US 4,792,195 A · Drawer support system

Abstract

An under cabinet storage system is provided with a relatively small number of modular components which may be assembled to form the support system for a large variety of heights and types of drawers. Among the supporting components is a bracket, a pair of which is mounted in opposed relationship so a to project below the cabinets, in order to support a drawer. Each bracket includes a plurality of vertically spaced slots, with a vertical array of stabilizing boxes on either side of the slot. Each drawer is supported by means of a pair of guide rails, one of which is provided on either side of the drawer for support. Each guide rail includes an upper and lower protruding tongue which is constructed to be received and retained within one of the slots in the bracket. On either side of the tongues, each guide rail is provided with a stabilizing lug which is received in one of the boxes on the bracket. The lugs and boxes are constructed with eyed elements, which assure that the guide rails are properly assembled to the brackets and make it impossible to assemble the support system improperly. In the preferred embodiment, two types of guide rails are provided, one type for a tilting drawer and the other type for an ordinary sliding drawer.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims24

Dependent claims

In an under cabinet storage system, a support subsystem for supporting storage enclosures under a cabinet comprising:

a pair of brackets mounted in spaced, opposed relationship under a cabinet, each bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots, and a column of stabilizing boxes formed on either side of said slots;
a first pair of guide members disposed between said brackets and constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means engaged within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means engaged within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being within boxes on opposites sides of said slots, said tongue means being positioned so that said upper tongue means is above said lug means and said lower tongue means is below said lug means.

In an under cabinet storage system, a support subsystem for supporting storage enclosures under a cabinet comprising:

a pair of brackets mounted in spaced, opposed relationship under a cabinet, each bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots, and a column of stabilizing boxes formed on either side of said slots and arranged so that corresponding boxes in different columns lie in a common row, each row of boxes being positioned vertically intermediate two of said slots, the box in the upper row of each of said columns of boxes being divided into side-by-side compartments;
a first pair of guide members disposed between said brackets and constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots;
and
at least one second pair of guide members disposed between said brackets and constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots, said first pair of guide rails having a guide channel constructed to receiving a storage enclosure for front-to-rear sliding movement with respect thereto, said second pair of guide rails including a guide channel constructed to receive a storage enclosure for sliding and downward tilting front-to-rear movement with respect thereto.

1 more element

In an under cabinet storage system, a support subsystem for supporting storage enclosures under a cabinet comprising:

a pair of brackets mounted in spaced, opposed relationship under a cabinet, each bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots, and a column of stabilizing boxes formed on either side of said slots;
a first pair of guide members disposed between said brackets and constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots;
and
said guide member including a guide channel with a downwardly and forwardly sloping lower wall, said lower wall bending upwardly and rearwardly at its forward end, said system further comprising a storage enclosure including laterally projecting roller means positioned to be received on said bottom wall, said roller means being captured by said forward end of said bottom wall when said storage means is in a predefined, maximally opened position, said storage enclosure further including a rearwardly projecting guide element at its forward end, said guide element having a generally horizontal forward wall, an upwardly and rearwardly sloping rear wall, and a downwardly projecting lip at the apex of said walls, said lip being positioned to engage said upturned forward end of said bottom wall of said guide rail at an predefined edge thereof so as to retain said storage enclosure in a closed position, said sloped portion of said guide member cooperating with said upturned forward end of said guide rail to control downward tilting of said storage enclosure when it is initially opened.

1 more element

A kit for installing under a cabinet a storage system including storage enclosures, said kit comprising:

a pair of brackets adapted to be mounted in spaced, opposed relationship under a cabinet, each bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots, and a column of stabilizing boxes formed on either side of said slots;
a first pair of guide members constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being positioned to be received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots, said tongue means being positioned so that said upper tongue means is above said lug means and said lower tongue means is below said lug means.

A kit for installing under a cabinet a storage system including storage enclosures, said kit comprising:

a pair of brackets adapted to be mounted in spaced, opposed relationship under a cabinet, each bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots, and a column of stabilizing boxes formed on either side of said slots;
a first pair of guide members constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being positioned to be received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots, and
at least one second pair of guide members constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being positioned so as to be received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots, said first pair of guide rails having a guide channel constructed to receiving a storage enclosure for front-to-rear sliding movement with respect thereto, said second pair of guide rails including a guide channel constructed to receive a storage enclosure for sliding and downward tilting front-to-rear movement with respect thereto.

A kit for installing under a cabinet a storage system including storage enclosures, said kit comprising:

a pair of brackets adapted to be mounted in spaced, opposed relationship under a cabinet, each bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots, and a column of stabilizing boxes formed on either side of said slots;
a first pair of guide members constructed to engage and retain one of said storage enclosures therebetween, each guide member having upper and lower spaced tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said slots of a respective one of said brackets to releasably retain said guide member on said one bracket, and forward and rear lug means disposed on either side of said tongue means for engagement within respective ones of said stabilizing boxes, said forward and rear lug means being positioned to be received within boxes on opposites sides of said slots, and
said guide member including a guide channel with a downwardly and forwardly sloping lower wall, said lower wall bending upwardly and rearwardly at its forward end, said kit further comprising a storage enclosure including laterally projecting roller means positioned to be received on said bottom wall when said guide member is mounted on a bracket mounted under a cabinet, said roller means being positioned to be captured by said forward end of said bottom wall when said storage means is in a predefined, maximally opened position, said storage enclosure further including a rearwardly projecting guide element at its forward end, said guide element having a generally horizontal forward wall, an upwardly and rearwardly sloping rear wall, and a downwardly projecting lip at the apex of said walls, said lip being positioned to engage said upturned forward end of said bottom wall of said guide rail at an predefined edge thereof so as to retain said storage enclosure in a closed position, said sloped portion of said guide member cooperating with said upturned forward end of said guide rail to control downward tilting of said storage enclosure when it is initially opened.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description3,217 words

Summary686 words

#The present invention relates generally to furniture and, more particularly concerns a drawer support system which is used in supporting and mounting various types and sizes of drawers under kitchen cabinets, and the like.

#Under cabinet storage and, in particular, storage drawer systems mounted under kitchen cabinets, are becoming increasingly popular. A properly designed under cabinet drawer storage system can provide ample storage in previously unused space, without affecting the amount of useful space available in the kitchen. However, the particular needs and storage needs in different kitchens are widely variant, and a truly efficient storage system must be capable of meeting the specific needs of each kitchen. For example, the particular height of drawers required may vary from kitchen to kitchen and between different locations in any given kitchen. Furthermore, some drawers must be capable of tilting downwardly when pulled out, whereas others need only be capable of sliding in and out.

#In general, the provision of an efficient drawer support system presents somewhat of a problem. Typically, it is necessary to provide a different type of support system for each different height of drawer as well as for each different type of drawer. For example, a drawer which tilts downwardly when pulled out must have a very different type of support system than a drawer which merely slides in and out. Accordingly, it has typically been necessary for under cabinet storage system manufacturuers to provide a large variety of drawer supporting a components, in order to accommodate all heights and types of drawers. Moreover, the need to manufacture and maintain an inventory of such a large assortment of drawer supporting components has represented a considerable expense to under cabinet storage system manufacturers which, until the present invention, could not be avoided. In addition, a certain amount of manual labor is required in order to select the combination of drawer supporting components which is to be provided to the customer who purchases a particular configuration of under cabinet storage system. This relatively expensive labor cost could also not be avoided until now.

Brief description of the drawings7 figures

#The foregoing and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more completely understood from the following description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiment of the invention, with reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing illustrating a simple under cabinet storage system which includes two different types of drawers;

#FIG. 2 is an exploded view, on an enlarged scale, showing the components of a supporting system for a downwardly tilting drawer;

Detailed description2,339 words

#Referring now to the details of the drawing, there is illustrated an undercabinet storage system 10 illustrating objects and features of the present invention. The storage system 10 includes an 8 inch high bread box drawer 12 and a 4 inch high utility drawer 14. Both drawers are supported under a cabinet by means of a support system which permits the respective drawer to slide in and out. However, utility drawer 14 also tilts downward as it slides out (see e.g. the phantom portion of FIG. 4).

#The support system for the drawers 12, 14 incudes a universal support bracket 20, which is constructed to be mounted below and to depend from the cabinet C. A pair of brackets 20, 20 are mounted in spaced relationship so as to provide support for each drawer. Each bracket 20 receives either a guide rail 40 (if a bread box drawer is to be supported) or a guide rail 60 (if a tilting drawer is to be supported). For reasons which will be explained further below, the bread box guide rails 40, 40 come in a single variety, whereas the tilting drawer guide rails come in a complimentary pair comprising a left hand guide rail 60(L) and the right hand guide rail 60(R). The guide rails 40 and 60 are constructed to be removably received within the brackets 20, 20 and to be positionable at different heights within the brackets so as to be capable of supporting drawers of different heights. Also, as will be explained in detail below, the guide rails and brackets are constructed so that the guide rails may not be positioned an in improper orientation (e.g. the tilting drawer guide rail cannot be inserted upside down).

#The universal bracket 20 is preferably molded from plastic. It is conveniently mounted under the cabinet by means of bolts B mounted so as to extend down from the cabinet, and a small compartment 22 is provided near the front and rear at the top of each bracket, to receive a conventional nut N. The bracket 20 may then be secured to the cabinet by screwing the bolts into the nuts through a hole 20a which provides access to a nut in one of the respective compartments 22. The bracket 20 includes a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal slots 24 arranged in a column. As will be explained more fully below, the slots cooperate with complimentary members on the guide rails to permit selective mounting of the guide rails to the brackets. On either side of the column of slots 24, the bracket 20 is provided with a column of stabilizing boxes 26. The boxes 26 on either side of the column of slots 24 are aligned with each. However, the boxes 26 are offset with respect to the slots 24, so that the dividing wall 28 between two vertically adjacent boxes 26 is aligned with a slot. In addition, each box 26 in the left hand column of boxes (as seen from the drawer side of the bracket) includes a vertical tab 27 (see FIG. 6) at a predetermined distance from the vertical wall 30 defining the column of boxes. Furthermore, the uppermost box 26-1 of each column is divided into separate left hand and right hand compartments.

Facts

Application

07/082,871Filed 6 Aug 1987

Granted

20 Dec 1988

Term ended

6 Aug 2007

Estimated · how

Pre-1995 term; greater of 17 years from grant or 20 years from filing when eligible. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification2 codes

A47B 88/407
Sliding drawers; Slides or guides therefor: adjustably or detachably mounted drawers
A47B
Tables

Description3,217 words

Summary686 words

Brief description of the drawings7 figures

#FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing illustrating a simple under cabinet storage system which includes two different types of drawers;

#FIG. 2 is an exploded view, on an enlarged scale, showing the components of a supporting system for a downwardly tilting drawer;

Detailed description2,339 words

Drawer support system

Life of this patent

Drawer support system

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims24

Description3,217 words

Drawings

Classification2 codes

Life of this patent

Description3,217 words