US1706085A - Latch for cabinet drawers - Google Patents

Description

March 19, 1929.- STRAUBEL 1,706,085

LATCH FOR CABINET DRAWERS Filed Aug. 9, 1926 .27 Van Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Lemon :ron. CABINET naawnas.

Application filed August 9, 1926. Serial No. 128,259.

My inventionrelates to latches for drawers and more particularly to a type of drawer latch designed to be operated "by the pressing of a push-button and adapted to be used with the push-button disposed at a considerable distance from the edge of the drawer at which the latching member is operative.

In many classes of furniture, as for example in filing cabinets in which the drawers are opened and closed frequently, it is highly desirable to have the drawer handle substantially at the middle of the drawer front and to have the latch-operating member disposed so that it can easily be operated by a finger of the hand grasping'the handle, thereby leaving the other hand of the user free for' holding papers. Where the drawers of such cabinets are made of steel, it is also desirable to have the latch mechanism quite compact longitudinally of the drawer, so that this mechanism can readily be housed between the usual inner and outer plates of such a drawer front.

My present invention aims to provide a latch construction particularly adapted for use on metal drawer fronts, and aims to provide a construction for this purpose which is unusually simple, compact and easily assembled. Further and also more detailed objects will appear from-the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Fig. 1 is a vertical and longitudinal section through the front of a drawer equipped with a latch embodying my invention, and through adjacent portions of the cabinet in which the drawer slides.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a part of the same drawer front, taken from the front and with the outer metal wall of the drawer detached.

Fig. 3 is'a perspective view of a part of the same drawer front, taken from the front and showingthe disposition of the latch-oper ating button in relation to the handle of the drawer.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the latchoperating member.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 1, but drawn on a larger scale and showing the position of the latch parts when the latch-bar has been moved out of its latching disposition by a rocking ofthe operatingmember.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the two end portions of the latch bolt.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the central portion of the channel member.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a drawer in which .the front comprises two sheet metal parts, namely a frontal plate 1 and a rear plate 2 which has itsmajor portion spaced from the front plate, thereby providing a space for my latching mechanism, the two plates having edge portions secured to each other in. any of the usual manners.

Slidably mounted within the space between the frontaland rear plates is a latch bar 3 which projects at its upper end through a perforation 4 in the forwardly sloping upper .part 2 of the rear plate, so as to presenta latching finger 5 adapted to project upwardly behind a keeper flange 6 on the casing 7 of the cabinet when the drawer is latched. The latch bar bears slidably against the forward face of. the rear plate 2 and is restricted to a vertical movement by two spaced guides, one of the guides being a strap 8 disposed near the top of the said plate and having feet welded tothis rear plate. For the companion guide I desirably employ a channel member which extends horizontally across the drawer front behind the handle 9 of the drawer and which has its back 10 welded to the rear plate 2. The back 10 of this channel is cut away to form an aperture 11 corresponding in width to the latch bar 3, and the upper web 12 is cut away at its back to provide a notch 15 through which the latch bar extends, while the lower web 13 has one end of a latch spring 14 welded to it. The other end of this spring exerts a continuous upward pressure on the latch bar by pressing against the forwardly bent lower end 3 of this bar, the length of the bar being such that the spring normally holds the bar in its raised or latching position of Figs. 1 and 2.

To lower the latch bar, I employ a bellcrank lever which has its lower arm 16 'engaging the top of the lower bar end 3 while the other arm 17 of the lever extends upwardlly andcarries a button 18 which projects through a perforation 19 in the frontal plate 1. To pivot this lever without employ.- ingauxiliary parts, I provide it at its bend with opposed lateral notches 20, thus leaving a narrowed bend portion 21 corresponding in width to a notch 22 in the upper web 12 of the channel member. When the lever is slid into the position of Fig. 2 during the assemprevent the latter from slipping out of'the fulcruming notch 22 in the channel bar, thus retaining the lever in its operative position.

When the latched drawer is to be opened,

' the button 18 is pressed rearwardly, thereby rocking the lever against the pressure of the spring to the position shown in Fig. 5 and drawing the latch bar downwardly so that the latch finger 5 will clear the keeper flange 6. To facilitate the unlatching, I preferably dispose the handle 9 at such a distance below the push-button 18 that the button can easily be reached by the thumb of the hand which grasps the handle. This I can readily do by fastening the handle to the back 10 of the channel member by means of screws 23 which extend'forwardly through perforations 33 in the channel member and through the front plate 1, thereby also employing the channel member as a means for strengthening the drawer front to resist strains on the handle. i

To increase the effective length of the lower lever arm 16 I desirably provide this arm at its free end'with a relatively narrow extension 16 and provide the latch bar adjacent to its bentlower end 3 with alongitudinal slot 25 into which this extension extends. I also desirably bevel the upper end of the arm 17 of the lever, as shown in the drawings, to afford more clearance between this end and the latch bar. With the arrangement thus described, the upper channel web affords both a guide member for guiding the latch bar and I a pivot member on which the operating lever rocks. The lower channel web serves as a mounting-for the spring,'and the channel as a whole stifiens the frontal plate, so that the single channel piece serves a three-fold purpose. Likewise, the separately manufactured push-button effectively formsa forwardly directed end piece for one arm of the lever so as to serve as a presser portion of the lever.

However, I do not wish to be limited to these'or other details of the construction and arrangements above disclosed, since many changes might obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention.

or from the appended claims.

So also, I do not wish to be'limited to the employment of my latch on diawers having two-part metal fronts. Neither do I wish to be limited to a vertical disposition of the latch bar, although I desirably employ this so as to increase the resistance of the latch to strains tending to tilt the drawerfront forwardly at its top.

I claim as my invention:

1. A latch for a drawer, comprising a latch bar slidable transversely of the drawer along the drawer front and normally having one end projecting beyond the drawer, a bellcrank lever pivoted to the drawer front on an axis parallel to the face of the said front and transverse of the direction in which thelatch bar is slidable, the lever having one arm extending substantially in the said direction the said arm having a projection extending forwardly through the front of the drawer to present an exposed portion whereby the lever may be manipulated by rearx'vard pressure on the said exposed portion, the lever having its other arm extending rearwardly of the drawer and engaging the latch bar so as to move the latter out of its said end-projecting normal disposition when the exposed lever portion is moved rearwardly of the drawer; and spring means directly interposed between the drawer and the latch bar for moving the lever and latch harm the opposite direction.

2. A drawer latch'as per claim 1, in which the spring means also serve to hold the latch bar continuously in operative relation to the said other arm of the lever.

3. A latch for a drawer, comprising a latch bar carried by the front of the drawer and guided for vertical sliding movement behind the front face of thedrawer front and normally having its upper end projecting beyond the drawer; a pivot member mounted on the drawer front behind the said front face; a

front disposed forwardly of the latch bar, the

bell-crank lever pivoted tothe pivot member I on a horizontal axis parallel to the-drawer.

lever having an upwardly extending arm provided with an end piece normally projecting forwardly through the front face of thedrawer front, the lever having its other arm extending rearwardly and in engagement with the latch bar so-that the saidother arm will slide'the latch bar downwardly when the lever is rocked about the pivot member by rearward pressure on the said end piece; and spring means for resisting the downward sliding of the latch bar and the rocking of the lever in the said direction.

4. A latch for a drawer, comprisin a latch bar spaced rearwardly from the ront of the drawer and guided for vertical sliding movement, the latch bar normally having its upper end projecting upwardly beyond the drawer; a pivot member mounted on the drawer front behind the saidfront face; a bell-crank lever pivoted to the pivot member on a horizontal axis parallel to the drawer front disposed forwardl of the'latch bolt and close to the drawer ront, the lever having an upwardly extending arm forward of the latch bar and provided with an end piece normally projecting forwardly through the front face of the drawer front, the lever having its other arm extending rearwardly and the latch bar having a forwardly directed shoulder underhanging and engaging the free end of the said other lever arm; and spring means for resisting the downward sliding of the latch bolt. v

5. A latch fora drawer having a front plate, comprising a horizontal guide member fast with respect to the said front plate, the guide member having a frontal notch and a rearwardly open notch; a bell-crank lever extending through and pivoted in the said frontal notch, a latch bar extending slidably through the rearwardly open notch, and spring means resisting slidable movement of the latch bar in one direction; the lever having one arm normally extending upwardly along the rear face of the front plate, the said arm having a presser portion projecting forwardly through. the front plate; the lever having its other arm extending rearwardly and the latch bar having a shoulder engaging the said other lever arm whereby a rocking of the lover by rearward pressure on the said presser portion will cause the said other lever arm to slide the latch bar in the said one direction.

6. A latch for a drawer front having spaced frontal and rear plates, comprising a pivoting member mounted on one of the plates and having a rearwardly open notch, a vertical latch bar extending slidably through the said notch and retained in the notch by the rear plate; a bell-crank lever pivoted to the pivoting member on an axis parallel to the face of the drawer front and at right angles to the direction in which the latch bar is slidable, the lever having one arm extending between the frontal plate and the latch bar and having the free end of the said arm projecting through the frontal plate, the lever having its other arm extending rearwardly andthe latch bar having a shoulder underhanging the free end of the said other lever arm; and spring means operatively interposed between the latch bar and one of the said plates for urging the latch bolt upwardly.

7; A drawer latch construction as per claim 6, in which the pivoting member is formed by the upper web of a channel bar disposed between the two plates, and in which the spring has one end secured to the other web of the channel bar.

8. A drawer latch construction as per claim 6, in which the pivoting member is formed by the upper web of a channel bar disposed between the two plates and in which the channel bar has its back secured to the frontal plate, in combination with a drawer handle secured to the said channel back.

9. A latch for a drawer having a frontal face plate and arear plate secured thereto and having a part of the rear plate separated from the said frontal plate by a space, comprising a latch bar slidable vertically along the forward face of the rear plate, a pivot member disposed in the said space and secured to the frontal plate, the pivoting member having a horizontal ledge extending forwardly close to the frontal plate, the ledge having a forwardly open notch; a bell-crank lever having its bend extending through the notch and having one lever arm extending vertically adjacent to the back of the frontal plate, the free end of the said le ver arm having a portion normally projecting forwardly through the frontal plate; the other arm of the lever extending rearwardly and the latch bar having a shoulder underhanging the free end of the said other lever arm; and a spring operatively interposed between the rear plate and the latch bar for urging the latch bolt upwardly.

10. A drawer latch as per claim 9, in which the pivoting member has a rearwardly open notch adjacent to the rear member, and in which the latch bar extends through the said notch and is slidably guided by walls of the notch.

11. A latch for a drawer having a frontal face portion, a rear member secured thereto and having a part of the rear member separated from the said frontal portion by a space; comprising a latch bar slidable vertically along the forward face of the rear member, a pivoting member disposed in the said space and secured to the rear member, the pivoting member having a horizontal ledge extending forwardly close to the said frontalportion, the ledge having a forwardly open notch; a bell-crank lever having its bend extending through the notch and having one lever arm extending vertically adjacent to the back of the said frontal portion, the free end of the said lever arm having a portion normally projecting forwardly through the said frontal portion; the other arm of the lever extending rearwardly and the latch bar having a shoulder underhanging the free end of the said other arm; and a spring interposed between the pivoting member and the latch bar for urging the latch bar upwardly.

Signed at Green Bay, Wisconsin, August 6th, 1926.

FREDERICK L. e. STRAUBEL.

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