Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02699211 2010-04-15
ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR SLIDE ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an adjustment device for a slide assembly,
and more particularly, to a guiding member connected to a first slide member
of the
slide assembly. The guiding member is able to be micro-adjusted relative to
the
other slide member of the slide assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional slide assembly generally includes a first rail and a second
rail which is longitudinally and slidably connected to the first rail. An
assistance
shifting device, such as the "Closing device for drawers" disclosed in U.S.
Patent
No. 5,364,179, is connected to the slide assembly. The closing device includes
a
support rail having a horizontal web, a pull-out rail longitudinally and
slidably
connected to the support rail and including a pin member, a guide housing
connected to the horizontal web of the support rail and including a guide
groove, a
tiltable member connected to the guide groove of the guide housing and having
an
upwardly open slot, and a spring connected to the tiltable member. When the
pull-out rail is retracted relative to the support rail, the pin member of the
pull-out
rail is engaged with the upwardly open slot of the tiltable member so that the
tiltable member can be moved within the guide groove by the pull-out rail. The
spring applies a force to the tiltable member and the spring force together
with the
pulling force of the tiltable member to automatically retract relative to the
support
rail.
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When the slide assembly is used to a drawer, the drawer has two pull-out
rails on two sides thereof and the two insides of the cabinet to which the
drawer is
connected have two support rails to which the pull-out rails are connected.
The
drawer can be pulled out from or retracted into the cabinet by the slide
assembly.
When the drawer is moved to a pre-set distance in the cabinet, the closing
device is
used to assist the drawer to be automatically retracted into the cabinet by
the
contact between the pin member of the pull-out rails and the upwardly open
slots in
the tiltable members.
Actually, when the pull-out rails are moved longitudinally relative to the
support rails, a gap exists in a lateral direction. However, when the slide
assembly
is connected to a piece of furniture such as a drawer to a cabinet, the
lateral gap
slightly changes due to installation and tolerance of the parts of the
furniture. The
change of the lateral gap affects the contact between the pin member of the
pull-out
rails and the upwardly open slots in the tiltable members, thereby affecting
the
feature of automatic retraction of the drawer.
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide an adjustment device for adjusting
the change of the lateral gap so as to improve the shortcomings of the
conventional
slide assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an adjustment
device for a slide assembly. The slide assembly includes a guiding member
which
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is micro-adjusted relative to the slide assembly so as to adjust the movement
of the
slide assembly.
The present invention relates to a slide assembly and comprises a first
slide member which has a first panel and a second panel extending
perpendicularly
from the first panel. A second slide member is longitudinally movable relative
to
the first slide member. A guiding member has a first end and a second end
longitudinally opposite to the first end. The first end is connected to the
first panel
of the first slide member. The second end includes a first wall, a second wall
and a
bottom wall which is connected between the first and second walls. An
accommodation room is defined among the first wall, the second wall and the
bottom wall. A lateral hole is defined through the bottom wall. A passage is
defined
between the first and second ends. An adjusting base includes a board, a
protruding
member extending from an underside of the board and a hole defined through the
board and eccentrically through the protruding member. The board has a portion
leaning against the second panel of the first slide member and the protruding
member is located within the accommodation room. A pivot member extends
through the hole of the adjusting base and the lateral hole of the guiding
member
and is connected to the first panel of the first slide member. When the
adjusting
base is turned, the protruding member pushes the first wall or the second wall
in the
accommodation room to laterally adjust the second end of the guiding member.
Preferably, the board of the adjusting base includes a curved contact side
which faces the second panel and has a plurality of protrusions.
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Preferably, the first end of the guiding member includes a fixing portion
and the first panel of the first slide member has an anchoring member which
anchors the fixing portion.
Alternatively, the first end of the guiding member has a fixing portion
which is pivotably connected to the first panel of the first slide member by a
pin.
Preferably, the adjusting base includes an adjusting portion disposed on
top of the board and located beside the hole. When a hand tool such as a
screwdriver is inserted into the adjusting portion and rotated, the adjusting
base is
adjusted and shifted.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following
description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which
show,
for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with
the
present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing the slide assembly according to a first
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing that the guiding member has one end
connected to the first slide member of the slide assembly according to the
first
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the adjustment device and the guiding
member of the slide assembly according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
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Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the adjustment device installed
on the first slide member according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the assistance shifting device disposed
on the slide assembly according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing that the adjusting base is turned to
adjust the first slide member; and
Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the connection between the guiding
member and the first slide member according to a second embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in Fig. 1, the slide assembly according to a first embodiment of
the present invention comprises a first slide member 10, a second slide member
12
which is longitudinally movable relative to the first slide member 10, a
guiding
member 14 connected to the first slide member 10, and an adjustment device 16
which adjusts the lateral position of the guiding member 14 relative to the
first slide
member 10.
The first slide member 10 has a first panel 18 and a second panel 20
which is perpendicularly connected to the first panel 18. Preferably, the
second
panel 20 perpendicularly extends from the first panel 18. Referring to Fig. 2,
the
first panel 18 includes an anchoring member 22 thereon.
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The guiding member 14 is used to guide the second slide member 12 to
move relative to the first slide member 10, and includes a first end 24 and a
second
end 26 which is longitudinally opposite to the first end 24. As shown in Fig.
2, the
first end 24 of the guiding member 14 has a fixing portion 28 which is
connected to
the anchoring member 22 of the first panel 18 of the first slide member 10. As
shown in Fig. 3, the second end 26 of the guiding member 14 includes a first
wall
30, a second wall 32 and a bottom wall 34 which is connected between the first
and
second walls 30, 32. An accommodation room 36 is defined among the first wall
30,
the second wall 32 and the bottom wall 34. The inside of the accommodation
room
36 includes the first wall 30 or the second wall 32. A lateral hole 38 is
defined
through the bottom wall 34. A passage 40 is defined between the first and
second
ends 24, 26.
Further referring to Fig. 3, the adjustment device 16 includes an adjusting
base 42 and a pivot member 44. The adjusting base 42 includes a board 46 which
has a curved contact side 48 facing the second panel 20 and has a plurality of
protrusions 56. A protruding member 50 extends from an underside of the board
46
and a hole 52 is defined through the board 46 and eccentrically through the
protruding member 50. An adjusting portion 54 is disposed on top of the board
46
and located beside the hole 52. Referring to Fig. 4, the pivot member 44
extends
through the hole 52 of the adjusting base 42 and the lateral hole 38 of the
guiding
member 14 and is connected to the first panel 18 of the first slide member 10.
A
portion of the protrusions 56 is contact with the second panel 20 of the first
slide
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member 10, and the protruding member 50 is located within the accommodation
room 36 of the guiding member 14.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, an assistance shifting device 58 is connected
to the passage 40 of the guiding member 14. The assistance shifting device 58
can be a self closing device, a self-opening device, or a self-closing and
self-opening device. However, the assistance shifting device 58 is known to
persons
in the art and will not be described in detail. The second slide member 12
includes
a connection member 60 which is connected to or separated from the assistance
shifting device 58. The connection member 60 and the assistance shifting
device 58
have a relative track relationship in a longitudinal direction when the second
slide
member 12 is longitudinally moved relative to the first slide member 10.
When the position of the connection member 60 of the second slide
member 12 relative to the passage 40 of the guiding member 14 is deflected,
the
position of the guiding member 14 relative to the second slide member 12 must
be
adjusted for engagement or disengagement of the connection member 60 and the
assistance shifting device 58 in the longitudinal direction.
Referring to Fig. 6, when adjusting, if the adjusting portion 54 of the
adjusting base 42 is a cross slot, then a screwdriver with a Phillips head tip
can be
inserted into the adjusting portion 54 and rotates the adjusting base 42 about
the
pivot member 44 in the direction shown by the arrow head Fl, the protruding
member 50 is rotated in the accommodation room 36 to push the first wall 30 or
the
second wall 32 in the accommodation room 36. By doing this, the guiding member
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14 is laterally adjusted relative to the second slide member 12. The arrow
head F2
in Fig. 6 shows that the guiding member 14 is pushed by the adjusting base 42
and
moved relative to the second slide member 12. The protrusions 56 leans against
the
second panel 20 of the first slide member 10 so as to position the adjusting
base 42.
It is noted that the adjusting portion 54 of the adjusting base 42 can be
other shape of slot so as to be cooperated with different tools.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, if the guiding member 14 is made of flexible
material, the first end 24 of the guiding member 14 can be fixed to the first
panel
18 of the first slide member 10. The second end 26 of the guiding member 14
can
be micro-adjusted by the adjustment device 16. Alternatively, as shown in Fig.
7,
the first end 202 of the guiding member 200 has a fixing portion 204 which is
pivotably connected to the first panel 18 of the first slide member 10 by a
pin 206,
regardless of the nature of the material of the guiding member 200. By this
way, the
guiding member 200 is adjusted by the adjustment device 16.
,While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with
the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that
further
embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
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