File cabinet
The advantage of a filing system is well recognized in the business world and such advantages have long been known to justify the expense of acquiring and maintaining adequate filing cabinets or shelves. Modern office or industrial environments require increasing storage capabilities including storage cabinets and lateral filing systems that can be multi-functional, easily interchangeable and sturdy, but also attractive and inexpensive in order to adapt to the many styles of office design. File cabinets come in different styles but generally have a flat bottom, top and sides and have two, three, four or more drawers or compartments. Drawer-type storage cabinets, commonly referred to as vertical files or lateral files, are conventionally utilized in offices and the like for storage of papers and other documents. The storage cabinet known as a lateral file is commonly and frequently utilized since the dimensional relationship of such file contributes to its being more user friendly. Lateral and vertical filing cabinets typically have drawers extending from one side of the cabinet box frame. To prevent the cabinet from tipping or falling over, the filing cabinet is typically provided with a substantial counterweight at the rear of the box frame to counter the weight of any opened drawer. Flat file cabinets are commonly used to store and organize large-format, flat items, such as maps, architectural drawings and the like. The drawers of flat file cabinets are typically less than 3 inches high and have a relatively shallow holding capacity. The drawers are typically supported on frame bearings fixed to the frame which cooperate with drawer tracks attached to the drawers and drawer bearings attached to the drawers which cooperate with frame channels fixed to the frame. Lateral shelf filing cabinets incorporate a number of compartments that each include a movable door. In existing designs, the door may be positioned to seal access to the compartment, or may be recessed within the compartment to permit access to the contents of the compartment. To prevent an excessive moment arm or load, an interlock mechanism is usually provided which prevents more than one drawer from opening at a time. A common type of interlock system provides a vertically disposed latch bar that is positioned adjacent each drawer. As the drawer is opened, the latch bar moves into a position to prevent the other drawers from opening while the withdrawn drawer remains open. In addition to latch bars, other types of interlocking arrangements have been used. For example, the drawers may include channels which receive rollers secured to a vertically shiftable bar carried on the sides of the cabinet. In general, a lock bar or lock bars extend vertically between the drawers and the interior side wall of the cabinet. The lock bar or lock bars include spaced tabs which cooperate with stops or openings along the drawer side so as to cause a locking or unlocking of all the drawers. The rotary lock is of a more simple construction and is thusly cheaper to manufacture. The plunger lock, on the other hand, permits a visual detection as to whether or not the file drawers are locked and this is a valuable asset where confidential and like material is being stored and it is necessary to maintain a check for the locked position.
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