This application claims priority benefit from Chinese utility model application No. 201320256871.0 filed on 13 May 2013 in the name of Foshan Ideal Co., Ltd., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its integrity.
The present invention relates to a door assembly, and in particular, to an adjusting assembly used therein for the adjusting of a stationary frame and a movable frame of the door assembly.
Doors, such as shower doors or balcony doors, are often mounted against wall surfaces and the doors thus mounted are kept as vertical as possible. However, the wall surfaces of buildings are often not exactly vertical, for example, titled toward outside/inside by an angle. Therefore, if the doors are mounted completely along the wall surface, the doors may not be smoothly opened or closed. In this regard, it is necessary to adjust the distances between the top/bottom end of a door and a wall surface so as to keep the door in a vertical position.
To achieve this adjustment, a door assembly usually comprises a stationary frame to be attached to a wall surface, and a movable frame connected with a door panel, such as a glass door panel. The stationary frame is firstly attached to the wall surface and then the movable frame is moved toward the stationary frame, during which the distances between the top and bottom ends of the movable frame, and the stationary frame are such adjusted that the movable frame is in a vertical position, and in turn, the door panel is also in a vertical position. The stationary and movable frames are finally connected to each other by drilling thereon and by using fasteners.
However, in one aspect, the drilling operation requires at least two people to cooperate and is very time-consuming. In another aspect, the drilling may inadvertently cause damages to the surfaces of the frames (generally made of aluminum materials), which is undesirable to consumers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a door assembly which can be mounted without drilling. Another object of the invention is to provide a door assembly that can be mounted by a single person.
To achieve the objectives, a door assembly is provided which comprises a stationary frame and a movable frame. The door assembly further comprises an adjusting assembly comprising an adjusting element detachably connected with the stationary frame and having a rod portion; a fixing element detachably connected with the movable frame and having a first cavity at its top for receiving the rod portion and a second cavity at one side; and a cam member receivable in the second cavity, the cam member being rotably connected to the fixing element and movable between an open position and a close position.
When the cam member is in the open position, it does not interfere the movement of the rod portion such that the latter is freely extendable and retractable within the first cavity. The distance between the stationary and movable frames is thus variable. When the cam member is in the close position, it applies a force to one sidewall of the rod portion such that the other sidewall of the rod portion will apply a force to the fixing element. Finally, the cam member, rod portion and fixing element are secured together, so that the stationary and movable frames are also secured.
Preferably, the fixing element further comprises a cushion received within the first cavity for contacting with the rod portion to increase the friction force there between. Preferably, the cushion is made of rubber or plastic materials.
Preferably, the cushion has at least one wing, and the fixing element has correspondingly at least one concave for accommodating the at least wing such that the cushion will not displace in axial direction.
Preferably, the cushion has a transversal fixing portion for coupling with the fixing element in transverse direction.
Preferably, the rod portion has at least one sidewalls provided with engaging elements, for engaging with the cam member and/or fixing element and/or the cushion. The engaging elements are preferably teeth.
Preferably, the cam member comprises a handle and a cam portion formed at one end of the handle and substantively perpendicular to the handle. The cam portion has a bulge at its free end, for contacting with and pressing against the rod portion. The surface of the bulge that is in contact with the rod portion preferably has engaging elements, such as teeth.
The adjusting element preferably has a fixing portion substantively perpendicular to the rod portion, for detachable connection with the stationary frame. The fixing portion preferably has guiding ribs and the stationary frame has a groove, such that the guiding ribs can be inserted into to the groove so as to connect with the stationary frame.
The fixing element preferably has slots on its sides, for receiving both sidewalls of the stationary frame.
The fixing element preferably has a first through hole, and the movable frame has a receiving tube. In this case, the fixing element is secured to the movable frame by a fastener passing through the first through hole and penetrating into the receiving tube.
The fixing element preferably has a second through hole for engaging with a door panel, in particular, a pivot door panel.
The door assembly preferably has a decorative element for housing at least a part of the adjusting assembly for purpose of aesthetics.
The door assembly of the present invention is preferably shower door, balcony door or other sliding doors, more preferably shower door.
The door assembly provided in the present invention can be assembled without drilling operation, minimizing risk of damage to the frames, and can be assembled by a single person.
Elements that are irrelevant to the spirit of the invention are omitted from the drawings for purpose of clarity.
The present invention will now be described in more detail in reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “and/or” include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” “comprising” “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
In the present example, the movable frame 20 is coupled with the pivot door panel 30 through the adjusting assembly 40. The adjustments of the distance between the top end of the movable frame 20 and the stationary frame 10 and the distance between the bottom end of the movable frame 20 and the stationary frame 10 will enable the movable frame 20 to be in a vertical position. For example, when the wall surface is in a vertical position, the movable frame 20 will also be in a vertical position when the top and bottom ends of the movable frame 20 equally spaced from the stationary frame 10. For example, when the wall surface is titled outside by an angle, the movable frame 20 will be in a vertical position when the distance between the top end of the frame 20 and the frame 10 is appropriately larger than that between the bottom end of the frame 20 and the frame 10. Yet for example, when the wall surface is titled inside by an angle, the movable frame 20 will be in a vertical position when the distance between the top end of the frame 20 and the frame 10 is appropriately smaller than that between the bottom end of the frame 20 and the frame 10. When the movable frame 20 is in vertical position, the pivot door panel 30 which is connected to the frame 20 is also in a vertical position, such that the door panel 30 can be opened or closed freely.
The rod portion 422 has two sidewalls 423, 424, which are distributed with teeth 425. It can be contemplated that the teeth 425 can also be absent. The sidewalls 423, 424 can also be smooth surfaces. Alternatively, the teeth 425 can exist on only one of the sidewalls. The teeth 425 are provided to make the engagement between the rod portion and other parts stronger and reliable. In this example, a notch 426 is formed at free end of the rod portion 422, for cooperation with the pivot door panel 30, which will be described in detail later on. It will be appreciated that when the pivot door panel is connected to the movable frame in a different form, or when different door panels are used, the notch 426 may not be necessary.
The cam member 46 has a handle 461 and a cam portion 462 formed at one end of the handle 461 and substantively perpendicular thereto. The cam portion 462 has a through hole 464 which cooperates with two pin holes 447 provided on the side 442 of the fixing element 44 to enable the cam member 46 to rotate with a pin (not shown). The cam portion 462 has a bulge 463 for contacting with and pressing against the rod portion 422 in the closed position. In this example, the surface of the bulge 463 that is in contact of the rod portion 422 is a smooth surface. It can be contemplated that the surface can also be provided with engaging elements such as teeth, to facilitate the engagement between the bulge 463 and the sidewall 423 of the rod portion 422. The sidewall 423 and said surface can both have teeth, such that the engagement of the teeth makes the coupling between the cam member 46 and the adjusting element 42 more stable and reliable.
The cushion 450 is made of rubber or plastic materials in this example. It is to be contacted with the side 424 of the rod portion 422 to increase the friction force there between, in order to ensure that the adjusting element 42 is not displaced in the axial direction X. Preferably, the side 424 is also provided with engaging elements such as teeth, such that the teeth will pierce into the cushion 450 to secure the rod portion with the cushion 450. The cushion 450 can be coupled with the fixing element 44 in suitable manners. In the present example, the cushion 450 has a transversal fixing portion 452, generally in sheet form, so as to fit the bottom of the first cavity 443 and be able not to block the movement of the rod portion 422. The transversal fixing portion 452 further has a through hole 454 for achieving the connection between the fixing element 44 and the movable frame 20. It can be contemplated that the cushion 450 can be connected with the fixing element 44 in a different manner such that the transversal fixing portion 452 may be omitted or replaced.
The fixing element 44 can be detachably attached to the movable frame 20 in suitable manners. In one example, as shown in
In the present invention, the door assembly comprises two adjusting assembly 40, located at top and bottom ends of the stationary/movable frame respectively. The description above is set forth with reference to the arrangement of the adjusting assembly on the top ends of the frames. It can be contemplated that the arrangement of the adjusting assembly at the bottom ends can be carried out in a same or similar way.
As shown in
During assembly, the stationary frame 10 is attached to a wall surface, and the adjusting element 42 is then attached to the stationary frame 10. The movable frame 20, cam member 46, fixing element 44, door panel 30, and, optionally, the cushion 450 are connected together, and keep the cam member 46 in open position. The movable frame 20 is then moved toward the stationary frame 10. As the cam member 46 is in open position, it will not interfere the movement of the rod portion 422. The rod portion 422 can inserted into the first cavity 443, and in the meantime, the two sidewalls 12, 14 (see
When the movable frame 20 is in a vertical position, the handle 461 is rotated to move the cam member 46 to the closed position. In this position, the bulge 463 applies a force to the rod portion 422, which in turn directly or through the cushion 450 applies a force to the fixing element 44, so as to secure the rod portion 422 and fixing element 44 together.
It should be understood that various example embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only some example embodiments are shown. The present invention, however, may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201320256871.0 | May 2013 | CN | national |