The present invention relates generally to the field of sliding door and/or window assemblies and more particularly, to a sliding door with a roller carriage. Sliding doors are used to provide ingress and egress from a building structure. Roller carriages allow the sliding door to slide on a track in the sill. Roller carriages may include an adjustment mechanism to adjust the height of the sliding door relative to the track in the sill.
A sliding door roller system comprising a wheel housing, two roller wheels rotatably coupled to the wheel housing, an upper base, a second housing configured to be secured to a door and a ratchet mechanism coupled to the first housing and second housing, discretely stepping the second housing away from the first housing in a plurality of positions.
A method for aligning a door using a sliding door roller system including placing a door on a horizontal platform of a sliding door roller system, lifting the door away from the sliding door roller system, allowing the sliding door roller system to raise the horizontal platform, replacing the door on the horizontal platform, comparing the door's new position with a benchmark and redoing the process if the new position does not meet the benchmark or stopping if the new position meets the benchmark.
Referring to
Referring to
In terms of assembly,
The middle of each shell 140 has an aperture 160 in the middle of the shell 140. Both apertures 154 support a large pin 162 and other components which will be described below.
The two shells 140, when put together, form the wheel assembly housing 148. Within the wheel assembly housing 148 are two wheels 170. The wheel assembly housing 148 has an inner housing or adjustment plate 172. The inner housing 172 is U-shaped. The inner housing 172 has two ratchet assembly sides 126, 128. in the middle of each ratchet assembly sides 126, 128, there is a relatively large circular cavity 124. Tangent to each circular cavity 124 is a pawl 120 as described earlier.
Unique to the front ratchet assembly side 126 there is an oval-like hole 184 to the right of the large circular cavity 124 as viewed from
The top of the inner housing 172 comprises a left C-shaped piece 190 and a right C-shaped piece 192. The left C-shaped piece 190 has a small circular hole 194. The right C-shaped piece 192 also has a small circular hole 196. Both small circular holes 194, 196 are symmetrically placed within each C-shaped piece 190, 192. The small circular hole 194 of the left C-shaped piece 190 supports a left post 198. The small circular hole 196 of the right C-shaped piece 192 supports a right post 200. Each post 198, 200 supports and secures the horizontal platform 104.
The horizontal platform 104 has a left hole 202 and a right hole 204 to support and hold each post 198, 200 respectively. The right post 200 has a step pin 206 attached to the bottom of post 200. The step pin 206 is flat mushroom shaped in this embodiment. The mushroom cap side 208 of the step pin 206 is the portion that attaches to the bottom of the post 200. The mushroom stems side 210 of the step pin 206 is the portion that goes into and travels through the oval like aperture 184. The step pin 206 design creates the incremental and decremental steps as the door 102 is lifted and released using each groove 184.
Referring to
Within the center of the triangular plates 312 is a large circular aperture 318. Each large circular aperture 318 is in proximity to the obtuse angle 320 of the triangular plates 312 as well as the hypotenuse 314 of the triangular plates 312.
Adjacent to each large circular aperture 318 is an L-shaped aperture 322. The top of the stem 324 of each L-shaped aperture 322 are in proximity to the hypotenuse 314. The unconnected end 326 of the base of the L-shaped aperture 322 integrates with each large circular aperture 318.
The combination of the large circular aperture 318 and the L-shaped aperture 322 form a vertical pawl 328. Each vertical pawl 328 has long stem 329. At the top of each stem 329 is a triangular extension 332 that points towards the center of each large circular aperture 318. Based on this design, the vertical pawl 328 is slightly flexible within the plane of the triangular plates 312.
As shown in
Enveloping the wheel ratchet 330 is the wheel ratchet housing 350. The wheel ratchet housing is U-shaped as in the previous embodiment. The side ends 352 of the U-shaped wheel ratchet housing 350 each have a large circular aperture 354 on each side of each flat surface 352. The diameter of each large circular aperture 354 is designed to he slightly larger than the diameter of the wheel ratchet gear 344. Each side end 352 extending away from the wheel ratchet 330 have an inner arc aperture 356 and an outer arc aperture 358 The outer arc apertures 358 is parallel to the respective inner C-shaped aperture 356. All arcs 356, 358 would bend upward towards platform 104. The result of the arc apertures 356, 356 creates two C-shaped pawls 360. Each exposed end 362 of each C-shaped pawl 360 is formed into a triangle 364. Each triangle 364 is designed to embed between the curved teeth 346 of the wheel ratchet gear 344.
A different embodiment (not shown), a second set of pawls may be added to the side ends 352 near the bottom portion, closer to post 368. Each side end 352 extending away from the wheel ratchet 330 would have two inner arc apertures 356 and two outer arc apertures 358 (a total of four inner arc apertures 356 and four outer arc apertures 356 for both side ends 352). In other words, two pawls 360 would be near post 366 and two additional pawls would he near post 368. All outer arc apertures 358 are parallel to a respective inner C-shaped aperture 356. All arcs 356, 358 would bend upward towards platform 104. The result of the arc apertures 356, 358 creates four C-shaped pawls 360, two pawls per side end 352. This configuration would provide more stability for the gearwheel 344.
This embodiment uses the same horizontal platform 104 as in the previous embodiment. Both top layers 380 of each top end 370 are designed to penetrate apertures 202, 204. Thus, the top portion of each spring 110 presses against the bottom of the horizontal platform 104.
At this point, the operator determines if the door 102 is in the proper position. If the door 102 is still too low, the door height adjustment cycle is repeated until the door 102 is at the proper height.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the latch mechanism as described herein is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present inventions have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements and vice versa, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating. conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present inventions as expressed in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/733,418 filed Dec. 4, 2012 entitled LIFT ADJUST SLIDING DOOR ROLLER.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61733418 | Dec 2012 | US |