GB2310997A

GB2310997A - A drawer height adjuster

Info

Publication number: GB2310997A
Application number: GB9705415A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Duncan Anderson; Mark Andrew Baker
Original assignee: BERNSTEIN GROUP PLC
Current assignee: BERNSTEIN GROUP PLC
Priority date: 1996-03-16
Filing date: 1997-03-17
Publication date: 1997-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-17
Also published as: GB2310997B; GB9705415D0

Abstract

A drawer height adjuster 19, 20 adapted to be located between the bottom edge of a drawer side 10 , and a horizontal part 18 of a drawer runner 15. One member 20 is rotatable relative to the other member 19, and the two members have co-operating toothed ramp surfaces 22, 26 such that rotation of the member 20 raises and lowers the member 19 and thus the drawer side 10 relative to the runner 15. A locking screw 16 rigidly attaches all of the components together after adjustment of the drawer height relative to the runner.

Description

A DRAWER HEIGHT ADJUSIER THIS INVENTION concerns a device to enable the height of a drawer to be adjusted in relation to a drawer carcass into which it is inserted.

Many items of furniture are manufactured in component parts and supplied as a kit for assembly by the user. In items containing a drawer means are usually provided to enable the drawer to be adjusted in height at each side thereof whereby, for example in a chest of drawers, are all aligned and are able to open and close without the drawer fronts chafing against one another or against the carcass walls. Such adjusting means commonly consist of slotted apertures in the drawer rails attached to the inside surfaces of the carcass such that by loosening the fixing screws therefore the rails may be raised and lowered to achieve the final adjustment.

The adjustment process performed using these devices is often left to trial and error with the user having to loosen and readjust the rails several times before satisfactory is achieved. Once adjusted the rails and drawer runners may wear or the adjusted position may shift due to rough handling of the drawers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drawer height adjuster which is easier to operate enabling the drawer position to be visibly checked during the adjustment process, and which is more robust in use, preferably enabling easy re-adjustment after a period of settlement.

According to the present invention there is provided a drawer height adjuster comprising a pair of co-operating members adapted to be located between a part of a drawer and a runner fixedly attached thereto, said members having mutually co-operating ramp surfaces and means to effect relative movement between the members thus selectively to raise and lower the drawer with respect to the runner.

Preferably, a first said member is attached to a bottom edge of a drawer side so as to be disposed between said bottom edge and a horizontal surface of the runner fixedly attached beneath the bottom edge.

Furthermore, a second of said members is preferably rotatable with respect to the first and includes a radially extending handle providing easy access for rotation and adjustment.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an underneath perspective exploded view of a front lower corner region of a drawer and illustrating a drawer runner and height adjuster in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the parts almost fully assembled; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 after height adjustment has been effected; Fig. 4 is a side view of the height adjuster in a position of maximum extension; Fig. 5 is a similar side view showing the adjuster in a closed position; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the height adjuster.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a drawer side 10 and a drawer base 11. The front of the drawer has been omitted from the drawing for the sake of clarity. At a position spaced from its front edge the drawer side 10 along its bottom edge 12 is shallow bored at 13 and the base of the bore is centrally bored at 14 with a reduced diameter.

A drawer runner 15, usually of metal, is to be attached to the bottom edge of the drawer side 10 by means of a screw 16 passing through an oval slot 17 in a bottom i.e. horizontal part 18 of the drawer runner.

The drawer height adjuster made in accordance with the invention comprises a first part 19 adapted to be located in the shallow bore 13 and fixed thereto, and a second part 20 such that the parts 19 and 20 will become located between the bottom edge 12 of the drawer and the horizontal part 18 of the runner 15. The screw 16 passes through both parts 19 and 20 and locates within the bore 14 in the bottom of the drawer.

The adjuster 19, 20, the parts of which will be described below in greater detail is manufactured from a plastics material such as nylon and preferably with the two parts joined together by a thin membrane (not shown) which, when the screw 16 is initially tightened, is ruptured as the parts 19 and 20 are compressed together. This will then enable part 20 to be rotated in relation to part 19 which is fixed against rotation by the side or vertical part of the runner 15.

Referring now also to Figs. 4 and 5, the part 19 includes a spigot 21 which in use becomes located within the bore 14. It also has four toothed ramp surfaces 22 disposed so that each spans 90" of the circumference of a central boss 23, as can be seen more clearly in Fig. 1. Boss 23 has spaced external splines 24 which become engaged with a continuous series of internal splines 25 extending around the inner circumference of part 20.

The part 20 has four co-operating toothed ramp surfaces 26 so that when the parts 19 and 20 are brought together the opposed toothed and splined surfaces serve to provide incremental or step-wise rotation of the part 20 relative to the part 19, and during rotation there is relative axial movement between the two members owing to the inter-engagement of the ramp surfaces 22 and 26. It will be seen that the part 20 includes a radially extending handle 27 for manipulation of the part 20 relative to the fixed part 19. The degree of axial movement provided by the co-operating ramp surfaces is typically in the region 2.5mm and as can be seen from Figs. 2 and 3 rotational movement of the member 20 through 90" will cause a gap between the bottom surface 12 of the drawer side and the horizontal surface 18 of the runner 15 to be varied between Omm and 2.5mm.

Since in the finished drawer assembly the runner 15 is at a fixed height determined by a co-operating rail attached to the inside wall of the carcass and upon which it runs, then by adjusting the height of the drawer side relative to the runner 15 the drawer itself is raised and lowered in relation to the carcass. The elongate slot 17 ensures that the side wall of the runner 15 is located close up against the side wall 10 of the drawer or permits some lateral adjustment of the two if necessary.

In use, the height adjuster is inserted into the bores 13 and 14 in the drawer side, and the runner 15 is secured thereto by a first screw (not shown) at a position towards the rear end of the drawer. The runner is then secured near its front end by the screw 16 passing through the slot 17 and into the adjuster. This action expands the spigot 21 locking it in position vertically and axially and also compresses the adjuster parts breaking the attaching membrane and leaving the part 20 free to rotate relative to the part 19.

The drawer box can then be inserted into the carcass and vertical adjustment effected on both sides where required by rotation of each part 20 relative to its associated part 19 until the drawer is level at the required height whereupon the screw 16 may be tightened fully to lock the adjuster in the selected position.

The drawer can be readjusted at any time by slackening off the screws 16 and rotating the part or parts 20 as necessary.

The adjuster typically measures some 12mm across, i.e.

approximately equivalent to the thickness of the drawer sides. The handle 27 protrudes inwardly across the base of the drawer by a distance of some 12mm allowing sufficient leverage for manual adjustment whilst being unobtrusive in use. If required, the handle 27 may be designed such as to be removed once final adjustment has been made.

It is not essential that the parts 19, 20 shall be manufactured in one piece but this is preferable for convenience and to ensure that such small components cannot become lost before the drawers are assembled and adjusted.

It will be appreciated that the action of the adjusting assembly is simple in principle and operates much in the same way as a rising butt hinge. The ramp surfaces are grooved to provide step-wise adjustment but alternatively may be smooth. The grooves however also assist in ensuring that the adjuster cannot rotate inadvertently during tightening of the screw 16.

Throughout the aforementioned description and in relation to the drawings, the adjuster has been shown as having a part 19 which is fixedly attached to the drawer side 10, and a part 20 which is rotatable relative to the part 19. Clearly, in an alternative arrangement the entire device may be turned around such that part 19, after some appropriate reconfiguration, would be attached to the runner 15 thus, in effect, to raise or lower the runner relative to the drawer 10. Conceivably, the part 19 or at least the ramp surfaces 22 may be integrally formed with the runner, with the part 20 being inserted between the drawer and the runner.

Claims

1. A drawer height adjuster comprising a pair of cooperating members adapted to be located between a part of a drawer and a runner fixedly attached thereto, said members having mutually co-operating ramp surfaces and means to effect relative movement between the members thus selectively to raise and lower the drawer with respect to the runner.

2. A drawer height adjuster according to Claim 1, wherein a first said member is attached to a bottom edge of a drawer side so as to be disposed between the said bottom edge and a horizontal surface of a runner fixedly attached beneath the bottom edge.

3. A drawer height adjuster according to Claim 1, wherein one of said members is rotatable with respect to the other and includes a radially extending handle providing access for rotation and adjustment.

4. A drawer height adjuster according to any preceding claim, wherein said members are adapted to be located within a shallow bore in the bottom edge of the drawer side, the base of the bore being further centrally bored with a reduced diameter into which is inserted a part of one of said members.

5. A drawer height adjuster according to any preceding claim, wherein said ramp surfaces include toothed formations to enable incremental or step-wise relative movement between the members.

6. A drawer height adjuster according to Claim 2, wherein said members are manufactured from a plastics material the two members being joined together by a thin membrane adapted to be ruptured as the adjuster is installed between the drawer side and the runner thus to separate the members such that one of said members is rotatable relative to the other.

7. A drawer height adjuster according to Claim 1, wherein each said member has four toothed ramp surfaces disposed so that each spans substantially 90" of the circumference of a central boss being part of one of said members, said boss having spaced splines which are inter-engaged with a continuous series of splines on the other of said members, the engaging splined surfaces serving to provide incremental or step-wise rotation of one of the members relative to the other.

8. A drawer height adjuster according to any preceding claim, wherein relative movement of the co-operating members is such as to provide a height adjustment of the drawer of approximately 2.5mm.

9. A drawer height adjuster according to Claim 1, wherein a first said member is attached to a horizontal surface of the runner which is fixedly attached beneath the bottom edge of a drawer side, while the second said member is movable relative to the first said member and to the drawer side.

10. A drawer height adjuster according to any preceding claim, including a locking screw adapted to prevent relative movement of the co-operating members after adjustment.

11. A drawer height adjuster according to Claim 10, wherein the locking screw extends through the runner, and the adjuster and into the drawer.

12. A drawer height adjuster substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.