Furniture locking system

For use with an article of furniture having at least one drawer and a reciprocative slide bar selectively movable between a drawer locked position and a drawer unlocked position, an improved locking system comprising:

• a flexible cable;
• operator means for rotating said cable about the longitudinal axis thereof;
• and
• a connector/actuator means operatively associated between the cable and slide bar for converting rotation of the cable about its longitudinal axis into reciprocative movement of the slide bar selectively to the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions, said connector/actuator means comprising a crank carrying an eccentric pin, means operatively engaging the crank with the cable for rotation therewith, a slide plate having a slot for receiving the eccentric pin, means connecting the slide plate with the slide bar, said eccentric pin being guided in the slot as an incident of rotation of the crank to effect translation of the slide plate, means defining a guide channel for slidingly receiving the slide plate, and means for mounting the guide channel to the furniture article, said guide channel having an oval slot and said slide plate having a cylindrical boss guided within said slot between the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions.

For use with an article of furniture having at least one drawer and a reciprocative slide bar selectively movable between a drawer locked position and a drawer unlocked position, an improved locking system comprising:

• a flexible cable;
• operator means for rotating said cable about the longitudinal axis thereof;
• a connector/actuator means operatively associated between the cable and slide bar for converting rotation of the cable about its longitudinal axis into reciprocative movement of the slide bar selectively to the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions, said connector/actuator means comprising a crank carrying an eccentric pin, means operatively engaging the crank with the cable for rotation therewith, a slide plate having a slot for receiving the eccentric pin, means connecting the slide plate with the slide bar, said eccentric pin being guided in the slot as an incident of rotation of the crank to effect translation of the slide plate, means defining a guide channel for slidingly receiving the slide plate, means for mounting the guide channel to the furniture article, said guide channel having an oval slot and said slide plate having a cylindrical boss guided within said oval slot between the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions;
• and
• spring meams secured to said guide channel means and having a portion extending into said oval slot for urging said boss selectively to dispose said slide bar in the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions.

For use with an article of furniture having a support and a plurality of drawers carried by said support, a reciprocative slide bar associated with a first of said drawers selectively movable between a drawer locked position and a drawer unlocked position, and a translatable locking bolt for locking a second of said drawers including a tab extending in a locked position to prevent withdrawal of the second drawer from the support, an improved locking system comprising:

• a flexible cable having an end of noncircular cross section;
• operator means for effecting rotation of the cable about its longitudinal axis and having a keyed tumbler including a barrel with an eccentric lug rotatable by a key and a toothed rack having a slot for receiving said lug and translatable upon rotation of the barrel, and a gear is adjustably, fixedly secured with said cable in meshed relationship with the toothed rack for causing rotation of the cable as an incident of rotation of the barrel;
• connector/actuator means longitudinally removably connecting said cable end to said slide bar for converting rotation of the cable into reciprocative movement of the slide bar;
• and
• means operatively connecting the cable and locking bolt for translation of the locking bolt as an incident of rotation of said cable about its longitudinal axis, rotation of the cable by the operator in a first direction simultaneously disposing the slide bar in a drawer locked position and translating the bolt to a locked position preventing withdrawal of the second drawer.

For use with an article of furniture having a support and a plurality of drawers carried by said support, a reciprocative slide bar associated with a first of said drawers selectively movable between a drawer locked position and a drawer unlocked position, and a translatable locking bolt for locking a second of said drawers including a tab extending in a locked position to prevent withdrawal of the second drawer from the support, an improved locking system comprising:

• a flexible cable having an end of noncircular cross section;
• operator means for effecting rotation of the cable about its longitudinal axis;
• connector/actuator means longitudinally removably connecting said cable end to said slide bar for converting rotation of the cable into reciprocative movement of the slide bar;
• and
• means operatively connecting the cable and locking bolt for translation of the locking bolt as an incident of rotation of said cable about its longitudinal axis, rotation of the cable by the operator in a first direction simultaneously disposing the slide bar in a drawer locked position and translating the bolt to a locked position preventing withdrawal of the second drawer,
• said cable having a substantially uniform cross-section configuration and the means operably connecting the cable and locking bolt are keyed to the cable and slidable along its length to accommodate different support configurations.

For use with an article of furniture having a support and at least one drawer carried by said support and a reciprocative slide bar associated with the one drawer and selectively movable between a drawer locked and a drawer unlocked position, an improved locking system comprising:

• a connector/actuator module mounted on the support and in operative association with the slide bar;
• an operator module mounted on the support and spaced from the connector/actuator;
• and
• a flexible cable operatively connected between the operator module and connector/actuator module and rotatable about its longitudinal axis in response to actuation of said operator to effect selective reciprocative movement of the slide bar to the driver locked and drawer unlocked positions,
• wherein said operator module has a housing and a translatable toothed rack and a gear is adjustably, fixedly attached to the cable so that translation of the rack effects rotation of the cable about its longitudinal axis.

For use with an article of furniture having a support and at least one drawer carried by said support and a reciprocative slide bar associated with the one drawer and selectively movable between a drawer locked and a drawer unlocked position, an improved locking system comprising:

• a connector/actuator module mounted on the support and in operative association with the slide bar;
• an operator module mounted on the support and spaced from the connector/actuator;
• and
• a flexible cable operatively connected between the operator module and connector/actuator module and rotatable about its longitudinal axis in response to actuation of said operator to effect selective reciprocative movement of the slide bar to the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions,
• said connector/actuator having a U-shaped channel, a crank including an integral rotary shaft extending through a hole in the channel and an eccentric pin, and a slide plate including a slot engaging said eccentric pin and translatable within the guide channel upon rotation of the rotary shaft, said guide channel having integral bent legs which overlap the plane of the plate and maintain the slide plate against the guide channel and in turn the rotary shaft within the hole in the channel.

For use with an article of furniture having a support and at least one drawer carried by said support and a reciprocative slide bar associated with the one drawer and selectively movable between a drawer locked and a drawer unlocked position, an improved locking system comprising:

• a connector/actuator module mounted on the support and in operative association with the slide bar;
• an operator module mounted on the support and spaced from the connector/actuator;
• and
• a flexible cable operatively connecting between the operator module and connector/actuator module and rotatable about its longitudinal axis in response to actuation of said operator to effect selective reciprocative movement of the slide bar to the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions,
• said connector/actuator module having a U-shaped guide channel, a crank including an integral rotary shaft extending through a hole in the channel and an eccentric pin, a slide plate including a boss movable in an oval slot in the guide channel between the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions and a slot in the slide plate engaging the eccentric pin and guiding reciprocative movement of the slide plate in the guide channel as an incident of rotation of the crank and spring means extend into the oval slot to bias the boss on the slide plate to each of the drawer locked and drawer unlocked position.

For use with an article of furniture having a support and at least one drawer carried by the support and a reciprocative slide bar selectively movable between a drawer locked and a drawer unlocked position, an improved locking system comprising:

• a connector/actuator module including a rotary crank operatively connected with the slide bar and as an incident of rotation thereof effecting reciprocative movement of the slide bar between the drawer locked and drawer unlocked positions;
• an operator module including a housing, a toothed rack translatable relative to the housing and means to translate the rack;
• a flexible cable rotatable about its longitudinal axis;
• means connecting the cable with the toothed rack to effect rotation of the cable upon translation of the rack;
• and
• means for press fitting the end of the cable with the crank.