Cammed lever-activated locking system

A lock assembly for use with a storage compartment in a storage structure, the lock assembly comprising:

• a cammed lever positioned along a longitudinal axis, the cammed lever defining an elongated body extending between a first end defining a camming surface and a second end defining a lever for abutting engagement with a leading edge of a drawer slide associated with the storage compartment upon lateral movement of the drawer slide across the longitudinal axis, wherein the storage compartment is supported by the drawer slide,
• a cam follower positioned adjacent to the cammed lever and along the longitudinal axis, the cam follower nesting in a curved nesting recess in the camming surface when the cam follower is in an unlocked closed position or a locked position, the cam follower inhibiting operational movement of the cammed lever relative to the cam follower and the second end of the cammed lever configured to inhibit opening of the drawer slide when the cam follower is nested in the curved nesting recess in the locked position,
• the cam follower and the cammed lever being configured for cooperative separation along the longitudinal axis, and
• upon installation of the lock assembly in the storage structure, when the drawer slide is extended laterally outwardly away from the longitudinal axis, the leading edge of the drawer slide moves the cammed lever to an open position as the cam follower moves from the curved nesting recess and outwardly along the camming surface, for cooperative separation of the cammed lever and the cam follower by a predetermined distance along the longitudinal axis.

A locking system for use in a storage structure having at least two lock assemblies comprising a first lock assembly and a second lock assembly arranged in abutting relation along a longitudinal axis defined by a track, each lock assembly operating in association with an associated storage compartment supported on an associated drawer slide, the first lock assembly comprising:

• a cammed lever defining a first end of an elongated body, the cammed lever engaging a leading edge of the drawer slide associated with the first lock assembly when the cammed lever is installed in the storage structure and the first locking system is in a locked position or in an unlocked closed position,
• the first end of the elongated body and a cam follower in nesting engagement at a curved recess defined by the cam follower or the first end of the elongated body when the cam follower is in the unlocked closed position or the locked position, the cam follower and the cammed lever being configured to inhibit operational unnesting of the cammed lever and the cam follower at the recess and to inhibit lateral outward movement of the drawer slide associated with the first lock assembly across the longitudinal axis when the cam follower and the first end of the elongated body are nested at the recess in the locked position,
• the cam follower and the cammed lever being configured for cooperative aligned displacement along the track when the cam follower is unlocked, the cammed lever and the cam follower are unnested at the recess and a locking bracket movably mounted on the track opposite the cammed lever disengages the leading edge of the drawer slide, and the cammed lever is rotated upon abutting engagement with the leading edge of the drawer slide associated with the first lock assembly during laterally outward movement of the drawer slide associated with the first lock assembly across the longitudinal axis,
• a first lock bar for movable displacement along the track adjacent to the cam follower, and
• a second lock bar for movable displacement along the track adjacent the cammed lever, a separation distance between the first lock bar and the second lock bar changing by a predetermined distance when the cammed lever moves to an open position as the cam follower and the first end of the elongated body are unnested at the recess.

A storage structure comprising:

• a first storage compartment mounted on a first slide and a second storage compartment mounted on a second slide in a vertically stacked array,
• a track providing an operational gap of a predetermined distance,
• a first locking assembly associated with the first storage compartment, and a second locking assembly associated with the second storage compartment, for operational displacement of the first locking assembly or the second locking assembly, the operational displacement being equal to the predetermined distance, when moving from an unlocked closed position to an open position,
• the first locking assembly comprising:
• a first cammed lever having a second end abutting against a first leading edge of the first slide to inhibit opening of the first storage compartment when the first locking assembly is in the locked position, or when the second locking assembly is operationally displaced equal to the predetermined distance in the open position,
• a first cam follower abutting against a first end of the first cammed lever along a camming interface, the camming interface defining a nesting surface and a recess for receiving the nesting surface when the first locking assembly is in the locked position or the unlocked closed position, and
• when unlocked and the first storage compartment is withdrawn from the storage structure, and the first locking assembly is moved from the unlocked closed position to the open position, the first slide moves the second end of the first camming lever to unnest the nesting surface from the recess, one of the first cam follower and the first cammed lever is operationally displaced equal to the predetermined distance, and a second cammed lever in the second locking assembly abuts against the second slide, to inhibit opening of the second slide.

A lock assembly for use with a storage compartment in a storage structure, the lock assembly comprising:

• a cammed lever extending along its length between a first end and a second end configured for cooperative movements with a leading edge of a drawer slide associated with the storage compartment for activation by lateral movement of the drawer slide associated with the storage compartment when the lock assembly is installed in the storage structure, wherein the storage compartment is supported by the drawer slide,
• one of the first end of the cammed lever and a cam follower adjacent the cammed lever, defining a camming surface,
• another one of the first end of the cammed lever and the cam follower defining a nesting surface for nesting in a curved nesting recess in the camming surface when the cam follower is in an unlocked closed position or a locked position, the cam follower inhibiting operational movement of the cammed lever relative to the cam follower and the second end of the cammed lever being configured to inhibit opening of the drawer slide when the cam follower is in the locked position,
• wherein the cam follower and the cammed lever are configured for cooperative displacement of one or both of the cammed lever and the cam follower along a longitudinal axis defined by a track,
• a locking bracket configured to be movably mounted on the track opposite the cammed lever upon installation of the lock assembly in the storage structure, the locking bracket engages the leading edge of the drawer slide to inhibit opening of the drawer slide in the locked position and the locking bracket disengages the leading edge of the drawer slide in the unlocked position, and
• upon installation of the lock assembly in the storage structure, when the drawer slide is extended laterally outwardly across the longitudinal axis, the leading edge of the drawer slide moves the cammed lever to an open position as the nesting surface on the other of the first end of the cammed lever and the cam follower moves from the curved nesting recess and outwardly along the camming surface, to cooperatively displace one or both of the cammed lever and the cam follower along the longitudinal axis by a predetermined distance.