GB2193880A

GB2193880A - Improvements in and relating to metal housings

Info

Publication number: GB2193880A
Application number: GB08714391A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Armstrong Henderson; Kenneth Livingstone
Original assignee: Twinlock Ltd
Current assignee: Twinlock Ltd
Priority date: 1986-06-26
Filing date: 1987-06-19
Publication date: 1988-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-19
Also published as: GB8714391D0; GB8615594D0; GB2193880B

Abstract

A metal housing, such as a filing cabinet, comprises a pair of side walls 3, each of which is provided with a front edge portion bent out of the plane of the respective side wall 3 to form a strengthening portion. Each strengthening portion, which extends vertically up the front edge of the side wall 3, is formed integrally with the respective side wall 3 and comprises a first flange 7 and at least one channel of U-shaped section formed by further flanges 8, 9, 10 inwardly of the first flange. Between two of the further flanges 8, 9 and the first flange 7 and the side wall 3, there is formed an L- shaped channel 21 into which a correspondingly shaped element 22 extending downwardly from a corner of the top wall 1 of the housing, is adapted to fit. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Metal housings The present invention relates to improvements in metal housings, for example of filing cabinets, the housings of which are provided with for example shelves, baskets or drawers.

In the manufacture of metal cabinets, a substantial amount of time is spent welding shaped sheet metal pieces together to create the housing and to mount on it guide means and support eiements for components associated with the housing, such for example as shutters or blinds closing a front opening, shelves or drawers.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a metal housing comprising top, bottom and side walls and which is provided with an opening at the front thereof, each side wall being provided by a sheet metal member, an edge portion of which member is bent out of the plane of the respective side wall to provide a strengthening portion extending along the front edge of the side wall, each strengthening portion comprising a first flange extending generally in the plane of the front of the housing and further flanges extending generally parallel to the first flange and the respective side wall, inwardly of the first flange.

Advantageously, each first portion may cooperate with the respective side wall and respective first flange to form a channel of generally L-shaped cross-sectional configuration for receiving a location element of corresponding sectional configuration extending from and affixed to a corresponding corner of the top and/or bottom wall.

Preferably, the further flanges of each strengthening portion provide a second portion of generally U-shaped sectional configuration extending generally parallel to the respective first portion thereof.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of housing according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the front edge portion of a side wall of the housing of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic exploded view showing a corner of the housing of Fig. 1; and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic horizontal section through the housing of Fig. 1.

The sheet metal housing shown in the drawings, which may for example be a cabinet to be provided, for example, with drawers, shelves or other article supports, comprises, as is conventional, top, bottom, side and rear walls 1, 2, 3 and 4. The front of the housing is provided with an opening 5 for access to the interior and which may be closed in any conventional manner, for example by the fronts of drawers or by a shutter or blind, which may be slatted or of flexible sheet material, and which may be moved vertically or horizontally across the opening 5.

The side walls 3 are each provided by a sheet metal member, an edge portion of which is bent out of the plane of the respective side wall 3 to provide a strengthening portion 6, shown in detail in Fig. 2.

The strengthening portion 6, which extends along the front edge of the side wall, may be formed using metal bending and/or roll forming techniques and is integral with the side wall 3. The strengthening portion 6 comprises a first flange 7 which extends in the plane of the front of the housing and further flanges 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. In the illustrated embodiment, a first one of these further flanges, flange 8, extends parallel to the first flange 7. A second one of the further flanges, flange 9, extends parallel to the side wall 3. Flange 10 extends parallel to and is spaced from, flange 8, flanges 8, 9 and 10 providing a first portion 13 of generally U-shaped sectional configuration. Flanges 10, 11, 12 provide a second portion 14 of generally U-shaped sectional configuration, both portions lying behind the first flange 7 inwardly of the housing.In the illustrated embodiment flange 10 is common to both the first and second portions 13, 14.

The U's of the portions 13, provided on the two side panels 3, face each other across the front opening 5 of the housing and, where the housing is provided with means for closing the opening, such as a shutter or blind 15 (Fig. 4), which is moved vertically across the front opening to close the opening, the portions 13 may be adapted to receive and guide the lateral edges of the shutter or blind 15.

One of the flanges of each strengthening portion 6, as shown flange 12, may be provided with apertures 16 for receiving means, such as supports 17, for supporting articles or for supporting article supports, e.g. shelves, drawers, etc., within the housing. The other end of each support 17 may be received in corresponding apertures in a flange 18 arranged in the corresponding rear corner of the housing, which flange may as shown be integral with the rear wall 4 of the housing. The flanges 16, 18 may be provided with arrays of apertures to permit adjustability of positioning of the supports 17.

Where the housing is to contain withdrawable drawers, mechanisms for each drawer may be provided on one or both of the flanges 11 for use in preventing withdrawal of more than one drawer at a time.

Where the housing is provided with locking means for locking drawers in their closed position or for locking a blind or shutter closing the front opening of the housing, the locking mechanism, or, as shown, openings 19 for receiving part of a locking mechanism, may be mounted or provided on flange 11.

Depending on the uses to be made of the flanges integral with the first flange 7 and the strength and rigidity requirements of the front edges of the side walls 3, flanges 11 and 12 may be omitted. Where these flanges 11, 12 are omitted and flange 10 is apertured for receiving supports 17 and portion 13 is used to receive and guide a lateral portion of a shutter, a flange 20, shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, may be provided along the free edge of flange 10, which flange 20 is bent inwardly of the U of the U-shaped sectional configura tion, towards flange 8, to protect the lateral edge of the shutter from the ends of the sup ports 17.

Flanges 8 and 9 of each first portion 13 may be bent to conform closely to flange 7 and the adjacent portion of side wall 3. Alter natively, as shown in Fig. 2, these two flanges may be spaced from and co-operate with the respective first flange 7 and the adja cent portion of the respective side wall 3 to form a channel 21 of a generally L-shaped cross-section which may extend the full length of the front edge of the side wall 3. The channel 21 may be adapted to receive a loca tion element 22 of corresponding section ex tending from and being attached to the front corners of the top and bottom walls 1, 2.

Only one such location element 22 is shown in Fig. 3 projecting from the top wall 1, but equivalent members may be provided projec tinvg from the other front corner of the top wall and from the corresponding corners of the bottom wall 2. The projecting 22 are fixed to the walls 1, 2 in any suitable manner. As shown each projection 22 forms part of a bracket having a portion 23 extending over the inner surface of the respective wall and which is fixed, for example by welding or riv eting, to the wall 1. Alternatively each projec tion 22 may be fixed directly to the respective wall 1 or 2, e.g. by welding or riveting the arms of the projection to flanges 24 extending along the edges of the respective wall.

By providing channels 21 which closely con form to the dimensions of the location ele ments 22, the housing can be provided with rigid corners at the front opening 5. The walls 1, 2, 3, 4 of the housing may be fixed to gether by any suitable means, such as screws, rivets or spot welding and for this purpose the walls are provided with inturned fixing flanges, for example flanges 25 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 on the top and rear edges of the side walls, a corresponding fixing flange being provided on the bottom edges of side walls 3.

It will be appreciated that by use of the above described construction for the front edges of the side walls 3 of the housing manufacture of the housing is considerably simplified since elements which are conventionally formed separately and then welded to the side walls are provided from material integral with the side walls and which is simply bent to the required configuration.

It will also be appreciated that the relative dimensions of the various flanges 7 to 12 may be varied as required depending on the strength and rigidity requirements of the front edges of the side walls and the uses to which the flanges are to be put.

Claims

1. A metal housing comprising top, bottom and side walls and which is provided with an opening at the front thereof, each side wall being provided by a sheet metal member, an edge portion of which member is bent out of the plane of the respective side wall to provide a strengthening portion extending along the front edge of the side wall, each strengthening portion comprising a first flange extending generally in the plane of the front of the housing and further flanges extending generally parallel to the first flange and the respective side wall, inwardly of the first flange.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the further flanges provide a first portion of generally U-shaped sectional configuration.

3. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the further flanges define, with the respective first flange and adjacent portion of the respective side wall, a channel having a generally L-shaped section receiving a location element of corresponding section extending from and fixed to a corresponding corner of the top and/or bottom wall.

4. A housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the further flanges comprise a first further flange extending generally parallel to the respective first flange.

5. A housing as claimed in claim 4, in which the further flanges comprise a second further flange extending generally parallel to the respective side wall.

6. A housing as- claimed in claim 5, in which the first and second further flanges are spaced from the respective first flange and side wall to define a or said L-section channel.

7. A housing as claimed in either claim 5 or claim 6, in which the further flanges comprise a third further flange extending generally parallel to the respective first flange which, together the with first and second further flanges, defines a or the generally U-shaped first portion.

8. A housing as claimed in either claim 2 or claim 7 in which the further flanges provide a second portion of generally U-shaped sectional configuration extending generally parallel to the respective first portion thereof.

9. A housing as claimed in claim 8, in which a flange of each second portion also forms a flange of the respective first portion, the U of each second portion is facing in the opposite direction to that of the respective first portion.

10. A housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each strengthening portion is adapted to receive support means for supporting articles or for supporting support means for articles in the housing.

11. A housing as claimed in claim 10, in which a flange of each strengthening portion is apertured to receive the support means.

12. A housing as claimed in any one of claim 2 to 11, in which the U's of the first portions face each other across the opening.

13. A housing as claimed in claim 12, including means for closing the opening opposed, edges of said closing means being received in the U's of the first portions.

14. A housing as claimed in claim 13 in which the further flanges provide a flange extending inwardly of the U of each first portion.

15. A housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a flange of each strengthening portion is apertured to receive locking means.

16. A housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the side walls are provided with integral edge portions at the top and bottom edges thereof, which edge portions are bent out of the plane of the side walls and are fixed to the top and bottom walls.

17. A housing substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.