US1139940A - Locking device for desks and the like. - Google Patents

Description

c. TIWESTMORELAND. LOCKlNG DEVICE FOR DESKS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATI-ON FILED JAN. 3, 1913.

1 ,139,94(). Patented May 18, 1915.

THE MORE-'5 ETELS CO. PHOTO-LITHO, WASHINGTON. D. C.

WVEsTMon rLAND,

CRAWFORD THEODORE'wEsTMonELANnoF l nen 30mm;mmn cmomm; ssem le TO MYRTLE 'nE sK ooMPAm CORPORATION on nonrnonnonma.

' v Loonlne DEvIoE F01; DESKS AND: THE LIKE.

To all whom itmay concern v P V Be" it known that L'GRAWFORD THEODORE a citizen of the United States, residing at High Point, in the county of Guilford and State'of North Carolina, have invented I provements in s and helike, of which .lthe followingis a certainnew and useful 'Im- .Locklng Devices for Desks specification.

This mvention relates to improvements in looking devi'ces'for desks, cabinets or. other pieces of furniture having a plurality. of

' drawers thei locking of which is controlled by some movable "portion-usually under con trolof lock and key andcomrnon to all the drawers. For example," in the case of roll top desks it is common to control the locking 7 of the tiers of drawers by. the roll; top,":,and in the c'aseof a fiat top desk to'control-the locking of a pluralityfof the'drawersfrom one drawer, which-latter isilockedi and unlocked by a key. Itisf a common fault with devices of this character now generally in use that thelockingmechanism for the'several drawers easily gets out oforder,'due in some cases to the more or less complex mechanism employed, and in others to faulty .constr-uction which'will not stand the rough usage to which such mechanism is ordinarily subjected. The idealmechanism for this purpose should be, without sacrificing certainty of'operation, simple in construction andof such a nature as to stand rough or severe operation without getting out of order.' The object 'ofthis invention is to provide a locking device of the, above character I which shall possess the desirable qualities stated.

In orderv to more fully describe my invention, rejerence'willbe had to fthe ae-Q companyingdrawmgs where1n V. Figure 1 represents avertical sectlon of a i desk offtheflat top type equippedwith a form of my invention particularly adapted todesl rs of that type; Fig. 2, a fragmentary" top plan View of the desk and "locking mechanism shown in Fig l, with the flat top of the desk removed; Fig; 3, affragmentary.

section on line 3"-.3 Fig. 1, looking down, and Fig. at, a detail fragmentary perspective view partly in section of the locking mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 represents a desk of the fiat top type havinga tier of drawers 2,3 and 4:. t

Specification of Letters Patent. pat md M 15, 1 15; Y Application filed J'anuary 3, 1 13.1 'sei a1no.;740, oa2.1 r

two brackets 5 and 5 secured to the back of a .1 I- said upright; a movable'member 8't'o whioh 1 the desk, locking dogs 6 and .7 zfulcrumed on the tailsof all the locking dogs are pivotally secured 'a separablellextension 9"on the up l per end" of said member 8,; a spring 10 connecting the member 8 and its extensions 9,

and a 'leverll fulcrumedon the stationary member 5, and pivotally connected'to 'the separable extension- 9.1 The'heads of theseveral" dogs are provided, respectively, with shoulder-s12 and 13', adapted'fto engage the I inner side ofthe'rear ends ofthe drawers 3 and 4c, and with rounded cam edgeslt and 15, the purposetof whichwill hereinafter more readily appear. The extensionjgis held in prop li by 5 i pin 16011 thellppel' end ofthe m mb gg' hi h extends into a recess '17 in thefjfextension member, as shown most clearly in 'Fi'g',

The spring 10 isr'nade fast at one e'nd'to' the member Sand at its other end to 'the'member 9, and normally holds saidnnembers to gether, as shown in Fig. 1'. ,The lever :11 is adapted "to be operated by the upper drawer. 2 which drawer j is the" onefusu y 85, f I

ally lockedby a lock and key, and "which controls the lockingiof. the other drawers,

and for this purpose said'lever is provided with a rounded face 18 for engagement therearend'of saidjdrawer; The operation is as followsi Withfall the drawers'closed, as shown in Fig; 1 'the rear;

end of drawer- 2 abuts against thelever'll and causes thesamejto hold the member-Sinthe 7 I position, whereby the dogs are held in the locked position shown; 7 'When the presI- sure 'oflthe 'end o'f the drawer 21 is released] fromhthelever fl, as when said drawer is;

pulled forward, theimember 8-,drops by",

gravity, andinfldoing so raises the locking-j I 00 heads of the dogs 6 and 7 clear ofth'e -tops of the rear end of the drawersfi andft,

thereby unlockingsai'd drawers and leaving them free to bejpulled out. Should'e'itherorf both of the drawers 3 and l beileftin the: unlocked position after the top'fdra'wer is would send the ogs into the locking posi tion, the drawers and 4 will I lock en-1.01

a. sure. In such a casethe rear ends of the s rawe s e e tweed e he Y closed, which "position of the top, drawer 14 and 15 of the dogs and force them up to permit passage of the ends of the drawers into locking engagement with the dogs. In this case the heads of the dogs would yield upwardly against the tension of the spring 10 which would extend to permit the member 8 to descend. After the drawers pass into the locking position, the spring 10 pulls the member 8 up and sends the heads of the dogs down to. engage and lock the drawers. The downward movement of member 8 and the upward movement of the heads of the locking dogs is limited by stops 19 and 20.

I preferably make the locking dogs of metal, though the lever 11 is preferably made of wood. I do not, however, limit the making of the parts of-my invention to any special material.

The locking mechanism herein shown and described is, as will be readily seen, eX tremely simple, and is particularly free'from liability to get out of order.

Another important advantage of my improved locking device is that the whole mechanism, including the attachment of the upright 5 to the brackets 5 and 5 may be assembled before it is put in the desk.

The employment of a separable member.

.such as 89 extensible against a spring as shown, constitutes a very simple and efficient arrangement for permitting the dogs to yield as described. Also, the form of looking dog herein shown may be and preferably is stamped out of plate or sheet metal which greatly reduces the cost of manufacture. At the same time these dogs will not split or break in operation as is the case with the. wooden locking members commonly in use. a

It should be understood, however, that while I have herein shown my invention as applied to desks only, it may equally as well be applied to cabinets, or other pieces of furniture having a series of drawers, the locking of which is controlled from some one movable part of the article ordinarily under lock and key, and in the claims I use the word desk in a generic sense to cover all such articles. It will be further understood that modifications may be made in the construction of the locking mechanism itself without departing from the true spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. A desk having a plurality of drawers, in combination with a locking device therefor comprising a stationary support, a plurality of dogs fulcrumed thereon and adapted to lock said drawers, a movable member to which the tails of all said dogs are pivotally. connected, means operative by a movable portion of the desk and operatively connected to said movable member, and a spring mounted wholly on said movable member and forming a portion of said op- Iirative connection to lift said movable mem- 2. A desk having a plurality of drawers, in combination with a locking device therefor comprising a stationary support, a plurality of dogs fulcrumed thereon and adapted to lock said drawers, a movable member to which the tails of all said dogs are pivotally connected, a lever adapted to be operated by a movable portion of the desk, and a yielding connection between said lever and said movable member through which said movable member is lifted by said lever.

3. A desk having a plurality of drawers, in combination with a locking device therefor, comprising a stationary support, a plurality of dogs fulcrumed thereon and adapted to lock said drawers, a separable movable member at one section of which the tails of all said dogs are pivotally connected, a spring mounted wholly on said movable member and forming a connection between the separable sections of said member, and means connected to one of the sections of said member and operative by a movable portion of the desk to lift the other section through said spring.

4. 'A desk having a plurality of drawers, in combination with a locking device therefor comprising a stationary support, a plurality of locking dogs fulcrumed on said support and adapted to engage the rear ends of said drawers, a movable member pivotally connected to the tails of the several-dogs, a lever fulcrumed on said support, and oper able by a movable portion of said desk to operate all of said dogs simultaneously, and a spring mounted wholly on said movable member and forming a portion of the 0011- nection between said lever and member, and against which any of saidjdogs in the look ing position may yield to receive the rear end of the drawers to lock the same.

5. A locking device for desks or the like, comprising a rod or bar, a series of locking dogs fulcrumed on said bar, a bar made in two separable sections to one of which the tails of all said dogs are pivotally connected,

a lever fulcrumed on the first named bar and pivotally connected to the other sections of the separable bar, and a spring forming a yielding connection between the sections of said separable bar. 7

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnessesi L. T. RooHnLLE, E. S. RooHnLLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. C.

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