Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – With mounting or supporting means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2001-04-24
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
With mounting or supporting means
C160S235000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220332
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable door assembly which is used for spanning an entrance of a room, such as a shower room, which can be produced at a relatively low cost, and which does not require a large amount of operating space when in use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a shower curtain is commonly installed in a bathroom around a shower space and above a bathtub such that water can be prevented from wetting the ground surface of the bathroom outside the shower space. When the shower space is not in use, the shower curtain is moved toward an adjacent wall and is usually kept in a folded state such that different parts of the shower curtain are in close contact. As such, water on the surface of the shower curtain cannot easily evaporate therefrom, thereby often resulting in mildewing of the shower curtain.
A hinged door has been suggested heretofore for closing and opening an entrance to the shower room. However, operation of the hinged door requires a relatively large amount of space. The hinged door is found to be not suitable for use in a relatively cramped space.
Another kind of door that has been suggested for a shower room includes a parallel pair of vertical glass panels which are slidable along adjacent and parallel railways. When one of the glass panels is slid to one side of the other one of the glass panels, an entrance generally as wide as the panels is formed. As such, the width of the entrance is limited to the width of the panels, and can be enlarged only by broadening the space of the shower room.
In addition, installation of the aforementioned doors involves relatively complicated techniques, and can hardly be accomplished by the consumer. Additional costs for installation are thus incurred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a door assembly which can be operated without the need for a large amount of space, which can be produced at a relatively low cost, and which can be easily assembled by the consumer.
Accordingly, the door assembly of the present invention is adapted for spanning an entrance of a shower room having first and second upright walls that extend upwardly from a horizontal ground surface. The door assembly includes an elongated rail member, and a foldable sliding door unit. The rail member is adapted to be disposed horizontally between the first and second upright walls and to be spaced apart vertically from the ground surface. The rail member is formed with a longitudinally extending slide channel. The foldable sliding door unit includes a plurality of vertically disposed elongated connectors, connector mounting means, a plurality of vertically disposed elongated slats, and a plurality of slidable coupling units. Each of the connectors has an upper end to be disposed adjacent to the rail member, and a lower end to be disposed adjacent to the ground surface. Each of the connectors further has left and right sides formed with longitudinally extending left and right engaging grooves. A first one of the connectors is located at one end of the door unit and is to be disposed adjacent to the first upright wall. A second one of the connectors is located at the other end of the door unit. The connector mounting means is adapted for mounting the first one of the connectors on the first upright wall. Each of the slats has two lateral end portions which are formed respectively with vertically extending cylindrical members which are received in an adjacent pair of the engaging grooves of an adjacent pair of the connectors such that the cylindrical members are rotatable axially for folding and unfolding of the slats relative to the adjacent pair of the connectors. Each of the slats has an upper edge adjacent to the upper ends of the connectors, and a lower edge adjacent to the lower ends of the connectors. The slidable coupling units are mounted on the upper ends of selected ones of the connectors, and extend into and are slidable along the slide channel so as to permit movement of the door unit toward the second upright wall to an unfolded state, where the connectors and the slats are disposed on substantially the same vertical plane to close the entrance to the room, and so as to permit movement of the door unit away from the second upright wall to a folded state, where the connectors and the slats cease to be disposed on substantially the same vertical plane to open the entrance to the room.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2770298 (1956-11-01), Hiatt
patent: 2885000 (1959-05-01), Merrill
patent: 3277950 (1966-10-01), Stouffer
patent: 3331427 (1967-07-01), Colombo
patent: 3720255 (1973-03-01), Ueda
patent: 4386645 (1983-06-01), Dever et al.
Ladas & Parry
Purol David M.
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