The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 16, 1980
Filed:
Jul. 31, 1979
Eugene A De Fouw, Holland, MI (US);
Peter M Baker, Mattawan, MI (US);
Lear Siegler, Inc., Kalamazoo, MI (US);
Abstract
A file cabinet (10) is disclosed as having a drawer interlock (18) including a plurality of lock members (24) of a unique construction that is preferably unitary and injection molded from plastic. An interlock bar (22) on which the lock members are mounted is received by a plastic sleeve (27) on side panels (14, 28) of the cabinet with the lock members mounted in a vertically spaced relationship in association with drawers (12) of the cabinet, preferably with one such interlock bar at each side of the cabinet. A vertically elongated guide (38) of each lock member extends between vertically elongated slide flanges (32) of the plastic sleeve so as to support the interlock bar for translational movement in a vertical direction between lower and upper positions. Each lock member also including a pair of upwardly extending hooks (44) located laterally inward from the adjacent inner panel. One hook is operable upon actuation of the interlock to engage the associated drawer so as to maintain the drawer closed, while the other hook is provided so that the lock member can likewise function on the other side of the cabinet. Outward movement of any one drawer engages an actuator (26) on the drawer with a slide surface (50) of the associated lock member so as to move the interlock bar to its upper position and thereby lock each other drawer in the closed position. An upper end of each interlock bar includes an opening (62) and an inclined flange (64) above the opening, and a lock mechanism (20) of the cabinet includes actuator members which are received within the bar openings and have inclined surfaces engaged with the inclined flanges on the bars so that movement of the actuator members by a lock moves the interlock bars upwardly in order to lock all of the drawers in the closed position.