EP1528212A1 - Door with an offset pivot axis - Google Patents

Abstract

The system has pins (3, 4) extending laterally at the level of its lateral edges. The pins are positioned symmetrically on both sides of a door (P) of a storage box e.g. office furniture (C). The door slides within guide rails, with the aid of pins, between a close and an open position. The axes of the pins are shifted into the box, and the door is partially housed in the box in its open position.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for guiding a door sliding between two side walls of a storage volume of parallelepipedic box type, using a conventional system to guide rails, the door fitting into the volume of the box when in the open position.

Boxes with doors obeying such a system are commonly used in the field of furniture office. These furniture elements are closed either by shutters sliding mobiles, formed of successive slats that provide a deformability at the door, and allow its winding / unwinding to inside the volume of the box, either by rigid doors. The invention relates to said rigid doors, generally formed of a plane element deformable blocking, in the closed position, the opening of the caisson.

In the guiding systems known to date, elements of the type stud or roller, usually two in number larger than each of the side edges of the door, are guided in a slide having a vertical section connected to a section of pace horizontally placed near and often parallel to the ceiling of the caisson. When the door is closed, these side edges are therefore placed in front of the vertically-shaped portions of the slide, which are then masked.

In this solution, the axis of displacement of said protruding elements is, in fact, included in the middle plane of the door or in the immediate vicinity of this one.

This configuration is not always sought because the positioning relative particularity of the door and the barriers it imposes is not always feasible. It may thus be technically necessary for the door to be positioned in front of the slide, that is to say that it is located at inside the volume of the closed box. So is it for example when the frame of the door is reduced to a thickness of sheet metal, and that it is not therefore not possible to practice slides, but that the door must nevertheless be framed.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a configuration in which it It is possible to shift the door forward of the slides, for example to meet such an aesthetic requirement.

The guidance system of the invention applies more specifically to a sliding door between two side walls of a box each provided with a two-section slide rail communicating rectilinear, and allows the movement of said door by means of pins laterally projecting from level of its lateral songs, arranged symmetrically on both sides of the door and sliding in the slides at the rate of two pawns per slide.

It is characterized in principal in that said pieces are shifted towards inside the chamber volume, the two upper pieces located near the ceiling when the door is in the closed position being each secured to a piece further ensuring a pivoting of the axle door arranged in the vicinity from his superior song.

In this solution, the pieces are then no longer arranged in the extension of the door, and their axes are therefore no longer contained or close to the average plane of the latter, but offset from this plan.

On the other hand, the pivot axis preferably remains in or in the vicinity immediate of this average plan. From a functional point of view, this axis of pivoting must also be close to the singing upper door, to allow the "storage" of the door nearby the ceiling of the box.

In fact, the pivot axis of the door and the axis of the upper pions are arranged relatively in the pivoting part, so that when the door is closed, said upper pieces are already placed in the portions straight-running slides oriented substantially parallel to the ceiling.

This characteristic makes it possible to simplify the opening operation, by making notably the more fluid movement by improving the initial guidance. It is Moreover, it should be noted that, assuming a configuration in which the outlines of the door are arranged, at closure, near the frame opening delimited by the edges of the box, it is necessary that the pieces are always located more or less in the axis of the portions of runners parallel to the ceiling. In the opposite case, if these pieces were initially housed in sections parallel to the door in position closed, the operation of opening the door would require a first move parallel to the plane of said frame, and the door would then collide with its upper edge.

According to the invention, when the pieces are all in the portions of slides oriented substantially parallel to the ceiling, their axes form preferably a plane parallel to the middle plane of the door or slightly inclined compared to the latter.

There is then parallelism between the ceiling of the box, the positioning of the folded door and the plane containing the axis of the pawns.

The position of these is preferably axially adjustable surplus so to allow an optimal operation of the sliding by bringing the free ends of the pawns of the bottom of the slides, to avoid any movement "crabbing" when moving the door.

Thus, according to a configuration, the pins form the axial end of parts the other end consists of two parallel branches whose external surfaces are in contact with external walls, one of the surface or wall being provided with notches intended to cooperate with a relief of the other in a rack-type operation allowing, by deformation elastic branches, a discreet axial adjustment between several positions.

Preferably, said relief is actually also constituted by notches counterparts to the first and interacting with them.

To proceed with an axial displacement, it is enough to pinch, in the manner of a clothespin, said branches to bring them closer to one another, and to push / pull the adjustment piece one or more notches.

This part is further guided axially by at least one orifice cylindrical housing a central portion of the pawn.

In the case of the upper pions, the guidance is done by a housing cylindrical practiced in fact in the pivoting part.

In the case of other pieces, the guidance is carried out simultaneously by a orifice made in the side edge of the door and through a coaxial orifice in a paw parallel to said song and located towards the inside of the door.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une partie du caisson et de la porte, faisant apparaítre l'un des systèmes de guidage latéraux ;
• la figure 2 constitue un agrandissement détaillant la représentation de la figure 1, dans lequel les modes de fixation des pions à la porte sont notamment précisés ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective d'une partie de l'extérieur du caisson, porte fermée, représentant le système de pivotement ;
• la figure 4 représente, toujours en perspective, une pièce de réglage ;
• la figure 5 montre la pièce de pivotement ; et
• les figures 6a à 6e montrent le positionnement relatif successif des différents éléments du système de guidage de l'invention lors d'une opération d'ouverture de la porte.

The invention will now be described with reference to the appended figures, for which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the box and the door, showing one of the lateral guide systems;
• Figure 2 is an enlargement detailing the representation of Figure 1, wherein the methods of fixing the pins to the door are specified;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the outside of the box, closed door, showing the pivot system;
• Figure 4 shows, still in perspective, a setting piece;
• Figure 5 shows the pivot piece; and
• Figures 6a to 6e show the successive relative positioning of the various elements of the guide system of the invention during an opening operation of the door.

FIG. 1 represents only a part of the box (C), to facilitate the explanation of the guidance system of the invention. This allows, to the opening, the insertion of the door (P) parallel and in the vicinity of the ceiling (1) the box (C). Guiding is carried out by means of a slide (2) having two rectilinear sections interconnected, one of which is oriented parallel to the ceiling (1), while the other is oriented parallel to the opening of the box, that is to say the plane of the door when closed. The two sections are in this case perpendicular to each other.

Each slide (2) is traversed by two lateral pins, one of which (3) is directly attached to the side edge of the door, while the other (4) is integral with a part (5) pivotally mounted on the door (P).

The method of fixing the pin (3) to the door (P) appears more clearly in FIG. 2. It constitutes in fact the axial end of a part (6) (see FIG. the other end has two branches (7, 7 '). The pawn (3) is guided by two coaxial orifices made in one leg (8) and the side edge (9) of the door (P). The branches (7, 7 ') cooperate with two walls (10, 10'). They have, on their external surfaces, notches (15, 15 ') which cooperate with homologous notches (16, 16 ') protruding from each wall (10, 10') for perform rack-and-pinion operation allowing discrete axial adjustment thanks to the elasticity of the branches (7, 7 ').

The same type of pin (4) cooperates with a piece (5) (see Figure 5) allowing the pivoting of the door (P). This piece (4) is always housed in the section of the slide (2) which is parallel to the ceiling (1) of the box (C), and it is guided axially, in order to adjust it, in a cylindrical housing (14) of the pivoting part (5). This housing (14) in fact separates two parts distinct from the pivoting part: a part comprising the parts (10, 10 ') with their notches (16, 16 '), and a carriage part (13) guided in the slide (2) .La wall (10) is further extended by a wing (17) provided of orifices (18) capable of housing a shaft (19) (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) materializing the axis around which the rotation takes place. Housing (14) surrounds the part central pawn (4), located near the branches (7,7 ').

The axial adjustment of the two pins (3, 4), made manually possible by simple pinching of the branches (7, 7 ') accompanied by a push or a axial traction, avoids the use of a complex system for prevent the so-called "crabbing" movement of the door in the runners. These traditional systems based on mechanical linkages constituting typically a pantograph type configuration, weigh down the structure mechanical and make it much more expensive. In this case, the axial adjustment of each piece (3,4) makes it possible to ensure its correct positioning at the bottom of slides to prevent said movement "crab". The discreet setting of each peg is made for example in steps of 0.5 mm, said step being in fact fixed by notching the branches (7,7 ') and the walls (10,10').

FIG. 3 clearly shows that in a box configuration (C) such that shown, with a peripheral opening frame made of a sheet folded into bevel (11), it is not possible to arrange the slide (2) close to the outer edge (12) of said frame. In this case, if we want the façade outside the door (P) is in the same plane as this edge (12), it is necessary resort to a solution such as that of the invention, with a part (5) distinguishing the axis of the pin (4) and the pin (19) from the pivoting with pins (3, 4) which are shifted towards the inside of the box (C). It should be noted that guiding, in the portion of the slide (2) oriented substantially parallel the ceiling (1) of the box (C), is via a pin (4) but also by means the carriage (13) of the part (5) which is housed in said portion. This mode of guiding not allowing the tilting of a portion to the other of the slide (2), the pivoting part (5) always remains housed in the part of slide (2) close to the ceiling (1).

By considering FIGS. 6a to 6e, which illustrate the opening operation of the door, it is clear that the axis of the pin (4) and that of the pivot (19) are doubly offset, along a vertical axis and along a horizontal axis. The room (5) undergoes only a translation movement during the opening operation and, in the configuration shown, so that the door (P) can be inserted into the near the ceiling (1) of the box (C), it is necessary that its axis of pivoting is shifted upwards, that is to say located close to said ceiling (1). This meets a dual aesthetic and functional need, this last being in the realization of a maximum surface opening.

In the closed position of the door (P), represented in FIG. 6a, the counter (3) is in internal abutment in the vertical section of the slide (2), while the pin (4) and the carriage (13) are already engaged in its horizontal section. it facilitates opening guidance, and is one of the reasons for the shift, along a horizontal axis, axes respectively of pivoting of the door and moving the pin (4). When you start the operation to open the door (P), the possibility of pivoting (19) of the door (P) allows a first moving the pin (4) of the piece (5) towards the bottom of the box (C), without it the displacement of the pin (3), which remains substantially in abutment with the bottom of the vertical section of the slide (2): this is what appears in Figure 6 b. The following figure 6 c shows that in the next phase, when accentuating the pivoting of the door (P), the pin (4) and the piece (5) sink into the slide (2) towards the bottom of the box (C), and the pin (3) takes off from the end bottom of the slide (2). When it reaches the upper end of the said section vertically, the door (P) is in a horizontal position, that is to say parallel to the ceiling (1) of the box (C). In this case, shown in FIG. 6 d, the counter (3) located at the left end of the horizontal section of the slide (2), while the pawn (4) is almost halfway through this slide (2).

Finally, in FIG. 6 e, the pin (4) and the piece (5) are pushed back to the end right of the horizontal section, and the door (P) is housed, almost entirely, at inside the box (C).

Claims (10)

A system for guiding a sliding door between two side walls of a box, each of which is provided with a slideway with two communicating sections of rectilinear shape, the movement of said door being obtained by means of pins protruding laterally at the level of its side edges, arranged symmetrically on either side of the door and sliding in said slides by two pins per slide between a closed position and an open position in which the door is at least partially housed in the box in the vicinity of its ceiling, characterized in that the axes of the pins are shifted inwardly of the volume of the box, the two upper pins located near the ceiling when the door is in the closed position being each secured to a room further ensuring a pivoting of the axle door arranged in the vicinity of its upper edge. Guiding system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the axis of pivoting of the door is in the mean plane of said door. Guiding system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axis of pivoting of the door and the axis of the upper pins are arranged relative to one another in the pivoting part of such so that when the door is closed, said upper pins are placed in the portions of the rails of rectilinear shape oriented substantially parallel to the ceiling. Guiding system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that , when the pins are all in the portions of slides oriented substantially parallel to the ceiling, their axes form a plane parallel to the mean plane of the door or slightly inclined relative to to the latter. Guiding system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position of the pins is axially adjustable. Guiding system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the pins form the axial end of adjustment pieces whose other end consists of two parallel branches whose outer surfaces are in contact with external walls, one of the surface or wall being provided with notches intended to cooperate with a relief of the other in a rack-type operation, allowing by elastic deformation of the branches a discrete axial adjustment of the part between several positions. Guidance system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said relief is also constituted by notches homologous to the first. Guiding system according to one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the adjusting member is guided axially by at least one cylindrical orifice housing a central portion of the pin. Guiding system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that , in the case of the upper pins, the guiding is performed by a cylindrical housing formed in the pivot piece. Guiding system according to claim 8, characterized in that in the case of other pins, the guiding is carried out simultaneously by an orifice made in the side edge of the door, and by a coaxial orifice made in a tab parallel to said edge located towards the inside of the door.

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