Sliding rail assembly for wire basket

• US 7,108,143 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ruei-Hsing Lin
• Original Assignee: Ruei-Hsing Lin
• Inventors: Lin, Ruei-Hsing
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Jr., Richard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M.
• Application Number:
  US11/077,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20060201899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 211/183, 211/162, 211/126.15, 211/133.5, 211/94.01, 211/94.02, 211/181.1, 312/330.1, 312/334.1, 312/334.4
• US Class Current: 211/183
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2088/401 Slides or guides for wire baskets
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0024 Slides, guides for wire basket or drawer
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0037 Rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0043 Wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0056 Guide located at the bottom of the drawer
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/04 Metal wire drawers
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/40 Sliding drawers; Slides or guides therefor

Abstract

A sliding rail assembly for wire baskets is provided. The rail of the sliding rail assembly has an enlarged opening in the front so that a wire basket could be guided into the rail quickly and easily. A number of wheel members are installed along the bottom of the rail to provide both support and sliding functions to the wire basket, and much less abrasion and squeaking noise is generated when the wire basket is pushed or pulled along the rail. Specially designed blocking members are installed along the rail so as to prevent the wire basket from being pulled entirely out of the rail, or being pushed too far into the rail.

Claims

1. A sliding rail assembly for a wire basket, a pair of said sliding rail assemblies installed symmetrically at the same height on a left and a right inner walls of a closet respectively, said wire basket slidingly engaged with said sliding rail assemblies in a rear-front direction, said sliding rail assembly comprising a rail, a plurality of wheel members, a plurality of blocking members;

wherein said rail has a channel along said rail'"'"'s length, said channel has an enlarged opening at said channel'"'"'s front end, said channel has a plurality of semi-circular troughs along a bottom of said channel and at least a trough at a top of said channel in a front section of said channel, each of said trough has a cylindrical axle extended from an interior of the rail along said trough'"'"'s axial direction, each of said axle has a through hole along said axle'"'"'s axial direction, each of said trough has a larger opening at an inner side of said rail, said rail has a plurality of through holes located at the top of said rail within a front and middle sections of said rail, each of said through holes of said rail has a positioning block at a location farther into and on an inside wall of said through holes of said rail, each of said through holes of said rail has a confining groove around a rim of said through holes of said rail at the inner side of said rail,

said wheel member further comprises a pin having a semi-circular head and a cylindrical roller, said cylindrical roller has a through hole along its axial direction, said cylindrical roller is slid around said cylindrical axle of said trough, said pin is inserted into said through hole of said axle, said semi-circular head of said pin is sized such that it fits perfectly into said larger opening of said trough and said semi-circular head is parallel to the inner side of said rail, said trough and said axle are arranged such that said cylindrical roller is slightly above the bottom of the channel to support said wire basket'"'"'s sliding movement; and

said blocking member further comprises a rotative L-shape head and a bayonet having a plurality of legs, said bayonet is screwed into said through hole of said rail from the inner side of said rail, said positioning block of said through hole of said rail fits within a gap between two adjacent said legs, feet of said legs lock to an outer side of said rail, said L-shape head has a confining block located at said L-shape head'"'"'s intersection with said bayonet, the rotation of said L-shape head is confined within span said confining groove of said through hole of said rail in conjunction with said confining block, said blocking member within said front section of said rail, when its L-shape head is perpendicular to said rail, stops a front rim of said wire basket to move into said rail, said blocking member within said middle section of said rail, when its L-shape head is perpendicular to said rail, stops a rear rim of said wire basket to move out of said rail, said L-shape head has a magnetic element at where said L-shape head contacts said rim of said wire basket.

2. The sliding rail assembly for a wire basket according to claim 1, wherein said confining groove of said through hole of said rail located within said front section of said rail is arranged around the 3 o'"'"'clock to 6 o'"'"'clock range, said confining groove of said through hole of said rail located within said middle section of said rail is arranged around the 6 o'"'"'clock to 9 o'"'"'clock range.