Cantilevered pull-out shelf system

An extension and retraction mechanism for use with an article of furniture, comprising:

• a base adapted to be fixed to a supporting surface;
• a mounting structure adapted for securement to the article of furniture;
• and
• a plurality of separate, self-contained telescoping slide assemblies interposed between the base and the mounting structure, wherein each slide assembly is detachably mounted to the base and the mounting structure separately from the remainder of the slide assemblies, and wherein the slide assemblies are retractable and extendible to provide movement of the mounting structure, and thereby the article of furniture, between a retracted position in which the article of furniture is positioned over the base, and an extended position in which the mounting structure and the article of furniture are moved outwardly relative to the base in a cantilevered manner without engagement with the supporting surface;
• whereby the detachable mounting of each slide assembly to the base separately from the remainder of the slide assemblies enables the number of slide assemblies to be varied according to the capacity of the article of furniture, and enables each slide assembly to be removed from the base for servicing or replacement separately from the remainder of the slide assemblies.

An extension and retraction system for a storage member, comprising:

• base means adapted to be mounted to a supporting surface;
• a plurality of separate, self-contained extendible and retractable slide members, wherein each slide member is detachably mounted to the base means independently of the other slide members, and wherein each slide member includes an inner portion and an extension portion movably mounted to the inner portion, wherein the inner portion of each slide member is fixed to the base means separately from the remainder of the slide members;
• and
• mounting means adapted to mount the storage member to the extension portion of each slide member;
• wherein the slide members are configured to provide movement of the storage member relative to the base means between an extended position and a retracted position without engagement with the supporting surface during movement of the storage member;
• wherein the detachable mounting of each slide member to the base means independently of the other slide members enables the number of slide members to be varied according to the capacity of the storage members, and enables each slide member to be removed from the base means for servicing or replacement independently of the other slide members.

A method of assembling a pull-out mechanism for an article of furniture, comprising the steps of:

• providing a mounting structure adapted to be mounted to the article of furniture;
• providing a base arrangement adapted to be secured to a supporting surface;
• and
• interconnecting a selected number of separate, self-contained substantially identically constructed extendible and retractable slide assemblies between the base arrangement and the mounting structure by detachably mounting each slide assembly to the base arrangement independently of the other slide assemblies, wherein the number of slide assemblies is selected according to the load requirements for the article of furniture, and wherein the slide assemblies provide movement of the mounting structure and the article of furniture between a retracted position located over the base arrangement and an extended position located outwardly of the base arrangement;
• whereby the independent detachable mounting of the slide assemblies to the base arrangement enables each slide assembly to be removed from the base arrangement separately from the other slide assemblies.