MOBILE DRAWER STORAGE SYSTEM

SYSTEME DE STOCKAGE A TIROIRS MOBILES

English Abstract

A storage system for small parts and tools, comprised of vertically stackable drawer units which interlock so as to form a stack of drawers, or individually detach so as to be portable. This system is suitable for use with a motor vehicle, where the individual drawer units would be vertically stacked on to a base plate in an interlocking manner, said base plate being securely mounted to the vehicle for stability while the vehicle is in motion. The operator may detach individual drawers from the top of the drawer stack and vertically stack them in the same interlocking manner onto a means of conveyance such as a hand truck or cart specially modified for the purpose, thereby providing a mobile drawer stack.

French Abstract

Un système de rangement pour de petites pièces et de petits outils constitué dunités de tiroirs empilables verticalement qui simbriquent de manière à former une pile de tiroirs ou se séparent individuellement de façon à être portables. Ce système est conçu pour sutiliser avec un véhicule automobile; les unités de tiroirs individuelles seraient alors empilées verticalement sur une plaque de base par complémentarité de formes, ladite plaque de base étant solidement fixée au véhicule de façon à assurer sa stabilité lorsque le véhicule est en mouvement. Lopérateur peut séparer les tiroirs individuels à partir du haut de la pile de tiroirs et les empiler verticalement également par complémentarité de formes sur un moyen de transport tel quun chariot manuel spécialement modifié à cette fin, ce qui permet dobtenir une pile de tiroirs mobiles.

Claims

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What is claimed is:
1. A drawer storage system comprising:
drawer shells, each of said drawer shells having an open face, opposed
sidewalls and a
latching device so as to allow said drawer shells to be latched to each other
when said drawer
shells are superimposed upon each other, said drawer shells being positionally
interchangeable;
and
at least one removable drawer tray for sliding into and out of a respective
one of said
drawer shells;
said latching device including a handle, said handle being rotatable between a
locked
position, wherein said handle locks said at least one removable drawer tray
within sai.d one of
said drawer shells and removably locks said drawer shells with respect to one
another, and an
unlocked position, wherein said at least one rernovable drawer tray can be
removed from said
drawer shell and said drawer shells can be separated.
2. The drawer storage system of claim 1, wherein said handle is pivotably
coupled to said
drawer shell;
said open face being adapted to receive said at least one removable drawer
tray, said
handle extending adjacent said open face, said handle partially obstructing
said open face when
in said locked position and exposing said open face when in the unlocked
position.
3. The drawer storage system of claim 2, wherein said handle is defined by
a plane surface
traversing said open face;
said plane surface having opposed flanges extending perpendicular to said
plane surface,
said flanges being pivotably coupled to said opposed sidewalls of said drawer
shell.
4. The drawer storage system of claim I, further including a spring to
normally bias said
handle to said locked position.
5. The drawer storage system of claim 4, wherein said spring is a spring
steel strip, which
extends rearward from said handle to said respective drawer shell opposed
sidewall.

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6. The drawer storage system of claim 1, wherein said latching device
further includes at
least one first stud mounted to said handle, said opposed sidewalk having at
least one slot for
receipt of said first stud, said first stud protruding through said slot;
said drawer shells including at least one striker plate; and
said first stud engaging said striker plate when one of said drawer shells is
superimposed
on an adjacent one of said drawer shells to lock said drawer shells with
respect to one another.
7. The drawer storage system of claim 6, further including a second stud
spaced from said
first stud, said second stud engaging said striker plate to further lock said
drawer shells with
respect to one another.
8. The drawer storage system of claim 7, wherein said striker plate
includes a forward edge
having notch and an angled upper portion adjacent said notch, said forward
edge, notch and
angled upper portion facing said open face, and a rear edge facing away from
said open face,
said notch is adapted to receive said second stud and said angled upper
portion is adapted to
engage and guide said first stud over said striker plate to engage said rear
edge, when said drawer
shells are superimposed upon one another, said first and second studs engaging
said striker plate
to prevent movement of said drawer shells with respect to one another.
9. The drawer storage system of claim 1, further including at least one
shoulder holt
protruding from said drawer shells, said drawer shells further including at
least one bird's mouth
slot, said shoulder bolts of one of said drawer shells being received within
said bird's mouth slots
of an adjacent drawer shell.
10. The drawer storage system of claim 1, further including a base plate,
said baseplate being
adapted to receive a drawer shell, said base plate being adapted for mounting
within a motor
vehicle.
11. The drawer storage system of claim 1, further including a base plate,
said baseplate
being adapted to receive a drawer shell, said base plate being adapted for
mounting to a manual
conveyance device.

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12. A storage system assembly comprising:
drawer shells, each of said drawer shells having an open face, opposed
sidewalls and a
latching device to allow said drawer shells to be latched to each other when
said drawer shells
are superimposed upon each other, said drawer shells being positionally
interchangeable;
said latching device including a handle, said handle being rotatable between a
locked
position wherein said handle removably locks said drawer shells with respect
to one another and
an unlocked position wherein said drawer shells can be separated;
said latching device further includes at least one first stud mounted to said
handle, said
opposed sidewalls having at least one slot for receipt of said first stud,
said first stud protruding
through said slot;
a second stud mounted to said drawer shells;
said drawer shells including at least one striker plate, said striker plate
includes a forward
edge having a notch and angled upper portion adjacent said notch, said forward
edge, and angled
upper portion facing said open face, and a rear edge facing away from said
open face;
said notch is adapted to receive said second stud and said angled upper
portion is adapted
to engage and guide said first stud over said striker plate to engage said
rear edge, when said
drawer shells are superimposed upon one another,
said first and second studs engaging said striker plate to prevent movement of
said drawer
shells with respect to one another.
13. The storage system assembly of claim 12, further including at least one
removable drawer
tray for sliding into and out of a respective one of said drawer shells;
said handle locks said at least One removable drawer tray within said one of
said drawer
shells.
14. The storage system assembly of claim 13, wherein said handle is
pivotably coupled to
said drawer shell;
said open face being adapted to receive said at least one removable, drawer
tray, said
handle extending adjacent said open face, said handle partially obstructing
said open face when
in said locked position arid exposing said open face when in said =locked
position.

15. The storage system assembly of claim 12, wherein said handle is defined
by a plane
surface traversing said open face;
said plane surface having opposed flanges extending perpendicular to said
plane surface,
said flanges being pivotably coupled to said opposed sidewalls of said drawer
shell.
16. The storage system assembly of claim 12, further including a spring to
normally bias said
handle to said locked position,
1 7. The storage system assembly of claim 16, wherein said spring is a
spring steel strip that
extends rearward from said handle to said respective drawer shell opposed
sidewall.
18. The storage system assembly of claim 12, further including at least one
shoulder bolt
protruding from said drawer shells, said drawer shells further including at
least one bird's mouth
slot, said shoulder bolt of one of said drawer shells being received within
said bird's mouth slot
of an adjacent drawer shell.
19. The storage system assembly of claim 12, further including a base
plate, said baseplate
being adapted to receive a drawer shell, said base plate being adapted for
mounting within a
motor vehicle.
20. The storage system assembly of claim 12, further including a base
plate, said baseplate
being adapted to receive a drawer shell, said base plate being adapted for
mounting to a manual
conveyance device.

Description

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2 Mobile Drawer Storage System
SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to a mobile drawer storage system.
It is common that stackable drawer systems are constructed in such a manner as
to be comprised of a drawer tray enclosed within an outer shell, said shell
having
a top surface compatible with said shell's bottom surface, so as to create a
nesting effect should one shell be vertically imposed upon another identical
shell.
Said shells are sometimes equipped with latching devices on either side of the
shell as a means to latch one shell upon another identical shell. Existing
stackable drawer systems have the following drawbacks; there is no convenient
means of securing existing stackable drawer systems to a motor vehicle safely
so as to be kept immobile while the vehicle is in motion; existing stackable
drawer systems are prone to tipping over in the event that a drawer is opened
containing a load heavy enough to move the center of gravity of the drawer
stack
forward beyond the front bottom edge of the drawer stack; over-center latches
commonly used for securing a stackable drawer unit to a similar unit directly
below or above it are inconvenient and cumbersome for the operator; existing
stackable drawer systems have no convenient means of manual conveyance
other than by hand.
This invention overcomes these drawbacks by the following means: the latching
system used to connect and disconnect individual drawer units uses a greatly
improved design whereby a spring loaded handle is pivotably coupled to the
opposing forward inside lower faces of each drawer shell, and a striker plate
is
mounted to the forward upper portion of each side of said drawer shell, in
such a
manner that if a first drawer unit is imposed upon a second drawer unit by
means
of a horizontal rearward sliding motion, said spring loaded handle interferes
with
said strikers so as to latch said drawer units together, all drawer units
being
identically equipped so as to be positionally interchangeable; said handle
also
serving as a latch to restrain the drawer tray within the drawer shell; a base
plate
comprised of a shell of identical width and length to said drawer shells is
securely
fastened to a flat surface, generally within the cargo area of a vehicle, and
serves
as a point of attachment for said drawer units, said base plate being equipped
with strikers so as to be compatible with said spring loaded handles pivotably
coupled to said drawer shells; said drawer units may then be latched to said
base

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3 Mobile Drawer Storage System
plate in the same manner as said drawer units may be latched to each other;
this
allows an operator to quickly and conveniently store drawer units in the cargo
area of a vehicle in a secure manner to render said drawer units immobile
during
transport, as well as eliminating the danger of a drawer stack tipping over
should
an operator pull out a drawer tray containing a heavy load; furthermore, a
specially adapted means of manual conveyance is provided in the form of a hand
truck or cart, upon which the drawer units may be stacked, said conveyance
being equipped with strikers in a similar manner to said base plate, so as to
allow
said drawer units to latch to said conveyance; this allows an operator to
quickly
and conveniently transfer said drawer units from said base plate mounted to
said
vehicle onto said conveyance, and thereby transport said drawer units in a
secure manner to wherever the operator may need; said drawer units being
attached to said conveyance, said drawer trays may be pulled open by an
operator with a reduced danger of the drawer stack tipping over, said
conveyance acting as a counterbalance to the weight of any items contained
inside said drawer trays.

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4 Mobile Drawer Storage System
In drawings which illustrate the invention, figure 1 is a side elevation of a
drawer
unit, figure 2 is a rear elevation of a drawer unit, figure 3 is a front
elevation of a
drawer unit, figure 4 is a perspective view of the front of a drawer unit,
figure 5 is
a perspective view of the rear of a drawer unit, figure 6 is a perspective
view of a
drawer stack comprising multiple drawer units latched onto a base plate, and
figure 7 is a perspective view of a manual conveyance with a base plate
attached.
The mobile drawer storage system is made up of the following: drawer units (A)
are comprised of a drawer shell (1.) encasing a pull out drawer tray (2.);
drawer
tray (2) is restrained within drawer shell (1.) at the front of said drawer
shell by
means of a handle (3.), and at the rear of said drawer shell by means of two
bolts
(4.) protruding downwards from the upper inside surface of said drawer shell.
Handle (3.) is pivotably coupled to the opposed sides of drawer shell (1.) at
two
pivot points (5.), allowing said handle to rotate downwards into a position so
as to
render its upward facing surface (6.) plane with the opposed inside returned
surfaces (7.) of said drawer shell, allowing drawer tray (2.) to be drawn out
over
top of said handle so as to access the contents of said drawer tray. Handle
(3.)
may also rotate upwards until a point at which horizontally mounted studs (8.)
bolted to the opposing outside perpendicular faces of the sides of said handle
and protruding through vertical slots (9.) in the opposed vertical side faces
of the
drawer shell (1.) come into contact with the upper end of said slots. A
striker
plate (10.) is mounted vertically to the forward upper portion of each side of
the
drawer shell (1.) in such a manner so as to protrude above the top surface of
said drawer shell. Striker plates (10.) are formed so as to have a notch (11.)
in
their forward facing edge, said notch being intended to receive a
corresponding
stud (12.) protruding from the extreme forward lower portion of each side of
the
drawer shell (1.), when one drawer unit is imposed upon another by means of a
horizontal rearward sliding motion. When drawer units are surimposed in this
manner, studs (8.) belonging to the upper drawer unit interfere with the
forward
angled edges of the striker plates (10.) belonging to the lower drawer, said
angled edges causing studs (8.), and thereby the handle (3), to rotate upwards
as the upper drawer unit is imposed upon the lower in the manner previously
described. Once the upper drawer unit is perfectly centered above the lower
drawer unit, studs (8.) have passed the rearward facing vertical edge of
striker
plates (10.) and therefore drop downwards behind said striker plates. The
front
portion of the upper drawer unit is now locked to the front portion of the
lower
drawer unit, studs (8.) obstructing the upper drawer unit from moving forward
by
interfering with the rearward facing vertical edge of the striker plates
(10.), and
studs (12.) obstructing vertical or rearward movement by virtue of being

CA 02708632 2010-07-05
Mobile Drawer Storage System
contained within the striker plate notches (11.). Handle (3.) of upper drawer
unit
must be rotated upwards and said drawer unit drawn forward to release upper
drawer unit from lower drawer unit. Handle (3.) is restrained in a position
mid-way
between its extreme upward and downward travel points by means of two
springs (16.), said springs allowing said handle to be rotated upwards or
downwards but always urging said handle to return to a central resting point.
Central resting point of handle (3.) serves a dual function of restraining
drawer
tray (2.) from forward movement and positioning studs (8) so as to lock
surimposed drawer units together. Surimposed drawer units lock together at
their
rear portion by means of the same horizontal rearward sliding motion which
serves to lock the front portions together. Rearward facing bird's mouth slots
(13.) in the opposing inside returned surfaces (7.) of a drawer shell (1.)
receive
shoulder bolts (4.) protruding upwards from the rear top portion of another
drawer
shell. Shoulder bolts (4.) of one drawer unit restrain the rear portion of
another
surimposed drawer unit from rearward or upward movement, in conjunction with
latch mechanism restraining forward portion of drawer units. All drawer units
(A)
are identically equipped so as to be positionailly interchangeable as well as
possessing identical dimensions with the exception of height which may vary so
as to accommodate a variety of drawer tray (2.) heights thereby providing the
user with a selection of storage capacities. Drawer units (A) may be
surimposed
upon a base plate (15.) mounted inside a vehicle, said base plate being
equipped
with striker plates (10.) and shoulder bolts (4.) in a similar manner to said
drawer
units, so as to allow said drawer units to be latched to said base plate in
the
same manner as said drawer units are latched to each other. A means of manual
conveyance such as a cart (B) completes the mobile drawer storage system, said
conveyance being equipped with a base plate (15.) so as to enable drawer units
(A) to be transferred from a base plate inside a vehicle, onto a base plate
mounted to said conveyance.

Representative Drawing