Abstract:
An apparatus and method are disclosed for supporting drawers within a cabinet while relying solely on the floor of the cabinet for support. The preferred apparatus includes a pair of opposing vertical support members, a pair of horizontal stability members, and one or more sliding drawers. The vertical support members are adapted for mounting on the storage cabinet floor, horizontal base, or other platform located within a storage cabinet. Tabs are included on the vertical support members for attaching the horizontal stability members, although the drawers themselves might be used for horizontal support. The vertical support members are arranged and configured such that the width between them can vary depending on the size of drawer desired.

Description:
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/179,769, filed Jan. 10, 1994 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,647), which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/933,023, filed Aug. 20, 1992 (now abandoned). 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to an apparatus suitable for storing articles, and more particularly to a stand-alone sliding drawer apparatus of the type suitable for use within storage cabinets. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Drawer support devices commonly employed in household storage cabinets rely on the sides of the cabinet for support and guidance of the inserted drawers. For example, the runners which guide and support the drawers are typically fastened directly to the interior sides of the cabinet. This practice, however, presents several difficulties. First, this technique cannot be used in cabinets that have center supports or in cabinets that are not &#34;square&#34; (e.g., cabinets wherein the sides are not oriented at ninety degree angles with respect to the front and back sides). Second, even if the cabinets have the requisite shape and style, this technique produces permanent alterations in the cabinet. As a result, a person cannot easily remove the support device because of the permanent marks on the cabinet sidewalls. Third, the materials utilized in the sidewalls are often not sized or constructed to provide the stability to function as the support. 
     There have been several attempts to provide support structures which are not connected to sidewalls inside of a locker--for example in the situation where the installer does not own the locker and so is prohibited from marring, permanently altering, or otherwise defacing the locker. Examples of these references include U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,099 issued to Burton and U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,633 issued to Bloom. Burton generally discloses a cabinet having sidewalls to support drawers and shelves. The sidewalls of the cabinet are not connected to the sidewalls of the enclosure (i.e., the locker) into which the cabinet is placed. Bloom discloses a shelf support kit wherein shelves are supported by vertical members connected to horizontal shelf support members. Shelf support is provided by the vertical members which are not connected to the sidewalls. However, each of these references suffers from the drawback that they are sized for a single enclosure and do not utilize sliding drawers. Therefore, retrofitting within various sized cabinets would be impossible, absent having a large number of unrelated sized supports and shelves. 
     Other art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,136 issued to Cherry which discloses a cabinet for use in a mobile vehicle. Support for horizontal runners is provided by vertical members. The device also uses horizontal stabilizers which are located between the vertical members. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,790 issued to Cohen et al. discloses a cabinet having horizontal runners supported by vertical members, and horizontal stabilizers located between vertical members. Cohen also illustrates two drawers which are located side by side in the cabinet. The preceding two devices, however, do not disclose vertical support members which may be placed at various widths from each other and which are supported only by the surface on which the vertical support members are located. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a new and improved sliding drawer apparatus and method for use within variously sized storage cabinets, and which may be constructed as part of the enclosure or which may be retrofit into such enclosures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention proposes a novel solution for supporting drawers while solving many of the above described problems. Since the preferred apparatus relies solely on the floor of the cabinet for support, it can support heavier objects, it can be used in cabinets which are not square, and it can be utilized in cabinets of any size or shape. Moreover, this apparatus leaves no marking on the sidewalls of the cabinet and can be easily disassembled and incorporated into new cabinets. 
     In a preferred embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention, the sliding drawer apparatus comprises a pair of opposing vertical support members, a pair of horizontal stability members, and one or more sliding drawers. The vertical support members are adapted for mounting on the storage cabinet floor (or such other horizontal base/platform located within a storage cabinet). Additionally, the vertical support members preferably include tabs for fastening the horizontal stability members. The vertical support members are arranged and configured such that the horizontal stability members can vary in length. 
     The vertical support members normally oppose one another, but can be placed at varying widths apart in order to compensate for the varying storage cabinet sizes into which the apparatus can be placed. Optionally, a third vertical support member may be located between the first and second vertical support members in order to include smaller width sliding drawers within the storage cabinet. The vertical support members are arranged and configured to carry horizontal guides for supporting the drawers. 
     One feature of the present invention is that the apparatus may be installed in a cabinet of any size, and in fact does not rely on any of the sidewalls of the cabinet for support. This allows for the apparatus to carry heavier objects and support more weight, regardless of the cabinet construction. 
     Another feature of the present apparatus is that it is rectangular in shape and can support one or more drawers depending on the size of the cabinet. Similarly, one cabinet can have two or more apparatus side-by-side, contained within the same cabinet. 
     Still another feature of the present invention is that since the vertical support members are affixed to the base of the storage cabinet, only two horizontal stability members need to be utilized (i.e., one at the front and one at the rear of the vertical support members). The continuity of the base provides the necessary spacing required by the vertical support members at the bottom of the apparatus to keep them at the proper distance away from one another. It will be appreciated that the proper spacing is required in order to keep the sliding drawers from binding when in use. 
     Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for supporting drawers in an enclosure of the type having a base and sides, comprising: a pair of oppositely disposed vertical support members, wherein said vertical support members are arranged and configured with the drawer located therebetween; a horizontal runner for guiding and supporting drawers being operatively connected to said vertical support member; a horizontal stability member, operatively connected substantially near the tops of said vertical support members, which connects and maintains the upper ends of said vertical support members at a predetermined distance apart; and means for securing the bases of said vertical support members to the base of the enclosure, whereby said vertical support members rely on the base of the enclosure, rather than the sides, for support. 
     Further, according to another aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for supporting drawers in an enclosure comprising: two pair of oppositely disposed metal vertical support members arranged so a drawer can be located therebetween; a horizontal mounting tab operatively connected to the base of each vertical support member at a right angle and having at least one hole or aperture which allows said horizontal mounting tab to be fixed to the base of the enclosure; a vertical tab operatively connected within 11/2 inches from the top of each vertical support member protruding out at substantially a right-angle from said vertical support member having at least one hole or aperture; a wooden horizontal stability member connecting the tops of two adjacent said vertical support members by being operatively connected at right angles within 11/2 inches from the tops of said vertical support members by being fastened to said vertical tabs with metal screws or bolts; and at least one pair of runners which guide the drawers in and out of the apparatus, whereby said runners are operatively connected to said vertical support members by a fastening device. 
     According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for supporting drawers in an enclosure, the enclosure being of the type having a floor and a sidewall, where the floor serves to provide horizontal stability at the base of the apparatus comprising: a pair of oppositely disposed vertical support members, wherein said vertical support members are arranged and configured with the drawer located therebetween; horizontal runner means for guiding and supporting drawers, said runner means being operatively connected to said vertical support members; a horizontal stability member, operatively connected to the tops or substantially near the tops of said vertical support members, which connects and keeps the upper ends of said vertical support members at a predetermined distance apart; and means for securing the bases of said vertical support members to the base of the enclosure, whereby said vertical support members rely on the base of the enclosure, rather than the sides for support. 
     These and other advantages and features which characterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages and objects attained by its use, reference should be made to the drawing which forms a further part hereof and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     In the Drawing, wherein like parts are referenced by like numerals throughout the several views: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage cabinet of the type in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be utilized, with an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in phantom; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a drawer support apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention, with portions broken away and in phantom; and 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the drawer support apparatus of FIG. 2, with portions of the cabinet into which the apparatus may be placed shown in phantom. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The principles of this invention apply particularly well to constructing shelving within original and existing storage cabinets. A preferred application for this invention is retrofitting sliding drawers within existing kitchen cabinets. The most common type of kitchen cabinet is referred to as &#34;face frame&#34; or &#34;faceless&#34; style cabinets. Such preferred application, however, is typical of only one of the innumerable types of applications in which the principles of the present invention can be employed. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the present invention is a drawer support apparatus 10 which may be installed in a cabinet 11 of virtually any size and shape. It will become apparent upon further review of the specification and drawing that the apparatus 10 does not rely on any of the back walls 15 or sidewalls 12 of the cabinet 11 for support. Therefore, the materials, material strength, thickness, and whether the walls are square can be effectively ignored while installing and utilizing the apparatus 10. 
     The apparatus 10 is generally rectangular in shape (including a square shape) and can support one or more drawers 16, depending in part on the size of the cabinet 11 and the size of desired drawers. Similarly, one cabinet 11 can have multiple apparatuses 10 in a side-by-side configuration, contained in the cabinet 11 (best seen in FIG. 1). The apparatus 10 is comprised of at least one pair of vertical support members 20a and 20b. These support members 20a and 20b are preferably mirror images of one another, and so only support member 20a will be discussed in detail herein. 
     Support member 20a comprises two opposing metal elongated columns 21a and 22a which are arranged and configured to include a horizontal mounting flange 23a and 24a respectively at a first end and a mounting means 30 for a horizontal stability member 28, 29 proximate the second end. Additionally, each of the elongated columns 21a and 22a are configured to receive sliding channels, or horizontal runners, 25a, 26a to engage rails/protrusions (not shown) fixed to the drawer 16. Preferably, these runners 25a, 26a are adapted to receive rotatable wheels 35 located on the rear end of the drawers 16 and further include a wheel 36 affixed to the front end of the support member 20a on which the drawer protrusion rides. The runners 25a, 26a used in the sliding drawer apparatus 10 are well known in the art and so will not be described further herein. In a preferred embodiment, the horizontal runners utilized are channel guides manufactured by Grass America, of Kernsville, N.C., having a model designation of G-6600-18AL (wherein the last designation is the width desired and the color; e.g., 18AL designates 18 inches long and almond). 
     When the two elongated columns 21a and 22a are connected together with the runners 25a, 26a, then the entire resulting vertical support member 20a generally lies within the same plane. However, the horizontal mounting flanges 23a and 24a extend generally at a right angle with respect to the plane formed by the elongated columns 21a, 22a and channel guides 25a, 26a. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the references in the description of the apparatus 10 to top, bottom, front, and back refer to the normal orientation of the apparatus when installed within a cabinet 11. Therefore, top and bottom are relative to the floor/base 17 of the cabinet 11, while front and back are relative to the door 13 (i.e., the back is that end of the apparatus which is closest to the rear wall 15). 
     The preferred embodiment includes four metal elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b located near each corner of the cabinet 11. However, since these do not need to be connected to the sidewalls 12 or rear walls 15 of the cabinet 11, it is not necessary that they be in the four corners. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the columns 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b may be situated in any particular part of the cabinet 11 so that the drawers 16 can slide between the vertical support members 20a and 20b. An alternative to having four elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b is to utilize one pair of vertical support members or two or more pairs of vertical support members. 
     The vertical support members 20a and 20b are secured to the floor 17 of the cabinet by horizontal mounting flanges 23a, 24a, 23b, 24b which are operatively connected to the first end of each elongated column 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b. The preferred embodiment includes integral horizontal mounting flanges. However, various alternatives include these flanges 23a, 24a, 23b, 24b being operatively connected by fasteners--such as screws and bolts, etc. Each horizontal mounting flange 23a, 24a, 23b, 24b includes a means for securing it to the base 17 of the cabinet 11. The preferred embodiment comprises two or more holes which allows screws 27 to be used to fasten this apparatus 10 to the base 17 of the cabinet 11. However, nails and other fastening means could similarly be used as is well known in the art. 
     Securing the bases/first ends of the elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b and 22b to the base 17 of the cabinet 11 ensures stability for the lower portion (i.e., the first end) of the elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b and 22b. However, for further stability, horizontal stability members 28 and 29 connect the two vertical support members 20a, 20b near their tops. Each horizontal stability member 28 and 29 connects two elongated columns, 21a and 21b, and 22a and 22b, respectively, together. 
     The horizontal stability members 28, 29 assure that the vertical support members 20a, 20b remain at a constant distance apart from each other. The horizontal stability members 28, 29 are connected to the vertical support members 20a, 20b by a fastening apparatus that can either be connected to the horizontal support members 28, 29 or the vertical stability members 20a and 20b. The preferred embodiment is a mounting tab 30 integrally connected to each of the elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b and 22b. Tab 30 provides a means for engaging a fastening device such as a screw 31, or bolt to operatively connect the horizontal stability member 28 and 29 together with the elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b and 22b. 
     When the horizontal stability members 28 and 29 are in place, the vertical supports are generally oriented at a 90 degree angle from the floor 17. It should be noted, that a horizontal stability member 28 connects the front of the pair of vertical supports 20a, 20b, and a second horizontal stability member 29 connects the back of the pair of vertical supports 20a, 20b. The preferred embodiment utilizes a wooden horizontal stability member. However, the horizontal stability member can be made of different materials such as plastic and metals as well, so long as the desired structural support is achieved. 
     As noted above, a number of horizontal runners 25a, 26a, 25b and 26b are connected to the vertical support members 20a, 20b for guiding and supporting drawers 16. These runners 25a, 26a, 25b, 26b are operatively connected to the vertical support members by a fastening means, such as rivets, screws, bolts, etc. Each pair of runners 25a-b and 26a-b is used to guide and support a single drawer 16, therefore if two or more drawers 16 are desired, two or more pairs of runners 25a-b, 26a-b must be connected to the vertical support members 20a, 20b. 
     In operation, first the proper length slides 25a-b and 26a-b are selected for the depth of the cabinet 11. The slides are then assembled to the columns 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b preferably with rivets or other fasteners to comprise the vertical support members 20a, 20b. Next, the assembled support members 20a and 20b are placed within the cabinet 11 structure. The width of the drawer 16 is then established between the selected vertical support members 20a, 20b and the drawer 16 is placed in the bottom runners 26a and 26b to maintain the support members 20a and 20b at the correct distance apart. A second drawer is placed in runners 25a and 25b to maintain the proper distance at the top (i.e., the second end of the support columns 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b). Horizontal stability members 28 and 29 are then inserted utilizing screws 31. 
     The top drawer 16 and bottom drawer 16 are then removed from the apparatus 10. When done carefully, the lower portions of the support members 20a and 20b remain at the same location and desired distance apart relative to the base 17 of the cabinet 11. However, for exacting installations, a template or other method of marking the location of the flanges 23a, 24a, 23b, 24b may aid installation. Screws 27 may then be placed directly into the floor 17, the drawers 16 reinserted, items placed within the drawers 16, and the cabinet doors 13 closed via handles 14. As will be appreciated, preferably the drawers 16 are slidable out through the opened storage doors 13. 
     It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of the location of the elongated columns 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b and the fastening arrangement of the horizontal stability members 28 and 29 to the vertical support members 20a and 20b. Other modifications and alterations are well within the knowledge of those skilled in the art and are to be included within the broad scope of the appended claims.