CA1037093A - File interlock - Google Patents
File interlockInfo
- Publication number
- CA1037093A CA1037093A CA230,369A CA230369A CA1037093A CA 1037093 A CA1037093 A CA 1037093A CA 230369 A CA230369 A CA 230369A CA 1037093 A CA1037093 A CA 1037093A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- cam
- lock
- activator
- file cabinet
- cabinet according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B65/00—Locks or fastenings for special use
- E05B65/46—Locks or fastenings for special use for drawers
- E05B65/462—Locks or fastenings for special use for drawers for two or more drawers
- E05B65/463—Drawer interlock or anti-tilt mechanisms, i.e. when one drawer is open, at least one of the remaining drawers is locked
- E05B65/464—Drawer interlock or anti-tilt mechanisms, i.e. when one drawer is open, at least one of the remaining drawers is locked comprising two or more lock elements aligned in end-to-end abutting relation
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A file device includes a plurality of vertically stacked drawers or shelves provided with a safety interlock system precluding the opening of more than one storage element at a time The cabinet contains a plurality of vertically aligned lock bars supporting rotary cam members adapted to be arcuately displaced upon movement of one storage element whereby all remaining lock bars and cam members are immobilized against vertical and rotary displacement respectively, to block movement of any additional storage element.
A file device includes a plurality of vertically stacked drawers or shelves provided with a safety interlock system precluding the opening of more than one storage element at a time The cabinet contains a plurality of vertically aligned lock bars supporting rotary cam members adapted to be arcuately displaced upon movement of one storage element whereby all remaining lock bars and cam members are immobilized against vertical and rotary displacement respectively, to block movement of any additional storage element.
Description
~037~33 1 ~his in~ention relates generally to ~torage or file device~ and more particularly to an improved interlock system for precluding the operation of more than one storage element at a time within a cabinet or housing containing a plurality of storage elements.
The objecti~e~ of a file interlock system are well ' known to those skilled in the art to which the present in-vention pertain~. In any storage device containing a plurality of vertically stacked storage elements ~uch as drawers or , 10 shelves adapted to be ~electively rectilinearly displaced to ;-- gain access thereto, an inherent hazard is the pos~ibility of tipping over the storage cabinet or housing when more than one heavily loaded drawer or ~helf i8 withdrawn at the same ;~-time. ~hus the advantage of providing an interlock arrange-ment for precluding the operation of more than one ~torage element at a time will be readily apparent.
A multitude of interlock systems have been known in I, the pa~t and in many of the~e instances extensive modiication o~ tha cabinet or hou~ing ha~ been necessary and/or an lntri-~ 20 cate and exp~nsive 8tructure was neces~ary in as~ociation with ;¦ e~ch one of kh~ plurality of storage elements. Simplicity ~, and a fool-proof operation are of paramount consideration in the construction of a file interlock as a co~plicated, multi-part construction can only lead to problems during operation ! 25 of the device and some existing interlock~ have been known to become jammed with all of the storage elements in the clo~ed po~ition such ~hat it was necessary to break open the cabinet ~ in order to release a faulty mechanism.
;~ By the present invention an impxoved file interlock ~l 30 system is provided including a plurality of vertically ;igned -1- ~P ,;;,'. , -,j . ' ,.
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.. . . - . . . . . ~- ... .. . ... .. .. . .. . .... . . . ....
1~3709;~
1 lock bars, all of which are freely mounted within the file cabinet for limited vertical displacement. A separate lock bar disposed adjacent each storage element carries a rotary cam member which i8 arcuately displaced by means of an acti- :
; 5 vator or pxojecting means mounted upon each storage element or its susp~nsion and which ~erves to rotate the cam member during operation o~ the ~torage element in order to vertically ~, displace the respective lock bar and all other adjacent lock bars thereabove whereupon blocXing means are placed in the path of each ~f the remaining activators in the file cabinet to preclude withdrawal o~ same and th~s opening of any addi-~, tional stoxage elements.
.~ . . - .
Accordingly, one of the primary objects o the present ~;
~, invention i~ to provide an improved file int~rlock including 1 15 a plurality of vertically aligned lock barR supported by a `1 cabinet housing and each provided with a cam member en-gageablo by an activator mounted on each storage element and wh~roin the ~lxst opened storag~ element vertically di~places at least one lock bar and cam me~ber to immobiliæe all remaininq ~ ;
lock bars and prev~nt by-passing of the remaining activator~.
~urther ob~ect of the present invention i8 to . i .~!, provide an improv~d file interlock includin~ a lock bar asso-` ciated with each one of a plurality of movable ~torage elements ', and containing a rotary cam member having both greater and ¦ 25 lesser diameter portions ~ith projecting means carriéd by `¦ each storage element to rotate the les~er diameter portion ,~ with a concurrent ar~uate displacement of the greater diameter portion to vertically displace the lock bar afid preclude the ~;~ operation of any additional storage element.
~ 30 Still another object o~ the present invention i~ to '`` ~'i :
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1037~93 1 provide an improved ~ile interlock including a vQrtically dis-placeable rotary cam member mounted on a lock bar and having a lesser diameter portion engageable by an activator carried by a storage element engageable with the cam member to rotate same upon op~ning or closing of the storage element and where- -in the activator in~ludes a~ inclined 3urface producing a concurrent vertical displacement of the lock bar.
With these and other objects in vi~w which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention i9 better underfstood, the i~vention consists of the construction, combin-ation and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed~ -A practical embodi~ent of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, with portion~ broken -l away, o a file device provided with the interlock sy6tem of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation o~ the file interlock o~ the psef3ent invention and discloses the components f 20 affs they would app~ar when the uppermoffat storage element is qp~ned or withdrawn from the cabinet.
~;1 FIGURE 3 is a side elevation o~ one of the stora~e el~ment activators and xotary cam members following partial vertical displacement of the associated lock bar and rotaxy diff3placement of the cam member.
FIGURE 4 is an e~d elevation, partly in fsection, ta~en along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
;I FIGURE 5 iff3 a composite view illustrating the f~e-3 quential mo~ement o the rotary cam member and lock bar as an activator ia moved past ~ame.
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. 1 FIGURE 6 is an enlarged end elevation, in section, ~
taken on the line 6-6 of FI~ 2. :
FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illu~
trating the relation~hip between two adjacent lock bars a~
they would appear when located abo~e a storage element which ~ :
has been opened, t~us bloc.king passage of the activator i~hown. ~:
; ".; "":' ~:~ Similar reference characters designate corresponding :~
,' 10 part~ throughout the several figures o the drawings. : ~ -Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIG. l, ;~-the present invention will be understood to comprise an im- . ;
proved interlock sygtem for u~e in a storage device containing a plurality of movable ~torage elements in order to preclude the operation or withdrawal o more than one o the storage ~' elemont~ at any one time. Thé invention i~illustrated in :
a~sociation with a file F o~ the type including a cabinet or 1 housing C having a plurality of vertically ~tacked storage `~ ~lements or drawers D~ It will be understood tha~ the structure o the sub~ect interlock may be just a~ readily incorporated in combination with other forms of storag~ deviceis iquch as the ;~1 currently popular lateral fil8~i or any device containing a . .
.~ plurality o vertically stacked element~ adapted to be select-~ ly moved in a re~tilinear manner from a ~torage to an access ;~ 25 po~ition.
~ .
Generally described, the present interlock include~ ;
a plurality o~ lock bars Ll-L5 mounted within the cabinet C : ~;
~ for vertical sliding dlsplacement juxtapo~ed the sides 1 of .
.:~ the storage element~ or drawers D. When all of the drawers .
l 30 are closed the lock bars Ll-L5 aLl re~t upon one another and ::
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1 the cabinet bot~om by gravity and upon the opsning or with-drawal of any one of the drawers D, actuating or projecting means in the form of an activator 2 carried by each drawer, cooperates with a cam membfer mounted upon the adjacent lock bar to vertically displace all lock bar~ above the level of the opaned drawer whereupon all such elevated lock bars block any subsfequent attempt to withdraw ~heir aseociated drawers and at the same timfef all lock bars beneath the open2d drawer are immobilizfed to block any attempt to open their assofcfiated drawers.
The plurality of lock bars ~fl-L5 may be suitably mounted within the con~ines of the cavity 4 definfe~ by the cabinet C by any suitable means pefrmitting of their free vertical sliding displacf~ment. FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates , lS most clearly a simple, positive mounting mfeans for the lock -, bars comprising a rear upright or framing member 5 attached to the innf~r surface of one siidewall 6 of the file cabinet and which containf~ guidfe mean~ in the form of a vertical channel ;i 7 extending the full height of the upright 5 to provide an un-obffffftructed guide mfeanf~fffffextending rom the top wall 8 of the cabinet to thfe bottom wall 9 therfeof. Each lock bar contains a main body fffffffe¢kion compri~ing the majority of the length therfeof, and with the fexception of the uppermost lock bar Ll, , terminates at its uppermost portion with an in-turned flange ;, 25 tip 11. As shfowfn in FIG. 6, eacfh lock bar with the excfeption . '`I . : . .
of the lf3wffermost lock bar ~f5~ i8 provided with an offset bottom tip 12 di~pos~sd in a plane locatfed immediately to the rear of the main body section 10 of each lock bar.
hffe relative vertical position of any one of the ~`i 30 lock bars is controlled upon actuation of the rotary cam member ~5~ ;
":' ~ '` '': ' ~37~3 ; 1 3 which i~ freely mounted for limited arcuate displacement upon the lower portion of lock bars Ll-L4 by means of the rivet 13, Each of the cam members 3 will be understood to comprise a central main body 14 having an annular cam periphery 15 defining a lesser diameter portion thereof. The rear face ~:
16 of each cam member is juxtaposed the supporting lock bar ~-and extend~ radially to provide a radial cam flange 17 having an arcuate periphery 18 describing a circumference of greater than 180. As will appear more clearly later on in the des-cription, o~ly a small portion of the arcuate periphery 18 ., i8 utilized during opæration of the ~ubject interlock, while the segment 19 as shown in FI&. 5 serves primarily as a counter-weight to neutralize the mass of the peripheral portion 18 so that the cam member will not rotate on its own due to gravity.
The rotary displacement of the rotary cam member 3 is limited ', by means of an arcuate slot 20 formed in the radial cam flange . .
~ 17 immediately adjacent the main body portion 14 thereof and :~ which cooperate3 with the limlt pin 21 carried by the main body section 10 of the lock bar such that the normal position :.:
of the cam member i~ as ~hown in FIG. 7 while the alternate .1 ¦ po~ition o the cam member i~ ~hown most clearly in FIG. 3 of the drawings. .
The above reference to alternate position~ng of the ~l rotary cam members 3 will be understood to cause alteration .:
¦ 25 of the overall efective height of the vertically aligned i lock bars Ll-LS a~ contained within the guide means or vertical channel 7. When all of the drawers or ~torage elements are closed within the cabinet C all o~ the rotary cam members 3 are in the po~ition as illustrated by the two lowermost cam member~ of FIG. 2 such that the lesser diameter portion of each -6- -:
.
, .
. :~ . ' 4 " ".
~L(l 3~93 1 of the cam members i5 located immediately juxtapo~ed the in-turned flange tip 11 of the next lower lock bar as shown most clearly in the lower portion of FIG. 6 o~ the drawings. At this ætage the lock bars may be considered to be collapsed and the effective overall height of the plurality of lock bars is at its minimum with the top offset tip 22 of the uppermost lock bar Ll being located at the dotted line po~ition as shown in FIG. 2 80 that a free spa~e 23 is formed between the edge of this off3et tip and the top wall 8 of the cabinet C.
With this structure in mind it will follow that upon the arcu-ate displacement of any one of the rotary cam member~ 3 con-currently with an elevation of ~he connected lock bar, the greater diameter portion of the radial cam ~lange 17 is moved to a 6 o'clock position relative the rivet 13 and the arcuate ; 15 periphery 18 will thereupon engage the upper surface of the ~; next lower inturned flange tip 11 ~o that the structure will appear as in the upper portion~ of FIG. 6 and FIG. 2. When .~ the elevation o~ any one lock bar occurs a~ a result of the :::
i arcuate di~placement of a rotary cam member 3, the afore-de~cribed ree space 23 will no longer exi~t as the top fflf~et :~
tip 22 o~ the uppormost lock bar ~ moved to a position ~i immediately juxtaposed the inner surface of ~he cabinet top wall 8. It is important to realize that this vertical di~
placement of the offeiet tip 22 and disappearance o~ the free , 25 ~pace 23 will occur when any one o~ th~ rotary cam members 3 ~ i9 thusly arcuately displaced and elevated. Such will alway~
! be the ca~e since, when a lcwer rotary cam memher i~ arcuately ~1 displaced and it~ respective lock bar i~ elevated it will follow :
"; that all other lock bars disposed above the elevated lock bar ~, 30 will be concurrently elevated a 3imilar di~tance as all of _ `l : .
.
~ .. . .
~03~093 ; 1 the uppermost lock bar~ are directly bearing upon each lock bar therebeneath due to the engagement of the lesser diameter portion of the remaining cam memberc upon the adjacent in-turned fla~ge tip 11 of the next lock bar and the abutment of the lock bar bottom tips 12 upon the next lower lock bar.
The projecti~g means causing the elevation and con-current displacement of the rotary cam members to automatically actuate the interlock feature of the present invention will now be discuss~d. The activator, generally designated 2, i8 . 10 a rigid mçmber carried by each of the rectilinearly displace-:. able drawer~ and is shown in the drawings as being attached to the drawer suspen~ion, generally designated 24. Alternative~
ly, each activator 2 may be connected directly to a dr~wer side ~ ~
1 but a more rigid and positive connection is achieved by ~.
1 15 attaching the actuator to the draw0r ~uspension channel 25 .I which may be of any suitable well known construction and cooper- :-ates with a cabinet suspen~ion channsl 26, with or without an intexmediate slide channel 26a.
i ~he activator 2 comprise~ a saddle including a front ramp 27, horizontal top track 28 and a rear ramp 29, and is affixed to the drawer or the drawer suspension channel 25 so that when the drawer is clossd the activator will be located to the rear o~ the loc~ bars and cam members as ~h~ n most clearly in the central and lower portions of FIG. 2 of the : :
~ 25 drawings. A~ ~hcwn in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 the activator i8 mounted : 3 so that the path o~ its rectilinear travel passe~ through the lower half of the cGntral main body 14 of the rotary cam ~ .
members when these cam members are disposed in the collapsed .. j, .
~ position or wherein th~ lesser diameter portions thereof are ~ ~:
` ¦ 30 located immediately above the inturned flange tips 11 of the .:1 . ~ .
~ 0371[393 1 next lower lock bar.
Several critical featu~e~ are present in the con-', struction and ~ounting of the components forming the activator~.First, the inner edge 30 of the front ramp ~7, top track 28 ' ~ 5 and rear ramp 29 i8 located in a plane well clear of the radial cam ~lange 17 of each cam member as shown most clearly in FI&. 4 and the lower portion of FIG~ 6 80 that during hori-zontal displacement of the activator there is no interference between the saddle components thereof and the radial cam flange of the cam member. Secondly, when all of the drawers are closed and the lock bars are in their collapsed condition ,', it i8 important to note that the leading edge 31 of the front '~
ramp 27 of each activator i8 dispo~ed slightly above the hori~
zontal plane of the respective inturned flange tip 11 and ~t the 3ame time i~ located slightly below the horizontal plane . .
~ of the bottom of the central main body ~of the respective '' rotary cam member 3 as shown in the central and left hand ~ ,, ,~, portions of FIG. 5 of the drawings. A positive minimal spacing 1 between the bottom of the cam periphery 15 and the top of the '~;'1 20 ad~acent flange tip ll i~ ensured by providing a narrow rib ~3 15a on the main body 14, extending between the ends o the ~ radial cam 1ange 17. Thus, as shown in the lower portion of ,~
`, FIG. 6, the rib 15a and offset bottom tip 12 combine to de~ine a spacing S.
With the abov~ structure in mind, it will follow -' that when a first draw~r i~ withdrawn from its s~orage posi~
tion the re~pective activator 2 and adjacent oam member and ''' ~j lock bar will ,!undergo the displacements a~ shown in FIG. 5 ,l wherein the leading edge 31 o the front ramp 27 initially ;~¦ 30 enters the spacing S and pas~es beneath the leqser diameter :, ,, , i ., . ' ~! . .
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; ~37~)~3 1 portion of the cam member central main body 14 and above the flange tip 11 of the lock bar L2 without any displacement of the interlock components until the activator has been moved to the position re~lected by the central portion of FIG. 5 whereupon continued horizontal di~placement ~r elevation of the lock bar Ll:and-a clockwise rotary displa,cement of the cam : member 3 a~, the ~pper surface of the front ramp 27 engages the annular cam periphery 15 o~ the central main body 14 of the cam member. In order to preclude slippage between the cam :
periphery lS and the front ramp 27 and also ~o enhance the quietness of operation, the central main body 14 of the cam ; member may be provided with an annular friction ring 32 of ., rubber-like composition and which slightly extends beyond the . ~ -.
Z circumferenc~ of the cam periphery 15. ~he inclination of the lS front ramp 27 o~ the activator and the location of the leading :l~ 33 of the radial cam flange 17 are selected to ensure that Z the lock bar Ll will be initially elevated a sufficient amount to ensure that the arcuate periphery 18 of the radial cam ~:
1ange 17 will be dispo~ed above the top of the inturned flange 11 o the loak bar ~2 by the time the cam member has been ¦ arcuately displaced to the po~ition as shown in the right hand port~ZZon of FIG, 5. Continued horizontal di~placement of the activator, for example, to the position as shGwn in the upper portion of FIG, 2, xesults in the full arcuate displacement ~, o the cam m~mber to the limit a~ defined by the pin 21 with ¦ the result that the lock bar Ll has been vertically displaced .. ~, ....
Z an amount calculated to move the top off~et tip 22 thereof `Z to a point.immediately jux~aposed the undersurface of the cabinet top drawer 8, thereby eliminating all signiicant free space ~3 within the ~ertical channel or guide means 7 to iZ
Z
Z :.
-1 immobilize all of the lock bars.
The interlock feature of the present invention may ; now be readily understood by a review of FIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings, With the uppermost drawer and its respective acti-vator having been horiz~ntally displaced to the position as shown in FIG. 2 the lock bar Ll is thus elevated due to the arcuate displacement of its respective cam member and radial cam flange 17 so that all of the free space 23 has been elim- :
inated, thereby immobilizing all remaining lock bars located beneath the elevated lock bar Ll. Therefore, if one were to ~
attempt to withdraw for example, the next lower drawer it will be observed that the activator 2 associated with the next ~ `
; lower drawer will immediately engage the undersurface of the re~pcctive cam member periphery 15, yet no arcuate or vertical movement o~ thi~ activator 2 will be possible since the lock .. 1 bar 2 has been totally immcbilized and cannot be ver~ically di~placed. Attempt~ to orcefully withdraw this other drawer only reflult in a fuxther urging o~ the top oset tip 22 into ..
l tighter engagement with the undersurface o~ the cabinet top l 20 wall 8. ~ slight space will ~till be seen between the top of ;~ the off~et tip 22 and the under~urface of the cabinet top wall 8 in FIG. 2; however, this is provided solely to preclude any binding of the lock bars when the first draw~r i8 removed and i8 not enough space to permit the opening of any second ~.-drawer as it will be realized that, before an activator may `' pass beneath a cam member, there must be available a free ~:
space 23 of a dimension no le~s than the dimension between an ~ activator bottom plate 34 and top track 28, a distance which .
;.`~ i9 comparable to the difference between the radius of the rib '` 30 l5a and periphery 18 of each cam member.
:, ~
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.. . . .
~)3~ 3 FI~iS. 2 and 6 illustrate the interlock structure as it appears when the uppermo~t one of the lock bars Ll has been vertically displaced due to the opening of the top one ;
of a plurality of drawers in a file cabinet. When a second one or lower drawer is ~he first one to be opened there i~ no change in tha relationship between the lower ones of the lock ~, bars ~ince they still remain in their normal collapsed position, ., .
such as the lock bars L2-~5 of FIG. 2. However, the lock bar next above thi~ which is directly vertically di~placed upon the withdrawal of a drawer would then appear as shown in FIG.
7 of the drawings. Assuming that the ~econd drawer ha~ be*n withdrawn and the rotary cam member 3 attached to lock bar L2 ~ has been arcuately displaced together with the ele~ation of - lock bar L2, it will be under~tood that the inturned flange .1 J 15 tip of lock bar L2 ha~ concurrently likewise elevated lock bar Ll to eliminate the free spac~ 23 at the top of the vertical channel 7. The arrangement of the interloc~ structure 1 as it pertain~ to the clo~ed drawer above the one which has ,I been opened i~ ~lightly diferent than that for all the drawers loaated b~lcw the one which has been opened. As shown in FIG.
7, i~ the top closed drawer i~ attempted to be opened, the , ~ront ramp 27 of the activator will not strike the rotary cam member at all, but instead, ~ince the inturned flange tip 11 of the lock bar L2 has been elevated, the leading edge 33 of ~; 2S this activator will be disposed below the horizontal plane of ~I this inturned flange tip and thus the central portion of the -`
front ramp 27 will strike the rear edge of the flange tip, thereby blocki~g any further horizontal displacement of the activator and its as~ociated driawer.
The seguence of movement of the interlock components ~12 .~ .
! . .
~ ........... ...................................................................... ... ... .. .:
.
~ . .
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~370~3 1 is ju~it reversed during closing of an opened drawer. The rear ramp 29 of the activator saddle engages the angular cam periphery 15 of the cam member main body 14 immi~diately adjacent the rear of the top track 28 to arcuately displace the radial cam ~lange 17 thereof in a ci~unter-clockwi~e direction as the bottom plate 34 passes over the flange tip 11 thereby removing the arcuate periphery 18 fro~i its position over.lying the adjacent inturned flange tip 11 80 that when the activator has been moved entirely rear of the rotary cam member the ~ ~:
. 10 as~ociated lock bar has droppied by gravity to its normal - position wherein the les~ier diameter portion of the rotary ~:
cam, member is disposed immediately abi~ve the flange tip of -- .
the next lawer lock bar with the rib 15a rei3ting upon the tip l, 11 and the freie ~pace 23 i~ again pre~ent.
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The objecti~e~ of a file interlock system are well ' known to those skilled in the art to which the present in-vention pertain~. In any storage device containing a plurality of vertically stacked storage elements ~uch as drawers or , 10 shelves adapted to be ~electively rectilinearly displaced to ;-- gain access thereto, an inherent hazard is the pos~ibility of tipping over the storage cabinet or housing when more than one heavily loaded drawer or ~helf i8 withdrawn at the same ;~-time. ~hus the advantage of providing an interlock arrange-ment for precluding the operation of more than one ~torage element at a time will be readily apparent.
A multitude of interlock systems have been known in I, the pa~t and in many of the~e instances extensive modiication o~ tha cabinet or hou~ing ha~ been necessary and/or an lntri-~ 20 cate and exp~nsive 8tructure was neces~ary in as~ociation with ;¦ e~ch one of kh~ plurality of storage elements. Simplicity ~, and a fool-proof operation are of paramount consideration in the construction of a file interlock as a co~plicated, multi-part construction can only lead to problems during operation ! 25 of the device and some existing interlock~ have been known to become jammed with all of the storage elements in the clo~ed po~ition such ~hat it was necessary to break open the cabinet ~ in order to release a faulty mechanism.
;~ By the present invention an impxoved file interlock ~l 30 system is provided including a plurality of vertically ;igned -1- ~P ,;;,'. , -,j . ' ,.
~'`'~ ''; ',. :"
.. . . - . . . . . ~- ... .. . ... .. .. . .. . .... . . . ....
1~3709;~
1 lock bars, all of which are freely mounted within the file cabinet for limited vertical displacement. A separate lock bar disposed adjacent each storage element carries a rotary cam member which i8 arcuately displaced by means of an acti- :
; 5 vator or pxojecting means mounted upon each storage element or its susp~nsion and which ~erves to rotate the cam member during operation o~ the ~torage element in order to vertically ~, displace the respective lock bar and all other adjacent lock bars thereabove whereupon blocXing means are placed in the path of each ~f the remaining activators in the file cabinet to preclude withdrawal o~ same and th~s opening of any addi-~, tional stoxage elements.
.~ . . - .
Accordingly, one of the primary objects o the present ~;
~, invention i~ to provide an improved file int~rlock including 1 15 a plurality of vertically aligned lock barR supported by a `1 cabinet housing and each provided with a cam member en-gageablo by an activator mounted on each storage element and wh~roin the ~lxst opened storag~ element vertically di~places at least one lock bar and cam me~ber to immobiliæe all remaininq ~ ;
lock bars and prev~nt by-passing of the remaining activator~.
~urther ob~ect of the present invention i8 to . i .~!, provide an improv~d file interlock includin~ a lock bar asso-` ciated with each one of a plurality of movable ~torage elements ', and containing a rotary cam member having both greater and ¦ 25 lesser diameter portions ~ith projecting means carriéd by `¦ each storage element to rotate the les~er diameter portion ,~ with a concurrent ar~uate displacement of the greater diameter portion to vertically displace the lock bar afid preclude the ~;~ operation of any additional storage element.
~ 30 Still another object o~ the present invention i~ to '`` ~'i :
~ 2~
. :.~. :, .:
, ~j. , ,. .~
; . : .. ~ - . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .
: . : . . . . . , - . .. , . . . , . . ~ . .
1037~93 1 provide an improved ~ile interlock including a vQrtically dis-placeable rotary cam member mounted on a lock bar and having a lesser diameter portion engageable by an activator carried by a storage element engageable with the cam member to rotate same upon op~ning or closing of the storage element and where- -in the activator in~ludes a~ inclined 3urface producing a concurrent vertical displacement of the lock bar.
With these and other objects in vi~w which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention i9 better underfstood, the i~vention consists of the construction, combin-ation and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed~ -A practical embodi~ent of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, with portion~ broken -l away, o a file device provided with the interlock sy6tem of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation o~ the file interlock o~ the psef3ent invention and discloses the components f 20 affs they would app~ar when the uppermoffat storage element is qp~ned or withdrawn from the cabinet.
~;1 FIGURE 3 is a side elevation o~ one of the stora~e el~ment activators and xotary cam members following partial vertical displacement of the associated lock bar and rotaxy diff3placement of the cam member.
FIGURE 4 is an e~d elevation, partly in fsection, ta~en along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
;I FIGURE 5 iff3 a composite view illustrating the f~e-3 quential mo~ement o the rotary cam member and lock bar as an activator ia moved past ~ame.
. . .
; l ,, ~;
1 3 ~
''`I ...
:. i , ., .; . :, . .
~L~3709;~ ~
. 1 FIGURE 6 is an enlarged end elevation, in section, ~
taken on the line 6-6 of FI~ 2. :
FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illu~
trating the relation~hip between two adjacent lock bars a~
they would appear when located abo~e a storage element which ~ :
has been opened, t~us bloc.king passage of the activator i~hown. ~:
; ".; "":' ~:~ Similar reference characters designate corresponding :~
,' 10 part~ throughout the several figures o the drawings. : ~ -Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIG. l, ;~-the present invention will be understood to comprise an im- . ;
proved interlock sygtem for u~e in a storage device containing a plurality of movable ~torage elements in order to preclude the operation or withdrawal o more than one o the storage ~' elemont~ at any one time. Thé invention i~illustrated in :
a~sociation with a file F o~ the type including a cabinet or 1 housing C having a plurality of vertically ~tacked storage `~ ~lements or drawers D~ It will be understood tha~ the structure o the sub~ect interlock may be just a~ readily incorporated in combination with other forms of storag~ deviceis iquch as the ;~1 currently popular lateral fil8~i or any device containing a . .
.~ plurality o vertically stacked element~ adapted to be select-~ ly moved in a re~tilinear manner from a ~torage to an access ;~ 25 po~ition.
~ .
Generally described, the present interlock include~ ;
a plurality o~ lock bars Ll-L5 mounted within the cabinet C : ~;
~ for vertical sliding dlsplacement juxtapo~ed the sides 1 of .
.:~ the storage element~ or drawers D. When all of the drawers .
l 30 are closed the lock bars Ll-L5 aLl re~t upon one another and ::
.~ . .
:l . 4~ ~::
.. 1 i . .
lB;3709~
1 the cabinet bot~om by gravity and upon the opsning or with-drawal of any one of the drawers D, actuating or projecting means in the form of an activator 2 carried by each drawer, cooperates with a cam membfer mounted upon the adjacent lock bar to vertically displace all lock bar~ above the level of the opaned drawer whereupon all such elevated lock bars block any subsfequent attempt to withdraw ~heir aseociated drawers and at the same timfef all lock bars beneath the open2d drawer are immobilizfed to block any attempt to open their assofcfiated drawers.
The plurality of lock bars ~fl-L5 may be suitably mounted within the con~ines of the cavity 4 definfe~ by the cabinet C by any suitable means pefrmitting of their free vertical sliding displacf~ment. FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates , lS most clearly a simple, positive mounting mfeans for the lock -, bars comprising a rear upright or framing member 5 attached to the innf~r surface of one siidewall 6 of the file cabinet and which containf~ guidfe mean~ in the form of a vertical channel ;i 7 extending the full height of the upright 5 to provide an un-obffffftructed guide mfeanf~fffffextending rom the top wall 8 of the cabinet to thfe bottom wall 9 therfeof. Each lock bar contains a main body fffffffe¢kion compri~ing the majority of the length therfeof, and with the fexception of the uppermost lock bar Ll, , terminates at its uppermost portion with an in-turned flange ;, 25 tip 11. As shfowfn in FIG. 6, eacfh lock bar with the excfeption . '`I . : . .
of the lf3wffermost lock bar ~f5~ i8 provided with an offset bottom tip 12 di~pos~sd in a plane locatfed immediately to the rear of the main body section 10 of each lock bar.
hffe relative vertical position of any one of the ~`i 30 lock bars is controlled upon actuation of the rotary cam member ~5~ ;
":' ~ '` '': ' ~37~3 ; 1 3 which i~ freely mounted for limited arcuate displacement upon the lower portion of lock bars Ll-L4 by means of the rivet 13, Each of the cam members 3 will be understood to comprise a central main body 14 having an annular cam periphery 15 defining a lesser diameter portion thereof. The rear face ~:
16 of each cam member is juxtaposed the supporting lock bar ~-and extend~ radially to provide a radial cam flange 17 having an arcuate periphery 18 describing a circumference of greater than 180. As will appear more clearly later on in the des-cription, o~ly a small portion of the arcuate periphery 18 ., i8 utilized during opæration of the ~ubject interlock, while the segment 19 as shown in FI&. 5 serves primarily as a counter-weight to neutralize the mass of the peripheral portion 18 so that the cam member will not rotate on its own due to gravity.
The rotary displacement of the rotary cam member 3 is limited ', by means of an arcuate slot 20 formed in the radial cam flange . .
~ 17 immediately adjacent the main body portion 14 thereof and :~ which cooperate3 with the limlt pin 21 carried by the main body section 10 of the lock bar such that the normal position :.:
of the cam member i~ as ~hown in FIG. 7 while the alternate .1 ¦ po~ition o the cam member i~ ~hown most clearly in FIG. 3 of the drawings. .
The above reference to alternate position~ng of the ~l rotary cam members 3 will be understood to cause alteration .:
¦ 25 of the overall efective height of the vertically aligned i lock bars Ll-LS a~ contained within the guide means or vertical channel 7. When all of the drawers or ~torage elements are closed within the cabinet C all o~ the rotary cam members 3 are in the po~ition as illustrated by the two lowermost cam member~ of FIG. 2 such that the lesser diameter portion of each -6- -:
.
, .
. :~ . ' 4 " ".
~L(l 3~93 1 of the cam members i5 located immediately juxtapo~ed the in-turned flange tip 11 of the next lower lock bar as shown most clearly in the lower portion of FIG. 6 o~ the drawings. At this ætage the lock bars may be considered to be collapsed and the effective overall height of the plurality of lock bars is at its minimum with the top offset tip 22 of the uppermost lock bar Ll being located at the dotted line po~ition as shown in FIG. 2 80 that a free spa~e 23 is formed between the edge of this off3et tip and the top wall 8 of the cabinet C.
With this structure in mind it will follow that upon the arcu-ate displacement of any one of the rotary cam member~ 3 con-currently with an elevation of ~he connected lock bar, the greater diameter portion of the radial cam ~lange 17 is moved to a 6 o'clock position relative the rivet 13 and the arcuate ; 15 periphery 18 will thereupon engage the upper surface of the ~; next lower inturned flange tip 11 ~o that the structure will appear as in the upper portion~ of FIG. 6 and FIG. 2. When .~ the elevation o~ any one lock bar occurs a~ a result of the :::
i arcuate di~placement of a rotary cam member 3, the afore-de~cribed ree space 23 will no longer exi~t as the top fflf~et :~
tip 22 o~ the uppormost lock bar ~ moved to a position ~i immediately juxtaposed the inner surface of ~he cabinet top wall 8. It is important to realize that this vertical di~
placement of the offeiet tip 22 and disappearance o~ the free , 25 ~pace 23 will occur when any one o~ th~ rotary cam members 3 ~ i9 thusly arcuately displaced and elevated. Such will alway~
! be the ca~e since, when a lcwer rotary cam memher i~ arcuately ~1 displaced and it~ respective lock bar i~ elevated it will follow :
"; that all other lock bars disposed above the elevated lock bar ~, 30 will be concurrently elevated a 3imilar di~tance as all of _ `l : .
.
~ .. . .
~03~093 ; 1 the uppermost lock bar~ are directly bearing upon each lock bar therebeneath due to the engagement of the lesser diameter portion of the remaining cam memberc upon the adjacent in-turned fla~ge tip 11 of the next lock bar and the abutment of the lock bar bottom tips 12 upon the next lower lock bar.
The projecti~g means causing the elevation and con-current displacement of the rotary cam members to automatically actuate the interlock feature of the present invention will now be discuss~d. The activator, generally designated 2, i8 . 10 a rigid mçmber carried by each of the rectilinearly displace-:. able drawer~ and is shown in the drawings as being attached to the drawer suspen~ion, generally designated 24. Alternative~
ly, each activator 2 may be connected directly to a dr~wer side ~ ~
1 but a more rigid and positive connection is achieved by ~.
1 15 attaching the actuator to the draw0r ~uspension channel 25 .I which may be of any suitable well known construction and cooper- :-ates with a cabinet suspen~ion channsl 26, with or without an intexmediate slide channel 26a.
i ~he activator 2 comprise~ a saddle including a front ramp 27, horizontal top track 28 and a rear ramp 29, and is affixed to the drawer or the drawer suspension channel 25 so that when the drawer is clossd the activator will be located to the rear o~ the loc~ bars and cam members as ~h~ n most clearly in the central and lower portions of FIG. 2 of the : :
~ 25 drawings. A~ ~hcwn in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 the activator i8 mounted : 3 so that the path o~ its rectilinear travel passe~ through the lower half of the cGntral main body 14 of the rotary cam ~ .
members when these cam members are disposed in the collapsed .. j, .
~ position or wherein th~ lesser diameter portions thereof are ~ ~:
` ¦ 30 located immediately above the inturned flange tips 11 of the .:1 . ~ .
~ 0371[393 1 next lower lock bar.
Several critical featu~e~ are present in the con-', struction and ~ounting of the components forming the activator~.First, the inner edge 30 of the front ramp ~7, top track 28 ' ~ 5 and rear ramp 29 i8 located in a plane well clear of the radial cam ~lange 17 of each cam member as shown most clearly in FI&. 4 and the lower portion of FIG~ 6 80 that during hori-zontal displacement of the activator there is no interference between the saddle components thereof and the radial cam flange of the cam member. Secondly, when all of the drawers are closed and the lock bars are in their collapsed condition ,', it i8 important to note that the leading edge 31 of the front '~
ramp 27 of each activator i8 dispo~ed slightly above the hori~
zontal plane of the respective inturned flange tip 11 and ~t the 3ame time i~ located slightly below the horizontal plane . .
~ of the bottom of the central main body ~of the respective '' rotary cam member 3 as shown in the central and left hand ~ ,, ,~, portions of FIG. 5 of the drawings. A positive minimal spacing 1 between the bottom of the cam periphery 15 and the top of the '~;'1 20 ad~acent flange tip ll i~ ensured by providing a narrow rib ~3 15a on the main body 14, extending between the ends o the ~ radial cam 1ange 17. Thus, as shown in the lower portion of ,~
`, FIG. 6, the rib 15a and offset bottom tip 12 combine to de~ine a spacing S.
With the abov~ structure in mind, it will follow -' that when a first draw~r i~ withdrawn from its s~orage posi~
tion the re~pective activator 2 and adjacent oam member and ''' ~j lock bar will ,!undergo the displacements a~ shown in FIG. 5 ,l wherein the leading edge 31 o the front ramp 27 initially ;~¦ 30 enters the spacing S and pas~es beneath the leqser diameter :, ,, , i ., . ' ~! . .
~, ~" :..
; ~37~)~3 1 portion of the cam member central main body 14 and above the flange tip 11 of the lock bar L2 without any displacement of the interlock components until the activator has been moved to the position re~lected by the central portion of FIG. 5 whereupon continued horizontal di~placement ~r elevation of the lock bar Ll:and-a clockwise rotary displa,cement of the cam : member 3 a~, the ~pper surface of the front ramp 27 engages the annular cam periphery 15 o~ the central main body 14 of the cam member. In order to preclude slippage between the cam :
periphery lS and the front ramp 27 and also ~o enhance the quietness of operation, the central main body 14 of the cam ; member may be provided with an annular friction ring 32 of ., rubber-like composition and which slightly extends beyond the . ~ -.
Z circumferenc~ of the cam periphery 15. ~he inclination of the lS front ramp 27 o~ the activator and the location of the leading :l~ 33 of the radial cam flange 17 are selected to ensure that Z the lock bar Ll will be initially elevated a sufficient amount to ensure that the arcuate periphery 18 of the radial cam ~:
1ange 17 will be dispo~ed above the top of the inturned flange 11 o the loak bar ~2 by the time the cam member has been ¦ arcuately displaced to the po~ition as shown in the right hand port~ZZon of FIG, 5. Continued horizontal di~placement of the activator, for example, to the position as shGwn in the upper portion of FIG, 2, xesults in the full arcuate displacement ~, o the cam m~mber to the limit a~ defined by the pin 21 with ¦ the result that the lock bar Ll has been vertically displaced .. ~, ....
Z an amount calculated to move the top off~et tip 22 thereof `Z to a point.immediately jux~aposed the undersurface of the cabinet top drawer 8, thereby eliminating all signiicant free space ~3 within the ~ertical channel or guide means 7 to iZ
Z
Z :.
-1 immobilize all of the lock bars.
The interlock feature of the present invention may ; now be readily understood by a review of FIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings, With the uppermost drawer and its respective acti-vator having been horiz~ntally displaced to the position as shown in FIG. 2 the lock bar Ll is thus elevated due to the arcuate displacement of its respective cam member and radial cam flange 17 so that all of the free space 23 has been elim- :
inated, thereby immobilizing all remaining lock bars located beneath the elevated lock bar Ll. Therefore, if one were to ~
attempt to withdraw for example, the next lower drawer it will be observed that the activator 2 associated with the next ~ `
; lower drawer will immediately engage the undersurface of the re~pcctive cam member periphery 15, yet no arcuate or vertical movement o~ thi~ activator 2 will be possible since the lock .. 1 bar 2 has been totally immcbilized and cannot be ver~ically di~placed. Attempt~ to orcefully withdraw this other drawer only reflult in a fuxther urging o~ the top oset tip 22 into ..
l tighter engagement with the undersurface o~ the cabinet top l 20 wall 8. ~ slight space will ~till be seen between the top of ;~ the off~et tip 22 and the under~urface of the cabinet top wall 8 in FIG. 2; however, this is provided solely to preclude any binding of the lock bars when the first draw~r i8 removed and i8 not enough space to permit the opening of any second ~.-drawer as it will be realized that, before an activator may `' pass beneath a cam member, there must be available a free ~:
space 23 of a dimension no le~s than the dimension between an ~ activator bottom plate 34 and top track 28, a distance which .
;.`~ i9 comparable to the difference between the radius of the rib '` 30 l5a and periphery 18 of each cam member.
:, ~
~, .
. ,,j .
.. . . .
~)3~ 3 FI~iS. 2 and 6 illustrate the interlock structure as it appears when the uppermo~t one of the lock bars Ll has been vertically displaced due to the opening of the top one ;
of a plurality of drawers in a file cabinet. When a second one or lower drawer is ~he first one to be opened there i~ no change in tha relationship between the lower ones of the lock ~, bars ~ince they still remain in their normal collapsed position, ., .
such as the lock bars L2-~5 of FIG. 2. However, the lock bar next above thi~ which is directly vertically di~placed upon the withdrawal of a drawer would then appear as shown in FIG.
7 of the drawings. Assuming that the ~econd drawer ha~ be*n withdrawn and the rotary cam member 3 attached to lock bar L2 ~ has been arcuately displaced together with the ele~ation of - lock bar L2, it will be under~tood that the inturned flange .1 J 15 tip of lock bar L2 ha~ concurrently likewise elevated lock bar Ll to eliminate the free spac~ 23 at the top of the vertical channel 7. The arrangement of the interloc~ structure 1 as it pertain~ to the clo~ed drawer above the one which has ,I been opened i~ ~lightly diferent than that for all the drawers loaated b~lcw the one which has been opened. As shown in FIG.
7, i~ the top closed drawer i~ attempted to be opened, the , ~ront ramp 27 of the activator will not strike the rotary cam member at all, but instead, ~ince the inturned flange tip 11 of the lock bar L2 has been elevated, the leading edge 33 of ~; 2S this activator will be disposed below the horizontal plane of ~I this inturned flange tip and thus the central portion of the -`
front ramp 27 will strike the rear edge of the flange tip, thereby blocki~g any further horizontal displacement of the activator and its as~ociated driawer.
The seguence of movement of the interlock components ~12 .~ .
! . .
~ ........... ...................................................................... ... ... .. .:
.
~ . .
` ~
~370~3 1 is ju~it reversed during closing of an opened drawer. The rear ramp 29 of the activator saddle engages the angular cam periphery 15 of the cam member main body 14 immi~diately adjacent the rear of the top track 28 to arcuately displace the radial cam ~lange 17 thereof in a ci~unter-clockwi~e direction as the bottom plate 34 passes over the flange tip 11 thereby removing the arcuate periphery 18 fro~i its position over.lying the adjacent inturned flange tip 11 80 that when the activator has been moved entirely rear of the rotary cam member the ~ ~:
. 10 as~ociated lock bar has droppied by gravity to its normal - position wherein the les~ier diameter portion of the rotary ~:
cam, member is disposed immediately abi~ve the flange tip of -- .
the next lawer lock bar with the rib 15a rei3ting upon the tip l, 11 and the freie ~pace 23 i~ again pre~ent.
;' 15 ..,', ..
I , , .
..
..........
i 20 :: ~
` 25 :
.`' .
;~ 30 : .
;j ,.:: . , .
ji -13~
.. 1 : .
.,: ' -l ~'-: ':
Claims (15)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A file cabinet having a plurality of vertically stacked storage elements provided with interlock means for preventing the opening of more than one said element at a time, said interlock means including, a plurality of vertically aligned lock bars in said cabinet for limited vertical dis-placement therein, guide means in said cabinet containing said lock bars and defining the limit of vertical displacement of said lock bars, cam means carried by each said lock bar each having rotatable lesser and greater diameter portions, said lesser diameter portions normally disposed immediately ad-jacent the next lower one of said lock bars, means mounting each said storage element within said cabinet for substanti-ally horizontal rectilinear movement therein, activator means horizontally movable concurrently with each said storage element to engage one said cam means to vertically displace its respective lock bar and concurrently rotate said cam means whereby, when one said cam means has been rotated by said activator means and its respective lock bar elevated thereby, all remaining said lock bars and cam members are immobilized and block movement of any additional activator means and associ-ated storage elements therepast.
2. A file cabinet according to Claim 1 wherein, said cabinet includes a sidewall and said lock bar guide means comprise a vertical channel provided adjacent the interior of said side wall.
3. A file cabinet according to Claim 1 wherein, said cam means comprise a rotary cam member, said lesser diameter portion including a central main body having an annular periphery, and said greater diameter portion includes a radial cam flange having an arcuate periphery.
4. A file cabinet according to Claim 1 wherein, said mounting means include at least a pair of suspension channels between each side of each said storage elements and the sides of said cabinet.
5. A file cabinet according to Claim 1 wherein, said activator means include a front ramp engageable with said cam means' lesser diameter portion to rotate said greater diameter portion as said storage element is horizontally displaced.
6. A file cabinet according to Claim 1 wherein, at least one said lock bar includes an inturned flange tip at its top and said cam means carried by the next higher of said lock bars rests upon said flange tip.
7. A file cabinet according to Claim 2 wherein, said lock bars normally are disposed one upon another when all said storage elements are in the closed position within said cabinet to provide a free space between the top of the uppermost of said lock bars and the upper limit of said channel whereby, opening of one said storage element horizontally displaces its associated activator to engage said cam means lesser diameter portion and elevate the attached lock bar and any higher lock bar so that said free space is occupied by the top of the uppermost one of said lock bars, and said con-current rotation of said cam means arcuately displaces said greater diameter portion to a position below said lesser diameter portion and overlying the top of the most lower one of said lock bars.
8. A file cabinet according to Claim 3 wherein, said annular periphery is provided with friction means enhancing positive engagement with said activator.
9. A file cabinet according to Claim 3 wherein, said rotary cam member includes a rib radially extending from said main body adjacent to and in the vertical plane of said radial cam flange whereby, said rib normally supports its associated lock bar upon the top of the next lower one of said lock bars when the adjacent one of said storage elements is in the closed position.
10. A file cabinet according to Claim 4 including, one of each said pairs of channels fixed to each side of said storage element and said activator means are fixed to one said storage element affixed channel at a point located to the rear of said lock bars when said storage element is in the closed position.
11. A file cabinet according to Claim 5 wherein, the height of said ramp is no less than the difference in the radius of said lesser and greater diameter portions of said cam means.
12. A file cabinet according to Claim 5 wherein, said ramp includes a leading edge disposed below said cam means' lesser diameter portion and above the top of the next lower one of said lock bars.
13. A file cabinet according to Claim 5 wherein, said activator includes a central top track and a rear ramp.
14. A file cabinet according to Claim 6 including, rib means on said cam means engageable with said lock bar flange tip to provide a minimal spacing between said lesser diameter portion and said flange tip through which said acti-vator passes when the adjacent said storage element is opened.
15. A file cabinet according to Claim 7 wherein, said activator includes a front ramp and the height of said channel free space when all said storage elements are closed is substantially less than twice the height of said ramp whereby only one said cam means may be vertically displaced at a time.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US484250A US3900236A (en) | 1974-06-28 | 1974-06-28 | File interlock |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1037093A true CA1037093A (en) | 1978-08-22 |
Family
ID=23923368
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA230,369A Expired CA1037093A (en) | 1974-06-28 | 1975-06-27 | File interlock |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3900236A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1037093A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4480883A (en) * | 1983-02-25 | 1984-11-06 | Office Specialty Division Of Hollanding Inc. | Anti-tip blocking device |
| US5074627A (en) * | 1990-07-13 | 1991-12-24 | Reff Incorporated | Anti-tilt and locking mechanism for multi-drawer cabinets |
| US9771741B2 (en) | 2015-01-19 | 2017-09-26 | T2 Systems Canada Inc. | Dual cam lock apparatus |
Families Citing this family (38)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4272138A (en) * | 1979-04-02 | 1981-06-09 | Avm Corporation | Cabinet drawer anti-tip lock device |
| US4303287A (en) * | 1980-02-04 | 1981-12-01 | Vickers Limited | Locking mechanism for a storage cabinet |
| US4298236A (en) * | 1980-07-14 | 1981-11-03 | Artopex Inc. | Safety lock system for vertically stacked storage elements |
| US4441767A (en) * | 1982-04-21 | 1984-04-10 | Avm Corporation | Cabinet drawer anti-tip lock device |
| CH636160A5 (en) * | 1982-08-27 | 1983-05-13 | Zoellig Paul Ag | DRAWER LOCK FOR DRAWER CABINETS. |
| US5456531A (en) * | 1987-03-24 | 1995-10-10 | Hon Industries, Inc. | Storage cabinets of adhesive bonded thin sheet metal |
| US5433516A (en) * | 1987-03-24 | 1995-07-18 | Hon Industries, Inc. | Filing cabinets |
| US5251974A (en) * | 1987-03-24 | 1993-10-12 | Hon Industries Inc. | Multi-drawer file cabinet |
| US4768844A (en) * | 1987-05-08 | 1988-09-06 | Hauserman, Inc. | Office cabinet |
| US4865404A (en) * | 1988-07-18 | 1989-09-12 | Harpers | Interlock for multi-drawer cabinet |
| US4960309A (en) * | 1988-11-29 | 1990-10-02 | Steelcase Inc. | Drawer lock and interlock mechanism |
| US5056876A (en) * | 1988-11-29 | 1991-10-15 | Steelcase Inc. | Drawer lock and interlock mechanism |
| US5184887A (en) * | 1990-10-26 | 1993-02-09 | Herman Miller, Inc. | Drawer interlock system |
| US5303994A (en) * | 1992-06-05 | 1994-04-19 | Steelcase Inc. | Drawer interlock |
| DE9209667U1 (en) * | 1992-07-18 | 1993-09-16 | Huwil Werke Gmbh | Lock for central locking and unlocking of drawers |
| US5352030A (en) * | 1992-09-11 | 1994-10-04 | Wolfgang Derle | Anti-tip device |
| US5333949A (en) * | 1992-10-05 | 1994-08-02 | Krueger International, Inc. | File drawer interlock mechanism |
| US5335986A (en) * | 1993-01-08 | 1994-08-09 | Metalworks, Inc. | Interlock assembly |
| US5567027A (en) * | 1993-06-11 | 1996-10-22 | Herman Miller, Inc. | Cabinet drawer lock |
| DE9420359U1 (en) * | 1994-12-20 | 1995-02-09 | Huwil Werke Gmbh | Pull-out lock for drawers arranged one above the other |
| GB9502513D0 (en) * | 1995-02-09 | 1995-03-29 | Jackson Paul A | Improvements relating to filing cabinets |
| EP0738813A1 (en) * | 1995-03-24 | 1996-10-23 | Merz-Meyer Ag | Piece of furniture |
| US6296332B1 (en) | 1996-07-12 | 2001-10-02 | Accuride International, Inc. | File interlock system and mechanism |
| DE69715980T2 (en) * | 1996-07-12 | 2003-01-30 | Accuride Int Inc | Locking system with rod lock for drawers |
| GB2318042A (en) * | 1996-10-12 | 1998-04-15 | Andrew Clive Jackson | Drawer interlock for a cabinet |
| US6254205B1 (en) | 1999-02-02 | 2001-07-03 | Thomas Regout Usa Inc. | Rail assembly with homing device and interlock |
| US6238024B1 (en) | 1999-08-19 | 2001-05-29 | Waterloo Furniture Components, Ltd. | Linkage member for an anti-tip/interlock device |
| TW439838U (en) * | 2000-10-26 | 2001-06-07 | Nan Juen Int Co Ltd | Driving and mutual-locking device among drawers |
| GB2380516B (en) * | 2001-10-05 | 2005-07-27 | Accuride Int Ltd | Rear interlock |
| US7469979B2 (en) * | 2004-03-19 | 2008-12-30 | Steelcase Inc. | Pedestal system |
| US7481503B2 (en) | 2006-01-19 | 2009-01-27 | Steelcase Inc. | Storage cabinet assembly |
| US8162416B2 (en) * | 2008-12-15 | 2012-04-24 | Bush Industries, Inc. | Anti-tip system for adjacent drawers |
| CA2847639C (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2020-11-10 | Florian Westwinkel | Cammed lever-activated locking system |
| JP2021501314A (en) * | 2017-10-27 | 2021-01-14 | ストレイティオＳｔｒａｔｉｏ | Spectrometer with self-correction of misalignment |
| US10470572B1 (en) * | 2018-10-08 | 2019-11-12 | Martas Precision Slide Co., Ltd. | Locking device for slide rail |
| US10966520B2 (en) * | 2019-01-15 | 2021-04-06 | Martas Precision Slide Co., Ltd. | Cabinet locking device |
| SE2150157A1 (en) * | 2021-02-12 | 2022-08-13 | Ikea Supply Ag | Locking arrangement for drawers in a cabinet, a cabinet comprising such arrangement and a drawer rail |
| US11812579B1 (en) * | 2021-04-28 | 2023-11-07 | ZT Group Int'l, Inc. | Rack interlock and anti-tipping mechanism |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3199937A (en) * | 1963-09-16 | 1965-08-10 | Robertshaw Controls Co | Locking device |
| US3622216A (en) * | 1970-05-28 | 1971-11-23 | Midwest Folding Products Mfg C | Drawer interlocking device for cabinets |
-
1974
- 1974-06-28 US US484250A patent/US3900236A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1975
- 1975-06-27 CA CA230,369A patent/CA1037093A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4480883A (en) * | 1983-02-25 | 1984-11-06 | Office Specialty Division Of Hollanding Inc. | Anti-tip blocking device |
| US5074627A (en) * | 1990-07-13 | 1991-12-24 | Reff Incorporated | Anti-tilt and locking mechanism for multi-drawer cabinets |
| US9771741B2 (en) | 2015-01-19 | 2017-09-26 | T2 Systems Canada Inc. | Dual cam lock apparatus |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US3900236A (en) | 1975-08-19 |
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