Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: LOCK BAR-ON-SLIDE RAIL STYLE DRAWER ANTITIPPING
SAFETY DEVICE
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a drawer locking device, and more
particularly to a lock bar-on-slide rail style drawer antitipping safety
device,
which that prevents a drawer, without being locked up, from sliding out due
to earthquakes and also prevents multiple drawers from being simultaneously
opened.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Cabinets made up of drawers are a commonly used household storage
device. In case that heavy articles are stored in the drawers, or multiple
ones of the drawers are simultaneously pulled out, the cabinet may get tipped
resulting from a force acting thereon, and eventually hurt a user. Or, in case
of earthquakes, violent shaking of the cabinet may cause the drawers to slide
out and thus making the cabinet tip down. In view of this, manufacturers
proposed various types of cabinets that allow the drawers to be locked in
position. An example is Taiwan Patent No. 179525, which discloses an
improved drawer locking device that prevents a cabinet from tipping down,
and such a device functions to prevent adjacent drawers to be opened at the
same time. However, if a user uses both hands to simultaneously open two
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of the drawers, it is still possible for the user to simultaneously open two
drawers. Further, such the device of such a patent is also incapable of
preventing drawers that are not adjacent to each other from being
simultaneously opened.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide lock
bar-on-slide rail style drawer antitipping safety device, which allows only
one single drawer to be withdrawn out of a cabinet at a time and does not
allow drawers that are not locked in place to fall out of the cabinet due to
earthquakes.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a lock
bar-on-slide rail style drawer antitipping safety device, which comprises a
cabinet body, a top drawer, at least one middle drawer, and at least one
bottom drawer. The lock bar-on-slide rail style drawer antitipping safety
device is characterized in that the top drawer, the middle drawer, and the
bottom drawer are each provided with a sliding portion projecting from one
side thereof. Each of the sliding portions is formed, in an end portion
thereof facing toward an outside of the cabinet body, with an upper slope, a
stop surface, and a lower slope, and the upper slope and the lower slope are
respectively arranged on upper and lower ends of the stop surface and are
inclined in a direction toward an inside of the cabinet body; and an end
portion of each of the sliding portions that faces toward the inside of the
cabinet body is extended as a straight line in a horizontal direction. A slide
rail is arranged between the sliding portion and a latching portion of the top
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drawer and corresponds, in shape, to a lower edge of the sliding portion.
The cabinet body comprises a vertical slide rail slidably mounted at one side
that corresponds to the sliding portions. The vertical slide rail is provided,
in a manner of being slidably mounted thereto in a sequence from top to
.. bottom, a first lock bar, a second lock bar, and a third lock bar. A gap is
present between a bottom end of the first lock bar and a top end of the second
lock bar. The first lock bar is provided, on each of a top end and the bottom
end thereof, with a stop portion projecting therefrom toward the sliding
portion. The second lock bar is provided, on each of the top end and a
.. bottom end thereof, with a stop portion projecting therefrom toward the
sliding portion. The first lock bar is provided, on the bottom thereof, with a
first bearing portion and a first bottom hole, and the first bearing portion
is
located upward of the first bottom hole. The second lock bar is provided,
on the top thereof that faces toward the bottom end of the first lock bar,
with
a second top peg that projects therefrom and corresponds to the first bottom
hole, and a top end of the second top peg is supported on the first bearing
portion. The second lock bar is provided, on the bottom thereof, with a
second bearing portion and a second bottom hole, and the second bearing
portion is located upward of the second bottom hole. The third lock bar is
provided, on the top thereof that faces toward the bottom of the second lock
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bar, with a third top peg that projects therefrom and corresponds to the
second bottom hole, and a top end of the third top peg is supported on the
second bearing portion. A first elastic element is arranged between a
bottom of the third lock bar and the cabinet body.
The stop portion of the top end of the first lock bar is set at such as
height as to correspond to the lower slope of the sliding portion of the top
drawer and is positionable on the slide rail of the top drawer. The stop
portion of the bottom end of the first lock bar is set at such a heigh as to
correspond to the upper slope of the sliding portion of the middle drawer.
The stop portion of the top end of the second lock bar is set at such a heigh
as
to correspond to the lower slope of the sliding portion of the middle drawer.
The stop portion of the bottom end of the second lock bar is set at such a
heigh as to correspond to the upper slope of the sliding portion of the bottom
drawer. In this way, to open each of the drawers of the present invention, a
user needs to continuously apply a force to pull the drawer to make the stop
portion moving along the upper slope or the lower slope of the sliding
portion.
If the present invention is caused to shake or vibrate due to a factor of
external forces, such as earthquakes, even if the directions of the forces may
vary randomly, the sliding portions are only caused to move back and forth to
repeatedly hit the stop portions, but the stop portions do not slide over the
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upper slopes or the lower slopes. As such, in case that the present invention
is caused to shake or vibrate by an external force, each of the drawers cannot
slide out, thereby preventing the potential risk that the cabinet is affected
by
the drawers that are sliding out to get tipped down.
In an attempt of a user to pull open the top drawer, the stop portion of
the top end of the first lock bar is driven along the lower slope of the
sliding
portion of the top drawer to move downward and is supported on the slide
rail. At the same time, the stop portion of the bottom end of the first lock
bar also moves downward to reach a height corresponding to the stop surface
of the sliding portion of the middle drawer, so as to make the middle drawer
not openable. Further, the first bearing portion of the first lock bar applies
a
force to the second top peg, and the second top peg is moved downward to
make the second lock bar moving downward, so that the stop portion of the
bottom end of the second lock bar also moves downward to reach a height
corresponding to the stop surface of the sliding portion of the bottom drawer,
and consequently making the bottom drawer not openable. The second
bearing portion of the second lock bar similarly applies a force to the third
top peg, causing the third lock bar to compress the first elastic element.
When the user pushes back the top drawer, the first lock bar is pushed
upward by the incline section of the slide rail, so as to release the locking
of
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the middle drawer, and the first elastic element pushes the second lock bar
and the third lock bar back to original positions, releasing the locking of
the
bottom drawer.
In an attempt of a user to pull open the middle drawer, the stop portion
of the bottom end of the first lock bar is driven along the upper slope of the
sliding portion of the middle drawer to move upward, and at the same time,
the stop portion of the top end of the first lock bar also moves upward to
reach a height corresponding to the stop surface of the sliding portion of the
top drawer, so as to make the top drawer A not openable. Meanwhile, the
sliding portion of the middle drawer also drives the second lock bar to move
downward, and the stop portion of the bottom end of the second lock bar is
moved downward to reach a height corresponding to the stop surface of the
sliding portion of the bottom drawer, so as to make the bottom drawer not
openable. When the user pushes back the middle drawer, the first lock bar
lowers down back to the original position, so as to release the locking of the
top drawer, and the second lock bar and the third lock bar are pushed upward
back to the original position by the first elastic element, releasing the
locking
of the bottom drawer.
In an attempt of a user to pull open the bottom drawer, the stop portion
of the bottom end of the second lock bar is driven along the upper slope of
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the sliding portion of the bottom drawer to move upward, and at the same
time, the stop portion of the top end of the second lock bar also moves
upward to reach a height corresponding to the stop surface of the sliding
portion of the middle drawer, so as to make the middle drawer not openable;
and also, the second top peg pushes the first lock bar upward, so that the
stop
portion of the top end of the first lock bar is moved to a height
corresponding
to the stop surface of the sliding portion of the top drawer, making the top
drawer also not openable. When the user pushes back the bottom drawer,
the second lock bar lowers down back to the original position, so as to
release
the locking of the middle drawer, and meanwhile, the first lock bar also
lowers down back to the original position to thereby release the locking of
the top drawer.
When the user attempts to grip any two of the top drawer, the middle
drawer, and the bottom drawer and pull the two out at the same time, vertical
movements of the first lock bar and the second lock bar interfere with each
other, making both of the two lock bars unable to move, so that the user
cannot to simultaneously pull out and open multiple ones of the drawers, and
as such, safety of the present invention is enhanced.
The present invention may further comprise a lock that is mounted in
the cabinet body for selectively moving the vertical slide rail in a vertical
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direction. The lock can be a rotary lock. The top drawer, the middle
drawer, and the bottom drawer are each provided, in a protruding form, with
a latching portion below the sliding portion thereof. The vertical slide rail
is
provided with a latching plate corresponding to and projecting toward each of
the latching portions, and each of the latching plates is set at such a height
as
to be below the corresponding one of the latching portions. The first lock
bar, the second lock bar, and the third lock bar are each formed with a latch
opening corresponding to one of the latching plates. If the user wishes to
lock up the present invention, the lock is operated to drive the vertical
slide
rail to move upward, making each of the latching plates lifted up to a height
corresponding to each of the latching portions, and as such, each of the
drawers cannot be moved, thereby preventing the drawers from being opened.
The latching plates are preset at default home positions that are below the
latching portions, so that opening of the present invention is not affected
thereby. To unlock, the lock is operated to lower the vertical slide rail
downward back to the original or home position.
The present invention can be structured as a three-tier cabinet, or
alternatively, the number of the middle drawer can be increased in the
vertical
direction to make a cabinet of four or more tiers. This is accompanied by
including one or more extra second lock bars to lock up the additional middle
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drawers, so that when the top drawer is being opened, the first lock bar may
simultaneously drive all the second lock bars to lock up all the middle
drawers and the bottom drawer, and also, opening of the remaining ones of
the drawers may similarly lock up the other drawers that are not being
opened.
The present invention is applicable in various places, such as household,
storeroom, business offices, and workshops, to help improve safety of drawer
cabinets.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vertical slide rail of the present
invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, in a sectioned form, of the present
invention.
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing a top drawer of the present
invention.
FIG. 6 is a first schematic view illustrating an operation of the present
invention.
FIG. 7 is a second schematic view illustrating an operation of the
present invention.
FIG. 8 is a third schematic view illustrating an operation of the present
invention.
FIG. 9 is a fourth schematic view illustrating an operation of the present
invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, which are drawings showing an embodiment of
the present invention, it is noted that through the disclosure, similar
elements
are designated with the same reference signs. As shown in the drawings, a
lock bar-on-slide rail style drawer antitipping safety device according to the
present invention comprises a cabinet body A, a top drawer Al, at least one
middle drawer A2, and at least one bottom drawer A3. The lock
bar-on-slide rail style drawer antitipping safety device is characterized in
that
the top drawer Al, the middle drawer A2, and the bottom drawer A3 are each
provided with a sliding portion A4 projecting from one side thereof. Each
of the sliding portions A4 is foimed, in an end portion thereof facing toward
an outside of the cabinet body A, with an upper slope A41, a stop surface A42,
and a lower slope A43, and the upper slope A41 and the lower slope A43 are
respectively arranged on upper and lower ends of the stop surface A42 and
.. are inclined in a direction toward an inside of the cabinet body A; and an
end
portion of each of the sliding portions A4 that faces toward the inside of the
cabinet body A is extended as a straight line in a horizontal direction, so
that
each of the sliding portions A4 is shaped like a bullet. A slide rail AS is
arranged below the sliding portion A4 of the top drawer Al and corresponds,
in shape, to a lower edge of the sliding portion A4. Spacing is formed
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between the slide rail A5 and the sliding portion A4. The slide rail A5 has a
shape corresponding to that of a bottom of the sliding portion A4, and
accordingly, the slide rail A5 includes a supporting section A51 that is
arranged horizontal, an incline section A52 that extends oblique downward,
and a horizontal section A53 that extends horizontally. The incline section
A52 corresponds to the lower slope A43, and the horizontal section A53
corresponds to the horizontally-extending section of the sliding portion A4.
The cabinet body A includes a vertical slide rail 1 slidably mounted at
one side that corresponds to the sliding portions A4. The vertical slide rail
1
is provided, in a manner of being slidably mounted thereto in a sequence
from top to bottom, a first lock bar 2, a second lock bar 3, and a third lock
bar
4. A gap is present between a bottom end of the first lock bar 2 and a top
end of the second lock bar 3. The first lock bar 2 is provided, on each of a
top end and the bottom end thereof, with a stop portion B projecting
.. therefrom toward the sliding portion A4. The second lock bar 3 is provided,
on each of the top end and a bottom end thereof, with a stop portion B
projecting therefrom toward the sliding portion A4. The first lock bar 2 is
provided, on the bottom thereof, with a first bearing portion 22 and a first
bottom hole 21, and the first bearing portion 22 is located upward of the
first
bottom hole 21. The second lock bar 3 is provided, on the top thereof that
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faces toward the bottom end of the first lock bar 2, with a second top peg 33
that projects therefrom and corresponds to the first bottom hole 21. A top
end of the second top peg 33 is supported on the first bearing portion 22.
The second lock bar 3 is provided, on the bottom thereof, with a second
bearing portion 32 and a second bottom hole 31, and the second bearing
portion 32 is located upward of the second bottom hole 31. The third lock
bar 4 is provided, on the top thereof that faces toward the bottom of the
second lock bar 3, with a third top peg 41 that projects therefrom and
corresponds to the second bottom hole 31. A top end of the third top peg 41
is supported on the second bearing portion 32. A first elastic element 5 is
arranged between a bottom of the third lock bar 4 and the cabinet body A,
and in the instant embodiment, the first elastic element 5 comprises a spring.
In the present invention, for each of the lock bars, the top peg and the
bottom hole can be made as detachable parts as shown in FIG. 3, so that a
lock bar can be equipped with a top peg or a hole at two ends thereof
according to the position thereof in use. It can be appreciated that in the
instant embodiment, the first lock bar 2 and the second lock bar 3 are of the
same structure, and are specifically prefixed for the purposes of easing the
description.
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As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the stop portion B of the top end of the first
lock bar 2 is set at such a height as to correspond to the lower slope A43 of
the sliding portion A4 of the top drawer Al, and the stop portion B of the top
end of the first lock bar 2 is positioned and supported on the supporting
section A51 of the slide rail A5. The stop portion B of the bottom end of the
first lock bar 2 is set at such a height as to correspond to the upper slope
A41
of the sliding portion A4 of the middle drawer A2. The stop portion B of
the top end of the second lock bar 3 is set at such a height as to correspond
to
the lower slope A43 of the sliding portion A4 of the middle drawer A2. The
stop portion B of the bottom end of the second lock bar 3 is set at such a
height as to correspond to the upper slope A41 of the sliding portion A4 of
the bottom drawer A3. In the instant embodiment, each of the stop surface
A42 is a vertical planar surface.
In this way, to open the top drawer Al, the middle drawer A2, the
.. bottom drawer A3 of the present invention, a user needs to continuously
apply a force to pull one of these drawers to make the stop portion B moving
along the upper slope A41 or the lower slope A43 of the sliding portion A4,
so as to consequently drive the first lock bar 2, the second lock bar 3, and
the
third lock bar 4 to move upward/downward to lock up the remaining ones of
the drawers. If the present invention is caused to shake or vibrate due to a
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factor of external forces, such as earthquakes, even if the directions of the
forces may vary randomly, the sliding portions A4 are only caused to move
back and forth to repeatedly hit the stop portions B, but the stop portions B
do not slide over the upper slopes A41 or the lower slopes A43. As such, in
case that the present invention is caused to shake or vibrate by an external
force, the top drawer Al, the middle drawer A2, and the bottom drawer A3,
even being not locked in position, do not slide out due to the shaking or
vibrating, thereby preventing the potential risk that the cabinet is affected
by
the drawers that are sliding out to get tipped down.
As shown in FIG. 6, in an attempt of a user to pull open the top drawer
Al, the stop portion B of the top end of the first lock bar 2 is driven along
the
lower slope A43 of the sliding portion A4 of the top drawer Al to move
downward and is supported on the slide rail AS. At the same time, the stop
portion B of the bottom end of the first lock bar 2 also moves downward to
reach a height corresponding to the stop surface A42 of the sliding portion A4
of the middle drawer A2, so as to make the middle drawer A2 not openable.
Further, the first bearing portion 22 of the first lock bar 2 applies a force
to
the second top peg 33, and the second top peg 33 is moved downward to
make the second lock bar 3 moving downward, so that the stop portion B of
the bottom end of the second lock bar 3 also moves downward to reach a
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height corresponding to the stop surface A42 of the sliding portion A4 of the
bottom drawer A3, and consequently making the bottom drawer A3 not
openable. The second bearing portion 32 of the second lock bar 3 similarly
applies a force to the third top peg 41, causing the third lock bar 4 to
compress the first elastic element 5. When the user pushes back the top
drawer Al, the first lock bar 2 is pushed upward by the incline section A52 of
the slide rail AS, so as to release the locking of the middle drawer A2, and
the
first elastic element 5 pushes the second lock bar 3 and the third lock bar 4
back to original positions, releasing the locking of the bottom drawer A3.
As shown in FIG. 7, in an attempt of a user to pull open the middle
drawer A2, the stop portion B of the bottom end of the first lock bar 2 is
driven along the upper slope A41 of the sliding portion A4 of the middle
drawer A2 to move upward, and at the same time, the stop portion B of the
top end of the first lock bar 2 also moves upward to reach a height
corresponding to the stop surface A42 of the sliding portion A4 of the top
drawer Al, so as to make the top drawer A not openable. Meanwhile, the
sliding portion A4 of the middle drawer A2 also drives the second lock bar 3
to move downward, and the stop portion B of the bottom end of the second
lock bar 3 is moved downward to reach a height corresponding to the stop
surface A42 of the sliding portion A4 of the bottom drawer A3, so as to make
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the bottom drawer A3 not openable. When the user pushes back the middle
drawer A2, the first lock bar 2 lowers down back to the original position, so
as to release the locking of the top drawer Al, and the second lock bar 3 and
the third lock bar 4 are pushed upward back to the original position by the
first elastic element 5, releasing the locking of the bottom drawer A3.
As shown in FIG. 8, in an attempt of a user to pull open the bottom
drawer A3, the stop portion B of the bottom end of the second lock bar 3 is
driven along the upper slope A41 of the sliding portion A4 of the bottom
drawer A3 to move upward, and at the same time, the stop portion B of the
top end of the second lock bar 3 also moves upward to reach a height
corresponding to the stop surface A42 of the sliding portion A4 of the middle
drawer A2, so as to make the middle drawer A2 not openable; and also, the
second top peg 33 pushes the first lock bar 2 upward, so that the stop portion
B of the top end of the first lock bar 2 is moved to a height corresponding to
the stop surface A42 of the sliding portion A4 of the top drawer Al, making
the top drawer Al also not openable. When the user pushes back the
bottom drawer A3, the second lock bar 3 lowers down back to the original
position, so as to release the locking of the middle drawer A2, and meanwhile,
the first lock bar 2 also lowers down back to the original position to thereby
release the locking of the top drawer Al.
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When the user attempts to grip any two of the top drawer Al, the middle
drawer A2, and the bottom drawer A3 and pull the two out at the same time,
vertical movements of the first lock bar 2 and the second lock bar 3 interfere
with each other, making both of the two lock bars unable to move, so that the
user cannot to simultaneously pull out and open multiple ones of the drawers,
and as such, safety of the present invention is enhanced.
The present invention is alternatively structured to further include a lock
C that is mounted in the cabinet body A for selectively moving the vertical
slide rail 1 in a vertical direction. In the instant embodiment, the lock C is
mounted on the top drawer Al. The lock C, in the instant embodiment, is a
rotary lock. The vertical slide rail 1 is provided, in a projecting foini,
with a
transverse or horizontal axle 11 at a location corresponding to the lock C, so
that the lock C is rotatable to lift up or lower down the vertical slide rail
1.
The top drawer Al, the middle drawer A2, and the bottom drawer A3 are
each provided, in a protruding foini, with a latching portion A6 below the
sliding portion A4 thereof. In the instant embodiment, the latching portions
A6 are each made in the form of a triangle of which a side is parallel to the
stop surface A42. The latching portion A6 of the top drawer Al is arranged
below the slide rail AS. The vertical slide rail 1 is provided with a latching
plate A7 corresponding to and projecting toward each of the latching portions
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A6, and each of the latching plates A7 is set at such a height as to be below
the corresponding one of the latching portions A6. The first lock bar 2, the
second lock bar 3, and the third lock bar 4 are each formed with a latch
opening A8 corresponding to one of the latching plates A7. The latch
openings A8 allow the corresponding ones of the latching plates A7 to pass
therethrough, and each of the latch openings A8 is of a predetennined height
in the vertical direction, so that when the vertical slide rail 1 is being
moved
in the vertical direction, the latching plates A7 may not interfere with by
upper ends of the latch openings A8 to thereby drive the first lock bar 2, the
second lock bar 3, and the third lock bar 4 to move in unison therewith, and
thus, the first lock bar 2, the second lock bar 3, and the third lock bar 4
can be
kept in their original positions during the movement of the vertical slide
rail 1.
If the user wishes to lock up the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the
lock C is operated to drive the vertical slide rail 1 to move upward, making
each of the latching plates A7 lifted up to a height corresponding to each of
the latching portions A6, and as such, the top drawer Al, the middle drawer
A2, and the bottom drawer A3 cannot be moved, thereby preventing the top
drawer Al, the middle drawer A2, and the bottom drawer A3 from being
opened. The latching plates A7 are preset at default home positions that are
below the latching portions A6, so that opening of the present invention is
not
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affected thereby. To unlock, the lock C is operated to lower the vertical
slide rail 1 downward back to the original or home position, and each of the
latching plates A7 is thus returned to the default home position.
The present invention can be structured as a three-tier cabinet, as
discussed in the instant embodiment, or alternatively, the number of the
middle drawer A2 can be increased in the vertical direction to make a cabinet
of four or more tiers. This is accompanied by including one or more extra
second lock bars 3 to lock up the additional middle drawers A2, so that when
the top drawer Al is being opened, the first lock bar 2 may simultaneously
drive all the second lock bars 3 to lock up all the middle drawers A2 and the
bottom drawer A3, and also, opening of the remaining ones of the drawers
may similarly lock up the other drawers that are not being opened.
The present invention is applicable in various places, such as household,
storeroom, business offices, and workshops, to help improve safety of drawer
cabinets.
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-16
