GB2262566A - Cabinet door closer - Google Patents

Cabinet door closer Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2262566A
GB2262566A GB9126192A GB9126192A GB2262566A GB 2262566 A GB2262566 A GB 2262566A GB 9126192 A GB9126192 A GB 9126192A GB 9126192 A GB9126192 A GB 9126192A GB 2262566 A GB2262566 A GB 2262566A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
door
frame
spring
cabinet
constant force
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9126192A
Other versions
GB9126192D0 (en
Inventor
Robert John Peak
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SHAPE ENGINEERING
Original Assignee
SHAPE ENGINEERING
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by SHAPE ENGINEERING filed Critical SHAPE ENGINEERING
Priority to GB9126192A priority Critical patent/GB2262566A/en
Publication of GB9126192D0 publication Critical patent/GB9126192D0/en
Publication of GB2262566A publication Critical patent/GB2262566A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
    • E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
    • E05F1/00—Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass
    • E05F1/08—Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass spring-actuated, e.g. for horizontally sliding wings
    • E05F1/16—Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass spring-actuated, e.g. for horizontally sliding wings for sliding wings
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
    • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
    • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
    • A47F3/0404—Cases or cabinets of the closed type
    • A47F3/0426—Details
    • A47F3/043—Doors, covers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D23/00—General constructional features
    • F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
    • F25D23/021—Sliding doors
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
    • E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
    • E05D13/00—Accessories for sliding or lifting wings, e.g. pulleys, safety catches
    • E05D13/10—Counterbalance devices
    • E05D13/12—Counterbalance devices with springs
    • E05D13/1276—Counterbalance devices with springs with coiled ribbon springs, e.g. constant force springs
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
    • E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
    • E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
    • E05Y2201/40—Motors; Magnets; Springs; Weights; Accessories therefor
    • E05Y2201/47—Springs
    • E05Y2201/482—Ribbon springs
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
    • E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
    • E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
    • E05Y2900/30—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for domestic appliances
    • E05Y2900/31—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for domestic appliances for refrigerators

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Refrigerator Housings (AREA)
  • Closing And Opening Devices For Wings, And Checks For Wings (AREA)

Abstract

A cabinet such as a refrigerator food cabinet includes a sliding door (2) in a door frame (1), and has a device to ensure that the sliding door closes under a substantially constant force. The closing device comprises a coiled constant force spring (5) whose free end (4) is anchored to the frame. The spring (5) is mounted on the door and uncoils as the door is slid open. <IMAGE>

Description

CABINET The invention relates to a cabinet or like container having a door frame which contains one or more doors which slide in the frame to open the cabinet. Typically the cabinet will be refrigerated and the cabinet may be used to contain and/or display articles such as foodstuffs for sale. The container may be present in retail stores, hotel bars, public houses, restaurants, etc. Usually the doors are slidable within the frame by gripping a metal dish set in the door. A careless staff member or customer will fail to slide the door back to the fully closed position and as a result refrigeration will be lost and energy wasted; foodstuffs can even be contaminated. It is one object of the invention to provide a cabinet for the purpose specified, in which there is little or no risk of the door not being returned to the fully closed position.
According to the invention in one aspect there is provided a cabinet having a door frame containing at least one sliding door characterised by the presence of means to apply a substantially constant force to move the door towards the closed position in the frame.
Typically the cabinet will be refrigerated and sealing means such as a weather stripping, e.g. bristles, will be present to prevent leakage of cold air. These increase the friction level substantially and the force of the means is selected to be sufficient to overcome that friction.
The means may take a variety of forms which provide a relatively constant force. Preferably the means comprises a coiled strip of metal such as steel. When unwound the stress previously wound into the spring makes it want to rewind into the tight coil. When the free end of the spring is secured to one of the frame and the door and the spring is mounted within the other, the spring will unwind as the members are moved apart and will recoil when that movement ceases, so bringing the two together again. The spring may be connected to any part of the frame, e.g. side wall such as the jamb or to a lintel. Because the spring is a constant force spring, the closing and the opening forces are the same wherever the door is positioned between fully open and fully closed.This is an improvement over the use of a normal tension spring that requires little force when the door is slightly opened but quite a lot when the door is fully opened.
The cabinet will contain one or more slidable doors. The frame and the door will be made of metal, wood, plastics of the like.
The doors may be solid but will typically be glazed, such as double glazed. The cabinet may be refrigerated as indicated (e.g. for foodstuffs, snacks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks) or not, as when used for articles such as jewellery, china, porcelain, etc.
In order tat the invention may be well understood it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of frame and door of the invention in the closed condition; Figure 2 is a view as Figure 1 showing the door slid relative to the frame; Figure 3 is a sectional view of another embodiment of frame and door of the invention in the closed condition.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment of frame and door of the invention in the closed condition.
The same reference numerals are used to describe the same parts in the different embodiments.
The frame 1 of Figures 1 & 2 is of rectangular box like structure, a pair of doors 2 slide in the frame 1, the doors are dimensioned to overlap in the middle when closed, i.e. when each door is abutted against a wall of the frame 1. A bracket 3 is present in teach corner and is of L shape. The free end 4 of a coil spring 5 is connected e.g. bolted or welded to an arm of the bracket. The spring 5 is mounted on a shaft 6 located in a cavity 7 in a side wall of the door 2. The bracket 3 is dimensioned so that the door can still mate with the frame in a sealing fashion. When the door 2 is slid away from the frame end wall, as shown in Figure 2, the coil unwinds.Because of its inbuilt tension (the spring is made of metal such as a spring steel) when the user has finished with the door and relaxes his grip, the spring will retract causing the door to return to the closed condition. Because a weather strip in the form of NYLON or like bristles is present, there will be a level of friction resistance between the frame and the door. The spring tension is constant and different strengths of springs will be used to suit the weight of each door and the friction caused by the weather strip.
In the embodiment of Figure 3, the cavity 7 is set deeper in the wall of the door and the mouth of the cavity is covered by a plate 8 having a slot 9 through which the spring 5 passes. In the embodiment of Figure 4 the mounting of the spring is reversed, i.e. spring 5 is mounted in a cavity 7 set in the hollow side wall of the frame 1 and the free end thereof 4 is secured to a sidewall of the door 2.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

Claims (6)

1. A cabinet having a door frame (1), the frame containing at least one sliding door (2) characterised by the presence of means (5) to apply a substantially constant force to move the door (2) towards the closed position in the frame (1).
2. A cabinet according to Claim 1, characteriseS in that sealing means are present between the door (2) and the frame (1).
3. A cabinet according to Claim 2 characterised in that the sealing means comprising weather stripping bristles or the like.
4. A cabinet according to any preceding Claim characterise.5 in that the means (5) comprises a coil3 constant force spring (S).
5. A cabinet according to Claim 4 characterised in that the fre end (4) of the spring (S) is anchored in the frame (1) or the door (2).
6. A cabinet according to any preceding Claim characterised in that the door frame (1) is substantially vertical.
GB9126192A 1991-12-10 1991-12-10 Cabinet door closer Withdrawn GB2262566A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9126192A GB2262566A (en) 1991-12-10 1991-12-10 Cabinet door closer

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9126192A GB2262566A (en) 1991-12-10 1991-12-10 Cabinet door closer

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9126192D0 GB9126192D0 (en) 1992-02-12
GB2262566A true GB2262566A (en) 1993-06-23

Family

ID=10705988

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9126192A Withdrawn GB2262566A (en) 1991-12-10 1991-12-10 Cabinet door closer

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2262566A (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19604683A1 (en) * 1996-02-09 1997-08-14 Josef Gail Spring tensioning or lifting device for e.g. lifting garage door
EP1215358A1 (en) * 2000-12-14 2002-06-19 Thermo Glass Door S.P.A. Automatic and controlled closing device for sliding doors and the like
GB2482352A (en) * 2010-07-31 2012-02-01 Maxim Design Group Ltd Self closing door assembly
JP2014527444A (en) * 2011-08-31 2014-10-16 ジェイティー インターナショナル エス．エイ．ＪＴ Ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｓ．Ａ． Shelf door

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB447354A (en) * 1934-06-12 1936-05-18 Rene Victor Lentaigne New or improved apparatus for automatically closing doors, windows and the like
GB752489A (en) * 1954-04-22 1956-07-11 Arthur Abbey Improvements in or relating to spring mechanisms
GB976878A (en) * 1960-09-26 1964-12-02 Grossman Abraham Dual movable sash window
GB1248746A (en) * 1968-11-14 1971-10-06 Kunio Isamatsu Sealing strip
GB1287916A (en) * 1969-09-25 1972-09-06
US4145844A (en) * 1977-12-16 1979-03-27 Ardco, Inc. Refrigerator door construction
US4637167A (en) * 1983-08-19 1987-01-20 Termofrost Sweden Ab Door

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB447354A (en) * 1934-06-12 1936-05-18 Rene Victor Lentaigne New or improved apparatus for automatically closing doors, windows and the like
GB752489A (en) * 1954-04-22 1956-07-11 Arthur Abbey Improvements in or relating to spring mechanisms
GB976878A (en) * 1960-09-26 1964-12-02 Grossman Abraham Dual movable sash window
GB1248746A (en) * 1968-11-14 1971-10-06 Kunio Isamatsu Sealing strip
GB1287916A (en) * 1969-09-25 1972-09-06
US4145844A (en) * 1977-12-16 1979-03-27 Ardco, Inc. Refrigerator door construction
US4637167A (en) * 1983-08-19 1987-01-20 Termofrost Sweden Ab Door

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19604683A1 (en) * 1996-02-09 1997-08-14 Josef Gail Spring tensioning or lifting device for e.g. lifting garage door
EP1215358A1 (en) * 2000-12-14 2002-06-19 Thermo Glass Door S.P.A. Automatic and controlled closing device for sliding doors and the like
GB2482352A (en) * 2010-07-31 2012-02-01 Maxim Design Group Ltd Self closing door assembly
JP2014527444A (en) * 2011-08-31 2014-10-16 ジェイティー インターナショナル エス．エイ．ＪＴ Ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｓ．Ａ． Shelf door

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9126192D0 (en) 1992-02-12

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)