SLIM DRAWER SLIDE

• US 20140265790A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accuride International Incorporated (Accuride Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Accuride International Incorporated (Accuride Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashemi, Darush David, Wenming, Yang, Le, Hai, Parvin, Jack, Xiang, Zhang
• Granted Patent: US 9,155,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/334.8
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0029 Guide bearing means
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0059 Guide located at the side of the drawer
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/49 with double extensible guides or parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/493 with rollers, ball bearings, wheels, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2314/72 Drawers
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 29/02 Sliding-contact bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 29/043 with two massive rectangular rails having facing grooves
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 29/048 with thin walled races, e.g. tracks of sheet metal
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1489 characterized by the mounting of blades therein, e.g. brackets, rails, trays H05K7/1491 takes precedence

Abstract

A drawer slide member including raceways formed of folded or solid material providing additional thickness while utilizing thin material may provide for increased strength of the drawer slide.

Claims

1. A slide member for a drawer slide, comprising:

a longitudinal web;

a pair of longitudinal raceway structures about longitudinal edges of the longitudinal web, each of the raceway structures having an S-shaped cross section, with a first portion about a first end of the S-shape being indented to form a first raceway and a second portion about a second end of the S-shape being indented to form a second raceway.

2. The slide member of claim 1, wherein the first raceway is an outward facing raceway and the second raceway is an inward facing raceway.

3. The slide member of claim 1, wherein the second end of the S-shape for both the raceway structures is connected to the longitudinal web.

4. The slide member of claim 1, wherein the S-shaped cross section has a first layer of material forming the second raceway, a third layer of material forming the first raceway, and a second layer of material between the second raceway and the first raceway.

5. The slide member of claim 4, wherein the second layer of material generally conforms to a surface of the first layer of material.

6. The slide member of claim 4, wherein the first layer of material and the second layer of material are connected by a first spacer.

7. The slide member of claim 4, wherein the second layer of material and the third layer of material are connected by a second spacer.

8. The slide member of claim 2, wherein the inward facing raceway extends away from a longitudinal edge of the longitudinal web, and the outward facing raceway extends away from a plane defined by the longitudinal web.

9. A slide member for a drawer slide, comprising:

a pair of longitudinal raceway structures separated by a longitudinal web, each of the raceway structures having a cross section with;

an inwardly facing arcuate raceway extending from about a longitudinal edge of the web, the inwardly facing arcuate raceway having a proximate edge about the longitudinal edge of the web and a distal edge distal from the web;

a first abutment extending outward from the distal edge of the inwardly facing raceway;

an outwardly facing arcuate raceway extending from the first abutment;

a second abutment extending from the outwardly facing arcuate raceway and towards the proximate edge of the inwardly facing arcuate raceway; and

a base extending from the second abutment, the base extending along an outwardly facing surface of material forming the inwardly facing arcuate raceway.

10. The slide member of claim 9, wherein the base extends only partway along the outerwardly facing surface of the material forming the inwardly facing arcuate raceway.

11. The slide member of claim 10, wherein the base approaches, but does not reach, a center line of the inwardly facing arcuate raceway.

12. The slide member of claim 11, wherein the base reaches, and supports, a center line of the outwardly facing arcuate raceway.

13. A slide member for a drawer slide, comprising:

a longitudinal web;

a first transverse double hem along a first longitudinal edge of the longitudinal web, the first transverse double hem having a first inward facing raceway extending generally transverse to a plane defined by the longitudinal web and having a first outward facing raceway extending generally transverse to the plane defined by the longitudinal web; and

a second transverse double hem along a second longitudinal edge of the longitudinal web, the second transverse double hem having a second inward facing raceway extending generally transverse to the plane defined by the longitudinal web and having a second outward facing raceway extending generally transverse to the plane defined by the longitudinal web.

14. The slide member of claim 13, wherein the first inward facing raceway extend from the first longitudinal edge of the longitudinal web, and the second inward facing raceway extend from the second longitudinal edge of the longitudinal web.

15. The slide member of claim 14, wherein the first inward facing raceway, the second inward facing raceway, the first outward facing raceway, and the second outward facing raceway are arcuate raceways.

16. A telescopic drawer slide, comprising:

an outer slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by inwardly facing arcuate raceways;

an inner slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by outwardly facing arcuate raceways; and

an intermediate slide member, the intermediate slide member extendably coupled to the inwardly facing arcuate raceways of the outer slide member, the intermediate slide member extendably coupled to the outwardly facing arcuate raceways of the inner slide member, the intermediate slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by inward facing arcuate raceways, with abutments extending outwardly from about edges of material forming the inward facing arcuate raceways, and outward facing arcuate raceways between the abutments, and an extra layer of material abutting an outer surface of the inward facing raceways.

17. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 16 wherein a first of the abutments extends from an outer edge of the inward facing arcuate raceway, the outer edge being distal from the longitudinal web, and a second of the abutments extends from the extra layer of material about an inner edge of the inward facing arcuate raceway.

18. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 16 wherein the intermediate slide member is integrally formed of a strip of material.

19. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 16, wherein the longitudinal web of the intermediate slide member includes at least one pair of opposing angled transitions.

20. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 19, wherein the at least one pair of opposing angled transitions is separated by an offset platform of the longitudinal web.

21. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 19, wherein the at least one pair of angled transitions includes two pairs of angled transitions.

22. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 16, wherein the intermediate slide member is extendably coupled to the outer slide member by bearings running in the inwardly facing arcuate raceways of the outer slide member and outward facing arcuate raceways of the intermediate slide member, and the intermediate slide member is extendably coupled to the inner slide member by bearings running in the outwardly facing arcuate raceways of the inner slide member and inward facing arcuate raceways of the intermediate slide member.

23. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 16, wherein the intermediate slide member is extendably coupled to the outer slide member by at least one friction rod in the inwardly facing arcuate raceways of the outer slide member and outward facing arcuate raceways of the intermediate slide member, and the intermediate slide member is coupled to the inner slide member by at least one further friction rod in the outwardly facing arcuate raceways of the inner slide member and inward facing arcuate raceways of the intermediate slide member.

24. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 23, wherein the at least one friction rod and the at least one further friction rod each comprise a plurality of friction rods.

25. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 24, wherein at least some of the friction rods are fixed in position with respect to the intermediate slide member.

26. The telescopic drawer slide of claim 24, wherein at least some of the friction rods are not fixed in position with respect to the intermediate slide member.

27. A friction drawer slide, comprising:

an outer slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by inwardly facing arcuate raceways;

an inner slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by outwardly facing arcuate raceways; and

an intermediate slide member having;

a longitudinal web longitudinally bounded by inward angled bends forming inward frictional contact surfaces for riding in the outwardly facing arcuate raceways of the inner slide member, and

outward frictional contact surfaces for riding in the inwardly facing arcuate raceways of the outer slide member.

28. The friction drawer slide of claim 27, wherein the outward frictional contact surfaces are formed in a hemmed edge.

29. The friction drawer slide of claim 28, wherein the hemmed edges extend outward from the inward frictional contact surfaces provided by the inward angled bends.

30. The friction drawer slide of claim 27, wherein the longitudinal web of the intermediate slide member includes a central offset platform bounded by longitudinal edges.

31. A friction drawer slide, comprising:

an outer slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by inwardly facing arcuate raceways;

an inner slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by outwardly facing arcuate raceways; and

an intermediate slide member extendably coupling the outer slide member and the inner slide member, the intermediate slide member including a longitudinal web bounded by triangular lobes, with an apex of each of the triangular lobes providing an outward frictional contact to ride in the inwardly facing arcuate raceways of the outer slide member and a base of each of the triangular providing an inward frictional contact to ride in the outwardly facing arcuate raceways of the inner slide member.

32. The friction drawer slide of claim 31, further comprising a protruding ledge proximate the base of each triangular lobe, each corresponding protruding ledge and base providing a notch to receive a corresponding flange of the inner slide member providing the outwardly facing arcuate raceways.

34. The intermediate drawer slide member of claim 32, wherein the longitudinal web and opposing lobes are unitarily formed.

35. The intermediate drawer slide member of claim 32, wherein the opposing lobes are attached to the longitudinal web by way of fasteners.

33. An intermediate drawer slide member for use in a friction drawer slide, the intermediate slide member comprising:

a longitudinal web,

opposing lobes longitudinally bounding the longitudinal web, the opposing lobes having a generally oval cross-section.

36. A friction drawer slide, comprising:

an outer slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by inwardly facing arcuate raceways;

an inner slide member having a longitudinal web bounded by outwardly facing arcuate raceways; and

an intermediate slide member coupling the inner slide member and the outer slide member, the intermediate slide member having an integrally formed longitudinal web longitudinally bounded by opposing heads, with covers seated over the heads to provide frictional contact surfaces for riding in the raceways of the outer slide member and inner slide member.