Push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus and method of use

Abstract

A drawer slide apparatus mounted to a drawer slide assembly for moving a drawer slidingly within a cabinet provides push-to-open and soft close functionality while further providing a depth and alignment adjustment of the drawer relative to the cabinet carcass. The apparatus comprises a housing including a soft close track, a damper, and a carriage slidable within the soft close track. A guide block comprising a set of channels within a stationary part and a movable part for providing the depth and alignment adjustment. A pin, slidable within the carriage, has a first end engaged with the soft close track and a second end simultaneously engaged with the guide block provides the soft close and push-to-open functionalities.

1 . A method of opening and closing a drawer slidably attached to a cabinet carcass with a drawer slide assembly, the method comprising:
 providing a housing mounted to a first rail of the drawer slide assembly;   providing a guide block mounted to a second rail of the drawer slide assembly;   providing an ejector slidably mounted to the housing and configured to contact the guide block;   providing a carriage slidably mounted to the housing;   providing a dog slidable within the carriage;   providing a pin having a first end extending from the dog and a second end extending from the dog;   providing the first end slidingly engaged with a groove in the housing and the second end slidingly engaged with the guide block;   providing a soft close spring connected to the housing and the carriage creating a soft close force;   providing an ejector spring connected to the housing and the ejector creating an ejector force;   providing a first closing force in a closing direction on the housing;   moving the second end through an inlet channel defined in the guide block;   abutting the guide block with the ejector;   simultaneously disengaging the first end from a first catch in the groove and engaging the second end with a second catch defined in the guide block;   urging the carriage along the housing by the soft close force;   sliding the ejector along the housing and creating the ejector force;   providing a second closing force in the closing direction;   disengaging the second end from the second catch;   urging the ejector along the housing by the ejector force;   moving the second end through an outlet channel defined in the guide block;   engaging the second end with a third catch defined at the end of the outlet channel;   moving the first end through the groove; and,   engaging the first end with the first catch.   
     
     
         2 . The method of opening and closing a drawer of  claim 1  wherein the step of simultaneously disengaging the first end from the first catch in the groove and engaging the second end with the second catch defined in the guide block further comprises sliding the dog to a first position within the carriage. 
     
     
         3 . The method of opening and closing a drawer of  claim 1  wherein the step of disengaging the second end from the second catch further comprises simultaneously engaging the first end with a recess defined in the groove. 
     
     
         4 . The method of opening and closing a drawer of  claim 1  wherein the step of disengaging the second end from the second catch further comprises sliding the dog to a second position within the carriage. 
     
     
         5 . The method of opening and closing a drawer of  claim 1  wherein the step of engaging the first end with the first catch further comprises simultaneously disengaging the second end from the third catch. 
     
     
         6 . The method of opening and closing a drawer of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of:
 providing a stationary part of the guide block mounted to the second rail of the drawer slide assembly; 
 providing a movable part of the guide block slidably engaged with the stationary part; 
 providing a threaded shaft extending from the movable part; 
 providing a thumbwheel housed within the stationary part and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft; and 
 rotating the thumbwheel to adjust a depth position of the drawer relative to the cabinet carcass. 
 
     
     
         7 . A push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus for mounting a drawer in a cabinet carcass, the apparatus comprising:
 a cabinet rail mounted to the cabinet carcass;   a drawer rail, slidingly engaged with the cabinet rail, mounted to the drawer and having a first direction of travel;   a housing mounted to the cabinet rail;   a soft close track attached to the housing;   a guide block, having an inlet channel and an outlet channel, mounted to the cabinet rail;   an ejector slidably mounted to the housing and configured to abut the guide block;   an ejector spring connected to the housing and the ejector;   a carriage slidably mounted to the housing;   a set of soft close springs connected to the housing and the carriage;   a dog slidable within the carriage in a second direction of travel;   a first pin having a first end extending from the dog;   a second pin having a second end extending from the dog;   wherein a first force in the first direction of travel slidingly engages the first end with the inlet channel, a first redirecting surface defined in the guide block engages the first end and slides the dog in the second direction of travel, the first end engages a first catch defined in the guide block, and the set of soft close springs urge the second end along the soft close track; and,   wherein a second force in the first direction of travel disengages the first end from the catch, a second redirecting surface defined in the guide block engages the first end and slides the dog in the second direction of travel, and the ejector spring urges the first end along the outlet channel.   
     
     
         8 . The push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the guide block further comprises:
 a stationary part mounted to the cabinet rail; 
 a movable part slidably engaged with the stationary part; 
 a threaded shaft extending from the movable part; 
 a thumbwheel seated in the stationary part and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft; and, 
 wherein rotation of the thumbwheel adjusts a depth position of the drawer relative to the cabinet carcass. 
 
     
     
         9 . The push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the guide block further comprises:
 an island separating the inlet channel from the outlet channel; 
 the first catch defined by the island; and, 
 the outlet channel leading to a second catch and the inlet channel. 
 
     
     
         10 . The push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the housing further comprises:
 a base mounted to the drawer rail; 
 the set of soft close springs connected between the base and the carriage and providing a soft close force; 
 the ejector spring connected between the base and the ejector and providing an ejector force; and, 
 wherein the soft close force is greater than the ejector force. 
 
     
     
         11 . The push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the carriage further comprises:
 an oblong hole having a latitudinal axis defining the second direction of travel where the second direction of travel is generally perpendicular to the first direction of travel; 
 a step extending from the dog and slidably engaged with the oblong hole; and, 
 the set of soft close springs providing a bias between the carriage and the housing. 
 
     
     
         12 . The push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus of  claim 7  wherein:
 the housing further comprises a base having a set of ridges; 
 a soft close catch and a recess formed in the soft close track; 
 the carriage slidably engaged with the soft close track; and, 
 the ejector slidably engaged with the set of ridges. 
 
     
     
         13 . The push-to-open, soft close drawer slide apparatus of  claim 7  wherein:
 the guide block further comprises a stationary part adjustably engaged with a movable part; 
 the stationary part mounted to the cabinet rail; 
 the inlet channel separated from the outlet channel by an island in the stationary part, wherein the island defines the first catch; 
 the first catch positioned between the first redirecting surface and the second redirecting surface; 
 the outlet channel leads to a second catch; and, 
 a threaded shaft extending from the movable part and engaged with a thumbwheel seated in the stationary part. 
 
     
     
         14 . A method of closing a drawer slidably attached to a cabinet carcass with a drawer slide assembly, the method comprising:
 providing a housing mounted to a first rail of the drawer slide assembly;   providing a guide block mounted to a second rail of the drawer slide assembly;   providing an ejector slidably mounted to the housing and configured to contact the guide block;   providing a carriage slidably mounted to the housing;   providing a dog slidable within the carriage;   providing a pin having a first end extending from the dog and a second end extending from the dog;   providing the first end slidingly engaged with a groove in the housing and the second end slidingly engaged with the guide block;   providing a soft close spring connected to the housing and the carriage creating a soft close force;   providing an ejector spring connected to the housing and the ejector creating an ejector force;   providing a force in a closing direction on the housing;   moving the second end through an inlet channel defined in the guide block;   abutting the guide block with the ejector;   simultaneously disengaging the first end from a first catch in the groove and engaging the second end with a second catch defined in the guide block;   urging the carriage along the housing by the soft close force; and,   sliding the ejector along the housing and creating the ejector force.   
     
     
         15 . The method of closing a drawer of  claim 14  wherein the step of simultaneously disengaging the first end from the first catch in the groove and engaging the second end with the second catch defined in the guide block further comprises sliding the dog to a first position within the carriage. 
     
     
         16 . The method of closing a drawer of  claim 14  further comprising the steps of:
 providing a stationary part of the guide block mounted to the second rail of the drawer slide assembly; 
 providing a movable part of the guide block slidably engaged with the stationary part; 
 providing a threaded shaft extending from the movable part; 
 providing a thumbwheel housed within the stationary part and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft; and 
 rotating the thumbwheel to adjust a depth position of the drawer relative to the cabinet carcass. 
 
     
     
         17 . A method of opening a drawer slidably attached to a cabinet carcass with a drawer slide assembly, the method comprising:
 providing a housing mounted to a first rail of the drawer slide assembly;   providing a guide block mounted to a second rail of the drawer slide assembly;   providing an ejector slidably mounted to the housing and configured to contact the guide block;   providing a carriage slidably mounted to the housing;   providing a dog slidable within the carriage;   providing a pin having a first end extending from the dog and a second end extending from the dog;   providing the first end slidingly engaged with a groove in the housing and the second end slidingly engaged with the guide block;   providing a soft close spring connected to the housing and the carriage creating a soft close force;   providing an ejector spring connected to the housing and the ejector creating an ejector force;   providing a force in the closing direction;   disengaging the second end from the second catch;   urging the ejector along the housing by the ejector force;   moving the second end through an outlet channel defined in the guide block;   engaging the second end with a third catch defined at the end of the outlet channel;   moving the first end through the groove and creating the soft close force; and,   engaging the first end with the first catch.   
     
     
         18 . The method of opening a drawer of  claim 17  wherein the step of disengaging the second end from the second catch further comprises simultaneously engaging the first end with a recess defined in the groove. 
     
     
         19 . The method of opening a drawer of  claim 17  wherein the step of disengaging the second end from the second catch further comprises sliding the dog to a second position within the carriage. 
     
     
         20 . The method of opening a drawer of  claim 17  wherein the step of engaging the first end with the first catch further comprises simultaneously disengaging the second end from the third catch. 
     
     
         21 . The method of opening a drawer of  claim 17  further comprising the steps of:
 providing a stationary part of the guide block mounted to the second rail of the drawer slide assembly; 
 providing a movable part of the guide block slidably engaged with the stationary part; 
 providing a threaded shaft extending from the movable part; 
 providing a thumbwheel housed within the stationary part and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft; and 
 rotating the thumbwheel to adjust a depth position of the drawer relative to the cabinet carcass.