Patent Publication Number: US-2019174919-A1

Title: Cabinet drawer

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to storage cabinets, and particularly a kit for a modular pull-out drawer for easy installation into a storage cabinet. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Kitchen pantries and other similar cabinets are often configured with interior shelves that do not pull out. Consumers commonly retrofit such cabinets with drawers that can be extended out of the cabinet for easier access to the stored items that may be in the back of the cabinet. The housewares market contains many examples of such pull-out cabinet drawer designs. Such designs may include a drawer or tray that is affixed to tracks that are screwed into cabinets so the drawer (or tray) slides in and out of the cabinet. 
     One problem is that consumers must screw the tracks into the wood of the cabinet to install them, so that they are firmly mounted to the cabinet. Not only is this a hassle to install, requiring time, tools and some degree of do-it-yourself (DIY) experience, but it puts permanent holes into the expensive wood cabinets. This may be especially challenging if the cabinet is made from solid surface materials which may be difficult to screw into, or if the wood is too soft to firmly retain a screw. For these reasons, many people are reluctant to install such modular drawers with screws. If the consumer is renting the home or apartment, there is also the risk of losing security deposit money for damaging the cabinet if the drawers are removed because the screw holes will remain. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with a preferred example of the invention, a drawer assembly is modular to enable an existing cabinet to be retrofitted (though it may be used in new construction), and therefore the preferred example is in the form of a kit for mounting a modular drawer within a cabinet having a horizontal planar floor and a pair of opposing cabinet sidewalls extending vertically upward with respect to the floor (which may be a shelf). 
     The kit preferably includes a bar assembly having a first end and an opposing second end with an adjustable length between the first end and the second end, the adjustable length being selectively configurable to allow the bar assembly to span the pair of opposing sidewalls; a bracket assembly including a front bracket and a rear bracket; a drawer; a side rail assembly supported by the bracket assembly, the side rail assembly being configured to support the drawer for movement between an extended position away from the bracket assembly and a retracted position toward the bracket assembly; and a hook configured to releasably join the bar assembly to the bracket assembly, wherein the bar assembly retains the bracket assembly within the cabinet when the bar assembly is mounted within the cabinet and spans the pair of opposing sidewalls. 
     In one version, the kit may include a first side mount and a second side mount, each of the first side mount and the second side mount having a first face with adhesive for attachment to one of the cabinet sidewalls and an opposing second face with a mounting structure; a telescoping tube assembly having a first end terminating in a first end cap and an opposing second end terminating in a second end cap with an adjustable length between the first end and the second end, the adjustable length being selectively configurable to allow the bar assembly to span the pair of opposing sidewalls, each of the first end cap and the second end cap being attachable to a separate one of the mounting structures; a bracket assembly including a front bracket and a rear bracket; a drawer; a side rail assembly attached to the bracket assembly, the side rail assembly being configured to support the drawer for movement between an extended position away from the bracket assembly and a retracted position toward the bracket assembly; and a hook configured to releasably attach the tube assembly to the bracket assembly, wherein the tube assembly retains the bracket assembly within the cabinet when the tube assembly is mounted within the cabinet and spans the pair of opposing sidewalls. 
     In one version, the tube assembly comprises a small tube telescopically received within a large tube. 
     In some versions, the small tube further comprises a spring-loaded button carried on the small tube, and the large tube comprises a plurality of holes extending along a length of the large tube, wherein the button may be selectively extended through a chosen one of the plurality of holes to adjust the length of the bar assembly. 
     In some versions, the tube assembly defines an axis between the first end and the second end of the tube assembly, and the second end cap comprises a spring cap, the spring cap having a spring housing a spring trapped within the spring housing, wherein the spring cap is moveable in a direction along the axis to decrease the length of the bar assembly when the spring is compressed. 
     In some examples of the invention, the kit includes a first foot attached to the rear bracket, the hook being formed as a portion of the first foot, the hook further extending vertically from the first foot to a first height when the bracket assembly is positioned on the floor. 
     In some examples, each of mounting structures are positioned on the first side mount and the second side mount to form a gap between the floor and the tube assembly when the first side mount and the second side mount are attached to the opposing vertical sidewalls, the gap having an upper end at a second height above the floor, wherein the first height is greater than the second height, thereby allowing the foot to be slid beneath the tube assembly when the bracket assembly is pivoted about the hook, but preventing the bracket assembly from being pulled out of the cabinet along a path defined by a plane parallel to the floor. 
     In some versions, the first foot further comprises a planar portion attached to the rear bracket, and wherein the hook extends in a direction away from the front bracket and the rear bracket. 
     In some versions of the invention, the first side mount and the second side mount are attached to the cabinet sidewalls, the tube assembly is mounted to and spans the first side mount and the second side mount, and the bracket assembly is supported by the floor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a preferred cabinet drawer, shown in a retracted position. 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the drawer of  FIG. 1 , shown in a partially extended position. 
         FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of the drawer of  FIG. 1 , shown in a fully extended position. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the drawer of  FIG. 1 , shown without a basket or tray, and installed within a cabinet. 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a preferred bar assembly and side mounts. 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the bar assembly of  FIG. 5 , shown without the side mounts. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a preferred spring cap assembly. 
         FIG. 8  is an interior perspective view of a preferred spring housing. 
         FIG. 9  is an exterior perspective view of a preferred spring housing. 
         FIG. 10  is a front plan view of a preferred V-spring and selector button. 
         FIG. 11  is a top plan view of a preferred small tube for use in a bar assembly. 
         FIG. 12  is an exterior side view of a preferred side mount. 
         FIG. 13  is an interior side view of a preferred side mount. 
         FIG. 14  is a bottom plan view of a combined tube assembly and bracket assembly. 
         FIG. 15  is a side elevational view of the preferred bracket assembly. 
         FIG. 16  is a top perspective view of the preferred bracket assembly. 
         FIG. 17  is a rear elevational view of the preferred cabinet drawer mounted within a cabinet and atop a cabinet shelf or floor. 
         FIG. 18  is a close-up view of detail  18  indicated in  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  is a bottom plan view of the bar and bracket assemblies, shown without a drawer or tray. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An exemplary modular cabinet drawer is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , shown in a retracted position in which the drawer would be fully inside a cabinet (which is not shown in  FIG. 1  but which is represented in other figures). In the illustrated example, the drawer includes an upper drawer  200  formed as a wire basket, although in other versions the drawer may be formed from wood or other materials, and may have a solid surface rather than the number of openings between the spaced apart wires. Likewise, the drawer may have only a floor and need not have surrounding vertical sidewalls, as in the illustrated example. 
     The drawer or tray is carried on at least one rail assembly such as the left and right side rail assemblies  300 ,  301 . In the preferred examples, the side rails are configured to extend and retract in a telescoping fashion. 
     In  FIG. 2 , the tray is shown in a partially extended position, and in this position the telescoping nature of the preferred implementation of a rail assembly is shown. Thus, in this version the rail assembly includes a pair of left and right rail assemblies  300 ,  301 , in which the left rail assembly  300  has a fixed side rail bracket  311  and a pair of attached side rails  312 ,  313  that are mounted to be extended out of or retracted into the side rail bracket. Likewise, the right rail assembly  301  has a fixed side rail bracket  321  and a pair of attached side rails  322 ,  323  mounted in the same way. 
     The rail is supported at a front by a front bracket  400 , and at the rear by a rear bracket  500 . A bar assembly  600  is configured to be mounted between opposing sidewalls of a cabinet, and as discussed below is preferably arranged to accommodate cabinets of a variety of widths. In the preferred example, the bar is configured as a tube having a telescoping arrangement. 
     In  FIG. 3 , the tray is shown in a fully extended position, exposing the rear bracket assembly  500  and the bar assembly  600 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of the cabinet drawer, with the tray removed for clarity of illustration of the remaining components. It is also shown mounted within a cabinet  700  having a horizontal surface  701  (such as a cabinet floor, or a shelf within the cabinet), sidewalls  702 ,  703 , and a back wall  704 . Though shown installed in  FIG. 4 , it should be appreciated that the cabinet drawer is primarily intended to be made as a retrofit or modular kit, and therefore the installed version of  FIG. 4  is a configuration that occurs after the cabinet drawer has been mounted within a cabinet. 
     As illustrated, the bar assembly  600  spans the width of the cabinet between the opposing sidewalls  702 ,  703 . A first side mount  610  is attached to a first sidewall  702 , and a second side mount  611  is attached to a second sidewall  703 . The bar assembly, which in the preferred embodiment includes a telescoping tube as discussed below, is mounted to each of the first and second side mounts. Most preferably, the side mounts include an adhesive provided on the side mounts (which is covered by a removable non-stick adhesive backing for shipment prior to use), such that the side mounts are affixed to the sidewalls by the adhesive. As further discussed below, the telescoping tube is spring-loaded to provide a force to hold the tube in place. 
     The modularity of the cabinet drawer allows it to be positioned within the cabinet as desired. Thus, the bar assembly  600  can be positioned at a desired distance D 1  from the rear cabinet wall  704 , to ensure that the cabinet drawer is positioned within the cabinet as close to, or as far from, the cabinet opening  705  as desired. Likewise, the cabinet drawer bracket structure (including the front bracket  400 , rear bracket  500 , and side bracket assemblies  300 ,  301 ) can be positioned centrally between the two sidewalls  702 ,  703 , or can be skewed closer to either sidewall as desired. In the example as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the bracket structure (and therefore the cabinet drawer) is positioned closer to a left sidewall  702  than it is to a right sidewall  703 , so that a first width W 1  between the bracket assembly and the left sidewall is less than a second width W 2  between the bracket assembly and the right sidewall. 
     The front bracket  400  may optionally include one or more holes or slots  401 ,  402  to enable it to be mounted to a cabinet floor or shelf, such as with screws. Most preferably, however, the front bracket is intended to be placed on the cabinet floor or shelf without the use of any fasteners. Likewise, the rear bracket  500  may include one or more holes allowing it to be bolted or screwed to a cabinet floor, though in the preferred version it is intended to be mountable without such screws or bolts. 
       FIGS. 5-12  illustrate the bar assembly in greater detail, and separate from the rest of the cabinet drawer. The full bar assembly is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . As shown, it is attached to a pair of side mounts  610 ,  611  to be mounted to a vertical cabinet side wall. The preferred bar in the bar assembly is configured as a telescoping tube comprised of a first small tube  620  telescopically received within a second larger tube  630 . The large tube is configured with a plurality of holes  640 , positioned and configured lengthwise along the tube to enable a selector button  650  extending from the small tube to extend through a selected one of the holes  640  to thereby control the length L 1  of the combined large and small tubes together. Thus, by repositioning the selector button in a desired hole  640 , the length L 1  can be increased or decreased. Accordingly, the cabinet drawer can be firmly mounted in a cabinet of a variety of widths by adjusting the length L 1  of the tube. 
     In alternate versions, the bar assembly may be configured differently, but preferably in a manner that allows it to be adjustably lengthened or shortened. Thus, the bar assembly may have internal threads or use other features to allow the length to be adjusted. 
     As seen in  FIG. 6 , the bar assembly terminates on a first side with a first end cap  660  attached to the end of the small tube in the preferred embodiment. In the illustrated example, the end cap has a circular perimeter and forms a planar surface perpendicular to a long axis extending along the length of the bar (or tube assembly). At the opposite side, the bar assembly terminates in a second end cap which is preferably a spring cap  670 , and which also has a circular perimeter. The spring cap is configured to allow for resilient adjustment of the end cap, and to provide a spring-loaded force of the bar assembly within the pair of side mounts. 
     The spring cap is shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 7 , and in the preferred embodiment as illustrated it includes a spring housing  680  which receives and retains a coil spring  672 . The coil spring is trapped between one end of the spring housing  680  and an interior surface of an end cap  674 . The end cap  674  is either integrally formed with, or may be attached to an outer large tube sleeve  673 . Thus, in the illustrated example the end cap has a plurality of feet  676  which extend through holes  675  in the large tube sleeve to attach the two components together. When assembled, the large tube sleeve surrounds the spring housing and may be attached to the spring housing using an adhesive, sonic welding, friction fit, snap fit, or other means. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the spring housing  680  includes an interior barrel  681  sized and configured to receive the spring. An opening  682  on a first side of the spring housing allows for the insertion or removal of the spring. Preferably the spring is sized so that a portion of the spring (when in its relaxed state) extends fully into the barrel and rests against the end wall of the barrel while a portion of the spring extends outward and beyond the opening so that it can engage the end cap as discussed above. 
     As seen in  FIG. 10 , the button  650  is mounted on a V-spring  651  having a first upright  652  and a second upright  653 . The V-spring is inserted into the small tube  620  so that the button  640  extends through the hole  621  formed in the small tube (see  FIG. 11 ), with the uprights of the V-spring compressed toward one another to urge the button through the hole in the small tube and to engage the interior sidewalls of the tube to retain the V-spring within the tube. 
     A preferred side mount is shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , and in a preferred version the side mounts may be formed to be identical to one another and interchangeable; in other preferred versions they are a mirror image of one another. Thus, in  FIGS. 12 and 13  only a single side mount  610  is shown for simplicity. In yet other versions a first side mount may be somewhat different from the opposing second side mount, such as by changing the size or positioning of a mounting feature. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a first side or face  615  of the preferred side mount, and in the illustrated example the first face is planar and covered with an adhesive. During manufacture, a paper backing  618  may cover the adhesive (as illustrated, the adhesive is covered by the paper backing  618  and not visible) provided on the first face, in order to protect it until ready for installation. At the time of installation, the paper backing is removed so that the side mount  610  may be adhesively attached to the cabinet sidewall as shown and described above. 
     The opposing face  616  of the side mount  610  is shown in  FIG. 13 . In the illustrated example, the second face (that is, the opposing side) is also planar and includes a mounting structure or feature  617  that is sized and configured to receive a mating portion of the bar assembly. Most preferably, the mounting feature is an annular rib which extends outward from the second face of the side mount, sized and shaped to receive the circular spring cap or end cap. Thus, as seen for example in  FIG. 5 , the small tube and small end cap is received within a first annular raised surface of a side mount, while the spring cap is received within a second annular raised surface of a second side mount. 
     In order to form a bar assembly (or tube assembly) of the appropriate length for a particular cabinet, a user depresses the button  650  extending through a hole  640  in the large tube, then telescopically extends or contracts the assembly to increase or decrease its axial length as desired. The button then extends through a different selected one of the holes to lock the bar assembly in position. Most preferably, the bar assembly will then have a length that is greater than the length between the opposing cabinet sidewalls, so that the bar assembly must be compressed to actually fit within the side mounts. In order to insert the bar assembly, the spring  672  within the spring cap must therefore compress somewhat in order to fully accommodate the bar assembly. This compression provides an additional force, helping to ensure that the bar assembly is firmly mounted within the cabinet. To best achieve a snug and firm fit regardless of cabinet size, the spring and spring cap are preferably configured so that the distance through which the spring cap can compress is approximately the same as (or somewhat greater than) the distance between adjacent holes  640  formed in the large tube. 
       FIG. 14  is a bottom plan view which illustrates a bar assembly  600  interacting with a rear bracket assembly  500 , so that the bar assembly retains the rear bracket assembly and therefore the cabinet drawer. In the illustrated example, as seen in  FIGS. 14-16 , the rear bracket assembly includes a horizontal rear bracket  510  having one or more feet  520 ,  530 , and an opposing pair of vertical side braces  511 ,  512 . As described above and seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , the rear vertical side braces and complementary front vertical side braces  411 ,  412  support the side rail assemblies. In the preferred example, two such feet are shown, each of which is configured to rest on a cabinet floor or shelf to support the cabinet drawer within the cabinet. 
     The rear bracket assembly is shown in a side elevational view in  FIG. 15 , in which one of the feet  530  is visible, and further in a top perspective view of  FIG. 16 . As shown, the foot preferably includes a planar portion  540  resting below the rear bracket  510 , and a hook portion  550  extending outward from the planar portion. Most preferably, the hook portion extends beyond the rear bracket  510 , as shown, and is curved upward, away from a plane A-A representing a cabinet floor or shelf, parallel to the planar portion  540  of the foot  530 , and extending toward the rear bracket  510 . 
     When mounted within a cabinet, the side mounts (e.g.,  610 ) are placed within the cabinet so that a lower end  619  is resting atop the cabinet (or shelf) floor, which is represented by plane A-A in  FIGS. 12 and 13  and also in  FIG. 15 .  FIG. 17  also illustrates the cabinet drawer mounted within a cabinet, and in this instance it is seen from the rear elevational view. The annular mounting ring  617  is positioned close to the cabinet floor, as best seen in  FIG. 13 . The diameter of the small tube end cap  660 , and the diameter of the spring cap  670  are each larger than that of the small tube  620  and large tube  630 . Accordingly, a combination of the position of the annular mounting ring and the relative sizes of the tubes and end caps serves to create a small gap (indicated by arrow  710  in  FIGS. 17 and 18 ) between the cabinet floor or shelf  701  (which also corresponds to the plane A-A above) and the bar assembly or tubes, e.g.,  620 ,  630 . The gap is preferably sized to be large enough to allow the hook ends  550  of the feet  540  formed on the rear bracket to slide under the bar assembly, but only when the front end of the bracket assembly is pivoted upward. 
     In accordance with a preferred version of the invention, the curved end  550  of the feet  540  extends upward to a height H 1  above the planar portion  540  to a height H 1  as indicated in  FIG. 15 . The height H 1  is designed to be greater than the distance of the gap between the cabinet floor  701  and the lower end of the bar assembly, or more particularly the lower end of the large tube  630 . As illustrated in the close-up detail of  FIG. 18 , corresponding to detail  18  indicated in  FIG. 17 , the gap  710  is defined by a height H 2  as described above, in which H 2  extends from the top surface of the cabinet floor or shelf  701  and the lower surface of the bar assembly, such as the large tube  630 . Thus, in the preferred version the height H 2  is less than the height H 1  so that the hook will abut and be impeded by the bar assembly when the shelf or basket  200  is pulled outward from the cabinet in a direction that follows a plane parallel to the cabinet floor. In order to insert or remove the entire assembly, the assembly must be pivoted to allow the hooks to be positioned past the bar assembly. In some versions of the invention, the feet or bracket assemblies (or both) may have resilient materials, such as non-skid supports  501 ,  502 ,  503 ,  504  illustrated in  FIG. 19 , attached to them on lower surfaces, to further aid in providing frictional resistance against the bracket assemblies from sliding out of the cabinet. 
     The preferred version of the invention as illustrated and described includes a bar assembly that spans a pair of opposing cabinet sidewalls, with a hook positioned on a cabinet drawer bracket assembly so that the hook can engage the bar assembly. It should be appreciated that the hook could be configured differently, for example to engage the upper surface of the bar assembly rather than the lower surface of the bar assembly. In one such version, for example, the feet  530  may be inverted and mounted atop the rear bracket  510  rather than beneath it. 
     In yet other versions of the invention, the hook is carried on the bar assembly and engages a surface on the bracket assembly, such as the rear bracket  500 . Such implementations may be, for example, a reversed implementation of the versions described above, so that the feet (or other hook) are attached to the bar assembly and then engage the bracket assembly, rather than the other way around. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.