US3913998A

US3913998A - Drawer mounting mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3913998A
Application number: US439420A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ley Robert J Vander
Original assignee: Leslie Metal Arts Co Inc
Current assignee: Leslie Metal Arts Co Inc
Priority date: 1974-02-04
Filing date: 1974-02-04
Publication date: 1975-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1992-10-21

Abstract

A drawer mounting mechanism for mounting a drawer in a cabinet comprises a pair of side rollers mounted at the front of the cabinet below the sides of the drawer and a back roller attached to the back of the drawer that rides in a central C-shaped guide rail extending from the front to the back of the cabinet below the drawer. The guide rail is removably mounted in the cabinet by means of separate front and rear guide rail mounting brackets fastened to the front and back of the cabinet. The front guide rail mounting bracket is formed from a single piece of flat metal stock and comprises a right angle mounting plate, which is fastened to the lower edge of the drawer opening at the front of the cabinet, and a vertical plate, which extends inwardly from the mounting plate and abuts the outside surface of the guide rail. A flat tab extends from the vertical plate through a noncircular opening in the side of the guide rail and holds the guide rail to the mounting bracket. The tab is formed so that it fits through the non-circular opening in the side of the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed at a pre-determined angle with respect to the mounting bracket and locks the guide rail to the mounting bracket when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal horizontal position in the cabinet. A lower lip extends under the guide rail from the bottom of the vertical plate and provides additional support of the guide rail.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Vander Ley Oct. 21, 1975 1 DRAWER MOUNTING MECHANISM [75] Inventor: Robert J. Vander Ley, .lenison,

Mich.

[73] Assignee: Leslie Metal Arts Company, Inc.,

Grand Rapids, Mich.

[22] Filed: Feb. 4, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 439,420

[52] US. Cl 312/343; 308/3.8 [51] Int. Cl A47b 88/14 [58] Field of Search 248/251; 308/38; 312/334,

Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-David H. Corbin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-McGarry & Waters [57] ABSTRACT A drawer mounting mechanism for mounting a drawer in a cabinet comprises a pair of side rollers mounted at the front of the cabinet below the sides of the drawer and a back roller attached to the back of the drawer that rides in a central C-shaped guide rail ex tending from the front to the back of the cabinet below the drawer. The guide rail is removably mounted in the cabinet by means of separate front and rear guide rail mounting brackets fastened to the front and back of the cabinet. The front guide rail mounting bracket is formed from a single piece of flat metal stock and comprises a right angle mounting plate, which is fastened to the lower edge of the drawer opening at the front of the cabinet, and a vertical plate, which extends inwardly from the mounting plate and abuts the outside surface of the guide rail. A flat tab extends from the vertical plate through a noncircular opening in the side of the guide rail and holds the guide rail to the mounting bracket. The tab is formed so that it fits through the non-circular opening in the side of the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed at a pre-determined angle with respect to the mounting bracket and locks the guide rail to the mounting bracket when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal horizontal position in the cabinet. A lower lip extends under the guide rail from the bottom of the vertical plate and provides additional support of the guide rail.

12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures US. Patent 0a. 21, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,913,998

U.S. Patent Oct. 21. 1 "5 Sheet 2 (#2 3,913,998

DRAWER MOUNTING MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to a drawer mounting mechanism and more particularly to an improved guide rail mounting bracket for a monorail drawer glide assembly.

2. Description of the Prior Art Many types of systems have been developed for mounting drawers in a cabinet on roller mounting assemblies in order to minimize frictional contact between the drawer and the cabinet. One type of drawer construction employs a pair of side rollers mounted on the edge of the drawer opening at the front of the cabinet under the side edges of the drawer in order to provide a rolling surface for the drawer at the front of the cabinet. A single roller is mounted at the middle of the rear of the drawer, and this roller rides in a horizontal central guide rail extending from the front to the back of the cabinet. Typically, the guide rail is mounted immediately below the drawer at the middle of the drawer opening, but it is also possible to mount this guide rail above the drawer. The shape of the guide rail employed in such systems may vary, but typically the guide rail has a C-shaped cross section, with the roller riding on the inside of the channel along upper and lower flanges.

For ease in the installation and removal of the guide rails, the guide rails may be mounted in the cabinet by means of separate front and rear guide rail mounting brackets. The guide rail itself may be removably attached to or disengaged from each mounting bracket in the installation and removal of the guide rail.

In order to fit a drawer into a mounting mechanism of this nature, it is necessary to pivot the front of the drawer downwardly and fit the back edge of the drawer into the drawer opening of the cabinet so that the roller, (which normally extends downwardly from the back of the drawer) will fit into the drawer opening. The upper portion of the guide rail is cut away at the front of the cabinet, so that the roller canbe inserted into the guide rail through this cut away portion. When the roller is inserted into the guide rail, the front of the drawer is then pivoted upwardly, and the drawer is moved longitudinally into the drawer opening.

One of the principal problems with prior drawer mounting systems of this nature is that it is difficult to install the guide rail securely in the cabinet, and it is difficult to insert and remove the drawer from the mounting mechanism.

One problem encountered specifically with front mounting brackets heretofore used to mount guide rails to the front panels of cabinets is that such front mounting brackets generally protrude inwardly into the interior of the guide rail adjacent the front edge of the drawer opening and prevent the roller on the drawer from moving all the way up to the front of the guide rail. This makes it difficult to remove the drawer from the cabinet or install the drawer in the cabinet, because the front of the drawer cannot be pivoted downwardly in order to remove or install the drawer until the back edge of the drawer is substantially clear of the cabinet. For any given roller bracket on the back of a drawer, the further away from the front of the cabinet that the roller is stopped by the front guide rail mounting bracket, the further the drawer must be inserted into the drawer opening before the drawer roller may be fitted into or out of the guide rail. Since the drawer must be tilted downwardly before the roller can be fitted into or out of the guide rail, if the roller is stopped before it reaches the front of the cabinet, it is necessary to use a roller bracket that extends outwardly from the back of the drawer, so that the roller can be fitted into the guide rail before the drawer is inserted in the cabinet. The problem with this arrangement is that the drawer depth pennissable for any given drawer opening depth in a cabinet is necessarily reduced by the distance that the roller bracket extends outwardly from the back of the cabinet.

It is therefore desirable to employ a front guide rail mounting bracket that snugly holds the guide rail in place and permits easy removal of the guide rail from the mounting bracket but does not protrude into the interior of the guide rail and permits the drawer roller to move all the way to the front of the cabinet in the installation and removal of the drawer in the cabinet.

The present invention obviates the problems encountered with guide rail mounting brackets heretofore employed and provides a simple and inexpensive mounting bracket for mounting a guide rail to the front of the drawer opening securely, while still permitting the roller mounted on the back of the drawer to roll all the way up to the front of the cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE lNVENTlON In accordance with the present invention, in a drawer mounting mechanism for a cabinet comprising side rollers mounted at the front of the cabinet under the sides of the drawer and a back roller attached to the back of the drawer and riding in a central guide rail extending from the front to the back of the cabinet, an improved front mounting bracket for the guide rail comprises a mounting plate that is mounted on the edge of the drawer opening at the middle of the drawerand a vertical plate that extends inwardly from the mounting plate and abuts the outside surface of the guide rail. A flat tab extends from the vertical plate through a noncircular opening in the side of the guide rail and snugly engages the inside surface of the guide rail. The tab is fonned so that is fits through the opening in the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed at a pre-determined angle with respect to the mounting bracket and locks the guide rail to the mounting bracket when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal position with respect to the mounting bracket. A lower lip extends from the bottom of the vertical plate and engages and supports the bottom of the guide rail.

One of the important features of the present invention is that the front guide rail mounting bracket snugly holds the guide rail in place, yet the tab does not extend into the interior of the channel member. Thus, the roller attached to the rear of the drawer can be moved all the way to the front of the guide rail without coming into contact with the mounting bracket. This permits easy mounting and dismounting of the drawer in the cabinet.

The rear guide rail mounting bracket preferably is formed of molded plastic and comprises a mounting plate that fastens it to the back panel of the cabinet and a projection that extends outwardly toward the front of the cabinet from the mounting plate. The end of the guide rail fits over this projection and is held in place thereby.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention will hereinafter appear and, for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a sectional side view-of a cabinet showing the drawer mounting mechanism of the present invention, with the side roller removed in order to show the mounting bracket by which the guide rail is mounted to the front of the cabinet.

FIG. 2 is a broken sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front guide rail mounting bracket of the present invention, mounted on the front of the cabinet.

FIG. 4 is a broken side view of the guide rail of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a broken side view of the guide rail of the present invention showing the manner in which the guide rail is mounted on the front and rear guide rail mounting brackets of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the back guide rail mounting bracket of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, a drawer 10 mounted in a cabinet 12 by means of a drawer mounting mechanism l4 constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. I. In this FIG., cabinet 12 comprises a back panel 16 and a front panel 18, with a drawer opening 20 formed therein for the insertion of drawer I0.

Drawer 10 may be any conventional drawer and for exemplary purposes is shown in this embodiment to be a wooden drawer comprising a bottom 22, sides 24, back 26, and a front 28. Front 28 is provided with a handle 30 for removing and inserting the drawer.

Drawer mounting mechanism 14 includes a pair of side rollers 32 mounted under the sides of the drawer on front panel 18 of the cabinet. Side rollers are rotatably mounted on cantilevered axles, which are mounted on side roller brackets 36. Side roller brackets 36 are fastened to the edge of the drawer opening in the front panel of the cabinet by screws or similar fasteners. Side rollers 32 include raised flanges 38 at the outer edge thereof, which extend above the bottom edge of sides 24 of the drawer and prevent the drawer from sliding laterally off the side rollers. The purpose of side rollers 32 is to obviate frictional contact between the bottom edges of the drawer and the bottom of the drawer opening in front panel 18. Side rollers 32 also retain the drawer in a straight longitudinal path as it moves in and out of the drawer opening.

The back of the drawer is maintained in a level or horizontal path as the drawer is moved into and out of the drawer opening by means of a roller assembly 40 mounted on the back of the drawer, with the roller assembly riding in and being constrained by a horizontal guide rail 42 that extends between the front and back of the cabinet. Roller assembly 40 includes a leg 44 attached to the back of the drawer by screws or the like and extending downwardly therefrom below the level of the drawer to a roller 46 mounted on the end thereof for rotation about a horizontal axis normal to the guide rail. Roller 46 rides in guide rail 42. The roller assembly 40 is mounted approximately in the middle of the drawer, so that a single roller assembly and guide rail are sufficient to maintain the drawer in a level position as the drawer is moved into and out of the drawer open- In the context of the present invention, the guide rail is shown mounted below the drawer in the cabinet. Although this is the desired way of employing the guide rail of the present invention, it would also be possible to mount the guide rail immediately above the drawer, so that the back of the drawer, instead of riding on top of the guide rail, would be suspended from the guide rail. In such a case, roller mounting assembly 40 would be constructed so that leg 44 extends upwardly beyond the top of the drawer.

Guide rail 42 is a C-shaped channel member comprising a generally vertically disposed side member 48, and upper and lower flanges S0 and 52 extending outwardly therefrom so as to give the channel member a generally C-shaped cross-sectional configuration. For illustrative purposes, the space between

flanges

50 and 52 is referred to herein as the inside of the guide rail or the C-shaped channel member, and the surface of the channel member on the other side of the channel (the right hand side of the channel according to FIG. 2 orientation) is referred to as the outside surface of the guide rail and the various components thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention,

flanges

50 and 52 are formed with an inwardly facing angular surface, so as to engage wheel 46 and retain the wheel inside the guide rail. Similarly, wheel 46 is formed with a tapered, V-shaped outer periphery that is adapted to fit into the angled surfaces on

flanges

50 and 52 as the wheel rolls inwardly and outwardly along the guide rail.

Guide rail 42 has an indentation 54 in the top of the guide rail and a depression 56 in the bottom of the guide rail, which are adapted to engage wheel 46 as the drawer is moved outwardly along the guide rail and cause the drawer to stop when it reaches the indentation position. The drawer may be moved past this position and removed completely from the cabinet by simply lifting the front edge of the drawer sufficiently to permit the wheel to roll under indentation 54.

Guide rail 42 also includes a cutaway portion 58 in upper flange 50 at the front portion of the guide rail. This cutaway portion is included in the guide rail in order to permit the drawer to be installed in the cabinet and removed from the cabinet while the guide rail is locked in place in the cabinet. As shown in FIG. 1, in order to remove the drawer from the cabinet or install the drawer in the cabinet, the drawer is tilted downwardly with respect to the drawer opening, and roller assembly 40 is inserted into the drawer opening so that roller 46 fits through cutaway portion 58 into the inside of guide rail 42. Drawer 10', shown in dotted lines, is shown in position to insert the drawer in the guide rail.

To remove the drawer, the opposite procedure is followed, namely, the drawer is moved past indentation 54 and all the way to the front panel of the cabinet, at which point the drawer is tilted downwardly past the upper edge of front panel 18 at the top of drawer opening 20, and the roller assembly 40 is lifted out of the guide rail and removed from the drawer.

Guide rail 42 is held in place in the cabinet by front and rear guide

rail mounting brackets

60 and 62 respectively. These mounting brackets are mounted securely to the front and back panels of the cabinet, respectively, by screws 64 or similar fasteners. In order to provide maximum ease of installation and adjustment of the position of guide rail 42 in the cabinet, mounting

brackets

60 and 62 are formed as separate elements, and guide rail 42 is insertable and removable from these mounting brackets in order to fit the guide rail into and out of the cabinet.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, rear mounting bracket 62 comprises a mounting plate 66 that rests flat against back panel 16 of the cabinet. Mounting plate 66 includes elongate openings 68 for screws or other suitable fasteners, which are used to fasten the mounting plate to the cabinet. A protrusion 70 extends outwardly from mounting plate 66 toward the front of the cabinet. Protrusion 70 is formed so as to receive and snugly engage the interior surface of the guide rail, when the guide rail is fitted over the mounting bracket. A pair of flanges 72 extend outwardly from mounting plate 66 parallel to protrusion 70, and these flanges have right angle internal surfaces spaced apart from protrusion 70. Flanges 72 are adapted to guide the guide rail into position on protrusion 70 as the guide rail is fitted on the mounting bracket.

Back mounting bracket 62 is formed as a single piece from a moldable plastic material. It would be possible to employ other materials for the same purpose, but moldable plastic is desirable because of considerations of size, weight, and expense.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, front guide rail mounting bracket 60 comprises a right angle mounting plate 61 which is attached to the lower edge of the drawer opening in front panel 18 by means of screws 64. A vertical plate 74 extends from a vertical edge of the mounting plate inwardly into the drawer opening parallel to side member 48 of the guide rail. Vertical plate 74 is attached to the edge of a front flange 76 of the mounting plate. A horizontal flange 78 attached at a right angle to the upper edge of front flange 76 fits over the front edge of the drawer opening in front panel 18. Horizontal flange 78 has an elongated opening 80 and a circular opening 82 for fasteners 64. Raised protrusions 84 extend along each side of these openings in order to protect the surface of the drawer from any protruding edges of fasteners.

Vertical plate 74 abuts the outside surface of side member 48 of the guide rail and is locked onto the guide rail by means of a tab 86 that extends through a non-circular opening 88 in the guide rail and engages the inside surface of the guide rail. Opening 88 in the guide rail and tab 86 are formed so that the tab will fit through the opening in the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed from its normal position with respect to front mounting bracket 60. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the angle employed is as shown in the dotted figure in FIG. 5. After the tab has been inserted through opening 88, the guide rail is then pivoted downwardly to its normal or horizontal position, and this locks tab 86 against the inside surface of side member 48, thereby locking the guide member to the vertical plate.

In order to achieve the desired ends of having a tab that fits through the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed fromits normal position and locks the guide rail to the mounting bracket when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal position, it is necessary that both the opening in the guide rail and the tab are noncircular, but some variation in the specific shapes of the tab and opening are possible. It is desirable, however, that the shape of the tab closely correspond with the shape of the opening, so that the tab will mate with the opening when skewed to the desired pre-determined angle but will lock the guide rail to the mounting bracket with a maximum overlap of the tab over the guide rail when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal or locked position.

As shown in FIG. 4, opening 88 in the guide rail of the preferred embodiment is a four-sided figure having a horizontal top edge and vertically disposed side edges, with the bottom edge inclined upwardly from the right edge the left edge of the opening (FIG. 4 orientation). Tab 88 has the same outer configuration as opening 88, except that tab 88 is skewed at a 15 angle from opening 88. Thus, the guide rail (or mounting bracket) has to be moved to a skewed position of about 15 with respect to the mounting bracket in order to fit tab 86 through opening 88. After the tab is fitted through the opening, the guide rail may be pivoted back to its normal position, whereupon the tab engages the inside surface of the guide rail and holds the guide rail to the mounting bracket.

Another feature of mounting bracket 60 is that a lower lip 94 extends outwardly from the lower portion of vertical plate 74 so as to fit underneath guide rail 42 and engage lower flange 52 thereon. Lower lip 94 is formed at the same angular configuration as lower flange 52, so lower lip 94 snugly engages flange S2 and holds the guide rail in position with respect to the mounting bracket. This lower lip provides important additional structural support for the guide rail.

An important feature of the present invention is that the entire mounting bracket, including tab 86, may be formed from a single piece of sheet metal by simply cutting and bending the metal into the desired shape. This makes the fabrication of this mounting bracket a simple and inexpensive procedure and provides an important advantage over more complex systems.

With specific regard to the fabrication of tab 86, in accordance with the present invention, tab 86 is formed from vertical plate 74 by stamping or punching the tab out of a solid vertical plate in the fabrication process. In the stamping process, tab 88 is cut out of vertical plate 74 on three sides of the tab, while a fourth side remains attached to vertical plate 74. Tab 86 has a flat surface or locking member 90 which is parallel to vertical plate 74 and a short leg 92 extending from the right hand edge of surface 90 to vertical plate 74. The flat surface of tab 86 is thus spaced far enough apart from the vertical plate to permit the side of the guide rail to be wedged therebetween.

The manner of producing tab 86 employed in the present invention is simple and easy, yet provides a positive interlocking between the mounting bracket and the guide rail.

As descirbed above, mounting bracket60 of the present invention snugly and firmly holds the front of guide rail 42 to the front panel of the cabinet, yet the mounting bracket does not protrude into the interior of the guide rail so as to prevent themovement of wheel 46 all the way to the edge of front panel 18. With the bracket of the present invention, the wheel may be moved all the way up to front panel 18 before tilting the drawer and lifting the wheel out of guide rail 42 and removing the drawer from the guide rail. Similarly, in inserting the drawer into the guide rail, the wheel 46 may be fitted downwardly into the guide rail immediately behind front panel 18 before tilting the drawer upwardly to its horizontal position.

By permitting the insertion and removal of the wheel into the guide rail at the forward extremity of the guide rail and immediately behind front panel 18, maximum ease in installing and removing the drawer are provided. Similarly, the amount of distance that the leg must extend into the drawer behind the back of the drawer is minimized. Thus, the drawer mounting mechanism of the present invention permits maximum drawer depth for a given drawer opening depth in a cabinet.

To illustrate what is meant by this point in more detail, in a guide rail system where the front mounting bracket protrudes into the interior of the guide rail so as to prevent the roller assembly from moving all the way to the front of the guide rail, in order to permit the installation and removal of the drawer, it is necessary to employ a leg that extends further into the drawer opening so that the drawer will be clear of the drawer opening in the cabinet when it is tilted downwardly to fit the roller into and out of the guide rail. The one drawback of this type of system, however, is that substantial space must be left between the back of the drawer and the back panel of the cabinet in order to accommodate the longer leg. This therefore reduces the maximum permissable drawer depth in any particular cabinet. With the present invention, the drawer depth permissable is maximized, while the ease with which the drawer may be installed in and removed form the cabinet is maintained.

In operation, the drawer mounting mechanism of the present invention is installed in a cabinet by first screwing the side rollers to the front panel of the cabinet at the lower outside edges of the drawer opening. These rollers are carefully positioned so that they engage the sides of the drawer in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

Next, the guide rail is mounted in the center of the drawer opening immediately below the drawer as follows. The front guide rail mounting bracket is first attached to the front panel at the middle of the lower edge of the drawer opening. Then, the rear guide rail mounting bracket is fitted over the rear end of the guide rail and the guide rail is inserted in the drawer opening. The guide rail is first pivoted to the position shown by the dotted figure in F IG. so that the tab may be inserted into the opening in the guide rail. Then the guide rail is pivoted downwardly to a horizontal position (as shown in FIG. 5), locking the guide rail onto the front mounting bracket. With the guide rail in this position, the rear mounting bracket is fastened to the back panel of the cabinet by screws, thus firmly suspending the guide rail in a horizontal position between the front and back panels of the cabinet.

After the guide rails and side rollers have been installed, the roller mounting assembly is mounted on the back panel of the drawer and the drawer is installed by inserting the roller downwardly into the guide rail while the drawer is in the downwardly pivoted position and then pivoting the drawer up to a horizontal position and sliding the drawer into the cabinet.

It should be understood that the embodiment described herein is merely exemplary of the preferred practice of the present invention and that various modifications and changes may be made in the arrangements and details of construction of the apparatus described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privelege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a drawer mounting mechanism for a cabinet having a front panel and a back, with a drawer opening in the front panel and a drawer slidably mounted in the drawer opening, said drawer mounting mechanism comprising a roller mounted on the back of the drawer and riding in a horizontally disposed guide rail that extends from the front to the back of the drawer opening, with the guide rail being mounted to the cabinet by means of front and back guide rail mounting brackets, an improvement wherein:

the guide rail is a C-shaped channel member comprising a side member and upper and lower flanges that extend outwardly from the side member on each side of the roller so that the roller rides between the upper and lower flanges on the inside of the channel member, the side member having a non-circular opening therein adjacent the front end of the guide rail; and

the front guide rail mounting bracket comprises a mounting plate mounted on the front panel of the cabinet at the edge of the drawer opening and a vertical plate extending from the mounting plate inwardly into the drawer opening parallel to the guide rail side member, said vertical plate abutting the outside surface of the guide rail side member and comprising non-circular tab means thereon for releasably locking the guide rail on the mounting bracket, said tab means including a short leg that extends from the vertical plate through the opening in the guide rail to an outer end on the inside of the guide rail, said tab means further including a noncircular locking member formed on the outer end of the leg, said locking member being shaped so as to fit through the non-circular opening in the guide rail when the guide rail is pivoted to a predetermined skewed angle with respect to the front guide rail mounting bracket, said locking member engaging the inside surface of the guide rail side member and locking the front of the guide rail to the vertical plate of the mounting bracket when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal position with regard to the mounting bracket.

2. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking member is positioned and formed so as to snugly engage the inside surface of the side member of the guide rail and hold said guide rail against the vertical plate when the guide rail is pivoted to its normal position with respect to the front guide rail mounting bracket with the locking member inserted through the opening in the guide rail, said locking member being formed such that it does not prevent the roller from rolling past the locking member to the front panel of the cabinet.

3. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim -2, wherein the tab means comprises a section of the vertical plate that extends out of the vertical plate so as to form said short leg and locking member.

4. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the locking member is a section of'thevertical plate that extends from the short leg toward the rear of the cabinet parallel to the vertical plate, said locking member having an outer configuration such that the locking member mates with and fits through the opening in the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed at said pre-determined angle and engages the inside surface of the guide rail when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal position,

5. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the opening in the guide rail and the locking l member are four sided figures having the same outer configuration, with the exception that the locking member is skewed at said predetermined angle from the opening in the front side of the guide rail, so as to require the movement of the guide rail to said skewed position with respect to the mounting bracket before the locking member can be inserted into the opening of the guide rail.

6. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front guide rail mounting bracket further comprises a lower lip extending outwardly from the vertical plate under the guide rail so as to engage and support the bottom of the guide rail against vertical movement with respect to the front mounting bracket.

7. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

the front and rear guide rail mounting brackets are mounted below the drawer at the middle of the drawer opening;

the upper flange of the guide rail is cut away at the front of the guide rail so as to permit the roller on the back of the drawer to be fitted into and out of the guide rail; and

the locking member on the front guide rail mounting bracket is positioned out of alignment with the roller on the back of the drawer so as to permit the roller to roll past the tab all the way to the front panel of the cabinet.

8. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mounting plate of the front guide rail mounting bracket is formed in the shape of a right angle member having a horizontal flange that is screwed down on the edge of the drawer opening and a vertical flange that engages the inside surface of the front panel of the cabinet, the vertical plate of the mounting bracket being attached along one edge thereof to an edge of the vertical flange on the mounting bracket. A

9. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 8, wherein the front guide rail mounting bracket is formed of a single piece of flat sheet metal said tab means comprising a section of the vertical plate that extends through the opening in the guide rail and a flat locking member attached to the end of the short leg that extends toward the back of the cabinet.

10. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the rear mounting bracket is formed of a single piece of moldable plastic and comprises a flat mounting 6 plate that is mounted on the rear panel of the cabinet and a projection extending at right angles from the mounting plate into supporting engagement with the inside surface of the guide rail at the end thereof adjacent the back panel of the cabinet; side rollers are rotatably mounted on the lower edges of the drawer opening under the sides of the drawer such that the sides of the drawer ride on the rollers as opposed to the lower edge of the drawer openmg. 11. [n a cabinet comprising a front panel and a back panel, a rectangular drawer opening having upper and 10 lower horizontal edges in the front panel, and a drawer having a bottom, a front, a back, and sides that fits into the drawer opening, a drawer mounting mechanism comprising:

side rollers mounted in the front panel of the cabinet under the sides of the drawer such that the sides ride on the rollers and not the lower edge of the drawer opening;

a leg mounted on the back of the drawer between the sides of the drawer, said leg extending downwardly from the back of the drawer to a lower end below the drawer;

a back roller mounted on the end of the leg for rotation about an axis normal to the sides of the drawer;

a guide rail comprising a C-shaped channel member extending from a front end at the front of the cabinet to a rear end at the rear of the cabinet below the middle of the drawer, said guide rail comprising a vertical side member and upper and lower flanges extending outwardly therefrom such that the back roller rides between the upper and lower flanges, the upper flange being cut away adjacent the front panel of the cabinet such that the back roller can be fitted into and out of the guide rail through the cutaway portion, said guide rail further comprising a non-circular opening in the side member adjacent the front end of the guide rail;

a rear guide rail mounting bracket means for removably attaching the rear end of the guide rail to the back panel of the cabinet; and

a front guide rail mounting bracket comprising:

a right angle mounting plate comprising a horizontal flange fastened to the middle of the lower edge of the drawer opening and a vertical flange engaging the inside surface of the front panel, said vertical flange having a vertical edge;

a vertical plate attached along an edge thereof to the vertical edge of the vertical flange and extending perpendicularly therefrom toward the back of the cabinet, said vertical plate engaging the outer surface of the guide rail;

a lower lip extending from the bottom edge of the vertical plate under the guide rail so as to engage and support the guide rail; and

a tab extending from the vertical plate through the non-circular opening in the side member of the guide rail and engaging the inside surface of the side member, said tab comprising a short leg that extends from the vertical plate through the opening in the side member and a locking member extending from the end of the short leg parallel to the side member, said locking member being formed so that it fits through the non-circular opening when the guide rail is skewed at a predetermined angle with respect to the mounting bracket and locks the mounting bracket to the panel of the cabinet and a protrusion that extends perpendicularly from the mounting plate toward the front of the cabinet, said protrusion being formed such that it fits into the rear end of the guide rail and holds the rear end of the guide rail in place. 1B

Claims

1. In a drawer mounting mechanism for a cabinet having a front panel and a back, with a drawer opening in the front panel and a drawer slidably mounted in the drawer opening, said drawer mounting mechanism comprising a roller mounted on the back of the drawer and riding in a horizontally disposed guide rail that extends from the front to the back of the drawer opening, with the guide rail being mounted to the cabinet by means of front and back guide rail mounting brackets, an improvement wherein: the guide rail is a C-shaped channel member comprising a side member and upper and lower flanges that extend outwardly from the side member on each side of the roller so that the roller rides between the upper and lower flanges on the inside of the channel member, the side member having a non-circular opening therein adjacent the front end of the guide rail; and the front guide rail mounting bracket comprises a mounting plate mounted on the front panel of the cabinet at the edge of the drawer opening and a vertical plate extending from the mounting plate inwardly into the drawer opening parallel to the guide rail side member, said vertical plate abutting the outside surface of the guide rail side member and comprising noncircular tab means thereon for releasably locking the guide rail on the mounting bracket, said tab means including a short leg that extends from the vertical plate through the opening in the guide rail to an outer end on the inside of the guide rail, said tab means further inCluding a non-circular locking member formed on the outer end of the leg, said locking member being shaped so as to fit through the non-circular opening in the guide rail when the guide rail is pivoted to a pre-determined skewed angle with respect to the front guide rail mounting bracket, said locking member engaging the inside surface of the guide rail side member and locking the front of the guide rail to the vertical plate of the mounting bracket when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal position with regard to the mounting bracket.

3. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tab means comprises a section of the vertical plate that extends out of the vertical plate so as to form said short leg and locking member.

4. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the locking member is a section of the vertical plate that extends from the short leg toward the rear of the cabinet parallel to the vertical plate, said locking member having an outer configuration such that the locking member mates with and fits through the opening in the guide rail when the guide rail is skewed at said pre-determined angle and engages the inside surface of the guide rail when the guide rail is pivoted back to its normal position.

5. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the opening in the guide rail and the locking member are four sided figures having the same outer configuration, with the exception that the locking member is skewed at said predetermined angle from the opening in the front side of the guide rail, so as to require the movement of the guide rail to said skewed position with respect to the mounting bracket before the locking member can be inserted into the opening of the guide rail.

7. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein: the front and rear guide rail mounting brackets are mounted below the drawer at the middle of the drawer opening; the upper flange of the guide rail is cut away at the front of the guide rail so as to permit the roller on the back of the drawer to be fitted into and out of the guide rail; and the locking member on the front guide rail mounting bracket is positioned out of alignment with the roller on the back of the drawer so as to permit the roller to roll past the tab all the way to the front panel of the cabinet.

8. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mounting plate of the front guide rail mounting bracket is formed in the shape of a right angle member having a horizontal flange that is screwed down on the edge of the drawer opening and a vertical flange that engages the inside surface of the front panel of the cabinet, the vertical plate of the mounting bracket being attached along one edge thereof to an edge of the vertical flange on the mounting bracket.

10. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein: the rear mounting bracket is formed of a single piece of moldable plastic and comprises a flat mounting plate that is mounted on the rear panel of the cabinet and a projection extending at right angles from the mounting plate into supporting engagement with the inside surface of the guide rail at the end thereof adjacent the back panel of the cabinet; side rollers are rotatably mounted on the lower edges of the drawer opening under the sides of the drawer such that the sides of the drawer ride on the rollers as opposed to the lower edge of the drawer opening.

11. In a cabinet comprising a front panel and a back panel, a rectangular drawer opening having upper and lower horizontal edges in the front panel, and a drawer having a bottom, a front, a back, and sides that fits into the drawer opening, a drawer mounting mechanism comprising: side rollers mounted in the front panel of the cabinet under the sides of the drawer such that the sides ride on the rollers and not the lower edge of the drawer opening; a leg mounted on the back of the drawer between the sides of the drawer, said leg extending downwardly from the back of the drawer to a lower end below the drawer; a back roller mounted on the end of the leg for rotation about an axis normal to the sides of the drawer; a guide rail comprising a C-shaped channel member extending from a front end at the front of the cabinet to a rear end at the rear of the cabinet below the middle of the drawer, said guide rail comprising a vertical side member and upper and lower flanges extending outwardly therefrom such that the back roller rides between the upper and lower flanges, the upper flange being cut away adjacent the front panel of the cabinet such that the back roller can be fitted into and out of the guide rail through the cutaway portion, said guide rail further comprising a non-circular opening in the side member adjacent the front end of the guide rail; a rear guide rail mounting bracket means for removably attaching the rear end of the guide rail to the back panel of the cabinet; and a front guide rail mounting bracket comprising: a right angle mounting plate comprising a horizontal flange fastened to the middle of the lower edge of the drawer opening and a vertical flange engaging the inside surface of the front panel, said vertical flange having a vertical edge; a vertical plate attached along an edge thereof to the vertical edge of the vertical flange and extending perpendicularly therefrom toward the back of the cabinet, said vertical plate engaging the outer surface of the guide rail; a lower lip extending from the bottom edge of the vertical plate under the guide rail so as to engage and support the guide rail; and a tab extending from the vertical plate through the non-circular opening in the side member of the guide rail and engaging the inside surface of the side member, said tab comprising a short leg that extends from the vertical plate through the opening in the side member and a locking member extending from the end of the short leg parallel to the side member, said locking member being formed so that it fits through the non-circular opening when the guide rail is skewed at a pre-determined angle with respect to the mounting bracket and locks the mounting bracket to the vertical plate when the guide rail is pivoted back to a horizontal position in the cabinet.

12. A drawer mounting mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the rear guide rail mounting bracket means is formed of moldable plastic and comprises a mounting plate that is removably mounted to the rear panel of the cabinet and a protrusion that extends perpendicularly from the mounting plate toward the front of the cabinet, said protrusion being formed such that it fits into the rear end of the guide rail and holds the rear end of the guide rail in Place.