Slide assembly

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to slide assemblies. In particular, the present invention relates to a three-section slide assembly with simple retention and releasing mechanisms.

2. Description of related art

Typical slide assemblies comprise two or more telescoping slide segments. An outer or stationary slide segment is mounted to a frame of a rack structure, and an inner or load-carrying slide segment is movably attached to the stationary slide segment. The stationary slide segment is usually C-shaped and defines a channel in which the inner slide segment is slidable to extend or retract the slide assembly. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,689 discloses a slide assembly including a first track, a second track, and a third track. The first track includes a first stop and an engaging block. The second track is slidably received in the first track. The second track includes a second stop for abutting against the first stop of the first track. The second track further includes a first engaging member on an end thereof. The first engaging member includes an extension member, the extension member including an engaging section and a foot. The third track is slidably received in the second track. The third track includes a second engaging member for abutting against a third stop of the second track. The second engaging member includes an engaging edge and a leg. The leg is pressable to allow disengagement of the engaging edge from a protrusion on the third stop. When the second track moves inward into the first track, the engaging section abuts against the engaging block, thereby preventing inward movement of the second track; and when the foot of the first engaging member is pressed against by a bottom of the third track, the extension member is lifted for disengaging the engaging section with the retaining portion of the engaging block. However, such construction is relatively expensive and has not found wide acceptance.

What is needed, therefore, is a slide assembly with simple retention and releasing mechanisms.

A slide assembly includes a first slide, a second slide slidably attached to the first slide, and a third slide incorporated with a releasing member slidably attached to the second slide. The first slide includes a stop and a block. The second slide has a stop piece and a slot for movably receiving a retention pin. When the first, second, and third slides are in a fully extended state, the retention pin and the stop piece are resisted by the stop and the block of the first slide respectively, thereby restraining sliding movement between the second slide and the first slide; when the third slide is retracted from the fully extended state to a semi-extended state, the retention pin is lifted by the releasing member and disengaged from the stop, thereby allowing the second slide to fully retract into the first slide.

Other advantages and novel features will be drawn from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric partial view of a slide assembly of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slide assembly including an outer slide, an intermediate slide, an inner slide, a retention pin, and a releasing member;

FIG. 2 is an isometric, exploded view of the outer slide of FIG. 1 , but shown from another aspect;

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the slide assembly of FIG. 1 , but shown from another aspect; and

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the slide assembly of FIG. 3 in a fully-extended state.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a slide assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an outer slide 10 , an intermediate slide 20 , and an inner slide 30 , a retention pin 40 , and a releasing member 50 .

Referring also to FIG. 2 , the outer slide 10 includes a pair of guideways 12 for allowing longitudinal sliding movement of the intermediate slide 20 in the outer slide 10 and restraining lateral movement of the intermediate slide 20 . The outer slide 10 further includes a pair of stops 14 each having an inclined edge 141 . The stops 14 are generally triangle-shaped and extended obliquely from the inner side of the outer slide 10 . A first block 16 protrudes from the inner side of the outer slide 10 .

The intermediate slide 20 includes a pair of guideways 22 for allowing longitudinal sliding movement of the inner slide 30 in the intermediate slide 20 and restraining lateral movement of the inner slide 30 . A second block 24 protrudes from a front portion of the inner side of the intermediate slide 20 . A lateral slot 26 is defined in the intermediate slide 20 , transverse to a longwise direction of the intermediate slide 20 . A stop piece 28 is extended perpendicularly towards the outer slide 10 from the intermediate slide 20 near the slot 26 . The retention pin 40 is mounted in the slot 26 of the intermediate slide 20 and capable of moving upwards and downwards along the slot 26 . A central portion of the retention pin 40 is received in the slot 26 , leaving the two ends of the retention pin 40 protruding from opposite sides of the intermediate slide 20 . A width of the slot 26 is approximately equal to a diameter of the central portion of the retention pin 40 . A height of the stop piece 28 is about equal to a half of the length of the slot 26 .

The inner slide 30 includes a pair of flanges 32 for being received in the guideways 22 of the intermediate slide 20 . A stop piece 34 corresponding to the second block 24 of the intermediate slide 20 protrudes perpendicularly from the inner slide 30 towards the intermediate slide 20 . A pair of fixing posts 36 protrudes from the inner slide 30 . The releasing member 50 includes a body 52 and a pair of inclined flanges 54 extending perpendicularly from upper and lower inclined edges of the body 52 respectively. A pair of fixing holes 56 corresponding to the fixing posts 36 of the inner slide 30 is defined in the body 52 of the releasing member 50 for mounting the releasing member 50 to the inner slide 30 . The releasing member 50 could instead be integrally formed on the inner slide 30 .

Referring also to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , in assembly, the intermediate slide 20 incorporated with the movable retention pin 40 is slidably mounted to the outer slide 10 via the guideways 12 , and the inner slide 30 incorporated with the releasing member 50 is slidably mounted to the intermediate slide 20 via the guideways 22 . The length of the slot 26 is more than double the maximum height of the inclined stops 14 . The maximum height of the lower inclined flange 54 is more than the maximum height of the lower stop 14 of the outer slide 10 .

During the action of extending the sliding assembly from a fully retracted position, the intermediate slide 20 first slides out from the outer slide 10 , and then the inner slide 30 slides out from the intermediate slide 20 until full-extension of the sliding assembly is achieved. During extension of the intermediate slide 20 , a first end of the retention pin 40 is moving upwards and outwards along the inclined edge 141 of the lower stop 14 until completely sliding over the stop 14 and falling back to the bottom of the slot 26 of the intermediate slide 20 . Thus, the retention pin 40 abuts against the rear lower end of the stop 14 for preventing the intermediate slide 20 retracting into the outer slide 10 . Meanwhile, the rear end of the stop piece 28 of the intermediate slide 20 is resisted by the first block 16 of the outer slide 10 for preventing further extension of the intermediate slide 20 . Therefore, the intermediate slide 20 is stationary and locked relative to the outer slide 10 in the fully-extended s position.

During retraction of the slide assembly, the inner slide 30 is first retracted into the intermediate slide 20 until reaching a semi-extended position where the inner slide 30 is retracted into the intermediate slide 20 , but the intermediate slide 20 is not yet retracted into the outer slide 10 . During the inner slide 30 sliding inwards along the guideways 22 of the stationary intermediate slide 20 , the releasing piece 50 is moving towards the retention pin 40 and then the second end of the retention pin 40 is carried to a central portion of the slot 26 from the bottom of the slot 26 by the lower inclined flange 54 of the releasing piece 50 . Thus, the retention pin 40 climbs up, and disengages from the lower stop 14 in the semi-extended position. Then the intermediate slide 20 together with the inner slide 30 is capable of retracting into the outer slide 10 from the locked position to put the slide assembly into the fully retracted position.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment, together with details of the structure and function of the preferred embodiment, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.