NL2014111B1

NL2014111B1 - Rail glider and assembly comprising a rail glider and a suspension rail.

Info

Publication number: NL2014111B1
Application number: NL2014111A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Johannes Augustus Klinkenberg Raymond
Original assignee: Regout Nv Thomas
Priority date: 2015-01-12
Filing date: 2015-01-12
Publication date: 2017-01-27
Also published as: DE102016000238A1; NL2014111A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rail glider for use in a suspension rail for suspending an object or cloth from the 1·ail, comprising a holder element and a glider head shaped such as to be attached to the suspension rail in a movable or fixed manner·. The glider head comprises a first and a second side in use parallel to the direction of movement of the rail glider, and further comprises a common top portion, and an extending carrier portion on either side. The extending carrier portions cooperating in use with at least two longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail for supporting the glider· suspending from the rail. The top portion connects the extending carrier portions and includes a flexible section. The glider head at each one of said first and second side further includes a guiding flange extending at least par·tially along the 1·espective first or second side for guiding the rail glider through the suspension rail. The glider head is connected to the holder element via a bridge that extends from the fi1·st side. The glider·head at the second side thereof is void of a connection with the holder element such as to allow, via the flexible section, flexing of the guiding flange of the second side towards the first side.

Description

Title: Rail glider and assembly comprising a rail glider and a suspension rail.

Field of the invention

The present invention is directed at a rail glider for use in a suspension rail for suspending an object or cloth from the rail, the rail glider comprising a holder element for attaching the object or cloth thereto, and a glider head shaped such as to be attached to the suspension rail in a movable manner for allowing movement of the rail glider in a longitudinal direction of the suspension rail in use, the glider head comprising a first and a second side in use parallel to the direction of movement of the rail glider. The invention is further directed at an assembly comprising a suspension rail and a rail glider.

Background

Rail ghders for a suspension rail for suspending objects (such as curtains) are typically to be introduced into the rail via the open ends thereof. These open ends are closed by means of a stopper unit or end cap to prevent falling of the glider out of the rail in use.

Alternatives are however available that are more easy to introduce into the rails, e.g. directly via the rail opening. Such a rail glider is for example disclosed in European patent application number EP2612576. This document discloses a rail glider comprises a head and holder connected via a bridge. The glider can be flexed into the rail by bending the sides of the glider head towards the connecting bridge in the central part of the glider, to temporarily decrease the size of the head such that it fits through the rail opening. Although this glider conveniently simplifies introduction and removal of the glider into and out of the rail, this improvement unfortunately comes with some drawbacks. For example to allow flexing, the glider head comprises flexible sections that are very thin such that these are expensive and difficult to manufacture. Moreover, these thin sections become prone to wear, deformation and breaking in use. In standard small sized rails having a rail opening of 4 millimeter width, the space to enable flexing becomes very small (e.g. see figures 18-20 of EP2612576). This requires the gliding head to be made much smaller as well. The thin bending sections of the glider become even thinner and thus weaker.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rail glider that can be flexed into a suspension rail, the design of which is easily scalable towards any desired size at relative low manufacturing costs.

To this end, there is provided herewith a rail glider for use in a suspension rail for suspending an object or cloth from the rail, the rail glider comprising a holder element for attaching the object or cloth thereto, and a glider head shaped such as to be attached to the suspension rail in a movable or fixed manner for allowing movement of the rail glider in a longitudinal direction of the suspension rail in use, the glider head comprising a first and a second side in use parallel to the direction of movement of the rail glider, wherein the glider head comprises a common top portion, and wherein each one of said first and second side comprises an extending carrier portion, the extending carrier portions extending from the glider head such as to cooperate in use with at least two longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail for supporting the rail glider when suspending from the rail, wherein the top portion forms a connection between the extending carrier portions and includes a flexible section, the glider head at each one of said first and second side further including a guiding flange extending at least partially along the respective first or second side for guiding the rail glider through the suspension rail, wherein the glider head is connected to the holder element via a bridge that extends from the first side towards the holder section, the glider head at the second side thereof being void of a connection with the holder element such as to allow, via the flexible section, flexing of the guiding flange of the second side towards the first side to enable introduction and release of the glider head in and out of the suspension rail. The rail glider of the present invention is asymmetrically shaped such as to allow one of the guiding flanges to be freely flexed inward towards a central space between the first and second side of the glider head. The other guiding flange, i.e. the one on the first side, is fixed relative to - or extends into - the connecting bridge that forms the connection between the glider head and the holder element. Preferably, the guiding flange on the first side extends into the bridge as one integral part, although other fixations may likewise be applied. To introduce or release the rail glider into or out of the rail, force can be applied to the holder section. The moment of force exerted via the bridge on the first side of the glider head, causes the guiding flange on the second side to be bent via the flexible section at the top portion. The flexible section thereby provides a hinging function, e.g. hinging on one or more sides thereof.

As a result of the asymmetric shape and the absence of any connecting parts other than the connecting bridge on the first side, the flexible section may be sufficiently thick at small dimensions while still providing sufficient flexibility (for example larger than 0.7 millimeter and smaller than 1.2 millimeter, e.g. 0.8 millimeter, 0.9 millimeter or 1.0 millimeter, for a rail glider suitable for a rail with rail opening of width 4.0 or 3.3 or 6.0 or 5.6 millimeter; (these sizes are merely exemplary, and not limiting on the claimed invention (e.g. 0.5 millimeter to 1.5 millimeter or even larger (0.5 to 3.0 millimeter) dependent on the application))). This is possible because presence of the connecting bridge on the side of the head, in absence of further connecting parts, allows to make the flexible section sufficiently long (measured in the direction from the first to the second side of the glider head) to still provide enough flexibility at such thicknesses to perform the bending of the guiding flanges. Moreover, by exerting the moment of force directly on the first side of the glider head, it is optimally used for providing the bending moment required for flexing. Hence, due to the large bending moment, the flexible section can be kept sufficiently thick in relation to the other components such as to allow parametric scaling of the design towards very small rail sizes (smaller than 30 millimeter, even smaller than 10 mm, and even smaller than 5 millimeter rail opening size; e.g. 4.0 mm, 3.3mm, 2.5mm, 2.0mm). The robustness of the design is not considerably jeopardized.

The asymmetric design provides additional advantages. For example, the rail glider can only be released from the rail by bringing the guiding flanges closer to each other due to the flexing. By exerting the moment of force for flexing via the first side, bringing the flanges closer to each other can only be achieved by pushing the bridge towards the second side. If instead a pulling force is exerted on the bridge to pull it in a direction away from the second side, the rail glider will not detach from the rail. Thus the gliders may only be detached by action of the bridge in a single direction. Hence, in environments wherein the curtains may likely be exposed to pulling forces (e.g. curtains for covering the windows of a bus or train), the rail gliders of the present invention enable to suspend the curtains in such a way as to prevent the curtains from coming off accidentally. This only requires correct installation of the rail glider such that the second side of the glider head faces the window or wall, while the first side faces the room. Detaching the curtains then requires a conscious application of a pushing force on the bridge towards the second side (or window side).

Likewise, the same can be done in situations wherein very easy detaching of the curtains is intended. In that case, the rail glider is installed the other way around in the rail, i.e. the first side comprising the bridge is to be installed in the rail such that it is located on the wall or window side (or at least the side opposing the location from where a detaching pulling force is to be exerted). A tilted pulling force will then pull the bridge towards the second side, thereby causing flexing of the guiding flanges and release of the glider head. This may for example be advantageous in situations wherein accidental damage to the curtains is to be prevented.

Enabling the flexible section and other sections to be sufficiently thick strongly increases the robustness of the rail glider. The compact design will not easily break, and may even withstand accidental forces for which the glider is not really designed (e.g. an accidental standing of a person on a glider that has fallen on the ground). The flexible section will not noticeably deform or tear after frequent use, causing the rail glider to maintain it’s maximum load performance over time. Moreover, the straightforward design of the rail glider of the present invention renders it easy to manufacture, bringing down it’s production costs.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the rail ghder further comprises a first limiting portion extending from the guiding flanges on the first side of the ghder head in the transverse direction to the first side, such as to be parallel to the longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail in use. The first limiting portion prevents bending outwards of the guiding flange of the first side (or the bridge connecting the ghder head to the holder element) in a direction outward (away from the second side). In that case, the first hmiting portion will prevent further movement of the guiding flange or the bridge in the outward direction by being held by the suspension rail. Although the first hmiting portion provides additional structural integrity to the rail ghder, this portion is optional and not essential to the rail ghder of the present invention.

In accordance with the further embodiment, the rail ghder further comprises second hmiting portion extending from the guiding flange on the second side of the ghder head in a transverse direction to the second side, such as to be parallel to the longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail in use. The second limiting portion extending from the guiding flange of the second side of the glider head will prevent the glider head from accidentally slipping completely into the suspension rail and becoming stuck in case the force exerted on the bridge section to insert the rail glider in the rail becomes too large. The second limiting portion simply prevents the rail glider from “tumbling” into the rail opening due to progression of the force being applied to insert the rail glider. Moreover, in a further embodiment the second limiting portion may extend from the guiding flange of the second side such as to form a handle for operating the rail glider for the flexing the guiding flange. For example, if the second limiting portion extends to a position outside and beyond the side of the rail, it may be easily handled by a user to allow a pinching or squeezing force such as to enable the flexing of the guiding flange. Even in some embodiments, the use of such a handle further increases the bending moment that may be applied to the rail ghder, thereby potentially allowing a further reduction in size of the rail glider if this is desired.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, the holder element is arranged in a center section underneath the top part such as to allow the center of gravity of the suspended object or cloth (or curtain) to be aligned with the top portion and the rail. For example, the holder element enables to suspend the object to be attached to the rail (e.g. a curtain or painting or other element) to be suspended neatly underneath the center section of the rail glider such as to align the gravitational forces with the location of the rail. This prevents undesired situations, such as the suspension of the object in a tilted position.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, the holder element comprises at least one element of a group comprising: an attachment eye arranged parallel, perpendicular, or rotatable relative to the direction of movement of the rail glider in use, a clamp or clamping portion, a hook, an extending portion for hooking, gripping or suspending, a receiving portion for receiving a correspondingly shaped gripper portion, or a gripper portion for receiving a correspondingly shaped receiver portion. As may be appreciated, the holder element may comprise any suitable means for allowing object to be suspended from the suspension rail by means of the rail ghder. For example, to suspend a curtain from the rail glider, the use of an attachment eye which is either arranged parallel, perpendicular, or rotatably relative to the direction of movement of the rail glider in use, may be a suitable means of suspending. However, in case a wall panel is to be attached to the suspension rails by means of the rail glider, instead of an eye the holder element may comprise a gripper portion or slider or other element that cooperates with the panel (or an attachment element). The skilled person may recognize other means for attaching or suspending objects from the holder element within the scope of the present invention.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention the guiding flanges of the first and second side of the ghder head define a flexing space between the flanges. Such a flexing space may be avoid of any elements of the rail ghder such as to allow the full space to be used for flexing of the flanges relative to each other. Preferably, the flexing space is arranged underneath the flexible section.

Yet in accordance with another embodiment of the invention at least one of the guiding flanges (or all of them) define a height (h) between the respective extending carrier portion and the first or second limiting portion, wherein the height corresponds with a thickness of rail portion of the suspending rail comprising the longitudinal inner surfaces of the rail. For example, the suspension rail may be comprised of a top section, two side walls and two bottom rail portions defining the interior of the rail in cross section. The two bottom sections on the inner side (i.e. facing the interior of the rail) may form the longitudinal inner surfaces on either side of the rail opening. The rail opening is defined by the two bottom rail sections as a gully or slit in between the bottom rail sections in the longitudinal direction of the rail. By causing the height (h) between the extending carrier portions and the first or second limiting portion to correspond to the thickness of the rail portion, the amount of play in vertical direction (i.e. transverse to the longitudinal surfaces) is reduced. As a result the rail glider will move smoothly through the suspension rail, while still being easily releasable from the rail (if the height (h) is too large, the amount of play may be too much and thereby probably prevent disassembling of the glider from the rail). The top portion of the glider may thereby be prevented to contact the top wall of the rail, thereby enabling the said smooth gliding.

In accordance with another embodiment the rail glider including the glider head, the holder element and the bridge is formed as an integral element; i.e. the whole rail glider is formed of one piece of material as an integral element. This provides a robust design of the rail glider and is more easy to manufacture, e.g. using a suitable polymer material.

In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention there is provided an assembly comprising a suspension rail for suspending an object or cloth from the rail, and a rail glider according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the rail glider being arranged for cooperating with the suspension rail and comprising a glider head shaped such as to be attached to the suspension rail in a moveable manner for allowing movement of the rail glider in a longitudinal direction of the suspension rail in use.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the second aspect the suspension will comprise at least two longitudinal inner surfaces parallel to each other and defining a rail opening cooperating with the glider head such as to allow introduction of the glider head into the rail via the rail opening by flexing of the guiding flange of the second side towards the first side, the longitudinal inner surfaces further allowing supporting of the extending carrier portions of the glider head in an unflexed state of the guiding flanges when suspending from the rail.

Yet in accordance with a further embodiment of the second aspect, the rail opening between longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail is of a width of at least one of a group comprising: around 3.3 millimeter, around 4.0 millimeter, around 5.6 millimeter, around 6.0 millimeter, or smaller than 30 millimeter. As may be appreciated, the rail opening widths as defined herewith are merely exemplary and many other rail opening widths may be applied. The invention is not limited to a particular size of the rail opening width.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will further be elucidated by description of some specific embodiments thereof, making reference to the attached drawings. The detailed description provides examples of possible implementations of the invention, but is not to be regarded as describing the only embodiments falling under the scope. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims, and the description is to be regarded as illustrative without being restrictive on the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an assembly in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention including a rail glider in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2A provides a side view of a rail glider in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2B provides a cross sectional view of the rail glider of figure 2A;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a rail glider in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed description

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a suspension rail 1 in cross section and a rail glider 3 moveably suspending from the rail 1. The suspension rail 1 comprises a top wall 9 and side walls 5 and 6. The side walls 5 and 6 in the present embodiment are curved, and curve into bottom rail sections 7 and 8 respectively. Together, the top wall 9, the side walls 5 and 6 and the bottom rail sections 7 and 8 define an interior 10 of the rail. The ends of bottom rail sections 7 and 8 together define a rail opening 4 schematically indicated with an arrow in figure 1. In a different embodiment, the suspension rail may be of a different shape, for example the bottom rail sections 7 and 8 may extend from the side walls 5 and 6 transversely forming an edge therewith (instead of the curved sections illustrated in figure 1). Moreover, the rail 1 may comprise further portions that allow the suspension rail 1 to be attached for example to a ceding or wall of a building. For example, parts such as edge 11 (and the corresponding edge on the opposite side of the rad) adows the rad to be attached to an attachment element (not shown). In general, instead of the rail idustrated in figure 1, the rad glider 3 as dlustrated in figure 1 may be appded in combination with an arbitrary rad of different form and shape, as long as the rad opening 4 corresponds with the shape and size of the rad gdder 3, as wid be appreciated by the skided person.

The rad glider 3 comprises the holder element 16, a glider head 17, and a bridge 18 which connects the holder element 16 with the glider head 17. The ghder head 17 comprises a top portion 20 which connects a first guiding flange 25 with a second guiding flange 26 on opposite sides of the gdder head 17. The top section 20 comprises a flexible section 22 in the central part thereof, in between the first guiding flange 25 and the second guiding flange 26. From the top portion 20, a first extending carrier portion 32 and a second extending carrier portion 33 respectively extend from either side of the glider head 17. The extending carrier portions 32 and 33 at their bottom sides correspond with longitudinal inner surfaces 12 and 13 of the bottom rail sections 7 and 8 respectively. Moreover, the size of the top section 20 with extending carrier portions 32 and 33, as well as the spacing between the guiding flanges 25 and 26 are such that the shape of the guiding head 17 corresponds with the shape of the suspension rail 1, as illustrated in figure 1. Therefore, once introduced in the suspension rail 1, the rail ghder can slide in the longitudinal direction through the rail (the direction perpendicular to the paper in figure 1).

In addition, the first guiding flange 25 on the outer side thereof with respect to the rail glider 3, comprising a first limiting portion 35 that limits the movement of the glider head 17 upward direction with respect to the rail 1. Likewise, the guiding flange 26 comprising a second limiting portion 36 extending therefrom in an outward direction as illustrated in figure 1. The height h between the extending carrier portion 32 and first hmiting portion 35 of the first guiding flange 25, and the height h between the extending carrier portion 33 and the second hmiting portion 36 of the second guiding flange 26, are indicated in the figure. The height h as indicated is preferably selected such as to allow sufficient play for the rail glider 3 to glide through the rail 1, while at the same time preventing contact between the top portion 20 of the ghder 3 and the top wall 9 of the rail 1. As a result, the height is selected such as to allow smooth movement of the ghder 3 through the rail 1. The flanges 25 and 26 define an internal flexing space 30 in between the flanges 25 and 26. The hmiting portions 35 and 36 preferably, but not essentially, extend over a distance such as to make the width of the ghder head from end to end through the hmiting portions broader than the width of the top portion 20. This prevents the ghder head from becoming stuck in the rail upon introduction, due to the hmiting portions accidentally being introduced into the interior rail through the rail opening.

In figure 1, the rail glider 3 is illustrated in an inserted position in the rail 1. However, to allow introduction of the rail ghder 3 into the rail 1, the second guiding flange 26 can be flexed towards the first guiding flange 25 (and/or vice versa) such as to decrease the size of the ghder head 17 such that it fits through the rail opening 4. To introduce the rail ghder into the rail 1 in case the rail ghder 3 is not suspending from the rail 1, the user may bring the outer side of the first guiding flange 25 (the section between the extending carrier portion 32 and the first limiting portion 35) against the side of the bottom rail part 7. Then, by rotating the holder element 16 and bridge 18 towards the bottom rail section 8, a force is exerted on the top portion 20 above the second guiding flange 26, causing the second guiding flange 26 to flex inward towards the first guiding flange 25. At a certain point, the second guiding flange 26 has flexed sufficiently into the flexing space 30 such that the extending carrier portion 33 fits into the rail opening 4. At this point, the rail ghder 3 clicks into position providing a tactile and audible feedback to the user. The result will be that the rail glider 3 is introduced into the rail 1, as illustrated in figure 1.

Alternatively, it is also possible to introduce the rail ghder 3 into the rail 1 by bringing the outer side of the second guiding flange 26 (in between the extending carrier portion 33 and the second limiting portion 36) against the side of the lower or bottom rail section 8. Then, by adding some force to the holder element 16 and bridge 18 directed towards the bottom rail section 8, the flexible section 22 allows the guiding flanges 25 and 26 to be flexed towards each other sufficiently to enable the extending carrier portion 32 to fit through the rail opening 4. At that point, the rail glider 3 clicks into position.

To detach the rail ghder 3 from the rail 1, the holder element 16 and bridge 18 have to be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 40 visible on the rail ghder 3. This will cause the first guiding flange 25 to flex towards the second guiding flange 26 as a result of the flexible section 22.

The rail glider 3 will detach as soon as the size of the glider head 17 has been reduced sufficiently to allow the first extending carrier portion 32 to fit through the rail opening 4 towards the exterior of the rail 1. However, if the holder element 16 and bridge 18 are rotated in the opposite direction (in the counter direction of the arrow 40) a size reduction of the glider head 17 will not be achieved and at some point the bending will be limited by the first hmiting portion 35. Thus, although introduction of the rail glider 3 can be achieved either by introducing the second guiding flange 26 or the first guiding flange 25 into the rail 1 first, detaching the rail glider 3 from the rail 1 can only be achieved as indicated by the arrow 40 in one direction.

This is advantageous as it allows to suspend the rail glider from the rail 1 in such a way that it can not be accidently detached by a pulling force. At the same time, if easy detachment of the rail glider 3 from the rail 1 is intentionally to be achieved, suspending the rail glider 3 into the rail 1 in mirror image relative to figure 1 will allow this in response to a pulling force in an angled downward right direction.

Figures 2A and 2B further illustrate the rail glider 3 of the present invention. In the side view of figure 2A, the glider head 17, bridge 18 and holder element 16 are clearly visible. The holder element 16 is shaped as an attachment eye, although any other type of holder element may be applied, as referred to here and above. In figure 2B, a cross section across the line A - A of figure 2A is illustrated. From the cross section in figure 2B the holder element 16, bridge 18 and glider head 17 are recognizable. Reference numerals 14 and 15 respectively illustrate the first side 14 and the second side 15 of the rail glider 3. Moreover, the extending carrier portion 32 comprises a bottom surface 38, while the extending carrier portion 33 comprises a bottom surface 39. Bottom surfaces 38 and 39 may correspond with longitudinal inner surfaces 12 and 13 respectively of a rail such as illustrated in figure 1 (or a different embodiment of a suspension rail). As will be appreciated, this is not essential. In between the first limiting portion 35 and the bridge 18, an additional gap 42 is introduced to save additional material and to reduce production cost of the rail ghder 3. This gap 42 is of course optional.

Figure 3 further illustrates a perspective view of the rail ghder 3 of the present invention. The various parts and elements and portions of the holder element 16, the bridge 18 and the glider head 17 are indicated in figure 3 by the reference numerals. A rail ghder in accordance with the present invention may be manufactured using a suitable polymer, such as a suitable polyoxymethylene (POM). Optionally, additives may be included to obtain desired characteristics. As will be appreciated the invention is not hmited to these materials and may be manufactured of a different material. The present invention has been described in terms of some specific embodiments thereof. It will be appreciated that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein are intended for illustrated purposes only and are not by any manner or means intended to be restrictive on the invention. It is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description and drawings appended thereto. It will be clear to the skilled person that the invention is not hmited to any embodiment herein described and that modifications are possible which should be considered within the scope of the appended claims. Also kinematic inversions are considered inherently disclosed and to be within the scope of the invention. In the claims, any reference signs shah not be construed as hmiting the claim. The term 'comprising' and ‘including’ when used in this description or the appended claims should not be construed in an exclusive or exhaustive sense but rather in an inclusive sense. Thus the expression ‘comprising’ as used herein does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps in addition to those fisted in any claim.

Furthermore, the words ‘a’ and ‘an’ shall not be construed as limited to ‘only one’, but instead are used to mean ‘at least one’, and do not exclude a plurality. Features that are not specifically or explicitly described or claimed may be additionally included in the structure of the invention within its scope. Expressions such as: "means for ...” should be read as: "component configured for ..." or "member constructed to ..." and should be construed to include equivalents for the structures disclosed. The use of expressions like: "critical", "preferred", "especially preferred" etc. is not intended to limit the invention. Additions, deletions, and modifications within the purview of the skilled person may generally be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as is determined by the claims. The invention may be practiced otherwise then as specifically described herein, and is only limited by the appended claims.

Claims

A rail glider for use in a suspension rail for suspending an object or cloth from the rail, the rail glider comprising a holder element for attaching the object or cloth thereto, and a glider head formed so as to be fixed in a movable or fixed manner on the suspension rail, the glider head comprising a first and a second side which in use are parallel to the direction of movement of the rail glider, wherein the glider head comprises a common top part, and each of the first and second side comprises an extending carrier part, the extending carrier parts extend from the glider head to cooperate in use with at least two longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail for supporting the rail glider when it is suspended from the rail, wherein the top part forms a connection between the extending carrier parts and a flexible portion, with the slider head attached to each of the first and second side further comprises a guide flange extending at least partially along the respective first or second side for guiding the rail glider through the suspension rail, wherein the glider head is connected to the holder element via a bridge extending from the first side into the direction of the holder element, wherein the glider head on its second side is free of a connection with the holder element for allowing the flexible part to bend the guide flange from the second side towards the first side for enabling insertion and release of the glider head in and out of the suspension rail; further comprising a second limiting portion extending from the guide flange on the second side of the glider head in the direction transverse to the second side, so as to be parallel to the longitudinal inner surface of the suspension rail in use.

The rail glider of claim 1, further comprising a first limiting portion extending from the guide flange on the first side of the glider head in a direction transverse to the first side, so as to be parallel to the longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail in use.

The rail glider of claim 1, wherein the second limiting portion extends from the second side guide flange to form a handle for operating the rail glider for bending the guide flange.

Rail glider as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the holder element is located in a central part below the top part.

A rail glider as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holder element comprises at least one element from a group comprising: a mounting eye that is parallel, perpendicular or rotatable relative to the direction of movement of the rail glider in use; a clamp or clamp part; a hook, an extending part for hooking, gripping or hanging; a receiving part for receiving a correspondingly shaped gripping part; or a gripping part for receiving a correspondingly shaped receiving part.

A rail glider according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide flanges of the first and second side of the glider head define a bending space between the flanges.

The rail glider according to claim 6, wherein the flex space is located below the flexible portion.

A rail glider according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the guide flanges defines a height (h) between the respective extending carrier parts and the second limiting part, which height corresponds to a thickness of a rail part of the suspension rail comprising the longitudinal inner surface of the rail.

A rail glider according to any one of the preceding claims and at least claim 2, wherein at least one of the guide flanges defines a height (h) between the respective extending carrier parts and the first limiting part, which height corresponds to a thickness of a rail part of the suspension rail comprising the longitudinal inner surface of the rail.

A rail glider as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rail glider including the glider head, the holder element, and the bridge is formed as an integral element.

A rail glider according to any one of the preceding claims, manufactured from a suitable polymer, such as a suitable type or grade of polyoxymethylene (POM), optionally comprising additives.

An assembly comprising a suspension rail for suspending an object or cloth from the rail, and a rail glider according to any one of the preceding claims adapted to cooperate with the suspension rail and comprising a glider head adapted to be attached to the suspension rail in a movable manner for enabling movement of the rail glider in a longitudinal direction of the suspension rail in use.

An assembly according to claim 12, wherein the suspension rail comprises at least two longitudinal inner surfaces that are parallel to each other and define a rail aperture corresponding to the glider head to allow entry of the glider head into the rail via the rail aperture by bending of the guide flange from the second side toward the first side, wherein the longitudinal inner surfaces further allow support for the extending carrier parts of the glider head in an unclected state of the guide flanges when they are suspended from the rail.

Assembly according to claim 13, wherein the rail opening between the longitudinal inner surfaces of the suspension rail has a width of at least one element from a group comprising: 3.3 millimeters; 4.0 millimeters; 5.6 millimeters; 6.0 millimeters; or smaller than 30 millimeters.