File cabinet with pivoted sliding front door

[57] ABSTRACT

The front end of this file cabinet is closed by a door which is hinged at its upper end to the cabinet. The door may be swung upwardly and forwardly about its pivot to horizontal position and then pushed back into the top of the cabinet to keep the cabinet open at the front. Door pivot blocks are fixed at the outer ends of the upper end of the door. At the inner sides of the upper ends of the side walls of the cabinet, are fixed horizontal racks with upwardly facing teeth. The door pivot blocks carry horizontally aligned pivot pins journalled on rack slides, slidably mounted on rack carriers fixed to the side walls of the cabinet and supporting the racks. Rotatably mounted on the rack slides is a transverse shaft, to die ends of which are fixed gears meshing with the racks.

Claims, 7 Drawing Figures

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Patented July 24, 1973

3,748,005

Sheets-Sheet 1

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FIG. 1

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Patented July 24, 1973

3,748,005

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3,748,005

FILE CABINET WITH PIVOTED SLIDING FRONT DOOR

This invention relates to a file cabinet with front doors that can be swung upwardly and forwardly to 5 horizontal position, and then pushed into the cabinet to be wholly housed in the top portion thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide, in a construction of the character described, side rack carriers fixed to the side walls of the cabinet and on which racks 10 are supported, and having means to slidably guide rack slides supporting a rotatable cross-shaft on which are fixed gears meshing with the racks, and to which rack slides, the front door is pivoted for upward and forward swinging. ¹⁵

Another object of this invention is to provide in a construction of the character described, door pivot blocks fixed in a hollow door and carrying pivot pins rotatably journalled on portions of the rack slides.

Still another object of this invention is to provide in 20 a construction of the character described, rack carriers having grooved portions to receive the racks, with the rack teeth facing upwardly, and formed with longitudinal guide flanges to be received in through slots in the rack slides. 25

A further object of this invention is to provide in a construction of the character described, rack slides having aligned bearing openings to receive the ends of a cross-shaft to which pinions or gears are fixed and which mesh with the racks and which also are provided ³⁰with forwardly extending bearing portions projecting into slots in door pivot blocks which have pins journalled in said bearing portions.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a strong and durable construction of the character de- ³³scribed, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, and which shall yet be practical and efficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will be in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a file cabinet embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2—2 of

FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3—3 of

FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4—4 of

FIG. 3; . 55

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the front door raised and pushed into the cabinet to open the front of the cabinet;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6—6 of

FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7—7 of FIG. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a file cabinet embodying the invention.

Said cabinet 10 comprises a cabinet housing 11 hav- ₆₅ing side walls 12, and a rear wall 13 which may be formed integrally therewith. At each of the rear corners of the cabinet are corner reinforcing members or posts

IS, each having a flange 15α contacting and welded to the inner surface of a side wall. Extending from flange 15α at right angles thereto is a web 156 from which a wall 15c extends in parallel relation to the side wall. Extending from wall 15c, at right angles thereto, is a shoulder 15d, from which another short wall 15e extends in parallel relation to the side wall. Extending from wall 15c is a flange 15/contacting and welded to the inner surface of the rear wall 13.

At the front of the cabinet housing 11, side walls 12 each have inwardly extending front walls 12α, from which flanges 126 extend rearwardly in parallel relation to the side walls 12, and aligned with wall 15e of member 15.

Disposed between flange 126 and adjacent side walls 12 are front corner reinforcing members or posts 18. Each member 18 comprises a flange 18α contacting an inner surface of wall 12α. Extending from the inner end of wall 18α is a wall 186 contacting the wall 126. Extending from the rear end of wall 186 is a shoulder 18c from which a wall 18d extends rearwardly in parallel relation to wall 12. Extending from wall 18d is a wall 18e. Extending from wall 18e is a flange 18/contacting and welded to wall 12. Walls 18α or 186 may be welded to the walls 12α, 126.

The cabinet may be of any desired height. It has a top wall 20. It may be divided into a plurality of shelf spaces by intermediate horizontal walls (not shown) and may have a bottom wall (not shown).

At the inner sides of the rear and front comer members, at the upper end of each shelf space 24 (only one shelf space is shown), are located a pair of similar, symmetrical rack housing or carrier members 25. Said members 25 extends horizontally from front to rear and each is fixed to an inner side of the cabinet in the manner hereinafter described.

Each rack housing or carrier 25 comprises a wall 25α disposed in a vertical plane and welded or otherwise fixed to wall 15e of a rear comer post 15 and to wall 126 at the same side of the cabinet. Extending inwardly from the lower end of each wall 25α is a horizontal web 256 from which a wall 25c extends upwardly. Extending inwardly from the upper end of wall 25c is a guide flange 2Sd. Guide flange 2Sd is located below the level of the upper edge of wall 25α. The rack housings or carriers 25 extend from a point rearwardly of walls 12α, substantially to the flanges 15/. It will be noted that above wall 256 and between walls 25α and 25c is formed a channel or groove 26. Fitted into each groove 26 is a rack 27 having upwardly facing rack teeth 28. The racks 27 are fixed in grooves 26 and to the rack housing 25 by welding, screws, bolts or by any other suitable fastening means. The teeth of said racks should be in alignment.

Slidably mounted on said pair of rack housings 25 are a pair of similar symmetrical rack slides 30. Each rack slide 30 comprises a block portion 30α formed with a through transverse horizontal bearing opening 306. Extending downwardly from each block portion 30α is a block portion 30c formed at its outer side with a vertical surface 30d spaced inwardly of the outer surface 30e of block portion 30α. Block portion 30c is formed, in its outer side, with a horizontal narrow slot 30/ disposed below block portion 30α and slidably receiving flange 25d of rack housing or carrier 25. Passing rotatably through the bearing openings 306 of the two rack slides 30, are the ends of a transverse horizontal

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As possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the ac5 companying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative only.