Patent Application
20110129171
The present invention relates to an adjustment device for a slide assembly, and more particularly, to a guiding member connected to a first slide member of the slide assembly. The guiding member is able to be micro-adjusted relative to the other slide member of the slide assembly.
A conventional slide assembly generally includes a first rail and a second rail which is longitudinally and slidably connected to the first rail. An assistance shifting device, such as the “Closing device for drawers” disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,179, is connected to the slide assembly. The closing device includes a support rail having a horizontal web, a pull-out rail longitudinally and slidably connected to the support rail and including a pin member, a guide housing connected to the horizontal web of the support rail and including a guide groove, a tiltable member connected to the guide groove of the guide housing and having an upwardly open slot, and a spring connected to the tiltable member. When the pull-out rail is retracted relative to the support rail, the pin member of the pull-out rail is engaged with the upwardly open slot of the tiltable member so that the tiltable member can be moved within the guide groove by the pull-out rail. The spring applies a force to the tiltable member and the spring force together with the pulling force of the liftable member to automatically retract relative to the support rail.
When the slide assembly is used to a drawer, the drawer has two pull-out rails on two sides thereof and the two insides of the cabinet to which the drawer is connected have two support rails to which the pull-out rails are connected. The drawer can be pulled out from or retracted into the cabinet by the slide assembly. When the drawer is moved to a pre-set distance in the cabinet, the closing device is used to assist the drawer to be automatically retracted into the cabinet by the contact between the pin member of the pull-out rails and the upwardly open slots in the tiltable members.
Actually, when the pull-out rails are moved longitudinally relative to the support rails, a gap exists in a lateral direction. However, when the slide assembly is connected to a piece of furniture such as a drawer to a cabinet, the lateral gap slightly changes due to installation and tolerance of the parts of the furniture. The change of the lateral gap affects the contact between the pin member of the pull-out rails and the upwardly open slots in the tiltable members, thereby affecting the feature of automatic retraction of the drawer.
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide an adjustment device for adjusting the change of the lateral gap so as to improve the shortcomings of the conventional slide assembly.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an adjustment device for a slide assembly. The slide assembly includes a guiding member which is micro-adjusted relative to the slide assembly so as to adjust the movement of the slide assembly.
The present invention relates to a slide assembly and comprises a first slide member which has a first panel and a second panel extending perpendicularly from the first panel. A second slide member is longitudinally movable relative to the first slide member. A guiding member has a first end and a second end longitudinally opposite to the first end. The first end is connected to the first panel of the first slide member. The second end includes a first wall, a second wall and a bottom wall which is connected between the first and second walls. An accommodation room is defined among the first wall, the second wall and the bottom wall. A lateral hole is defined through the bottom wall. A passage is defined between the first and second ends. An adjusting base includes a board, a protruding member extending from an underside of the board and a hole defined through the board and eccentrically through the protruding member. The board has a portion leaning against the second panel of the first slide member and the protruding member is located within the accommodation room. A pivot member extends through the hole of the adjusting base and the lateral hole of the guiding member and is connected to the first panel of the first slide member. When the adjusting base is turned, the protruding member pushes the first wall or the second wall in the accommodation room to laterally adjust the second end of the guiding member.
Preferably, the board of the adjusting base includes a curved contact side which faces the second panel and has a plurality of protrusions.
Preferably, the first end of the guiding member includes a fixing portion and the first panel of the first slide member has an anchoring member which anchors the fixing portion.
Alternatively, the first end of the guiding member has a fixing portion which is pivotably connected to the first panel of the first slide member by a pin.
Preferably, the adjusting base includes an adjusting portion disposed on top of the board and located beside the hole. When a hand tool such as a screwdriver is inserted into the adjusting portion and rotated, the adjusting base is adjusted and shifted.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
As shown in
The first slide member 10 has a first panel 18 and a second panel 20 which is perpendicularly connected to the first panel 18. Preferably, the second panel 20 perpendicularly extends from the first panel 18. Referring to
The guiding member 14 is used to guide the second slide member 12 to move relative to the first slide member 10, and includes a first end 24 and a second end 26 which is longitudinally opposite to the first end 24. As shown in
Further referring to
As shown in
When the position of the connection member 60 of the second slide member 12 relative to the passage 40 of the guiding member 14 is deflected, the position of the guiding member 14 relative to the second slide member 12 must be adjusted for engagement or disengagement of the connection member 60 and the assistance shifting device 58 in the longitudinal direction.
Referring to
As shown in
While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
