Horizontal file drawer interlock assembly
AssigneeMetalworks, Inc.
InventorLaude E. Hartrum
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An interlock assembly (20) for two or more horizontally sliding drawers (11, 12) in a cabinet (10) to prevent opening more than one drawer at a time is described. The interlock assembly is characterized by each drawer having rotating cam members (22, 23) with lobes (23a and 23b) and valleys (23c and 23d) which mate with corresponding lobes (26a, 27a) and valleys (26c, 27c) in blocks (26 and 27). When the cam member (23) is rotated the lobes (23a, 23b) and (23c and 23d) engage lobes (26a and 27a) of the blocks (26 and 27) to move the blocks and cam members as a train so as to engage the cabinet (10) to provide the interlock of the drawers.
Claims24
In a cabinet apparatus including a housing having a top wall and opposed bottom wall, two opposed side walls, a front wall and a back wall, at least two drawers mounted inside the housing through the front wall so as to slide horizontally away from the front wall to open the drawer and towards the back to close the drawer and an interlock assembly mounted inside and on the housing which engages an extension means from the drawer to prevent both drawers from being opened simultaneously the improvement in the interlock assembly which comprises:
- (a) a rod having a longitudinal axis between two ends rigidly mounted in a parallel spaced relationship to a rear portion of each of the drawers;
- (b) cam means rotatably and slideably mounted around the axis of the rod adjacent the rear portion of each of the drawers, wherein at least one end of the cam means around the axis of the rod has a sinusoidal surface such that there are lobes of the sinusoidal surface and valleys between the lobes on the surface on each cam means;
- (c) block means slideably mounted on the rod at the one end of each of the cam means having the sinusoidal surface and having mating ends with second sinusoidal surfaces with lobes and valleys offset around the end of the block means when the drawers are closed so that the lobes and the valleys of the cam means and blocks means mate together;
- (d) pivot means mounted on a side between the ends of each cam means which engages the extension means from each drawer;
- and
- (e) guide means mounted inside the housing supporting the block means for linear movement along the axis of the rod without rotational movement perpendicular to the axis of the rod upon rotation of the cam means by the pivot means and the extension means, wherein the guide means support the interlock assembly to prevent movement of the rod, cam means and block means perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod and
- wherein when one of the cam means is rotated by the pivot means and extension means of a first of the drawers, the lobes of the cam means and the block means are engaged and the block means between the cam means and housing moves along the axis of the rod to engage the housing, thereby preventing a second cam means from being rotated by the pivot means and extension means of a second of the drawers.
In a cabinet apparatus including a housing having a top wall and opposed bottom wall, two opposed side walls, a front wall and a back wall, at least two drawers mounted inside the housing through the front wall so as to slide horizontally away from the front wall to open the drawer and towards the back to close the drawer and an interlock assembly mounted inside and on the housing which engages an extension means from the drawer to prevent both drawers from being opened simultaneously the improvement in the interlock assembly which comprises:
- (a) a rod having a longitudinal axis between two ends rigidly mounted in a parallel spaced relationship to a rear portion of each of the drawers;
- (b) cam members rotatably and slideably mounted around the axis of the rod adjacent the rear portion of each of the drawers, wherein opposite ends of the cam member have a sinusoidal surface around the axis of the rod such that there are lobes of the sinusoidal surface and valleys between the lobes on the surface at each end of each cam member, wherein the sinusoidal surfaces at each end of the cam members are in an identical circumferential position around the axis of the rod;
- (c) block means slideably mounted on the rod at each of the ends of each cam member having ends with second sinusoidal surfaces with lobes and valleys offset around the end of the block means when the drawers are closed so that the lobes and valleys of the cam members and block means mate together, wherein the block means extend between cam members for each drawer and between the cam member and the housing;
- (d) pivot means mounted on a side and between the ends of each cam member which engages the extension means from each drawer;
- and
- (e) guide means mounted inside the housing supporting the block means for linear movement along the axis of the rod without rotational movement perpendicular to the axis of the rod upon rotation of the cam member by the pivot means and the extension means, wherein the guide means support the interlock assembly to prevent movement of the rod, cam means and block means perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod and
- wherein when one of the cam members is rotated by the pivot means and extension means of a first of the drawers the lobes of the cam means and the block means are engaged and the block means between the cam means and housing moves along the axis of the rod to engage a portion of the housing, thereby preventing a second cam member from being rotated by the pivot means and extension means of a second of the drawers.
In a cabinet apparatus including a housing having a top wall and opposed bottom wall, two opposed side walls, a front opening and a back wall, at least two front and second drawers mounted one above the other inside the housing in the front opening so as to slide horizontally away from the front opening to open the drawer and towards the back wall to close the drawer and an interlock mechanism mounted inside and on the housing which engages an extension means from the drawer to prevent the drawers from being opened simultaneously the improvement which comprises:
- (a) a circular cross-sectioned rod having a longitudinal axis between two ends rigidly mounted vertically between the top wall and the bottom wall of the housing parallel to a rear portion of each of the drawers;
- (b) cam members rotatably and slideably mounted around the axis of the rod adjacent the rear portion of each of the drawers, wherein opposite ends of each cam member have a sinusoidal surface around the axis of the rod such that there are lobes on the sinusoidal surface opposite each other and valleys between the lobes, wherein the lobes and valley surfaces are in identical circumferential position around the axis of the rod at each end of the cam members;
- (c) block members at each of the ends of each cam member slideably mounted on the rod having ends with second sinusoidal surfaces and lobes and valleys offset around the end of the block member so that when the drawers are closed the lobes and valleys of the cam members and blocks mate together, wherein the block members extend between spaced apart cam members and between the cam members and the housing;
- (d) pivot members between the ends and on a side of each cam member which engage the extension means from each drawer;
- and
- (e) guide brackets mounted on the housing supporting the block members for linear movement along the axis of the rod without rotational movement perpendicular to the axis of the rod upon rotation of the cam member by the pivot member and the extension means, wherein the guide brackets support interlock assembly to prevent movement of the rod, cam members and block members perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod and
- wherein when one of the cam members is rotated on the rod by the pivot means and the extension means of the first of the drawers, the lobes of the cam members and the block members are engaged, and an extension mounted on one of the block members moves along the axis of the rod to engage a portion of the housing, thereby preventing a second cam member from being rotated by the pivot member and extension means of the second of the drawers.
In a cabinet apparatus including a housing having a top wall and opposed bottom wall, two opposed side walls, a front wall and a back wall, at least two drawers mounted inside the housing through the front wall so as to slide horizontally away from the front wall to open the drawer and towards the back to close the drawer and an interlock assembly mounted inside and on the housing which engages an extension means from the drawer to prevent both drawers from being opened simultaneously the improvement in the interlock assembly which comprises:
- (a) a rod having a longitudinal axis between two ends ridigly mounted in a parallel spaced relationship to a rear portion of each of the drawers;
- (b) cam means rotatably and slideably mounted around the axis of the rod adjacent the rear portion of each of the drawers, wherein at least one end of the cam means around the axis of the rod has a first sinusoidal surface;
- (c) block means slideably mounted on the rod at the one end of each of the cam means with a second sinusoidal surface offset around the axis of the rod from the first sinusoidal surface of the cam member when the drawers are closed so that the first and second sinusoidal surfaces of the cam means and block means mate together, wherein the block means extend between cam means for each drawer and between the cam means and the housing;
- (d) pivot means mounted on a side between the ends of each cam means which engages the extension means from each drawer;
- and
- (e) guide means mounted inside the housing supporting the block means for linear movement along the axis of the rod without rotational movement perpendicular to the axis of the rod upon rotation of the cam means by the pivot means and the extension means, wherein the guide means support the interlock assembly to prevent movement of the rod, cam means and block means perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod and
- wherein when one of the cam means is rotated by the pivot means and extension means of a first of the drawers, the first and second sinusoidal surfaces of the cam means and the block means no longer mate together and the block means between the cam means and housing moves along the axis of the rod to engage the housing, thereby preventing a second cam means from being rotated by the pivot means and extension means of a second of the drawers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.