Anti-tip mechanism and method for providing anti-tip device
AssigneePundra Industries Limited
InventorIsy S. Pratzer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A latching mechanism is provided for use with a cabinet having a number of drawers in stacked relation, to permit the opening of only one drawer at a time. The mechanism is suited for retroactive fitting to existing cabinets, and for original equipment manufacture. The mechanism components are mounted on the drawer slide, the active components being secured by way of a bracket to the stationary channel member of the slide, and an actuating pin for cooperation therewith secured to a movable drawer slide. A lock and locking systems components also may be provided. A method of constructing an anti-tip locking mechanism is also provided.
Claims19
A latching mechanism for a plurality of vertically stacked drawers within a cabinet, the drawers being reciprocally slidable along a drawer path by sliding engagement of a drawer slide on a track secured to the cabinet, the latching mechanism comprising vertically slidable slide bars adapted to be secured to said track to slide between said track and a cabinet wall in vertically aligned relationship, and blocking means for each drawer associated with the slide bars for blocking withdrawal from the cabinet of the respective drawer in a one of a number of configurations of the slide bars corresponding to a condition of the cabinet in which one drawer is withdrawn, and for allowing withdrawal from the cabinet of a drawer in a second configuration of the slide bars corresponding to a condition of the cabinet in which all drawers are closed.
A latching mechanism within a cabinet for a series of vertically stacked drawers of the cabinet, each drawer being mounted through drawer slides in slidable engagement with tracks secured to a cabinet wall, the mechanism comprising vertically stacked, vertically slidable slide bars mounted on the tracks to slide between the track and the cabinet wall;
- blocking means for each drawer associated with the slide bars for blocking withdrawal from the cabinet of the respective drawer in one of a number first configurations of the slide bars corresponding to a condition of the cabinet in which one drawer is withdrawn, and for allowing withdrawal from the cabinet of a drawer in a second configuration of the slide bars corresponding to a condition of the cabinet in which the drawers are closed.
The method of providing an anti-tip capability to a cabinet having a plurality of drawers mounted on drawer support slides in slidable engagement with drawer tracks supported by said cabinet, said drawers being mounted for free, substantially unrestricted opening and closing motion, so as to potentially imperil the stability of the cabinet, including the steps of:
- securing in aligned relation along one side of said cabinet a slide bar assemblies pair of members to drawer tracks for each drawer at a predetermined location therealong;
- attaching movable cam means in abutting relation between members of each slide bar pair for each of the related drawer slides;
- securing actuating means to a drawer slide, in predetermined registry with each cam means of said slide bar pairs;
- assembling the distal ends of adjacent ones of said slide bar assemblies in abutting relation;
- and providing limit means to limit expansion of said slide bar pairs to a predetermined extent, whereby only one of said cam means is actuable to a position for release of a selected said drawer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.