AU595448B2

AU595448B2 - Driving of multiple panel units

Info

Publication number: AU595448B2
Application number: AU15849/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Christopher Daniel Sassella
Original assignee: Dowell Australia Ltd
Current assignee: Aluminium Extrusion and Distribution Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1987-05-12
Filing date: 1988-05-09
Publication date: 1990-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2008-05-09
Also published as: AU1584988A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Form PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: "Applpcation Number: Lodged: e 0* SGorplete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: ~Lapsed: Publishsd: Priority: Related Art: 8 0* Related Art:

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55 48 COMPLETE-AFTER-PROVISIONAL P1 1902 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT DOWELL AUSTRALIA LIMITED 6 ALBERT STREET, PRESTON, VICTORIA, 3072,

AUSTRALIA.

CHRISTOPHER DANIEL SASSELLA Muiuress uor oUrviu CLEMENT HACK CO.

601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: DRIVING OF MULTIPLE PANEL UNITS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- PF/CPlF/2/80 L: i -li_.ili_;iii~--- 2 9 9 S*a i* IDRVING OF MULTPLE PANEL UNITS 9* 9 .9

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units and relates particularly but not exclusively to the driving of panel units in a shower screen.

In the shower screen arts, it is normal to have three panels at the front of a shower recess. One of the panels is fixed. A second of the panels covers an :Ti intermediate space across the front of the shower screen and a leading panel covers the space at :he side opposite to the fixed panel. In use, access is gained to a shower recess by moving the leading panel across the second panel whereupon the second panel is then engaged by an abutment means on the leading panel so that both the leading panel and the second l i .ri- It ^S

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*p -3panel are moved across the fixed panel. One prior art construction is shown in Australian Patent No. 513,610 by Dowell Australia Limited. One problem with the prior art shower screen arrangements is that if a person using the shower screen does not slowly move the leading panel then the leading panel can engage the second panel with a considerable impact and it is possible for the second panel or the leading panel to be dislodged from th'- track from which it is suspended. Alternatively, the second panel when engaged by the leading panel in this manner shoots forwardly of the leading panel. This motion is not desirable.

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Accordingly, the present invention has been devised sea: to provide a means for driving the moving panels. The f' invention has application to any art where a plurality of .09.

'15 panels are to be moved across an opening and where it is desired to control the movement of the panels relative to each 0 0 other. Typical examples of fields where the invention is applicable are in the furniture fields where panels of S: 0.0o furniture are required to be moved in this manner or in the

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*9 920 building fields where it is required to have a doorway comprised of a plurality of panels moved in this manner.

Therefore in accordance with a first broad aspect of the present invention there may be provided a panel driving mechanism for at least two panels which are to close an :25 opening, said panel driving mechanism comprising a track for supporting said panels, a first carriage having rolling means for, in use, rollingly engaging with said track, said rolling means, in use, protruding from said first carriage and rollingly engaged with a second carriage, said first carriage and said second carriage having respective panel fixing means whereby a respective panel can be fixed thereto, the i arrangement being such that when either of the panels is moved there will be rolling of said rolling means and corresponding driving of the other of said panels in the same direction.

i r P- i. 4 Most preferably the panel driving mechanism is for an arrangement where there are three panels, one being a non movable or fixed panel, a second being a movable panel attachable to said first carriage and the third panel being a movable panel attachable to said second carriage.

Most preferably all panels are of substantially the same size and said track is of a length whereby when the mechanism is open all three panels can be located in substantially aligned fully overlapping relationship.

In order that the invention can be more clearly ascertained, examples of preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, .o wherein: Figure 1 is a front view of a shower screen .9 '15 installation showing a panel driving mechanism in a shower screen closed position; Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 but S showing the shower screen in a partly open condition; *°Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 but

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showing the shower screen in a fully open condition; lie Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along section of i. line 4-4 of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the panel driving mechanism shown in Figures 1 through 4.

:25 Referring now to the drawings there is shown a panel driving mechanism for use in connection with shower screen doors. The mechanism is shown generally by numeral 1. The mechanism has an elongate track 3 comprised of an aluminium extrusion. The track 3 extends across the width of a shower screen recess. The track 3 is mounted to sides of a shower screen frame 5. The exact mounting arrangement of the track 3 relative to the shower screen frame 5 is immaterial to the present invention but conveniently it can be by pop rivets through part of the track 3 into the frame 5 or by suitable screw means. Typically the shower screen frame 5 is screwed or otherwise fastened to the side wall of a shower recess in which the shower screen is fitted.

5 By observing Figure 4 and Figure 5 it can be seen that the track 3 is formed as an internal track on a head section 7, by being a generally horizontally extending web 9 which is formed integrally with a downwardly extending flange 11 thereof. Directly above the track 3 and on the undersurface of a top section 13 there is provided a pair of spaced apart flanges 15. The flanges 15 can be considered as providing a further track 17. The track 3 has sides defined by upstanding flange 19 and by surface 21.

The top section 13 is provided with a pelmet locating groove 23. A suitably shaped pelmet 25 can be located in the pelmet locating groove 23 by a force fit so oooo that the pelmet 25 can hang downwardly to cover the side of track 3.

0S 15 The opposite side of the top section 13 has a side S member 27 formed integrally therewith. The external appearance of the side member 27 and the pelmet 25 are arranged to be substantially identical to each other both in size and shape and with any surface decorative features such as corrugations 29.

A first carriage 31 is provided which carries rolling means 33 in the form of wheels 35. Figures 1 through 3 show that there are seven wheels 35 carried by the first 25carriage 31. Each of the wheels 35 is supported on a 25 respective axle 37 which passes through opposed walls 39 of the first carriage member 31. Each of the axles 37 can be fastened relative to the first carriage 31 by means of swaging of the outer ends of the axles 37. The wheels 35 are of a diameter which enables the wheels to pass through openings 41 in the top of the carriage 31. As can be seen in Figure 4, the wheels 35 are rollingly engaged with the track 3. The flange 19 and the surface 21 assist in maintaining the wheels rollingly engaged with the track 3.

1 w 6 Figures 4 and 5 show that the first carriage 31 has fixing means 43 in the form of a flange 44 extending at the bottom thereof. In use, the flange 44 can be used for attachment of a panel to the first carriage 31. This will be explained in greater detail in due course.

A second carriage 45 is placed over the first carriage 31 so that the second carriage 45 is rollingly engaged with the rolling means 33. It can be observed that the second carriage 45 has a guiding track 47 at the top thereof which can cause the second carriage 45 to track S relative to the wheels 35 which, in turn, track relative to S the track 3. This is best seen in Figure 4. The second oooo carriage 45 has fixing means 49 in the form of a flange *0 extending therefrom to enable a panel to be attached thereto.

0 *15 This will be described in due course.

The top of the carriage 45 has an upstanding T-shaped flange 51. Flange 51 carries a nylon of similar e synthetic material covering 53 with low frictional properties which is slidingly received between the flanges 15 on the top

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section 13 of the head section 7.

31 With the arrangement shown, when the first carriage 31 and the second carriage 45 are moved then both carriages 31 and 45 will be maintained in vertical alignment relative to Oo the track 3, further track 17 and the guiding track 47.

The shower screen installation typically has three panels there being a fixed panel 55, a second panel 57 and a leading panel 59. The fixed panel 55 is attached to the frame and the head section 7 by any convenient means such as by means of pop rivets, screws and/or an adhesive medium such as silicon. The second panel 57 is attached to the fixing means 43 in a similar manner. The leading panel 59 is attached to the fixing means 49 in a similar manner. Each of the panels 57 and 59 may have a peripheral frame 61 as of aluminium extrusion and the fixing of the panels may be via the frame 61.

I I 7 In use, the leading panel 59 can be engaged by a person wishing to pass through the shower screen and moved to open the shower screen. This causes the rolling means 33 to roll and, in turn, move over track 3. Movement of the rolling means 33, in turn, causes the first carriage 31 to be driven relative to the second carriage 45. In the embodiment shown, the leading panel 59 moves twice the distance of the second panel 57. At the fully open position of the shower screen, all of the panels 55, 57 and 59 are in substantially fully overlapped aligned relationship, as shown in Figure 3.

A person wishing to pass through the shower screen may, if desired, engage panel 57 and movement of that panel oooo will, in turn, cause rolling of the rolling means 33 which 0 will, in turn, cause driving of the second carriage .9 15 The arrangement is such that if panels are to be cleaned then they can be individually displaced relative to one another along the track 3 by overcoming any friction o of forces of the first carriage and/or second carriage on the rolling means 33. Thus, for example, fixed panel 55 may be completely exposed by displacing panel 57 completely away from S. overlapping relationship therewith. Similarly, each of the panels 57 and 59 can be displaced to allow cleaning of those panels. In order to reposition the panels correctly it is 0 simply necessary to return all the panels to the overlapped position shown in Figure 3. One of the panels 57 or 59 can then be moved which will restore the driving relationship to the panels as shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and The lowermost edges of the panels 55, 57 and 59 can be held in a suitable fashion relative to a bottom frame member (not shown) of the shower screen frame 5. The details of this are not considered relevant to the functional operation of the embodiment shown but an example is shown in the aforementioned Australian Patent No. 513,610.

If desired, the first carriage and the second carriage may be positioned at the bottom of an opening which is to be closed by the panels. In this arrangement, the panels will rest on the respective carriages rather than be

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~I g~ 8 suspended as in the previous embodiment. Such an arrangement has particular application in the furniture arts where doors in a side board, for example, can be held for sliding movement in this manner.

Other modifications may be made to the invention as would be apparent to persons skilled in the doors arts. These and other modifications may be made without departing from the ambit of the invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

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Claims

2. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, for '15 an arrangement where there are three panels, one being a non-movable or fixed panel, a second being a movable panel attachable to said first carriage and a third being a movable S panel attachable to said second carriage.
3. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said track is constructed so that, in use, the panel attached to said first carriage and the panel attached to said second carriage will be suspended therefrom.
4. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said track has sides which, in use, cause said rolling '25 means to track along said track. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said track has, in use, a further track mounted above said track and wherein said second carriage has means for engaging with said further track for assisting tracking and for assisting maintaining said carriage in substantially i vertically aligned relationship relative to said first carriage and said track.
6. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim wherein said further track is vertically aligned with said track.
7. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein said means for engaging with said further track comprises material which will permit sliding engagement with said further track.
8. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said material is carried by an upstanding flange on said second carriage.
9. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said track is provided within a head section, said head section being for a head of a franc which surrounds said opening which is to be closed.
10. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 9, .wherein said head section is an extrusion and wherein Faid is integrally extruded therewith.
111. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 9, or Claim 10, wherein said head section has one fixed side and one removable side. 12. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said track is carried by a flange which extends frorm an, in use, upper portion of said head section. 13. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said track is accessible by removal of said removable side to permit fitting or removal of said first carriage and said second carriage. 14. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first carriage has openings therein through which said rolling means can protrude -to engage with said second carriage means. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said rolling means is carried by A said first carriage means. 16. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim wherein said rolling means comprises wheels. 17. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second carriage means has a, track in which said rolling means can locate to assist tracking and vertical alignment relative to said track. 11 18. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein there is a panel fitted to said first carriage means and another panel fitted to said second carriage means on said panel fixing means thereof. 19. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims fitted at an entry to a shower cubical and said panels are glass panels fitted thereto. A panel driving mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS 9TH DAY OF 1988. DOWELL AUSTRALIA LIMI1TED 9 By Its Patent Attorneys: CLEMENT HACK CO. S' Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia t <6 1 I ;i