EP3295828A1

EP3295828A1 - Push-to-open device

Info

Publication number: EP3295828A1
Application number: EP17162878.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tsung-Yao Chen
Original assignee: SLIDE MEI YAO INTERNATIONAL CO Ltd
Current assignee: SLIDE MEI YAO INTERNATIONAL CO Ltd
Priority date: 2016-09-19
Filing date: 2017-03-24
Publication date: 2018-03-21

Abstract

A push-to-open device includes a push seat mechanism (2), a motion guide mechanism (3) and a force-creating mechanism (4). The push seat mechanism (2) includes a pushmember (23) . The motion guide mechanism (3) includes a latch groove unit (5), a latch member (33), a driven member (34), an energy-storing groove (61) and a bent groove (62). The latch member (33) is rotatable, and has a pin portion (333) movable within the latch groove unit (5). The driven member (34) has a driven portion (343) for being pushed by the push member (23), and a pin portion (344) movable along the energy-storing groove (61) and the bent groove (62). The force-creating mechanism (4) is able to store elastic energy for providing a restoring force.

Description

The disclosure relates to a self-opening device, and more particularly to a push-to-open device.
An article of furniture may include a housing and a drawer. The drawer is operable to be opened (i.e., being drawn out from the housing) or closed (i.e., being pushed into the housing) relative to the housing. Two conventional push-to-open devices may be respectively provided at two opposite lateral sides of the drawer. Each of the conventional push-to-open devices functions such that the drawer can be depressed to be automatically opened. However, each of the conventional push-to-open devices may have a locking mechanism that functions such that the drawer cannot be opened unless the drawer is depressed. For example, referring to Figure 22, a conventional push-to-open device disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 200680047010.4 includes a push module 13 that includes a movable receiving member 14, and an engaging member 15 that is connected to a drawer (not shown) and that engages the receiving member 14 when the drawer is closed. The engaging member 15 is prevented from moving forwardly by a positioning portion 16 of the receiving member 14 (i.e., the drawer is prevented from being opened) unless the drawer is depressed. As such, when the drawer is forced to open without being depressed, the locking mechanism of each of the conventional push-to-open devices may fracture (i.e., at least one of the positioning portion 16 of the receiving member 14 and the engaging member 15 in Chinese Patent Application No. 200680047010.4 may fracture). Moreover, if a force applied to depress the drawer is uneven, one of the conventional push-to-open devices may be depressed to provide a force to open the drawer while the other one of the conventional push-to-open devices is maintained in a locked position. As a result, the drawer would not be able to be opened despite following depressions of the drawer.
Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a push-to-open device that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the disclosure, the push-to-open device is for use in a slide rail mechanism. The slide rail mechanism includes a first rail unit, and a second rail unit that is movable along the first rail unit in an energy-storing direction and an energy-release direction different from the energy-storing direction. The push-to-open device includes a push seat mechanism, a motion guide mechanism and a force-creating mechanism. The push seat mechanism includes a push member. The push member has a push surface. The motion guide mechanism includes a latch groove unit, a latch member, a drive surface, a driven member, an energy-storing groove, and a bent groove that is in spatial communication with an end of the energy-storing groove. The latch groove unit includes an energy-storing groove, an energy-release groove, and a positioning groove that is in spatial communication with the energy-storing groove and the energy-release groove. The latch member is rotatable, and has a pin portion that is movable within the latch groove unit. The driven member has a driven portion that is for being pushed by the push member, and a pin portion that is movable along the energy-storing groove and the bent groove and that is movable relative to the pin portion of the latch member. The force-creating mechanism is for storing elastic energy to sequentially provide a first-stage restoring force and a second-stage restoring force that are oriented in the energy-release direction. When the push member is subjected to an external force in the energy-storing direction, the push surface of the push member pushes the driven portion of the driven member to move the pin portion of the driven member sequentially along the energy-storing groove and the bent groove. The force-creating mechanism stores elastic energy when the pin portion of the driven member moves along the energy-storing groove in the energy-storing direction. The driven portion of the driven member is rotated to separate from the push surface of the push member and the force-creating mechanism generates the first-stage restoring force to drive the pin portion of the latch member to engage the positioning groove when the pin portion of the driven member moves to the bent groove.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of the push-to-open device according to the disclosure;
Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a push seat mechanism of the first embodiment;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the push seat mechanism;
Figure 4 is a partly exploded perspective view illustrating the push seat mechanism and a motion guide mechanism of the first embodiment;
Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a slide cover of the motion guide mechanism;
Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a base seat of the motion guide mechanism;
Figure 7 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in a released state;
Figure 8 is a schematic fragmentary partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in the released state;
Figure 9 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in a transitional state;
Figure 10 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating a push member of the push seat mechanism moving past a driven member of the motion guide mechanism and in contact with a drive wall of the motion guide mechanism, and a force-creating mechanism generating a first-stage restoring force to drive a pin portion of a latch member to engage a positioning groove of the slide cover so that the motion guide mechanism is switched into an energy-stored state;
Figure 11 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in the energy-stored state and the push member being moved relative to the motion guide mechanism;
Figure 12 illustrates the motion guide mechanism being switched away from the energy-stored state;
Figure 13 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism being switched toward the released state by a second-stage restoring force generated by the force-creating mechanism;
Figure 14 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in the released state and the push member moving past the driven member of the motion guide mechanism;
Figure 15 is a partly exploded perspective view illustrating a push seat mechanism and a motion guide mechanism of a second embodiment of the push-to-open device according to the disclosure;
Figure 16 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in a released state;
Figure 17 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in a transitional state;
Figure 18 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating a push member of the push seat mechanism moving past a driven member of the motion guide mechanism and in contact with a drive wall of the motion guide mechanism, and a force-creating mechanism generating a first-stage restoring force to drive a pin portion of a latch member to engage a positioning groove so that the motion guide mechanism is switched into an energy-stored state;
Figure 19 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism being switched into the released state by a second-stage restoring force generated by the force-creating mechanism, and a push member moving past a driven member of the motion guide mechanism;
Figure 20 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating a motion guide mechanism of a third embodiment of the push-to-open device according to the disclosure in a released state;
Figure 21 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating the motion guide mechanism in the released state and a push member moving past a driven member of the motion guide mechanism; and
Figure 22 is a top view illustrating a conventional push-to-open device disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 200680047010.4 .

Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the first embodiment of the push-to-open device according to the disclosure is for use in an article of furniture, such as a cabinet or a closet. The article of furniture includes a housing (not shown), a drawer (not shown) that is operable to be opened (i.e., being drawn out from the housing) or closed (i.e., being pushed into the housing) relative to the housing, and a slide rail mechanism 1. The slide rail mechanism 1 includes a fixed rail unit 11 that is fixedly connected to the housing, and a movable rail unit 12 that is co-movably connected to the drawer. The movable rail unit 12 is reciprocally movable along the fixed rail unit 11 in an energy-storing direction 91 and an energy-release direction 92 that is different from the energy-storing direction 91. In this embodiment, the energy-storing direction 91 is the direction in which the drawer is pushed into the housing, and is oriented toward a rear side of the housing. The energy-release direction 92 is parallel to and opposite to the energy-storing direction 91, is the direction in which the drawer is drawn out from the housing, and is oriented toward a front side of the housing. This embodiment is exemplified to be used in a drawer, but may be used in any article that is movable along a rail. The first embodiment of the push-to-open device includes a push seat mechanism 2, a motion guide mechanism 3 and a force-creating mechanism 4.
The push seat mechanism 2 is disposed on the movable rail unit 12, and includes a casing 21, a push seat 22, a push member 23, a rod member 24, a limiting block 25, an adjusting member 26 and a gear member 27.
The casing 21 is fixedly connected to the movable rail unit 12, and is formed by two interconnected casing parts. It should be noted that the configuration of the casing 21 is not limited to such.
The push seat 22 has an adjusting segment 221 that movably extends into the casing 21, and a seat segment 222 that is connected to the adjusting segment 221 and that is disposed out of the casing 21. The adjusting segment 221 has a plurality of toothed portions 223 that project downwardly and that are arranged in the energy-storing direction 91.
The rod member 24 is connected to the seat segment 222 of the push seat 22, and has a positioning projection 241.
The push member 23 is rotatable relative to the push seat 22, and has a pivoted portion 231 that is sleeved on and rotatable about the rod member 24 and that is formed with a positioning groove 230, a push portion 232 that extends downwardly from the pivoted portion 231, a push surface 233 that faces rearwardly, and a limiting surface 234 that faces forwardly. The positioning projection 241 of the rod member 24 slidably engages the positioning groove 230 of the push member 23 such that the push member 23 is only permitted to rotate about the rod member 24 and is prevented from moving in an axial direction of the rod member 24.
The limiting block 25 is fixedly connected to the seat segment 222 of the push seat 22 for limiting the rotation of the push member 23 relative to the push seat 22. In this embodiment, the limiting block 25 is disposed in front of the push portion 232 of the push member 23 so as to prevent forward movement of the push portion 232 after the push member 23 is rotated to abut against the limiting block 25.
The gear member 27 is rotatably mounted to the casing 21, and meshes with the toothed portions 223 of the push seat 22. The adjusting member 26 is rotatably mounted to the casing 21, and has an adjusting portion 261 that is disposed below the casing 21, and a threaded rod portion 262 that meshes with the gear member 27. The adjusting portion 261 can be rotated to move the push seat 22 relative to the casing 21 in the energy-storing direction 91 or the energy-release direction 92 via the threaded rod portion 262 and the gear member 27.
Referring to Figures 4 to 8, the motion guide mechanism 3 includes a slide cover 31, a base seat 32, a latch member 33 and a driven member 34.
The slide cover 31 is mounted on the base seat 32, and is movable relative to the base seat 32 in the energy-storing direction 91 and the energy-release direction 92. The slide cover 31 has a top wall 311 that is horizontal and that extends in the energy-storing direction 91, two side walls 312 that respectively extend downwardly from two opposite lateral edges of the top wall 311, an extending wall 313 that extends from one of the side walls 312 away from the other one of the side walls 312, a drive wall 314 that extends from the other one of the side walls 312 away from the one of the side walls 312, and a latch groove unit 5 that is disposed in a space defined among the top wall 311 and the side walls 312. The top wall 311 has a mount portion 316. The drive wall 314 has a drive surface 315 that faces forwardly. The latch groove unit 5 includes an energy-storing groove 51, an energy-release groove 52, a positioning groove 531, a first guide block 53, a second guide block 54 and a transition groove 55. The energy-storing groove 51 includes a plurality of positioning sections 511 that are spaced apart from each other and that are arranged in the energy-release direction 92. The first guide block 53 is disposed at a front side of the energy-storing groove 51, and has a first guide surface that is inclined forwardly and toward the energy-release groove 52. The positioning groove 531 is disposed between the energy-storing groove 51 and the energy-release groove 52, and opens forwardly. The second guide block 54 is disposed at the front side of the energy-storing groove 51, and has a second guide surface 541 that faces the positioning groove 531 and that is inclined forwardly and toward the energy-release groove 52. The transition groove 55 is defined between the first guide block 53 and the second guide block 54, and is in spatial communication with the energy-storing groove 51 and the positioning groove 531.
The base seat 32 is fixedly mounted to the fixed rail unit 11 or the housing of the article of furniture, and includes a bottom wall 321, two side walls 322 that respectively extend upwardly from two opposite lateral edges of the bottom wall 321, a mount wall 323 that is connected to one side of one of the side walls 322 distal from the other one of the side walls 322, and a guide groove unit 6 that is disposed in a space defined among the bottom wall 321 and the side walls 322. The guide groove unit 6 includes an energy-storing groove 61, a bent groove 62, an energy-release groove 63, a block member 64 and a one-way gate 66. The energy-storing groove 61 extends in the energy-storing direction 91. The bent groove 62 is in spatial communication with an end of the energy-storing groove 61. The energy-release groove 63 has a first portion that extends from the bent groove 62 in the energy-release direction 92, and a second portion that is bent from the first portion and extends to the other end of the energy-storing groove 61 distal from the bent groove 62. The block member 64 is surrounded by the energy-storing groove 61, the bent groove 62 and the energy-release groove 63. The one-way gate 66 is disposed adjacent to an end of the energy-release groove 63 distal from the bent groove 62, and is configured as an elastic body. In this embodiment, the one-way gate 66 may be a resilient plastic arm or a steel plate. The one-way gate 66 has an arm portion 661 that extends from the bottom wall 321 and that is inclined upwardly toward the end of the energy-release groove 63 distal from the bent groove 62, and a gate portion 662 that is connected to a distal end of the arm portion 661 and that is located at the end of the energy-release groove 63 distal from the bent groove 62. The gate portion 662 can be resiliently moved downwardly by pressing the arm portion 661 downwardly to permit an object to move from the second portion of the energy-release groove 63 into the energy-storing groove 61, and to prevent an object from moving from the energy-storing groove 61 into the second portion of the energy-release groove 63. It should be noted that the configuration of the one-way gate 66 is not limited to the abovementioned structure. Any elastic body that is configured to permit an object to move from the second portion of the energy-release groove 63 into the energy-storing groove 61, and to prevent an object from moving from the energy-storing groove 61 into the second portion of the energy-release groove 63 would fall within the scope of this disclosure.
The latch member 33 is pivotally mounted to the base seat 32, and includes a main body 331 that is disposed above the base seat 32, a pivoted portion 332 that protrudes from a bottom surface of the main body 331 to be pivoted to the base seat 32, and a pin portion 333 that protrudes upwardly from the main body 331 and that is movable within the latch groove unit 5.
The driven member 34 is pivotally mounted to the slide cover 31, and includes a main body 341 that is disposed below the slide cover 31, a pivoted portion 342 that protrudes upwardly from the main body 331 to be pivoted to the mount portion 316 of the top wall 311 of the slide cover 31, a driven portion 343 that protrudes from the main body 331 and that is removably located on a moving path of the push member 23 of the push seat mechanism 2, a pin portion 344 that protrudes downwardly from the main body 331 and that is movable within the guide groove unit 6, and an auxiliary rod portion 345 that protrudes downwardly from the main body 331 and that is aligned with the pivoted portion 342. The driven member 34 is rotatable relative to the slide cover 31 about the axis of the pivoted portion 342. The pin portion 344 is movable sequentially along the energy-storing groove 61, the bent groove 62 and the energy-release groove 63. The auxiliary rod portion 345 is movable along the energy-storing groove 61 for stabilizing the rotational movement of the driven member 34 relative to the slide cover 31, and may be omitted in a variation of the embodiment. In this embodiment, the latch member 33 and the driven member 34 are independent components. The pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 and the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 are movable relative to each other.
Generally, a drawer may have two push-to-open devices of this disclosure respectively provided on two lateral sides thereof. During the installation of the push-to-open devices, a distance between the casing 21 of the push seat mechanism 2 and the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 of the motion guide mechanism 3 of one of the push-to-open devices in the energy-storing direction 91 may not be equal to that of the other one of the push-to-open devices. Since the push seat 22 of each of the push-to-open devices is adjustable relative to the casing 21 of the corresponding push-to-open device, the distance between the push member 23 and the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 of either one of the push-to-open devices in the energy-storing direction 91 can be calibrated to be equal to that of the other one of the push-to-open devices, so that the drawer can be moved smoothly relative to the housing.
The force-creating mechanism 4 is connected between the base seat 32 and the slide cover 31, and is able to store elastic energy for providing a first-stage restoring force and a second-stage restoring force that are sequentially applied on the slide cover 31 and that are oriented in the energy-release direction 92. The force-creating mechanism 4 includes four springs 41. Each of the springs 41 is configured as an extension spring, extends in the energy-storing direction 91, and has a first end 411 that is connected to the base seat 32, and a second end 412 that is connected to the slide cover 31. Two of the springs 41 are connected between the bottom wall 321 of the base seat 32 and the top wall 311 of the slide cover 31. The other two of the springs 41 are connected between the mount wall 323 of the base seat 32 and the extending wall 313 of the slide cover 31. In one embodiment, the force-creating mechanism 4 further includes an adjusting seat 42 that is movably disposed on the mount wall 323 of the base seat 32, and an adjusting screw rod 43 that engages drivingly the adjusting seat 42 for moving the adjusting seat 42 relative to the mount wall 323. The first ends 411 of the other two of the springs 41 can be connected to the adjusting seat 42. The adjusting seat 42 is moved relative to the mount wall 323 by turning the adjusting screw rod 43, so as to adjust the force generated by the other two of the springs 41.
The motion guide mechanism 3 is operable to switch between a released state (see Figures 7 and 8) where the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is located at a rear end of the energy-storing groove 51 and where the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 is located at an end of the energy-storing groove 61 distal from the bent groove 62, and an energy-stored state (see Figures 10 and 11) where the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 engages the positioning groove 531 and where the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 is located at an end of the bent groove 62 distal from the energy-storing groove 61.
Referring to Figures 8 to 10, to close the drawer when the motion guide mechanism 3 is in the released state, an external force is applied to move the drawer in the energy-storing direction 91 (i.e., the direction (A) in Figure 8), so that the movable rail unit 12 and the push seat mechanism 2 are moved in the energy-storing direction 91. After the push member 23 of the push seat mechanism 2 is moved to contact the driven member 34, the push surface 233 of the push member 23 pushes the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 to move the pin portion 344 relative to the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 and along the energy-storing groove 61 toward the bent groove 62. Since the pivoted portion 342 is pivoted to the mount portion 316 of the top wall 311 of the slide cover 31 and since the pin portion 344 is limited to move in the energy-storing direction 91 by the energy-storing groove 61, the driven member 34 does not rotate relative to the slide cover 31, and drives the slide cover 31 to move in the energy-storing direction 91 relative to the base seat 32, so that the springs 41 are stretched to store elastic energy. Since the latch member 33 is pivoted to the base seat 32 and since the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is located in the energy-storing groove 51, during the movement of the slide cover 31 in the energy-storing direction 91, the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 moves along the energy-storing groove 51 and past the positioning sections 511 toward the first guide block 53, and the latch member 33 swings in response to the configuration of the positioning sections 511. Referring to Figure 9, when the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 is moved into the bent groove 62, the driven member 34 is permitted to rotate relative to the slide cover 31, and the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is guided by the first guide surface of the first guide block 53 to move into the transition groove 55, such that the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into a transitional state. Then, the first-stage restoring force is generated by the springs 41 to drive the slide cover 31 to move in the energy-release direction 92 relative to the latch member 33, such that the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is guided to engage the positioning groove 531, and that the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the energy-stored state. At this time, the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 is freely retained in the bent groove 62. The distance of the abovementioned movement of the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 relative to the slide cover 31 from the transition groove 55 to the positioning groove 531 is about a few millimeters. Since the driven member 34 is rotatable relative to the slide cover 31 when the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 is moved into the bent groove 62, with further movement of the drawer in the energy-storing direction 91 after the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the energy-stored state, the push member 23 pushes the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 to remove the driven portion 343 from the moving path thereof, and moves to abut against the drive surface 315 of the drive wall 314 (see Figure 10). At this time, the drawer is closed. The abovementioned external force may be a force exerted by a user, a component of force of gravity, or an elastic force.
The push-to-open device according to the disclosure provides two manners in which the drawer is opened. The first one is to directly draw the drawer forwardly in the energy-release direction 92, and the second one is to depress the drawer rearwardly in the energy-storing direction 91 so that the drawer can be opened by the restoring force generated by the springs 41.
Referring to Figures 10 and 11, to open the drawer in the first manner, an external force is applied to move the drawer forwardly in the energy-release direction 92 (i.e., the direction (B) in Figure 10), so that the movable rail unit 12 and the push seat mechanism 2 are moved in the energy-release direction 92 relative to the driven member 34 and the slide cover 31. Since the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 has been removed from the moving path of the push member 23, during such opening operation, the push member 23 freely moves past the driven member 34 in the energy-release direction 92 without contacting the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 (see Figure 11), and the slide cover 31 is not moved so that the motion guide mechanism 3 is maintained in the energy-stored state. To close the drawer again, the drawer is pushed to move in the energy-storing direction 91 while the motion guide mechanism 3 is maintained in the energy-stored state.
Referring to Figures 10 and 12, to open the drawer in the second manner, an external force is applied to depress the drawer rearwardly in the energy-storing direction 91 (i.e., the direction (C) in Figure 12), so that the push member 23 pushes the drive surface 315 of the drive wall 314 to move the slide cover 31 in the energy-storing direction 91 relative to the base seat 32, and the springs 41 of the force-creating mechanism 4 are further stretched for providing the second-stage restoring force. During the abovementioned movement of the slide cover 31, the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is removed from the positioning groove 531, and is guided by the second guide surface 541 of the second guide block 54 to move into the energy-release groove 52.
Referring to Figures 4, 13 and 14, when the external force is removed, the second-stage restoring force generated by the springs 41 drives the slide cover 31 to move in the energy-release direction 92 relative to the latch member 33, so that the drive surface 315 of the drive wall 314 pushes the push member 23 to move the push seat mechanism 2, the movable rail unit 12 and the drawer in the energy-release direction 92. During the abovementioned movement of the slide cover 31, the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is moved relative to the driven member 34, and moves along the energy-release groove 52 toward the rear end of the energy-storing groove 51, and the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 moves along the energy-release groove 63 to pass the one-way gate 66 and into the energy-storing groove 61 so that the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the released state and that the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 is moved onto the moving path of the push member 23. Referring to Figure 14, with further movement of the drawer in the energy-release direction 92 after the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the released state, one of the push member 23 and the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 needs to be removed from the moving path of the other one of the push member 23 and the driven portion 343 to permit the push member 23 and the driven portion 343 to move past each other. In this embodiment, the push member 23 is pushed by the driven portion 343 to rotate so as to misalign the push portion 232 from the driven portion 343 in the energy-release direction 92, so that the push member 23 is permitted to move in the energy-release direction 92 past the driven member 34. After the push member 23 moves past the driven member 34, the push member 23 is rotated by the force of gravity to move the push portion 232 to be disposed below the pivoted portion 231, and the drawer is moved back to the state illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.
Referring to Figures 6, 8 and 13, it should be noted that the one-way gate 66 of the base seat 32 limits the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 to move sequentially along the energy-storing groove 61, the bent groove 62 and the energy-release groove 63. Referring to Figure 8, when the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 moves along the energy-storing groove 61 from an end of the energy-storing groove 61 distal from the bent groove 62 toward the bent groove 62, the pin portion 344 is prevented from moving into the energy-release groove 63 by the gate portion 662 of the one-way gate 66. Referring to Figure 13, when the drawer is opened in the second manner (i.e., by pushing the drawer rearwardly in the energy-storing direction 91), the pin portion 344 moves along the second portion of the energy-release groove 63 to press the arm portion 661 downwardly to therefore move the gate portion 662 downwardly, so that the pin portion 344 is permitted to move into the energy-storing groove 61. In addition, during the switch of the motion guide mechanism 3 from the released state to the energy-stored state, the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 can engage any one of the positioning sections 511 by timely removal of the external force, so that the drawer can be positioned at different positions relative to the housing. As such, when an external force applied to close the drawer is insufficient or is removed unexpectedly, the drawer may not be moved by the springs 41 of the force-creating mechanism 4 in the energy-release direction 92 to be fully opened.
In summary, since the push member 23 of the push seat mechanism 2 is operable to push the driven portion 343 so as to move the driven member 34 in the energy-storing direction 91, since the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 is movable within the guide groove unit 6, and since the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is movable within the latch groove unit 5, the slide cover 31 is smoothly movable relative to the base seat 32 so that the motion guide mechanism 3 is operable to smoothly switch between the released state and the energy-stored state, and that the push-to-open device of this disclosure can be used in any article that is movable along a rail. Moreover, since the push-to-open device of this disclosure is not provided with a locking structure that automatically locks the drawer relative to the housing when the drawer is closed, the drawer can be easily and directly drawn from the housing without being pushed in the energy-storing direction 91. When the drawer is opened in the first manner, since the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 has been removed from the moving path of the push member 23, the push member 23 can freely move past the driven member 34 without contacting the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 so as to prevent fracture of the components.
Referring to Figures 15 to 19, the second embodiment of the push-to-open device according to the disclosure is similar to the first embodiment. The difference between the first and second embodiments resides in the configuration of the guide groove unit 6. The guide groove unit 6 of the second embodiment includes an energy-storing groove 61 that extends in the energy-storing direction 91, and a bent groove 62 that is in spatial communication with an end of the energy-storing groove 61. When the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched from the released state (see Figure 16) into the energy-stored state (see Figure 18), the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 moves from an end of the energy-storing groove 61 distal from the bent groove 62 into the bent groove 62. During the switch of the motion guide mechanism 3 from the released state to the energy-stored state, the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is first guided by the first guide surface of the first guide block 53 to move into the transition groove 55 (see Figure 17). Then, the first-stage restoring force generated by the springs 41 drives the slide cover 31 to move in the energy-release direction 92 relative to the latch member 33 after the driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 is removed from the moving path of the push member 23, such that the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 is guided to engage the positioning groove 531 (see Figure 18), and that the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the energy-stored state. The push member 23 can be further moved in the energy-storing direction 91 to abut against the drive surface 315 of the drive wall 314. In a variation of the second embodiment, the transition groove 55 may be omitted, and the pin portion 333 of the latch member 33 can directly move along the energy-storing groove 51 into the positioning groove 531 by modifying the length of the energy-storing groove 51.
Referring to Figures 18 and 19, when the restoring force generated by the springs 41 drives the slide cover 31 to move in the energy-release direction 92 relative to the base seat 32 after the drawer is pushed in the energy-storing direction 91 (i.e., to open the drawer in the second manner), the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 moves from the bent groove 62 toward the end of the energy-storing groove 61 distal from the bent groove 62. With further movement of the drawer in the energy-release direction 92 after the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the released state, one of the push member 23 and the driven member 34 needs to be removed from the moving path of the other one of the push member 23 and the driven member 34 to permit the push member 23 and the driven member 34 to move past each other. In this embodiment, the push member 23 is pushed by the driven member 34 to rotate so as to misalign the push portion 232 from the driven member 34 in the energy-release direction 92, so that the push member 23 is permitted to move in the energy-release direction 92 past the driven member 34. It should be noted that some components (e.g., the latch member 33, the driven member 34 and the push seat mechanism 2) of the second embodiment are slightly different from those of the first embodiment in shape, but function like those of the first embodiment.
Referring to Figures 20 and 21, the third embodiment of the push-to-open device according to the disclosure is similar to the second embodiment. The differences between the second and third embodiments reside in the push member 23 and the configuration of the guide groove unit 6. The push member 23 is non-rotatably mounted to the push seat 22. The guide groove unit 6 includes an energy-storing groove 61 that extends in the energy-storing direction 91, a bent groove 62 that is in spatial communication with an end of the energy-storing groove 61, an accommodating space 67 that is located at the other end of the energy-storing groove 61 distal from the bent groove 62, and an elastic body 68 that is disposed between the energy-storing groove 61 and the accommodating space 67. The elastic body 68 may be configured as a resilient plastic arm. The accommodating space 67 permits the elastic body 68 and the pin portion 344 of the driven member 34 to move thereinto.
When the motion guide mechanism 3 is in the released state and when the push member 23 moves in the energy-release direction 92 past the driven member 34, the driven member 34 is pushed by the push member 23 to rotate in a rotational direction (R, see Figure 20), such that driven portion 343 of the driven member 34 is removed from the moving path of the push member 23 and that the elastic body 68 is pushed by the pin portion 344 to bend into the accommodating space 67 (see Figure 21) . After the push member 23 moves past the driven member 34, the elastic body 68 biases the pin portion 344 to restore the driven member 34 to the state illustrated in Figure 20. In this embodiment, after the motion guide mechanism 3 is switched into the released state, one of the push member 23 and the driven member 34 can be removed from the moving path of the other one of the push member 23 and the driven member 34 to permit the push member 23 and the driven member 34 to move past each other.
It should be noted that, the concept in this disclosure is to store energy by relative movement between two objects, and to drive relative movement between two objects by releasing the stored energy. In practice, either of the two objects need not be limited to be fixed, and the two objects are not limited to move toward each other or move away from each other.
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.

Claims

A push-to-open device adapted for use in a slide rail mechanism (1), the slide rail mechanism (1) including a first rail unit (11), and a second rail unit (12) that is movable along the first rail unit (11) in an energy-storing direction (91) and an energy-release direction (92) different from the energy-storing direction (91), said push-to-open device being characterized by:
a push seat mechanism (2) including a push member (23), said push member (23) having a push surface (233) ;

a motion guide mechanism (3) including a latch groove unit (5), a latch member (33), a drive surface (315), a driven member (34), an energy-storing groove (61), and a bent groove (62) that is in spatial communication with an end of said energy-storing groove (61), said latch groove unit (5) including an energy-storing groove (51), an energy-release groove (52), and a positioning groove (531) that is in spatial communication with said energy-storing groove (51) and said energy-release groove (52), said latch member (33) being rotatable, and having a pin portion (333) that is movable within said latch groove unit (5), said driven member (34) having a driven portion (343) that is for being pushed by said push member (23), and a pin portion (344) that is movable along said energy-storing groove (61) and said bent groove (62) and that is movable relative to said pin portion (333) of said latch member (33); and

a force-creating mechanism (4) for storing elastic energy to sequentially provide a first-stage restoring force and a second-stage restoring force that are oriented in the energy-release direction (92);

wherein, when said push member (23) is subjected to an external force in the energy-storing direction (91), said push surface (233) of said push member (23) pushes said driven portion (343) of said driven member (34) to move said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) sequentially along said energy-storing groove (61) and said bent groove (62), said force-creating mechanism (4) storing elastic energy when said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) moves along said energy-storing groove (61) in the energy-storing direction (91), said driven portion (343) of said driven member (34) being rotated to separate from said push surface (233) of said push member (23) and said force-creating mechanism (4) generating the first-stage restoring force to drive said pin portion (333) of said latch member (33) to engage said positioning groove (531) when said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) moves to said bent groove (62).
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that when said push member (23) is subjected to an external force in the energy-release direction (92) to move relative to said driven member (34), said driven portion (343) of said driven member (34) and said push member (23) are configured to be able to move past each other.
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said push member (23) is adapted to be depressed by an external force in the energy-storing direction (91) to push said drive surface (315) so as to move said pin portion (333) of said latch member (33) from saidpositioning groove (531) into said energy-release groove (52), said force-creating mechanism (4) generating the second-stage restoring force to drive said drive surface (315) to push and move said push member (23) in the energy-release direction (92), and to drive relative movement between said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) and said pin portion (333) of said latch member (33) upon removal of the external force, one of said push member (23) and said driven portion (343) of said driven member (34) being able to be removed from the moving path of the other one of said push member (23) and said driven portion (343) so as to permit said push member (23) and said driven portion (343) to move past each other.
The push-to-open device as claimed in any one of claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said push member (23) of said push seat mechanism (2) is rotatable, said push seat mechanism (2) further including a limiting block (25) that is disposed at one side of said push member (23) for limiting the rotation of said push member (23) .
The push-to-open device as claimed in any one of claims 1 and 3, further characterized in that said motion guide mechanism (3) further includes an accommodating space (67) that is located at the other end of said energy-storing groove (61) distal from said bent groove (62), and an elastic body (68) that is disposed between said energy-storing groove (61) and said accommodating space (67), said accommodating space (67) permitting said elastic body (68) and said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) to move thereinto when said push member (23) moves in the energy-release direction (92) past said driven portion (343), said elastic body (68) biasing said pin portion (344) into said energy-storing groove (61) after said push member (23) moves past said driven portion (343).
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said push seat mechanism (2) further includes a push seat (22) and a rod member (24), said rod member (24) being connected to said push seat (22), and having a positioning projection (241), said push member (23) being sleeved on and rotatable about said rod member (24).
The push-to-open device as claimed in any one of claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said motion guide mechanism (3) further includes an energy-release groove (63), said bent groove (62) being connected between said energy-storing groove (61) and said energy-release groove (63), said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) being sequentially moved into said energy-release groove (63) and moved along said energy-release groove (63) by the second-stage restoring force generated by said force-creating mechanism (4).
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 7, further characterized in that said motion guide mechanism (3) further includes a one-way gate (66) that is disposed adjacent to an end of said energy-release groove (63) distal from said bent groove (62), said one-way gate (66) being configured to limit said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) to move sequentially along said energy-storing groove (61), said bent groove (62) and said energy-release groove (63).
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 8, further characterized in that said one-way gate (66) is configured as an elastic body, and has a gate portion (662); wherein, when said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) moves along said energy-storing groove (61) from an end of said energy-storing groove (61) distal from said bent groove (62) toward said bent groove (62), said pin portion (344) is prevented from moving into said energy-release groove (63) by said gate portion 662 of said one-way gate (66) ; and wherein, when said pin portion (344) of said driven member (34) moves along said energy-release groove (63) toward said end of said energy-storing groove (61) distal from said bent groove (62), said pin portion (344) presses said one-way gate (66) downwardly to therefore move said gate portion (662) downwardly, so that said pin portion (344) is permitted to move into said energy-storing groove (61) .
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said motion guide mechanism (3) further includes a slide cover (31) that is connected to said force-creating mechanism (4), said force-creating mechanism (4) storing elastic energy when said slide cover (31) moves in the energy-storing direction (91).
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 10, further characterized in that said slide cover (31) has said drive surface (315).
The push-to-open device as claimed in claim 10, further characterized in that said slide cover (31) has a mount portion (316), said driven portion (343) of said driven member (34) being rotatable about said mount portion (316).