CN111839039B

CN111839039B - Soft closing mechanism

Info

Publication number: CN111839039B
Application number: CN201910713768.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 玛索·拉玛昌德拉
Original assignee: Godribois Manufacturing Co ltd
Current assignee: Godribois Manufacturing Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-29
Filing date: 2019-08-02
Publication date: 2022-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-02
Also published as: CN111839039A

Abstract

The invention helps to close the drawer very smoothly and correctly at the end of closing. In such drawer slides, there is no loss of strength for the drawer slide with and without the soft close. Thus, the load capacity of the drawer slide with and without soft closing is the same. The present invention provides additional functional options for the end user. The complete closing of the drawer can avoid the accident of users who switch the drawer in a hurry. Such devices facilitate smooth closing of the drawer and ensure complete closing of the drawer, thereby preventing damage and dust accumulation to the contents of the drawer due to partial opening of the drawer.

Description

Soft closing mechanism

Technical Field

The invention relates to a soft closing mechanism device arranged on a drawer sliding rail. More specifically, the invention discloses an additional assembly unit on a drawer slide-a device with soft closing function. The purpose of such devices is to provide the user with the option of customizing a drawer slide with/without a soft close mechanism and further to provide the user with the option of retrofitting or converting a telescopic drawer slide to a soft close telescopic drawer slide.

Background

Soft-close systems are used in kitchen appliances for the purpose of cushioning when a drawer or cabinet door is closed to prevent slamming. A typical soft closing system may include a piston that contacts the door or drawer during the final closing phase. The door or drawer compresses the piston, thereby cushioning the door or drawer.

Drawer slides are used primarily for kitchen furniture, office furniture, shop furniture, etc. With frequent use of the drawer, the user may forget or neglect to properly close the drawer. If the drawer slide does not have a soft-close mechanism, the drawer may be partially opened by slamming shut. Opening the drawer can result in insects entering, depositing dust and getting damp inside, resulting in damage to the items inside the drawer. Partially open drawers can cause users to be surprised by haste or neglect. The soft close function ensures that the drawer is properly closed and fully locked. The closing action of the drawer with this mechanism is very smooth and collision-free, which avoids damage to the furniture and ultimately prolongs its service life.

Kitchen appliances are typically designed to be aesthetically appealing to users, and thus the choice of materials may be an important factor. The soft close mechanism is visible when the door is open, as it is in contact with the door when closed. This may be detrimental to the aesthetics of the device. The soft close piston can be customized for a variety of appliances or appliance families, but additional costs are incurred because it is not possible to mass produce such soft close pistons for a variety of kitchen appliance families. Furthermore, if a certain series provides a veneer selection, it may be desirable to share as much inventory as possible between the different options, which is not possible in custom parts.

In the prior art, US8590989B2 discloses a soft-close mechanism for a drawer slide assembly that includes a spring-damper mechanism attached to a fixed member that is in sliding engagement with an intermediate member that is in sliding engagement with a drawer member. The spring-damper mechanism includes a base connected to a rail that includes a longitudinal channel and a pair of oppositely disposed clips. The carriage is slidably engaged with the guide rail. The pivot latch rotates about the post of the carriage and also includes a pair of posts extending through the carriage for engagement with the clips in the guide rails.

In another prior art, US patent 8091971B2 discloses a soft-close cabinet slide rail assembly that allows for soft-closing and/or soft-opening action of the drawer when the drawer is opened or closed, saving labor for the operator. The cabinet slide assembly includes a cabinet, a drawer, and at least one slide mechanism coupling the drawer to the cabinet such that the drawer moves between a fully open position and a fully closed position. A force applying device, preferably a gas spring, for applying a tensile force may also be included within the soft closing cabinet slide assembly with a first end coupled to the cabinet and a second end coupled to the drawer.

In another prior art, japanese patent JP5720801B2 discloses a mechanism device in which a soft-close mechanism and a push-open mechanism are combined, the mechanism device being most suitable for attachment to a body or drawer of furniture in place. The mechanism apparatus is configured such that the second hook-shaped undulating member is alternately switched between two undulating positions by the switching means, and the driving pin presses the surface of the object to be driven by the second undulating member, either the soft-close mechanism or the push-open mechanism operates; when the soft closing mechanism is operated, the wave of the seesaw-shaped first wave member causes the wave of the second wave member to operate in synchronization therewith, and the hook body of the seesaw-shaped first wave member is moved away from the hook groove.

In another prior art, U.S. patent No. US9872563B2 discloses a drawer slide assembly mounted on a drawer slide assembly for sliding a drawer within a cabinet with push-open and soft-close functionality while also providing depth and alignment adjustment of the drawer relative to the cabinet frame. The device includes a housing including a soft shut off track; a damper; a carriage slidable within the soft close track; a guide block comprising a set of channels disposed within the stationary and moving parts for providing depth and alignment adjustments; a pin, slidable within the carriage, having a first end engaged with the soft close track and a second end simultaneously engaged with the guide block, provides a soft close and push away function.

In yet another prior art, U.S. patent No. US20100219727a1 discloses an apparatus for use with a pair of drawer slide assemblies, wherein each drawer slide assembly has at least one first slide member movable relative to a second slide member, and includes a first stabilizing element configured to be coupled to the second slide member of one of the slide assemblies, and a second stabilizing element configured to be coupled to the second slide member of the other slide assembly. The connecting element extends transversely along the extension direction of the slide rail assembly and enables the first slide rail component of the slide rail assembly to move synchronously.

The present invention aims to alleviate the above problems. Alternatively or additionally, the present invention is directed to an improved soft close mechanism and method of installing a soft close mechanism.

Disclosure of Invention

The main purpose of the invention is to add a soft closing device on a non-soft closing drawer slide rail without changing any component.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a compact mechanism that does not require additional space as compared to conventional drawer slides.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a soft close mechanism in which no or negligible loss of strength due to soft closing is noted because of the same drawer slide components in the drawer slide with/without the soft close function.

Another object of the invention is to achieve a smooth closing of the drawer without damaging impacts.

Accordingly, as described herein, the present invention provides a soft close mechanism for controlling the closing of a furniture drawer attached to a drawer slide assembly. The soft closing mechanism includes a housing, which is a fixed member fixed on a fixed outer arm of the drawer slide, including a plurality of catches, a guide groove, and a step configured to serve as a stopper for the slide catch in an open state; a sliding cover, wherein two walls of the sliding cover are provided with buckles which are configured to be buckled on the side wall of the shell; a latch configured to slide within a guide slot provided in the housing, comprising a circular peg serving as an inner pivot for the assembly; a damper configured to slow a closing force applied to the drawer; one end of the tension spring is fixed on the shell buckle, and the other end of the tension spring is jointed with the sliding cover buckle serving as the sliding component; wherein the simultaneous force of the damper and the tension spring contributes to the soft closing of the drawer at the end of closing and ensures the complete closing of the drawer.

The invention relates to an assembly of a housing and other components. The housing is the main component of the mechanism, which houses all the components and has accessory aids to fit on the drawer slide. The damper device is mounted in a recess provided in the housing and is locked into a small male snap at one end. The other end of the damper having the locking tip is engaged with the slide cover. The damper is hydraulic and is made of a metal cylinder and a pin assembly extending outside the cylinder. The pin has an end that engages the slider and provides a smooth closing action for the slider. The sliding cover is engaged with the housing by a snap and slides on the housing. A stopper is provided on the housing to stop the slide cover. The latch is sandwiched between the housing and the slider. The pin is pivoted to the slide cover and slides with the slide cover and rotates around the pivot. The other end of the bolt is provided with two pins. The pins are guided into grooves provided in the housing.

The tension spring is arranged to pull the slide cover backwards. One fixed end of the spring is engaged with the housing and the other end is snapped onto the slide cover.

The bolt has two nibs. A member latch operator having a projection is disposed on the slide arm at the rear end of the drawer slide. The projection engages a nib provided on the pin and pushes the pin and the slide back. The sliding cover is provided with a spring. The damper limits the pulling force and provides smooth movement to the sliding cover while the tension spring pushes the sliding cover backwards.

The invention for a drawer slide with a soft closing mechanism is different from the existing drawer slide, wherein the soft closing mechanism can be installed on the same drawer slide as an additional function (when required by a user) in a later period, and the drawer slide assembly does not need to be changed and the strength of the drawer slide is not lost.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a front face of a soft close mechanism according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the back of the soft close mechanism according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front face of a soft closure mechanism in an open state according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the back of the soft close mechanism in an open state according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view and a cross-sectional view of a soft closure assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the components of the soft close mechanism according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an inner slide arm with a latch operator according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the inner slide arm with latch operator according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a drawer slide assembly according to the present invention: comparing the new money with the conventional money;

FIG. 10 shows details of the engagement of the latch operator and the latch;

FIG. 11 shows a drawer slide with a soft close mechanism;

FIG. 12 illustrates a soft close mechanism mounted to an outer arm of a drawer slide according to the present invention;

fig. 13 shows an exploded view of the soft close mechanism and drawer slide outer/middle arm according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, both show assembly attempts of the soft shut mechanism. The mechanism can be rigidly fixed to the outer arm of the drawer slide without any modification. This mechanism provides the end user with overall flexibility to accommodate additional functionality in drawer slides that do not have soft-close. The mechanism has very compact structure.

Fig. 3 and 4 show the soft close mechanism in an open state. The sliding cover 2 is provided with buckles on two walls, and the sliding cover can be buckled on the side wall of the shell 1 through the buckles. The typical taper provided on the slider catch 2d helps to catch it to the housing 1. The sliding cover 2 is locked with the housing 1 and cannot fall out of the housing 1. The slide cover 2 slides on the housing 1. The housing 1 is firmly fixed to the fixed outer arm 9 of the drawer slide.

Fig. 5 shows the components and a cross-sectional view of the soft closing mechanism.

Fig. 6 shows an exploded view of the soft-close mechanism with area annotation. The mechanism consists of five parts. The housing 1 is made of a strong and rigid material. It is the main component of the mechanism, to which all components are mounted. It is the fixed member of the mechanism. The housing 1 has a catch 1b and a slot 1e for secure attachment to the rear end of the drawer slide outer arm 9. When in operation, the supporting device plays a role in supporting all mechanism parts. The slide cover 2 is made of a strong and rigid material. The buckle 2d arranged on the sliding cover 2 is clamped on the side wall of the shell 1. The slide cover 2 slides on the housing 1. The latch 3 is made of a rigid material and has a smooth friction when sliding in the guide groove 1a of the housing 1. The step 1f of the housing 1 serves as a stopper for the catch 2d of the slide cover 2 in the open state. A circular peg 3b provided on the latch 3 serves as a pivot in the assembly. Two circular pegs 3c are provided on the other side of the plug pin 3, the plug pin 3 being guided by a guide groove 1a provided in the housing 1. The latch pin 3 slides in a guide groove 1a provided in the housing 1, whereby the latch pin operator 6 engages and disengages. The damper 4 is a standard. This feature slows down the closing force exerted on the drawer. One end of the tension spring 5 is fixed to the catch 1d of the fixing member of the housing 1 and the other end is engaged with the catch 2c of the slide cover 2, which is a slide member. The simultaneous force of the damper 4 and the tension spring 5 contributes to a very smooth soft closing of the drawer at the end of closing, while it also ensures a correct, complete closing of the drawer. The inner slider arm 8 and the slider 2 are pulled backward by a single tension spring 5. When sliding, the flexible rib 2b of the slide cover 2 absorbs the destructive force of the intermediate slide arm 10 at the flange 10 b. See fig. 5 and 13.

Fig. 7 shows the inner slide arm 8 with the latch operator 6. The inner slide arm 8 is a sliding member of a drawer slide assembly made of metal. It is fixed to the drawer and slides with the drawer. The latch operator 6 is made of a strong rigid material. It is fixed to the rear end of the inner slide arm 8 by a rivet 7. The inner slide arm has a hole 8b and the latch lock operator has a hole 6 b. The latch operator 6 slides with the slide member of the drawer slide. It comes into contact with the bolt 3 when the drawer is closed. The damper 4 minimizes the tension of the spring and smoothes the closing. It pushes the pin 3 backwards and reaches a stable position by spring force.

Figure 8 shows an exploded view of the inner slide arm 8, the latch operator 6 and the flat head rivet 7. The rectangular portion of the latch operator 6 engages the slot 8b of the slide arm 8 in the drawer slide. A projection 6a is provided on the plug operator 6, and the plug operator 6 operates the plug 3. FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the latch operator and the latch.

Fig. 10 shows a comparison of a new version of a soft closing drawer slide with a conventional, generic version of a soft closing drawer slide. In both slides, the outer arm lengths OL1 and OL2 of the drawer slide are the same. The inner arm lengths IL1 and IL2 of both drawer slides are identical. The middle arm length ML2 of the conventional soft close drawer slide is less than the middle arm length ML1 of the new soft close drawer slide. In a conventional version of a drawer slide, the soft close mechanism occupies the mid-arm space at the rear end of the drawer slide (fig. 10). The new soft close drawer slide with/without soft close mechanism has no strength loss. Thus, the load carrying capacity of the new drawer slide is the same whether with or without soft closing. Other drawer slides with soft-close capability have less load capacity than slides without soft-close.

Fig. 11 shows a drawer slide assembly with a retrofittable soft close mechanism.

Fig. 12 shows the soft close mechanism mounted on the drawer slide fixed outer arm 9.

FIG. 13 shows an exploded view of a drawer slide assembly with a soft close mechanism. The rear end of an outer fixed arm 9 of the drawer slide rail is provided with a device for fixing the soft closing mechanism. The pre-assembled slots 1e of the soft-close mechanism can be inserted into the snap-fit on the front lugs 9b and the two lugs 9b at the rear end of the drawer slide fixed outer arm 9. The cutout 10a provided in the arm 10 in the drawer slide acts as a release for the soft closing mechanism in the closed condition of the drawer slide.

While the foregoing description of the invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments and applications disclosed, but rather, the invention is described by way of illustration and description. The particular embodiments and applications chosen and described are the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Accordingly, all changes, modifications, variations and alterations that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. A soft closing mechanism attached to a drawer slide assembly (Y) for controlling the closing of a furniture drawer, the soft closing mechanism (X) comprising:

a housing, which is a fixed member fixed on an outer arm of the drawer slide, including a plurality of catches, a guide groove, a step configured to serve as a stopper for the slide cover catch in an open state;

the sliding cover is provided with buckles on two walls, and the buckles are configured to be buckled on the side wall of the shell;

a latch configured to slide within a guide slot provided in the housing, comprising a circular pin that serves as an inner pivot for the assembly;

a damper configured to slow a closing force applied to the drawer;

a tension spring, one end of which is fixed on the buckle of the shell and the other end of which is jointed with the buckle of the sliding cover as a sliding component; the synchronous force of the damper and the tension spring is helpful for soft closing of the drawer at the closing end and ensures complete closing of the drawer;

the shell also comprises a buckle (1 b) and a groove (1 e) which are used for being firmly fixed at the rear end of the outer arm of the drawer slide rail, and the shell plays a role in supporting all mechanism parts during operation;

the rear end of a fixed outer arm (9) of the drawer slide rail is provided with a device for fixing a soft closing mechanism, and a groove (1 e) of the soft closing mechanism can be inserted into a front lug (9 b) and buckles on the other two lugs (9 b) at the rear end of the fixed outer arm (9) of the drawer slide rail.

2. The soft close mechanism of claim 1, wherein a cone is provided on the slider clasp configured to snap it onto the housing, and the slider locks with the housing.

3. The soft close mechanism of claim 1, wherein the latch slides within a guide slot provided in the housing to effect engagement and disengagement of the latch operator; the bolt also comprises two round bolts arranged on the other side of the bolt, and the bolt is guided by a guide groove arranged in the shell.

4. The soft close mechanism of claim 1, wherein the sliding cover includes flexible ribs that absorb destructive forces of the intermediate sliding arm at the flange when sliding.

5. The soft close mechanism of claim 1, wherein the damper minimizes spring pull, pushes the latch back, and relies on spring force to reach a stable position; the tension spring is configured to pull the inner slide arm and the slide cover.

6. The soft close mechanism of claim 3, wherein said latch operator comprises a rectangular portion configured to engage said guide slot of the slide arm in the drawer slide; the bolt operator is fixed at the rear end of the inner slide arm through a rivet; the inner slide arm and the bolt operator are provided with holes for rivets to pass through; the bolt operator for operating the bolt comprises a bulge; the latch operator slides with a slide member of the drawer slide.

7. The soft close mechanism of claim 1, wherein the outer arm length of the drawer slide is the same in both slides, the inner arm length is the same in both drawer slides, and the middle arm length is the same in both drawer slides, such that the strength of the drawer slide assembly (Y) is the same with or without the soft close mechanism (X).

8. The soft close mechanism of claim 1, wherein the soft close mechanism is configured for retrofitting; the soft closing mechanism (X) can be installed at a later stage as an additional function according to the needs of customers, and the components of the non-soft closing drawer slide rail are not required to be changed; this additional functionality creates an option for the end user to convert a conventional drawer slide to a drawer slide with a soft-close functionality.

9. A soft closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the soft closing mechanism (X) employs a single rail for telescopic drawer rails with/without soft closing.