Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02715469 2010-09-10
SLIDE ASSEMBLY WITH BUFFERING DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a buffering device for a slide assembly,
and more particularly, to a buffering device of a push-open type slide
assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Patent No. 7,374,261 to Wang discloses a push-open type slide
structure which comprises a top fastener and a locking device mounted between
an
outer slide rail and a pull rod. The top fastener comprises a loading plate
extending
from one side of a center portion of the main body thereof. Two pillars extend
from
both sides of the main body respectively. An action trench is formed on a
connection portion between the main body and the loading plate. The action
trench
is in communication with a holding trench on the backside of the main body. A
second elastic device is mounted on the inside of said holding trench. The
loading
plate has a shaft hole and a slideway on a surface and slide rails on the
backside of
the loading plate. The positioning fastener has a shaft and a protrudent part
on a
bottom surface, a hook on an inner edge, and a guide pillar on a rear end. The
shaft
of the positioning fastener is held in the shaft hole. The protrudent part is
exactly
coupled with the inside of said slideway. The hook is inserted into said
action
trench of the main body and coupled with the second elastic device. The pair
of
first elastic device is sleeved onto the pillars of the main body. Two sleeves
are
mounted on both sides of the slide sleeve and coupled with the pair of first
elastic
devices respectively. The slide sleeve is coupled with a lower portion of the
loading
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plate. The slide sleeve is slidable on the slide rails of the loading plate.
The locking
device is fixed on said pull rod. The locking device has a connection part for
coupling with a guide part and a shaft holder. The guide part of the locking
device
has a guide edge, an inclined plane, and a recessed trench. The shaft holder
has an
edge protrusion spaced from the recessed trench by a certain distance so as to
a
form a tunnel.
However, when an impact, vibration or other type of exterior force is
applied to the furniture that is equipped with the slide assembly, in other
words, the
slide assembly is abnormally opened, the slide assembly is applied by the
above
mentioned exterior force to suddenly unlock the locked status and the drawer
un-expectably pops out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention intends to provide a slide assembly with a buffering
device and the buffering device absorbs the vibration caused by the exterior
force
so that the drawer does not suddenly pop out.
The present invention relates to a slide assembly which comprises a first
rail and a second rail which is longitudinally and slidably movable relative
to the
first rail. A positioning member is movably connected to the first rail and
has a first
end and a second end which is located opposite to the first end. A swing
member is
pivotably connected to the first end of the positioning member and has a pin.
A
push member is longitudinally and movably located between the first and second
ends of the positioning member. A resilient member is located between the
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positioning member and the push member. An engaging member is connected to
the second rail and has an engaging block located corresponding to the pin of
the
swing member. When the second rail is retracted relative to the first rail,
the
engaging block of the engaging member is engaged with the pin of the swing
member. A buffering member is located between the positioning member and the
first rail. The buffering member maintains the positioning member at a first
position relative to the first rail. When the second rail is retracted
relative to the
first rail and applied by an exterior force, the positioning member is moved
relative
to the first rail and located at a second position. The buffering member is
deformed
for absorbing vibration force, and the engaging block of the engaging member
is
maintained to engage with the pin of the swing member at the second position.
Preferably, the positioning member includes an opening in which the
buffering member is located. The first rail includes a stop portion with which
the
buffering member is in contact.
Preferably, the buffering member extends from an inner wall of an end of
the opening and contacts the stop portion of the first rail. The buffering
member is a
curved and elongated resilient piece.
Preferably, the buffering member is a spring whose two ends respectively
contact an inner wall of an end of the opening and the stop portion of the
first rail.
Preferably, the first rail includes a stop portion which is located
corresponding to the second end of the positioning member. The buffering
member
is located between the stop portion and the second end of the positioning
member.
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Preferably, the buffering member extends from the second end of the
positioning member and contacts the stop portion of the first rail. The
buffering
member is a curved and elongated resilient piece.
Preferably, the buffering member is a spring whose two ends respectively
contact the second end of the positioning member and the stop portion of the
first
rail.
Preferably, the first rail includes a stop portion which is located
corresponding to the first end of the positioning member. The buffering member
is
located between the stop portion and the first end of the positioning member.
The
buffering member is a resilient member whose two ends respectively contact the
stop portion of the first rail and the first end of the positioning member.
Preferably, the first end of the positioning member includes a connection
portion to which the buffering member is connected.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a buffering
device of a slide assembly wherein the buffering device absorbs the vibration
caused by the exterior force applied to the slide assembly to reduce the
possibility
of the retracted status of the slide assembly.
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
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Fig. 1 is an exploded view to show the buffering device of the slide
assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 shows that the buffering device is connected to the first rail of the
slide assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 3 shows the buffering device of the slide assembly in accordance
with the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the slide assembly
is in
a retracted status;
Fig. 4 shows the buffering device of the slide assembly in accordance
with the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the slide assembly
is
applied by an exterior force;
Fig. 5 shows that the second embodiment of the buffering device is
connected to the first rail of the slide assembly of the present invention;
Fig. 6 shows that the third embodiment of the buffering device is
connected to the first rail of the slide assembly of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view to show that the fourth embodiment of the
buffering device is connected to the first rail of the slide assembly of the
present
invention, and
Fig. 8 is a perspective view to show that the fifth embodiment of the
buffering device is connected to the first rail of the slide assembly of the
present
invention of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
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Referring to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the slide assembly of the present invention
comprises a first rail 10, a second rail 12 longitudinally and slidably
movable
relative to the first rail 10, and a third rail 14 longitudinally and slidably
connected
between the first and second rails 10, 12. The second rail 12 is pulled a
further
distance by the relative movement of the third rail 14 to the first rail 10.
A positioning member 16 is movably connected to the first rail 10 and has
a first end 18a and a second end 18b which is located opposite to the first
end 18a.
A swing member 20 is pivotably connected to the first end 18a of the
positioning
member 16 and has a pin 22. A push member 24 is longitudinally and movably
located between the first and second ends 18a, 18b of the positioning member
16. A
resilient member 26 is located between the positioning member 16 and the push
member 24. An engaging member 28 is connected to the second rail 12 and has an
engaging block 30 located corresponding to the pin 22 of the swing member 20.
A
buffering member 32 is located between the positioning member 16 and the first
rail 10.
Referring to Fig. 2, the positioning member 16 includes a first connection
piece 34 at the first end 18a and a second connection piece 36 is located at
the
second end 18b. The positioning member 16 further includes an opening 38 in
which the buffering member 32 is located. The first rail 10 includes a first
reception
portion 40 located corresponding to the first connection piece 34 of the
positioning
member 16. The first rail 10 further has a second reception portion 42 located
corresponding to the second connection piece 36 of the positioning member 16.
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The first rail 10 further has a stop portion 44 with which the buffering
member 32
is in contact. Preferably, the buffering member 32 extends from an inner wall
of an
end of the opening 38 and contacts the stop portion 44 of the first rail 10.
The
buffering member 32 is a curved and elongated resilient piece.
Generally, the slide assembly is cooperated with a drawer connected to a
cabinet (both are not shown). The first rail 10 is fixed to the cabinet and
the
second rail 12 is connected to the drawer. When the drawer is retracted into
the
cabinet, the second rail 12 is retracted relative to the first rail 10 as
shown in Fig. 3.
The engaging block 30 of the engaging member 28 on the second rail 12 is
engaged
with the pin 22 of the swing member 20 on the positioning member 16, and the
push member 24 is pushed by the third rail 14 such that the resilient member
26 is
compressed by the push member 24 and stores a force which applies to the push
member 24 and the third rail 14. Therefore, the force of the resilient member
26
maintains the positions between the engaging member 28 of the second rail 12
and
the positioning member 16. In addition, the first connection piece 34 of the
positioning member 16 is movably engaged with the first reception portion 40
of
the first rail 10, and the second connection piece 36 of the positioning
member 16
is movably engaged with the second reception portion 42 of the first rail 10.
The
positioning member 16 is movably connected to the first rail 10. The buffering
member 32 has one end contacting the stop portion 44 of the first rail 10,
such that
the positioning member 16 is maintained at a first position relative to the
first rail
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by the buffering member 32. At the first position, the engaging block 30 of
the
engaging member 28 is engaged with the pin 22 of the swing member 20.
When a vibration, impact or any abnormal force is applied to the cabinet
with the drawer having the slide assembly, in other words, the force is
applied to
5 the first rail 10, as shown in Fig. 4, the second rail 12 is located at the
retracted
position relative to the first rail 10. The first rail 10 is moved and the
positioning
member 16 is moved from the first position to a second position relative to
the first
rail 10. The deformation of the buffering member 32 absorbs vibration due to
the
movement of the first rail 10. In other words, the force is not transferred to
the
10 engaging member 28 on the second rail 12 via the positioning member 16,
such that
the second rail 12 (drawer) is not pushed relative to the first rail 10
(cabinet)
unexpectedly. In other words, the engaging block 30 of the engaging member 28
on
the second rail 12 is not disengaged or released from the pin 22 of the swing
member 20 on the positioning member 16. Therefore, the engaging block 30 of
the
engaging member 28 on the second rail 12 is maintained at the position where
the
engaging block 30 is engaged with the pin 22 of the swing member 20.
Fig. 5 shows that the buffering member 200 is a spring whose two ends
respectively contact an inner wall of an end of the opening 38 and the stop
portion
44 of the first rail 10.
Fig. 6 shows that the first rail 10 includes a stop portion 302 which is
located corresponding to the second end 18b of the positioning member 16. The
buffering member 300 is located between the stop portion 302 and the second
end
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l8b of the positioning member 16. Preferably, the buffering member 300 extends
from the second end 18b of the positioning member 16 and contacts the stop
portion 302 of the first rail 10. The buffering member 300 is a curved and
elongated
resilient piece.
Fig. 7 shows that the buffering member 400 is a spring whose two ends
respectively contact the second end 18b of the positioning member 16 and the
stop
portion 402 of the first rail 10.
Fig. 8 shows that the first rail 10 includes a stop portion 502 which is
located corresponding to the first end 18a of the positioning member 16. The
buffering member 500 is located between the stop portion 502 and the first end
18a
of the positioning member 16. The buffering member 500 is a resilient member
whose two ends respectively contact the stop portion 502 of the first rail 10
and the
first end 18a of the positioning member 16. Preferably, the first end 18a of
the
positioning member 16 includes a connection portion 504 to which the buffering
member 500 is connected.
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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