Anti-tip interlocking linkage mechanism for vertical cabinets

A mechanism for interlocking at least two vertically adjacent slide mounted items in a cabinet between the side walls of said cabinet, said items selected from the group consisting of drawers, panels, pivotally mounted panels and fixtures, said mechanism comprising, in combination:

• a pair of telescoping slides for mounting each item for slidable movement between a retracted position and an extended position, at least one of each pair of slides including
• a) an inside channel attached to the item, and an outside channel attached to the adjacent side of the cabinet, said inside channel including an inner end, an upper edge and a generally parallel lower edge, at least one of said edges including a projecting tab adjacent to the inner end;
• and
• b) an outside channel slidably receiving the inside channel, said outside channel further including an inner end which underlies, at least in part, the inner end of the inside channel in the retracted position;
• a guide housing mounted on the inner end of the outside channel in opposed relation to the inside channel, said guide housing including a vertical guideway, and a pivot axis located in the slidable pathway of the inner channel;
• a rotatable cam member pivotally mounted in the guide housing for rotational movement about the pivot axis, said cam member including at least a first peripheral lobe, for engagement by the inner end of the inside channel upon movement thereof to the retracted position, a second peripheral lobe for engagement thereof by the projecting tab at the inner end of the inside channel upon movement thereof from the retracted position toward the extended position, and a third peripheral lobe which projects radially from the pivot axis transverse in direction to the movement of the inside channel when the inside channel is in the extended position;
• at least one cam follower slidably mounted in the guide housing guideway for cooperative engagement by the third peripheral lobe of the cam upon rotation of the cam by movement of the inside channel toward the extended position, said cam follower including a projecting non-circular cross section stud extending transverse to inside channel movement;
• and
• a connecting rod having a cross sectional bore congruent with the cross section of the stud connectable between the stud and a next vertically adjacent slide.

A mechanism for locking a pivoting front panel door mounted in a cabinet for pivotal movement about an axis between a closed, general position and an open position, said panel door including an edge with a strike opening;

• said cabinet including a slide assembly having an outer end adjacent the lower edge of the panel door in the closed position;
• said panel door locking mechanism comprising, in combination:
• a housing mounted on the slide assembly;
• a bolt lever member pivotally mounted to the housing and having a pivot connection to the housing, said bolt lever member further including a bolt radially spaced from the pivot connection, said bolt movable about the pivot connection between engagement with the panel door strike in the panel door closed position and disengagement with the door panel strike;
• and
• a lever member actuator connected to the bolt lever member to pivot the lever member between the locked and unlocked positions.