Forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6367899
  • Patent Number
    6,367,899
  • Date Filed
    Friday, September 28, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 9, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide includes an outer rail provided with first and second locking blocks. An inner rail is received in the outer rail and is provided with a mounting hole for a pivot member to pivot one end of a positioning member whose other end is provided with a guide block. The positioning member has one side having a press bar supported on one lip of the inner rail, and the other side provided with a cutout and a stop portion. A slide plate is received between the inner rail and the outer rail, and provided with a drawing block for drawing the slide plate to move in the inner rail. The slide plate is provided with a guide slot having an oblique guide face. The guide block of the positioning member is supported on the oblique guide face.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide, and more particularly to a slide at least containing an inner rail and an outer rail having forward pull type bolt lock structure for separating the inner rail from the outer rail.




2. Description of the Related Art




A slide is usually used to connect and guide two articles that may be moved relative to each other, such as a cupboard and its drawer or a computer table and its keyboard support rack.




A conventional two-stage type slide generally comprises an outer rail and an inner rail. For example, the outer rail may be fixed in a cupboard to support the inner rail, and the inner rail is fixed at two sides of the drawer of the cupboard. The inner rail and the outer rail may be coupled with each other by such as the design of a ball bearing, and the inner rail may be moved in the axial direction of the outer rail reciprocally. Thus, the drawer may be pulled outward from or retracted into the cupboard freely by the slide.




The conventional two-stage type slide containing the inner rail and the outer rail needs to have the design of a bolt lock, so that when the inner rail is moved with the drawer to be pulled outward from the cupboard and moved toward the distal end of the intermediate rail to a usage position, the inner rail may be stopped at the distal end of the outer rail, thereby maintaining the drawer at the usage position temporarily. The bolt lock has to possess the function of detaching the drawer, so that the drawer and the inner rail may be detached from and retracted into the cupboard.




A conventional three-stage type drawer slide structure in accordance with the prior art shown in

FIG. 6

primarily comprises an outer rail


91


, an intermediate rail


92


, and an inner rail


93


. Multiple rolling balls


94


are mounted between the intermediate rail


92


and the inner rail


93


, so that the inner rail


93


may slide along the intermediate rail


92


. At the same time, for facilitating the mounting work of the conventional three-stage type drawer slide structure, the inner rail


93


is provided with a locking member


95


which has legs


96


that may be opened and closed elastically. The intermediate rail


92


is provided with a catch


97


protruded with a stop


971


. After the inner rail


93


is fitted in the intermediate rail


92


and when the inner rail


93


is pulled outward, the lug


951


of the locking member


95


is locked with the stop


971


of the catch


97


, thereby preventing the inner rail


93


from detaching from the intermediate rail


92


. Thus, the lug


951


of the locking member


95


and the stop


971


of the catch


97


may form a positioning structure to prevent outward detachment.




When the conventional three-stage type drawer slide structure is assembled and dismantled, the user needs to press the locking member


95


with his one finger. However, the space between the outer rail


91


, the intermediate rail


92


, and the inner rail


93


is very small, so that the user finger is easily clipped and injured.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide, wherein the slide may be assembled conveniently, and may be removed easily.




In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide, comprising:




an outer rail, having lips and provided with a first locking block and a second locking block;




an inner rail, received in the lips of the outer rail, the inner rail having lips protruded toward the outer rail, the inner rail provided with a mounting hole for a pivot member to pivot one end of a positioning member, the other end of the positioning member provided with a guide block, one side of the positioning member having a press bar which is rested on one lip of the inner rail, the other side of the positioning member having a wall which is provided with a cutout and a stop portion;




a slide plate received between the lips of the inner rail and the outer rail, the slide plate provided with a drawing block for drawing the slide plate to move in the inner rail, the slide plate combined with one end of a restoring member, the other end of the restoring member is combined with the inner rail, the slide plate provided with a guide slot, the guide slot having an oblique guide face, the guide block of the positioning member rested on the oblique guide face;




when the inner rail is extended with a larger length relative to the outer rail, the stop portion of the positioning member of the inner rail is rested on the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is locked on the second locking block of the outer rail;




when the inner rail is retracted into the outer rail, the positioning member may press the press bar to pivot, so that the stop portion of the positioning member of the inner rail is separated from the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is separated from the second locking block of the outer rail; and




the slide plate may be moved with the inner rail, and the oblique guide face of the guide slot presses the positioning member to pivot, so that the stop portion of the positioning member of the inner rail is separated from the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is separated from the second locking block of the outer rail.




Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of a forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a plan assembly view of the forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide as shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional view of the forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide taken along line


3





3


as shown in

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 4

is a plan assembly view of the forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide as shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is a schematic operational view of the forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide as shown in

FIG. 4

; and





FIG. 6

is an exploded perspective view of a conventional three-stage type drawer slide structure in accordance with the prior art.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to the drawings and initially to

FIG. 1

, a forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an outer rail


1


, an inner rail


2


, and a slide plate


3


.




The outer rail


1


may be fixed on a proper position such as the drawer, the side wall or the like, by positioning members through the positioning holes


13


. The outer rail


1


has lips


14


each protruded toward one side, for receiving the inner rail


2


to guide movement of the inner rail


2


. The outer rail has a first locking block


11


and a second locking block


12


.




The inner rail


2


is received and moved between the two lips


14


of the outer rail


1


, and may also be fixed on a proper position such as the drawer, the side wall or the like, by positioning members through the positioning holes


21


. The inner rail


2


also has two lips


24


protruded toward the outer rail


1


, so that the slide plate


3


may be received and moved between the two lips


24


of the inner rail


2


. The inner rail


2


is additionally provided with a guide slot


22


and a mounting hole


23


. A drawing block


31


is combined on the slide plate


3


, and is provided with guide posts


311


that may be extended into the guide slot


22


of the inner rail


2


, thereby limiting the slide plate


3


to move in a determined range. A positioning member


26


is pivotally mounted on the mounting hole


23


of the inner rail


2


by a pivot member


25


. One side of the positioning member


26


has a press bar


261


which is supported on the lip


24


of the inner rail


2


, so that the positioning member


26


has an elasticity that may be compressed and restored. The other side of the positioning member


26


has a wall


262


which is provided with a cutout


263


and a stop portion


266


. One end of the positioning member


26


has a hole


264


in which the pivot member


25


is pivoted, and the other end of the positioning member


26


is provided with a protruding guide block


265


.




The slide plate


3


is mounted between the inner rail


2


and the outer rail


1


. One end of the slide plate


3


is provided with a drawing block


31


which, as shown in the figure, has combination holes


312


combined with the lugs


32


of the slide plate


3


. The drawing block


31


is additionally provided with guide posts


311


that may be extended into the guide slot


22


of the inner rail


2


, thereby limiting the slide plate


3


to move in a determined range. The other end of the inner rail


2


is provided with a restoring member


33


which may be an elastic member as shown in the figure, and has a first end hooked on the slide plate


3


and a second end hooked on the inner rail


2


. The slide plate


3


is provided with a guide slot


34


located adjacent to the restoring member


33


. The guide slot


34


has an oblique guide face


341


, and the guide block


265


of the positioning member


26


may be extended into the guide slot


34


, and is supported on the oblique guide face


341


. Thus, when the slide plate


3


is pulled, the positioning member


26


may be guided to pivot.




Referring to

FIGS. 2 and 3

, the forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide in accordance with the present invention is assembled. The slide plate


3


is received in the two lips


24


of the inner rail


2


, and the inner rail


2


is received in the two lips


14


of the outer rail


1


. At this time, the inner rail I and the outer rail


2


are not pulled with a smaller length. The slide plate


3


is pulled by the restoring member


33


, so that the guide posts


311


of the drawing block


31


are locked in the right side (see

FIG. 2

) of the guide slot


22


of the inner rail


2


, while the guide block


265


of the positioning member


26


is supported on the lower position of the oblique guide face


341


of the guide slot


34


.




Referring to

FIG. 4

, the slide is pulled to have a greater length. The inner rail


2


is pulled relative to the outer rail


1


(the slide plate


3


is pulled with the inner rail


2


), until the stop portion


266


of the positioning member


26


is supported on the first locking block


11


of the outer rail


1


, and the cutout


263


of the wall


262


of the positioning member


26


is locked on the second locking block


12


of the outer rail


1


, so that the inner rail


2


is stopped, and cannot be moved relative to the outer rail


1


. The cutout


263


of the wall


262


of the positioning member


26


is locked on the second locking block


12


of the outer rail


1


, thereby providing a positioning effect when the slide is pulled to have the greatest length. When the slide needs to be retracted, the inner rail


2


may press the outer rail


1


. At this time, the guide posts


311


of the drawing block


31


are still locked in the right side of the guide slot


22


of the inner rail


2


, but the slide plate


3


is pulled by the restoring member


33


. Thus, the slide plate


3


may also be retracted synchronously (relative to the outer rail


1


). When the inner rail


2


is retracted, the cutout


263


of the wall


262


of the positioning member


26


and the second locking block


12


of the outer rail


1


produce a detaching force, and the press bar


261


of the positioning member


26


has a compressed elasticity. Thus, the positioning member


26


may be pivoted, so that the cutout


263


of the wall


262


of the positioning member


26


is detached from the second locking block


12


of the outer rail


1


. Thus, the inner rail


2


and the slide plate


3


may be moved relative to the outer rail


1


, thereby forming a smaller length as shown in FIG.


2


.




Referring to

FIG. 5

, the inner rail


2


is to be separated from the outer rail


1


. The slide plate


3


is moved leftward relative to the inner rail


2


, so that the guide posts


311


of the drawing block


31


of the slide plate


3


are moved to the left side of the guide slot


22


of the inner rail


2


. At this time, the oblique guide face


341


of the guide slot


34


of the slide plate


3


may guide the guide block


265


of the positioning member


26


to lift. Thus, the positioning member


26


may be pivoted about the pivot member


25


, such that the stop portion


266


of the positioning member


26


is separated from the first locking block


11


of the outer rail


1


, and the cutout


263


of the wall


262


of the positioning member


26


is separated from the second locking block


12


of the outer rail


1


, and such that the inner rail


2


may be detached from the outer rail


1


. In addition, when the inner rail


2


is detached from the outer rail


1


, the guide posts


311


of the drawing block


31


of the slide plate


3


may be moved to the left side of the guide slot


22


of the inner rail


2


, so that the inner rail


2


and the slide plate


3


may be locked in the outer rail


1


easily, thereby facilitating assembly of the slide structure.




Accordingly, in accordance with the forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide of the present invention, the inner rail may be mounted in and detached from the outer rail conveniently. In addition, when the inner rail is pulled relative to the outer rail to have a larger length, the stop portion of the positioning member is supported on the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is locked on the second locking block of the outer rail, thereby achieving a positioning effect of a bolt lock, so that the drawer of the slide will not have the problem of detachment.




Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide, comprising:an outer rail, having lips and provided with a first locking block and a second locking block; an inner rail, received in the lips of the outer rail, the inner rail having lips protruded toward the outer rail, the inner rail provided with a mounting hole for a pivot member to pivot one end of a positioning member, the other end of the positioning member provided with a guide block, one side of the positioning member having a press bar which is rested on one lip of the inner rail, the other side of the positioning member having a wall which is provided with a cutout and a stop portion; a slide plate received between the lips of the inner rail and the outer rail, the slide plate provided with a drawing block for drawing the slide plate to move in the inner rail, the slide plate combined with one end of a restoring member, the other end of the restoring member is combined with the inner rail, the slide plate provided with a guide slot, the guide slot having an oblique guide face, the guide block of the positioning member is supported on the oblique guide face; when the inner rail is extended relative to the outer rail, the stop portion of the positioning member of the inner rail is supported on the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is locked on the second locking block of the outer rail; when the inner rail is retracted into the outer rail, the positioning member may press the press bar to pivot, so that the stop portion of the positioning member of the inner rail is separated from the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is separated from the second locking block of the outer rail; and the slide plate may be moved with the inner rail, and the oblique guide face of the guide slot presses the positioning member to pivot, so that the stop portion of the positioning member of the inner rail is separated from the first locking block of the outer rail, and the cutout of the wall of the positioning member is separated from the second locking block of the outer rail.
  • 2. The forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drawing block has combination holes combined with lugs of the slide plate.
  • 3. The forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restoring member is an elastic member.
  • 4. The forward pull type bolt lock structure of a slide as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner rail is provided with a guide slot, and the drawing block is provided with guide posts that may be extended into the guide slot of the inner rail, thereby limiting the slide plate to move in a determined range.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number Name Date Kind
4423914 Ley Jan 1984 A
4549773 Papp et al. Oct 1985 A
5484209 Weng Jan 1996 A
5542759 Krivec Aug 1996 A