CA1037092A - Office appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An office appliance includes a cabinet provided with horizontally displaceable components each operable upon dis-placement to activate a file interlock operable to regulate the number of components which may be withdrawn at any one time. A receding door assembly is disposed above each com-ponent and manually displaceable from a vertical position en-closing its respective component to a housed position horizon-tally disposed within the confines of the cabinet.

Description

~03~2 1 This invention relates generally to office, appliances and more particularly to an improved storage or file apparatus, containing a plurality of stacked displaceable drawer-like ,~ components and wherein mean,s are provided for precluding the displacement of more than one component at a time within any one cabinet. Ass,ociated with each drawer component is a separate operated receding door of improved construction.
rhe objective6 of a file interlock system are well known to those skilled in the art to which the present in-vention pertains. In any storage device containing a pluralityof vertically ~tacked storage or s~pport elements such as drawers or shelves,~apted to be selectively rectilinearly displac~d to gain access thereto, an inherent hazard i8 the likelihood of tipping ~ver the storage cabinet or housing when more than one ~¦ 15 heav~ly loaded drawar or ,shel i~ withdrawn at any one time.
l Thu~,, the advantage of providing an ~nterlock arrangement for precluding the operation of more than one displaceable element at a time will be readily apparent.
~T~he present invention is especially directed to the ty,pe o of~ice applianc~ co~monly referred to as a lateral ile, `¦ ,g,nd which ha,~ re,cently gained noticeabl~ popularity. In this type of device sh,elve,~ and/or file drawers having no full-1 height front pane,ls are provided within a cabinet and suitably ¦ mounted for rectilinear displacement therefrom to permit operator access from the, side thereof when withdrawn from the cabinet, ;~ In some installations the appliance i5 of the open front type, ;~ that i8, there i5 no separate enclo,sure means for sealing off the front of the apparatus when the displace,able drawers are in the re,tracted or housed condition, Howe,ver, the, present arrangement proposes a separate door for enclosing each drawer :,`

: ,'1 . . .
"

-~L~3709Z
or shelf, which door may be manually moved from a vertical en- -clo~ing position to a horizontal position fully disposed within the confine6 of the cabinet over it~ respec~ive drawer or shelf.
The pre~ent in~ention provides in an office appliance S an upright cabinet or enclosure provided with a plurality of vertically stacked displaceable components which may comprise alternately disposed drawers and writing/machine shelYes each associated with a manually operable receding door displaceable from an overlying position enclosing the front o a respective one of the drawers or shelve~ to a fully enclosed position disposed above its respective displaceable component within the confines of the cabinet. ~o gain access to any one of the housed component~ the re~pective door i8 initially pivotally displaced to a horizontal position and sub~equently rectilinearly moved into the confines of the cabinet. The then exposed shel or drawer may be subse~uently withdrawn from the enclosure and it i9 during this latter motion that the interlock system of `I : .
the present invention i9 actuated. In the case of the drawers, l the withdrawal of any one drawer actuate~ an interlock ~tructure ¦ 20 which precludes the ~ubsequent operation of any other drawer within the cabinet as well as any writing/machine shelf dis-po3ed above the level of the displaced drawers. In the case of the withdrawal of any one of the shelves from the cabinet the interlock sy~tem is actuated in a manner serving to pre~enti~the .~ j . , I 25 withdrawal of an~ drawer or other shelf di~posed above the level ;~

l of the withdrawn shelf.
....
The present improved file interlock sy~tem includes ¦ a plurality of ve~t~cally aligned lockbar~, all of which are freely mounted within the interior of the office appliance . : ..
`¦ 30 cabinet for limited vertical displac~ment. A separate lockbar `~ -2-, , . ~
`, .:
. ~

~)37~Z
1 disposed adjacent each displaceable file component carries a rotary cam member which i~ arcuately displaced by means of an activator or projecting mean~ carried by each file component or its suspension and which servas to rotate the cam member during rectilinear displacement o the file components in order ~o vertically di~place the respective adjacent lockbar and all other adjacent lockbar~ thereabove whereby locking means are placed in the path of each of the remaining activators at lea3t ' above that component which is withdrawn in order to preclude subsequent withdrawal and thus opening of at least those file components located above the withdrawn file component.
Accordingly, one of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide an improved office appliance l including a cabinet containing a plurality of stacked hori-! 15 zontally di~placeable file components including alternately -~I dispo~ed drawers and shelves and wherein interlock means are ¦ provided to regulate the number of components which may be with-¦ drawn from the cabinet at any one time.
1 Another ob-~ect of the present invention i9 to pro-vide an improved office appliance including a cabinet containing a plurality of vertically stacked withdrawable components, each associated with an interlock system limiting the nu~ber of said compon~nt~ which may be withdrawn at any one time and further provided with a displaceable door for each of the com-ponents moveable from an enclosing position overlying the frontof each component when di~posed within the cabinet to a receded ~ po~ition horizontally disposed above its respective component 1: ! fully within the confines of the cabinet.
A ~uxther ob~ect o the present invention i8 to pro-vide an improved office appliance including a ~abinet containing ,.. ~ , .. .

: .`!

1(~370~Z
l a plurality of verti~ally stacked writing/machine shelves, each mounted for rectilinear displacement to and from the con-fines of the cabinet and provided with activating means serving to regulate an interlock system to limit the number of shelves which may be withdrawn from the cabinet at any one time.
Still another o~ject of the present invention is to provide an improved office appliance including a cabinet con-taining a plurality o ~ertically stacked withdrawable file components, each having associated therewith a displaceable door assembly including a door panel pivotally carried by a -~ follower as~embly mounted for rectilinear movement above the .,j , displaceable file component to permit, when pivotally displaced ;;l to a horizontal position, receding movement of the door panel I to a housed po~ition fully within the confines of the cabinet.
;, 15 With these and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better under-stood, the present invention consists of the constr~ction, com-bination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illufltrated and claimed.
I 20 A practical and pre~erred e~bodiment of the present ; invention i~ ~hcwn in the accompanying drawings, in which~
FIG. 1 i~ a fragmentary side elevatlon, partly in I ~ection, of an ofice appliance according to the present in-vention and illu~trates one of the displaceable file components 25 in the fully extended position and two others in the fully ~Z retractea position.
-Z FIG. 2 is a ~ragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and illu~trates t~e door ~`¦ as~embly as it appear~ when in the enclosing po~ition.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the ., , ,.:"

` I `. .
l -4-.

. i .
.

-37~9~Z
1 line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and illustrates the door follower a~sembly and its supporting cabinet channel.
FIG. 4 i~ a vertical sectional vi~w similar to FIG.
3 but illu trating the receding door in it~ fully retracted position within the con~ine~ of the cabinet.
FIG~ S is a fragmentary transver~e sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 iæ a fragmentary horizontal ~ectional vi~w tak~n along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1 and illustrate~ one of the writing/machine shelves in the fully enclosed po~ition within the cabinet.
FIG. 7 is a ragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.
1 FIG. 8 is a ~ide elevation of the rotary cam member 1 15 of the file interlock and diagrammatically illustrates it8 alternate po~itions when actuated upon displacement of one o~
the writing/machine shelves.
. . . .
FIG. 9 i~ a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, and illustrate~ the machine/writing shel~ of FIG. 6 as it appears when in the Pully extended position.

~ Sim~lar re~erence characters designate corre6ponding `~ part~ throughout the several figures of the drawings.
i R~f~rri~g now to the drawings, particularly FIG. 1, the present invention will ~e seen to relate to an office appliance, generally designated 1, and including a cabinet or ;- ... ~
enclosure 2 housing a plurality of vertically stacked, recti-~`~ linearly displaceable components such as the writing/machine .
- shelves 3 a~d drawer ~, each of which components i8 adapted to be enclosed, when in the retracted po~ition, by means of a ~`~:`'`1 ., .~
~ 1 ~5~

:~i ~"1 ```I .

1Ci 37~)92 1 receding door assembly 5 mounted for compound motion above each respective displaceable component. Induded within the cabinet

2 is a unique interlock as~embly, generally designated 6, cooperating with the displaceable components 3 and 4 to regulate the number of said component~ which may be withdrawn from the retracted to the extended position at any one time. It will be understood that the nu~ber and exact relative positioning of the shelves 3 and drawers ~ as contained in any one cabinet 2 is entirely flexible and is determined by the height of the `-; 10 cabinet 2 and de~irqs of the customer, there being illustrated . ~. .
in F~G. 1 one drawer 4 and two shelves 3, which is entirely ade- -quate for de~cribing the construction and operation of the in-stant invention.
The cabinet 2 includes a pair of side walls 7-7 joined ~ ~
by means of a rear wa~l 8, a bottom wall 9 and a top wall (not ~ ~-;'' shown). The side wall~ 7-7 serve to ~upport suspen~ion channels I for guiding and retaining each of the displaceable components ; 3 and 4 a~ well as the plurality of door assemblie~ 5.
¦ The con~truction of the door assemblies 5 will be initially described, with additional reference being made to FIGS. 2-4 of the drawings. Each receding door assembly 5 in-cludes a door panel, generally de~ignated 10, comprising an outer face 11 spaced from a rear face 12 and respectively bounded by a top edge 13, side edges 14-14 and a bottom edge 15. When in ~ -1 25 the clo~ed position of FI&. 1 the door panel 10 seals off the front of a cavity 16 within the confines of the cabinet 2, which ` cavity i~ intended to contain either a writing!machine 3helf ~ assembly 3 or a drawer assembly 4 as will be described herein-¦ aftex. Means are contained within the cabinet 2 for supporting the door panel 10 in the vertical position as shown in FIG. 1 : ~ . .

q 1(D3709Z
1 and for permitting displacement of the door panel to a horizontal position prior to manually displacing the entire door assembly 5 into a receded position within the confines of the cabinet 2 and above the top limits of its respective cavity 16 there-S beneath. This support and guide means is shcwn most clearly in FIGS. 2-4 of the drawings and will be seen to include a follower assembly, generally desig~ated 16, capable of being displaced from a forward-most position as shown in full lines in FIG.
2 to a rearward-most position as shown in broken lines in FIG.
2. The follower assembly ~tructure as sh~wn in-this figure will be understood to be duplicated adjacent the opposite side wall 7 ~not ~hown) of the cabinet 2 and includes at each side there-of a side support plate 17 comprising a longitudinal member having an outer edge 18 disposed within the confines of a door cabinet channel generally de~ignated 19 which is rigidly a~fixed to the interior of the cabinet side wall 7.
The door channel 19 include~ a side wall 20 juxtapo~ed th~ ln~erior cabin~t side wall and from which inwardly extends a top ~lange 21 and bottom flange 22 de~ining therebetween a guid~way 23 within which the outer edge 18 of the follower a~sembly ~, ~id~ ~upport plate 17 reely travels. Vertical and lateral 1 ~upport for the follower a~sembly i9 provided within the door -I cabinet channel~ 19 by means of a pair of roller~ 24-24 carried by each side support plate 17 adjacent the two end~ thereof.
j 25 These roller~ 24 are preferably of a low friction composition ~--¦ such a~ nylon pla~tic and are carried by the side support plate 17 ~o that the periphery thereof projects at all times outwardly from the outer edge 18 thereof as shown mo~t clearly in FIG. 2 o~ the drawi~g~. Attachment d the rollers to the follower as~embly i8 mo~t readily achieved by utilizing a pin element 26, _7_ .
'` , ~''"',:' ~ 7al92 1 also of low friction composition, and serving as a pivot for the rollers. Thi~ pin element 26 includes a shanX 27 passing through the center of each roller 24 and which i8 inserted within a notch 28 adjacent each end of each support plate 17.
S The bottom of ea~h pin elehent 26 i9 formed with an enlarged head serving as a glide 29 adapted to be supported upon the bottom flange 22 of the door cabinet channel 19, while ~he top of the pin element 26 may be a rounded head 30 normally dis-posed immediately below the lower surface of the door cabinet channel top ~lange 21. With the foregoing struc~ure in mind, -:~
: it will be seen that the periphery o~ the two rollar~ 24 :.
I carried by each 3ide ~upport plate 17 are constantly engaging :j the side wall 20 of the door cabinet ~hannel 19 to provide .1 .
lateral guiding of the follower a~embly 16 while the w~ight o~ th~ entlre receding door assembly 5 is carried by the two glides 29 projqcting beneath the side support plate 17 and resting - .:
¦ upon the upper surace of the door cabinet channel bottom flange 22. `:
:, ~oining each of the above described pair of side ~upport plates 17 a~soc~ated with each receding door assembly 5 i3 a cro~ channel 31, the end~ 32-32 of which terminate just ~hort of th~ inner edge 33 of each pair of spaced apart side ~I support plates 17. .
;l Connecting each end 32 of the cross channel 31 to its respective side ~upport plate 17 is a mounting tab 34, one end of which i9 removably ~ecured to the cross channel by mQans ~ of an adjustable releasable fastener 35. The other end of .ll the mounting tab 34 extends beneath the inner edge 33 of the ,, . .
~ide support plate 17 and ixably support~ a shoulder pin 36 a~ shcwn in FIGS. 2 and 5 of the drawings. ~he distal portion ... :.

' -8-.`1 '', ~ '.

. ! . . .
``'~' ' .' :' :' ' `, 1 : ' ' ' ~37092 1 of the mounting tab 34 will be seen to terminate short of the vertically offset portion 37 of the side support plate 17. The shank 38 of the shoulder pin 36 is freely disposed through a motion take-up ~lot 39 extending substantially the length of the side support plate 17 and includes an upper head 40 having a lateral dimen~ion greater than that of the slot 39 such that -~
its under surface at all times is supported on the top of the side support plate 17.
The cross channel 31 which ties together the two side support plates 17-17 also ~erves as a support for the cro~s channel hinye leaf 41 engaged by a hinge pin 42 within the door panel 10. Cooperating with thehdnge pin 42 is the door panel hinge leaf 43 attached to the door panel 10. When the door is in the closed position of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 it will be observed that the entire weight of the door panel 10 is carried by th~ hinge pin 42 as it remains suspended in a vertical po~ition from this hinge pin. The forward-mo~t portion of the door cabinet channel 19 may be provided with a door panel bumper 44 projecting ~oxwardly therefrom and positioned so as to engage the rear face 12 o~ the door panel 10 when suspended in I the closed or vertical po~ition.
i The operation o~ the receding door as~embly 5 may now be d~cribed with re~erence to the foregoing related components.

~o gain access to the re~pective displaceable file components ~l 25 3 or 4 disposed within any one cavity 16' within the cabinet 2, ¦ the operator initially must operate the receding door a~sembly ~1 5 by grasping the door panel 10 and pivoting it clockwise as i viewed in the drawing ~o as to pivot the door panel approxi-! mately gO from it~ closed vertical pQsition to a horizontal ~ 30 position par~llel to the door cabinet channels 19-19. When the `i - ,.. ' .

:~ . , ``l . .

~03~ 2 1 door panel i~ thus disp~sed, the simple action of pressing rearwardly upon the bottom edge area 15 of the door panel causes the foll~wer a~sembly ~o move from the full line position of .
FIG. 2 to ~h~ broken line position therein, with the door panel 10 becoming fully receded within the confines of ~he cabinet 2 in a horizontal plane parallel to and immediately above the plane of the door cabinet channel~ 19-19. During this rearward displacement of the follower asse~bly 16 and door panel 10 ~: :
simultaneous displacement occurs between the cross channel 31 and the two ~ide support plates 17. This action will be apparent ~ `
~ upon a review of FIG. 2 o~ the drawings wherein it will be ob-served that in the left hand portion of this figure the qhoulder pin 36 as carried by the cross channel mounting tab 34 i-~ dis- -posed adjacent the orward extremity of the motion take-up l 15 slot 39 whll0 in the right hand portion of this figure the cxoss ~ ~.
j channel and head shoulder pin are disposed at the oppo~ite or :.
l rear ~xtremity o the slot 39. Thi~ re}~tive displacement ..
~ bctween the cro~s channel and ~ide support plates may truly o~cur ~imultaneou~ly, ox on the other hand, at different periods o~ tim~ during the horizontal di~placement o~ the follcwer as~embly 16. In other words, it will be appreciated that the j ~houlder pins 36 m~y traverse the length of the slot during the very initial rearward displacement of the door panel or alter-natively, at the very end d the rearward displacement of the ~ :
~ 25 door panel, depending upon the relative coefficient of ~riction ~
.¦ offered by the shoulder pin 36 and rollers 24 together with ` :' their respective engaging ~tructure. In any case, the important I feature i~ that the overall length or depth of the entire 1 receding door assembly is significantly reduced when the door , 30 i8 in the fully receded position of FIG. ~ of the drawings, :.
,.1 . . :.
.

"
,. .. .

r---~CI 370~Z
1 thereby taking full advantage of the available depth of the cabinet 2 in order to provide a door panel 10 of maximum height and accordingly a respective cavity 16' of maximum height.
The rearward-most displacement of the retracted door assembly is regulated by means of a suitable in-stop bumper 45 attached t~ the door cabinet channels 19-19 within the guide ways 23 thereof so that the rearmo~t roller 24 of each side support plate 17 will abut the stop bumpers 45 when the door panel i8 in the full receded position of FIG. 4. In order to preclude marring the fini6h o~ the door panel and also to ensure the quietest possible operation of the door assembly 5, additional nylon glide elements in the form of a bottom plate 46 and side plate 47 may be mounted atop the door cabinet channel top flange~ 21 and cabinet side walls 7 respectively, adjacent 1 15 the forward-mo~t end of eaah cabinet channel as shown in FI~.
;` 4 of the drawings. Additionally, an outstop bumper 48 i8 mounted withln the confines o the door cabinet channel guide-I way 23 ad~acent the orwardmo~t limit thereof in order to serve `;-j a~ a ~ nt ~top for each follower 16 when in its forwardmost .1 '... :
¦ 20 position as when the door panel 10 is closed.
With the receding door a~sQmbly 5 now having been describQd, the associated movable file/support components as contained within the cavities 16' behind and/or beneath each receding door a~sembly will now be di~cussed. The writin~f : - . .;
machine ~helf, generally designated 3, includes a bottom wall 50 bounded by a pair of ~ide walls 51-51 all of which are sub-stantially as deep as the depth of the interior of the cabinet 2 and which are further enclosed by a front wall 52 and rear wall 53. A suitablQ supporting or writing ~urface 54 overlie~
tha bottom wall 50 in a spaced apart manner. Support and `'i ', :. ' ,`1 . .. '; '.

\
1~7092 1 guiding means enabling full extension of the shelf assembly 3 is pro~ided and includes a shelf channel 55 attached to the side wall 51 and a shelf cabinet channel 56 affixed to the side wall 7 of the cabinet 2. An intermediate channel 57 engage~ both the shelf channel 55 and cabinet channel 56 to form a well known type of slide suspension assembly generally designated 58.
Quite ob~iously, the foregoing described slide suspension assembly 58 will be utilized on both sides of the shelf assembly

3.
The rear wall 53 of the ~helf assembly preferably extends vertically no less than the height of the shelf channel 55 and serves to suppo~t a shelf hingeleaf 59 engaging the hinge pin 60. Likewi~e pivoting about the hinge pins 60 is a .
( lever hinge leaf 61. Carried by the lever hinge leaf 61 is an ! 15 activator or lever generally designated 62 including an inclined ~:
!l plate 63 terminating along its top edge in a downwardly e~-.3 tending stop ~lange 64, while the other edge of the lever termin-¦ ates in a limit flange 65 extending below the hinge pin 60. The , :.
hinge as~embly is suitably spring-loaded (not shown) to normally .-bia~ the lever 62 in the position as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings where it will be seen that the lever limit flange .. :
~l 65 abuts the inner or front surface of the shelf rear wall 53 with the inclined plate 63 urged to an elevated position sub-~;1 stantially in a plane 45 from the horizontal. The writing/ .: I
machine shelf assembly 3 as shcwn in this figure is disposed in : : .
~1 the fully extended position wherein it will be seen that the :~
entire surface 54 thereof is disposed outside the confines of the cabinet 2 and thus fully accessible to an operator from three ~ides thereo. This o~twardmost limit of the ~helf may `! 30 be regulated by well known means associated with the slide . :

~l -12~

.`1 , .

-1~37~Z
1 suspension assembly 58 and an important feature to note at this point is that when in this fully extended position the stop flange 64 of the lever 62 is disposed forward of or outside the forward periphery of a bushing 66 projecting inwardly from the sidewall 7 of the cabinet 2 and in a plane which is dis-posed well below the topmost limit of the lever inclined plate 63 such that subsequent efforts to retract the shelf assembly within the cabinet 2 will be fruitless sinae the vertically disposed stop flange 64 will immediately abut the periphery of the inwardly projecting bushings 66 to preclude any retraction of the shelf assembly 3. This stop action will be apparent since the lever assembly 62 cannot pivot any further ;l ; in a counter-clockwise direction about the hinge pin 60 due to :
; the abutment of its lever limit flange 65 against the forward surace of the shelf rear wall 53. It therefor becomes nec~
e~ary to vertically displace the inclined plate 63 of the lever 62 in a downward direckion about the hinge pin 60 against its associated ~pring force at least a sufficient distanca to clear the uppermost limit of the inclined plate 63 beneath the .
periphery o the inwardly projecting bu~hings 66. This action :~ is readily accomplished by the mere appli~ation of a ~light ~ :
dcwnward force by the operator's hand upon any portion of the lever 62 which extends transversely substantially the entire . width of the cavity 16' and need only be applied but for an 25 in~tant as the ~helf assembly 3 is urged rearwardly into the ;
~!
confines of the cabinet, after which the hand pressure may be released when the inclined plate 63 has been moved behind the i bushings 66 90 that continued rearward pressure upon any portion :` of the shelf will move the entire shelf assembly fully within the confines of the cabinet 2~

.~., : .

~i~P3~
1 The interaction between the writing/machine shelf assembly 3 and interlock assembly 6 may now be discussed. The interlock assembly 6 comprises a plurality of vertical lockbars 67 mounted for ver~ical displacement within the sidewall 7 with each lockbar associated with one of the cavities 16 and having an uppermost inwardly directed flange tip 68 at one end and a bottom offset tip 69 at the other end. With the exception of the lcwermost lockbar 67 in any one cabinet 2 the offset tips 69 are disposed behind the flange tip 68 of the next lower vertical lockbar 67 such ~hat a limited vertical displacement of all of the locXbars 67 may occur freely without any inter-ference when a first component 3 or 4 i8 withdrawn from the ' cabinet. `~
Attached to each lockbar 67 adjacent the lower portion thereof is a rotary cam me~ber, generally designated 70, having ;1 a central annular projection 71 extending into the cavity 16 at least to a point substantially overlying the respective slide 3uspension as~embly disposed therebeneath. Suitable ;I mounting mean~ (not ~hown) are included for attaching each rotary ~I cam member 70 to it~ re~pective vertical lockbar 67 to permit ~ree rotary di~placement thereof within the limit~ about to be ~ described. Pro~ecting from each annular projection 71, in a '~ plane juxtapo~ed tbe inner surface of the respective lockbar 67, I i8 a radial cam flange 72 comprislng a greater cam flange 73 de~cribing an arc of sub~tantially greater than 180 and a les~er cam flange 74 which will be seen to have a significantly ,1~ lesser radius than the flange 73 and which joins the two ends of the cam flanqe 73~ A fixed limit pin 75 carried by each vertical lockbar 67 projects inwardly to engage an arcuate slot 76 formed in the rotary cam member 70 and extending to :
~1 -14-,. . `1 . .

~371D92 1 describe an arc of approximately 90 such that the arcuate displacement of the rotary cam member is limited to the two ex-tremes as shown in the upper and central portions of FIG. 1 of the drawings~
Before proceeding with a de~cription of the actuation ` of the interlock assembly 6 upon rectilinear displacement of the ~ shelf assembly 3 it should be ob~erved that the end of ~he ~ :
;, activator lever inclined plate 63 adjacent the interlock assembly '~, ~ 6 longitudinally ~xtends beyond the confines of the Qhelf ~ide,' 10 walls 51-51 to provide a tab 77 terminating ju~t short of the : ~ `
~;' cabinet ~ide wall 7.
With the oregoing structure in mind the operation of ~, : the interlock as~embly 6 upon displacement of the shelf assembly - :
, 3 may now be readily understood, with reference to the lower- .
15 most shelf as~embly 3 as shown in FI~. 1 of the drawin~s.
Following opening of the door panel 10 and its di~placement to the previously described receded position, the retracted writing/ ~ .
I machine shelf as~embly 3 i8 manually withdrawn from its full f confinement within the cabinet 2 merely by pulling outwardly . ,until the shalf as~embly is in the po~ition as shcwn in the '~
¦ upper portion of FIG. 1. Shortly afte~ the initial outward '~ di~placement o~ the shelf assembly it will be observed that the , .. :
,, up~tanding activator lever 62, which normally lies within the place of at least the lower portion of the rotary cam member annular projection 71 will ~trike,~he periphery of this pro-, 1jection 71. More particularly, the lever inclined plate tab .`1 ' ' . `.
~ 'j 77 engages the lower portion of the periphery of the annular ~ :
. i .
projection 71. The components will then appear as in FIG, 7 . of the drawings and it will be seen that a friction band 78' . '~
. , :~ ~ 30 pro~ects from the periphery of the projection 71 to enhance ', , ~ -15- ~ , : ` . , :"

~0370~
1 the contact between the cam member and the activator lever 62 . .
~o that continued withdrawal of the shelf assembly 3 concurrently rotates the rotary cam me~ber 70 in a clockwise direction while .:- elevating the entire rotary cam member 70 and its attached , . .
vertical lockba~ 67 until the cam member appears in the .
position of the uppermost cam member illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. In this elevated position the cam member i8 re~
tained a~ the greater cam flange 73 is disposed upon the ~op of :' the flange tip 68 of the next lower vertical lockbar 67. By properly selecting the positioning of each rotary cam member 70 upon its respective vertical lockbar 67 and the radius of the ~ greater cam flange 73, it will be seen th~t it is possible to :: :
m ensure that when a rotary cam member 70 is displaced into its .
i elevated position that the lawer~ost point of the periphery of its respective annular projection 71 will come to rest at a .:
point disposed slightly below the uppermo~t tip of the inclined . : . , plate 63 of the activator lever 62 when in its normal upright :-position for rea~ons which will become apparent immediately here-, inafter~
, 20 ~n important point to realize is that each vertical lockbar 67 i9 provided with a pin stop 78 projecting inwardly into each cavity 16'. The vertical positioning of each of these pin stops 78 i~ selected so that when the respective vertical ~l lockbars 67 are in their normal or lowered position, that i8, 1 25 when the associated rotary cam member is positioned with its 1 lesser cam flange 74 resting upon the next lower lockbar flange : ~ tip 68, no writing/machine shelve~ 3 above the level of any .:~ elevated lockbar 67 may be withdrawn from the cabinet 2. To `~ achieve the referenced interaction a stop plate 79 is mounted ~l 30 upon the bottom wall 50 of each ~helf as~e~bly 3 adjacent the . ..
. ~ " ': '. ' ~.

I!
.'~1 '.' ~' ~IL(113~92 1 rear wall 53 thereof. This stop plate 79 includes a vertically disposed forward edge 80 which extendA dawnwardly a ~ufficient di~tance to strike the rear surface of the pin stop 78 carried by an adjacent vertical lockbar 67 should this respective locX-bar and its pin stop be in the elevated position due to the :
prior withdrawal of any shelf assembly or drawer 4 therebeneath.
The stop plate 79 is provided with a plurality of notches 81 each likewise provided with a vertical forward edge more closely adjacent the vertical plane passing through the activator level 62. These notches 81 serve as stop means likewise engageable by a pin stop 78 should an operator attempt to simultaneously withdraw one writing shelf 3 together with either another writing shelf 3 or drawer 4.
When it i8 desired to retract any wxiting shelfassembly 3 from the fully extended po~ition to the fully re-. tracted position, the extended position lock as previously des-: cribed mu~t be initially actuated by manually depre~sing the :~ ;
l lever 62 until the inwardly projecting bushing 66 i9 cleared, whereafter continued reaxward movement of the shelf assembly ~:
into the cabinat 2 proceeds until the uppermost portion of the lover incl~ned plate 63 at its juncture with the ~top flange 64 engage~ the riction band 78' carried by the rotary cam member annular prq~ect.ion 71. It will bo understood that since the rotary cam member 70 i5 in the elevated position the activator . :
lever 62 engages the annular projection 71 only along its lower ~ . .
periphery to di~place ~ame in a coun~er-clockwise motion :
~I sufficient to arcuately di~place the greater cam flange 73 from its engagement with the flange tip 68 therebeneath, whereupon ~:~
continued rearward movement of the shelf assembly permit~ lowering ~3 30 of the rotary cam member and it~ lockbar by gravity as it is 17- :
.`'`, '' .'~','.

. 1037~Z
rotated to present the les~er cam flange 74 at the bot~om most ~ , position and resting upon the flange tip 68 of the next lawer lockbar 67. The op*rator continues to move the shelf assembly : rear-wardly to the limit of its slide suspension asse~bly, at 5 which time the shelf as~embly i8 fully contained within the . cabinet 2 and the interlock asse~mbly 6 will be in it3 nsrmal at : ~
:'' ..
. rest position. :
; The çubs~quent opening of any retracted writing shelf ; asse~bly 3 located belaw a writing ~3helf which is already dis-placed in the extended position is precluded due to the immobil-izing of all rotary cam members 70 located beneath the elevated vertical lockbars 67. This immobilization is due to the fact that the pluxality of vertical lockbars 67 when initially in- .
~ stalled within the cabinet 2 are provided with only enough axial : 15 clearance with the cabinet to permit the vertical displacement I as caused by the arcuate displacement of but one rotary cam : member greater cam flange 73. In other words, revi~wing FIG. 1 ' of the drawing~3, it will be seen that the uppermost rotary cam ! member 70 has alr~sady been vertically displaced and arcuately 1 20 rotated. Th~xefore, a subssquent attempt to extend the lawer , writing shel assembly 3 from within the cabinet will cause the .' activator lever inclined plate 63 thereof to strike the periphe~y , .
. ~ of the lowermost rotary cam member annular projection 71 and thi~s in it~3elf ~erves as a stop since the vertical lockbar 67 carri~ed by this lawermost rotary cam member is precluded from any vertical displacement due to the prior vertical di~splacement . caus~d by rotation o~ the uppermost rotary cam member 70.
If a drawer 4 is placed within a cavity 16' in~tead ::
.
3 of a writing/machine ~3helf 3 the activator means for regulating the interlock a~3~embly 6 may comprise a ~addle, generally " 1 -18-.!
.,j ~. ~ .

` :

~ ~3370~;2 .
1 designated 82, mounted atop the drawer suspension channel 83 and containing an inclined front ramp 84 and rear ramp 85 for respectively engaging and di~pla~ing the adjacent rotary cam member annular projection 71 durin~ extension and retraction of the a~sociated drawer 4, thereby actuating the interlock a~embly 6 in a manner analogous to the activator lever 62 o~
the shelf assembly 3. The ~addle 82 is rigid and thus no pin . stop plate 79 is required in the case of the drawers 4. This ., -follows since an attempt to open a drawer 4 above an already :' 10 extended component 3 or 4 will be precluded a~ the saddle 82 ~" abut~ the elevated flange tip 68 and when attempting to open a drawer 4 disposed beneath an extended component 3 or 4, the rigid saddle front ramp 84 will strike the immobile cam me~ber . projection 7.

', ' ~ ' ' . '' ' .. . .
~ 20 ,`t '~ .:
'', ' ' ' ,., ,.,:' ` . ,:' ' i 25 ` ~ . . . .
~':'~, .; ' ~ 30 :~
,~ ,.
: :. :.
~ --19~

,.:~.; . ~` `' :~i :, .:

Claims (10)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An office appliance including, a cabinet having a pair of spaced apart side walls, a plurality of vertically aligned horizontally displaceable file components disposed within said cabinet, means mounting said components within said cabinet and between said side walls for rectilinear movement from a retracted position within the confines of said cabinet to an extended position outside said cabinet, an interlock assembly carried by said cabinet, activating means displace-able upon movement of any one said component and engaging said interlock assembly to limit the number of said components dis-placeable from a retracted to an extended position at any one time, a receding door assembly disposed within said cabinet above at least one said file component, said door assembly in-cluding a follower assembly provided with mounting means for rectilinear motion substantially the depth of said cabinet, and a door panel pivotally attached adjacent its top to said follower assembly, whereby, when said follower assembly is dis-placed to the forward limit of its travel said door panel may be vertically disposed to enclose said cabinet in front of a respective retracted component therebeneath and subsequently said panel may be pivotally displaced to a horizontal plane prior to retraction into said cabinet with concurrent rearward dis-placement of said follower assembly.

2. An office appliance including, a cabinet having a pair of spaced apart side walls, a plurality of vertically aligned horizontally displaceable file components disposed within said cabinet, means mounting said components to said side walls for rectilinear movement from a retracted position within the confines of said cabinet to an extended position outside said cabinte, an interlock assembly carried by said cabinet, activating means displaceable upon movement of any one said component and engaging said interlock assembly to limit the number of said components displaceable from a retracted to an extended position at any one time, said file components in-cluding shelf assemblies each having a pair of side walls and a rear wall, said mounting means comprising channel elements attached respectively to said cabinet side walls and shelf side walls, said activating means including a lever pivotally attached to said shelf rear wall, means normally urging said lever into an elevated position, said interlock assembly including a plurality of vertically stacked slidable lockbars disposed adjacent said channel elements attached to said cabinet side walls for limited total vertical displacement therein, a cam member attached to each said lockbar for rotary displacement thereon, each said cam member provided with an annular pro-jection extending into the horizontal plane of said shelf lever for activation thereby, a flange on said cam member having ad-jacent portions of greater and lesser radii, said flange portions engaging the top of the next lower said lockbar to position the attached lockbar and all lockbars thereabove at alternate elevations when arcuately displaced, stop means carried by each said shelf assembly adjacent said rear wall, and stop means ex-tending from said lockbars and displaceable into the path of said shelf stop means when said lockbars are elevated upon arcuate displacement of one said cam member to preclude outward move-ment of any additional shelf assembly disposed above an extended shelf assembly.

3. An office appliance according to Claim 1 wherein, said follower assembly mounting means includes a pair of door channels fixedly attached to said cabinet side walls, each said channel provided with top and bottom flanges and an inter-mediate side wall defining a guideway, a pair of side support plates each having an outer edge disposed within one of said guideways, roller means carried by each said support plate and engaging a respective said channel, a cross channel connecting said pair of support plates, hinge means joining the forward portion of said cross channel to said door panel to provide said pivotal attachment between said follower assembly and door panel, and stop means on said channels limiting the forward and rear-ward displacement of said follower assembly.

4. An office appliance according to Claim 1 wherein, said file components include a shelf assembly having an upstanding rear wall, said activating means comprising a lever pivotally attached to said rear wall, an inclined plate on said lever normally spring-urged to an elevated position above said rear wall and engageable with said interlock assembly during with-drawal and retraction of said shelf assembly, a stop flange on said inclined plate, a projection fixedly attached to said cabinet and extending inwardly into the path of said lever plate ad-jacent the front of said cabinet whereby, upon displacement of said shelf assembly to its fully extended position said lever plate engages and is deflected by said projection prior to re-turning to its elevated position with said shelf assembly fully extended and rearward displacement of said shelf assembly is normally precluded as said lever stop flanges on said elevated plate abuts said projection but may proceed upon manual deflection of said plate and stop flange below the level of said projection.

5. An office appliance according to Claim 1 wherein, said file components include a drawer having an open front, said mounting means comprising channel elements attached respectively to said cabinet side walls and said drawer, said activating means including a saddle carried by one said drawer attached channel and engageable with said interlock assembly upon ex-tension and retraction of said drawer to restrict the extension of other file components from said cabinet when one said drawer is extended.

6. An office appliance according to Claim 2 wherein, said lever includes an inclined plate and limit flange, spring-biased hinge means attaching said lever to said rear wall inter-mediate said plate and limit flange and normally biasing said plate into an elevated position with said limit flange abutting said rear wall and lock means fixedly attached to said cabinet projecting into the path of said inclined plate to preclude retraction of said shelf assembly from a fully extended position without manual deflection of said plate to bypass said lock means.

7. An office appliance according to Claim 3 wherein, said roller means includes a pair of rollers on each said support plate, and a pin element having a vertical shank attaching each said roller to its respective support plate with the peri-phery of said rollers juxtaposed said channel side walls and vertically spaced from said channel top and bottom flanges.

8. An office appliance according to Claim 3 wherein, each said support plate is provided with an elongated slot, and means carried by the ends of said cross channel slidably en-gaging said slots to permit relative horizontal displacement between said door panel attached to said cross channel and said support plates.

9. An office appliance according to Claim 4 wherein, said stop means on said door channels includes bumpers mounted at the forward and rearward limits of said guideways and en-gageable by said roller means.

10. An office appliance according to Claim 3 wherein, said hinge means includes a cross channel hinge leaf having a vertically offset hinge pin, a door panel hinge leaf connected with said hinge pin whereby, when said panel is pivoted about said hinge pin into a horizontal position and displaced into a retracted position said panel is disposed in a plane above said door channel top flanges.