US3456996A

US3456996A - Guiding means,in particular for drawers and the like

Info

Publication number: US3456996A
Application number: US550443A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul Friedrich Heiniger-Schar
Original assignee: Krause Kg Robert
Current assignee: Robert Krause GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1965-12-21
Filing date: 1966-05-16
Publication date: 1969-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 1986-07-22
Also published as: NL144141B; NL6516794A; FR1461229A; DE1554302A1; GB1082340A; BE674274A

Description

In yen! or 720/ A a/Av mv 5/40- P. F. HEINIGERSCHAR Filed May 16, 1966 July 22, 1969 GUIDING MEANS, IN PARTICULAR FOR DRAWEHS AND THE LIKE United States Patent 312-347 9 Claims US. Cl.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Drawer guide in which pairs of interengaging rails are provided at opposite sides of the drawer with the rails of one pair being restricted against freedom of relative lateral movement while the rails of the other pair are unrestricted with respect to freedom of relative lateral movement.

The present invention relates to guiding means especially for guiding drawers and the like, which are provided on the sides of the drawer. It is known to provide drawers with lateral profiled sections for movably mounting the drawer in openings, cupboards, filing cabinets, and other pieces of furniture. However, the heretofore known guiding means have the drawback that they require a comparatively large clearance in a direction transverse to the movement of the drawer and approximately parallel to the plane of the drawer in order to be able to take up and compensate for the manufacturing tolerances. Due to the fact that the guiding means has clearance and, therefore, in addition to being movable in the direction in which the drawer is moved out and into its respective recess can also be moved crosswise to the normal direc tion of movement of the drawer to an amount corresponding to the clearance, it frequently happens that the drawer, when being pulled out or pushed in, wedges or jams. In an attempt to overcome the above-mentioned drawback, the tolerances have been kept as small as possible in the manufacture of the guiding means and the drawers. However, this in turn causes high manufacturing costs.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide guiding means for drawers and the like, which will overcome the above mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide guiding means of the above mentioned type which will assure an easy movement of the drawer out of and into the recess provided therefor while avoiding wedging or jamming.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a guiding means of the above mentioned type, which can be manufactured in a simple and economic manner while the clearance is reduced to a minimum.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a simplified isometric view of a drawer slide assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 of a modified embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 of still another embodiment of the invention.

In a guiding arrangement or drawer slide assembly, especially for drawers or the like, which is provided on the sides of the drawer, according to the present inven- "ice tion, one side of the drawer has arranged thereon positive guiding means with a degree of freedom exclusively in the pulling out direction while on the other side of the drawer there is provided a compensating guide with a degree of freedom in the pulling out direction and approximately parallel to the plane of the drawer. While due to the positive guiding means an accurate guiding of the drawer or the like will be assured in a substantially clearance-free manner, it is possible by the compensating guide according to the invention to compensate for inaccuracies of the guiding means and of the drawer. In. this way an easy pulling out and pushing in of the drawer will be assured while the drawer cannot wedge or jam. Furthermore, in view of the fact that inaccuracies in the manufacturing process as to the dimensions of the parts can be compensated for by the compensating guiding means according to the invention, it is possible to select large manufacturing tolerances for the drawer and the casing or housing receiving the drawer so that an economic manufacturing of the guiding means is possible.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the positive guiding arrangement is formed by two interengaging profiles of which one profile is connected to the drawer or the like whereas the non-movable profile is connected to the box, housing or the like receiving the drawer. The interengaging profiles can be manufactured at low cost and can in a simple manner be connected to the drawer or the box.

A particularly simple compensating guiding arrangement is formed by one edge of the drawer which edge is resting on and guided by the non-movable counter profile. In this way the drawer can be moved in the pulling out direction as well as in the plane of the drawer relative to the non-movable counter profile.

Advantageously, one profile of the positive guiding arrangement is formed by a profiled rail which has a substantially U-shaped cross section and is connected to the drawer or the like. The said profiled rail is engaged by a leg of the non-movable counter profile. The profiled rails may be produced by extrusion molding and can easily be connected to the drawer or the like or the box or the like.

According to a further development of the present invention, the U-shaped profiled rail is provided with downwardly directed legs and is arranged on the drawer, while advantageously the inner leg of the drawer profile is extended and merges with a profiled leg which is parallel to said rail of U-shaped cross section. In this way, a profile is obtained which has a substantially box-shaped cross section and while being relatively thin has a great strength.

Advantageously, the outer legs of the U-shaped profiled rails rest on a guiding surface of the non-movable counter profile so that the said legs or guiding surface will support the weight of the drawer. The non-movable counter profile can be manufactured in a particularly simple manner if it is so designed that in cross section it has a double crank while one leg is directed upwardly and extends into the profiled rail of the drawer while the transverse arm comprises the guiding surface for the outer U-shaped profiled leg of the drawer profile, and the other downwardly directed leg forms a connecting part for connection'with the drawer receiving box or the like.

The U-shaped profiled rail may also be connected to the drawer or the like by means of upwardly directed legs. Also in this instance the inner leg is advantageously extended and merges with a guiding web which is approximately parallel to the U-shaped transverse arm; Said guiding web rests on a non-movable counter profile and thus supports the weight of the drawer. Furthermore,-in

this instance the non-movable counter profile has advantageously a cross section with U-shaped downwardly directed legs while one leg extends into the profile of the drawer and the other leg is designed as connecting part.

According to a further development of the present invention, the profile of the compensating guiding means which is connected to the drawer or the like is approximately U-shaped and has laterally outwardly extending legs. The upper leg has a web directed to the outer leg the lower end face of which forms the edge resting on the non-movable counter profile. Advantageously, the nonmovable counter profile is formed by an angle profile one leg of which comprises the guiding surface whereas the other leg forms the connecting part.

In view of the fact that the profiled rails of the positive and/or compensating guiding means which are arranged on the drawer have a box-shaped cross section, these profiles can advantageously be inserted into a groove of the side walls of the drawer so that a space saving structure will be obtained. The design of the guiding means according to the present invention will be further simplified by designing the profiled rails on the drawer wall or the like identical so that a simple manufacture and assembly will be assured.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows in dash lines a drawer 1 which is movably arranged in a recess formed for instance by a box 2. Drawer 1 is by means of lateral guiding rails 3, 4 movable in the direction indicated by the double arrow 5.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, one profiled guiding arrangement 3 is formed by positively interen'gaging means which have a degree of freedom solely in the pulling out and pushing in direction, i.e. the directions indicated by the arrow 5. The profiled guiding arrangement 3 comprises two positively interengaging profiled

rails

6, 7 of which rail 6 is non-movably connected to a side wall 2a of box 2 whereas the other profiled rail 7 is inserted into groove 8 of the corresponding side wall 1a of drawer 1 and is connected thereto for instance by an adhesive. The profiled rail 7 which is arranged on the drawer side wall 1a has a U-shaped part 9 with upwardly directed

legs

10, 11. Inner leg 11 is extended and merges with a guiding web 12 which is parallel to the U-shaped transverse arm 13, Guiding web 12 rests on a corresponding transverse arm 14 of the non-movable profiled rail 6. The non-movable profiled rail 6 has a substantially U-shaped cross section with downwardly directed

legs

15, 16. Leg 15 is located :between

legs

10, 11 of the profiled rail 9 of the drawer profile rail 7, whereas the other leg 16 serves as connecting part for connecting the non-movable profiled rail 6 to the side wall 2a of the box 2.

The compensating guiding means 4 which is located opposite to the positive guiding means 3 has in addition to the degree of freedom in the direction of the arrow also a degree of freedom in the direction of the arrow 17 parallel to the plane of drawer 1 so that in this way inaccuracies with regard to dimensions and tolerances of drawer 1, of box 2, or of guiding means 3 can be compensated for.

The compensating guiding means 4 is provided with a profiled rail 18 which is identical to the profiled rail 17 of the positive guiding arrangement 3. Rail 18 is arranged in a corresponding groove 8 of the side wall 1a of drawer 1. The non-movable counter profile on one side wall 2a of box 2 is formed by an angle-shaped rail 19 one leg 20 of which serves for supporting rail 18 of drawer 1 whereas the other leg 21 which is downwardly directed serves as connecting means for connecting the non-movable counter profile 19 to the side wall 2a of box 2.

The upper leg 22 of the rail 18 rests on the corresponding leg 20 of the non-movable profile 19.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the positive guiding means 3a comprises a rail 23 arranged in groove 8 of the side wall 1a of the drawer. Rail 23 is provided with a U-shaped portion 25 the legs 26 and 4 27 of which are directed downwardly. One leg 28 of the non-movable counter profile 29 extends between said

legs

26 and 27. Counter profile 29 is in conformity with FIG. 3 provided with two cranked portions or webs. Web 30 of rail 29 supports the outer leg 26 of drawer rail 23, whereas the other downwardly directed leg 31 serves as connecting means for connecting the non-movable counter profile 29 to the side wall 2a of box 2 or the like.

The inner leg 27 of the U-shaped part 25 of rail 23 is extended and merges with a web 33 which is parallel to the transverse leg 32 of the U-shaped portion 25.

The compensating guiding means 4a according to'FIG. 3 has a drawer rail 24 which is identical to the drawer rail 23 of the positive guiding means 3a. The outer downwardly directed leg 26 of rail 24 rests on one leg 20 which similar to the arrangement of FIG. 2 pertains to the angle-shaped non-movable counter profile 19.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the drawer rails 7, 18 are designed similar to the embodiment of FIG. 2. The non-movable counter rails 6a, 19a have upwardly directed connecting legs 16a, 29a.

As will be evident from FIGS. 1 to 4, all drawer profile rails 7, 18, 23 and 24 are identical parts which can be used for the respective embodiments merely by inverting the rails. Similarly, the non-movable counter rail 19 according to FIG. 2 can be placed into the assembly position 19a of FIG. 4 by inverting the rail. Furthermore, it is possible to arrange the

rails

7, 18 and 23, 27 as non-movable rails on the side wall 2a of box 2 and to this end to provide the counter rails 6, 19, 29 on or in the side walls In of drawer 1.

The drawer rails 17, 18, 23 and 24 are fastened in the grooves by an adhesive.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangements shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A guide structure for guiding a drawer for sliding movement between extended and retracted position relativeto a stationary structure comprising; pairs of elongated rails extending in the direction of movement of the drawer and adapted for being disposed on op posite sides of the drawer, said drawer and structure forming the supporting members for said rails, each pair of rails comprising a drawer mounted rail and a stationary mounted rail, one rail of each pair of rails comprising a vertically extending base leg, top and bottom legs extending horizontally from the top and bottom ends of said base leg in a direction toward the other rail of the respective pair, and a further leg extending from the outer end of one of said top and bottom legs toward the other thereof but being spaced from said other leg, the other rail of each pair of rails each comprising a first portion extending horizontally into the gap between said other leg and the outer end of said further leg of the said one rail of the respective pair of rails, and a second portiont on one only of said other rails extending vertically from one end of said first portion thereof into the space between the said base leg and the said further leg of the said one rail of the respective pair of rails and closely but slidably fitting in said space.

2. A guide structure according to claim 1, in which the said one rails are the drawer mounted rails and the said further legs thereof extend upwardly from the said bottom legs thereof, and said second portion of the said one of said other rails extends downwardly from the said first portion thereof.

' 3. A guide structure according to claim 1, in which the said one rails are the drawer mounted rails and the said further legs thereof extend downwardly from the said top legs thereof, and said second portion of the said one of said other rails extends upwardly from the said one portion thereof.

4.A guide structure for guiding a drawer for sliding movement between extended and rectracted position relative to a stationary structure comprising; pairs of elongated rails extending in the direction of movement of the drawer and adapted for being disposed on opposite sides of the drawer, said drawer and structure forming the supporting members for said rails, each pair of rails comprising a drawer mounted rail and a stationarily mounted rail, one rail of each pair of rails comprising a vartically extending base leg, top and bottom legs extending horizontally from the top and bottom ends of said base leg in a direction toward the other rail of the respective pair, and a further leg extending from the outer end of one of said top and bottom legs toward the other thereof but being spaced from said other leg, the other rail of each pair of rails each comprising a first portion extending horizontally into the gap between said other leg and the outer end of said further leg of the said one rail of the respective pair of rails, a second portion on one only of said other rails extending vertically from one end of said first portion thereof into the space between the said base leg and the said further leg of the said one rail of the respective pair of rails and closely but sildably fitting in said space, and said one of said other rails being substantially Z shaped in cross section with one angular section thereof forming the said second portion of the rail, a second angular section thereof forming the said first portion of the rail, and the third angular section thereof forming means to fix the rail to its supporting member.

5. A guide structure according to claim 4 in which said one rails are drawer mounted and said other rails are stationarily mounted.

6. A guide structure according to claim 5 in which said one section of said one other rail extends downwardly from the said second section thereof.

7. A guide structure according to claim 5 in which said one section of said one other rail extends upwardly from the said second section thereof.

8. A guide structure according to claim 1 in which each said one of said other rails comprises a third portion parallel to said second portion and extending from said first portion in the same direction as said second portion and from the end of said first portion opposite said second portion and adapted for being fixed to the supporting member for the respective rail.

9. A guide structure according to claim 1 in which the drawer has a groove on each side in which the respective drawer mounted rail is disposed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,519,623 8/1950 Baker 31233O 2,759,773 8/ 1956 Wilmer et al 312350 X 3,160,448 12/1964 Abernathy et al. 312347 X 3,351,406 11/1967 Ropiequet et a1. 312347 X JAMES T. McCALL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 3083.6; 312-330