IL27145A - Movable filing cabinets - Google Patents

Description

Movable filing eaMnets The preeent invention concerns movable filing cabinetβ of the kind which may be aligned or juxtaposed with other cabinet or shelf units and moved on rails la such a manner that by shifting a unit by a distance corresponding to its vldth a passage is formed from which the unit becomes accessible* In known filing cabinets of this kind the shi ting of the units is brought about by an eleotromotoric force in such a way that the units are coupled with driving means usually located In the floor, e.g. an endless chain driven by an electric motor* In this manner a plurality of units can be shifted at the same time* Such known cabinets require a number of cumbersome arrangements, such as a driving motor and a chain, couplin and uncouplin means* and complicated safety means for preventing any un desired movement of the units when the operator Is in a passageway* etc* Slight malfunctions as are liable to occur anywhere may in Buch installations cause unpleasant consequences. Thus, an electricity failure makes the use of the registry impossible* Moreover, damage of the driving means, e.g. of the chain* requires complicated repair work even In the case of a relatively slight damage* in particular when the driving means are located In the floor underneath the cabinet or shelf units* Xt is the object of the present invention to provide a movable filing cabinet of the kind specified which, even in the case of a heavy unit, can be shifted easily and without disturbances by manual operation* Hereinafter those faces of a unit which extend substantially parallel to the rails will be referred to as end faces* 27145/2 * In accordance with the invention there is provided a movable filing cabinet for filing correspondence, adapted to be slidingly moved on rails and comprising at one end face thereof a pivotally mounted one-armed lever carrying a motion-transmitting member effective in both directions of pivotal movement in the form of a pawl, a gear or a toothed segment engageable with at least one pinion* eaoh of said pinions having associated therewith, at the opposite end of said movable filing cabinet, a second gear mounted on a shaft extending across the underside of the filing cabinet, said gear a3 well as eaoh of said pinions being in permanent engagement witJ a stationary gear rack or chain on the floor* The above arrangement is also applicable to very heavy units. Any skewing during the rolling of a unit is avoided by the combined action of the pinion, the motion transmitting member and the racks or chains which they engage* The power transmission from the lever to the pinion enables the simultaneous shifting of two or more units without effort.

Moreover the manipulation is simple and practically without any malfunctions* As all the components of the driving mechanism, including the racks or chains, are located on the outside of the rows of aligned or Juxtaposed units, servicing is thus simple and can be effected without interfering with the operation,It is moreover, possible to fit an existing cabinet with a driving mechanism according to the invention* In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the driving mechanism ooaprises two pinions for alternating operation in dependence on the direction of travel, which are alternatingly engaged by a horizontally shiftable pawl* Xn accordance with this eabodiaent the horizontally shlftable pawl aay b articulated to the lower end portion of the lever. The advantage of this arrangement resides in the simple operation and the advantageous power transmission.

Xn accordance with another embodiment of the invention the driving mechanism ooaprises a pinion in mesh with a toothed wheel of a larger diameter adapted for coupling with the lever.

Xn accordance with this latter eabodiaent the power gear-up is particularly great. Moreover only one single shaft is required for the driving pinion.

The coupling with t he lever can be e ected in a simple manner in that the toothed wheel comprises a plurality of holes arranged in a oirole and the lever ooaprises a retractable pin controllable by means of a simple mechanism applied to the lever· and thereby adapted to engage any of the holes* The control aeohanisa for the pin aay be of any suitable design. For example, the pin may b< biased into the retracted position and means aay be provided for forcing the pin into a registering hole* The gear-up through the toothed wheel is particularly favourable. The design aay be such that the control of the pin is actuated when the lever is gripped at its handle and ie released when the lever is released. Consequently no additional manipulation is required. The lever does not have to follow the remaining action of the toothed wheel durin the dis lacement means of recuperating springs* Xn aooordanoe wih a particularly simple embodiment the d iving mechanism oompriaee a pinion and a Meshing toothed wheel segment connected to the eve * In accordance with this embodiment It Is possible to design the segment with a very large radius so as to obtain a high gear-up. Moreover the disengagement occurs automatically after the segment has followed the motion of the pinion for a distance eorree onding to the length of the arc of the segments* after each disengagement the lever pnsee the equilibria* point and then swings by itself Into Its extreme position* In accordance with this embo ime t the segment and lever are preferably made In one piece* The driving mechanism la a unit of a registry aooord-ing to the invention can be assembled en a oarrler plate which Is then mounted on an end faoe of the unit* Xa this manner it becomes possible to mount a driving mechanism oa an existing registry in a very short time without too much interference ¼lth the operation of the registry* In order to prevent aooidents It Is possible to ©over the entire driving mechanism with a disaanable cover suitably slotted so as to enable the accessibility and operation of the lever. In this manner dirtying of hands and clothing is pre* vented and the registry has a pleasant finish.

The individual cabinet or shelf units may he fitted with magnetic coupling means in combinaion with buffers which absorb the shock of a collision between two suoh unite and prevent any recoil* .

Fig. 1 Is a fragmentary elevation of an end wall of a unit with a driving mechanism according to he invention* without cover; Pig, 2 is a bottom view of the embodiment of Fig. 1, Pig. 3 ie a fragmentary elevation of an end wall of a unit fitted with another embodiment of a driving mechanism according to the invention} Pig. 4 is a side elevation of the eabodiment of fig* n Pig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of an ed wall of a unit with yet another embodiment of a driving mechanism according to the invention} Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of an end wall of a unit in a registry according to he? invention with covered driving mechanism; Pig* 7 shows a buffer and magnetic couling arrangement in two adjacent units in a registry according to the invention} and Pig. 8 shows two plan views of a registry according to the invention.

In the embodiment Illustrated in Pigs* 1 and 2 the end wall 1 is fitted with a base plate 2 on which are mounted two pinions 3 symmetrically with respect to the median line, on sha ts 4 which extend across the unit below the bottom thereof and on the opposite end of each of which is keyed a driven toothed wheel 5· Pinions 3 and the driven toothed wheels 5 engage coordinated stationary racks or chains 6 which are connected to the floor and extend parallel to the rails (not shown) · A pawl 7 Is articulated at its centre to a swlngable lever 9 which is pivoted to plate 2 at 10. Pawl 73» supported 27X45 2 horizontal and its tip may engage either of pinions 3· depending on the direction at which lever 9 ia swung, thereby to impart to the pinion a driving impulse. Upon engagement between the pawl 7 and the pinion 3 the former will assume a slightly slanted position when sliding over the oloaeat tooth and will remain In this position with the other teeth of the tooth wheel merely clicking against the tip until lever 9 is returned to ite central position* Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of the shafts 4 below the shelf unit with the driving pinions 3 and driven toothed wheels 5 but without the wheels. Basically the arrangement is the same when only one aingle pinion 3 keyed on one single ehaft 4 and one single driven toothed wheel 5 are provided. In which case the shaft 4 is preferably located in the median plane of the unit* The embodiment according to Figs, 3 d 4 comprises a pinion 3 whose shaft is preferably located in the median plane of the unit. Pinion 3 is in mesh with a toothed wheel 12 of larger diameter which coaprises a plurality of holes 13 arranged in a circle. In addition, pinions 3 and gears 5 mounted on the shafts 4 are in engagement with a gear rack 6 fastened to the floor or with a stationary chain. On the spindle of wheel 12 ia mounted a lever 9* which comprises near Its upper end a handle 14 resembling the handle of the hand brake by whose release a pin 15 is shifted into one of holes 13 y means of a transmission member 16. In this manner lever 9* engages the toothed wheel 12 and upon shifting the lever the wheel ia turned which in turn drives pinion 3. Normally pin 15 la not in engagement with a hole 13 and It is biased out of such engagement by means of a spring 17· .

In both embodiments according to Figs* 1 and 2 as well as according to Figs* 3 and 4» levers 9 and 9% when released in their pivotally displaced position, are returned to their central position by means of springs lie In order to prevent rebound of the cabinet units by mutual impact during displace* ment, the opposing faces of the cabinet units are provided with resilient magnet couplings 21 for resiliently absorbing the impact* Pinion 3, tooth wheel 12 and lever 9* together with their accessories are all mounted on a base plate 2 which is fastened to the end wall of the shelf unit* The embodiment of Fig. 5 comprises a pinion 3* which corresponds to the pinion 3 of Fig, · Pinion V is in mesa with a tooth wheel segment 18 of larger radius which merges into a lever 9**· The segment follows the motion of the pinion a distance corresponding to the length of Its arc and as soon as the two are disengaged the released lever 9** swings spontaneously into its extreme position since its centre of gravity is then located above the turning point. The extreme position on both sides is determined by abutments 19· Fig* 6 Illustrates a cover 20 for the entire driving mechanism inclusive of rack 6· The cover comprises in its upper portion a slot 22 which enables the access to and the movement of lever 9* A buffer-magnetic coupling mechanism is illustrated in Pig* 7 which shows on a side wall of a unit 1 a resilient buffer 21 provided with a magnet plate 23 and a corresponding iron plate 24 on an adjacent unit 1*· Two of the many possibilities of combining cabinet or shelf units according to the invention into a large size registry are shown in Fig. 8 Pig. 8a shows a row of aligned units with their broader side walls faolng eaoh other and a passage (showed by hatching) enclosed betwee 1 two neighbouring units. Fig. 8b shows three neighbouring rows eaoh of which consists of several aligned units facing eaoh other at their narrower side walla. In such an arrangement it is possible to make the aaita in the rear row stationary. Bach of these stationary unite are accessible by forming a pasaage between the units in the two front rowa.

Claims (1)

1. A movable for filing adapted to moved on rails and comprising at one face thereof a pivotally mounted lever carrying a member effective in both directions of pivotal movement in the form of a a gear or a toothed ment engageable with at least one eaoh of said pinions having associated at the opposite end of said movable filing a second gear mounted on a shaft extending across the underside of the filing said gear well each of said pinions in permanent engagement with a stationary gear rack or chain on the A movable filing cabinet according to Claim wherein the driving mechanism two pinions for alternating operation adapted eaoh for engagement by a horizontal able A movable filing oabinet according to Claim wherein the pawl articulated to the A movable filing oabinet according to Claim wherein the driving mechanism comprises single pinion in with a toothed wheel of a larger diameter adapted for engagement by a A movable filing cabinet according to Claim wherein the toothed wheel comprises a plurality of holes arranged in a circle and the lever is provided with means for the controlled engagement of any of these A movable filing cabinet according to Claim wherein said means for the controlled engagement of the holes a retractable pin controllable through means located on the A movable filing oabinet according to Claim wherein the pin is biased into the retracted said means for its control comprise a member to ing at the handle so designed that aotuation the pin is forced into a registering A movable filing oablnet according to any the preceding wherein spriagy recuperating means are provided for returning the lever into its median rest A movable filing cabinet according to Claim wherein the driving mechanism comprises a single pinion and in mesh with a toothed wheel segment connected to a A movable filing cabinet according to Claim wherein said lever and segment are made in one movable cabinet according to wherein the swing of the lever is limited on both sides abutments whioh are preferably A movable filing cabinet according to any one of the ing wherein all elements of the driving mechanism and for the manipulation are mounted on a common base A movable filing cabinet according to any one of the ceding wherein the entire mechanism is covered and an opening is provided in the cover for the access to and the movement the A movable filing oablnet according to any one of the ing further comprising shook absorbing means if with means for the magnetic coupling with a ing Movable filing cabinets according Claim substantially as For use in a large size registry a according to 1 fitted with a driving mechanism as specified in any of Claims 1 insufficientOCRQuality