US2793643A - Tilting divider plate for file drawers - Google Patents

Description

'May 28, 1957 c. F. WQLTERS TILTING DIVIDER PLATE FOR FILE DRAWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept FIGI ATTORNEYS May 28, 1957 c. F. WOLTERS TIL-TING DIVIDER PLATE FOR FILE DRAWERS Filed Sept. '16, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CARL F. WOLTERS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,793,643 TILTING DIVIDER PLATE FOR-FILE DRAWERS CarlF. Wolters,New' Canaan, Gonm, assignontotspen'y Rand Corporation, New-York,,N.'Y., a corporationof Delaware Application September16, 1955, Serial No.- 534,760: 1 Claim. (Cl. 129-28) can be locked from sliding backward,

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a divider plate which, when the weight of the contents presses against it. in this. tendencytoslide rearward, will be. tilted .rearwardly. and automatically-locked inzposition to prevent it from being moved rearwardly.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a plate which can, at will, be manually moved to any desired position and then be locked when manually tilted rearwardly.

A further object is to make the divider plate of thin metal with substantially unobstructed front and rear surfaces so as to not to take up any more filing space in the drawer than necessary.

In brief and general terms the invention includes a file drawer in which is disposed a divider plate which can be tilted and means disposed between the plate and the drawer automatically to lock the plate in position when the plate is tilted manually or by the pressure of the file contents thereupon.

A further feature is a channel at the lower sides of the drawer, a track member in the channel, a guide member in the track and connected to the plate, and means on the guide member to lock with the track when the plate is tilted in a predetermined direction.

More particularly the track is provided with spaced apertures and the guide member has a finger to be moved into one of the apertures to lock the plate, by reason of connections between the plate and guide member which causes the guide member to be lifted when the plate is tilted.

A further feature concerns the fact that the plate is of thin metal and has unobstructed front and rear faces.

Thepresent preferred form which the invention may assume is illustrated in the drawings of which:

Fig. l is a vertical cross section of the drawer taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the drawer with certain parts in section and others broken away and looking at the left side of the drawer;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the guide member in unlocked condition;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the guide member in locked position; and,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the guide and track.

Referring nOW merely to the specific form of the invention shown in the drawings, there is a file drawer 2,793,643 Patented May 28, 1957 having a bottom wall 10, side walls, 11 and 12, front wall 13; and rear wall 14. Longitudinally disposed along the-side wallsll and 12 at the bottom thereof and extending outwardly therefrom are channels 15 and 16 preferably integrally formed. In each channel is disposed 'a U-shaped track member of metal with its open side facing the interior of the drawer. This track member, as seen particularly in Fig. 4, is formed of relatively thin sheetmetal and may be spot welded along: its bottom and sidesto the adjacent walls of the channels 15 and 16} His formed of a sheet metal blank, intothe U- shaped outline with a bottom wall 17, a vertical side wall 18, a lip 19 extending upwardly adjacent the interiori of the drawer, and with a flat horizontalwall 20 at the top of thewall 18and cut away at spaced points to form apertures or-notches21 for a purpose later to bedescri-bed. On therear side of each notch or aperture 21 the horizontal wall 20 is of greater width and bent back on itself as at 22to reinforce the rear wall of the notch and this folded portion lies slightly below the plane of 'tlie-wall20 also to act asamore certain stop as will be laterset forth.

In the drawer is disposed; a divider plate 23 which is in'width just slightly less than the drawer. It is-made of relatively thin sheet metal provided withhorizontal cross-wise stifiening corrugations 24 an'd with anextended topportion bent back on itself as at 25 t0 givegreater strength to-the uppenportion when beingpushed back and forth intheoperation and adjustment of the plate 23. The lower end of this'bent-baekportion 25 is turned in as at 26 to lie in the upper corrugation 24 as shown in Fig. 2 so as not to interfere with the edges of papers filed in the drawer. The upper portion of the plate 23 and the bent-back portion 25 at each side thereof are provided with outwardly extending cars 27 which, when these two portions lie flat against each other, are alined and a rubber band 28 is disposed therearound. These ears will prevent the plate from being inclined too greatly since they will encounter the top edges of the side walls of the drawer if thus too greatly inclined. They also act as grips for the fingers of the operator in moving the plate in one direction or the other.

At the sides of the plate 23 near the bottom thereof are rearwardly bent tapered flanges 29 which at the rear of the bottom edge are provided with dependent toes 30 which are adapted to contact the bottom wall 10 of the drawer when the plate 23 is tilted in a rearward direction. The lower edge of the plate 23 is rolled around as at 31 to form an elongate sleeve through which extends a rod 32. The ends of the rod 32 are fitted into apertures 33 disposed about centrally of guide members 34. When the plate 23 is disposed vertically as shown. in Fig. 3, the guide member normally lies flat against the bottom of the track. The guide member is tapered slightly and is of slightly less depth than the track in which it lies and decreases in depth toward the rear end which is provided with an upwardly extending finger 35 which has a flat top portion 36, a vertical end wall 37, and a downwardly sloping rear face 38.

Briefly summarizing the operation of the device it will be seen that when the plate 23 is in a vertical position, it can be manually moved freely back and forth since the toes 30, as seen in Fig. 3, are out of contact with the 'bottom of the drawer and the guides 34 can move freely back and forth in the track in which they are disposed.

In this movement the fingers 35 are in lowered position.

J raise the fingers 35 toward the apertured upper flange 20 of the track member. As the guide is moved in this position of the plate 23 the finger will move along the under face of the track until an aperture or notch 21 is en- .countered whereupon the finger will enter the notch, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to lockthe plate in this position. The weight of the material in the drawer to the front. of the plate in its tilted position will hold it in this position and thus keep it locked. The plate of course can be .tilted rearwardly manually when desired. The reinforced rear wall of each notch 21 by reason of the folded portion 22 of the top flange of the track will stop the finger at the first notch it encounters after the plate 23 is tilted and will act as a strengthener to this flange at this point of contact.

When the plate 23 is to be moved from a locked position, it is moved to a vertical position, whereupon the rod 32 is lowered as well as the guides 34 which will then allow the plate 23 to be moved to a new position, and its subsequent locking in the new position may proceed as above'stated.

While I have described what I consider to be a highly desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes in form could be made withoutdeparting from the invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor to anything less than the'whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed. a

What I claim, is:

In combination a file drawer having a longitudinal channel extending outwardly from each side of the bottom of the drawer, a U-shaped track member in each channel with its open side facing toward the interior of the drawer, with spaced apertures in its upper leg, an elongate guide bar disposed within each track and of depth slightly less than depth between the legs of the track, the end of the guide member toward the rear of the drawer being tapered, an upwardly extending finger on the tapered end of the guide member and adapted to engage the apertures in the track, a divider plate of relatively thin sheet material with unobstructed front and rear faces disposed in the drawer, a rod extending across the bottom of the drawer and connected at each end to a medial point on the guide members, the lower edge of the plate being rolled around the rod, side flanges along the lower portion of the plate and extending toward the rear of the drawer, dependent toes on the rear lower edges of the flanges to contact the bottom of the drawer when the plate is tilted rearwardly whereby the guide members are lifted through the intermediary of the rod in the manner of third class levers to lift the fingers thereon into engagement with the apertures of the tracks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,124,775 Martin Jan. 12, 1915 2,139,283 Rengenhardt Dec. 8, 1938 2,312,742 Andersen Mar. 2, 1943 2,648,337 Kent Aug. 11, 1953 2,702,553 Regenhardt et al Feb. 22, 1955 2,758,602 Anderson Aug. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,914 Great Britain Oct. 4, 1899 933,880 France Jan. 5, 1948

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