Extension limiter, reinforced stopper and spacer for drawer glides

Abstract

The extension limiter for drawer glides prevents a mobile track of a drawer glide from being fully extended with respect to the middle track of the drawer glide until a user takes a specific action to release the mobile track. The extension limiter for drawer glides is a safety measure to prevent accidental tipping of filing cabinets and the like. Additionally, a fixed track for a drawer glide is provided with a reinforced stopper positioned adjacent a rear end of the fixed track to prevent a rear end of the middle track from moving rearward beyond the rear end of the fixed track. A drawer glide is further provided with at least one spacer including a head portion and a peg. The peg extends outwardly from the head portion and removably snaps into a screw hole of the drawer glide so that the head portion is flush with the glide.

1 . A drawer glide with an extension limiter, comprising:
 a fixed track;   a middle track slidably mounted to the fixed track;   a mobile track slidably mounted to the middle track, the mobile track being adapted for attachment to a drawer;   a user-actuated retainer mounted on the mobile track; and   an engaging member fixed to the middle track, the user-actuated retainer releasably engaging the engaging member to releasably limit slidable movement of the mobile track with respect to the middle track to less than full extension in an outward direction until a user manually releases the user-actuated retainer to permit full extension of the mobile track and the drawer attached to the mobile track,   wherein said slidable movement of the mobile track with respect to the middle track is limited to less than full extension in said outward direction at a position of at least one of a first outward screw hole, a second intermediate screw hole, and a third inner screw hole.   
     
     
         2 . The drawer glide with an extension limiter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user-actuated retainer is substantially U-shaped and comprises:
 a first leg having opposed fixed and free ends;   a second leg having opposed fixed and free ends;   an engaging portion adjacent the fixed end of the second leg, the engaging portion being adapted for releasably engaging the engaging member; and   a central portion adjacent the respective fixed ends of the first and second legs, wherein the central portion is pivotally attached to the mobile track.   
     
     
         3 . The drawer glide with an extension limiter as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the free end of the first leg is adapted for contacting an outer flange of the mobile track, the first leg providing resilient tension between the user-actuated retainer and the outer flange of the mobile track when the second leg of the user-actuated retainer is pivoted to disengage the engaging portion from the engaging member. 
     
     
         4 . The drawer glide with an extension limiter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user-actuated retainer comprises:
 a housing; and   a lever having opposed first and second ends and a central portion, the central portion of the lever being pivotally attached to the housing, and the first and second ends each extending out of the housing.   
     
     
         5 . The drawer glide with an extension limiter as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the first end of the lever is adapted for releasably engaging the engaging member when the mobile track is initially pulled out of the middle track to prevent full extension of the mobile track and the attached drawer, the user manually pivoting the second end of the lever to releasably disengage the first end of the lever from the engaging member to permit full extension of the mobile track and the attached drawer. 
     
     
         6 . The drawer glide with an extension limiter as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the lever is resiliently biased with respect to the housing. 
     
     
         7 . A fixed track for a drawer glide with a reinforced stopper, comprising:
 a fixed track for a drawer glide having a web defining lateral edges and a pair of opposed flanges extending from the edges of the web and defining opposed channels, the fixed track having a rear end ;   a stopper tab extending perpendicular from the web, the stopper tab being positioned adjacent the rear end of the fixed track; and   at least one reinforcement rib attached to the stopper tab and extending rearward toward the rear end of the fixed track in order to brace the stopper tab.   
     
     
         8 . The fixed track for a drawer glide with a reinforced stopper as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the at least one reinforcement rib comprises a pair of reinforcement ribs respectively attached to opposed ends of the stopper tab. 
     
     
         9 . A drawer glide and spacer kit, comprising:
 a drawer glide having at least one screw hole defined therein; and   at least one spacer having a head portion and a peg, the peg extending outwardly from the head portion, the peg being removably snapped into the at least one screw hole to mount the head portion flush with the drawer glide.   
     
     
         10 . The drawer glide and spacer kit as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the head portion of the at least one spacer has a planar body. 
     
     
         11 . The drawer glide and spacer kit as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the head portion of the at least one spacer has a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm.