Abstract:
A slidable unit for use. in modular shelving systems, which comprises a support structure, such as a drawer or platform, a glide frame and a pair of brackets. The glide frame is sized and shaped to receive the support structure. A pair of brackets slidably supports the glide frame, each bracket adapted for removable attachment to the shelving system. The slidable unit further includes a pair of glide members to hold the glide frame therebetween and a rail secured to each bracket, each rail sized and shaped to receive and support said glide members for gliding movement relative to the rail. A plurality of support flanges are disposed on the front and rear of the support structure, each support flange adapted to receive the glide frame, thereby supporting the drawer from the glide frame in a plurality of orientations.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a slidable unit, such as a drawer or platform, for use in modular shelving systems and, more particularly, for use in workstations formed using modular shelving systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Modular shelving systems, such as slotted standard or slatwall systems of the type used in offices, retail and pharmacy merchandise displays and the like, are well-known in the art. A variety of fixtures and accessories are available for use with such modular shelving systems, such as shelves, racks, hanger rods, storage and dispensing bins, and cabinets. Thus, entire retail store display areas, pharmacy storage and dispensing stations, and office workstations may be constructed using modular shelving systems. 
     However, the fixtures and accessories available for use with such modular shelving systems are typically static. Thus, modular shelving systems do not provide for common office furniture and workstation elements such as drawers, adjustable computer keyboard trays, or sliding platforms which may be used with other computer equipment or as a writing or work surface. 
     Thus, there is a need for a slidable unit adapted for use with modular shelving systems, such as slotted standard or slatwall systems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present invention which comprises a slidable unit for use in a shelving system. The slidable unit includes a support structure, and a glide frame sized and shaped to receive the support structure. A pair of brackets slidably supports the glide frame, each bracket adapted for removable attachment to the shelving system. The slidable unit further includes a pair of glide members to hold the glide frame therebetween and a rail secured to each bracket, each rail sized and shaped to receive and support said glide members for gliding movement relative to the rail. 
     The support structure may take the form of a drawer with front and rear supports to secure the drawer to the frame. The front and rear supports comprise a plurality of support flanges, each support flange adapted to receive the glide frame, thereby supporting the drawer from the glide frame in a plurality of orientations. In an alternative embodiment, the support structure may be a platform. 
     The slidable unit may be used with a shelving system comprising a pair of upright standards spaced apart from one another, each standard having a plurality of apertures running along a front surface thereof. Each bracket has at least one tab adapted to removably engage the apertures to support said bracket on said standard. In an alternative embodiment, the slidable unit may be used in a slatwall system, each bracket having a flange adapted to removably engage the slatwall to support the bracket on the slatwall. In a further alternative embodiment, a brace may be attached between the brackets to prevent the brackets from swaying from side-to-side. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the slidable unit of the present invention, depicting the relationship between brackets, glide frame and drawer box. 
     FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the slidable unit of the present invention depicting the drawer box in a raised position. 
     FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the slidable unit of the present invention depicting the drawer box in a lowered position. 
     FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the slidable unit of the present invention depicting the drawer box in an angled position. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a rectangular bracket. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of brackets with a brace attached between the brackets. 
     FIG. 5 is a section view of a bracket mounted on a conventional slatwall system with an L-shaped mounting means. 
     FIG. 6 is a section view of a bracket mounted on an alternative slatwall system with a C-shaped mounting means. 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the inside of a bracket with an attached drawer glide. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the bracket with the attached drawer glide illustrated in FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of a glide frame. 
     FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the glide frame illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a section view of a drawer box. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sliding platform in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 13 depicts the slidable unit of the present invention as part of a workstation based on a free-standing, slotted standard system. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a slidable unit is described for use with modular shelving systems and the like. Modular shelving systems, such as those constructed from wall-mounted slotted standards or free-standing slatwall systems, for example, are well-known in the art. Typically, shelves or other fixtures used with such modular shelving systems are supported by brackets which have tabs or flanges compatible with a slotted standard or slatwall system. The brackets are adapted to be removably secured to the slotted standard or slatwall at different heights and locations to support the shelving or other fixtures in a variety of configurations. Because the configuration of such systems can readily be changed, these types of systems lend themselves to use in a variety of retail, pharmacy and office environments. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slidable unit  10  of the present invention comprises a right bracket  12  and slide  14 , a left bracket  16  and slide  18 , a glide frame  20 , and a support structure such as drawer box  22 . Right and left brackets  12  and  16 , slides  14  and  18 , glide frame  20  and drawer box  22  may be constructed of various materials, such as steel, wood, plastic, or a combination of such materials. 
     Brackets  12  and  16  are of conventional shape and may be tapered, as depicted in FIG. 1, or rectangular, as depicted in FIG.  3 . In a preferred embodiment, brackets  12  and  16  are at least as long as the depth of drawer box  22 . In an especially preferred embodiment, brackets  12  and  16  are approximately 24 inches long and are constructed of 13 gauge steel. 
     In the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a brace  23  is attached between right and left brackets  12  and  16 , to prevent the brackets from swaying from side-to-side. Brace  23  may be constructed from rectangular metal tubing, such as 16 gauge steel, and attached to brackets  12  and  16  by welding. It is presently preferred that brace  23  be approximately 1×2 inches in size and positioned as close to the ends of brackets  12  and  16  as possible, so as to maximize the length of brackets  12  and  16  available to support drawer box  22 . 
     However, in circumstances where slidable unit  10  is intended to support heavy loads, it may be more important to stabilize brackets  12  and  16  than to maximize the size of drawer box  22 . The ability of brace  23  to stabilize brackets  12  and  16  increases as brace  23  is positioned further away from the rear portion of brackets  12  and  16 . Accordingly, it may be desirable to position brace  23  closer to the front portion of brackets  12  and  16 , and shorten the length of drawer box  22 . 
     A mounting means  24 , shaped to engage a modular shelving system, is disposed at the rear of each bracket  12  and  16 . As illustrated in FIG. 3, mounting means  24  may take the form of a plurality of T-shaped and/or L-shaped tabs  24  that are compatible with conventional slotted wall standards. Tabs  24  are adapted to be removably received by the slots on a typical wall standard, to allow adjustment of brackets  12  and  16  at a variety of different heights. 
     In an alternative embodiment, mounting means  24  may be adapted for use in a conventional slatwall system, as shown in FIG.  5 . The slatwall system  100  comprises a series of boards  110  mounted on a wall or other support structure. A T-shaped groove  112  runs the length of each board  110 . Bracket  114  is supported on slatwall system  100  by mounting means  116 , which comprises a base plate  118  with an L-shaped flange  120 . Bracket  114  is attached to base plate  118 . L-shaped flange  120  is sized and shaped to fit within T-shaped groove  112  of boards  110 , by first inserting leg  122  of L-shaped flange  120  into the opening  126  of T-shaped groove  112 . Mounting means  116  (and thereby bracket  114 ) is then rotated 90 degrees to further insert leg  124  into T-shaped groove  112 , until base plate  118  rests on the surface of boards  110  and L-shaped flange  120  is captured within T-shaped groove  112 . 
     Mounting means  24  may also be adapted for use with variations of the slotted standard and slatwall systems, such as double slotted standards. FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative slatwall system, comprising a series of L-shaped slats  150  which form channels  152 . Each L-shaped slat  150  has a top wall  154  and a side wall  156 . Adjacent L-shaped slats  150  are spaced apart to form an opening of length “A” between each slat. 
     Bracket  158  is supported on L-shaped slats  150  by mounting means  160 , which comprises a base plate  162  with a C-shaped flange  164 . Bracket  158  is attached to base plate  160 . C-shaped flange  164  has a top wall  166  and a side wall  168 . Side wall  168  has a length which is shorter than length “A”, such that C-shaped flange  164  may be directly inserted into the opening between each L-shaped slat  150 . Bracket  158  is supported on L-shaped slats  150  by capturing L-shaped slat  150  within C-shaped flange  164 , such that side wall  168  rests in channel  152 , top wall  166  rests on top wall  154 , and base plate  160  rest on the surface of slats  150 . 
     In further alternative embodiments, mounting means  24  may be shaped to be compatible with other modular shelving systems that are well known in the art. Regardless of the type of modular system employed, the brackets  12 ,  16  are designed to be removably supported by the system in a variety of possible locations so that the resulting workstation or dispensing area can be configured to meet the needs of different environments. 
     As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, slides  14  and  18  are of a type well known in the art, and are commercially available from various manufacturers (e.g., Knape &amp; Vogt, Grand Rapids, Mich.). Each slide comprises a rail member  30  and a glide  26  supported on bearings  28  in rails  30 , such that each glide  26  slides freely within rail  30 . The rails  30  are formed from generally rectangular elongate members with upper and lower in-turned flange portions  31  to capture the glide  26 . Rails  30  are provided with a plurality of holes  32  to facilitate attachment of the rails  30  and, consequently, slides  14  and  18  to brackets  12  and  16 . In a preferred embodiment, slides  14  and  18  are 22 inches long (e.g. Knape &amp; Vogt#8405) 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, slides  14  and  18  are respectively attached along the length of interior sides  34  of brackets  12  and  16 , such that right bracket  12  and slide  14  is a mirror image of left bracket  16  and slide  18 . As shown in FIG. 3, brackets  12  and  16  are provided with holes  36 , at least some of which correspond to holes  32  in rails  30  of slides  14  and  18 . Slides  14  and  18  are attached to brackets  12  and  16  by securing rails  30  to brackets  12  and  16 , using rivets or screws (not shown) through corresponding holes  36  and holes  32 . 
     Slides  14  and  18  are similarly attached to glide frame  20 , as shown in FIGS. 1,  9  and  10 . Glide frame  20  comprises mirror image right and left sides  38  and  40 , and identical front and rear sides  42  and  44 . Right and left sides  38  and  40  are provided with a plurality of holes  46 , at least some of which correspond to holes  32  in glide  26  of slides  14  and  18 . Slides  14  and  18  are respectively attached to right and left sides  38  and  40  of glide frame  20  by securing glides  26  to right and left sides  38  and  40 , using rivets or screws (not shown) through corresponding holes  32  and holes  46 . Thus, glide frame  20  may be extended or retracted on slides  14  and  18 , relative to brackets  12  and  16 , by means of the movable glides  26 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, left and right sides  38  and  40  are approximately the same length as slides  14  and  18 . The length of front and rear sides  42  and  44  is approximately 22.5 inches, such that when slidable unit  10  is fully assembled, brackets  12  and  16  are spaced approximately 24 inches apart. It is further preferred that left and right sides  38  and  40  are made of 18 gauge steel and front and rear sides  42  and  44  are made of 16 gauge steel. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 1,  2  and  11 , a support structure, such as drawer box  22 , is supported by front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20 . Drawer box  22  has front and rear sides  48  and  50 , left and right sides  52  and  54 , and a bottom  56 . Front side  48  has a front and rear face  58  and  60 , and rear side  50  has a front and rear face  62  and  64 . In a preferred embodiment, the drawer box has a width and length of approximately 22.5 inches and a depth of approximately 5.5 inches 
     Front supports  66 ,  68  are formed as downward-opening channels which run the width of drawer box  22  and are respectively attached to the top and bottom of front side  48 . Front supports  66 ,  68  are shaped to receive. the upper edge of front side  42  of glide frame  20 . Similarly, rear supports  70  and  72  are respectively attached to rear side  50 . Each rear channel support  70 ,  72  is shaped to receive the upper edge of rear side  44  of glide frame  20 . 
     Supports  66 ,  68 ,  70  and  72  may take the form of C-shaped flanges, as best shown in FIG. 11, sized to receive the upper edges of front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20 . Furthermore, front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20  may be rounded or otherwise tapered to facilitate engagement with supports  66 ,  68 ,  70  and  72 . In a preferred embodiment, front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20  are cylindrical, as depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10, with a diameter of approximately 0.75 inches. 
     Supports  66 ,  68 ,  70  and  72  may be formed integrally with drawer box  22 , or may be formed separately and attached to drawer box  22 . FIG. 11 shows supports  66  and  70  formed integrally with drawer box  22 , by curling front and rear sides  48  and  50  back on themselves to form a C-shape. Support  72  is formed by attaching L-shaped flange  74  to rear side  50  of drawer box  22 , the combination of L-shaped flange  74  and rear side  50  forming a C-shape. Similarly, support  68  is formed by bending front end  76  of bottom  56  into an L-shape. The combination of L-shaped end  76  of bottom  56  attached to front side  48  forms a C-shape. Front ends  78  of left and right sides  54  are scalloped to allow support  66  to be accessible to the front end  42  of glide frame  20 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, supports  66 ,  68 ,  70  and  72  are disposed on the rear faces  60  and  64  of front and rear sides  48  and  50  of drawer box  22 . This arrangement hides supports  66 ,  68 ,  70  and  72  from the user&#39;s view and allows front faces  58  and  62  of front and rear sides  48  and  50  to present an uninterrupted appearance. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 2A-C, drawer box  22  may be placed in a variety of positions relative to brackets  12  and  16 , by alternately engaging the upper edge of the front side  42  of glide frame  20  in either support  58  or  60 , and the upper edge of the rear side  44  of glide frame  20  in either support  62  or  64 . When front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20  are respectively disposed in supports  66  and  70 , drawer box  22  is placed in a lowered position relative to brackets  12  and  16 , as depicted in FIG.  2 A. Alternatively, when front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20  are respectively disposed in supports  68  and  72 , drawer box  22  is placed in a raised position relative to brackets  12  and  16 , as depicted in FIG.  2 B. Finally, when front and rear sides  42  and  44  of glide frame  20  are respectively disposed in supports  66  and  72 , drawer box  22  is placed in an angled position relative to brackets  12  and  16 , as depicted in FIG.  2 C. Thus, by engaging the front and rear sides of glide frame  20  in the appropriate supports  66 ,  68 ,  70  and  72 , the user may adjust shelf drawer  10  to enhance the visibility of the drawer contents or adapt shelf drawer  10  to the available space. 
     The present invention may also be applied to other support structures, such as sliding platforms or work surfaces used, for example, with computer equipment, such as keyboards, printers or CPUs, where the user periodically requires access to the unit. FIG. 12 depicts a sliding platform  200 , in accordance with the present invention. Sliding platform  200  has a top surface  210 , a bottom surface  212 , a front side  214  and a rear side  216 . Top surface  210  extends beyond the front and rear sides of bottom surface  212 , and is bent toward bottom surface  212  to form C-shaped supports  218  and  220  for receiving the front and rear sides  222  and  224  of a glide frame  226 . In addition, the end of front side  214  of top surface  210  is curled to provide a grip  228  for the user. The glide frame  226  moves relative to and cooperates with left and right brackets  230  and  234  and slides  232  and  236  as described above in connection with drawer box  22 . That is, the platform  200  can slide relative to brackets  230 ,  234  in the same manner as drawer box  22  moves relative to brackets  12 ,  16 . 
     FIG. 13 illustrates the shelf drawer of the present invention as part of a workstation  300  based on a free-standing, slotted standard system. Shelf drawer  310  is supported on slotted standards  302  by brackets  312  and  316 , which have tabs (as shown in FIG. 3) shaped to engage slots  304  disposed along the length of standards  312 . Shelf drawer  310  is further placed in an angled position relative to brackets  312  and  316 , as described above in connection with FIG.  2 C. In addition to shelf drawer  310 , workstation  300  may also include various support structures compatible with a slotted standard system, such as shelves, dividers, and a desktop. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments illustrated herein, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Thus, the invention is not to be limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.