U.S. patent application number 16/711781 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-18 for slide rail assembly.
The applicant listed for this patent is King Slide Technology Co., Ltd., King Slide Works Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ken-Ching Chen, Chun-Chiang Wang, Tzu-Cheng Weng, Shun-Ho Yang.
Application Number | 20210045529 16/711781 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005370906 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-18 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20210045529 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Ken-Ching ; et
al. |
February 18, 2021 |
Slide Rail Assembly
Abstract
A slide rail assembly includes a first rail, a second rail, a
blocking member, a working member and an operating member. The
blocking member is arranged on one of the first rail and the second
rail. The working member is arranged on the other one of the first
rail and the second rail. When the second rail is moved relative to
the first rail from a retracted position to an extension position,
the working member and the blocking member are configured to block
each other in order to prevent the second rail from being moved
from the extension position along a retracting direction. When the
operating member is operated, the operating member is configured to
contact one of the working member and the blocking member in order
to keep the working member and the blocking member in a state
without blocking each other.
Inventors: |
Chen; Ken-Ching; (Kaohsiung
City, TW) ; Yang; Shun-Ho; (Kaohsiung City, TW)
; Weng; Tzu-Cheng; (Kaohsiung City, TW) ; Wang;
Chun-Chiang; (Kaohsiung City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
King Slide Works Co., Ltd.
King Slide Technology Co., Ltd. |
Kaohsiung City
Kaohsiung City |
|
TW
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005370906 |
Appl. No.: |
16/711781 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 88/49 20170101;
A47B 88/483 20170101; A47B 88/477 20170101 |
International
Class: |
A47B 88/477 20060101
A47B088/477; A47B 88/483 20060101 A47B088/483; A47B 88/49 20060101
A47B088/49 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 14, 2019 |
TW |
108129196 |
Claims
1. A slide rail assembly, comprising: a first rail, wherein a first
end part and a second end part of the first rail are configured to
be fixedly mounted to a first post and a second post through a
first bracket and a second bracket respectively; a second rail
movable relative to the first rail; a blocking member arranged on
one of the first rail and the second rail; a working member
arranged on the other one of the first rail and the second rail;
and an operating member operatively movable between a first
predetermined position and a second predetermined position, wherein
the operating member is movably mounted to the first rail without
moving with the second rail; wherein when the second rail is moved
relative to the first rail from a retracted position to an
extension position along an opening direction, the working member
and the blocking member are configured to block each other in order
to prevent the second rail from being moved from the extension
position toward the retracted position along a retracting
direction; wherein when the operating member is operated to move
from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined
position, the operating member is configured to contact one of the
working member and the blocking member, in order to keep the
working member and the blocking member in a state without blocking
each other, and the operating member is configured to stay at the
second predetermined position without automatically returning to
the first predetermined position when the operating member is no
longer operated.
2. (canceled)
3. The slide rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the blocking member
is arranged on the first rail and the working member is movably
mounted to the second rail.
4. The slide rail assembly of claim 3, wherein the blocking member
comprises a guiding section and a blocking wall; wherein during a
process of the second rail being moved relative to the first rail
from the retracted position to the extension position along the
opening direction, the working member is configured to be guided
through the guiding section to a position adjacent to the blocking
wall.
5. The slide rail assembly of claim 4, wherein the working member
is pivotally connected to the second rail, and the slide rail
assembly further comprises an elastic member configured to provide
an elastic force to the working member, such that the working
member is configured to be blocked by the blocking wall in response
to the elastic force.
6. The slide rail assembly of claim 21, wherein one of the
operating member and the first rail is arranged with a guiding
feature, and the other one of the operating member and the first
rail is arranged with a mounting member configured to interact with
the guiding feature to allow the operating member to move relative
to the first rail.
7. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein the guiding feature
is a bounded longitudinal elongated hole, and the mounting member
is a protruded structure penetrating through a portion of the
longitudinal elongated hole.
8. (canceled)
9. The slide rail assembly of claim 21, wherein the first rail has
a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, and the
operating member is mounted to one of the first side and the second
side.
10. A slide rail assembly, comprising: a first rail configured to
be fixedly mounted to a post through a bracket; a second rail
movable relative to the first rail; a blocking member arranged on
the first rail; a working member arranged on the second rail; and
an operating member movably mounted to the first rail without
moving with the second rail; wherein when the second rail is moved
relative to the first rail from a retracted position to an
extension position along an opening direction, the working member
is blocked by the blocking member; wherein the operating member is
configured to drive the working member to move to be no longer
blocked by the blocking member, in order to allow the second rail
to move from the extension position toward the retracted position
along a retracting direction, wherein when the operating member is
operated to move from a first predetermined position to a second
predetermined position, the operating member is configured to
contact the working member to move the working member to be no
longer blocked by the blocking member, and the operating member is
configured to stay at the second predetermined position without
automatically returning to the first predetermined position when
the operating member is no longer operated.
11. (canceled)
12. The slide rail assembly of claim 10, further comprising a third
rail movable relative to the second rail.
13. The slide rail assembly of claim 10, wherein the blocking
member comprises a guiding section and a blocking wall; wherein
during a process of the second rail being moved relative to the
first rail from the retracted position to the extension position
along the opening direction, the working member is configured to be
guided through the guiding section to a position adjacent to
blocking wall.
14. The slide rail assembly of claim 13, further comprising an
elastic member; wherein the elastic member is configured to provide
an elastic force to the working member, such that the working
member is configured to be blocked by the blocking wall in response
to the elastic force.
15. The slide rail assembly of claim 10, wherein one of the
operating member and the first rail is arranged with a guiding
feature, and the other one of the operating member and the first
rail is arranged with a mounting member configured to interact with
the guiding feature to allow the operating member to move relative
to the first rail.
16. The slide rail assembly of claim 15, wherein the guiding
feature is a bounded longitudinal elongated hole, and the mounting
member is a protruded structure penetrating through a portion of
the longitudinal elongated hole.
17. The slide rail assembly of claim 10, wherein the first rail has
a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, and the
operating member is mounted to one of the first side and the second
side.
18. A slide rail assembly, comprising: a first rail configured to
be fixedly mounted to a post through a bracket; a second rail
movable relative to the first rail; a blocking member arranged on
the first rail; a working member arranged on the second rail; and
an operating member movable relative to the first rail between a
first predetermined position and a second predetermined position,
wherein the operating member is movably mounted to the first rail
without moving with the second rail; wherein when the second rail
is located at an extension position relative to the first rail, the
working member and the blocking member are configured to block each
other; wherein when the operating member is operated to move from
the first predetermined position to the second predetermined
position, the operating member is configured to keep one of the
working member and the blocking member in a non-blocking state to
prevent the working member and the blocking member from blocking
each other, in order to allow the second rail to be retractable
from the extension position along a retracting direction, and the
operating member is configured to stay at the second predetermined
position without automatically returning to the first predetermined
position when the operating member is no longer operated.
19. The slide rail assembly of claim 18, wherein the blocking
member comprises a guiding section and a blocking wall; wherein
during a process of the second rail being moved relative to the
first rail from the retracted position to the extension position
along an opening direction, the working member is configured to be
guided through the guiding section to a position adjacent to
blocking wall; wherein the slide rail assembly further comprises an
elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the
working member, such that the working member is configured to be
blocked by the blocking wall in response to the elastic force.
20. The slide rail assembly of claim 18, further comprising a third
rail movable relative to the second rail.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a slide rail assembly, and
more particularly, to a slide rail assembly having an operating
member to disengage two slide rails.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] US patent numbers U.S. Pat. No. 9,681,749 B2 discloses a
slide rail assembly comprising a first rail, a second rail, a
blocking member, a positioning member and an operating member. The
blocking member is attached to the first rail. The positioning
member is arranged on the second rail. The operating member is
movably connected to the first rail.
[0003] When the second rail is moved relative to the first rail to
an extension position, the positioning member is blocked by the
blocking member to prevent the second rail from being retracted
from the extension position along a retracting direction. A user
can apply a force to the operating member to move the operating
member from an initial position to a predetermined position. During
a process of moving the operating member to the predetermined
position, the operating member is configured to drive the blocking
member of the first rail to move, such that the blocking member is
in a non-blocking state, without blocking the positioning member,
so as to allow the second rail to be retracted from the extension
position along the retracting direction.
[0004] Moreover, a return elastic member is configured to apply an
elastic force to the operating member of the aforementioned patent
to move the operating member from the predetermined position to the
initial position. In other words, once the user stop applying the
force to the operating member, the operating member is forced. to
move from the predetermined position to the initial position in
response to the elastic force of the return elastic member.
[0005] Therefore, when the user stops applying the force to the
operating member, the operating member is no longer held at the
predetermined position to keep the blocking member in the
non-blocking state. However, such mechanism with the operating
member configured to be forced to move to the initial position by
the elastic force of the return elastic member can not meet
specific market requirements.
[0006] Therefore, it is important to develop a different slide rail
assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention provides a slide rail assembly having
an operating member to disengage two slide rails to allow a rail to
be retracted relative to another rail from an extended
position.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a slide
rail assembly comprises a first rail, a second rail, a blocking
member, a working member and an operating member. The second rail
is movable relative to the first rail. The blocking member is
arranged on one of the first rail and the second rail. The working
member is arranged on the other one of the first rail and the
second rail. The operating member is operatively movable between a
first predetermined position and a second predetermined position.
When the second rail is moved relative to the first rail from a
retracted position to an extension position along an opening
direction, the working member and the blocking member are
configured to block each other in order to prevent the second rail
from being moved from the extension position toward the retracted
position along a retracting direction. When the operating member is
operated to move from the first predetermined position to the
second predetermined position, the operating member is configured
to contact one of the working member and the blocking member, in
order to keep the working member and the blocking member in a state
without blocking each other.
[0009] Preferably, the operating member is movably arranged on the
first rail.
[0010] Preferably, the blocking member is arranged on the first
rail and the working member is movably mounted to the second
rail.
[0011] Preferably, the blocking member comprises a guiding section
and a blocking wall. During a process of the second rail being
moved relative to the first rail from the retracted position to the
extension position along the opening direction, the working member
is configured to be guided through the guiding section to a
position adjacent to the blocking wall.
[0012] Preferably, the working member is pivotally connected to the
second rail, and the slide rail assembly further comprises an
elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the
working member, such that the working member is configured to be
blocked by the blocking wall in response to the elastic force.
[0013] Preferably, one of the operating member and the first rail
is arranged with a guiding feature, and the other one of the
operating member and the first rail is arranged with a mounting
member configured to interact with the guiding feature to allow the
operating member to move relative to the first rail.
[0014] Preferably, the guiding feature is a bounded longitudinal
elongated hole, and the mounting member is a protruded structure
penetrating through a portion of the longitudinal elongated
hole.
[0015] Preferably, a first end part and a second end part of the
first rail are configured to be respectively mounted to a first
post and a second post through a first bracket and a second
bracket.
[0016] Preferably, the first rail has a first side and a second
side opposite to the first side, and the operating member is
mounted to one of the first side and the second side.
[0017] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a
slide rail assembly comprises a first rail, a second rail, a
blocking member, a working member and an operating member. The
second rail is movable relative to the first rail. The blocking
member is arranged on the first rail. The working member is
arranged on the second rail. The operating member is operatively
movable on the first rail. When the second rail is moved relative
to the first rail from a retracted position to an extension
position along an opening direction, the working member is blocked
by the blocking member. The operating member is configured to drive
the working member to move to be no longer blocked by the blocking
member, in order to all ow the second rail to move from the
extension position toward the retracted position along a retracting
direction.
[0018] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a
slide rail assembly comprises a first rail, a second rail, a
blocking member, a working member and an operating member. The
second rail is movable relative to the first rail. The blocking
member is arranged on the first rail. The working member is
arranged on the second rail. The operating member is movable
relative to the first rail between a first predetermined position
and a second predetermined position. When the second rail is
located at an extension position relative to the first rail, the
working member and the blocking member are configured to block each
other. When the operating member is operated to move from the first
predetermined position to the second predetermined position, the
operating member is configured to keep one of the working member
and the blocking member in a non-blocking state to prevent the
working member and the blocking member from blocking each other, in
order to allow the second rail to be retractable from the extension
position along a retracting direction.
[0019] These and other objectives of the present invention will no
doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after
reading the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing slide rail assemblies configured
to mount a carried object to a rack according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the slide rail assembly
according to an embodiment to the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly
comprising a first rail, a second rail and a third rail according
to an embodiment to the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the second rail and a working
member of the slide rail assembly according to an embodiment to the
present invention;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the second rail and the working
member of the slide rail assembly according to an embodiment to the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being
mounted to the rack according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0026] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being in
a retracted state according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the second rail of the slide
rail assembly being moved relative to the first rail along an
opening direction according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0028] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the second rail of the slide
rail assembly being moved relative to the first rail along the
opening direction according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the second rails of the slide
rail assembly being further moved relative to the first rail along
the opening direction according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0030] FIG. 11 diagram showing the second rail of the slide rail
assembly being further moved relative to the first rail along the
opening direction according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the second rail of the slide
rail assembly being located at an extension position relative to
the first rail with the third rail being movable relative to the
second rail along the opening direction according to an embodiment
to the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being
in an extended state with the operating member being configured to
be operated according to an embodiment to the present
invention;
[0033] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being
configured to mount the carried object to the rack with the slide
rail assembly being in the extended state to have an extension
length to be used in a narrow environment according to an
embodiment to the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being
configured to mount the carried object to the rack with the second
rail being retracted relative to the first rail to reduce the
extension length of the slide rail assembly according to an
embodiment to the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 16 is an exploded view of the slide rail assembly
according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0036] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a plurality of slide rail
assemblies being configured to mount a carried object to the rack
according to yet another embodiment to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of slide rail assemblies 20 is
configured to mount a carried object 22 to a rack according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The slide rail assemblies 20
are substantially identical to each other. Furthermore, each of the
slide rail assemblies 20 comprises a first rail 30, a second rail
32 and a third rail 34 telescopically movable relative to one
another. Two end parts of the first rail 30 are mounted to a first
post 28a and a second post 28b of the rack through a first bracket
24 and a second bracket 26 respectively.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the slide rail assembly 20
further comprises an operating member 36, a blocking member 38 and
a working member 40.
[0039] The operating member 36 is operatively arranged on the first
rail 30. Moreover, the first rail 30 has a first side L1 and a
second side 12 opposite to the first side L1, and the operating
member 36 is arranged on one of the first side L1 and the second
side L2. In the present embodiment, the operating member 36 is
movably arranged on the first side L1 of the first rail 30.
[0040] Preferably, one of the operating member 36 and the first
rail 30 is arranged with a guiding feature 39, and the other one of
the operating member 36 and the first rail 30 is arranged with a
mounting member 41. In the present embodiment, the guiding feature
39 is a bounded longitudinal elongated hole, and the mounting
member 41 is a protruded structure penetrating through a portion of
the longitudinal elongated hole. Through interaction of the
mounting member 41 and the guiding feature 39, the operating member
36 is longitudinally movable relative to the first rail 30 within a
limited range. Preferably, the slide rail assembly 20 can have a
plurality of the guiding features and a plurality of mounting
members.
[0041] Preferably, the operating member 36 comprises an extended
body 36a, a bending part 36b, a driving part 36c, a linking feature
36d and an operating part 36e. The extended body 36a is extended in
a direction substantially identical to a longitudinal direction of
the first rail 30, and the extended body 36a is arranged between
the bending part 36b and the driving part 36c. The bending part 36b
is bent relative to the extended body 36a. Preferably, the bending
part 36b is substantially perpendicularly connected to the extended
body 36a, and the driving part 36c is bent relative to the extended
body 36a. The linking feature 36d can be a pin member. The linking
feature 36d and the operating part 36e are respectively extended
from the bending part 36b. Preferably, the linking feature 36d is
longitudinally arranged, and the linking feature 36d and the
operating part 36e are configured to receive a force from a user or
an external object to move the operating member 36 from one
position to another position.
[0042] Preferably, the first rail 30 is arranged with a reinforcing
member 37 at the first side L1, and the reinforcing member 37 fixed
to the first side L1 and can be regarded as a portion of the first
rail 30. Preferably, the first rail 30 has an opening 42
communicated with the first side L1 and the second side L2 of the
first rail 30. In addition, the first bracket 24 is arranged
adjacent to a first end part E1 (such as a front end part) of the
first rail 30. Preferably, the first bracket 24 comprises a side
wall 24a and an end wall 24b. The side wall 24a is connected (such
as fixedly connected) to the first rail 30, and the end wall 24b is
bent relative to the side wall 24a. In the present embodiment, the
end wall 24b is substantially perpendicularly connected to the side
wall 24a. Preferably, the end wall 24b has a plurality of through
holes 25 (as shown in FIG. 2). The linking feature 36d of the
operating member 36 is configured to pass through one of the
through holes 25. On the other hand, the second bracket 26 is
arranged adjacent to a second end part E2 (such as a rear end part)
of the first rail 30. Preferably, the second bracket 26 is
longitudinally adjustable relative to the first rail 30 through a
reinforcing passage of the reinforcing member 37.
[0043] The blocking member 38 is arranged on one of the first rail
30 and the second rail 32. In the present embodiment, the blocking
member 38 is arranged on the first rail 30. Preferably, the
blocking member 38 is located adjacent to the opening 42 of the
first rail 30. The blocking member 38 comprises a connecting part
44 and a functioning part 46. The connecting part 44 is connected
(such as fixedly connected) to the first rail 30, and the
functioning part 46 is extended from the connecting part 44.
Preferably, the functioning part 46 corresponds to the opening 42
of the first rail 30. Preferably, the functioning part 46 of the
blocking member 38 comprises a guiding section G and a blocking
wall B adjacent to the guiding section G (please to FIG. 3).
Preferably, the guiding section G has an inclined surface or an arc
surface, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0044] The second rail 32 is movable relative to the first rail 30.
Preferably, the second rail 32 is movably mounted to a first
passage 48 of the second side 12 of the first rail 30.
[0045] The third rail 34 is movable relative to the second rail 32.
Preferably, the third rail 34 is movably mounted to a second
passage 50 of a second side L2 of the second rail 32.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the working member 40 is
arranged on the other one of the first rail 30 and the second rail
32. In the present embodiment, the working member 40 is arranged on
the second rail 32. Preferably, the second rail 32 has an auxiliary
opening 51 communicated with a first side L1 and the second side L2
of the second rail 32. The working member 40 is movably mounted to
the second rail 32. In the preset embodiment, the working member 40
is pivotally connected to the second side 12 of the second rail 32
through a shaft 52. Preferably, the slide rail assembly 20 further
comprises an elastic member 54 configured to provide an elastic
force to the working member 40, in order to hold the working member
40 in a first state S1. Preferably, the working member 40 comprises
an extension part 40a. The extension part 40a is extended from the
second side 12 of the second rail 32 to the first side L1 of the
second rail 32, and the extension part 40a is configured to extend
toward the second side L2 of the first rail 30.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 6, the slide rail assembly 20 is mounted to
the first post 28a and the second post 28b through the first
bracket 24 and the second bracket 26. The linking feature 36d of
the operating member 36 is configured to penetrate through one of a
plurality of mounting holes H of the first post 28a.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 7, the slide rail assembly 20 is in a
retracted state. The second rail 32 (and the third rail 34 which is
not shown in FIG. 7) is located at a retracted position P1 relative
to the first rail 30. The working member 40 of the second rail 32
is apart from the blocking member 38 of the first rail 30, and the
working member 40 is in the first state S1. In addition, the
operating member 36 is located at a first predetermined position
X1. Furthermore, the second rail 32 (and the third rail 34) is
movable relative to the first rail 30 from the retracted position
P1 along an opening direction D1.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, during a process of the
second rail 32 being moved relative to the first rail 30 along the
opening direction D1 (FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 only show the working
member 40 to illustrate movement of the second rail 32 along the
opening direction D1), the extension part 40a of the working member
40 is guided by the guiding section G of the blocking member 38 of
the first rail 30, so as to deflect the working member 40 to be no
longer in the first state S1. In the meantime, the elastic member
54 accumulates an elastic force. Moreover, the driving part 36c of
the operating member 36 comprises a guiding portion 56. Preferably,
the guiding portion 56 has an inclined surface or an arc surface,
but the present invention is not limited thereto. Preferably, the
blocking member 38 has a groove 38a. The guiding section G can be
an edge wall of the groove 38a, and the extension part 40a of the
working member 40 is located inside the groove 38a.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, when the second rail 32
(FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 only show the working member 40 to represent
the second rail 32) is moved relate to the first rail 30 along the
opening direction D1 to an extension position P2 (please also refer
to FIG. 12), the working member 40 and the blocking member 38 are
configured to block each other in order to prevent the second rail
32 from being moved from the extension position P2 toward the
retracted position P1.
[0051] For example, during the process of the second rail 32 being
further moved relative to the first rail 30 along the opening
direction D1 to the extension position P2, the extension part 40a
of the working member 40 is guided by the guiding section G of the
blocking member 38 of the first rail 30 to move along the groove
38a of the blocking member 38. When the extension part 40a of the
working member 40 is moved to a location adjacent to the blocking
wall B of the blocking member 38, the working member 40 returns to
the first state S1 from a second state S2 (as shown in FIG. 10) in
response to the elastic force of the elastic member 54, such that
the extension part 40a of the working member 40 is blocked by the
blocking wall B. In the meantime, the second rail 32 is located at
the extension position P2 relative to the first rail 30 (as shown
in FIG. 12), and the extension part 40a of the working member 40 is
blocked by the blocking wall B of the blocking member 38 in order
to prevent the second rail 32 from being retracted from the
extension position P2 toward the retracted position P1 along a
retracting direction D2. In addition, the third rail 34 can be
further moved relative to the second rail 32 along the opening
direction D1 (as shown in FIG. 12) to an opening position, such
that the slide rail assembly 20 is in an extended state.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, when the operating member
36 is operated to move from the first predetermined position X1
(such as an initial position shown in FIG. 12) to a second
predetermined position X2 (such as a non-initial position shown in
FIG. 13), the operating member 36 is configured to contact one of
the working member 40 and the blocking member 38, in order to keep
the working member 40 and the blocking member 38 in a state without
blocking each other. In the present embodiment, the operating
member 36 is configured to contact the working member 40, but the
present invention is not limited thereto.
[0053] Specifically, when the second rail 32 is located at the
extension position P2 relative to the first rail 30, a user can.
apply a force F to the linking feature 36d or the operating part
36e of the operating member 36 to move the operating member 36
relative to the first rail 30 from the first predetermined position
X1 (as shown in FIG. 12) to the second predetermined position X2
(as shown in FIG. 13), such that the operating member 36 can
contact (such as push or press) the extension part 40a of the
working member 40 through the guiding portion 56 of the driving
part 36c, to deflect the working member 40 to be no longer in the
first state S1 (such as being in the second state 52). Thereby, the
extension part 40a of the working member 40 is no longer blocked by
the blocking wall B of the blocking member 38, so as to allow the
second rail 32 to be moved from the extension position P2 (as shown
in FIG. 13) to the retracted position P1 along the retracting
direction D2.
[0054] Moreover, in contrast to the prior art having an operating
member arranged with a return elastic member, the operating member
36 of the present invention is not arranged with any return elastic
member. Therefore, when the user stops applying the force F to the
operating member 36, the operating member 36 is not forced to move
from the second predetermined position X2 to the first
predetermined position X1. According to such arrangement, when the
operating member 36 is operated to move from the first
predetermined position X1 to the second predetermined position X2,
the operating member 36 is configured to stay at the second
predetermined position X2 and keep one of the working member 40 and
the blocking member 38 an a non-blocking state through the driving
part 36c (such as keeping the working member 40 in the second state
as the non-blocking state) to prevent the working member 40 and the
blocking member 38 from blocking each other, so as to allow the
second rail 32 to be retracted from the extension position P2 along
the retracting direction D2. In addition, the user can further
manually operate the operating member 36 to return to the first
predetermined position X1 from the second predetermined position
X2.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the carried object 22 is
mounted to the rack through the slide rail assembly 20 to be used
in an environment. For example, when the second rail 32 is located
at the extension position P2 relative to the first rail 30 and when
the third rail 34 mounted with the carried object 22 is pulled out
relative to the second rail 32 to make the slide rail assembly in
the extended state, a first space Y1 is formed between the third
rail 34 (or the carried object 22) and an obstacle 58 (such as a
wall, a door or other environmental obstacle). However, if the
first space Y1 is too narrow, maintenance on the carried object 22
or the slide rail assembly 20 can not be performed smoothly.
Therefore, the user can operate the operating member 36 to keep the
working member 40 and the blocking member 38 from blocking each
other (please refer to FIG. 13 and related illustrations, and no
further illustration is provided), in order to retract the second
rail 32 relative to the first rail 30 from the extension position
P2 to the retracted position P1 along the retracting direction D2.
As such, a second space Y2 formed between the third rail 34 (or the
carried object 22) and the obstacle 58 is wider, so as to
facilitate disassembly of the carried object 22 or the maintenance
on the slide rail assembly 20 for the on-site user.
[0056] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an operating member 202 of a
slide rail assembly 200 according to another embodiment of the
present invention. Furthermore, different from the aforementioned
operating member 36 being arranged on the first side L1 of the
first rail 30, an operating member 202 of the present embodiment is
arranged on the second side 12 of the first rail 30. The operating
member 202 can also be operated to keep the working member 40 and
the blocking member 38 from blocking each other.
[0057] As shown in FIG. 17, upper and lower portions of two lateral
sides of a carried object 300 are respectively arranged with the
slide rail assemblies 20. As illustrated above, since the operating
member 36 of the embodiment of the present invention is not
arranged with any return elastic member, the operating member 36
can be temporarily held at one position after being operated.
Therefore, the operating members 36 of the slide rail assemblies 20
do not require multiple users to operate. That is, when the second
rails 32 of the slide rail assemblies 20 are located at the
extension position P2 relative to the first rail 30, a single user
can apply the forces to the operating members 36 of the slide rail
assemblies 20 to move the operating members 36 from the
predetermined position X1 to the second predetermined position X2,
so as to allow the second rails 32 of the slide rail assemblies 20
to be retracted from the extension position P2 in the retracting
direction D2, such that the on-site user or a maintenance staff can
easily perform retraction operations of the slide rail assemblies
20 or related maintenance operations. Moreover, when the third
rails 34 are retracted from the opening position along the
retracting direction D2, a lug part 302 of the carried object 300
can contact the linking features 36d of the operating members 36 to
drive the operating members 36 to move.
[0058] Therefore, the slide rail assembly according to the
embodiments of the present invention is characterized in that:
[0059] 1. The operating member 36 is operatively arranged on the
first rail 30. When the operating member 36 is operated to move
from the first predetermined position X1 to the second
predetermined position X2, the operating member 36 is configured to
move one of the working member 40 and the blocking member 38 (such
as moving the working member 40 on the second rail 32), in order to
keep the working member 40 and the blocking member 38 from blocking
each other, so as to allow the second rail 32 to be retracted from
the extension position P2 to the retracted position P1 along the
retracting direction D2.
[0060] 2. In contrast to the prior art having the operating member
arranged with a return elastic member, the operating member 36 of
the embodiments of the present invention is not arranged with any
return elastic member. Therefore, the operating member 36 is not
configured to be forced to move from the second predetermined
position X2 to the first predetermined position X1. According to
such arrangement, when the operating member 36 is operated to move
from the first predetermined position X1 to the second
predetermined position X2, the operating member 36 is configured to
stay at the second predetermined position X2 and keep one of the
working member 40 and the blocking member 38 in the non-blocking
state to prevent the working member 40 and the blocking member 38
from blocking each other, such that the second rail 32 can be
retracted from the extension position P2 along the retracting
direction D2.
[0061] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
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