초록 ▼

A storage cabinet with a plurality of drawers has an interlocking mechanism which prevents more than one drawer being opened at any time. A vertical U-shaped support rail is located in the back of the cabinet, and vertical locking bars are disposed therein. Each locking bar pivots between two angula

A storage cabinet with a plurality of drawers has an interlocking mechanism which prevents more than one drawer being opened at any time. A vertical U-shaped support rail is located in the back of the cabinet, and vertical locking bars are disposed therein. Each locking bar pivots between two angular positions, and at least one shuttle mounted in the support rail confines the locking bars to a restricted range of pivoting, and requires that their pivoting be simultaneous. A spring bias on the shuttle forces the locking bars into one of two spring-biased pivot positions. In a first position, all the drawers are closed, and are free to be opened. The opening of a drawer causes a camplate attached to the drawer to shift the locking bars from the first pivot position to the second pivot position. In the second position, the unopened drawers are locked due to the obstruction of the camplates of the unopened drawers by one of the locking bars. Upon the opened drawer being closed, the camplate of the open drawer engages the locking bars and moves them back to the first pivot position, thereby removing the obstruction. Side supports of the camplates reinforce the stress on the support rail caused by deflection of one of the locking bars when a drawer is pulled on while in the locked position. A single cabinet locking mechanism and a gang-locking mechanism are also provided to allow manual cabinet locking.

대표청구항 ▼

A storage cabinet comprising: a plurality of drawers each of which is movable between an open position and a closed position; a plurality of camplates each attached to one of the drawers and each having a camming surface; a first locking bar which is engaged by a first camming surface of each of the

A storage cabinet comprising: a plurality of drawers each of which is movable between an open position and a closed position; a plurality of camplates each attached to one of the drawers and each having a camming surface; a first locking bar which is engaged by a first camming surface of each of the camplates such that said first locking bar pivots about a first pivot axis from an unlocked to a locked position when one of the drawers is moved to an open position and which, in the locked position, provides an obstruction which prevents drawers in the closed position from being moved to an open position, the first locking bar, in the direction of the pivot axis, having two opposite end portions and an intermediate portion between the two end portions; a support rail which contacts and supports the intermediate portion of the first locking bar, the support rail restricting lateral movement of the first locking bar, but allowing pivoting movement thereof; a second locking bar which is engaged by a second camming surface of each of the camplates such that the second locking bar pivots about a second pivot axis substantially parallel to the first pivot axis, the engagement of the second locking bar by the second camming surface causing the second locking bar to pivot from a locked position to an unlocked position when a drawer in an open position is moved to a closed position; a linkage which links the pivoting motion of the first locking bar and the second locking bar such that the bars pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position in unison; a locking mechanism comprising a) pivot bar having a locking surface on a first side adjacent to said second locking bar and a contact arm extending from a second side adjacent to said first locking bar; b) means for pivotally mounting said pivot bar to said support rail; and c) means for rotating said pivot bar about a pivot point between a locked and unlocked position; wherein said locking surface of said pivot bar engages said second locking bar to secure said second locking bar in the locked position and further wherein said contact arm of said pivot bar engages said first locking bar causing said first locking bar to pivot from the locked position to the unlocked position.