Patent Publication Number: US-6659576-B1

Title: Method and device for mounting a modular drawer and support inside a cabinet

Description:
PRIOR APPLICATION DATA 
     The present application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/767,596 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,567 entitled “Method and Device for Mounting a Modular Drawer and Support Inside a Cabinet” filed Jan. 22, 2001 by Applicant herein which, in turn, is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/569,660, now abandoned, filed May 12, 2000 by Applicant herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to storage cabinets. Specifically, the present invention is a modular drawer and support device and method for mounting a drawer within a cabinet. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known in the art that there are advantages to substituting fixed shelves in storage cabinets with movable shelves or drawers. A key difference is that objects stored at the back of a fixed shelf is not accessible while movable shelves and drawers allow full utilization of the cabinet space. 
     There are various devices and methods known in the art for installing drawers inside cabinets. One system known in the art includes attaching guides directly to the sides of the cabinet to mate with runners on the sides of a drawer. However, this system cannot be installed in cabinets with intermediate supports. Also, the drawers must be continuous across the width of the cabinet. 
     One attempt to address these drawbacks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,421,647 and 5,761,786 to Simons. The device shown in these references include guides attached to columns that are, in turn, secured to the floor of a cabinet. However, a drawback of this device is that the columns supporting the guides are independent. That is, each side must be placed in the cabinet in the correct position separately. In a confined space such as a cabinet, it can be difficult to position the columns parallel to one another, with the correct spacing, at the correct alignment to allow the drawer to move freely along the guides. Moreover, once positioned, an installer must correctly locate the holes in the brackets securing the columns. Even if corrected positioned and located, the act of installing screws through the holes in the columns may cause the columns to shift out of alignment. Any error in the measuring, positioning, or installing of the columns can cause the drawer to bind inside the guides. 
     Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a modular drawer and support that may be easily installed in a cabinet that reduces or eliminates the possibility of misalignment and errors in positioning and installation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A device for mounting a movable drawer within a cabinet having a floor includes a drawer and a support. The drawer includes a bottom, the width of which defines a footprint, opposing parallel side walls, and rollers mounted to and extending from the side walls. Optionally, the rollers are combined with runners to provide additional support. The side walls cooperate with the bottom to define a container with an open top. 
     The support includes a base and two guide rails to receive the rollers to mount and guide movement of the drawer. The base may, in an optional embodiment, comprise base components and, in a further optional embodiment, cross braces. The guide rails are secured to the base in a substantially parallel relationship at a fixed spacing equal to the spacing between the rollers. Optionally, the guide rails are secured to the base using angle brackets. The device includes means for fixing the support to the cabinet floor. 
     The present invention also includes a method for mounting a movable drawer within a cabinet having a floor. The method is directed to drawers of the type having a bottom, the width of which defines a footprint, and rollers secured to and extending from the side walls of the drawer. The method begins with providing a base and two guide rails adapted to receive said rollers to mount and guide movement of the drawer. The guide rails are secured to the base in a substantially parallel relationship at a fixed spacing equal to the spacing between the rollers. The base is secured to the cabinet floor. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and device for mounting a movable drawer to the floor of a cabinet. It is a further object of the invention to provide a drawer system for a cabinet that avoids the shifting and misalignment problems of the prior art by providing a base that correctly spaces the guide rails prior to installation in the cabinet. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevated assembly view of a drawer and support according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevated perspective view of the device of the present invention with the drawer in an open position; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of the device of the present invention with the drawer in a closed position; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the drawer and support according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear view of the drawer and support according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of the drawer and support of the present invention with the drawer in an open position; 
     FIG. 7 is a cutaway side view taken along line A—A of FIG. 6 showing the drawer and support of the present invention with the drawer in an open position; 
     FIG. 8 is an elevated assembly view of a drawer and support according to an alternate embodiment the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is an elevated perspective view of the device of the alternate embodiment of FIG. 8 with the drawer in an open position; 
     FIG. 10 is an elevated perspective view of the device of the alternate embodiment of FIG. 8 with the drawer in a closed position; 
     FIG. 11 is an elevated assembly view of a drawer and support according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is an elevated perspective view of the device of the alternate embodiment of FIG. 11 with the drawer in an open position; 
     FIG. 13 is an elevated perspective view of the device of the alternate embodiment of FIG. 11 with the drawer in a closed position; 
     FIG. 14 is an elevated assembly view of a drawer and support according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are referred to by like numerals throughout. The present device is a modular drawer  10  and support  20  for mounting within a conventional cabinet having a floor. With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the device of the present invention includes two interconnecting parts: a drawer  10  and a support  20 . It is important to note that references to the drawer  10  include any structure that may be drawn forward from the cabinet, including rolling shelves, rolling cutting boards, rolling containers, as well as conventional rectangular parallelopiped drawers  10 . The drawer  10  includes at least a bottom  12 . The width of the bottom  12  defines a footprint. The drawer  10  also includes side walls  14 . 
     Attached to the side walls  14  are freely pivotable rollers  18 , optionally mounted inside runners  16  in a manner conventional in the art. As can be seen in the figures, the rollers  18  are mounted to, and extend laterally from, the side walls  14  of the drawer  10 . While the number of rollers  18  may vary, in an optional embodiment, there are two rollers  18 , one on each side of the drawer  10 . 
     The support  20  includes a base  22 . In an optional embodiment, the base  22  is substantially flat and of uniform thickness. The base  22  may optionally include holes  24  through which fasteners  26 , such as screws, nails, bolts, or the like, may be disposed to secure the base  22  to the floor of the cabinet. Alternatively, the base  22  may be secured to the floor using adhesives, mechanical clips or fasteners  26 , bonding, or the like. 
     Attached to the base  22  are two guide rails  28 . The guide rails  28  are positioned substantially parallel to one another at a fixed spacing substantially equal to the spacing between the rollers  18 . The guide rails  28  may be attached to the base  22  in any fashion known in the art including mechanical fasteners, adhesives, or the like. In an optional alternate embodiment, the guide rails  28  are elevated above the base  22  using angle brackets  23 . 
     The base  22  may be a unitary, substantially continuous piece, such as shown in FIGS. 1-7, or the base  22  may comprise two or more base components  40  spaced from one another connecting the guide rails  28 , as shown in FIGS. 8-14. In one optional embodiment, shown in FIGS. 8-10, the base components  40  and guide rails  28 . cooperate maintain the the guide rails  28  substantially parallel at a fixed spacing substantially equal to the spacing between the rollers  18 . In a further optional embodiment, shown in FIGS. 11-13, one or more cross braces  42  may connect and space the base components  40 . For example, in the optional embodiment of FIGS. 11-13, the base components  40  and cross braces  42  are substantially perpendicular to form a base  22  in the shape of a rectangular lattice with a central opening, although it is contemplated that the base  22  could form a lattice of any shape. It is also contemplated that the base components  40  and brackets may be integral as shown in FIG. 14 to form a substantially continuous U-shaped base component  44 . 
     Referring generally to FIGS. 1-14, the guide rails  28  are shaped to receive the runners  16  and engage the rollers  18  to mount and guide movement of the drawer  10  as it is drawn. In an optional embodiment, the guide rails  28  are U-shaped with the opening of the guide rails  28  directed toward the center of the base  22 . The guide rails  28  include a slot  30  for inserting the rollers  18  to mount the rollers  18  and runners  16  inside the guide rails  28 . The guide rails  28  may optionally include a downward slope  32  at the back of the rails so that the area of the drawer  10  near the rollers  18  is at a slightly lower position when the drawer  10  is closed. This slope  32  maintains the drawer  10  in the closed position. 
     Guide rollers  34  may also be disposed along the guide rails  28  or, alternatively, aligned with the rollers  18  as shown in FIGS. 1-3, to support the drawer  10  and facilitate opening and closing of the drawer  10 . 
     The drawer  10  and support  20  are assembled by aligning the rollers  18  with the slots  30  on the guide rails  28 . The drawer  10  is lowered until the rollers  18  rest on the bottom  12  of the guide rails  28  and the runners  16  of the drawer  10  rests on the guide rollers  34  as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In use, the drawer  10  may be rolled forward into an open position in which the drawer  10  protrudes from the cabinet as shown in FIGS. 2,  6 , and  7 . The drawer  10  may also be rolled back into a closed position in which the base  22  is directly under the drawer  10  as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     Referring again to FIG. 1, the system of the present invention is installed by first securing the base  22  to the floor of the cabinet. Because the guide rails  28  are already secured to the base  22  in a substantially parallel relationship to one another at a spacing substantially equal to the spacing between the rollers  18 , no alignment, measuring, or installation of the guide rails  28  is necessary. Thus, the system of the present invention avoids the shifting and misalignment problems of the prior art by providing the element of a base  22  that correctly spaces the guide rails  28  prior to installation in the cabinet. The drawer  10  is installed into the guide rails  28  as previously described. 
     While certain embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described it is to be understood that the present invention is subject to many modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims presented herein.