Bi-axial shelf with retractable guidance and support system

A cabinet, an elongated shelf, and means for guiding and supporting the shelf for movement between recessed and extended positions;

• said cabinet having end walls, rear wall, floor board, and a front wall shorter than the rear wall to leave an access opening between the front wall and one of the end walls for access to the interior of the cabinet;
• said shelf shaped so that it provides the maximum surface area that is movable in and out of said cabinet, with said shelf having front and rear spaced axes of unequal length engageable with said means for guiding and supporting the shelf from a recessed position within the cabinet to an extended position outside the cabinet and back to the recessed position;
• in which said guiding and supporting means comprises the floor board of the cabinet with glide members attached thereto and with a groove routed into the topside thereof to receive said rear axis and a slot cut therethrough at a location spaced from the access opening to receive said front axis, said groove and slot coming together in a juncture to form a common channel extending toward the cabinet access opening, and having a pivotally mounted traffic switch adjacent said juncture of the groove and slot, said traffic switch proper routing the front and rear axes into said slot and groove, respectively as the shelf moves in and out of the cabinet;
• and in which said guiding and supporting means also comprises a retractable mechanism installed beneath the floor board of the cabinet with tip-end members projecting through and above the front edge of said floor board to support the shelf both in its recessed and extended positions, said mechanism being retractable within the cabinet and extendable out of the cabinet.