US2653359A

US2653359A - Sliding door

Info

Publication number: US2653359A
Application number: US205286A
Authority: US
Inventors: Burrows Arthur Thomas Charles
Original assignee: Geo W King Ltd
Current assignee: Geo W King Ltd
Priority date: 1948-09-29
Filing date: 1951-01-10
Publication date: 1953-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1970-09-29

Description

Sept. 29, 1953 A. T. c. BuRRows 2,653,359

,SLIDING DOOR Filed Jan. 1o, 1951 s sheets-sheet 1 FIGJ,

Sept 29, 1953 A. T. C. BURRoWs 2,653,359

SLIDING DOOR 3"" Mm, 0a@ 4 Sept 29 1953 A. T. c. BURRows 2,653,359

SLIDING DOOR Filed Jan. lo; 1951 5 sheets-sheet 5 4 if: pin/we mm, HIMLE; @menuda I l v Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES l-.13lTl:N-Tv OF FICE 2,653,359 SLIDING DOOR Arthur yllxomas Charles Burrows,` Hitchin, England; assigner to Geo. W. King Limited, Hitchin, England, a British company Application January 10s 1951, Serial No- 20538.6- I .n'Great Britain September 29, 1.224,8

(Cl. 20x-19.).

6 Claims. 1f

This invention relates to sliding doors and has amongits objects to evolve an arrangement whereby such a door, on being moved into its closed position, may be caused positively to press or bearl against resilient sea-ling strips or equivalent sealing means disposed around the door opening and thereby to produce an effective seal.

In accordance with the invention a sliding door whichis adapted to be moved back and forth in a predetermined pathinto and away from its closed position has means associated therewith which are adapted to impart a vertical movement to the door subsequent to its arrival in the closed position and a reverse vertical movement prior to its removal from such position, such vertical movements of saiddoor being utilised to effect operation of pivoted latch or hook members which are disposed at two opposed lateral edges of the door and are adapted to cooperate with fixed brackets located ateither side of the door openlng in such a manner that, dependent upon the direction of vertical movement of the door, the latch or hooi; members will corolleiate with the brackets. to move said door eitherbodily inwardly against. or outwardly from sealing means disposed around the door opening.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried intoY eiect the Same will be hereinafter more. fully described with reference to. the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a sliding door and operating mechanism thereiol aCCOlding to the. invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are end elevational views of the. arrangement shown Figure l, Figure. 2 showing, the upper part of the door and its as sociated lrnechanislll. and Figure 3 showing the lower part;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the door the upper part incorporating the operating mechanism having` been removed.

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of the upper part of the door and its associated mechanism and illustrates clearly the relative position of the parts immediately prior to sealing of the door; and

Figure 6 shows a detail of construction on a larger scale.

Referring to the drawings I0 denotes a door which may comprise any suitable rigid panel-like structure and is capable of being moved along a predetermined path from an open to a closed position and vice versa. In the embodiment illustrated the door I0 is suspended from two trolleys II which are adapted to run on a fixed overhead track l2 dSPOSed above the door opening. One

24. or both of the trolleys Il may conveniently be power operatedr in order that the door may be driven into or out of its closed position as desired. Associated with the door Ill is a lifting unit comprising an electric motorv I.3 which is coupled, through the medium of a fluid coupling and suitable gearing, to a threaded rod I4 rotatably journalled within the door structure in such a manner that its longitudinal axis is vertical or substantially so. Mounted on the threaded, rod IA is a correspondingly threaded member I5 in the form of a nut or equivalent device which is normally restrained against rotation and is further adapted, on rotation of said rod I4, to be moved vertically upwardly or downwardly relatively to the latter. Attached to the threaded member I5, which may be constrained to move.. in suitable guides, is a pair of ropes or cables I6, each of which is adapted to pass from said member around a suitable sheave or pulley Il freely mounted at the upper part of the door and thence around a sheave l81 carried by the appropriate trolley I I., the ends of the two ropesbeing coupled together through the` medium of a turn buckle IB` which allows for adjustment of said ropes. The sheaves or pulleys. Ll. are spaced oqudistaotlr from the vertical. @entre lino of the door ai opposito. sides or the latter the arrangement being such that when the threaded member I5 is moved upwardly due to. rotation oi the threaded. rod I4 in. the appropriate direction the door l0 will he lifted relatively to the fixed track While, when said member I5 is moved downwardly, a corresponding downward movement of the door Il! will result. The arrangement is such that when, for example, the doorr is to be moved from the closed to the open position the motor I3 will be operated initially to iTect liftingr of said door through a predetermined distance whereafter it will' be switched off automatically in any convenient manner and the power operated trolley or trolleys II will be set in operation to drive the door I0 along the track I2 into its open position; On closing the door Ill a drive is imparted to the power operated trolley or trolleys I I to move the door into, the door opening. Whoo the door l0. .reaches the closed, position" the arrangement is .such that the'drivo to the trolleys "Il will be automatically discontinued while the motor I3 will be operated'automatically yto drive the threaded rod I4, in suoli a direction as to result iu lowering oi the, door- It is only intended that the door shall be raised or lowered prior tofeach opening or closing movement by a'cornparatively small amount, .for example, in the region .of two inches or thereabouts.

When the door is at rest the tension on both of the suspension ropes i6 will be equalised and the correct setting of the door may be obtained by adjusting the length of said ropes through the medium of the turn buckle I9. When the length of the ropes has been so adjusted, lock nuts 25 on either side of the turn buckle may be set to co-operate with cleats 2| mounted on the tie bars 22 thereby to maintain such adjustment. This arrangement, besides allowing for adjustment-of the door, will also prevent rocking thereof during traverse movement.

The raising or lowering movement of the door lll above described is utilised to eiect or control the sealing of the latter when in its closed position as will now be more fully described. Disposed adjacent and parallel to each lateral edge of the door is a bar or rod 23 which is formed with a plurality of latch or hook elements 24 at spaced points therealong. Each bar 23 is connected to the appropriate lateral edge of the door through the medium of two or more pivoted links 25 so that it will be capable of parallel movement relatively to the door edge. In the embodiment illustrated, as will be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the bars 23 at the opposite sides or edges of the door are slightly offset with respect to each other, that shown in dotted lines at the trailing edge being so arranged that the latch or hook elements 2d thereon will project a greater distance beyond the rear face of the door than the latch or hook elements 24 carried by the bar 23 at the leading edge. Preferably, the bar or rod 23 at each side of the door is provided with a roller 2E at its lower end which is adapted to engage in a groove or channel running across the lower part of the door opening the arrangement being such that while the bars or rods 23 will travel with the door when the latter is driven along the track they will not be subjected to any ver'- tical lifting movement corresponding to that imparted to the doors. Suitably disposed at either side of the door opening are brackets or the like 21 with each of which one of the latch or hook elements 24 associated with the bars 23 is adapted to engage as the door is moved into its closed position, the arrangement being such that as the door is moved into its closed position by means of the drive imparted to the trolleys Il the latch or hook elements 24 at each edge thereof will be brought into engagement with the appropriate brackets 2l' which are iixedly mounted and on subsequent downward movement of the door and consequent relative movement of said bars said door will be forced bodily inwardly against resilient sealing strips 28 disposed around thedoor opening. It will be appreciated that as the bars or rods 23 are maintained in one vertical plane and are not subjected to any raising or lowering movement corresponding to that imparted to the door a toggle like action will be provided by said bars Ior rods and the latch or hook elements 24 which, owing to the engagement of said latch or hook elements with the fixed brackets 21, will cause the door to be moved bodily inwardly or outwardly with respect to the plane of the door opening. On lifting the door prior to opening movement thereof the latch or hook elements 24 will be effective to force the door away from the sealing devices whereaiter it may be driven into the open position on operation of the trolleys Il.

I claim:

l. A sliding door assembly comprising a door movable horizontally back and forth along a predetermined path into and out of a closed position in front of and registering with a door opening, means connected to said door and operative to eiect a downward vertical movement of Said door subsequent to the arrival of the latter at said closed position and an upward vertical movement of said door prior to the removal of the latter from said closed position, a bar element disposed adjacent each of the vertical leading and trailing edges of said door and extending parallel to said edges, at least two link elements pivotally connected to each of said `bar elements and the adjacent vertical edge of said door and swingable 'about axes parallel to the plane of said door so that vertical movement of said door relative to said bar elements is accompanied by relative movement of said door and bar elements in the direction normal to said plane of the door, latch elements projecting rearwardly from said bar elements, sealing means facing forwardly around the door opening, and keeper brackets xedly disposed at each side of the door opening, said keeper brackets opening to one side to receive said latch elements therein when said door is moved to its closed position and prevent downward movement of said b'ar elements relative to said keeper brackets so that, when said door is moved vertically downward after arrival at said closed position, said door is displaced rearwardly into engagement with said sealing means around the door opening.

2. A sliding door assembly according to claim 1; further comprising a track member extending along the lower edge of the door opening, and a roller on the lower end of each of said bar elements engaging said track member to prevent movement of said bar elements in the direction normal to the plane of said door and to guide said latch elements into said keeper brackets.

3. A sliding door assembly comprising a xed track'extending horizontally across the top of a door opening, trolley means running on said fixed track, a door for closing the door opening, means suspending said door from said trolley means so that the door is movable horizontally along a predetermined path into and out of a closed position in front of and registering with the door opening, said suspending means being operative to impart a vertical downward movement to said door subsequent to the arrival of the latter at said closed position and to impart a vertical upward movement to said door prior to the removal of the latter from its closed position, a bar element disposed adjacent and parallel to each of the leading and trailing vertical edges of said door, at least two link elements pivotally connected to each of said bar elements and the adjacent vertical edge of said door and swingable about axes parallel to the plane of said door so that vertical movement of said door relative to said bar elements is accompanied by relative movement of said door and bar elements in the direction normal to said plane of the door, latch elements projecting rearwardly from said bar elements, sealing means facing forwardly around the door opening, and keeper brackets xedly disposed at each side of the door opening, said keeper brackets opening to one side to receive said latch elements therein when said door is moved to its closed position and prevent downward movement of said bar elements relative to said keeper brackets so that, when said door is moved vertically downward after arrival at said closed position, said door is displaced rearwardly into 5 engagement with said sealing means around the door opening.

4. A sliding door assembly according to claim 3; wherein said suspending means includes a member mounted on said door and movable vertically relative to the latter, means for effecting vertical movement of said member pulleys on said door at the opposite sides of said vertically movable member, cables extending around said pulleys and secured at one end to said vertically movable member, and means anchoring the other ends of said cables to said trolley means so that vertical movement of said member eilects said vertical movements of said door.

5. A sliding door assembly according to claim 4; wherein said means for effecting vertical movement of said member includes a vertical threaded shaft rotatably mounted on said door for rotation about its longitudinal axis and means for effecting rotation of said shaft in either direction, and said vertically movable member is threaded on said shaft. and including means pre- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 281,170 Zimmerman July 10, 1883 291,411 Shallus Jan. 1, 1884 381,037 Stiles Apr. 10, 1888 1,274,439 Ogden et al. Aug. 6, 1918 1,356,257 Brodhage Oct. 19, 1920 1,382,933 Rush June 28, 1921 1,965,223 Eklind July 3, 1934 2,247,885 Lomax July 1, 1941