Drawer assembly with a stop mechanism

Abstract

A drawer includes two vertical side plates with fixed sliding rails, a drawer slidable on the rails, and two stop units. Each of the stop units is disposed on the drawer and a respective one of the sliding rails, and includes a stop member fixed on the corresponding rail, and a positioning member fixed on the drawer. Each of the positioning members includes a cantilever portion having a U-shaped front lever portion and an inclined rear lever portion. The drawer is movable forwardly to a first extended position, where the front lever portions are obstructed by the stop members from further forward movement and where the drawer is movable forcibly and forwardly so that the positioning members pass respectively over the stop members, thereby allowing for removal of the drawer.

1 . A drawer assembly comprising: 
 two vertical side plates having inner side surfaces that face each other and that are formed respectively with two fixed sliding rails, said sliding rails being aligned with each other along a transverse direction perpendicular to said inner side surfaces of said side plates, said sliding rails having inner side surfaces that face each other, each of said sliding rails further having opposite front and rear ends;    a drawer slidable on said sliding rails between said side plates; and    a stop mechanism including two stop units, each of said stop units being disposed on said drawer and said inner side surface of a respective one of said sliding rails and including    a stop member disposed fixedly on said inner side surface of a corresponding one of said sliding rails and disposed in proximity to said front end of the corresponding one of said sliding rails, and    a positioning member disposed behind said stop member and having a mounting portion that is disposed fixedly on a rear end portion of said drawer, and a cantilever portion, said cantilever portion having a U-shaped front lever portion extending integrally and outwardly from said mounting portion toward the corresponding one of said sliding rails, and a rearwardly and inwardly inclined rear lever portion disposed behind said front lever portion;    wherein said drawer is movable forwardly on said sliding rails to a first extended position, where said front lever portions of said cantilever portions of said positioning members are obstructed by said stop members from further forward movement and where said drawer is movable forcibly and forwardly so that said cantilever portions of said positioning members are deformed, thereby allowing said positioning members to pass respectively over said stop members, after which said drawer can be removed from said side plates.    
   
   
       2 . The drawer assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said positioning members are made of plastic steel.  
   
   
       3 . The drawer assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said positioning members are made of a metal.  
   
   
       4 . The drawer assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said positioning members further has a concaved middle lever portion that is concaved toward said mounting portion of a corresponding one of said positioning members and that has front and rear ends, which are formed respectively and integrally with said front and rear lever portions of said cantilever portions of the corresponding one of said positioning members, each of said concaved middle lever portions defining a tip-receiving space, said drawer being movable forcibly and forwardly from said first extended position so as to engage said stop members within said tip-receiving spaces, respectively, thereby retaining said drawer at a second extended position.  
   
   
       5 . The drawer assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said drawer has a vertical rear surface and a horizontal bottom surface, said mounting portion of each of said positioning members being L-shaped and having a vertical plate portion connected fixedly to said rear surface of said drawer, and a horizontal plate portion connected fixedly to said bottom surface of said drawer.  
   
   
       6 . The drawer assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein each of said vertical and horizontal plate portions of said mounting portions of said positioning members is formed with a horizontal slot that extends along said transverse direction, said drawer assembly further including four bolts that connect said vertical and horizontal plate portions of said mounting portions of said positioning members respectively and fixedly to said rear and bottom surfaces of said drawer, whereby positions of said positioning members relative to said drawer can be adjusted along the transverse direction.  
   
   
       7 . The drawer assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said stop members is formed with an inclined front guiding surface and an inclined rear stop surface that is disposed behind and that is integrally connected to said front guiding surface to define a rounded tip therebetween, each of said front guiding surfaces extending rearwardly from said inner side surface of the corresponding one of said sliding rails to a corresponding one of said tips, each of said rear stop surfaces extending rearwardly from the corresponding one of said tips to said inner side surface of the corresponding one of said sliding rails, said rear stop surfaces being steeper than said front guiding surfaces, whereby a rearward pushing force needed to move said rear lever portions of said cantilever portions of said positioning members on said front guiding surfaces of said stop members is smaller than a forward pulling force needed to move said front lever portions of said cantilever portions of said positioning members on said rear stop surfaces of said stop members.