Drawer of Furniture, Store Fixture, &c. Page: 2 of 3
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
WILLIAM H. JOHNSON AND JOSEPH WHOMES, OF TERtRELL, TEXAS.
DRAWER OF FURNITURE, STORE-FIXTURES, B&c.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,456, dated June 7, 1881.
Appliation filed Jauary 3, 1,1. (Model.)To all whoa it may concern :
Be it known that we, WLLIAm H. JoHN-
SON and JOSEPH WVOnrES, both citizens of
Terrell, in the connty of Kaufman and State
of Texas, have invented a new and useful Im-
provement in Drawers of Fnurniture, Store-Fix-
tures, and Closets, Recesses, or Hallways be-
tween Rooms ofDwelling-Ilouses, of which the
following is a specification.
The nature of our invention consists, lirst, in
a drawer applied upon side cleats or ledges,
grooved longitudinally with the movement of
the drawer, and having balls placed in such
grooves in such a manner that they are kept
separated and are free to roll and more longi-
tudinally, and that they serve as bearings for
the drawer, while they keep it from frictional
contact with the cleats or ledges; second, in a
novel mode of construction of cleats or sup-
ports for the balls, as will be hereinafter de-
scribed.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is
a front view of ordinary drawers in a casing
provided with our invention. Fig. 2 is a ver-
tical section of Fig. 1 at right angles to the
direction of movement of the drawers. Fig. 3
is a similar section through one of the sides of
a drawer and through one of the cleats or
ledges and the casing. Fig. 4 is aperspective
view of one of our improved cleats or ledges
with balls and partitioned groove.
In carrying out our invention the casings A
and drawers B will be constructed about the
same as usual; but the drawer-supports of the
casings will be substantially as follows:
On each side of drawway of the easing A,
and immediately under the side pieces, b, of a
drawer, B, a cleat or ledge, C C', will be ap-
plied. These cleats or ledges are grooved lon-
gitudinally, and the form of the groove is semi-
cylindrical in cross-section, as indicated at c in
Fig. 2 of the drawings.
On top of the portion C of the cleat the strips
C' are screwed, as indicated at ac. 'These strips
are formed with an inner curved edge, a', which
forms a concentric continuation of the semi-
cylindrical groove c. The semi-cylindrical por-
tion of the groove thus formed is partitioned,
as at i, and thus separated chambers for the
reception of anti-friction balls D are formed,
as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The partitions Ikeep the balls separated, but do not interfere
with their moving back and forth in the groove
of the cleat or ledge while they are revolving.
The balls are placed in the seni-cylindrical 55
portion e of the groove before the strips C' are
screwed to their places. When the balls are
in place their highest portions extend a little
beyond the top surface of the strips C', and on
these highest portions the drawer rests, and 60
it, in thus resting on the balls, is held isolated
from frictional contact with the cleats, and cou-
sequently it can be moved with the greatest
ease, there being no chance for it to bind in
the drawway of the casing. The balls, by hav- 65
ing freedom to travel longitudinally with the
drawer in the semi-cylindrical groove and be-
tween the cleats or ledges, are not liable to
stick orbind between the drawer and the cleats
or ledges, and they also, by being separated by 70
the partitions, cannot be jammed against one
another, and thereby prevented from rolling
freely.
Our invention will be found very useful in
almost every instance where a free longitudi- 75
nal movement of a drawer or other analogous
device is required.
In practice the grooves in the cleats might
be cut in a single piece of metal or wood, and
have a form in transverse section similar to 80o
that produced by the two pieces 0 C'. In such
construction the balls would be inserted into
the grooves endwise of the cleats and the par-
titions or stops applied after the balls were in
their places. This plan of construction is 85
shown at C' on the left-hand drawer in Fig. 2
of the drawings. In some instances simply
semi-cylindrical grooves with partitions and
balls might be used.
Previous to our invention drawers have been 90
provided with wheels for the purpose of reduc-
ing friction. Balls in a connected mass have
been employed in an endless way formed by
an elliptical chamber divided by a horizontal
partition, and such balls, by crowding upon one 95
another, have been caused to travel in mass in
said way when force was applied upon a plat-
form to which the chamber containing the balls
is attached.
Our invention has reference to an improve- Ioo
meant in drawers or articles which are moved
back and forth upon their supports or cleats,
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Johnson, William H. & Whomes, Joseph. Drawer of Furniture, Store Fixture, &c., patent, June 7, 1881; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth170170/m1/2/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.