Patent Application
20090091225
The present invention relates to a rail assembly for drawers and includes an retrieving unit which allows the second and/or third rail to be moved to longer distance.
A conventional rail assembly is widely used on drawers and generally includes a first rail which is fixed to the desk and the second and third rails are connected to the side of the drawer. The second and third rails are retractably connected to each other and both of which are movable in the first rail so that the drawer can be pulled out a desired distance and pushed back completely.
A retrieving unit is used at the end of the first rail which is operatively connected to the second rail so that when the drawer is to be pushed back, the springs of the retrieving unit automatically pulls the drawer inward into the space for the drawer. However, the conventional retrieving unit occupies a certain space and length so that the travel distance of the second and third rails is reduced. In other words, the conventional rail assembly requires longer second and third rails to allow the drawer to be pulled outward to its desired distance which usually three times of the length of the first rail.
As shown in
The present invention intends to provide a rail assembly for drawer and the retrieving unit does not interfere the movement of the second and third rails so that both of the second and third rails can be completely retracted in the first rail and can be pulled outward fully.
The present invention relates to a rail assembly for drawers and the assembly comprises a substantially U-shaped first rail having two sidewalls and a first space is defined between the two sidewalls. A substantially U-shaped second rail is movably received in the first space and includes two sidewalls with a second space defined between the two sidewalls of the second rail. An escape space is defined inward from an underside of the second rail. A substantially inverted U-shaped third rail is movably received in the second space. A retrieving unit includes a fixed member which is fixedly located in an end of the first rail and received in the first space. An extension rail extends from the fixed member and located in the first space. A movable member is slidably connected to the extension rail. The extension rail is sized to be received in the escape space of the second rail so that the second rail can be moved toward the fixed member without interference. The movable member includes two upright sides and the two sidewalls of the third rail are guided by two respective insides of the two upright sides. Two grooves are defined in a top on two sides of the fixed member and the two sidewalls of the third rail are slidably engaged with the grooves.
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.
Referring to
A retrieving unit 40 includes a fixed member 41 which is fixedly located in an end of the first rail and received in the first space 11. An end plate 411 is connected to the fixed member 41 so as to seal the first space 11. An extension rail 412 extends from the fixed member 41 and located in the first space 11. A movable member 42 is slidably connected to the extension rail 412 and can be stopped by a stop rod 415 extending from the fixed member 41. A positioning slot 413 is connected to a distal end of the extension rail 412 and the movable member 42 is removably positioned on the positioning slot 413 by a connection member 421 which will be described later. Two springs 414 are located on the two sides of the fixed member 41 and connected to the movable member 42. It is noted that the extension rail 412 and the movable member 42 are sized to be received in the escape space 23 of the second rail 20, so that the second rail 20 can be moved to a position above the extension rail 412 and positioning ember 413 without interference.
The movable member 42 includes two upright sides 422 and the two sidewalls of the third rail 30 are guided by two respective insides of the two upright sides 422 when the third rail 30 passes the movable member 42. Two grooves 416 are defined in a top on two sides of the fixed member 41 and the two sidewalls of the third rail 30 slidably engaged with the grooves 416 so that the third rail 30 can be received in the first space 11 of the first rail 10 completely.
The connection member 421 is located on a top of the movable member 42 and the connection member 421 includes a first protrusion 4211 and a second protrusion 4212 extending from an underside of two ends thereof. The first and second protrusions 4211, 4212 extend through two respective slots in the movable member 42 and the connection member 421 includes a curved end surface facing the third rail 30.
As shown in
As shown in
Therefore, the third rail 30 can be moved to the very end of the fixed member 41. The springs 414 help the user to pull the movable member 42 so that the drawer automatically moves to its closed position.
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.
