EP2526245B1

EP2526245B1 - Door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance

Info

Publication number: EP2526245B1
Application number: EP11700183.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrea Pucci; Luca Pucci
Original assignee: Pucci Saoro Srl
Current assignee: Pucci Saoro Srl
Priority date: 2010-01-21
Filing date: 2011-01-14
Publication date: 2019-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 2031-01-14
Also published as: WO2011089065A2; WO2011089065A3; EP2526245A2; ITGE20100007A1

Description

The present invention relates to a sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance composed of one or more door leaves and of means for removably fastening said one or more door leaves to one or more carriages slidably mounted on at least one overhead track, said fastening means comprising a lower fastening element connectable to the door leaf by securing means and an upper fastening element projecting underneath said carriage according to the preamble of claim 1.
Systems with sliding door leaves of this type are widely used, and substantially they consist in fastening the door leaves to carriages slidably mounted on one or more overhead tracks according to several methods.
Such systems are known according to several variant embodiments and neverthless they have some drawbacks, especially considering the fact that these are systems where the aesthetic appearance assumes an ever increasing importance, keeping pace with the ever evolving interior design requirements and where the need of customizing the spaces is increasingly common, both for home interiors and for office interiors or the like.
The variant embodiments providing sliding door leaves, especially made of glass, are very important, due to their high aesthetic value.
Particularly in the technical field of door leaves made of glass there are several problems due to the weight and the intrinsic fragility of the material, especially in the case of door leaves without the frame.
In known systems the door leaf is for example held by a clamp element upon which by means of screws or the like a fastening seat is attached for a fastening pin that projects underneath the carriage and it is secured to said fastening seat by tightening means such as bolts or the like.
If the provision of a support on the floor by means of rollers or slides and/or if the provision of floor-mounted guides is not desired, said systems have the drawback that the door leaf runs the risk of sliding downwardly within the clamp element due to the considerable weight of the door leaf and therefore it is necessary to use oversized clamps in order to hold the door leaf under safe conditions.
A further drawback of the known systems is that a casing is necessary for hiding therein the carriage and the fastening elements for the door leaf, which casing can be opened sideways in order to allow a user to fasten or release the door leaf to the carriage and/or to adjust the gap between the door leaf and the carriage making it possible to adjust the door leaf.
Especially the use of bolts or the like for securing the carriage to the clamp element makes the action fastening and/or releasing the door leaf complex, and more than ever it makes it necessary to guarantee a lateral access to the fastening mechanisms for a user.
Such need of having a lateral access prevents design solutions with a high aesthetic value from being made, such as for example the fact of having all the fastening system embedded into a framing housed into a recess of the ceiling or into a projection or frame not having interruptions with the ceiling or the masonry constituting it.
A further drawback that can be found in the prior art is due to the fact that by arranging a carriage on an overhead track, and by fastening the door leaf securing means thereto by a fastening pin leads to configurations according to which it is hard to provide the pin to extend along a vertical plane passing through the axis of the track, and it is hard for the securing elements and/or for the door leaf to be arranged substantially on the same plane.
This leads to the need of greater widths of the guide framing due to the considerable gaps between door leaves, resulting in poor aesthetic results.
A sliding door system according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from document WO2005/071178 .
The aim of the present invention is to overcome such drawbacks of the prior art by providing a system according to the preamble of claim 1, further comprising in combination the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.
Said lower abutment surfaces of said fastening seat are composed of a stop element movable along the vertical direction by adjusting means such to adjust the gap between the door leaf and said overhead track, it being possible to reach and to operate such adjusting means from the lower portion of said lower fastening element.
According to a specific embodiment said upper fastening element is composed of a fastening pin attached to said carriage and projecting downwardly, which fastening pin at the bottom has an enlarged head and the upper surfaces of said enlarged head are said upper abutment surfaces.
According to a further embodiment the fastening seat of the lower fastening element is composed of a fixed outer part coupled to said means securing said lower fastening element to the door leaf and of said stop element, which stop element has said lower abutment surfaces and is movable along the vertical direction from an extreme upper position to an extreme lower position and vice versa, and it can be stopped in a predetermined position between said two extreme positions, by said adjusting means.
In order to fasten the door leaf to the carriage the fastening pin with the enlarged head is fitted into the fastening seat such that the upper abutment surfaces composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of said fastening pin abut the corresponding lower abutment surfaces.
Once the fastening has been made, it is possible to adjust the gap between the door leaf and the carriage, such to adjust the door leaf, by rotating said threaded rod about its own longitudinal axis, since said threaded rod causes the movable element having said lower abutment surfaces to move between an extreme upper position and an extreme lower position and it further allows the movable element to be stopped in a specific position.
The fact that it is possible to make the adjustment by means of said threaded rod by acting on the end of said threaded rod that is reachable from the lower surface of the lower fastening element provides the advantage that a lateral access to the fastening mechanisms is not required but it is sufficient to have a downwardly aperture only slightly wider than the thickness of the door leaf within the recess of the ceiling or within the projection or frame wherein the fastening system is housed.
According to a further embodiment said means for securing the lower fastening element to the door leaf are composed of one or more clamp elements each one comprising at least two jaws which can be clamped one to the other such to hold a portion of the door leaf arranged therebetween.
In a further embodiment the lower fastening element has one or more protuberances for the preventive, temporary and safe fastening, which protuberances are intended to cooperate with corresponding apertures in the door leaf by a shape fit, both said apertures in the door leaf and said protuberances being shaped such to have abutment surfaces having at least one horizontal direction component, intended to achieve a mutual abutment.
This particular feature has the advantage of guaranteeing a preventive attachment of the lower fastening element to the door leaf by a shape fit within an aperture having a shape substantially corresponding to the door leaf, said shape being such that the door leaf is prevented from translating downwardly by gravity with respect to the lower fastening element, or even the door leaf is prevented from being released from said lower fastening element.
Such preventive attachment further allows the clamp elements to be relieved of a portion of the weight, and therefore allows their size to be reduced the weight of the door leaf remaining the same.
The provision of said aperture or recess within the door leaf, at the fastening seat of the lower fastening element, allows the longitudinal axis of the fastening pin and the plane of the door leaf to have a perfect coplanarity, without the need of a great gap between the door leaf and the overhead track.
Moreoever an accurate design of the carriage makes it possible to have the great advantage of having on the same plane the overhead track, the fastening pin, the lower fastening element and the door leaf, allowing two or more sliding door leaves very close to each other to be provided without mutual obstruction problems, while guaranteeing a very high aesthetic performance.
According to a preferred embodiment the lower fastening element is made of one piece, preferably made of metal, with a central portion constituting said fastening seat and laterally having said protuberances, preferably two and on the opposite sides of said fastening seat, and two side portions constituting said clamp elements.
This particular configuration provides further advantages: firstly the fact that the fastening seat and the clamp elements are made as one piece gives strength to the system; moreover the fact of arranging the clamp elements such that said clamp elements are adjacent to the fastening seat and particularly to said side protuberances gives more strength to the region of the door leaf where said aperture is provided, protecting the door leaf from risks of being damaged, if any.
According to a further embodiment the fastening pin with the enlarged head and the fastening seat of the lower fastening element have such a shape that they engage each other and such fastening seat has a lateral opening for the introduction of said fastening pin having a shape substantially corresponding to the diametral axial section of the fastening pin and it has abutment surfaces with at least one horizontal direction component embedded into a recess whose axis is oriented parallely to the longitudinal axis of the fastening pin, the angle extension of said recess being greater than 180°.
Thus when the lower abutment surfaces are in contact with the upper abutment surfaces composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of the fastening pin, such enlarged head remains housed into said recess of the fastening seat due to the force of gravity and it cannot escape by a lateral translation.
Therefore in order to fasten the door leaf, and particularly the lower fastening element attached to such door leaf, to the fastening pin, it is necessary to make: an initial vertical movement of the door leaf until the lateral opening provided in the fastening seat is at the fastening pin; a second translation movement of the door leaf allowing the fastening pin to enter sideways into said lateral opening such that the upper abutment surfaces composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of the fastening pin are substantially under the upper abutment surfaces of said fastening seat; a third downward movement of the door leaf by means of which the enlarged head of the fastening pin enters into said recess and the lower abutment surfaces and the upper abutment surfaces abut each other.
The fact that said recess has an angle extension greater than 180° such that in the fastening position said enlarged head remains housed into said recess of the fastening seat by the force of gravity and it cannot escape by lateral translation has the advantage on one hand of guaranteeing the door leaf to remain in the fastening position with a high reliability, and on the other hand it makes very easy to carry out the procedure for fastening and/or releasing the door leaf to the carriage.
The above fastening and/or releasing procedure further has the advantage that it can be made without having a lateral access to the fastening mechanisms but by simply acting through a downward aperture provided into the recess of the ceiling or into the projection or frame where the fastening system is housed, requiring it only to be large enough in order to allow the door leaf to be introduced during the first upward movement, therefore in a position laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of the fastening pin.
The system for closing and/or opening an entrance, composed of one or more slidably mounted or hinged door leaves preferably has floor-mounted guide or abutment means preventing the door leaves from swinging.
Even in this case these are systems wherein the aesthetic appearance has a high importance.
According to some of such known variant embodiments the door leaves are fastened to carriages sliding on one or more overhead tracks bearing the weight thereof and allowing them to be moved in the opening and closing condition but at the bottom however they have a support on the ground by means of rollers or slides, that often run into dedicated guides and preventing the door leaf from swinging.
As regards systems where door leaves are completely suspended, and therefore there is no type of support on the ground, the swinging problem is solved in several modes.
Some systems provides guides on the ground, which can be slots, grooves or recesses made into the floor or composed of a U axial section element which is arranged on the floor at the path of the door leaf or small rails which are fitted into corresponding grooves provided on the lower surface of the door leaf.
Other systems provide in combination or as an alternative slots, grooves or recesses provided into the frame or into the wall corresponding to the closure position of the door leaf such that when the door leaf ends its travel it is introduced into said slot preventing it from swinging.
In all the above variant embodiments therefore there is the need of providing exposed slots or rails which can lead to a poorer aesthetic result of the system, to cleaning and maintenance problems and to higher installation costs.
In variant embodiments with hinged door leaves often there is the problem that, if door leaves are suspended, there is the possibility of not having a stop element in the bottom for preventing them from swinging when in the closing position.
This problem is overcome in known systems by means of stop elements with several shapes and size, which are attached to the floor in a position projecting therefrom, and so they are bulky and not much effective as regards the aesthetic point of view, in particular when door leaves are in the open position.
In a preferred embodiment the present invention aims at solving the above drawbacks of such known systems by a system wherein said guide or abutment means are composed of one or more guide or abutment devices having guide or abutment surfaces intended to cooperate with one or both the lower longitudinal edges of the door leaf and which are moved from an idle position wherein they are retracted so as to be concealed under the floor to an operating position, due to the door leaf approaching, wherein they at least partially protrude above the floor such that said guide or abutment surfaces cooperate with the lower edge of the door leaf, magnetic means causing said one or more guide or abutment devices to be moved from the idle position to the operating position and/or vice versa.
Such system has the advantage of having floor-mounted guide or abutment means which can be moved from an operating condition corresponding to the passage or approaching of the door leaf to an idle condition corresponding to the door leaf moving away, such that when the door leaf is opened such means are retracted within the floor while minimizing the overall dimension and the visual effect.
According to a preferred embodiment said devices are composed of a case or container embedded into the floor wherein a movable element is mounted as to be vertically slidable which bears said one or more guide or abutment surfaces and which can be moved alternatively in a position wherein the guide or abutment surfaces are under the floor and in a position wherein said guide or abutment surfaces protrude at least partially above it, and wherein they cooperate with the lower edge of the door leaf.
Said movable element is provided with a section substantially corresponding to the inner section of said case, and the inner shell surface of said case acts as a guide for said movable element.
According to a particular embodiment each one of said one or more guide or abutment devices has only one guide or abutment surface, which can have an extension in a direction parallel to the door leaf, when the latter is in the closing position, that is smaller or equal to the extension of the door leaf and/or of said entrance in a direction parallel to the width extension of said entrance.
Even in the case of outdoor solutions, with the possibility of having wind, this embodiment guarantees the door leaf in the closure position to have a stop preventing it from swinging or from unintentionally moving.
In a further embodiment said one or more guide or abutment devices have each one two guide or abutment surfaces facing each other and spaced substantially equally to or slightly greater than the thickness of the door leaf, such to create a stop on both the sides of the lower edge of the door leaf, and said one or more guide or abutment surfaces have an extension in the direction parallel to the door leaf, when the latter is in the closing position, that is smaller or equal to the extension of the door leaf and/or of said entrance.
According to a preferred embodiment, particularly for sliding door leaves made of glass without a frame, said guide or abutment devices have an upper surface with two holes from which, upon the passage of the door leaf, two stop elements are deployed which have said guide or abutment surfaces facing each other and that are arranged at the opposite faces of the lower edge of the door leaf, defining a fixed path for the door leaf.
When the door leaf is moved away, that is in the opening phase, the two stop elements return back under the floor level or flush with the guide or abutment device.
According to a particular embodiment said guide or abutment devices are made of a case delimited at the top by a surface element constituting said surface with the holes and by a movable element composed of a base and of two upper protuberances forming said stop elements.
Such movable element can be moved from a lower or idle position wherein said stop elements are not deployed from the surface element and an upper or operating position where said stop elements are deployed from the surface elements.
Even if the case or container embedded under the floor and the surface with the holes can be of any shape without modifying the base structural and functional concept, in a preferred embodiment with a particular aesthetic value such case has a cylindrical shape and the surface element has a circular shape.
In a preferred embodiment the base of the movable element embeds a permanent magnet and the movable element is moved from the idle position to the operating position by the passage of the door leaf, a permanent magnet being also embedded into the lower edge of the door leaf.
As an alternative it is possible to provide a configuration wherein only the movable element embeds a permanent magnet, the door leaf being composed of ferromagnetic material or being provided with elements made of said material.
On the contrary it is possible for the permanent magnet to be embedded only in the door leaf, the movable element being composed of ferromagnetic material or being provided with elements made of said material.
When the door leaf during the movement from an open position to a closure position passes above said guide or abutment device embedded into the floor, the magnet provided in the lower edge of the door leaf attracts the magnet provided in the base of the movable element of said guide or abutment device, moving such movable element in the operating position that is a raised position such that the two upper protuberances forming said stop elements are deployed from the floor level and arranging said guide or abutment surfaces at the opposite faces of the lower edge of the door leaf, preventing it from swinging.
When the door leaf is moved away the movable element with the stop elements is moved back to the idle position due to the force of gravity and/or due to a return spring or the like.
This particular embodiment has the considerable advantage of being simple to be made and of not involving mechanisms subjected to a easy wear or to a malfunction; moreover it is reliable by means of the use of magnets, even over a long time.
A further advantage is the fact of holding the door leaf in the proper closure position wherein magnets are coupled by the mutual attraction force thus making it necessary, in order to open the door leaf, to exert at the beginning a slightly greater force such to allow magnets to be disconnected.
According to a further embodiment the system of the present invention, in the particular case with two or more door leaves, further provides means for holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other.
Such means for holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other are composed of one or more elements holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other, each one being substantially attached to the lower edge of a door leaf and protruding towards a second door leaf, having two guide surfaces facing each other arranged in such a way that such guide surfaces define a gap therebetween wherein the lower edge of said second door leaf can be arranged and said second door leaf can slide between the two guide surfaces along a plane substantially parallel to the first door leaf.
According to a preferred embodiment said element holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other is composed of a shaped bracket arranged vertically along a plane parallel to the first door leaf and of a guide element, which is secured to the lower end of said bracket and extending substantially on the horizontal plane towards said second door leaf.
Said bracket is secured to said first door leaf by one or more screws, preferably two, or by threaded through elements or the like through corresponding through holes provided at the lower edge of said first door leaf.
Said guide element has two edges projecting upwardly and arranged along planes parallel to the first door leaf, preferably composed of polymer material, and arranged in such a way to have two guide surfaces facing each other, which guide surfaces define therebetwen a gap wherein the lower edge of said second door leaf can be placed such that said second door leaf can slide between the two guide surfaces along a plane substantially parallel to the first door leaf.
In a preferred embodiment the present invention relates to a floor-concealed guide or abutment device for suspended sliding door leaf systems.
Such device is composed of one or more guide or abutment devices embedded into the floor having guide or abutment surfaces intended to cooperate with one or both the lower longitudinal edges of one or both the door leaves and being moved from an idle position wherein they are retracted so as to be concealed under the floor to an operating position, due to the door leaf approaching, wherein they engage the lower edge of the door leaf between said guide or abutment surfaces.
Said guide or abutment devices are composed each one of a case at the top delimited by a surface element with two holes and of a movable element composed of a base and of two upper protuberances having an axial section similar to said holes provided on the surface element, which upper protuberances constitute said stop elements, said movable element being movable from a lower or idle position where said stop elements are not deployed from the surface element and an upper or operating position where said stop elements are deployed from the surface element.
A permanent magnet is embedded into the base of the movable element and the movable element is moved from the idle position to the operating position upon the passage of the door leaf, a permanent magnet being embedded also in the lower edge of the door leaf, while the return action to the idle position is guaranteed by the gravity or by return elastic means or the like.
In a preferred embodiment, said sliding door leaf system comprises mutual engagement means allowing other door leaves to be pulled both during the opening and closing movements by the door leaf on which the movement force for the opening and closing condition is applied, said mutual engagement means being arranged in such a way that each door leaf pulls the adjacent door leaf both in the closing and opening conditions, said mutual engagement means being further associated to each lower fastening element and being movable in different specific positions on said lower fastening element such to allow the final relative opening and closing position of the door leaves to be defined.
Said sliding door leaf system with mutual engagement means for pulling the other door leaves by the door leaf upon which the movement force for the opening and closing conditions is applied has the advantage of having such mutual engagement means directly fitted on the lower fastening elements, giving constructional simplicity and allowing complex stop mechanisms acting on floor-mounted rails or mounted at the top of the door leaves not to be provided.
A further advantage is given by the characteristic that such mutual engagement means are arranged in such a way to allow predetermined relative positions of the door leaves in the closure and/or opening position to be selected.
According to a particular embodiment said mutual engagement means comprise one or more pin stop elements which extend from the upper surface of said lower fastening elements.
According to a further embodiment said pin stop elements are mounted so as to be retractable and can be taken under the upper surface of the lower fastening element, such that they do not exert their stopping function, by means of screw mechanisms that can be operated from the lower surface of the lower fastening element.
Such structural arrangement gives the advantage that it is possible to move the stop pins in an operating or idle position directly from the lower part and therefore when the door leaf is already mounted in the suspended position, again without the need of guaranteeing a lateral access to the fastening mechanisms for a user.
In a further embodiment said mutual engagement means are composed also of reversed L-shaped pulling tabs, removably attached to the upper portion of the lower fastening element, which pulling tabs extend towards the lower fastening element of another door leaf such that both in the opening and closing condition they abut against other pulling tabs or against pin stop elements provided on said lower fastening element of another door leaf causing said other door leaf to be opened or closed by a pulling action.
In an advantageous embodiment said lower fastening elements have four retractable pin stop elements and four seats securing said pulling tabs which are arranged in predetermined positions and allowing predetermined relative positions of the door leaves in the opening and closing conditions to be achieved.
The fact that the pin elements and the seats securing said pulling tabs are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central portion of the lower fastening element makes the lower fastening element an universal element that can be used on both the side edges of the door leaf, giving to the invention a further advantage.
These and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more clear from the following description of some embodiments shown in annexed drawings wherein:

Fig.1 is a general sectional view of the sliding door leaf system according to the present invention and wherein the fastening system is embedded into a framing housed in a recess of the ceiling;
Fig.2 is a sectional view of the sliding door leaf system according to the present invention, wherein the fastening system is embedded into a framing housed into a projection or a frame;
Fig.3 shows said means for fastening the door leaf to a carriage slidably mounted on an overhead track;
Fig.4 is a detail of said fastening seat and of said fastening pin with an enlarged head;
Fig.5 is a bottom view of the lower fastening element;
Figs. 6a, 6b and 6c show the three movements necessary for the procedure fastening the door leaf to the carriage;
Figs. 7a, 7b and 7c are exploded views of different embodiments of said guide or abutment device;
Figs. 8a and 8b show the operating position of the guide or abutment device and the idle position respectively where it is retracted so as to be concealed under the floor or flush with the guide or abutment device;
Figs. 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and 9e show some possible embodiments of the guide or abutment device;
Figs. 10a and 10b show said element holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other;
Figs. 11a, 11b and 11c show the relative position taken by two door leaves in the opening and closing movements by means of said mutual engagement means;
Figs. 12a and 12b show a guide housing the lower edge of a fixed door leaf.
Figure 1 shows a general sectional view of the sliding door leaf system 1 according to the present invention, composed of a fixed door leaf 20 and two sliding door leaves 21 and 22.

There is shown a sectional view of the means for fastening the door leaf to one or more carriages slidably mounted on at least one overhead track, wherein the sliding door leaves 21 and 22 are fastened to carriages 3 by means of lower fastening elements 4 which are coupled to fastening pins 31, such fastening pins being mounted underneath said carriages 3.
Such configuration of the fastening means, as said above, allows the entire fastening system to be housed into a framing embedded into the ceiling, without the need of a side casing, as clearly shown in figure 1, where the framing 101 is embedded into a recess in the ceiling, between horizontally arranged covering boards 102 made of plasterboard or similar materials.
Likewise, such as shown in figure 2, the fastening system can be housed into a framing 101, which is arranged into a projection or frame with no interruption with the ceiling or the masonry constituting it, it being made of covering boards made of plasterboard or similar materials 103 arranged vertically in order to form the projection or the frame.
Figure 3 shows said means for fastening the door leaf to a carriage 3 slidably mounted on an overhead track and in particular it shows a lower fastening element 4 connectable with a door leaf 21 or 22 by securing means and an upper fastening element which is composed of a fastening pin 31 projecting downwardly from said carriage 3.
Said fastening pin 31 at the lower end has an enlarged head with such a shape that it has upper abutment surfaces 32 having at least one horizontal direction component.
Said lower fastening element 4 has a fastening seat 41 composed of an housing recess with a lateral opening for the introduction of said fastening pin 31 and with lower abutment surfaces 411 having at least one horizontal direction component.
Such lower abutment surfaces 411 are intended for engaging the corresponding upper abutment surfaces 32 of the enlarged head arranged at the lower end of said fastening pin 31.
Said lower abutment surfaces 411 of said fastening seat 41 are composed of a stop element 410 which can be moved in the vertical direction by adjusting means such to adjust the gap between the door leaf 22 and said overhead track, it being possible to reach and operate such adjusting means from the lower part of said lower fastening element 4.
The lower fastening element 4 has one or more protuberances 43 for the preventive, temporary and safe fastening, which protuberances 43 are intended to cooperate with corresponding apertures 220 in the door leaf 22, clearly seen in figure 4, by a shape fit, said apertures 220 in the door leaf 22 and said protuberances 43 being shaped such to have abutment surfaces having at least one horizontal direction component, intended to achieve a mutual abutment.
Said means for securing the lower fastening element to the door leaf 21 are composed of two clamp elements 42 each one comprising at least two jaws which can be clamped one to the other such to hold a portion of the door leaf 21 arranged therebetween.
According to the embodiment shown in the figure the lower fastening element 4 is made of one piece, preferably made of metal, with a central portion that constitutes said fastening seat 41 and laterally having two protuberances 43, on the opposite sides of said fastening seat, and two side portions constituting said clamp elements 42.
Such clamp elements 42 are therefore composed of said side portions of said lower fastening element 4 and of two jaws 421, each one can be movably fitted to the upper portion of each one of said side portions and projects downwardly such to be clampable against each one of the side portions engaging the interposed portion of the door leaf 22.
Figure 4 shows a detail of said fastening pin 31 with enlarged head and of said fastening seat 41, which fastening seat 41 is composed of a fixed outer part coupled to said fastening means of said lower element for fastening the door leaf and of said stop element 410.
The stop element 410 has said lower abutment surfaces 411 and it can be moved in the vertical direction from an extreme upper position to an extreme lower position and vice versa, and it can be stopped in a specific position between said two extreme positions, by adjusting means.
Said stop element is slidably mounted on vertical guides 413 and said adjusting means are composed of a vertical threaded through hole 414 provided within said stop element 413 and of a threaded rod 415 introduced into said through hole 414 such that the rotation of the threaded rod 415 about its longitudinal axis causes said stop element 410 to move in the vertical direction, and said threaded rod 415 at the top is attached to said fixed outer part of said fastening seat such that it can rotate about its longitudinal axis and at the bottom it passes through a through hole into said fixed outer part of said fastening seat 41 such that it is possible to reach and to operate it from the lower surface of said lower fastening element 4.
In order to fasten the door leaf to the carriage the fastening pin 31 with the enlarged head is introduced into the fastening seat 41 such that the upper abutment surfaces 32 composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of said fastening pin abut with the corresponding lower abutment surfaces 411.
Once the fastening has been made, it is possible to adjust the gap between the door leaf and the carriage, such to adjust the door leaf, by rotating said threaded rod 415, since said threaded rod 415 causes the movable element 410 having said lower abutment surfaces to be moved between an extreme upper position and an extreme lower position and it allows in addition the movable element 410 to be stopped in a specific position.
Moreover there is provided a lower hole 412 placed in the bottom wall of said fixed outer part having an horizontal section similar to that of the enlarged head of the fastening pin 31 and with a mere slightly greater area, such that the enlarged head of the fastening pin 31 is introduced therein when the movable element 410 is moved towards the extreme lower position, and it does not hinder such movement.
Such lower hole 412 can be seen also in figure 5 wherein a bottom view of the lower fastening element 4 is shown, and it is possible to see also the lower abutment surfaces 411 through such lower hole 412.
Such lower abutment surfaces 411 have such a shape that they engage the correspondingly shaped upper abutment surfaces 32 composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of the fastening pin 31 and they are embedded into a recess whose axis is oriented parallely to the longitudinal axis of the fastening pin, the angle extension of said recess being greater than 180°.
Thus when the lower abutment surfaces 411 contact the upper abutment surfaces 31, such enlarged head remains housed into said recess of the fastening seat 41 due to the force of gravity and it cannot escape therefrom by a lateral translation.
In figure 5 it is possible to see also the lower end of the threaded rod 415, where it is possible to operate it, and the vertical guides 413, which are also advantageously introduced into the fastening seat by screw mechanisms in order to fit and/or remove the movable element from the fastening seat.
The process for fastening the door leaf 21, and particularly the lower fastening element 4 attached to such door leaf 21, to the fastening pin 31, is shown in figures 6a, 6b and 6c.
Such process provides three movements: an initial vertical movement of the door leaf 21 and so of the lower fastening element 4 attached thereto such as shown in figure 6a, until the lateral opening provided in the fastening seat 41 is at the fastening pin 31; a second translation movement of the door leaf 21, shown in figure 6b, allowing the fastening pin 31 to enter sideways into said lateral opening such that the upper abutment surfaces 32 composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of the fastening pin 31 are substantially under the upper abutment surfaces 411 of said fastening seat 41; a third downward movement of the door leaf 21, shown in figure 6c, where the enlarged head of the fastening pin 31 enters into said recess and the lower abutment surfaces 411 and the upper abutment surfaces 32 are in contact.
Such arrangement is applied both in the case of only one sliding door leaf and in the case of two or more sliding door leaves at least one carriage and a corresponding lower fastening element being provided for each door leaf, preferably in an amount of two for each door leaf.
The guide or abutment device 5 can be clearly seen in figure 1.
Such configuration is only by way of example and for some characteristics only one sliding door leaf is enough, while other characteristics are specific for two or more sliding door leaves cooperating within the same opening and/or closure system.
The sliding door leaves 21 and 22 are fastened by means of fastening means to carriages 3 each one sliding on an overhead track respectively, this fastening and sliding system being housed into a framing 101.
The guide or abutment device 5 has guide or abutment surfaces intended to cooperate with the lower longitudinal edges of the door leaf 22, that is the door leaf upon which the force for the opening and closure movement is applied, and it is moved from an idle position where it is retracted so as to be concealed under the floor to an operating position, due to the door leaf 22 approaching it, wherein the lower edge of the door leaf is engaged between said guide or abutment surfaces.
Figure 7a shows an exploded view of said guide or abutment device 5, which is composed of a cylindrical case 51 with an upper opening upon which a surface element 501 may be attached by a screw or snap mechanism and of a movable element 52 free to move within the cylindrical case 51 along the longitudinal axis thereof.
The surface element 501 has two holes 502 and the movable element is composed of a base 521 and of two upper protuberances which form two stop elements 522 which have two guide or abutment surfaces 523 facing each other intended to cooperate with the lower longitudinal edges of the door leaf 22.
The holes 502 have a shape substantially similar to the axial section of the stop elements 522 and therefore they allow such stop elements 522 to be deployed from the upper surface composed of the surface element 501 moving from a position wherein their upper surfaces are substantially on the same plane of the surface element 501 to a position wherein they are above the plane of the surface element 501 for the main part of their longitudinal extension.
The cylindrical case 51 is intended to be embedded into the floor under the door leaf and the plane of the surface element 501 therefore is substantially the same plane of the floor.
Thus, upon the passage of the door leaf, from the holes 502 provided on the surface element 501, which is substantially flush with the floor, two stop elements 522 are deployed having said guide or abutment surfaces 523 facing each other and which are arranged at the opposite faces of the lower edge of the door leaf, defining a fixed for the door leaf.
In this preferred embodiment the base of the movable element 521 embeds a permanent magnet 53, which is housed into a suitable seat open towards the bottom in the base, and the movable element 52 is moved from the idle position to the operating position due to the passage of the door leaf, a permanent magnet being embedded also into the lower edge of the door leaf.
When the door leaf is moved away from the magnet 53 provided in the base of the movable element 521 it is not more held in a raised position by the magnet provided in the lower edge of the door leaf and so the movable element 52 takes again its idle position due to gravity the two stop elements 522 returning back under the plane of the floor or flush with the surface element 501.
In an alternative embodiment the movable element 52 returns back to the idle position by means of elastic means such as a spring.
Figures 7b and 7c show exploded views of alternative embodiments of said guide or abutment device: in figure 7b the bottom of the case is removably mounted thereon by a screw or snap mechanism; in figure 7c the surface element 501 and the cylindrical case 51 are composed of a single piece, and the bottom of the case is removably mounted thereon by a screw or snap mechanism such as in figure 7b.
The detail about the operation of the guide or abutment device 5 is clearly shown in figures 7a and 7b.
The guide or abutment device 5 of figures 7, 8a and 8b can be used both for system with a single door leaf and in systems with two or more door leaves, it being possible to provide at least one of said guide or abutment devices 5 for each door leaf.
Figure 8a shows the operating position of the guide or abutment device 5: upon the passage of the door leaf 22 when it is moved from an open position to a closure position, the magnet 53 embedded in the guide or abutment device 5 and the magnet embedded within the lower edge are in the proximity of the same vertical, the magnet within the lower edge of the door leaf 22 attracts the magnet 53, moving the movable element 52 in an operating position that is in such a raised position that the two upper protuberances constituting said stop elements 522 are deployed from the level of the floor and arranging said guide or abutment surfaces 523 at the opposite faces of the lower edge of the door leaf 22, preventing it from swinging.
Figure 8b shows the idle position of the guide or abutment device 5 where it is retracted so as to be concealed under the floor: when the door leaf 22 is moved away during the opening phase the movable element 52 with the stop elements 522 returns back to the idle position due to force of gravity and/or to a return spring or the like.
A suitable size of the movable element 52 and above all of the stop elements 522 allows, when the device is in this idle position, the upper surfaces of said stop elements 522 to be arranged on the same plane of the surface element 501.
It is possible to provide the upper surfaces of said stop elements 522 to be under the plane of the surface element 501, in this case there are provided guide tabs arranged in an axial direction under the holes 502 and/or guides arranged along the inner shell surface of the case 51, such that the movable element is not subjected to side translations and/or rotations and the stop elements 522 remain in the proper position correspondingly to holes 502.
Figures 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and 9e show some possible embodiments of the guide or abutment device 5.
The guide or abutment device 5 in figure 9a has one stop element 522, such to cooperate only with a face of the lower edge of the door leaf 22, for example in the case of hinged door leaves.
The guide or abutment device 5 in figure 9b has only one stop element 522 placed in the center, such to be introduced in a groove provided underneath the lower edge of the door leaf 22.
The guide or abutment device 5 in figure 9c has a case with a square cross section, and it is possible to provide cases and upper surfaces with any shapes.
The guide or abutment device 5 in figure 9d and 9e extend along all or a part of the lower edge of the door leaf 22, and have one or two stop elements 522 such to engage one or both the lower lateral edges of the door leaf 22.
Figures 10a and 10b show the element holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other 7, according to the specific case with at least two sliding door leaves.
The element holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other 7 is substantially attached to the lower edge of the door leaf 21 and it extends towards the door leaf 22, being provided with two guide surfaces 721 facing each other.
Such guide surfaces 721 are arranged in such a way that a gap is defined therebetween where the lower edge of the door leaf 22 can be placed and said door leaf 22 can run between the two guide surfaces 721 along a plane substantially parallel to the first door leaf.
According to the preferred embodiment shown in the figure said element holding the door leaves in a position parallel to each other 7 is composed of a bracket 71 arranged vertically along a plane parallel to the first door leaf and of a guide element 72, which is attached to the lower end of said bracket 71 and substantially extending on the horizontal plane towards the door leaf 22.
Said bracket is attached to the door leaf 21 by one or more screws 710, preferably two, or by threaded elements or the like passing through corresponding through holes provided at the lower edge of said first door leaf.
Said guide element has two edges 720 projecting upwardly and arranged along planes parallel to the first door leaf, preferably made of polymer material, and arranged in such a way that they have two guide surfaces 721 facing each other, which guide surfaces define the gap therebetween where the lower edge of the door leaf 22 can be arranged such that said door leaf 22 can run between the two guide surfaces 721 along a plane substantially parallel to the door leaf 21.
Figures 11a, 11b and 11c schematically show the relative position taken by two door leaves 21 and 22 in the opening and closure mnovements by mutual engagement means, which mutual engagement means allow the door leaf 21 to be pulled both in the opening and closing movements by the door leaf 22 upon which the movement force for the opening and closing movements is applied.
Such mutual engagement means can also allow, in the case of two or more sliding door leaves, the door leaf 21, which is pulled in the opening and closing movements, in turn to pull a third door leaf in the opening and closing movements, and said third door leaf can act on a fourth one and so on.
Said mutual engagement means are arranged in such a way that each door leaf pulls the adjacent door leaf both in the closing and opening movements and are associated to each lower fastening element 4, they being also movable in different predetermined positions on said lower fastening element such to allow the relative final open and closed position of the door leaves to be defined.
Said mutual engagement means comprise one or more pin stop elements 62 which protrude from the upper surface of said lower fastening elements 4.
Said pin stop elements 62 are mounted such to be retractable and can be moved under the upper surface of the lower fastening element 4, such that they do not carry out their stopping function, by means of screw mechanisms that can be operated from the lower surface of the lower fastening element 4.
The pin stop elements 62, which can be reached from the lower surface of the lower fastening element 4 in order to be moved in an operating or idle position by said scew mechanisms, can be clearly seen in figure 9, where a bottom view of said lower fastening element 4 is shown.
In figure 7 there is shown a pin stop element 62 in the operating position, that is protruding above the upper surface of the lower fastening element 4 such to act as a stop, and the other three pin stop elements 62 are shown in the idle position, that is retracted under the upper surface of the lower fastening element 4.
Said mutual engagement means are further composed of reversed L-shaped pulling tabs 61, which are removably attached to the upper portion of the lower fastening element 4, which pulling tabs 61 extend towards the lower fastening element of another door leaf such that both in the opening and closing movement they abut against other pulling tabs 61 or against pin stop elements 62 provided on said lower fastening element of another door leaf causing said other door leaf to be opened or closed by a pulling action.
A pulling tab 61 can be seen in section view in figure 1, which is fitted above the lower fastening element 4.
In figure 7 a pulling tab 61 can be further seen, which has two threaded holes by means of which it is removably attached by screws or the like to a securing seat 46 for the pulling tabs having corresponding threaded holes.
The lower fastening element 4 preferably has four pin stop elements 62 and two seats securing the pulling tabs such that it is possible to arrange the pulling tab 61 and to arrange in the operating position a pin stop element 62 in the predetermined desired positions such to have the final relative positions of the door leaves such as shown in figures 11a, 11b and 11c.
As it can be seen in figure 7, the pin elements 62 and the seats 46 securing said pulling tabs are arranged on the lower fastening element 4 symmetrically with respect to the fastening seat 41, such that, as said above, the lower fastening element 4 can be used on both the side edges of the door leaf 21.
Figure 11a shows the door leaves 21 and 22 in the final open position, each one being supported by two lower fastening elements 4.
The pin stop elements 62' are the only ones to be in the operating position and when the door leaf 22 is moved in the opening direction, the pulling tabs 610 and 611 abut against the pin stop elements 62' being in the operating position and cause the door leaf 21 to be moved in the same direction.
Once completing the movement, the side edges of the two door leaves will be perfectly aligned by means of the arrangement of the pin stop elements 62' and of the pulling tabs 610 and 611.
In figure 11b other two pin stop elements 62" are arranged in the operating position, which are not more placed at the ends of the lower fastening elements 4 but are placed in an intermediate position.
This guarantees that in the final open position the edges of the two door leaves are not perfectly aligned by the door leaf 22 projects with respect to the door leaf 21 exactly by the span between the pin stop elements 62' and 62", in order to allow an handle to be mounted on the door leaf 22.
Figure 11c shows the relative position between the door leaf 22 and the door leaf 21 in the closed step: the door leaf 22 is moved in the closing direction and when the pulling tab 610 contacts the pulling tab 611, the door leaf 21 is pulled by the door leaf 22 in the closing direction.
Figure 12 shows a guide housing the lower edge of a fixed door leaf.
According to a further characteristic, in combination with the sliding door leaves it is possible to provide one or more fixed door leaves 20 cooperating with said sliding door leaves.
Said sliding door leaves in the complete open condition are arranged overlapped beyond such one or more fixed door leaves 20 while in the closed condition said sliding door leaves are arranged laterally offset in the sliding direction.
In this case, in order to secure the fixed door leaf 20 there is provided an upper joint in the framing 101 wherein the overhead tracks for the sliding door leaves are housed, such as shown in figure 1, such upper joint being arranged eccentrically on one of the two sides of such framing 101 and being also embedded and recessed with respect to the side walls 102 and it being reachable from the lower portion.
At the bottom there is provided a guide 8 housing the lower edge of the fixed door leaf 20 with means supporting the fixed door leaf 20 which supporting means are embedded into the floor and can be adjusted in height both for adjusting the height of the fixed door leaf 20 with respect to the floor and for tilting the fixed door leaf 20 in the desired position.
Said housing guide 8 is composed of a first elongated element 80 with an U-shaped axial section which is embedded into the floor and of a second elongated element 81 with a reversed U-shaped axial section fitted into the first elongated element and constituting said supporting means for the fixed door leaf 20 acting as a base supporting the fixed door leaf 20, there being provided also screw elements or the like 82 which can adjust the gap between the first elongated element 80 and the second elongated element 81 along the vertical direction.
Particularly such screw elements or the like 82 can enter more or less into the floor through said first elongated element 80 and can be screwed or unscrewed through holes provided in the second elongated element 81, and therefore they constitute thickness elements upon which said second elongated element 81 rests and they can be arranged at different heights depending on the relative height desired for the second elongated element 81 with respect to the first elongated element 80 and consequently between the fixed door leaf 20 and the floor.
Moreover by adjusting several screw elements 82 at different heights it is possible to adjust the tilt of the fixed door leaf 20 within a limited range of angles with respect to the horizontal plane.

Claims

Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance composed of one or more door leaves and of means for removably fastening said one or more door leaves to one or more carriages (3) of the system slidably mounted on at least one overhead track of the system, said fastening means comprising a lower fastening element (4) connectable to said one or more door leaves by securing means and an upper fastening element projecting underneath said carriage, the lower end of said upper fastening element having such a shape that it has upper abutment surfaces (32) having at least one horizontal direction component and said lower fastening element (4) having a fastening seat (41) composed of a housing recess with a lateral opening for the introduction of said upper fastening element and with lower abutment surfaces (411) that have at least one horizontal direction component and that are intended to be engaged with the corresponding upper abutment surfaces (32) of the lower end of said upper fastening element, which lower abutment surfaces (411) of said fastening seat (41) are composed of a stop element (410) movable along the vertical direction by adjusting means such to adjust the gap between the door leaf and said overhead track, it being possible to reach and to operate such adjusting means from the lower part of said lower fastening element (4) characterized in that said stop element (410) is slidably mounted on vertical guides (413) and said adjusting means are composed of a threaded vertical through hole (414) provided into said stop element (410) and of a threaded rod (415) inserted into said through hole (414) such that the rotation of the threaded rod (415) about its own longitudinal axis causes said stop element (410) to be moved in the vertical direction, and said threaded rod (415) at the top is secured to a fixed outer part of said fastening seat (41) such that it can rotate about its longitudinal axis and at the bottom it passes into a through hole in said fixed outer part of said fastening seat (41) such that it is possible to reach and operate it from the lower surface of said lower fastening element (4).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to claim 1,
characterized in that said upper fastening element is a fastening pin (31) engaging said lower fastening element (4) such that said fastening pin (31) is provided aligned in the vertical plane passing by the central longitudinal axis of said overhead track and in the condition connected to said lower fastening element (4) it extends with its own longitudinal axis in a position coinciding with the central plane of the lower fastening element (4) and of the door leaf (22).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to claim 2, characterized in that said upper fastening element is composed of a fastening pin (31) secured to said carriage (3) and extending downwardly, which fastening pin (31) at the bottom has an enlarged head and the upper surfaces of said enlarged head are said upper abutment surfaces (32).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or both claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the fastening seat (41) of the lower fastening element (4) is composed of a fixed outer part coupled to said means for securing said lower fastening element (4) to the door leaf (22) and of said stop element (410), which stop element (410) has said lower abutment surfaces (411) and it is movable in the vertical direction from an extreme upper position to an extreme lower position and vice versa, and it can be stopped in a predetermined position between said two extreme positions, by said adjusting means (414, 415).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or more claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said means for securing the lower fastening element (4) to the door leaf (22) are composed of one or more clamp elements (42) each one comprising at least two jaws (421) which can be clamped one to the other such to hold a portion of the door leaf (22) arranged therebetween.
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or more claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the lower fastening element (4) has one or more protuberances (43) for the preventive, temporary and safe fastening, which protuberances (43) are intended for cooperating with corresponding apertures (220) in the door leaf (22) by a shape fit, both said apertures (220) in the door leaf (22) and said protuberances (43) being shaped such to have abutment surfaces having at least one horizontal direction component, intended for achieving a mutual abutment.
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or more claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the fastening pin (31) with the enlarged head and the fastening seat (41) of the lower fastening element (4) are shaped such to be mutually engaged and such fastening seat (41) has a lateral opening for introducing said fastening pin (31) with a shape substantially corresponding to the diametral axial section of the fastening pin (31) and it has lower abutment surfaces (411) with at least one horizontal direction component embdedded into a recess whose axis is oriented parallely to the longitudinal axis of the fastening pin (31), the angle extension of said recess being greater than 180°C such that when the lower abutment surfaces (411) contact the upper abutment surfaces (32) composed of the enlarged step of the enlarged head of the fastening pin (31), such enlarged head remains housed into said recess of the fastening seat (41) due to force of gravity and it cannot escape by a lateral translation.
Sliding door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance according to anyone of the preceding claims 1 to 7, in which is provided a floor-mounted guide or abutment means preventing the door leaves from swinging, said guide or abutment means are composed of one or more guide or abutment devices (5) having guide or abutment surfaces (523) intended for cooperating with one or both the lower longitudinal edges of the door leaf (22) and which are moved from an idle position in which they are retracted as to be concealed substantially flush with or below the floor level to an operating position, and/or vice versa, and in said operating position, due to the approaching of the door leaf (22), they protrude at least partially above the floor such that said guide or abutment surfaces (523) cooperate with the lower edge of the door leaf (22), said one or more guide or abutment devices (5) being moved from the idle position to the operating position and/or vice versa by means of magnetic means.
Sliding door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance according to claim 8, characterized in that each one of said one or more guide or abutment devices (5) has at least only one guide or abutment surface (523) or two guide or abutment surfaces (523) facing each other, and said one or more guide or abutment surfaces have an extension in a direction parallel to the door leaf (22) with the latter in the closed condition, which is smaller than or equal to the extension of the door leaf (22) and/or of said entrance.
sliding door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that said guide or abutment devices (5) are embedded within the floor and have a surface element (501) at the floor level having two holes (502) from which, upon the passage of the door leaf (22), two stop elements (522) are deployed which have said guide or abutment surfaces (523) facing each other and which take a position at the opposite faces of the lower edge of the door leaf (22), defining a fixed path for the door leaf (22).
Sliding door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance according to claim 10, characterized in that said guide or abutment devices (5) are made of a case (51) delimited on the top by said surface element (501) and by a movable element (52) composed of a base (521) and of two upper protuberances forming said stop elements (522), said movable element (52) having a section substantially corresponding to the inner section of said case (51), and the inner shell surface of said case (51) acts as a guide for said movable element (52), the latter being movable from a lower or idle position with said stop elements (522) not deployed from the surface element (501) and an upper or operating position with said stop elements (522) deployed from the surface element (501).
Sliding door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance according to claim 11, characterized in that the base (521) of the movable element (52) and/or the lower edge of the door leaf (22) embed one or more permanent magnets (53) and the movable element (52) is moved from the idle position to the operating position upon the passage of the door leaf (22).
Sliding door leaf system for closing and/or opening an entrance according to one or more claims 8 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a floor-concealed guide or abutment system for suspended sliding door leaf systems, which is composed of one or more floor-embedded guide or abutment devices (5) of said floor-mounted guide or abutment means having guide or abutment surfaces (523) intended for cooperating with one or both the lower longitudinal edges of said at least one door leaf (22) and which are moved from an idle position in which they are retracted so as to be concealed flush with or below the floor level to an operating position, due to the door leaf approaching, in which they engage the lower edge of the door leaf (22) between said guide or abutment surfaces (523), said guide or abutment devices (5) being composed each one of a tubular case (51), particularly a cylindrical one, delimited on the top by a surface element (501) with two holes (502) and by a movable element (52) composed of a base and two upper protuberances with an axial section similar to said holes (502) provided on the surface element (501), which upper protuberances form said stop elements (522), said movable element (52) being provided with a section substantially corresponding to the inner section of said tubular case (51), and the inner shell surface of said tubular case (51) acts as a guide for said movable element (52), the latter being movable from a lower or idle position with said stop elements (522) not deployed from the surface element (501) and an upper or operating position with said stop elements (522) deployed from the surface element (501), a permanent magnet (53) being embedded within the base (521) of the movable element (52) and the movable element (52) being moved from the idle position to the operating position upon the passage of the door leaf (22), a permanent magnet being embedded also into the lower edge of the door leaf (22).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or more of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that it comprises mutual engagement means allowing other door leaves to be pulled both in the opening and closing condition by the door leaf (22) on which the movement force for the opening and closing condition is applied, said mutual engagement means being arranged such that each door leaf pulls the adjacent door leaf both in the closing and opening condition, said mutual engagement means being also associated to each lower fastening element (4) and being movable in different predetermined positions such that the final relative opening and closing position of the door leaves can be defined.
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to claim 14 characterized in that said mutual engagement means comprise one or more pin stop elements (62) which protrude from the upper surface of said lower fastening elements (4).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or both claims 14 and 15, characterized in that said pin stop elements (62) are mounted as to be retractable and can be moved under the upper surface of the lower fastening element (4), such that they do not carry out their stopping action, by means of screw mechanisms which can be operated from the lower surface of the lower fastening element (4).
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or more claims 14 to 16, characterized in that said mutual engagement means have reversed L-shaped pulling tabs (61), which are removably attached to the upper portion of the lower fastening element (4), which pulling tabs (61) extend towards the lower fastening element (4) of another door leaf such that both in the opening and closing condition they abut against other pulling tabs (61) or against pin stop elements (62) provided on said lower fastening element (4) of another door leaf causing said other door leaf to be opened or closed by a pulling action.
Sliding door leaf system for closing or opening an entrance according to one or more claims 14 to 17, characterized in that said pin stop elements (62) mounted so as to be retractable are in such a position to permit alternatively a closing position in which edges of door leaves are aligned and a closing position in which the door leaf (22) on which the movement force for the opening and closing condition is applied projects towards the entrance with respect to other door leaves, such that an handle can be mounted thereon.