U.S. patent application number 14/605633 was filed with the patent office on 2016-03-17 for drawer slider.
The applicant listed for this patent is METALURGICA ALBRAS LTDA.. Invention is credited to NILSON KLER DA SILVA.
Application Number | 20160073782 14/605633 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55453527 |
Filed Date | 2016-03-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160073782 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KLER DA SILVA; NILSON |
March 17, 2016 |
DRAWER SLIDER
Abstract
The present disclosure relates generally to a novel drawer
slider structure for sliding systems. More specifically, the
present disclosure relates to a drawer slider providing substantial
material savings for its manufacturing, and providing a larger
opening extension with respect to known drawer sliders. In an
embodiment, the drawer slider includes a first fixed outer rail and
at least one second inner rail mounted on the outer rail that can
slide longitudinally along the outer rail. The outer rail includes
a bumper provided on or near an edge of the outer rail taken across
a longitudinal plane of the outer rail. The inner rail includes a
stroke limiter along a longitudinal section of the inner rail that
is configured to cooperate with the bumper.
Inventors: |
KLER DA SILVA; NILSON; (Sao
Paulo, BR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
METALURGICA ALBRAS LTDA. |
Embu |
|
BR |
|
|
Family ID: |
55453527 |
Appl. No.: |
14/605633 |
Filed: |
January 26, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62049676 |
Sep 12, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
312/334.44 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 88/49 20170101;
A47B 88/57 20170101 |
International
Class: |
A47B 88/16 20060101
A47B088/16; A47B 88/12 20060101 A47B088/12; A47B 88/08 20060101
A47B088/08 |
Claims
1. A drawer slider comprising: a fixed outer rail including a
bumper provided on or near an edge of the outer rail along a
longitudinal plane of the outer rail; and at least one inner rail
mounted on the outer rail that can move longitudinally along the
outer rail, the inner rail including a stroke limiter along a
longitudinal section of the inner rail that is configured to
cooperate with the bumper, the stroke limiter including a mechanism
to avoid accidental sliding, wherein the inner rail has a
longitudinal length that is longer than a longitudinal length of
the outer rail.
2. A drawer slider comprising: a fixed outer rail including a
stroke limiter provided along a longitudinal section of the outer
rail; and at least one inner rail mounted on the outer rail that
can move longitudinally along the outer rail, the inner rail
including a bumper provided on or near an edge taken along a
longitudinal plane of the inner rail that is configured to
cooperate with the stroke limiter, the stroke limiter including a
mechanism to avoid accidental sliding, wherein the inner rail has a
longitudinal length that is longer than a longitudinal length of
the outer rail.
3. The drawer slider according to claim 1, which includes a middle
rail mounted on the outer rail and configured to move
longitudinally along the outer rail, wherein the inner rail is
mounted on the middle rail and can move longitudinally along the
middle rail.
4. The drawer slider according to claim 1, which includes a
metallic material.
5. The drawer slider according to claim 4, wherein the metallic
material is carbon steel.
6. The drawer slider according to claim 1, wherein the stroke
limiter includes a fold along the longitudinal section of the inner
rail that is configured to cooperate with the bumper.
7. The drawer slider according to claim 2, wherein the stroke
limiter includes a fold along the longitudinal section of the outer
rail that is configured to cooperate with the bumper.
8. The drawer slider according to claim 1, wherein the stroke
limiter is provided in a defined portion along half of the plane
taken with respect to the longitudinal length of the inner rail or
the outer rail.
9. (canceled)
10. The drawer slider according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism
to avoid accidental sliding is a punch configured to cooperate with
the stroke limiter.
11. The drawer slider according to claim 1, wherein the stroke
limiter is provided in a clamp that is mounted on the inner
rail.
12. The drawer slider according to claim 11, wherein the stroke
limiter provided in the clamp includes a first projection
configured to cooperate with the bumper.
13. (canceled)
14. The drawer slider according to claim 12, wherein the mechanism
to avoid accidental sliding is a second projection configured to
cooperate with the bumper.
15. The drawer slider according to claim 1, wherein the stroke
limiter includes an impact absorption mechanism.
16. The drawer slider according to claim 15, wherein the impact
absorption mechanism includes an elastomeric material.
17. (canceled)
18. The drawer slider according to claim 2, which includes a middle
rail mounted on the outer rail that can travel longitudinally along
the outer rail, wherein the inner rail is mounted on the middle
rail and can travel longitudinally along the middle rail.
19. The drawer slider according to claim 2, wherein the mechanism
to avoid accidental sliding is a punch configured to cooperate with
the stroke limiter.
20. The drawer slider according to claim 1, wherein the stroke
limiter includes a first projection to provide a stroke limit for
the inner rail and a second projection to avoid accidental sliding,
the first projection and the second projection each projecting from
the inner rail towards the outer rail, the bumper maintained
between the first projection and the second projection when the
drawer slider is closed.
21. The drawer slider according to claim 20, wherein the second
projection is configured to transpose over the bumper when the
drawer slider is opened and closed.
22. The drawer slider according to claim 2, wherein the stroke
limiter includes a first projection to provide a stroke limit for
the inner rail and a second projection to avoid accidental sliding,
the first projection and the second projection each projecting from
the outer rail towards the inner rail, the bumper maintained
between the first projection and the second projection when the
drawer slider is closed.
23. The drawer slider according to claim 22, wherein the second
projection is configured to transpose over the bumper when the
drawer slider is opened and closed.
Description
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
patent application No. 62/049,676 filed on Sep. 12, 2014, the
entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to a new drawer
slider structure for sliding systems. More specifically, the
present disclosure relates to a drawer slider providing substantial
material savings for its manufacturing, in addition to providing a
larger opening extension than known sliders.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Drawer sliders are widely used in sliding systems, such as,
for example, drawers, chests of drawers, filing cabinets, etc.,
that is, any system requiring a sliding function of an object.
[0004] These drawer sliders are generally include a first rail that
is attached to a wall and a second rail that is attached to the
object to be slid, such as a drawer. The first rail slides along
the second rail.
[0005] Telescopic drawer sliders are also known, where generally
two or three rails are mounted one inside of the other, to allow a
longer length of opening.
[0006] Some manufacturers have verified that the material costs for
manufacturing currently-existing drawer sliders can be up to 60% of
the finished product cost, that is, practically 2/3 of the total
cost of the product. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the
amount of material used in the manufacturing of a drawer slider to
reduce the total cost of the finished product.
[0007] One objective of the disclosure is to provide a drawer
slider which uses less material than known sliders, without
compromising the safety or the extension of drawer slider
opening.
[0008] Another objective of the disclosure is to provide a drawer
slider, specifically a telescopic slider comprising two or three
rails, employing less material for its manufacturing, without
compromising the product length of opening and/or performance.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present disclosure relates to a drawer slider providing
substantial material savings for its manufacturing, in addition to
providing a larger opening extension than known sliders. In a
general embodiment, a drawer slider includes at least an external
first outer rail to be attached to a wall of a chest of drawers or
a filing cabinet, and at least a second inner rail mounted on the
first outer rail that can slide longitudinally along the external
rail, wherein the external rail includes a bumper provided on one
of its sides and the inner rail includes a stroke limiter provided
along its longitudinal section to cooperate with the bumper.
[0010] In another general embodiment, a drawer slider includes a
first fixed outer rail, and at least a second inner rail mounted on
the first outer rail that can slide longitudinally along the outer
rail, wherein the inner rail includes a bumper provided in a close
region to or in one of its edges taken along its longitudinal
plane, and wherein the inner rail includes a stroke limiter
provided along its longitudinal section to cooperate with the
bumper.
[0011] In another embodiment, the drawer slider additionally
includes a third middle rail mounted on the outer rail that can
slide longitudinally along the outer rail, and the inner rail is
mounted on the middle rail and can slide longitudinally along the
middle rail.
[0012] In another embodiment, the drawer slider is made of a
metallic material.
[0013] In another embodiment, the metallic material is carbon
steel.
[0014] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter includes a fold
placed along the longitudinal section of the inner rail that is
intended to cooperate with the bumper.
[0015] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter includes a fold
placed along the longitudinal section of the outer rail that is
intended to cooperate with the bumper.
[0016] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter includes a pin
placed along the longitudinal section of said inner rail that is
intended to cooperate with said bumper.
[0017] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter is provided in a
defined portion in a spot along the half of the plane taken with
respect to the longitudinal length of the inner rail.
[0018] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter additionally
includes a mechanism to avoid accidental sliding of the drawer
slider.
[0019] In another embodiment, the mechanism to avoid accidental
sliding of the drawer slider is a punch that is configured
cooperate with the stroke limiter.
[0020] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter is provided in a
clamp mounted on the inner rail.
[0021] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter provided in the
clamp is a first projection configured to cooperate with the
bumper.
[0022] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter includes a
mechanism to avoid accidental sliding of the drawer slider.
[0023] In another embodiment, the mechanism to avoid accidental
sliding is a second projection configured to cooperate with the
bumper.
[0024] In another embodiment, the stroke limiter includes an impact
absorption mechanism.
[0025] In another embodiment, the impact absorption mechanism is
made of an elastomeric material.
[0026] In another general embodiment, a drawer slider includes a
first fixed outer rail, and at least a second inner rail mounted on
the outer rail that can slide longitudinally along the outer rail,
wherein the inner rail includes a length taken along its
longitudinal section which is longer than the length of the outer
rail.
[0027] In another embodiment, the drawer slider can include a third
middle rail mounted on the outer rail that can slide longitudinally
along the outer rail, and the inner rail is mounted on the middle
rail and can move longitudinally along the middle rail, wherein the
inner rail has a length, taken along its longitudinal section,
longer than the length of outer and middle rails.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be explained
in further detail by way of example only with reference to the
accompanying figures, in which:
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a drawer slider, specifically a
state of the art telescopic drawer slider of three rails, in a
retracted position;
[0030] FIG. 2 shows the drawer slider of FIG. 1 in an extended
position;
[0031] FIG. 3 shows a top view of a longitudinal section of the
drawer slider of FIG. 1;
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of detail A of FIG. 3;
[0033] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of detail B of FIG. 3;
[0034] FIG. 6 is a front view of a drawer slider according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure, in a retracted position;
[0035] FIG. 7 shows the drawer slider of FIG. 6 in an extended
position;
[0036] FIG. 8 is a top view along longitudinal X-X section of FIG.
7;
[0037] FIG. 9 shows detail C of FIG. 8;
[0038] FIG. 10 shows an alternative embodiment of a drawer slider
of the present disclosure, in a retracted position;
[0039] FIG. 11 shows a top view along Z-Z section of FIG. 10;
[0040] FIG. 12 shows a sectional view of detail D of FIG. 11;
[0041] FIG. 13 shows an alternative embodiment of a drawer slider
of the present disclosure, for a two-rail telescopic drawer slider,
shown in a retracted position;
[0042] FIG. 14 shows the drawer slider of FIG. 10 in an extended
position;
[0043] FIG. 15 shows a top view along the longitudinal Y-Y section
of FIG. 10;
[0044] FIG. 16 shows detail D of FIG. 12; and
[0045] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a clam of a two-rail
telescopic drawer slider that may be used as stroke limiter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] The present disclosure will now be described with respect to
particular embodiments, referring to the accompanying figures. The
specific embodiments are described in detail and shown in the
figures, with the understanding that they shall be considered an
exemplification of the principles of the present disclosure, and
are not meant to limit the disclosure only to what is shown and
described. It shall be recognized that different teachings of the
below-described embodiments may be employed separately or in any
suitable combination to produce the same technical effects. The
reference signs are repeated in the figures for the same technical
characteristics, and some constructive details already known in the
state of the art have been omitted in the figures and in the
following description for clarity purposes.
[0047] FIGS. 1-5 show a known drawer slider (10), specifically a
drawer slider that is commonly referred to as a telescopic drawer
slider and includes three rails. Telescopic sliders generally
include a first outer rail (11) including a U-shape taken from its
cross-section. A second middle rail (12) is mounted on the inside
of the first outer rail (11). The second middle rail (12) also
generally has a U-shape taken from its cross-section. The inside of
the middle rail (12) is provided with a third inner rail (13), that
may or may not have a U-shape or any other suitable shape. The
third inner rail (13) is mounted on the inside of the second middle
rail (12). The rear side of the drawer slider is intended to be
attached for example to a wall of a chest of drawers through the
outer rail (11), and the front side of the drawer slider, as
represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, is intended to be attached to the
drawers through the inner rail (13). Thus, both the outer rail (11)
and the inner rail (13) may include openings or holes (15, 15') to
receive attachment means, such as screws, pins, nails, etc.
[0048] The telescopic drawer slider can be also a two-rail
telescopic drawer slider, provided with only an outer rail (11) and
an inner rail (13). In other words, the drawer slider does not have
a middle rail. In the two-rail configuration, the inner rail is
directly mounted on and extends along the outer rail. A more
detailed description of the two-rail configuration is discussed
below.
[0049] In operation, the outer rail (11) is attached to the chest
and does not slide a drawer, the middle rail (12) moves along the
longitudinal plane of the outer rail (11), and the inner rail (13)
moves along the longitudinal plane of the middle rail (12), as
shown in FIG. 2, which shows the drawer slider in an extended
position. In order to allow reciprocal sliding of rails, other
elements, for example rollers, pulleys, etc., can be provided in
the telescopic drawer slider. Such mechanical elements are not
explained or disclosed herein in the Figures, because they are
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0050] When the drawer slider is extended, as shown in FIG. 2, the
stroke of both the middle rail (12) and the inner rail (13) is
limited by specific bumpers or pins placed on the inner side of
each rail. When the rail is retracted again, the stroke limit of
the middle rail (12) is generally limited by a rear bumper (14),
provided on one of the sides of the outer rail, in particular on
the side opposite to the opening of the rail. In this sense, and as
can be observed in detail in FIG. 4, the middle rail (12) lies on
the bumper (14), that can be shaped as a fold made on the plate of
the outer rail (11) itself, combined or not, to a impact absorption
mechanism (16), such as an elastomeric material, such as rubber,
and it limits the stroke of the middle rail so that it does not
exceed the length of the outer rail (11) that, precisely, defines
the stroke limit when the drawer slider is retracted. The inner
rail (13) generally has a V-shaped cutout (18) on the same side
where the bumper is provided. This cutout has the purpose of lying
on and aiding by interference the impact absorption mechanism (16),
so that the rail does not move accidentally in the opposite
direction, that is, that the opening of the drawer (or the
extension of the rail) does not happen without applying force in
the opposite direction. In this way, the V-shaped cutout (18) in
combination with the impact absorption mechanism (16) prevent the
drawer from accidentally opening, for instance, when the chest of
drawers is sloped towards the front. When the drawer slider is
retracted, the stroke limit of the inner rail (13) is, on the other
hand, delimited by another front bumper (17) mounted on the middle
rail end (12) and is generally made of a plastic material, and is
intended to cooperate with a fold (19) made on the inner rail (13),
as shown in FIG. 5.
[0051] With regard to FIG. 1, it can be noted that, in known
telescopic sliders, the outer rail (11) has an approximately equal
length to that of the inner rail (13), while the middle rail (12)
may present a shorter or approximately equal length to that of the
outer rail (11) and the inner rail (13).
[0052] The construction and functioning of a telescopic drawer
slider, being of a telescopic drawer slider as the one herein
represented in FIGS. 1-5, or a telescopic drawer slider comprising
only two rails, is commonly known, and therefore no further details
regarding FIGS. 1-5 are provided herein.
[0053] FIGS. 6-9 show an embodiment of a drawer slider (20)
according to the present disclosure. As opposed to the rails of
known telescopic sliders, the inner rail (23) of drawer slider (20)
does not have its stroke limited by a rear bumper (14) when the
drawer slider (20) is in its retracted position. The inner rail
(23) may instead pass over the bumper (14). The stroke limitation
of the inner rail is defined by a stroke limiter (24) provided
along the longitudinal section of the inner rail (23) itself, and
this stroke limiter can cooperate with the bumper (14) so as to, on
one hand, allow the stroke limit of the inner rail (23) when it is
retracted, and on the other hand, at the same time serve as a
mechanism to avoid the accidental opening (or the extension of the
drawer slider) in the opposite direction.
[0054] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the inner rail (23) can pass over
the longitudinal limits of the outer rail (11) and the middle rail
(12), which can be rails equal to known telescopic sliders. Thus,
as those of skill in the art will appreciate, it is not a
requirement that the stroke limitation of the inner rail be limited
only by the frontal bumper (17) cooperating with the fold (18) made
on the inner rail (13, 23), but a portion provided along the
longitudinal section of the inner rail includes a mechanism (24)
for cooperation with the rear bumper (14). The stroke limiter (24)
of the inner rail (23) can be, for instance, a fold (25) made along
the longitudinal section of the inner rail (23) provided to lay on
the stroke limiter (14) provided on the outer rail (11) and,
specifically, on the mechanism for impact absorbance (16) of the
bumper (14). In this way, the fold (25) made along the longitudinal
section of the inner rail allows for the stroke limitation of the
inner rail to be limited, when the inner rail is retracted.
Consequently, an advantage provided by drawer slider (20), as
compared to known sliders, is that the front bumper (17) in known
sliders responsible for the stroke limitation of the inner rail
(13, 23) may be eliminated.
[0055] In an embodiment, the stroke limiter (24) additionally
includes a punch (26) also intended to cooperate with the impact
absorption mechanism (16) of the bumper (14), and positioned at a
distance approximately equal to the longitudinal length of the
impact absorption mechanism (16) from the fold (25) made with the
stroke limiter, as shown in FIG. 9. The punch (26) acts as a
mechanism to avoid accidental sliding of the drawer slider in the
opposite direction and, in this way, the drawer slider avoids the
accidental opening of the drawer or other object requiring a
sliding system, since it is placed before the fold (25), having as
a reference the longitudinal axis of the inner rail (23) in the
closing direction (or retraction). As one of ordinary skill in the
art will appreciate, the punch (26) works as a body offering
resistance to transpose the bumper (14) associated with the impact
absorption mechanism (16), but may have a relatively small area
with respect to the bumper (14). The impact absorption mechanism
(16) is generally made of elastomeric material, and therefore can
pass over the bumper, although offering some resistance both in the
closing (retraction) direction of the rail, and of the drawer, and
in the opening (extension) direction of the rail, and thus opening
of the drawer. Therefore, the punch (26) serves as a mechanism to
avoid the accidental opening of the drawer, like the V-shaped
cutout (18) that cooperates with the impact absorption mechanism
(16) found in known drawer sliders. In this way, an advantage of
the present disclosure with respect to known drawer sliders is to
eliminate the V-shaped cutout (18), resulting in fewer shaping and
cutting operations of the inner drawer slider (23), and also to
allow sliders equipped with one or more dampers to be simplified,
since the punch (26) partially shows a damping function in the
sense of alleviating the impact in the closing direction
(retraction) of the drawer slider.
[0056] As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, despite
the stroke limiter (24) being herein defined as a fold (25) made on
the inner rail that can be associated with a punch (26),
alternatives and equivalents can be provided, for example, without
limitation, screws, pins, rivets, etc. Similarly, in an embodiment,
the punch (26) provided on the stroke limiter (24) as a mechanism
to avoid the accidental opening of the drawer, may be substituted,
without any disadvantage, through equivalent means having the same
technical effect, for example, without limitation, screws, pins,
rivets, etc. Still in particular, the stroke limiter (24) is
provided in a specific portion in a spot along the left half of the
plane taken with respect to the longitudinal length of the inner
rail, considering the orientation of the drawer slider, taken with
respect to the Figures shown herein.
[0057] An additional advantage of the present disclosure is that it
is possible to attain a significant reduction of the length of both
the outer and middle rails, without compromising the extension of
the drawer slider opening. That is, a drawer slider according to
the present disclosure can have an opening extension equal or
greater than an equivalent state of the prior art drawer slider,
although employing a lower amount of material for its
manufacturing, due to the reduction of the length of outer and
middle rails. Additionally, since the length of inner rail (23) of
the drawer slider according to the present disclosure is not
limited, the drawer slider according to the present disclosure can
also provide a greater extension of the opening when compared to
equivalent known sliders.
[0058] Another embodiment according to the present disclosure is
shown in FIGS. 10-12. In this embodiment, the bumper (14) is not
placed on the outer rail (11), but in a frontal portion of the
front bumper (23), and the stroke limiter (24) is provided on the
outer rail (11), as shown in FIG. 12. In this embodiment, by
reversing the disposition of the bumper (14), that can be equally
associated with a impact absorption mechanism (16), and of the
stroke limiter (24), the functioning of the drawer slider occurs as
described above. That is, the bumper may cooperate with the stroke
limiter, that also can be presented as a fold (25) made on the
plate of the outer rail, eventually associated with a punch (26)
that can work as a mechanism to avoid accidental sliding of the
drawer slider.
[0059] Another embodiment according to the present disclosure is
shown in FIGS. 13-17. In this embodiment, the drawer slider is a
two-rail telescopic drawer slider (30), that is, there is no middle
rail and the drawer slider includes only an outer rail (11) and an
inner rail (33) mounted on the outer rail that is intended to slide
a drawer along the longitudinal plane of the outer rail (11). As
with three-rail telescopic sliders, to allow reciprocal sliding of
the rails, it is possible that other elements, like rollers,
pulleys, etc., may also be provided, such as specific bumpers or
pins provided on the inside of each rail to limit the stroke of the
inner rail (33) when the drawer slider is extended. These elements
are already known by those skilled in the art and therefore are not
specifically described herein.
[0060] Known two-rail sliders also include a bumper (14) associated
with an impact absorption mechanism (16) provided on the outer rail
(11) to cooperate with a V-shaped cutout (18) provided on the inner
rail (33), having the same function provided for the three-rail
telescopic drawer slider and, thus, no further explications are
given herein. The stroke limitation of the inner rail (33) when the
drawer slider is in its retracted position is such as for
three-rail telescopic sliders, defined by a fold provided on the
inner rail (33) that cooperates with a front bumper (not
represented), although directly provided on the outer rail (33),
instead of being provided on the middle rail that, in this case,
does not exist.
[0061] In the two-rail drawer slider of the present disclosure, the
stroke limiter of the inner rail (33) is provided along its
longitudinal section, as described above for three-rail telescopic
sliders. This mechanism can also, instead of being built directly
on the inner rail (33) with a fold or a punch, be associated with a
clamp (40) that is mounted along the longitudinal section of the
inner rail (33) and provided to cooperate with the rear bumper (14)
associated with the impact absorption mechanism (16).
[0062] Two-rail sliders generally comprise a clamp (40) that is
attached to the inner rail (33) and has the function to avoid the
easy removal thereof when the drawer slider is extended. In other
words, the clamp, as shown in FIG. 14, is abutted by means of its
circular opening in the inner rail (33) and includes two loops in a
suitable shape to create a resistance to the total removal of the
inner rail (33). In other words, this clamp, that can assume
different configurations for different kinds of sliders, prevents
the outer rail (33) from being removed when the drawer slider is
extended, and also acts as a stroke limiter of the inner rail when
the drawer slider is extended.
[0063] In an embodiment, the clamp can comprise the stroke limiter
provided to cooperate with the bumper (14) associated with the
impact absorption mechanism (16) of the outer rail (11). With
reference to FIGS. 13-17, the stroke limiter can comprise a first
projection (45) made in the clamp itself, provided for lying on the
stroke limiter (14) provided on the outer rail (11) and, in
particular, in the impact absorption mechanism (16) of the bumper
(14). In this way, the projection (45) provided in the clamp and
arranged along the longitudinal section of the inner rail (11)
allows for the stroke limitation of the inner rail to be limited
when it is retracted. Consequently, as in the embodiment described
for three-rail telescopic sliders, an advantage of the present
disclosure is to allow the front bumper of stroke limitation of the
inner rail to be eliminated.
[0064] In particular, according to an additional embodiment of the
disclosure pursuant to this embodiment, the stroke limiter (44)
additionally includes a second projection (46) provided in the
clamp itself, and that may comprise a lesser height and width than
the first projection (45). This second projection is also
configured to cooperate with the impact absorption mechanism (16)
of the bumper (14) and positioned at a distance that is
approximately equal to the longitudinal length of the impact
absorption mechanism (16) with respect to the first projection (45)
formed on the clamp as a stroke limiter, as shown in FIG. 17. The
second projection (46) serves as a mechanism to avoid accidental
sliding of the inner rail (33) in the opposite direction and,
therefore, to avoid the accidental opening of the drawer, since it
is placed before the first projection (45), having as a reference
the longitudinal plane of the inner rail (33) in the closing (or
retraction) direction. As one of ordinary skill in the art can
appreciate, the second projection, such as the punch (26) discussed
with respect to the earlier embodiment described herein, works as a
body offering resistance to transpose the bumper (14) associated
with the impact absorption mechanism (16), although, on the other
hand, it can have a relatively lower height and smaller area than
the first projection and the bumper (14), and considering that the
impact absorption mechanism (16) is, generally, made in elastomeric
material, it can transpose over the bumper, although offering some
resistance, both in the closing (retraction) direction of the rail,
and thus of the drawer, and in the opening (extension) direction of
the rail, and thus opening of the drawer. Therefore, the second
projection (46) serves as a mechanism to avoid the accidental
opening of the drawer, such as the V-shaped cutout (18) that
cooperates with the impact absorption mechanism (16) found in known
sliders. As discussed earlier, an advantage of this embodiment with
respect to known sliders is that the V-shaped cutout (18) can be
eliminated, resulting in fewer shaping and cutting operations of
the inner drawer slider (23).
[0065] The drawer slider may be made of any suitable material
already known for the construction of a drawer slider, for example
carbon steel, and subsequently the drawer slider may or may not
receive protective paint, or superficial topcoat. It is also
possible to utilize other materials, such as stainless steel or
polymeric materials. The other components, such as bumpers, stroke
limiters, locks, impact absorption mechanisms, etc. can be made of
any suitable material, for example, polymeric and/or elastomeric
materials.
[0066] It is also possible to significantly reduce the material
utilized for the shaping of the rails. This reduction of material
employment results in considerable savings in the cost of the final
product, since the material cost, as discussed above, may be up to
2/3 of the total cost of the finished product.
[0067] It is also possible, in only one assembly step, to produce
more rails with the same blank size, because the outer and middle
rails have a reduced length. This also results in productivity
increases, which results in a reduction of the cost of the finished
product.
[0068] It shall be acknowledged that, although the present
disclosure has been described with respect to particular
embodiments, a person skilled in the art may develop a wide
variation of structural and/or operational details and extend the
above-described disclosure to other kinds of applications without
deviating from the principles described herein. Hence, the
accompanying claims shall be interpreted as covering all the
equivalents falling into the scope and character of the present
disclosure.
* * * * *