Patent Application
20200383474
In some aspects, the present inventive subject matter relates to components used in drawers and cabinets, more particularly, connectors for connecting drawers to cabinets. The present inventive subject matter also relates to systems that comprise one or more connectors, one or more cabinets, one or more drawers, and/or one or more drawer movement guide assembly.
Needless to say, there is known a wide variety of cabinet and drawer combinations (i.e., in which a cabinet and one or more drawers are configured to be used with each other), and such cabinet and drawer combinations have been known to exist in a wide variety of shapes, materials, sizes, numbers of drawers, locations of drawers, numbers of sides in which drawers are located, numbers of directions in which respective drawers slide, etc. As will be evident from the description herein, the present inventive subject matter is not limited to any particular type of cabinet and drawer combination (e.g., shape, material, size, number of drawers, locations of drawers, number of sides in which drawers are located, number of directions in which respective drawers slide, etc.). In order to assist in describing the present inventive subject matter, reference is made in some instances herein to specific cabinet and drawer combinations.
For example, there exist many cabinet and drawer combinations in which the cabinet defines a cabinet interior space, each of one or more drawers has a respective drawer space defined by at least a bottom of the drawer, at least one sidewall of the drawer, and an at least partially open top of the drawer, each of the one or more drawers is slidable relative to the cabinet between an open position in which at least part of the open top of the drawer is outside the cabinet interior space (i.e., the drawer space is accessible) and a closed position in which the entire open top of the drawer is inside the cabinet interior space (i.e., the drawer space is not accessible).
In many of such cabinet and drawer combinations, there are provided drawer-movement-guide assemblies that assist in guiding movement of the drawer(s) relative to the cabinet.
There is an ongoing need for more reliable, precise, easy-to-operate and/or easy-to-install ways to facilitate movement of drawers relative to cabinets. There is also an ongoing need for more reliable, precise, easy-to-operate and/or easy-to-install ways to allow for such movement and provide more reliable and precise positioning, relative to the cabinets, of drawers (e.g., such that portions of the drawers (e.g., drawer fronts) that are visible when the drawers are in their respective closed positions, are in a proper location and/or are aligned with other drawers in a cabinet.
In some aspects, the present inventive subject matter is directed to a connector that is configured to enable a drawer to be moved relative to a drawer movement guide assembly that is attached to a cabinet.
In some aspects, the present inventive subject matter is directed to a connector that comprises a base and a carriage, in which:
In some aspects, the present inventive subject matter is directed to such a connector, in which the connector further comprises an adjustment element, and the sliding movement of the carriage relative to the base can be caused by moving the adjustment element.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a connector that comprises:
In some embodiments according to the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, at least one portion (referred to herein as a “carriage positioning region”) of the carriage is configured to engage a drawer movement guide assembly (e.g., a protrusion on the carriage is a carriage positioning region and fits within a rail of the drawer movement guide assembly, or a recess on the carriage is a carriage positioning region and a rail of the drawer movement guide assembly fits within the recess), and the carriage positioning region causes (or assists in causing) the drawer to move relative to the drawer movement guide assembly upon sliding the carriage relative to the base (because the carriage is engaged with the drawer movement guide assembly and the base is attached to the drawer). In some of such embodiments, (1) a pair of such connectors (a right connector and a left connector) are configured to be used in an arrangement in which a pair of drawer movement guide assemblies are attached horizontally to a cabinet (a right drawer movement guide assembly on or near the right side of the cabinet, and a left drawer movement guide assembly on or near the left side of the cabinet, the left drawer movement guide assembly and the right drawer movement guide assembly at about the same height), the drawer rests on the left drawer movement guide assembly and the right drawer movement guide assembly (such that the drawer is substantially horizontal), the base of the right connector is attached to the interior surface of the front portion of the drawer, the carriage of the right connector is engaged with the right drawer movement guide assembly (such that movement of the adjustment element of the right connector causes the front portion of the drawer to move laterally, thereby adjusting the position of the front portion of the drawer relative to the cabinet), the base of the left connector is attached to the interior surface of the front portion of the drawer, and the carriage of the left connector is engaged with the left drawer movement guide assembly (such that movement of the adjustment element of the left connector causes the front portion of the drawer to move laterally, thereby adjusting the position of the front portion of the drawer relative to the cabinet), (2) engagement between the engagement element on the right connector with an engagement region on the right drawer movement guide assembly causes the right connector and the engagement region on the right drawer movement guide assembly to move together upon the drawer being pushed forward or backward (and similarly, engagement between the engagement element on the left connector with an engagement region on the left drawer movement guide assembly causes the left connector and the engagement region on the left drawer movement guide assembly to move together upon the drawer being pushed forward or backward), and (3) if the engagement region on the right connector is moved out of engagement with the engagement region on the right drawer movement guide assembly and the engagement region on the left connector is moved out of engagement with the engagement region on the left drawer movement guide assembly, the drawer is disengaged from the drawer movement guides assemblies, and can be slid out of the cabinet.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, because the engagement element is attached to the carriage, sliding the carriage relative to the base causes the engagement element to move relative to the base, such that if the base is attached to a drawer, sliding the carriage relative to the base causes the engagement element to move relative to the drawer, and thus, for example, in embodiments as described above that have a left drawer movement guide assembly and a right drawer movement guide assembly attached to a cabinet, upon sliding the carriage relative to the base, the carriage positioning region of the carriage stays engaged with the drawer movement guide assembly, such that the base (and thus the drawer front attached to the base) moves relative to the drawer movement guide assembly (and thus the cabinet, to which the drawer movement guide assembly is attached), while the engagement element (attached to the carriage) stays in place relative to the drawer movement guide assembly (with which the carriage is engaged).
In some embodiments according to the first aspect of the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector further comprises a wedge element which is movably attached to the carriage, and which is configured to cause, by the wedge element being moved, a change in a spacing between a first portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and a portion of a drawer that is on the first portion of the drawer movement guide assembly. In some of such embodiments, e.g., in embodiments as described above that have a left drawer movement guide assembly and a right drawer movement guide assembly attached to a cabinet, the movement of the wedge element causes a change in the spacing between the drawer (which rests on the left drawer movement guide assembly and the right drawer movement guide assembly) and the drawer movement guide assembly with which the connector is engaged. In such embodiments, because the wedge element is attached to the carriage, sliding the carriage relative to the base causes the wedge element to move relative to the base, such that if the base is attached to a drawer, sliding the carriage relative to the base causes the wedge element to move relative to the drawer, and thus, for example, in embodiments as described above that have a left drawer movement guide assembly and a right drawer movement guide assembly attached to a cabinet, sliding the carriage relative to the base causes the wedge to stay in place relative to the drawer movement guide assembly.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a connector, comprising:
In accordance with a third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a connector, comprising:
The inventive subject matter may be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the inventive subject matter.
The expression “adjacent,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “region adjacent to the tactile region”) means the closest structural element, region or feature (e.g., the “region adjacent to the tactile region” is the structure that is closest to the tactile region).
The expression “engaged,” as used herein, i.e., a first structure, element or component is “engaged” with a second structure, element or component (and related expressions, such as “engage,” e.g., a first structure, element or component is configured to engage a second structure, element or component) (e.g., in the expression “the engagement element configured to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly”), means that a force of at least a threshold disengagement force would be required to cause the first structure, element or component to “disengage” from, i.e., to become free of the second structure, element or component, such that, e.g., with an engagement element releasably engaged with a drawer movement guide assembly, it is unlikely that the engagement element will become disengaged from the drawer movement guide assembly unless a deliberate action is taken to disengage the engagement element from the drawer movement guide assembly. There are a wide variety of ways to configure structures, elements or components such that they can be releasably engaged with each other, e.g., by providing teeth on the first element that engage with teeth on the second element, and all such ways are included in the present inventive subject matter.
The expression “attached,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “the base configured to be rigidly attached to a drawer”), means that the first structure, element or component that is “attached to” a second structure, element or component cannot be removed from the second structure without removing an attachment element (e.g., a screw or a bolt) or an attachment feature (e.g., screw-threading on one or both of the first and second structures, elements or components), or applying a significant force (much greater than the force required to “disengage” a structure, element or component from another structure, element or component). There are a wide variety of ways to configure structures, elements or components such that they are (or can be) attached to each other, e.g., by providing an opening on a first element and a threaded bore on a second element, such that a screw or bolt can extend through the first element and be threaded into the threaded bore on the second element, and all such ways are included in the present inventive subject matter.
The expression “rigidly attached,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “the base configured to be rigidly attached to a drawer”), means that the first structure that is “rigidly attached” to the second structure is attached to the second structure and moves with the second structure, i.e., by virtue of the rigid attachment, any movement that the second structure is caused to make causes the first structure to move similarly (and vice-versa, i.e., by virtue of the rigid attachment, any movement that the first structure is caused to make causes the second structure to move similarly).
The expression “on,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “a portion of a drawer that is on the first portion of the drawer movement guide assembly”), means that the first structure which is “on” a second structure can be in direct contact with the second structure, or can be separated from the second structure by one or more intervening structures (each side, or opposite sides, of which is/are in contact with the first structure, the second structure or one of the intervening structures).
The expression “parallel,” as used herein, in relation to two lines, means that the two lines are both in the same plane, and do not share a point (and thus for each crossing line that is perpendicular to the lines that are parallel, the two points at which the crossing line intersect the two lines that are parallel are spaced the same distance).
The expression “parallel,” as used herein, in relation to a plane and a line, means that the line and the plane do not share a point (and thus for each crossing line that is perpendicular to the plane and the line, the distance from (1) the point where the crossing line intersects the line, to (2) the point where the crossing line intersects the plane, is the same.
The expression “substantially parallel,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “the surface of the drawer front defining a plane that is substantially parallel to the first direction” or the expression “the adjustment element axis is substantially parallel to the first direction”), in relation to two lines, means that the two lines do not diverge from each other by more than 5 degrees (i.e., the lines could be made parallel by tilting one of the lines by 5 degrees or less); in relation to a line and a plane, means that the line does not diverge from the plane by more than 5 degrees (i.e., the line and the plane could be made parallel by tilting the line or the plane by 5 degrees or less);
The expression “substantially opposite direction,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “the second direction is an opposite direction to the first direction”) means the second direction can be identical with the first direction by rotating the second direction between 175 degrees and 185 degrees.
The expression “perpendicular,” as used herein in relation to a plane and an axis, means that the axis defines an angle of 90 degrees relative to the plane.
The expression “substantially perpendicular,” as used herein in relation to a plane and an axis (e.g., in the expression “the engagement element pivot axis is substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the first direction extends”) means that the axis could be made perpendicular to the plane by tilting the axis by not more than 5 degrees.
The expression “comprises” or “comprising,” as used herein (e.g., in the expression “a connector, comprising: a base; a carriage; an adjustment element; and an engagement element”), is used in accordance with its well known usage, and means that the item that “comprises” the recited elements (or that is “comprising” the recited elements) includes at least the recited elements, and can optionally include any additional elements. For example, an item that is “comprising a base; a carriage; an adjustment element; and an engagement element” includes at least one base, at least one carriage, at least one adjustment element and at least one engagement element, i.e., it can include a single base or a plurality of bases (and likewise can include a single carriage or a plurality of carriages; can include a single adjustment element or a plurality of adjustment elements; and can include a single engagement element or a plurality of engagement elements).
The expression “direction,” as used herein, means something that geometrically corresponds to a ray. Two different “directions” can be parallel to one another, even though they extend in the same compass direction (or in opposite compass directions). Two different directions can both be parallel to a particular line and extend in opposite compass directions.
The expression “extends,” as used herein in the context of a direction means that every point in the ray to which the direction corresponds is reached by moving from the endpoint in the direction. Thus, e.g., the expression “a plane in which the first direction extends”) means that every point in the ray to which the direction corresponds is also in the plane.
In the present specification, an expression that a first element is “movable” relative to a second element between a first position and a second position means that the first element can move (relative to the second element) from the first position to the second position, and can move from second position to the first position.
In the present specification, an expression that a first element is “pivotable” relative to a second element between a first position and a second position means that the first element can pivot, relative to a pivot axis extending through the second element, at least from a first pivot position to a second pivot position, and from the second pivot position to the first pivot position.
In the present specification, an expression that a first element is “linearly slidable” relative to a second element between a first position and a second position means that the first element can move (relative to the second element) in a straight direction and without any rotation, i.e., (1) the first element can slide (relative to the second element) from the first position to the second position (or any portion of such movement) and can slide (relative to the second element) from the second position to the first position (or any portion of such movement), and (2) in any such movement, the first element passes through each position between the starting point of such movement and the ending point of such movement, and (3) in any such movement, each point on the first element moves along only a respective line segment (defined relative to the second element) during an entirety of such movement, each of the respective line segments being parallel to each other (i.e., any line that is parallel to one of such line segments is parallel to all of them, and is parallel to each of the respective directions in which the line segments extend). A “direction” in which an element is “linearly slidable” is a direction that any of such line segments extends.
The present inventive subject matter encompasses many combinations of elements and features. The expression “In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein,” or the like, is used in the present specification to introduce elements and/or features of the present inventive subject matter that can be included or not included in any particular embodiment, i.e., elements and/or features that can be combined in any suitable way. In other words, the present inventive subject matter encompasses all combinations of elements and/or features that are introduced with the expression “In some embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein,” or the like.
As noted above, in accordance with the first and second aspects of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a connector that comprises a base, a carriage, and an adjustment element, in which:
A base in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials. For example, an entirety of a base can be made of a single material or a single composition of materials, or different parts of a base can be made of different respective materials or compositions of materials. A wide variety of materials and compositions can be suitable in various situations, e.g., plastics (e.g., polypropylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, ABS, polyamide, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyoxymethylene, polycarbonate, polyethylene teraphthalate, acrylonitrile styrene acrylate), metals (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium), composite materials, etc.
A base in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be of any suitable size and shape, so long as it is capable of having the desired properties and capabilities, e.g., as specified herein.
A carriage in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, e.g., any of the materials described above in connection with a base. A carriage in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be of any suitable size and shape, so long as it is capable of having the desired properties and capabilities, e.g., as specified herein.
An adjustment element in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, e.g., any of the materials described above in connection with a base. An adjustment element in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be of any suitable size and shape, so long as it is capable of having the desired properties and capabilities, e.g., as specified herein.
A base can be configured to be rigidly attached to a drawer in any of a wide variety of suitable ways, and any such ways are included in the present inventive subject matter. For example, a base can comprise one or more holes through which screws, bolts or nails can extend and connect to a drawer, and/or a base can have a surface that presents one or more regions that are situated in a plane, whereby such regions can be adhered to a drawer using an adhesive or a glue, and/or a base can have one or more recesses into which screws or bolts can extend (in addition to extending through holes in a drawer), and/or a base can comprise one or more flanges that slips over one or more corresponding flange-retaining structures attached to a drawer, and/or a base can comprise one or more clips that are releasably receivable in one or more receptacles on a drawer, and/or a base can comprise one or more receptacles into which one or more clips on a drawer are releasably receivable, etc.
A carriage can be slidably attached to a base in any of a wide variety of suitable ways, and any such ways are included in the present inventive subject matter. For example, a carriage can have one or more structures that define one or more spaces within which one or more corresponding structures on a base can move, and/or a base can have one or more structures that define one or more spaces within which one or more corresponding structures on a carriage can move, and in some instances, each of the structures is configured such that multiple combinations of structures each guide movement of a carriage relative to a base in substantially the same direction.
There are a wide variety of ways that a carriage, a base and an adjustment element can be configured such that movement of the adjustment element causes the carriage to slide relative to the base. For example, one way is for the carriage to have a threaded protrusion that has external threads that thread with internal threads on the adjustment element, and for the adjustment element to be rotatably mounted on the base, such that rotating the adjustment element about an axis causes the threaded protrusion of the carriage to move along the axis. Another representative way is for the carriage to have a threaded recess (or opening) that has internal threads that thread with external threads on the adjustment element, and for the adjustment element to be rotatably mounted on the base, such that rotating the adjustment element about an axis causes the threaded protrusion of the carriage to move along the axis (and thus causes the carriage to move in a direction along the axis).
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises an engagement element which is configured to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly. An engagement element in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, e.g., any of the materials described above in connection with a base. An engagement element in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be of any suitable size and shape, so long as it is capable of having the desired properties and capabilities, e.g., as specified herein. There are a wide variety of suitable ways in which an engagement element can releasably engage a drawer movement guide assemblies, and all such ways are included in the present inventive subject matter. In some of such embodiments, for example, the engagement element comprises engagement element teeth, the drawer movement guide assembly comprises an engagement region, and the engagement element is resilient (and/or comprises a resilient region) and it is configured to bias the engagement element toward an engagement position (i.e., a position in which at least one of the engagement element teeth of the engagement element is/are engaged with the engagement region of the drawer movement guide assembly), upon the engagement element being moved to a disengagement position (i.e., a position in which the engagement element teeth of the engagement element are not engaged with the engagement region of the drawer movement guide assembly).
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises an engagement element which is configured to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly, the engagement element is a separate structure from the carriage, the engagement element is pivotally attached to the carriage, and the engagement element is pivotable relative to the carriage about an engagement element pivot axis.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises an engagement element which is configured to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly, the engagement element and the carriage are a one-piece structure, the engagement element comprises a resilient portion that is configured to abut an abutment region of the carriage and pivotally bias the engagement element toward an engagement position, upon the engagement element being moved to a disengagement position.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises an engagement element which is configured to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly, the engagement element comprises a tactile region and a region adjacent to the tactile region, an extremity of the tactile region is in a first plane, the first plane is to a first side of a second plane, all portions of the region adjacent to the tactile region are to a second side of the second plane, and the first plane and the second plane are substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In some of such embodiments, the connector is configured to be attached to a drawer, with one side of the connector facing the drawer (e.g., relatively close to the bottom of the drawer), and a tactile region projects from the opposite side of the connector away from the drawer, such that the tactile region is readily accessible and easy to actuate.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the carriage is linearly slidable, in a first direction, from a carriage first position to a carriage second position, the carriage is linearly slidable, in a second direction, from the carriage second position to the carriage first position, the second direction is a substantially opposite direction to the first direction (i.e., the carriage can be slid back and forth), the connector comprises an engagement element that is pivotally attached to the carriage, and the axis about which the engagement element pivots is substantially perpendicular to a first plane in which the first direction extends.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the carriage further comprises a carriage positioning region, the carriage positioning region is configured to engage with a drawer movement guide assembly, and sliding the carriage causes the engagement element and the carriage positioning region to move relative to the base. A carriage positioning region can be made of any suitable material (e.g., any of the materials described above for the carriage). A carriage positioning region and the carriage can be a one-piece structure or the carriage positioning region can be attached to the carriage. A carriage positioning region can be configured to engage with a drawer movement guide assembly in any of a wide variety of suitable ways (e.g., the carriage positioning region can comprise a protrusion that fits within a rail of a drawer movement guide assembly, and/or the carriage positioning region can comprise a recess in which a rail of a drawer movement guide assembly (or any other part of a drawer movement guide assembly) can fit), and all such ways are included in the present inventive subject matter.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises a wedge element, the wedge element is configured to cause a change in a spacing between a first portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and a portion of a drawer that is on the first portion of the drawer movement guide assembly, by the wedge element being moved.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises a wedge element, the wedge element is movably attached to the carriage, and the wedge element is configured to cause a change in a spacing between a first portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and a portion of a drawer that is on the first portion of the drawer movement guide assembly, by the wedge element being moved relative to the carriage.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises a wedge element, the wedge element is slidably attached to the carriage and linearly slidable relative to the carriage between a wedge element first position and a wedge element second position, and the wedge element is configured to cause a change in a spacing between a first portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and a portion of a drawer that is on the first portion of the drawer movement guide assembly by the wedge element being moved from the wedge element first position to the wedge element second position.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein:
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector comprises a wedge element, the wedge element is slidably attached to the carriage and linearly slidable relative to the carriage between a wedge element first position and a wedge element second position, and the wedge element is configured to cause a change in a spacing between a first portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and a portion of a drawer that is on the first portion of the drawer movement guide assembly by the wedge element being moved from the wedge element first position to the wedge element second position, and the wedge element comprises at least one incremental movement structural feature that is configured to facilitate incremental sliding movement of the wedge element between the wedge element first position and the wedge element second position, and thereby provide incremental changes in the spacing between said portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and said portion of a drawer that is on the portion of the drawer movement guide assembly.
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector further comprises a wedge element, the wedge element is pivotally attached to the carriage and is pivotable relative to the carriage between a wedge element first pivot position and a wedge element second pivot position, and the wedge element is configured, upon being moved from the wedge element first position to the wedge element second position, to cause a change in a spacing between a portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and a portion of a drawer that is on the portion of the drawer movement guide assembly. In some of such embodiments, (1) the wedge element comprises at least one incremental movement structural feature that is configured to facilitate incremental pivoting movement of the wedge element between the wedge element first pivot position and the wedge element second pivot position, and thereby provide incremental changes in the spacing between said portion of a drawer movement guide assembly and said portion of a drawer that is on the portion of the drawer movement guide assembly, and optionally also (2) the wedge element comprises a pressing plate that is configured to cause the incremental movement structural feature to disengage with a restricting structure attached to the carriage upon the pressing plate being pressed in a direction toward the incremental movement structural feature (e.g., the connector is configured to be attached to a drawer, with one side of the connector facing the drawer (e.g., relatively close to the bottom of the drawer), and a pressing plate projects from the opposite side of the connector away from the drawer and has a relatively large surface area (in some instances including grooves or other surface features to enhance friction and/or to help a user recognize that he or she is touching the pressing plate, e.g., without being able to see it) facing away from the connector, such that the pressing plate region is readily accessible and easy to actuate).
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein:
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein:
In some embodiments according to the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein:
As noted above, in accordance with a third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, there is provided a connector that comprises a connector assembly and an engagement element, in which:
The connector assembly in a connector in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, e.g., any of the materials described above in connection with a base. A connector assembly in accordance with the present inventive subject matter can be of any suitable size and shape, so long as it is capable of having the desired properties and capabilities, e.g., as specified herein.
In some embodiments according to the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the connector assembly comprises a base, a carriage and an adjustment element, the first portion of the connector assembly is part of the base, the carriage is slidably attached to the base, and movement of the adjustment element causes the carriage to slide relative to the base. In such embodiments, the base, the carriage and the adjustment element can have any of the features and characteristics as described above for bases, carriages and adjustment elements, and the carriage can be slidably attached to the base in any of the ways described above.
The engagement element in a connector in accordance with the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter can have any of the features and characteristics as described above for the first and second aspects of the present inventive subject matter.
The first portion of the connector assembly is configured to be rigidly attached to a drawer in any of the ways described herein for attaching a component to a drawer.
The engagement element can be configured to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly in any of the ways described herein for an engagement element to releasably engage a drawer movement guide assembly.
In some embodiments according to the third aspect of the present inventive subject matter, which can include or not include, as suitable, any of the other features described herein, the engagement element is pivotally attached to the carriage, and the engagement element is pivotable relative to the carriage about an engagement element pivot axis.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein and a drawer movement guide assembly.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein and a cabinet.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein and a drawer.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein, a drawer movement guide assembly and a cabinet.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein, a cabinet and a drawer.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein, a drawer movement guide assembly and a drawer.
The present inventive subject matter is also directed to systems that comprise a connector as described herein, a drawer movement guide assembly, a cabinet and a drawer.
Embodiments in accordance with the present inventive subject matter are described herein in detail in order to provide exact features of representative embodiments that are within the overall scope of the present inventive subject matter. The present inventive subject matter is not limited to such detail.
In the arrangement depicted in
Each connector also includes a carriage 2 that has a rail 2a, which rides in a slot 2a′ (see
An adjustment element (in the form of a thumb wheel 5) has an internal adjustment element threaded region which is threaded on the threaded region of the post 6, and an upper portion of the thumb wheel extends in an accessible manner above the slot 4. The sides 5a, 5b of the thumb wheel 5 abut respective sides 4c, 4d of the slot 4, such that, when the thumb wheel 5 is rotated about an axis 5c (an adjustment element axis), it is prevented from moving along the axis 5c by the sides of the thumb wheel 5 abutting the sides of the slot 4, and so the threading causes the post 6 (and thus the carriage 2) to slide relative to the base 1 in a linear manner. This allows for left-right adjustment of each connector after it is already attached to the bottom forward portion of the drawer 300 to account for slight variations in manufacturing tolerances of the drawer and the associated cabinetry. As such, the drawer front 300a can be moved left or right so that it matches the spacing of adjacent cabinetry components.
The latching portion 3 having the teeth 3a is attached to the carriage 2 by a screw 7, and the latching portion 3 is pivotable about an engagement element pivot axis coaxial with the screw (i.e., the latching portion 3 and the carriage 2 are separate structures). Because the latching portion 3 is rotatably attached to the carriage, the latching portion 3 moves left or right as the carriage 2 moves left or right. In this embodiment, the latching portion 3 includes a resilient portion 3b positioned between an abutment region (in the form of a wall 2c) and a post 2d on the carriage 2 to provide the necessary biasing to ensure that the teeth 3a of the latching portion 3 securely engage the teeth 200a on the drawer rail 200b when no external force is being applied to the connector (alternatively, other biasing structure can be provided, e.g., a spring).
Each connector also includes a wedge element 8 that is retained within a slot 2e (
A main difference between the first and second embodiments is that in the second embodiment the wedge element 8 takes the shape of an arc-shaped wedge element 8B that has a ramp surface 8aB that performs the same function as the ramp 8a in the first embodiment (i.e., it can be moved between the bottom surface of the drawer and the top surface of the forward terminal end of the drawer rail 200b to provide for vertical adjustment of the drawer front 300a). The arc-shaped wedge element 8B is rotated about a connection axis 38 to provide for vertical adjustment of the connector. The arc-shaped wedge element 8B is pivotally connected to the carriage 2 by a pair of protrusions 39 (with hooks 39a on their distal ends) that are attached to the carriage 2 and that extend through an opening 40 in the arc-shaped wedge element 8B, such that the hooks 39a extend to locations outside the opening 40 on the opposite side of the arc-shaped wedge element 8B (see
The carriage 2 in
Another difference between the first and second embodiments is that in the second embodiment the engagement element (in the form of a latching portion 3) and the carriage 2 are both part of a one-piece structure. In this embodiment, the latching portion 3 comprises at least one resilient region, and the latching portion 3 (and its teeth 3a) is resiliently biased toward engagement with the teeth 200a on the drawer rail 200b position upon the engagement element being bent such that the teeth 3a are disengaged from the teeth 200a.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive subject matter.
Each component described herein can be a unitary one-piece structure. In some cases, if suitable, two or more structural parts of the devices described herein can be integrated, and/or a component can be provided in two or more parts (which are held together, if necessary).
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 section (e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/856,896, filed Jun. 4, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62856896 | Jun 2019 | US |
