WO2015155591A1

WO2015155591A1 - Rail system for wardrobe sliding doors, wardrobe provided with the rail system and method for applying the rail system to a wardrobe

Info

Publication number: WO2015155591A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/000453
Authority: WO
Inventors: Massimo Migliorini
Original assignee: Koblenz S.P.A.
Priority date: 2014-04-10
Filing date: 2015-04-07
Publication date: 2015-10-15
Also published as: RU2016141941A3; RU2016141941A; EP3129571A1

Abstract

In a rail system for wardrobe sliding doors, one or more carriages (3) hold a sliding door (4) of a wardrobe (2) on a rail (1) connected to the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2) with relative positioning means (50) which, by acting on the positioning portions (11) of the rail (1), locate the rail (1) with its bottom face (12) lying on a support plane (21) on which the wardrobe (2) itself is located. The whole weight of the sliding door (4) engaged with the rail (1) is applied, through the rail (1), to the support plane (21), the connecting means (5) and the related relative positioning means (50) remaining substantially unaffected by the weight.

Description

DESCRIPTION

RAIL SYSTEM FOR WARDROBE SLIDING DOORS, WARDROBE PROVIDED WITH THE RAIL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR APPLYING THE RAIL SYSTEM TO A WARDROBE

Technical Field

This invention relates to a rail system for wardrobe sliding doors. This invention also relates to a wardrobe using the rail system. This invention further relates to a method for applying the rail system to a wardrobe.

Background Art

A wardrobe with sliding doors usually comprises a case with a top (or top portion), a vertical back, two sides and a horizontal bottom (or bottom portion). Under the horizontal bottom, extending the bottom portion to the floor (or support plane) on which the wardrobe is located is the resting portion of the wardrobe (which may also be provided with one or more feet, but usually is made in the shape of a box-shaped extension of the horizontal bottom).

In a first type of wardrobe with sliding doors, the doors are engaged slidably, using top support and sliding carriages, to a rail fixed to the top (or top portion) of the furniture unit and stabilised in their lying plane by wheels or stabilising carriages engaged in rails fixed to the floor (or bottom portion) of the wardrobe. In this case, the weight of the door is loaded onto the top rail and, through this, onto the top of the furniture unit. In case of particularly heavy doors and doors having significant dimensions, the top of the furniture unit may bend, thus creating sliding and movement problems for the doors themselves. The structural problems formed on top may also be of certain significance given that the top of the wardrobe is usually made of lightweight materials with reinforcing ribs, while the doors may be made of solid wood and also provided with glass sheets and/or mirrors. In a second type of wardrobes with sliding doors, the doors are engaged slidably, using lower support and sliding carriages, to a rail fixed to the floor (or bottom portion) of the wardrobe, specifically suspended to the bottom plane of the wardrobe, and stabilised in their lying plane by wheels or stabilising carriages engaged in rails fixed to the top (or top portion) of the wardrobe. In this case, the weight of the door is loaded onto the lower rail and, through this, onto the portion of the furniture unit which, in case of particularly heavy doors, may also be deformed (with subsequent problems in moving and sliding the doors). Furthermore, in the long term, the stress may determine the pulling away of the fixing means of the rail from the bottom portion of the wardrobe.

Disclosure of the Invention

The present invention has for an aim to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, by providing a rail system for wardrobe sliding doors which does not have the above-mentioned structural disadvantages and also allows using doors of significant weight and with large dimensions. The present invention also has for an aim to provide a wardrobe using the rail system above. Another aim of the present invention is to provide a method for applying a rail system made in such a fashion, to a wardrobe.

These aims and others, which shall become more readily apparent in the description that follows, are achieved, in accordance with this invention, with a rail system for wardrobe sliding doors, with a wardrobe with said rail system and with a method for applying the rail system to a wardrobe having the structural and functional features described in the independent claims herein, further embodiments being described in the dependent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred, non-limiting embodiment. - Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wardrobe with a rail system according to the invention.

Figures 2a and 2b show a perspective view of two sliding doors, respectively an outer door (Figure 2a) and an inner door (Figure 2b) of the wardrobe of Figure 1.

- Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views, respectively top and bottom, of the rail system according to the invention, shown isolated from the wardrobe.

Figure 5 shows a detail of Figure 3, with some parts cut away, and an exploded view of a foot of the rail system.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the detail shown in Figure 5.

- Figure 7 is a detail of Figure 4 (and Figure 7a shows a further enlarged detail of it).

Figure 8 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 5, with the foot of the rail inserted in the rail itself.

Figure 9 is a cross section of the rail at a foot of it.

- Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of a detail of the rail system according to the invention, with certain possible accessories.

Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view of a detail of the rail system according to the invention, with a cutaway view of an element to better illustrate certain details of it.

- Figure 12 is a cross section of the wardrobe the subject matter of the invention, better illustrating the sliding doors and relative rails, with some parts cut away for greater clarity.

Figure 13 is an enlarged detail of the bottom portion of Figure 12. Embodiments of the invention

With reference to the drawings, a rail system for wardrobe sliding doors comprises a rail 1 to be associated with a bottom portion 20 of a wardrobe 2. The rail 1 has a top face 10 for the engagement of one or more carriages 3 holding at least one sliding door 4 of a wardrobe 2 to be moved along the rail 1. The rail system further comprises connecting means 5 for connecting the rail 1 to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2. The connecting means 5 comprise relative positioning means 50 which can be fixed to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2. The relative positioning means 50 act on positioning portions 1 1 of the rail 1 and locate the rail 1 with its bottom face 12, opposite to the top face 10, lying on a reference plane designed, when the rail 1 itself is associated with the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2, to coincide with a support plane 21 on which the wardrobe 2 itself is located. The whole weight of the sliding door 4 engaged with the rail 1 is applied, through the rail 1, to the support plane 21, the connecting means 5 and the related relative positioning means 50 remaining substantially unaffected by the weight.

Thereby, by loading the weight force of the door directly onto the floor (the support plane 21) using rail 1, other parts of the wardrobe (specifically, the top or the bottom portion) are not stressed, with the subsequent elimination of all the relative movement defects and the risks of structural yielding. The relative positioning means 50 and the positioning portions of the rail 1 act specifically by relative abutment and engagement of special mutually complementary and/or corresponding forms and allow a rapid, accurate and effective positioning of the rail 1 relative to the wardrobe 2. More specifically, the connecting means 5 comprise at least one shaped plate 51 to be stably associated to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2 using related fixing means. As shown in Figure 10, the fixing means may comprise fixing screws 52. The positioning of the shaped plate 51 relative to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2 may be aided by reference pins 53 insertable in reference holes specifically made beforehand on the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2.

The shaped plate 51 in turn comprises a first wing 510 to be fixed to a bottom plane 200 of the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2. The shaped plate 51 further comprises a second wing 511 transverse, preferably perpendicular, to the first wing 510. The second wing 51 1 is removably coupled to a side portion 13 of the rail 1 extending in turn transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the top face 10 of the rail 1. The removable coupling of the second wing 51 1 with the side portion 13 of the rail 1 occurs with the mutual engagement of at least one longitudinal rib 512 of the first wing 510 with a longitudinal extremity 130 of the side portion 13 distal from the top face 10, and of at least one longitudinal rib 513 of the second wing 51 1 with a related longitudinal rib 131 of the side portion 13. Fixing means are provided for coupling the second wing 51 1 to the side portion 13. They may be provided with traditional fixing screws or other equivalent fixing means known to the sector technician. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the fixing occurs using adjusting means. This is described below.

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, conveniently the connecting means 5 comprise a plurality of shaped plates 51 positioned in a predetermined alternating manner along the entire front of the rail system 1 and therefore of the wardrobe 2. The shaped plates 51 conveniently are identical to one another. Unless otherwise specifically stated, all that described below concerning a shaped plate 51 applies to all those possibly present on the rail system according to the invention.

Conveniently, the rail system further comprises adjusting means 6 for adjusting the relative position of the shaped plate 51 and the rail 1.

Specifically and with specific, but not exclusive, reference to figure 11 , the adjusting means 6 comprise, for each shaped plate 51, an adjustment screw 60 which is inserted in a corresponding through hole 132 provided on the side portion 13 of the rail 1. The adjustment screw 60 passes through an elongated hole 514 provided in the second wing 511 of the shaped plate 50 and having its elongated sides oriented parallel to the reference plane. The adjustment screw 60 is engaged by screwing, in a nut 61 placed in abutment with the second wing 51 1 on edges of the elongated hole 514 on the opposite side of the second wing 511 relative to the side portion 13. By tightening the adjustment screw 60, the relative position is blocked of the side portion 13 of the rail 1 (and, therefore, of the latter) and of the shaped plate 50, thus providing, at least partly, true fixing means. When the adjustment screw 60 is loosened, the rail 1 can be moved along the shaped plate 51 using the elongated hole 514. The nut 61 moves together with the screw 60 relative to the elongated hole 514. Conveniently, the nut 61 is inserted in a relative seat made on the second wing 51 1 (specifically made with a sufficient clearance to allow the movement of the nut 61 during the adjustment).

The rail 1 comprises a plurality of feet 14 located on the bottom face 12 aligned along its length. The position of an extremity 140 of each foot 14 facing the reference plane is adjustable along a direction 141 perpendicular to the reference plane itself. Thereby, as described below, once the wardrobe 2 is levelled relative to the physical vertical and after having associated the rail 1 to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2, by means of the reciprocal engagement of the relative positioning means 50 of the connecting means 5 with the positioning portions of the rail 1 and the subsequent relative fixing, it is possible to bring all feet 14 in contact with the support plane 21 so as to compensate for any flatness irregularities of the support plane 21 and/or of the wardrobe 2, thus always allowing the effective loading of the weight of the sliding doors 4 onto the ground by means of the rail 1 alone.

As illustrated in the drawings and, specifically, in Figures 5, 6, 8 and 9, each foot 14 comprises a bushing 142 which is located in a related seat 15 provided on the rail 1. The seat 15 on the rail 1 is accessible through an opening 150 in the bottom face 12. The bushing 142 has a threaded inner surface with its axis perpendicular to the reference plane. Each foot 14 further comprises a threaded pin 143 which is coupled with the threaded inner surface of the bushing 142 and has a bottom end 144 facing the reference plane and designed to come in contact with the support plane 21. Such contact occurs preferably by interposing an interposed element 145 applicable to the bottom end 144 of the threaded pin 143. The interposed element may be a disk or a rubber or plastic material annular element applicable to the threaded pin 143 or pressed in or applicable with a specific fixing means.

An adjustment of the position of the bottom end 144, and hence of the related extremity 140 of the foot 14, is carried out by screwing or unscrewing the threaded pin 143. Conveniently, means of interference which prevent the rotation of the bushing 142 about its axis relative to the rail 1 are provided between the bushing 142 and the seat 15 on the rail 1. In an embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the bushing 142 is provided with interference protuberances 149, which are insertable in relative seats on the rail 1 (for example between the edges of a longitudinal groove of the rail 1, as illustrated specifically in Figures 8 and 9). A top end 146 of the threaded pin 143 is provided with a seat 147 for a tool, which is accessible via a related passage 148 in the top face 10 of the rail 1. Thereby, the adjustment of the position of the foot 14 may be obtained with the rail and door mounted, from above and without problems. The passage 148 may be a hole specifically made in the top face of the rail 1 (for example, at a longitudinal groove of the rail 1, as illustrated in Figure 8). The passage 148 may also coincide with the distance between two edges of a groove of the rail 1, if there is sufficient width for the passage of the tool and if the groove is correctly positioned above the seat 147 for the tool.

A wardrobe 2 according to the invention comprises at least one related sliding door 4 provided with at least two carriages 3 located at its lower end 40. The wardrobe 2 further comprises a rail system according to any one of the embodiments described above. Specifically, the rail 1 is connected to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2 using connecting means 5. The relative positioning means 50 act on the positioning portions 1 1 of the rail 1 as described above, and locate the rail 1 with its bottom face 12, opposite to the top face 10, lying on a support plane 21 on which the wardrobe 2 itself is located.

The carriages 3 are engaged on the top face 10 of the rail 1. The whole weight of the sliding door 4 engaged with the rail 1 is applied, through the rail 1, to the support plane 21. The connecting means 5 and the related relative positioning means 50 remain substantially unaffected by the weight. The accompanying drawings, specifically Figures 1, 2 (a, b), 12 and 13 illustrate the application of the rail system to a wardrobe 2. The wardrobe 2 is shown with two doors, which slide parallel to one another, possibly also partly or totally mutually overlapping during the opening. The invention is obviously not limited to the type of wardrobes or to the number of doors, or to their dimensions. The description is provided solely with the aim of illustrating an application context of the invention. Specifically, in the example illustrated, the pair of support carriages 3 is applied to a bottom portion 40 of each of two sliding doors 4a, 4b which slide while resting their weight on the rail 1 which has two parallel sliding tracks, one for each door. Specifically, the sliding doors 4a and 4b are designed to partly overlap and, therefore, slide while lying on parallel planes, an outer one (door 4a) and an inner one (door 4b). The outer door 4a may have a top covering cornice 43

(shown partly removed from the outer wall 4a in Figure 2a) of the inner door 4b and of any additional structures located on the top of the wardrobe 2. At the top, the doors 4a, 4b may be provided with stabilising carriages 44, which can be coupled with a relative stabilising rail 45, located on a top 26 of the wardrobe 2.

The stabilising carriages 44 are generally different from the carriages 3 engaged on the rail 1 onto which the weight is loaded of the relative sliding door 4, 4a, 4b.

They do not perform any distinctly structural function, an exception being to stabilise the lying plane of the sliding doors, given that the weight is loaded onto the support carriages 3 engaged on the rail 1 and, through the latter, directly onto the support plane 21.

The bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2 may have a resting structure 22 which may be single or provided by feet of the wardrobe 2. A seat for accommodating the rail system according to the invention may be provided by means of this, specifically for accommodating the connecting means 5 and at least part of the rail 1 (specifically, for example, the side portion 13).

A method for applying a rail system according to the invention, to a wardrobe 2 comprises the steps of:

- levelling the wardrobe 2 in order to bring its bottom portion 20 to a horizontal position on the support plane 21 (specifically, perpendicular to the physical vertical in the place in which the wardrobe 2 is located);

- procuring a rail system 1 according to any one of the embodiments described above;

- fixing the relative positioning means 50 to the bottom portion 20 of the wardrobe 2;

- making the positioning portions 11 of the rail 1 interact with the relative positioning means 50 and locating the rail 1 with its bottom face 12 lying on the support plane 21 ;

- procuring at least one sliding door 4 with carriages 3 at its lower end 40 and positioning the at least one sliding door 4 with the carriages 3 engaging the rail 1, while letting the whole weight of the sliding doors 4 engaged with the rail 1 be applied, through the rail 1, to the support plane 21, the connecting means 5 and the related relative positioning means 50 remaining substantially unaffected by the weight.

Conveniently, if the rail system 1 comprises feet 14 with the possibility of adjusting the position of their extremity 140, after having located the rail 1 with its bottom face 12, opposite to the top face 10, lying on the support plane 21, and preferably before the step of positioning the sliding door 4, the position of the extremity 140 of each foot 14 facing the reference plane is separately adjusted along a direction 141 perpendicular to the reference plane itself, to bring the extremity 140 of each foot 14 in contact with the support plane 21 to compensate for flatness irregularities of the support plane 21 itself.

The invention brings important advantages.

First of all, the rail system according to the invention allows avoiding excessive stresses on weak components in the system, specifically components of the wardrobe 2. The fact of loading the weight of the door completely onto a rail resting on the ground also allows very large and/or very heavy doors to be used, without this being a detriment to either the movement of the doors or to the solidity of the structure. Specifically, harmful bending stresses are avoided on the top of the wardrobe and/or on the bottom portion of the wardrobe, and the relative sliding problems of the doors. Furthermore, the risk is minimised that the sides, the top or the bottom portion of the wardrobe, which are usually made of lighter and less resistant material relative to the doors, may be damaged with time. Furthermore, the risk is reduced that the fixing means of the various components in the rail system of the wardrobe may lose their grip with the breaking or damaging of the components of the wardrobe in the area in which they are applied.

The presence of relative positioning means (specifically of shaped brackets) interacting with the positioning portions of the rail on the ground allows a rapid and safe positioning of the rail in the correct position relative to the bottom portion of the wardrobe itself. The possibility of adjusting the relative position between shaped brackets and rail on the ground allows a further degree of freedom and a further facilitation. The possibility of adjusting the position of the extremity of the feet of the rail, specifically their distance from the bottom face of the rail itself, allows, after the levelling of the wardrobe (and, therefore, its actual alignment with a plane perpendicular to the physical vertical in the place of positioning), compensating for any reciprocal flatness problems between wardrobe and support plane of the wardrobe, thus obtaining the certainty of the complete resting of the rail on the ground and of the subsequent, correct loading of the weight of the door onto the ground.

The invention described can be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

Moreover, all details of the invention may be substituted by other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the embodiments of the invention may be made of any material, and in any size, depending on requirements.

Claims

1. A rail system for wardrobe sliding doors, comprising:

- a rail (1) to be associated with a bottom portion (20) of a wardrobe (2), having a top face (10) for the engagement of one or more carriages (3) holding at least one sliding door (4) of the wardrobe (2) to be moved along the rail (1);

- connecting means (5) for connecting the rail (1) to the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2);

characterised in that the connecting means (5) comprise relative positioning means (50) fixable to the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2), which act on positioning portions (11) of the rail (1) and locate the rail (1) with its bottom face (12), opposite to the top face (10), lying on a reference plane designed, when the rail (1) itself is associated with the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2), to coincide with a support plane (21) on which the wardrobe (2) itself is located, the whole weight of the sliding door (4) engaged with the rail (1) being applied, through the rail (1), to the support plane (21), the connecting means (5) and the related relative positioning means (50) remaining substantially unaffected by the weight.

2. The rail system according to claim 1, characterised in that the connecting means (5) comprise at least one shaped plate (51) to be stably associated to the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2) using related fixing means, the shaped plate (51) in turn comprising:

- a first wing (510) to be fixed to a bottom plane (200) of the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2);

- a second wing (51 1) transverse, preferably perpendicular, to the first wing (510), which is removably coupled to a side portion (13) of the rail (1) extending in turn transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the top face (10) of the rail (1), with mutual engagement of at least one longitudinal rib (512) of the first wing (510) with a longitudinal extremity (130) of the side portion (13) distal from the top face (10), and of at least one longitudinal rib (513) of the second wing ( 11) with a related longitudinal rib ( 131 ) of the side portion (13); fixing means being provided for the coupling of the second wing (51 1) to the side portion (13).

3. The rail system according to claim 2, characterised in that it further comprises adjusting means (6) for adjusting the relative position of the shaped plate (51) and the rail ( 1 ).

4. The rail system according to claim 3, characterised in that the adjusting means (6) comprise, for each shaped plate (51), an adjustment screw (60) which is inserted in a corresponding through hole (132) provided in the side portion (13) of the rail (1), passes through an elongated hole (514) provided in the second wing (511) of the shaped plate (50) and having its elongated sides oriented parallel to the reference plane, the adjustment screw (60) being engaged by screwing in a nut (61) placed in abutment with the second wing (511) on edges of the elongated hole (514) on the opposite side of the second wing (51 1) relative to the side portion (13).

5. The rail system according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the rail (1) comprises a plurality of feet (14) located on the bottom face (12) aligned along its length, the position of an extremity (140) of each foot (14) facing the reference plane, being adjustable along a direction (141) perpendicular to the reference plane itself.

6. The rail system according to claim 5, characterised in that each foot (14) comprises:

- a bushing (142) which is located in a related seat (15) provided on the rail (1) and accessible via an opening (150) in the bottom face (12), the bushing (142) having a threaded inner surface with its axis perpendicular to the reference plane;

- a threaded pin (143) which is coupled with the threaded inner surface of the bushing (142) and has a bottom end (144) facing the reference plane and designed to come in contact with the support plane (21), preferably via an interposed element (145) applicable to it;

an adjustment of the position of the bottom end (144), and hence of the related extremity (140) of the foot (14), being carried out by screwing or unscrewing the threaded pin (143).

7. The rail system according to claim 6, characterised in that a top end (146) of the threaded pin (143) is provided with a seat (147) for a tool, which is accessible via a related passage (148) in the top face (10) of the rail (1).

8. A wardrobe (2) of the type comprising at least one related sliding door (4) provided with at least two carriages (3) located at its lower end (40), characterised in that it comprises a rail system according to any of the claims from 1 to 7 and wherein:

- the rail (1) is connected to a bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2) via the connecting means (5), the relative positioning means (50) acting on the positioning portions (1 1) of the rail (1) and locating the rail (1) with its bottom face (12), opposite to the top face (10), lying on a support plane (21) on which the wardrobe (2) itself is located;

- the carriages (3) are engaged on the top face (10) of the rail (1);

the whole weight of the sliding door (4) engaged with the rail (1) being applied, through the rail (1), to the support plane (21), the connecting means (5) and the related relative positioning means (50) remaining substantially unaffected by the weight.

9. A method for applying a rail system to a wardrobe (2) characterised in that it comprises the steps of:

- levelling the wardrobe (2) in order to bring its bottom portion (20) to a horizontal position on the support plane (21);

- procuring a rail system (1) according to any of the claims from 1 to 7;

- fixing the relative positioning means (50) to the bottom portion (20) of the wardrobe (2);

- making the positioning portions (1 1) of the rail (1) interact with the relative positioning means (50) and locating the rail (1) with its bottom face (12) lying on the support plane (21);

- procuring at least one sliding door (4) with carriages (3) at its lower end (40) and positioning the at least one sliding door (4) with the carriages (3) engaging the rail (1), while letting the whole weight of the sliding doors (4) engaged with the rail (1) be applied, through the rail (1), to the support plane (21), the connecting means (5) and the related relative positioning means (50) remaining substantially unaffected by the weight.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterised in that a rail system according to any of the claims from 5 to 7 is used and in that after locating the rail (1) with its bottom face (12), opposite to the top face (10), lying on the support plane (21), and preferably before the step of positioning the sliding door (4), the position of the extremity (140) of each foot (14) facing the reference plane is separately adjusted along a direction (141) perpendicular to the reference plane itself, to bring the extremity (140) of each foot (14) in contact with the support plane (21) to compensate for flatness irregularities of the support plane (21) itself.