Mechanism for controlling the travel of a structural member

• US 5,143,432 A
• Filed: 05/23/1991
• Issued: 09/01/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sugatsune Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sugatsune Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tamura, Seiichiro, Ohshima, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Falk, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US07/704,413
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 312/319, 312/333, 312/348, 312/344.1, 384/19, 384/20, 384/21
• US Class Current: 312/319.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0032 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0059 Guide located at the side of the drawer
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0094 Drawer damping device with 2 relatively movable parts to convert kinetic energy
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/467 self-closing

Abstract

According to the invention, there is provided an ingenuously contrived mechanism for controlling the travel of a movable structural member along rails comprising a pair of traveler devices removably engaged with the respective rails and a pair of travel controller that dampen the force pulling the movable member back into the fixed member. With such devices, the movable member can be easily separated from and returned to the fixed member that houses it without requiring any particular operation. Such a mechanism is particularly suited for a cabinet drawer.

Claims

1. A mechanism for controlling the travel of a movable structural member along rails, said mechanism comprising a fixed member provided with a pair of fixed rails, a pair of sliding rails engaged with the respective fixed rails and a movable member arranged on said sliding rails, a pair of traveler devices connected to said sliding rails and engaged with the respective fixed rails for movement therealong, a pair of spring means connected between said fixed member and said traveler devices for pulling the respective traveler devices in a given direction along said fixed rails, a pair of travel controllers mounted on said sliding rails each comprising at least two rollers, the outer peripheries of said rollers being frictionally contacted with each and oppositely facing surfaces of the corresponding fixed rail, a pair of lock devices including first and second operational modes and operatively associated with said traveler devices, said fixed rails and said movable member and operative, when in said first operational mode, to prevent movement of said movable member relative to said traveler devices, and further operative to shift to said second operational mode upon movement of said traveler devices in said opposite direction relative to said fixed rails to predetermined positions in said opposite direction and release said movable member for movement thereof relative to said traveler devices in said opposite direction and also operative, upon subsequent movement of said movable member in said given direction relative to said traveler devices, to shift to said first operational mode to lock said movable member to said traveler devices for movement therewith in said given direction and release said traveler devices from said fixed rails for movement therealong under the biasing action of said spring means in said given direction, said lock devices each comprising a lock plate releasably coupled with the corresponding sliding rail for angularly displacement about a pivot axis stationary with said corresponding sliding rail, said lock devices including means operative to securely hold the respective traveler devices to the fixed rails responsive to rotation of said lock plates at the time of coupling with the respective sliding rails, said rollers being movably mounted from said travel controllers and biased against said oppositely facing surfaces with sufficient friction generated therebetween to cause the travel controllers to function as dampers that dampen the biasing action of the spring means only when the traveler devices are pulled back into the fixed member as the sum of the diameters of the two rollers is so determined that it is greater than the distance between the oppositely facing surfaces of the fixed rails.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said lock plates each include a selectively releasable and engageable positive detent connection with said fixed rails, said detent connections being in the engaged position when said lock devices are in said operational mode and in the release position when said lock devices are in said second operational mode.

3. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein one of said rollers includes rotation retarding means operatively associated therewith to yieldingly retard rotation thereof.