초록

A telescoping slide assembly includes interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides. A retainer is used to retain a piece of equipment in a fixed position on the load-carrying slide.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A telescoping slide assembly comprising interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides movable relative to one another to extend and retract the load-carrying and intermediate slides relative to the stationary slide, the load-carrying slide being form

The invention claimed is: 1. A telescoping slide assembly comprising interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides movable relative to one another to extend and retract the load-carrying and intermediate slides relative to the stationary slide, the load-carrying slide being formed to include a keyhole-shaped slot providing an enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion and a narrow-width post-retainer portion, the keyhole-shaped slot being adapted to receive a mounting post coupled to a piece of equipment to be carried on the load-carrying slide, and a post retainer including a base coupled to the load-carrying slide and an arm formed to include a retention aperture and being coupled to the base to move relative to the load-carrying slide between a slot-opening position lying away from the load-carrying slide to allow movement of the mounting post into the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion of the keyhole-shaped slot and a slot-closing position receiving the mounting post in the retention aperture upon movement of the mounting post from the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion into the narrow-width post-retainer portion of the keyhole-shaped slot. 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the arm includes an actuator and a body arranged to interconnect the actuator and the base, the body is formed to include the retention aperture, and the actuator includes means, facing toward the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion of the keyhole-shaped slot, for intercepting a mounting post moving into the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion and bending the body to cause the body to move away from the load-carrying slide so that the mounting post can pass from the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion of the keyhole-shaped slot into the narrow-width post-retainer portion of the keyhole-shaped slot and the retention aperture formed in the body whereupon the actuator moves toward the load-carrying slide under a restoring force applied by the body to block removal of the mounting post from narrow-width post-retainer portion and the retention aperture. 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the arm further includes a lift tab arranged to lie at an angle relative to the body and to the load-carrying slide to provide means for allowing a user to grip the retainer and move the actuator away from the load-carrying slide to bend the body to release the mounting post from the retention aperture so that the mounting post is free to move from the narrow-width post-retainer portion of the keyhole-shaped slot into the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion of the keyhole-shaped slot in preparation for removal of the mounting post from the keyhole-shaped slot. 4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the load-carrying slide includes a vertically extending upper lip, a horizontally extending upper flange coupled to the vertically extending upper lip, a vertically extending lower lip, a horizontally extending lower flange coupled to the vertically extending lower lip, and a vertically extending wall interconnecting the horizontally extending upper and lower flanges, and the vertically extending wall is formed to include the keyhole-shaped slot and is coupled to the base. 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the body of the arm is wider than the narrow-width post-retainer portion of the keyhole-shaped slot and a portion of the body lies adjacent to the vertically extending wall to block movement of the mounting post from the narrow-width post-retainer portion into the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion upon movement of the retainer to the slot-closing position. 6. The assembly of claim 4, wherein a single piece of spring metal is formed to define the base and body of the retainer, the base is welded to the vertically extending wall, side edges of the body are arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the horizontally extending upper and lower flanges, and the body is arranged to cause a portion of the body to cover a portion of the narrow-width post-retainer portion of the keyhole-shaped slot and to cause the retention aperture to lie in alignment with the narrow-width post-retainer portion of the keyhole-shaped slot to allow the mounting post to extend through the narrow-width post-retainer portion and the retention aperture. 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a single piece of spring metal is formed to define the post retainer and the post retainer is arranged to lie between the load-carrying and intermediate slides upon movement of the load-carrying and intermediate slides to a retracted position in the stationary slide. 8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the arm includes a distal end formed to include a lift tab arranged to lie at an acute angle relative to a vertically extending wall included in the load-carrying slide and formed to include the keyhole-shaped slot. 9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the arm includes a body formed to include the retention aperture and arranged to lie between the base and the lift tab and the body is arranged to lie adjacent to the vertically extending wall upon movement of the post retainer to the slot-closing position. 10. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the arm includes a body formed to include the retention aperture and arranged to lie between the base and the lift tab and the body is bendable to cause a portion thereof formed to include the retention aperture to move away from the vertically extending wall upon movement of the post retainer to the slot-opening position. 11. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the arm includes an actuator arranged to overlie at least a portion of the enlarged-diameter entry portion of the keyhole-shaped slot to intercept a mounting post moved therethrough when the post retainer is moved to assume the slot-closing position. 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the arm further includes a body made of a spring metal and formed to include the retention aperture and arranged to lie between the base and the actuator. 13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the arm further includes a lift tab coupled to the actuator and arranged to extend at an angle relative to the base in a direction toward the intermediate slide upon movement of the load-carrying and intermediate slides to a retracted position within the stationary slide. 14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the arm includes an actuator arranged to overlie at least a portion of the enlarged-diameter entry and exit portion of the keyhole-shaped slot to intercept a mounting post moved therethrough when the post retainer is moved to assume the slot-closing position. 15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the arm further includes a bendable body made of a spring metal and the bendable body is arranged to interconnect the base and the actuator and configured to bend during movement of the post retainer from the slot-closing position to the slot-opening position in response to a force applied by the mounting post to the actuator. 16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the body is formed to include the retention aperture. 17. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the arm further includes a lift tab coupled to the actuator and arranged to extend at an angle relative to the base in a direction toward the intermediate slide upon movement of the load-carrying and intermediate slides to a retracted position within the stationary slide. 18. A telescoping slide assembly comprising interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides movable relative to one another to extend and retract the load-carrying and intermediate slides relative to the stationary slide, the load-carrying slide having a generally flat wall and being formed to include a slot surrounded in the plane of the wall by the generally flat wall, and a post retainer coupled to the load-carrying slide and formed to include a retention aperture adapted to receive a mounting post coupled to a piece of equipment to be carried on the load-carrying slide and arranged to extend through the slot formed in the load-carrying slide, the post retainer being movable relative to the load-carrying slide between a slot-closing position adapted to retain at the same time the mounting post in the slot and the retention aperture and a slot-opening position adapted to release the mounting post from the slot and the retention aperture. 19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the retainer is a strip of spring metal including a base fixed to the load-carrying slide and a body cantilevered to the base and formed to include the retention aperture. 20. A telescoping slide assembly comprising interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides movable relative to one another to extend and retract the load-carrying and intermediate slides relative to the stationary slide, the load-carrying slide being formed to include a slot, a post retainer coupled to the load-carrying slide and formed to include a retention aperture adapted to receive a mounting post coupled to a piece of equipment to be carried on the load-carrying slide and arranged to extend through the slot formed in the load-carrying slide, the post retainer being movable relative to the load-carrying slide between a slot-closing position adapted to retain at the same time the mounting post in the slot and the retention aperture and a slot-opening position adapted to release the mounting post from the slot and the retention aperture, and wherein the post retainer further includes a distal end formed to include a lift tab arranged to extend at an angle relative to the base in a direction toward the intermediate slide upon movement of the load-carrying and intermediate slides to a retracted position within the stationary slide. 21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the post retainer further includes an actuator arranged to interconnect the body and the lift tab and configured to provide means for intercepting a mounting post moving into an entry and exit portion of the slot to move the body relative to the load-carrying slide so that the mounting post is free to move in the slot to a post-retainer portion of the slot and into the retention aperture formed in the body. 22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the slot is keyhole-shaped and includes the entry and exit portion at one end thereof and the post-retainer portion at another end thereof. 23. A telescoping slide assembly comprising interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides movable relative to one another to extend and retract the load-carrying and intermediate slides relative to the stationary slide, the load-carrying slide being formed to include a slot, a post retainer coupled to the load-carrying slide and formed to include a retention aperture adapted to receive a mounting post coupled to a piece of equipment to be carried on the load-carrying slide and arranged to extend through the slot formed in the load-carrying slide, the post retainer being movable relative to the load-carrying slide between a slot-closing position adapted to retain at the same time the mounting post in the slot and the retention aperture and a slot-opening position adapted to release the mounting post from the slot and the retention aperture, and wherein the post retainer includes, in series, a base, a body formed to include the retention aperture, an actuator arranged to intercept a mounting post moving into an entry and exit portion of the slot, and a lift tab arranged to extend at an angle relative to the body. 24. The assembly of claim 18, further comprising a slide retainer coupled to the load-carrying slide to lie in spaced-apart relation to the post retainer and configured to engage a retraction stop included in the intermediate slide to block movement of the load-carrying slide relative to the intermediate slide from a fully extended position toward a retracted position within the intermediate slide. 25. The assembly of claim 24, wherein the slide retainer includes a base coupled to the load-carrying slide, a movable arm cantilevered to the base, and a button appended to a distal portion of the movable arm and arranged to extend into a button retention aperture formed in the intermediate slide and bordered by the retraction stop during movement of the load-carrying slide relative to the intermediate slide. 26. A telescoping slide assembly comprising interconnected load-carrying, intermediate, and stationary slides movable relative to one another to extend and retract the load-carrying and intermediate slides, a generally flat wall of the load-carrying slide being formed to include forward and rearward slots, each slot being adapted to receive a mounting post coupled to a piece of equipment to be carried on the load-carrying slide, at least one of said slots being formed to permit the post only to enter the slot by moving generally perpendicular to the plane of the generally flat wall, and a post retainer including a body formed to include a retention aperture and a base coupled to the post retainer and to the load-carrying slide, the body being arranged to move relative to the base from a slot-closing position blocking exit of a mounting post located in the rearward slot and in the retention aperture from the rearward slot to a slot-opening position allowing movement of a mounting post into and out of the rearward slot. 27. The assembly of claim 26, wherein the base is coupled to the load-carrying slide to cause the body to extend over at least a portion of the rearward slot and in a forward direction toward the forward slot. 28. The assembly of claim 26, further comprising a slide retainer coupled to the load-carrying slide to lie in spaced-apart relation to the post retainer and configured to engage a retraction stop included in the intermediate slide to block movement of the load-carrying slide relative to the intermediate slide from a fully extended position toward a retracted position within the intermediate slide. 29. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the slide retainer includes a base coupled to the load-carrying slide, a movable arm cantilevered to the base, and a button appended to a distal portion of the movable arm and arranged to extend into a button retention aperture formed in the intermediate slide and bordered by the retraction stop during movement of the load-carrying slide relative to the intermediate slide. 30. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the slide retainer includes a base, a movable arm cantilevered to the base, and a button appended to a distal portion of the movable arm, the base is coupled to the load-carrying slide to cause the movable arm to extend in a forward direction toward the rearward and forward slots and to position the button to extend into a button retention aperture formed in the intermediate slide and bordered by the retraction stop during movement of the load-carrying slide relative to the intermediate slide. 31. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the keyhole-shaped slot in the load-carrying slide is surrounded in a plane of the wall of the load-carrying slide.