Base for lateral file

In a lateral file cabinet including a hollow box-like enclosure which has a hollow interior and defines a front opening on a front thereof, said enclosure being defined by a horizontally enlarged bottom wall, first and second laterally spaced apart side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, a horizontally enlarged top wall extending horizontally between said side walls, and a vertically enlarged back wall connected to said side walls and said top and bottom walls, said file cabinet including a plurality of laterally elongate drawers which extend horizontally between said side walls and are slidably received within said enclosure above said bottom wall and slide means for connecting said drawers to said enclosure such that said drawers are disposed vertically one above the other and each said drawer is slidable into and out of said hollow interior between respective closed and open positions, said opening having a lower edge defined by said enclosure and a lower one of said drawers having a front wall extending upwardly from said lower edge of said front opening comprising the improvement wherein said side walls, said top wall and said back wall are formed of sheet metal and said bottom wall includes a horizontally enlarged base panel which is disposed below said drawers and is connected to said enclosure proximate said side walls along respective side regions thereof, said base panel being a manufactured wood material having a predetermined density so as to define a weight thereof to counterbalance a weight of at least one of said drawers when disposed in said open position.

A file cabinet comprising:

• a box-like hollow enclosure defined by first and second side walls which are formed of sheet metal and extend vertically in substantially parallel spaced relation, a sheet metal back wall which extends sidewardly between said first and second side walls, and top and bottom walls which extend horizontally between respective top and bottom edge regions of said first and second side walls, said first and second side walls each including an outer shell and an inner shell joined in opposing relation with said outer shell on an inner side thereof, one of said inner and outer shells including an upwardly extending channel having an open side enclosed by the other of said inner and outer shells to define a structurally hollow tube in each of said first and second side walls, said top and bottom walls being in vertically spaced relation to define a hollow interior which opens through a front of said enclosure, said enclosure including channel means defining an inwardly opening channel at a lower end of each of said first and second side walls for receiving an edge region of said bottom wall therein to connect said bottom wall at least to said first and second side walls, said bottom wall being a solid non-metal material;
• fastening means engaged with said enclosure and embedded substantially in said solid material for said connection of said bottom wall to said channel means;
• and
• a plurality of drawers disposed vertically adjacent to each other in said hollow interior above said bottom wall, each said drawer including support means for slidably connecting said drawer to said enclosure so as to be slidable into and out of said hollow interior between retracted and extended positions, said solid non-metal material having a density of at least 25 pounds per cubic foot so that said drawers are counterbalanced when in said extended position.

In a lateral file cabinet including a hollow box-like enclosure which has a hollow interior and defines a front opening on a front thereof, said enclosure being defined by first and second laterally spaced apart side walls extending upwardly, a horizontally enlarged top wall extending horizontally between said side walls, and a vertically enlarged back wall connected to said side walls and said top wall and said bottom wall, said file cabinet including a plurality of laterally elongate drawers which extend horizontally between said side walls and are slidably received within said enclosure below said top wall and slide means for connecting said drawers to said enclosure such that said drawers are disposed vertically one above the other and each said drawer is slidable into and out of said hollow interior between respective closed and open positions, comprising the improvement wherein said side walls, said top wall and said back wall are formed of sheet metal and said top wall is disposed above said drawers and is connected to said enclosure proximate said side walls along respective side regions thereof, said top wall including a sheet metal outer housing which defines an interior chamber having a transverse width defined between opposite first and second housing sides of said housing and an opening which opens vertically into said interior chamber, said opening having opposite first and second side edges defined by said housing which are spaced transversely from said first and second housing sides respectively to define a transverse width of said opening which is less than said transverse width of said interior chamber, said top wall including a top panel which has a transverse width which is proximate said transverse width of said interior chamber but is less than a distance between said first housing side and said second side edge, said transverse width of said top panel being greater than said transverse width of said opening such that said top panel is insertable through said opening into said interior chamber but is supported on its opposite panel sides by said housing adjacent said first and second side edges of said opening, said top panel being a solid non-metal material which strengthens said top wall, and having a density of about 25 pounds per cubic foot or more.