GB2182085A

GB2182085A - Sliding door

Info

Publication number: GB2182085A
Application number: GB08526463A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian William Barford
Original assignee: FOLDOR Ltd
Current assignee: FOLDOR Ltd
Priority date: 1985-10-26
Filing date: 1985-10-26
Publication date: 1987-05-07
Also published as: GB8526463D0; GB2182085B

Abstract

A sliding door structure includes a door panel 52 suspended from a rail (not shown) by two roller assemblies 56. Each roller assembly 56 comprises a toothed wheel 60 having an integral boss 62 axially slotted 64 to allow insertion into hole 66 in the door panel 52. The boss 62 locates in a recessed hole 68 in leaf 70 of a right angled bracket 72 of which upper web 74 lies flush along the top edge of the door panel 52 such that leaf 70 lies flush against one main surface of the panel 52 thus securing the toothed wheel 60 to the door panel 52 in a slot defined by ears 78 and leaf 70. A resilient leaf 80 provides a tooth 82 which engages with the toothed wheel 62 to prevent rotation thereof. A roller stem 86 having rollers 90 on each end is located through an eccentric aperture 84 in the boss 60. A tool 98 is provided to adjust the toothed wheel 60 thus altering the height relationship between the door panel 52 and the rail (not shown) on which the rollers 90 run. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sliding door This invention concerns sliding door structures of the kind comprising an overhead rail from which the door is suspended by at least two spaced-apart roller assemblies each comprising at least one roller which runs along the rail.

Such a door may be employed, for instance, as an entry closure for a shower cubicle or the like.

Once initially installed, sliding door assemblies almost invariably require adjustment to be effected to the hang of the door, to compensate for irregularities in verticality or horizontality of the structure onto which the assembly has been installed (e.g. wall or floor irregularities) and/or any slight inaccuracies which may have been introduced during assembly or installation.

Means hitherto provided for effecting such adjustment have generally been complicated, relatively expensive, and not at all easy to manipulate. It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement which is particularly simple and easy to adjust, and which can be effected in a very convenient manner by persons not having any particular skill or expertise.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a sliding door structure comprising a door panel suspended from a rail by at least two roller assemblies each providing at least one roller which runs along the rail, characterised in that at least one of the roller assemblies comprises a toothed wheel providing an eccentric support for the respective roller and engaged by a detent to hold it against undesired rotation, means engageable with the toothed wheel being provided for rotating the latter to adjust the eccentricity of the roller's support, thereby correspondingly to adjust the door panel.

The means engageable with the toothed wheel may comprise a simple hand-held spanner comprising a handle at one end of which is an arcuate head at one end of which is a respective tooth engageable with a tooth of the wheel for rotating the latter.

For ease of assembly and economy of manufacture the toothed wheel conveniently comprises a boss rotatably accommodate in a respective hole through the door panel.

The arrangement is preferably such that a stem extending through an eccentric aperture through the toothed wheel (or its boss, where provided) carries the roller on its end. For ensuring stability of the door panel, the stem preferably has a roller on each end of the stem.

In a preferred embodiment of the door structure of the invention each of the roller assemblies is substantially identical.

Where each roller assembly comprises two rollers, the rail is preferably such as to provide confronting C-shaped profiles in which the respective rollers of each of the assemblies run.

The detent of the sliding door structure of the invention may advantageously comprise a deflectable tooth engaging with the teeth of the toothed wheel. This deflectable may be provided upon a resilient leaf carried by a bracket secured to the door panel.

Retention of such bracket upon the door panel may very conveniently be achieved by the boss of the toothed wheel locating in an aperture in the bracket.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a shower cubicle incorporating two sliding door structures according to the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating a portion of one of the door panels, of the shower cubicle of Fig. 1, and the details of one of the roller assemblies of said door panel, the parts thereof being shown in exploded form; Figure 3 is a part-sectional side elevation showing the roller assembly parts of Fig. 2 assembled to their door panel and engaging their rail, and illustrating how adjustment of the roller assembly is effected; Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional end elevation corresponding to Fig. 3, but the adjusting tool omitted; and Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view corresponding to the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, but with the rail omitted.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, a shower cubicle, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, comprises a shower base 12 installed on a floor 14 at a corner of a room whereat two walls 16, 18 meet. Extending substantially at right angles to the walls 16, 18 are respective fixed panels 20, 22 of extent just slightly greater than half of the horizontal dimension of corresponding side 24, 26 of the shower base 12 from which said fixed panels 20, 22 extend upwards. These panels 20, 22 are located relative to their walls 16, 18 by respective channel-sectional fixing strips 28, 30 which compensate for any imperfections in the wall surfaces.

Extending along the upper and lower edges of the fixed panels 20, 22 are respective locating strips 32, 34 and 36, 38, The lower locating strips 36, 38 are supplemented by respective slideways 40, 42 which are joined by a connector 44 at the outer corner of the shower base 12. Correspondingly the upper locating strips are supplemented by and serve to support respective sliding door rails 46, 48 which are joined by a respective connector 50 disposed vertically above the connector 44.

Each such rail 46, 48 constitutes a part of a respective sliding door structure which further includes a respective door panel 52, 54 each of which has, at its upper edge, two roller assemblies 56 co-operating with and which run along the respective rail 46, 48, the lower edge of each such door panel 52, 54 having a respective trim strip (not visible in the drawings) co-operating with the respective slideway 40, 42, and the outer upright edges of the panels 52, 54 having thereon respective edge posts 58, 60 which abut in the closed dispositions of the doors. The fixed panels 20 and 22, and the door panels 52 and 54 are of a translucent material, for instance a suitable relatively-thick plastics sheet material.

Turning now to the remaining figures of the drawings, these serve to illustrate the details of one of the roller assemblies 56 of the door panel 52, it being understood that all of the roller assemblies 56 in the illustrated case are substantially identical.

As can be seen, each roller assembly 56 comprises a toothed wheel 60 formed with an integral boss 62 which is axially dotted at 64 (see Fig. 2) to enable it to be contracted to a limited extent to enable it to be inserted into and through a hole 66 in the door panel 52 to engage into and locate with a recessed hole 68 in leaf 70 of a right-angled bracket 72 of which upper web 74 lies flush along the top edge of the door panel 52 and the leaf 70 lies flush against one main surface of the panel 52. Insertion of the boss 62 into the holes 66 and 68 serves, therefore, in a very simple, quick and convenient way to secure both the toothed wheel 60 and the bracket 72 to the door panel 52, an upstanding circumferential bead 76 around the boss 62 co-operating with the recessed hole 68 to inhibit unintentional separation of the toothed wheel 60 from the door panel 52.

Depending ears 78 are formed integrally with the web 74 to define with the latter and the leaf 70 a slot corresponding to the thickness of the door panel 52, so that the bracket 72 locates firmly with the panel 52.

Extending between the two ears 78 is a resilient leaf 80 approximately midway along which is a protruding tooth 82 which engages with the teeth of the toothed wheel 60 to prevent unintentional rotation of the latter.

The toothed wheel 60 and boss 62 are penetrated by an eccentric aperture 84 which accommodates a roller stem 86 on the protruding ends of which are provided, successively, respectively, a cylindrical spacer 88 and a roller 90 having a central hub 92 and outer tyre 94, ball bearings (not visible) being provided between the hub 92 and the tyre 94 in each such roller 90.

As can be seen particularly from Fig. 4, each roller 90 runs in a respective C-shaped profile 96, the rail 46 being of a configuration providing a pair such profiles 96 facing one another at a spacing such that they are effective to retain the rollers 90 on their respective ends of the stem 84.

Illustrated in Fig. 3 is a tool 98 by means of which adjustment can be effected. As shown, this comprises a handle 100 having an arcuate head 102 which fits to the outer circumference of the toothed wheel 60 and has, at one end, a tooth 104 which is so shaped that it will engage into and locate with the teeth of the wheel 60. Thus, swinging of the handle 100 in the direction indicated by arrow 106 will rotate the toothed wheel 60, the resilience of the leaf 80 permitting the tooth 82 to be deflected as appropriate, to enable the wheel 60 to turn, but ensuring that the wheel 60 is retained against rotation when no turning force is applied thereto.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the roller assemblies 56, running in their rails 46, 48, enable the door panels 52, 54 to be slid between their open and closed positions. It will be understood, also, that in the installation of such assemblies irregularities are often encountered, so that in the absence of means enabling the door panels to be adjusted in their suspension, smooth movement and/or inaccurate closing may occur. With the arrangement of the invention, each panel 52, 54 can be adjusted by use of the tool 100/104, each of the toothed wheels 60 being appropriately adjusted to give the desired suspended dispositions of the panels to ensure proper sliding and fitting.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing example, and variations may be made thereto. Thus, it will be understood that it is not essential, in the case where each sliding door panel is suspended from two roller assemblies, for both of such assemblies to be adjustable as described; in some cases it may be sufficient to have one non-adjustable roller assembly and one roller assembly which is adjustable as above described. However, in the described cases, each roller assembly has two rollers, one at each end of the stem 86. The roller assemblies could, however, be of a construction, as is commonplace, such as each to provide only a single roller below which the door panel is suspended. Other modifications are, of course, possible.

Claims

1. A sliding door structure comprising a door panel suspended from a rail by at least two roller assemblies each providing at least one roller which runs along the rail, characterised in that at least one of the roller assemblies comprises a toothed wheel providing an eccentric support for the respective roller and engaged by a detent to hold it against undesired rotation, means engageable with the toothed wheel being provided for rotating the latter to adjust the eccentricity of the roller's support, thereby correspondingly to adjust the door panel.

2. A sliding door structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means engageable with the toothed wheel comprise a simple handheld spanner comprising a handle at one end of which is an arcuate head at one end of which is a respective tooth engageable with a tooth of the wheel for rotating the latter.

3. A sliding door structure as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the toothed wheel comprise a boss rotatably accommodated in a respective hole through the door panel.

4. A sliding door structure as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein each roller assembly is provided with two rollers.

5. A sliding door structure as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein a stem is provided extending through an eccentric aperture through the toothed wheel and carrying the roller on its end.

6. A sliding door structure as claimed in claim 3 wherein a stem is provided extending through an eccentric aperture through the boss and carrying the roller on its end.

7. A sliding door structure as claimed in claims 5 or 6 wherein a roller is provided at each end of the stem.

8. A sliding door structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each of the roller assemblies is substantially identical.

9. A sliding door structure as claimed in claims 4 or 7 wherein the rail provides confronting C-shaped profiles in which the respective rollers of each of the assemblies run.

10. A sliding door structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the detent comprises a deflectable tooth engaging with the teeth of the toothed wheel.

11. A sliding door structure as claimed in claim 10 wherein the deflectable tooth is provided upon a resilient leaf carried by a bracket secured to the door panel.

12. A sliding door structure as claimed in claim 3 and claim 11 wherein the boss of the toothed wheel locates in an aperture provided in the bracket.

13. A sliding door structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.