U.S. patent application number 10/405080 was filed with the patent office on 2004-10-07 for method of manufacturing a drawer box with a file hanging system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Olon Industries Inc.. Invention is credited to Bowers, James, Guratzsch, Frank, Lill, George.
Application Number | 20040195943 10/405080 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32069661 |
Filed Date | 2004-10-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040195943 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bowers, James ; et
al. |
October 7, 2004 |
Method of manufacturing a drawer box with a file hanging system
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a drawer box having an integrated file
hanging system. A hanger track is provided with a barbed mounting
rib for engagement into a groove cut into the long edge of a blank.
A vinyl laminate is applied to the blank over the top edge and the
face that will become the exterior face of the drawer box and the
hanger track is pressed into the groove. The drawer blank is
processed through the V-groover with the hanger track already in
position along the top edge, to mitre the drawer track at the same
time as the drawer sides. In the preferred embodiment a bead is
formed along the top edge of the mounting track and the cross bar
is provided with a complementary hook structure, so that it can be
positively engaged to the mounting track.
Inventors: |
Bowers, James; (Edwardsport,
IN) ; Guratzsch, Frank; (Washington, IN) ;
Lill, George; (Stoney Creek, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mark B. Eisen
Dimock Stratton Clarizio LLP
20 Queen Street West, Suite 3202
Box 102
Toronto
ON
M5H 3R3
CA
|
Assignee: |
Olon Industries Inc.
|
Family ID: |
32069661 |
Appl. No.: |
10/405080 |
Filed: |
April 2, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/258 ;
312/184 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 63/00 20130101;
A47B 96/202 20130101; B42F 15/0094 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/258 ;
312/184 |
International
Class: |
A47B 043/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of manufacturing a drawer box from a drawer box blank
and a track having at least one side wall for suspending a folder
and at least one mounting rib for engaging the drawer box blank,
comprising the steps of: a. providing a groove along an edge of the
drawer box blank, for receiving the mounting rib, b. applying a
flexible sheet to a face of the drawer box blank to produce a
laminated face and to the edge, c. inserting the mounting rib into
the groove, d. forming right angled V-grooves through a face of the
drawer blank opposite the laminated face, leaving the flexible
sheet intact, and through the track, at positions corresponding to
three corners of the drawer box, and e. assembling the drawer box
by affixing a floor panel to the blank, folding the blank along the
V-grooves and affixing the outer ends of the blank together.
2. The method of claim 1 in which, during step c., the flexible
sheet tears along the groove and folds into the groove.
3. The method of claim 2 in which the flexible sheet folds into the
groove along both sides of the groove.
4. The method of claim 3 in which step c. comprises the sub-steps
of inserting one end of the rib into one end of the groove, and
running the blank and track through a gate which presses the track
against the edge of the blank to force the rib into the groove.
5. The method of claim 3 in which the outer ends of the blank are
affixed together using dowels and glue.
6. The method of claim 3 in which, in step d., the V-grooves are
formed simultaneously.
7. A drawer box assembled from a track having at least one side
wall for suspending a folder and at least one mounting rib, and a
drawer box blank having a groove along an edge for receiving the
mounting rib and a flexible sheet applied over a face of the drawer
box blank to produce a laminated face and over the edge, and a
series of right angled V-grooves formed through a face of the
drawer blank opposite the laminated face, leaving the flexible
sheet intact, and through the track, at positions corresponding to
three corners of the drawer box, whereby the drawer box is
assembled by affixing a floor panel to the blank, folding the blank
along the V-grooves and affixing the outer ends of the blank
together.
8. The drawer box of claim 7 wherein the flexible sheet intrudes
into the groove and is engaged by the mounting rib.
9. The drawer box of claim 8 wherein the mounting rib is
barbed.
10. The drawer box of claim 8 wherein the track comprises a bead
along a top edge of the side wall, whereby a cross bar having a
complementary hook structure can be engaged to the mounting track
to resist dislodgement and shifting during use.
11. The drawer box of claim 10 wherein the track comprises a pair
of side walls.
12. The drawer box of claim 8 wherein the flexible sheet is
composed of vinyl.
13. The drawer box of claim 8 wherein the drawer blank is composed
of particle board.
14. The drawer box of claim 8 wherein the ends of the assembled
drawer box are affixed together using dowels and glue.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to furniture. In particular, this
invention relates to a method of manufacturing a drawer box having
an integrated file hanging system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] File hanging systems are commonly used in desks and similar
articles of furniture. A conventional file hanging system is
designed to support a so-called "hanging folder," which is
typically a cardboard folder having upper edges provided with hooks
for suspending the folder. The upper edge of a drawer is fitted
with a mountable track, on which the hanging folder hooks can be
mounted width-wise across the drawer, to suspend a folder having a
length corresponding to the width of the drawer (typically an 11
inch folder). Moreover, to accommodate different sizes of folders,
a cross rail can be mounted to the track across the top of the
drawer, and positioned to receive hooks from a folder that is too
large to hang width-wise across the drawer (for example, a 14 inch
folder). A number of hanging folders are thus suspended in the
drawer from the track, to create a convenient filing system.
[0003] One known method of manufacturing drawer boxes for such a
filing system is to cut a flat blank of wood having a width equal
to the intended height of the drawer, a length that is the sum of
the lengths of the four sides of the drawer box, and a floor groove
adjacent to the long side running along the length of the blank.
The side of the blank opposite the floor groove is laminated with a
flexible plastic (e.g. vinyl) sheet. The blank is positioned with
the laminated side down, and processed through a "V-groover" which
cuts a series of three 90.degree. V-grooves through the blank,
without damaging the vinyl laminate, corresponding to the positions
of three of the four drawer box corners, and the end edges of the
blank (which will be joined together to form the fourth corner) can
be left squared to form a butt joint using drilled holes and
dowels, or optionally mitred.
[0004] The drawer can thus be readily assembled by inserting a
floor panel into the floor groove and folding the blank around the
floor panel to form the drawer box. The joint along the abutting
end edges is stapled, glued or otherwise secured to complete the
drawer box. The plastic sheet holds the drawer box sides in place,
and a hanger track is applied around the top edge of the drawer. A
cross rail is typically taped to the bottom of the drawer for
storage and shipping to the distributor or customer, so that the
purchaser has the option of hanging folders larger than the width
of the drawer.
[0005] This conventional manufacturing method involves a number of
additional steps to assemble and mount the file hanger track,
including cutting the hanger track to length, carefully mitring the
end of each length of hanger track (where aesthetic appearance is
important), and affixing the hanger track to the upper edges of the
drawer box. This method also requires the extra step of taping the
cross bar to the inside of the drawer. As these steps are typically
carried out manually, over the manufacture of hundreds or thousands
of drawers these extra steps can involve a considerable amount of
labour and associated cost to the manufacturer. Further, the cross
bars can be lost or stolen, or become dislodged in the drawer
during shipping so that it scratches or mars the inside of the
drawer box. Also, because the cross bar merely sits loosely on the
hanger track when mounted, when in use there is a tendency for the
cross bar to shift under the momentum of the hanging files as the
drawer suddenly comes to a stop when closed, which can cause the
hanging folders to become dislodged from the cross bar and fall
into the drawer, potentially spilling out the contents of the
files.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention addresses these disadvantages by
providing a method of manufacturing a drawer box having an
integrated hanger track, and a drawer box according to the method.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
hanger track is provided with a longitudinal mounting rib,
preferably barbed, for engagement into a track mounting groove cut
into the long edge of the blank that will become the top edge of
the drawer box. The vinyl laminate is applied to the blank over the
face that will become the exterior face of the drawer box and the
top edge, and the hanger track is pressed into the groove in one
piece. The drawer blank is then processed through the V-groover,
with the hanger track already in position along the top edge, so
that the V-groover mitres the drawer track at the same time as the
drawer sides, to thus provide an exact matching mitred finish to
the assembled drawer box. At the same time this avoids the extra
steps of mitring and installing the hanger track.
[0007] Moreover, using the method of the invention the hanger track
is more firmly mounted to the drawer, because as the mounting rib
tears through the vinyl laminate, it folds the vinyl laminate back
against the sides of the mounting groove. The vinyl flap intruding
into the track groove both cooperates with the barbed mounting rib
to more securely affix the mounting track to the drawer, and
augments the integrity of the mounting groove (particularly in a
material such as particle board) because the vinyl sheet buttresses
the sides of the grooves to resist disintegration and provide a
spline-like seal between the mounting rib and the mounting
groove.
[0008] In the preferred embodiment a bead is formed along the top
edge of the mounting track and the cross bar is provided with a
complementary hook structure, so that it can be positively engaged
to the mounting track, as opposed to merely resting on the mounting
track as in the prior art, to resist dislodgement and shifting
during use.
[0009] The present invention thus provides a method of
manufacturing a drawer box from a drawer box blank and a track
having at least one side wall for suspending a folder and at least
one mounting rib for engaging the drawer box blank, comprising the
steps of: a. providing a groove along an edge of the drawer box
blank, for receiving the mounting rib, b. applying a flexible sheet
to a face of the drawer box blank to produce a laminated face and
to the edge, c. inserting the mounting rib into the groove, d.
forming right angled V-grooves through a face of the drawer blank
opposite the laminated face, leaving the flexible sheet intact, and
through the track, at positions corresponding to three corners of
the drawer box, and e. assembling the drawer box by affixing a
floor panel to the blank, folding the blank along the V-grooves and
affixing the outer ends of the blank together.
[0010] In a further aspect of the method, the flexible sheet tears
along the groove and folds into the groove and is engaged by the
mounting rib.
[0011] The present invention further provides a drawer box
assembled from a track having at least one side wall for suspending
a folder and at least one mounting rib, and a drawer box blank
having a groove along an edge for receiving the mounting rib and a
flexible sheet applied over a face of the drawer box blank to
produce a laminated face and over the edge, and a series of right
angled V-grooves formed through a face of the drawer blank opposite
the laminated face, leaving the flexible sheet intact, and through
the track, at positions corresponding to three corners of the
drawer box, whereby the drawer box is assembled by affixing a floor
panel to the blank, folding the blank along the V-grooves and
affixing the outer ends of the blank together.
[0012] In a further aspect of the drawer box the flexible sheet
intrudes into the groove and is engaged by the mounting rib.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a
preferred embodiment of the invention,
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of a drawer box blank
being mitred by a V-groover;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drawer box blank of FIG.
1 after mitring;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the hanger track;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view showing the hanger track
being applied to the mounting groove
[0018] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevation of the
hanger track lodged in the mounting groove;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the partially assembled
drawer box.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a
drawer box blank 10, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is provided with a
floor groove 16 extending along one face parallel and adjacent to
the edge that will become the bottom edges of the drawer box walls.
A mounting groove is cut along the edge that will become the top
edge of the drawer box. A laminate 12, for example a plastic sheet
such as vinyl, is applied by any suitable means to the face of the
drawer box blank 10 opposite the face containing the floor groove
16. The laminate 12 may be applied over the entire blank 10, but
need only be applied over a substantial portion of the face of the
blank 10 that will become the exterior of the drawer box and the
edge of the blank 10 that will become the top edge of the drawer
box (best seen in FIG. 5). The drawer box blank 10 may be composed
of any suitable material, typically particle board or the like.
[0021] A preferred embodiment of the hanger track 20, illustrated
in FIGS. 3 and 5, comprises a base 22 from which projects at least
one sidewall 24 (two sidewalls 24 are provided in the embodiment
shown, for convenient installation, but only one sidewall 24 is
required to support the hanging folders). The sidewall 24
preferably has a return lip or flange 26, for reasons that are
described below. Projecting from the bottom surface of the base 22,
preferably centrally, is a mounting rib 30. The mounting rib 30
preferably has a ribbed or barbed profile, to facilitate engagement
with the mounting groove 14 in a manner that will resist
dislodgement. The rib 30 is preferably continuous along the length
of the track 20, but does not need to be.
[0022] The track 20 may be installed into the track mounting groove
14 as illustrated in FIG. 4, by inserting one end of the rib 30
into one end of the groove 14 at an angle, and running the blank 10
and track 20 through a gate 50 which presses the track 20 against
the edge of the blank 10 to force the rib 30 into the groove 14. As
the mounting rib 30 is inserted into the mounting groove 14, the
rib 30 tears through the plastic laminate layer 12, folding down a
flap 13 of plastic laminate down each side along the length of the
mounting groove 14, as shown in FIG. 5. This plastic laminate
provides a secure base against which the barbs of the mounting rib
30 can lodge, and at the same time protects the sides of the
mounting groove 14 from disintegration (especially at the top edge
surface, which is particularly weak) both during insertion of the
mounting rib 30 and during use of the hanger track 20.
[0023] After the track 20 has been engaged to the drawer box blank
10, the blank 10 is positioned with the laminated face down and
processed through a V-groover 2, as illustrated in FIG. 1, which
cuts 90.degree. V-grooves 13 substantially through the drawer box
blank 10 at the positions of three of the drawer box corners, while
leaving the plastic laminate layer 12 intact. The 90.degree.
V-grooves 13 extend transversely across the entire blank and
through the hanger track 20. By processing the drawer box blank 10
through the V-groover 2 with the hanger track 20 already mounted,
the manufacturer can ensure an exact correspondence between the
lengths of the hanger track pieces 20 and the lengths of the drawer
box sides, and cleanly matching mitred corners.
[0024] The processed drawer blank 10 is then assembled as shown in
FIG. 6. The floor panel 18 is inserted into the floor groove 16 of
one drawer box side, and the other drawer box sides are folded up
and wrapped around the floor panel 18 until the ends of the drawer
box blank 10 meet. Preferably the ends of the drawer box blank 10
are drilled and affixed together using dowels and glue, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 6. The plastic laminate layer 12 retains the other
three drawer box corners against separation in the assembled drawer
box.
[0025] A typical drawer is longer than the files that will be
suspended in the drawer. Thus, in the preferred embodiment a cross
rail 40 is provided, which allows the user to hang folders
lengthwise in the drawer. The cross rail 30, illustrated in FIG. 6,
may be provided with a hook structure 42 complementary to the side
wall 24 and return flange 26 of the mounting track 20. The cross
bar 40 can accordingly engage the mounting track 20 in a snap fit
relation, which both facilitates the storage and shipping of drawer
boxes by allowing the cross bar 40 to be used as a handle to pick
up the drawer, and prevents shifting of the cross bar 40 when the
drawer is in use so as to resist dislodgement of the hanging
folders 1 (shown in phantom in FIG. 6).
[0026] Various embodiments of the present invention having been
thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to
those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be
made without departing from the invention. The invention includes
all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of
the appended claims.
* * * * *