Drawer interlocking device for cabinets

Claim 2

In a cabinet or the like having superposed slidable drawers; a rearwardly projecting angular bracket mounted on the inner end of each of said drawers, each of said brackets having a depending projecting lug and having a downwardly opening recess and having an upwardly extending beveled shoulder thereon; a vertical slidable locking bar having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therein; said shoulders of said brackets being adapted to engage the edge portion of said bar at said slots said bar in upper unlocking position; said brackets normally extending into said slots respectively; said depending lugs being adapted to engage said bar upon descent thereof to lock the closed drawers against withdrawal, the partial withdrawal of one of said drawers being adapted to raise and then drop said locking bar to thereby engage and lock the brackets of the remaining drawers against normal withdrawal thereof; the closing movement of a withdrawn drawer being adapted to cause the shoulder of its inner bracket to raise said locking bar and then to cause said bar to drop to lock the drawer into locked position.

Claim 3

A cabinet having superposed slidable drawers as recited in claim 2 and having a manually operable rotatable lock cylinder mounted in said cabinet, and having a rotatable metal link connected to said lock, and extending into and engaging the upper portion of said slidable locking bar to provide for manually selectively rotating said lock cylinder to raise said locking bar into drawer unlocking position and to permit descent of said bar into drawer locking position.

Claim 4

In combination with a drawer-containing cabinet or the like having a back wall; an inner vertical wall mounted in said cabinet inward of said back wall and having vertically spaced slots therein; a vertical slidable locking bar slidable mounted adjacent said inner wall and having a plurality of vertically spaced apart slots therein; a plurality of drawers slidably mounted above each other in said cabinet; a lug-bearing locking bracket having thereon an upwardly extending lug and a downwardly extending hook and mounted on the inner wall of each of said drawers; said upwardly extending lug having an integral upwardly extending beveled cam face, said cam-faced lug being adapted to move into said slots of said bar on closing of an open drawer; relatively loose bolts extending through slots in the rear wall of said cabinet and through said locking bar, said bolts having yieldable spring washers thereon; the opening movement of a drawer in said cabinet being adapted to raise said locking bar to upper position to thereby cause said locking bar to engage the depending lugs of the remaining other closed drawers of said cabinet against outward movement; said spring washers being adapted to releasably hold said locking bar in upper position; the full closing movement of the single open drawer being adapted to cause said depending lug to move downwardly said locking bar to a lowered nonlocking position in which all of said drawers are openable; and Manually actuable locking means on said cabinet for selectively locking said bar and said drawers in closed position.

Claim 5

In combination with a drawer-containing cabinet or the like having a back wall; an inner vertical wall mounted in said cabinet inward of said back wall and having vertically spaced slots therein; a vertical slidable locking bar slidable mounted adjacent said inner wall and having a plurality of vertically spaced apart slots therein; a plurality of drawers slidably mounted above each other in said cabinet; a lug-bearing locking bracket having thereon an upwardly extending lug and a downwardly extending hook and mounted on the inner wall of each of said drawers; said upwardly extending lug having an integral upwardly extending beveled cam face, said cam-faced lug being adapted to move into said slots of said bar on closing of an open drawer; relatively loose bolts extending through slots in the rear wall of said cabinet and through said locking bar, said bolts having yieldable spring washers thereon; the opening movement of a drawer in said cabinet being adapted to raise said locking bar to upper position to thereby cause said locking bar to engage the depending lugs of the remaining other closed drawers of said cabinet against outward movement; said spring washers being adapted to releasably hold said locking bar in upper position; the full closing movement of the single open drawer being adapted to cause said depending lug to move downwardly said locking bar to a lowered nonlocking position in which all of said drawers are openable; and Manually actuable locking means on said cabinet for selectively locking said bar and said drawers in closed position.

Claim 6

In a cabinet or the like having a rear slotted wall and slidable drawers; a self-locking means for releasably locking certain drawers of a cabinet actuable on withdrawal of one drawer thereof including a projecting angular bracket mounted on the inner end of each of said drawers, each of said brackets having projecting upwardly a lug with a camlike edge thereon, and having a depending recessed hook thereon; a vertical slidably mounted slotted locking bar adjacent the rear wall of said cabinet and having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therein; bolts loosely extending through the slots of said rear wall and secured in said locking bar; yieldable spring means mounted on said bolts and normally frictionally engaging said rear wall, said recessed hooks being adapted to engage the said slotted locking bar; said brackets normally extending into said slots respectively when said drawers are in closed position, the partial withdrawal of one of said drawers being adapted to raise said locking bar to cause the hooks on said angular brackets to engage and lock the brackets of the remaining drawers against normal withdrawal thereof; the full closing movement of a withdrawn drawer being adapted to cause the camlike edge of its inner bracket to lower said locking bar into drawer-unlocking position.

Claim 7

In a cabinet or the like having a rear slotted wall and slidable drawers; a self-locking means for releasably locking certain drawers of a cabinet actuable on withdrawal of one drawer thereof including a projecting angular bracket mounted on the inner end of each of said drawers, each of said brackets having projecting upwardly a lug with a camlike edge thereon, and having a depending recessed hook thereon; a vertical slidably mounted slotted locking bar adjacent the rear wall of said cabinet and having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therein; bolts loosely extending through the slots of said rear wall and secured in said locking bar; yieldable spring means mounted on said bolts and normally frictionally engaging said rear wall, said recessed hooks being adapted to engage the said slotted locking bar; said brackets normally extending into said slots respectively when said drawers are in closed position, the partial withdrawal of one of said drawers being adapted to raise said locking bar to cause the hooks on said angular brackets to engage and lock the brackets of the remaining drawers against normal withdrawal thereof; the full closing movement of a withdrawn drawer being adapted to cause the camlike edge of its inner bracket to lower said locking bar into drawer-unlocking position.