GB2218619A

GB2218619A - Drawer slide assemblies

Info

Publication number: GB2218619A
Application number: GB8811861A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David William George Lee
Original assignee: ELMBRIDGE PRODUCTION ENGINEERS
Current assignee: ELMBRIDGE PRODUCTION ENGINEERS
Priority date: 1988-05-19
Filing date: 1988-05-19
Publication date: 1989-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 2008-05-19
Also published as: GB8811861D0; GB2218619B

Abstract

A drawer slide assembly includes a channel-shaped rail (10) adapted to be secured to a fixed frame (12), and a sliding rail (18) to which a drawer (14) is to be fixed. Mounted at the front of the rail (10) is a first roller (16) upon which the sliding rail (18) bears, while a second roller (38) is mounted at the rear of the sliding rail to bear either against the upper track or the lower track of the fixed rail (10). Each roller carries an annular projection (24, 40) to prevent metallic contact with the inside of the rail. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Drawer Slide Assemblies Field of the invention This invention relates to drawer slide assemblies, in particular such assemblies having a fixed rail and a sliding rail.

Background to the invention Drawer slide assemblies of the type above mentioned are used in various domestic and industrial applications for mounting drawers which require to be at least partly extended from the furniture in which they are mounted.

Such assemblies usually carry a roller at the front of the fixed rail, and a similar roller at the rear of the sliding rail. If the alignment of the drawer is incorrect, or the drawer is pulled laterally, a problem is liable to occur that the side of the roller may then engage with the respective side of the rail in which it is running. This is particularly a problem where metallic parts are involved, especially the shaft pin of the roller. In consequence wear and noise results and the pulling out or pushing in of the drawer is made more difficult due to the increased friction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drawer slide assembly which prevents the above mentioned disadvantages.

Summary of the invention According to the present invention there is provided a drawer slide assembly comprising a channel shaped fixed rail with a first roller mounted at the front thereof, and a sliding rail which bears on the first roller and has a second roller mounted at the rear thereof which is engageable with pne or the other surface of the fixed rail, wherein each of said rollers carries within its outer circumference a projecting portion directed towards the side of the respective rail on which the roller bears.

The projecting portion is preferably of annular section, thereby forming a shoulder with the circumferential portion of the roller.

Each rail may include a stepped section adjacent said projecting portion and engageable with the side or shoulder of the circumferential portion to prevent the roller engaging said side of the rail.

The edge of the rail opposite said side may be bent inwards in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the respective roller in order to engage the other side of the roller opposite said projecting portion and thereby prevent the roller from leaving the rail.

Such assemblies are invariably of left-handed or righthanded pairs, the one being in section a mirror image of the other. In its application to the present invention only one of such handed pairs requires to have such a !perpendicular bent edge, since this will be sufficient to locate the rollers in the rails of the opposite handed pair.

Brief description of the drawings A drawer slide assembly in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a left and right-hand drawer slide assembly shown mounted to a drawer; Figure 2 is a perspective side view of the right-hand assembly of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a view in section taken on line III-III of Figure 2.

Referring first to the right-hand assembly of Figures 1 and 2, there is shown generally at 10 a fixed rail which is secured as by screws (not shown) to the frame 12 of the furniture in which a drawer 14 is slideable.

Rotatably mounted to the side of the fixed rail 10 at the front thereof is a plastic roller 16, and running upon the roller is a sliding rail 18 having a horizontal ledge 20 which is secured to the drawer 14 as by screws (not shown) passing through holes 22 therein.

The roller 16 comprises a large or flanged section 24 and a reduced annular section 26 forming a shoulder 28 with the flanged section.

The flanged section of the roller 16 runs in an upper grooved track 30 formed to the left by a stepped portion 32 and on the opposite edge by an inwardly bent lip 34 for holding the roller captive. A conventional stop 36 limits movement of the sliding rail 18, and hence of the drawer 14, into the furniture frame 12.

At the rear end of the sliding rail 18 is rotatably mounted a further roller 38, best seen in the section of Figure 3. The roller 38 is similar to the roller 16, except that it faces in the opposite direction. It also carries a projecting annular portion 40 which stands proud of the shaft pin 42 on which the roller is rotatable.

As shown in Figure 3, the fixed rail 10 is channel shaped and has a lower track 44 and an upper track 46 which is of a grooved or stepped shape similar to the track 30 of the sliding rail 18. Thus the roller 38 either runs on the upper track 46 or the lower track 44, depending on whether the centre of gravity of the drawer as a whole is to the front or rear of the front roller 16.

The construction of the left-hand assembly is mirror imaged but generally similar to that described above, except that the fixed rail l0A has a straight track instead of the bent lip at 48 of the right-hand assembly; and likewise the sliding rail 18A does not have a bent lip corresponding to the lip 34 of the right-hand assembly.

By constraining the roller 16 in the grooved track, the stepped portion 32 prevents the roller from touching the side of the rail 18. And in the event of such contact it is the annular portion 26 which will contact the side, thereby prevent any serious rubbing against the side and protecting the pin 42 from coming into contact therewith.

The arrangement of the wheel 38 is similar, in that the annular portion 40 provides a stand-off from the side of the rail 10 in the event that the shoulder of the roller 38 is not held back sufficiently by the stepped portion 46 of the upper track 46 or the corresponding stepped position of the lower track 44.

By use of the slide assembly described above a smooth operation is obtained, and friction and the resultant noise are reduced.

Claims

1. A drawer slide assembly comprising a channel-shaped fixed rail with a first roller mounted at the front thereof, and a sliding rail which bears on the first roller and has mounted. at the rear thereof a second roller which is engageable with one or the other surfaces of the fixed rail, wherein each of said rollers carries within its outer circumference a projecting portion directed towards the inside of the respective rail on which the roller bears.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which the projecting portion is oE annular section, thereby forming a shoulder with the circumferential portion of the roller.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 in which each rail includes a stepped section adjacent said projecting portion and engageable wit the side or shoulder of the circumferential portion to prevent the roller engaging said side of the rail.

4. An assembly according to any one of claim 1 to 3 in which an edge of the rail opposite said side is bent inwards in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the respective roller in order to engage the other side of the roller opposite said projecting portion and thereby prevent the roller from leaving the rail.

5. A drawer slide assembly substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.