File drawer support

May 1, 1956

J. E. GUTHRIE

FILE DRAWER SUPPORT

Filed Sept. 28, 1953

2,743,984

<img file="US2743984A_D0001.tif" />

BY

O TTORNEY.

United States Patent Office _p. ,. _M^2,7f ;⁹.^ '·. ' .... Patented.May 1, 1956&lt;

2,743,984

FILE DRAWER SUPPORT ίΗπιβδ .Ε.,Ο^ίΙιψί^,, Kqnsas City, Mo, Application September 28,1953, Serial No. 382,776

Claims. (Cl, 312—317)

This invention has to&lt; dd· with the. provision of structure for supporting sliding drawers or other receptacles of the kind normally mounted, for, sliding movement within a case to an open position when the same is pulled outwardly and to a closed position when pushed in.

In offices .particularly, it is generally well recognized that the problem of supporting drawers of file cabinets wljen tfie same are pulled outwardly to the open position, is quite harassing oftentimes requiring auxiliary supports which are not readily available. When filled, such drawers are extremely heavy and there is, therefore, always the danger of the entire cabinet tipping over and the remaining drawers sliding to the open position.

It is accordingly the most important object of the present invention to provide a support shiftably mounted on the drawer for movement to and from a position supporting the drawer when open by engagement with an underlying base.

Another important object of the present invention is to combine with a support of the character just mentioned, means to facilitate pulling the drawer to the open position.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a filing cabinet drawer or the like, showing one form of the support hereof operably mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line II—II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line ΠΙ—III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the position of the support when the drawer is open.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken on line VI—VI of Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawing, there is illustrated a file cabinet drawer broadly designated by the numeral 10, having a double-wall, outermost end 12, presenting a space 14. A combined pull and support is mounted on the end 12 of the drawer 10 and includes an U-shaped handle 16 having a short leg 18 extending through the end 12 transversely of the space 14 for free swinging movement on a horizontal axis. The short leg 18 of the handle 16 has a laterally extending link 20 rigidly secured thereto within the space 14.

A supporting leg 22 is secured to the link 20 for swinging movement relative thereto by means of a pivot pin 24. The leg 22 extends through an opening 26 in the end 12 of drawer 10 at the bottom thereof and is provided with a roller 28 on the lowermost end thereof. A stop 30 prevents retraction of the leg 22 from the opening 26 and a second stop 32 on the link 20 limits the extent of swinging movement of the leg 22 relative to the link 20 in one direction.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the leg 22 is normally positioned within the space 14 as illustrated in

Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The operator need merely grasp the handle 16 and exert a pull thereupon to in turn pull the drawer 10 from within the case 34 in which it is mounted to the position illustrated by dotted lines in 5 Fig. 2. The operator thereupon may swing the handle 16 in one direction to the lowermost end of its path of travel as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, thereby projecting the leg 22 through the opening 26 to a position where roller 28 rests upon a supporting base 36 for the 10 case 34 which is spaced below the drawer 10· when the latter is in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

When the leg 22 is so extended, as shown in Fig, 4, it will adequately support the outermost end of the drawer 10 and because of the provision of roller 28, drawer 10 15 may be reciprocated along the base 36 as the roller 28 rolls therealong. ’

In the modified form of my invention shown by Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, drawer 100 is provided with a primary handle 101, but the combined pull arid sup20 port .shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may be utilized to reciprocate the drawer 100 without the necessity of utilizing handle 101 since a knob 116-adequately presents a handle that may be used for such purpose. ^:

The knob 116 is provided with a polygonal shank 25 117 slidable but non-rotatable within a slot 119 formed in end wall 112 of the drawer 100. Slot 119 is provided with a lateral extension 121 adapted to receive the shank 117 when at the lowermost end of its path of travel. An elongated leg 122 is secured rigidly to the shank 117 30 within space 114 formed in the end wall 112. Leg 122 extends through an opening 126 and is provided with a roller 128 on its lowermost end.

When the drawer 100 is pulled outwardly from within its case 134 to the position spaced above supporting base 35 136 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, the operator need merely press downwardly upon the knob or handle 116 to move the leg 112 to a position where its roller 128 engages the base 136. A spring 137 interconnecting the wall 112 and the leg 122 thereupon automatically pulls 40 the shank 117 into the lateral extension 121 of slot 119 and releasably locks the assembly in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. When the drawer is opened still further or shifted toward its closed position, the roller 128 will ride along the base 136 and when it is 45 desired to fully close the drawer 100, the operator need merely move the knob 116 in the extension 121 against the action of spring 137 and thereupon retract leg 122 to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 6 by sliding the shank 117 upwardly in the slot 119.