Patent GB-1476085-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for extracting and inserting filing cabinet drawers from  and to two filing cabinet banks or either of two consultation  locations at the ends of said banks of filing cabinets respectivel  and systems including such apparatus
IPC: B65G1/04
Filed: 1975-03-25
Abstract: 1476085 Filing cabinet systems INSTITUTO GRAFICO BERTELLO SpA 25 March 1975 [27 Sept 1974] 12440/75 Heading A4T [Also in Division B8]  A drawer retrieval saddle which is used between two banks of filing cabinets arranged face to face in a filing cabinet system, comprises a frame 1 which is movable longitudinally between the banks as well as vertically, a hook unit 16 being mounted on the frame 1 for movement across the latter in order to pull a selected filing cabinet drawer out of its bank, the hook unit 16 being mounted on a support 15 which has a pair of wing portions 17, each attached to an endless drive chain 13, the latter each receiving their drive from a respective gear-wheel 11 mounted on a common drive-shaft 7 connected via an electrically operated clutch 14 to an electric drive motor 2, and during motion of the support 15 the wing portions 17 slide on guide rods 18, the motor 2 also driving a driveshaft 6 on which a pair of drive pulleys 8 are mounted, which each drive a respective endless band 10. The hook unit 16 is movable vertically relative to its support 15 and is biased in an upward direction by a spring 21 while an electromagnet 20 is operable to move the unit 16 downwardly relative to support 15. The saddle also includes electrical detectors 24-27 which control the operation of the saddle, which will now be described in relation to the retrieval of a drawer from a filing cabinet. Operation: The saddle is moved into register with the front of the selected drawer and the hook unit 16 is moved forwards, and automatically latches on to, the drawer handle by first engaging it and then moving under it against the action of the spring 21, and the moving upwardly behind the drawer handle, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 (not shown), movement of the unit 16 towards the drawer being effected by the motor 2 which drives the bands 10 and chains 13 in the same direction. A detector 24 on the same side of the saddle as the drawer in question, causes reverse movement of the bands 10 and chains 13 thereby withdrawing the drawer on to the bands 10 by means of the hook unit 16, and when the latter reaches a pair of detectors 26, 27 at the centre of the saddle the detector 27 causes energization of the electromagnet 20 to move the hook unit 16 downwardly relative to its support 15, and detector 26 causes disconnection of clutch 14 thereby disconnecting drive to the chains 13 and hook unit 16, so that the bands 10 continue to withdraw the drawer fully on to the saddle, and the drive to the motor 2 is then stopped. The saddle then moves to a consultation location at the end of either bank of filing cabinets. When a drawer is being replaced by the saddle in its filing cabinet it is driven by the bands 10 and chains 13, and at the position of (Fig. 4) when the drawer is fully located in its cabinet a detector 25 operates the electromagnet 20 to lower the hook unit 16 and simultaneously there is a reversal of drive by the detector 24.