Method of making drawer construction
United States Patent Cornell 1 Apr. 8, 1975 1 1 METHOD OF MAKING DRAWER CONSTRUCTION Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon Inventor: Richard R. Come. gimme Agenl, or Firm-Hamilton. Renncr &amp; enner Newcomerstown. Ohio [73] Assignee: Groovfold. lnc., Newcomerstown. 57 ST C Ohm A drawer in which the side rails and at least one end [22] Filed: Mar. 8, 1974 wall are constructed from a sheet of material. A pair Appl. No.: 449,464  
 [62] Division of Ser. No. 178,939. Sept. 9. 1971. Pat. No.  
 [52] US. Cl 29/155 R; 29/434; 29/455; 113/116 H A [51] Int. Cl 823p 17/00 [58] Field of Search 29/155 11,455,434, 150; 229/D1G. 15, 34 H W; 113/116 H A; 312/330 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS &#39;l&#39;i3,264 3/1920 Long 312/330 2.123.84 7/1938 Cox 113/116 H A UX 2.273.918 2/1942 Zalkindn Z29/DIG. l5 UX 2 571.706 11/1951 Grant 229/34 H W UX 31139.02? 2/1972 Higdon 312/330 3.791.002 2/1974 Lampc 29/155 R of mitered. first grooves are precisely incised in the sheet so that the sheet may be folded along the grooves to form a beam. Mitered second grooves are precisely incised transversely of the beam so that it may be folded to form the side walls and at least one end wall of the drawer. By selectively locating the first grooves the spacing between the opposed walls of the side rails can be controlled to permit slide means to be concealed therein. The slide means coact with, and move along, support means as the drawer is opened and closed. and the support means may also be concealed within the side rails so that the drawer, or a plurality thereof, can present a finished appearance without the necessity of being housed within a cabinet. Suitable reinforcing means may also be secured to the sheet at selected locations before it is folded in order that desired areas of the finished drawer can be strengthened.  
 8 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures METHOD OF MAKING DRAWER CONSTRUCTION This is a division of Application Ser. No. 178,939, filed Sept. 9, 197], now US. Pat. No. 3.826.554.  
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to the construction of, and a process for fabricating, a drawer which, if desired. can present a finished appearance on all exposed surfaces irrespective of whether the drawer is open or closed.  
  According to the prior art, only drawers which are supported from beneath whether by a frame on which the drawer frictionally slides by relatively frictionless rollers could present a finished surface on the exterior of the side rails. However, such drawer mounting means impart only minimal stability to the drawer and have not, therefore. proven satisfactory for drawers subjected to heavy loading or for drawers of relatively wide dimension.  
  Drawers which are to be subjected to heavy loads and drawers which are to be of relatively wide dimension have both been constructed with a slide means secured to the outer surface of each of the two side rails, and these slide means have not only accommodated the facile operation of heavily loaded drawers but have also stabilized the drawers, even those of relatively wide dimension, against lateral racking. As such, it has been necessary that vertically stacked drawers of the type commonly utilized for the storage of files be housed in separate cabinets.  
  Hcretofore. also, it has been almost universally customary to fashion drawers from a plurality of components. The obvious drawback to such a mode of construction is that it entails individual fabrication of the components, but even beyond that are the many difficulties attendant upon securing the several components into a stable drawer.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore. an object of the present invention to provide a drawer construction whereby the sides and both ends, if desired, can be fabricated from a single piece of sheet material according to a relatively simplified method and yet assure the structural stability ofthe finished drawer.  
  It is another object of the present invention to provide a drawer construction. as above, whereby all surfaces exposed by the drawer, when either opened or closed, may be finished.  
  It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a drawer construction, as above, in which each side rail is of inverted, substantially U-shaped cross section having spaced side walls between which slide members may be concealed.  
  It is a further object of the present invention to provide a drawer and frame assembly wherein the frame assembly has support members which engage corresponding slide members secured within the side rails of the drawer in order to obviate the necessity of providing a separate cabinet even when a plurality of such drawers are disposed in vertically stacked relation.  
  It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method for making a drawer selectively embodying one or more of the above-noted structural attributes.  
  These and other objects, together with the advantages thereof over existing and prior art forms. which will become apparent from the following specification are accomplished by means hereinafter described and claimed.  
  In general, the side rails and end walls of a drawer embodying the concept of the present invention can be fabricated from a single sheet of material. A pair of parallel first grooves are incised across the sheet and the sheet may then be folded along the first groove to form a double walled beam.  
  By selecting the lateral separation of the two grooves one can control the thickness of the side rails and thereby predetermine the lateral dimension of the space between the side walls and interiorly of the rails in order to accommodate and conceal reinforcing members and/or slide members within the rails.  
  When the rail is completed, precisely mitered second grooves are incised transversely of the beam so that it may be folded about the second grooves to form the two side rails and at least one end wall of a drawer. A rear wall and bottom may be applied as desired.  
  Three typical constructions of drawers embodying the concept of the present invention, the method for making drawers embodying the concept of the present invention and two arrangements by which such drawers can be supported are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail without attempting to show all of the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied; the invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of material from which the two side rails and at least one end wall of a drawer embodying the concept of the present invention can be fabricated, the sheet of material being depicted with the parallel. first grooves incised therein;  
  FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partial cross section taken substantially on line 22 of FIG. 1 and depicting the lateral separation of the first groove to be such that. when folded, the walls of the resulting beam will lie in juxtaposition;  
  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the beam formed by folding the sheet depicted in FIG. 1 about the parallel first grooves, the resulting beam being depicted with three, parallel, second, precisely mitered grooves incised transversely of the beam in order to permit the beam to be folded thereabout for the formation of the two side rails and both end walls of a drawer;  
  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a drawer, the side walls and ends of which were formed by folding the beam depicted in FIG. 3 about the three second grooves;  
  FIG. Sis an enlarged cross section taken substantially on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;  
  FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGv 1 but relating to an alternative construction and depicting a piece of sheet material not only incised with parallel first grooves laterally separated such that when the sheet is folded about said first grooves the walls of the resulting double walled beam will be laterally spaced but also with a reinforcing means secured along one edge thereof, a slide means being provided within said reinforcing means;  
  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the double walled beam resulting when the sheet material is folded about the parallel first grooves depicted in FIG. I, said beam being depicted with two, parallel, second, precisely mitered grooves incised transversly of the beam in order to permit the beam to be folded thereabout for the for mation of two side rails and one end wall of a drawer;  
  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of that portion of the drawer fabricated from a beam incised as depicted in FIG. 7 and in which a bottom has been received;  
  FIG. 9 is a cross section through one rail of the drawer depicted in FIG. 8, said cross section detailing one form of slide member and its cooperative interrelationship with a corresponding support member.  
  FIG. I is a perspective view similar to FIGS. 1 and 6 but relating to a third alternative construction and depicting a sheet of material that has been incised with parallel first grooves and to which reinforcing means and slide means have been secured preparatory to being folded about said first grooves;  
  FIG. I] is a perspective view of the beam resulting when the sheet depicted in FIG. II) is folded about the parallel first grooves, said beam being depicted with two, parallel, second, precisely mitered grooves incised transversely of the beam in order to permit the beam to be folded thereabout for the formation of two side rails and one end wall of a drawer;  
  FIG. I2 is a perspective view of that portion of the drawer fabricated from a beam incised as depicted in FIG. II and in which a bottom has been received;  
  FIGv 13 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially on line 13-13 of FIG. I2;  
  FIG. 14 is a vertical cross section through a drawer of the type depicted in FIG. I2, said cross section de tailing a second form for the slide members and their cooperative interrelationship with corresponding support members carried on a frame assembly adapted to stack a plurality of such drawers in a vertical tier; and,  
  FIG. I is aside elevation of the configuration shown in FIG. I4 with the lower of the two drawers represented being depicted completely closed and the upper drawer being depicted partially open.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In general. a drawer constructed in accordance with the concept of the present invention can begin with a flat, flexible sheet of material grooved on the apparatus disclosed and claimed in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,322,171 or according to the method disclosed and claimed in my prior US Pat. No. 3,456,701.  
  Although a drawer embodying the concept of the present invention is uniquely adapted to conceal stabi lizing slide means within the side rails, the universality of the basic concept can also be adapted for fabricating trays, boxes or simplified drawers intended frictionally to slide along suitable support means.  
  For example, as best seen in FIGS. I-S, the two side rails and both ends of a relatively simplified tray, box or drawer I0 can be fabricated from a rectangular piece of sheet material 11. A pair of precisely mitered, first grooves, or rabbets, I2 and I3 are incised in the sheet material II parallel to the longitudinal edges I4 and I5 thereof.  
  If the drawer is to simulate wood, a base material I6 may be provided with a decorative, wood&#39;grained, film facing 18 laminated onto the base. The grooves 12 and I3 would then be incised through the base material exactly to the facing film 18, as disclosed in my aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,17]. Were the drawer to be made of actual wood, the method disclosed in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,456,701 could be employed to advantage.  
  In either event, the dimension X measured between the apex 19 of groove 12 and the parallel, proximate edge I4--will constitute the outside vertical dimension of the finished drawer I0. The dimension Y measured between the apex 19 of groove I2 and the apex 20 of groove I3 will constitute the wall thickness of the finished drawer I0. In drawer 10 the wall thickness Y is equal to twice the thickness r of the sheet material II so that the two grooves are separated by a knife edged ridge 21.  
  After an appropriate adhesive means is applied to the grooves 12 and 13, and/or surface 22 of the sheet material 11 in which the grooves are incised, the sheet material I I is folded along the two grooves to form a double walled beam 25, the top and two sides of which present the decorative facing 18.  
  A second series of precisely mitered grooves are then incised into the beam 25. As shown in FIG. 3, three intermediate grooves 26, 27 and 28 may be spaced along the length of the beam 25 and each end 29 and 30 may be mitered so that the beam 25, when folded along each groove, will form the entire perimeter of the drawer 10.  
  The dimension A measured between end 29 and groove 26 will constitute the longitudinal depth of the drawer, and dimension B measured between grooves 26 and 27 will constitute the width of the drawer. As such, dimension A will be equal to dimension C, and dimension B will be equal to dimension D.  
  In addition to the three grooves 26, 27 and 28 which extend transversely of the beam 25, it is also desirable to incise a longitudinal rabbet 3I into the same side of the beam 25 as the transverse grooves. The longitudinal rabbet 31 runs parallel to, and is spaced a modest distance from, the edges 14 and 15 which, in the embodiment depicted, register when the sheet material 11 is folded to comprise the beam 25. A drawer bottom 32 may be received within the rabbet 31 for full support along all four edges.  
  By applying a suitable adhesive to the three grooves 26, 27 and 28, as well as the mitered ends 29 and 30 and the longitudinal rabbet 3I, when the beam 25 is folded to form the four sides of the drawer and to receive the bottom 32, an exceptionally stable drawer is provided.  
  In order to provide aesthetic continuity to the drawer 10 the upwardly directed surface on bottom 32 may be provided with a decorative facing 33 identical to facing 18, or at least compatible therewith.  
  It should also be appreciated that whereas the provision of three grooves extending transversely of the beam 25 permits all four walls of the drawer to be finished on both sides, in some situations it may not be necessary to include the back wall, in which event only grooves 26 and 27 need be incised. When the end wall is provided by some other means it may also be unnecessary to substitute the end miter 30 for groove 28 or to employ end miter 29 a squared end may suffice.  
  For some installations it may be desirable to stabilize the sliding movement of the drawer and transit the weight of the drawer to the frame assembly in which it is mounted by cooperative engagement between support members presented by the frame assembly and corresponding slide members secured to, and concealed within, the drawer. That portion of drawer 110, shown in FIG. 8, exemplifies a typical construction by which slide members may be concealed within the side rails of the drawer according to the concept of the present invention.  
  As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the two side rails and at least the one end of drawer 110 can be fabricated from a rectangular piece of sheet material 111. In order to make drawer 110, a pair offirst grooves 112 and 113 are also incised in the sheet material 11] parallel to the longitudinal edges 114 and 11S and into that side of the sheet 111 opposite to that which presents the finished surface. or film 118. However, because a slide member is to be concealed within each side rail as will hereinafter become apparent the dimension Y must exceed twice the thickness I of the sheet material 111 by an amount at least equal to the thickness of the slide member. As such, the two grooves 112 and 113 are separated by a flat ridge 121 having a span equal to the dimension of the internal space required between the side walls of the drawer rail in this embodiment the span is equal to the thickness of the slide member (FlG. 9)v  
  A slide member 122, the details of which are hereinafter more fully explained, may be secured to sheet 111 along the full length of edge 114 (FIG. 6). For many installations the slide member 122 can be secured with sufficient tenacity by employing an adhesive. A suitable adhesive may also be applied to grooves 112 and 113 and the opposite face of slide member 121 before the sheet 111 is folded along grooves 112 and 113 to form a beam 125 of substantially U-shaped cross section having spaced side walls 126 and 128.  
  At least two, precisely mitered, second, or transverse, grooves 130 and 131 are incised from the same side of beam 125 in order that the beam 125 may be folded therealong to form the two side rails and at least one end of the drawer 110. Here. too, of course, both ends of the drawer may be formed by the provision of an additional transverse groove as was employed to form drawer 10.  
  In order to facilitate support of the drawer bottom 132, a longitudinal rabbet 131 is also preferably incised into the same side of the beam 125 as the two second grooves 130 and 131.  
  Referring more particularly to FIG. 9, the slide member 122 presents, when mounted within the rail of a drawer, a longitudinally extending, vertical access 133 which terminates in a longitudinally extending, lateral way 134. A frame assembly 135 cooperates with each slide member 122 to permit the drawer 110 to be opened and closed with case.  
  The frame assembly 135 has a side panel member 136 to which each support member 138 is secured, as by flat head screws 139, which anchor the base 140 to the respective side panel member 136. A guide flange 141 is connected to, and spaced laterally from, the base 140 by a web 142. Sliding engagement of the guide flange 141 with either wall 143 or 144 of the access 133 will particularly when both sides of the drawer are of identical construction stabilize movement of the drawer and tend to preclude undesirable lateral racking of the drawer with respect to the frame assembly.  
  The upper edge of the guide flange 141 terminates in a laterally extending lip 145. The upperly directed surface 146 on lip 145 slidingly engages the upper surface 147 of way 134 to support the weight of the drawer 110 and permit the drawer to be slid therealong. The downwardly directed surface 148 on lip 145, by being opposed to the lower surface 149 of way 134, effectively prevents the drawer from being lifted off the support member 138.  
  it should be appreciated that whereas a slide member, as such, need not be incorporated in that portion of the beam extending between the transverse, sec ond grooves and 131, the utilization of some filler between walls 126 and 128 serves to reinforce the end of the drawer. The slide member 122 can serve this purpose quite well, although additional reinforcing fillers for mounting drawer pulls or strengthening the c0rners may be desired. Further details as to the configuration and positioning of additional reinforcing fillers are hereinafter explained in conjunction with the description of the third embodiment.  
  Assuming then, that the end portion of the drawer formed between grooves 130 and 131 shall be the front 150 of the drawer it must be appreciated that whatever the form of the rear wall applied to drawer 110 it must accommodate both the access 133 and the way 134 and not block either so that no interference will be presented to movement of the drawer along the support member.  
  The third embodiment demonstrates how a drawer 210 embodying the concept of the present invention can be employed to obviate the necessity for requiring a cabinet in which to receive a tier of drawers and still present the finished appearance of a cabinet when the drawers are in their closed position.  
  Even though the drawer 210 is adapted for carrying heavy loads of the type commonly encountered in a file cabinet, it can be readily fabricated from a rectangular piece of sheet material 211. As best seen in FIG. 10, a pair of first grooves 212 and 213 are also incised into the sheet material 211 parallel to the longitudinal edges 214 and 215 on the side opposite to which any decorative surface film 218 would be secured.  
  in order to conceal the slide member within the side rail of the completed drawer, the two grooves 212 and 213, in this embodiment as well, are separated by a flat ridge 221 such that the dimension Y will exceed twice the thickness t of the sheet material by an amount at least sufficient to accommodate the particular slide member to be employed For drawers intended to receive relatively heavy loads it may well be desired to minimze resistance against operation of the drawer by employing a low friction slide member 222 of the type well known to the prior art. A typical slide member 222 may incorporate a channel track 223 and roller 224 secured to the drawer which cooperatively interengages a similar arrangement on the support member, as more fully hereinafter described.  
  As depicted in FIG. 10, a pair of channel tracks 223 may be secured to the sheet material 211 in proximity to edge 215 and therefore on that portion of the sheet 211 which will become side wall 226 when the sheet is &#39;folded along grooves 212 and 213 to form the beam 225 of substantially Ushaped cross section. Because wall 226 becomes the inside wall on the rails of drawer 210, the channel tracks 223 may be fastened to the sheet material 211 as by flat head screws 227 and thereby leave the wall 228 unblemished.  
  While any number of wall reinforcing configurations may be employed, particular attention is generally given to the corners and side rails. One preferred arrangement which quite effectively reinforces the cor ners of the finished drawer is accomplished by locating a filler block 229 so as to span the location where the precisely mitered. second. or transverse. grooves 230 and 231 will be incised in the beam 225 (FIG. 11). As such. one filler block 229a may be advantageously located a distance A from that edge of sheet material 211 which will become the end 232 of beam 225, and either a continuation of that block or a second filler block 229b may be advantageously located a distance B from that edge of sheet 211 which will become the end 233 of beam 225. In either event. the filler block 229. which serves as a reinforcing means. will extend substantially perpendicularly to the first grooves 212 and 213. as best seen in P10. [0.  
  By making the thickness of the filler block. or blocks. 229 equal to the span of the flat ridge 22]. the fullest possible support is provided between the side walls 226 and 228 of the beam 225, and a suitable adhesive means. or the like. may be employed to secure each of the side walls 226 and 228 to the filler block 229.  
  Additional reinforcing means may also be desired for the side rails of the drawer. and. as depicted in FIG. 10, additional filler blocks 236 and 237 may be oriented parallel to the first groove 212 and 213 and secured to the sheet 211 so that they will be disposed between the second. or transverse. grooves 230 and 23l and the ends 232 and 233 of beam 225, respectively. In determining the location of the filler blocks 236 and 237 the thickness of which should preferably also be equal to the span of the flat ridge 221 particular care should be exercised so that the operation of the slide means is not restricted.  
  As shown in FIG. ll. a longitudinal rabbet 241 may also be incised in the same side of the beam 225 as the transverse grooves 230 and 23]. The longitudinal rabbet 241 should generally parallel the edge 215 and will thus provide a suitable support along at least three edges of the bottom 242.  
  In this embodiment. as in the previous embodiment, the rear wall of the drawer may be secured any number of ways. One way is to incise a transverse rabbet 243 parallel. and in proximity. to edge 232 and a rabbet 244 parallel. and in proximity. to edge 233 of beam 225. By locating the rabbets 243 and 244 so that they are opposed when the beam is folded about the transverse grooves. a rear wall may be secured therein with comparative ease.  
  la the previously described embodiments the two edges (l4, l and 114, 115) of the sheet (11 and 111) were brought into registry when the sheet was folded to form the beam (25 and 125). However. in the present embodiment it is preferred that the edge 214 be spaced below the level of edge 215 so that when the beam 225 is folded and secured (as by suitable adhesive means applied to all contacting parts such as the transverse grooves 230 and 231 the transverse rabbets 243 and 244 and the rear wall and the rabbet 241 that receives bottom 242) to form the drawer 210, the outer side 228 of the rails will conceal the means on which the drawer is supported. as will hereinafter become more apparent.  
  As best seen in FIGS. 14 and 15, a plurality of drawers 210 can be advantageously supported on a frame assembly 235. A pair of vertical pillars 245 and 246 extend upwardly in laterally spaced relation from a base.  
 not shown. and may. at selected vertical intervals. be interconnected for assured stability. Cantilevered support arms are secured to. and extend outwardly from. the pillars in opposed pairs; one pair for each drawer. A typical configuration might employ support arms 248 and 249 of right angle cross sections secured. as by welding. to the respective pillars 245 and 246. also conveniently of right angle cross section.  
  Support members 250 adapted for cooperative interengagement with the slide members 222 may be secured to the cantilevered arms. As such. a support member in the form of a channel track 25] and roller 252 may be secured to each arm 248 and 249. as by the flat head screws 253. The construction and operation of slide members 222 and support members 250 are well known to the prior art and need not be further de tailed here.  
  As can best be observed from FIGS. 14 and 15. the extension of edge 215 below the level of edge 214 permits the outer wall 228 on each drawer rail to conceal the support arms and terminate in close proximity to the rail on the drawer supported immediately thercbelow. and at the same time the inner wall 226 can accommodate any inward extension of the support arms. including any lateral bracing 254 connected between the opposed parallel arms 248 and 249. without inter ference with the operation of the drawer.  
  It should now be apparent that the full. or partial. perimeter of a drawer can be constructed according to the concept ofthe present invention from a single sheet of material in order that all exposed surfaces may be finished. in addition. such a drawer possesses structural integrity. can readily conceal the assembly on which it is supported and otherwise accomplishes the objects of the invention.  
 What is claimed is:  
  l. A method of forming a drawer comprising. the steps of incising a pair of precisely mitered. parallel first grooves in a piece of sheet material, folding said sheet material along said first grooves to form a double walled beam. incising precisely mitered parallel second grooves in the double walled beam. folding said beam along said second grooves to form the side walls and at least one end wall of a drawer.  
  2. A method. as set forth in claim 1, comprising the further step of applying a bottom member to the folded. double walled beam.  
  3. A method. as set forth in claim 1. comprising the further step of spacing said first grooves at a distance in excess of twice the thickness of the sheet material to provide a double walled beam of U-shaped cross section.  
  4. A method, as set forth in claim 3, comprising the further step of securing a slide means to said sheet material for concealment within said double walled beam.  
  5. A method. as set forth in claim 3, comprising the further step of positioning reinforcing means at selected locations on said sheet material to predetermine the position of the reinforcing means within the double walled beam resulting when said sheet material is folded along said first grooves.  
  6. A method, as set forth in claim 5. comprising the further steps of forming a slide means in said reinforcing means and orienting said reinforcing means substantially parallel to. and spaced from. said first groove means.  
  8. A method. as set forth in claim 7, comprising the further step of securing a slide member within each double walled beam forming the side wall of the drawer.