Hon Industries Inc.

Ralph Beals

Stanley M Howe

William G Kackley

The present invention relates to a rugged and inexpensive filing cabinet constructed from thin, prefinished metal and the method for making the same. All component parts including the case envelope, case back, kickplate, drawers and drawer supports are designed to be cut from a minimum of four discrete coils of metal with waste attributable to trimming or removal of excess metal maintained at a minimum. Ruggedness and strength are maintained, despite the relative thinness of the metal, because the vertical corners and other potentially critical areas subjected to increased stress are reinforced with structural elements adhesively bonded in place. Certain structural elements also function as jigging members during the adhesive bonding of the component parts. In addition, the design of the present invention provides a versatile and adaptable end product due to the interchangeability of certain component parts.

Storage cabinets of adhesive bonded thin sheet metal

A storage cabinet is formed of a plurality of generally planar prepainted sheet metal panels adhesively laminated to one another substantially throughout overlapping edge portions to define a case of said cabinet. Certain of the panels are formed with deep narrow inwardly projecting reinforcing ribs disposed along edge portions of one side of the cabinet near the vertical corners, thereby forming reinforcing structures adjacent those corners. These ribs are narrow channels open to the outside of the cabinet. Another side panel formed with edge flanges at right angles to its major plane is mounted with these flanges disposed in the open channels, thereby further enhancing the strength of the cabinet, facilitating construction, and hiding the edges of the latter panel. Improved roller slide supports for the drawers are included, in which channels are formed for lateral confinement of the support rollers to desired predetermined tracks. In preferred embodiments the drawer track and its related guide components are integrated into the drawers. The drawers also include drawer boxes of thin sheet metal with mating molded plastic subfronts. The subfronts provide structural strength for the front end of the drawers and also include configurations to provide for ease of assembly of the drawers and related components, such as latching and locking elements.

Filing cabinets

A rugged and inexpensive filing cabinet constructed from thin, prefinished metal and a method for making the same. All component parts including the case envelope, case back, kick plate, drawers, any interior webs, and drawer supports are designed to be cut from only four discrete coils of metal with waste attributable to trimming or removal of excess metal maintained at a minimum. Ruggedness and strength are maintained, despite the relative thinness of the metal, because the vertical corners and other potentially critical areas subjected to increased stress are reinforced with structural elements adhesively bonded in place. Certain structural elements also function as jigging members during the adhesive bonding of the component parts. In addition, the design of the present invention provides a versatile and adaptable end product due to the interchangeability of certain component parts. The cabinet has an integrally or separately formed web parallel to the top and located between the recesses for receiving two of the drawers. The web partitions and strengthens the cabinet particularly one having three, four, or more vertically stacked letter file drawers.

Multi-drawer file cabinet

The present invention relates to a rugged and inexpensive filing cabinet constructed from thin, prefinished metal and the method for making the same. All component parts including the case envelope, case back, kickplate, drawers and drawer supports are designed to be cut from a minimum of four discrete coils of metal with waste attributable to trimming or removal of excess metal maintained at a minimum. Ruggedness and strength are maintained, despite the relative thinness of the metal, because the vertical corners and other potentially critical areas subjected to increased stress are reinforced with structural elements adhesively bonded in place. Certain structural elements also function as jigging members during the adhesive bonding of the component parts. In addition, the design of the present invention provides a versatile and adaptable end product due to the interchangeability of cetain component parts.

Method for making filing cabinet including adhesive bonding

A lightweight and rigid panel construction for a desk top having a unitary rectangular thin sheet metal top with integral channels along its longitudinal edges. Sheet metal reinforcing channels disposed along the longitudinal edges and the underside of the sheet metal wherein the channels are engaged by protrusions or plugs of a rigid end cap to provide structural support. A U-shaped tubular leg structure engages in the ends of the channels and is retained by the end cap for an end support.

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Muscatine, IA, United States of America

Ralph Beals