US1374868A - Metal furniture construction - Google Patents

Description

H. E. WHITE AND H. F. PHMBIN.

METAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTlON. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, I919.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

. 4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2/ INVENTORS fleease T WHITE- and.

H N DH m T A H. E. WHITE AND H. F. PHILIBIN. METAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILE-D JULY 29. 1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

H. E. WHITE-AND H. F. PHILIBIN.

METAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1919.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

INVENTORJ llseaeer E'. Wan M, j/E/WEY A u I H. E. WHITE AND H. F. PHILIBIN. METAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. 1919.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ammtou #5198527 E.- Wfi/ Tc. 0 A/E/WzY-E PHILJBINN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. WHITE AND HENRY F. PHILIBIN, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE GENERAL FIREPROOFING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

METAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION.

T 0 all to 710m it may concern Be it known that we, HERBERT E. WHITE and HENRY F. PHILIBIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Furniture Construction, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to metal furniture construction particularly of; the character adapted for making metal filing cabinets and like devices. X

A primary'object of the invention. is to provide a metal filing cabinet or like device comprising a plurality of unit parts designed with special reference to being placed in knocked-down condition for shipment in compact form, while at the same time capable of being readily set-up or assembled for use.

Another distinctive object ot'the invention is to provide a metal furniture construction of a simple character and economical to manufacture, and which, when set up for use, will equal the appearance of a solid cabinet, having all of the desirable qualities and characteristics thereof as to stability and rigidity.

il iththe above and other objects which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood. the same consists in the novel construction, combina tion and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The various details of the structure are necessarily Susceptible of modification without departing from the scope of the invention. but a preferredand practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying" drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present improved cabinet with portions broken away to show the construction more clearly.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the cabinet.

Fig. 3 is a too plan view of the cabinet, with parts broken away.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line of Fig. 1. and showing a solid side panel substituted for skeleton construction.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an upper Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Application filed July 29, Serial No. 314,003.

front corner of the cabinet with portions thereof broken away to show the connection between the top, front and side sections of the cabinet.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective View, partly 1n section, to show how the front corner of the top plate is notched to clear the vertical members of the front section. I

.Figr 8 is a detail perspective View partly in section, showing one of the upper rear corners of the cabinet.

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one of the rear upper corners of the cabinet, illustrating a modification ofthe invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a lowerrear corner of the cabinet/when constructed in accordance with the plan shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of one end of the spacer rods utilized for separating and holding the side ladder sections in spaced relation.

Fi 12 is adiagram of the cabinet, showmg t e manner of assembling the side sections with reference to the back section.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. l showin the front section fitted into the seat forme at the front edges of the opposite side sections, and the locking panels in position to hold the front. and side sections locked together.

Similar reference characters, designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of thedrawings.

In carrying the present invention into effect it is proposed to provide a plurality of sections or units, each of which may consist of more than one part and be com pletely assembled at the factory by welding, riveting, or otherwise, as may be found most convenient. but of such a form in each in stance as to pack relatively fiat for shipment. To that end the invention fundamentally and essentially comprises several interfittingand interlocking units which, though capable of being knocked-down for shipment in compact relation, may also be easily and quickly set up to form a rigid cabinet structure com )lete in itself. as a partin a series or stacr of cabinets of like construction.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 12 of the drawings it may be observed that the present cabinet construction primarily includes the back sections A, the opposite side sections B-B, the bottom unit C, the top unit or cap D and the front unit or ladder E. These units are adapted to be assembled in substantially the order named, as will appear after the structural features and characteristics of the several units have been elucidated. 1

Referring first to the back section, or key unit A, it will be observed that the same comprises a wall platel having the opposite holding flanges 2 formed at each edge thereof, said flanges being bent in such a manner as to provide inwardly facing grooves or channels for receiving parts of the'side sections B as will presently appear. The upper edge portion of the wall 1 of the back section A is formed with an inwardly disposed flange portion 3 bent up at 4 (Fig. 8) to provide an angle flange disposed at the same side of the wall 1 as the flanges 2-2. The vertical member 4 of the said ngle flange has secured thereto in any suitble manner, angle plates 5, the leaf portions 6 of which are adapted to be disposed parallel to the flange 3, and spaced therefrom, to provide a holding slot 7 for the rear edge of the cap section D, as hereinafter pointed out. The lower edge of'the wall 1 of the back section is provided with a stiffening flange 1 (see Fig. 1) and slightly above the edge is fitted with a suitable angle member 8 for receiving the downturned flange or skirt portion of the bottom section C, as will also hereinafter more fully appear.

The side sections B-B are of skeleton construction, and in their assembled form are of ladder-like formation, since the opposits vertical members thereof are joined y transverse members as shown for instance in Fig. 1 of the drawings. That is to say, each side section B essentially consists of the front and rear inside upright members 9 and 10 respectively, which are connected by the horizontal drawer supporting members 11, to thus provide a ri id structure. The uprights 9 are preferably of relatively wide channel formation (see Figs. 12 and 13) with the out-turned flange portions 9 and 9*, while the rear vertical upright members 10 are also of relatively wide channel formation and provided with the front abutment flange 12 and the rear substantially hollow keeper flange 13 which is adapted to fit into the inwardly facing channel or keeper groove of the flanges 2 of the back section A. (See Figs. 8 and 12.) Accordingly, it will be apparent that the side sections B consisting of the front and rear " upright members 9 and 10 and the transverse drawer supporting members 11 may be assembled at the factory in the form of a ladder as shown, so that they may be readily and quickly assembled with reference to the back section A.

For the purpose of. facilitating the assembling of the side sections B with reference to the back section A, it may be observed that after the keeper flanges 13 of the rear vertical uprights 10 have been fitted into the vertical channels or keeper grooves of the flanges 2, a stiffenin angle iron 14 may be placed in the angle ormed at the inner meeting edges of the rear vertical uprights in the back section as shown in Figs. 1 and 12, wherein suitable perforations in the angle plate 14 will register with similar per forations in the uprights 10 to receive the reduced end portions-:15 of the spacing rods 16 which not only serve as braces or stays for stiffening the rear structure of the cabi net, but also lock the side sections B to the back section in a thoroughly practical and eflicient manner.

The bottom plate'C of the cabinet preferably consists of the body portion 17 having the down-turned side and rear flange portions 18, the latter fitting into the channel formed by the keeper member 8 carried at the lower rear edge of the back section A, and the down-turned side flanges engaging with the holding'clips 8* carried by the rear vertical members of the side sections B-B. (See Fig. 1.) Thus the bottom plate 17 securely holds the back and side sections together and generally stabilizes the lower end of the cabinet structure by reason of the'construction pointed out. The front edge of this bottom unit or plate is formed with an up-turned flange 19, and this flange cooperates with a front bottom panel member 20 shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings to provide a finished appearance for the lower edge of the front of the cabinet.

The top section or cap D (see Fig. 8) is provided at all of its edges with downturned flange portions for telescopically fittin over the side sections B-B and front I an rear sections E and A, and for the urpose of providing a thoroughly effective ock joint between the cap, and the several sections on which it is surmounted, the rear downwardly turned flange 21, thereof. is provided with an inturned locking foot flange 22 which is adapted to slidably engage the top flange 3f of the back 1 and ride into the slot 7 formed between the leaf 6 of the angle plate and'the said flange 3. The opposite side flanges 23 of the cap, as well as the front flange 24 thereof may be provided with the inwardly extending flange elements 25 which have the down-turned lip portions 26 for providing a snug and dustproof joint between the front and side edges of the cap and the corresponding parts of the vertical front and side sections. As shown in Figs. 6 andS the inturnerl flange portions 25 are cut away at the corners to clear the upright members.

The front section E is also a complete unit in itself, and like the sections B-B is of provide a seat ladder formation, essentially comprisin the opposite vertical side members 27, whic are preferably of channel formation, and the transversely disposed drawer dividers 28. Owing to the novel formation'of the front uprights of the side ladders, the an larly formed flanges 9 of the. opposite adders for receiving the channeled upright members 27 of the from section, and for the urpose of locking the entire front section in position with reference to the side sections, suitable panel strips 29 are provided. These panel strips constitute one of the novel and distinctive features of the present invention and are of substantially U-sha .ed formation, as ma be observed from igs. 1, 4, 12and 13 o the drawings. The web portion 30 is expose to view an constitutes a finished front -side edge of the cabinet, while the inner leaf member 31 thereof is notched as at 32 to clear the drawer dividers 28, and the outer leaf member 33 is provided with a locking hole 34 hole for registering with a similar locking in the vertical upright members 9 of the side sections B-B to receive .a fastening for connecting two adjacent cabinets together, and

also for holding the panel members securely in position to thereby fasten the front section E in place with reference to the side sections BB.

When it is desired to set the cabinet up as a complete unit by itself, and have the sides thereof closed or protected, it is proposed to provide a side wall S as suggested in ig. 5 of the drawings, and this side wall S has its front edge formed in the same manner as the panel members 2-9. That is, it is provided with an inturned leafportion having notches for clearing the drawer dividers 28 and when used as shown in Fig. 1, for instance, the same may be secured to the channels 27 by means of the screws 35,-which may be placed in position before the base member 20 is fitted over the upstanding vertical flange 19 of the base unit C. Therefore, it will be understood that when one or more cabinets are set up side by side, and it is not necessary to provide a completeseparating wall therebetween, the fastenings which are utilized for anchoring the adjacent cabinets together by passing through the openings'34, also serve to hold the panels 29 in place, but on the other hand when it is desired to provide a finished side wall for the cabinet, the said'side wall S is secured in position by the screws 35 which are concealed by the base panel or apron 20. I

In assembling the several units to form a complete cabinet, the back section A is first held in a vertical position and the holding flange portions 13 of the rear uprights of the side ladder sections 13-13 are placed into the keeper channels of the side flanges 2 of the back section. After the side and back 'vatedand sliding the keeperflange 22 between the angle plate 5 and the inturned wall 3 of the back section A. When the rear edge of the topsection and the back unit A are thus connected and the front of the top is still held elevated, the upper transverse member 28 of the front'lad'der section E is placed behind the inturned flange 25 at .the front of the top, as shown in Fig. 6, the entire front section E is then swung inwardly into osition between the flanges 9 of the opposite side sections BB, and the. top and front sections thus connected are lowered together. The topD and front E are hingedly interlocked, so that when the lower part of the front unit, acting as a lever, is swung into place the top is placed under tension to make a stable structure. When the front unit is in position the panels 29 may be" fitted over the mating partsof the front and sides to lock the said front section securely in position in the manner already referred to. In event that the solid side walls S are utilized these will of course take the place of the panels 29, the same being se cured in place by the screws 35 as already referred to, and also by suitable fastenings inserted in the. openings 36 of the rear vertical uprights 10 of the side sections.

\Vith the foregoing arrangement it Will be apparent that the joint between the side sections B--B and the back unit is located at the side of the cabinet. However, in case it is desired to locate the joint at the back of the cabinet, instead of at the side-the modified construction shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings may be utilized. In this form of embodiment the opposite side edges of the body 1" of the bark section A are provided with the flanged angle portions 2" whose inner angles face outwardly instead of inwardly as in the form of construction shown in the other figures of the drawings. These flanges 2 are in this case pref'erablv provided with a slot 37 for registering with a. similar slot in the interior reinforcing angle strip 14 and the inturned flange 38 of the side panel section S. whereby a suitable key 39 having a forked slot 40 may be inserted in the inside of the cabinet the narrowest part of the form engages and clamps together the stiffening angle 14, flange 2 and flange 38 of the side section. For the purpose of retaining the lower corner of the joint an car 41 may be formed on the bottom flange l" of the back plate, the same being bent upwardly to engage the return net construction consistin of a 'luralit of interfitting units or sections which ma be readily knocked-down for shipment in a compact form and on the other hand readily and quickly assembled to provide a single cabinet or a row of cabinets as desired, while at the same time providing for the effective exclusion of dust or other foreign matter from the interior of the cabinets through the utilization of novel joints. where the several parts connect or meet. Further these novel joints contribute materially to the strength and rigidity of the entire cabineg structure.

Ve claim:

1. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section, side sec tions detachably interlocked at the rear to the side edge portions of the back sections, a front ladder section, and connectors detachably holding the=front ladder section interlocked with the front portions of the side sections.

2. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section, side sections detachably interlocked at the rear with the side edge portions of-the back section, a front ladder section interfitting with the front portions of the side sections, and panel members adapted to detachably lock the front and side ladder sections together.

3. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section, side sec tions detachably interlocked at the rear with the side edge portions of the back section, a front ladder section, and panel members arranged at the sides of the side sections and having an engagement with the front ladder section to hold it detachably interlocked with the side sections.

4. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section, side sections detachably interlocked at the rear with the side edge portion of the back section, a front ladder section, and panel members of substantially U-shaped cross section for emln'acing the meeting edges of the front and side sections and holding the same in interlocked engagement.

A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section, side sections detachably interlocked at the rear with the side edge portions of the back section, a front ladder section, and panel members consisting of spaced parallel walls connected by a transverse web, one of said walls being notched to fit over the transverse members of the front ladder section when the panel 1,e74,see

member is fitted to the meeting edges of the front and side sections to hold the same in their locked relation.

6. In a metal furniture construction, a back wall member provided at its opposite "vertical edges with an intnrned flange, side wall members each provided at one edge with an outturned flange interfitting within one of the inturned flanges of the back wall and means disposed between the flanges o the side Walls tohold the same interlocked with the flanges of the back wall.

7. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section having marginal keeper grooves openin inwardly, side sections having outturne portions adapted to fit in said keeper grooves, and spacing rods adapted to be interposed between the inside faces of the side sections to maintain the same in locked engagement with the back section.

'8. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section having its opposite side edges provided with flanges forming keeper grooves, side sections including vertical'front and rear members and horizontal drawer guides connecting said members. and the rear vertica members of the said side sections having an interlocking engagement with the keeper grooves of the back section, vertically dis-, posed angle members adapted to be fitted in the interior angle formed between the rear vertical members of the side sections and the back section and provided with perforations for registering with similar perforations in said vertical members, and spacing rods having locking end portions adapted to fit in said openings and hold the rear vertical members of the side sections in locked engagement with the back section.

9. A knock-clown metal furniture construction including a back section having marginal inwardly facing keeper grooves, side ladder sections consisting of front and rear vertical members and transverse drawer guides, the said rear vertical members being provided with outturned flanges for engaging with the inwardly facing keeper grooves of the back section, and the front vertical members of said side sections bein formed with flanges providing interior ang es which constitute a front section receiving seat, and a front ladder section adapted to be detachably fitted into the seat formed by the included angles of the flanges of the front members of the side ladder sections.

10. A sectional cabinet construction including a back section, side sections ,having an interlocking engagement with the side edges of the back section, means for rigidly spacing and holding the side sections in place with reference to the back section, a

connected with said front-and rear uprights,

means for locking the rear uprights with the back section. a. skeleton front section adapted to be secured to the front edges of the side sections,- and cap and base sect-ions having an interlocking, fit with the back, side. and front sect-ions.

' 12. A sectional metal cabinet construction includinginterlocking back and side sections, means for holding the same in interlocked relation, a base section having an interlocking engagement with the back and side sections, and said side sections being provided with'seats, a front ladder section adapted to be held in said seats and consisting of vertical upright members and transverse drawer dividing members, and a cap section having an interlocking engagement.

with the back and front sections and a relaively telescoping engagement with the side sections.

13. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a. back section, a front ladder section, side ladder sections consist ing of front and rear vertical members of channel formation and a plurality of transverse drawer guides connecting said members, the rear vertical members of said side sections being provided withfianges for interlocking with the back section and relatively wide abutment flange facing out'-* wardly from the cabinet, and said front vertical members also having outwardly facing abutment flanges lying in substantially the same plane as theabutment flanges of the rear vertical members, and the forward flanges of said front vertical flanges providing inwardly facing seats for said front section. I Y

14. A knock-down. metal furniture construction including a back section provided with keeper means at its top edge and keeper grooves at its side edges, side sections adapted to interlock with the keeper grooves at the sides of the back 'sect-ion,a front section adapted to fit between the front edges of the side sect-ions, means for holding the side sections interlocked with the, back section, and a cap section rovided with a; keeper flange at its rear go for engaging with the keeper means at the top edge of the back section, and also provided with keeper means at its front edge for engaging with the upper portion of the front section.

15. A knock-down metal furniture construction including a back section having keeper means at its top, side and bottom edges, side ladder sections having means at their rear edges for interlocking with the side edges of the back section and also provided with keeper means, means for holding the side sections interlocked with the back section, a bottom section having a. flanged skirt portion adapted to interlock with the keeper means at the bottom of the back section and also with the keeper means of the. side sections, a front ladder section adapted to fit between the front edges of the side sections, and a cap section having a. slidable interlocking engagement with the keeper grooves at the top of the back section, and having a flange at its front edge for embracing the uppermost transverse member of the front ladder section, and panel members adapted toembrace-the meeting edges of the front and side sections to hold the assembled structure in position.

16. A metal furniture construction including back and side sections separably interlocked, a top section inte-rfitting with the back and side sections, and a front section having an interlocking engagement at the top with the top section and also having a fulcruming engagement with the side sections to place the same under tension.

17 A metal furniture construct-ion including back and side sections separably interlocked, at top section interfitting with the back and side sections, and a. front section having a hinged interlocking engagement at. the inner edge portion of the top with the top section whereby when the front section is swung into place againstthe side sections, the interfitting parts are-held under tension. l

18. A metal furniture construction includ ing back and side sections separably interlooked. atop section slidably interfitting with the top' of the back section. and a side section engaging the top and side sections and arranged to fulcrum against the side sections to operate as a tensioning lever to place the top and interfitting parts under tension.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our' signatures in the presence. of two witnesses.

Witnesses C. WV. ALLEN, R. T. LAND;

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