U.S. patent application number 12/543519 was filed with the patent office on 2011-02-24 for slide rail buffering structure.
Invention is credited to Tsung-Po Chang, HUI-CHU SHIH.
Application Number | 20110043087 12/543519 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43604775 |
Filed Date | 2011-02-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110043087 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SHIH; HUI-CHU ; et
al. |
February 24, 2011 |
SLIDE RAIL BUFFERING STRUCTURE
Abstract
A slide rail buffering structure includes a connection board, a
slidable board, a damper, a pull-resistant assembly, and a
positioning bar. The positioning bar is received in a slide channel
of the connection board. The slidable board is fit over the
positioning bar and is set on the track portion of the connection
board. The damper is received in an end of the connection board and
the damper is coupled to the slidable board. The pull-resistant
assembly is connected between the slidable board and the connection
board and is set at an end of a rail base plate. The structure of
the present invention allows the positioning bar to be caught and
driven by a guide section of a rail plate to alleviate and buffer
the pulling force of the connection board that is moved backward
for returning so as to prevent damage caused by excessive pulling
force.
Inventors: |
SHIH; HUI-CHU; (Shulin City,
TW) ; Chang; Tsung-Po; (Shulin City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEONG C. LEI
PMB # 1008, 1839 YGNACIO VALLEY ROAD
WALNUT CREEK
CA
94598
US
|
Family ID: |
43604775 |
Appl. No.: |
12/543519 |
Filed: |
August 19, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/334.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 2210/0094 20130101;
A47B 88/467 20170101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/334.1 |
International
Class: |
A47B 88/12 20060101
A47B088/12 |
Claims
1. A slide rail buffering structure adapted to be mounted to an end
of a rail base plate to correspond to a guide section of a rail
plate, the slide rail buffering structure comprising: a connection
board, which is mounted to the rail base plate, the connection
board forming therein an accommodation channel, the connection
board having a bottom having opposite sides defining fixing slots,
the connection board having an end that extends to form a track
portion, the track portion defining a slide channel, the slide
channel having a distal end that is bent to define a holding
receptacle, the track portion having a distal end forming a
support; a slidable board, which is set on the track portion of the
connection board, the slidable board having a bottom having
opposite sides defining fixing slots and a top defining a through
hole; a damper, which is received in the accommodation channel of
the connection board, the damper comprising a connection rod, the
connection rod having an end coupled to the slidable board to allow
the slidable board to be movable along the track portion of the
connection board; a pull-resistant assembly, which has an end
engaging and fixed to the fixing slots defined in the bottom of the
connection board and an opposite end engaging and fixed to the
fixing slots defined in the slidable board; and a positioning bar,
which is movably received in the slide channel of the track
portion, the positioning bar having a top end extending through the
through hole of the slidable board to guide sliding path of the
slidable board.
2. The slide rail buffering structure according to claim 1, wherein
the connection board forms in the bottom thereof at least one
positioning hole and retention hook to enhance mounting to the rail
base plate.
3. The slide rail buffering structure according to claim 1, wherein
the slidable board forms a receiving opening in the bottom thereof
for engaging and coupling the end of the damper.
4. The slide rail buffering structure according to claim 1, wherein
the damper comprises a pneumatic cylinder.
5. The slide rail buffering structure according to claim 1, wherein
the damper comprises a hydraulic cylinder.
6. The slide rail buffering structure according to claim 1,
wherein, the damper comprises a pneumatic/hydraulic cylinder.
7. The slide rail buffering structure according to claim 1, wherein
the pull-resistant assembly comprises at least one pull-resistant
spring.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to buffering
technique applicable to an object having a slide rail structure,
such as a drawer or a cabinet, and more particularly to a slide
rail buffering structure that comprises a damper connected to a
slidable board to alleviate and buffer pulling/pushing forces
acting upon the slidable board.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] Among devices for storing and organizing objects, a drawer
is a long-developed and widely used device and finds its
application everywhere. The drawer has a very simple function so
that even though it has been developed for quite a long time, there
is much improvement can be made of the drawer and no elaborate
improvement has ever done on the drawer. The known drawer is
certainly not a perfect device and thus further improvement is
needed.
[0003] A conventional drawer, which is movably received in a drawer
cavity defined in a cabinet, is often provided with rail-and-slide
pair between the drawer and side walls of the drawer cavity. The
rail and slide were conventionally made of wood and were later
replaced by metal with the development of industry to reduce the
friction therebetween and also improve the smoothness of
withdrawing and closing operation of the drawer. Although the
smoothness of operation is improved, a drawback accompanies the
improvement in that when the slide rail is acted upon by an
external force to return to a given position, due to the inertial
force and reaction force, it is often subjected to undesired
sliding motion, which leads to poor engagement between the drawer
and the drawer cavity of the cabinet. To improve such a problem, a
returning mechanism is provided at an end of the slide rail so that
the returning mechanism may overcome the poor engagement between
the drawer and the drawer cavity caused by reaction force when the
slide rail is acted upon by a force to return a given position for
the purposes of automatic closing.
[0004] However, such a returning mechanism shows several problems
in the operation thereof:
[0005] (1) To realize fast positioning for tightly stowing the
slide rail, the conventional slide rail makes use of the pulling
force provided by a spring to drive backward the slide rail that is
closed to a track end and to ensure that he slide rail, after
long-term repeated use, may still be capable of realizing automatic
returning, the pulling force of the spring is often increased, so
that the impact and wearing between the slide and the rail is
increased, leading to shortening of the lifespan of the slide
rail.
[0006] (2) Due to the repeated impact occurring in the returning
operation of the conventional slide rail, separation may easily
occur due to improper assembling or incorrect application force by
a user, leading to hurt of the user, such as jamming.
[0007] Apparently, the known techniques are still of insufficiency
and drawbacks and further improvement is needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An objective of the present invention is to provide a slide
rail buffering structure that provides excellent buffering effect
to a slide rail in the returning course of the slide rail so as to
extend the service life of the slide rail.
[0009] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
slide rail structure, which improves the coupling strength between
a positioning bar and a slide block to prevent damage to the
structure caused by undesired separation of parts and thus protect
the safety of users.
[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention
provides a slide rail buffering structure, comprising: a connection
board, which is mounted to a rail base plate, the connection board
forming therein an accommodation channel, the connection board
having a bottom having opposite sides defining fixing slots, the
connection board having an end that extends to form a track
portion, the track portion defining a slide channel, the slide
channel having a distal end that is bent to define a holding
receptacle, the track portion having a distal end forming a
support; a slidable board, which is set on the track portion of the
connection board, the slidable board having a bottom having
opposite sides defining fixing slots and a top defining a through
hole, the slidable board also forming a receiving opening in the
bottom thereof, a damper, which is received in the accommodation
channel of the connection board, the damper comprising a connection
rod, the connection rod having an end coupled to the receiving
opening of the slidable board to allow the slidable board to be
movable along the track portion of the connection board; a
pull-resistant assembly, which has an end engaging and fixed to the
fixing slots defined in the bottom of the connection board and an
opposite end engaging and fixed to the fixing slots defined in the
slidable board; and a positioning bar, which is movably received in
the slide channel of the track portion, the positioning bar having
a top end extending through the through hole of the slidable board
to guide sliding path of the slidable board, whereby when the
positioning bar is caught and driven by a guide section of a rail
plate, the positioning bar is guided to move out of the holding
receptacle of the slide channel, and the slidable board is acted
upon by a pulling force of the pull-resistant assembly to move
backward for effecting a returning movement. The slidable board
uses the buffering effect induced by the damper to alleviate the
pulling/pushing forces that drive the rail plate to return to a
given position.
[0011] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief
introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these
and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention
itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the
art, the following detailed description of the invention and the
claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical
reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
[0012] Many other advantages and features of the present invention
will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making
reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets
of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment
incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by
way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a structure in accordance with
a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective of the preferred embodiment of the
present invention in an assembled form.
[0015] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of major components of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the major components of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention in an assembled
form.
[0017] FIGS. 5A-5C are perspective views demonstrating a sequence
of operation of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of major components of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention taken from a
different perspective.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only,
and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following
description provides a convenient illustration for implementing
exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the
described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement
of the elements described without departing from the scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, an exploded view of the
structure of the present invention, an exploded view of major
components of the structure of the present invention, and an
exploded view of major components of the structure of the present
invention taken from a different perspective are respectively
shown.
[0021] The present invention generally comprises a connection board
3, which is mounted to a rail base plate 1. The connection board 3
forms therein an accommodation channel 31. The connection board 3
has a bottom having opposite sides defining fixing slots 32. The
connection board 3 has an end that extends to form a track portion
33, and the track portion 33 defines a slide channel 34. The slide
channel 34 has a distal end that is bent sideways to define a
holding receptacle 35. The track portion 33 has a distal end
forming a support 36.
[0022] A slidable board 4 is set on the track portion 33 of the
connection board 3. The slidable board 4 has a bottom having
opposite sides defining fixing slots 41 and a top defining a
through hole 42. The slidable board 4 also forms a receiving
opening 43 in the bottom thereof.
[0023] A damper 5 is received in the accommodation channel 31. The
damper 5 comprises a connection rod 51. The connection rod 51 has
an end engaging and fixed to the receiving opening 43 formed in the
bottom of the slidable board 4, whereby the slidable board 4 is
movable along the track portion 33 of the connection board 3.
Further, the damper 5 may comprise a pneumatic cylinder, a
hydraulic cylinder, or a pneumatic/hydraulic cylinder. The damper 5
provides a sufficient buffering effect and a hydraulic cylinder may
provide the best effect of buffering, which buffers pulling/pushing
forces acting on the slidable board 4 to smoothen the operation
thereof.
[0024] A pull-resistant assembly 6 has an end engaging and fixed to
the fixing slots 32 defined in the bottom of the connection board 3
and an opposite end engaging and fixed to the fixing slots 41
defined in the bottom of the slidable board 4.
[0025] A positioning bar 7 is movably received in the slide channel
34 of the track portion 33. The positioning bar 7 has a top end
extending through the through hole 42 of the slidable board 4 to
guide a sliding path of the slidable board 4. Further, the
pull-resistant assembly 6 comprises at least one pull-resistant
spring.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5A-5C, a perspective view of the
major components of the present invention in an assembled form and
perspective views demonstrating a sequence of operation of the
present invention are shown. When the positioning bar 7 is caught
by and engages a guide section 21 of a rail plate 2 to be guided
thereby to move out of the holding receptacle 35 of the slide
channel 34, the slidable board 4 is acted upon by a pulling force
of the pull-resistant assembly 6 to move backward along the track
portion 33 for effecting a returning movement. The slidable board 4
is also subjected to the buffering effect induced by the connection
rod 51 of the damper 5 (see FIG. 3) to drive the rail plate 2 in a
slow manner to return to a given position. The support 36 functions
to constrain and position the slidable board 4 before the returning
of the slidable board 4 and cooperates with the positioning bar 7
to prevent the slidable board 4 from separating from the track
portion 33.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, the connection board 3 forms in
the bottom thereof a pair of positioning holes 37 and a pair of
retention hooks 38 for respectively coupling with a pair of
connection holes 11 and a pair of retention hooks 12 formed in the
rail base plate 1, whereby the connection board 3 and the rail base
plate 1 are securely assembled together to prevent undesired
separation during the operation thereof.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective of the present invention
in an assembled form is shown. The rail plate 2 is mounted to a
seat plate 8 and is carried on the rail base plate 1 to ensure
stability of movement of the rail plate 2. The components of the
present invention are assembled together in a stable manner and the
structural strength is enhanced to prevent damage caused by
undesired separation of parts and to protect the safety of a
user.
[0029] Compared to the known techniques, the slide rail buffering
structure provided by the present invention offers the following
advantages:
[0030] (1) The slide rail buffering structure of the present
invention adopts inter-structure cooperation to provide a buffering
effect to a slide rail at the time when the slide rail is in the
course of returning movement.
[0031] (2) The slide rail buffering structure of the present
invention improves the fastening of the structure to prevent
separation of parts or undesired damage to the structure due to
incorrect application of force so as to ensure operation
safety.
[0032] While certain novel features of this invention have been
shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is
not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be
understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and
changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in
its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
* * * * *