Patent 8083304 was granted and assigned to Accuride International Inc. on December, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A self-closing mechanism for drawer slides includes a stationary housing, a slider, and a latch. The slider is configured to slide relative to the housing, and the latch is configured to translate along with the slider and to rotate within the slider to lock and unlock the slider at predetermined locations. The housing may be coupled to a cabinet member, with a drawer member adapted to engage the latch as the drawer is opened and/or closed. In embodiments of the invention, the self-closing mechanism may include a damper mechanism, such as, e.g., a cylindrical damper or a rotary gear damper.