US3729246A

US3729246A - Knock-down drawer

Info

Publication number: US3729246A
Application number: US00162177A
Authority: US
Inventors: B Harrell; A Harbaugh
Original assignee: EVANS Manufacturing CO JACKES
Current assignee: EVANS Manufacturing CO JACKES; JACKES EVANS Manufacturing CO US
Priority date: 1971-07-13
Filing date: 1971-07-13
Publication date: 1973-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-24

Abstract

An apparatus particularly adapted for use as a drawer and capable of being collapsed for shipping in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker, having a bottom panel, a front panel, two side panels and a back panel, the bottom panel being removably attachable to each side panel by joint means which includes elements disposed along the lower edge of the side panel and the side edges of the bottom panel and which permits the side panel to be held and maintained in a position perpendicular to the bottom panel for use as a drawer while allowing the side panel to be moved to a position parallel with and adjacent to the bottom panel, or easily disconnected, for purposes of shipping. The bottom panel and side panels, when held together in a drawer position by the joint means, are attachable to the front panel and back panel by holding means disposed through flanges projecting from the edges thereof to form a conventionally shaped drawer which has no protrusions existing on its entire inside surface.

Description

United States Patent 91 Harrell et al.

[ 1 KNOCK-DOWN DRAWER [75] Inventors: Bob G. Harrell; Arthur Harbaugh,

both of St. Louis, Mo.

[73] Assignee: Jackes-Evans Manufacturing Company, Saint Louis, Mo.

22 Filed: July 13, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 162,177

[ 52] US. Cl .....312/330, 312/257 R, 312/261 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 88/00 [58] Field of Search ..312/330, 330 SM, 312/257 R, 261; 16/178 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,701,174 2/1955 Franks ..312/330 3,432,061 3/1969 Anderson..... ....312/330 1,822,448 9/1931 Morin 312/330 2,926,978 3/1960 Mitchell 312/330 2,145,926 2/1939 Gooder ..16/178 X 1,290,743 1/1919 Herdst 312/330 X 1,936,733 11/1933 Richardson .13 12/330 2,980,482 4/1961 Baio 312/257 R 3,511,550 5/1970 l-lilfinger ..312/330 [4 1 Apr. 24, 1973 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Att0rney-Robert E. Wagner 5 7 ABSTRACT An apparatus particularly adapted for use as a drawer and capable of being collapsed for shipping in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker, having a bottom panel, a front panel, two side panels and a back panel, the bottom panel being removably attachable to each side panel by joint means which includes elements disposed along the lower edge of the side panel and the side edges of the bottom panel and which permits the side panel to be held and maintained in a position perpendicular to the bottom panel for use as a drawer while allowing the side panel to be moved to a position parallel with and adjacent to the bottom panel, or easily disconnected, for purposes of shipping. The bottom panel and side panels, when held together in a drawer position by the joint means, are attachable to the front panel and back panel by holding means disposed through flanges projecting from the edges thereof to form a conventionally shaped drawer which has no protrusions existing on its entire inside surface.

12 Claims, IO'Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS B03 6. HARRELL ARTHUR HARBAUGH ATT'Y BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for use as a drawer and, more particularly, to a drawer having a construction allowing it to be shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later quickly assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker means.

The conventional drawer, as used in a table, dresser, or especially a cabinet, may be most simply defined as a container constructed of elements including a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel and two side panels; the front, back and side panels being attached perpendicularly to the bottom panel about its perimeter to define a volume of undetermined height. The elements of a conventional drawer have been attached to one another in many different ways, for example, by nailing, screwing, dovetailing, wooden pegging or spot welding.

Though the construction of a drawer having its elements attached by one of these methods was satisfactory from the standpoint of durability and strength, it presented definite problems with respect to shipping and/or assembling. If the drawer were assembled before shipping, the size and bulk of the assembled drawer necessitated large containers and wasted shipping space since the inside volume of the drawer was not utilized. Assembled drawers, and particularly those used in military cabinets and lockers, presented a significant problem in this regard because of the high volume of goods shipped and the subsequent reduction in the amount of goods which could be carried on board trucks or railroad cars at any one time due to the wasted space occupied by the inside. unused volume of the drawers. If the drawers were assembled and installed in the cabinets prior to shipping, problems of damage to the hanging mechanisms and denting of drawers occurred because of the jostling of the cabinets and resulting movement of drawers on their hanging mechanisms during shipment.

Drawers which were constructed by methods such as screwing, which might allow shipment in a knockeddown or unassembled condition, also presented problems when they reached the point where they were to be assembled. Certain requirements, particularly military specifications, require that all drawers, when assembled, have certain minimum strength characteristics in response to stresses in tension, compression and moment. It is also necessary that the elements of each drawer be rattle-free. In order to fulfill these strength and non-rattle requirements, a great number of screw and nut means are necessary to complete firm assembly of a drawer by screwing. Because of the large number of screws and nuts, drawers assembled by screwing have the definite disadvantage of requiring a great deal oftime to complete assembly.

The elements of a conventional drawer are usually rectangular in configuration so that the means used to hold them together, such asnails or screws, must be inserted through the face of one element into the thickness of another. Such construction cannot help but weaken the inherent strength of the material used to form the elementsvof the drawer. lnaddition, ajoint or connection formed in such a manner is rigid and very susceptible to failure in response to bending stresses. In the case of drawers made of strong, thin material, such as steel, spot welding is the favorite method of holding the drawer elements together. Since this is almost always done at the factory, it percludes shipping in a knocked-down condition. Normally, sheet metal drawers, using bolt and nut fasteners, have either the bolt head or the nut and screw end on the inside of the drawer creating unsightly and often hazardous conditions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention involves elements forming a traditionally-shaped drawer but having a novel means for attachment to one another to provide a drawer capable of being knocked down and shipped in a flattened condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker, thereby overcoming the wasted space incurred in shipping preassembled drawers or the wasted time incurred in assembling drawers having means permitting assembly by the user.

The apparatus of this invention achieves this capability of providing easy assembly of a strong drawer which may be economically shipped with no wasted space, by a unique, interlocking joint means formed of joining elements disposed near the side edge of a horizontal portion of the bottom panel and complementary joining elements formed near the bottom edge of each side panel.

The joining elements disposed on the side panels are fitted into or over the corresponding joining elements disposed near the side edge of the horizontal portion of the bottom panel in one operation, and the side panels are then held perpendicular to the horizontal portion of the bottom panel in such a manner that the side panels and bottom panel are firmly and fixedly attached to one another. The front andrear edges of the bottom panel have flange portions projecting downwardly and upwardly respectively from these edges and having holes formed therein which may be positioned adjacent to and aligned with holes formed in corresponding flanges disposed at the bottom edge of the front and back panels respectively. Holding means may be inserted through these holes and similarly inserted through holes disposed in corresponding flange means on the front and back edges of the side panels and the side edges of the front and back panels, respectively, to hold the remaining elements of the drawer in fixed relationship with respect to one another.

Since the major portion of the drawer is formed by the horizontal portion of the bottom panel which is attached to the side panels by the unique joint means, the front and back panels may be attached quickly to the easily joined bottom panel and side panels by using a minimum number of holding means such as screws and nuts. Thus, assembly time after shipping is drastically reduced.

The major stresses that the drawer must bear are carried across the bottom and side panels and through the joint means formed by the two joining elements. Since such a joint means forms a non-rigid or flexible type of connection between the bottom and side panels, it gives the drawer greater strength in response to stresses than the ordinary rigid type of connection.

In addition, the joint means, and the holding means inserted through the corresponding outwardly projecting flanged portions on the elements, do not protrude inside the drawer so that the interior surface of the drawer is free from any undesirable edges and all-"the storage space is usable. i

This invention, then, provides for the attaching of traditional drawer elements in a manner allowing these elements to be laid flat on one another for purposes of shipping and quickly assembled when they reach their destination, to form a drawer having strength and appearance characteristics equal or better than those ofa preassembled drawer. The military installations in this country have, up to this time, used a spot welded drawer but have indicated the desirability of a drawer which could be laid flat for conservation of space during shipping while retaining the strength characteristics of the welded drawer. The invention of this apparatus accomplishes these requirements.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a drawer capable of being shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker.

It is another object of this invention to provide a drawer having side panels and a bottom panelattached by joint means formed by interlocking corresponding joining elements which enable the side panels to be moved perpendicular to the bottom panel for use as a drawer or moved parallel to and adjacent to the bottom panel, or easily disconnected, for purposes of shipping in a knocked-down condition.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an easily assembled drawer capable of being shipped in a knocked-down condition which has, upon final assembly, no protrusions or fasteners exposed on the interior surface of the drawer.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a drawer capable of being shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker means which is rattle-free and resistant to tensile, compressive or bending stresses which may be exerted upon it in use.

It is still another object of this invention to provide av drawer capable of being shipped in flattened or knocked-down condition and laterassembled, having a design enabling it to be scaled to any particular size for use with a great variety of cabinets and storage containers.

These and other important objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a conventional cabinet or locker having the drawer apparatus of this invention scaled to various sizes located near the bottom:

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the knock-down drawer apparatus ofthis invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, slightly enlarged, of the;in--.

FIG. 6 is a slightly enlarged side view of the knockdown drawer apparatus of this invention having the middle portion cut away;

FIG. 7 is a slightly enlarged rear elevational view of the knock-down drawer apparatus showing in detail the construction of the drawer at the point where the back and sides meet;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the joint means of the knock-down drawer apparatus taken generally along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an alternate embodiment of the joint means of the knock-down drawer apparatus; and

FIG. 10 is a second alternate embodiment of the joint means of the knock-down drawer apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown an upright cabinet or locker 10 having pullout drawers 14 of the knock-down type I described herein disposed near its bottom.

terior of the knock-down drawer apparatus shown in-:.

FIG. 2; I I v FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the knock-down drawer apparatus shown in FIG. 3

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the knock-down drawer apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

The knock-down drawer 14 of this invention is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. This drawer 14, which may be scaled to any desired size, includes a front panel or front 16 having rearwardly extending flanges 17 disposed atits sides, bottom and top, and a handle 18 positioned near the center of the front 16'to afford a means of gripping and pulling out the drawer 14 subsequent to assembly and installation. The drawer 14 also includes a back panel or back 19, having outwardly extending flanges 20 at its top, bottom and sides as shown more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 6, and a right side panel or right side 21 and left side panel or left side 22. A bottom panel or bottom 24 completes the body of the drawer 14.

The drawer 14 is movable into and out of the cabinet 10 shown in FIG. 1 on slide tracks 26 disposed along the right side 21 and left side 22 of the drawer 14 as shown in FIG. 2 and in more detail in FIG. 6. These slide tracks 26 engage a slide channel disposed on the interior of the cabinet 10 which supports the drawer 14 within the cabinet 10 while permitting easy movement of the drawer 14 into and out of the cabinet 10., The right side 21 and left side 22 of the drawer 14 also have disposed at their rearward ends a plastic top guide 28, a plastic bottom guide 30 and a rubber bumper stop 32, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 6, to promote the easy movement of the drawer 14 in and out of cabinet 10. Such movement could, of course, be accomplished by roller tracks. The

guides

28 and 30 prevent metal to metal contact for free movement within the slide channel and prevent vertical or horizontal movement of the drawer 14 as it is pulled out of the cabinet 10. The rubber stop 32 serves to prevent the drawer 14 from being unintentionally completely withdrawn from the cabinet 10 by contacting a front stop on the front portion of the cabinet 10 at a point some distance inside the cabinet frame.

The unique means permitting this drawer 14 to be shipped in a knock-down or flattened condition and easily assembled at its point of use is shown in FIGS. 4,5 and 6. This, in general is referred to as the joint means 33 and includes a drawer bottom flange or joint element 34, which can be seen clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, having a plurality of drawer bottom slots 36 disposed along the junction of the upwardly extending flange 34 and the drawer bottom 24, and joint element 38 having a plurality of hinge leaves or tabs projecting inwardly and substantially perpendicular to right side 21 and left side 22 along the bottom portions of

sides

21 and 22 in positions corresponding to drawer bottom slots 36.

After shipment in a flattened condition wherein right side 21 and left side 22 are disconnected from or moved adjacent to bottomv 24, the

sides

21 and 22 and bottom 24 of the drawer 14 may be assembled by aligning the front and rear edges of bottom 24 and right side 21 and left side 22 respectively and inserting the tabs ofjoint element 38 into the corresponding drawer bottom slots 36 ofjoint element 34 to connect

sides

21 and 22 to bottom 24 and then rotating right side 21 and left side 22 to a position perpendicular to bottom 24. In this position, the tabs of joint element 38 come adjacent to the underside of bottom 24 in such a manner that the right side, 21 and left side 22 will be held securely attached to the bottom 24 despite any forces acting upwardly or outwardly upon these sides.

The front 16 and back 19 are then joined to the assembled

side

21 and 22 and bottom 24 portion of the drawer 14 by connector screws 40 which are inserted through connector holes 42 formed in

perpendicular flanges

20 and 17 disposed about the periphery of the back 19 and the front 16 respectively, in flange 25 at the frontward end of

sides

21 and 22, and in flange 23 of bottom 24. The connector holes 42 formed in these flanges and in the elements themselves are aligned and the connector screws 40, when inserted through these corresponding and aligned holes 42, serve to join all elements of the drawer 14 together in a fixed and rigid relationship.

As mentioned previously, one important advantage of connecting the front 16, sides 21 and 22, back 19 and bottom 24 of the drawer 14 together through the use of flanges along their various edges is that the connector screws 40 do not project upon the interior storage portion of the drawer 14. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the connector screws 40 used to fasten the front 16 to the bottom 24 are inserted through corresponding holes 42 in the front flange 17 of the front 16 and the front flange 23 of the bottom portion 24. This connection can be seen more clearly in FIG. 6 showing both the front 16 in position to be joined to the bottom 24 and the back 19 connectable to side 22 by means of flanges 20 at its upper, lower, and side edges. Side 21 is joined to front 16 and back 19 in a similar manner.

FIGS. 8 through show the various embodiments of the joint means 33 which permit the shipment of this drawer in knock-down or flattened condition and its easy assembly at point of use. FIG. 8, which is taken generally along line 8-8 of FIG. 6, shows the left hand side 22 of drawer 14 and illustrates the joint means 33 described above. In this view, the bottom 24 has a drawer bottom flange or joint element 34 extending upwardly from its horizontal portion along its side edge. A drawer bottom slot 36, is formed at the junction of the horizontal bottom portion 24 and the flange or joint element 34. The left side 22, as seen in this view, has an inwardly extending, substantially perpendicular hinge leaf, or tab or joint element 38, which is insertable through drawer bottom slot 36 when the side 22 is held in a position parallel to the bottom 24. When the joint element 38 has been completely inserted through slot 36, the side element 22 may be rotated upwardly to a position substantially perpendicular to bottom 24 so that tab or joint element 38 comes adjacent to the underside of bottom 24 and side 22 is moved adjacent to the inside surface of bottom flange or joint element 34.

In FIG. 9 is seen an alternate embodiment of this joint means 33, also taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 6, in which the bottom portion 24 of drawer 14 includes, at its side edge, a downwardly extending flange 48 having at its lower end an upwardly turned and pressed together U-shaped tip. This U-shaped tipped flange 48 is then surrounded by the similarly U-shaped flange portion 50 of side portion 22 to form joint means 33. The U-shaped flange portion 50 is formed by extending side portion 22 below bottom 24, turning it upwardly upon itself in a U having a larger radius of curvature than that of the corresponding U-shaped portion 48, and bending it backwardly and downwardly together upon itself again in a U-shape. The flange portion 50 may be then moved over flange portion 48 by aligning the front or back edge of side 22 with the back or front edge of bottom 24 so that flange portion 48 is fitted inside the surface of the larger radius flange portion 50. The side 22 and bottom 24 are then moved in opposite directions with respect to each other until the corresponding front and back edges of each are aligned.

In FIG. 10 is shown still another possible embodiment of the joint means 33, in which bottom 24 has a curvilinear rolled flange 46 bent inwardly upon itself and disposed along its side edge. This curvilinear rolled flange 46 accepts a similarly shaped inwardly bent or rolled bottom portion 44 of side 22 which surrounds its outside surface. The rolled side flange 44 has an inside diameter only slightly larger than the outside diameter of rolled bottom flange 46 so that rolled flange 44 fits snugly around inside rolled flange 46. The flanges or

joint elements

44 and 46 are moved with respect to one anotherto form joint means 33 by placing side 22 in a position parallel to bottom 24 as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 10. The front or back edge of side 22 is then aligned with the opposite edge of bottom 24 and the flange portion 46 is inserted into the interior of flange portion 44. The side portion 22 and bottom portion 24 are then moved in opposite directions with respect to one another until their corresponding front and back edges are aligned. Side 22 is then rotated upwardly to a position substantially perpendicular to bottom 24 completing the joint means 33 and placing bottom 24 and side 22 in their respective positions for use in drawer 14.

The major elements and connections of the drawer may be constructed from any suitable material which is fairly light-weight but rigid and durable and capable of being stamped or formed into the required shapes, such as steel and stainless steel, their alloys, and various other metals. These elements could also be formed of diverse materials such as wood for the body of the elements and metal for the joint means attached thereto.

While the invention has been described in relation to the preferred embodiments thereof it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the structural details are capable of wide variation without departing fro the principles of the invention.

We claim:

1. A drawer capable of being shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, in-

stalled and used in connection with a cabinet, said drawer including a bottom panel, a front panel, two side panels, a back panel, and quick releasable joint means for attaching said side panels to said bottom panel, said joint means including bottom joining means integral with said bottom panel and side joining means integral with each of said side panels, said bottom joining means and said side joining means comprising the sole connection between said side panels and said bottom panel, said joint means permitting each of said side panels to be moved to a folded position parallel with and adjacent to said bottom panel for purposes of shipping, said joint means alternately holding and maintaining said side panels in a position substantially perpendicular to said bottom panel for purposes of use as a drawer, each of said side panels and said bottom panel in such perpendicular relationship being fixedly attachable to said front panel and said back panel by holding means to form a conventionally-shaped drawer.

2. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said bottom panel includes a horizontal portion of even surface forming the bottom of said drawer, having cut, shaped, or formed integral bottom joining elements disposed along its side edges and wherein said side panels include vertical wall portions forming the sides of said drawer, said vertical wall portions having disposed near their lower edges integral side joining elements complementing the bottom joining elements disposed along the side edges ofsaid bottom panel, said bottom and side joining elements cooperating to form said joint means, allowing joinder of said bottom panel and said side panels in substantially perpendicular relationship while permitting movement of said side panels with respect to said bottom panel at any desired time, said bottom panel being joined along the front edge of said horizontal portion to said front panel by holding means and being joined along the back edge of said horizontal portion to said back panel by holding means.

3. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said joint means includes an inwardly-extending side joining element disposed along the lower edge of a vertical wall portion of said side panels and a bottom joining element disposed along the side edge of the horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said side and bottom joining elements acting in communication and conjunction to allow said side panels to be moved or swung to a vertical position with respect to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel or to a folded position parallel with and adjacent to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

4. The drawer of claim 3, wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel comprises slot means cut in the bend formed by the junction of said horizontal portion and an upwardly-extending vertical flange portion of said bottom panel, said slot means extending parallel to the side edge of said horizontal portion, and said side joining element comprises inwardly-extendingtab means insertable through corresponding slot means disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said tab means and said slot means acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panels in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

5. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel bent backward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and said side joining element includes an inwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent toward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindrical configuration, the diameter of said inwardly-extending portion being slightly greater than the diameter of said cylindrically-shaped downwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel such that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said cylindrically-shaped downwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is adjacent to and at least partially surrounds said downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and said downwardly-extending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

6.. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward leg of the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than the entire length of the outward leg, and said side joining element includes a downwardly-extending portion of said side means bent in the shape of a U, the distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightly greater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs of said bottom joining element, such that said downwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said folded downwardly-extending portion of said bottom. panel in such a manner that said vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

7. In a drawer particularly adapted for use in a cabinet and including a bottom panel, side panels, a front panel, and a back panel, the improvement comprising, joint means for quickly and releasably attaching said side panels to said bottom panel, said joint means formed by the conjunction of an inwardly-extending side joining element formed in the lower portion of said side panel and a bottom joining element cut, shaped or formed in said bottom panel and disposed along the side edge of the horizontal portion thereof, said bottom joining element receiving said side joining element in such a manner that the vertical wall portion of said side panel is thereby held and maintained in substantially perpendicular relationship to the horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said side joining element alternately being movable on said bottom joining element in such a manner that said vertical wall portion of said side panel may be positioned parallel with and adjacent to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel for shipping.

8. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said bottom joining element disposed near thev side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes at least one slot cut in the bend formed by the junction of said horizontal portion and an upwardly-extending vertical flange portion of said bottom panel, said slot extending parallel to the side edge of said horizontal por tion, and said side joining element includes inwardly extending tab means being insertable through a corresponding slot disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said tab means and said slot acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

9. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel bent backward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and said side joining element includes an inwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent toward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindrical configuration, the diameter of said inwardly-extending portion being slightly greater than the diameter of said cylindricallyshaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel such that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said cylindricallyshaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel until said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is adjacent to and at least partially surrounds said downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and said downwardlyextending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

10, The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottom joining elementdisposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion ofv said bottom panel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward leg of the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than the entire length of the outward leg, and'said side joining element includes a downwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent in the shape of a U, the

distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightly greater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs of said bottom joining element such that said downwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said folded downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner that said vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained in substantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

11. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said front panel has rearwardly extending right angle flanges disposed along its side edges and bottom edge and said bottom panel and said side panels have reversely folded right angle flanges disposed along their front edges, and wherein said back panel has inwardly extending right angle flanges disposed along its side edges and bottom edge and said bottom panel has an upwardly extending right angle flange disposed along its back edge, said front panel flanges being fastened to said bottom panel flange and said side panel flanges and said back panel flanges being fastened to said bottom panel flange and the rear portions of said side panels by said holding means in such a manner that no protrusions exist on the interior surface of the drawer.

2. The drawer of claim 11 wherein said front panel flanges, said bottom panel flanges, said side panel flanges, said back panel flanges, and said rear portions of said side panels have holes punched or drilled therethrough, said front panel flanges being. aligned with said bottom panel flange and said side panel flanges, said back panel flanges being aligned with said bottom panel flange and said rear portions of said side panels in such a manner that said holding means may be inserted through matching holes in the aligned flanges and side panel portions to fasten said front panel to said side panels and said bottom panel, and said back panel to said bottom panel and said side panels while precluding the existence of any protrusions on the interior surface of the drawer.

Claims

1. A drawer capable of being shipped in a flattened or knockeddown condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet, said drawer including a bottom panel, a front panel, two side panels, a back panel, and quick releasable joint means for attaching said side panels to said bottom panel, said joint means including bottom joining means integral with said bottom panel and side joining means integral with each of said side panels, said bottom joining means and said side joining means comprising the sole connection between said side panels and said bottom panel, said joint means permitting each of said side panels to be moved to a folded position parallel with and adjacent to said bottom panel for purposes of shipping, said joint means alternately holding and maintaining said side panels in a position substantially perpendicular to said bottom panel for purposes of use as a drawer, each of said side panels and said bottom panel in such perpendicular relationship being fixedly attachable to said front panel and said back panel by holding means to form a conventionally-shaped drawer.

2. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said bottom panel includes a horizontal portion of even surface forming the bottom of said drawer, having cut, shaped, or formed integral bottom joining elements disposed along its side edges and wherein said side panels include vertical wall portions forming the sides of said drawer, said vertical wall portions having disposed near their lower edges integral side joining elements complementing the bottom joining elements disposed along the side edges of said bottom panel, said bottom and side joining elements cooperating to form said joint means, allowing joinder of said bottom panel and said side panels in substantially perpendicular relationship while permitting movement of said side panels with respect to said bottom panel at any desired time, said bottom panel being joined along the front edge of said horizontal portion to said front panel by holding means and being joined along the back edge of said horizontal portion to said back panel by holding means.

4. The drawer of claim 3, wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel comprises slot means cut in the bend formed by the junction of said horizontal portion and an upwardly-extending vertical flange portion of said bottom panel, said slot means extending parallel to the side edge of said horizontal portion, and said side joining element comprises inwardly-extending tab means insertable through corresponding slot means disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said tab means and said slot means acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panels in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

5. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel bent backward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and said side joining element includes an inwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent toward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindrical configuration, the diameter of said inwardly-extending portion being slightly greater than the diameter of said cylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel such that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said cylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is adjacent to and at least partially surrounds said downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and said downwardly-extending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel. 6. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward leg of the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than the entire length of the outward leg, and said side joining element includes a downwardly-extending portion of said side means bent in the shape of a U, the distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightly greater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs of said bottom joining element, such that said downwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said folded downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner that said vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

8. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes at least one slot cut in the bend formed by the junction of said horizontal portion and an upwardly-extending vertical flange portion of said bottom panel, said slot extending parallel to the side edge of said horizontal portion, and said side joining element includes inwardly extending tab means being insertable through a corresponding slot disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said tab means and said slot acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

9. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel bent backward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and said side joining element includes an inwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent toward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindrical configuration, the diameter of said inwardly-extending portion being slightly greater than the diameter of said cylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel such that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said cylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel until said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is adjacent to and at least partially surrounds said downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and said downwardly-extending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

10. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward leg of the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than the entire length of the outward leg, and said side joining element includes a downwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent in the shape of a U, the distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightly greater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs of said bottom joining element such that said downwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable over said folded downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner that said vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained in substantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

12. The drawer of claim 11 wherein said front panel flanges, said bottom panel flanges, said side panel flanges, said back panel flanges, and said rear portions of said side panels have holes punched or drilLed therethrough, said front panel flanges being aligned with said bottom panel flange and said side panel flanges, said back panel flanges being aligned with said bottom panel flange and said rear portions of said side panels in such a manner that said holding means may be inserted through matching holes in the aligned flanges and side panel portions to fasten said front panel to said side panels and said bottom panel, and said back panel to said bottom panel and said side panels while precluding the existence of any protrusions on the interior surface of the drawer.