JP7510686B2 - Slide rail stopper device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stopper device used in slide rails that move items such as drawers and grills in a straight line.

A variety of stopper devices for slide rails have been provided in the past, a representative example of which is shown in Prior Art Document 1 (Patent Document 1), in which a stopper member 5 that rotates in the height direction of the slide rail is provided on the base plate side of the inner member 2, and when the slide rail is pulled out, the stopper member 5 protrudes toward the end side of the outer member 1, temporarily fixing the slide rail in the pulled-out position, and in this state, the protruding stopper member 5 can be operated with a finger to release the pulled-out state of the inner member 2, or the inner member 2 can be pulled out of the outer member 1.
However, since this type of stopper device rotates in the height direction, it is difficult to adopt this type of stopper device when the height of the inner member is low because the rotation range of the stopper member 5 cannot be sufficiently secured and operability is poor because it must be operated between the bent edges 21, 21 of the inner member 2.
In addition, since lubricating grease is usually applied to the surfaces of the bent edges 21, 21 on which the balls roll, when operating the stopper member 5, the fingers may come into contact with the bent edges 21, 21 of the inner member 2, and at that time, the grease may adhere to the fingers.
Furthermore, when a pair of slide rails are used, such as for a drawer, the stopper member 5 rotates in a different direction, so that two types of slide rails must be prepared, one for the right hand side and one for the left hand side.

Another method, as shown in prior art document 2 (Patent Document 2), is to provide a leaf-spring-like stopper member 6 attached to the base portion of the moving member 2, and when the slide rail is pulled out, the stopper member 6 protrudes toward the end side of the fixed member 1, fixing the slide rail in the pulled-out position. In this state, the protruding stopper member 6 can be operated with a finger to release the pulled-out state of the moving member 2, or the moving member 2 can be extracted from the fixed member 1.
And, since the stopper member 6 is installed on the base plate portion of the moving member 2, the stopper member 6 is basically set to a height within the height range of the base plate portion. Therefore, when attempting to install the stopper member 6 on a small slide rail with a low height of the moving member 2, the height of the stopper member 6 will also be low and it will be buried between the bent edges 21, 21 of the moving member 2, which will not only make it difficult to press with a finger and poor operability, but also make it difficult to ensure the strength of the stopper member 6.

In addition, since a small slide rail with a low height is usually also thin, the leaf spring-shaped stopper member 6 does not have a sufficient stroke in the thickness direction, making it difficult to ensure stable operation of the stopper device.
Furthermore, since lubricating grease is usually applied to the surfaces of the folded edges 21, 21 on which the balls roll, when operating the stopper member 6, the fingers may come into contact with the folded edges 21, 21 of the moving member 2, and at that time, the grease may adhere to the fingers.
On the other hand, since such a stopper member 6 applies a spring force to the opposing fixed member through spring action, the stopper member 6 is constantly pressing against the opposing member when the slide rail is extended or retracted, which creates resistance and makes it difficult to extend or retract the slide rail smoothly.
In particular, because the stopper member 6 presses against the opposing member, repeated extension and contraction of the slide rail causes the stopper member 6 and the opposing member to wear down due to friction, resulting in the problem that the scraped off material adheres to the surface as dirt.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 03-17528 JP 2003-325256 A

The objective of the present invention is to provide a stopper device for a slide rail that is easy to operate and can slide smoothly.

A stopper device that temporarily stops the sliding of a slide rail that is equipped with at least an outer rail and an inner rail that slides against the outer rail, the stopper device is composed of at least an operating part, an operating lever, an operating member, and a locking part, the operating lever is provided with a locking piece, the operating member is provided with an operating part that operates the operating lever, the locking part is engaged with the locking piece, the operating lever is installed on the outer rail or inner rail so as to face the base plate of the other rail, the operating member and the locking part are installed on the other rail relative to the rail on which the operating lever is installed so as to face the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed, and the operating lever is installed so as to rotate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the operating lever is forcibly rotated by the operating part of the operating member as the slide rail slides, and the locking part and the locking piece engage with each other due to the rotation, temporarily stopping the sliding of the slide rail, and the operating lever is rotated by operating the operating part to release the engagement between the locking part and the locking piece.

The operating lever is provided with an actuated part on the opposite side of the locking piece across the pivot axis of the operating lever, and a push-out part is provided on the operating member. As the slide rail slides, the push-out part presses the actuated part, causing the operating lever to rotate, and the locking piece moves to engage with the locking part provided on the operating member side as a result of the rotation, whereby the locking piece and the locking part engage, temporarily stopping the sliding of the slide rail.

When the locking portion and the locking piece are engaged, pressing the operating portion presses the actuated portion of the operating lever, causing the operating lever to rotate, and the locking piece is disengaged from the locking portion by the rotation of the operating lever, releasing the engagement state.

When in standby mode until the engagement between the locking portion and the locking piece is released, the operating portion is configured to sandwich the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed and protrude on the side opposite the operating lever.

In addition to the above, the locking portion is integrally formed with the actuating member.

The operating lever is installed so as to rotate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the slide rail can be locked and unlocked by this rotation, so that even a low-height slide rail can be used since there is no movement in the vertical direction.
In addition, the operating lever is installed on the other rail so as to face the base plate, and the operating member is installed on the other rail so as to face the base plate, and the operating lever is operated by the operating member, so that the slide rail can be temporarily stopped by the cooperation of the operating member and the operating lever, and when the temporary stop function is not working, there is no need for the operating lever or the operating member to come into excessive contact with the other rail, which makes it difficult to affect the extension and retraction (sliding) action of the slide rail.

In addition, because the operating lever is operated by the pushing portion, when the stopper device is not in operation, the operating lever and the operating member do not come into excessive contact with the slide rail, which reduces the risk of wear and dirt caused by repeated extension and retraction (sliding) of the slide rail, and increases the durability of the stopper device.

The operating lever rotates horizontally perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the actuated part and the locking part of the operating lever rotate in opposite directions, so the locking piece and the locking part can be released from their engagement simply by operating the actuated part with the operating part.

The operating part protrudes in the opposite direction to the board direction of the side rail facing the rail on which the operating lever is installed in the operation standby position, so when the operating part is operated with a finger, it is not buried between the bent edges of the rail, making it easy to operate. Also, since it can be operated without touching the bent edges, it is possible to prevent grease from getting on the fingers.

Because the locking portion is formed integrally with the operating member, the locking position can be determined by the position where the operating member and the operating lever are attached, so locking and unlocking can be reliably started and released in accordance with the rotation of the operating lever. It also makes it easy to set the temporary stop position of the slide rail.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slide rail with a stopper device attached thereto in an extended state. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a slide rail with a stopper device attached thereto in an extended state. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slide rail with a stopper device attached thereto in a fully contracted state; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a slide rail to which a stopper device is attached; A front view of the second inner rail of the slide rail to which the stopper device is attached, as viewed from the extended end side. Basic cross-section of a slide rail FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a stopper device FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the stopper device. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main portion in a state where the holding member and the operating lever are attached to the second outer rail; FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main portion in a state where the operating member and the operating lever are attached to the second inner rail; Horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing the extension process of the slide rail FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the operating member and the operating lever come into contact with each other during the extension process of the slide rail. FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state in which the operating lever is rotated by the operating member during the extension process of the slide rail. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing an engagement state between the actuating member and the operating lever; FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an engagement state between the actuating member and the operating lever; FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing a state in which the operating part is pressed while the operating member and the operating lever are engaged with each other. FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of the stopper device, showing a state in which the stopper is released; FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing the extension process of a stopper device that temporarily fixes the stopper in an extended state. FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing the extension process of a stopper device that temporarily fixes the stopper in an extended state. FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing an operating state of a stopper of a stopper device that temporarily fixes the stopper in an extended state.

The following describes an example of a slide rail stopper device that is easy to operate and allows for smooth sliding.

The basic structure of the slide rail will be described with reference to FIGS.
For convenience, the up-down direction in FIG. 5 is referred to as the up-down direction, the left-right direction as the left-right direction, the lower left side in FIG. 1 is referred to as the pull-out side or extension side, and the upper right side as the pull-in side or contraction side.
The slide rail 100 is composed of a first outer rail 1, a first inner rail 2 slidably mounted on the first outer rail 1 via a plurality of balls 30... rotatably held on a first ball retaining plate 3, a second outer rail 5 connected and fixed to the first inner rail 2, and a second inner rail 6 slidably mounted on the second outer rail 5 via a plurality of balls 70... rotatably held on a second ball retaining plate 7.
An operating lever 8 is attached to the second outer rail 5 of the slide rail 100 via a holding member 80 , and an operating member 9 is attached to the second inner rail 6 .

The first outer rail 1 is formed by bending both short ends of a metal strip inwardly into an arc shape, with upper and lower bent edges 11, 11 having ball guide grooves in the inner longitudinal direction (sliding direction) and a base plate 12, forming an approximately C-shaped cross section.

The first inner rail 2 is slightly shorter than the first outer rail 1, about 4/5 of its length, and has a ball guide groove on the outer surface longitudinal direction (sliding direction) formed by bending both short ends of the base plate 22, a thin metal strip, into an outward arc shape so that it bulges toward the inner surface, and has upper and lower bent edges 21, 21 and a cross section that faces the first outer rail 1 from the base plate 22, forming an approximately U-shaped shape.

The first ball retaining plate 3 is made of a strip metal plate and is a predetermined distance shorter than the first inner rail 2. It is made of a base plate 31 of a size that can be inserted between the first outer rail 1 and the first inner rail 2, and is formed with an approximately U-shaped cross section by upper and lower protruding edges 32, 32 located between the upper and lower bent edges 11, 11, 21, 21 of the first outer rail 1 and the first inner rail 2, and the balls 30... are rotatably retained at several points in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the upper and lower protruding edges 32, 32.

The second outer rail 5 is made of a thin metal strip of the same length as the first outer rail 1, with both short ends bent inward into an arc shape. The upper and lower bent edges 51, 51 have ball guide grooves in the inner longitudinal direction (sliding direction) and the base plate 52, forming an approximately C-shaped cross section.

The second inner rail 6 is approximately the same length as the second outer rail 5, and has a ball guide groove in the outer longitudinal direction (sliding direction) formed by bending both short ends of the base plate 62, a thin metal strip, in an outward arc shape so that they bulge toward the inner side, and has upper and lower bent edges 61, 61 and a cross section that faces the second outer rail 5 from the base plate 62, forming an approximately U-shaped shape.

The second ball retaining plate 7 is made of a strip metal plate that is a predetermined distance shorter than the second inner rail 6 and has a base plate 71 that is large enough to be inserted between the second outer rail 5 and the second inner rail 6, and is formed with a roughly U-shaped cross section by upper and lower protruding edges 72, 72 located between the upper and lower bent edges 51, 51, 61, 61 of the second outer rail 5 and the second inner rail 6, and balls 70... are rotatably retained at several points in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the upper and lower protruding edges 72, 72.

The second outer rail 5 and the first inner rail 2 are connected back-to-back so that the bending directions of the bent edges 51, 51 and the bent edges 21, 21 face in opposite directions, and the base plates 52 and 22 are in close contact with each other, forming a cross section that is roughly I-shaped, and the second outer rail 5 and the first inner rail 2 form an intermediate rail 4 along which they slide together (hereinafter referred to as "slide").

The slide rail 100 is configured as described above, and is normally used with the first outer rail 1 as the fixed side and the second inner rail 6 as the movable side.
In addition, a state in which substrates 12, 22, 52, and 62 are arranged vertically, and balls 30... are arranged vertically between substrates 12 and 21, and balls 70... are arranged vertically between substrates 52 and 62 (as shown in Figure 6), is called vertical use of slide rail 100, and a state in which substrates 12, 22, 52, and 62 are arranged horizontally, and balls 30... and balls 70... are arranged horizontally, is called horizontal use of slide rail 100, and in the embodiments, this is described as a vertical use method.
In the most contracted state of the slide rail 100, the first ball retaining plate 3, balls 30..., and folded edges 21, 21 of the first inner rail 2 are accommodated between the folded edges 11, 11 of the first outer rail 1, and the second ball retaining plate 7, balls 70..., and folded edges 61, 61 of the second inner rail 6 are accommodated between the folded edges 51, 51 of the second outer rail 5.

At this time, a contraction stopper 121 is provided at the rear end of the base plate 12 of the first outer rail 1 by bending it toward the base plate 22 of the first inner rail 2 as a stopper to stop the first inner rail 2 in the most contracted state relative to the first outer rail 1, and the sliding of the first inner rail 2 in the contraction direction can be stopped by the contraction stopper 121 abutting against the rear end surface of the first inner rail 2.
Similarly, a contraction stopper 521 is provided at the rear end of the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 by bending it toward the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6 so that the second inner rail 6 stops in its most contracted state relative to the second outer rail 5, and the contraction stopper 521 abuts against the rear end surface of the second inner rail 6 to stop the second inner rail 6 from sliding in the contraction direction.

When the second inner rail 6 of the slide rail 100 in the most contracted state is pulled out, the balls 70 roll together with the second ball retaining plate 7, and the second outer rail 5 is pulled out.
Since the second outer rail 5 is connected to the first inner rail 2 to form the intermediate rail 4, the first inner rail 2 is also pulled out together with the balls 30... and the first ball retaining plate 3.

When the second inner rail 6 is fully extended, the stopper device 800 (described later) is activated, stopping the extension of the second inner rail 6. When the intermediate rail 4 is fully extended, the extension side end face of the first ball retaining plate 3 abuts against the stopper piece provided on the extension side of the first outer rail 1, stopping the sliding of the first ball retaining plate 3, and the stopper piece provided at the rear end (contraction side end) of the first inner rail 2 abuts against the rear end of the first ball retaining plate 3, stopping the sliding of the intermediate rail 4.

The stopper device 800 that stops the second inner rail 6 of the slide rail 100 when fully extended will now be described.
The stopper device 800 is mainly composed of a holding member 80 provided on the second outer rail 5 , an operating lever 8 attached to the holding member 80 , and an operating member 9 provided on the second inner rail 6 .

The retaining member 80 is fitted and attached so as to fit along the U-shaped inner surface of the second outer rail 5, and as shown in Figures 7 and 8, is integrally formed with a rectangular plate-shaped base portion 801 that is long in the sliding direction, a pair of upper and lower mating protrusions 802, 802 that protrude horizontally from the upper and lower end faces of the base portion 801, and a pair of upper and lower bearing pieces 803, 803 that protrude in the same direction as the upper and lower mating protrusions 802 at the center of the base portion 801.
The base plate portion 801 is provided with a relief hole 801a to avoid contact with an operating lever 8, which will be described later, and the bearing pieces 803, 803 are provided with shaft holes 803a, 803a which penetrate in the vertical direction.

The base plate portion 801 has a plate-shaped flat portion formed at approximately the same height as the base plate 52 so as to fit along the surface of the folded edges 51, 51 of the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5, and the upper and lower mating convex portions 802, 802 have mating pieces 802a, 802a that bulge semicircularly in the vertical direction so as to fit along the opposing inner surfaces of the folded edges 51, 51.
The lower (upper) surfaces of the fitting pieces 802a, 802a also bulge symmetrically in the same shape to form guide pieces 802b, 802b.
The shaft holes 803a, 803a are formed by forming a concave groove portion 803b having a U-shaped cross section that penetrates the base plate portion 801 in the vertical direction from the side that contacts the base plate 52.
The relief hole 801a is formed in a T-shape in side view.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the operating lever 8 is formed by an arm portion 81 bent into a U shape when viewed in a plane, shaft portions 82, 82 formed at the apex of the U shape of the arm portion 81 and protruding in the vertical direction, the side of the arm portion 81 formed from the shaft portions 82, 82 on the contracted side of the slide rail being an operating arm 811, and the side of the arm portion 81 formed from the shaft portions 82, 82 on the extended side of the slide rail being a locking piece support arm 812, an actuated portion 83 formed and protruding in the vertical and horizontal directions at the tip of the actuated portion 811, an operating portion 84 protruding in the opposing direction on the opposite side of the actuated portion 83, and a locking protrusion 85 formed and protruding in the vertical and horizontal directions at the tip of the locking piece support arm 812.
In this embodiment, the angle between the actuation arm 811 and the locking piece support arm 812, which are connected in a V-shape, is set to about 167 degrees. This angle is appropriately set according to the thickness, height, etc. of the slide rail to which the stopper device is attached.

The actuated part 83 has front and rear corners in the sliding direction on the horizontal protruding end side formed into curved surfaces, and is semicircular in plan view. A relief groove 831, which is a recess of approximately the same height as the actuating arm 811 that penetrates in the sliding direction, is provided in the upper and lower center of the actuated part 83, and a pair of actuated parts 83, 83 are formed above and below at the tip of the actuating arm 811.
The operation piece 84 protrudes from the surface facing the actuated portion 83 in a vertically elongated oval shape in side view.
The escape groove 831 is a groove for preventing the head of a screw from hitting the second inner rail 6 when attaching the second inner rail 6 to an article such as a drawer.

The locking protrusion 85 is formed in an arrow shape at the tip of the locking piece support arm 812 in a planar view, having an inclined surface 85b that tapers from a locking piece 85a protruding from the locking piece support arm 812 in the same direction as the operated portion 83 toward the extended side end, and the locking piece 85a protrudes at a slightly acute angle from the locking piece support arm 812 toward the contraction direction, and an escape groove 851 is provided in the upper and lower central parts of the locking protrusion 85, which is a recess of approximately the same height as the locking piece support arm 812 that penetrates in the sliding direction, so that a pair of locking protrusions 85, 85 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the tip of the locking piece support arm 812.
Similarly to the escape groove 831, the escape groove 851 is a groove for preventing the head of a screw from hitting the second inner rail 6 when attaching the second inner rail 6 to an article such as a drawer.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the operating member 9 is formed of a thick, plate-like base material 91, an extrusion portion 92 extending toward the contraction side of the base material 91, and a guide portion 93 formed at the contraction side end of the extrusion portion 92.
The base material 91 is fitted so that its plate-shaped flat portion fits along the U-shaped inner surface of the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6, with the base plate 62 side being the back surface and the opposing surface being the front surface, and is set at a height that fits between the folded edges 61, 61.

An upper interlocking convex piece 911 is formed on the upper end surface of the base material 91 so as to protrude upward at an angle toward the substrate 62, and a lower interlocking convex piece 912 is formed on the lower end surface of the base material 91 so as to protrude downward at an angle toward the substrate 62 in parallel with the interlocking convex piece 911. A cylindrical positioning protrusion 913 is formed near the center of the back surface of the base material 91.
Furthermore, the extension side end face of the base material 91 is formed at a slightly obtuse angle so as to protrude toward the extension side from the back surface to the front surface, and a recess 91a inclined toward the back surface is provided in the center of the extension side of the front surface, and the extension side end faces of the upper and lower portions on either side of the recess 91a serve as engaging portions 91b, 91b.

The extrusion portion 92 extends toward the contraction side with a vertically elongated flat cross section from a position horizontally away from the substrate 62 on the contraction side end face of the base material 91, and first extends from the base material 91 in a direction horizontally away from the substrate 62, and then extends further toward the contraction side from the extended end in parallel to the substrate 62.
A guide portion 93 extends from the extending end of the push-out portion 92 and has a similarly elongated flat cross section and is inclined so as to approach the substrate 62 .

Each component of the stopper device 800 thus formed is attached to the slide rail 100 as follows.
First, the locking protrusion 85 side of the operating lever 8 is inserted into the escape hole 801a of the holding member 80 from the back surface opposite the protruding direction of the upper and lower fitting protrusions 802 of the base portion 801, and the locking piece 85a and the operated portion 83 side are faced toward the surface on the same side as the protruding direction of the upper and lower fitting protrusions 802, and further the shaft portions 82, 82 are inserted into the shaft holes 803a, 803a of the bearing pieces 803, 803 of the holding member 80 from the back side.
In this state, the locking protrusion 85 of the operating lever 8 is on the extending side, and the actuated portion 83 is on the contracting side, and rotates horizontally like a seesaw with the shafts 82, 82 as vertical axes relative to the holding member 80.
That is, when the actuated portion 83 approaches the substrate portion 801 , the locking protrusion 85 moves horizontally away from the substrate portion 801 , and when the locking protrusion 85 approaches the substrate portion 801 , the actuated portion 83 moves horizontally away from the substrate portion 801 .

Next, a method for attaching the thus assembled holding member 80 and operating lever 8 to the second outer rail 5 will be described.
First, the first ball retaining plate 3, the balls 30, etc. are attached to the first outer rail 1 of the slide rail 100, and the first inner rail 2 (intermediate rail 4) is attached to the balls 30 (first ball retaining plate 3).
Then, the second ball holding plate 7, the balls 70, . . . are set on the second outer rail 5 of the intermediate rail 4, and the second inner rail 6 is left in a state where it is not attached to the second outer rail 5.

Then, at a predetermined position near the extended end of the second outer rail 5 , the holding member 80 is pressed into the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 from the bent edges 51 , 51 side, from the rear surface of the base plate portion 801 .
When pressed in this way, the entire holding member 80 is elastically deformed, and the upper and lower fitting protrusions 802, 802 fit together so as to fit along the opposing surfaces of the folded edges 51, 51 (the state shown in FIG. 9).
Furthermore, a convex protrusion 52a is formed on the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 so as to fit into the concave groove portion 803b, so that the retaining member 80 is supported relative to the second outer rail 5 in the horizontal direction by the upper and lower mating convex portions 802, 802, and in the sliding direction by the concave groove portion 803b, and so will not easily come off.

In this state, the operating lever 8 is pivoted to the holding member 80 and rotates horizontally. In addition, the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 is provided with an operating part hole 52b as an escape hole to avoid contact with the operating part 84 of the operating lever 8. When the operating lever 8 rotates and the actuated part 83 approaches the base plate 801, the operating part 84 protrudes from the operating part hole 52b, and when the actuated part 83 moves away from the base plate 801, the operating part 84 moves into the operating part hole 52b.

Next, at a predetermined position closer to the contraction side end than the center of the sliding direction of the second inner rail 6, the operating member 9 is pushed into the base plate 62 from the folded edge 61, 61 side, and the upper interlocking convex piece 911 is pushed into the corner formed by the upper folded edge 61 and the base plate 62 from the back surface of the base material 91 with the push-out portion 92 facing the contraction side.
When pressed in this manner, the lower fitting protrusion 912 is elastically deformed and fits into the corner formed by the lower bent edge 61 and the substrate 62 (the state shown in FIG. 10).

Furthermore, a positioning hole 62a is formed in the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6 corresponding to the positioning protrusion 913 of the operating member 9, and the positioning protrusion 913 fits into the positioning hole 62a, preventing the operating member 9 from shifting in the sliding direction relative to the second inner rail 6.
Furthermore, the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6 is provided with a vertically elongated oval relief hole 62 b corresponding to the tip of the guide portion 93 .

In this way, the operating member 9 is attached to the second inner rail 6, and the extrusion portion 92 of the operating member 9 is positioned horizontally away from the base material 62 and approximately parallel to the base material 62. When the extrusion portion 92 is pushed toward the base material 62, the extrusion portion 92 moves toward the base material 62 while elastically deforming, and when the extrusion portion 92 is released, it returns to a state approximately parallel to the base material 62.
The escape hole 62b of the second inner rail 6 is a relief hole for preventing contact between the guide portion 93 and the base material 62 when the push-out portion 92 is elastically deformed.

In this manner, the stopper device 800 is attached to each component of the slide rail 100. Next, a method for final assembly of the slide rail 100 to which the stopper device 800 is attached will be described.
The second inner rail 6 to which the operating member 9 is attached is inserted between the upper and lower balls 70, 70 of the second ball holding plate 7 of the second outer rail 5 from the operating member 9 side.
At this time, the second outer rail 5 and the intermediate rail 4 are moved to the most contracted side relative to the first outer rail 1 .
When the second inner rail 6 is then slid in the contracting direction, the guide portion 93 of the operating member 9 reaches the inclined surface 85 b at the tip of the locking protrusion 85 of the operating lever 8 .
When it is slid further, the inclined guide portion 93 and the inclined surface 85 b cause the locking protrusion 85 to rotate toward the substrate 52 side, and the operated portion 83 rotates on the sliding track of the operating member 9 .

Next, when the guide portion 93 reaches the actuated portion 83 and the second inner rail 6 is further slid in the contraction direction, the guide portion 93 pushes the actuated portion 83 horizontally, and when the actuated portion 83 is pushed, the locking protrusion 85 side is pushed out toward the operating member 9.
When the locking protrusion 85 is pushed out towards the operating member 9, the locking protrusion 85 comes into contact with the base material 91 of the operating member 9, preventing the operating lever 8 from rotating.
If the second inner rail 6 is further slid in the contraction direction from this state, the push-out portion 92 elastically deforms toward the substrate 62 as it is pushed by the actuated portion 83, allowing the actuating member 9 to pass through the actuated portion 83 and allowing the second inner rail 6 to slide in the contraction direction.
Then, when the pushing-out portion 92 passes the operating lever 8, the second inner rail 6 becomes slidable to the most contracted position.
As described above, the slide rail 100 to which the stopper device 800 is attached is assembled.

The stopper function of the stopper device 800 will be described below with the first outer rail 1 as the fixed side fixed to a housing or the like, and the second inner rail 6 as the movable side attached to a drawer or the like.
When the second inner rail 6 of the slide rail 100 in the most contracted state is pulled out, the slide rail is pulled out as described above. At this time, in a typical ball bearing type slide rail, the intermediate rail 4 also slides in conjunction with the sliding of the second inner rail 6.

However, in the case of a leaf spring-shaped stopper device as described in Patent Document 2, the leaf spring-shaped stopper is in contact with the rail opposite the rail to which it is attached, so the stopper acts as a resistance and the rail to which the stopper is attached does not slide in conjunction with the rail.
First, the first inner rail, which has no stopper attached and has less resistance, slides. Then, when the first inner rail is fully extended, the second inner rail slides against the second outer rail, with the stopper rubbing against the opposing rail.
Therefore, the slide rails do not slide in unison as a whole, but slide stepwise with varying sliding resistance.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, neither the operating lever 8 nor the operating member 9 comes into contact with the opposing rails during sliding.
Since the operating lever 8 is rotatable, it may come into contact with the second inner rail 6 slightly depending on the degree of rotation; however, since the operating lever 8 is not biased by an external force such as a spring and is in a state in which it can rotate with little resistance, even if it comes into contact with the second inner rail 6, no contact resistance sufficient to interfere with the sliding of the slide rail is generated.

When the second inner rail 6 is pulled out further, the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9 comes into contact with the operated portion 83 of the operating lever 8, as shown in Fig. 12. Since the end face of the operated portion 83 is circular, the locking portion 91b does not get caught on the operated portion 83, and the operated portion 83 is pushed away toward the base material 51 by the locking portion 91b, and the second inner rail 6 is pulled out further.
Next, when the push-out portion 92 reaches the actuated portion 83, the push-out portion 92 protrudes toward the base material 52 side more than the base material 91, so while pushing the actuated portion 83 toward the base material 52 side and also elastically deforming slightly toward the base material 62 side, the operating portion 84 further protrudes from the operating portion hole 52b of the second outer rail 5, and as shown in Figure 13, due to the seesaw action of the operating lever 8, the locking piece 85a moves onto the orbit of the locking portion 91b of the actuating member 9, and the second inner rail 6 is pulled out.

Then, the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9 comes into contact with the locking piece 85a of the operating lever 8 on the track of the locking portion 91b (the state shown in Figs. 14 and 15).
The locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a are in contact with each other in an engaged state, with the locking piece 85a facing the substrate 62 side and at a slightly obtuse angle on the contraction side, and the locking portion 91b facing the substrate 52 side and at a slightly obtuse angle on the expansion side.
Therefore, the operating lever 8 does not rotate. Furthermore, since the actuated portion 83 is pressed against the base plate 52 by the elastic force of the pushing portion 92, the operating lever 8 cannot rotate at all, and in this state, a stopper is temporarily applied to the sliding of the second inner rail 6, and the second inner rail 6 is in the maximum extended state.
Then, each rail of the slide rail 100 is fully extended, and the slide rail reaches the set maximum extension state shown in FIG.
When the stopper is in an effective state, a part of the locking piece support arm 812 is inserted into the recess 91a of the actuation member 9. The recess 91a is provided as a relief portion for contacting the base material 91 when the locking piece support arm 812 is made thick enough to maintain rigidity.

In this embodiment, the locking portion 91b is formed integrally with the operating member 9, but it may be a separate member, or may be formed by cutting and bending the base material 6.
However, forming it integrally with the actuating member 9 reduces the number of parts, simplifies assembly, and allows the locking position to be determined by the position where the actuating member and the operating lever are attached, so that locking and unlocking can be reliably performed in accordance with the rotation of the operating lever. Also, it becomes easier to set the temporary stop position of the slide rail.

When the second inner rail 6, which is in the maximum extension position, is pushed toward the contraction side, the locking piece 85a of the locking portion 91b is released from the locked state, and the slide rail 100 contracts.
Conversely, when the second inner rail 6 is pulled from its maximum extension, the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a engage with each other, so that the second inner rail 6 does not move to the extension side.
On the other hand, when the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a are locked together, the sliding of the second inner rail 6 in the extension direction is merely stopped temporarily, and the operating portion 84 protrudes from the base material 52 and is in a standby state for operation.

When the operating portion 84 is pressed with a finger toward the base material 62 in the standby state, the actuated portion 83 presses the push-out portion 92, causing the push-out portion 92 to elastically deform, as shown in Fig. 16. Naturally, when the pressing of the operating portion 84 is stopped, the elastic force of the push-out portion 92 returns the operating portion 84 to the state in which it protrudes from the base material 52.
When the operating portion 84 is pressed with a finger, the seesaw action of the operating lever 8 causes the locking piece 85a to rotate toward the base material 51, releasing the locking state between the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a and releasing the stopper of the stopper device 800.
Therefore, if the second inner rail 6 is pulled in the extension direction while the operating portion 84 is pressed with a finger, the second inner rail 6 can be pulled out from the second outer rail (second ball retaining plate 7, ball 70, etc.) (state shown in Figure 17).
In this manner, the actuating member 9 includes the base material 91 , the pushing portion 92 , and the guide portion 93 and forms an actuating portion that actuates the operating lever 8 .
In addition, the operating portion 84 protrudes from the side opposite to the side on which the balls 70 of the base material 52 of the second outer rail 5 roll, making it easy to operate and preventing contact with grease or the like.

As described above, the stopper device 800 has a stopper function that temporarily stops the sliding of the slide rail when it is extended, but the product of the present invention is configured so that the operating lever 8, which has an operating part and a locking piece attached to one rail and rotates in opposite directions due to a seesaw action, is pressed and operated by the operating member 9 attached to the opposing rail on the other side, and the stopper function works by the operating lever 8 and the operating member 9 acting in cooperation, so when the operating lever 8 and the operating member 9 are in a separated positional relationship during the sliding process of the slide rail, the operating lever 8 and the operating member 9 do not have any particular effect on the sliding force of the slide rail.

The product of the present invention can also be used as a stopper device that temporarily fixes the slide rail in an extended state by setting the operating lever 8 and the operating member 9 so that they are attached facing in opposite directions in the sliding direction.
Specifically, the operating arm 811 of the operating lever 8 is attached so as to face the extension side, and the locking piece support arm 812 is attached so as to face the contraction side. The operating member 9 is attached so that the locking portion 91b faces the contraction side, and the pushing portion 92 faces the extension side.
When installed in this way, it works as follows:

When the second inner rail 6 in a contracted state to which the operating member 9 is attached is pulled out, the guide portion 93 comes into contact with the tip of the locking protrusion 85 of the operating lever 8 attached to the second outer rail 5, as shown in Figure 18. Since the tips of the guide portion 93 and the locking protrusion 85 form inclined surfaces with each other, the locking protrusion 85 is rotated toward the base plate 52 by the guide portion 93, and the operating member 9 becomes slidable.
Next, the guide portion 93 comes into contact with the operating arm 811 of the operating lever 8 , and the inclined surface of the guide portion 93 causes the operating arm 811 to rotate toward the base plate 52 .

When the guide portion 93 reaches the actuated portion 83, the inclined surface of the guide portion 93 rotates the actuated portion 83 toward the substrate 52. Next, when the push-out portion 92 reaches the actuated portion 83, as shown in FIG. 19, the push-out portion 92 pushes the actuated portion 83 toward the substrate 52, and the push-out portion 92 elastically deforms slightly toward the substrate 62. The operating portion 84 then protrudes from the operating portion hole 52b of the second outer rail 5, and the seesaw action of the operating lever 8 causes the locking piece 85a to press against the surface of the substrate 91 of the actuating member 9, pulling out the second inner rail 6.

When the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9 passes the locking piece 85a of the operating lever 8, the elastic force of the pushing portion 92 presses the locking piece 85a against the substrate 62, and the locking piece 85a moves on the sliding track of the locking portion 91b.
When the second inner rail 6 is in the fully extended state, the sliding is stopped by a stopper provided on the slide rail 100 side.
In addition, in the above embodiment, the second inner rail 6 was stopped temporarily in the extended state by the stopper device 800, but in this embodiment, the second inner rail 6 is stopped in the fully extended state by a stopper provided on the slide rail 100 side.

The stopper device 800 of this embodiment operates as follows.
When the second inner rail 6 in the extended state is pushed toward the contracted side, the locking piece 85a is on the sliding track of the locking portion 91b, so the locking portion 91b comes into contact with the locking piece 85a. However, as in the above embodiment, the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a come into contact with each other in an engaged state so that they hook onto each other (the state shown in Figure 20).
As a result, the operating lever 8 does not rotate, and since the operated portion 83 is pressed against the base plate 52 by the elastic force of the push-out portion 92, the operating lever 8 cannot rotate at all. In this state, a stopper is temporarily applied to prevent the second inner rail 6 from sliding in the contraction direction, and the second inner rail 6 is maintained in an extended state.

In this state, the operation portion 84 protrudes from the base material 62 and is in an operation standby state.
When the operating portion 84 in the standby state is pressed with a finger toward the base material 62, the engagement between the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a is released as in the previous embodiment, and the second inner rail 6 becomes able to slide toward the contracted side.
In this manner, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the operating member 9 has a base material 91 , a push-out portion 92 and a guide portion 93 which form an operating portion for operating the operating lever 8 .
In addition, the operating portion 84 protrudes from the side opposite to the side on which the balls 70 of the base material 52 of the second outer rail 5 roll, making it easy to operate and preventing contact with grease or the like.
The above is the operation and function of the stopper device 800 which temporarily fixes the slide rail in the extended state.

In the embodiment, the elastic force of the push-out portion 92 is used as a method for maintaining the operation portion 84 in the standby state, but it is also possible to fix the push-out portion 92 and provide a spring-like member having a biasing force for placing the operation portion 84 in the standby state on the operation lever 8 side. In that case, it is preferable that the biasing force is not so great as to affect the sliding force of the slide rail.
If the biasing force is weak, it will be difficult to maintain the operating portion 84 in the standby state, whereas if the biasing force is strong, a greater than necessary rotational force will be applied to the operating lever, which may cause it to come into strong contact with the opposing slide rail.
Therefore, by giving the push-out portion 92 on the non-rotating side an elastic force, as in this embodiment, it is easier to prevent the elastic force from being strong, as it will not come into contact with the opposing slide rail and will not affect the sliding force of the slide rail.

In addition, in the embodiment, the operating portion 84 is integrally provided on the operating lever 8, but in the present invention, since the operating lever and the operating member work together to operate the stopper device, the operating portion may be provided on the base portion 801 of the holding member 80 rather than on the operating lever 8.
More specifically, an operating portion may be provided so as to protrude in the opposite direction to the protruding direction of the bearing piece 803, a slit may be made in the substrate portion 801 around where the operating portion is provided, and the substrate portion 801 may be made to elastically deform. When the operating portion is pressed, the substrate portion 801 elastically deforms, pressing the operating lever 8 and actuating the operating lever.

The stopper device 800 in this embodiment is attached to a multi-stage slide rail consisting of a first outer rail, an intermediate rail, and a second outer rail, but since the stopper device 800 in this embodiment acts between the second outer rail and the second inner rail, it is also possible to use it on a single-type slide rail consisting of an outer rail and an inner rail.
Also, the stopper device 800 may be configured such that the operating lever is provided on the inner rail side and the operating member is provided on the outer rail side.
Furthermore, since this stopper device acts between an outer rail and an inner rail, it is not limited to ball bearing type slide rails, but may be used with rails in which two rails slide relative to one another, such as roller type rail members.

As described above, the slide rail stopper device of the present invention can be used in a wide range of applications, not just in drawer-type storage furniture, but also in grills on kitchen counters, paper trays in copiers, car consoles, server racks, and other items that move items in a straight line.

100 Slide rail 1 First outer rail 2 First inner rail 3 First ball retaining plate 30 Ball 4 Intermediate rail 5 Second outer rail 51 Bent edge 52 Base plate 52a Projection portion 52b Operation portion hole 521 Contraction stopper 6 Second inner rail 61 Bent edge 62 Base plate 62a Positioning hole 62b Escape hole 7 Second ball retaining plate 70 Ball 71 Base plate 72 Protruding edge 800 Stopper device 8 Operation lever 81 Arm portion 811 Actuating arm 812 Locking piece support arm 82 Shaft portion 83 Operated portion 831 Escape groove 84 Operation portion 85 Locking protrusion 85a Locking piece 85b Inclined surface 851 Escape groove 80 Retaining member 801 Base plate portion 801a Escape hole 802 Upper and lower fitting protrusions 802a Fitting piece 802b Guide piece 803 Bearing piece 803a Shaft hole 803b Concave groove portion 9 Operating member 91 Base material 91a Concave portion 91b Locking portion 911 Upper mating convex piece 912 Lower mating convex piece 913 Positioning protrusion 92 Push-out portion 93 Guide portion

Claims (5)

A stopper device for temporarily stopping the sliding of a slide rail that is equipped on a slide rail having at least an outer rail and an inner rail that slides against the outer rail, the stopper device is composed of at least an operating part, an operating lever, an operating member, and a locking part, the operating lever is provided with a locking piece, the operating member is provided with an operating part that operates the operating lever, the locking part is engaged with the locking piece, the operating lever is installed on the outer rail or inner rail so as to face the base plate of the other rail, the operating member and the locking part are installed on the other rail relative to the rail on which the operating lever is installed so as to face the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed, and the operating lever is installed so as to rotate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the operating lever is forcibly rotated by the operating part of the operating member as the slide rail slides, and the locking part and the locking piece engage with each other due to the rotation, temporarily stopping the sliding of the slide rail, and the operating lever is rotated by operating the operating part to release the engagement between the locking part and the locking piece. The slide rail stopper device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating lever has an actuated part on the opposite side of the locking piece across the pivot shaft of the operating lever, the operating member has a push-out part, and as the slide rail slides, the operating lever rotates by pressing the actuated part with the push-out part, and the locking piece moves to engage with the locking part provided on the operating member side due to the rotation, whereby the locking piece and the locking part engage with each other, temporarily stopping the sliding of the slide rail. The stopper device for a slide rail according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the locking portion and the locking piece are engaged, the actuated portion of the operating lever is pressed by pressing the operating portion, causing the operating lever to rotate, and the locking piece is disengaged from the locking portion by the rotation of the operating lever, releasing the engagement state. The stopper device for a slide rail according to claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3, characterized in that, during standby until the engagement between the locking portion and the locking piece is released, the operating portion protrudes to the side opposite the operating lever, sandwiching the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed. The stopper device for a slide rail according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, or claim 4, characterized in that the locking portion is integrally provided on the operating member.

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