Supports: cabinet structure – With movable components – Horizontally movable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-19
2002-11-19
Hansen, James O. (Department: 3637)
Supports: cabinet structure
With movable components
Horizontally movable
C312S334270, C312S334450
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481812
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a drawer guide assembly for a movable structure such as a drawer in a furniture article, and more particularly to a new and improved drawer guide assembly which is concealed from view and allows for a wider and deeper drawer. The drawer guide assembly contains mirror image assemblies, each comprising a guide rail mountable to the interior of a furniture article in a generally horizontally disposed position and a pull-out rail mountable to the drawer, or other movable structure, and movable within the guide rail. Both the guide and pull-out rails are provided with one or more rotatable rollers mounted in fixed positions and upper and/or lower ledges which are in rolling contact with complementary rotatable rollers, thus enabling forward and rearward horizontal movement of the pull-out rail and carried structure on the fixed guide rail.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of drawer guide assemblies are used for drawers housed by articles of furniture, such as desks and cabinets, to enable smooth and efficient extension of the drawers from within the furniture housing. Drawer guides are often used in pairs with each drawer guide assembly comprising two or more parts.
Drawer guide assemblies of the type of the present invention generally have a pull-out rail with a roller at or near the rear end of the rail and a guide rail with a roller at or near the front end of the rail. The pull-out rail roller rolls in a track within the guide rail, and a portion of the pull-out rail serves as a rolling surface for the guide rail roller. Generally, such two-part drawer guides also include a stop means which limits extension of a drawer to about three-fourths of the drawer depth. Such a means for limiting extension is necessary because, as the pull-out rail roller rolls forward and approaches the front end of the guide rail, the front of the drawer tends to sag or cantilever under the weight of the drawer and its contents.
Traditional approaches have addressed the problem of sagging or cantilevering when a drawer is extended by using drawer guide construction combining three parts. For example, a three-part drawer guide may use either an additional rail member disposed between the pull-out rail and the guide rail, or an additional running rail portion which can be extended and/or tilted about an axis. U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,531 to Röck et al. is an example of a three-part pull-out guide assembly which uses a pull-out rail, a support rail, and an intermediate roller carrier. In such constructions, three-part drawer guides are more complicated to manufacture. In order to obtain the desired advantages, such as ease of movement, a high load bearing ability, and a high transverse stability, these devices are constructed of multiple pieces which must be precisely manufactured and assembled at higher cost and labor intensity. Two-part drawer guide assemblies including a pull-out rail fastened to a drawer and a guide rail fastened to the corresponding side a furniture article interior are typically simpler and more cost-efficient to make.
Another disadvantage of conventional drawer guide assemblies is placement of one or more or the parts on the side of a drawer. As an example, each of the three parts in the Röck et al. guide assembly are mounted on the side of a drawer such that when the drawer is extended into open position, the guide assembly is in full view. Placement of guide assemblies on sides of drawers or other moveable structures diminishes the aesthetic appeal of an article of furniture. Fastening a pull-out rail underneath a drawer conceals the drawer guide from view so as to avoid detracting from the appearance of a furniture article. In addition, an undermount drawer guide assembly generally enables the use of a wider drawer within a drawer opening of a given width. U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,237 to Rapp illustrates a concealed guide rail assembly mounted underneath a drawer. While the Rapp patent provides a concealed undermount assembly, it uses a three-part pull-out guide, including a runner carriage between a supporting rail and a pull-out rail. Thus, there is a need for a drawer guide assembly that comprises two parts that can be concealably mounted underneath a drawer such that a drawer can be made as wide and as deep as possible.
Drawer guide assemblies have often exhibited other disadvantages. For example, drawers having pull-out rails easily movable upon guide rail rollers can accidentally open or fall completely out of an article of furniture when the furniture is tipped over or the drawer is pulled open with excessive force. Therefore, a drawer guide assembly using pull-out rails easily movable upon rollers would optimally include a means for preventing accidental opening and unintentionally pulling drawers completely out of a furniture housing.
Another disadvantage of drawer guide assemblies having pull-out rails in rolling contact with fixed guide rails is that forward and rearward horizontal movement of a pull-out rail and drawer may produce undesirable lateral movement of the pull-out rails and drawer. Such undesired lateral movement may cause disengagement of the pull-out rails from the guide rails. To overcome such disadvantages, drawer guide assemblies having pull-out rails in rolling contact with fixed guide rails would provide means for preventing disengagement of pull-out rails and guide rails from complementary rollers when a lateral force is applied to a drawer carried by the pull-out rail.
Thus, there remains a need for a drawer guide assembly that comprises two parts, that is mountable underneath a drawer such that the guide assembly is concealed and the drawer can be made as wide and deep as possible, and that overcomes disadvantages of prior assemblies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a two-part drawer guide assembly that overcomes the appearance problems and dimensional limitations of side-mounted and three-part guide assemblies. Another advantage of drawer guide assemblies of the present invention is improved cost efficiencies and ease of manufacture.
The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a new and improved drawer guide to be used at each side of a drawer to guide movement of the drawer into and out of a cabinet which provides advantages lacking in existing devices and none of the disadvantages. A drawer guide assembly of the present invention comprises a pull-out rail adapted for carrying a structure such as a drawer, and a guide rail adapted for mounting to the interior of an article of furniture, such as a cabinet, in a generally horizontally disposed position.
The pull-out rail of the present invention can be advantageously mounted on the underside of a drawer directly adjacent the side wall of the drawer and projecting downwardly below the underside of the drawer. Mounting the drawer guide assembly underneath a drawer allows the assembly to be concealed from view, thereby enhancing the appearance of the furniture article when the drawer is opened. Alternatively, if the side walls of the drawer are constituted by hollow profiles of metal or plastic materials or are open at the underside, a pull-out rail of the present invention may be mounted within the side wall of the drawer.
A pull-out rail of the present invention may include: a pull-out rail upper ledge in rolling contact with a guide rail roller so as to enable forward and rearward horizontal movement of the pull-out rail and carried structure; a pull-out rail roller in rolling contact with a guide rail lower ledge; a pull-out rail upper ledge flange in rolling contact with the guide rail roller; a pull-out rail lower ledge extending laterally from the pull-out rail upper ledge flange; an undermount attachment flange along the length of the pull-out rail for attaching the pull-out rail to the carried structure; a pull-out rail retaining member located in the pull-out rail upper ledge near the pull-out rail front end; a forward motion stop member located in the pull-out
Domenig Georg
Larsen, Jr. Joseph B.
Moser Andreas
Grass America Inc.
Hansen James O.
Harrington John M.
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
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