AU2021286288A1 - Drawer side frame - Google Patents

Abstract

DRAWER SIDE FRAME 5 A drawer side frame (10) comprising a side wall (100) for housing pull-out guide rails (30), and an adjusting device (80) for lowering and raising the side wall relative to the pull-out guide rails (30) about a pivot point (Z) adjacent the front longitudinal end of the frame (10) is disclosed. The adjusting device (80) includes an adjusting plate (700) and a threaded actuating element (900). The adjusting plate (700) include an apron 10 (712) that anchor the adjusting plate (700) stationary to facilitate lowering and raising of the side wall (100). Rotation of the actuating element (900) effects lowering or raising of the side wall (100). FIGURE 1 1/7 FIGURE la 10 340 z / 6 2 5 700 900 50a 50b505d 80 10 340 z 6 25 700 900 50a 50b 50d ll- 4 FIGURE lb

Description

1/7

FIGURE la

10 340 z

/ 6

2 5

700 900 50a 50b505d

80 10 340 z 6

25

700 900 50a 50b 50d ll- 4

FIGURE lb

DRAWER SIDE FRAME

This invention relates to a drawer side frame. More particularly, this invention relates to a drawer side frame having a device for raising and lowering a drawer side frame to enable adjustment of the position of a drawer front panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Drawers are box-like containers that provide space for storage and are sliding compartments which are built into numerous types of furniture. Drawer slides are devices which enable the drawers mounted on them to be slidable in (in a drawing-closing direction) and out (in a drawer-opening direction) of the furniture. Drawer slides are used to facilitate smooth opening and closing the drawers and are usually categorized according to their mounting styles or configurations, for example, center mount, side mount, and bottom (or under) mount.

There are various types of drawers, including side mount drawers and undermount drawers. Side mount drawers and undermount drawers are distinct from each other in the arrangements of the drawer slides. As their names imply, side mount drawers are equipped with side mount slides, in which the slides are mounted to each side of a drawer and within an article of furniture. On the other hand, undermount drawers are equipped with undermount slides, where the slides are mounted to the sides of an article of furniture and attached to the underside of a drawer. Side mount slides are "visible", whereas undermount slides are "hidden". Any time a drawer is opened, side mount slides can be exposed and shown on the outer side faces of the drawer. As for undermount slides, they are disposed underneath a drawer and are often used when it is desirable to conceal the drawer slide components from view (e.g. for aesthetic appearance).

Much like any furniture and their components, drawers are subject to wear and tear over time. Day-to-day wear and tear, excessive drawer closing force and/or overloading of the drawer can lead to deterioration in the drawer components, and eventually, formation of uneven gaps between the perimeter of a drawer front panel and the front face of an article of furniture (when the drawer is in a fully closed or push-in position) i.e. the drawer front panel is no longer parallel to the front face of the furniture. Occurrence of gaps between the drawer front panel and the front face of the furniture may also be due to manufacturing, assembly and/or installation issues. Due to such gaps, dust and/or pests can get in and foul up the drawer as well as the article of furniture. Such gaps also affect the aesthetic appearance of a drawer and an article of furniture.

Hence, tilt-adjustment of the drawer front panel by the user often becomes necessary. It would be desirable to have an easy-to-use adjusting device provided as a drawer feature for such tilt-adjustment of the front panel.

An undermount drawer assembly having such an adjusting device was disclosed in DE 10 2014 007 828 Al. This prior device comprises a receiving housing, an adjusting body and an adjusting screw. A receiving housing is embedded at both rear corners of a drawer bottom panel. The adjusting body and adjusting screw are accommodated in the receiving housing. The head of the adjusting screw is accessible via a bore formed on the drawer bottom panel. Receiving grooves are formed at the bottom and embedded into the drawer bottom panel for receiving pull-out guide rails. A retaining tab is formed on one of the guide rails for operative connection with the actuating body. A drawer rear wall and a drawer front panel can be horizontally adjusted and aligned by rotatably adjusting the screw. A notable disadvantage with this prior device is that it is only possible for a user to access the adjusting screw from underneath the drawer.

Another example of an undermount drawer assembly having such a tilt adjustment feature is disclosed in WO 2012/142630 Al. This prior publication teaches of an adjustment device mounted at the rear longitudinal end of a drawer side wall to adjust the inclination of a drawer front panel. The adjusting device comprises an actuating element, a mounting plate and a support foot that is operatively connected to a guide rail system and is held in position on the rail system via a retaining lug. The actuating element can be turned to effect raising and lowering of the rear region of a drawer relative to a guide rail system. When the actuating element is rotated, the support foot is caused to move either upward or downward and a protrusion provided on the support foot correspondingly slides vertically within an opening provided on the mounting plate fixed to the drawer side wall.

There also exists a need for an adjusting device, which is workable for side mount drawers. One such side mount drawer assembly having such an adjusting device was disclosed in WO 2017/106888 Al.

In WO 2017/106888 Al, the device for adjusting the inclination of a drawer front panel comprises an adjustment wheel rotatably supported at the rear longitudinal end of a drawer side wall. The adjustment wheel has a first adjustment profile and a second adjustment profile, which are eccentric relative to the rotation axis. The two adjustment profiles are spaced apart from each other around the rotation axis. Corresponding protrusions provided on the drawer side wall engage in the recesses formed between the adjustment profiles, enabling the adjustment wheel to be supported on the drawer side wall. The rear of a drawer can be raised and lowered relative to a guide rail system by rotating the adjustment wheel.

Although the prior devices of both WO 2012/142630 Al and WO 2017/106888 Al are accessible from within a drawer, these prior devices are both disposed on the drawer side wall. It has been observed in use that accessibility of such side wall adjusting devices is inconvenient, especially when the dimensions of a drawer are relatively small.

More importantly, however, the configuration of the WO 2012/142630 Al adjustment device and the WO 2017/106888 Al adjusting wheel are such that both these devices are incremental locking devices. This means that both these devices are designed to rotate and stop at pre-set points (defined by small depressions). Such a design does not enable precise tilt-adjustment of the drawer front panel as the incremental locking nature of these devices limits its ability to adjust the tilt angle of the front panel to only the pre-set angles determined by the pre-set "stop points". In other words, these prior adjusting wheels/devices are substantially limited in flexibility as precise or micro adjustments "in-between" stop points are impossible.

Additionally, locating both these prior devices at the drawer side wall necessitates the use of multiple components between the adjusting device/wheel and the support structures, and, the drawer guide rail system. This means that the load carried by the drawer cannot be directly transferred to the guide rail systems. Such a configuration severely limits the load-bearing capacity of the drawer.

Hence, there exists a need for an adjusting device for use with side mount drawers, which allows for a more convenient and reliable tilt-adjustment of a drawer front panel.

This invention thus aims to alleviate some or all of the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a drawer side frame comprising a side wall for housing pull-out guide rails, which includes a drawer rail operatively connected to a drawer, and an adjusting device. The side wall includes a connector strut for receiving a drawer bottom panel. The adjusting device is disposed at the rear longitudinal end of the connector strut for lowering and raising the side wall relative to the pull-out guide rails about a pivot point adjacent the front longitudinal end of the frame. The adjusting device includes an adjusting plate and a threaded actuating element. The adjusting plate also includes an apron that lock the adjusting plate to the drawer rail and the side wall as well as anchor the adjusting plate stationary to facilitate lowering and raising of the side wall. The threaded actuating element is accessible from within the drawer such that rotation of the actuating element effects lowering or raising of the side wall about the pivot point.

In an embodiment, the side wall of the drawer frame may have a substantially inverted U-shape cross-section with a top face and a pair of spaced apart side faces with the inner side face orthogonally connected to an inverted L-shaped flange. The foot of the inverted L-shaped flange may be disposed substantially parallel to the drawer bottom panel and may further comprise a side wall L-shaped flange opening to enable access of the actuating element from within the drawer.

In other embodiment, the connector strut of the drawer frame may have a cross section corresponding to that of the side wall with a top face and a pair of spaced apart side faces. The inner side face of the connector strut may be orthogonally connected to a support rib. The support rib of the connector strut may comprise a vertical flange disposed perpendicular to the drawer bottom panel, an outer side flange orthogonally connected to the inner side face of the connector strut, and an inner side flange parallel to the drawer bottom panel.

The support rib of the connector strut may further comprise a slot for receiving a guide to restrict sliding movement of the adjusting plate, when in use.

The threaded actuating element is receivable within a mating aperture located on the support rib such that the actuating element is accessible through the side wall L shaped flange opening when received within the mating aperture, in use.

The top face of the connector strut frame may further comprise an upwardly projecting tab having guide protrusions.

In a further embodiment, the adjusting plate of the adjusting device may comprise a planar top face, an outer side face upwardly projecting from the top face, and an inner side comprising an L-shaped flange.

The apron received by the slot may be provided on the top face of the adjusting plate such that the apron enables the adjusting plate to be slidingly locked with the drawer rail during assembly to restrict vertical movement of the adjusting plate, in use. The apron received by the slot may be disposed on the leg of the inner side L-shaped flange of the adjusting plate. The foot of the inner side L-shaped flange of the adjusting plate may further comprise a mating aperture for receiving the threaded actuating element.

The outer side face of the adjusting plate may further comprise guide depressions that mate with the guide protrusions to facilitate abutment of the upwardly projecting tab with the outer side face, in use.

According to an embodiment, the threaded actuating element may comprise a head portion, a threaded body portion, and a blunt tip portion that is accessible from within the drawer to rotationally actuate lowering or raising of the side wall about the pivot point.

The objective of the drawer frame of the present invention is to provide a more convenient and reliable way for tilt-adjustment of the position of a drawer front panel with an adjusting device that is accessible from within a drawer.

The design and configuration of the drawer side frame of the present invention enables the adjusting device to be located on the connector strut, which supports the drawer bottom panel. This advantageously enables the user to access the adjusting device from the top of a drawer bottom panel, rather than at the side wall of a drawer frame.

More importantly, however, locating the adjusting device such allows the drawer to be supported directly against gravity by the drawer guide rail system since the adjusting device (adjusting plate) is directly connected to the drawer (connector strut) and the drawer rail. This enables a drawer, having the drawer side frames of the present invention, to have a greater load-bearing capacity relative to those of the prior devices of WO 2012/142630 Al and WO 2017/106888 Al.

Additionally, providing a threaded actuating element to the adjusting device enables greater flexibility in terms of tilt-adjustment of the drawer front panel as the actuating element of the present invention is not limited by pre-set stop points and can be rotated and stopped at any desirable point i.e. no incremental locking. This advantageously permits for very precise adjustment of the position of the drawer front panel and even enables micro-adjustments to the tilt angle of the front panel.

Various other advantages of the drawer side frame of this invention will be further elaborated in the following pages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated, although not limited, by the following description of embodiments made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure la is a side view of a tilt-adjustable drawer having a drawer side frame according to an embodiment of this invention, the drawer being in a neutral position within an article of furniture.

Figure lb is a side view of the drawer of Figure la with the drawer side frame pivoting forward about pivot point Z.

Figure 2 illustrates a front perspective view of an article of furniture having a plurality of the drawers of Figure 1 slidably received therein.

Figure 3 shows a front perspective view of the drawer side frame of the drawer of Figure 1 as well as a guide rail system to be housed within the drawer frame.

Figure 4a illustrates a partial top view (right side) of the drawer of Figure 1.

Figure 4b is a side view of the drawer side frame housing the guide rail system of Figure 3 and attached to a drawer front panel, with an enlarged view of the adjusting device provided at the rear of the drawer frame.

Figure 5a shows a front perspective view of the drawer of Figure 1 (left drawer side frame not shown).

Figure 5b shows an enlarged view of the adjusting device provided at the rear of the drawer of Figure 5a.

Figure 6a is a front perspective view of a connector strut and the adjusting device of the drawer side frame of Figure 3.

Figure 6b is a rear perspective view of the connector strut and the adjusting device of Figure 6a.

Figures 7a, 7b, and 7c are sequential rear perspective views of the drawer side frame with adjusting device as the threaded actuating element is rotatably tightened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a drawer side frame 10. As seen in Figures la, lb and 7a to 7c, the drawer frame 10 mainly comprises a side wall 100 for housing pull out guide rails 30, and an adjusting device 80 that includes an adjusting plate 700 and a threaded actuating element 900. The side wall 100 includes a plurality of connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d for receiving a drawer bottom panel 7. The adjusting device 80 is disposed at the rear longitudinal end of the drawer frame 10 for lowering and raising the side wall 100 relative to the pull-out guide rails 30 about a pivot point Z adjacent the front longitudinal end of the frame 10.

The side wall 100 of the drawer frame may be a one-piece structure. Alternatively, the side wall could be provided as a multi-piece structure. The side wall can be made from any suitable material, for example, sheet metal.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the side wall 100 of the drawer frame 10 has a top face 110 and a pair of spaced apart side faces 120, 130 defining a hollow portion 140 therebetween for housing pull-out guide rails 30. The side wall 100 has an inverted U-shape cross-section. Preferably, the side wall 100 has a substantially inverted U-shape cross-section with the top face 110 being substantially planar.

The pair of spaced apart side faces of the side wall 100 comprises an outer side face 130, i.e. the panel facing away from the drawer interior 8, and an inner side face 120, i.e. the panel facing towards the drawer interior 8. The height and length of the outer side face 130 is greater than that of the inner side face 120.

The outer side face 130 may be provided with locking elements 131 disposed about the length of its inner face 132 (part of the outer side face 130 facing the hollow portion 140 housing the pull-out guide rails 30) for engagement with corresponding L-shaped clips 521 formed on the outer side face 520 of the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d. For example, the locking elements 131 may take the form of a plurality of tabs formed by bending portions of the outer side face 130 upwards, as seen in Figure 6b.

The inner side face 120 is orthogonally connected to an inverted L-shaped flange 150. The inverted L-shaped flange 150 could be provided to be integral with the side wall 100 (inner side face 120) or separately provided (and joined by welding or any other suitable attachment means). The foot 151 of the inverted L-shaped flange 150 is disposed substantially parallel to the drawer bottom panel 7 and has side wall L-shaped flange opening 152 to enable access to the threaded actuating element 900 from within the drawer. The leg 153 of the inverted L-shaped flange 150 is disposed perpendicular to the drawer bottom panel 7 and substantially parallel to the side wall 100. Openings 154 may be provided at predetermined positions on the inverted L-shaped flange leg 153 through which fastening elements may be inserted for removably connecting the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d to the drawer frame side wall 100.

The rear longitudinal end of the top face 110 of the side wall 100 is preferably provided with a cut-out portion 111 that spans about half of the width of the top face 110. The cut-out portion 111 is provided for receiving a bracket 160 for removable mounting of the drawer rear panel 6 at the rear of the drawer frame 10. The bracket 160 should be sized such that its length preferably substantially corresponds to the thickness of the drawer rear panel 6.

The drawer frame 10 of this invention is suitable for use with a side mount drawer configuration rather than for an undermount drawer configuration. The pull-out guide rails 30 for use with a drawer frame 10 of this invention may be of the "full-extension" type or the "single-extension" type.

In a "full-extension" system (see Figure 3), the pull-out guide rails 30 comprises a mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c for fixing the drawer 4 to the inner side wall 2 of an article of furniture 1, a cabinet rail 320 fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c, an intermediate rail 330 slidable on the cabinet rail 320 and a drawer rail 340 operatively connected to the drawer frame side wall 100 and slidable on the intermediate rail 330. In a "single-extension" system, the drawer rail 340 is directly slidable on the cabinet rail 320 mounted on the mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c.

The mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c is an elongated structure that preferably spans the length of the pull-out guide rails 30. Alternatively, a plurality of "mini" mounting brackets 310a, 310b, 310c can be provided spaced apart along the length of the pull-out guide rails 30. The mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c is preferably formed from sheet metal into a substantially L-section comprising of a vertical flange 311 and a horizontal flange 312. The vertical flange 311 has a multitude of holes 313a, 313b, 313c for fixing the bracket 310a, 310b, 310c to the inner side 2 of an article of furniture 1 such as a cabinet or chassis into which the drawer 4 is to be installed. Although not illustrated here, reinforcing studs may be formed at the bent edge of the L-section for increasing the rigidity and load capacity of the mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c.

The cabinet rail 320 is fixedly mounted onto the horizontal flange 312 of the mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c. The cabinet rail 320 may preferably be formed from sheet metal into an upward facing open C-section.

The intermediate rail 330 is preferably formed from sheet metal into a substantially I-section. Alternatively, the intermediate rail 330 may be a composite of two Ts with upper flange 331, lower flanges 332 and a vertical web 333. The width of the upper and lower flanges 331, 332 is considerably less than that of the cabinet rail 320 and drawer rail 340. The intermediate rail 330 is slidable relative to the cabinet rail 320, and the drawer rail 340 is slidable relative to the intermediate rail 330.

The drawer rail 340 is preferably formed from sheet metal into a downward facing open C-section. The open side of the C-section fits over the intermediate rail 330. The drawer rail 340 comprises a shoulder 341 that extends along its length, on the inner side 342 of the rail 340.

An L-shaped hook 344 is provided on the upper surface 343, at the rear longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340 for engagement with a drawer 4. The hook 344 may be integral with the drawer rail 340 or separately provided and fixedly attached thereto. During assembly of the drawer side frame 100 of this invention, the hook 344 slidingly engages with an apron 712 of the adjusting plate 700 of this invention (as will be described below) to restrict vertical movement of the adjusting plate 700, in use. The drawer rail 340 is also preferably provided with a suitable connecting profile 346 at its front longitudinal end for operative engagement with a drawer pull-in device (not shown) fixed on the drawer bottom surface. The drawer rail 340 is operatively attached to the drawer 4 by way of the hook 344 at its rear longitudinal end and the connecting profile 346 at its front longitudinal end and is slidable on the intermediate rail 330 (in a full extension system) or the cabinet rail 320 (in a single extension system).

The connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d form part of the drawer frame side wall 100 and are elongate structures that preferably have a cross-section that corresponds to that of the side wall 100 with a top face 510 and a pair of spaced apart side faces 520, 530. The connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d are preferably, equi-distributed about the length of, and, connected at predetermined positions, to the inverted L-shaped flange leg 151. The rear most connector strut 50a is operatively connected to the adjusting plate 700, at the rear longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340.

The side faces of the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d comprise an outer side surface 520, i.e. the panel facing away from a drawer interior 8, and an inner side surface 530, i.e. the panel facing towards the drawer interior 8. As seen in Figure 6b, a plurality of L-shaped clips 521 are provided on the outer side surface 520 for engagement with the side wall outer side face locking elements 131. This allow for the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d to be easily and removably attached to the side wall 110 of the drawer frame 10.

The top face 510 of the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d is also preferably provided with openings 511 through which fastening elements may be inserted for connecting the mounting bracket 160 of the drawer rear panel 6.

The top face 510 of the rear most connector strut 50a comprises an upwardly projecting tab 512. The tab 512 comprises a pair of spaced apart guide protrusions 513 that mate with corresponding guide depressions 715 on the adjusting plate 700, in use. The tab 512 is also provided with an oblong aperture 514, through which a suitable fastening element 20 (e.g. rivet), may be inserted for joining this rear most connector strut 50a with the adjusting plate 700. In use, the fastening element 20 is vertically slidable within aperture 514.

The inner side surface 530 of the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d may comprise an opening through which a fastening element may be inserted for connecting the struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d to the side wall inverted L-shaped flange.

The inner side surface 530 of each connector strut 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d is orthogonally connected to a support rib 540. The support rib 540 comprises a vertical flange 541 disposed perpendicular to the drawer bottom panel 7, an outer side flange 542 orthogonally connected to the inner side face of the connector strut 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, and an inner side flange 545 parallel to the drawer bottom panel 7.

In addition to the above-described embodiment of a plurality of connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, it is also conceivable that the connector strut 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d (with support rib 540) could be provided as a single structure that spans the length of the side wall 100.

The outer side flange 542 of the support rib 540 of the rear most connector strut 50a comprises a mating aperture 543 for receiving the threaded actuating element 900 of the actuating plate 700. In use, the threaded actuating element 900 is accessible from within the drawer 4 through the side wall L-shaped flange opening 152 when received within the mating aperture 543. The outer side flange 542 of the rear most connector strut 50a also comprises a slot 544 for receiving a guide 720 to restrict sliding movement of the adjusting device 80 (adjusting plate 700), in use.

The inner side flange 545 of the support rib 540 is adapted to receive the drawer bottom panel 7. The inner side flange 545 may preferably comprise an angular lip 546 on its inner side edge to facilitate engagement between the drawer bottom panel 7 and the inner side flange 545. An inwardly punched-out tab 547 may also be preferably formed about the centre (lengthwise) of the inner side flange 545 for tightly securing the drawer bottom panel 7 when the underside of the drawer bottom panel 7 is fitted on to the punched-out tab 547.

The drawer bottom panel 7 is mountable onto the support rib 545 such that its side abuts against the support rib vertical flange 541. In use, the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d (with support ribs 540) bear the weight of the drawer load. Reinforcing studs 548 may be preferably formed at the bent edge between the inner side flange 545 and the vertical flange 541 of each support rib 540 to increase rigidity and load capacity of the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d.

In an embodiment where a plurality of connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d are provided, only the rear most connector strut 50a is provided with structures (e.g. slot 544, projecting tab 512, aperture 543) to accommodate elements of the adjusting device 80. Although not shown in the drawings, the remaining connector struts 50b, 50c, 50d do not contain such structures.

The adjusting device 80 of the drawer frame 10 of this invention comprises an adjusting plate 700 and a threaded actuating element 900. In use, the adjusting device 80 is accessible from within the drawer through the side wall L-shaped flange opening 152.

The adjusting plate 700 comprises a planar top face 710. A side face 713 projects upwardly from the outer side edge of the top face 710 and an L-shaped flange 716 projects downwardly from the inner side edge. The adjusting plate 700 is preferably a one-piece structure made from any suitable sturdy material such as sheet metal.

The top face 710 comprises an apron 712, slidingly receivable under the hook 344 of the drawer rail 340 during assembly, is provided about the rear of the top face 710. Engagement of the apron 712 with the drawer rail hook 344 adjacent the rear longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340 restricts vertical movement of the adjusting plate 700, in use.

The side face 713 comprises an opening 714 through which a fastening element can be inserted for joining the adjusting plate 700 to the rear most connector strut 50a via its tab 512. For example, a rivet 20 and a washer 40 could be used for this purpose. The side face 713 is also provided with a pair of spaced apart guide depressions 715 receivable within the guide protrusions 513 of the rear most connector strut 50a to guide the vertical movement of the rear most connector strut 50a (tab 512) relative to the side face 713 of the adjustment plate 700, in use.

The foot 717 of the L-shaped flange 716, which is disposed parallel to the top face 1o 710, comprises an aperture 718 for receiving a blunt tip portion 930 of the actuating element 900 (as described below). Preferably, the diameter of the adjusting plate aperture 718 is smaller than that of the mating aperture 543. This stops the threaded body portion 920 of the actuating element 900 from passing through aperture 718, and the threaded body portion 920 of actuating element 900 remains above the L-shaped flange foot 717 of the adjusting plate 700, in use.

In another embodiment, the L-shaped flange foot 717 comprises an aperture 718 for receiving a threaded body portion 920 of the actuating element 900 (as described below). In this embodiment, the diameter of the adjusting plate aperture 718 is preferably greater than that of the mating aperture 543.

A guide 720 is provided on the leg 719 of the L-shaped flange 716 of the adjusting plate 700. Preferably, the guide 720 is an elongated vertical projection. The guide 720 is receivable within the slot 544 of the outer side flange 542 of the support rib 540 to restrict sliding movement of the adjusting plate 700, in use. The joining seam of the L shaped flange 716 with the top face 710 may be further provided with a pair of corner strikes 721 for increasing the rigidity of the L-shaped flange 716.

The actuating element 900 preferably comprises a head portion 910, a threaded body portion 920, and a blunt tip portion 930. The diameter of the head portion 910 is considerably greater than that of the threaded body portion 920, and the diameter of the threaded body portion 920 is considerably greater than that of the blunt tip portion 930. The blunt tip portion 930 is not threaded and preferably has a diameter that corresponds to that of the adjusting plate aperture 718. Alternatively, the blunt tip portion 930 has a diameter that corresponds to that of the rear most connector strut mating aperture 543. The diameter of the threaded body portion 920 corresponds to that of the rear most connector strut mating aperture 543, within which the threaded body portion 920 is rotatably received. Alternatively, the diameter of the threaded body portion 920 may correspond to that of the aperture 718, within which the threaded body portion 920 is rotatably received. The head portion 910 is accessible from within the drawer 4, through side wall L-shaped flange opening 152. The actuating element 900 is rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The head portion 910 is adapted to receive a suitable tool for effecting turning or rotation of the actuating element 900.

During assembly of the drawer frame 10 of this invention, firstly, the pull-out guide rail system 30 is assembled. Subsequently, the adjusting plate 700 is rested on and slidably locked at the rear longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340 via engagement of the apron 712 with the drawer rail hook 344. This engagement restricts vertical movement of the adjusting plate 700, in use.

The connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d are then installed as part of the side wall 100 of the drawer frame 10, with its top face 510 resting on the drawer rail upper face 343. The guide 720 of the adjusting plate 700 fits into the rear most connector strut slot 544 to restrict sliding movement of the adjusting plate 700, in use. Engagement of the apron 712 with drawer rail hook 344 anchors the adjusting plate 700 stationary to facilitate lowering and raising of the side wall of the drawer frame 10 about its pivot point Z towards the front longitudinal end of the drawer frame 10.

The guide protrusions 513 receive the guide depressions 715 to guide vertical movement of tab 512 of the rear most connector strut 50a relative to the side face 713 of the adjusting plate 700. A fastening element 20 (e.g. rivet) is inserted through the openings 514, 714, to strengthen the abutment between the projecting tab 512 and the outer side face 713. Upon assembly of the adjusting plate 700 and the rear most connector strut 50a with the drawer rail 340, the foot 717 of the adjusting plate inner side L-shaped flange 716 is disposed underneath the support rib outer side flange 542 such that the adjusting plate aperture 718 and the rear most connector strut mating aperture 543 are vertically aligned. Alternatively, the foot 717 of the adjusting plate inner side L-shaped flange 716 may be disposed above the support rib outer side flange 542 such that the adjusting plate aperture 718 and the rear most connector strut mating aperture 543 are vertically aligned.

The actuating element 900 can now be rotatably inserted into the apertures 543, 718. Rotating the threaded actuating element 900 now (for example, with a screw driver), either in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction will result in the entire rear portion of the drawer 4 being raised or lowered relative to the pull-out guide rails 30 about a pivot point Z adjacent the front longitudinal end of the drawer frame 10.

When in use, the pull-out guide rails 30 are fixed to the side wall 2 of an article of furniture 1 by way of the mounting bracket 310a, 310b, 310c, to which the cabinet rail 320 is fixed. The adjusting plate 700 of the adjusting device 80 is anchored stationary to the rear longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340 of the guide rail system 30. Vertical movement of the adjusting plate 700 is restricted due to engagement between hook 344 and the apron 712. The front longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340 with the connecting profile 346 is engaged with a pull-in device (not shown). Only the drawer side wall 100 and the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d are tiltable when the threaded actuating element 900 is rotated.

In one embodiment, the blunt tip portion 930 of the actuating element 900 is received within the adjusting plate aperture 718 and the threaded body portion 920 of the actuating element 900 is disposed above the L-shaped flange foot 717 of the adjusting plate 700. When the actuating element 900 is rotated (either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction), the blunt tip portion 930 rotates around a vertical rotation axis within the adjusting plate aperture 718. The rear most connector strut 50a moves vertical as the threaded body portion 920 of the actuating element 900 rotates within mating aperture 543.

As illustrated in Figure 7a, the head portion 910 of the actuating element 900 is received within and accessible through the L-shaped flange opening 152. The locking projection 720 is received within the rear most connector strut slot 544. The rivet 20 (with washer 40) is received within and is disposed at the upper portion of oblong aperture 514.

When the actuating element 900 is rotated, as shown in Figure 7b, the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d (and side wall 100) begins to be raised. Vertical movement of tab 512 of the rear most connector strut 50a relative to the side face 713 of the adjusting plate 700 is guided by guide protrusions 513 and guide depressions 715. The rear most connector strut slot 544 "slides upward" relative to the guide 720. The rivet 20 (with washer 40) "slides downward" within oblong aperture 514. At this point, the head portion 910 of the actuating element 900 is no longer received within the L-shaped flange opening 152 but is below it, and about half of the threaded body portion 920 is rotated into the rear most connector strut mating aperture 543. The connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d receive the drawer bottom panel 7 (via support ribs 540) and are attached to the drawer frame side wall 110 (via L-shaped clips 521 on outer side surface 520). The upward movement of the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d causes the rear end of both the drawer frame 10 and the drawer bottom panel 7 to be raised up about pivot point Z, which consequently lowers the front end of the drawer frame 10. This causes the drawer front panel 5 to be tilted away from the front face 3 of the article of furniture 1.

As seen in Figure 7c, when the actuating element 900 is further rotated, the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d (and side wall 111) continues to be raised upwards. The rear most connector strut slot 544 "slides further upward" relative to guide 720. The rivet 20 (with washer 40) "slides further downward" within oblong aperture 514. The threaded body portion 920 of the actuating element 900 is fully rotated into the mating aperture 543 and the head portion 910 of the actuating element 900 rests on the inverted L-shaped flange foot 151. The further upward movement of connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d causes the rear ends of both the drawer frame 10 and the drawer bottom panel 7 to be further raised up. This in turn causes the drawer rear portion to be further raised about pivot point Z, which further lowers the front longitudinal end of the drawer frame 10. The drawer front panel 5 is now caused to be tilted further away from the front face 3 of the article of furniture 1 (see Figure 1b).

Pivot point Z may be any suitable configuration provided adjacent the front longitudinal end of the drawer side frame 10 of this invention that supports and promotes tilting of the drawer side frame 10 about that configuration (pivot point) as its rear longitudinal end is raised or lowered (due to activation of the adjusting device). For example, this pivot point Z configuration can be provided adjacent the front longitudinal end of the connector strut 50 or the drawer rail 340.

In an embodiment, the pivot point Z configuration could be a projection disposed on the upper surface of the top face, at the front longitudinal end of the front most connector strut (e.g. connector strut 50d). Alternatively, the pivot point Z configuration could be a projection disposed underneath the top face 510, at the front longitudinal end of the front most connector strut (e.g. connector strut 50d).

In another embodiment, the pivot point Z configuration could also be a projection disposed on the upper surface 343, at the front longitudinal end of the drawer rail 340.

In the drawer side frame 10 of this invention, the maximum tilt angle of the drawer front panel 5, away from the front face 3 of the article of furniture 1 is determined by the height of oblong aperture 514 of the rear most connector strut tab 512. For example, in an embodiment of the drawer side frame 10 as seen in Figures 1 to 7 having an oblong aperture 514 of 0.5 cm in height, the maximum tilt angle of the drawer front panel 5 is about 0.50. This exemplary drawer side frame 10 is adapted to be used with a pull-out guide rail system 30 of 45 cm length.

A complete drawer side frame 10 of this invention, as above described, is formed when a side wall 100 fits over and houses the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, adjusting plate 700, actuating element 900 and pull-out guide rails 30, which include a drawer rail 340 and a cabinet rail 320.

A complete drawer assembly 4, for use with the drawer side frame 10 of this invention, comprises a front panel 5, a rear panel 6, a bottom panel 7, and two drawer side frames 10, and. The rear panel 6 is removably fixed to the rear longitudinal end of each of the drawer side frame 10 by way of a connecting bracket 160. The front longitudinal end of each drawer frame 10 is removably fixed to a side of the front panel 5. The drawer 4 is slidably fitted within an article of furniture 1 when the drawer bottom panel 7 is mounted on the connector struts 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d of the drawer side frame 10.

All directional statements such as inner, outer, top, bottom, front, rear, side, upward, downward, raised and lowered, made here are relative to the orientation of the drawer side frame of this invention (and drawer assembly), in use.

As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention may easily be produced in other specific forms without departing from its scope or essential characteristics. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered as merely illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (14)

1. A drawer side frame, said frame comprising a side wall (100) for housing pull-out guide rails (30), said guide rails (30) including a drawer rail (340) operatively connected to a drawer (4), said side wall (100) including a connector strut (50a, 50b, 50c, 50d) for receiving a drawer bottom panel (7); and an adjusting device (9) at the rear longitudinal end of said connector strut (50a), for lowering and raising said side wall (100) relative to the pull-out guide rails (30) about a pivot point (Z) adjacent the front longitudinal end of said frame (10); wherein said adjusting device (80) includes an adjusting plate (700) and a threaded actuating element (900); said adjusting plate (700) including an apron (712) that lock said adjusting plate (700) to said drawer rail (340) and said side wall (100), and anchors said adjusting plate (700) stationary to facilitate lowering and raising of said side wall (100); said threaded actuating element (900) accessible from within the drawer (4) such that rotation of said actuating element (900) effects lowering or raising of said side wall (100) about said pivot point (Z).

2. A drawer frame according to claim 1, wherein said side wall (100) has a substantially inverted U-shape cross-section with a top face (110) and a pair of spaced apart side faces (120, 130) with the inner side face (120) orthogonally connected to an inverted L-shaped flange (150).

3. A drawer frame according to claim 2, wherein the foot (151) of said inverted L shaped flange (150) is disposed substantially parallel to the drawer bottom panel (7) and further comprises a side wall L-shaped flange opening (152) to enable access of said actuating element (900) from within the drawer (4).

4. A drawer frame according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said connector strut (50a, 50b, 50c, 50d) has a cross-section corresponding to that of said side wall (100) with a top face (510) and a pair of spaced apart side faces (520, 530), said inner side face (530) orthogonally connected to a support rib (540).

5. A drawer frame according to claim 4, wherein said support rib (540) comprises a vertical flange (541) disposed perpendicular to the drawer bottom panel (7) and an outer side flange (542) orthogonally connected to said inner side face (530) of said connector (50a, 50b, 50c, 50d) and an inner side flange (545) parallel to the drawer bottom panel (7).

6. A drawer frame according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said support rib (540) further comprises a slot (544) for receiving a guide (720) to restrict sliding movement of said adjusting plate (700), in use.

7. A drawer frame according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the actuating element (900) is receivable within a mating aperture (543) located on said support rib (540) such that said threaded actuating element (900) is accessible through said side wall L-shaped flange opening (152) when received within said mating aperture (543), in use.

8. A drawer frame according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein said top face (510) further comprises an upwardly projecting tab (512) having guide protrusions (513).

9. A drawer frame according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said adjusting plate (700) comprises a planar top face (710), an outer side face (713) upwardly projecting from said top face (710) and an inner side comprising an L-shaped flange (716).

10. A drawer frame according to claim 9, wherein said apron (712) is provided on said top face (710) such that said apron (712) enables said adjusting plate (700) to be slidingly locked with the drawer rail (340) during assembly to restrict vertical movement of said adjusting plate (700), in use.

11. A drawer frame according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said guide (720) is disposed on the leg (719) of said inner side L-shaped flange (716).

12. A drawer frame according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the foot (717) of said inner side L-shaped flange (716) further comprises a mating aperture (718) for receiving said threaded actuating element (900).

13. A drawer frame according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein said outer side face (713) further comprises guide depressions (715) that mate with said guide protrusions (513) to facilitate abutment of said upwardly projecting tab (512) with said outer side face (713), in use.

14. A drawer frame according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said threaded actuating element (900) comprises a head portion (910), a threaded body portion (920), and a blunt tip portion (930), said head portion (910) accessible from within the drawer (4) to rotationally actuate lowering or raising of said side wall (100) about said pivot point (Z).