Toolless mounting arrangement

• US 4,633,789 A
• Filed: 03/14/1986
• Issued: 01/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Berry, Gordon C., Kortering, Randall L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/841,010
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 312/194, 312/195, 312/196, 312/197, 312/245, 108/152
• US Class Current: 108/152
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 17/00 Writing-tables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2013/006 to hollow tubular profiles
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 12/38 using snap-action elements

Abstract

An arrangement for mounting a removable accessory such as a drawer unit to the underside of a work surface without the use of tools. A pair of front and rear slot and projection couplings are used to mount the accessory on the underside of the work surface, and a spring automatically locks the accessory to the work surface when the projections are fully engaged with the slots.

Claims

1. In a mounting arrangement including a work surface and a removable accessory mounted on the underside of said work surface, the improvement which comprises:

said work surface has a substantially horizontal, downwardly opening, elongated front slot formed on the underside thereof, said front slot tapering in depth forwardly from the rear end thereof in the lengthwise direction of said front slot;

said accessory has a front upright projection on top wall means thereof, said projection having flange means formed at the tip thereof, which front projection is inserted through a forward end portion of said front slot on the underside of said work surface and is then moved rearwardly and upwardly along said front slot to said rear end thereof, so that said front projection is snugly held at said rear end of said slot;

said accessory further has a self-locking releasable spring means for resiliently locking said front projection at the rear end of said front slot;

said spring means comprises a spring plate which extends forwardly from said front projection, resiliently snaps into said front slot as said front projection moves rearwardly along said front slot, and is adapted to engage a front wall of said front slot so as to prevent movement of said front projection forwardly within said front slot;

said work surface has a substantially vertical, frontwardly opening rear slot formed on the underside thereof, and said accessory has a rear, substantially horizontally extending projection which is inserted into said rear slot as said front projection is inserted into said front slot, which rear projection is locked into said rear slot by said spring means; and

said work surface has a pair of parallel front and rear, upwardly opening channel members secured to the underside thereof, said rear channel member having a front wall which defines said rear slot therein, and said front channel member having a bottom wall which defines said front slot therein, said bottom wall of said front channel member defining a cover which extends over said front slot so that said spring plate contacts the underside of said cover when said spring plate is in locked position, said cover being integral with said bottom wall of said front channel member.

9. A mounting arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said spring plate has means accessible from the underside of the accessory for removing said spring from said front slot to allow forward movement of said front and rear projections so that said accessory can be released from the underside of said work surface.

2. In a mounting arrangement including a work surface and an accessory removably mounted on the underside of said work surface, the improvement comprising:

front slot-and-projection coupling means for releasably mounting the front end of said accessory on the underside of said work surface, said front coupling means permitting assembly of said accessory and work surface by first requiring said accessory to be relatively moved substantially perpendicularly toward the underside of said work surface followed by slidable displacement accessory relative to the workpiece substantially horizontally rearwardly of the latter;

rear slot-and-projection coupling means for releasably mounting a rearward end of said accessory on the underside of said work surface, said rear coupling means permitting the rear end of the accessory to be initially moved relatively toward the work surface to effect partial engagement therebetween so as to effect at least partial support for the rearward end of the accessory prior to initial engagement of the front coupling means;

said front coupling means including a substantially horizontal, downwardly opening, elongated slot formed on the underside of said work surface, said front slot having a mouth of enlarged width adjacent the front end thereof and being of reduced width as the slot projects rearwardly of the work surface;

said front coupling means including a front upright projection on top wall means of said accessory, said front projection having flange means adjacent the upper end thereof, said front projection being moved upwardly with respect to the work surface so that the flange means is inserted through the mouth of the slot adjacent the front end thereof, with said accessory and the front projection then being moved rearwardly relative to the work surface so that the projection moves along the narrow portion of the front slot so that the flange means is captivated thereabove;

said rear coupling means including a slot formed in said work surface on the underside thereof in rearwardly spaced relationship from said front slot;

said rear coupling means including a rear projection which is fixed to said accessory adjacent the rearward end thereof, said rear projection projecting substantially horizontally rearwardly in a cantilevered fashion from said accessory so as to define a free rearward end, said free rearward end being partially insertable into said rear slot to effect partial support of the rearward end of the accessory from the work surface prior to the front projection being inserted through the mouth of the front slot; and

self-locking releasable spring means coacting between said accessory and said work surface for automatically locking said front projection adjacent the rearward end of said front slot to prevent accidental disengagement of said accessory from said work surface.

3. A mounting arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said spring means comprises a spring plate which is mounted on said accessory and extends forwardly from said front projection, said spring plate being engaged with and resiliently deflected downwardly by the underside of the work surface when the front projection is moved upwardly through the mouth of said front slot, said spring plate automatically resiliently snapping into the mouth of said front slot as the front projection moves into the rearward end of said front slot so that the spring plate abuts the front end of said front slot to prevent forward movement of the accessory relative to the work surface, said spring plate having a part thereof which is manually accessible so as to be manually downwardly withdrawn from the mouth of said front slot when release of the accessory from the work surface is desired.

4. The combination comprising:

a work surface having a substantially planar and horizontally extending top surface of enlarged extent, and a bottom surface which is fixedly related relative to the top surface and includes at least front and rear surface portions which extend substantially horizontally and are respectively disposed in the vicinity of the front and rear edges of the work surface;

an accessory adapted to be removably but fixedly mounted on said work surface so as to be disposed directly adjacent and downwardly suspended from the underside of said work surface, said accessory including a housing having at least one drawer unit horizontally slidably supported thereon, said housing having a top wall adapted to be disposed closedly adjacent and substantially contacting the front and rear bottom surface portions of said work surface when the aocessory is suspended therefrom;

said housing having a pair of front upright projections fixed thereto and projecting upwardly from the top wall thereof in the vicinity of the front corners of said housing, each said upright projection having an enlarged head fixedly associated therewith in the vicinity of the upper end thereof;

said work surface having, in the front surface portion of said bottom surface, a pair of front slots which are sidewardly spaced apart and open upwardly of said front surface portion for communication with a hollow region disposed thereabove, the sideward spacing between said front slots being substantially equal to the spacing between said upright projections;

each of said front slots being substantially horizontally elongated in a direction toward a rear edge of said work surface, each said front slot having a front slot portion which is of a width at least slightly greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the enlarged head so that the latter can pass upwardly through the front slot portion into the hollow interior thereabove, each said front slot also having a rear slot portion which communicates with the front slot portion but is of narrower width so as to captivate the head of the front upright projection above the front slot;

said work surface having, at a distance which is spaced significantly from the front edge thereof, a pair of sidewardly spaced rear slots which are accessible solely from the underside of said work surface, said rear slot at one end thereof being defined by a member which is fixedly associated with the work surface and defines thereon an upwardly facing shoulder which is spaced downwardly a substantial distance from said top surface, said work surface defining therein an open region above said shoulder but below said top surface, said rear slot providing communication with said open region;

said housing having a pair of rear projections fixed thereto in sidewardly spaced relationship adjacent the opposite rear corners thereof, each said rear projection being fixed to said housing and projecting substantially horizontally rearwardly in a cantilevered manner from its point of attachment to the housing so as to define an elongated leg which projects rearwardly and terminates in a free end portion, said leg being adapted to project into and through the rear slot so as to be positioned above and bear against said shoulder, said leg having sufficient length to bearingly engage against said shoulder and partially support the weight of said accessory when said front projection is disposed within the front portion of the respective front slot; and

self-locking releasable spring means mounted on one of said work surface and accessory for automatically springingly engaging within the front portion of the front slot when the front projections are moved into the rear portions of the front slots to positively lock the accessory to the work surface.

5. A combination according to claim 4, wherein each of said rear projections is substantially L-shaped and includes a vertical leg part which is fixed to and projects upwardly from the top wall of said housing and at its upper end is joined to the forward end of said rearwardly projecting leg.

6. A combination according to claim 5, wherein said rear projection is formed from a substantially flat platelike member.

7. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said spring has one end thereof fixedly mounted to the top wall of said housing, said spring projecting upwardly above said top wall when in a normal position and having a free end part which projects downwardly through an opening in said top wall, said spring being resiliently deflected downwardly so as to be substantially flush with the top wall when the latter is disposed directly under the front surface portion and the front projection extends through the front slot portion, said spring projecting upwardly into the front slot portion when the front projection is slidably moved rearwardly into the rear slot portion, the free end part of said spring projecting downwardly through the opening in said top wall when the spring is engaged within the front slot portion so as to be manually accessible from below said top wall to permit the spring to be manually displaced downwardly from its engagement within the front slot portion.

8. A combination according to claim 7, wherein said rear slots are formed in a vertically extending but forwardly facing wall defined on the underside of said work surface.