24 (see FIG. 7). Each aperture 23 
is chamfered, as at 25, at the upper end thereof (see FIG. 3). The 
underside of the base wall 22 is provided with an elongated, 
longitudinally extending center rib 26. Respectively adjacent to the 
opposite ends of the rib 26 are screw holes 23 formed through the base 
wall 22 and surrounded with circular bosses 28. Elongated side ribs 29 are 
also formed on the underside of the base wall 22, respectively adjacent 
the side edges thereof and substantially parallel to the center rib 26. 
The base wall 22 is integral at its side edges, respectively, with 
upstanding side walls 30 which are formed as mirror images of each other. 
Each of the side walls 30 has an elongated upper edge 31 and a lower edge 
32. Formed in the lower edge 32 and extending substantially the entire 
length of the side wall 30 is an elongated groove 33 (see FIG. 6), which 
defines a generally rectangular bearing surface 34 (FIG. 7) and a 
downwardly extending and laterally outwardly facing retaining surface 35. 
A channel 36 separates the surfaces 34 and 35. Each side wall 30 has an 
upstanding flat inner surface 27, and has formed therein a plurality of 
longitudinally spaced-apart grooves 40, each of the grooves 40 being 
dovetail-shaped in transverse cross section and extending from the upper 
edge 31 downwardly a predetermined distance toward the base wall 22. Each 
of the grooves 40 is flanked by a pair of elongated guide ribs 41 which 
extend from the upper edge 31 substantially to the base wall 22 and 
cooperate to define therebetween an elongated slot 42. The grooves 40 and 
slots 42 are equal in number to and, respectively, laterally aligned with 
the rows of the apertures 23 in the base wall 22. 
The tray 21 is provided at one end thereof with a front end portion 44 
which constitutes an extension of the base wall 22 and the side walls 30, 
and has inclined upper edges 45 which slope downwardly from the upper 
edges 31 of the side walls 30. The inner surface of the end portion 44 is 
continuous with the inner surface of the base wall 22 and the side walls 
30, but the outer surface thereof is recessed, as at 46, so that the end 
portion 44 is thinner than the main portion of the tray 21. The tray 21 is 
provided at its other end with a rear end portion 47 which also 
constitutes an extension of the base wall 22 and the side walls 30 and is 
provided with upper edges 48 which are, respectively, stepped down a 
predetermined distance from the upper edges 31 of the side walls 30. The 
outer surface of the end portion 47 is substantially continuous with the 
outer surfaces of the base wall 22 and the side walls 30, but the inner 
surface of the end portion 47 is recessed, as at 49, so that the end 
portion 47 is thinner than the main portion of the tray 21. 
The drawer partition 20 may be provided with one or more divider panels 50, 
one of which is shown in the drawer partition 20 illustrated in the 
drawings. The divider panel 50 is preferably also molded of a suitable 
plastic material and is a generally rectangular panel having an elongated 
upper edge 51 and a lower edge 52 and upstanding end edges 53 (see FIG. 
7). The divider panel 50 is dimensioned to span the side walls 30 of the 
tray 21. More specifically, the end edges 53 of the divider panel 50 are 
dimensioned to be respectively slidably received in laterally aligned ones 
of the slots 42 in the side walls 30. In this regard, it will be 
appreciated that the slots 42 may be slightly tapered so as to guide 
sliding of the divider panel end edges 53 thereinto and to provide a 
slight wedging action. Respectively projecting laterally outwardly from 
the end edges 53 at the upper portions thereof are tongues 54, each being 
substantially dovetail-shaped in transverse cross section and respectively 
being dimensioned for being slidably mateably received in the grooves 40. 
Depending from the lower edge 52 of the divider panel 50 are spaced-apart 
latching structures (see FIG. 7) equal in number to the base wall 
apertures 23 in a row thereof. Each of the latching structures 55 includes 
a pair of flexible dependent legs 56, each being provided at its distal 
end with a laterally outwardly extending foot 57. The latching structures 
55 are so dimensioned that when the legs 56 are in their normal relaxed 
condition, the feet 57 will not pass through the associated aperture 23. 
However, the legs 56 may be resiliently flexed together sufficiently to 
permit the feet 57 to pass through the aperture 23, the legs 56 
resiliently springing back to their normal position after passing through 
the aperture 23, with the feet 57 being received in the recess 24 on the 
underside of the base wall 22, securely to lock the divider panel 50 in 
place in the tray 21 for dividing the tray 21 into sub-compartments. 
In use, the drawer partitions 20 are inserted in the drawer 15 in 
side-by-side abutting relationship so as to substantially fill the drawer 
15. In the embodiment illustrated, the drawer partitions 20 have a length 
which is substantially equal to the front-to-back dimension of the drawer 
15. However, it is a significant aspect of the invention that the drawer 
partition 20 may be used in drawers which have a front-to-back dimension 
substantially greater than the length of the drawer partition 20. In this 
regard, two of the drawer partitions 20 may be abutted in end-to-end 
relationship. Referring to FIG. 5, this arrangement is facilitated by the 
end portions 44 and 47. Thus, when two of the trays, designated 21A and 
21B in FIG. 5, are arranged end to end, the front end portion 44 of the 
rear tray 21B nests inside the rear end portion 47 of the front tray 21A. 
When thus arranged, it can be seen that the inner surfaces of the base 
walls 22 are substantially coplanar and continuous with one another to 
provide a continuous partition. This nested overlapping relationship of 
the end portions 44 and 47 also serves to inhibit relative lateral 
shifting of the trays 21A and 21B with respect to each other and prevents 
stored material from falling between the two trays. 
While the drawer partition 20 will typically have a vertical height or 
depth which is substantially the same as that of the associated drawer 15, 
it is another significant aspect of the invention that the drawer 
partitions 20 can be stacked to provide a layered compartmentalization of 
drawers which have a vertical height or depth substantially greater than 
that of the drawer partition 20. Referring to FIG. 9, when these two trays 
21A and 21B are stacked one upon the other, the upper edges 31 of the side 
walls 30 of the lower tray 21B respectively fit within the grooves 33 in 
the lower edges 32 of the side walls 30 of the upper tray 21A. More 
specifically, the bearing surfaces 34 on the upper tray 21A respectively 
rest upon and bear against the upper edges 31 of the lower tray 21B, while 
the retaining surfaces 35 of the upper tray 21A respectively depend inside 
of the side walls 30 of the lower tray 21B, thereby to inhibit lateral 
shifting of the trays 21A and 21B relative to each other and permitting a 
guided longitudinal sliding movement of the trays 21A and 21B relative to 
each other. Thus, for example, in a typical arrangement, either the upper 
tray 21A may be shorter than the tray 21B or a single tray 21A may be 
stacked above end-to-end abutted lower trays 21B, so that the upper tray 
21A can be slid forwardly and rearwardly of the drawer 15 to expose front 
and rear portions of the lower tray or trays 21B. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the drawer partition 20 is shown with only a 
single divider panel 50. However, it will be appreciated that any number 
of divider panels 50 from zero up to the number of grooves 40 in a tray 
side wall 30 may be provided in each drawer partition 20, and a divider 
panel 50 may be selectively shifted from one position to another to 
provide different size sub-compartments. In this regard, it will be 
appreciated that, in order to remove a divider panel 50 from the tray 21, 
the legs 56 of the latching structures 55 are compressed together to 
permit them to be released from the apertures 23. It will also be 
appreciated that, when a divider panel 50 is mounted in place, as 
illustrated in the drawings, the cooperation of the end edges 53 thereof 
with the slots 42 and of the tongues 54 thereof in the grooves 40 firmly 
seats the divider panel 50 in place and prevents any longitudinal shifting 
of the position thereof or tilting thereof. While the drawer partition 20 
has been shown with three pairs of grooves 40, it will be appreciated that 
any desired number can be provided, depending upon the length of the 
drawer partition 20. Also, while each of the rows of apertures 23 has been 
shown as including two such apertures, it will be appreciated that any 
number of apertures could be provided in each row, depending upon the 
width of the drawer partition 20. Also, it will be appreciated that, if 
desired, the drawer partition 20 could be provided without apertures 23 or 
grooves 40 in the event that division of the drawer partition 20 were 
deemed unnecessary. 
While the drawer partitions 20 are illustrated as being simply freely 
seated in the drawer 15, it will be appreciated that they could be fixedly 
secured in place by suitable screws (not shown) passed through the screws 
holes 27 in the base wall 22. 
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved 
drawer partition which is of simple and economical construction and is 
shaped and dimensioned so as to facilitate end-to-end nesting and 
stacking, while at the same time providing movable divider panels which 
can be easily and effectively secured in place.