U.S. patent application number 09/934171 was filed with the patent office on 2002-11-21 for v-fold drawer with filing extrusion.
Invention is credited to Henriott, Jay M., Miller, Grover L..
Application Number | 20020171343 09/934171 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26966925 |
Filed Date | 2002-11-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020171343 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Miller, Grover L. ; et
al. |
November 21, 2002 |
V-fold drawer with filing extrusion
Abstract
A drawer for hanging file folders, which is formed from a drawer
subassembly including an elongate drawer plank to which is
attached, along a longitudinal edge thereof, an elongate plastic or
metal support rail from which hanging file folders may be hung. The
drawer subassembly is subsequently folded about a plurality of
hinge portions therein which are common to the drawer plank and to
the support rail, and a base panel is captured within the drawer
subassembly as same is folded to define a drawer including a base
panel surrounded by a plurality of vertical walls from which
hanging file folders may be hung. The attachment of the support
rail to the drawer plank prior to forming the hinge portions in the
drawer subassembly and folding same to form the drawer obviates the
need to separately attach multiple components of a file folder
hanging structure to the drawer walls after the drawer is
formed.
Inventors: |
Miller, Grover L.;
(Chrisney, IN) ; Henriott, Jay M.; (Jasper,
IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BAKER & DANIELS
111 E. WAYNE STREET
SUITE 800
FORT WAYNE
IN
46802
|
Family ID: |
26966925 |
Appl. No.: |
09/934171 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60291700 |
May 17, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
312/348.1 ;
312/183 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B42F 15/0094
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/348.1 ;
312/183 |
International
Class: |
A47B 088/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A drawer for containing hanging file folders, comprising: an
elongate drawer plank; an elongate support rail attached to said
drawer plank and adapted to support at least one hanging file
folder therefrom, said drawer plank and said support rail having a
plurality of common hinge portions therein about which said drawer
plank and said support rail are folded to define at least three
sides of a drawer having a plurality of vertical walls.
2. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said support rail is an elongate
piece of extruded material.
3. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said drawer plank and said
support rail define four sides of said drawer.
4. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said drawer plank and said
support rail define three sides of said drawer, said drawer further
including a fourth side attached there to.
5. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said common hinge portions are
defined by miter cuts disposed through a portion of the thicknesses
of each of said drawer plank and said support rail.
6. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said drawer plank includes an
upper edge having a longitudinal groove disposed along at least a
portion thereof, and said support rail includes a tongue portion
extending longitudinally from at least a portion thereof, said
tongue portion fitted within said groove to attach said support
rail to said drawer plank.
7. The drawer of claim 6, wherein said tongue portion includes a
plurality of barbs thereon for engaging said groove.
8. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said support rail includes a base
portion connected to said drawer plank from which a pair of
parallel rail members extend, said base portion and said rail
members defining a U-shaped cross section.
9. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said support rail includes a pair
of rail members respectively disposed on opposite sides of an upper
edge of said drawer plank to attach said support rail to said
drawer plank.
10. The drawer of claim 9, wherein said rail members include
protrusions which engage grooves respectively formed on said
opposite sides of said drawer plank adjacent said upper edge.
11. The drawer of claim 1, wherein said drawer further includes a
base panel captured between said plurality of vertical walls.
12. The drawer of claim 11, wherein each of said walls of said
drawer plank includes an interior surface having a groove therein,
said base panel is captured within said grooves.
13. A method of manufacturing a drawer for hanging file folders,
comprising: providing a drawer subassembly including an elongate
drawer plank to which is attached an elongate support rail adapted
to support at least one hanging file folder, the drawer subassembly
having a long dimension defined between first and second ends
thereof; forming a series of hinge portions in both the drawer
plank and the support rail of the drawer subassembly intermediate
the first and second ends, the hinge portions disposed
perpendicular to the long dimension of the drawer subassembly; and
folding the drawer subassembly about the hinge portions to define a
drawer having a plurality of walls.
14. The method of claim 13, including the additional step of
attaching a base panel to the drawer subassembly.
15. The method of claim 13, including the additional step of
attaching the first and second ends of the drawer subassembly to
one another.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein said support rail is an
elongate piece of extruded material.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein said folding step includes
folding the drawer subassembly about the hinge portions to define a
drawer having four walls.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein said folding step includes
folding the drawer subassembly about the hinge portions to define a
drawer having three walls.
19. The method of claim 18, including the additional step of
attaching a fourth side to the folded drawer subassembly.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein the drawer plank includes an
upper edge having a longitudinal groove disposed along at least a
portion thereof, and the support rail includes a tongue portion
extending longitudinally from at least a portion thereof, the
tongue portion fitted within the groove to attach the support rail
to the drawer plank.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under Title 35, U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/291,700,
entitled V-FOLD DRAWER WITH FILING EXTRUSION, filed May 17,
2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to office furniture systems,
and in particular, to a drawer or other container for office
furniture systems which is configured to hold hanging file folders
therein.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Office furniture systems, including desks and workstations,
for example, typically include drawers or other containers
associated therewith which are configured to hold hanging file
folders therein. Hanging file folders generally include a hinged
file folder having a plurality of hanger clips attached to the free
edges thereof opposite the hinge for hanging the file folders from
the hanging structure of a drawer. The hanging structure of the
drawer typically includes one or more rails, bars, or other
elements which are fastened or clipped onto the upper portions of
the drawer walls.
[0006] One method of manufacturing such a drawer includes cutting a
groove in one of the side faces of an elongate drawer plank
adjacent a lower portion thereof. Then, a plurality of V-shaped
miter cuts are made intermediate the ends of the drawer plank to
define a plurality of drawer walls therein, which cuts are
perpendicular to the long dimension of the drawer plank. Next, a
base panel is provided which is fitted within the grooves in the
walls of the drawer plank, followed by folding the drawer plank
about the miter cuts, and attaching the ends of the drawer plank to
one another to thereby form a drawer having a base panel with a
plurality of vertical walls therearound. After forming the drawer,
the file hanging structure is attached to the upper portions of the
drawer walls.
[0007] A problem with such drawers is that, after the drawer is
formed as described above, the subsequent attachment of the file
hanging structure to the drawer is a time-consuming task, typically
requiring a number of individual assembly steps which must be
performed by hand. For example, one file hanging structure includes
four rail members, which each must be attached to the upper
portions of the drawer walls using a plurality of screw fasteners.
Other file hanging structures include, for example, a plurality of
corner blocks with rail members extending therebetween, or a
plurality of individual extruded rail members which are separately
attached to each of the drawer walls by fitting protruding tongues
thereof within corresponding grooves cut in the top edges of each
of the drawer walls.
[0008] What is needed is a drawer for hanging file folders, which
drawer may be made according to a process wherein the step of
separately attaching the several components of the file hanging
structure to the drawer after the drawer is formed is eliminated,
such that the drawer is easier and less costly to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention provides a drawer for hanging file
folders, which is formed from a drawer subassembly including an
elongate drawer plank to which is attached, along a longitudinal
edge thereof, an elongate plastic or metal support rail or
extrusion piece from which hanging file folders may be hung. The
drawer subassembly is subsequently folded about a plurality of
hinge portions therein which are common to the drawer plank and to
the support rail, and a base panel is captured within the drawer
subassembly as same is folded to define a drawer including a base
panel surrounded by a plurality of vertical walls from which
hanging file folders may be hung.
[0010] The support rail includes an upper portion having a
U-shaped, L-shaped, or any other cross section which may support
hanging file folders, and a lower portion thereof may include a
longitudinal connecting tongue which is adapted to fit within a
corresponding longitudinal groove disposed within the top edge of
the drawer plank. The drawer plank additionally includes a groove
cut in one of the sides faces thereof adjacent a lower portion of
same into which the base panel is captured, and also includes one
or more connecting elements associated with the first and second
longitudinal ends of the drawer plank.
[0011] To form the drawer, the connecting tongue of the support
rail is fitted within the groove along the top edge of the drawer
plank, or the support rail is otherwise attached to the drawer
plank, in order to form the drawer subassembly. Subsequently, a
series of V-shaped miter cuts are made in the drawer subassembly
through part of the thicknesses of the each of the drawer plank and
the support rail to define the hinge portions of the drawer
subassembly. The miter cuts are disposed perpendicular to the long
dimension of the drawer subassembly, and, along with the ends of
the drawer subassembly, define a plurality of drawer walls therein.
Thereafter, the drawer subassembly is folded about the hinge
portions with a drawer base panel captured within the grooves in
the lower portions of the drawer walls, and the first and second
ends of the drawer plank are subsequently attached to one another
to form the drawer.
[0012] Advantageously, the attachment of the support rail to the
drawer plank prior to making the miter cuts in the drawer
subassembly and folding same to form the drawer obviates the need
to separately attach multiple components of a file hanging
structure to the drawer walls after the drawer is formed, thereby
decreasing the difficulty and cost of manufacturing the drawer.
[0013] Additionally, the U-shaped cross section of the upper
portion of the support rail allows a plurality of adjacent drawer
subassemblies to be pushed together through an automated assembly
line in which each of the miter cuts are made in a plurality of
drawer subassemblies simultaneously, because the U-shaped cross
sections of the support rails contact the edges of adjacent drawer
subassemblies in a manner which prevents adjacent drawer
subassemblies from overlapping one another when multiple drawer
subassemblies are pushed through the assembly line.
[0014] In one form thereof, the present invention provides a drawer
for containing hanging file folders, including an elongate drawer
plank; an elongate support rail attached to the drawer plank and
adapted to support at least one hanging file folder therefrom, the
drawer plank and the support rail having a plurality of common
hinge portions therein about which the drawer plank and the support
rail are folded to define a drawer having a plurality of vertical
walls.
[0015] In another form thereof, the present invention provides a
method of manufacturing a drawer for hanging file folders,
including the steps of providing a drawer subassembly including an
elongate drawer plank to which is attached an elongate support rail
adapted to support at least one hanging file folder, the drawer
subassembly having a long dimension defined between first and
second ends; forming a series of hinge portions in the drawer
subassembly intermediate the first and second ends, the hinge
portions disposed perpendicular to the long dimension of the drawer
subassembly; and folding the drawer subassembly about the hinge
portions to define a drawer having a plurality of walls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of
this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more
apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by
reference to the following description of embodiments of the
invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drawer subassembly in
accordance with the present invention, showing an elongate drawer
plank and an elongate support rail, the support rail having a lower
portion with a longitudinal tongue which is shown being fitted
within a corresponding longitudinal groove along an upper edge of
the drawer plank;
[0018] FIG. 1A is an end view of the support rail of the drawer
subassembly of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drawer subassembly of
FIG. 1, showing the drawer plank and the support rail attached to
one another;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drawer subassembly of
FIG. 2, additionally showing a plurality of miter cuts through part
of the thicknesses of the drawer plank and the support rail, the
miter cuts defining a plurality of hinge portions in the drawer
subassembly;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic, perspective view showing the drawer
subassembly of FIG. 3 being folded about the hinge portions and
also about a drawer base panel to form a drawer;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a schematic, perspective view of the folded drawer
of FIG. 4, further showing a portion of a holding machine or jig
for holding the drawer in a square orientation during curing of the
adhesive which is used to join the components of the drawer to one
another;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the folded drawer of FIG.
5;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a plurality of the drawer
subassemblies of FIG. 2 being pushed through an automated assembly
line, and further showing a portion of a cutting tool cutting the
miter cuts in the drawer subassemblies, wherein the upper portions
of the support rails of the drawer subassemblies include an
L-shaped cross section;
[0025] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a plurality of the drawer
subassemblies of FIG. 2 being pushed through an automated assembly
line, and further showing a portion of a cutting tool cutting the
miter cuts in the drawer subassemblies, wherein the upper portions
of the support rails of the drawer subassemblies include a U-shaped
cross section;
[0026] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a folded drawer assembly in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention,
including a folded drawer subassembly defining three drawer walls
to which a separate drawer front is attached;
[0027] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank, the support rail having a slot for supporting a rod or
crossbar from which hanging files may be hung;
[0028] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank, the support rail having an H-shaped cross section;
[0029] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank, the support rail having a U-shaped member attached thereto
from which hanging files may be hung;
[0030] FIG. 13 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank, the support rail having interior protrusions at the lower
ends of parallel rails thereof which engage in a double groove
formed along the upper edge of the drawer plank.
[0031] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank, the support rail having a slot for supporting a rod or
crossbar from which hanging files may be hung;
[0032] FIG. 15 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank, the support rail having a T-shaped cross section;
[0033] FIG. 16 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank;
[0034] FIG. 17 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank; the support rail having a slot for supporting a rod or
crossbar from which hanging files may be hung;
[0035] FIG. 18 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a
drawer subassembly, showing a support rail connected to a drawer
plank; the support rail having rail members with internal barbs for
engaging the upper edge of the drawer plank; and
[0036] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a folded drawer assembly in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention,
including a folded drawer subassembly defining three drawer walls
to which a separate drawer front is attached.
[0037] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out
herein illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and such
exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of
the invention in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, drawer subassembly 20 is shown, which
is a component of hanging file folder drawer 22, shown in FIG. 6.
Drawer 22 may hold therewithin a plurality of hanging file folders
24, as described further below. Drawer subassembly 20 generally
includes drawer plank 26 and support rail 28.
[0039] Drawer plank 26 may be formed of solid wood, pressed
particle board, medium density fiber board, or an extruded plastic
material, for example. Drawer plank 26 is elongate in overall
shape, and includes opposite first and second ends 30, 32; upper
and lower edges 34, 36; and inner and outer side faces 38, 40,
respectively. A first groove 42 is cut longitudinally along upper
edge 34 of drawer plank 26, and a second groove 44 is cut
longitudinally in inner side face 38 of drawer plank 26 adjacent
lower edge 36 thereof. Connecting elements are associated with each
of first and second ends 30, 32 of drawer plank 26, which
connecting elements are shown in FIG. 1 as a plurality of dowel
rods 46 in first end 30, which may be fitted within a plurality of
corresponding holes 48 (FIG. 4), adjacent second end 32 to secure
first and second ends 30, 32 together, as explained below.
[0040] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, support rail 28 is also
elongate in overall shape, and includes upper portion 50 and lower
portion 52. Upper portion 50 includes base 54 and a pair of
parallel rail members 56 extending therefrom such that, as shown in
FIG. 1A, upper portion 50 defines a U-shaped cross section.
Alternatively, base 54 may only include one rail member 56
extending therefrom such that upper portion 50 defines an L-shaped
cross section, as shown in FIG. 7. Lower portion 52 of support rail
28 includes longitudinal connecting tongue 58 having a plurality of
barbs 60 extending from opposite sides thereof. Support rail 28 may
be an extrusion piece formed of metal, or a single piece of
extruded plastic material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), for
example.
[0041] To attach support rail 28 to drawer plank 26, tongue 58 of
support rail 28 is fitted or pressed within groove 42 of drawer
plank 26 as shown in FIG. 1, such that barbs 60 of tongue 58 are
embedded within drawer plank 26 to firmly and securely attach
support rail 28 to drawer plank 26, forming drawer subassembly 20,
as shown in FIG. 2.
[0042] Thereafter, a series of hinge portions 62a-c are formed in
drawer subassembly 20. As shown in FIG. 3, such hinge portions are
defined by a plurality of V-shaped miter cuts 63a-c made through a
portion of the thicknesses of each of drawer plank 26 and support
rail 28 of drawer subassembly 20, wherein miter cuts 63a-c are cut
in a direction perpendicular to the long dimension of drawer
subassembly 20. As shown in FIG. 3, three such miter cuts 63a-c may
be made in drawer subassembly 20 to define three hinge portions
62a-c, and also to define four drawer walls 64a-d, with first
drawer wall 64a defined between first end 30 of drawer subassembly
20 and first hinge portion 62a, second drawer wall 64b defined
between first and second hinge portions 62a,b, third drawer wall
64c defined between second and third hinge portions 62b,c, and
fourth drawer wall 64d defined between third hinge portion 62c and
second end 32 of drawer subassembly 20.
[0043] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, miter cuts 63a-c in drawer
assembly 20 may be made simultaneously by a cutting tool including
a plurality of cutting members, one of which is shown in the form
of blade 66. The cutting tool comprises part of an automated
assembly line 68 which also includes pushing member 70. Pushing
member 70 pushes a group including a plurality of drawer
subassemblies 20 through assembly line 68 in a manner in which
drawer subassemblies 20 abut against one another such that the
support rails 28 of one drawer subassembly 20 abut against lower
edge 36 of drawer plank 26 of an adjacent drawer subassembly
20.
[0044] As illustrated in FIG. 7, if support rails 28 of drawer
subassemblies 20 have an L-shaped cross section, as described
above, it has been found that overlap between the support rail of
one drawer subassembly and the bottom edge of an adjacent drawer
subassembly may occur when a group of adjacent drawer subassemblies
20 are pushed through automated assembly line 68. If the foregoing
overlap occurs, blades 66, rather than making miter cut 63a-c
through only portion of the thickness of drawer subassemblies 20,
may cut entirely through one or more drawer subassemblies 20.
Therefore, support rails 28 which have such an L-shaped cross
section may not be preferred in an automated manufacturing process
in which a plurality of drawer subassemblies 20 are pushed in a
flat manner adjacent to one another through an automated assembly
line 68, as described above.
[0045] Alternatively, referring to FIG. 8, if the support rails 28
of the drawer subassemblies 20 have a U-shaped cross section, as
described above, the pair of rail members 56 of upper portion 50
thereof (FIG. 1A) press against an adjacent lower edge 36 of an
adjacent drawer subassembly 20 at two points of contact on lower
edge 36, such that overlap of adjacent drawer subassemblies 20 is
prevented. In this manner, a plurality of drawer subassemblies 20
may be pushed through automated assembly line 68 adjacent to one
another without overlapping of adjacent drawer subassemblies 20,
such that blades 66 cut through only a portion of the thicknesses
of drawer subassemblies 20 to make miter cuts 63a-c therein.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, after miter cuts 63a-c are made in
drawer subassembly 20, drawer subassembly 20 is folded about hinge
portions 62a-c. Additionally, drawer base panel 71 is inserted
within grooves 44 of drawer plank 26. After drawer subassembly 20
is thus folded about base panel 71 and about hinge portions 62a-c
to capture base panel 71 therein, dowel rods 46 of first end 30 of
drawer plank 26 are fitted within the corresponding holes 48 in
second end 32 of drawer plank 26, and a suitable adhesive, such as
a hot melt glue, for example, is applied therebetween. An adhesive
may also be applied if desired between base panel 71 and grooves 44
in drawer plank 26. Referring to FIG. 5, after drawer subassembly
20 has been thus folded to define drawer 22, drawer 22 is fixedly
held in a square orientation by a plurality of holding elements 72
of a holding machine or jig until the adhesive cures.
[0047] After the adhesive cures, drawer 22 may be removed from the
holding machine or jig, and suitable drawer hardware such as drawer
slide 74 for example, may be attached thereto for slidably
attaching drawer 22 to a piece of office furniture. Hanging file
folders 24 may be hung within drawer 22 on support rail 28, such
that clips 76 of folders 24 are hung on and supported by support
rail 28 with folders 24 disposed within interior space 78 of drawer
22.
[0048] As may be appreciated from the foregoing assembly process,
the attachment of support rail 28 to drawer plank 26 to form drawer
subassembly 20 before hinge portions 62a-c are formed therein, and
also before drawer subassembly 20 is folded to define drawer 22,
obviates the additional manufacturing steps of separately
connecting the several components of a file hanging structure to
drawer 22, thereby decreasing the difficulty and cost of assembling
drawer 22.
[0049] However, various details regarding the construction of
drawer 22 may vary from that described above. In particular, the
shape of support rail 28 may vary widely from the foregoing
L-shaped or U-shaped configurations described above. For example,
support rail 28 could have a T-shaped or W-shaped cross section, or
any other shape adapted to support clips 76 of hanging file folders
24.
[0050] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, support rail 100 includes
upper portion 102 having base 104 and a pair of parallel rail
members 106 extending therefrom, and lower portion 108 of support
rail 100 includes slot 110 for supporting rod or crossbar 112 from
which hanging files 24 may also be hung in an orientation
perpendicular to any hanging files which are hung from rail members
106. Support rail 100 also includes connecting tongue 58, similar
to that of support rail 28, for connecting support rail 100 to
drawer plank 26. Referring to FIG. 14, support rail 136 is shown,
which is similar to support rail 100, wherein support rail 136
includes a single rail member 106. Referring to FIG. 17, support
rail 140 is shown, which is also similar to support rail 100, and
includes arms 142 for attaching support rail 140 to drawer plank
26.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 11, support rail 114 includes central
portion 116 and parallel rail members 118 defining an H-shaped
cross section from which hanging files 24 may be hung, with drawer
plank 26 received between rail members 118 for attaching support
rail 114 to drawer plank 26. Support rail 150, shown in FIG. 16, is
similar to support rail 114, and includes a single elongated rail
member 118 to define an upper portion of support rail 150 having an
L-shaped cross section.
[0052] Referring to FIG. 12, support rail 120 includes base portion
122 with U-shaped section 124 attached thereto from which hanging
files 24 may be hung. Support rail 120 also includes connecting
tongue 58, similar to that of support rail 28, for connecting
support rail 120 to drawer plank 26. In FIG. 15, support rail 160
is shown, having an upper portion with a T-shaped cross section,
and further including connecting tongue 58.
[0053] Also, barbs 60 of tongue 58 of support rail 28 may be
eliminated, in favor of the use of fasteners, an interference fit,
or an adhesive, for example, to attach support rail 28 to drawer
plank 26. In view of the foregoing, groove 42 may be eliminated
from upper edge 34 of drawer plank 26. For example, as shown in
FIG. 11, support rail 114 is attached to drawer plank 26 by the
engagement between upper edge 34 of drawer plank 26 between
parallel rail members 118 of support rail 114, and parallel rail
members 118 may also include internal barbs 144, shown in FIG. 18,
for engaging side faces 38, 40 of drawer plank 26 adjacent upper
edge 34 thereof. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, support rail 114 may
additionally include a pair of protrusions 126 extending interiorly
of the lower ends of parallel rail members 118, which protrusions
126 engage grooves 128 respectively formed in each side face 38, 40
of drawer plank 26 adjacent upper edge 34 thereof.
[0054] Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 19, drawer subassembly
130 may only include two hinge portions 62a, 62b, such that drawer
assembly 130, when folded about such hinge portions, defines only
three walls or sides 132a-c of drawer 22, to which a fourth side
132d may be separately attached, if desired. As shown in FIG. 9,
fourth side 132d may comprise a drawer front including suitable
drawer pull hardware, such as pull knob 134. Fourth side 132d may
be attached to the front edges of sides 132a,c as shown in FIG. 9,
or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19, fourth side 132d may be
attached to the interior faces of sides 132a,c adjacent the front
edges thereof such that fourth side 132d is captured between sides
132a,c.
[0055] While this invention has been described as having a
preferred design, the present invention can be further modified
within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is
therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of
the invention using its general principles. Further, this
application is intended to cover such departures from the present
disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to
which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of
the appended claims.
* * * * *