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(11) | EP 2 850 970 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly with auto-closing mechanism spring force adjustability |
| (57) A side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly formed of a fixed rail, a movable
rail, an auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, a sliding device, a linking member
and a spring member is disclosed. The auto-closing mechanism carrier plate has a spring
force adjustment member longitudinally adjustably mounted thereon and connected with
an opposite end of the spring member for adjusting the restoring force of the at least
one spring member. By means of adjusting the position of a spring force adjustment
member on the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, the restoring force of the spring
member is relatively adjusted to fit different requirements, and thus, the side-locking
ball bearing sliding rail assembly can be used for carrying different loads or to
fit different size tolerances without making any modifications, or changing the drawer
or the spring member, assuring a high level of operating smoothness and accuracy.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly technology and more particularly, a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly that allows fine adjustment of the restoring force of the loaded spring member.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0002] A conventional side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly 7 (see Fig. 1) is known comprising an auto-closing mechanism for automatically moving the movable rail 71 thereof with the connected drawer 81 backwards to the close position by means of the elastic restoring force of a spring member (not shown) thereof. Taiwan Utility M292955, issued to the present inventor, discloses a similar design capable of automatically closing the drawer and buffering the closing action. The known auto-closing mechanisms for side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly commonly use a spring member or multiple spring members for pulling back the movable rail and the connected drawer. However, the restoring force of the spring member(s) of the known designs is fixed and not adjustable. Therefore, the design of Taiwan Utility M292955 shown in Fig. 1 and other similar conventional designs commonly have the drawbacks as outlined hereinafter.
- 1. When carrying a heavy load, the restoring force of the spring member can be insufficient for effectively returning the movable rail 71 with the connected drawer 81 back to the closing position, and the user needs to replace the spring member with another one having a relatively larger restoring force; however, replacing the spring member is a complicated work and needs a special technique, bringing inconvenience to the user.
- 2. When carrying a light load, the restoring force of the spring member can pull the movable rail 71 with the connected drawer 81 back to the close position in a rush, causing noises and vibrations of the cabinet body 82, for example, bedside that accommodates the drawer; to solve this problem, the user needs to replace the spring member with another one having a relatively smaller restoring force; however, replacing the spring member is a complicated work and needs a special technique, bringing inconvenience to the user.
- 3. After installation of a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly to have the movable rail 71 be affixed to one lateral panel of the drawer 72 and the fixed rail 72 be affixed to an inner wall of the cabinet body 82, the drawer 81 with the movable rail 71 can be unable to move backwardly from the open position to the close position smoothly due to engineering problems in dimensions and tolerances. When this condition happens, the user needs to correct or replace the drawer, or to detach related components and replace the spring member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly with auto-closing mechanism spring force adjustability that allows fine adjustment of the restoring force of the loaded spring member conveniently by means of adjusting the position of a spring force adjustment member.
[0004] It is another object of the present invention to provide a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly with auto-closing mechanism spring force adjustability, which can be used for carrying different loads or to fit different size tolerances without making any modifications, changing the drawer or the spring member, assuring a high level of operating smoothness and accuracy.
[0005] To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly with auto-closing mechanism spring force adjustability of the invention formed of a fixed rail, a movable rail, an auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, a sliding device, a linking member and at least one spring member is characterized in that the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly further comprises a spring force adjustment member longitudinally adjustably mounted at the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate and connected with an opposite end of each spring member for adjusting the restoring force of the at least one spring member. Thus, by means of adjusting the position of a spring force adjustment member, the restoring force of the at least one spring member is relatively adjusted to fit different requirements for carrying different loads.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0006]
Fig. 1 is a schematic front plain view illustrating a conventional side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly mounted between a cabinet and a drawer.
Fig. 2 is an oblique top elevational view, illustrating an auto-closing mechanism mounted in a fixed rail of a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 3 is an oblique bottom elevational view of the movable rail of the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a schematic top plain view of the auto-closing mechanism of the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the movable rail moved backwards and the linking member kept away from the sliding device.
Fig. 5 is a schematic top plain view of the auto-closing mechanism of the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the movable rail returned to its former position.
Fig. 6 is an oblique top elevational view, in an enlarged scale, of a part of the present invention, illustrating the structure of the auto-closing mechanism.
Fig. 7 corresponds to Fig. 6 when viewed from another angle.
Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the auto-closing mechanism of the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a side plain view of the auto-closing mechanism of the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 10 corresponds to Fig. 9, illustrating the position of the spring force adjustment member adjusted.
Fig. 11 corresponds to Fig. 10, illustrating the hook block of the spring force adjustment member disengaged from the hook grooves of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate.
Fig. 12 corresponds to Fig. 11, illustrating the spring force adjustment member moved forwards after disengagement of the hook block of the spring force adjustment member from the hook grooves of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Referring to FIGS. 2-12, a side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly with auto-closing mechanism spring force adjustability in accordance with the present invention is shown. The side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly comprises:
a fixed rail 1 (see Figs. 2-5) affixed to an inner sidewall of a cabinet (not shown);
a movable rail 2 (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 5) affixed to a drawer (not shown) and mounted on and forwardly and backwardly slidable relative to the fixed rail 1 to carry the drawer relative to the fixed rail 1;
an auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 (see Fig. 2 and Figs. 4-8) fixedly fastened to one end of the fixed rail 1 and comprising at least one, for example, one longitudinally extending sliding slot 31 (see Figs. 6-8), and a retaining hole 32 disposed in communication with one end of the sliding slot 31;
a sliding device 4 (see Fig. 2, Figs. 4-8) mounted on and forwardly and backwardly movable relative to the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3, comprising a guide member 41 pivotally located at one end thereof and coupled to and slidable along the longitudinally extending sliding slot 31 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3, a locating member 43 for the connection of one end of a spring member 5;
a linking member 20 (see Fig. 3) mounted at one end of the movable rail 2 for linking the guide member 41 of the sliding device 4 to move the sliding device 4 into engagement with or away from the retaining hole 32 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3; and
at least one, for example, one spring member 5 having one end thereof connected to the locating member 43 of the sliding device 4 such that the spring member 5 can be stretched out by the sliding device 4 and can then pull the sliding device 4 backward by means of its elastic restoring force after disappearance of the stretching force.
[0008] Based on the composition of the above-described component parts, when moving the drawer and the movable rail 2 backwardly to the position where the linking member 20 of the movable rail 2 is abutted against the guide member 41 of the sliding device 4, the guide member 41 is disengaged from the retaining hole 32 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3, causing the sliding device 4 to be forced by the elastic potential energy of the spring member 5 to move backwardly along the sliding slot 31 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 and to further carry the movable rail 2 and the drawer to the close position in the cabinet (see Fig. 5), and thus the expected auto-closing function is achieved.
[0010] The side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly further comprises a spring force adjustment member 6 longitudinally adjustably mounted at the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 and connected with an opposite end 52 of the spring member 5 for adjusting the restoring force of the spring member 5. The spring force adjustment member 6 comprises a retaining means 61, for example, a hook block 611 (or hook groove) selectively engageable with one of a longitudinal series of hook grooves (or hook blocks) 33 at the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 to adjust the restoring force of the spring member 5.
[0011] The spring force adjustment member 6 further comprises an opening 62 disposed adjacent to the retaining means 61 so that the retaining means 61 is elastically deformably movable in direction away from the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate (see Fig. 11) to disengage the at least one hook block (or hook groove) 611 thereof from the at least one hook groove (or hook block) 33 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3.
[0012] The spring force adjustment member 6 further comprises a finger block 612 located at one side of the retaining means 61 for pressing by the user to move the retaining means 61 in direction away from the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3.
[0013] The auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 further comprises a sub sliding slot 34 longitudinally disposed at one lateral side thereof. The spring force adjustment member 6 further comprises a sliding block 63 coupled to and movable along the sub sliding slot 34 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3.
[0014] Further, the sliding block 63 of the spring force adjustment member 6 has an expanded head 631 larger than the width of the sub sliding slot 34 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 for preventing the sliding block 63 from escaping out of the sub sliding slot 34.
[0015] Further, the spring force adjustment member 6 comprises a locating member, for example, locating groove 64 (see Fig. 6 and Fig. 7) for the connection of the opposite end 52 of the spring member 5.
[0016] Further, the sub sliding slot 34 of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 has an expanded end portion 35 located in one end thereof through which the expanded head 631 of the sliding block 63 of the spring force adjustment member 6 can be moved in and out of the sub sliding slot 34.
[0017] When wishing to adjust the restoring force of the spring member 5, push the expanded head 631 of the sliding block 63 of the spring force adjustment member 6 to move the spring force adjustment member 6 in direction reverse to the direction of hooking the hook block 611 (or hook groove) of the retaining means 61 in one hook groove 33 (or hook block) of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10), the spring member 5 is stretched, increasing the restoring force of the spring member 5. When released the applied force from the expanded head 631 at this time, the hook block 611 (or hook groove) of the retaining means 61 is immediately forced into engagement with one hook groove 33 (or hook block) of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3; when the user imparts a downward pressure to the finger block 612 of the spring force adjustment member 6 to move the retaining means 61 in direction away from the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3 (see Fig. 11), the hook block 611 (or hook groove) of the retaining means 61 is disengaged from the hook grooves 33 (or hook blocks) of the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3, and the elastic potential energy of the spring member 5 causes the spring force adjustment member 6 to move in direction toward the one end 51 of the spring member 5 (see Fig. 12), and thus the hook block 611 (or hook groove) of the retaining means 61 of the spring force adjustment member 6 is forced into engagement with one hook groove 33
[0019] As indicated above, the invention has the following features:
- 1. The user can easily and conveniently increase or reduce the restoring force of the spring member 5 by means of pressing the finger block 612 to adjust the position of the spring force adjustment member 6 on the auto-closing mechanism carrier plate 3.
- 2. By means of adjusting the restoring force of the spring member 5, the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly can be used for carrying different loads or to fit different size tolerances without making any modifications, changing the drawer or the spring member 5, assuring a high level of operating smoothness and accuracy.
[0020] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
a fixed rail affixed to an inner sidewall of a cabinet;
a movable rail affixed to a drawer and mounted on and forwardly and backwardly slidable relative to said fixed rail to carry said drawer relative to said fixed rail;
an auto-closing mechanism carrier plate fixedly fastened to one end of said fixed rail, said auto-closing mechanism comprising a longitudinally extending sliding slot, and a retaining hole disposed in communication with one end of said sliding slot;
a sliding device mounted on and forwardly and backwardly movable relative to said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, said sliding device comprising a guide member pivotally located at one end thereof and coupled to and slidable along said longitudinally extending sliding slot of said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, a locating member for the connection of one end of a spring member;
a linking member mounted at one end of said movable rail for linking said guide member of said sliding device to move said sliding device into engagement with or away from said retaining hole of said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate; and
at least one spring member, each said spring member having one end thereof connected to said locating member of said sliding device so that said at least one spring member is stretchable by said sliding device to pull said sliding device;
wherein the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly further comprises a spring force adjustment member longitudinally adjustably mounted at said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate and connected with an opposite end of each said spring member for adjusting the restoring force of said at least one spring member.
a fixed rail affixed to an inner sidewall of a cabinet;
a movable rail affixed to a drawer and mounted on and forwardly and backwardly slidable relative to said fixed rail to carry said drawer relative to said fixed rail;
an auto-closing mechanism carrier plate fixedly fastened to one end of said fixed rail, said auto-closing mechanism comprising a longitudinally extending sliding slot, and a retaining hole disposed in communication with one end of said sliding slot;
a sliding device mounted on and forwardly and backwardly movable relative to said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, said sliding device comprising a guide member pivotally located at one end thereof and coupled to and slidable along said longitudinally extending sliding slot of said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate, a locating member for the connection of one end of a spring member;
a linking member mounted at one end of said movable rail for linking said guide member of said sliding device to move said sliding device into engagement with or away from said retaining hole of said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate; and
at least one spring member, each said spring member having one end thereof connected to said locating member of said sliding device so that said at least one spring member is stretchable by said sliding device to pull said sliding device;
wherein the side-locking ball bearing sliding rail assembly further comprises a spring force adjustment member longitudinally adjustably mounted at said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate and connected with an opposite end of each said spring member for adjusting the restoring force of said at least one spring member, said spring force adjustment member comprising a retaining means detachably fastenable to said auto-closing mechanism carrier plate in one of a longitudinal series of positions to adjust the restoring force of said at least one spring member.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description