U.S. patent application number 12/346643 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-01 for return device for a slide drawer.
Invention is credited to Shih-Wang Chen, Teng-Yi JUAN.
Application Number | 20100164340 12/346643 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42283991 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100164340 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JUAN; Teng-Yi ; et
al. |
July 1, 2010 |
Return Device for a Slide Drawer
Abstract
A return device for a slide drawer employs an actuator to drive
a slide block, when the drawer is pulled open, the slide block is
moved into a positioning concave and positioned therein while
stretching an elastic member. Or pushing the drawer back can make
the slide block slide out of the positioning concave, meanwhile,
the elastic member pulls the drawer back to its original position.
Furthermore, since the angle between slide surface of the
positioning concave of the positioning member and the track is
acute, it is easy for the slide block to slide in and out, so that
the drawer can be easily positioned and unlocked from the
positioned state.
Inventors: |
JUAN; Teng-Yi; (Taipei City,
TW) ; Chen; Shih-Wang; (Taipei City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Dr. BANGER SHIA;Patent Office of Bang Shia
102 Lindencrest Ct.
Sugar Land
TX
77479-5201
US
|
Family ID: |
42283991 |
Appl. No.: |
12/346643 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/333 ;
312/330.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 88/467
20170101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/333 ;
312/330.1 |
International
Class: |
A47B 88/12 20060101
A47B088/12 |
Claims
1. A return device for a slide drawer comprising: a positioning
member having a track and a positioning concave formed at one side
of the track; a pulling member slidably disposed on the positioning
member and having a slide slot and an engaging portion, one end of
the slide slot being located corresponding to the track of the
positioning member, the engaging portion having a slope located
close to the slide slot; an elastic member connected to the
positioning member and the pulling member; the slide block having a
protrusion to be received in the slide slot of the pulling member
and a slide portion to be received in the track and to abut against
the slope of the engaging portion of the pulling member; and an
actuator including an actuating slot for receiving the protrusion
of the slide block, the slide portion of the slide block being
employed to slide on the slope of the engaging portion of the
pulling member to make the protrusion of the slide block slide in
and out of the positioning concave of the track, the above
arrangements allow the slide drawer to be positioned after being
pulled out or to be released into a non-positioned state and
automatically return back to its initial position.
2. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 1,
wherein a receiving concave is formed at the other side of the
track of the positioning member opposite the positioning concave
and provided for accommodation of the slide portion of the slide
block.
3. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the slide portion of the slide block has a top portion to
be abutted against the slope of the engaging portion of the pulling
member.
4. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the track of the positioning member defines an acute angle
with respect to the positioning concave.
5. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the pulling member includes a buffering portion located at
one side thereof opposite the engaging portion and employed to
contact the positioning member.
6. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the elastic member is a spring or elastic string.
7. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 1
further comprising a buffering cylinder connected to the
positioning member and the pulling member.
8. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 7,
wherein the buffering cylinder and the elastic member are disposed
at both sides of the positioning member.
9. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 7,
wherein the buffering cylinder is an oil cylinder.
10. The return device for a slide drawer as claimed in claim 7,
wherein the buffering cylinder is an air cylinder.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a return device for a slide
drawer, which is related to the slide rail of the drawer and can
enable the drawer to be pushed back effortlessly.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Nowadays, people have a growing request for quality life,
most of them want their home to be clear and neat, hence various
storage devices are necessary. The most basic storage device in
office or home is the drawer which can be used in different kinds
of furniture.
[0005] Conventionally, both the drawer and the corresponding
furniture must be provided with slide rails for enabling the drawer
to be pulled out or pushed back. Furthermore, a return device 10
capable of returning the drawer automatically to initial position
appeared on the market, as shown in FIG. 1, which comprises an
actuator 11 for pushing a positioning member 12, and in the middle
of the positioning member 12 is arranged a support point 13 which
makes the positioning member 12 pivotable. Pushing both sides of
the positioning member 12 with the actuator 11 can selectively make
the positioning member 12 position in or disengage from a
positioning concave 14. The positioning member 12 will pull/stretch
a spring 15 while being positioned, so that when the positioning
member 12 is not positioned (disengaged from the positioning
concave 14), the spring 15 will restore its shape and pull the
drawer back to its initial position.
[0006] Another conventional drawer returning device 20, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3, comprises an actuating slot 21 for cooperating with
a pivotal positioning member 22 on which being formed a positioning
protrusion 221. The actuating slot 21 drives the positioning member
22 to pivot and makes the positioning protrusion 221 engage
(position) or disengage from a positioning concave 23. The
positioning member 22 will pull/stretch a spring 24 while being
positioned, so that when the positioning member 22 is not
positioned (disengaged from the positioning concave 23), the spring
24 will restore its shape and pull the drawer back to its initial
position.
[0007] The positioning concaves of the above conventional drawer
returning devices are all perpendicular to the sliding direction of
the drawer, so that the force applied by the user to disengage the
positioning member must be relatively large, then the drawer can be
returned automatically. With countless trials and efforts, the
author of the present invention has finally made a return device
for a slide drawer, which not only can be disengaged from the
positioning state easily to make the drawer move back
automatically, but also is capable of effectively reducing the
noise produced by the elastic member and plastic member during
returning motion.
[0008] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate
the afore-described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a return device for a slide drawer, which is positioned by the
sliding motion of a slide block and enables the drawer to be pushed
back easily with a relatively small force, making it easier to use
the drawer.
[0010] To achieve the above objective, a return device for a slide
drawer in accordance with the present invention comprises: a
positioning member, a pulling member, an elastic member, a slide
block, and an actuator. The positioning member has a track and a
positioning concave formed at one side of the track. The pulling
member is slidably disposed on the positioning member and connected
to it by the elastic member. The pulling includes a slide slot and
an engaging portion, one end of the slide slot is located
corresponding to the track of the positioning member, and the
engaging portion has a slope. The slide block includes a protrusion
to be received in the slide slot of the pulling member and a slide
portion to be received in the track and to abut against the slope
of the engaging portion of the pulling member. The actuator
includes an actuating slot for receiving the protrusion of the
slide block.
[0011] When the drawer is closed, the protrusion of the slide block
is received in the bottom of the actuating slot. When the user
pulls the drawer open and makes the actuator move, the actuating
slot of the actuator drives the slide block to move, the slide
block then moves the pulling member, and then the pulling member
stretches the elastic member. When the slide block moves to the
positioning concave of the track, the slide portion of the slide
block will slide against the slope of the engaging portion of the
pulling member, and finally the slide block will slide into the
positioning concave and be positioned in place. After being
positioned, the protrusion disengages from the actuating slot, so
that the drawer is allowed to be pulled out into a completely open
position. When the user wants to push the drawer back, the
actuating slot of the drawer will hold the protrusion again and
drive the slide block out of the positioning concave, which
releases the pulling member from the positioned state. Meanwhile,
the spring restores its shape and pulls the drawer back into the
closed state. Furthermore, since the angle between slide surface of
the positioning concave of the positioning member and the track is
acute, it is easy for the slide block to slide in and out, so that
the drawer can be easily positioned and unlocked from the
positioned state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a first type conventional drawer returning
device;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a second type conventional drawer returning
device;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an operational view of the second type
conventional drawer returning device;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a return device for a slide
drawer in accordance with the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is an assembly of the return device for a slide
drawer in accordance with the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a rear view of a pulling member of the return
device for a slide drawer in accordance with the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a first operational view of the return device for
a slide drawer in accordance with the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a second operational view of the return device for
a slide drawer in accordance with the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a third operational view of the return device for
a slide drawer in accordance with the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 10 is a fourth operational view of the return device
for a slide drawer in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] The present invention will be clearer from the following
description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings,
which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred
embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 4-6, a return device for a slide drawer
in accordance with the present invention comprises: a positioning
member 30, a pulling member 40, an elastic member 50, a buffering
cylinder 50A, a slide block 60 and an actuator 70. The positioning
member 30 is mounted on a base A which is to be fixed on furniture,
and the actuator 70 is mounted on a pulling seat B which is to be
fixed on a drawer of the furniture.
[0024] The fixing member 30 includes a track 31 which is provided
with a positioning concave 311 at one side and a receiving concave
312 at the other side. The positioning concave 311 has a slide
surface 313 which defines an acute angle with respect to the track
31.
[0025] The pulling member 40 is slidably disposed on the
positioning member 30 and includes a slide slot 41, an engaging
portion 42 and a buffering portion 43. The slide slot 41 includes a
slide end 411 and a positioning end 412. The engaging portion 42
and the buffering portion 43 are located at opposite sides of the
pulling member 40. The slide slot 41 is located between the
engaging portion 42 and the buffering portion 43. The engaging
portion 42 is a trapezoid structure located at the bottom of the
pulling member 40 and has a slope 421 located close to the slide
slot 41, and the slide end 411 of the slide slot 41 is located
corresponding to the track 31 of the positioning member 30.
[0026] The elastic member 50 and the buffering cylinder 50A are
disposed at both sides of the positioning member 30 and connected
to the positioning member 30 and the pulling member 40,
respectively. The elastic member 50 can be a spring or elastic
string, and the buffering cylinder 50A can be an oil pressure
cylinder, air cylinder or hydraulic cylinder, which can produce
buffering effect. In this embodiment, the elastic member 50 is a
spring, and the buffering cylinder 50A is an air cylinder.
[0027] The slide block 60 includes a protrusion 61 to be received
in the track 31 of the positioning member 30 and a slide portion 62
to be disposed in the slide slot 41 of the pulling member 40. At
one end of the slide portion 62 is formed an indentation 621 which
creates a top portion 622 of the slide block 60, and the top
portion 622 serves to abut against the slope 421 of the engaging
portion 42 of the pulling member 40.
[0028] The actuator 70 is provided for accommodation of the
protrusion 61 of the slide block 60 and includes an arc-shaped
actuating slot 71 which is defined with a bottom 711 and an open
end 712.
[0029] When the drawer is closed, as shown in FIGS. 6-10, the
protrusion 61 of the slide block 60 is received in the bottom 711
of the actuating slot 71, the elastic member 50 and the buffering
cylinder 50A between the pulling member 40 and the positioning
member 30 are in a non-stretched state, and the buffering portion
43 is abutted against the positioning member 30. When the drawer is
opened, the pulling seat B on the drawer is pulled outward
synchronously with the drawer, so that the actuating slot 71 of the
actuator 70 on the pulling seat B synchronously drives the slide
block 60 to move, and the slide block 60 moves the pulling member
40. Meanwhile, the slide block 60 slides outward along the track 31
of the positioning member 30 and stretches the elastic member 50
and the buffering cylinder 50A. When the slide block 60 slides into
the positioning concave 311 of the track 31 of the positioning
member 30, the actuating slot 71 and the slide slot 41 force the
slide block 60 to slide toward the open end 712 of the actuating
slot 71 and the open end 412 of the slide slot 41. Since the top
portion 622 of the slide portion 62 of the slide block 60 is
abutted against the engaging portion 42 of the pulling member 40,
when the slide block 60 is subjected to a force, the top portion
622 will slide against the slope 421 of the engaging portion 42.
During sliding movement, the slide block 60 also changes its
position within the slide slot 41 of the pulling member 40. When
its protrusion 61 slides into the concave 311 of the positioning
member 30, the slide block 60 is right received in the receiving
concave 312 of the positioning member 30, meanwhile, it also slides
to the open end 712 of the actuating slot 71 and the open end 412
of the slide slot 41, where the actuator 70 disengages from the
slide block 60, and accordingly the drawer is allowed to be pulled
out.
[0030] When user wants to push the drawer back, pushing the drawer
back can make the pulling seat B on the drawer and the actuator 70
to slide inward. When the actuating slot 71 of the actuator 70
touches the slide block 60, the slide block 60 will slide into the
actuating slot 71 via the open end 712. Then keep pushing to make
the slide block 60 slide to the bottom 711 of the actuating slot
71, where the slide block 60 is positioned with respect to the
actuator 70, and to make the slide block 60 slide toward the slide
end 411 of the pulling member 40, meanwhile, the slide block 60
also moves from the positioning concave 311 of the positioning
member 30 into the track 31. After sliding into the track 31 of the
positioning member 30, the slide block 60 is not positioned (loses
the power of being positioned) and will be affect by the pulling
force of the elastic member 50 to synchronously drive the pulling
member 40, the actuating member 70 and the drawer to their original
position. When the pulling member 40 is being pulled back by the
elastic member 50, the buffering cylinder 50A between the pulling
member 40 and the positioning member 30 can slow down the moving
speed of the pulling member 40, thus slowing down the return motion
of the drawer while reducing the force for pushing the drawer
backward, which can prevent the drawer from sliding back too fast
and biting fingers. In addition, at the side of the pulling member
40 close to the positioning member 30 is provided the buffering
portion 43, which cushions the shock and noise caused when the
pulling member 40 returns and pushes against the positioning member
30.
[0031] On the other hand, since the angle between slide surface 313
of the positioning concave 311 of the positioning member 30 and the
track 31 is acute, the route along which the slide block 60 slide
into and out of the positioning concave 311 must be slantwise,
which makes it easier for the slide block 60 to slide in and out.
In addition, the force required by the slide block 60 to position
in or disengage from the positioning concave 311 is relatively
small. Hence, the drawer can be pushed back effortlessly without
requiring a great force to be exerted by the user. Furthermore, in
this embodiment, there are the elastic member 50 and the buffering
cylinder 50A disposed between the positioning member 30 and the
pulling member 40, in fact, however, with only the elastic member
50 can also achieve the function of automatically returning the
drawer.
[0032] While we have shown and described various embodiments in
accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled
in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing
from the scope of the present invention.
* * * * *