US2619400A - Furniture construction - Google Patents

Description

NV. 25, 1952 Q KRAMER FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed April l, 1948 Gttorneg Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Charles Kramer, Jeffersonville, Ind.

Application April 1, 1948, Serial No. 18,445

2 Claims.

This invention relates to furniture in which a case, cabinet or the like is constructed with a compartment and a slidable drawer made of wood in which features are provided to maintain the drawer free from binding under long usage.

The main object of this invention consists of providing construction features that maintain the drawer in a free sliding relation to the case regardless of expansion or contraction or both of these inevitable forces that result from temperature changes and moisture content of the wooden members; summarily stated, to eliminate binding or sticking when pulled from the case.

Another object of this invention resides in adding an element to a normally constructed drawer, and a conventionally constructed case in which it is slidably mounted, that functions not only to prevent binding or sticking but to maintain the drawer substantially horizontal when withdrawn from the case.

This invention has as a further object a construction that reduces cost of production and eliminates much mental irritation during hot periods when humidity is excessive.

With reference to the accompanying drawings which disclose preferred embodiments of this invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an open case with a slidable drawer mounted within a compartment therein.

Figure 2 is a section on an enlarged scale along line 22. Fig. 1 of the near side of the case and side wall of the drawer to show a vertical elevation of the metallic support body, referred to in the third paragraph above as an element.

Figure 3 is a top fragmentary view of the upper surface of the side Wall in which said metallic body is mounted.

Figure 4 is a section of Fig. 1 along line 4 4.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the metallic support body.

Figure 6 is a top view of Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is an elevation, partly in section, and a top view thereof to show another embodiment of this invention.

Figure 8 is an isometric projection, on a reduced scale, of the drawer, removed from the case, with the metallic support body shown in Figs. 1 through 6 removed and the modification shown in Fig. 7 included.

In the manufacture of case, cabinet and like furniture equipped with conventional sliding drawers the latter are usually credited with more than one half of the expense due largely to the necessity of employing highly skilled labor to fit (Cl. S12-345) the drawers to the opening so as to slide freely and not sag when drawn from the case. To achieve this result in the hands of the user seems to have been impossible. This was particularly true not only for the user but for the manufacturer and merchant during August and September of |941 when abnormal humidity was experienced, hence this improvement in furniture construction.

Numerals Iii, II, I2, I3 indicate respectively the vertical front, side and back walls of the drawer shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The front and back walls of the case in which the drawer is mounted is indicated respectively by numerals I4, I5.

The drawer, as found in standard practice, may be slidably mounted on a pair of spaced apart slide rails disposed directly beneath side walls I I and I2. Slide rail I8 in Fig. 1 discloses the relation to side wall I2. The opposite side of the drawer and case are similarly constructed. Similarly related rub-rails are placed directly above the upper surfaces and aligned with the side walls. Numeral IGA designates the rub-rail aligned with side wall I2.

A wire or light rod, indicated generally by numeral I1, it bent at elbow I8 to provide shank I9, at elbow 20 to form shoe 2I and at elbow 22 to form depending arm 23. This is the element, referred to above as metallic support body. This element is securely and permanently mounted in groove 24, cut in each of the side walls, I I, I2, by means of inserting arm 23 in hole 25 and driving shank I9 securely in hole 26. While the upper surface of shoe 2| is shown in substantial contact with rub-rail ISA, obviously, this relation may be selected and predetermined by the location of hole 26 which is provided during fabrication of the side walls.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, a modified support member ITA, preferably made of metal, is shown securely driven into the wood at the bottom of hole I3A (slightly larger in diameter than IIA to provide clearance) at the lateral center of back wall I3 of the drawer. It should be noted that the shoe I'IB projects above the side walls that can expand and contract, substantially the same as provided for the other structure, without materially affecting the originally established dimension between the top surface of the shoe and the bottom surface of the side wall that rests on the slide rail, thus contributing to the objects of the invention adverted to at the outset hereof and as presented in the claims.

A separate case structure for the accommodation of a drawer equipped with the modied structure is not illustrated, however, it is believed obvious, that when support member I 1A is located as shown in Fig. 8 a single longitudinally disposed rub-rau must be employed and located for contact by shoe ITB.

Since this invention has been developed to overcome longstanding ,imperfections in furniture resulting from temperature changes and the inherent property of wood to absorb moisture and thereby distort the structure made thereof. it must be understood that the physical properties and disposition of the materials used over said imperfections are substantial factors for-successfully practicing this invention, and that while the support member has been consistently referredta embodiments of my invention herein disclosedv arewell calculated to adequately fulll therebjects -and advantages primarily stated, it isto beY understood that -the invention is-susceptible tovariation, modification and change withinthe spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claimV is: l'. The combination of a cabinet orthe like havingacompartment provided with an openv ing ina side thereof and a rectangular wooden drawer lodged in said opening,` slide rails spaced at the bottom of the compartment for engage-v ment with the bottom faces of the side walls'of the -drawer,rubrails aligned with the top'facesof said's'ide walls for assisting inretaining the 4 drawer horizontally when withdrawn from said compartment, and an elongated metallic support body freely disposed within a vertical groove formed in each of said side walls, each support body having the lower end thereof secured to the bottom portion of said side wall and the top portion extending above the top face and within planes projecting from the vertical faces of the side memberin which it is mounted for engagement. with one ofthe rub-rails -andrattached adjacent the bottom edge of its respective side wall.

2. In a furniture construction, the combination of a drawer receiving frame and a drawer sl-idably mounted therein, said frame including a pair of spaced apart drawer supporting slide rails, an upper rub-rail arranged above and longitudinally of the drawer, a support body formed withparallel arms, a long one and a short one joined together by a yoke, each of said arms being freely disposed Within recesses formed in oneof theyertieal membersv of the drawer, the bottom end'ofthelongarm being secured tothe bottomportionof thedrawer and the'yoke projecting upwardly `above the-upper edgesurface of said`V member and-engagingsaidrub-rail to maintain the drawerin horizontalI position when extended for access tothe interior thereon' CHARLES KR-AMERa-- REFERENCES CITED*- TheY followingreierencesl are of record inr the rile of this patent:r

UNITED STATES` PATENTSI Number Name Date I 290,237 Jensen Dec; 18,1883 339,614V Beale Apr. 13, 1886 2,179,138 Stickley- Nov; 7,'1939`

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