A DRAWER SLIDING SYSTEM
20220117391 · 2022-04-21
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
A47B88/402
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
Abstract
A drawer sliding system (100) for a drawer (500), comprising a drawer member (200) mountable to the drawer (500) and a rail (300) fixedly mountable to an associated support (600) of a furniture (1000), the drawer member (200) comprises at least one contact surface (212), wherein the drawer member (200) is arranged to be moveable relative to the rail (300), wherein the contact surface (212) and the rail (300) are adapted for together forming a sliding connection between the drawer (500) and the associated support (600) such that the drawer (500) and the drawer member (200) are moveable in relation to the support (600) along the rail (300), wherein at least one drawer sliding system (100) attaches each drawer (500) to the support (600).
Claims
1. A drawer sliding system for a drawer, comprising a drawer member mountable to the drawer and a rail fixedly mountable to an associated support of a furniture, the drawer member comprises at least one contact surface, wherein the drawer member is arranged to be moveable relative to the rail, wherein the contact surface and the rail are adapted for together forming a sliding connection between the drawer and the associated support such that the drawer and the drawer member are moveable in relation to the support along the rail, wherein at least one drawer sliding system attaches each drawer to the support, wherein the drawer member comprises a first and a second attachment member attachable to the drawer, by which the drawer member is configured to be mounted to a rear portion of the drawer, wherein the drawer member via at least one contact surface is arranged to be in sliding contact with the rail during the entire sliding movement of the drawer, and wherein a force from gravity excerted on the rail by the at least one contact surface is essentially constant during the entire sliding movement of the drawer as the drawer member is fixed to and thus moves with the drawer.
2. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein a distance between a front end of a rail engagement portion of the drawer member and a rear end of a drawer engagement portion of the drawer member is less than half of the length the drawer side panel, preferably approximately ¼ of the drawer side panel.
3. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper member mountable to a front end of the rail, wherein the stopper member is configured to carry a part of the load of the drawer when the drawer is in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail.
4. Drawer sliding system according to claim 3, wherein the stopper member comprises a protrusion configured to be received in a recess in the drawer when the drawer is in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail, wherein the protrusion transfers part of the load of the drawer to the rail.
5. Drawer sliding system according to claim 3, wherein the stopper member is configured limit an opening motion of the drawer and/or limit a closing motion of the drawer in relation to the rail.
6. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the drawer member is made in one piece.
7. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the rail is configured to be attached to a downward facing surface of the support such that the drawer is supported in a hanging manner by the engagement of the drawer member and the rail of each sliding system being attached to the drawer.
8. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the drawer member is configured to be attached to an inwards facing side surface of a side panel of the drawer.
9. Drawer sliding system according to claim 7, wherein the drawer member is attachable to a side surface of a drawer side panel by means of the first attachment member and the second attachment member receivable in corresponding openings in the side wall, and wherein the first attachment member is arranged on the drawer member farther away from a rear end of a drawer engagement member and farther away from a rail engagement portion than the second attachment member.
10. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the rail engagement portion has an oblong shape with two opposite laterally facing longitudinal tracks into which the rail is slidingly receivable.
11. Drawer sliding system according to claim 10, wherein the contact surfaces are arranged in the tracks at least at each longitudinal end thereof, and wherein the tracks comprises guiding protrusions at least in the proximity of the contact surfaces on the front end of the drawer member.
12. Drawer sliding system according to claim 10, wherein each track at each end of the drawer member comprises a lateral facing contact surface, an upper contact surface and a lower contact surface.
13. Drawer sliding system according to claim 12, wherein a guiding protrusion is arranged in at least in the proximity of the upper and lower contact surfaces on the front end of the drawer member.
14. Drawer sliding system according to claim 9, further comprising a wall extending from the rail engagement portion such that is arranged parallel with the side panel when the drawer member is attached thereto, wherein the first attachment member and the second attachment member protrudes from the wall and wherein the wall is essentially aligned with a center axis through the drawer member.
15. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the each contact surface is configured as a blade extending in the sliding direction, preferably the length of the blade, as seen along the sliding direction of the drawer member, being 2-50 mm, more preferably 5-30 mm.
16. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the each contact surface, wherein the contact area of each individual contact surface being less than 3 mm.sup.2, more preferably less than 1.5 mm.sup.2, and most preferably less than 0.75 mm.sup.2.
17. Drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the contact pressure in each contact surface is at least 4 N/mm.sup.2, preferably at least 8 N/mm.sup.2, and more preferably at least 12 N/mm.sup.2, and wherein preferably the contact pressure is lower than the strain at yield of the material of the drawer member at each the contact surface.
18. A drawer sliding system according to claim 1, wherein the rail comprises ledges having sliding surfaces for sliding contact with the contact surfaces of the drawer member wherein at least the sliding surfaces being coated with a lacquer comprising a resin, wherein said lacquer in turn is at least partly coated with a lipophilic composition coating to provide a slide layer with a lowered friction.
19. A drawer configured to be attached to a support, the drawer comprising at least one drawer sliding system according to claim 1.
20. Drawer according to claim 19, comprising one drawer sliding system attached to each side panel of the drawer.
21. A furniture comprising a support and at least one drawer according to claim 19 mounted to the support.
22. Furniture according to claim 21, wherein the furniture is a table.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The present invention will be described further below by way of example and with reference to the enclosed drawings. In the drawings:
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0036] The disclosed embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Throughout the application is reference made to directions, such as forward, rearward etc. A forward direction in the context of this application is the direction in which the drawer 500, and all thereto attached components, moves during an opening motion. Consequently, the rearward direction is opposite the forward and thus the direction of a closing motion of the drawer 500.
[0037]
[0038] In a preferred embodiment is one sliding system 100 mounted to each side panel 502 of the drawer 500, but it is also feasible that a single drawer sliding system 100 alone supports each drawer 500. The sliding system 100 is intended to be mounted to the drawer 500 and to a supporting structure 600 (shown in
[0039] The rail 300 has an elongated shape and is configured to be mounted to the support 600 by means of a plurality of fasteners such as screws or snap-lock fasteners etc. The rail 100 is preferably made of metal, such as aluminium or steel.
[0040] The drawer member 200 is configured to be mounted to the rear portion 512 of the drawer 500, each drawer member 200 being in sliding engagement with a respective rail 300.
[0041] The drawer member 200 is preferably made in one piece out of plastic, and the sliding engagement with the rail 300 is preferably a low-friction system such as described in previous patent application WO2017/044032 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference. The rail 300 and/or the drawer member 200 may at least partially be coated with a lacquer comprising a resin, wherein said lacquer in turn is at least partly coated with a lipophilic composition coating to provide a sliding surface/contact surface with a lowered friction. Examples of such surface treatments are disclosed in WO2017/044032 A1.
[0042] The drawer member 200 moves with the drawer 500 and guides this motion by its interaction with the rail 300. In
[0043] What can be further seen in the preferred embodiment shown in
[0044] A force from gravity, i.e. the entire or a part of the weight of the drawer 500, excerted on the rail 300 by the at least one contact surface 212 is however essentially constant during the entire sliding movement of the drawer 500. The entire sliding movement comprises any position of the drawer at least when the drawer is not in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail.
[0045] While it is preferred that each sliding system 100 comprises one drawer member 200 attachable to the side of the drawer 500, it is also envisoned that each sliding system 100 may comprise more than one drawer member 200, thus distributing the load from the drawer 500 through more drawer members 200 to the rail 300. The force from gravity excerted on the rail 300 by the drawer members 200 of each sliding system 100 would still be essentially constant during the sliding motion of the drawer 500, as the drawer members 200 are fixed to and thus moves with the drawer 500.
[0046] The drawer 500 may be connected to the rail 300 only via the drawer member 200 of each drawer sliding system 100 at least when the drawer 500 is not in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail 300, i.e. during the entire sliding movement of the drawer 500. This is beneficial as many conventional drawer guiding systems rely on an additional support member mounted to a forward portion of for instance a cabinet. The sliding system 100 herein removes the need for such a support member, thus achieving a constant force on the rail 300 from the drawer member 200 during the sliding motion of the drawer 500.
[0047] Consequently, and as the drawer member 200 is mounted to a rear portion 512 of the drawer 500, the drawer member 200 of each sliding system 100 needs not only to able to withstand a vertical load, but also to be able to transfer a rotational force that may arise due to the center of gravity of the drawer 500 possibly being located forward of where the drawer members 200 are attached to the respective rail 300.
[0048]
[0049] The rail engagement portion 202 length along with the length of the rail 300 defines the distance which the drawer member 200 can be moved in relation to the rail 300, and thus also the distance the drawer 500 can be moved in relation to the support 600. Preferably, the length of the rail 300 is kept as short as possible to save material and costs. Consequently, the rail 300 should essentially correspond to the length of the side panel 502 of the drawer 500 or only be slightly longer, such that the rail 300 does not excessively extend rearward of the drawer 500 when the drawer 500 is closed.
[0050] The drawer member 200 may further comprise a first and a second attachment member 206, 208 attachable to the drawer 500. The attachment members 206, 208 are preferably in the shape of press-lock connectors having circumferential external ribs that will secure the drawer member 200 to the drawer 500. The attachment members 206, 208 may further be expandable by the introduction of for instance a screw or similar in the central opening in each member 206, 208, upon which the four sections into which each attachment member 206, 208 is divided will be pushed apart and against the material of the drawer 500.
[0051] The first attachment member 206 and the second attachment member 208 are receivable in corresponding openings 502c, 502d in the drawer 500, preferably in each side wall 502 thereof. Even more preferred, the openings are arranged in an inwards facing surface 502a (shown in
[0052] The first attachment member 206 is arranged on the drawer member farther away from a rear end 224 of the drawer engagement portion 204 and farther away from the rail engagement portion 202 than the second attachment member 208. In other words, the attachment members 206, 208 are arranged such that when the drawer member 200 is mounted to the rail 300, the first attachment member 206 is arranged farther away from a rear end 506 of the rail 300 and farther away from the rail engagement portion 202 than the second attachment member 208.
[0053] It is the first attachment member 206 that will be subjected to the largest load from the drawer 500, as it is arranged forward of the second attachment member 208. With the drawer member 200 attached to a side surface 502a, 502b of the side panel 502 will the first attachment member 206, in most load cases, subject the side panel 502 with a reaction force directed towards the rail 300. Depending on the material used in the side panel 502, the side panel 502 itself may be the critical component in terms of the amount of load that the drawer 500 can be subjected to. By arranging the first attachment member 208 at a larger distance from the rail attachment member 202 is the amount of drawer side wall 502 material that absorbs forces from the first attachment member 206 increased.
[0054] The second attachment member 208 is less likely to be subjected to such high vertical forces in the direction of the rail 300, and can consequently be arranged closer to the rail engagement portion 202. The varying distance from the rail engagement portion 202 of the first and second drawer attachment members 206, 208 further brings the beneficial effect of reducing or to some extent optimizing the amount of material required for manufacturing each drawer member 200.
[0055] Preferably is each drawer attachment member 206, 208 protruding from a wall 210 extending from the rail engagement portion 202. The wall 210 is configured to be arranged parallel with the side wall 502 of the drawer 500 when the drawer member 200 is attached thereto. The wall 210 and the drawer attachment members 206, 208 together forms the drawer engagement portion 204 of the drawer member 200, i.e. the portion 204 of the drawer member 200 being configured to form the attachment to the drawer 500.
[0056] It is to be realized that while the wall 210 is shown as a single common wall to which both attachment members 206, 208 are attached, the wall 210 may also be divided in two separate walls each comprising one of the attachment members 206, 208.
[0057] The wall 210 is preferably arranged aligned with a center axis A, a centerline, through the drawer member 200. This is beneficial in terms of the load capacity and structural integrity of the drawer member 200.
[0058] However, it is also envisioned that the wall may be offset from the center axis A in the direction opposite the protrusion of the first attachment member 206 and the second attachment member 208. The rail engagement portion 202 of the drawer member 200, and also the rail 300, will consequently be arranged at least partially above the side wall 502 of the associated drawer 500. This is beneficial in that it gives the drawer 500 and the associated sliding system(s) 100 an integrated appearance.
[0059] Further still, the distance L defined between the front end 220 of the rail engagement portion 220 and a rear end 224 of the drawer engagement portion 204 defines the maximum extraction of the drawer 500 in relation to the rail 300. The distance L should be less than half the length of the drawer side panel 502, preferably approximately ¼ of the length thereof. The distance L essentially corresponds to the portion of the drawer side panel 502, or the drawer 500 as a whole, that cannot be extended outside of the front end 302 of the rail 300.
[0060] The drawer member 200 should preferably be mounted to the drawer 500 such that the rear end 224 is as close as possible to the rear panel 506, while the front end 220 will limit the movement of the drawer member 200 in relation to the rail 300 by its contact with the stopper member 400.
[0061] With a reduction in the distance L will the drawer member 200 and the associated drawer 500 be able to be extracted, or opened, further in relation to the rail 300. However, the drawer member 200 and the rail 300 will consequently also be excerted to higher rotational forces for a given weight of the drawer 500 as the distance from the first attachment member 206, which is attached to the wall 210, to the rear panel 506 decreases.
[0062] The rail engagement portion 202 of the drawer member 200 must transfer the loads of the drawer 500 to the rail 300 and it consequently has an oblong shape with two opposite laterally facing longitudinal tracks 214 into which the rail 300 is slidingly receivable. The oblong shape of the rail engagement portion 202 and the longitudinal laterally facing tracks 214 provides secure guiding of the sliding motion of the drawer 500. The rail engagement portion 202 may have a rectangular cross-sectional shape as is seen
[0063] In one embodiment, the material of the rail engagement portion 202 between the contact surfaces 212 on the respective ends 220, 222 of the drawer member 200 is omitted. This forms a rail engagement portion 202 that is discontinuous, and in which the tracks 214 are only present at the front end 220 and the rear end 222 of the drawer member 200. The material needed for manufacturing of the drawer member 200 can thus be reduced.
[0064] At each longitudinal end 220, 222, i.e. the front end 220 and the rear end 222, of the rail engagement portion 202 are the, preferably raised, contact surfaces 212 arranged, which are configured to be in sliding engagement with the rail 300. The contact surfaces 212 are preferably of the type disclosed in WO2017/044032 A1, forming individual contact points between the drawer member 200 and the rail.
[0065] As is also visible from
[0066] The contact surfaces 212 are configured to interact with the rail 300, more specifically with oppositely arranged ledges 306 thereof. The rail 300 is preferably hollow having an essentially rectangular cross-sectional shape. The ledges 306 are formed by a longitudinal slit along the length of the rail 300 on the side intended to face the drawer 500, such that the rail engagement member 202 can be inserted into the rail 300 with the ledges 306 being arranged in a respective track 214.
[0067] The ledges 306 may have sliding surfaces 310 (shown in
[0068] The raised contact surfaces 212 are susceptible to being damaged during insertion of the rail engagement portion 202 into the rail 300. To mitigate this may the tracks 214 comprise guiding protrusions 218 at least in the proximity of the contact surfaces 212 on the front end 220 of the drawer member 200. The guiding protrusions 218 are configured to steer the ledges 306 of the rail 300 such that they, during insertion of the drawer member 200, does not cause damage to the contact surfaces 212. Preferably, the guiding protrusions 218 has a height from the surrounding surface of the tracks 214 which is less than the height of the contact surfaces 212.
[0069] Material of the rail engagement member 202 between the guiding protrusions 218 on the front end 220 and the contact surfaces and/or the guiding protrusion on the rear end 222 may be omitted to form a discontinuous rail engagement portion 202, as described above.
[0070] In
[0071] What is also visible is that the guiding protrusions 218 are preferably ramp-shaped having an increasing height towards the contact surface 212 which it is arranged in close proximity of, further facilitating insertion of the drawer member 200 into the rail 300.
[0072] Furthermore, the tracks 214 may comprise chamfered surfaces 216 on the front end 220 and/or on the rear end 222 of the rail engagement portion 202. The chamfered surfaces 216 facilitates insertion of the drawer member 200 into the rail 300.
[0073] Turning now to
[0074] Preferably, the stopper member 400 is mountable to the front end 302 of the rail 300 in a snap-locking manner. The stopper member 400 thus comprises two lateral protrusions 404 being arranged on flexible walls 404. The protrusions 404 are partly ramp-shaped towards the insertion direction into the rail 300. I.e. the protrusions 404 have a tapering shape towards the insertion direction into the rail, as visible when observed from above or below. The ramp-shape of the protrusions 404 will cause the walls 406 to elastically deform upon insertion of the stopper member 400 into the rail 300, and when the protrusions 404 reach the corresponding openings 308 in the rail 300 will the walls 406 resiliently force the protrusions 404 into a locking engagement with the openings 308.
[0075] The stopper member 400 is configured to limit the rearward or closing motion of the drawer 500 by its contact with the front panel 504 thereof. This may also facilitate assembly of the sliding system 100, as the stopper members 400 will be pushed into the correct locked position when the drawer 500 is closed.
[0076] The stopper members 400 will furthermore also limit the forward or opening motion of the drawer 500. The front end 220 of the rail engagement portion 202 on the drawer member 200 will come into contact with the walls 406, preventing the drawer 500 from unintentionally becoming detached from the rail 300.
[0077] Two protrusions 408 may also be provided on the side of the stopper member 400 intended to face the front end 302 of the rail 300. The protrusions 308 has a shape essentially corresponding to the interior of the rail 302, aligning the stopper member 400 therewith.
[0078] In one embodiment, the stopper member 400 is configured to carry a part of the load of the drawer 500 when the drawer 500 is in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail 300. The stopper member 400 may for this purpose comprise a protrusion 402 configured to be received in a recess 510 in the drawer 500, more specifically the front panel 504, when the drawer 500 is in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail 600. Consequently, the protrusion 402 may transfer part of the load of the drawer 500 to the rail 300 and the protrusions 408 by their interaction with the rail 300 will facilitate this. The protrusion 402 also provides improved alignment of the drawer 500, especially the front panel 504 thereof, in relation to the support 600 or to other drawers 500 in for instance a chest of drawers.
[0079] In the embodiment referred to above, the full weight of the drawer 500 will only have to be supported by the drawer members 200 when the drawer 500 is not in, or close to, its closed position in relation to the rail 300. In other words, the force from gravity excerted on the rail 300 by the at least one contact surface 212 is essentially constant when the drawer 200 is not in or adjacent to its closed position relative the rail 300. When the drawer 500 is in its closed position or sufficiently close to its closed position to allow the protrusion 402 to be received in the recess 510, this interaction will alleviate some of the load on the rail 300 from the contact surface(s) 212 on the drawer member(s) 200. This is beneficial as drawers 500 are usually kept closed when not in use, which means that the drawer member 200 will be alleviated of some of the load of the drawer 500 for substantial periods of time, improving the durability of the sliding system 100.
[0080] Turning now to
[0081] As can also be seen, the drawer 500 is attached in a hanging manner below the tabletop 600, such that the rails 300 are attached to a downward facing surface 602. Preferably are two drawer sliding systems 100 provided for attaching the drawer 500 to the tabletop 600, one attached to each side panel 502 of the drawer 500 respectively.
[0082] It should be mentioned that the inventive concept is by no means limited to the embodiments described herein, and several modifications are feasible without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, the term “comprises/comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms “a”, “an”, “first”, “second” etc. do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.