The present invention relates to office furniture and, more particularly, to side mounted drawer slides for office furniture.
Many office furniture constructions include side mounted drawers. Side mounted drawers typically include rollers or rails that are received within left and right drawer slides. Selection of a particular drawer slide can depend on the application at hand. For example, some office furniture constructions benefit from the simplicity and robustness of a one-part drawer slide. Other office furniture constructions benefit from a multi-part drawer slide to permit the drawer to be more fully extended.
In addition to drawers, some office furniture constructions include shelves between opposing vertical panels. In these constructions, the opposing vertical panels can sometimes include slots for receiving shelf clips therein. The shelves are supported on these shelf clips at designated locations above or below the drawers.
In the above described constructions, drawers and shelves are typically located in pre-designated locations between opposing vertical panels. For example, in many instances the drawers are mounted between opposing panels at one height, while the shelves are mounted between opposing panels at a different height. In these constructions, the user has no input on the placement of the drawers and the shelves, and is limited by the locations designated by the manufacture without regard to the preferences of the end user.
An improved drawer slide for a side mounted drawer is provided. The drawer slide generally includes a plurality of retention tabs that allow the drawer slide to be repositionable among a plurality of positions in a furniture unit, generally without the use of tooling. For example, the drawer slide can be mounted in the same space or cavity as shelving. In use, an end user can reposition the drawer slide as desired, providing enhanced flexibility and customization over existing constructions.
In one embodiment, the drawer slide includes an elongated channel, proximal upper and lower retention tabs, and distal upper and lower retention tabs. The upper retention tabs extend laterally outward from the elongated channel before bending upwardly. The lower retention tabs extend laterally outward from the elongated channel in vertical alignment with respective upper retention tabs. The upper and lower retention tabs are shaped for insertion into respective upper and lower slots in a vertical panel, wherein the upper and lower slots are configured to also support shelf clips therein.
In another embodiment, the elongated channel, the upper retention tabs, and the lower retention tabs form a shaped metal construction, such that the drawer slide includes a unitary element. The elongated channel is shaped to receive drawer rollers or a drawer rail therein. The upper and lower retention tabs are stamped from the elongated channel, having been shaped to extend laterally outward and away from the interior of the elongated channel. The drawer slide optionally includes a bent flange to limit travel of the drawer rollers or the drawer rail along the elongated channel.
In another embodiment, a modular furniture system is provided. The modular furniture system includes first and second sidewalls that are spaced apart from each other. The first and second sidewalls include slots arranged in a plurality of columns to interchangeably receive side-mounted drawer slides and shelf clips therein. The drawer slides include a corresponding number of retention tab pairs, with each retention tab pair including an upper retention tab and a lower retention tab. The upper retention tabs are bent horizontally and upwardly, while the lower retention tabs are bent horizontally. The upper and lower retention tabs secure the side-mounted drawer slides to the desired slots in the first and second sidewalls. Once the drawer slides are in the desired position, the drawer slides are able to receive rollers or rails to guide movement of a side-mounted drawer.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiments and the drawings.
The current embodiments relate to an improved drawer slide for a side-mounted drawer. In these embodiments, the improved drawer slide can allow pull-out drawers to be repositionable in various positions, optionally in conjunction with the repositioning of one or more shelves.
Referring now to
As shown in
As shown in
As noted above, the upper retention tab 26 is a continuous extension of the central member 16. Similarly, the lower retention tab 28 is a continuous extension of the central member 16. The lower extension tab 28 is bent horizontally from the central member 16, defining a thickness generally equal to the thickness of the central member 16. The lower retention tab 28 extends entirely through the lower slot 106 in the illustrated embodiment, while in other embodiments the lower retention tab 28 extends only partially through a horizontal opening in the vertical panel 100. The lower retention tab 28 is in vertical alignment with the upper retention tab 26, being spaced apart therefrom by a distance generally equal to the distance separating the upper and lower slots 104, 106. To join the drawer slide 10 to the vertical panel 100, the second segment 32 of the upper retention tab 26 is first guided into the upper slot 104, and the first segment 30 of the upper retention tab 26 and the lower retention tab 28 are then drawn into engagement with respective upper and lower slots 104, 106. Removal of the drawer slide 10 is performed in the reverse order, such that tooling is not required (but can be used if desired) during installation and removal.
To reiterate, the drawer slide 10 includes a plurality of retention tab pairs. For example, the drawer slide 10 includes a proximal retention tab pair 27 and a distal retention tab pair 29. Additional retention tab pairs can be included in other embodiments where desired. Each retention tab pair includes an upper retention tab 26 and a lower retention tab 28. As generally discussed above, the upper retention tab 26 is in vertical alignment with the lower retention tab 28. In addition, the proximal retention tab pair 27 is in horizontal alignment with the distal retention tab pair 29. The vertical panel 100 generally includes slots 102 arranged in a plurality of substantially horizontal rows 108 and substantially vertical columns 110. This pattern can vary from application to application as desired, and can include additional rows and/or additional columns as generally illustrated in
Referring again to
As noted above, the drawer slide 10 can be formed from a shaped metal element having upper and lower retention tabs 18, 20 formed from one or more cutouts 31, 33 in the elongated channel 12. The cutouts 31, 33 are formed in a generally planar central member 16 in
The above embodiments of the present invention therefore provide a drawer slide for a modular furniture system in which side-mounted drawers can be repositioned as desired. As shown in
The drawer slide 10 can be made of any suitable material, including for example steel, aluminum, or plastic. Where metal materials are used, the drawer slide 10 can be formed by stamping, roll forming, or die casting, for example. Where plastic materials are used, the drawer slide 10 can be formed by extrusion and molding processes. While described above as relating to a one-part drawer slide assembly, the drawer slide 10 can be implemented as a multi-part drawer slide assembly. For example, the drawer slide 10 can form part of a two-part drawer slide assembly or a three-part drawer slide assembly, thereby permitting the drawer to be more fully retracted from an enclosure. In these and other constructions, the drawer slide 10 limits the side-to-side movement of the drawer, providing lateral stability in the retracted drawer position and in the extended drawer position.
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. Any reference to elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160051050 A1 | Feb 2016 | US |