Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6817686?ie=ISO-8859-1
Timestamp: 2015-05-23 17:10:32
Document Index: 439976648

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 99305264', 'art 27', 'art 29', 'art 29', 'art 29', 'arts 27', 'arts 29', 'art 29', 'arts 29']

Patent US6817686 - Drawer with drawer slide quick-release mechanism - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA drawer and drawer slide combination which incorporates a spring clip for providing a quick-release mechanism between the drawer (1) and drawer slide (17) is disclosed. Thd spring clip (25) is secured to an inner slide member (19) of the drawer slide (17) and is formed of a spring material and has an...http://www.google.com/patents/US6817686?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6817686 - Drawer with drawer slide quick-release mechanismAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6817686 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/110,097PCT numberPCT/GB2000/003885Publication dateNov 16, 2004Filing dateOct 9, 2000Priority dateOct 7, 1999Fee statusLapsedAlso published asCA2386370A1, CA2386370C, DE60007166D1, DE60007166T2, EP1223833A1, EP1223833B1, WO2001024661A1Publication number10110097, 110097, PCT/2000/3885, PCT/GB/0/003885, PCT/GB/0/03885, PCT/GB/2000/003885, PCT/GB/2000/03885, PCT/GB0/003885, PCT/GB0/03885, PCT/GB0003885, PCT/GB003885, PCT/GB2000/003885, PCT/GB2000/03885, PCT/GB2000003885, PCT/GB200003885, US 6817686 B1, US 6817686B1, US-B1-6817686, US6817686 B1, US6817686B1InventorsJohn Henry WhittleseaOriginal AssigneeAccuride International LimitedExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (12), Classifications (6), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetDrawer with drawer slide quick-release mechanism
US 6817686 B1Abstract
A drawer and drawer slide combination which incorporates a spring clip for providing a quick-release mechanism between the drawer (1) and drawer slide (17) is disclosed. Thd spring clip (25) is secured to an inner slide member (19) of the drawer slide (17) and is formed of a spring material and has an inwardly extending latching projection (29) which engages with a vertically extending latching surface (13) provided in a recess (11) at the front side edge of the drawer, said recess (11) being provided by securing a drawer front (7) to the front of the drawer (1) in spaced relationship thereto. In order to provide vertical latching between the drawer and drawer slide, apertures (15) are provided in the rear face of drawer front (7) which are engaged by locating tongues (23) projecting from the front edge of the inner member (19) of the drawer slide.
What is claimed is: 1. A drawer and drawer slide combination incorporating a quick-release mechanism between the drawer slide and drawer, the combination comprising a drawer, at least one drawer slide comprising at least two slide members slidable relative to one another, an external one of said members being connectable to a framework and an inner one of said members being connectable to the drawer and a clip having a fixing part adapted to be connected to one of the inner slide member and the drawer, and a latching part having a projection thereon adapted to engage a recess having a latching surface extending normal to the sliding directions of the drawer, said recess being located in the other of the inner slide member and the drawer, the latching part being moveable between a first position in which the projection engages with the recess to connect the drawer to the inner slide member and a second position in which it is disengaged from the recess to allow disconnection of the drawer from the inner slide member, and wherein at least one locating tongue extends from one of a front end of the inner slide member and a front of the drawer and engages within an aperture in the other of the inner slide member and front of the drawer to provide vertical latching and horizontal latching transverse to sliding directions of the drawer, between the drawer and inner slide member.
2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one locating tongue is located on a front edge of the inner slide member and engages within an aperture provided in a rear face of the drawer front.
3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the drawer front is secured to a front of the drawer such that it is spaced a short distance from the front of the drawer, thus leaving a space between the front of the drawer and the rear of the drawer front at each side edge of the drawer, which spaces provide recesses on each side of the drawer with which a projection on a clip provided on each side of the drawer engages.
4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 including means on or able to act on the latching part to enable the part to be moved between its first and second positions.
5. The combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein two vertically spaced locating tongues are provided on the front edge of the inner slide member, each engaging in one of a pair of co-operating, vertically spaced, apertures in a rear face of the drawer front.
6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 wherein the drawer front is secured to a front of the drawer such that it is spaced a short distance from the front of the drawer, thus leaving a space between the front of the drawer and the rear of the drawer front at each side edge of the drawer, which spaces provide recesses on each side of the drawer with which a projection on a clip provided on each side of the drawer engages.
7. The combination as claimed in claim 2 including means on or able to act on the latching part to enable the part to be moved between its first and second positions.
8. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein two vertically spaced locating tongues are provided on the front edge of the inner slide member, each engaging in one of a pair of co-operating, vertically spaced, apertures in a rear face of the drawer front.
9. The combination as claimed in claim 8 wherein the drawer front is secured to a front of the drawer such that it is spaced a short distance from the front of the drawer, thus leaving a space between the front of the drawer and the rear of the drawer front at each side edge of the drawer, which spaces provide recesses on each side of the drawer with which a projection on a clip provided on each side of the drawer engages.
10. The combination as claimed in claim 8 including means on or able to act on the latching part to enable the part to be moved between its first and second positions.
11. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the spring clip is of molded construction.
12. The combination as claimed in claim 11, wherein the clip is formed of resilient plastic material.
13. The combination as claimed in claim 1 including means on or able to act on the latching part to enable the part to be moved between its first and second positions.
14. A slide assembly for a drawer comprising:
at least two slide members slidable relative to one another, an external one of said members being connectable to a framework and an inner one of said members being connectable to a drawer; a clip having a fixing part adapted to be connected to one of the inner slide member and a drawer, and a latching part having a projection thereon adapted to engage a recess having the latching surface extending normal to the sliding directions of a drawer, said recess being located in the other of the inner slide member and a drawer, the latching part being moveable between the first position in which the projection engages with the recess to connect the drawer to the inner slide member and a second position in which it is disengaged from the recess to allow disconnection of the drawer from the inner slide member; and wherein at least one locating tongue extends from one of a front end of the inner slide member and a front of the drawer and engages within an aperture in the other of the inner slide member and front of the drawer to provide vertical latching and horizontal latching transverse to sliding directions of the drawer, between the drawer and inner slide member. 15. A slide assembly for a drawer comprising:
at least two slide members; at least one locating tongue extending from one of: a front end of one of the slide members and a front of a drawer, and engaged within an aperture in the other of the one of the slide members and front of the drawer, to provide vertical latching and horizontal latching transverse to sliding directions of the drawer, between the drawer and respective slide member; and a clip having a fixing part adapted to be connected to one of the slide members and the drawer, and a latching part having a projection thereon adapted to engage a recess having a latching surface extending normal to the sliding directions of the drawer, said recess being located in the other of the respective slide member and the drawer, the latching part being moveable between a first position in which the projection engages with the recess to connect the drawer to the respective slide member and a second position in which the projection is disengaged from the recess to allow disconnection of the drawer from the respective slide member. 16. A slide assembly for a drawer comprising:
a clip having a fixing part adapted to be connected to one of a slide member and a drawer, and a latching part having a projection thereon adapted to engage a recess having a latching surface extending normal to the sliding directions of the drawer, said recess being located in the other of the slide member and the drawer, the latching part being moveable between a first position in which the projection engages with the recess to connect the drawer to the slide member and a second position in which the projection is disengaged from the recess to allow disconnection of the drawer from the slide member; and at least one locating tongue extending from one of a front end of the slide member and a front of the drawer and engaged within an aperture in the other of the slide member and front of the drawer to provide vertical latching and horizontal latching transverse to sliding directions of the drawer, between the drawer and slide member.
This invention relates to a drawer and drawer slide incorporating a quick-release mechanism between the drawer slide and the drawer.
Nowadays, office furniture and the like which incorporates one or more drawers normally has each drawer mounted within a frame by means of a pair of drawer slides so as to reduce friction and hence, wear between the drawer and the frame. Drawer slides are well known and comprise at least two longitudinally extending members, slidable relative to one another, there usually being a plurality of ball bearings arranged between the two relatively slidable members, one of which is secured to the frame and the other to the drawer. It is preferred that some form of releasable coupling is provided so that the drawer can simply be removed from the frame and furthermore, so that the drawers are easily assembled within the frame.
A quick-release connecting clip of the above type is known in which a deformed spring steel clip has one end connected by riveting to the slide, and the other, kinked end terminates in a step so as to provide a projecting nose engageable within an aperture in the side wall of the drawer. This aperture in the side wall is spaced somewhat rearwardly from 20 the front of the side wall. This construction of connecting clip suffers from the disadvantage that it is made of spring steel and has to be pre-connected to the slide. Furthermore, because of the construction of the clip, it is possible for the clip to become disengaged from the aperture within the side wall of the drawer when, for example, the drawer is opened quickly and reaches the end of its travel. If the drawer is full of papers, it will be extremely heavy and substantial forces will be borne by the clip, which can cause the clip to deform and become disengaged from the drawer.
In another known arrangement, two clips are provided, one being located between the drawer front and front of the drawer slide to provide a vertical latch, and one between the 30 top of the slide and the drawer to provide a fore and aft latch. Such a double clip arrangement has its obvious disadvantages.
In our European Patent Application No. 99305264.6, we disclose a quick release connection in which a clip having a projection thereon is biased into engagement with an aperture so that the projection provides both fore-and-aft and vertical latching between the drawer and an inner slide member of one (or both) of the drawer slides.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved design of drawer slide and drawer, with a quick-release mechanism between the drawer slide and drawer, which is very simple to manufacture and fit, and is thus inexpensive.
According to the present invention, we provide a drawer and drawer slide combination incorporating a quick-release mechanism between the drawer slide and drawer, the combination comprising a drawer, at least one drawer slide comprising at least two slide members slidable relative to one another, an external one of said members being connectable to a framework and an inner one of said members being connectable to the drawer and a clip having a fixing part by means of which it may be connected to one of the inner slide member and the drawer, and a latching part having a projection thereon for engagement with a recess having a latching surface extending normal to the sliding directions of the drawer, said recess being located in the other of the inner slide member and the drawer, the latching part being moveable between a first position in which the projection engages with the recess to connect the drawer to the inner slide member and a second position in which it is disengaged from the recess to allow disconnection of the drawer from the inner slide member, and wherein at least one locating tongue extends between a front end of the inner slide member and a front of the drawer and engages within an aperture in that one of the inner slide member and front of the drawer from which the at least one locating tongue does not project, to provide vertical latching and horizontal latching transverse to the sliding directions of the drawer, between the drawer and the inner slide member.
Preferably, the at least one locating tongue is located on a front edge of the inner slide member and engages within an aperture provided in a rear face of a drawer front. More preferably, two vertically spaced locating tongues are provided on the front edge of the inner slide member, each engaging in one of a pair of co-operating, vertically spaced apertures in a rear face of the drawer front.
Preferably, the drawer front is secured to a front of the drawer such that it is spaced a short distance from the front of the drawer, thus leaving a space between the front of the drawer and the rear of the drawer front, at each side edge of the drawer slide, which spaces provide recesses on each side of the drawer, with which a projection on a clip provided on each side of the drawer engages.
Preferably, there are means on or able to act on the latching part to enable the part to be moved between its first and second positions.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front corner of a drawer having a drawer front (but no drawer slide);
FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the drawer slide in position and disconnected from the drawer (with part of the slide broken away);
FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing the slide connected to the drawer; and
FIG. 4 is a partly schematic plan view, showing how the drawer is connected to the drawer slide.
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a drawer 1, which may be formed of steel, plastics or other material, has a side wall 3 and a front wall 5. A drawer front 7 is connected to the front wall 5, in spaced relationship thereto, by a spacer member 9, the width of which is somewhat less than that of the drawer, so as to leave a recess 11 at the front of the drawer, at each side thereof. A front face of the drawer defines a vertical latching surface 13 in 15 said recess 11. Two apertures 15 are provided in the rear face of the drawer front 7.
As can be seen from FIG. 2, the drawer 1 is designed for use within a carcase or framework, e.g. of a desk (not shown) and is located for sliding movement therein by a drawer slide 17 located on each side of the drawer 1. As is well known in the art, a drawer slide has two or three relatively slidable drawer slide members, the drawer slide in FIG. 2 having only an inner drawer slide member 19 connected to the side wall 3 of the drawer, and an outer drawer slide member 21, for connection to the carcase or framework (not shown). When the drawer 1 and drawer-slide 17 are assembled together, they are held in close side-by-side relationship by virtue of a tongue on the rear end of the drawer slide 17 engaging in an aperture provided in the rear of the drawer, and by means of two projecting locating tongues 23 on the front of the inner slide member 19 engaging in the apertures 15 in the drawer front 7. Not only do these tongues 23 hold the slide 17 against lateral movement away from the drawer 1, they also prevent relative vertical movement between the two.
In order to provide fore-and-aft latching between the drawer slide 17 and the drawer 1, a spring clip 25 is connected to the inner slide member 19. This clip may be generally of the construction disclosed in the specification of our co-pending European Patent No. 99305264.6 with a fixing part by means of which it is connected to the slide member 19, a depending part 27 and a latching part 29 for engagement within the recess 11. The clip is designed so that when in a position of rest, the latching part 29, which is in the form of a projection on the inner face of the clip, will engage the latching surface of the recess 11, and by virtue of the clip's connection, via its fixing part, to the slide member 17, the drawer 1 will be held in latching engagement with the drawer slide 17.
To assemble a drawer 1 with the drawer slide 17 and connect the two together, the spring clip 25 is first of all located within and attached to the slide member 19 of the drawer slide 17, e.g. as disclosed in our said earlier European patent application. In practice, there will, of course, be two drawer slides, one for each side of the drawer with the respective slide members 17 facing one another and each will be provided with a spring clip 25 having its projection or latching part 29 extending inwardly so as to project beyond the inside face of the slide. A drawer 1 is then placed over the two drawer slides and the front of the drawer 15is then connected to the drawer slides by pushing the drawer downwards relative to the drawer slides and holding the two spring clips, by applying outward pressure to the depending parts 27 to hold the latching parts out of the way. When the drawer 1 is correctly located between the two slides 17, the two inner slide members 19 are moved forwardly so as to engage the locating tongues 23 in the respective apertures 15 in the 20 drawer front 7, whereupon the spring clips 25 can be released to allow their latching parts 29 to engage within the recesses 11. Then the rear end of the drawer can be attached to the slides by causing the tongues on the rear of the slides to engage in the apertures provided for the purpose in the rear of the drawer. Once so engaged, it is important that the front end of each drawer slide is held closely alongside the side walls of the drawer 1 because, 25 when the drawer is opened and is full, and the drawer slide reaches the forward most part of its extension capability, the momentum of a full drawer has to be absorbed almost completely by the spring clips 25. If the slide member 19 of each drawer slide is held closely adjacent its respective drawer side wall, there is virtually no twisting of drawer 1 relative to slide member 19 and this means that the forces acting on the spring clips due to 30 the momentum of a full drawer are taken almost completely as shear forces. This means that the spring clips can be moulded from plastics material which is strong in shear, but not in twisting.
The above-described quick-release mechanisms are located at the very front of the drawer and the drawer slides. This means that when it is desired to disconnect a drawer from its drawer slide, this is a very simple operation by the user applying finger pressure to the portion 27 on the lower end of the spring clip 25). This will move the clip against its spring bias, thus moving the projecting latching part 29 out of the recess in the side of the drawer, thus allowing the tongues 23 to be removed from the apertures 15 and allowing the drawer to be removed not only from its slide but also from the framework in which the whole mechanism is located.
It is an important feature of the present invention that the latching faces on the latching parts 29 and in the recesses 11 in the side walls of the drawer extend generally at right angles to the side walls of the drawer. This means that when a drawer is opened or closed and suddenly stopped, the forces between the drawer and its drawer slides are accommodated by these surfaces which are normal to the direction of movement of the drawer. This means that there is no twisting on the spring clips which would otherwise tend to cause them to become disengaged. This is a major advantage of the clips of the present invention over the first mentioned prior art clip described above.
Although the clips of the present invention are preferably of one piece construction and 20 moulded from plastics material, they could be formed of a springy metal and have alternative constructions, similar to the two piece construction disclosed in our said European patent application.
It will, of course, be understood that the present invention has been described above purely 25 by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.
For example, instead of the tongues 23 projecting forwardly from the slide members 19, and engaging in the apertures 11, the apertures could be replaced by rearwardly extending 30 projections on the drawer front which would engage within apertures in the front of the slide members 19.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5281021Oct 2, 1990Jan 25, 1994Julius Blum Gesellschaft M.B.H.Arrangement for removably mounting a drawer to pull-out rails of drawer guide assembliesUS5364181 *Oct 12, 1993Nov 15, 1994Grass AgFront adjustment for a panel with snap-on mechanism for a drawerUS5470143Mar 24, 1994Nov 28, 1995Steelcase Inc.Self-locking snap-on suspension unit for furniture cabinets and the likeUS5580139 *Jul 13, 1995Dec 3, 1996Alfit AktiengesellschaftDevice for fixing a drawer extension mechanismUS5785400 *Jan 16, 1997Jul 28, 1998Sauder Woodworking Co.Dual drawer slide assemblyUS5860718 *Mar 14, 1996Jan 19, 1999Julius Blum Gesellschaft M.B.H.Device for attaching the front panel of a drawer to the side walls of a drawerDE2839011A1Sep 7, 1978Mar 20, 1980Standard Praezision GmbhDetachable fastening for drawers on telescopic rails - has L=section holder with horizontal arm supporting drawer by engagement in recessesDE3347540A1 *Dec 30, 1983Jul 11, 1985Hettich Paul Gmbh & CoGuide for a sliding drawerDE3620450A1 *Jun 18, 1986Jan 8, 1987Blum Gmbh JuliusFrontblendenhalterung fuer schubladenDE9401169U1 *Jan 25, 1994Apr 7, 1994Blum Gmbh JuliusSchubladenbausatz f�r SchubladenEP0581325A2 *Dec 12, 1990Feb 2, 1994Julius Blum Gesellschaft m.b.H.Releasable retaining device for a drawer railGB2339143A Title not available* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification312/348.4, 312/330.1International ClassificationA47B88/04Cooperative ClassificationA47B2088/0433, A47B88/0422European ClassificationA47B88/04F1Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJan 8, 2013FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20121116Nov 16, 2012LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesJul 2, 2012REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedMay 15, 2008FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jun 19, 2002ASAssignmentOwner name: ACCURIDE INERNATIONAL LIMITED, UNITED KINGDOMFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WHITTLESEA, JOHN H.;REEL/FRAME:013018/0634Effective date: 20020530Owner name: ACCURIDE INERNATIONAL LIMITED BRACKMILLS INDUSTRIAFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WHITTLESEA, JOHN H. /AR;REEL/FRAME:013018/0634Owner name: ACCURIDE INERNATIONAL LIMITED BRACKMILLS INDUSTRIAFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WHITTLESEA, JOHN H. /AR;REEL/FRAME:013018/0634Effective date: 20020530RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services