GB1564306A

GB1564306A - Storage cabinet

Info

Publication number: GB1564306A
Application number: GB36073/76A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Vickers Ltd
Current assignee: Vickers Ltd
Priority date: 1977-09-07
Filing date: 1977-09-07
Publication date: 1980-04-10

Description

(54) STORAGE CABINET (71) We, VICKERS LIMITED, a British company of P.O. Box 177, Vickers House, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RA., do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a storage cabinet having a plurality of drawers arranged one above the other, and more particularly to an autolock mechanism in such a cabinet, for locking the remaining drawer(s) shut when one of them is opened.

Storage cabinets are known, including drawers arranged one above the other, in which the drawers can be opened and closed independently of one another. A disadvantage is that more than one drawer can be opened at once and if the drawers are sufficiently laden, this can result in the cabinet toppling over about the front edge of its base. This presents a serious hazard to users of such storage cabinets.

According to the invention, there is provided, a storage cabinet having a plurality of drawers which when in use are located one above the other, and having an autolock mechanism for locking the remaining drawer(s) shut when one of them is opened, the mechanism comprising a locking bar which is displaceable longitudinally of itself along outside surfaces of the drawers between upper and lower positions, one of which is a drawer-locking position and the other a drawer-releasing position, means associated with the drawers and operative to bring about such longitudinal locking bar displacement, whereby to lock the remaining drawer(s) shut during the initial part of opening one of the drawers and to unlock the remaining drawer(s) during closing said one drawer, and a spring having a first position in which it does not urge the locking bar towards its upper position and which the spring occupies when the bar is in its lower position, and a second positions which the spring adopts as the bar is raised into its upper position and in which the spring holds the bar in its upper position.

Preferably, the upper and lower positions of the locking bar are respectively the drawer-locking and drawer-releasing positions.

Preferably, the spring is connected at one end to a stationary part of the storage cabinet by means of a fixed tongue and at the other end to the locking bar by means of a further tongue pivotally supported on the locking bar. This pivotal support may be provided by a knife-edge bearing on the second-mentioned tongue supported in opposite notches formed in the locking bar to permit pivoting movement of the secondmentioned tongue relative to the locking bar about the knife-edge axis. With the spring in the form of a coil spring, each tongue may be provided with a rectangular portion located inside the end coils at the respective end of the spring.In one preferred construction the locking bar is arranged within an upright, metal channel member along one of the two sides thereof for sliding vertically within the channel member, and the stationary tongue is formed as a stamping in the other side of the channel member which is bent to project from that side.

In accordance with a preferred feature of the invention, a key-lock mechanism, associated with the autolock mechanism, is provided in the filing cabinet, the keylock mechanism being operatively coupled to the locking bar and being so constructed and arranged as to leave the bar free to be displaced between its drawer-locking and drawer-releasing positions when the key-lock mechanism is unlocked but to displace the bar into its drawer-locking position when the key-lock mechanism is locked.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying informal drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded, perspective view, showing a part of one form of autolock mechanism, in accordance with the invention, incorporated in a filing cabinet, Figure 2 is a plan view of an upright channel member, Figure 3 is a front view of the channel member showing the two positions of an over-centre spring, Figures 4 and 5 illustrate diagrammatically operation of the autolock mechanism, and Figure 6 illustrates the different working positions of a flag which is associated with the autolock mechanism.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 1 in particular, the filing cabinet (illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 4 and 5 only) comprises a number of drawers (for example two drawers) arranged one above the other, the top drawer being shown at 1 in Figure 1. It is to be understood that the following description of the drawer 1 and its associated components of the autolock mechanism applies equally to all the drawers.

Arranged just inside the drawer opening in the front of the filing cabinet, on one side (e.g. the right-hand side) of the opening, is an upright channel member 2 which has outwardly directed side wing portions providing feet 3 on opposite sides of the channel by which the channel member is secured to the surface of the side wall of the filing cabinet.

Arranged within the channel of the channel member along one of its two sides so as to lie between the base wall of the channel member and the facing wall of the filing cabinet is a locking bar 4 which is U-shaped in cross-section and can slide vertically within the channel member. One of the side walls of the locking bar is cut at locations spaced along its length to provide actuating tags. The tag for the drawer 1 is designated 5 and as can be seen it is bent outwardly at right angles to the locking bar to project through an aperture 6 in the base wall of the channel member 2.

The actuating tag 5 co-operates with a cam track 7, secured to the side wall of the drawer 1, in certain positions of the drawer as will be explained hereinbelow. Conveniently, the cam track can be formed from a sheet metal blank which is bent to provide the required shape and then welded, for example, to the drawer side.

Two small, oppositely arranged, notches 8 (Figure 3) are provided in the side walls of the locking bar, and spanning these notches is a tongue 9, the notches forming a support for a knife-edge bearing on the tongue. A further, similarly shaped, tongue 10 is provided at the opposite side wall of the channel member to that which the locking bar is alongside, the tongue 10 being positioned slightly below the tongue 9. In the case of the tongue 10, however, it is stamped from the base wall of the channel member (as indicated at 14) and then bent out of the plane of the base wall. It will be noted that the tongue 10 has a fixed position, unlike the tongue 9 which can pivot about the knife-edge axis.

The tongues 9, 10 each have a rectangular portion, 11 and 12 respectively, which are inserted into the end coils of opposite ends of a compression spring 13. When all the drawers of the filing cabinet are shut but not locked by a key-lock mechanism to be described hereinbelow, the bar 4 is in such a position that the spring 13 is in the lower position illustrated in Figure 3, in which the spring is bowed downwardly in the manner illustrated. As the bar 2 is raised, the spring 13 tends to straighten out and eventually reaches a centre state in which the resilience of the spring is on the point of causing itself to straighten out and lift the locking bar into its uppermost position.When the bar reaches its uppermost position such that the spring 13 has the upper, over-centre, position shown in Figure 3, the spring is substantially straight and exerts a sufficient upward force on the locking bar to retain it in that position.

Referring to Figure 1, a key-lock mechanism comprises a flag 16 of generally inverted L-shape, welded to the top end of the locking bar 4, and a roller 18 adapted to cooperate with the flag. The roller 18 is eccentrically mounted, relative to the axis of the barrel 19 of a key-operated lock 20, on an arm 21. A detailed discussion of the key-lock mechanism will be given hereinbelow with reference to Figure 6.

Operation of the autolock mechanism will now be described in detail with particular reference to Figures 4 and 5. In Figure 4, both drawers of the filing cabinet are closed. It will be seen that the actuating tags are positioned at the entrances to their cam tracks. As the top drawer is opened, relative movement between the inclined cam track 7 and the actuating tag 5 causes the locking bar 4 to slide vertically in the channel member, thereby bringing the actuating tag associated with the lower drawer into the position shown in Figure 5 where it is opposite a shoulder 22 at the entrance to the cam track. The spring 13 is now in its over-centre position and so holds the locking bar 4 in its raised position even when the upper drawer 1 is opened fully and the actuating tag 5 is no longer urged upwardly by the cam track 7.It will be noted that any attempt to open the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet will fail because the shoulder 22 abuts with the actuating tag associated with the lower drawer. Thus, while the drawer 1 is open, the lower drawer is locked shut.

When the upper drawer 1 is pushed back towards its closed position, the cam track 7 comes into engagement with the actuating tag 5, the portion 15 of the cam track ensuring that even if the locking bar should drop at all while the drawer is fully open, the necessary engagement between the cam track and actuating tag can be guaranteed as the drawer is shut. Owing to the engagement the cam track forcibly displaces the locking bar 4 downwardly against the bias of the compression spring 13 which passes through its centre state and returns to its original bowed configuration when the locking bar 4 arrives at the bottom of its travel.

Then, the bottom drawer can be opened, if desired, since the actuating tag associated with it is no longer opposite the shoulder 22 but is in fact aligned with the entrance to its cam track. Clearly, the autolock mechanism functions in an analogous way, when the bottom drawer is opened, to lock the top drawer shut.

The key-lock mechanism will now be described with reference to Figures 1 and 6.

The roller 18 is shown in its unlocked position in Figure 1 with all the drawers shut when, as shown in Figure 6, the roller 18 is positioned at the entrance to a channel 26 formed in the end portion of the bent strip metal constituting the flag. If one of the drawers is opened, the resulting vertical displacement of the locking bar causes the flag 16 to move into the position 16' indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6 while the roller 18 remains stationary. On closing the drawer, the flag 16 returns to its original position with the roller 18 at the entrance to the channel 26.

When (with all the drawers shut) a key is inserted into the lock 20 and turned, the arm 21 rotates through a half revolution anticlockwise so that the roller 18 follows the arcuate path 23 to arrive at the locking position 18'. It will be appreciated from Figure 6 that as the roller 18 moves along the path 23 it initially enters the channel 26, then it moves right to the bottom of the channel and then returns to the position 18' at the entrance to the channel 26. During this time, the flag has been raised by the roller 18 from the position indicated in full lines to the position 16'. Thus, all the actuating tags on the locking bar are positioned opposite their respective shoulders alongside the entrances to the cam tracks and so none of the drawers can be opened.To unlock the cabinet, it is merely necessary to rotate the arm 21 through a half-revolution in the anticlockwise sense to lower the locking bar and thereby release the drawers.

Of course, although the description and drawings herein relate to a two-drawer cabinet, the autolock mechanism can be adapted to a filing cabinet with any number of drawers merely by providing additional acutating tags on the locking bar and cam tracks on the additional drawers. Then, opening of any one drawer will cause all the others to be locked shut.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A storage cabinet having a plurality of drawers which when in use are located one above the other, and having an autolock mechanism for locking the remaining drawer(s) shut when one of them is opened, the mechanism comprising a locking bar which is displaceable longitudinally of itself along outside surfaces of the drawers between upper and lower positions, one of which is a drawer-locking position and the other a drawer-releasing position, means associated with the drawers and operative to bring about such longitudinal locking bar displacement, whereby to lock the remaining drawer(s) shut during the initial part of opening one of the drawers and to unlock the remaining drawer(s) during closing said one drawer, and a spring having a first position in which it does not urge the locking bar towards its upper position and which the spring occupies when the bar is in its lower position, and a second position which the spring adopts as the bar is raised into its upper position and in which the spring holds the bar in its upper position.

2. A storage cabinet according to Claim 1, wherein the upper and lower positions of the locking bar are respectively the said drawer-locking and drawer releasing positions.

3. A storage cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spring is connected at one end to a stationary part of the storage cabinet by means of a fixed tongue and at the other end to the locking bar by means of a further tongue pivotally supported on the locking bar.

4. A storage cabinet according to claim 3, wherein a knife-edge bearing on the second-mentioned tongue is supported in opposite notches formed in the locking bar to permit pivoting movement of the secondmentioned tongue relative to the locking bar about the knife-edge axis.

5. A storage cabinet according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, with the spring in the form of a coil spring, each tongue is provided with a rectangular portion located inside the end coils at the respective end of the spring.

6. A storage cabinet according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the locking bar is arranged within an upright, metal channel member

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. noted that any attempt to open the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet will fail because the shoulder 22 abuts with the actuating tag associated with the lower drawer. Thus, while the drawer 1 is open, the lower drawer is locked shut. When the upper drawer 1 is pushed back towards its closed position, the cam track 7 comes into engagement with the actuating tag 5, the portion 15 of the cam track ensuring that even if the locking bar should drop at all while the drawer is fully open, the necessary engagement between the cam track and actuating tag can be guaranteed as the drawer is shut. Owing to the engagement the cam track forcibly displaces the locking bar 4 downwardly against the bias of the compression spring 13 which passes through its centre state and returns to its original bowed configuration when the locking bar 4 arrives at the bottom of its travel. Then, the bottom drawer can be opened, if desired, since the actuating tag associated with it is no longer opposite the shoulder 22 but is in fact aligned with the entrance to its cam track. Clearly, the autolock mechanism functions in an analogous way, when the bottom drawer is opened, to lock the top drawer shut. The key-lock mechanism will now be described with reference to Figures 1 and 6. The roller 18 is shown in its unlocked position in Figure 1 with all the drawers shut when, as shown in Figure 6, the roller 18 is positioned at the entrance to a channel 26 formed in the end portion of the bent strip metal constituting the flag. If one of the drawers is opened, the resulting vertical displacement of the locking bar causes the flag 16 to move into the position 16' indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6 while the roller 18 remains stationary. On closing the drawer, the flag 16 returns to its original position with the roller 18 at the entrance to the channel 26. When (with all the drawers shut) a key is inserted into the lock 20 and turned, the arm 21 rotates through a half revolution anticlockwise so that the roller 18 follows the arcuate path 23 to arrive at the locking position 18'. It will be appreciated from Figure 6 that as the roller 18 moves along the path 23 it initially enters the channel 26, then it moves right to the bottom of the channel and then returns to the position 18' at the entrance to the channel 26. During this time, the flag has been raised by the roller 18 from the position indicated in full lines to the position 16'. Thus, all the actuating tags on the locking bar are positioned opposite their respective shoulders alongside the entrances to the cam tracks and so none of the drawers can be opened.To unlock the cabinet, it is merely necessary to rotate the arm 21 through a half-revolution in the anticlockwise sense to lower the locking bar and thereby release the drawers. Of course, although the description and drawings herein relate to a two-drawer cabinet, the autolock mechanism can be adapted to a filing cabinet with any number of drawers merely by providing additional acutating tags on the locking bar and cam tracks on the additional drawers. Then, opening of any one drawer will cause all the others to be locked shut. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A storage cabinet having a plurality of drawers which when in use are located one above the other, and having an autolock mechanism for locking the remaining drawer(s) shut when one of them is opened, the mechanism comprising a locking bar which is displaceable longitudinally of itself along outside surfaces of the drawers between upper and lower positions, one of which is a drawer-locking position and the other a drawer-releasing position, means associated with the drawers and operative to bring about such longitudinal locking bar displacement, whereby to lock the remaining drawer(s) shut during the initial part of opening one of the drawers and to unlock the remaining drawer(s) during closing said one drawer, and a spring having a first position in which it does not urge the locking bar towards its upper position and which the spring occupies when the bar is in its lower position, and a second position which the spring adopts as the bar is raised into its upper position and in which the spring holds the bar in its upper position.

along one of the two sides thereof for sliding vertically within the channel member, and wherein the stationary tongue is formed as a stamping in the other side of the channel member which is bent to project from that side.

7. A storage cabinet according to any preceding claim, wherein the said means associated with the drawers and operative to bring about such longitudinal locking bar displacement comprises respective cam tracks on the drawers and actuating tags on the locking bar each co-operating with a respective said cam track.

8. A storage cabinet according to claini 7, wherein each cam track is provided with a shoulder such that during the initial part of opening said one drawer, the or each actuating tag associated with the or each remaining drawer engages with the said shoulder of the cam track of that drawer to lock the same shut.

9. A storage cabinet according to any preceding claim, wherein a key-lock mechanism, associated with the autolock mechanism, is provided in the filing cabinet, the key-lock mechanism being operatively coupled to the locking bar and being so constructed and arranged as to leave the bar free to be displaced between its drawerlocking and drawer-releasing positions when the key-lock mechanism is unlocked but to displace the bar into its drawer-locking position when the key-lock mechanism is locked.

10. A storage cabinet according to claim 9, wherein the key-lock mechanism comprises a flag of generally inverted L-shape secured to the upper end of the locking bar, and a key-operated lock incorporating a roller adapted to cooperate with the flag and being mounted eccentrically relative to an axis of the key-operated lock to be angularly displaceable about that axis between locking and unlocking positions.

11. A storage cabinet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.