US2793927A

US2793927A - Drawer locking mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2793927A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence R Reitzel
Original assignee: General Fireproofing Co
Current assignee: General Fireproofing Co
Priority date: 1954-05-20
Filing date: 1954-05-20
Publication date: 1957-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 1974-05-28

Description

C. R. RElTzEl.

DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM May 28, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet' l Filed May 20. 1954 May 28, 1957 c. R. Rr-:lTzEL DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM 5 sheets-sheet 2 Filed May 20, 1954 INVENTOR May 28, 1957 c. R. RElTzEl.

DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 20, 1954 INVENTOR United Statesk Patent DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM Clarence R. Reit'zel, Youngstown, Ohio, assigner tn 'lhe General Fireprootin'g Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 20, 1954, Serial No. 431,078

6' Claims. (Cl. S12-E219) This invention relates to locking devices and is more particularly concerned with such devices which have a general application to the drawers of desks and similar furniture.

Oce desks, for example, are frequently provided with` locking devices which are actuated by a master lock, customarily associated with one of a group of. drawers, usually an upper drawer. The operation of the drawers and locks of the present invention` is such that when the master drawer is closed and locked with a. suitable key, all the other or subordinate drawers of the group, if closed, are alsolocked, or, if open, can be locked by merely closing the drawers and none-of lthe drawers can then. be opened without unlocking. the master drawer.

One of the objects of the present invention is the prov ision of. a novel mechanism in combination witha group of drawers of a desk or. other similar article of. furniture,

which will function in the manner explained above.

Another. object of the invention is the provision of such a mechanism which issimple and easy to manufacture and to install. in an article of furniture.

A. further. object of the invention is the provision of such` a-mechanism. which issturdy, positive in` action, and employs only. afew parts.

A still further objectof the invention is` the provision of such a mechanism which` is` reliable and long wearing and in which p arts that.` are likely to wear out can be readilyv replaced without. disassembling thef mechanism,

except for the part to be replaced.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will=bef apparent from the following description considered together. withthe. accompanyingV drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1. isavperspective view of the mechanism of an embodiment of the invention anda fragmentary part of oneof the.v subordinate desk drawers, the master key lock being inl the openposition.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the master drawer to which the key lock isn attached.

Figure 3' is a' perspective interior view of a subordinate drawer in= the closed' position, partly broken away, showing the relative positions of the engageable locking parts associated therewith when the key of the master lock is turned to the unlocked position.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3 with the drawer nearly closed and with the key of the master lock in locked position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figures 3 and 4 with the drawer in the fully closed position and the master lock in the locked position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the lock dog bracket and shield, its relation to the drawer, and the means for mounting the lock dog thereon.

Referring with more particular-ity to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the embodiment illustrated comprises a rocker shaft 11 mounted in a horizontal positionbelow 2,793,927 Patented May 28, 1957 ice - 'the top 1-2of the desk. Bearing. brackets 13 and 14 are provided for rotatably supporting the shaft on the desk at any suitable point, such as the structural frame member 1'5 ybelow the bottom of the desk top.

A portion ofthe shaft 11 is bent in `a U-shape to provideV an eccentric arm- 16 and` by means of which the shaft can be rotated. The eccentric arm is positioned above the master drawer 17 and justY behind thekey lock 18 mountedon its front panel or wall 19. The tongue or bolt 20 of the lock 18 is movable in a vertical direction and the back of the bolt carries a wedge-shaped cam 21. which, in the upper position (dotted lines of Fig.k 2), engages the eccentric arm 16 and moves it counter-clockwise, as viewedin Figure 2, thereby causing theV rocker shaft 11 to rotateA to the position shown by the dotted lines. When. the cam 21 is returnd to its` lowermost position, as shown by the full lines in Figure 2, the eccentric arm 16 can be returned to its position shown by the full lines'andy isso-returned automatically by means which will beexplained more fully hereinafter.

The ends ofthe-rocker shaft 11 are bent back to provide rocker arms 22, 22, respectively. Each rocker arm is provided withan outwardly extending iinger 23 parallel tothe rocker sha-ft 11. The fingers 23 each rest against the bottom of a notch 2'4 Iin ,a horizontal lift bar 25 and each liftbar' has attached to it a vertical lock bar 26 which is slidably mounted for vertical movement adjacent a tier of dependent drawers 2.7v of the desk vagainst the inner walls of thev drawer channels.

Thezbars 26 are movable betweena lowermost position and an uppermost position'a'ndare biased to their lowermost positionv under thel inuence of ygravity `or any other suitable means, such as springs (not shown), which causes the rocker shaft 11 to rotatev clockwise as viewed in. Figure' 2'. This rotation: is limited, however, by an abutment member 28= in the form of a bracket attached 'to the bottom of'theA desk top and projecting down in front of theeccentric arm 1'6, substantially as shown, although it is apparentithat other" means may' be employed, such as by4 permitting the latch support' bars t'o come to rest against the. bottonr-wallof the drawer channel orV u other suitable abutment.

The lockfbars` 26 are provided with striker clips 29, one foreach drawergwhich cooperate with resilient lock dogs 30.. The lockdogsf'compri's'e each al resilient V-shaped member' havin'g airearw'a'rdly extending horizontal portion 31v secured to a bracket 32 on the side of the drawer. Each member1301is attached tov its corresponding bracket by any suitableameans, but it' is preferably 'removably attached tosimplify' replacement should it become broken, by the means'v illustrated and comprising a finger 33 and ai stub pini` 34- projecting upwardly from the horizontal portion 31.' through apertures' 35 and 364 of the bracket'32. The` finger33-isin`ia`de long enough to be bent or clinchedv down-rearwardly over the top of the bracket 32 as illustrated.. f Y

The forward end of the lock dog 30 is provided with a vertical portion 37. The bracket 32 has a forwardly extending portion 39 which curves downwardly at the front to provide a skirt or shield 40 in the general shape of a quarter round and the vertical portion 37 is slidably disposed in an aperture 41 of said forwardly extending portion 39. The function of the shield 40 is to make the device pick proof. A crimp 42 is provided in the portion 39 immediately in front of the horizontal por- "tion 38 of the member 30 as a barrier for the portion 38.

The striker clips 29 'are each formed of a piece of spring steel which is bent and shaped as illustrated to provide an outwardly projecting loop 43, vertical bearing portions 44 and 45, and resilient fingers 46 and 47. The portions 44 and 45 lie at against the bar 26 and the fingers 46 and 47 grip the sides of recessed portions 48 and 49 of said bar.

In the fully closed position of each drawer and when the keylock 18 is in its locked position, the striker clips 29 are each disposed in thejspace 'between a shield 4t) and the'corresponding vertical portion 37. Y In this position, the drawer cannot be opened because, as shown in Figure 5, the vertical portion 37 is in abuttingirelation with the striker clip 29. When the key lock 18 is in its open position, ythe wedge cam 21 is outof contact witheccentric arm 16, and the 'bars26 are, under the force of gravity, moved to their lowermost positions. In this position, the striker clips 29 are below and out of horizontal alignment with their respective lock dogs 30. Consequently, the drawerscan be opened and closed freely without bringing into action any of the mechanism.

'Y If any of the drawers are in the closed position when` the lock 18 is actuated to its locked position, its lock dog, in each case, willbe behind its corresponding striker clip, as shown in Figure 5, and the 4drawer will be locked. However, should any of the drawers be in the open position after the lock 18 is turned to thev locked position, the drawer can readily be locked by simply moving it to its closed position. Such movement will cause the member 30 to ride up and over the loop 43 against its inherent resilient action, as shown in Figure 4, until it moves otr" the rear end, whereupon the member 30, because of its resilience, resumes its normal position and the vertical portion 37 moves behind the loop 43 to prevcnt the drawer from opening until the bar 26 is lowered.

I claim:

l. A drawer locking mechanism comprising in combination with an article of furniture having a drawer channel and a drawer slidably disposed in the channel, of Ia vertically disposed bar slidably mounted -for movement between a lowermost position and 'an uppermost position in the drawer channel adjacent the drawer, a striker carried by said bar, a V-shaped resilient lock dog having a horizontal portion at one end `and a vertical portion lat the other, a bracket carried by the drawer for supporting said lock dog, said bracket comprising a horizontal member and means for securing the horizontal portion of the lock dog thereto and having an aperture engaging the veritcal portion of the lock dog, and shield means carried by the bracket between the lock dog and the front of the drawer.

2. A drawer locking mechanism comprising in cornbination with an article of furniture having a drawer channel and -a drawer slidably disposed in the channel, of ya. vertically disposed bar slidably mounted for movement between a lowermost position and 'an uppermost position in the drawer channel adjacent the drawer, a striker carried `by said bar, a V-shaped resilient lock dog having a horizontal portion at one end 'and -a vertical portion at the other, a bracket carried by the drawer for supporting said lock dog, said bracket comprising a horizontal member and means for securing the horizontal portion of the lock dog thereto, and having an aperture engaging the vertical portion of the lock dog, and shield means carried by the bracket Ibetween the lock dog 1and the front of the drawer, said shield means comprising a portion spaced from the vertical portion in an amount sufficient to accommodate the striker.

3. A drawer locking mechanism, comprising, in combination with an article of furniture having a drawer channel `and a drawer slidably disposed in the channel, of a vertically slidable locking bar mounted to one side of and `adjacent the drawer, a latch striker attached to the bar and provided with finger grips for snap-on engagement with the bar, a yieldable lock dog `attached to the drawer for selectively engaging said striker, a rocker shaft having a rocker arm connected to the 'bar for moving the striker in position for cooperative engagement with the lock dog, said shaft having Ian eccentric arm, `a key lock having a movable bolt and a member attached to the bolt and having a cam portion disposed at `an oblique angle to the direction of movement of the bolt for engaging said arm when the bolt is in a predetermined position.

4. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the bar has recesses for receiving the finger grips and thereby preventing relative movement between the finger grips and the bar.

5. A drawer locking mechanism comprising, in combination with `an article of lfurniture having a drawer,

channel andra drawer slidably disposed in the drawer channel, of a vertically disposed bar slidably mounted for movement between a lower drawer releasing position` and an upper drawer locking position, said bar disposed' adjacent the drawer and being vbiased to its lower drawer releasing position, key controlled means for lifting the/ har, a latch striker carried by said bar, a leaf spring lock dog carried by the drawer and having at its underside an inclined yieldable portion to trail over the striker when the bar is in its upper drawer locking position,/and also having a vertical portion for abutting said striker to hold the drawer closed when the bar is secured in the said upper drawer locking position, and meanson the dog for shielding its vertical portion from an instrument intended to effect unauthorized opening of the drawer.

6. A drawer locking mechanism `as defined by claim 5, including a rocker sha-ft for controlling the bar, a rocker arm connected to the shaft, means connecting the rocker arm to the bar, carn means actuatable iby said key controlled means for rotating said shaft to move the bar to locking position, and means for limiting the rotation of` said shaft.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS