Modular drawer system

Abstract

Cases, enclosures, or “road boxes” are custom designed and built using modular components whose lengths and/or heights are provided in multiples of the industry standard length EIA-U to allow compact housing of standard sized components and drawers within the enclosures. The stock materials used to construct the support frames which mount the components and the drawers designed to hold the accessories needed to operate the components are provided as modular elements having unit length dimensions clearly indicated to simplify building the enclosures at different, custom-designed lengths. The assembly of support frames and drawers is further simplified by interlocking elements by means of tongue-and-groove connections spaced to correspond to the same unit length dimensions.

I claim as my invention:  
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising: 
 a first bracket having a length, a first end and a second end;    first and second rails, each of said rails having a first drawer slide aperture formed thereon;    means for attaching said first end of said first bracket to said first rail and said second end of said first bracket to said second rail; and    means for adjusting said length of said first bracket by fixed incremental amounts, so that when said first bracket is positioned between said first and second rails, said first end is attached to said first rail, and said second end is attached to said second rail, and the distance between said first drawer slide aperture of said first rail and said first drawer slide aperture of said second rail is equal to the distance between the mounting holes of a standard drawer slide.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said distance between the mounting holes of a standard drawer slide is taken from the group of: 8.82 inches (224 millimeters), 12.60 inches (320 millimeters), 13.86 inches (352 millimeters), 17.64 inches (448 millimeters), 18.90 inches (480 millimeters), and 21.42 inches (544 millimeters)  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first bracket includes a spacer and a stretcher.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said means for adjusting said length of said first bracket by fixed incremental amounts comprises a plurality of spacer cells formed in said spacer and a plurality of stretcher cells formed in said stretcher, each of said plurality of spacer cells being smaller than and complimentary in shape to each of said plurality of stretcher cells so that said spacer and said stretcher can be interlocked in a plurality of positions, wherein each of said plurality of positions are characterized by a different number of said plurality of cells of said spacer being interlocked within said plurality of cells of said stretcher.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein each of said spacer cells and said stretcher cells are 1.25 inches (32 millimeters) in width.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said spacer and said stretcher each comprises a body, upper and lower side flanges, and an end flange, said upper and lower side flanges and said end flange extending outwardly from the perimeter of said body and being oriented perpendicular to said body.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said means for attaching said first end to said first rail and said second end to said second rail comprises a first L-shaped flange extending outwardly from said first end of said first bracket and a second aperture formed in said first rail.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a second bracket, said second bracket being structurally identical to said first bracket.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second rails each having a second drawer slide aperture formed thereon, the distance between said first drawer slide aperture and said second drawer slide aperture being an integer multiple of one EIA-U.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the distance between said first drawer slide aperture and said second drawer slide aperture equals one EIA-U.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second rails includes: 
 an outer flange; and    a plurality of pairs of rack component apertures located along the length of said outer flange at increments of one EIA-U.    
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said of said first and second rails further includes: 
 a bight; and    a plurality of drawer slide apertures located along the length of said bight at increments of one EIA-U.    
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality of drawer slide apertures are perpendicular to said plurality of pairs of rack component apertures.  
     
     
         14 . An extrusion, comprising: 
 first and second ends;    top and bottom walls;    an inner wall connecting said top and bottom walls; and    a first rib located on said inner wall extending from said first end to said second end, said first rib being circular in cross-section and defining a slot in said inner wall.    
     
     
         15 . The extrusion of  claim 14 , wherein said inner wall is substantially planar.  
     
     
         16 . The extrusion of  claim 14 , wherein said first rib extends from said first end to said second end.  
     
     
         17 . The extrusion of  claim 14 , further comprising a hook extending upwardly from said top wall, said hook defining a first groove.  
     
     
         18 . The extrusion of  claim 17 , further comprising a tongue extending downwardly from bottom wall  38 , said tongue defining a second groove for receiving a drawer bottom.  
     
     
         19 . The extrusion of  claim 18 , wherein said tongue is L-shaped.  
     
     
         20 . The extrusion of  claim 14 , wherein said extrusion further comprises an outer wall connecting said top and bottom walls, said outer wall having a third groove formed thereon for identifying the mounting location of a standard drawer slide, said third groove extending from said first end to said second end.  
     
     
         21 . An apparatus, comprising: 
 a first extrusion and a second extrusion, each of said extrusions having first and second ends defining a length, top and bottom walls defining a height, and an inner wall, a first rib located on said inner wall, said first rib defining a slot in said inner wall; and    said first extrusion having means for interlocking said first extrusion and said second extrusion when said first extrusion and second extrusions are vertically stacked.    
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said height of said first extrusion and said height of said second extrusion each equal about 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) less than a integer multiple of an EIA-U.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein said height of said first extrusion is equal to either two or three EIA-U.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein said height of said second extrusion is equal to either two or three EIA-U.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said means for interlocking said first extrusion and said second extrusion when said first extrusion and second extrusions are vertically stacked comprises a first tongue located on said bottom wall of said second extrusion and a first hook located on said top wall of said first extrusion, said first hook forming a first groove that is complimentary in shape to said first tongue.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein said second extrusion further includes a first rectangular groove located between said bottom wall of said second extrusion and said first tongue.  
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein said means for interlocking said first extrusion and said second extrusion when said first extrusion and second extrusions are vertically stacked further comprises a second tongue located on said bottom wall of said first extrusion and a second hook located on said top wall of said second extrusion, said second hook forming a second groove that is complimentary in shape to said second tongue.  
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein said first extrusion further includes a second rectangular groove located between said bottom wall of said first extrusion and said second tongue.  
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said first and second extrusions each further comprise an inner wall.  
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein each of said inner walls comprises a first rib having a slot formed thereon.  
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein each of said first ribs is circular in cross-section.  
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein each of said inner walls further comprises a second rib, said second rib being substantially identical in structure to said first rib.  
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 32 , wherein each of said second ribs is circular in cross-section.  
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said first and second extrusions each further comprises: 
 an outer wall; and    a groove located on said outer wall for locating the proper vertical position of a standard drawer slide.