Low cost filing cabinet and method for making the same

A filing cabinet formed of thin gauge sheet metal and having vertical corners, comprising a unitary envelope including at least two spaced substantially parallel side walls and a top wall interconnecting corresponding upper edge portions of said side walls, said envelope forming open front and back sides defined by opposed cornerforming perimeter flanges extending into the open sides from the envelope side walls, a back panel having vertically disposed marginal portions in face to face relation with the interior surfaces of the perimeter flanges adjacent said envelope open back side, an adhesive bonding together said perimeter flanges and said back panel marginal portions along substantially their entire vertical height, structural elements adjacent the envelope side walls and extending between the perimeter flanges at said envelope open front side and said back panel marginal portions, said structural elements including a vertical reinforcing member disposed within the cabinet interior and adjacent each vertical corner thereof, said envelope, back panel and vertical reinforcing members forming multi-thickness structural shapes at each of said cabinet corners extending substantially the full vertical height of said cabinet corners, each reinforcing member having a plurality of vertical sides and at least one side thereof comprising a thickness of the respective multi-thickness structural shape, said at least one side of said reinforcing member being laminated to said envelope substantially continuously throughout the vertical corner height and reinforcing the respective cabinet vertical corner, and substantially horizontal elements affixed to said vertical reinforcing members and disposed adjacent each envelope side wall for slidably supporting at least one drawer within said cabinet.

A filing cabinet comprising:

• a. an integral envelope of prepainted sheet metal formed to constitute the top and two side walls of the filing cabinet, said side walls extending normal to and from opposite side edges of said top, said envelope including flanges along its edges to provide opposed inwardly directed front and back perimeter flanges, said front perimeter flanges further provided with rearwardly directed return flanges forming therewith narrow rearwardly open channels, said envelope also provided with an inwardly and upwardly turned base flange at the lower edge of each side wall forming therewith a narrow upwardly open channel;
• b. an integral cabinet back panel of prepainted sheet metal underlapping said back perimeter flanges and a bonding adhesive between said back perimeter flanges and said back panel, said back panel having an inwardly extending flange along its top edge attached to and strengthening the top of said envelope, an inwardly extending flange along its bottom edge attached to said side wall base flanges and including upwardly extending flange means for aligning said envelope side walls;
• c. an integral cabinet kickplate of prepainted sheet metal, said kickplate including an upper portion which extends across and is secured to said front perimeter edges of the envelope and a lower portion formed at a right angle with respect to said upper portion and extending across and secured to said base flanges at the lower edge of each side wall, said kickplate having flanges along the upper and lower portions providing means for squarely aligning said envelope side walls;
• d. right and left track assemblies of prepainted metal wedge-fit into said envelope between said rearwardly open channel and said back panel, said track assemblies each defined by a pair of vertical corner channels interconnected by at least one drawer track;
• e. said vertical corner channels each being an open channel shaped member, a vertical corner channel affixed in each of the right and left rear interior corners of said envelope and in each of the right and left front corners formed by said rearwardly open channel to provide structural strength to said cabinet envelope;
• f. at least one drawer slidably mounted on said track assemblies, each drawer including a drawer front attached to a drawer base unit, said drawer base unit comprising a drawer back affixed to a pair of drawer side walls and a drawer bottom supported by and affixed to said drawer back and side walls.

A storage case comprising:

• a. an integral envelope of prepainted sheet metal formed to constitute the top and two side walls of the storage case, said side walls extending normal to and from opposite side edges of said top, said envelope including flanges along its edges to provide opposed inwardly directed front and back perimeter flanges, said front perimeter flanges further provided with rearwardly directed return flanges forming therewith narrow rearwardly open channels, said envelope also provided with an inwardly directed base flange at the lower edge of each side wall, said inwardly directed base flange further provided with an upwardly directed return flange forming therewith a narrow upwardly open channel;
• b. an integral case back panel of prepainted sheet metal having an inwardly extending flange along its top edge attached to and strengthening the top of said envelope, an inwardly extending flange along its bottom edge attached to said base flanges and including upwardly extending flange means from aligning said envelope side walls;
• c. to integral case kickplate of prepainted sheet metal, said kickplate including an upper portion which extends across and is secured to said front perimeter edges of said envelope and a lower portion formed at a right angle with respect to said upper portion and extending across and secured to said base flanges at the lower edge of each side wall, said kickplate having flanges along the upper and lower portions providing means for aligning said envelope side walls;
• d. four vertical corner channels of prepainted sheet metal each being an open channel shaped member, one vertical corner channel adhesively bonded in each of the right and left rear interior corners of said envelope and the right and left front corners formed by said rearwardly open channels to provide structural strength to said cabinet envelope.

A filing cabinet formed of thin gauge sheet metal comprising a unitary envelope having a pair of spaced substantially parallel upright side walls;

• a back wall;
• an open front side for accessing at least one file drawer mounted within the cabinet and having peripheral flanges along at least the vertical edges of said open front side;
• said flanges extending inwardly of said open front side;
• a pair of right and left structural assemblies disposed within said cabinet adjacent the respective side walls;
• each of said structural assemblies including a vertical reinforcing element in the respective rear vertical corner of said cabinet, a vertical reinforcing element in the respective front vertical corner of said cabinet and at least one drawer track member disposed along the respective side wall and affixed to said respective vertical reinforcement members;
• a bonding adhesive between and bonding said vertical reinforcement members and, respectively, said adjacent back wall and peripheral flange to one another;
• said bonding extending substantially continuously throughout the vertical height of said reinforcing elements to effect a laminated corner structure;
• and each of said structural assemblies extending between and abuttingly engaging said back wall to compress said back wall between said structural assemblies and the respective peripheral flange whereby said reinforcing element sand said back wall are held against said peripheral flanges during initial bonding by such adhesive and thereafter reinforce said cabinet.

An upright rectangular cabinet of thin gauge sheet metal comprising a unitary envelope having two spaced substantially parallel upright side wall and defining a first open side between said side walls and defining a second side opposite said first open side, said envelope including unitary perimeter flanges projecting from said side walls inwardly of said first open side and wall portions projecting from said side walls inwardly of said second side, a case wall member spanning said first open side and having portions overlapping substantially the entire inner surface areas of the respective side wall perimeter flanges in face to face relation therewith, adhesive between and bonding said perimeter flanges and said case wall member to one another throughout substantially the entire area of such overlapping face to face relationship, structural elements disposed adjacent each of said side wall and extending substantially the entire vertical height of said side walls adjacent each corner, said structural elements spanning the distance between said wall portions of said second side and said overlapping portions of said case wall member, and adhesive between and bonding said structural elements to said side walls and, respectively, to said case wall and said wall portions throughout substantially the entire vertical height of said side walls, said structural elements further coacting with the respective perimeter flanges to compress said adhesive between said perimeter flanges and said overlapping portions of said case wall whereby said structural elements hold said case wall against said flanges during initial bonding by such adhesive and further coact with said side walls, case wall, wall portions and perimeter flanges to form a laminated structure in each vertical corner of reinforce said cabinet.

A filing cabinet formed of thin gauge sheet metal and having vertical corners, comprising a unitary envelope including two spaced substantially parallel side walls and a top wall interconnecting corresponding upper edge portions of said side walls and forming open front and back sides defined by opposed corner-forming perimeter flanges extending into the open sides from the envelope side wall, said flanges at said open front side including return flanges extending parallel to and spaced from interior surfaces of said side walls and each forming a channel, a back panel having marginal portions in face to face relation with interior surfaces of the perimeter flanges adjacent said envelope open back side, an adhesive bonding together said perimeter flanges and said back panel marginal portions, structural elements adjacent the envelope side walls and extending between the perimeter flanges at said envelope open front side and said back panel marginal portions, said structural elements including a vertical reinforcing member disposed within the cabinet interior and adjacent each vertical corner thereof, one of said reinforcing members being captured and retained in each of said channels, said envelope and vertical reinforcing members forming multi-thickness structural shapes at each of said cabinet corners and extending substantially the full vertical height of said cabinet corners, each reinforcing member having a plurality of vertical sides and at least one side thereof comprising a thickness of the respective multi-thickness structural shape, said at least one side of said reinforcing member being laminated to said envelope substantially continuously throughout the vertical corner height and reinforcing the respective cabinet vertical corner, and substantially horizontal elements affixed to said vertical reinforcing members and disposed adjacent each envelope side wall for slidably supporting a drawer within said cabinet.

A filing cabinet formed of thin gauge sheet metal and having vertical corners, comprising a unitary envelope including two spaced substantially parallel side walls and a top wall interconnecting corresponding upper edge portions of said side walls and forming open front and back sides defined by opposed corner-forming perimeter flanges extending into the open sides from the envelope side walls, a back panel having marginal portions in face to face relation with interior surfaces of the perimeter flanges adjacent said envelope open back side, an adhesive bonding together said perimeter flanges and said back panel marginal portions, structural elements adjacent the envelope side walls and extending between and abuttingly engaging the perimeter flanges at said envelope open front side and said back panel marginal portions to hold said back panel against said back perimeter flanges during bonding by such adhesive and reinforce said cabinet, said structural elements including a vertical reinforcing member disposed within the cabinet interior and adjacent each vertical corner thereof, said envelope and vertical reinforcing members forming multi-thickness structural shapes at each of said cabinet corners and extending substantially the full vertical height of said cabinet corners, each reinforcing member having a plurality of vertical sides and at least one side thereof comprising a thickness of the respective multi-thickness structural shape, said at least one side of said reinforcing member being laminated to said envelope substantially continuously throughout the vertical corner, and substantially horizontal elements affixed to said vertical reinforcing members and disposed adjacent each envelope side wall for slidably supporting a drawer within said cabinet.