Slide rail assembly

Abstract

To provide an improved slide rail assembly.SOLUTION: A slide rail assembly includes a first rail, a second rail, a third rail, a fourth rail, and a fifth rail. The second rail and the third rail are each movable with respect to the first rail. In each of the second rail and the third rail, a passage is formed. The fourth rail and the fifth rail are constituted so as to be housed in the passages of the second rail and the third rail respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a slide rail mechanism, and more specifically to a slide rail assembly including a plurality of slide rails having a special structural configuration.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a slide rail assembly including a first rail, a second rail, a third rail, and an extension rail. The second rail is movable relative to the first rail. The third rail and the extension rail are respectively attached to the first chassis and the second chassis. When the third rail and the extension rail are moved to a predetermined position, the third rail and the extension rail can be separated from each other so as to facilitate the removal of wiring and the replacement of components due to the narrow space in the server chassis and the complex wiring of its storage device.

[0003] In the embodiment of Patent Document 1, the third rail is movably attached to a first rail section (for example, the rear rail section) of the second rail, and the extension rail is fixed to a second rail section (for example, the front rail section) of the second rail. Since the extension rail is fixed to the second rail, the second chassis cannot be removed from the second rail. Further, since the first chassis attached to the third rail is configured to be blocked by the second chassis, the first chassis cannot be removed from the second rail along the opening direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in order to meet the diverse requirements of the market, it is important to develop various slide rail products.

[0006] The present invention provides a slide rail assembly including a plurality of slide rails having a special structural configuration.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the slide rail assembly includes a first rail, a second rail, a third rail, a fourth rail, and a fifth rail. A first passage is formed in the first rail. The second rail and the third rail are movably attached to the first passage of the first rail, and a second passage and a third passage are respectively formed in the second rail and the third rail. The fourth rail and the fifth rail are movably attached to the second passage of the second rail and the third passage of the third rail, respectively.

[0008] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the slide rail assembly includes a first rail, a second rail, a third rail, a fourth rail, and a fifth rail. The second rail and the third rail are movable relative to the first rail respectively. Passages are formed in each of the second rail and the third rail. The passage of the second rail communicates with and is aligned with the passage of the third rail. The fourth rail and the fifth rail are configured to be respectively received in the passage of the second rail and the passage of the third rail.

[0009] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the slide rail assembly includes an outer rail and two inner rails. The outer rail is configured to be attached to a rack. The rack has a front end and a rear end. The two inner rails are movable relative to the outer rail. The lengths of the two inner rails are different. The first inner rail of the two inner rails is configured to hold a first holding object, and the second inner rail of the two inner rails is configured to hold a second holding object. When the first inner rail of the two inner rails is located at a first predetermined extended position relative to the outer rail, the first holding object extends at least partially beyond the front end of the rack. When the first inner rail of the two inner rails is moved along the opening direction from the first predetermined extended position relative to the outer rail for removal, the second inner rail of the two inner rails can be moved to a second predetermined extended position along the opening direction relative to the outer rail. When the second inner rail of the two inner rails is located at the second predetermined extended position, the second holding object extends at least partially beyond the front end of the rack.

[0010] These and other objects of the present invention will become clearly apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments shown in various figures and drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slide rail assembly 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of slide rails that are movable in the longitudinal direction relative to each other. In the present embodiment, the slide rail assembly 20 includes a first rail 22, a second rail 24, a third rail 26, a fourth rail 28, and a fifth rail 30. In the present embodiment, the X-axis is the longitudinal direction (or the length direction or the moving direction of the slide rail), the Y-axis is the lateral direction (or the lateral direction of the slide rail), and the Z-axis is the vertical direction (or the height direction of the slide rail). In addition, each of the slide rails 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 has a front portion and a rear portion. For example, the first rail 22 has a front portion 22a and a rear portion 22b, the second rail 24 has a front portion 24a and a rear portion 24b, the third rail 26 has a front portion 26a and a rear portion 26b, the fourth rail 28 has a front portion 28a and a rear portion 28b, and the fifth rail 30 has a front portion 30a and a rear portion 30b.

[0013] Furthermore, a first passage 32 is formed in the first rail 22. The second rail 24 and the third rail 26 are movably attached to the first passage 32 of the first rail 22. Second passages 34 and third passages 36 are respectively formed in the second rail 24 and the third rail 26. The fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 are respectively configured to be received in the second passage 34 of the second rail 24 and the third passage 36 of the third rail 26. For example, the fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 are movably attached to the second passage 34 of the second rail 24 and the third passage 36 of the third rail 26, respectively. The second passage 34 and the third passage 36 communicate with each other and are aligned. That is, the fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 are movable on the same longitudinal path.

[0014] The first rail 22 preferably includes a first wall 38a, a second wall 38b, and a longitudinal wall 40 connected between the first wall 38a and the second wall 38b of the first rail 22. The first passage 32 is defined by the first wall 38a, the second wall 38b, and the longitudinal wall 40 of the first rail 22 and is configured to accommodate the second rail 24 and the third rail 26.

[0015] The second rail 24 preferably includes a first wall 42a, a second wall 42b, and a longitudinal wall 44 connected between the first wall 42a and the second wall 42b of the second rail 24. The second passage 34 is defined by the first wall 42a, the second wall 42b, and the longitudinal wall 44 of the second rail 22 and is configured to accommodate the fourth rail 28.

[0016] The third rail 26 preferably includes a first wall 46a, a second wall 46b, and a longitudinal wall 48 connected between the first wall 46a and the second wall 46b of the third rail 26. The third passage 36 is defined by the first wall 46a, the second wall 46b, and the longitudinal wall 44 of the third rail 26 and is configured to accommodate the fifth rail 30.

[0017] The slide rail assembly 20 further includes a first sliding auxiliary device 50 movably attached within a second passage 34 of the second rail 24, and the first sliding auxiliary device 50 is adjacent to the front rail section of the second rail 24. The first sliding auxiliary device 50 is configured to improve the smoothness of the relative movement between the second rail 24 and the fourth rail 28. The first sliding auxiliary device 50 includes a plurality of first rotating balls B1 configured to be supported between the second rail 24 and the fourth rail 28.

[0018] The slide rail assembly 20 further includes a second sliding auxiliary device 52 disposed within the second passage 34 of the second rail 24. In this embodiment, the second sliding auxiliary device 52 is fixedly connected to the second rail 24 (the longitudinal wall 44 of the second rail 24), but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In contrast to the first sliding auxiliary device 50, the second sliding auxiliary device 52 is adjacent to the rear rail section of the second rail 24, and the second sliding auxiliary device 52 is configured to improve the smoothness of the relative movement between the second rail 24 and the fourth rail 28. The second sliding auxiliary device 52 includes a plurality of second rotating balls B2 configured to be supported between the second rail 24 and the fourth rail 28.

[0019] The slide rail assembly 20 further includes a third sliding auxiliary device 54 movably attached within a third passage 36 of the third rail 26. The third sliding auxiliary device 54 is configured to improve the smoothness of the relative movement between the third rail 26 and the fifth rail 30. The third sliding auxiliary device 54 includes a plurality of first rotating balls B3 configured to be supported between the third rail 26 and the fifth rail 28.

[0020] Preferably, the second rail 24 and the third rail 26 have different longitudinal lengths. In this embodiment, the second rail 24 is longer than the third rail 26, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0021] The fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 preferably have different longitudinal lengths. In this embodiment, the fourth rail 28 is longer than the fifth rail 30, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0022] The slide rail assembly 20 preferably further includes a bracket 56 (e.g., fixedly connected) connected to one side of the longitudinal wall 40 of the first rail 22 opposite to the second rail 24 and the third rail 26. For example, the bracket 56 is connected to the rear side of the longitudinal wall 40 of the first rail 22.

[0023] The bracket 56 preferably includes a first wall 58a, a second wall 58b, and a longitudinal wall 60 connected between the first wall 58a and the second wall 58b of the bracket 56, and the first wall 58a, the second wall 58b, and the longitudinal wall 60 of the bracket 56 are each configured to cover a part of the first wall 38a, the second wall 38b, and the longitudinal wall 40 of the first rail 22.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the first rail 22 is configured to be attached to a rack 62 (or a post). For example, the first rail 22 is configured to be attached to the front portion 62a and the rear portion 62b of the rack 62. In this embodiment, the first rail 22 is attached to the front portion 62a and the rear portion 62b of the rack 62 via the bracket 56. In addition, the rack 62 has a front end f and a rear end R.

[0025] The rack 62 has a plurality of attachment portions such as a plurality of first attachment portions 64 and a plurality of second attachment portions 66 configured to attach the bracket 56. Such a configuration is well known to those skilled in the art, and further description thereof will be omitted for simplicity. On the other hand, the fourth rail 28 is configured to hold the first holding object 68, and the fifth rail 30 is configured to hold the second holding object 70. For example, the fourth rail 28 includes at least one first connection portion 72 configured to attach the first holding object 68, and the fifth rail 30 includes at least one second connection portion 74 configured to attach the second holding object 70. Each of the first holding object 68 and the second holding object 70 can be a chassis, an electronic device, a drawer, etc., but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Further, the fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 have different longitudinal lengths so that the fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 are each configured to hold holding objects having different longitudinal lengths. In the present embodiment, the first holding object 68 is longer than the second holding object 70.

[0026] Furthermore, the slide rail assembly 20 is in a retracted state as shown in FIG. 3. In this state, both the second rail 24 and the third rail 26 are retracted with respect to the first rail 22, and the fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 are each retracted with respect to the second rail 24 and the third rail 26. The fourth rail 28 (and the first holding object 68) is located inside the rack 62. For example, the fourth rail 28 (and the first holding object 68) does not extend beyond the front end f of the rack 62. The fifth rail 30 (and the second holding object 70) is also located inside the rack 62, and the second holding object 70 is located behind the first holding object 68.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, the second rail 24 and the fourth rail 28 are in an extended state with respect to the first rail 22. Further, the second rail 24 is movable along the opening direction D with respect to the first rail 22 from the first retracted position R1 (shown in FIG. 3) to the first extended position E1 (shown in FIG. 4), and the fourth rail 28 is movable along the opening direction D with respect to the second rail 24 from the second retracted position R2 (shown in FIG. 3) to the second extended position E2 (shown in FIG. 4). In the state of FIG. 4, at least a part of the fourth rail 28 (and the first holding object 68) extends beyond the front end f of the rack 62 or the fourth rail 28 (and the first holding object 68) is located outside the rack 62 so as to be convenient for the user to perform maintenance on the first holding object 68. When the fourth rail 28 is located at the second extended position E2, the front portion 28a of the fourth rail 28 extends beyond the front portion 22a of the first rail 22, and the front portion 28a of the fourth rail 28 also extends beyond the front end f of the rack 62. Similarly, when the second rail 24 is located at the first extended position E1 with respect to the first rail 22, the front portion 24a of the second rail 24 extends beyond the front portion 22a of the first rail 22, and the front portion 24a of the second rail 24 also extends beyond the front end f of the rack 62.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the fourth rail 28 and the first holding object 68 can be moved along the opening direction D with respect to the second rail 24 from the second extended position E2 for removal.

[0029] Please refer to FIG. 3 together with FIG. 6. When the fourth rail 28 and the first holding object 68 move along the opening direction D from the second extended position E2 for removal, the third rail 26 can move along the opening direction D from the third retracted position (shown in FIG. 3) to the third extended position E3 (shown in FIG. 6) with respect to the first rail 22. The fifth rail 30 in the third passage 36 of the third rail 26 can move along the opening direction D from the fourth retracted position R4 (shown in FIG. 3) with respect to the third rail 26, pass through the second passage 34 of the second rail 24, and reach the fourth extended position E4 (shown in FIG. 6). In such a state, the fifth rail 30 (and the second holding object 70) extends at least partially beyond the front end f of the rack 62 or the fifth rail 30 (and the second holding object 70) is located outside the rack 62 for the convenience of the user to perform related maintenance work on the second holding object 70. When the fifth rail 30 is located at the fourth extended position E4, the front portion 30a of the fifth rail 30 extends beyond the front portion 22a of the first rail 22, and the front portion 30a of the fifth rail 30 also extends beyond the front end f of the rack 62. Preferably, the fifth rail 30 can be further moved along the opening direction D from the fourth extended position E4 with respect to the third rail 26 and the second rail 24 for removal (not shown).

[0030] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a slide rail assembly 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Different from the slide rail assembly 20 of the first embodiment including five slide rails (the first rail to the fifth rail), the slide rail assembly 200 of the second embodiment includes three slide rails.

[0031] Specifically, the slide rail assembly 200 includes an outer rail 202 and two inner rails such as a first inner rail 204 and a second inner rail 206. The first inner rail 204 and the second inner rail 206 are movably mounted within the passage of the outer rail 202 and are each movable longitudinally relative to the outer rail 202. The outer rail 202 is configured to be attached to a rack 208. For example, the outer rail 202 is configured to be attached to the front portion 208a and the rear portion 208b of the rack 208. The first inner rail 204 is configured to hold a first holding object 210, and the second inner rail 206 is configured to hold a second holding object 212. For example, the first inner rail 204 includes at least one first connection portion 214 configured to attach the first holding object 210, and the second inner rail 206 includes at least one second connection portion 216 configured to attach the second holding object 212. In addition, the first inner rail 204 and the second inner rail 206 have different longitudinal lengths corresponding to the different longitudinal lengths of the first holding object 210 and the second holding object 212. In this embodiment, the first inner rail 204 is longer than the second inner rail 206.

[0032] When moving the first holding object 210 to an extended position along the opening direction D via the first inner rail 204 relative to the outer rail 202 for removal, the second holding object 212 can be moved to another extended position along the opening direction D from the retracted position R' via the second inner rail 206 relative to the outer rail 202, which is convenient for the user to perform related maintenance on the second holding object 212. Such a similar configuration is disclosed in the first embodiment and further description is omitted for simplicity.

[0033] Therefore, the slide rail assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following technical features. 1) The slide rail assembly 20 includes a plurality of slide rails such as a first rail 22, a second rail 24, a third rail 26, a fourth rail 28, and a fifth rail 30. The first rail 22 can be regarded as the outer rail of the slide rail assembly 20, the second rail 24 and the third rail 26 can be regarded as two intermediate rails of the slide rail assembly 20, and the fourth rail 28 and the fifth rail 30 can be regarded as two inner rails of the slide rail assembly 20. That is, the two intermediate rails (24, 26) and the corresponding two inner rails (28, 30) share the same outer rail 22. In addition, the slide rail assembly 200 includes an outer rail 202 and two inner rails (204, 206) that share the same outer rail 202. Therefore, in contrast to the slide rail assembly of the prior art, the connection configuration of the slide rails of the slide rail assembly provided by the embodiments of the present application is more innovative and can facilitate the use of at least two holding objects. 2) When the slide rail assemblies (20, 200) are attached to the racks (62, 208), the two inner rails such as the inner rails (28, 204) and the inner rails (30, 206) of the slide rail assemblies (20, 200) are each configured to hold a first holding object (68, 210) and a second holding object (70, 212), and the inner rails (28, 204) that hold the first holding object (68, 210) and the inner rails (30, 206) that hold the second holding object (70, 212) can be opened and / or removed with respect to the first rail (22, 202) to be convenient for the user to perform maintenance on the first holding object (68, 210) or the second holding object (70, 212). 3) The lengths of the two inner rails such as the inner rails (28, 204) and the inner rails (30, 206) of the slide rail assemblies (20, 200) are different. Therefore, the two inner rails can correspondingly hold holding objects such as a first holding object (68, 210) and a second holding object (70, 212) with different lengths respectively.

[0034] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that numerous modifications and changes can be made to the apparatus and method while maintaining the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure should be construed as being limited only by the restrictions of the appended claims.

Claims

1. a first rail having a first passage formed therein; a second rail and a third rail movably attached to the first passage of the first rail, wherein the second rail and the third rail each have a second passage and a third passage formed therein; a fourth rail and a fifth rail movably attached to the second passage of the second rail and the third passage of the third rail, respectively; comprising the second rail is movable to a first extended position along an open direction with respect to the first rail, and the fourth rail is movable to a second extended position along the open direction with respect to the second rail; each of the first rail and the fourth rail has a front portion and a rear portion; when the fourth rail is in the second extended position, the front portion of the fourth rail extends beyond the front portion of the first rail; when the fourth rail is moved along the open direction from the second extended position for removal, the third rail is movable to a third extended position along the open direction with respect to the first rail, and the fifth rail is movable to a fourth extended position along the open direction through the second passage of the second rail with respect to the third rail; the fifth rail has a front portion and a rear portion; when the fifth rail is in the fourth extended position, the front portion of the fifth rail extends beyond the front portion of the first rail; a slide rail assembly.

2. the first rail includes a first wall, a second wall, and a longitudinal wall connected between the first wall and the second wall of the first rail, the first passage is defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the longitudinal wall of the first rail and is configured to accommodate the second rail and the third rail; the second rail includes a first wall, a second wall, and a longitudinal wall connected between the first wall and the second wall of the second rail, the second passage is defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the longitudinal wall of the second rail and is configured to accommodate the fourth rail; The third rail includes a first wall, a second wall, and a longitudinal wall connected between the first wall and the second wall of the third rail, and the third passage is defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the longitudinal wall of the third rail and is configured to accommodate the fifth rail. The slide rail assembly according to claim 1.

3. The second rail and the third rail have different lengths, and the fourth rail and the fifth rail have different lengths. The slide rail assembly according to claim 1.

4. A first rail, A second rail and a third rail each movable relative to the first rail, and a passage is formed in each of the second rail and the third rail, and the passage of the second rail communicates with and is aligned with the passage of the third rail. A second rail and a third rail, A fourth rail and a fifth rail configured to be respectively accommodated in the passage of the second rail and the passage of the third rail, comprising, The second rail can be moved to a first extended position along an opening direction with respect to the first rail, and the fourth rail can be moved to a second extended position along the opening direction with respect to the second rail, Each of the first rail and the fourth rail has a front portion and a rear portion, and when the fourth rail is located at the second extended position, the front portion of the fourth rail extends beyond the front portion of the first rail, When the fourth rail is moved along the opening direction from the second extended position for removal, the third rail can be moved to a third extended position along the opening direction with respect to the first rail, and the fifth rail can be moved to a fourth extended position along the opening direction through the passage of the second rail with respect to the third rail. The fifth rail has a front portion and a rear portion, and when the fifth rail is located at the fourth extended position, the front portion of the fifth rail extends beyond the front portion of the first rail. A slide rail assembly.

5. The first rail includes a first wall, a second wall, and a longitudinal wall connected between the first wall and the second wall of the first rail. A first passage is defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the longitudinal wall of the first rail, and the first passage is configured to accommodate the second rail and the third rail. The second rail includes a first wall, a second wall, and a longitudinal wall connected between the first wall and the second wall of the second rail. A second passage is defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the longitudinal wall of the second rail, and the second passage is configured to accommodate the fourth rail. The third rail includes a first wall, a second wall, and a longitudinal wall connected between the first wall and the second wall of the third rail. A third passage is defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the longitudinal wall of the third rail, and the third passage is configured to accommodate the fifth rail. The slide rail assembly according to claim 4.

Images