GB2171132A - Guide for sliding doors - Google Patents

Abstract

A slider (41) for guiding the top of a sliding door (12) in a channel (42) comprises spaced cheeks (56) between which extends a rib (59) which engages one side of the channel, and a rib (61) mounted on a flexible tongue (60) which flexes between the cheeks and is thereby biased into engagement with the other side of the channel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to sliding doors This invention is concerned with improvements in and relating to sliding doors and particularlyto such doors as are commonly used to close offwardrobes, wall cupboards and the like.

Sliding doors are extensively used in wardrobes, wall cupboards and the like because oftheirspace saving features, yet in many applications the door size required is non-standard and the door must then be tailor made from simple stock parts. When fitted, however, the user demands a smooth positive movement, which is neither "sloppy" nor "sticky".

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sliding doorthat is simple to assembly but yet has a smooth movement.

The present invention is a sliderfor guiding in a channel the top of a sliding door and comprising cheeks spaced apart in a first direction and interconnected by a first rib and a web, a tongue extending in a second direction between the cheeks and flexible aboutan axis extending in the first direction between the cheeks and a second rib parallel with the first and located at the free end ofthe tongue beyond the cheeks, the ribs being spaced apart in the second direction by a distance greater than the maximum dimension of the cheeks in the second direction.

The present invention is also a sliding door comprising a panel having top and bottom rails secured thereto, the top rail having secured thereto at least one slider as defined in the last preceding paragraph and the bottom rail having spaced wheels secured thereto.

The present invention is further a wheel assembly for use on a sliding doorcomprising a hub, awheel rotatable on the hub and a hole passing eccentrically through the hub parallel to the hub axis whereby the assembly may be secured to the door through the hole and rotation of the hub relative to the hole adjusts the height of the wheel relative to the hole and thus the door.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view, partly broken away, showing the location of sliders within a top channel extrusion and their mounting on two sliding doors; Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of a corner of a door as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of a corner of a door as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bottom track extrusion; Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the fitting of an infill panel to a stile; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of part of the bottom door extrusion showing a wheel mounted on the extrusion; and Fig. 7 is a crosssectionthroughthewheel of Fig. 6.

Referring now to the drawings, two sliding doors 10 and 1 l,typically mounted atthefrontofa cupboard orwardrobe space, each comprises an infill panel 12 within an external frame comprising a top rail 15, side stiles 16 and 17 and a bottom rail 18.

The rails and stiles are aluminium extrusions and the infill panel, which in this embodiment is a mirror but could be a wooden or other decorative panel, is secured in grooves in the rails and stiles.

Considering Fig. 5 the stile 16 is provided at its front with a channel 20 which runs the length ofthe stile and which receives a gasket 21 in which is located the edge of the panel 12. The gasket 21 is substantially U-shaped in cross section having a base 22 which engages the edge surface ofthe panel 12, a first limb 23which engagesthefrontofthe panel 12 and a second limb 24which engagesthe rear of the panel.Thefirst limb of the gasket is thinner than the second limb to reduce its visibility when the door is viewed from the front, and this effect is enhanced by a thin extrusion lip 26 atthefrontofthe channel 20 which servesfurtherto conceal the gasket andthusimprovetheappearanceofthedoor.The stile 17 (Fig. 6), and the top and bottom rails have similar channels embracing similar gaskets and the respective edges ofthe panel 12.

The stiles 16 and 17 are mirror images of each otherand have inwardly extending flanges 28which overlie three rearwardly projecting longitudinal walls 29,30 and 31 on each ofthetop and bottom rails 15 and 18, the rails also being mirror images of each other. Two of these walls,29 and 30, are near the centre ofthe rails and define a channel 32 partially closed at its open side byflanges 33 and 34 atthetop ofthewalls 29 and 30. The external appearance of the stiles may be modified as desired, and in particular may incorporate a finger grip.

The top rail 15 is secured to each ofthetwo stiles by means of a bolt 36 which passes th rough theflange 28 (Fig. 3) on the stile and between the flanges 33 and 34 and engages a nut (not illustrated) which is trapped in the channel 32 bytheflanges33and34.

When the bolt 36 is tightened the stile isfirmly secured to the top rail,theflange 28 lying across and engaging the top of all three walls 29,30 and 31.

In the same mannerthe bottom rail 18 is secured to each of the stiles 16 and 17 by a bolt 37 (Fig. 6).

Each ofthe doors 10 and 11 is supported by wheels 40 secured to the bottom rail 18 and is guided atthe top by sliders 41 secured to the top rail 15 and engagingthesidesofoneofthetwoparallel channels in a channel member42 of substantially Eshaped cross section. The channel member 42 is of course secured at the top of the opening to be closed bythe doors and is also an extruded aluminium section.

As seen best in Fig.7, each wheel 40 rotates on a boss 46 which is formed integrally with a lever 48. An eccentric hole in the boss receives a bolt44which engages a nut 45 in the channel 32 in the bottom rail 18. It can be seen that by moving the lever 48 the boss 46 is rotated about the bolt 44 to raise or lowerthe wheel relativeto the doorand thus adjustthe door mounting. This adjustment is of course made before the bolt 44 isfullytightened.

The wheel 40, being made of metal such as steel or a hard plastics material, such as nylon, has a relatively hard surface and runs on a rubber rail 50 secured to the bottom track extrusion 51 which in turn is fastened across the bottom of the opening to be closed by the doors. As the periphery of the wheel is grooved and the track 50 has a triangular cross section, the wheels are self aligning on the track. It should also be noted the in the closed position of the doors, i.e. the normal position, the weight of the door will tend to cause the wheels to deform the track and create a depression which serves in time to locate the doors in the closed position.

As seen best in Fig. 1 the sliders 41 are connected to the top rail of the respective door by means of a bolt 55 cooperating with a nut located in the flannel 32. Each slider 41 comprises two cheeks 56 interconnected by a web 57 through which passes the bolt 55, and a rib 59 located at the rearmost point of the cheeks 56. The rearwardly facing surfaces of the cheeks 56 are inclined to reach a peak where the rib 59 is mounted. The top edge of the web 57 forms the pivot axis for a tongue 60 which projects forwardly from the axis and terminates in front of the surface ofthe door in a rib 61.

In use, as can be seen in Fig. 1, the rib 59 engages the rear surface of the channel in which the slider moves while the rib 61 engages the front surface of the channel. Because the rib 61 is mounted on the flexible tongue 60 which is forced upwardly as the slider is located in the channel, the rib 61 is biased against the surface of the channel to ensure that both ribs remain in contact with the channel thus preventing any transverse movement of "sloppiness" of the top of the door.

The doors are mounted (rear door first) by inclining the door at a shallow angle, i.e. less than about 159 and inserting the sliders upwardly into the channel with the rib 61 uppermost This shallow angle does not cause the cheeks 56 to foul the sides of the channel because the rib 59 is provided at the rearward peak of the cheeks and because the rib 61 is located in front of the front edge of the cheeks.

Thus for shallow angles the horizontal spacing of the ribs exceeds the horizontal spacing of the cheeks extremities.

When the sliders have been inserted into the channels to a position above their normal operating position the door is moved to the vertical position thus causing the tongue to flex upwardly as the rib 61 engages the front surface of the channel. The door is then moved down so that the wheels engage the rubber rail.

The maximum angle of inclination of the door is of course when the cheeks foul the channel and by proper design of the cheeks this maximum angle is kept less than the angle at which the tongue would suffer damage.

Claims (12)

1. A slider for guiding in channel the top of a sliding door and comprising cheeks spaced apart in a first direction and interconnected by a first rib and a web, a tongue extending in a second direction between the cheeks and flexible about an axis extending in the first direction between the cheeks and a second rib parallel with the first and located at the free end of the tongue beyond the cheeks, the ribs being spaced apart in the second direction by a distance greater than the maximum dimension of the cheeks in the second direction.

2. A slider as claimed in claim 1, in which as the tongue flexes the distance between the ribs decreases such that when the distance between the ribs is equal to the maximum dimension of the cheeks in the same direction, flexure of the tongue is not such as to damage the tongue.

3. A slider as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the first rib extends between peaks on the cheeks.

4. A slider for guiding in a channel the top of a sliding door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

5. Asliding door comprising a panel having top and bottom rails secured thereto, the top rail having secured thereto at least one slider as claimed in any preceding claim and the bottom rail having spaced wheels secured thereto.

6. A door as claimed in claim 5, in which the top rail includes a groove which embraces the top edge of the door and an intervening gasket.

7. A door as claimed in claim 6, in which the gasket is U-shaped, one leg of the U being thinner than the other.

8. A door as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, in which the top rail has two longitudinal walls with internal flanges at the top thereof defining a partially closed slot and the or each slider has a bolt passing through its web and engaging a nut captured in the slot, the slider being secured thereby to the top rail.

9. A door as claimed in any of claims 5 to 8, in which the bottom rail has two longitudinal walls with internal flanges at the top thereof defining a partially closed slot and the wheels are secured to the bottom rail by bolts passing through an assembly supporting the wheels and engaging a nut captured in the slot.

10. A door as claimed in any of claims 5 to 9, in which each wheel is rotatable on a hub and the hub is secured to the bottom rail by a boltwhich passes eccentrically through the hub, whereby rotation of the hub on the bolt adjusts the height of the wheel relative to the door.

11. A door as claimed in any of claims 5 to 10, in combination with a rubber track on which the wheels move.

12. A wheel assembly for use on a sliding door comprising a hub, a wheel rotatable on the hub and a hole passing eccentrically through the hub parallel to the hub axis whereby the assembly may be secured to the door through the hole and rotation of the hub relative to the hole adjusts the height of the wheel relative to the hole and thus the door.