AU652221B2 - Improvements in or relating to filing cabinets - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Original

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TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT o r a d u or* a o a NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR(S): ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: PIERSON HOLDINGS LIMITED WILLIAM EDGAR ANDERSON Peter Maxwell Associates Blaxland House, Suite 10, 5 Ross Street, NORTH PARRAMATTA NSW 2151 IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO FILING CABINETS INVENTION TITLE: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me:- -L n~~ it 2 This invention relates to filing cabinets and in particular is concerned with providing an insert for use in an existing filing cabinet drawer to assist registering files therein in a required order.

A conventiona'. form of filing cabinet involves tiered drawers each incorporating a pair of laterally disposed rails adapted to carry suspension files. While papers, documents and the like may be placed directly into the 10 suspension files often they are used as carriers for folded files or folders generally supported in an upright disposition with a spine thereof lowermost. Such an arrangement does not lend itself particularly suitable for use with a colour or similar insignia codCed filing S: 15 system where folded files are provided in a coded, traditionally coloured, set. With such a file set the •0 coding insignia longitudinally aligns or is otherwise "o °arranged in an identifiable pattern from one file to the next and the mis-placement or absence of a file is thus 20 discernible. Such systems require close fitting, particularly laterally, of the files in their supports to maintain the identifying pattern of the coding.

Conventional suspension file drawers as aforesaid have not been considered suitable for use with such coded filing systems as the -,:awers tend to be substantially wider then the associated files and thus minimal lateral restraint is provided thereby.

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1 7 e~l~ ;1 1_ I~ 3 i a re! r A first object of this invention is to provide an insert .for such a suspended file drawer to adapt the drawer for use with coded filing sets as aforesaid. A further object of this invention is to provide a filing drawer file storage insert of adjustable length to thus be readily adaptable for mounting in drawers of varying lengths. In a second respect the structure providing the adjustable length facilitates moun of the insert into a drawer without removal of the drawer from an associated carcass.

According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided a filing drawer file storage insert comprising two body elements each incorporating a floor with an upstanding lateral wall at each side thereof as to be 15 open topped and open ended, at least one transverse wall detachably retainable between the lateral walls of at least one body element and at least one of the body elements incorporating a longitudinally extending slot formed on or adjacent to each junction of .he floor with 20 the walls thereof, the slots opening to one end of the body element whereby the body elements can be telescopically joined together with an end of one body element longitudinally sliding within the slots of the other element.

According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a filing drawec file storage insert as described 8 o o o ooo r o oa r Jo oobo ou o r e

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:i j I1 4 in the preceding paragraph wherein at least one transverse wall incorporates end tabs which locate in slits in the lateral walls.

According to a third aspect of this invention there is provided a filing drawer file storage insert as described in either of the preceding paragraphs wherein a plurality of transverse walls are provided aid apertures are formed in the end tabs thereof and rods are located longitudinally through the apertures of the tabs at each side to interlock the transverse walls to the side walls.

According to a fourth aspect of this invention there is provided a filing drawer file storage insert as described 15 in any one of the three preceding paragraphs wherein clip or ro Sa bars are provided to retain the walls at their upper orrroo extremities to file support rails in mounting the insert 0 a 0 in a file drawer incorporating file support rails.

o °aa; 20 In further describing the invention reference made to Sa Ca the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment •r °wherein: a 4Fig 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of a two e.

body element form of the invention, and Figs 2-8 inclusive sequentially depict the mounting of a two body element form of the invention in a conventional suspension filing cabinet drawer.

61,i The insert preferably comprises one or two substantially identical body elements 3, the main difference being in the lengths thereof. As more particularly described hereinafter, with two body elements 3 they telescopically conjoin enabling the overall length of the insert to be readily adjusted and to otherwise simplify mounting in a drawer 7. With a single body element 3 variation of the invention a body element 3 needs to be of a length commensurate to the length of a drawer 7 within which it is to be mounted. Alternatively, the body element 3 may be cut to length and to that end may include a weakened section or sections (not depicted) enabling the length to be reduced by removing one or more of the sections.

0; 4 Irro rr o I~r I rr 15 Preferably the body elements 3 are fabricated from cardboard with reasonable rigidity to include a floor with upstanding lateral walls 6 at each side thereof formed as a unitary body. TIe width of floor 5 and the height of walls 6 preferably correspond to the space between suspended file support rails 8 as conventionally provided in such file drawers 7. Preferably a body element 3 is cut as a flat blank, foldlines 9 being provided to delineate and form junctions between the floor 5 and walls 6. Preferably each foldline 9 incorporates, for example, two or three spaced apart slits 10 with, in the flat blank form, the slits digressing laterally outward of the associated foldline L_,i i: i' cr,- Ji ~lr; 6 9. Thus, as depicted, with the folding upward of the walls 6 tabs 11 are formed which remain co-planar with the floor 5. The tabs 11 form packing spacers which facilitate mounting as described hereinafter. Each wall section incorporates upwardly disposed slits 12 with the slits 12 in one wall 6 being disposed opposite those in the opposing wall 6. The slits 12 are thus disposed in pairs to provide a mounting for a transverse wall 13.

#0 e 10 Transverse walls 13 preferably fabricated from the same material as body elements 3 and are of a length to be a close fit between the walls 6. Preferably each wall 13 e includes end tabs 14 to correspond with and locate in the slits 12 provided in walls 6. Tabs (not depicted) 15 equivalent to tabs 11 may also be provided on the lower o* 4 edge of a wall 13 to locate in slits (niot depicted) in oo floor 5. Clip bars 18 may be provided on the top of a °o wall 13 to provide additional strength. Further, the lower edge of a wall 13 may also include a fold-over o04 008o S: 20 section (not depicted) which seats on floor 5 to provide additional strength. Preferably the end tabs 14 incorporate at least one aperture therethrough enabling rods 15 to be located longitudinally through the apertures 22 along each side to interlock the transverse walls 13 to the lateral walls 6. Preferably the rods are fabricated from semi-rigid plastics material.

i r n:;i l*i- ~is i: 7 In a two body element 3 version at least one of the body elements 3 is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending slots 17 at and opening to one end of the body element 3. The slots 17 are cut along the foldline 9 forming the junction of the floor 5 with the associated walls 6, the slots 17 preferably extending longitudinally inward some 60mm-100mm. Preferably the disposition of the slots 17 are such that with the folding of a body element 3 the slots 17 are disposed in the floor 5 rather than the walls 6. The slots 17 enable telescopic mounting of the body elements 3 together as more particularly described below.

Hereinafter particular reference is made to Figs. 2-8 and i 15 to a two body element 3 version of the invention. A body insert 3 is dimensioned to closely fit within the u confines of a file drawer 7. In particular the width of the insert 3 corresponds to the spacing between the rails 8. Further, the tabs 11 abut the inner sides 21 of the a.o: 20 drawer. Referring in particular to Fig 2, a first body 04 a o element 3 is inserted into a drawer 7 and (moving to Fig a 3) slid toward the inner end of the drawer 7. In so a doing the required transverse walls 13 are inserted a thereinto by locating the tabs 14 in the slits 12.

Referring in particular to Fig 4, a second body element 3 incorporating slots 17 is inserted into the drawer 7 with, in so doing, the forward wall sections 6a of the 1'r i 4 j i -il S8 previously inserted body element 3 being located in slots 17 to thus con3jin the body elements 3 together.

Referring to Figs 5 and 6, transverse walls 13 are mounted in the second or outer body element 3 and rods inserted into the apertures 22 of the tabs 14 on each side of the insert. As depicted in Fig 7, the body elements 3 may then be telescopically extended to take up the full length of the drawer 7 with slots 17 enabling this longitudinal displacement of the body elements relative to one another. Referring to Fig 8, elongate clip bars 16 are then fitted over the upper edges of the walls 6 and the rails 8 to lock them together. In so doing the inner sections of clip bars 16 are inserted between the ends of strengthening bars 18 and the 15 associated wall 6, the bars 18 thus assisting the snap fitting of the clip 16 bars to the rails 8.

o0 0 It will be appreciated that the mounting procedure described above need not be followed precisely to achieve

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20 the desired end. Further, in a case of a single bodied oo element 3 an insert may be mounted in a drawer 7 :04' substantially as depicted in Figs 2, 3, 6 and 8 once the o; required overall length of the insert has been determined "o to match that of the drawer 7.

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Thus, a set of laterally coded files of a "height" corresponding to the width of the insert can be placed therein and the integrity of their coding system will not be hindered as there will be substantially no space for lateral displacement.

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Claims (3)

1. 2. A filing drawer file storage insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one tran''Terse wall incorporates end tabs which locate in slits in the lateral walls. C CC *0 C a., cCC. rre C
2. 3. A filing drawer file storage insert as claimed in claim 2 wherein a plurality of transverse walls are provided and apertures are forwmed in the end tabs thereof and rods are located longitudinally through the apertures of the tabs at each side to interlock the transverse walls to the side walls. 11
3. 4. A filing drawer file storage insert as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein clip bars are provided to retain the walls at their upper extremities to file support rails in mounting the insert in a file drawer incorporating file support rails. A filing drawer file storage insert as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the floor and the walls of a body element are formed from a planar unitary sheet, a longitudinally disnosed foldline being provided at their junctures with each foldline including at least one section defined by a slit extending through the body and digressing laterally outwardly of the foldline 15 whereby with folding of the planar sheet along the foldlines to form the walls, the outwardly digressing sections form tabs which extend laterally of the walls to form packing spacers. Qai 20 6. A filing drawer file storage insert substantially as i herein described with reference to the accompanying rtit .c l drawings. CAP\1587-A U DATED this 20th day of June, 1994. PIERSON HOLDINGS LIMITED Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES. i '-0 ABSTRACT A filing drawer file storage insert which adapts the drawer for use with laterally coded folders. The insert comprises two bc-y elements each having a floor and side walls but no end walls. The side walls are adapted to detachably retain transverse walls extending Stherebetween. At least one of the body elements o oo incorporates longitudinally extending slots formed at the 00000 10 junctions between the floor and the walls thereof. The slots open to one end of the body element whereby the body elements can be telescopically joined together, an end of one body element sliding longitudinally within the o 0 slots of the other element. The insert is dimensioned to closely fit in a file drawer. In particular, the insert So is of a width that matches the spacing between the file ooo° ooo suspension rails and the inserts telescopic capability o: enables the length of the insert to be adjusted to match that of the drawer. Clip bars are provided to attach the upper edges of the insert to the drawer rails. In a variation the insert comprises one body element only, it requiring cutting to length to match the length of a drawer within which it is to be mounted. h -~r