U.S. patent application number 14/508511 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-22 for sliding door system for glass doors.
The applicant listed for this patent is GROUPE VFG INC.. Invention is credited to Serge BOUTHILLIER.
Application Number | 20150020457 14/508511 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43299710 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150020457 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BOUTHILLIER; Serge |
January 22, 2015 |
SLIDING DOOR SYSTEM FOR GLASS DOORS
Abstract
A sliding door system comprises a door made of a glass panel.
One or more roller units are connected to the door and project from
a plane of the door. A structural transom has a glass panel body
with its main surfaces positioned generally vertically. The glass
panel body is supported above an opening to define the structural
transom for the door, with at least one slot defined in the glass
panel body and having a lower edge surface and an upper edge
surface. The slot is generally horizontal when the glass panel body
defines the structural transom. The slot has a height for receiving
a portion of the roller unit between the lower edge surface and the
upper edge surface, and a length for allowing a translation of the
door to open and close the opening by movement of the roller unit
in the slot.
Inventors: |
BOUTHILLIER; Serge;
(Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GROUPE VFG INC. |
BOIS-DE-FILION |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
43299710 |
Appl. No.: |
14/508511 |
Filed: |
October 7, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12478324 |
Jun 4, 2009 |
8881460 |
|
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14508511 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
49/427 ;
16/91 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16C 33/581 20130101;
E05D 15/063 20130101; E05D 15/0652 20130101; E06B 3/4636 20130101;
Y10T 16/364 20150115; E05Y 2201/688 20130101; E05Y 2900/132
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
49/427 ;
16/91 |
International
Class: |
E05D 15/06 20060101
E05D015/06; F16C 33/58 20060101 F16C033/58; E06B 3/46 20060101
E06B003/46 |
Claims
1. A roller unit for a sliding door comprising: a connector
assembly adapted to be secured to a structure or to a door, the
connector assembly comprising a spindle; and a wheel having a
rolling-element bearing operationally mounted to the spindle of the
connector assembly, and an annular wheel body mounted to the
rolling-element bearing for rotation about the spindle, the annular
wheel body having a pair of flanges separated by a groove on a
circumferential surface of the annular wheel body, the
circumferential surface defining a shape corresponding to the shape
of an edge portion of the door or structure engaged in the annular
wheel body, the connector assembly being connected to one of the
door and the structure while the wheel receives an edge portion of
the other of the door and the structure, whereby the roller unit
holds the door and structure face to face while allowing sliding
movement of the door with respect to the structure by rotation of
the wheel about the spindle.
2. The roller unit according to claim 1, wherein the annular wheel
body comprises a first wheel ring and a second wheel ring
interconnected to form the annular wheel body.
3. The roller unit according to claim 2, wherein the first wheel
ring comprises a flared surface portion and a cylindrical surface
portion to define the groove and one of the flanges in the wheel,
the second wheel ring comprises a flared surface portion to define
the other of the flanges in the wheel.
4. The roller unit according to claim 3, wherein the first wheel
ring has an inner shoulder to define a seat for the rolling-element
bearing, the rolling-element bearing being held axially captive
between the first wheel ring and the second wheel ring.
5. The roller unit according to claim 2, further comprising a
spacer between the first wheel ring and the second wheel ring to
define at least a portion of the groove of the annular wheel
body.
6. The roller unit according to claim 5, wherein the first wheel
ring, the second wheel ring and the spacer are interconnected by
countersunk-head fasteners.
7. The roller unit according to claim 2, wherein the connector
assembly comprises a pair of end caps connected through a bore in
the door or structure, with the spindle projecting concentrically
from one of the end caps.
8. The roller unit according to claim 7, wherein the connector
assembly further comprises a disk interconnected to the end caps,
the disk being positioned between the end cap, with the disk and
one of the end caps being on opposite sides of the door or
structure and connected through the bore, and with the disk and the
other of the end caps being on opposite sides of the wheel.
9. The roller unit according to claim 8, wherein the disk and the
end cap on the opposite side of the door or structure each have a
groove or shoulder in a surface facing the door or structure, and
the roller unit further comprising a ring of resilient material in
each of the groove or shoulder to interface the disk and the end
cap to the door or structure.
10. The roller unit according to claim 8, wherein the disk has a
throughbore, and the end caps have concentric bores, the roller
unit further comprising a single threaded to interconnect the end
caps with the disk.
11. The roller unit according to claim 8, wherein the disk and the
end cap on the opposite of the rolling-element bearing each have a
neck facing toward the rolling-element bearing to contact the
rolling-element bearing when the roller unit is assembled, to
prevent axial movement of the rolling-element bearing on the
spindle of the end cap.
12. The roller unit according to claim 8, wherein the disk and the
end cap on the opposite of the door or structure each have a neck
facing toward the door or structure to contact one another through
the door or structure when the roller unit is assembled.
13. The roller unit according to claim 1, wherein the roller unit
is secured to the door and the wheel receives an edge portion of a
transom of the structure.
14. The roller unit according to claim 1, wherein the roller unit
is secured to the structure and the wheel receives an edge portion
of a slot in the door.
15. A sliding door system comprising: at least one door; a transom
adapted to be secured to a structure above a door opening in the
structure, the transom comprising top and bottom edge surfaces each
having a pair of longitudinal slanted edge surfaces separated by a
longitudinal flat edge surface; at least two of the roller unit of
claim 1 secured to the door with at least one said roller unit
operationally contacting the top edge surface of the transom, and
at least one said roller unit operationally contacting the bottom
edge surface of the transom; whereby the roller units hold the door
and structure face to face while allowing sliding movement of the
door with respect to the structure by rotation of the wheels about
the spindle to open/close the opening in the structure.
16. The sliding door system according to claim 15, wherein the
wheel comprises a first wheel ring with flared-surface portion and
a cylindrical surface portion to define the groove and one of the
flared-surface flanges in the wheel, and a second wheel ring
comprises a flared-surface portion to define the other of the
flared-surface flanges of the wheel, with the cylindrical surface
portion of the first wheel ring having a width at most equal to the
width of the longitudinal flat edge surface of the transom.
17. The sliding door system according to claim 16, further
comprising a spacer between the first wheel ring and the second
wheel ring to define at least a portion of the groove of the
annular wheel body, with the combined width of the cylindrical
surface portion of the first wheel ring and of the spacer being
equal to the width of the longitudinal flat edge surface of the
transom.
18. The sliding door system according to claim 15, wherein the
connector assembly comprises a pair of end caps connected through a
bore in the door with the wheel being between the end caps, with
the spindle projecting concentrically from one of the end caps,
with the width of the longitudinal slanted edge surface of the
transom adjacent the structure being at least equal to the combined
width of the corresponding flared-surface flange to an end of the
roller unit and of the end cap.
19. The sliding door system according to claim 18, wherein the
connector assembly further comprises a disk interconnected to the
end caps, the disk being positioned between the end cap, with the
disk and one of the end caps being on opposite sides of the door
and connected through the bore, and with the disk and the other of
the end caps being on opposite sides of the wheel.
20. The sliding door system according to claim 19, wherein the disk
has a throughbore, and the end caps have concentric bores, the
roller unit further comprising a single threaded to interconnect
the end caps with the disk.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a divisional of U.S.
Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/478,324, filed Jun.
4, 2009, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
FIELD OF THE APPLICATION
[0002] The present application relates to sliding door systems for
glass doors, and more particularly to a roller unit to support the
glass door and allow the sliding motion of the door.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
[0003] Nowadays, glass and similar see-through or translucent
materials are used as structural components. In that glass allows
light to pass through, doors, walls and structures made from glass
represents an esthetic and elegant solution. However, in these
instances, the glass components must have minimum thicknesses, as
they serve a structural function.
[0004] Accordingly, hinges and sliding door mechanisms must be
capable of handling the weight of movable components (e.g., doors).
On the other hand, due to the highly esthetic value of glass doors
and structures, and the fact that they are often transparent,
sliding door mechanisms must be visually appealing.
SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION
[0005] It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide
a novel roller unit for use with glass sliding door systems.
[0006] It is a further aim of the present disclosure to provide a
sliding door system for glass doors that addresses issues
associated with the prior art.
[0007] Therefore, in accordance with the present application, there
is provided a roller unit for a sliding door comprising: a
connector assembly adapted to be secured to a structure or to a
door, the connector assembly comprising a spindle; and a wheel
having a rolling-element bearing operationally mounted to the
spindle of the connector assembly, and an annular wheel body
mounted to the rolling-element bearing for rotation about the
spindle, the annular wheel body having a pair of flanges separated
by a groove on a circumferential surface of the annular wheel body,
the circumferential surface defining a shape corresponding to the
shape of an edge portion of the door or structure engaged in the
annular wheel body, the connector assembly being connected to one
of the door and the structure while the wheel receives an edge
portion of the other of the door and the structure, whereby the
roller unit holds the door and structure face to face while
allowing sliding movement of the door with respect to the structure
by rotation of the wheel about the spindle.
[0008] Further in accordance with the present application, there is
provided a sliding door system comprising: at least one door; a
transom adapted to be secured to a structure above a door opening
in the structure, the transom comprising top and bottom edge
surfaces each having a pair of longitudinal slanted edge surfaces
separated by a longitudinal flat edge surface; at least two roller
units secured to the door with at least one said roller unit
operationally contacting the top edge surface of the transom, and
at least one said roller unit operationally contacting the bottom
edge surface of the transom, each said roller unit comprising: a
connector assembly secured to the door, the connector assembly
comprising a spindle, and a wheel having a bearing operationally
mounted to the spindle of the connector assembly, and an annular
wheel body mounted to the bearing for rotation about the spindle,
the annular wheel body having a pair of flared-surface flanges
separated by a groove on a circumferential surface of the annular
wheel body to correspond to the shape of edge surfaces of the
transom engaged in the annular wheel body, with the width of the
longitudinal slanted edge surface of the transom adjacent the
structure being at least equal to the width of the roller unit from
the corresponding flared-surface flange to an end of the roller
unit; whereby the roller units hold the door and structure face to
face while allowing sliding movement of the door with respect to
the structure by rotation of the wheels about the spindle to
open/close the opening in the structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a sliding door system in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a roller unit of the sliding
door system of FIG. 1, with a spacer;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the roller unit of FIG. 2,
without a spacer;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a glass sliding door
supported by the roller units of FIG. 2, with a transom-supported
door; and
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a glass sliding door
supported by the roller units of the sliding door system of FIG. 1,
with a slot-supported door.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, a
sliding door system in accordance with the present disclosure is
generally shown having a pair of sliding doors made of glass
panels, or any other suitable panel material, or any combination of
see-through or translucent materials and structural materials
(e.g., wood, metal). The sliding doors 10 translate to open/close
an opening in a structure 11, in the directions shown by A. The
structure 11 is typically made of glass panels as well, but may
also consist of any other suitable materials or combination of
materials.
[0015] The doors 10 are top-hung by roller units 12 to a transom
14. The transom 14 may be part of the structure 11, and typically
made of glass panels as well, but may also consist of other
materials. The transom 14 is secured to the structure 11 by
connectors 16, above a door opening defined by the structure 11.
Although the transom 14 is illustrated as being supported by three
of the connectors 16, more or fewer connectors 16 may be used.
[0016] In FIG. 1, the doors 10 are each shown supported by a set of
four roller units 12. However, any appropriate number of roller
units 12 may be used to support a sliding door. Moreover, the
roller units 12 are not restricted to being used with a top-hung
sliding door as in FIG. 1, as will be described hereinafter. For
instance, the roller units 12 may support a bottom edge of sliding
panels, amongst other possibilities.
[0017] Referring concurrently to FIGS. 2 and 3, one of the roller
units 12 is shown in greater detail. The roller unit 12 has a
connector assembly rotatably supporting a wheel. The roller unit 12
has an end cap 20. The end cap 20 is visible when the roller unit
12 is assembled to a door, whereby the end cap 20 may have any
appropriate ornamental features: paint, finish, ornaments.
Moreover, the end cap 20 may have other shapes than that of a
disk.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 3, a shoulder 21 may be defined between a
circumferential surface of the end cap 20 and one of its two
circular surfaces. The shoulder 21 receives an O-ring, as will be
described hereinafter.
[0019] A neck 22 projects from one of the circular surfaces of the
end cap 20, and is on the same side as the shoulder 21. The neck 22
has a tapped bore 23, preferably not extending through the cap 20.
In the illustrated embodiment, the neck 22 and the tapped bore 23
are concentric with the end cap 20.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, another end cap 30 is provided
on the opposed end of the roller unit 12. The end cap 30 is visible
when the roller unit 12 is assembled to a door, whereby the end cap
20 may have any appropriate ornamental features. The end cap 30 has
a neck 31, and a spindle 32 projecting concentrically form the neck
31. The neck 31 and spindle 32 are preferably concentric with the
end cap 30. The spindle 32 has a tapped bore 33.
[0021] The rolling components of the roller unit 12 are positioned
between the end caps 20 and 30. The end caps 20 and 30 define the
visible face portions of the roller units 12.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the roller unit 12 has a middle
disk 40. The middle disk 40 has a pair of necks 41 on opposite
circular surfaces. A shoulder 42 may be defined between a
circumferential surface of the middle disk 40 and one of the two
circular surfaces. The shoulder 42 receives an O-ring, as will be
described hereinafter.
[0023] A tapped throughbore 43 passes through the necks 41.
Alternatively, each neck 41 may have an own tapped bore. The tapped
throughbore 43 is concentric with the necks 41.
[0024] In order to secure the roller unit 12 to a bore in a
structural panel or in a door, the end cap 20 and middle disk 40
are positioned on opposite sides of the bore, in such a way that
the necks 22 and 41, respectively, enter into the bore and may
contact one another. O-rings 50 are placed in the shoulders 21 and
42 beforehand, whereby the circular surfaces of the disks 20 and 40
do not come in direct contact with the structural panel. Moreover,
the O-rings 50 are preferably made of a soft resilient material, to
generally dampen transmission of vibrations between the panel and
the roller unit 12. The O-rings 50 also prevent water infiltration
between the disks 20 and 40 and the structural panel. The O-rings
or like rings of resilient material may be received in grooves on
the circular surfaces alternatively to the shoulders 21 and 42.
[0025] A threaded rod 51 interconnects the disks 20 and 40. In the
embodiment of FIG. 3, the middle cap 40 has a throughbore 43,
whereby the threaded rod 51 also interconnects the end cap 30 to
the middle disk 40. Other constructions are also considered. For
instance, the middle disk 40 may be optionally in the connector
assembly. Moreover, the connector assembly may consist of any other
means that is securable to a door or structure, with a spindle to
rotatably support a wheel.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a wheel 60 of the roller unit 12
is between the end cap 30 and the middle disk 40. The wheel 60 has
a bearing 61, which may be any suitable type of bearing (e.g.,
roller bearing, ball bearing), and preferably of rolling-element
bearing as opposed to sleeve bearings. Alternatives to
rolling-element bearings may be used as well, such as annular rings
of low-friction materials (e.g., PTFE) and the like. The bearing 61
is mounted on the spindle 32 of the end cap 30, although the
spindle 32 could be integral with the middle disk 40 as well.
[0027] A first wheel ring 62 has an annular body and is positioned
adjacent to the end cap 30 when the roller unit 12 is assembled.
The wheel ring 62 has a cylindrical surface portion 63 and a flared
surface portion 64. The flared surface portion 64 is positioned
adjacent to the end cap 30 when the roller unit 12 is assembled. An
inner shoulder 65 projects radially inwardly from the flared
surface portion 64, in the opening of the wheel ring 62. The inner
shoulder 65 is provided to define a seat in the wheel ring 62 for
the bearing 61. Tapped bores 66 are defined in an axial surface of
the wheel ring 62, and are used to connect a second wheel ring 67
to the first wheel ring 62.
[0028] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the second wheel ring 67 has an
annular body and is positioned adjacent to the middle disk 40 when
the roller unit 12 is assembled. The wheel ring 67 has a flared
surface portion 68. Countersink holes 69 are defined axially
through the wheel ring 67, and are spaced apart so as to be in
register with the tapped bores 66. Accordingly, with appropriate
fasteners (e.g., with a countersunk head), the first wheel ring 62
and the second wheel ring 67 are secured to one another. An inner
diameter of the wheel ring 67 is similar to that of the inner
shoulder 65, and smaller than an outer diameter of the bearing 61,
whereby the bearing 61 is held captive in the first wheel ring
62.
[0029] As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, a spacer 70 may be
provided to increase the width of the wheel 60. The spacer 70 has a
cylindrical ring body having an outer diameter similar to that of
the cylindrical surface portion 63 of the first wheel ring 62. The
width of the wheel 60 is selected as a function of the thickness of
the panels. Axial throughbores 71 are defined in the spacer 70, to
allow the connection of the first wheel ring 62 and the second
wheel ring 67 with fasteners, as described above.
[0030] The wheel 60 therefore has the shape of a sheave, with the
flared surface portions 64 and 68 acting as flanges, and the
cylindrical surface portion 63, and optionally the spacer 70
forming the groove between the flanges. Accordingly, when a panel
having the appropriate shape is in contact with the wheel 60, it is
held captive by the sheave shape.
[0031] Although a modular construction of the wheel 60 is
described, it is pointed out that the wheel 60 may be an integral
piece (e.g., cast, machined, or the like). However, the modular
construction allows the wheel 60 to be adapted to various
thicknesses of panels (e.g., 6 mm to 25 mm), by simply selecting
appropriate spacer width. Accordingly, the modular construction
addresses inventory issues. It is pointed out that through the
description, reference is made to tapped bores and throughbores.
This includes self-tapping bores.
[0032] Now that the examples of construction of roller units have
been described, a use of the roller units 12 in a door system is
set forth.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 4, the door 10 is shown top-hung by roller
units 12 on the transom 14. In the side view of FIG. 4, only two of
the roller units 12 are visible, although more of the roller units
12 may be used (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1). There is provided roller
units 12 for contact with an upper edge of the transom 14, and
roller units for contact with a lower edge of the transom 14.
[0034] For esthetic and practical reasons, it is preferred that the
door 10 be as close as possible to the structural panel 11. In the
transom-supported configuration of FIG. 4, it is the thickness of
the transom 14 that defines the gap between the door 10 and the
structural panel 11. In order to minimize the width taken by the
transom 14 between the door 10 and the structural panel 11, the top
and bottom edge surfaces of the transom 14 have a given shape. More
specifically, the top and bottom edge surfaces of the transom each
have beveled edge surfaces, namely a sequence of a longitudinal
slanted edge surface 14A (i.e., a beveled edge), a longitudinal
flat edge surface 14B, and another longitudinal slanted edge
surface 14C (i.e., another beveled edge).
[0035] Referring concurrently to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the roller
units 12 contact the transom 14, the cylindrical surface portion 63
of the roller units 12 is in contact with the flat edge surface
14B, and optionally with the spacer 70 if a spacer 70 is present in
the roller units 12. The roller unit 12 is selected as a function
of the thickness of the transom 14, and more particularly as a
function of the width of the cylindrical surface portion 63.
Therefore, the flared surface portions 64 and 68 of the wheel 60
are against the slanted edge surfaces 14A and 14C when the roller
units 12 are top-hung to the transom 14. It is however observed
that the slanted edge surface 14A projects beyond the flared
surface portion 64. The gap between the slanted edge surface 14A
and the structural panel 11 accommodates a portion of the end cap
30.
[0036] Therefore, in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, the
horizontal thickness of the portion of the transom 14 that features
the slanted edge surface 14A is at least equal to the combined
width of the flared surface portion 64 and the end cap 30. This
ensures a minimum gap between the door 10 and the structural panel
11.
[0037] Similarly, the horizontal thickness of the portion of the
transom 14 that features the slanted edge surface 14C is at least
equal to the combined width of the flared surface portion 68 and
the end disk 20. An additional space may be provided for a head of
the connectors 14C, if necessary, as shown in FIG. 4. This
construction allow the minimization of the gap between the door 10
and structural panel 11.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment is shown in
which the door 10 is top-hung by the roller units 12 to a slot 11A
in the structural panel 11. The slot 11A preferably has slanted
edge surfaces (one shown at 70), as was described for the top and
bottom edge surfaces of the transom 14 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Therefore,
the gap between the door 10 and the structural panel 11 is even
further reduced with the configuration of FIG. 5.
[0039] In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the roller units 12
roll on the edge surfaces of the transom 14 (FIG. 4) or the slot
11A (FIG. 5). The door 10 moves in a translational fashion, which
is referred to as a sliding movement. Therefore, even if roller
units 12 are used causing a rotational movement transmission, the
door 10 is referred to as a sliding door. It is considered to
install a magnetic layer 71 on the rolling edge surfaces of the
transom 14 (FIG. 4) or the slot 11A (FIG. 5), to facilitate the
translational movement of the door 10. Moreover, despite the fact
that top-hung solutions are illustrated, it is considered to use
the roller units 12 in other door-supporting configurations.
* * * * *