Movable or removable closures – Collinear closures – one moves to offset position – Horizontal sliding
Patent
1992-01-21
1993-07-06
Kannan, Philip C.
Movable or removable closures
Collinear closures, one moves to offset position
Horizontal sliding
49217, 49218, 49222, E05D 1520
Patent
active
052242960
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a sliding door with several panels in which an open panel can be placed in front of a closed panel.
2. Discussion of Background Information
French Patent Nos. 2053406, 2126621, 2438728, 2475615, 2420443, French addition certificate 2250011 and European addition certificate 85400375 describe sliding doors or parts of sliding doors having various disadvantages. For example, large forces are necessary for maneuvering heavy and high doors, premature deterioration occurs in casters which skid, guiding systems have a large bulk, and, on vehicles undergoing geometric variations, discontinuities in heat insulation, air-tightness and water-tightness occur.
EP-201717 has also proposed doors intended to be vertical both in their open position and in their closed position and which are connected for this purpose to sliding units which are coupled to them by connection means which are deployed both at the top part and the bottom part of the door frame. However, the door structures proposed in EP-201717 would be difficult to produce for doors with large dimensions. Further, the means of connection between the sliding units and the panel would in this case, in fact, be very highly stressed. Furthermore, these doors would not be very easy to operate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described with the door closed, wherein all of the panels are located in the same plane, called the closed plane, against the door frame. The first opening phase consists in a displacement which separates the panel from its door frame and places it in another plane called the opening or rolling plane, located parallel to the closed plane. The second opening phase consists in a displacement of the panel in the opening plane, which allows the passage to be opened by placing the open panel in front of a closed panel.
In order to clarify the description of the invention, it has arbitrarily been considered that a closed panel is located on the inside and conversely that an open panel is located on the outside.
Furthermore, between the inside closed plane and the outside opening plane, a displacement from one to the other is called lateral. A displacement in the opening plane is called longitudinal.
The single lower rail includes no curves, cavities or protuberances, it is rectilinear and its cross section is reduced to the width necessary to allow the crossing of two casters, one connected to the closed panel and the other connected to the open panel moving in the rolling plane.
A panel comprises two casters which are connected to it at the bottom by a mechanical device. The casters are offset by a variable distance towards the inside with respect to the main plane of the panel. The variation is allowed by the connecting mechanism depending on whether the panel is pushed laterally towards the inside or pulled towards the outside during maneuvers.
The door frame comprises fixed support points intended to support the bottom part of the closed panel. These support points are disposed in such a way that the panel is located slightly raised, so that its casters no longer bear on the bottom rail. These support points are also disposed so that the panel is in a state of imbalance directed towards the inside.
When the panel is in the outside position, the connecting mechanism of each caster is deployed and the panel is then greatly offset towards the outside with respect to the points of contact of the casters with the rail. The panel is then unbalanced towards the outside.
When the panel is pushed towards the inside, the mechanical connection of each caster shortens simultaneously, the bottom of the panel engages on the fixed supports and the casters lose contact. The panel is displaced a little more on the fixed supports and the casters are then simultaneously displaced laterally without touching the rail and therefore without skidding.
When the panel arrives in the closed plane, it assumes the state of imbalance directed towards the insid
REFERENCES:
patent: 4551945 (1985-11-01), von Resch
patent: 4669219 (1987-06-01), Tomida
patent: 4794730 (1989-01-01), Fishbach
patent: 4949504 (1990-08-01), Bortoluzzi
patent: 4976066 (1990-12-01), Plummer et al.
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