U.S. patent application number 09/793699 was filed with the patent office on 2001-08-30 for cassette intended for the construction of drawer cabinets.
This patent application is currently assigned to System Edstrom Bilinredningar AB. Invention is credited to Hallsten, Lars.
Application Number | 20010017509 09/793699 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 20278620 |
Filed Date | 2001-08-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010017509 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hallsten, Lars |
August 30, 2001 |
Cassette intended for the construction of drawer cabinets
Abstract
This invention relates to a cassette (1) intended for building
up drawer cabinets, in which a drawer (2) having a frontal piece
(18) is included, a lock (22) is included in the drawer for locking
of the same in the cassette. According to the invention, the lock
(22) includes a house (23) located inside the frontal piece (18) of
the drawer and in connection with an opening (44) therein, inside
which house there is a spring-loaded plunger (25), which is movable
vertically in relation to a hole (45) in a bottom piece (19) of the
drawer, viz. between a lower, locking position in which a free end
of the plunger (25) is behind and below an upper edge of a flange
(16) in a frontal frame of the cassette, and an upper, opening
position in which the free end of the plunger is located above the
flange (16) and goes free therefrom. By the location thereof in the
bottom part of the drawer, the lock guarantees that heavily loaded
thereby deformed drawers do not risk to unintentionally be pulled
out from the cassette.
Inventors: |
Hallsten, Lars; (Taby,
SE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
745 SOUTH 23RD STREET 2ND FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
|
Assignee: |
System Edstrom Bilinredningar
AB
|
Family ID: |
20278620 |
Appl. No.: |
09/793699 |
Filed: |
February 27, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/333 ;
312/332.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05C 1/10 20130101; E05B
65/46 20130101; Y10T 292/0997 20150401; A47B 2095/024 20130101;
Y10T 292/0977 20150401; E05C 1/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/333 ;
312/332.1 |
International
Class: |
A47B 088/00; A47B
095/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 29, 2000 |
SE |
0000649-4 |
Claims
1. Cassette (1) intended for building up drawer cabinets of the
type that accommodates a drawer (2) and includes, on one hand, a
rectangular frontal frame (5) from which four walls extend, viz. a
bottom wall (11), two side walls (8, 8') and an upper wall (10),
and, on the other hand, a rear wall (9) to which said walls are
connected, and which frontal frame (5) has at least one lower,
vertical flange (16) in connection with the first-mentioned walls,
the drawer (2) in addition to a back piece (21) including a bottom
piece (19), two side pieces (20, 20') as well as a frontal piece
(18) in which a lock (22) is arranged for locking the drawer
relative to the cassette, characterized in that the lock (22)
includes a house (23) located inside the frontal piece (18) of the
drawer and in connection with an opening (44) therein, inside which
house there is a spring-activated plunger (25), which is movable
vertically in relation to a hole (45) in the bottom piece (19) of
the drawer, viz. between, on one hand, a lower, locking position in
which a free end of the plunger (25) is behind and below an upper
edge of said lower flange (16) of the frontal frame of the
cassette, and in which the plunger makes the pulling-out of the
drawer from the cassette impossible, and, on the other hand, an
upper, opening end position in which the free end of the plunger is
located above the upper edge of said lower flange and goes free
therefrom to enable the pulling-out of the drawer, and that the
lock house (23) has a frontal opening (30) in flush with the
opening (44) in frontal piece (18) of the drawer (2), and that a
slide (24) carrying the plunger (25) is arranged inside the house,
which slide defines a forwardly open cavity (39) and includes a top
wall (37) positioned above the cavity, which top wall is accessible
via said openings (30, 44) in the house and the frontal piece of
the drawer to permit the lifting of the slide together with the
plunger against the action of at least one spring (43) arranged
between the house and the slide, which spring always aims at
bringing the plunger to the locking, lower position.
2. Cassette according to claim 1, characterized in that the lock
house (23) is fixed in the opening (44) of the frontal piece of the
drawer by snap means in the form of two lower projections (34)
placed at a distance inside a frontal wall (26) of the house, as
well as at least one elastically flexible tongue (33), which is
included in a top part (28) of the house and has a free end
situated at a distance inside the upper part of the frontal wall
(26).
3. Cassette according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the
slide (24) in a rear wall includes at least one wedge-shaped stop
lug (41), which is located in a recess (32) in a rear wall (27) of
the house (23) and has a lower surface extending transversely to
the slide wall, as well as an oblique rear surface, which permits
the pressing-in of the slide into the interior of the house in
connection with the assembly of the slide and the house, the
transverse surface on the lug serving as a stop surface which
controls the lower end position of the slide, and thereby of the
plunger, in relation to the house.
4. Cassette according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the same comprises a theftproofing supplement
(46), which includes a plate (47) insertable into the frontal
opening (30) of the lock house (23), which plate has in the main
the same shape as the opening (30) and on the outside of which
there is a flange (48') projecting from at least one lower edge of
the plate, which flange is pressable against the frontal wall of
the lock house, and that a locking mechanism (49) is mounted in
said supplement plate having a finger (50) which is turnable by
means of a key between locking and unlocking positions.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a cassette intended for building
up drawer cabinets of the type that accommodates a drawer and
includes, on one hand, a rectangular frontal frame from which four
walls extend, viz a bottom wall, two side walls and an upper wall,
and, on the other hand, a rear wall to which said walls are
connected, and which frontal frame has at least one lower, vertical
flange in connection with the first-mentioned walls, the drawer in
addition to a back piece including a bottom piece, two side pieces
as well as a frontal piece in which a lock is arranged for locking
the drawer in relation to the cassette.
PRIOR ART
[0002] A cassette for a drawer cabinet of the above-mentioned type
is previously known by EP 739 178. Drawer cabinets built up of such
cassettes are frequently installed in service vehicles of different
types and are used for storage of miscellaneous objects and
utensils that need to be at hand for the mobile service personnel
which make use of the vehicle. For instance, tools and expendable
components, such as screws, nuts, couplings, etc. may be stored in
the drawers of the drawer cabinets.
[0003] The cassette for a drawer cabinet known by EP 739 178
includes a lock which per se does not have the purpose of
theftproofing the drawer, but instead retain the same in the
pushed-in position in the cassette and if required allow the
pulling out of drawer. Characteristic of this known lock is that
the same is mounted in an upper part of the frontal piece of the
drawer and includes a turnably movable, hook-shaped lock plunger
which in the locking position should engage behind an upper flange
in the rectangular frontal frame of the cassette. In order to turn
the plunger between locking and disengaging positions, the lock
furthermore includes a handle. This has a profile shape that
corresponds with the profile shape of a gripping flange, which
protrudes from the upper edge of the frontal piece of the drawer.
More precisely, the handle is placed in a central recess in the
gripping flange in order to be located, in the locking state of the
lock, in line with the rest of the gripping flange.
[0004] A disadvantage of this known cassette for a drawer cabinet
has, however, turned out be that the function of the lock may be
jeopardized during extreme conditions. Thus, in particular wide
drawers (drawers having a width of 600 mm) may be subjected to
bending deformation when they are filled with heavy objects. More
precisely, the intermediate portion of the drawer then sinks down
in relation to the sides. Since the upper flange of the frontal
frame of the cassette behind which the lock plunger should engage
is comparatively narrow (usually approx. 5 mm), the free end
portion of the plunger which in practice is capable of engaging
against the flange becomes very short (usually approx. 2-3 mm).
Therefore, if the drawer sinks down some millimeters in the middle,
the lock plunger risks to lose the locking grip thereof against the
flange when the drawer at the same time happens to be subjected to
unintentional tractive forces. Thus, when cornering during the ride
of the vehicle, it has occurred that heavy loaded and thereby
somewhat deflected drawers have been subjected to such large
centrifugal forces that they unintentionally have been pulled out
from the cassette; something which may have drastic consequences by
virtue of the objects stored in the drawers having been thrown out
in an uncontrolled way. Another disadvantage of the previously
known cassette for a drawer cabinet is that the handle of the lock
and surrounding parts of the gripping flange of the frontal piece
of the drawer protrudes from the outside of the frontal piece of
the drawer. This means that the handle and the gripping flange
occupy a certain space in the area in front of the drawer cabinet.
Therefore, in the very narrow space that is present in a passage
between opposite rows of drawer cabinets in a vehicle, the handle
contributes to a limitation of the operator's possibilities to move
between the rows of drawer cabinets.
OBJECTS AND FEATURES OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention aims at obviating the above-mentioned
disadvantages of the previously known cassette for a drawer cabinet
and at providing an improved cassette. Therefore, an object of the
invention is to provide a cassette for a drawer cabinet in which
the drawer is secured in a reliable way in the pushed-in position
thereof in the cassette and in which the risk of unintentional
pulling-out of the drawer is obviated. An additional object is to
create a cassette for a drawer cabinet, the drawer of which may be
unlocked and pulled out by means which do not protrude from the
outside of the frontal piece of the drawer.
[0006] According to the invention, the above-mentioned objects are
attained by the features defined in the characterizing clause of
claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the cassette according to the
invention are furthermore defined in the dependent claims 2 and
3.
FURTHER ELUCIDATION OF PRIOR ART
[0007] By SE 150773, a lock intended for securing drawers is
previously known which has a plunger being mounted in the lower
edge of a frontal piece of the drawer. However, this lock includes
a house which in its entirety is located outside the frontal piece
of the drawer and opens downwards in order to permit the action of
a button, by means of which the lock plunger may be lifted up from
the locking position thereof. A lock house projecting in this way
is inappropriate in connection with drawers of drawer cabinets of
the type that the invention relates to.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE APPENDED DRAWINGS
[0008] In the drawings:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cassette for a drawer
cabinet made according to the invention, the drawer of which is
inserted in the cassette,
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the same cassette with the
drawer shown spaced-apart from the proper cassette,
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lock included in the
drawer,
[0012] FIG. 4 is a partly transparent front view of the lock
according to FIG. 3,
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross-section A-A in FIG. 4,
[0014] FIG. 6 is a cross-section corresponding to FIG. 5 which
shows a plunger slide spaced-apart from a house included in the
lock,
[0015] FIG. 7 is a side view of the same lock,
[0016] FIG. 8 is a partly cut side view of the drawer, the lock
according to FIGS. 4-7 being shown mounted in the drawer,
[0017] FIG. 9 is a partially cut side view showing the cassette
without a drawer,
[0018] FIG. 10 is a partially cut side view showing the drawer
inserted in the cassette, the lock being in a locking state,
[0019] FIG. 11 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing the
lock in a disengaging state,
[0020] FIG. 12 is a front view of a theftproofing supplement to the
lock according to the invention,
[0021] FIG. 13 an exploded view, partly in section, showing the
supplement in connection with the lock, although separated
therefrom, and
[0022] FIG. 14 a section through the lock showing the supplement
mounted in the same.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In FIG. 1, a cassette for a drawer cabinet is shown which
includes two main components, viz. a proper cassette 1 and a drawer
2, which in FIG. 1 is inserted in the cassette. On the bottom side
of the cassette 1, there are four hook-members 3 which are
insertable in a corresponding number of slits 4 in the top side of
another cassette in order to interconnect, in a simple way, a
suitable number of cassettes so as to form a drawer cabinet having
a desired height.
[0024] In FIG. 2 is seen how the cassette 1 is composed of a
frontal frame, in its entirety designated 5, which defines a
frontal opening 6 for receiving the drawer 2, as well as a back
piece, in its entirety designated 7. This back piece includes two
side walls 8, 8' as well as a rear wall 9. The back piece 7 may be
made of a single continuous, suitably thin-walled piece of metal
sheet, which is punched out of a blank and bent into U-form as seen
cross-section-wise as well in contour. In this connection, both
upper horizontal flanges 10 as well as lower, likewise horizontal
flanges 11 are formed along each one of the walls 8, 8', 9. The
upper flanges 10 are situated in a common plane and form an upper
wall or part of the cassette 1. In an analogous way, also the lower
flanges 11 are situated in a common, horizontal plane while forming
a lower wall or part of the cassette. The free ends of the
U-profiles that are formed by the side walls 8, 8' surround the
frontal frame 5 and are connected thereto in a suitable way, e.g.
by spot-welding or pressing. Advantageously, also the frontal frame
5 is manufactured from thin sheet-metal, which by punching and
bending has been given a U-shaped cross-section. The frontal frame
includes a top piece 12, a bottom piece 13 and two vertical side
pieces 14, 14'. Along the lower flanges 11 of the side walls 8, 8',
guide rails 15, 15' are arranged along which the drawer 2 is
displaceable and guided.
[0025] The top piece 12 as well as the bottom piece 13 of the
frontal frame 5 have a U-shaped cross-section. Therefore, there is
a comparatively narrow, vertical lower flange 16 adjacent to the
front edge of the bottom piece 13. Correspondingly, the top piece
12 has a narrow, vertical upper flange 17.
[0026] The drawer 2 includes a frontal piece 18, a bottom 19, two
side pieces 20, 20' as well as a back piece 21. These components,
which advantageously consist of bent thin metal sheet, together
form a substantially parallelepipedical drawer. The frontal piece
18 is larger than the back piece 21, which in turn is only slightly
narrower than the frontal opening 6 of the cassette 1. An upper
portion 21' of the back piece protrudes somewhat from other parts
of the upper edge of the drawer and has the purpose of retaining
the drawer in a maximum pulled-out position. Therefore, in the
pushed-in state of the drawer, the frontal piece 18 will, in all
essentials, entirely cover the frontal frame being behind, as is
seen in FIG. 1. In the frontal piece 18 of the drawer, a lock 22 is
included.
[0027] As far as the depicted cassette construction has been
described hitherto, the same is in all essentials previously known
by EP 739 178.
[0028] Reference is now made to FIGS. 3-11, which in detail
illustrate the nature of the lock 22. As best is seen in FIG. 6,
the lock includes two main components, viz. a house 23 and a slide
24 in which a lock plunger 25 is included. The house 23 is open
downwards and comprises a frontal wall 26, a rear wall 27, a top
wall 28 as well as two side walls 29. In the frontal wall 26, an
opening 30 is formed which partly is surrounded by a U-shaped
border 31. In the rear wall 27, there are two recesses 32. In the
top wall 28, three spaced-apart tongues 33 of an elastical flexible
nature are formed. The free end of each such tongue ends at a
certain distance from the inside of the frontal wall 26. In the
area of the frontal and lower corner of each side wall 29, a
finger-like projection 34 is formed, which extends obliquely
downwards/outwards and is located at a certain distance behind the
inside of the frontal wall 26.
[0029] The slide 24 includes a rear wall 35, a bottom wall 36 and a
top wall 37, which together with two opposite side walls 38 define
a cavity 39 which is open in the forward direction. The plunger 25
extends downwards from the bottom wall 36 and has an obliquely
inclined surface 40 which extends obliquely upwards/backwards from
a lower edge of the plunger. On the outside of the rear wall 35,
two projections are formed in the shape of cross-section-wise
wedge-shaped lugs 41. These lugs are delimited by a lower surface
which extends perpendicularly to the wall 35 and an upwardly
directed surface which is oblique as a consequence of the lug
tapering in the direction upwards. It should also be mentioned that
two pins 42 are formed on the upper side of the top wall 37. These
pins have the purpose of receiving compression springs in the form
of screw compression springs 43.
[0030] The house 23 and the slide 24 are in practice produced of
plastic, which gives at least the house but preferably also the
slide, certain flexibility. By being made of plastic, the two
components 23, 24 may be manufactured in large series at low
costs.
[0031] When the slide 24 and the house 23 are to be assembled, the
springs 43 are applied on the pins 42, and thereafter the slide 24
is inserted from below into the house 23. In doing so, the oblique
surfaces of the lugs 41 permit that the slide is pressed into the
interior of the house while the walls 27 and 35 are deformed
elastically to a certain extent. As soon as the lugs 41 reach the
recesses 32, the slide is snapped in the house in that the
transverse lower surface of each lug blocks the slide from being
removed from the house. In the position shown in FIG. 5, the
individual stop lug 41 abuts against the lower edge of the recess
32. In doing so, the slide together with the plunger 25 assume a
lower end position from which the slide may be lifted up against
the action of the springs 43, more precisely by sticking in one or
more fingers into the cavity 39 of the slide via the opening 30 in
the frontal wall of the house, whereafter the fingers are pressed
against the top wall 37 and press this upwards.
[0032] In FIGS. 8, 10 and 11, the assembled lock is shown applied
in the frontal piece 18 of the drawer. In this frontal piece, an
opening 44 is formed, the size of which corresponds to the size of
the lock house. The opening is located in the lower part of the
frontal piece and halfway between the two opposite ends of the
frontal piece. In close proximity to the frontal piece, a hole 45
for the lock plunger 25 is recessed in the bottom wall 19 of the
drawer. The mounting of the lock in the frontal piece takes place
by snapping. More precisely, the lower part of the lock house is
inserted through the opening 44, the plunger 25 being inserted into
the hole 45. In this initial step, the lower edge portion of the
frontal piece defining the opening 44 is brought in between the two
elastic fingers 34 and the frontal wall 26 of the lock house. Then,
when the upper part of the house is pressed into the opening by
turning the house, the elastic tongues 33 springs away until the
frontal wall 26 is in contact with the frontal piece of the drawer.
In doing so, the tongues 33 springs back to the starting position
thereof and snaps the lock house in a ready-mounted position by
being pressed against the inside of the upper edge portion of the
frontal piece defining the opening 44. In addition, the elastic
fingers 34 will continuously be held resiliently pressed against
the inside of the frontal piece 18.
[0033] In FIG. 10, the lock is shown in a locking state. In this
state, the slide and the lock plunger thereof assume a lower end
position in which the lugs 41 abut against of the lower limiting
surfaces of the recesses 32 at the same time as the plunger
projects down through the hole 45 and abuts, with the lower end
portion thereof, against the inside of the lower flange 16 of the
frontal frame 5 of the cassette. When the drawer is to be unlocked
and drawn out to the outer end position thereof in relation to the
cassette, one or more fingers are stuck into the cavity 39 of the
slide and are pressed against the top wall 37 of the slide, whereby
the slide and the plunger are lifted to an upper position according
to FIG. 11. In this way, the lower end of the plunger 25 is located
on a level above the flange 16 so that the plunger goes free. As
soon as the fingers are removed from the slide, the same returns to
the starting position thereof by means of the springs 43.
[0034] By the construction and location thereof, the described lock
locks the drawer in the area of the bottom part of the drawer.
Therefore, if the drawer would be heavily loaded and subjected to
bending deformation, there is no risk that the lock plunger looses
the locking engagement thereof with the cassette. On the contrary,
an increasing weight load entails an even safer locking of the
drawer.
[0035] An important advantage of the cassette according to the
invention is that the drawer does not have any markedly projecting
gripping members. Thus, the gripping of the drawer is executed by
the fact that the fingers of the hand are stuck into the lock
house, the pulling-out of the drawer being carried out by
application of a horizontal pulling force on the house and the
drawer when the lock plunger has been unlocked.
[0036] In FIGS. 12-14, a supplement lockable by means of a key is
illustrated which advantageously may be used together with the lock
according to the invention in order to theftproof the drawer of the
cassette is so required. This supplement is in its entirety
designated 46 and includes a plate 47, which in the main has the
same contour shape as the frontal opening 30 in frontal wall 26 of
the lock house 23. Thus, the plate 47 is rectangular and has
substantially the same length and height as the opening 30. The
plate 47 is integrated with an external second plate 48, that has
as a lower flange 48' which protrudes downwards a distance from the
lower edge of the plate 47, as well as side flanges which protrude
somewhat from the side edges of the plate 47. In practice, the
plates 47, 48 may be casted in one single piece of plastic.
Centrally in the supplement, a locking mechanism 49 is mounted of
the type that is actuable by a key (not shown). In the locking
mechanism, a finger 50 is included, which is turnable 90.degree. by
means of the key, more precisely between an upwards pointing,
locking position, in which the finger abuts against the top wall 37
of the slide 24, and a horizontal, unlocked position. When the
plate 47 is inserted into the opening 30 and fills this up at the
same time as the finger 50 is positioned in the locking position
according to FIG. 14, access to the cavity 39 in the slide is made
impossible; something which in turn prevents removal of the lock
plunger 25 from the locking position according to FIG. 10.
[0037] In this connection, it should be mentioned that the lock
shown in the drawings is intended for wide cassettes for drawer
cabinets (600 mm or more). For cassettes for drawer cabinets having
smaller dimensions, the lock may be of a simpler embodiment. The
lock may, for instance, then have such a limited width that only
one finger may be inserted in the cavity of the plunger slide.
* * * * *