WO2007132970A1

WO2007132970A1 - Slide disconnecting means having enhanced safety

Info

Publication number: WO2007132970A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/004760
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoon Sik Park
Original assignee: Yoon Sik Park
Priority date: 2006-05-11
Filing date: 2006-11-14
Publication date: 2007-11-22
Also published as: KR20070109559A; KR101158795B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a slide separating device with enhanced safety. In a slide including a stationary rail, inner movable rail, outer movable rail, and ball retainers between the stationary rail, inner movable rail, and outer movable rails, an outer stopper being coupled to the inner movable rail, the separating device is secured to a surface (facing the inner movable rail) of the outer movable rail by a securing pin such that the outer movable rail can be intentionally separated from the inner movable rail. The separating device includes a head portion having a securing pin coupling hole, inclined surface and stepped holding portion, a body portion, and a tail portion. The body portion is slender and longer than the head and tail portions and is elastically deformable. The head and tail portions are curved in the same direction relative to the body portion.

Description

SLIDE DISCONNECTING MEANS HAVING ENHANCED

SAFETY

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to slide separating devices, and more particularly, to a slide separating device with enhanced user's safety. Background Art

[2] Slides are used to pull or push a drawer out of or into an article of furniture, such as a desk or cabinet. Generally, slides are attached to opposite sidewalls of the drawer.

[3] Occasionally, it is necessary to completely pull out the drawer and separate the drawer from the desk or cabinet for the repair of the drawer. Therefore, it is preferable that the slides have a separating device for allowing the drawer to be easily separated from the desk or cabinet. Such a separating device is preferably designed to prevent accidental or unintentional separation of the drawer even if the drawer is completely pulled out and thus, allow the drawer to be separated only by the user's intention.

[4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a conventional slide separating device as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,484,209.

[5] A slide 1 having the disclosed slide separating device includes a stationary rail 10 having an inner stopper 12 and stop-protrusions 14 formed therein, an inner movable rail 20 disposed in the stationary rail 10 and having coupling-protrusions 22 configured to be coupled with a first ball retainer 18 and stop-protrusions 23 configured to stop a second ball retainer 17, and an outer movable rail 30 disposed on the inner movable rail 20 and having an aperture 32 configured to be coupled with the inner stopper 12 of the stationary rail 10. Each of the first ball retainer 18 and the second ball retainer 17 contains a plurality of balls. The first ball retainer 18 is disposed between the stationary rail 10 and the inner movable rail 20 and the second ball retainer 17 is disposed between the inner movable rail 20 and the outer movable rail 30, to enable the inner movable rail 20 and the outer movable rail 30 to slide. The stationary rail 10 is secured to a sidewall of a desk or cabinet and the outer movable rail 30 is secured to a corresponding sidewall of a drawer, such that the slide 1 allows the drawer to be pushed into or pulled out of the desk or cabinet.

[6] In addition, an outer stopper 40 is coupled to an end of the inner movable rail 20 opposite to the coupling-protrusions 22 of the inner movable rail 20 and serves to stop the second ball retainer 17. The outer stopper 40 has a cross sectional shape corresponding to that of the inner movable rail 20 (See FIG. 2) and includes a plate- shaped body 41 which is , at opposite lateral sides thereof, formed with recessed portions 48 for insertion of opposite lateral side edges of the outer movable rail 30 and a pair of coupling portions 46 for coupling the outer stopper 40 to the inner movable rail 20. The body 41 also has an elongated protruding portion 42 formed adjacent to one of the recessed portions 48 and a ball retainer holder 44 formed at an inner end (facing the inner stopper 12) of the body 41, the ball retainer holder 44 detachably catching the second ball retainer 17.

[7] The first ball retainer 18 runs between the inner stopper 12 and the stop-protrusions

14, and the second ball retainer 17 runs between the stop-protrusions 23 and the outer stopper 40. With this configuration, the slide 1 folds telescoically.

[8] The slide separating device disclosed in the above U.S. Patent, which is designated as reference numeral 50 herein, is formed of a plastic body, which includes a lever 58 , at a side thereof, formed with a stepped holding portion 56 and an elastic supporting piece 54. A securing pin 52 is provided at one end of the plastic body such that the slide separating device is secured to an inner bottom surface (facing the inner movable rail 20) of the outer movable rail 30 so as to rotate about the securing pin 52.

[9] With the use of the slide separating device 50, even when the outer movable rail 30 is moved to a maximum pull-out position while in the state of being coupled onto the inner movable rail 20, the stepped holding portion 56 of the slide separating device 50 is caught by the protruding portion 42 of the outer stopper 40 and thus, the outer movable rail 30 is not separated from the inner movable rail 20. To separate the outer movable rail 30 from the inner movable rail 20, that is to say, to separate the drawer from the desk or cabinet, the lever 58 of the separating device 50 has to be pressed in a direction as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 1 after the outer movable rail 30 is moved to the maximum pull-out position. As the lever 58 is pressed in the above described manner, the separating device 50 rotate axially about the securing pin 52, as a rotating shaft, toward the elastic supporting piece 54 that comes into contact with a sidewall of the outer movable rail 30. Thereby, the stepped holding portion 56 is released from the protruding portion 42 of the outer stopper 40, and the outer movable rail 30 is separated from the inner movable rail 20.

[10] The separating device serves to prevent accidental or unintentional separation of a drawer even if the drawer is completely pulled out and ,only when the user wants, allow the drawer to be separated from the desk of cabinet.

[11] However, the slide separating device is installed at a place invisible to the user.

Therefore, to separate the drawer from the desk or cabinet, the user has to put his/her hand into the desk or cabinet after moving the outer movable rail 30 to the maximum pull-out position, and press the lever 58 of the separating device 50 in the direction as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 1. In this case, the lever 58 or elastic supporting piece 54 has a slim and long shape and this sharp portion may prick the user's finger, more particularly, a portion under the fingernail to result in damages. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[12] An object of the present invention is to provide a slide separating device, which can prevent accidental or unintentional separation of a drawer even if the drawer is completely pulled out and ,only when the user wants , allow the drawer to be separated from a desk or cabinet.

[13] Another object of the present invention is to provide a slide separating device with enhanced user's safety.

[14] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a slide separating device for use with a slide c omprising a stationary rail, an inner movable rail, an outer movable rail, a first ball retainer disposed between the stationary rail and the inner movable rail, and a second ball retainer disposed between the inner movable rail and the outer movable rail, and comprising an outer stopper having a protruding portion and being coupled to an end of the inner movable rail, the slide separating device being secured to an inner bottom surface (facing the inner movable rail) of the outer movable rail by a securing pin, so as to allow the outer movable rail to be separated from the inner movable rail only when the separation is intended, wherein the separating device comprises a head portion, a body portion, and a tail portion, the head portion having a coupling hole for insertion of the securing pin, an inclined surface, and a stepped holding portion formed at a distal end of the inclined surface, the body portion having a much slender and longer shape than those of the head portion and the tail portion and being elastically deformable, and both the head portion and the tail portion being curved in the same direction relative to the body portion.

[15] The slide separating device of the present invention has high economical efficiency in the viewpoint that the slide separating device is suitable for being directly applied in conventional slides having the outer stopper.

[16] The inclined surface is formed only at a side of the head portion.

[17] The tail portion of the separating device may have an end surface to come into contact with a sidewall of the movable rail in a state which the slide separating device is secured to the inner bottom surface of the movable rail by the securing pin.

[18] Differently from the conventional device, the slide separating device of the present invention has no damage to the user in the course of separating a drawer from a desk or cabinet. Brief Description of the Drawings

[19] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[20] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a slide having a conventional separating device attached to the slide;

[21] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outer stopper that is attached to an end of an inner movable rail included in the slide of FIG. 1 ;

[22] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a slide separating device according to the present invention;

[23] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the slide separating device according to the present invention, which is attached to an outer movable rail of a slide; and

[24] FIGS. 5 to 7 are plan views of the slide having the separating device according to the present invention, illustrating operating states of the separating device. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[25] Now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[26] Referring to FIG. 3 illustrating a slide separating device according to the present invention, the slide separating device, which is designated as reference numeral 60, includes a head portion 61, a body portion 67, and a tail portion 68, and generally has a slender fish-like shape curved in a direction.

[27] The separating device 60 is fabricated by injection molding using Polyamid 66 that is usually used in the art. Polyamid 66 is now commercialized as a product name of TECHNYL 2710ST BLK manufactured by RHODIAPOLYAMID Co.Ltd. The separating device 60 made of Polyamid 66 has an elasticity equal to that of general plastic products.

[28] The head portion 61 has a coupling hole 62, an inclined surface 63, and a stepped holding portion 64.

[29] The coupling hole 62 is circumferentially formed with an annular raised portion 62' having a slightly smaller thickness than that of a body of the head portion 61. The raised portion 62' serves to prevent a securing pin 70 (See FIG. 4), which is inserted into the coupling hole 62 to secure the separating device 60 to the inner bottom surface (facing the inner movable rail 20) of the outer movable rail 30 , from protruding beyond the body of the head portion 61.

[30] The inclined surface 63 is formed along a side of the head portion 61 and the stepped holding portion 64 is formed at a distal end of the inclined surface 63. A reinforcing portion 65 is also formed around the stepped holding portion 64 for preventing the stepped holding portion 64 from being collapsed and broken due to repeated use of the separating device 60. The reinforcing portion 65 is made of the same material as that of the body of the head potion 61, but has a larger thickness than that of the body of the head portion 61.

[31] The body portion 67 has the same thickness as those of the head portion 61 and the tail portion 68, but has a much slender and longer shape as compared to those of the head portion 61 and the tail portion 68. Accordingly, if the separating device 60 is fabricated by injection molding using Polyamid 66 as described above, the body portion 67 is more elastically deformabe than both the head portion 61 and the tail portion 68.

[32] The tail portion 68 has a width, which is much greater than that of the body portion

67, but is closely similar to that of a central region of the head portion 61. The tail portion 68 is extended from an end of the body portion 67 with a gentle curvature.

[33] As shown, the head portion 61 and the tail portion 68 are curved in the same direction relative to the body portion 67.

[34] The separating device 60 of the present invention is suitable for being applied in the conventional slide 1 that has been previously described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the separating device 60 is attached to the inner bottom surface (facing the inner movable rail) of the outer movable rail 30. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those of FIG. 1 denote the same elements as those of the previously described conventional slide and thus, description thereof will be omitted. Only different configurations from those of the conventional slide 1 will be described hereinafter.

[35] Now, the operation of the separating device 60 will be described with reference to

FIGS. 5 to 7. First, to couple the outer movable rail 30 to the inner movable rail 20, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer movable rail 30, which incorporates the separating device 60 that is secured to the inner bottom surface of the outer movable rail 30 by the securing pin 70, is rotated in a direction as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 5 such that the inner bottom surface of the outer movable rail 30 faces the inner movable rail 20 and then, the outer movable rail 30 is inserted into the inner movable rail 20. In this case, the outer movable rail 30 is pushed slidably along the recessed portion 48 of the outer stopper 40 that is attached to the end of the inner movable rail 20.

[36] In a state of being attached to the outer movable rail 30, the separating device 60 is positioned such that an uppermost region of the reinforcing portion 65 formed along the inclined surface 63 is disposed adjacent to one sidewall of the outer movable rail 30 almost within reach and an end surface 69 of the tail portion 68 comes into contact with the other sidewall of the outer movable rail 30.

[37] As a tip end of the outer movable rail 30 is inserted into and moved along the inner movable rail 20, the inclined surface 63 formed at the head portion 61 of the separating device 60 comes into contact with the protruding portion 42 of the outer stopper 40 (See FIG. 6).

[38] FIG. 6 illustrates a state wherein the outer movable rail 30 is rotated such that the surface of the outer movable rail 30, to which the separating device 60 is attached, faces the inner movable rail 20. Accordingly, only an outer surface of the outer movable rail 30 is visible and the remaining portion of the outer movable rail 30 is invisible. However, for the convenience of better understanding, the separating device 60 is shown by a dashed line. This is similar to FIG. 7.

[39] If the outer movable rail 30 is continuously moved to be further inserted into the inner movable rail 20, the separating device 60 receives a pressure in a direction as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 6, thus causing the body portion 67 to be elastically deformed in the direction as indicated by the arrow. In this case, the head portion 61, more particularly, the stepped holding portion 64 of the head portion 61, which is directly connected to the body portion 67, is elastically deformed, along with the body portion 67, in the direction as indicated by the arrow about several supporting points including the securing pin 70 and the end surface 69 of the tail portion 68 (i.e. a portion where the tail portion 68 comes into contact with the sidewall of the outer movable rail 30). The head portion 61 is kept at a fixed position by the securing pin 70 during the elastic deformation and therefore, the tail portion 68 is elastically extended away from the head portion 61 while the end surface 69 of the tail portion 68 comes into contact with the sidewall of the outer movable rail 30.

[40] As the outer movable rail 30 is continuously inserted, the stepped holding portion

64 of the head portion 61 and the body portion 67 are further moved in the direction as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 6 and sequentially, a pointed joint portion between the inclined surface 63 and the stepped holding portion 64, which are formed at the head portion 61 of the separating device 60, passes over the protruding portion 42 of the outer stopper 40. As soon as the pointed portion passes over the protruding portion 42, the stepped holding portion 64 of the head portion 61 and the body portion 67 are elastically returned to their original positions (See FIG. 7). In this way, the outer movable rail 30 is coupled to the inner movable rail 20.

[41] Even when the slide 1 is pulled out to it's maximum pull-out position, that is to say, even when the outer movable rail 30 is moved to the maximum pull-out position, as shown in FIG. 7, the stepped holding portion 64 formed at the head portion 61 of the separating device 60 is caught by the protruding portion 42 of the outer stopper 40, thus preventing accidental or unintentional separation of the drawer and consequently, unintentional separation of the outer movable rail from the inner movable rail.

[42] Conversely, when it is intended to separate the drawer, the body portion 64 of the separating device 60 is pressed in a direction as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 7 by the user's finger, such that the stepped holding portion 64 is released from the protruding portion 42 of the outer stopper 40. Accordingly, by pulling out the outer movable rail 30, that is to say, by pulling out the drawer, while pressing the body portion 67 of the separating device 60, the drawer can be easily separated from a body of furniture.

[43] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and sprit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. For example, it will be appreciated that the separating device of the present invention is similarly applicable to a slide which includes a stationary rail, a single movable rail, and a ball retainer disposed between the stationary rail and the movable rail, and includes an outer stopper having a protruding portion and being provided at an end of the stationary rail.

[44] Also, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a pair of slides are attached to left and right lateral surfaces of a drawer and thus, a pair of left and right type separating devices 60 have to be symmetrically attached to the slides, respectively.

Claims

[1] A slide separating device for use with a slide comprising a stationary rail, an inner movable rail, an outer movable rail, a first ball retainer disposed between the stationary rail and the inner movable rail, and a second ball retainer disposed between the inner movable rail and the outer movable rail, and comprising an outer stopper having a protruding portion and being coupled to an end of the inner movable rail, the slide separating device being secured to an inner bottom surface (facing the inner movable rail) of the outer movable rail by a securing pin, so as to allow the outer movable rail to be separated from the inner movable rail only when the separation is intended, wherein the separating device comprises a head portion which has a coupling hole for insertion of the securing pin, an inclined surface, and a stepped holding portion formed at a distal end of the inclined surface a body portion which has a much slender and longer shape than those of the head portion and the tail portion ,and is elastically deformable

,and a tail portion,

,and both the head portion and the tail portion are curved in the same direction relative to the body portion.

[2] A slide separating device for use with a slide comprising a stationary rail, a movable rail, and a ball retainer disposed between the stationary rail and the movable rail, and comprising an outer stopper having a protruding portion and being coupled to an end of the stationary rail, the slide separating device being secured to an inner bottom surface (facing the stationary rail) of the movable rail by a securing pin, so as to allow the movable rail to be separated from the stationary rail only when the separation is intended, wherein the separating device comprises a head portion which has a coupling hole for insertion of the securing pin, an inclined surface, and a stepped holding portion formed at a distal end of the inclined surface a body portion which has a much slender and longer shape than those of the head portion and the tail portion ,and is elastically deformable ,and a tail portion,

[3] The slide separating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tail portion of the separating device has an end surface to come into contact with a sidewall of the movable rail in a state which the slide separating device is secured to the inner bottom surface of the movable rail by the securing pin.