WO2018004449A1

WO2018004449A1 - Bracket, bracket assembly and rail system for use with sliding doors and cabinet

Info

Publication number: WO2018004449A1
Application number: PCT/SE2017/050737
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomas Eskilsson
Original assignee: Ikea Supply Ag
Priority date: 2016-06-30
Filing date: 2017-06-30
Publication date: 2018-01-04
Also published as: CN109477352B; EP3478912A4; EP3478912A1; CN109477352A

Abstract

A bracket (100, 150) for mounting a sliding door guide rail (200, 250) in front of a cabinet (300) is disclosed. The bracket (100, 150) comprises a mounting plate (104, 154) configured for reversibly securing the bracket (100, 150) to the cabinet (300); and a load plate (112, 162) being configured for interlocking the guide rail (200, 250) onto the bracket (100, 150); wherein the load plate (104, 154) is further configured to transfer load from an associated sliding door via the guide rail (200, 250) to a front side (302) of the cabinet (300).A rail system (400, 450) comprising at least one bracket (100, 150) and a cabinet (300) comprising the rail system (400, 450) are also disclosed.

Description

BRACKET AND RAIL SYSTEM FOR USE WITH SLIDING DOORS

Field of the Invention

This invention pertains in general to the field of sliding doors. More particularly, the invention pertains to a bracket for mounting a sliding door guide rail in front of a cabinet, a rail system for use with sliding doors, and a cabinet comprising the rail system.

Background of the Invention

Sliding doors are commonly mounted on storage systems such as cabinets and wardrobes using supporting guide rails that may be screwed into the front area of a cabinet thereby intruding on the cabinet's interior space and reducing the available storage space. Alternatively, guide rails that are secured in the area above or to the side of the cabinet occupy space that could otherwise be used for additional storage and may result in the doors extending above, below, and / or to the sides of the cabinet. This is not only aesthetically displeasing but also creates an obstruction to adjacent objects.

US 8,407,941 B2 discloses a driving device for driving two door panels to synchronously move.

WO 2009/076785 Al discloses a device for pulling a sliding door into the end position and damping the door. The door is supported by travelling gears and guided in a profile rail.

It would be desirable to provide improved guide rail systems for mounting sliding doors on with cabinets and wardrobes that address the drawbacks and limitations of the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and solves at least the above mentioned problems by providing in a first aspect a bracket for mounting a sliding door guide rail in front of a cabinet. The bracket comprises a mounting plate configured for reversibly securing the bracket to the cabinet, and a load plate being configured for reversibly interlocking the guide rail onto the bracket. The load plate is further configured to transfer load from an associated sliding door via the guide rail to a front side of the cabinet. Further advantageous embodiments are disclosed below and in the appended patent claims.

According to a first aspect, a bracket for mounting a sliding door guide rail in front of a cabinet is provided. The bracket comprises a mounting plate configured for reversibly securing the bracket to the cabinet; and a load plate being configured for interlocking the guide rail onto the bracket. The load plate is further configured to transfer load from an associated sliding door via the guide rail to a front side of the cabinet.

The mounting plate may be positioned perpendicularly to the load plate such that they together form an L-shape.

In an embodiment, the load plate is provided with a load transfer surface being arranged such that it rests against the front side of the cabinet.

The load plate may have a first portion connected to the mounting plate and a second portion adjacent to the first portion configured for connecting to the guide rail. In such embodiment the second portion comprises a rail engaging lip and a rail engaging ridge configured for reversibly interlocking the guide rail onto the bracket; and a rail support member configured for contacting with the guide rail once interlocked onto the bracket.

The rail engaging lip may be adapted to snap-fit with a corresponding lip on the guide rail.

The rail engaging ridge may be adapted to abut a corresponding ridge of the guide rail.

The rail support member may be adapted to contact with a support projection on the guide rail.

The bracket may further comprise a flange connected to the mounting plate, the flange being perpendicular to the mounting plate and the load plate.

In an embodiment, the bracket further comprises at least one hole on the mounting plate for receiving a screw therethrough.

The bracket may further comprise a load plate flange on the first portion of the load plate.

Preferably, the bracket is molded in one-piece from metal. The load plate may be configured for reversibly interlocking the guide rail onto the bracket.

According to a second aspect, a rail system is provided. The rail system comprises at least one bracket according to the first aspect; and at least one guide rail configured for reversibly connecting to the at least one bracket, wherein the guide rail comprises a stop member at an end of the guide rail for preventing a sliding door from demounting from the guide rail.

The stop member may comprise at least one door engaging member, preferably a crocodile connection.

The rail system may further comprise a force transfer member connecting the door engaging member to the guide rail.

The at least one guide rail may comprise at least one track for receiving a bearing that is connected to a sliding door.

According to a third aspect, a cabinet is provided. The cabinet comprises the rail system of the second aspect.

The cabinet may further comprise a plurality of pre-drilled holes in a wall and / or a ceiling of the cabinet.

The bracket is preferably mounted only to the pre-drilled holes. The guide rails may only occupy space immediately in front of the cabinet.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other aspects, features and advantages of which the invention is capable will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figs. 1 A and IB are perspective views of a bracket for mounting a sliding door guide rail according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a bracket for mounting a sliding door guide rail according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an exploded and perspective view of a rail system with the bracket of figures 1 A and IB according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the assembled rail system in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a side perspective view of a rail system with the bracket of figures 2A and 2B according to another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a cabinet with the rail systems of Figs. 3-5 mounted to the top and bottom of the cabinet according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a cabinet having an embodiment of a rail system mounted to the top and bottom of the cabinet, wherein the top of the cabinet is enlarged; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the cabinet shown in Fig. 7, wherein the bottom of the cabinet is enlarged. Description of embodiments

The following description focuses on embodiments of the present invention applicable to sliding doors for use with a cabinet or wardrobe. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these embodiments or application and may be used for example, with sliding doors dividing two rooms.

The following table lists particular features of the bracket, rail system, and their respective reference numeral as described in the text below and in the figures.

Feature Reference numeral

Pre-drilled holes 304

Rail system 400, 450

Figs. 1 A and IB illustrate a bracket 100 for mounting a sliding door guide rail in front of a cabinet. The bracket 100 is suitable for mounting at the top of the cabinet as will be described with respect to figure 6. The bracket 100 comprises a mounting plate 104 with one or more hole(s) 132 through which a screw(s) 140 passes to secure the bracket 100 to the interior side wall of a cabinet 300 as shown in figure 3. Although not shown (see Figs. 7-8 for further details), the mounting plate 104 may also be secured to the surface of a centrally located vertical beam within the cabinet or the interior surface of the ceiling of the cabinet. The holes in the wall or ceiling of the cabinet are preferably pre-drilled holes 304 that may, for instance, allow shelves to be placed at different heights in the cabinet. In this way no new holes are required to be drilled into the cabinet for securing the mounting plate 104 to the cabinet 300. Moreover, if the rail systems 400, 450 shown in figure 6 are disassembled from the cabinet 300 no additional holes will be left behind. The mounting plate 104 absorbs the majority of the forces generated through use of the sliding doors (not shown) such that the screw(s) 140 absorbs little or no forces. The bracket 100 also comprises a flange 108 and a load plate 112 positioned perpendicularly to the mounting plate 104. The flange 108 and the load plate 112 are also perpendicular to each other. The flange 108 provides additional strength to the bracket 100.

The load plate 112 facilitates attachment of the guide rail 200 to the bracket

100 as shown in figures 3 and 4. However, the load plate 112 is also configured to transfer load from the associated sliding door via the guide rail to a front side of the cabinet. For this, the load plate 112 is provided with a load transfer surface 114. The load transfer surface 114 is facing the cabinet and is dimensioned such that it will be kept in close contact with the front side of the cabinet. This means that the load transfer surface 114 will abut the front face 302 of the sidewall or the front face of a central beam of the cabinet 300, as can be seen in Figs. 6-8 (although in Fig. 6 the central beam, extending in the vertical direction, is hidden by the sliding door).

The load plate 112 has a first portion in contact with the mounting plate 104 and the flange 108. A part of this first portion thus forms the load transfer surface 114. This first portion also has a load plate flange 116 for improving the connection between the load plate 112 and the front face 302 of the cabinet 300. The load plate 112 also has a second portion above the first portion for connecting to and supporting the guide rail 200. This second portion of the load plate 112 comprises a load plate extension 118 with a rail engaging lip 120. A rail engaging ridge 124 is also present on the second portion of the load plate 112 in a position furthest from the mounting plate 104. As is best seen in figure 4, the lip 120 and the ridge 124 engage corresponding lip- and ridge-members on the guide rail 200 in order that the guide rail 200 snaps on or clicks to the bracket 100. More specifically, the lip 120 reversibly snap-fits with a corresponding lip on the rail 200 while a corresponding ridge on the rail 200 is received within a recess formed between the ridge 124 and the cabinet 300. Once received, the ridge 124 abuts the corresponding ridge of the rail 200. The second portion of the load plate 112 also has a rail support member 128 in contact with a support projection of the guide rail 200 for ensuring the guide rail 200 is installed at the correct angle relative to the cabinet 300. The load plate 112 has sufficient size and surface area to prevent gradual eating of the bracket 100 into the cabinet 300. The bracket 100 is preferably moulded in one-piece from any suitable metal such as stainless steel. The mounting plate 104, flange 108, and load plate 112 are between about 1 mm and 5 mm thick depending on the sizes of the guide rail 200 and the sliding doors to be installed.

Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate an alternative bracket 150 for mounting a sliding door guide rail in front of a cabinet. The bracket 150 is suitable for mounting at the bottom of the cabinet as will become evident in figure 6. Again, the bracket 150 comprises a mounting plate 154 with a hole(s) 182 through which a screw(s) passes to secure the bracket 150 to the interior side wall of a cabinet 300 as shown in figure 6. Like the bracket 100 above, the mounting plate 154 of bracket 150 may also be secured to other surfaces of the cabinet in pre-drilled holes 304. The mounting plate 154 absorbs the majority of the forces generated through use of the sliding doors (not shown) such that the screw(s) absorbs little or no forces. The bracket 150 also comprises a flange 158 and a load plate 162 positioned perpendicularly to the mounting plate 104. The flange 158 and the load plate 162 are also perpendicular to each other.

The flange 158 strengthens the bracket 150. Especially, when the bracket 150 is arranged at the bottom section of the cabinet the mounting plate 154 will be in close contact with a front portion of the inner wall of the cabinet, and the flange 158 may be arranged in close contact with a front portion of the bottom of the cabinet. As the mounting plate 104 will be in close contact with a front portion of the inner wall of the cabinet, the flange 108 will be arranged in close contact with a front portion of the floor of the cabinet. The flange 258 will thus assist in supporting the rail and absorbs forces produced during operation of the sliding doors, also during slamming as the rail will in such situation will tend to rotate downwards.

The load plate 162 facilitates attachment of the guide rail 250 to the bracket 100 as shown in figure 5. However, the load plate 162 is also configured to transfer load from the associated sliding door via the guide rail to a front side of the cabinet. For this, the load plate 162 is provided with a load transfer surface 164 in the same manner as described with reference to the bracket 100. The load transfer surface 164 is thus facing the cabinet and is dimensioned such that it will be kept in close contact with the front side of the cabinet. This means that the load transfer surface 164 will abut the front face 302 of the sidewall of the cabinet 300, as also can be seen in Fig. 6.

The load plate 162 again has a first portion in contact with the mounting plate 154 and the flange 158. The load plate 162 also has a second portion below the first portion for connecting to and supporting the guide rail 250. This second portion of the load plate 162 comprises a rail engaging lip 170 in a position furthest from the mounting plate 154. A rail engaging ridge 174 is also present on the second portion of the load plate 162. A load plate groove 166 is formed between the load plate 162 and the rail engaging ridge 174. As is best seen in figure 5, the lip 170 and the ridge 174 engage corresponding lip- and ridge-members on the guide rail 250 in order that the guide rail 250 snaps on or clicks to the bracket 150. More specifically, the lip 170 reversibly snap- fits with a corresponding lip on the rail 250 while a corresponding ridge on the rail 250 is received within groove 166. The second portion of the load plate 172 also has a rail support member 178 in contact with a support projection of the guide rail 250 for ensuring the guide rail 250 is installed at the correct angle relative to the cabinet 300. The load plate 162 has sufficient size and surface area to prevent gradual eating of the bracket 150 into the cabinet 300. A load plate recess 186 in the load plate 162 results in less material being required to form the bracket 150 and reduces the weight of the bracket 150. The bracket 150 is preferably moulded in one-piece from any suitable metal such as stainless steel. The mounting plate 154, flange 158, and load plate 162 are between about 1 mm and 5 mm thick depending on the sizes of the guide rail 250 and the sliding doors to be installed.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a rail system 400 mounted to pre-drilled holes 304 in an upper corner of a cabinet 300 although new holes may be drilled into the cabinet for mounting purposes if necessary or desired. The rail system 400 comprises a bracket 100 and a guide rail 200. The bracket 100 is attached to cabinet 300 by way of a screw(s) 140 passing through hole(s) 132 into pre-drilled hole(s) 304. The guide rail 200 is then snapped or clicked onto the bracket 100 as described above with respect to the lip 120 and the ridge 124 engaging corresponding lip- and ridge-members on the guide rail 200. The guide rail 200 has two tracks 216, each track 216 configured for receiving a bearing 220 that is in turn connected to a sliding door (not shown). Any appropriate bearings or wheels and sliding doors known to the person skilled in the art may be used in conjunction with the rail system 400. The guide rail 200 may be made from metal such as aluminium or steel.

The guide rail 200 also comprises a stop member 204 at the end of the guide rail 200 for preventing the sliding door from running off the rail 200. The stop member 204 may be formed integrally with the guide rail 200 as a metal plate perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail 200. Alternatively, the stop member 204 is formed separately from plastic or metal then attached to the end of the guide rail 200.

A force transfer member, e.g. in the form of a shaft 208, and two door engaging members 212 can be seen in figure 4 although it is not necessary that the rail system 400 comprises such a shaft and door engaging member(s). The door engaging members 212 project perpendicularly away from the stop member 204 in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 200. Examples of a door engaging member 212 are a crocodile connection or crocodile clip. Hence, for the upper rail 200 the door engaging member 212 is preferably a projection engager, i.e. such as a crocodile connection, capable of engaging with a projection of the associated sliding door. If present, the force transfer member 208 connects the door engaging member(s) 212 with the guide rail 200. This allows the force generated from impact of the door with the door engaging member(s) 212 to be efficiently transferred from member(s) 212 through the shaft 208 to the guide rail 200. The force may then be transferred along the longitudinal axis of the guide rail 200 and / or to the bracket 100 and the cabinet 300.

Alternative rail system 450 is mounted to pre-drilled holes 304 in the lower corner of the cabinet 300 as shown in figures 5 and 6. The rail system 450 comprises a bracket 150 and a guide rail 250. The bracket 150 is attached to cabinet 300 via a screw or screws before the guide rail 250 is snapped or clicked onto the bracket 150 as described above with respect to the groove 166, lip 170 and ridge 174 engaging corresponding lip- and ridge-members on the guide rail 250. The guide rail 250 also comprises a stop member (omitted from figure 5) at the end of the guide rail 250 for preventing the sliding door from running off the rail 250.

A force transfer member, e.g. in the form of a shaft 258 is also shown in figure 5. However, it is not necessary for the shaft 258 to be present. It is also possible to include door engaging members 262 in the rail system 450 if desired. The force transfer member 258 and door engaging members 262, if included, operate in a similar manner to shaft 208 and door engaging members 212 in rail system 400 as described above. However, for the lower rail 250 the door engaging members 262 may not be projection engagers, but instead a door bracket engager such that the door bracket engager 262 transfers force from the associated sliding door to the rail 250 withouht securing the sliding door bracket at its end position.

The rail systems 400 and 450 provide for a fast and efficient modular-based installation of a durable sliding door assembly wherein the guide rails 200, 250 and the sliding doors only occupy space immediately in front of the cabinet 300. The guide rails 200, 250 and the sliding doors do not intrude on the cabinet's interior space or the space above, below, and to the side of the cabinet 300. Further, the brackets 100, 150 intrude minimally on both the cabinet's interior space and the space immediately exterior of the cabinet 300.

Figure 6 illustrates a cabinet 300 comprising rail system 400 mounted at the upper end of the cabinet 300 and a rail system 450 mounted at the lower end of the cabinet 300. Of course, it is not necessary for the cabinet 300 to be mounted with rail systems at both upper and lower ends. The cabinet 300 may be mounted with only one rail system 400 or 450 if desired.

Now turning to Figs. 7 and 8 a sliding door system that is mountable at the top

(Fig. 7) and/or bottom (Fig. 8) of the cabinet 300 is shown. The sliding door system mounted at the top of the cabinet generally comprises a sliding door, a guide rail 200, and brackets 100. As explained earlier also a stop member 204, two projection engagers 212, and a force transfer member 208 in the form of a shaft may be provided. Similarly, the sliding door system mounted at the bottom of the cabinet 300 comprises a sliding door 404, a guide rail 250, and brackets 150. Also in this case a stop member 254, two door bracket engagers 262, and a force transfer member 258 in the form of a shaft may be included in the sliding door system.

A first bracket 100, 150 is mounted to the interior of a side wall 302 of the cabinet 300 as shown in Fig. 6 while the second bracket 100b, 150b is mounted to a centre beam 308 in a position opposing the first bracket 100, 150. A third bracket 100c, 150c is mounted on a side of the centre beam 308 that faces away from the first bracket 100, 150. The brackets 100, 150 allow for reversible securing of the guide rails 200, 250 in front of the cabinet 300. The centre beam 308 also divides the interior cabinet space into two or more compartments. The upper two adjacent brackets 100b, 100c form an upper bracket assembly, while the bottom two adjacent brackets 150b, 150c together form a bottom bracket assembly. The brackets of a common bracket assembly may be provided as two separate brackets, or, as illustrated in Figs. 7-8, they may be formed as one piece. In particular, the load plate 112 of the respective brackets lOOb-c may be formed in one piece, such that the two brackets lOOb-c share the same load plate. The same applies for the bottom bracket assembly comprising the adjacent brackets 150b-c. These may be provided as two separate brackets, or, as illustrated in Figs. 7-8, they may be formed as one piece. In particular, the load plate 162 of the respective brackets 150b-c may be formed in one piece, such that the two brackets 150b-c share the same load plate.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by the accompanying claims.

In the claims, the term "comprises/comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms "a", "an", "first", "second" etc do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims

1. A bracket (100, 150) for mounting a sliding door guide rail (200, 250) in front of a cabinet (300), the bracket (100, 150) comprising:

a mounting plate (104, 154) configured for reversibly securing the bracket

(100, 150) to the cabinet (300); and

a load plate (112, 162) being configured for interlocking the guide rail (200, 250) onto the bracket (100, 150); wherein

the load plate (104, 154) is further configured to transfer load from an associated sliding door via the guide rail (200, 250) to a front side (302) of the cabinet (300).

2. The bracket (100, 150) according to claim 1, wherein the mounting plate (104, 154) is positioned perpendicularly to the load plate (112, 162) such that they together form an L-shape.

3. The bracket (100, 150) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the load plate (112, 162) is provided with a load transfer surface (114, 164) being arranged such that it rests against the front side (302) of the cabinet (300).

4. The bracket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the load plate (112, 162) has a first portion connected to the mounting plate (104, 154) and a second portion adjacent to the first portion configured for connecting to the guide rail (200, 250);

the second portion comprising:

a rail engaging lip (120, 170) and a rail engaging ridge (124, 174) configured for reversibly interlocking the guide rail (200, 250) onto the bracket (100, 150); and

a rail support member (128, 178) configured for contacting with the guide rail (200, 250) once interlocked onto the bracket (100, 150).

5. The bracket (100, 150) according to claim 4, wherein the rail engaging lip (120, 170) is adapted to snap-fit with a corresponding lip on the guide rail (200, 250).

6. The bracket (100, 150) according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the rail engaging ridge (124, 174) is adapted to abut a corresponding ridge of the guide rail (200, 250).

7. The bracket (100, 150) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the rail support member (128, 178) is adapted to contact with a support projection on the guide rail (200, 250).

8. The bracket (100, 150) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a flange (108, 158) connected to the mounting plate (104, 154), the flange being perpendicular to the mounting plate (104, 154) and the load plate (112, 162).

9. The bracket (100, 150) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising at least one hole (132, 182) on the mounting plate (104, 154) for receiving a screw (140) therethrough.

10. The bracket (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a load plate flange (116) on the first portion of the load plate (112).

11. The bracket (100, 150) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the bracket is molded in one-piece from metal.

12. The bracket (100, 150) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the load plate (112, 162) is configured for reversibly interlocking the guide rail (200, 250) onto the bracket (100, 150).

13. A bracket assembly, comprising two brackets (lOOb-c, 150b-c) according to any one of claims 1-11 arranged on opposite sides of a centre beam (308) of a cabinet (300).

14. The bracket assembly according to claim 13, wherein the brackets (lOOb-c, 150b-c) share a common mounting plate (112, 162).

15. The bracket assembly according to claim 14, wherein the brackets (lOOb-c, 150b-c) are formed as one piece.

16. A rail system (400, 450) comprising:

at least one bracket (100, 150) according to any one of claims 1 to 12; and at least one guide rail (200, 250) configured for reversibly connecting to the at least one bracket (100, 150);

wherein the guide rail (200, 250) comprises a stop member (204) at an end of the guide rail (200, 250) for preventing a sliding door from demounting from the guide rail (200, 250).

17. The rail system (400, 450) according to claim 16, wherein the stop member (204) comprises at least one door engaging member (212, 262), preferably a crocodile connection.

18. The rail system (400, 450) according to claim 17, further comprising a force transfer member (208, 258) connecting the door engaging member (212, 262) to the guide rail (200, 250).

19. The rail system (400, 450) according to any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the at least one guide rail (200, 250) comprises at least one track (216) for receiving a bearing 220 that is connected to a sliding door.

20. A cabinet (300) comprising the rail system (400, 450) of any one of claims 16 to 19.

21. The cabinet (300) according to claim 20, further comprising a plurality of pre-drilled holes (304) in a wall and / or a ceiling of the cabinet (300).

22. The cabinet (300) according to claim 20, wherein the bracket (100, 150) is mounted only to the pre-drilled holes (304).

23. The cabinet (300) according to any one of claim 20 to 22, wherein the guide rails (200, 250) only occupy space immediately in front of the cabinet (300).