Floating Glide Mount for Roll-Out Drawers to Prevent Binding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Ball-bearing glides in drawers and accessories often fail due to misalignment, bending, and binding issues, which are exacerbated by humidity changes and uneven fastening, leading to premature product failure and operational issues.

Innovation Solution

A glide frame mechanism with vertically oriented glides, cross connectors, and pads providing a floating suspension, along with special fasteners and a divider system that allows for smooth movement and prevents over-tightening, addresses the misalignment and binding problems by accommodating relative movement and maintaining parallel alignment of glides.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If ball-bearing glides are installed horizontally to simplify installation, then installation ease is improved, but structural resistance to vertical deflection deteriorates causing glide bending and binding

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinstallation easeVSAvoidresistance to vertical deflection

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from horizontal glide orientation to vertical glide orientation, changing the dimensional arrangement to gain structural resistance against vertical deflection while maintaining ease of installation through the self-aligning pad mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Strength

If glides are installed vertically to reduce deflection, then resistance to vertical deflection is improved, but misalignment and binding problems persist due to fastener tolerance accumulation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresistance to vertical deflectionVSAvoidalignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pad acts as an intermediary element between the glide and the accessory, providing a floating suspension that absorbs misalignment errors from fasteners and prevents binding, thereby improving reliability without compromising the vertical orientation benefits

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If full extension glides are used to maximize accessibility, then functional versatility is improved, but leverage-induced bending and fastener detachment increase causing premature failure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveextension capabilityVSAvoidproduct durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pad provides beforehand cushioning by creating a floating suspension that compensates for leverage-induced stresses during full extension, preventing glide bending and fastener detachment before they can cause premature failure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS7810890B2Glide mechanism for roll out drawers and other items

Publication Date: 2010.10.12 LYNK INC

AI summary

A slide frame mechanism for a rollout accessory such as a wire drawer has two or more ball-bearing glides in a vertical orientation. Each of the glides includes a glide mount with a threaded aperture and cross-bars attached to extend between the glides. The accessory has a plurality of mounting tabs. Shoulder screws with partial threads pass through the accessory mounting tabs and threadably engage the threads of the slide mount apertures to secure the accessory to the glides. A compressible pad is positioned between the accessory mounting tabs and the glide mounts to provide a floating suspension which reduces binding of the glides when the accessory is rolled in and out. The screws fit loosely through oversized openings in the mounting tabs to allow limited movement of the accessory relative to the glides in a horizontal plane for further reduction of binding. Drawer dividers are constructed to detachably fit on drawers to provide separate compartments.