US3094363A

US3094363A - Drawer slide

Info

Publication number: US3094363A
Application number: US82758A
Authority: US
Inventors: Viles K Fremstad; Howard B Gorton
Original assignee: Ajax Hardware Manufacturing Corp
Current assignee: Ajax Hardware Manufacturing Corp
Priority date: 1961-01-16
Filing date: 1961-01-16
Publication date: 1963-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 1980-06-18

Description

June 1963 v. K. FREMSTAD ETAL 3,094,

DRAWER SLIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1961 INVENTORS l/xurs K. FREMSTAD, HOWARD 5. GORTON AWOA/EY United States Patent 3,094,363 DRAWER SLIDE Viles K. Fremstad, Whittier, and Howard B. Gorton,

West Covina, Calif., assignors to Ajax Hardware Manufacturing Corp., City of Industry, Califi, a corporation of California Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 82,758 Claims. (Cl. 312-343) This invention relates to a drawer guide or slide adapted to be installed in kitchen cabinets or the like and to function as a slide which will facilitate the smooth and relatively frictionless movement of a drawer installed in a cabinet or the like.

Large numbers of drawer slides of the general character of that disclosed herein are utilized in kitchen cabinets and the like to both guide the associated drawer during movement and to accomplish the relatively smooth movement thereof in and out of the associated drawer opening which is provided in the front of the cabinet.

It is, therefore, an object of our invention to provide a single track drawer slide which is characterized by the fact that it may be readily and easily installed in conjunction with a drawer and the cabinet accommodating the same and which, in addition, will also permit the drawer to be moved easily and quietly in the drawer opening in the cabinet.

Since large numbers of drawer slides must be mounted in association with drawers and the cabinets therefor, it is essential that the slides be installed as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Another object of our invention is a drawer slide of the aforementioned character which can be installed with a minimum expenditure of time and labor and which can also be installed in different types of constructions without the modification of any component thereof.

Since conventional drawer slides and the drawer slide of the present invention are made out of relatively light sheet metal, it is desirable that rattling of the component parts thereof be eliminated in order to avoid undesirable noise during the opening and closing of the drawer.

A further object of our invention is the provision of a drawer slide of the aforementioned character in which the component parts thereof and, particularly, the track are mounted rigidly in conjunction with one another to avoid the objectionable noise and rattling characteristic of prior art devices.

Another aspect of the drawer slide construction of the invention which facilitates the installation of the component parts thereof is the provision of mounting brackets at the front of the drawer slide at the drawer opening which incorporate fastener receiving openings urrounded by countersinks inclined toward the front of the drawer receiving opening so that a long handle screwdriver or other fastener driving tool may be adequately used at a practical angle in driving screws into the associated bracket.

In addition, the front mounting bracket for the track is provided with a rigidifying bead which tends to resist torsional loads imposed upon the track when the drawer is pulled out of the drawer receiving opening to an extent which would impose torsional and bending loads upon the track and, thus, upon the front bracket.

A further object of our invention is the provision, in a drawer slide of the aforementioned character, of a roller mounting bracket which has its lower extremity displaced rearwardly of the back of the associated drawer so that the roller mounted upon said extremity may engage the roller opening in the track which is spaced a considerable distance rearwardly of the drawer opening.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accom- 3,094,363 Patented June 18, 1963 panying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only and in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the drawer slide mounted in conjunction with a conventional drawer and cabinet construction;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the broken line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the broken line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the broken line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the front track bracket and one guide means;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 88 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the back track bracket.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, we show a drawer slide construction 10 adapted to be utilized in conjunction with a drawer 12 which, in the present case, is fabricated from wood and includes a front 14, a back 16, ide walls 18 and a bottom 20. The drawer 12 is mounted in a drawer receiving opening 22 provided in a front support or face frame 24 which may constitute the front of a cabinet, not shown in its entirety here. A rear support 26 is provided in spaced relationship with the front support 24. The rear support 26 may constitute the back of the cabinet or may be simply a part of the adjacent wall area, a tringer or the like.

Mounted on the front support or face frame 24 is a front track bracket 30 which has a mounting flange 32 disposed in overlying relationship with the bottom of the drawer receiving opening 22 and which incorporates fastener receiving openings 34 surrounded by countersinks 36 which, as best shown in FIGS. 6-7 of the drawings, are angularly oriented toward the front of the drawer receiving opening 22 to facilitate the driving of screws 38 or other suitable fasteners through the openings 34 and into the wood of the front support 24. The mounting flange 32 is provided with a stiffening head 40 adapted to resist torsional and bending loads imposed thereupon, in a manner to be described in greater detail below.

Formed integrally with the mounting flange 32 of the front bracket 30 is a depending plate 42 which overlies the rear wall of the front support 24 and which has a rearwardly extending projection 44 formed thereupon having a hook 46 on its upper edge, for a purpose which will be described in greater detail below.

A rear mounting bracket 50 is secured to the rear support 26 and includes a substantially L-shaped plate 52 incorporating mounting openings 54, also of L-shaped configuration, which are arranged with two of the openings at the top leg of the L-shaped mounting plate 52 and one at the bottom thereof, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 9 of the drawings. Screws 56, or similar fasteners, are inserted through the openings 54 to mount the rear bracket 50 on th ear support 26.

Formed integrally with the mounting plate 52 of the rear bracket 50 is an outwardly directed mounting arm 58, the depending portion of which is, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 of the drawings, sprung outwardly and provided with a hexagonal track receiving opening 62, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 9 of the drawings.

Demountably supported upon the front and

rear mounting brackets

30 and 50, respectively, is a roller receiving track 70, said traok being constituted by a sheet metal channel 72 having a fiat side wall 74 and angular top and

bottom walls

76 and 78, respectively. The channo! 72 is open at the left-hand side as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, and the rear extremity thereof is received in the opening 62 in the mounting arm 58.

The outward bias of the arm 58 causes the upper and lower walls of the opening 62 to bind upon the perimeter of the channel 72 to lock it against movement or rattling therein. The forward extremity of the channel 72 and, more particularly, the top wall 76 thereof, is provided with a roller receiving opening 82 whose front edge incorporates a slot 84 for the reception of the hook 46 on the rearwardly extending projection, as best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings.

Therefore, when the forward extremity of the channel 72 constituting the track 70 is fitted over the rearwardly extending projection 44 on the front mounting bracket 30, the hook 46 engages in the slot 84. In addition, the vertical dimension of the rearwardly extending projection 44 is such that it creates an interference fit with the top and

bottom walls

76 and 78, respectively, of the channel 72. Therefore, the wedging engagement of the rear extremity of the track 70 in the opening 62 of the mounting arm 58 and the interference fit of the forward extremity of said track on the projection 44 serves to stabilize the track locking it against movement which might cause rattling and unpleasant noise.

The bracket may be mounted to the front face frame or support 24 before the track 70 is attached. The installer thus does not need to support the track 70 while attaching the bracket 30.

Secured to the bottom of the drawer receiving opening 22 adjacent the sides of the opening are guides 90, each guide including a sheet metal guide mount 92 which is adapted to support a guide roller 94 having a beveled flange 96 engageable with the adjacent portion of the side 18 of the drawer 12. Each guide mount 92 has a mounting flange 98 thereupon which, as best shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 8 of the drawings, includes a fastener receiving opening 102 encompassed by a countersink 104 which is angularly oriented toward the front of the front support 24 in the same manner as countersinks 36 in the mounting flange of the bracket 30.

Screws 106 engage the countersinks 104 in the mounts 92 to secure them to the front support 24. Therefore, when the drawer 12 is moved in the drawer receiving opening 22, the beveled flanges 96 ten-d to center the drawer 12 and to support it in spaced relationship with the bottom of the drawer receiving opening 22 in the front support 24.

Secured to the back wall 16 of the drawer 12 is a roller mounting bracket 110 which has a mounting plate 112 engaged by screws 114. Formed integrally with the mounting plate 112 is a depending leg 116 which, as best shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, is angularly oriented to locate its lower extremity rearwardly of the back 16 of the drawer 12 a distance greater than that between the front edge of the roller receiving opening 82 and the rear edge of the drawer receiving opening 22.

A roller 120 is mounted for rotation on the lower extremity of the leg 116 and has a tread 122 of a configuration corresponding generally to the configuration of the top and

bottom walls

76 and 78 of the channel 72 constituting the track 70. The tread configuration results in self-centering of the roller 120 in the track 70. Therefore, the roller 120 can be inserted through the roller receiving opening 82 and thus engaged upon the top and

bottom walls

76 and 78. Since the angular and rearward orientation of the leg 116 locates the roller 120 rearwardly of the back 16 of the drawer 12, insertion of the roller 120 through the roller receiving opening 82 in the top wall 76 of the track 70 is facilitated, particularly in installations where the drawer is located in close proximity to a floor surface which limits the extent to which the back 16 may be rotated upwardly to release the roller 120 from the track 70. Moreover, the

rearward location of the roller allows the drawer 1.2 to be removed with a minimal clearance in the opening 22 in the front frame or support 24.

In order that a person pulling the drawer l2 outwardly from the opening 22 may be aware of the approach of the rear extremity or back 16 of the drawer to the opening 22, a signal protrusion is provided in the upper wall 76 and a corresponding depression 132 is provided in the bottom wall 78 of the channel 72 constituting the track 70, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Therefore, when the roller 120 engages the signal protrusion 130, as best shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, an auditory and tactile signal is provided which indicates that the drawer 12 is reaching the outer limit of its movement from the drawer opening 22.

During movement of the drawer 12, the track 70 is restrained against rattling by the interference fit of its forward extremity on the projection 44 of the front bracket 30 and by the spring wedge lock on the rearward extremity of the track 70 provided by the mounting arm 58. In addition, the guide rollers 94 serve to orient the drawer 12 and maintain it on the center with the track 70.

If, at the outward limit of its movement, the drawer 12 is subjected to torsional loads imparted to the track through the leg 116 on the bracket 110 and the associated roller 120, the stiffening bead 40 on the front bracket 30 enables the bracket 30 to sustain such torsional loads. In addition, the particular configuration of the rear track mounting bracket 50 permits the track to be mounted in a variety of installations. For instance, the plate 52 thereof can be mounted in overlying relationship with the support 26, as illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

Furthermore, the upper edge of the plate can be secured to a horizontal support with the arm 58 and the lower edge of the plate depending below the support. In another method of installation the plate can be secured to the back of a vertical support with the arm 58 lying adjacent the side of the support. In still another method of installation the right-hand edge of the plate can be secured to a vertical support with the left-hand edge of said plate and the arm 58 disposed to the left to the support.

Moreover, the inclination of the countersinks in the front bracket 30 and mounts 92 of the guide means 90 facilitates the expeditious installation of the bracket and mounts. In addition, the L-shaped openings 54 in the plate 52 of the rear bracket 50 facilitate the location of the rear bracket 50 in a variety of orientations.

We claim:

1. In a drawer structure, the combination of: a front mounting panel having a drawer receiving opening therein; a rear mounting panel spaced from said front mounting panel; a drawer guide mounted at each side of said front mounting panel adjacent said drawer opening; a front mounting bracket secured to the bottom of said opening intermediate the sides thereof; a rear mounting bracket secured to said back panel, said rear mounting bracket having a mounting plate and a mounting arm upon said mounting plate incorporating a track receiving opening, said mounting arm being sprung outwardly with respect to said plate; a roller track having its rear extremity engaged in said opening and wedgingly locked therein by the spring action of said arm and having its forward extremity secured to said front mounting bracket; a drawer disposed in said drawer receiving opening having side edges and a rear Wall, said side edges being engaged by said guides; a roller bracket mounted on the rear Wall of said drawer; and a roller upon the lower extremity of said roller bracket engageable with said track.

2. In a drawer structure, the combination of: a front mounting panel having a drawer receiving opening therein; a rear mounting panel spaced from said front mounting panel; a drawer guide mounted at each side of said front mounting panel adjacent said drawer opening; a front mounting bracket secured to the bottom of said opening intermediate the sides thereof, said front mounting bracket having a track engaging hook thereupon; a rear mounting bracket secured to said back panel, said rear mounting bracket having a mounting plate and a mounting arm upon said mounting plate incorporating a track receiving opening, said mounting arm being sprung outwardly with respect to said plate; a roller track having its rear extremity engaged in said opening and wedging locked therein by the spring action of said arm and having its forward extremity secured to said hook on said front mounting bracket; a drawer disposed in said drawer receiving opening having side edges and a rear wall, said side edges being engaged by said guides; a roller bracket mounted on the rear wall of said drawer; and a roller upon the lower extremity of said roller bracket engageable with said track.

3. In a drawer slide construction adapted to be utilized in conjunction with a front support having a drawer receiving opening and a rear support spaced from said front support, the combination of: a track assembly interposed between said front and rear supports including a front bracket mounted on said front support adjacent said drawer receiving opening and having a rearwardly extending projection thereupon, said assembly including a rear bracket secured to said rear support and having a mounting plate and a mounting arm on said mounting plate sprung outwardly therefrom and incorporating a track receiving opening, and a roller receiving track constituting a part of said assembly mounted by an interference fit on the rearwardly extending projection of said front bracket and by a wedge interference lit in the opening on said sprung mounting arm; and a pair of guides mounted at the opposite edges of said drawer receiving opening upon said front support, said guides including guide mounts and guide rollers engageable with said drawer.

4. In a drawer slide construction adapted to be utilized to mount a drawer for movement between front and rear supports with the front support having a drawer receiving opening therein and the drawer including front and back walls, side walls and a bottom, the combination of a front bracket secured to said front support adjacent said drawer receiving opening having a rearwardly extending hook thereupon; a rear bracket secured to said rear support including a mounting plate and an outwardly sprung arm having a track receiving opening therein; a roller receiving track having its front extremity engaged upon said hook with an interference iii: and a rear extremity wedgingly engaged in said opening in said mounting arm of said rear bracket; a roller bracket secured to the back of said drawer; and a roller supported upon the lower extremity of said roller bracket engaged upon said track.

5. In a drawer slide construction adapted to be utilized to mount a drawer for movement between front and rear supports with the front support having a drawer receiving opening therein and the drawer including front and back walls, side walls and a bottom, the combination of: a front bracket secured to said front support adjacent said drawer receiving opening having a rearwardly extending hook thereupon; a rear bracket secured to said rear support including a mounting plate and an outwardly sprung arm having a track receiving opening therein; a track mounted by an interference fit upon the rearwardly extending hook on said front bracket and by a wedging fit in the opening in said sprung arm of said rear bracket, said track incorporating a roller receiving opening having its forward edge spaced from said front support; a roller mounting bracket on the back of said drawer having its lower extremity depending below the bottom of said drawer and spaced rearwardly of the back of said drawer a distance greater than the distance between said front edge of said roller receiving opening and said front support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,488,257 Kirsch Mar. 25, 1924 2,115,049 Suckel Apr. 26, 1938 2,548,850 Thexton Apr. 10, 1951 2,587,691 Brewer Mar. 4, 1952 2,948,578 Himelreich Aug. 9, 1960 3,015,532 Wilson Jan. 2, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 814,206 Germany Sept. 20, 1951