Patent Publication Number: US-2007103042-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for installing a sliding drawer within a cabinet

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an apparatus suitable for storing articles, and in particular to a sliding drawer apparatus of the type suitable for use within storage cabinets.  
     RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      None.  
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      None.  
     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 makes it time consuming and difficult for installing or retrofitting an existing cabinet with sliding drawers. Second, this technique cannot be used in cabinets that are not “square” (e.g., cabinets wherein the sides are not oriented at ninety degree angles with respect to the front and back sides). Third, even if the cabinets have the requisite shape and style, this technique produces many permanent alterations in the cabinet. Fourth, the materials utilized in the sidewalls are often not sized or construed to provide the stability to function as the support.  
      Therefore, there is a need for a new and improved sliding drawer installation method and apparatus 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 INVENTION  
      The present invention proposes a novel solution for supporting sliding drawers while solving many of the above described problems. Since the preferred apparatus relies, at least in part, 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 and shape. Moreover, this apparatus leaves fewer marking on the sidewalls of the cabinet and can be easily incorporated into new or preexisting cabinets.  
      In a preferred embodiment of an apparatus constructed in accordance to the principles of the present invention, the sliding drawer apparatus comprises a pair of opposing vertical support members or columns, a pair of opposing horizontal stability members attached about the ends of the vertical support members, and one or more sliding drawers. One of the horizontal stability members is attached to the storage cabinet floor (or such other horizontal base/platform located within a storage cabinet). Attached to the sliding drawer(s) are runners extending from the vertical support members.  
      Other embodiments, systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be, or will become, apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages included within this description be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The invention may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a storage cabinet with an apparatus in accordance with the present invention installed therein;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  coupled about the opening to the cabinet;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  in a freestanding upright position and before installation within the cabinet; and,  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of  FIG. 3  coupled about the opening of yet another embodiment of a cabinet. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DETAILED EMBODIMENTS  
      The following descriptions of detailed embodiments are for exemplifying the principles and advantages of the inventions claimed herein. They are not to be taken in any way as limitations on the scope of the inventions.  
      The principles of this invention apply particularly well to constructing sliding 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 “face frame” or “frameless” 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  FIG. 1 , the present invention is a sliding drawer support apparatus  10  that may be installed within the cabinet  12  of virtually any size and shape. It will become apparent upon further review of the specification and drawings that the apparatus  10  does not rely solely on the backwall  14  and sidewalls  16  of the cabinet  12  for support. Therefore, the cabinet materials, material strength, thickness, and whether the walls are square can be, in some cases, effectively ignored while installing and utilizing the apparatus  10  within the cabinet.  
      The apparatus  10  includes a frame  19  that is generally rectangular in shape (including a square shape) and can support one or more drawers  18 , depending in part on the size of the cabinet  12  and the size of the desired drawers. Similarly, one cabinet  12  can have multiple apparatuses  10  in a side-by-side configuration or a spaced apart configuration, contained in the cabinet  12 .  
      The apparatus  10  is comprised of one pair of vertical support members or columns  20 . These support members  20  are preferably mirror images of one another. Each support member  20  preferably comprises a single elongated board  22  of wood, wood composites, laminates, plastic, metal, or any combination thereof.  
      Additionally, each of the support members  20  has an inner planar surface  21  with a plurality of alignment apertures or pilot holes  24  that can extend partially or completely through the board  22  as shown in  FIG. 3 . If the alignment apertures only extend partially through the boards  22 , then it is desired that the openings to the apertures inwardly face each other on each of the opposing boards.  
      Preferably, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the apertures  24  on each board  22  form a pair of parallel lines  26  wherein each line comprises a plurality of equal distantly spaced apart apertures. In an embodiment, the lines  26  are spaced apart from each other and parallel to the centerline of the board. Further, it is desired that an aperture from each line  26  forms a corresponding pair of apertures that are in horizontal alignment with each other and thus perpendicular to the centerline of the board  26 . Thus, the apparatus within each board  22  forms a grid pattern.  
      Attached to the vertical support members  20  are sliding channels, or horizontal runners  28  to engage rails/protrusions  30  fixed to the drawer  18  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Preferably each runner  28  is connected to a vertical support member  20  using screws, rivets, nails, bolts or other conventional means that are installed through holes in the runner and into a pair of apertures  24  in the support member. Preferably, the runners  28  extend perpendicular to the centerline of the vertical support member when they are attached together.  
      Preferably, the runners  28  are adapted to receive rotatable wheels (not shown) located on the rear end of the drawer  18  and further include a wheel  32  affixed to the front end of the runner  28  on which the drawer protrusion rides. The runners  28  used in the sliding drawer apparatus  10  are well know in the art and so will not be described further herein. In an 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 if the width desired and the color; e.g., 18AL designates 18 inches long and almond). Alternatively, the horizontal runners are channel guides manufactured by Houck Industries, Inc., of Greensburg, Ind., having a model designations of M&amp;S 950C450 or M&amp;S 950C550.  
      Preferably, a pair of runners  28  are in spaced parallel relationship to each other and lie within a plane that is perpendicular to the vertical support members  20 . Accordingly, when a drawer  18  is mounted on the pair of runners  28 , the drawer is between and perpendicular to the vertical support members  20 .  
      Each vertical column  20  and connected runner  28  generally lies within the same plane. Accordingly, the drawers  18  extend at generally a right angle with respect to the plane formed by the columns  20  and within the plane formed by the runners  28 .  
      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  12 . Therefore, top and bottom are relative to the floor/base  13  of the cabinet  12 , while front and back are relative to the door  15  and backwall  14 , respectively (i.e., the back is the portion of the apparatus which is closest to the rear cabinet wall  14 ).  
      In an embodiment, horizontal stability members  34  connect about the ends of the two vertical support members  20  and maintain the support members in spaced parallel relationship to each other. Stated another way, the horizontal stability members  34  assure that the vertical support members  20  remain at a constant parallel distance apart from each other. Each horizontal member  34  preferably comprises a single elongated board  36  of wood, wood composites, laminates, plastic, metal, or any combination thereof. As those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, there is no requirement that the horizontal members  34  and the vertical support members  20  be constructed of the same material.  
      Preferably, the horizontal stability members  34  are positioned in parallel spaced relationship to each other and perpendicular to the vertical support members  20 . The horizontal members  34  can be connected to the vertical support members  20  by a conventional L-bracket attached to both members  34 , 20  by-fasteners such as screws. Alternatively, the horizontal members  34  can be attached to the vertical support members  20  by other means such as, but not limited to, glue, nails, rivets, bolts or other conventional means. In yet another embodiment, the horizontal members  34  can be connected to the vertical support members  20  by using ready to assembly fittings or fasteners such as Rafix fittings and bolts as available from, for example, Hafele America Co., Archdale, N.C., under part numbers 263.10.703 and 263.20.847, respectively. As used herein, the frame  19  of the apparatus  10  consists of the horizontal members  34  and attached vertical members  20 .  
      If desired, the ends of the both the horizontal stability members  34  and the vertical support members  20  can be beveled so they abut each other without having a gap therebetween. Alternatively, the ends of the horizontal stability members  34  or vertical support members  20  can abut against the planar surface of the corresponding vertical or horizontal member.  
      The preferred embodiment of the apparatus  10  includes no more than two vertical columns  20 . As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the columns  20  can be situated in any particular part of the cabinet  12  so that the drawers  18  can slide between the vertical support members  20 . The position of the vertical support members  20  within the cabinet  12  is fixed by securing the bottom horizontal stability member  34  to the floor  13  of the cabinet by using conventional fasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets, etc. Accordingly, the bottom vertical support member  34  can include two or more holes which allow screws or the like to be used in fastening the apparatus  10  to the base  13  of the cabinet  12 . However, nails, glue, and other fastening means could similarly be used to attach the bottom member  34  to the floor  13 , as is well known in the art.  
      Preferably, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the bottom horizontal member  34  is of sufficient dimension whereby the apparatus  10  is freestanding in an upright position when placed on a level planar surface, and before the apparatus is attached to the cabinet floor  13  and the drawers  18  are installed. This freestanding feature provides for ease in installation within a cabinet because, during installation, the installer typically does not need to support the apparatus to keep it from tipping over.  
      As shown in  FIG. 2  and  4 , it is preferred that the runners  28  be attached to the cabinet  12  about the opening  17  thereto, which can be covered by door  15 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the runners  28 , about their respective distal ends  37 , can be attached to the cabinet  12  via a conventional spacer  38  made of plastic, wood, metal, or other conventional material. Preferably, the spacer  38  is attached to the cabinet by conventional means such as by using screws, bolts, rivets, nails, glue or other means known in the art. Likewise, the runner  28  is attached to the spacer  38  by conventional means such as by using screws, bolts, rivets, nails, glue or other means known in the art.  
      As shown in  FIG. 4 , the spacer can be omitted whereby the runners  28 , about their respective distal ends  37 , are attached directly to the cabinet  12  about the opening  17  thereto. Accordingly, the runners  28  can be attached to the cabinet by conventional means such as by using screws, bolts, rivets, nails, glue or other means known in the art.  
      When installing the apparatus  10  within an existing cabinet  12 , any preexisting shelves or drawers within the cabinet are removed. The proper length of the vertical members  20  and horizontal members  34  should be determined to ensure that the apparatus  10  will fit within the cabinet opening  17  and the drawers will slide through the opening once the apparatus is installed within the cabinet  12 . Alternatively, the frame  19  to the apparatus  10  can be assembly within the cabinet  12 . In addition, the proper length of the drawer  18  should be determined to ensure that the drawer will fit within the cabinet  12  and allow the cabinet door  15  to close.  
      Next, the assembly comprising the vertical members  20  attached to the horizontal members  34  is placed within the cabinet  12 . The appropriately sized runners  28  are then positioned to locate the desired location of the drawer(s). Once the runners  28  are positioned, the locations are marked for attachment of the runners to the vertical support members  20  and the cabinet  12  about the opening.  
      Next, the bottom horizontal member  34  is attached to the cabinet floor  13  and the runners are attached to the vertical support members  20  and the cabinet  12  about opening  17 . Then, the drawers  18  are coupled to the runners. As will be appreciated, preferably the drawers  18  are slidable out through the opened cabinet door  15 , but can be retracted to allow the door to close over the cabinet opening  17 . As will be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art, the drawers  18  can be constructed of, for example, wood, wood composites, laminates, plastic, metal, or any combination thereof.  
      It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present invention, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, are possible examples of implementations merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the invention without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention, and protected by the following claims.