GB2079145A

GB2079145A - Drawer slide arrangements

Info

Publication number: GB2079145A
Application number: GB8121070A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1980-07-12
Filing date: 1981-07-08
Publication date: 1982-01-20
Also published as: GB2079145B; DE8018747U1; FR2486380B3; ATA305981A; AT385189B; FR2486380A1

Abstract

An extension guide assembly for a drawer having side walls (2) which project downwardly beyond a bottom (3) thereof, including two pairs of rails, (4, 5) each pair of which is arrangeable below the bottom (3) in a corner region between the bottom and the respective side wall (2) and each pair of which rails comprises an outer rail (4) and an inner rail (5) locatable within the outer rail, between which there is a cage (11) provided with balls (10). The outer rail (4) is securable to the drawer and the inner rail (5) is securable to the body of an article of furniture. The outer rail (4) is in the form of a square or rectangular tube with rounded corners and has in the lower wall portion thereof a continuous slot (13) through which extends a flange bar portion (6, 16, 20) of the inner rail (5, 15, 19). The inner rail (5) is provided in its corners with guide grooves or tracks for the balls (10) which also run in the corners of the outer rail (4).

Description

SPECIFICATION Extension guide assembly for a drawer This invention relates to an extension guide assembly for a drawer having side walls which project downwardly beyond a bottom thereof, including two pairs of rails, each pair of which is arrangeable below the bottom in a corner region between the bottom and the respective side wall and each pair of which rails comprises an outer rail and an inner rail located within the outer rail, between which there is a cage provided with balls, with the outer rail being securable to the drawer and the inner rail being securable to the body of an article of furniture.

The problem with such an extension guide assembly is to ensure that each pair of rails, with the balls mounted therebetween, has a high degree of lateral stability and good running qualities, and has an advantageous load-carrying capacity when subjected to loading in various directions.

According to the present invention, there is provided an extension guide assembly for a drawer having side walls which project downwardly beyond a bottom thereof, including two pairs of rails, each pair of which is arrangeable below the bottom in a corner region between the bottom and the respective side wall and each pair of which rails comprises an outer rail and an inner rail locatable within the outer rail, between which there is a cage provided with balls, with the outer rail being securable to the drawer and the inner rail being securable to the body of an article of furniture, wherein the outer rail is in the form of a square or rectangular tube with rounded corners and has in a wall portion thereof which is lowermost in use of the guide assembly a continuous slot through which extends a flange bar portion of the inner rail and wherein the inner rail is provided in its corners with guide grooves or tracks for the balls which also run in the corners of the outer rail.

The guide grooves or tracks in the inner rail and the guide tracks in the corner regions of the outer rail ensure that the rails are in an inherently stable position relative to each other, under various loads caused by the drawer. Irrespective of the direction from which the load is transmitted from the drawer to the outer rail, that load is always carried by a plurality of rows of balls, and transmitted thereby to the inner rail.

The slot in the lower wall portion of the outer rail may be kept very narrow so that no fouling matter which could detrimentally affect the guide tracks and the ballsin the cage can penetrate into the space within the outer rail.

The inner rail may also be made from plastics material in order to keep the costs of the guide assembly at a low level. The inner rail may be secured to a flange bar portion which is made of metal, or it is made integrally with the flange bar portion which is also made of plastics material and which in turn is integral with an angular shaped bar member, a fixing limb of which is securable to the body of an article of furniture.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of a pair of rails of a drawer extension guide assembly of the invention showing an inner rail thereof secured to the body of an article of furniture and the outer rail thereof secured to a drawer.

Figure 2 and 3 are sectional views of modifications of the inner rail of Figure 1 in regard to fixing a downwardly projecting flange bar portion of the inner rail to an angular or U-shaped bar member which is securable to the body of the article of furniture.

Figure 4 is a view in vertical section of an inner rail which is made of plastics material, and which is secured to a flange bar portion made of metal, Figure 5 shows a view of the inner rail shown in Figure 4, in the direction of the arrow V, and Figure 6 shows an inner rail with a flange bar portion and angular shaped bar member, wherein all members are integrally formed from plastics material.

The drawer 1 has side walls 2 and a bottom 3.

The side walls 2 project downwardly beyond the bottom 3 and each forms, with the bottom, a respective corner region in which a pair of rails of the extension guide is arranged. The pair of rails extends in the longitudinal direction of the drawer.

The pair of rails comprises the outer rail 4 which is secured by screws (not shown) to the bottom and/or to the side wall of the drawer, and an inner rail 5 which is integral with a flange bar portion 6 which is secured to an angular or U-shaped bar member 7 which is connected to the body 8 of an article of furniture.

The outer rail 4 is in the form of a square or rectangular tube and has rounded corners 9.

Provided in the region of the rounded corners, at the inward side of the guide rail, are guide tracks for balls 10 which are mounted in a cage 11 and thereby spaced from each other.

The inner rail 5 is of square or rectangular configuration and in the corner regions has guide grooves 1 2 for the balls 10.

The inner rails 5 shown in the drawings are in the form of solid members. They have a flange bar portion 6 which extends through a slot 1 3 in the lower wall portion of the outer rail 4. The width of the slot 13 is only a little larger than the thickness of the flange bar portion 6, so that fouling matter cannot penetrate into the space inside the outer rail.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the inner rail 5 which is made of metal, or the flange bar portion 6 thereof, is welded to the shaped bar member 7. The thermal stress on the flange bar portion 6, which occurs in the welding operation, does not have a disadvantageous effect on the inner rail 5 or on the guide grooves 12 as there is a sufficient distance between the weld location and the guide grooves, to permit the heat to be satisfactorily conducted away.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the flange bar portion 6 of the inner rail 5 is connected to the shaped bar member 7 by way of screw means 14.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment in which the inner rail 1 5 is made of plastics material and is secured to a flange bar portion 1 6 of metal. For that purpose, the upper free marginal strip portion 17 of the flange bar portion 16 6 is provided with through apertures 18 which are filled with plastics material when the inner rail 15 is injection moulded on to the flange bar portion, so as to provide a close and intimate connection between the flange bar portion 1 6 and the inner rail 1 5.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the inner rail 19, the flange bar portion 20 and an angular shaped bar member 21 are integrally produced from plastics material. The angular shaped bar member 21 comprises a fixing limb 22 which is secured to the body of the article of furniture, a limb portion 23 and a horizontal limb 24. The limb portion 23 projects downwardly beyond the horizontal limb 24. Stiffening ribs 25 which are arranged at a spacing from each other and which are of triangular configuration in the illustrated embodiment are provided between the limb portion 23 and the horizontal limb 24.

The guide grooves 12 in the inner rail 15, 19 are not of such a nature as to extend over the entire length thereof, but instead they only extend to a position shortly before the ends of the inner rail, and are delimited by stops 26. The manufacturing costs are reduced by the rail which is fixed to the body of the article being made partially or completely from plastics material.

Claims

1. An extension guide assembly for a drawer having side walls which project downwardly beyond a bottom thereof, including two pairs of rails, each pair of which is arrangeable below the bottom in a corner region between the bottom and the respective side wall and each pair of which rails comprises an outer rail and an inner rail locatable within the outer rail, between which there is a cage provided with balls, with the outer rail being securable to the drawer and the inner rail being securable to the body of an article of furniture, wherein the outer rail is in the form of a square or rectangular tube with rounded corners and has in a wall portion thereof which is lowermost in use of the guide assembly a continuous slot through which extends a flange bar portion of the inner rail and wherein the inner rail is provided in its corners with guide grooves or tracks for the balls which also run in the corners of the outer rail.

2. A guide assembly according to claim 1, wherein each flange bar portion is screwed or welded to an angular or U-shaped bar member - which is capable of being fixed to the body of an article of furniture.

3. A guide assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inner rail is of square or rectangular configuration and is solid.

4. A guide assembly according to claim 1, wherein the width of the slot in the outer rail is a little larger than the thickness of the flange bar portion.

5. A guide assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inner rail is made of plastics material and the flange bar portion is embedded by its free marginal strip portion in the plastics.

6. A guide assembly according to claim 5, wherein the free marginal strip portion is provided with through apertures which are fiiled with plastics material of the inner rail.

7. A guide assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inner rail, the flange bar portion and an angular shaped bar member are produced integrally from plastics material.

8. A guide assembly according to claim 7, wherein the angular shaped bar member has a first limb which extends substantially at right angles to a fixing limb thereof, which fixing limb has a limb portion which projects beyond the first limb and away from the fixing limb, and stiffening ribs which are arranged at a spacing from each other between the limb portion and the first limb.

9. A guide assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the guide grooves or tracks terminate shortly before the ends of the inner rail and are limited by stops.

10. An extension guide assembly for a drawer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 as modified or not by Figure 2, Figure 3, Figures 4 and 5, and Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.

11. An article of furniture having a drawer extension guide assembly according to any one af claims 1 to 10.