Tiltable drawer assembly

Abstract

A drawer assembly that includes a housing and drawer movably coupled to the housing. The housing includes at least one linear slot and at least one non-linear slot that has a straight section and an arcuate section. The drawer includes a plurality of pegs or protrusions that engage and movably couple to the slots for coupling the drawer to the housing. As the drawer moves from a closed position to an open position, the pegs slide within the linear slot and the straight section of the non-linear slot to provide linear movement of the drawer towards the open position. Once in the open position, the drawer may be tilted when the pegs engaged and coupled to the non-linear slot move through the arcuate section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A drawer assembly comprising:
 a housing configured to receive a drawer and wherein said housing includes a pair of sides each having at least one slot with a linear portion and a nonlinear portion and wherein said drawer includes at least one protrusion disposed in said slot.   
     
     
         2 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  wherein each of said two sides include at least one linear slot. 
     
     
         3 . The drawer assembly of  claim 2  wherein said at least one slot includes at least one nonlinear slot. 
     
     
         4 . The drawer assembly of  claim 3  wherein said drawer includes drawer sides each aligned with said two sides of said housing and wherein said drawer sides each include said at least one protrusion and wherein said at least one protrusion includes a protrusion disposed in said at least one linear slots and said at least one non-linear slot. 
     
     
         5 . The drawer assembly of  claim 3  wherein said at least one non-linear slot each includes a linear portion and a non-linear portion. 
     
     
         6 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  wherein said non-linear portion has an arcuate profile. 
     
     
         7 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  wherein each of said at least one non-linear slot includes a second non-linear slot. 
     
     
         8 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  said at least one slot includes a first slot with a first profile and a second slot with a second profile and wherein said first and second profiles are different. 
     
     
         9 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  wherein said nonlinear portion extends substantially vertical from the horizontal linear portion and wherein said non-linear portion has an arcuate profile. 
     
     
         10 . The drawer assembly of  claim 9  wherein said at least one slot includes a second slot having a substantially horizontal extending linear section and wherein a second non-linear portion extends off the front end of said slot upwardly and toward the front with an arcuate profile. 
     
     
         11 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  wherein said non-linear portion extends upwardly and arcuately away from said linear portion and wherein said non-linear portion is disposed about half way between a forward end and a rearward end of said linear portion. 
     
     
         12 . The drawer assembly of  claim 11  wherein said at least one protrusion includes a first protrusion which is configured to be disposed in the linear portion between the forward end and the non-linear portion of the slot and a second protrusion configured to be disposed in the nonlinear portion as well as the rearward linear portion located between the rearward end and the non-linear portion of the slot and the drawer is moved between positions. 
     
     
         13 . A drawer assembly comprising:
 a housing including a first side and a second side and wherein each side includes at least one slot having a linear portion and a nonlinear portion;   a drawer having first and second drawer sides substantially aligned with said first side and said second side of said housing and wherein each of said first and second drawer sides includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion spaced from said first protrusion and wherein at least one of said first and second protrusions is configured to be disposed in said at least one slot.   
     
     
         14 . The drawer assembly of  claim 1  wherein said linear portion extends along the axis of the linear movement of said drawer between an open and closed position. 
     
     
         15 . The drawer assembly of  claim 14  wherein said nonlinear portion extends upwardly from said linear portion and wherein said first protrusion is constrained to only move linearly within said linear portion and said second protrusion is configured to move within both said linear and nonlinear portions. 
     
     
         16 . The drawer assembly of  claim 14  wherein said at least one slot includes a nonlinear slot having said linear portion and said nonlinear portion and second linear slot extending along axis of the linear movement of said drawer between the open and the closed positions. 
     
     
         17 . The drawer assembly of  claim 16  wherein said at least one slot includes a third nonlinear slot. 
     
     
         18 . The drawer assembly of  claim 17  wherein said third non-linear slot includes a linear portion ending in a nonlinear portion. 
     
     
         19 . The drawer assembly of  claim 16  wherein said first protrusion is disposed in said second linear slot and said second protrusion is disposed in said at least one slot having a linear portion and a nonlinear portion.