U.S. patent application number 09/858666 was filed with the patent office on 2001-09-13 for overhead doors.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sugatsune Industrial Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kawanabe, Masatoshi.
Application Number | 20010020811 09/858666 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 16782184 |
Filed Date | 2001-09-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010020811 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kawanabe, Masatoshi |
September 13, 2001 |
Overhead doors
Abstract
An overhead door is provided with a pair of stays and respective
stay holding tension springs arranged such that, when the door is
closed, they are expanded only less than twice of their length they
have when the door is opened so that they are not subjected to
excessive loads and hence can have a prolong service life. Each of
the stays is rotatably fitted to the inner surface of a
corresponding lateral wall of a cabinet main body by way of a
rotary shaft and have its front end pivotably secured to the door
at a position close to the lower edge of the door. A pair of slide
rail assemblies, each comprising an outer rail and an inner rail
9b, are arranged such that the outer rails are fitted
longitudinally in parallel with each other on the inner surface of
the door and the upper end of each of the inner rails is pivotably
secured to the front edge of the roof board of the cabinet main
body. Each of the stay holding tension springs are soarranged that
each of them is hooked at an end to a position located upward and
forward relative to the corresponding rotary shaft on the inner
surface of the related lateral wall of the cabinet main body and at
the opposite end to a middle point of the corresponding stay. Thus,
the outer rails and the door are urged upward relative to the inner
rails by the stay holding tension springs so that the door may be
opened lightly and the torque applied to the door when the door is
closed is alleviated by the stay holding tension springs.
Inventors: |
Kawanabe, Masatoshi; (Tokyo,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JACOBSON HOLMAN PLLC
400 SEVENTH STREET N.W.
SUITE 600
WASHINGTON
DC
20004
US
|
Assignee: |
Sugatsune Industrial Co.,
Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
16782184 |
Appl. No.: |
09/858666 |
Filed: |
May 17, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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09858666 |
May 17, 2001 |
|
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08518509 |
Aug 23, 1995 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
312/319.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05Y 2201/266 20130101;
E05D 15/408 20130101; E05Y 2201/488 20130101; E05Y 2201/21
20130101; E06B 3/5045 20130101; E05Y 2900/20 20130101; E05F 1/1075
20130101; E05F 1/1008 20130101; E05D 15/401 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/319.2 |
International
Class: |
A47B 088/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 24, 1994 |
JP |
6-222424 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral wall
surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of stays such
that the base end of each of the stays is rotatably secured to the
inner surface of the corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and
the front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door
at a position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in
that it is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of stewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each arranged between a
position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of the
corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral wall
of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to urge
the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails.
2. An overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral wall
surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of stays such
that the base end of each of the stays is rotatably secured to the
inner surface of the corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and
the front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door
at a position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in
that it is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each arranged between a
position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of the
corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral wall
of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to urge
the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner rails and
that it is additionally provided with a pair of longitudinal
grooves for accommodating respective door holding tension springs,
each arranged between the upper end of the corresponding hinge and
the lower end of the corresponding groove, in order to decelerate
any downward movement and accelerate any upward movement of the
outer rails and the door relative to the inner rails.
3. An overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral wall
surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of dampers and
a pair of stays such that the rotary shaft of each of the dampers
is rigidly secured to the inner surface of the corresponding
lateral wall of the cabinet and the base end of the corresponding
stay is rigidly fitted to the main body of the damper while its
front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door at a
position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in that it
is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each being arranged between
a position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of
the corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral
wall of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to
urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails.
4. An overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral wall
surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of dampers and
a pair of stays such that the rotary shaft of each of the dampers
is rigidly secured to the inner surface of the corresponding
lateral wall of the cabinet and the base end of the corresponding
stay is rigidly fitted to the main body of the damper while its
front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door at a
position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in that it
is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of stewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tensionsprings, each being arranged between
a position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of
the corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral
wall of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to
urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails and that it is additionally provided with a pair of
longitudinal grooves for accommodating respective door holding
tension springs, each arranged between the upper end of the
corresponding hinge and the lower end of the corresponding groove,
in order to decelerate any downward movement and accelerate any
upward movement of the outer rails and the door relative to the
inner rails.
5. An overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral wall
surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of dampers and
a pair of stays such that the rotary shaft of each of the dampers
is rigidly secured to the inner surface of the corresponding
lateral wall of the cabinet and the base end of the corresponding
stay is rigidly fitted to the main body of the damper while its
front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door at a
position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in that it
is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each being arranged between
a position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of
the corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral
wall of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to
urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails, and the dampers are provided with respective coil springs,
each having its ends hooked to the rotary shaft and the main body
of the corresponding damper, such that they are wound tightly as
the door is rotated toward its closed position in order to urge the
outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner rails by the
resilient force of the coil springs.
6. An overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral wall
surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of dampers and
a pair of stays such that the rotary shaft of each of the dampers
is rigidly secured to the inner surface of the corresponding
lateral wall of the cabinet and the base end of the corresponding
stay is rigidly fitted to the main body of the damper while its
front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door at a
position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in that it
is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each being arranged between
a position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of
the corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral
wall of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to
urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails, and the dampers are provided with respective coil springs,
each having its ends hooked to the rotary shaft and the main body
of the corresponding damper, such that they are wound tightly as
the door is rotated toward its closed position in order to urge the
outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner rails by the
resilient force of the coil springs and that it is additionally
provided with a pair of longitudinal grooves for accommodating
respective door holding tension springs, each arranged between the
upper end of the corresponding hinge and the lower end of the
corresponding groove, in order to decelerate any downward movement
and accelerate any upward movement of the outer rails and the door
relative to the inner rails, the dampers being provided with
respective coil springs, each having its ends hooked to the rotary
shaft and the main body of the corresponding damper, such that they
are wound tightly as the door is rotated toward its closed position
in order to urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to
the inner rails by the resilient force of the coil springs.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to an overhead door suspended from
the top of an opening of a cabinet or the like and capable of being
lifted until it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet to keep
the door open.
[0003] 2. Prior Art
[0004] FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawing illustrates a known
overhead door a designed to be lifted and placed under the roof
wall c of a cabinet main body b (Japanese Utility Model Publication
No. 60-18528).
[0005] A known overhead door of the above-described type is,
however, accompanied by a number of drawbacks including that it has
a rather complicated configuration of comprising a support rod d
and a short rod e arranged for swinging the door a up and down as
well as a spring f fitted thereto, that a slide assembly
constituted by a slide rail g and a door wheel h is arranged within
the cabinet main body to make it rather cumbersome to secure the
door a to a cabinet main body b and positionally adjust the door a
once it has been secured to the cabinet main body b and that the
space available within the cabinet b is limited because it has to
accommodate the door a within it.
[0006] Additionally, when the door a is opened, the cabinet becomes
esthetically unattractive because of the exposed support rod d and
spring f and, during the operation of opening or closing the door,
the finger of the user operating the door may be accidentally
caught and pinched by the spring f or between the spring f and the
support rod d.
[0007] In view of the above identified problems and other problems
of known overhead doors of the type under consideration, the
inventor of the present invention has proposed an overhead door as
illustrated in FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings.
[0008] With the illustrated arrangement, a support arm k is
pivotably fitted at an end to the inner surface of each lateral
wall of a cabinet main body or the like by way of or without a
damper j and at the opposite end to the rear surface of a door m by
means of a pin n at a position close to the lower edge of the door.
On the other hand, the door m is swingable fitted to the front edge
of the roof plate p of the cabinet main body by means of hinges r
so that it may be moved between a fully closed position for
completely closing the cabinet and a raised position where it rests
on the roof plate p to fully open the cabinet through its swinging
and sliding motion realized by using a pair of slide rail
assemblies q, each of which comprises an inner rail u and an outer
rail v. At the same time, a pair of vertical grooves s are formed
on the rear surface of the door m to respectively accommodate a
pair of tension springs t, each of which is secured at the opposite
ends to the upper end of the corresponding hinge r and the lower
end s' of the groove s in order to urge the outer rail v and the
door m upward relative to the inner rail u of the slide rail
assembly q.
[0009] The above arrangement is, however, still accompanied by a
problem as described below.
[0010] As the door m is pulled downward from the open position to
swing down to the closed position, the tension springs t are
expanded to show a length four times as long as their contracted
length for the door in a fully open state. Since the door m is made
open for about 8 hours a day in average and remains closed for the
rest of the day, the time during which the tension spring t is
expanded is by far longer than the time when it remains in a
contracted state so that consequently the service life of the
tension springs may be undesirably short.
[0011] In view of the above problem, it is therefore an object of
the invention to provide an overhead door of a cabinet or the like
equipped with a pair of slide rail assemblies as described above by
referring to FIG. 8 and also with a pair of stays, each having its
base end rotatably fitted to the inner surface of a corresponding
lateral wall of a cabinet to which the door is linked and its front
end pivotably fitted to the rear surface of the door at a position
close to the lower edge of the door, and a pair of stay holding
tension springs provided for the respective stays, each extending
between a middle point of the corresponding stay and an appropriate
position on the inner surface of the corresponding lateral wall of
the cabinet, so that the stay holding tension springs may be
expanded to a length only twice as long as their contracted length
in order to improve their service life and ensure the door to
operate smoothly for opening and closing for a prolonged period of
time, while the door and the attachments may not provide any
obstacle for the operation of storing and retrieving objects in and
from the cabinet once the door is swung upward for opening and
placed on the roof plate nor the stay holding tension springs may
expand out of the opening of the cabinet to accidentally pinch a
finger tip of the user.
[0012] An overhead door according to the invention may be equipped
not only with stay holding tension springs as described above but
also with a pair of grooves arranged on the rear surface for
accommodating the respective door holding tension springs as in the
case of the above described prior art overhead door so that the
tension springs may not move out from the door during opening and
closing operations. With such an arrangement, the risk for the stay
holding tension springs of accidentally pinching a finger tip of
the user can be effectively eliminated when the door is being
opened or closed and the operation of opening and closing the door
proceeds smoothly and slowly without requiring substantial force on
the part of the user because of the joint effect of the door and
stay holding tension springs. Additionally, the service life of the
door and stay holding tension springs can be considerably expanded
as the load of moving the door is borne by all of them.
[0013] Alternatively, the door may be movably held to the adjacent
lateral walls of the cabinet not simply by means of respective
stays having their ends pivotably secured to the lateral walls and
the door but by way of a damper disposed between the base end of
each of the support arms and the related lateral wall so that, when
the door is closed from the open position where it is located on
the roof wall, it is moved only slowly and softly due to the
resistance or the damping effect of the damper against the torque
of the door produced by its load.
[0014] Preferably, an overhead door according to the invention may
be provided with a combination of dampers and door and stay holding
tension springs arranged at appropriate locations so that both the
braking force of the dampers and the restoring force of the
expanded springs may be exploited to decelerate the speed and
lessen the load with which the door is swung open or closed and
consequently no substantial effort is required for the user to open
or close the door.
[0015] Alternatively, an overhead door according to the invention
may be provided with a combination of dampers and coil springs
arranged at appropriate locations so that both the braking force of
the dampers and the restoring force of the coil springs may be
exploited to decelerate the speed and lessen the load with which
the door is swung open or closed and consequently no substantial
effort is required for the user to open or close the door.
[0016] Still alternatively, an overhead door according to the
invention may be provided with a combination of dampers, door
holding tension springs and coil springs arranged at appropriate
locations so that all the braking force of the dampers, the
restoring force of the expanded springs and the coil springs may be
fully exploited to further decelerate the speed and lessen the load
with which the door is swung open or closed and consequently no
substantial effort is required for the user to open or close the
door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] According to a first aspect of the invention, the above
object is achieved by providing an overhead door swingably secured
to the inner lateral wall surfaces of a cabinet or the like by
means of a pair of stays such that the base end of each of the
stays is rotatably secured to the inner surface of the
corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and the front end is
pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the door at a position
close to the lower edge thereof, characterized in that it is
provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally
arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a relatively long
outer rail and a relatively short inner rail slidable relative to
each other and being pivotably secured at the upper end to the
front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by means of a hinge, so
that the door can be swung open or closed as a combined effect of
slewing and sliding motions and, when fully opened, it is placed on
the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with a pair of stay holding
tension springs, each arranged between a position upwardly and
forwardly displaced from the base end of the corresponding stay on
the inner surface of the related lateral wall of the cabinet and a
middle position of the stay, in order to urge the outer rails and
the door upward relative to the inner rails.
[0018] An overhead door as described above may additionally be
provided with a pair of longitudinal grooves for accommodating
respective door holding tension springs, each arranged between the
upper end of the corresponding hinge and the lower end of the
corresponding groove, in order to decelerate any downward movement
and accelerate any upward movement of the outer rails and the door
relative to the inner rails.
[0019] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is
provided an overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral
wall surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of
dampers and a pair of stays such that the rotary shaft of each of
the dampers is rigidly secured to the inner surface of the
corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and the base end of the
corresponding stay is rigidly fitted to the main body of the damper
while its front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the
door at a position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized
in that it is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each being arranged between
a position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of
the corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral
wall of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to
urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails.
[0020] An overhead door as described above may additionally be
provided with a pair of longitudinal grooves for accommodating
respective door holding tension springs, each arranged between the
upper end of the corresponding hinge and the lower end of the
corresponding groove, in order to decelerate any downward movement
and accelerate any upward movement of the outer rails and the door
relative to the inner rails.
[0021] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is
provided an overhead door swingably secured to the inner lateral
wall surfaces of a cabinet or the like by means of a pair of
dampers and a pair of stays such that the rotary shaft of each of
the dampers is rigidly secured to the inner surface of the
corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and the base end of the
corresponding stay is rigidly fitted to the main body of the damper
while its front end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of the
door at a position close to the lower edge thereof, characterized
in that it is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of
longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each comprising a
relatively long outer rail and a relatively short inner rail
slidable relative to each other and being pivotably secured at the
upper end to the front edge of the roof wall of the cabinet by
means of a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a
combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully
opened, it is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, and also with
a pair of stay holding tension springs, each being arranged between
a position upwardly and forwardly displaced from the base end of
the corresponding stay on the inner surface of the related lateral
wall of the cabinet and a middle position of the stay, in order to
urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner
rails, and the dampers are provided with respective coil springs,
each having its ends hooked to the rotary shaft and the main body
of the corresponding damper, such that they are wound tightly as
the door is rotated toward its closed position in order to urge the
outer rails and the door upward relative to the inner rails by the
resilient force of the coil springs.
[0022] An overhead door as described above may additionally be
provided with a pair of longitudinal grooves for accommodating
respective door holding tension springs, each arranged between the
upper end of the corresponding hinge and the lower end of the
corresponding groove, in order to decelerate any downward movement
and accelerate any upward movement of the outer rails and the door
relative to the inner rails, the dampers being provided with
respective coil springs, each having its ends hooked to the rotary
shaft and the main body of the corresponding damper, such that they
are wound tightly as the door is rotated toward its closed position
in order to urge the outer rails and the door upward relative to
the inner rails by the resilient force of the coil springs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side view of a cabinet provided
with a preferred embodiment of overhead door according to the
invention, the door being shown in a closed position.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional plane view of the embodiment of
FIG. 1 taken along line II-II.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a partially torn out lateral view of a damper
having a coil spring of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a partially torn out lateral view of a tension
regulating mechanism of a stay holding tension spring that can be
used for the purpose of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a partially torn out lateral view of another
tension regulating mechanism of a stay holding tension spring that
can be used for the purpose of the invention.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a front view of a bracket of the tension
regulating mechanism of a stay holding tension spring of FIG.
5.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional side view of a cabinet provided
with another preferred embodiment of overhead door according to the
invention, the door being shown in a closed position.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional side view of a cabinet provided
with another overhead door proposed by the inventor of the present
invention, the door being shown in a closed position.
[0031] FIG. 9 illustrates a known overhead door designed to be
lifted and placed under the roof wall of a cabinet main body.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] Note that FIGS. 1 and 2 are applicable to an overhead door
according to the first or second aspect of the invention while FIG.
3 is referred to only for the description of an overhead door
according to the third aspect of the invention. FIGS. 4, 5 and 6
are applicable to all the aspects of the invention and FIG. 7 is
referred to for a preferable mode of carrying out the invention.
Throughout the drawings, reference numeral 1 generally denotes a
cabinet main body comprising a roof wall 2, a bottom wall 3, a pair
of lateral walls 4 and 4, a rear wall 5 to produce an opening 6 on
the front side thereof. The roof wall 2 is provided at lateral
positions on the front edge thereof with a pair of recesses 7, 7
for receiving respective hinges 10, 10, which will be described
hereinafter.
[0033] A door 8 made of a thick panel is dimensioned so as to
completely cover the opening 6 and the surrounding walls if viewed
from the front side and provided on the inner surface with a pair
of slide rail assemblies running longitudinally, said slide rail
assemblies being held to the door 8 by rigidly securing the outer
rails 9c, 9c of the assemblies to the door 8.
[0034] The slide rail assemblies 9, 9 may be of any known type and
each of them comprises a relatively long outer rail 9a and a
relatively short inner rail 9b arranged vis-a-vis with a ball
retainer (not shown) interposed therebetween, said ball retainer
retaining a plurality of steal balls (not shown) in such a way that
the outer rail 9a may freely slide and move relative to the inner
rail 9b. The inner rails 9b, 9b are fitted at the inner surface of
the top thereof to the respective hinges 10, 10, which are secured
to the respective recesses 7, 7 of the roof wall 2. This
description applied to any overhead door according to the
invention.
[0035] The door 8 is provided near the lower edge on the inner
surface thereof with a pair of brackets 18, 18, each of which is
designed to pivotably receive the front end of a stay 16 by way of
a pin 18a. The base end of each of the stays 16, 16 is rotatably
supported by a rotary shaft 12 fitted to inner surface of the
corresponding lateral wall 4 of the cabinet main body 1 at a
position displaced upward from the center thereof of each
embodiment according to the first aspect of the invention. Thus,
the door 8 is opened by rotating it upward and closed by rotating
it downward with a radius of rotation equal to the length of the
stays as clearly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0036] In each embodiment according to the second or third aspect
of the invention, the base end of each of the stays 16, 16 does not
directly rotate around a rotary shaft 12 but rigidly secured to a
substantially cylindrical main body 15 of a damper 11 by thread
engagement as indicated by 17 in FIG. 1, which damper 11 is rigidly
fitted to the inner surface of the corresponding lateral wall by
means of screws 14, . . . around the rotary shaft 12 such that when
the overhead door 8 is turned to its closed position, the door is
made to move slowly and softly as the torque applied to the door is
dampened by the dampers 11, 11.
[0037] The stays 16, 16 are provided at a middle position thereof
with respective brackets 19, 19, which are secured to the stays by
means of screws 20, . . . A pair of door holding tension springs
22, 22 are arranged respectively between the brackets 19, 19 and
the lateral walls 4, 4 in each embodiment according to the first
aspect of the invention, whereas they are arranged respectively
between the brackets 19, 19 and spring hooks 21, 21 projecting from
base plates 13, 13 of the dampers 11, 11, by which the rotary
shafts 12, 12 are rigidly secured. With this arrangement, the outer
rails 9a, 9a and the door 8 may jointly slide up and down relative
to the inner rails 9b, 9b and are urged to open the door by the
stay holding tension springs 22, 22 and, when the overhead door 8
is turned to its closed position, the door is made to move slowly
and softly as the torque applied to the door is dampened by the
dampers 11, 11.
[0038] The brackets 19, 19 may not necessarily be rigidly fitted to
the respective stays 16, 16 by means of screws 20, . . . as shown
in FIG. 1 but alternatively be provided with respective through
bores 19a, 19a for slidably receiving the stays 16, 16, although
the brackets 19, 19 may be secured to the respective stays 16, 16
by means of pressing screws 20a, 20a as shown in FIG. 4 so that the
relative positions of the brackets 19, 19 on the stays 16, 16 may
be modified longitudinally to regulate the tension of the stay
holding tension springs 22, 22 as a function of the size and weight
of the door 8 and other factors.
[0039] The tension regulation mechanism for the stay holding
tension spring 22 of FIG. 4 may be so modified that, as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6, the bracket 19 is secured to the stay 16 by means of
a screw 20 and a rotary member 24 is pivotably fitted to the
bracket 19 and provided with a through hole 24a for rotatably
holding an adjuster screw 25 having a threaded section 25a that
receives a movable spring hook 26 by thread engagement such that an
end of the stay holding tension spring 22 is hooked to the movable
spring hook 26. With this arrangement, the movable spring hook 26
moves back or forth along the threaded section 25a of the adjuster
screw 25 as the latter is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to
consequently regulate the tension of the stay holding tension
spring 22.
[0040] In a preferable mode of carrying out the invention, the
overhead door 8 is provided on the inner surface thereof with a
pair of longitudinal grooves 28, 28 running along the respective
slide rail assemblies 9, 9 for accommodating respective door
holding tension springs 27, 27.
[0041] Each of the door holding tension springs 27, 27 has its one
end hooked to a spring hook 10a projecting from the upper end of
the corresponding hinge 10 toward the opening 6 of the cabinet main
body and its opposite end hooked to another spring hook 29 partly
embedded into the lower end of the groove 28 so that it is housed
in the groove 28 under an expanded condition.
[0042] The hinge body 10b of each of the hinges 10, 10 is rigidly
secured to a corresponding recess 7 formed on the roof board 2 of
the cabinet main body 1 by means of screws (not shown) so that
consequently the door 8 may vertically rotate around the axes 10c,
10c of the hinges 10, 10 and at the same time vertically slide with
the outer rails 9a, 9a relative to the inner rails 9b, 9b as it is
urged upward by the restoring force of the expanded door holding
tension spring tension springs 27, 27 as in the case of the
above-described preferred mode of carrying the invention.
[0043] Note that while not only the door holding tension springs
27, 27 but also the slide rail assemblies 9, 9 are housed in the
grooves 12, 12 in the illustrated embodiment, the latter may be
directly fitted to the inner surface of the overhead door 8 instead
of being housed in the respective grooves 28, 28.
[0044] The overhead door 8 may be additionally provided with a pair
of coil springs 30, 30, each of which is hooked at an end 30a to
the base plate 13 of the corresponding damper 11 and at the
opposite end 30b to the main body 15 of the damper 11 as shown in
FIG. 3, so that they are tightened to exert a damping effect to the
door 8 when the opened door 8 placed on the roof wall of the
cabinet main body and indicated by dotted broken lines in FIG. 1 is
pivoted and pulled downward along arrow A and urges the door 8 to
pivot and rise to its open position along arrow B by the tensile
force of the tightened coil springs 30, 30 in addition to the
tensile force of the stay holding tension springs 22, 22.
Therefore, it will be understood that, if coil springs 30, 30 are
used in combination with the dampers 11, 11, the tensile force of
the stay holding tension springs 22, 22 are added to that of the
door holding tension springs 27, 27.
[0045] Thus, with the arrangement according to the first aspect of
the invention, as the door 8 is held by hand at the lower end
thereof and pulled upward toward its open position, the pulling
force is transformed into rotary power and transmitted to the stays
16, 16 by the door 8 so that the base ends of the stays 16, 16
rotate around the respective rotary shaft 12, 12 to make the door 8
also rotate around the axes 10c, 10c of the hinges 10, 10, where
the upper ends of the inner rails 9b, 9b are linked to the front
edge of the roof board 2 of the cabinet main body, from the
vertical position to an inclined position under the urging force of
the stay holding tension springs 22, 22. Consequently, the outer
rails 9a, 9a and the door 8 are made to slide upward along the
inner rail 9b, 9b by the tensile force of the stay holding tension
springs 22, 22 so that the door 8 rotates as it is pulled upward
until it is laid flat on the roof board 2 of the cabinet main body
1.
[0046] For closing the door 8, it is slightly pulled forward by
hand against the tensile force of the stay holding tension springs
22, 22 and then pulled down by holding the front edge of the door
8. Then, the downward force applied to the door 8 is transformed
into rotary power and transmitted to the stays 16, 16 by the slide
rail assemblies 9, 9 so that the slide rail assemblies 9, 9 rotate
around the respective axes 10c, 10c of the hinges 10, 10, while the
door 8 is rotated around the rotary shafts 12, 12 by the stays 16,
16, expanding the stay holding tension springs 22, 22 to store
resilient force therein for the next door opening operation. Note
that, since each of the stay holding tension springs 22, 22 extends
between a position located upward and forward relative to the
corresponding rotary shaft 12 on the inner surface of the related
lateral wall 4 of the cabinet main body (or a position closer to
the opening of the cabinet main body) and a middle point of the
stay 16, the extent to which the stay holding tension springs 22,
22 are expanded for closing the door is less than half of the
extent to which the tension springs 22, 22 to alleviate the load
applied to the stay holding tension springs 22, 22 when the door is
closed.
[0047] If the above arrangement is further provided with a pair of
door holding tension springs 27, 27, their effect is added to that
of the stay holding tension spring 22, 22 so that as the pins 18a,
18a by which the stays 16, 16 are pivotably fitted to the door 8
are rotated and moved above the respective rotary shafts 12, 12 by
which the stays 16, 16 are pivotably fitted to the respective
lateral walls 4, 4 of the cabinet main body 1, the door 8 is
subjected to a moment trying to rotate the door 8 upward by the
joint tensile force of the tension springs 22, 22, 27, 27 because
of the fact the inner rails 9b, 9b are pivotably fitted to the
front edge of the roof board 2 of the cabinet main body 1 by means
of respective hinges 10, 10 and then the outer rails 9a, 9a are
made to slide upward along with the door 8 as the former are
rigidly fitted to the latter until the door 8 is horizontally
placed on the roof board 2 of the cabinet main body 1.
[0048] As the door 8 lies flat on the roof board 2 of the cabinet
main body 1, it is pulled backward by the door holding tension
springs 27, 27 and the stay holding tension springs 22, 22 to slide
to its fully opened position and remains there if the hand holding
the door 8 is removed therefrom.
[0049] For closing the door 8 from its fully opened position, it is
slightly pulled forward by hand against the tensile force of the
tension springs 22, 22, 27, 27 and then pulled down by holding the
front edge of the door 8. Then, as described above, the downward
force applied to the door 8 is transformed into rotary power and
transmitted to the stays 16, 16 by the slide rail assemblies 9, 9
so that the slide rail assemblies 9, 9 rotate around the respective
axes 10c, 10c of the hinges 10, 10, while the door 8 is rotated
around the rotary shafts 12, 12 by the stays 16, 16. When the door
is rotated by a given angle, the door is automatically moved
downward by the torque applied to it by its own weight to its fully
closed position. Note that, since the tension springs 22, 22, 27,
27 are expanded to store resilient force therein for the next door
opening operation, which therefore can be carried out very
smoothly.
[0050] With an embodiment according to the second aspect of the
invention, the base end of each of the stays 16, 16 is not directly
fitted to the inner surface of the corresponding lateral wall 4 of
the cabinet main body 1 but secured to the corresponding damper 11
so that no the door 8 does not encounter any substantial resistance
of the dampers 11, 11 when it is opened, although the dampers 11,
11 rotate around their respective rotary shafts. Consequently the
door 8 rotates very smoothly until it gets to its fully opened
position, where it lies flat on the roof board 2 of the cabinet
main body 1.
[0051] For closing the door 8, to the contrary, the rotary shaft 12
and an inner cylinder (not shown) of each of the dampers 11, 11 are
made to rotate relative to the main body 15 in a direction opposite
to the one in which the they are made to rotate for opening the
door 8 to exert damping force to the door that operate to suppress
the torque applied to the door by the own weight of the door so
that, in combination with the decelerating force of the stay
holding tension springs 22, 22, the door 8 rotates very slowly and
smoothly until it gets to its fully closed position.
[0052] If the above arrangement is further provided with a pair of
door holding tension springs 27, 27 that operate in a manner as
described earlier, the door 8 does not encounter any substantial
resistance of the dampers 11, 11 when it is opened and, since the
door holding tension springs 27, 27 have stored sufficient
resilient force in them, the door 8 can be opened very easily and
smoothly under a joint effect of the stay holding tension springs
22, 22 and the door holding tension springs 27, 27.
[0053] For closing the door 8, the gravity of door 8 is dampened
not only by the dampers 11, 11 but also by the joint resilient
force of the tension springs 22, 22, 27, 27 so that the net effect
will be a door closing motion that proceeds very smoothly and
reliably if the door is very heavy.
[0054] In an embodiment according to the third aspect of the
invention, the dampers 11, 11 are provided with respective coil
springs 29, 29 that store substantial resilient force as a result
of the last closing operation of the door so that the door 8 does
not encounter any resistance of the dampers 11, 11 and the opening
motion of the door 8 is even accelerated by the resilient force of
the coil springs 29, 29 to make the motion very smooth and
comfortable.
[0055] For a closing operation, the door 8 encounters a damping
effect of the dampers 11, 11 and the resistance of the coil springs
30, 30 as they are wound tight by the closing motion of the door 8
so that the falling motion of the door 8 is sufficiently
decelerated to make the door become closed smoothly and
comfortably.
[0056] If the above arrangement is further provided with a pair of
door holding tension springs 27, 27 that operate in a manner as
described earlier, the door 8 does not encounter any substantial
resistance of the dampers 11, 11 when it is opened and it can be
opened very easily and smoothly under a joint effect of the stay
holding tension springs 22, 22, the door holding tension springs
27, 27 and the coil springs 30, 30.
[0057] For a closing operation, the door 8 encounters a damping
effect of the dampers 11, 11 and the resistance of the coil springs
30, 30 in addition to the resilient force of the tension springs
22, 22, 27, 27 so that the falling motion of the door 8 is
sufficiently decelerated to make the door become closed smoothly,
reliably and comfortably.
Advantages of the Invention
[0058] As described above in detail, since an overhead door
arrangement according to the first aspect of the invention is
pivotably supported by hinges and stays relative to a cabinet main
body and fitted to the cabinet main body by means of slide rail
assemblies in such a way that the door may be moved completely onto
the roof wall of the cabinet main body for fully opening the door,
the door does not constitute any obstacle for the operation of
storing and retrieving objects in and from the cabinet, while
keeping the overhead of the cabinet clear.
[0059] Additionally, since the door is provided with a pair of stay
holding tension springs in such a way that each extends between the
inner surface of the corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet main
body and a middle point of the related stay for connecting the
lateral wall and the door in order to alleviate the force required
to move up the door to its open position and decelerate the falling
motion of the door when it is closed, the stay holding tension
springs are expanded for closing the door only to less than twice
of their length when the door is opened so that the load applied to
the stay holding tension springs can be significantly lessened to
prolong their effective service life and the door can be operated
smoothly and comfortably for a long period of time, if compared
with those of a comparable conventional cabinet.
[0060] If the above arrangement is further provided with a pair of
door holding tension springs, each extending between the related
hinge and the lower end of a corresponding grooves arranged on the
inner surface of the door, the door is securely moved to is fully
open position by a joint effect of the door holding tension
springs, the stay holding tension spring, and the slide rail
assemblies as it is moved upward, whereas the door may be closed
smoothly without requiring any substantial force for supporting the
door against its gravity because of a joint effect of the tensile
force of the door holding tension springs and that of the stay
holding tension springs. Additionally, since the door holding
tension springs are accommodated in respective longitudinal grooves
arranged on the inner surface of the door, they would not come out
from there to esthetically damage the appearance of the cabinet
when the door is opened nor accidentally pinch a finger of the user
during the operation of opening or closing the door. What is more,
since the stay holding tension springs would not come out of the
opening of the cabinet main body, they do not provide any hazard to
the user.
[0061] An overhead door arrangement according to the second aspect
of the invention has an additional advantage of damping the torque
of the door by means of dampers so that the door is protected
against any abrupt closing motion and hence can be closed smoothly
and comfortably.
[0062] If such an overhead door is further provided with a pair of
door holding tension springs, the damping effect of the dampers is
further improved by them so that the door may be closed much more
smoothly and comfortably.
[0063] An overhead door arrangement according to the third aspect
of the invention has still another advantage of alleviating the
effect of the gravity of the closing door by means of a pair of
coil springs so that the door is better protected against any
abrupt closing motion and hence can be closed very smoothly and
comfortably. Additionally, the door can be opened very lightly
because of the resilient force of the coil springs.
[0064] If such an overhead door is additionally provided with a
pair of door holding tension springs, the net effect will be very
great so that the door can be opened and closed very smoothly and
comfortably by a joint effect of the stay holding tension spring,
the door holding tension springs and the coil springs.
* * * * *