Supports: cabinet structure – With movable components – Horizontally movable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-11
2003-05-20
Hansen, James O. (Department: 3637)
Supports: cabinet structure
With movable components
Horizontally movable
C312S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565168
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pull-out guide fitting for drawers or the like, having a body rail, a drawer rail, and optionally an intermediate rail, on both sides of the drawer. Support rollers are mounted on the body rails and running rollers are mounted on the drawer rails and the intermediate rails. The running rollers are guided in U-shaped sections of the body rails and run on lower and/or upper horizontal webs of the body rails.
Drawer pull-out arrangements of this type comprise rails which are attached to the drawer and/or furniture body and along which the running rollers, optionally with a tilting function, and the support rollers of the drawer are guided during a pulling out movement of the drawer. The drawer disclosed in EP 820 712 A2, for example, discloses such a pull-out arrangement.
When a drawer is pulled out from a furniture body, its guide loses lateral stability the further the drawer is pulled out. In a pulled-out state, a distance between the supporting rollers and the running rollers with a tilting function is small, so that a lever action takes place. The small distance, with respect to a running direction and cabinet depth or pull-out depth, between the rollers in operation reduces lateral stability of the pulled-out drawer. The lateral stability is determined by actual roller clearance and a possibility of moving each individual side of the drawer freely with respect to its pull-out depth, in which case because of easy lateral pivoting movement the rollers on one side of the drawer turn in an opposite direction relative to the rollers on the opposite side of the drawer. A possible pivoting clearance of the pulled-out drawer is additionally increased as a structural width of the drawer becomes larger.
An already known method of preventing this clearance with toothed racks and toothed wheels engaging on both sides of the drawer has a drawback in that because of a tooth clearance a pivoting clearance nevertheless remains.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to increase lateral stability of a drawer that is pulled-out partially or completely by substantially preventing a horizontal pivoting clearance.
Desired improvement of lateral stability is achieved according to the invention in that at least two running rollers arranged on mutually opposite sides of the drawer are connected to each other in a non-rotational manner.
When a drawer with a pull-out arrangement according to the invention is pulled out, a lever function takes place, with supporting and tilting forces being directed by way of running rollers. A connection preventing rotation, preferably a tube or a rod, which is fixed for example by wedge connections to the running rollers and results in synchronization of rotation of the running rollers about their axis, is provided between the running rollers under lever loading in a pulled-out state of the drawer. Accordingly, clearance is no longer present as a result of opposite rotation of the running rollers. Under normal pre-conditions lever loading of a pulled-out drawer upon the running rollers is sufficient to suppress a lateral slipping between a running face and the running roller. The drawer is thus held in a pulled-out position without pivoting laterally. Slipping is also suppressed when the drawer is partially pulled out, as soon as gripping friction between the running rollers and a guide path, on account of contact pressure, is sufficient to withstand shear forces resulting from a pivoting load. The drawer is likewise held in position, when it is pulled out, obliquely offset to a certain degree.
It is advantageous to provide the running rollers and/or the guide paths with gripping-assisting surfaces, such as for example in the case of quiet-running rollers.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1758550 (1930-05-01), Wolters
patent: 3794401 (1974-02-01), Dean et al.
patent: 4436989 (1984-03-01), Schuldt
patent: 4910916 (1990-03-01), Dubach et al.
patent: 344418 (1921-11-01), None
patent: 1964240 (1971-06-01), None
patent: 2306466 (1974-08-01), None
patent: 2328506 (1975-01-01), None
patent: 0829213 (1998-03-01), None
Hansen James O.
Julius Blum Gesellschaft m.b.H.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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