Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Panel hangers – travelers and/or tracks – Wheel mounts
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-04-03
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Panel hangers, travelers and/or tracks
Wheel mounts
C016S08700B, C160S196100, C403S374500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209171
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to door installations and more particularly the movable door mounting assemblies used in door installations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The type of movable door mounting assemblies herein contemplated are the type that mount the door for movement along a horizontally extending track mounted in the door opening. Preferably, the track is along the upper extent of the door opening and the movable door mounting assembly serves to suspend the door from the track.
These assemblies are used with two different types of door installations as, for example, in sliding door installations and folding door installations. For twin or dual sliding door installations, two separate assemblies are provided at opposite sides of the door. In a folding door installation, a single centrally located assembly serves to mount the central portion of an outer door panel which is hinged along one side to an adjacent pivoting door panel. In this case, the door mounting assembly must also support the door for pivotal movement about a central vertical axis as well as for movement along the track.
Prior art assemblies of this type usually embody two cooperating assemblies; namely, an upper carriage assembly which is movable along the track and a lower door mounted assembly which is fixed to the upper portion of the door. The two separate assemblies include cooperating structure enabling the two assemblies to the coupled together and, in most instances, to be decoupled as well.
Efforts have been made to simplify the two assemblies and the structure by which they can be coupled and decoupled. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,813,728 and 4,945,605. In these simplistic arrangements, coupling is accomplished by simply moving a headed element on one of the assemblies through a horizontally open slot in the other assembly. The problem with these simplistic arrangements is that that can be moved in the opposite direction to the direction of coupling movement to decouple resulting in unwanted decoupling when such opposite direction movement is inadvertently effected.
Where the slot opens laterally, it becomes necessary in order to effect coupling to first lift the door up and to align it with the laterally open slot and then move the door laterally so that the headed member enters the slot. In sliding door installations, the facings applied to the door opening can serve as a stop. While this may be an advantage in preventing unwanted lateral decoupling movement in sliding door installation, it is a disadvantage if the facings must be installed after the door is installed because a lateral movement is required in order to effect the door installation. Even worse, if it should become necessary to remove the door after installation, the facings must be first taken down to remove the door and, of course, replaced after the door has been reinstalled. The above-described advantage from the standpoint of preventing inadvertent decoupling and disadvantages from the standpoint of facing installation inconvenience may not be present in a folding door installation, but it is important from an inventory point of view that movable door mounting assemblies of type herein contemplated be capable of operating effectively in either type of installation.
Whether or not the installation is sliding or folding has a great deal to do with the facings which are applied to the door opening within which the door moves. The facings in the folding installation cannot come down below the upper edge of the door because the door must turn within the opening. On the other hand, with a sliding door the facings can come below the upper edge of the door and it is desirable to do so. In the case of a sliding door, these facings effectively prevent the upper portion of the door from moving laterally to any appreciable extent.
It has also been proposed to provide assemblies of the simplistic type with manually actuated locking mechanisms. Examples of assemblies of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,479,682 and 3,829,929. These installations still require lateral movement of the door to effect installation and, hence, after mounting facings.
As indicated above, it is highly desirable to be able to install and remove the door without regard to the installation of the facings for the door opening. It is also desirable to simplify the movements of the door required for installation and for release when the door is to be removed.
Applicants have found that these desirable characteristics can best be obtained by providing cooperating assemblies that can be coupled by moving the door upwardly from a vertically aligned position below the track and that release can be simplified if the only movement required of the door is down.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
An object of the present invention is the provision of a movable door mounting assembly which obviates the problems noted above while obtaining the desirable characteristics noted above. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, this objective is accomplished by providing an apparatus for use in mounting a door on an overhead track which comprises a carriage assembly constructed and arranged to be moved horizontally along the track in such a way as to limit upward movement thereof. A door mounted assembly is mounted on an upper portion of the door so as to be moved with the door. A first of the assemblies includes a vertically extending locking member and a second of the assemblies has a locking member receiving opening therein. Movable locking structure is provided with respect to the second of the assemblies to be moved between a locking position and a releasing position. A spring is provided to resiliently bias the movable locking structure into the locking position. The door mounted assembly is movable with the door (1) into an initial position wherein the locking member is in an initial vertically aligned position with respect to the locking member receiving opening and (2) from the initial position upwardly into a locking position wherein the locking member is in a locking position within the opening. The locking member and the movable locking structure have interengaging cam surfaces configured and positioned (1) to enable the movement of the door mounting assembly from the initial position thereof to the locking position thereof to move the movable locking structure from the locking position thereof toward the releasing position thereof against the bias of the spring and (2) to allow the movable locking structure to return to the locking position thereof when the locking position of the locking member is reached. The locking member and the movable locking structure include upwardly and downwardly facing interengaging locking surfaces configured and positioned when the locking member and the movable locking structure are in the locking positions thereof to lock the locking member in locked relation within the opening. A manually actuated releasing member is carried by the second of the assemblies for manual movement from a normal operative position into a releasing position. The releasing member is constructed and arranged with respect to the movable locking structure when the locking member is in locked relation within the opening to effect movement of the movable locking structure from the locking position thereof into the releasing position thereof in response to the manual movement of the releasing member from the normal operative position into the releasing position thereof to enable the door mounted assembly to move downwardly with the door into released relation with respect to the carriage assembly.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3331427 (1967-07-01), Colombo
patent: 3479682 (1969-11-01), McNinch
patent: 3708178 (1973-01-01), Lauricella
patent: 3747167 (1973-07-01), Pravaz
patent: 3757384 (1973-09-01), Rusch
patent: 3829929 (1974-08-01), Foltz et al.
patent: 4256164 (1981-03-01), Agcaoili
patent: 4359080 (1982-11-01), Brydolf
patent: 4945605 (1990-08-01), Haab et al.
patent: 5404675 (1995-04-01), Schmidhauser
patent: 5461829 (199
Pelletier Thomas
Tropea Gregory
Hong John C.
Hughes S. Thomas
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
The Stanley Works
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