GB2488362A

GB2488362A - Suspension arrangement for a sliding wardrobe door movable into two planes

Info

Publication number: GB2488362A
Application number: GB1103337.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eli Vaisman
Original assignee: ELIRAN SAADA
Current assignee: ELIRAN SAADA
Priority date: 2011-02-28
Filing date: 2011-02-28
Publication date: 2012-08-29
Also published as: GB201103337D0

Abstract

A supporting mechanism for a wardrobe that achieves coplanar sliding doors. The supporting mechanism comprises an upper support 110 from which a door (95, fig.1) is hung, and a lower support. Both supports can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door to enable the door (95) to be slid open such that it may overlap an adjacent door (91, fig.1). Preferably a first wheeled carriage (130, fig.3A) is mounted within a fixed guide track for movement parallel to the plane of the door and a second wheeled carriage 140 is mounted within a second guide track 132 forming part of the first carriage such that the second carriage can slide in direction perpendicular to the door. The door may moved into the second parallel adjacent plane automatically in response to sensing a personâ s gesture and driving a piston 120; the piston may be releasably coupled to the door by a magnet (125, fig.3A) to enable manual opening and also act as an anti-pinching device during powered closing.

Description

A WARDROBE DOOR SUPPORTING MECHANISM

BACKGROUND

1. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of furniture, and more particularly, to supporting mechanisms for doors.

2. DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART [0002] Wardrobes with co-planar doors have many design and practical advantages, but pose a problem of opening the doors selectively. Existing solution such as WIPO Publication No. WO2007063541, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, that discloses a sliding door mechanism with moveable guiding rails, are expensive and prone to having mechanical problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0003] Embodiments of the present invention provide a supporting mechanism for a wardrobe door, comprising: an upper support arranged to: carry a weight of the door along a horizontal upper track; enable moving the door in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the upper track between a stationary position and a mobile position; wherein in the stationary position the wardrobe doors are in a single plane; and enable moving the door along the upper track in the mobile position, and a lower support alTanged to guide the door along a horizontal lower track such as to maintain a vertical orientation of the door during its movement along the upper track.

[0004] These, additional, and/or other aspects and/or advantages of the present invention are: set forth in the detailed description which follows; possibly inferable from the detailed description; and/or learnable by practice of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The present invention will bc more readily undcrstood from the detailed description of embodiments thereof made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a wardrobe, according to some embodiments of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective illustration of a supporting mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention; Figures 3A-3D are schematic perspective illustrations of an upper support in the supporting mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention; and Figures 4A and 4B are schematic perspective illustrations of a lower support in the supporting mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0006] Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is applicable to other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a wardrobe 90, according to some embodiments of the invention. Wardrobe 90 has at least one wardrobe door 95 that is supported by at least one supporting mechanism 100, and may have additional doors 91 that are moveable along upper tracks 92. Supporting mechanism 100 is also supported along an upper track 99, that is parallel to the other upper tracks 92.

[0008] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective illustration of supporting mechanism 100, according to some embodiments of the invention. Figures 3A-3D are schematic perspective illustrations of an upper support 110 in supporting mechanism 100, according to some embodiments of the invention; and Figures 4A and 4B are schematic perspective illustrations of lower support 150 in supporting mechanism 100, according to some embodiments of the invention.

[0009] Supporting mechanism 100 for wardrobe door 95 comprises upper support 110 (Figures 3K-3D) arranged to carry a weight of door 95 along horizontal upper track 99, enable moving door 95 in a horizontal direction 102 that is perpendicular to upper track 99 (direction 101) between a stationary position 111 and a mobile position 112. In stationary position 111, wardrobe doors 95, 91 are in a single plane. In mobile position 112, door 95 may be in front of door 91 (mobile position 112 is external to stationary position 111) as illustrate, or may be behind door 91 (mobile position 112 is internal in respect to stationary position 111, as door 91 is behind door 95 in Figures 3A and 3B).

When door 95 is in mobile position 112, either or both doors 91 and 95 may be moved along their corresponding tracks 92 and 99 (respectively) to allow access to the contents of wardrobe 90. Supporting mechanism 100 is further arranged to enable moving door 95 along upper track 99 in mobile position 112.

[0010] Supporting mechanism 100 further comprises lower support 150 (Figures 4A and 4B) arranged to guide door 95 along a horizontal lower track 155 such as to maintain a vertical orientation of door 95 during its movement along upper track 99.

[0011] Both upper support 110 and lower support 150 further comprises a displacer 120 activated by an actuator (not shown) and arranged to move door 95 between stationary position 111 and mobile position 112 in horizontal direction 102, perpendicularly to upper track 99. The actuator may be power supplied and electronically controlled.

[0012] Displacer 120 may be releasably coupled to door 95 by a decoupler 125, such to decouple door 95 from displacer 120 upon application of a specified threshold force on door 95 in an opposite direction to the force applied by displacer 120. Decoupler 125 is used in order to allow manually changing the position of door 95 between stationary position 111 and mobile position 112, as well as a security means for decoupling door 95 from supporting mechanism 100 in case an object or a finger is placed between doors 91 and 95 during the movement of door 95 between stationary position 111 and mobile position 112. Decoupler 125 may comprise a magnet connected either to door 95 or displacer 120 and characterized by a specified force that has to be applied to decouple the magnet from displacer 120 or door 95, respectively. Displacer 120 may comprise a piston arranged to push and retract door between positions 111, 112.

[0013] The actuator that operates displacer 120 may be operable by a user pushing wardrobe door 95, or it may he connected to a sensor (not shown) arranged to sense a user gesture and activate the actuator thereupon.

[0014] Upper support 110 may comprise a first wheel assembly 130 ananged to allow the movement of upper support 110 along upper track 99 and a second wheel assembly arranged to allow the movement of upper support 110 in horizontal direction 102 that is perpendicular to upper track 99 (direction 101) between stationary position 111 and mobile position 112 within an inner track 135.

[0015] Second wheel assembly 140 may comprise a front wheel assembly 141 arranged to move along a lower track 131 of inner track 135 and a rear wheel assembly 142 arranged to move along an upper track 132 of inner track 135 such as to balance a moment applied by door 95 on upper support 110.

[0016] Door 95 is connected to upper support 110 by hinge 115 arranged to carry the weight of door 95. The configuration of upper support 110, especially of first wheel assembly 130 and second wheel assembly 140 cancels moments applied by door 95 on upper support 110, such that door 95 practically hangs vertically on upper support 110.

[0017] Lower support 150 comprises at least one protrusion 160 arranged to slide within and along lower horizontal track 155. Lower horizontal track 155 is padded (e.g. by weather stripes) to restrain movements of lower support 150 in a horizontal direction 102 that is perpendicular to lower track 155.

[0018] Lower support 150 is connected to door 95 via a hinge 156 connected to a plate 157 that is connected to door 95. Lower support 150 may be mounted on the wardrobe independently of door 95 (only plate 157 is connected to door 95) and then attached to plate 157. A wardrobe support 94 may he moved to a backward position to accommodate lower support 150.

[0019] Lower support 150 is arranged to stabilize door 95 in a vertical position, to avoid generation of moments on upper support 110. The padding is functional to prevent abrupt movements of the lower end of door 95.

[0020] Upper support 110 and lower support 150 may be both assembled from profiled parts (such as inner track 135, frames of wheel assemblies 130, 140, holder of protrusions 160).

[0021] Tracks 99, 92 may comprise a soft close mechanisms 93.

[0022] Advantageously, the configuration of supporting mechanism 100 allows using parallel tracks 99, 92. The enablement of using parallel tracks 99, 92 has substantial advantages such as simpler mounting on wardrobe 90, and easy adaptation of the length of tracks 99, 992 to specific required wardrobe dimensions.

[0023] Moreover the construction of supporting mechanism 100 from profiled parts allows more efficient production of supporting mechanism 100.

[0024] In the above description, an embodiment is an example or implementation of the invention. The various appearances of "one embodiment", "an embodiment" or "some embodiments" do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiments.

[0025] Although various features of the invention may be described in the context of a single embodiment, the features may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination. Conversely, although the invention may be described herein in the context of separate embodiments for clarity, the invention may also be implemented in a single embodiment.

[0026] Furthermore, it is to he understood that the invention can he carried out or practiced in various ways and that the invention can be implemented in embodiments other than the ones outlined in the description above.

[0027] The invention is not limited to those diagrams or to the corresponding descriptions. For example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state, or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described.

[0028] Meanings of technical and scientific terms used herein are to be commonly understood as by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs, unless otherwise defined.

[0029] While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of some of the preferred embodiments. Other possible variations, modifications, and applications are also within the scope of the invention.

Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited by what has thus far been described, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is: 1. A supporting mechanism for a wardrobe door, comprising: an upper support arranged to: carry a weight of the door along a horizontal upper track; enable moving the door in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the upper track between a stationary position and a mobile position; wherein in the stationary position the wardrobe doors are in a single plane; and enable moving the door along the upper track in the mobile position, and a lower support arranged to guide the door along a horizontal lower track such as to maintain a vertical orientation of the door during its movement along the upper track.
2. The supporting mechanism of claim 1, wherein each of the upper and lower supports further comprises a displacer activated by an actuator and arranged to move the door between the stationary and mobile positions in the horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the upper track.
3. The supporting mechanism of claim 2, wherein the displacer is releasably coupled to the door by a decoupler, such to decouple the door from the displacer upon application of a specified threshold force on the door in an opposite direction to the force applied by the displacer.
4. The supporting mechanism of claim 3, wherein the decoupler is a magnet. a
5. The supporting mechanism of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the displacer is a piston.
6. The supporting mechanism of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the actuator is operable by a user pushing the wardrobe door.
7. The supporting mechanism of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the actuator is connected to a sensor arranged to sense a user gesture and activate the actuator thereupon.
8. The supporting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the upper support comprises: a first wheel assembly arranged to allow the movement of the upper support along the upper track; and a second wheel assembly arranged to allow the movement of the upper support in the horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the upper track between the stationary position and the mobile position within an inner track.
9. The supporting mechanism of claim 8, wherein the second wheel assembly comprises: a front wheel assembly arranged to move along a lower track of the inner track; and a rear wheel assembly arranged to move along an upper track of the inner track such as to balance a moment applied by the door on the upper support.
10. The supporting mechanism of claim 1, wherein: the lower support comprises at least one protrusion arranged to slide within and along the lower horizontal track, and the lower horizontal track is padded to restrain movements of the lower support in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the lower track.
ii. The supporting mechanism of claim 10, wherein the lower horizontal track is padded with weather stripes.
12. The supporting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the mobile position is external to the stationary position.
13. The supporting mechanism of claim 1, wherein both upper and lower supports are assembled from profiled parts.
14. A wardrobe, wherein at least one wardrobe door is supported by at least one supporting mechanism according to claims ito 13.
15. The wardrobe of claim 14, comprising at least two wardrobe doors moveable along upper tracks, of which at least one wardrobe door is supported by the at least one supporting mechanism, wherein all upper tracks, including an at least one upper track of the at least one wardrobe door supported by the at least one supporting mechanism, are parallel.