Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PATENT
Attorney Docket No. 3202-0157.02
TITLE
Tolerance Adaptive Slide Connection Assemblies
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from Non-Provisional Patent
Application
Serial No. 13/324,136, filed December 13, 2011, which claims priority from
U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Serial No. 61/423,035, filed December 14, 2010, the
disclosures of which
are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to slide connection assemblies for
use with
articles of furniture. Such slide connection assemblies tend to be used in
articles of furniture,
such as cabinets or desks, for assisting in supporting an implement from two
or more
extendible slide assemblies to be movable between a closed position within an
article of
furniture and an open position extended from the article of furniture. With
respect to cabinets
as an example of articles of furniture to which slide assemblies may be
connected, when
further connected to an implement, such as a drawer, the slide assemblies
often may be
referred to as drawer slides or drawer slide assemblies. However, while such
extendable slide
assemblies can be connected to drawers, they also may be used to movably
connect other
implements or storage devices to a cabinet or other article of furniture. This
disclosure more
particularly relates to slide connection assemblies that are capable of
tolerance forgiveness
with respect to the connection between the cabinet, the implement, and the
slide assemblies to
provide smoother, more consistent slidable movement of an implement that is
connected to
two or more slide assemblies.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Extendible slide assemblies, otherwise known as slides, have slide
members
and can provide slidable translation of one body relative to another. Slide
assemblies are
commonly found in articles of furniture, such as cabinets. In such
constructions, the slide
assemblies are intended for mounting an implement, in the form of a storage
device, such as
for example, a drawer, shelf, frame, tray or wire cage, to a cabinet and for
providing a way to
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move the implement between a fully closed position within the cabinet and an
open position
with the implement extending outward from the cabinet. It is common to mount
at least two
slide assemblies first to the inner side of one or more cabinet walls, to
partition walls, to an
opening in a cabinet face frame, a bracket or spacer, and second to a movable
implement. It
is common to have a slide assembly at each of the left and right outer sides
of an implement
that spans between cabinet walls, or mounted with upper and lower slide
assemblies along a
vertically oriented implement on only one side of a cabinet wall.
[0004] In any of these configurations, and as will be used in the context of
this patent,
an inner slide member of a slide assembly typically is fixedly connected to
the article of
furniture, such as to a cabinet wall, and an outer slide member of the slide
assembly is fixedly
connected to an implement. This allows the outer slide member to travel with
the implement
when it moves between open and closed positions. Bearings, such as ball or
roller bearings,
or other bushings typically are disposed between the slide members for smooth
movement of
the slide members relative to each other. The bearings or bushings, which will
be referred to
collectively as "bearings" hereinafter, may be organized and located within
retainers that may
be mounted to one or more of the slide members, or may be allowed to move with
respect to
the slide members. Also, there may be an intermediate slide member coupled to
and between
the inner and outer slide members, in which case there are bearings between
the respective
slide members to allow further telescopic extension of the implement from the
cabinet or
other article of furniture.
[0005] Proper operation of the slide assemblies, in a smooth and non-binding
manner,
requires that the surfaces of the cabinet or other article of furniture to
which the slide
assemblies are connected, and the connections thereto, must be parallel, and
requires that
there be correct corresponding widths between such a cabinet and drawer or
other implement.
It can be difficult to manufacture cabinets or other articles of furniture,
and implements, such
as storage devices in the form of drawers, shelves, frames, trays or wire
cages, as well as
mounting hardware, that meet the slide width tolerance requirements needed for
the slide
assemblies to operate freely and smoothly. Furthermore, cabinets or other
articles of
furniture with inner partition walls and slide assemblies mounted thereto tend
to have
additional tolerance issues that may exceed the tolerance levels that allow
use of precision
slide assemblies with operational consistency. These issues tend to become
more pronounced
when using slide assemblies that have a closing device, such as a device
having self-close, or
self-close and soft-close features. Such closing devices that enable a slide
assembly to have
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these features impart some movement of an outer slide member relative to an
inner slide
member when the outer slide member is within a preselected distance of
reaching the closed
position, such as within the last inch or two of movement. The mechanisms
operate by using
one or more springs, or springs and dampers to smoothly pull or push an
implement to a fully
closed position. The relatively low spring forces provided by a self-close
device when
attempting to fully close a specialized precision slide assembly may cause the
slide assembly
to be more susceptible to binding or irregular motion.
[0006] While there exist slide assemblies having mounting hardware that may
allow
some adjustment to try to accommodate within a given cabinet a drawer that is
not of a
matching standard width, such hardware is for use when initially fixedly
mounting the slide
assemblies to an implement and the cabinet, and the hardware does not account
for a lack of
parallelism, which may be encountered during operation of the slide
assemblies. Thus, such
hardware is intended to allow initial adjustment to account for situations
involving poor
correspondence between the cabinet width and, for instance, the width of a
drawer, yet with
the implement fixedly connected to the slide assemblies, the system remains
susceptible to
tolerance issues that may be present due to a lack of parallelism or other
hardware or
mounting variations and that may cause binding during operation of the slide
assemblies.
SUMMARY
[0007] The present disclosure provides examples of tolerance adaptive slide
connection assemblies for use in connecting implements to articles of
furniture, such as
cabinets or desks. The present disclosure addresses shortcomings in prior art
slide connection
assemblies, while providing for adaptive connection that will promote smooth,
non-binding
operation of slide assemblies that are connected to an implement that is
movable between
closed and open positions.
[0008] The present disclosure presents alternative advantageous tolerance
adaptive
slide connection assemblies that are provided by virtue of separate and
different slide
connections between an implement and an article of furniture. For instance,
fixed first slide
assembly connections to a cabinet wall and to an implement are paired with a
tolerance
adaptive second slide assembly connection between a cabinet wall and the
implement. In
some instances the first and second slide assemblies connect the implement to
separate,
spaced apart walls, while in other instances they connect the implement to the
same wall of
the article of furniture. The fixed first slide assembly connections provide
repeatable
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positioning of the implement in closed and open positions relative to the
cabinet or article of
furniture and give a user a perception that the implement is fixedly secured
to both slide
assemblies, while the tolerance adaptive second slide assembly connection
allows for
tolerance forgiveness with respect to deviations from parallelism of the slide
assembly
connections to the implement and to the article of furniture that may be the
result of
variations in the construction of the article of furniture, the implement or
other connecting
hardware. However, in some instances, it may be desirable to employ tolerance
adaptive
connections on both sides of one or more particular portions of an implement,
and such
connections may be applied to a handle for the implement, as well.
[0009] The disclosed tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies provide
forgiveness for slide gap clearance issues that are caused by a lack of true
parallelism or
incorrect gap clearance of the walls or hardware to which the slide assemblies
are connected.
The disclosed alternatives provide examples of having a fixed first slide
assembly connection
to an implement, and a tolerance adaptive second slide assembly connection
that allow
adaptive movement of the implement relative to the surface to which the second
slide
assembly is connected. The free-floating connection of the second slide
assembly to the
implement or to the cabinet provides forgiveness for drawer slide gap
clearance issues, where
the gap on each side of the implement is too large or small, and for
parallelism issues that
relate to the construction of the walls or hardware to which the slide
assemblies are
connected. The example slide assembly mounting arrangements can provide
cabinet makers
and implement manufacturers extra tolerance while maintaining the specified
side clearances
for a slide assembly to function correctly. Tolerance adaptive slots or tabs
can be
dimensioned to meet any conceivable tolerance range for cabinet applications.
As indicated
by the present disclosure, there are a variety of alternative embodiments
contemplated,
several of which are provided as illustrated examples herein, but to which the
claims are not
limited.
[0010] In a first aspect, a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly is
provided for
use in connecting an implement to an article of furniture. The tolerance
adaptive slide
connection assembly includes a first slide assembly having a first
longitudinal axis and
having a fixed connection between the article of furniture and a first portion
of the first slide
assembly and having a fixed connection between the implement a second portion
of the first
slide assembly, the first slide assembly providing slidable movement of the
implement
between a closed position within the article of furniture and an open position
extending
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outward from the article of furniture. The tolerance adaptive slide connection
assembly also
includes a second slide assembly having a second longitudinal axis and having
at least one
tolerance adaptive connection between the article of furniture and the
implement, the second
slide assembly providing slidable movement of the implement between a closed
position
within the article of furniture and an open position extending outward from
the article of
furniture. The at least one tolerance adaptive connection between the article
of furniture and
the implement also allows movement of the implement in a direction that is
substantially
perpendicular to the second longitudinal axis.
[0011] In another aspect, a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly is
provided
for use in connecting a slidably moveable implement to an article of
furniture. The tolerance
adaptive slide connection assembly includes a first slide assmebly having a
first inner slide
member having a fixed connection to a first portion of an article of furniture
and having a
first outer slide member having a fixed connection to an implement, wherein
the first outer
slide member is slidably movable along a first longitudinal axis and is
slidably movable
relative to the first inner slide member. The tolerance adaptive slide
connection assembly
also includes a second slide assembly having a tolerance adaptive connection
between the
article of furniture and the implement, wherein the second slide assembly has
a second inner
slide member connected to a second portion of the article of furniture and a
second outer slide
member connected to the implement, and wherein the second outer slide member
is slidably
movable along a second longitudinal axis and is slidably movable relative to
the second inner
slide member. The implement also is slidably movable with the first and second
outer slide
members with respect to the respective first and second inner slide members,
and the
implement is allowed to move in a direction that is substantially
perpendicular to the second
longitudinal axis.
[0012] In a further aspect, an article of furniture having a slidably movable
implement
having a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly is provided. The article
of furniture
having a furniture body having walls in a configuration of at least first and
second spaced
apart side walls connected to a bottom wall and to a rear wall. The tolerance
adaptive slide
connection assembly includes an implement that is connected to at least one
wall of the
furniture body. The assembly further includes a first slide assembly having a
first inner slide
member having a fixed connection to at least one wall of the furniture body,
the first slide
assembly having a first outer slide member having a fixed connection to the
implement,
wherein the first outer slide member is slidably movable relative to the first
inner slide
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member along a first longitudinal axis. The assembly also includes a second
slide assembly
having a tolerance adaptive connection between the implement and at least one
wall of the
furniture body, wherein the second slide assembly has a second outer slide
member
connected to the implement and a second inner slide member connected to the at
least one
wall of the furniture body to which the second slide assembly has a tolerance
adaptive
connection, and wherein the second outer slide member is slidably movable
relative to the
second inner slide member along a second longitudinal axis. In this
configuration, the
implement and the first and second outer slide members are slidably movable
with respect to
the respective first and second inner slide members, and the implement is
further slidably
movable with respect to the at least one wall of the furniture body to which
the second slide
assembly has a tolerance adaptive connection in a direction that is
substantially perpendicular
to the second longitudinal axis.
[0013] In another aspect, a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly for
use in
connecting a slidably moveable implement to an article of furniture is
provided, wherein the
implement is slidably movable between a closed position within the article of
furniture and an
open position wherein the implement extends outward from the article of
furniture. The
tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly includes a first slide assembly
having a first
longitudinal axis and a first inner slide member having a fixed connection to
the article of
furniture and a first outer slide member having a separate fixed connection to
the implement,
wherein the first outer slide member is slidably movable relative to the first
inner slide
member, and wherein the fixed connections to the first slide assembly limit
the movement of
the implement to be substantially along the first longitudinal axis. The
tolerance adaptive
slide connection assembly also includes a second slide assembly having a
second longitudinal
axis and at least one tolerance adaptive connection between the article of
furniture, the
second slide assembly and the implement, wherein the tolerance adaptive
connection allows
movement of the implement between a closed position within the article of
furniture and an
open position extending outward from the article of furniture and allows
movement of the
implement relative to the article of furniture in a direction that is
substantially perpendicular
to the second longitudinal axis.
[0014] Thus, the present disclosure presents alternatives to prior art slide
connection
assemblies for use with articles of furniture and provides advantageous
features in tolerance
adaptive configurations. It should be understood that both the foregoing
general description
and the following detailed description are exemplary and provided for purposes
of
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explanation only, and are not restrictive with respect to the claimed subject
matter. Further
features and objects of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent
in the
following description of example embodiments and from the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In describing the example tolerance adaptive slide connection
assemblies
disclosed herein, reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein like
parts have
like reference numerals, and wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first example of a device
having a
tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly for use in connecting an
implement to an article
of furniture in the form of a bottom mount bin drawer assembly, with a pair of
removable
bins and a handle, being in a closed position.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the first example in FIG. 1 with
the bins
removed.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a front perspective partially exploded view of the first
example with
an implement that is constructed as a rear wire cage exploded from its
installed position
shown in FIG. 2.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective partially exploded view of the first
example with
the handle removed and the rear wire cage exploded from its installed position
shown in FIG.
2.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a front perspective exploded view of the example shown in
FIG. 2.
[0021] FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of a tolerance adaptive slide
connection
showing a slotted portion of a base wire of the implement installed over tabs
on an outer slide
member from the first example shown in FIG. 3.
[0022] FIG. 6B is a rear perspective view of a fixed slide connection showing
a
standard portion of an opposite side of the base wire of the implement
installed in retaining
hooks on an outer slide member from the first example shown in FIG. 4.
[0023] FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of a portion of an outer slide
member of
the first example isolating the tabs shown in FIG. 6A.
[0024] FIG. 7B is a further front perspective view of the tolerance adaptive
connection shown in FIG. 6A.
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[0025] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of a portion of an outer slide member
of the
first example isolating the retaining hooks that provide the fixed connection
shown in FIG.
6B.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another example tolerance adaptive
slide
connection isolating a portion of an outer slide member having integrally
formed tabs that
restrict the upward, downward, fore and aft movement of a standard portion of
a base wire of
an implement that is constructed as a wire cage having a standard cylindrical
wire that is
installed between the tabs.
[0027] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a further example tolerance adaptive
slide
connection isolating a portion of an outer slide member having integrally
formed tabs that
restrict the upward, downward, fore and aft movement of a notched portion of
an implement
that is constructed as a wire cage having a notched base wire that is
installed between the
tabs.
[0028] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an additional example tolerance
adaptive slide
connection isolating a portion of an outer slide member having two integrally
formed lower
tabs that restrict the downward movement and a bracket that is fastened to the
outer slide
member that has a tab that restricts upward, fore and aft movement of a
notched portion of an
implement that is constructed as a wire cage having a notched base wire that
is installed
between the tabs.
[0029] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another example tolerance adaptive
slide
connection isolating a portion of an outer slide member having integrally
formed tabs to
which slotted clips are slidably connected and where the clips receive a base
wire of an
implement that is constructed as a wire cage having a standard cylindrical
wire.
[0030] FIG. 13 is a further front perspective view of the tolerance adaptive
connection shown in FIG. 12.
[0031] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an implement that is constructed as a
wire
cage that can receive three bins and be connected via a tolerance adaptive
slide connection
assembly to the slide assemblies shown in FIG. 1.
[0032] FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of an example article of furniture
having a
tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly for use in connecting an
implement to an article
of furniture where the implement is constructed as a side mount bin drawer
assembly, with a
pair of removable bins and being in a closed position within the article of
furniture.
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[0033] FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a further example article of
furniture
having three tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies for use in
connecting three
implements to an article of furniture where the implements are constructed as
roll out shelves
or trays that are connected to inner partition walls within the article of
furniture, and being in
an open position extended forward of the article of furniture.
[0034] FIG. 17 is a side perspective view of the example in FIG. 16 with the
implements in an open position extended forward of the article of furniture.
[0035] FIG. 18 is a lower perspective view of one of the implements of FIG. 16
having a tolerance adaptive slide connection and being in an open position
extended forward
of the partition walls of the article of furniture.
[0036] FIG. 19 is a lower perspective exploded view of the implement of FIG.
18
being configured to have a fixed slide connection to the outer slide member of
the first or
right hand slide assembly and a tolerance adaptive slide connection to the
outer slide member
of the second or left hand slide assembly.
[0037] FIG. 20 is a lower perspective exploded view of the implement of FIG.
19
being configured for a fixed slide connection with a fastener to be installed
into the
implement after passing through a standard aperture in a tab of the outer
slide member of the
first or right hand slide assembly, and for a tolerance adaptive slide
connection with a
fastener to be installed into the implement after passing through a standoff
washer to be
disposed in a slot in a tab of the outer slide member of the second or left
hand slide assembly.
[0038] FIG. 21 is a lower perspective exploded view of a construction for a
tolerance
adaptive slide connection using an alternative fastener constructed as a screw
having an
elongated first portion that is threaded and has a first diameter and a second
standoff portion
having a standoff shoulder that has a relatively larger second diameter, with
the threaded
portion of the screw to be installed into an implement after passing through a
slot in a tab of
an outer slide member, such as the outer slide member of the second or left
hand slide
assembly of FIG. 20, and allowing slidable movement of the fastener relative
to the slot.
[0039] FIG. 22 is a lower perspective exploded view of a construction for a
tolerance
adaptive slide connection using a further alternative fastener constructed as
a screw having a
standoff portion having a standoff shoulder with a threaded portion of the
screw to be
installed into an insert that is to be installed into an implement, with the
screw passing
through a slot in a tab of an outer slide member, such as the outer slide
member of the second
or left hand slide assembly of FIG. 20.
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[0040] FIG. 23 is a lower perspective view of an example article of furniture
having a
tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly for use in connecting an
implement to an article
of furniture where the implement is constructed as a side mount drawer
assembly, and the
tolerance adaptive slide connection is provided via an assembly similar to
that shown in FIG.
18-20.
[0041] FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of another example article of
furniture
having two tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies for use in
connecting two
implements to an article of furniture where the implements are constructed as
pullout frames
that accept wire bins and the pullout frames are connected to inner partition
walls within the
article of furniture, and being in a closed position within the article of
furniture.
[0042] FIG. 25 is a side perspective view of the example in FIG. 24 with the
implements in an open position extended forward of the article of furniture.
[0043] FIG. 26 is a front view of one of the example implements shown in FIG.
24
having a tolerance adaptive slide connection to a partition wall of the
article of furniture and
being in a closed position.
[0044] FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of the example implement shown in
FIG.
26 having a tolerance adaptive slide connection to a partition wall of the
article of furniture
and being in a closed position relative to the partition wall.
[0045] FIG. 28 is a front perspective partially exploded view of the example
implement shown in FIG. 27.
[0046] FIG. 29 is a front perspective view of the example implement shown in
FIG.
27 having a tolerance adaptive slide connection to a partition wall of the
article of furniture
and being in an open position extended forward of the partition wall, and with
the wire bins
removed.
[0047] FIG. 30 is a front perspective partially exploded view of portions of
the
pullout frame shown in FIG. 29 having a fixed slide connection to a first
slide assembly in the
upper position via use of fasteners constructed as rivets having a shank
portion to be installed
into the implement after passing the shank portion through a standard aperture
in the outer
slide member of the upper slide assembly, and having a tolerance adaptive
slide connection to
a second slide assembly in the lower position via use of fasteners constructed
as rivets with
standoff washers with the rivets having a shank portion to be installed into
the implement
after having the shank portion pass through the standoff washer which is to be
disposed in a
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slot in the outer slide member of the upper slide assembly, although in this
illustration the
rivets are shown without the typical stem and in a shortened view.
[0048] FIG. 31 is a front perspective partially exploded view of an
alternative fastener
for use in the assembly of the tolerance adaptive slide connection where the
fastener is
constructed as a rivet having a standoff shoulder with a shank portion of the
rivet to be
installed into an implement after passing through a slot in an outer slide
member of a slide.
[0049] FIG. 32 is a front perspective view of an example implement of FIG. 27
having an alternative tolerance adaptive slide connection with the slide
assemblies connected
to a wall of an article of furniture and being in an open position extended
from the wall.
[0050] FIG. 33 is a front perspective view of an example inner slide member of
FIG.
32 having an alternative tolerance adaptive slide connection, with the inner
slide member of
the slide assembly having a closing device and having fasteners constructed as
screws having
a standoff shoulder with a threaded portion of the screw to be installed into
a wall of an
article of furniture after passing through a slot in the inner slide member.
[0051] FIG. 34 is a front perspective view of another example inner slide
member of
a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly that is similar to that shown
in FIG. 32 but
with the inner slide member of the slide assembly not having a closing device,
and having
fasteners similar to those shown in FIG. 33 that are constructed as screws
having a standoff
shoulder with a threaded portion of the screw to be installed into a wall of
an article of
furniture after passing through a slot in the inner slide member.
[0052] FIG. 35 is a front perspective view of a portion of a device having a
tolerance
adaptive slide connection assembly for use in connecting an implement to an
article of
furniture similar to the first example in FIGS. 1-8, but also having a
tolerance adaptive
connection of a handle, with a tolerance adaptive connection to the first or
left hand slide
assembly and a fixed connection to the second or right hand slide assembly,
and being in a
closed position.
[0053] FIG. 36 is a front perspective view of the tolerance adaptive slide
connection
to the outer slide member of the first or left hand slide assembly for the
handle in FIG. 35
using a fastener constructed as a screw having a standoff shoulder and with a
threaded
portion of the screw to be installed through a tab on the handle and passing
through the outer
slide member.
[0054] FIG. 37 is a front perspective view of the fixed slide connection for
the handle
to the outer slide member of the second or right hand slide assembly for the
handle in FIG. 35
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using a fastener that has a threaded portion installed through a tab on the
handle and passing
through the outer slide member.
[0055] FIG. 38 is a rear perspective view of the tolerance adaptive slide
connection to
the outer slide member of the first or left hand slide assembly for the handle
as shown in FIG.
36 with a nut engaged on the threaded portion of the screw.
[0056] FIG. 39 is a rear perspective exploded view of the tolerance adaptive
slide
connection to the outer slide member of the first or left hand slide assembly
for the handle as
shown in FIG. 38 and further showing the standoff shoulder and threaded
portions of the
screw and the nut that engages the threaded portion of the screw.
[0057] It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale
and
provide various views of systems and components that are within the scope of
the disclosure,
and which may be used in various configurations of slide attachment
assemblies. Use of
terms denoting order or orientation, such as first, second, left hand, right
hand, top, bottom,
side, front, rear, etc., are used for convenience in explaining the disclosed
structures, could be
reversed, and are not intended to imply limitations to the drawings. It also
should be
understood that the claims are not limited to the particular preferred
embodiments illustrated,
but rather cover various configurations of slide assembly attachments for
systems in cabinets
and other articles of furniture.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0058] Although the following discloses examples of tolerance adaptive slide
connection assemblies for use in articles of furniture, such as cabinets or
desks, persons of
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the teachings of this
disclosure are in no way
limited to the example embodiments. On the contrary, it is contemplated that
the teachings
of this disclosure may be implemented in alternative configurations and
environments. In
addition, although the example tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies
described
herein are shown in conjunction with particular configurations of implements
and slide
assemblies, those having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that
the teachings of
the disclosure herein may be used with alternative implements and slide
assemblies, whether
such is for use in a cabinet or other article of furniture.
[0059] Referring to FIGS. 1-39, it will be appreciated that tolerance adaptive
slide
connection assemblies may be constructed in a variety of ways and for use in a
variety of
articles of furniture. A first example tolerance adaptive slide connection
assembly 10 for use
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in connecting an implement 12 to an article of furniture is shown in FIGS. 1-
8. This
assembly is constructed as a bottom mount bin drawer assembly, with the
implement 12
including a pair of removable bins 14, such as plastic bins for waste or
recycling. In this
configuration, it is intended to be connected to the bottom wall of a
furniture body of an
article of furniture, such as a cabinet, by U-shaped brackets 16. Thus, slide
assembly first
portions or inner slide members 18b, 20b are a first portion of the slide
assemblies 18, 20 that
are connected to the U-shaped brackets 16 that are to be connected to the
article of furniture,
while slide assembly second portions or outer slide members 18b, 20b are
connected to the
implement 12.
[0060] The outer slide member 18a is slidably movable relative to the inner
slide
member 18b along the first longitudinal axis 18L and the outer slide member
20a is slidably
movable relative to the inner slide member 20b along the second longitudinal
axis 20L to
allow slidable movement of the implement between a closed position within an
article of
furniture and an open position extending outward from the article of
furniture, as will become
more apparent when reading this description in context with other examples
described herein.
[0061] The slide assemblies 18, 20 may be covered, in part, by shrouds 22, 24
for
enhanced safety and appearance. The shrouds 22, 24 may be connected to the
respective
slide assemblies 18, 20 by fasteners 22a, 24a, which may be screws or rivets,
or any other
suitable structures or methods may be used to connect the components. Also,
this example
actually illustrates two implements 12 that are connected by tolerance
adaptive slide
connections to the slide assemblies, with both implements being constructed as
wire cages 12
that are configured to receive the removable bins 14.
[0062] The base wire 12a within each of the wire cages 12 has an outer portion
12b
that runs along a first slide assembly 18 on the right hand side, where the
standard wire of
outer portion 12b has a fixed connection to the outer slide member 18a of the
first or right
hand slide assembly 18 by forcing the outer portion 12b of the base wire 12a
downward into
hooks 28 that are integrally formed in the outer slide member 18a of the first
slide assembly
18. In contrast, an wire outer portion 12c having two flattened portions 30
that each include a
slot 32 are on the opposite side of the base wire 12a of each wire cage 12 and
the slots 32 are
configured to receive tabs 34 that are integrally formed to extend out from
the outer slide
member 20a of the second or left hand slide assembly 20. The slots 32 in the
wire outer
portion 12c allow the implement 12 to move back and forth over the tabs 34 in
a lateral
direction, which is a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis 20L
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of the second slide assembly 20. Thus, the second slide assembly 20 has a
second
longitudinal axis 20L and at least one tolerance adaptive connection between
an article of
furniture and the implement 12, with the second slide assembly 20 providing
slidable
movement of the implement between a closed position within an article of
furniture and an
open position extending outward from an article of furniture. In this example,
the tolerance
adaptive connection is between the second outer slide member 20a and the
implement 12, but
it will be appreciated, as discussed further herein with respect to the
examples in FIGS. 33
and 34, that the tolerance adaptive connection could be between the inner
slide member 20b
and the article of furniture. In such constructions the implement is allowed
to in a direction
that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the second
slide assembly to
which the implement is connected and the slide assembly actually moves with
the implement
relative to the article of furniture.
[0063] The tabs 34 may have the same width or may have different widths, so as
to
focus the fore and aft control of the implement 12 on a single tab 34 while
allowing a more
loose fit on one or more other tabs 34. The tabs 34 also include chamfered
ends 34a for ease
of installation of the slots 32 over the ends of the tabs 34. One or more tabs
34 further may
include an upturned end 34b to provide a retaining feature in the event that
the second slide is
moved laterally or perpendicularly, relative to the second slide assembly 20,
a distance that
would otherwise cause the slot 32 and flattened portion 30 to become
disconnected from the
tab 34 having such retainer feature. It will be appreciated that while the
integrally formed
tabs 34 are shown extending from the second slide assembly 20 on the left and
the integrally
formed hooks 28 are shown extending from the first slide assembly 18 on the
right, the slide
assemblies could be arranged in the opposite manner, so that the left hand
slide assembly is
the first slide assembly, providing a fixed connection, while the right hand
slide assembly
could be the second slide assembly, providing a tolerance adaptive slide
connection. Also,
the tabs 34 and hooks 28 need not be formed integrally with the outer slide
members and
could be formed as separate pieces that are then connected to the slide
assemblies by use of
fasteners, welding or other suitable means of connection.
[0064] When installing an implement 12, it will be appreciated that the user
would
hold the implement 12, in this instance a wire cage, so as to have the base
wire 12a at an
upward angle left to right, to then slide the slotted flattened portions 30 of
the wire outer
portion 12c over the upturned ends 34b of the tabs 34. The implement 12 may
then be moved
toward the left and the right side of the implement 12 may be moved downward
until the
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opposite standard wire outer portion 12b reaches the hooks 28 extending from
the outer slide
member 18a of the first slide assembly 18. The standard wire outer portion 12b
is then
pressed firmly downward to establish a fixed connection between the base wire
12a and the
hooks 28. Due to the performance of the first slide assembly 18 and the fixed
connection of
the implement 12 thereto, in this installed position, the implement 12
provides the user with a
sense that the implement 12 is rigidly connected to both slide assemblies 18,
20, although it
actually is able to self-adjust for variations in the tolerances provided by
the components
within the assembly, so as to avoid binding when moving between relative
closed and an
open positions. For instance, the U-shaped brackets 16 may have variations in
their lengths
or perpendicular bends, while they may not be connected to the cabinet in the
manner needed
to establish strict parallelism between the slide assemblies, and there may be
variations in the
width and parallelism of the base wires 12a of the implements 12.
[0065] Views of the tabs 34 and corresponding slotted flattened portions 30 of
the
base wires 12a are shown to various extents in FIGS. 2, 3, 6A, 7A and 7B,
while views of the
hooks 28 and corresponding standard wire outer portions 12b are shown in FIGS.
4, 6B and
8.
[0066] This first example includes other advantageous features, such as a wire
handle
36. In this example, the wire handle 36 has fixed connections to the first and
second slide
assemblies 18, 20, but provides some flexibility laterally at the base of the
assembly due to
the tendency of the handle to flex. In this way, the wire handle 36 does not
tend to disrupt the
performance of the tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 10. As best
seen in FIGS. 1,
2 and 6A, the fixed connections of the handle 36 are provided by clasps 38
that surround the
lower wire portion 36a of the handle on each side, and fasteners 38a. Each
fastener 38a
extends through an aperture in a clasp 38 and is connected to a respective
outer slide member
18a, 20a of a slide assembly 18, 20. Nevertheless, as will be explained in
further detail below
with respect to another example of a handle connection that is shown in FIGS.
35-39, a
tolerance adaptive connection also may be employed with a handle to
affirmatively allow
movement of a handle in a direction opposite to the axis of a respective slide
assembly.
[0067] Several alternative examples of the tolerance adaptive slide connection
to the
left side of the first example assembly are provided in FIGS. 9-13. In FIG. 9
another example
tolerance adaptive slide connection is shown with an alternative outer slide
member 120a that
is slidably movable relative to an inner slide member 120b along a
longitudinal axis 120L of
the slide assembly 120. The outer slide member 120a has integrally formed
horizontal tabs
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140 that restrict the upward and downward movement of a standard wire outer
portion 112b,
and integrally formed vertical tabs 142 that restrict fore and aft movement of
the standard
wire outer portion 112b of a base wire 112a of an implement that is
constructed as a wire
cage having a standard cylindrical wire as the base wire 112a. With this
example, the base
wire could have a standard wire construction on both sides, as the opposite
side could utilize
the hooks 28, previously described, to provide a fixed connection between the
implement and
the first slide assembly. This example would provide for similar installation
to that of the
prior example, with the slide assembly 120 being the second slide assembly,
and the user
angling and sliding into place the standard wire outer portion 112b of the
base wire 112a
between the tabs 140, 142 on the second slide assembly 120, and then moving
the opposite
side of the implement 112 downward until the opposite standard wire outer
portion 112b is
seated in a fixed connection with a first slide assembly, such as in hooks 28
extending from
an outer slide member 18a of a first slide assembly 18 of the prior example.
The standard
wire outer portion 12b would then be pressed firmly downward to establish a
fixed
connection between the base wire 112a and the hooks 28.
[0068] Another alternative example is shown in FIG. 10 where an example
tolerance
adaptive slide connection includes an alternative outer slide member 220a that
slidably moves
along a longitudinal axis 220L relative to an inner slide member 220b of a
slide assembly
220. The outer slide member 220a has integrally formed horizontal tabs 240
that restrict
upward, downward, fore and aft movement of an outer portion 212b of a base
wire 212a of an
implement that includes a base wire 212a having a notch 244 in the outer
portion 212b. The
outer portion 212b of the base wire 212a is installed between the tabs 240. In
a manner
similar to that described with the prior examples, the slide assembly 220
could serve as the
second slide assembly and have a tolerance adaptive connection to the outer
portion 212b of
the base wire 212a of the implement, while the outer portion of the opposite
side of the base
wire 212a would be installed as previously described to establish a fixed
connection of the
implement to a first slide assembly.
[0069] In a somewhat similar example, FIG. 11 illustrates an additional
example
tolerance adaptive slide connection that includes a further alternative outer
slide member
320a that slidably moves along a longitudinal axis 320L relative to an inner
slide member
320b of a slide assembly 320. The outer slide member 320a has two integrally
formed lower
horizontal tabs 340 that restrict downward movement of an outer portion 312b
of a base wire
312a of an implement. The outer portion 312b includes a notch 344 in the upper
surface
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thereof. A separate bracket 346 is fastened to the outer slide member 320a and
includes a
horizontal upper tab 346a that fits within the notch 344 and restricts upward,
fore and aft
movement of the outer portion 312b of the base wire 312a. It will be
appreciated that the
notched base wire 312a can be slid into place between the tabs 340, 346a to
establish a
tolerance adaptive connection and that while the slide assembly 320 may serve
as the second
slide assembly, the opposite side of the implement may be connected in a fixed
manner to a
first slide assembly, using the structures and methods similar or equivalent
to those already
described.
[0070] The tabs may be integrally formed or otherwise fastened to the outer
slide
member 320a, such as via use of welding, fasteners or other suitable means of
connection.
Also, when using notched wires, the notches could be formed by coining,
cutting or other
suitable methods, and the notched example could include one or more tab-
engaging notches
along an implement, where the notches could be in the upper or lower surface
of a portion of
the implement. The implement also could be formed of a variety of materials,
such as wire,
wood, plastic, metal or other suitable substantially rigid materials. It will
be understood that
with any of these examples, the hooks may be replaced by other suitable means
of fixedly
connecting the implement to the first slide assembly, and that the terms fixed
connection or
fixedly connected are used herein in a manner that does not preclude a
reversible or
removable connection. Thus, there need not be, but could be permanence with
respect to the
fixed connections.
[0071] A further example tolerance adaptive slide connection is shown in FIGS.
12-
13 where an outer slide member 420a is slidably movable along a longitudinal
axis 420L
relative to an inner slide member 420b of a slide assembly 420. The outer
slide member 420a
has integrally formed tabs 440 to which clips 448 are slidably connected. Each
tab 440 in
this example is planar and does not have the upturned retaining feature of a
tab 34 of the first
example. Each clip 448 is configured to receive a tab 440 through a slot 450
in the main
body of the clip 448. Each clip 448 also receives a portion of an implement,
such as an outer
wire portion 412b of a base wire 412a, in a groove 452 formed through the top
surface and
downward into the body of the clip 448. Thus, with this example, if the clips
448 are first
installed on the tabs 440 for the second slide assembly 420 and the above-
described hooks 28
from the first example or an equivalent thereof is being used to form fixed
connections to an
opposite first slide assembly, then the base wire 412a could be pressed
downward to establish
connection with both the first and second slide assemblies via the grooves 452
and the hooks
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428, in any order, while still providing a tolerance adaptive slide connection
assembly via the
slidable connection to the second slide assembly 420.
[0072] FIG. 14 provides another example of a tolerance adaptive slide
connection
assembly for use in an article of furniture that could be similar to that used
for the above
examples. In this instance the implement is constructed as a larger wire cage
512 that
receives three bins 514. Here the base wire 512a has outer portions 512c that
incorporate flat
portions 530 having slots similar to slots 32 of the first example. The slots
accept tabs, such
as tabs 34 of a first slide assembly 20 shown in the above described example
in FIGS. 1-8.
The opposite side of the base wire 512a includes standard wire outer portions
512b that may
be received by hooks 28 or grooves 452 of a second slide assembly. Thus, the
larger
implement could be installed in a similar manner to above described examples
with respect to
the versions that use two smaller wire cages and have fixed connections to the
first slide
assembly and tolerance adaptive connections to the second slide assembly.
[0073] Turning to FIG. 15, an example of an article of furniture 600 having a
furniture body 660 having walls in a configuration of at least first and
second spaced apart
side walls 662, 664 connected to a bottom wall 666 and to a rear wall 668,
such as is common
in a cabinet. A tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 610 is provided
for use in
connecting an implement 612 to the article of furniture 600. Here the
implement 612 is
constructed in a similar manner with respect to the above described wire cage
assemblies 12,
but the first slide assembly 618 and the second slide assembly 620 are
connected to opposed
side walls 662, 664 of the article of furniture 600. Thus, the example shown
in FIGS. 1-8
could be connected to the bottom wall 666 of such a furniture body 660 using
the U-shaped
brackets 16, but in the example in FIG. 15, the slide assemblies 618, 620 have
inner slide
members 618b, 620b connected directly to the spaced apart side walls 662, 664
of the
furniture body 660.
[0074] While the sources of non-parallelism may be a bit different with this
example,
such as may occur based on the parallelism of the side walls 662, 664 of the
furniture body
660 of the article of furniture 600, the general tolerance adaptive operation
is similar in this
example. The first side of the implement 612 has a fixed connection to the
first slide
assembly 618, which has a first longitudinal axis 618L and provides a solid
and secure
feeling of the implement 612 when the outer slide member 618a is slidably
moving relative to
the inner slide member 618b to move the implement 612 between a closed
position within the
article of furniture 600 and an open position extending outward from the
article of furniture
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600. The second side of the implement 612 has a tolerance adaptive slide
connection to the
second slide assembly 620 to alleviate binding or other issues related to
slide tolerancing that
may occur due to the lack of parallelism in the component structures or in the
mounting of
the first and second slide assemblies 618, 620, as may occur when slidably
moving the outer
slide member 620a along a second longitudinal axis 620L relative to an inner
slide member
620b of the second slide assembly 620. In this instance, it is a matter of
width tolerances and
the freedom of movement effectively is lateral movement, or side-to-side
within a horizontal
plane, which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
second slide
assembly 620. Thus, the tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 610
allows slidable
movement substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 620L of the
second slide
assembly 620, yet still controls fore and aft movement of the tolerance
adaptive slide
connection relative to the outer slide member 620a of the second slide
assembly 620.
[0075] A further example for utilization of the disclosed tolerance adaptive
slide
connection assemblies is provided in FIGS. 16-20. FIGS. 16 and 17 show an
article of
furniture 700 having a furniture body 760 having walls in a configuration of
at least first and
second spaced apart side walls 762, 764 connected to a bottom wall 766 and to
a rear wall
768, with the side walls 762, 764 being inner partition walls within the
article of furniture
700. The article of furniture 700 has three tolerance adaptive slide
connection assemblies
710 for use in connecting three implements 712 to the article of furniture
700. The
implements 712 are constructed as roll out shelves or trays having a wire cage
712a
connected to a shelf 712b that may be constructed of wood, plastic, metal or
other suitable
materials. Each implement 712 in this example is connected to a first slide
assembly 718 and
to a second slide assembly 720, with the first and second slide assemblies
718, 720
respectively connected to the inner partition walls 762, 764 within the
article of furniture 700.
[0076] In this example, the article of furniture 700 is constructed as a
cabinet having
doors 702 hinged to the furniture body 760 at further spaced apart outer side
walls 706, 708.
The implements also are shown in FIG. 16-18 in an open position extended
forward of the
article of furniture 700. Several of the same sources that result in
variations in parallelism as
with respect to those previously discussed may be present in such structures,
and partition
walls can be the source of further deviations. However, one will appreciate
that the first and
second slide assemblies 718, 720 in this example could be connected to the
partition walls
762, 764 in the same manner as being connected to outer side walls of a
furniture body, such
as shown and discussed in relation to the example in FIG. 15.
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[0077] More detailed views of a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly
710
used in the example of FIGS. 16-20 is shown in FIGS. 18-20. FIG. 18 provides a
view from
below the implement 712 where one can see that the connection of the implement
712 to the
respective outer slide members 718a, 720a of the first and second slide
assemblies 718, 720,
respectively. In FIG. 18, one also can readily see the closing device 770
located at the rear of
the inner slide member 718b of the first slide assembly 718 that is connected
to the right hand
partition wall 762. This particular implement 712 is constructed as a pullout
tray that
includes a wire retaining weldment 712a that is connected to the bottom of the
shelf or tray
712b. The connection of the weldment 712a to the tray 712b may be by
fasteners, such as
screws 722 and P-clips 724 as shown, or by other suitable means of connection.
[0078] The tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 710 for this example
is most
easily appreciated when viewing FIGS. 19 and 20. Here one can see the
implement 712 of
FIG. 18 being configured to have a fixed slide assembly connection to the
outer slide member
718a of the first or right hand slide assembly 718 and a tolerance adaptive
slide connection to
the outer slide member 720a of the second or left hand slide assembly 720. The
outer slide
member 718a includes integrally formed tabs 728 having circular apertures 728a
and
elongated slots 728b. Fasteners 726, in the form of screws, such as wood
screws, may be
driven through the corresponding standard circular apertures 728a in tabs 728
in the outer
slide member 718a and into the shelf 712b to provide a fixed connection
between the
implement 712 and the first slide assembly 718. Pre-drilled pilot holes may be
provided to
enhance the alignment and tolerancing when installing the screws 726 into the
bottom of the
shelve 712b. Tolerance adaptive connections may be provided by driving screws
726
through standoff washers 730 and elongated slots 732b in the integrally formed
tabs 732 that
extend from the outer slide member 720a of the second slide assembly 720.
[0079] In FIG. 20, most of the other components are stripped away and one can
more
readily see that the shelf 712b of the implement 712 is shown as being
configured for a fixed
connection to the outer slide member 718a of the first slide assembly 718. As
noted above,
fasteners in the form of screws 726 are to be installed into the shelf 712b of
the implement
712 after passing through standard circular apertures 728a in the tabs 728 of
the outer slide
member 718a of the first or right hand slide assembly 718. The shelf 712b of
the implement
712 also is configured for a tolerance adaptive connection to the outer slide
member 720a of
the second slide assembly 720. As discussed above, screws 726 are to be
installed into shelf
712b of the implement 712 after passing through standoff washers 730 and
elongated slots
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732b in the tabs 732 of the outer slide member 720a of the second or left hand
slide assembly
720. It will be appreciated that, as shown, with both standard circular
apertures 728a and
slots 732b in the respective tabs 728, 732 of the outer slide members 718a,
720a, the sides for
affecting the fixed and tolerance adaptive connections could be readily
reversed, or one could
further alternatively install the implement with fasteners securing only fixed
connections or
only tolerance adaptive connections. It will be appreciated that in this type
of installation,
one would ordinarily install the fasteners 726 to establish the fixed
connections and then
tolerance adaptive connections. However, one could follow a different order
and, if the shelf
712a includes pre-drilled pilot holes, then it would not matter in what order
the fasteners 726
would be installed.
[0080] FIGS 21 and 22 show additional examples of fasteners that may be
utilized in
tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies. While it will be appreciated
that a standard
screw, such as a wood screw, could be used within an appropriately dimensioned
slot in a tab
that extends from an outer slide member, if it is not tightened to the point
of applying a clamp
load to the tab, it will be appreciated that for ease and speed of assembly,
and for consistent,
repeatable results with respect to the movement allowed within a tolerance
adaptive slide
connection assembly, it is preferable to use a fastening means that includes a
standoff. The
standoff may be provided as a separate washer through which the a screw or
other fastener
passes, with the washer being disposed in the slot of a tab of an outer slide
member, such as
is shown for the second or left hand slide assembly in FIGS. 19-20, for
slidable movement of
the implement relative to the second slide assembly.
[0081] Alternatively, the standoff to prevent clamping of a tab extending from
an
outer slide member may be provided directly by the fastener. Examples of
fasteners having a
standoff are shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. For instance, in FIG. 21, a threaded
screw 772, such
as a wood or sheet metal screw is shown and the screw 772 is usable with a
slot 774 in a tab
776 of a bracket 778 that is connected to an outer slide member 780a of a
slide assembly 780
(not shown) to provide a tolerance adaptive slide connection. Thus, the
fastener 772 in this
example is constructed as a screw having a standoff shoulder 772a with the
threaded portion
772b of the screw 772 to be installed into an implement 712b after passing
through a slot
776a in a tab 776 of an outer slide member 780a, such as the outer slide
member 780a of the
left hand slide assembly of FIG. 20. This configuration will allow slidable
movement of the
fastener 772 relative to the slot 776a, and therefore, slidable movement of
the implement 712
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in a lateral direction that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal
axis of the second
slide assembly along which the outer slide member 780a slidably moves.
[0082] The example in FIG. 22 includes use of a fastener 782 that is
constructed as a
machine thread screw which can be threadably received in an insert 784 that is
installed into a
pilot hole 786 in the bottom of the shelf 712b of the implement. The insert
784 may be press
fit or self-threading. The fastener 782 is constructed as a screw having a
standoff shoulder
782a with a threaded portion 782b of the screw to be threadably installed into
the insert 784
that is first installed into the implement. This enables the fastener 782 to
pass through a slot
788 in a tab 790 that is integrally formed in and extends from an outer slide
member 792a of
a slide assembly 792 to establish a tolerance adaptive slide connection. The
slide assembly
792 includes an inner slide member 792b and the outer slide member 792a slides
along a
longitudinal axis 792L relative to the outer slide member 792a. The tolerance
adaptive
connection allows the implement to move in a direction that is substantially
perpendicular to
the longitudinal axis of the slide assembly 792.
[0083] FIG. 23 shows a further example of an article of furniture 800 having a
tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 810 for use in connecting an
implement 812 to
the article of furniture 800, which is in the configuration of a cabinet,
where the implement
812 is a drawer box that is connected to the article of furniture via a side
mount drawer slide
assembly. The article of furniture 800 includes a furniture body 860 that
includes at least
spaced apart side walls 862, 864 that would be connected to a bottom wall and
a rear wall
(not shown). Thus, just as a shelf or tray may receive a tolerance adaptive
slide connection,
as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 16-22, the mounting of a drawer box
also may
benefit from the advantageous use of a tolerance adaptive slide connection
assembly 810.
[0084] The drawer box shown in FIG. 23 is connected to a first slide assembly
818
having a fixed connection at tabs 828 that are integrally formed in and extend
from an outer
slide member 818a of first slide assembly 818. Fasteners, such as screws 826
pass through
apertures in the tabs 828 to establish a fixed connection of the outer slide
member 818a to a
side 812a of the implement 812. The outer slide member 818a is slidably
movable along a
longitudinal axis relative to an inner slide member 818b that has as fixed
connection to the
side wall 862 of the article of furniture 800. The tabs 828 of the outer slide
member 818a run
below and are connected to the bottom edges of the side 812a via screws 826.
The
implement 812 further has a tolerance adaptive connection to the outer slide
member 820a
which includes tabs 832 that extend from the outer slide member 820a and run
below and are
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connected to the bottom edge of the left hand side 812b of the drawer box 812.
The tolerance
adaptive connection is made by fasteners 826 passing through slots in the tabs
832, similar to
the prior examples. Indeed, the drawer construction could more closely
resemble the flat
bottom of the preceding example implements in the form of shelves or trays.
[0085] The lack of parallel side walls of a furniture body, such as in a
cabinet, can
lead to binding in the ordinary course of slide operation when slidably moving
a drawer
between relative open and closed positions. Over time, with wear and minor
damage that
may be inflicted by accidental lateral contact with a drawer that is in an
open position, or by
other means, the binding within standard slide assemblies can increase and be
problematic.
While being more apparent in slide assemblies having closing devices, such as
self-close, or
self-close and soft-close features as are becoming more prevalent in modern
slide
constructions, problems can be noticed in more traditional slide assembly
installations when
installed using only fixed connections between an article of furniture and
slide assemblies, as
well as between the slide assemblies and an implement.
[0086] The preceding examples all benefit from tolerance adaptive slide
connection
assemblies when seeking to allow some lateral movement of the implement
relative to the
second slide assembly to relieve the binding stresses that can occur during
slidable movement
of the implement. The lateral movement is substantially perpendicular to the
longitudinal
axis of the slide assembly that is connected to the implement via a tolerance
adaptive
connection. However, there also may occur binding stresses when one attempts
to utilize
slide assemblies that are installed in a parallel manner where the slide
assemblies are spaced
apart vertically, instead of being spaced apart horizontally in an opposed
manner. This will
be appreciated when viewing the example provided in FIGS. 24-30 where two
tolerance
adaptive slide connection assemblies 910 are provided in an example article of
furniture 900.
The article of furniture includes a furniture body 960 having spaced apart
side walls 962, 964,
which in this example are interior partition walls, a bottom wall 966 and rear
wall 968. The
furniture body 960 of this example includes further spaced apart exterior side
walls 706, 708.
[0087] Each of the tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies 910 includes
two
slide assemblies 918, 920 and is connected to a wall of the furniture body 960
in a vertically
spaced apart configuration. In this example, each implement 912 is constructed
as a pullout
frame that accepts wire bins 912a. The pullout frame 912 is connected to slide
assemblies
918, 920 that each have a respective longitudinal axis 918L, 920L. The slide
assemblies 918,
920, in turn, are connected to an inner partition wall 962, 964 within the
article of furniture
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900. A knob 970 is provided for connection to the upper forward corner of each
frame 912,
so as to allow a user to grasp and slidably move the implement 912 along the
longitudinal
axis that is associated with the upper slide assembly 918. To provide non-
handed
construction and to prevent the fastener 972 that is used to connect the knob
970 to the
assembly from interfering with a potential tolerance adaptive slide
connection, the outer slide
member 918a, 920a of each slide assembly 918, 920 includes an oversized
aperture 974 that
encircles an installed head of the fastener 972, best seen in FIG. 30, for
connecting the knob
970 to the frame 912. The pullout frame assemblies 912 are shown in a closed
position
within the article of furniture in FIG. 24, while being shown in an open
position extended
forward of the article of furniture in FIG 25.
[0088] FIGS. 26 and 27 show additional views of the tolerance adaptive slide
connection assembly 910 of FIGS. 24 and 25, connected to a partition wall 962
of the article
of furniture 900 and being in a closed position. Together with FIG. 28, one
can appreciate
the structure of this assembly 910 which allows the various wire bins 912a to
be hung from
vertical side rails 914 of the frame 912 via a plurality of apertures 914a
therein, with bin
bottoms 912b being provided by planar bodies that may be constructed of
plastic, wood,
metal or other suitable materials. In this example, the slide assemblies 918,
920 and frame
912 may be constructed in a non-handed configuration for ease of assembly and
cost savings.
Some of the prior examples also may be constructed in a non-handed
configuration which
allows use of common parts and requires fewer variations in assemblies,
generally leading to
more consistent quality and performance.
[0089] The example of FIGS. 24-30 also is shown in FIG. 29 in an open
position,
extended forward of the wall 962 of a furniture body 960 to which it is
connected by a
tolerance adaptive slide connection. The example includes a closing device 950
disposed in
the rear of the inner slide member 918b, 920b that is connected to the side
wall 962. The
freedom from binding due to a lack of parallelism may be provided by use of
fixed
connections to the first slide assembly 918, which is shown in FIG. 30 as
including fixed
connection of the implement or frame 912 to an outer slide member 918a of the
first or upper
slide assembly 918, and by use of tolerance adaptive slide connection of the
implement 912
to a second slide assembly 920, which is shown in FIG. 30 as including
connection of the
implement 912 to an outer slide member 920a of the second or lower slide
assembly 920. In
these instances the outer slide member 918a includes standard circular
apertures 926 for
receipt of fasteners 928 when establishing a fixed connection to the first
slide assembly 918
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via apertures 926a in the implement 912. The fixed connections can be made by
use of
fasteners, such as rivets 928, screws, or other suitable means of connection.
Further, the
outer slide member 920a includes slotted apertures or slots 930 for receipt of
fasteners 928
with standoff washers 932 when establishing tolerance adaptive slide
connections to the
second slide assembly 920 via apertures 926b in the implement 912. It will be
appreciated
that while in this example the first or upper slide assembly 918 is used to
provide the fixed
connection and the second or lower slide assembly 920 is shown as being used
to provide the
tolerance adaptive slide connection, either the upper or lower slide assembly
may be utilized
for either role in the tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 910.
[0090] In FIG. 30, one can see the implement 912 constructed as a pullout
frame and
having a fixed slide connection to the first slide assembly 918 via use of
fasteners 928
constructed as rivets having a shank portion to be installed into an aperture
926a in the
implement 912 after passing the shank portion through a standard aperture 926
in the outer
slide member 918a of the first or upper slide assembly 918. These rivets 928
are shown
without the common stem and are truncated in length relative to their
preinstalled
configuration, but one can appreciate the connections that may be made when
using
appropriate fasteners, which may include rivets. In turn, the tolerance
adaptive slide
connection to the second slide assembly 920 in the lower position is made via
fasteners 928
that include similarly constructed rivets, but also by using the rivets with
standoff washers
932. The rivets 928 have a shank portion to be installed into an aperture 926b
in the
implement 912 after having the shank portion pass through the standoff washer
932 which is
to be disposed in a slot 930 in the outer slide member 920a of the second or
upper slide
assembly 920, although again, in this illustration the rivets are shown
without the typical stem
and in a shortened view. It will be appreciated that other fasteners also
could be used, such as
have previously been described with respect to the above discussed examples
using other
structures for standoffs. Once again, one may utilize fasteners that do not
include an integral
or separate standoff, but this needlessly complicates assembly and typically
would lead to
less consistent results.
[0091] One further example of such a fastener having an integral standoff is
shown in
FIG. 31, constructed as a rivet 1028 having a standoff shoulder 1028a with a
shank portion
1028b of the rivet to be installed into an implement after passing through a
slot in an outer
slide member of a slide assembly. Thus, if used with the example shown in FIG.
30, the
shank portion 1028b of the rivet 1028 may pass through a slot 930 in the outer
slide member
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920a and then be installed through a blind hole or aperture 926b in the
implement 912 to
form a tolerance adaptive slide connection between the second slide assembly
920 and the
implement 912. In the event that the slide assemblies are not perfectly
parallel when installed
to the wall 962 of an article of furniture 900, then the tolerance adaptive
slide connection
assembly 910 will provide the freedom to float, or allow the implement 912 to
move in a
direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 920L of
the second slide
assembly 920. The implement may then slidably move between relative closed and
open
positions along the longitudinal axes 918L, 920L of the first and second slide
assemblies 918,
920, while still allowing the implement 912 to move vertically or
substantially
perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis 920L of the second slide assembly 920
sufficiently to
eliminate the potential binding that otherwise may occur.
[0092] Alternative installation configurations are provided in FIGS. 32-33,
and FIG.
34. In FIGS. 32-33, a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 1110 is
provided for an
implement 1112, with the slide assemblies 1118 and 1120 connected to a wall
1162 of an
article of furniture, such as the wall 962 of the furniture body 960 of the
article of furniture
900. In this example, the tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly 1110 is
in an open
position extended outward from the wall 1162. The slide assemblies 1118 and
1120 include
closing devices 1150 at the rear end of the inner slide members 1118b, 1120b
that will remain
within the furniture body at all times. In the illustration of FIG. 33, one
can see that rather
than the fixed connection being employed between the upper slide assembly 920
and the
implement 1112, as in the example shown in FIG. 30, in this instance the fixed
connection is
between the first slide assembly 1118, which is the lower slide assembly,
while the tolerance
adaptive slide connection is between the second or upper slide assembly 1120
and the
implement 1112. Here, the second or lower slide assembly 1120 is connected to
the wall
1062 of the furniture body using fasteners that pass through slots in the
inner slide member
1120b to allow it to float or move vertically, which is substantially
perpendicularly relative to
a longitudinal axis 1120L of the second slide assembly 1120. In FIG. 33, the
fasteners 1172
used are constructed as screws having a standoff shoulder 1172a with a
threaded portion
1172b of the screw 1172 to be installed into a wall 1162 of an article of
furniture after
passing through a slot 1176 in the inner slide member 1120b. It will be
appreciated that the
first slide assembly 1118, which would be used in the lower location to have a
fixed
connection between the implement 1112 and the wall 1162 of the article of
furniture would
be a similar slide to that shown in FIG. 33, but would be used with standard
screws that are
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fastened through the standard apertures in the inner slide member to fixedly
connect it to the
wall.
[0093] A modification to the example in FIG. 33 is shown in FIG. 34. In FIG.
34, the
inner slide member 1220b does not include a closing device. It does however
use a similar
set of fasteners 1272 that engage slots 1276 to provide another example of an
inner slide
member 1120b of a tolerance adaptive slide connection assembly. As with the
example in
FIG. 33, the example in FIG. 34 may use standard fasteners to connect the
implement to the
first and second slide assemblies, but in both instances the implement will be
allowed to
move vertically, and therefore, substantially perpendicularly to a
longitudinal axis 1220L of
the second slide assembly 1220, thereby avoiding binding during slidable
movement of the
implement between the relative closed and open positions.
[0094] Turning to FIGS. 35-39, an alternative handle mounting with a tolerance
adaptive connection is disclosed. This example uses the same first and second
slide
assemblies 18 and 20, and is quite similar to the structures in the first
example in FIGS. 1-8,
except with respect to the lower portion of the handle 1336 and the structures
used to connect
the handle 1336 to the outer slide members 18a, 20a of the respective first
and second slide
assemblies 18, 20. Instead of looking to the first example to form a fixed
connection on each
side of the handle 36 by using the clasps 38 and fasteners 38a to connect the
lower portion
36a of the handle 36 to each of the outer slide members 18a, 20a, in the
present example a
different structure allows use of a tolerance adaptive connection on at least
one side of the
handle 1336. While a tolerance adaptive connection could be used on both
sides, the handle
1336 will feel more secure to the user if a fixed connection to a slide
assembly is maintained
on at least one side of the handle 1336.
[0095] The lower portions 1336a of the handle 1336 includes tabs 1338 that are
fixedly connected to the wire of handle 1336, such as by welding or other
suitable methods of
connection. The tabs 1338 include apertures 1338a. In this example, fasteners
1340, in the
form of threaded screws, pass through the apertures in the tabs 1338 on the
right hand side of
the handle 1336 and through apertures in the outer slide member 18a. Retaining
nuts allow
the fasteners 1340 to form a fixed connection between the handle 1336 and the
first outer
slide member 18a of the first or right hand slide assembly 18. However, on the
left hand side
of the handle 1336, fasteners 1342 having a standoff shoulder 1342a and a
threaded portion
1342b are used with nuts 1344 to form a tolerance adaptive connection between
the handle
1336 and the second outer slide member 20a of the second or left hand slide
assembly 20.
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The threaded portions 1342b pass through apertures 1338a the tabs 1338, which
position the
standoff shoulders 1342a of the fasteners 1342 within the apertures 1338a of
the tabs 1338
and allow the nuts 1344 to fix the fastener 1342 to the second outer slide
member 20a while
allowing the lower portion 1336a of the handle 1336 to move laterally or in a
direction
substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 20L of second slide
assembly 20. In this
manner, while the wire handle 1336, with its flexibility, may not
significantly affect the
smooth running of the first and second slide assemblies 18, 20, it is possible
to incorporate a
tolerance adaptive connection to the handle itself to ensure that it does not
impede smooth
operation of the first and second slide assemblies 18, 20. In addition, a
tolerance adaptive
connection for a handle will be more important and desirable if one chooses to
use a handle
that is constructed in a manner that results in the handle being more rigid
than the wire handle
1336 of this example.
[0096] It will be appreciated that the slide assemblies of the above-described
examples could be connected to the articles of furniture in other ways, such
as by connection
to a face frame or via connection to a side wall, bottom wall, or rear wall
via a bracket or
spacer. It will be understood that connections to such other structures also
would have
sources of variations from parallelism in the connection of the slide
assemblies, such as in the
areas of the face frame construction, the bracket construction or installation
to the article of
furniture. Thus, all such configurations are contemplated and considered to be
within the
scope of this disclosure, as well as should be considered any other slide
assembly devices
where an implement may be connected to a slide assembly via a tolerance
adaptive slide
connection that allows movement of the implement relative to the one of the
slide assemblies
that does not provide fixed connection, and wherein the additional allowed
movement is in a
direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slide
assembly having a
tolerance adaptive connection to the implement or to the article of furniture.
[0097] While the present disclosure shows and demonstrates example tolerance
adaptive slide connection assemblies for use in articles of furniture, the
examples are merely
illustrative and are not to be considered limiting. It will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill
in the art that tolerance adaptive slide connection assemblies in accordance
with the present
disclosure may be provided in various configurations and may be constructed to
be installed
in various forms to interact with various articles of furniture, without
departing from the
scope of the present disclosure. Any variety of suitable materials of
construction,
configurations, shapes and sizes for the components and methods of connecting
the
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components may be utilized to meet the particular needs and requirements of an
end user.
Thus, although example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture relating
to tolerance
adaptive slide connection assemblies have been described herein, the scope of
coverage of
this patent is not limited to the preferred examples illustrated. On the
contrary, this patent
covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling
within the scope of
the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
29
