US2755154A

US2755154A - Jewelry box drawer

Info

Publication number: US2755154A
Application number: US448808A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward V Mele
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-08-10
Filing date: 1954-08-10
Publication date: 1956-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1973-07-17

Description

y 1956 E. v. MELE JEWELRY BOX DRAWER Filed Aug. 10, 1954 INVENTOR. Edward F/ /e/e United States Patent JEWELRY BOX DRAWER Edward V. Mele, Port Washington, N. Y.

Application August 10, 1954, Serial No. 448,808

8 Claims. (Cl. 312-274) This invention relates to containers in the nature of lidded boxes for jewelry and cosmetics and more particularly to fine boxes having a drawer actuated by a lever attached to the lid of the box.

It is an object of this invention to provide a lidded box containing a sliding drawer which is automatically extended from the box by the opening of the box lid.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a jewelry box containing a sliding drawer which is retracted within the box upon closing the box lid and which has a face plate to seal the closure of the drawer.

It is another object of this invention to provide a jewelry box having a sliding drawer on which a front or face plate is spring mounted to abut tightly against the front of the jewelry box and the front of the sliding drawer.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a box according to this invention in open position;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the box of Fig. l in closed position; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a box of Fig. 1 in open position showing only a part of the box lid.

In general, this invention provides a face plate on a sliding drawer in a jewelry box which is actuated by a lever attached to the box lid. The face plate is spring mounted on the sliding drawer so as to tightly and lightly close the drawer opening and present a pleasing, ornamental appearance to the front of the jewelry box in closed position.

Referring to the invention as shown in the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a box which has a main portion 11 and a lid 12. The box is provided with a tray 13 and a sliding drawer 14. The box lid 12 is attached to the main portion 11 by means of hinges 15 as shown in the figures. The box lid 12 is secured by a latch 33 mounted on a front side 31 of the box 10.

The box 10 accommodates the tray 13 so that the tray 13 can be fitted within the box 10 when the lid 12 is closed. A partition 16 extends transversely across the box 10 from the front to the back. The partition 16 is low enough so that the tray 13 rests over partition 16 when the box 10 is closed. Tray 13 is pivotally mounted in the lid 12 on a pair of pivots 17 in the respective sides of lid 12. The pivots 17 are fixed in the tray 13 toward the rear of the sides thereof. Another pair of pivots 18 are provided in the sides of the tray 13 adjacent the forward edge of the tray. The forward pivots 18 attach a lever arm 19 to the tray 13. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the lever arm 19 is one part of a linkage 20 in which a second lever 21 is the other part of the linkage. Each lever arm 19 is mounted on a pivot 22 in its respective side of the box 10. The end of each of the lever arms 19 opposite the pivots 18 is pivotally connected to lever arm 21. The lever arm 21, in turn, acts upon the drawer 14.

The box 10 is provided with a floor 23 which is spaced away from a bottom 24 of the box 10. The floor 23 thus provides an underspace 25 in the box 10. The drawer 14 slides in this underspace 25, as is shown in Fig. 2. The front 31 of the box 10 is provided in its lower section with an opening 34 for the drawer 14.

The drawer 14 carries on its forward or outer side a face plate 26. The face plate 26 is mounted on the drawer 14 by means of a pair of posts 27 which, fixed in the face plate 26, extend through the front side of the drawer 14. Each post 27 is provided at its inner end with a head 28. Between the head 28 and an inner surface 29 of the front side of the drawer 14 is a coil spring 30 which is expanded both against the head of its respective post 27 and also against the surface 29. The face plate 26 can be drawn away from the drawer 14 to provide a short separation between these parts. As shown in Fig. 2, when the drawer 14 is retracted into the underspace 25, the face plate 26 abuts against the front side 31 of the box 10 covering the drawer opening 34. The drawer 14, being fully withdrawn into the underspace 25, is drawn away from the face plate 26 to provide a separation 32 therebetween. In this position the lid 12 is down, closing the jewelry box with the lid tightly fixed against the main portion 11. The drawer 14, being fully withdrawn into the underspace 25, causes the face plate 26 to abut against the front side of the box 10.

When the lid 12 of the box 10 is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, the linkage of the tray 13, lever

arms

19 and 21, hinges 15 and

pivots

17, 18 and 22, causes the drawer 14 to be extended from the underspace 25 and the main portion 11 of the box 10. In this position the face plate can be seen in Fig. 3 abutting up against the front side of the drawer 14. The drawer 14 when it slides back into the box 10 is withdrawn into the box 10 by the

lever arms

21 and 19. This retraction of the drawer 14 into the underspace 25 brings about the separation 32 of the face plate 26 from the drawer 14 mentioned above and shown in Fig. 2. The coil springs 30 on the posts which permit the face plate 26 to be separable from the drawer 14 and at the same time return the face plate 26 against the drawer 14 provide the link in the combination of this apparatus which adapts the face plate 26 to the various relative positions possible between the drawer 14 and the box 10.

In operation, this invention provides the sliding drawer 14 in a jewel-box type of container with the face plate 26 which provides a neat closure over the drawer opening 34 of the box 10 when the drawer 14 is withdrawn into the box 10. By the same face plate when the sliding drawer is operated to extend from the box, the face plate 10 is held neatly and securely against the sliding drawer 14. In the continued use of the box 10 with repeated raising and lowering of the lid 12, the drawer 14 is reciprocated with each raising of the lid. With each reciprocation of the sliding drawer 14 the combination of the face plate 26 and the coil springs 30 operate to close the drawer opening 34 when the sliding drawer 14 is retracted and to hold the face plate 26 snug on the front of the drawer 14 when the drawer is projected.

The box 10 is operated by interlatching a latch 33 between the lid 12 and the main portion 11. The lid 12 is then raised, drawing with it the tray 13. The tray 13 through the pivots 18, the lever arms 19, the pivots 22 and the lever arms 21, causes the drawer 14 to slide on the bottom 24 and to be projected from the box 10. The face plate 26 mounted on the front of the drawer 14 is drawn against the drawer 14 upon projection of the drawer 14 from the box 10. The face plate remains so held while the box 10 is open. Upon further operation of the box 10 by closing the lid 12, the linkage action of the tray 13 and the

lever arms

19 and 21 is reversed. The tray 13 is drawn into the box 10 over the bottom 24 and into the underspace 25. When fully retracted into the underspace 25, the drawer 14 is retracted to a point where the face plate 26 engaging the front of the box is seated thereagainst closing the drawer opening 34. The coils 30 provide a spring action riding on the posts 27 and keep the drawer 14 and the face plate 26 connected together while allowing the face plate 26 to be spaced away from the drawer 14.

Among other advantages, the device of this invention provides a lidded box having trays with a sliding tray having a neat front appearance at all times and all stages of use. A face plate on the sliding drawer closes the drawer opening when the box is in closed position. By thus covering up the drawer opening and by also riding snugly on the front of the sliding drawer when the drawer is extended from the box, the face plate of this invention and its means of mounting eliminate an objectionable feature of sliding drawers in fine boxes.

The box shown in the figures to accompany the above description illustrates one form of this invention. It will be understood that various modifications of the parts of the box of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention which is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lidded box having a sliding drawer which is reciprocable through an aperture in said box by levers attached to said lid, a combination of a face plate mounted on one side of said sliding drawer, said face plate being larger than said aperture whereby said plate is unreceivable in said aperture, posts mounting said face plate on said drawer side and coil springs engaging said drawer side and said posts to provide flexible positioning between said drawer side and said face plate.

2. A sliding drawer for a lidded box which is reciprocable through an aperture in said box by levers attached between said sliding drawer and the lid of said box, in combination with posts slidable through one of the sides of said sliding drawer, a head on the inner end of each of the posts, a face plate mounted on the outer ends of said posts, said face plate being larger than said aperture whereby said plate is unreceivable in said aperture, and a coil spring on each post engaged between the inner surface of said drawer side and said head to provide a flexible and elastic connection between said face plate and said drawer side.

3. In combination a box, a front side of said box, an aperture formed in said front side, a drawer of said box reciprocable through said aperture, a plate flexibly mounted on the front of said sliding drawer and moving with said drawer abuttable against said front side of said box, said plate being larger than said aperture whereby said plate is unreceivable in said aperture and said drawer is capable of being drawn slightly inwardly of said front side when said plate is engaging said front side.

4. In a combination as claimed in claim 3 a spring in said flexible mounting of said face plate on said sliding drawer.

5. In a combination as claimed in claim 3, posts slidable in the front of said sliding drawer supporting said face plate and a spring engageable between said drawer side and said post flexibly drawing said face against said side of said drawer.

6. In combination a sliding drawer in a lidded box having the lid hinged at the rear of the box, a compartment within said box receiving said sliding drawer, an aperture in the front side of said box through which said drawer is reciprocable, a facing member mounted on the front side of said sliding drawer, said facing member being larger than said aperture whereby said facing member is unreceivable in said aperture, a linkage attaching said sliding drawer to the lid on said box whereby said operation of said lid actuates said sliding drawer and engages and disengages said facing member with said front side of said box, said sliding drawer being capable of being drawn slightly inwardly of the front side of said box by said linkage so as to securely hold said drawer in position when said facing member is engaging said front side of said box.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 6 having posts slidable in said front side of said sliding drawer mounting said facing member on said front side.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 7 having coil springs mounted on said posts and engaged between said front side and said posts to flexibly adjust engagement of said facing member with said front side of said box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 21,080 De Boer May 16, 1939 2,060,146 Voorhees Nov. 10, 1936 2,119,313 Burdge May 31, 1938 2,404,851 Knowles et a1. July 30, 1946 2,674,511 Minor Apr. 6, 1954