초록 ▼

An insert for an existing file drawer. The insert includes upper and lower insert drawers which are each of shallower depth and fit within the original drawer compartment in a vertically stacked relationship. The upper and lower insert drawers are coupled between the original drawer front and the re

An insert for an existing file drawer. The insert includes upper and lower insert drawers which are each of shallower depth and fit within the original drawer compartment in a vertically stacked relationship. The upper and lower insert drawers are coupled between the original drawer front and the remaining original box structure. The insert drawers are horizontally slidably mounted one above the other so that opening movement of the drawer front horizontally sequentially extends the upper and lower insert drawers into a fully open position which enables access into both insert drawers.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A storage drawer structure, comprising: a file cabinet comprising a housing having parallel upright side walls joined by an upright rear wall and having a drawer opening formed in a an upright front side thereof, and an upwardly opening box-shaped drawer horizontally movably supported on said hou

1. A storage drawer structure, comprising: a file cabinet comprising a housing having parallel upright side walls joined by an upright rear wall and having a drawer opening formed in a an upright front side thereof, and an upwardly opening box-shaped drawer horizontally movably supported on said housing and movable between a closed position disposed within the housing and an open position wherein the drawer is cantilevered horizontally outwardly from said front side to permit vertical access into said drawer;said drawer comprising a partial box structure which is horizontally moveable over a range between said open and said closed position and supported on the housing and includes a horizontal bottom wall extending between and rigidly joined to a pair of sidewardly spaced and parallel end walls which protrude upwardly and are rigidly joined by an upright rear wall disposed adjacent a rear edge of said bottom wall;a vertical panel door front cooperating with said partial box structure, when the drawer is in said closed position, for closing off the drawer opening in said front side, said door front being free of direct structural joinder to said partial box structure;a multi-drawer insert arrangement structurally coupled between said drawer front and said partial box structure; said multi-drawer insert arrangement including a first insert assembly having an upwardly-opening top drawer, the top drawer having parallel top drawer end panels with a horizontal bottom therebetween, said first insert assembly being fixedly mounted on said partial box structure with said top drawer being disposed in upwardly spaced relationship directly above said bottom wall and extending between said upright end walls, said top drawer end panels being fixedly mounted to respective said end walls of said partial box structure;said multi-drawer insert arrangement also including a second insert assembly having an upwardly-opening bottom drawer, said bottom drawer having parallel bottom drawer end panels with a horizontal bottom there between, said second insert assembly being fixedly mounted on said drawer front and cantilevered horizontally rearwardly therefrom;said second insert assembly being horizontally movably supported on said first insert assembly for movement with respect to said drawer and said first insert assembly between a contracted position wherein the bottom drawer is disposed vertically directly under said top drawer and an extended position wherein the bottom drawer is cantilevered horizontally outwardly from a front edge of said top drawer so as to permit access to said bottom drawer; andwherein said upwardly-opening bottom drawer of the second insert assembly extends beyond said horizontal range of movement of said drawer when said second insert assembly is cantilevered horizontally outwardly from said edge of said top drawer and said drawer is in said open position. 2. A drawer structure according to claim 1, wherein said second insert bottom drawer end panels are mounted to a rearward side of said door front adjacent opposite ends thereof, said end panels being cantilevered horizontally rearwardly from said drawer front in parallel relation, and said bottom drawer horizontal bottom being positioned adjacent a rear side of said drawer front and between said bottom drawer end panels and fixedly supported thereon. 3. A drawer according to claim 2, wherein said first insert assembly top drawer end panels are positioned sidewardly adjacent to respective said end walls of said partial box structure. 4. A drawer structure according to claim 3, wherein said bottom drawer end panels are positioned sidewardly adjacent but inwardly adjacent said top drawer end panels so that the second insert assembly is sandwiched between the top drawer end panels. 5. A drawer structure according to claim 4, wherein said bottom drawer end panels, and respectively adjacent said top drawer end panels have guide structure cooperating therebetween for permitting horizontal displacement of said second insert assembly and the bottom drawer carried thereon between said extended and contracted positions. 6. A drawer structure according to claim 5, wherein said guide structure includes a first roller member rotatably mounted on each said top drawer end panel adjacent a first edge thereof and positioned in rolling engagement with a horizontally elongate guide rail provided on the respectively adjacent bottom drawer end panel, and a second roller member rotatably mounted on each said bottom drawer end panel adjacent a rear edge thereof and rollingly engaged with an associated horizontally elongate guide respectively adjacent said top drawer end panel. 7. A drawer structure according to claim 6, wherein said second roller member is a gear, and the associated elongate guide is a gear rack disposed in meshing engagement with said gear. 8. A drawer structure according to claim 4, including a releasable detent structure cooperating between each said top drawer end panel and the respectively adjacent said bottom drawer end panel for releasably holding said second insert assembly in said contracted position. 9. A drawer according to claim 1, wherein said first insert assembly top drawer end panels are positioned sidewardly adjacent to respective said end walls of said partial box structure. 10. A drawer structure according to claim 1, including a releasable detent structure cooperating between each said top drawer end panel and the respectively adjacent said bottom drawer end panel for releasably holding said second insert assembly in said contracted position. 11. A storage drawer structure, comprising: a file cabinet comprising a housing having parallel upright side walls joined by an upright rear wall and having a drawer opening formed in an upright front side thereof, and an upwardly opening box-shaped drawer horizontally movably supported on said housing and movable between a closed position disposed within the housing and an open position wherein the drawer is cantilevered horizontally outwardly from said front side to permit vertical access into said drawer;said drawer comprising a partial box structure which is horizontally supported on the housing and includes a horizontal partial box structure bottom wall extending between and rigidly joined to a pair of sidewardly spaced and parallel end walls which protrude upwardly and are rigidly joined by an upright rear wall disposed adjacent a rear edge of said bottom wall; a vertical panel door front cooperating with said partial box structure, when the drawer is in said closed position, for closing off the door opening in said front side, said door front being free of direct structural joinder to said partial box structure;a drawer insert arrangement structurally coupled between said drawer front and said partial box structure;said drawer insert arrangement including a top drawer having a top drawer bottom wall, the top drawer having a support assembly fixedly mounted on said end walls of said partial box structure above said partial box structure bottom wall, said top drawer fixed to and movable with said partial box structure, said top drawer bottom wall being fixedly mounted to said support assembly;said drawer insert arrangement also including a drawer assembly having an upwardly-opening lower insert drawer positioned between the bottom wall of the partial box structure and the horizontal bottom wall of the fixed top drawer, said drawer assembly being fixedly mounted on said drawer front and cantilevered horizontally rearwardly; andsaid lower insert drawer being horizontally movably supported on said support assembly for movement with respect to said top drawer and said fixedly mounted support assembly and said partial box structure between a contracted position wherein said lower insert drawer is disposed vertically directly above said horizontal partial box structure bottom wall and vertically directly below said top drawer bottom wall and an extended position wherein said drawer front is cantilevered horizontally outwardly from a front edge of said partial box structure so as to permit access to said lower insert drawer. 12. A drawer structure according to claim 11, wherein said drawer assembly includes a pair of upright and parallel end panels which adjacent forward ends thereof are mounted to a rearward side of said door front adjacent opposite ends thereof, said end panels being cantilevered horizontally rearwardly from said drawer front in parallel relation, and said insert drawer being positioned adjacent a rear side of said drawer front and between said end panels and fixedly supported thereon. 13. A drawer structure according to claim 12, wherein said support assembly includes a pair of upright and parallel support panels fixedly mounted to the respective end walls of said partial box structure, and wherein said end panels are positioned sidewardly adjacent but inwardly adjacent said support panels so that the drawer assembly is sandwiched between the support panels. 14. A drawer structure according to claim 13, wherein respectively adjacent said end and said support panels have guide structure cooperating therebetween for permitting horizontal displacement of said drawer assembly and the insert drawer carried thereon between said extended and contracted positions. 15. A drawer structure according to claim 14, wherein said guide structure includes a roller member rotatably mounted between surfaces of each pair of said support and said end panels, and positioned in rolling engagement with a horizontally elongate guide rail. 16. A drawer structure according to claim 15, wherein said roller member is a gear, and the associated elongate guide is a gear rack disposed in meshing engagement with said gear. 17. A drawer structure according to claim 11, wherein said support assembly includes a pair of upright and parallel support panels, said support panels being positioned sidewardly adjacent and fixedly mounted to the respective end walls of said partial box structure. 18. A process for retrofitting a multi-drawer insert to a drawer of a file cabinet, comprising the steps of: providing an upright file cabinet defined by a housing having at least one upward opening box-shaped drawer which is movably supported on the housing for movement between (1) a closed position wherein the drawer is positioned within the housing so that a front associated with the drawer effectively closes an opening defined in a front side of said housing and (2) an open position wherein the drawer is cantilevered horizontally outwardly from said front side to permit vertical access to the interior of said drawer;providing said drawer with a partial box structure defined by a horizontal bottom wall joined at opposite ends to a pair of upright end walls which are joined by a rear wall disposed adjacent a rear edge of said bottom wall, said drawer front being initially fixedly attached to said partial box structure to define a front wall thereof;detaching said drawer front from said partial box structure so that said drawer front is in a detached state wherein it is wholly free of structural connection to the drawer front or the housing;providing a multi-drawer insert arrangement including a bottom drawer arrangement and a top drawer arrangement which respectively include upwardly-opening bottom and top drawers;stationarily attaching said bottom drawer arrangement to a rear side of said drawer front when in its detached state so that the bottom drawer arrangement is cantilevered horizontally rearwardly and the bottom drawer is disposed adjacent a rear side of the drawer front and opens upwardly;stationarily attaching the top drawer arrangement to said partial box structure so that said top drawer is positioned directly over but vertically spaced upwardly a distance above said bottom wall and opens upwardly;positionally supporting said bottom drawer arrangement on said top drawer arrangement so that said bottom drawer arrangement and the door front coupled thereto are carried entirely by said top drawer arrangement and are horizontally movable relative to said top drawer arrangement and said partial box structure between a nonextended storage position wherein the bottom drawer is positioned directly under said top drawer and an extended access position wherein the bottom drawer is horizontally cantilevered outwardly beyond a front side of said top drawer and said partial box structure to permit vertical access to said bottom drawer; andwherein said top drawer assembly includes a pair of upright support panels and an upwardly-opening channel-shaped top drawer member; positioning the support panels in sidewardly-spaced but parallel relationship, and positioning said top drawer member between said sidewardly-spaced support panels, and then fixedly securing opposite ends of the top drawer member to the respective support panels; and positioning said support panels adjacent respective ones of said end walls and fixedly mounting said support panels thereon to fixedly attach said top drawer assembly to said partial box structure. 19. A process according to claim 18, wherein said bottom drawer arrangement includes a pair of upright end panels and an upwardly-opening channel-shaped bottom drawer member; initially individually attaching each end panel to the rear side of said door front adjacent a respective upright end edge thereof; then positioning said bottom drawer member adjacent the rear side of said drawer front and extending between said end panels, and fixedly securing opposite ends of the bottom drawer member to the respective end panels. 20. A process according to claim 19, including the steps of: initially individually positioning said support panels outwardly but directly sidewardly adjacent respective ones of said end panels and effecting engagement therebetween, and then securing the support panels to the respective end walls of said box structure. 21. A process according to claim 20, wherein connection of said end panels to the drawer front, and connection of the support panels to said end walls, are both free of detachable fasteners. 22. A process according to claim 20, including the step of mounting a first rolling member on each said support panel adjacent a forward end thereof, and mounting a second rolling member on each said end panel adjacent a rearward end thereof, and positioning said rolling members in supportive rolling engagement with opposed supportive guide surfaces formed on the respectively adjacent said end panels and said support panels to provide supportive engagement for the bottom drawer arrangement when the bottom drawer is moved into its extended position.