CARD TRAY

• US 3,751,129 A
• Filed: 10/20/1971
• Issued: 08/07/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl J. Dean, David M. Wright
• Original Assignee: Carl J. Dean, David M. Wright
• Inventors: Dean, Carl J., Wright, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliam, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US05/190,927
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 312/183,185 402/70,73 220/22.1-22.6
• US Class Current: 312/185
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 17/02 in which the cards are stored substantially at right angles to the bottom of their containers

Abstract

A plastic storage drawer or tray for data cards of documents provided with a positionable compressor or follower made of molded plastic elements. The drawer or tray supports a longitudinal guide track or channel, the compressor having integral track-engaging flanges and a releasable locking shoe for holding the compressor in adjusted position against the cards. The plastic compressor assembly encloses a pivoted locking lever carrying the locking shoe, and a spring normally urging the shoe against the longitudinal guide track. The locking shoe is shaped to permit the compressor or follower to be positioned without restraint toward the stack of cards in the tray. The guide track may comprise a metallic strip attached to one side wall of the drawer or tray. The bottom of the drawer is provided with reentrant shaped feet which cooperate with raised ledges on the top of the drawer to permit a series of drawers to be securely stacked one on the other vertically.

Claims

1. In a molded plastic file drawer having bottom and side walls for filing data carrying media, the combination comprising:

an elongate guide track member secured to the inner side of one of said walls between the top and bottom thereof and extending lengthwise of said drawer, and a compressor member slidably mounted on said guide track member;

said guide track member being so shaped in cross-section as to form a pair of spaced longitudinally extending tracks and a channel between said tracks;

said compressor member comprising;

a flat wall portion extending substantially across the width of said file drawer to compress the media therein when the compressor member is adjusted toward one end of the drawer, a locking assembly for releasably retaining said compressor member in a fixed position along said guide track member to enable re-positioning the compressor member in the drawer, said locking assembly comprising first means extending into said channel adapted to yieldingly and frictionally engage said guide track member and second means for releasably retaining said first means in engagement with said guide track member, and a slide plate extending normal to the flat wall portion of the compressor member and having means slidably mounted to said spaced tracks for maintaining said wall portion in position as the compressor member is adjusted in the drawer by movement along said guide track member.

2. A file drawer and compressor member according to claim 1, in which said first means adapted to yieldingly engage said guide track member comprises a pivoted lever having an outwardly extending shoe which frictionally engages said guide track member.

3. The file drawer and compressor member according to claim 2, in which said second means comprises a spring normally biasing said pivoted lever so as to press said shoe outwardly against said guide track member.

4. A file drawer and compressor member according to claim 1, in which said compressor member including said flat wall portion and slide plate comprises molded plastic elements enclosing said locking assembly.

5. A file drawer and compressor member according to claim 1, in which the plastic side plate of the compressor member embodies integral projecting flanges slidably engaging the said tracks of the guide track member.

6. A file drawer and compressor member according to claim 1, in which said compressor member comprises a plastic front plate forming said flat wall portion and a plastic plate spaced from the flat wall portion of said front plate so as to form a hollow shell enclosing said locking assembly, said slide plate being integral with and extending from said plastic front plate.

7. A compressor member for a file drawer comprising:

molded plastic front and back plates, said plates having up-standing peripheral flanges secured together so that said plates form a hollow shell, and being formed so as to provide first and second openings to said shell at the top and at one side respectively of said compressor member, a slide plate integral with said compressor member at said one side of said front and back plates, said slide plate having means for slidably mounting said compressor member to a guide track on one longitudinally extending wall of said drawer, a pivoted locking lever mounted within said shell, said lever having a locking element at one end thereof aligned with said second opening and a handle at another end thereof projecting out of said shell through said first opening, and resilient means biasing said locking lever so as to urge said locking element outwardly of said shell through said second opening for engagement with said drawer wall.

8. In a molded plastic file drawer for filing data-carrying media, said drawer having a bottom wall and opposite side walls, the combination comprising:

a compressor member in said drawer, means mounting said compressor member so that it is slidably connected to a single one of said opposite side walls, and locking means for releasably impeding movement of said compressor member lengthwise of said drawer;

said compressor member having a flat wall portion extending transversely of the length of said drawer to compress media therein when said compressor member is adjusted toward one end of said drawer;

said mounting means comprising an elongate guide track member secured to said single side wall and extending lengthwise of said drawer at a level intermediate the top and bottom of said single side wall, and a slide member on said compressor member slidably interconnected with said guide track member, said slide member extending normal to said flat wall portion; and

said locking means comprising a series of spaced retaining elements on said guide track member, a spring-biased locking element pivotally mounted to said compressor member and disposed so as to yieldingly engage said series of spaced retaining elements, and means for pivoting said locking element away from said guide track member so as to enable repositioning of said compressor member in said drawer.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said guide track member comprises elongate means forming two parallel spaced grooves extending lengthwise of said drawer, and said slide plate comprises guide elements that fit in said grooves and are slidably interconnected with said elongate means.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said elongate means comprise offset edge portions of said guide track member.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said compressor member is hollow and comprises mutually confronting and spaced back and front end plates with said flat wall portion forming part of one of said plates, and further wherein said locking element includes a first portion that extends between said plates and is pivotally mounted to said compressor member, a second portion that extends out from between said plates and is engagable with said guide track member, and a third portion accessible outside of the compressor member for pivoting said locking element so as to move said second portion away from said guide track member.