GB2194578A - Sliding door - Google Patents

Abstract

A sliding door system for patio doors has doors, whose edges are angled so that they can move to a planar abutting closed condition, and which are guided by guide pins 68, 70 associated with each wheel or roller 62, 63 which supports the first door to cause it to move along a curved path at the end of its travel into abutting configuration with the other door. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sliding door, panel or window system This invention relates to sliding door, panel and window systems. In this specification and claims, purely for brevity, the expression "sliding door system" whether singular or plural, is used to comprehend sliding panel systems and sliding window systems, and the word door, whether singular or plural, is intended to cover a window or a panel except where the context specifically requires otherwise.

Sliding door systems, e.g. for patio doors, are known. Many involve one door moving along one track and the other moving along a parallel track. These doors in the closed position are not flush. An arrangement for achieving flush doors has been suggested in French Patent Specification No. 2 128 952 (CHAU VIN). Another flush door arrangement, particularly for railway trains where space is limited, is shown in French Patent Specification No. 2 475 615 (BARDET). A further suggestion for achieving flush-closing doors is suggested in British Patent No. 1 271 987 (BARA). A U.S.

Patent of BARABAS (No. 2 959 827) discloses a pair of doors in which one door is guided behind another by a bevelled vertical edge and is urged into a flush configuration by springs. None of these arrangements, for various reasons, would be suitable to provide flush doors in a house, office, hotel, sports club or like environment.

According to the invention in one aspect, there is provided a sliding door system comprising doors which are guided in their sliding movement by top and bottom tracks, the edges of two adjacent doors thereof which abut in the mutually closed position being substantially planar in shape (as opposed to stepped or grooved) with the angle of the plane being between about 55 and 80" to the plane of the doors when they are in their abutting closed condition, one of the doors herein called the first door being guided by first and second runners, the first runner running in a first track and the second runner running in a second track, the tracks being collinear over a part of their length and separately curving in the region of final positioning of the do6r whereby the first runner following the first track and the second runner following the second track cause the first door in its travel to its closed position to move into a position in which it abuts and is co-planar with a second door; the second door being guided by first and second runners running in a top track and being supported by at least two wheels or rollers running on a bottom rail, the top tracks respectively being formed by downwardly-opening channels in an upper member partly framing the opening wherein the pair of doors are located and the runners being formed by respective wheels or rollers freely rotatable about respective vertical axes; the first door being supported by a pair of wheels or rollers which run on respective rails, and there being a guide means associated with each wheel or roller on the first door to cause it to make its said movement during travel to its closed position.

According to the invention in another aspect, there is provided a sliding door system having doors guided by top and bottom track arrangements which are such that the doors can be brought into a closed flush condition, in which a tread member extends along the width of the opening for which the doors are provided, this tread member being hinged or pivoted for rotation about a horizontal axis between a first (doors open) position in which the tread member rests on the floor of the room internally of the plane of the doors and a second (doors closed) position in which the tread member abuts the inner vertical surface of a bottom region of each of the doors.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first track has an angled portion terminating near to a boundary of the opening for which the doors are provided, and the second track has a curved portion terminating near to the first track, the tangent to the curved portion at its end region being at an angle of-85 to 90 , and preferably substantially 90 , to the direction of the first track. An advantage of this arrangement is that a sharp pull on the door which is at the end of the opening in the closed condition, in a direction roughly 75 to 90" to the plane of the doors, opens a gap between the formerly abutting edges of the two doors and starts the sliding movement of the end door.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the guide means is constituted by a peg running in a floor channel adjacent to each wheel which runs on a floor rail. In another embodiment of the invention, the guide means is constituted by a disc or roller rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and running in engagement with a rail upon which each of the leading or trailing bottom wheels run.

An advantageous feature of the invention, leading to improved security, is that a tread member may be located extending along the full width of the opening for which the doors are provided, and this tread member is hinged or pivoted for rotation through about 1800 about a horizontal axis between a first (doors open) position in which the tread member rests on the floor of the room internally of the plane of the doors and a second (doors closed) position in which the tread member abuts the inner vertical surface of a bottom region of each of the doors. Hence in the second position of the tread member the first door cannot be pulled inwardiy of the room and its opening movement is therefore prevented from starting.The tread member in its second position also assists in preventing accumulation of dirt or dust in and around the floor rails and a groove or channel if one is used as part of the aforesaid guide means.

The invention will be better understood from the following non-limiting description of examples thereof given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1-5 illustrate a first embodiment of a sliding door system according to the invention, Figure 1 being a vertical cross section showing doors running on floor rails, Figure 2 being a diagrammatic side showing one roller and a pin constituting a guide means, a fascia being onnitted for clarity, Figure 3 being a horizontal section illustrating the edges of a pair of doors and showing a sealing arrangement, and Figures 4 and 5 being respectively plan view and end elevation view on one example of floor track; the doors being in different positions as seen in Figure 4 and Figure 5.

Figures 6 and 7 iliustrate a second embodiment of the invention, Figure 6 being a vertical cross section through part of a pair of doors in overlapping relative positions. Figure 7 shows in plan, looking in the direction A in Figure 6, the ends of two tracks and the position of roiler guide means associated with each of the wheels of a first door.

Figures 8 to 11 show in diagrammatic plan view four possible orientations of a pair of doors in a system according to the invention; and Figure 12 illustrates a pivotable tread member incorporated in one embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

The sliding door system illustrated in Figures 1-5 includes a first door 10 and a second door 12 forming a pair of doors. In Figure 1 the doors are seen their overlapping or closed condition and the doer 10 is the outer door and the door 12 the inner door. As illustrated each sliding door includes a pair of panes of glass 14 which are fixed in any convenient manner, not illustrated, to top and bottom fittings 16, 18 on the door 10 and top and bottom fittings 20,22 on the door 12. The doors are guided by a bottom (e.g. floor level) track arrangement 26 and a top (e.g. roof level) track arrangement 28. The invention is not limited to systems involving only two doors. Similar constructional principles can be employed for a 4-door or 6-door system. For brevity of description, a 2 door arrangement is particularly described and illustrated.

The bottom track arrangement 26 includes one rail 30 for the door 10 and two rails 32,34 for the door 12. In the roof track, the door 10 is'guided by a groove or channel 36 and the door 12 is guided by two grooves or channels shaped to correspond to the shapes in plan view of the rails 32 and 34. One of these grooves is shown at 38 in Figure 1.

The top fitting 16 carries a leading roller near one end and a trailing roller near the other end, both of these rollers rotate about respective vertical axes and they both run in the groove 36. One is shown at 40. The top track arrangement 28 also has a downwardly extending guard or cover 42. This extends the whole width of the opening which the doors are provided to close. The guard 42 carries a sealing member 44 which may for example be a rubber strip or a brush bristle seal or any other known kind of sealing arrangement. It extends inwardly to contact an outwardly facing surface of the top fitting 16.

The top fitting 20 of the door 12 carries a leading and a trailing roller, both of these being rotatable about vertical axes. One is indicated at 46. One such roller runs in the roof groove 38 which corresponds to the floor rail 34 and one runs in the roof groove which corresponds to the floor rail 32. In this context, the word corresponds is used to mean similar in shape as seen in plan view as will be understood since the function of the floor and roof guides have the same function, that is to say to mount the doors and guid the door 12 to bring it from an open position where it is located behind the door 10 to a closed position where it is laterally adjacent to and flush with the door 10.

The bottom track arrangement 26 has an upwardly extending weather seal and protection member 50 which, like the member 42, extends the full width of the opening. At its upper end it carries a sealing means 52 postioned to engage an outwardly facing surface 54 of the bottom fitting 18. The bottom fitting 18 is provided with an angled flange 56 to prevent rain or dust from falling vertically downwards between the member 50 and the fitting 18. A like flange 58 is provided on the bottom fitting 22 for the same purpose, and as will be realised when the door 12 is in its flush or closed condition the flange 58 is disposed above the seal 52 in the same manner as the flange 56.

The bottom fitting 18 carries a pair of wheels one seen at 60, rotatable about horizontal axes and which run on the rail 30. The bottom fitting 22 carries a pair of wheels, one seen at 62, which are likewise freely rotatable about respective horizontal axes and run on the rail 34. As illustrated each door 10, 12 has two such wheels, one at or towards the leading end and one at or towards the trailing end, but more than 2 wheels could be provided if desired on the door 10 which runs on the linear rail 30. e.g. in the case of a wide door. As seen in Figure 4, the door 12 is supported by two bottom wheels 62 and 63 and the door 10 is supported by two bottom wheels 60 and 61. Note that Figure 1 illustrates two doors overlapping each other whereas Figure 4 illustrates the door 12 at a position spaced a short distance from its closed flush position.

The bottom track arrangement 26 has a groove 66 therein which receives a pin 68 (Figures 1 and 4) attached to the bottom fitting 22. This pin 68 is adjacent to the wheel 62. Also attached to the bottom fitting 22 is a second pin 70 (Figure 4) which runs in a groove 72 also provided in the bottom track arrangement 26. These pins 68, 72 constitute guide means constraining the lower end of the door 12 to follow, in its closing or opening motion, the path dictated by the grooves 66 and 72 and the rails 32, 34. As will be readily understood, the grooves 36, 38 and a further groove not referenced in the top track arrangement 28 are of corresponding configuration as seen in plan and serve to similarly guide the top end of the door 12.

An important point leading to trouble free operation and easy manual opening of the door system is the curvature chosen for the portions 80, 82, Figure 4, of the respective grooves and rails. Each rail is parallel to its adjacent groove and so only the groove shape will be described. The groove 66 is straight for a major portion of its length and it curves following the arc of a circle towards the rail 30 at the region 80. The curvature is such that the tangent to the curve at the extremity of the groove 66 is substantially at right angles to the length of the rail30. The groove 66 guides the end of the movable door 12 which will be adjacent to and engaging the door 10 in the closed flush condition.In contrast, the groove portion 82 of the groove 72 has a portion 84 which is straight and at an angle beween 50 and 70 , preferably about 60 , to the length of the rail 30 and this portion is joined by a smooth curve to the principal portion of the rail 72 which is straight and parallel to the rail 30. The effect of this arrangement is that a manual pull in the direction 86 as shown in Figure 4 is sufficient to separate the edges qf the doors 10 and 12 and to start the door 12 moving to the left as seen in Figure 4, i.e. to start its opening movement. See also Figure 9. Moreover, the direction in which the pull 86 is applied is not critical and a pull in the direction marked 87 will also suffice to obtain the same result.

Either or both of the top and bottom track arrangements may be made in a number of separately-produced sections. For example, the section with the curved parts of the rail may be separate and used with sections of any desired length having straight rails.

The edges of the doors are seen in detail in Figure 3, the door 12 having an edge fitting 90 and the door 12 having an edge fitting 92.

The edge fittings 90 and 92 may be aluminium extrusions secured in any convenient manner to the doors 10, 12 and provided with weather seals 94 and 96. A handle 98 of any convenient form may be provided. For security it is bolted through the door 12. The edges of the doors formed by the fittings 90 and 92 are substantially planar in general form. The seals 94 and 96 are optionally present and are not regarded as affecting the overall shape of the edges. The edges are disposed substantially parallel and at an angle in the range about 45" to 85" to the plane of the doors, more preferably 50 to 75 , and most preferably 55 to 65".

Referring now to Figure 2, this is a diagrammatic view in front elevation showing the arrangement of the pin 68 and the wheel 62.

As seen in Figure 1, the bottom fitting 22 includes a fascia 100, this being omitted for clarity in Figure 2. The wheel 62 is carried by, and is freely rotatable on, a bolt 102 extending into a block 104. The block 104 has an upstanding circular pin 106 which is rotatable within a block member 107. The member 107 is secured in any convenient way, for example by bolts at centres indicated 109 in Figure 2, to the aluminium extrusion 111 which constitutes the main structural member of the bottom fitting 22. The construction of the bottom fitting 18 is similar except that no pin 68 is included. The base of the groove is indicated at 113 in Figure 2.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Siiding doors 110 and 112 (similar to doors 10 and 12 of Figures 1-5) have respective bottom fittings 118 and 122 the latter having a fascia 200.

The doors run on a bottom track arrangement 126 which is in essence similar to the bottom track arrangement 26 of Figure 1. However, in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 6 and 7, there are no grooves 66, 72 and no pins 68, 70. Instead, the door 112 is guided by a roller 204 freely rotatable about a vertical axis and mounted on a shaft 206. The shaft 206 is mounted on the member 204 whose function corresponds to that of the block 104 of Figure 1. The door 110 runs on a pair of wheels one of which is seen at 160 and the door 112 runs on a pair of wheels one of which is seen at 162. These wheels run on respective rails 130, 134 in a similar manner to that already described in connection with Figures 1-5.The roller 204 engages one vertical surface of the rail 134, namely the surface on the inner side of the curve of the rail, and the cooperation of this roller 204 and the rail 134 constitutes a guide means which causes the door 112 to move to its closed or flush position. The guidance of the tops of the doors 110, 112 shown in Figures 6 and 7 is determined by the shapes of the grooves in the top track arrangement, and is similar to that illustrated for the doors 10 and 12 in Figures 1-5.

Figures 6-9 illustrate four possible configurations for a pair of doors in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8 illustrates the doors closed posi tion; Figure 9 illustrates the relative positions just after the left hand door has been pulled and its opening movement has begun. Figure 10 illustrates the situation where the door 300 has moved fully to the right so leaving an access gap for entry and exit to the room indicated by the arrow 304. Figure 11 illustrates the situation wherein both doors 302 and 304 have been moved leftwards, the door 302 being moved to the leftward end of its travel but the door 300 being moved to just short of its end of travel, that is to say to a position where its two wheels are located at the end of the straight part of their supporting rail just prior to entering the curved portion. In this position there is access at 306 to permit entry and exit through the right hand part of the siiding door system.

Figure 12 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention, which is a cross-section taken in a plane at right angles to the plane of the doors. The door 110 is not visible in Figure 12 as the doors are in their closed flush condition. A pivotable tread member 350 is attached to-the bottom track arrangement 126.

This is pivotable (see arrow 358) about a horizontal axis 356 and can-be moved between a first position 352 and a second position 354. It extends substantially compietely across the opening which is occupied by the sliding door system. In its first position 352 the tread member 350 serves a security function in that it prevents any leftward movement as seen in Figure 12, that is, it prevents the door 112 being pulled into the room, which it will be understood prevents the door 112 being slid longitudinally relative to the door 110.

A forced entry could only be made by smashing the panels of the doors. In its second position 352, to which it is moved when it is desired to open the door system, the tread member acts as a down-sloping extension of the bottom track arrangement 126. This may be helpful if a wheeled vehicle or cart is to be taken through the doors (e.g. in a golf club).

The exact shape of the tread member 350 can be adjusted as desired in accordance with the structure and function of the building in which the sliding door system is installed. A locking member, similar in shape and pivotal mounting, may also be employed as a security measure when the present invention is employed in a sliding window system.

It will be appreciated that modifications can be made to the particular arrangements disclosed without departing from the invention.

Claims (10)

1. A sliding door system for location in an opening comprising doors which are guided in their sliding or rolling movement by top and bottom tracks, the edges of two adjacent doors thereof which abut in the mutually closed position being substantially planar in shape with the angle of the plane being between about 55 and 80" to the plane of the doors when they are in their abutting closed condition, one of the doors (herein called the first door) being guided by first and second runners, the first runner running in a first track and the second runner running in a second track, the tracks being collinear over a part of their length and separately curving in the region of final positioning of the door whereby the first runner following the first track and the second runner following the second track cause the first door in its travel to its closed position to move into a position in which it abuts and is co-planar with a second door; the first door being supported by a pair of wheels or rollers which run on respective rails, and there being a guide means associated with each wheel or roller on the first door to cause it to make its said movement during travel to its closed position; the second door being guided by first and second runners running in a top track and being supported by at least two wheels or rollers running on a bottom rail, the top tracks respectively being formed by downwardly-opening channels in an upper member partly framing the opening and the runners being formed by respective wheels or rollers freely rotatable about respective vertical axes.

2. A sliding door system having doors guided by top and bottom track arrangements which are such that the doors can be brought into a closed flush condition, in which a tread member extends along the width of the opening for which the doors are provided, this tread member being hinged or pivoted for rotation about a horizontal axis between a first (doors open) position in which the tread member rests on the floor of the room internally of the plane of the doors and a second (doors closed) position in which the tread member abuts the inner vertical surface of a bottom region of each of the doors.

3. A system according to claim 1 in which the first track has an angled portion terminating near to a boundary of the opening for which the doors are provided, and the second track has a curved portion terminating near to the first track, the tangent to the curved portion at its end region being at an angle of 85 to 900.

4. A system according to claim 2 in which the angle stated in claim 2 is substantially 90".

5. A system according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which the guide means is constituted by a peg running in a floor channel adjacent to each wheel which runs on a floor rail.

6. A system according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4 in which the guide means is constituted by a disc or roller rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and running in engagement with a rail upon which each of the leading or trailing bottom wheels runs.

7. A system according to any one of claims 1 and 3-6 which includes a tread member located extending along the width of the opening for which the doors are provided, this tread member being hinged or pivoted for rotation about a horizontal axis between a first (doors open) position in which the tread member rests on the floor of the room internally of the plane of the doors and a second (doors closed) position in which the tread member abuts the inner vertical surface of a bottom region of each of the doors.

8. A system according to claim 1 or any of claims 3-7 in which the first door has each of its wheels supported by a horizontal shaft carried by a block which is pivotable relative to the door about a substantially vertical axis.

9. A sliding door system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. Any novel combination or sub-combination disclosed and/or illustrated herein.