US2692811A

US2692811A - Filing cabinet

Info

Publication number: US2692811A
Application number: US316662A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Page
Original assignee: SHAWWALKER Co
Current assignee: SHAWWALKER Co
Priority date: 1952-10-24
Filing date: 1952-10-24
Publication date: 1954-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1971-10-26

Description

Oct. 26, 1954 J'. H. PAGE 2,692,811

. FILING CABINET Filed Oct. 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l In vena?" Oct. 26, 1954 J. H. PAGE FILING CABINET Filed Oct. 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 26, 1954 FILING CABINET John H. Page, Muskegon, Mich., assigner tu Shaw Walker Company, Muskegon, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 24, 1952, Serial No. 316,662

4 Claims. l

This invention relates to improvements in filing cabinets, and more particularly to fire insulated cabinets used for housing bookkeeping records, although not limited to such use.

Insulated cabinets have relatively thick walls and are bulky, consequently, it is often inconvenient to obtain access to bookkeeping records when led in the drawers in the usual position facing the front of each drawer. Moreover, the user often nds it more convenient to refer to the files from one side of the open drawer in which the records are kept.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide novel means for mounting auxiliary filing trays for sliding extension in crosswise position in the cabinet drawers, so as to afford more ready and convenient access to said files when the drawers are open.

A further object of the invention is to provide endwise reversible supporting means for the ling trays so as to permit the files in said trays to face toward either side of the cabinet drawer, as desired, but limiting the extensible movement of the trays when adjusted in either direction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from time to time as the following description proceeds.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an insulated filing cabinet, showing one of the drawers open, and with a :filing tray in partly extended position toward one side of the cabinet drawer.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken transversely of the cabinet drawer, showing a ling tray in fully retracted position in said drawer, as when the drawer is ready to be closed in the cabinet.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the filing tray in fully extended position toward one side of the drawer.

Figure 4 is detail vertical section taken transversely of the filing tray, but with the les removed therefrom.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of the reversible pan for supporting the filing tray in the drawer.

Figure 6 is an end View of the pan.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, an insulated ling cabinet of conventional construction is indicated generally at I0, with two sliding drawers II, II, mounted for extension from the front of the cabinet in any suitable manner, as by a pair of extension slides I2, I2, xed on 2 opposite sides of each drawer and slildably sup ported in the cabinet in the usual manner. Each drawer II includes low side walls IIa, IIa, to which the slides I2, I2 are connected, but preferably not exceeding the height of said slides.

Each of the drawers has a shallow false bottom, herein formed by a filler pan indicated generally at I3, spaced above the true bottom I4 of said drawer. This filler pan is detachably mounted within the drawer with its main upper surface I5 disposed slightly below the level of the drawer slides I2, I2. An angle bar Il is attached as by welding along the upper surface of said pan. An inverted shaped rib I8 is attached along the opposite side of said pan, and a Z- shaped retainer bar I9 is attached to said upper` surface intermediate and parallel to bar I'l and rib IB, but nearer to the latter. The angle bar I'I preferably extends slightly higher than the rib I8; reinforcing U-shaped ribs 25, 23 may also be secured to the under face of the pan.

The ller pan I3 may also be provided with suitable downwardly extending marginal flanges 2l), 2l along its sides and ends respectively, adapted to fit within the adjacent side and end walls of the drawer and being supported on the true bottom I4 of the latter as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

One or more of the le trays, indicated generally at 30, are wholly supported by their respective drawers II for extension or retraction in a direction generally transverse to the extensible movement of the drawers on their slides I2, I2. Each tray 3U consists of an upstanding end wall 3l, an opposite end wall 32, a bottom wall 33 and a pair of

side bars

34, 34, connected between the two end walls. In the form shown, the bottom wall 33 is formed of sheet metal, with a depressed central portion 35, and arched side portions 36, terminated in downwardly extending flanges 3l, 3l. Said tray provides an open container for a plurality of le folders indicated A in Figures l, 2 and 3. Since the file folders in each tray are normally arranged for access from one side of the drawer II, 'the end wall 3I may, for convenience, be considered as the front wall of the tray, and the opposite end wall 32 may be considered as the rear wall of the tray.

A removable end plate 38 for the files may be inserted at the front of the tray and a follower plate 39 may be used at rear of the tray as usual. The tray is mounted on a carriage indicated generally at 43, provided with roller means for engaging the upper surface of the filler pan I3. In the form shown herein, the carriage consists of a sheet metal strip 4| extending transversely beneath the depressed central portion 35, and having upwardly arched extensions forming supporting

brackets

42, 42 for

rollers

43, 43. Said brackets are also connected to the downwardly anged

portions

31, 31 of the pan bottom as is best shown in Figure 4.

The

rollers

43, 43 are located nearer the rear than the front end of the tray, in the form shown herein, said rollers being disposed approximately one-third the distance from the rear to the front end of said tray.

An elongated strip of metal, generally Z- shaped in cross section, is secured as 'by welding along the under face of the carriage 40 between the

rollers

43, 43. Said Z-shaped strip forms, in effect, a hook 45 opening toward'the front end of the tray, in position to become interengaged beneath the Z-shaped retainer bar i9, iixed on the upper surface of the ller pan as previously described.

The use and operation of the device is as follows:

When the drawer is closed, the le tray normally rests in transverse position therein, with its lower front and rear edges rested against endwise movement -slightly below the side walls of the drawer. In 'the form shown, the rear end of the tray abuts the upstanding angle bar ll, while the front end rests on the rib I3 and on the retainer bar i9 rising from the iiller pan.

When the drawer is open, the front end of the tray can be lifted sumciently to clear the adjacent side wall and slide l2 of the drawer. The tray can then be easily shifted forwardly on its rollers until its hook strip 45 becomes engaged beneath the Xed retainer bar I9 on the ller pan, to limit outward movement of the tray and also hold it against forward tilting, in a position partially extended beyond the tray side of thedrawer, as shown in Figures l and 3. 'The position of the rollers near the rear of the tray results in very little eii'ort being required to lift the front end of the tray and roll it forward.

The tray can also be swung at varying angles to the side of the drawer, as desired by the operator.

When the operator desires to have the file tray face toward the opposite side of the drawer, the tray is temporarily removed, the ller pan is withdrawn from the drawer, and replaced in reversed end to end position. The tray is then replaced in reversed position on the nller pan so as to be operable in the same manner as before, excepting that it is now accessible from the opposite side of the drawer.

It will also be understood that a plurality of trays, such as two, can bev mounted in one drawer, when the latter is of suiiicient length.

Although I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the detailed features shown and described, but that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as deiined in the following claims.

I claim:

1, In combination with a filing cabinet, a low sided drawer slidably mounted in said cabinet, a filing tray adapted to iit in said drawer when it is closed, said tray having roller means intermediate its ends affording rolling movement of said tray transversely of the direction of sliding movement or said drawer and also affording horizontal swivelling movement of said tray into varying angles relative to said drawer when the latter is open, and interengaging hook means on said tray and the drawer bottom respectively, for limiting the transverse and angular movement of said tray in extended position over and partially beyond one low side of said drawer when the latter is open.

2. A filing cabinet structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein the roller means are disposed adjacent the rear end of the filing tray.

3. A filing cabinet structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lower iront and rear edges of the filing tray are normally nested between the side walls of the drawer, but permitting the lower front edge of said tray to be lifted over one low side wall of said drawer for moving the tray to a transversely extended position.

4. A filing cabinet structure in accordance with claim 2, wherein a supporting pan is detachably mounted for endwise reversible adjustment in the bottom of the drawer in supporting relation to said roller means, and said supporting pan carries part of the hook means for limiting the transverse and swivelling movements of the tray relative to one or the other low side of the drawer, depending upon the adjusted position of the pan in the drawer.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,108,082 Pennock Aug. 18, 1914 1,385,143 Ulrich Aug. 2, 1921 1,659,164 Sanders Feb. 14, 1928 2,049,337 Strayer July 28, 1936