Patent Grant
11280130
The present disclosure generally relates to sliding doors, and more particularly, to top-hanging sliding doors that include acoustic seals.
In various environments, sliding doors may be used to provide space savings and other benefits. Such environments may include medical clinics, hospital exam rooms, toilet rooms or restrooms, corporate office settings, etc., where in particular the space savings and other functionality of sliding doors may be desired. Some sliding doors may be “top-hanging” on a door frame with no exposed floor track and may be designed to roll on a track positioned at the top of the door frame. In some environments, it may be desirable to provide sliding doors which have a relatively low sound transmission to provide enhanced privacy and noise reduction between the two areas which are separated by a sliding door. To date, perimeter gaps inherent in sliding doors have presented considerable challenges for acoustic transmission performance in sliding doors.
A door seal system for a top-hanging sliding door, the top-hanging sliding door including a door frame which supports a door panel that is slideable along a track between an open position and a closed position, may be summarized as including: a frame wedge surface which faces outward from a top portion of the door frame toward the door panel, the frame wedge surface positioned to at least substantially horizontally align with a width of the door panel when the door panel is in the closed position, the frame wedge surface planar in shape and extending outward toward the door panel a first distance proximate a leading edge of the door and extending outward toward the door panel a second distance proximate a trailing edge of the door, the first distance greater than the second distance, such that the frame wedge surface extends at a non-zero angle with respect to a track axis of the track; and a door wedge surface which extends outward from a top portion of the door panel toward the frame wedge surface, the door wedge surface at least substantially parallel to the frame wedge surface such that as the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position the door wedge surface engages the frame wedge surface to provide a seal therebetween.
The door panel may be hung at a non-zero angle with respect to the track axis of the track. The door panel may be hung at an angle with respect to the track axis of the track that is between 0.1 degrees and 4.0 degrees. The frame wedge surface may extend at an angle with respect to the track axis of the track that is between 0.1 degrees and 4.0 degrees. The door wedge surface may include a door wedge coupled to a top portion of the door panel, the door wedge surface extending outward from a top portion of the door panel toward the frame wedge surface a third distance proximate a leading edge of the door and extending outward toward the door panel a fourth distance proximate a trailing edge of the door, the fourth distance greater than the third distance, such that the frame wedge surface extends at a non-zero angle with respect to the track axis of the track. At least one of the frame wedge surface and the door wedge surface may include a friction-reducing material thereon. The door wedge surface may include a door wedge selectively coupled to a top portion of the door panel, the door wedge including a pivot hole proximate the leading edge of the door panel and an angle adjustment slot proximate the trailing edge of the door panel. The door wedge may be selectively coupleable to the top portion of the door panel via first and second fasteners that are insertable into the door panel through the pivot hole and the angle adjustment slot, respectively. At least one of the frame wedge surface and the door wedge surface may include a compressive seal thereon. The door seal system may further include: a rear seal coupled along a rear side of the door panel facing the door frame, the rear seal extending between a bottom of the door panel and the top of the door panel, as the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position the rear seal engages the door frame to provide a seal therebetween. The rear seal may be coupled to the rear side of the door panel via an adhesive. The rear seal may be coupled to a retainer which is coupled to the rear side of the door panel. The rear seal may include at least one of an extruded elastomeric compound. The rear seal may be relatively narrow toward a front edge relatively proximate the leading edge of the door panel and may be relatively wide toward a rear edge relatively distal the leading edge of the door panel. At least a portion of the rear seal may include a friction-reducing surface. The door seal system may further include: a drop seal assembly physically coupled to a bottom portion of the door panel, the drop seal assembly including an elongated carriage having an elastic seal disposed on a bottom side thereof which faces a floor surface below the door panel, the carriage vertically movable between a raised position wherein the elastic seal is spaced apart from the floor surface, and a lowered position wherein the elastic seal is in contact with the floor surface, and the carriage is biased in the raised position and vertically movable from the raised position to the lowered position responsive to an external horizontal force applied to the carriage; and a drop seal assembly activator physically coupled to the door frame of the top-hanging sliding door, in operation the drop seal assembly activator imparts the horizontal force on the carriage as the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position to cause the carriage of the drop seal assembly to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The door seal system may further include: a first rear seal coupled along a rear side of the door panel facing the door frame, the first rear seal extending between a bottom of the door panel and the top of the door panel; and a second rear seal coupled along a front side of the door frame facing the door panel, the second rear seal extending between a bottom of the door frame and the top of the door frame, wherein as the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position the first rear seal engages the second rear seal to provide a seal therebetween. The first rear seal and the second rear seal may have a substantially identical cross-section. The first rear seal may be relatively narrow toward a front edge relatively proximate the leading edge of the door panel and may be relatively wide toward a rear edge relatively distal the leading edge of the door panel, and the second rear seal may be relatively wide toward a front edge relatively proximate the leading edge of the door panel and may be relatively narrow toward a rear edge relatively distal the leading edge of the door panel. The first rear seal and second rear seal may include respective ramped surfaces which engage each other to provide a seal therebetween. The door seal system may further include: a drop seal assembly physically coupled to a bottom portion of the door panel, the drop seal assembly including an elongated carriage having an elastic seal disposed on a bottom side thereof which faces a floor surface below the door panel, the carriage vertically movable between a raised position wherein the elastic seal is spaced apart from the floor surface, and a lowered position wherein the elastic seal is in contact with the floor surface, and the carriage is biased in the raised position and vertically movable from the raised position to the lowered position responsive to an external horizontal force applied to the carriage; and a drop seal assembly activator physically coupled to the door frame of the top-hanging sliding door, in operation the drop seal assembly activator imparts the horizontal force on the carriage as the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position to cause the carriage of the drop seal assembly to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The door seal system may further include: a drop seal assembly physically coupled to a bottom portion of the door panel, the drop seal assembly including an elongated carriage having an elastic seal disposed on a bottom side thereof which faces a floor surface below the door panel, the carriage vertically movable between a raised position wherein the elastic seal is spaced apart from the floor surface, and a lowered position wherein the elastic seal is in contact with the floor surface, and the carriage is biased in the raised position and vertically movable from the raised position to the lowered position responsive to an external horizontal force applied to the carriage; and a drop seal assembly activator physically coupled to the door frame of the top-hanging sliding door, in operation the drop seal assembly activator imparts the horizontal force on the carriage as the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position to cause the carriage of the drop seal assembly to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The carriage of the drop seal assembly may include a fixed pin, and the drop seal assembly may further include an elongated guide bar which is fixed relative to the door panel, the guide bar may include an angled slot therein which receives the fixed pin of the carriage, and the fixed pin may ride in the angled slot responsive to the horizontal force imparted on the carriage by the drop seal assembly activator to control movement of the carriage between the raised position and the lowered position. The drop seal assembly may further include at least one spring coupled between the elongated guide bar and the carriage, the at least one spring biases the carriage in the raised position. The angled slot of the elongated guide bar may be disposed at an angle that is between 30 degrees and 45 degrees with respect to horizontal. The drop seal assembly may further include a bearing coupled to the carriage proximate a trailing end of the door panel, and the drop seal assembly activator may include a sill guide which has a bearing surface which contacts the bearing when the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position. The horizontal position of the bearing surface of the sill guide may be selectively adjustable and the horizontal position of the bearing surface of the sill guide may control the height of the carriage when the carriage is in the lowered position. The drop seal assembly activator may be self-adjusting to cause the elastic seal to contact the floor surface below the door panel when the door panel is in the closed position when the floor surface is spaced apart from the bottom portion of the door panel by any distance within a determined range of distances. The drop seal assembly may include a first magnet coupled to a leading end of the carriage, and the drop seal assembly activator may include a second magnet coupled to the door frame, and when the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position the second magnet may repel the first magnet which imparts the horizontal force to the carriage of the drop seal assembly to cause the carriage to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The door panel may be in the closed position, the first magnet is spaced apart from the second magnet by an air gap.
A top-hanging sliding door may be summarized as including: a door frame; a door panel supported by the door frame, the door panel slideable between an open position and a closed position; and a door seal system comprising: a frame wedge surface which faces outward from a top portion of the door frame toward the door panel, the frame wedge surface positioned to at least substantially horizontally align with a width of the door panel when the door panel is in the closed position, the frame wedge surface planar in shape and extending outward toward the door panel a first distance proximate a leading edge of the door and extending outward toward the door panel a second distance proximate a trailing edge of the door, the first distance greater than the second distance, such that the frame wedge surface extends at a non-zero angle with respect to a track axis of the track; and a door wedge surface which extends outward from a top portion of the door panel toward the frame wedge surface, the door wedge surface at least substantially parallel to the frame wedge surface such that as the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position the door wedge surface engages the frame wedge surface to provide a seal therebetween.
The door panel may be hung at a non-zero angle with respect to the track axis of the track. The door panel may be hung at an angle with respect to the track axis of the track that is between 0.1 degrees and 4.0 degrees. The frame wedge surface may extend at an angle with respect to the track axis of the track that is between 0.1 degrees and 4.0 degrees. The door wedge surface may include a door wedge coupled to a top portion of the door panel, the door wedge surface extending outward from a top portion of the door panel toward the frame wedge surface a third distance proximate a leading edge of the door and extending outward toward the door panel a fourth distance proximate a trailing edge of the door, the fourth distance greater than the third distance, such that the frame wedge surface extends at a non-zero angle with respect to the track axis of the track. At least one of the frame wedge surface and the door wedge surface may include a friction-reducing material thereon. The door wedge surface may include a door wedge selectively coupled to a top portion of the door panel, the door wedge including a pivot hole proximate the leading edge of the door panel and an angle adjustment slot proximate the trailing edge of the door panel. The door wedge may be selectively coupleable to the top portion of the door panel via first and second fasteners that are insertable into the door panel through the pivot hole and the angle adjustment slot, respectively. At least one of the frame wedge surface and the door wedge surface may include a compressive seal thereon. The top-hanging sliding door may further include: a rear seal coupled along a rear side of the door panel facing the door frame, the rear seal extending between a bottom of the door panel and the top of the door panel, as the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position the rear seal engages the door frame to provide a seal therebetween. The rear seal may be coupled to the rear side of the door panel via an adhesive. The rear seal may be coupled to a retainer which is coupled to the rear side of the door panel. The rear seal may include at least one of an extruded elastomeric compound. The rear seal may be relatively narrow toward a front edge relatively proximate the leading edge of the door panel and may be relatively wide toward a rear edge relatively distal the leading edge of the door panel. At least a portion of the rear seal may include a friction-reducing surface. The door panel may include a bottom portion having a downward facing opening therein, the door seal system may further include: a drop seal assembly physically coupled to a bottom portion of the door panel, the drop seal assembly including an elongated carriage having an elastic seal disposed on a bottom side thereof which faces a floor surface below the door panel, the carriage vertically movable between a raised position wherein the elastic seal is spaced apart from the floor surface, and a lowered position wherein the elastic seal is in contact with the floor surface, and the carriage is biased in the raised position and vertically movable from the raised position to the lowered position responsive to an external horizontal force applied to the carriage; and a drop seal assembly activator physically coupled to the door frame of the top-hanging sliding door, in operation the drop seal assembly activator imparts the horizontal force on the carriage as the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position to cause the carriage of the drop seal assembly to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The top-hanging sliding door may further include: a first rear seal coupled along a rear side of the door panel facing the door frame, the first rear seal extending between a bottom of the door panel and the top of the door panel; and a second rear seal coupled along a front side of the door frame facing the door panel, the second rear seal extending between a bottom of the door frame and the top of the door frame, wherein as the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position the first rear seal engages the second rear seal to provide a seal therebetween. The first rear seal and the second rear seal may have a substantially identical cross-section. The first rear seal may be relatively narrow toward a front edge relatively proximate the leading edge of the door panel and may be relatively wide toward a rear edge relatively distal the leading edge of the door panel, and the second rear seal may be relatively wide toward a front edge relatively proximate the leading edge of the door panel and may be relatively narrow toward a rear edge relatively distal the leading edge of the door panel. The first rear seal and second rear seal may include respective ramped surfaces which engage each other to provide a seal therebetween. The door panel may include a bottom portion having a downward facing opening therein, the door seal system may further include: a drop seal assembly physically coupled to a bottom portion of the door panel, the drop seal assembly including an elongated carriage having an elastic seal disposed on a bottom side thereof which faces a floor surface below the door panel, the carriage vertically movable between a raised position wherein the elastic seal is spaced apart from the floor surface, and a lowered position wherein the elastic seal is in contact with the floor surface, and the carriage is biased in the raised position and vertically movable from the raised position to the lowered position responsive to an external horizontal force applied to the carriage; and a drop seal assembly activator physically coupled to the door frame of the top-hanging sliding door, in operation the drop seal assembly activator imparts the horizontal force on the carriage as the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position to cause the carriage of the drop seal assembly to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The door panel may include a bottom portion having a downward facing opening therein, the door seal system may further include: a drop seal assembly physically coupled to a bottom portion of the door panel, the drop seal assembly including an elongated carriage having an elastic seal disposed on a bottom side thereof which faces a floor surface below the door panel, the carriage vertically movable between a raised position wherein the elastic seal is spaced apart from the floor surface, and a lowered position wherein the elastic seal is in contact with the floor surface, and the carriage is biased in the raised position and vertically movable from the raised position to the lowered position responsive to an external horizontal force applied to the carriage; and a drop seal assembly activator physically coupled to the door frame of the top-hanging sliding door, in operation the drop seal assembly activator imparts the horizontal force on the carriage as the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position to cause the carriage of the drop seal assembly to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The carriage of the drop seal assembly may include a fixed pin, and the drop seal assembly may further include an elongated guide bar which is fixed relative to the door panel, the guide bar includes an angled slot therein which receives the fixed pin of the carriage, and the fixed pin rides in the angled slot responsive to the horizontal force imparted on the carriage by the drop seal assembly activator to control movement of the carriage between the raised position and the lowered position. The drop seal assembly may further include at least one spring coupled between the elongated guide bar and the carriage, the at least one spring biases the carriage in the raised position. The angled slot of the elongated guide bar may be disposed at an angle that is between 30 degrees and 45 degrees with respect to horizontal. The drop seal assembly may further include a bearing coupled to the carriage proximate a trailing end of the door panel, and the drop seal assembly activator may include a sill guide which has a bearing surface which contacts the bearing when the door panel is moved from the open position to the closed position. The horizontal position of the bearing surface of the sill guide may be selectively adjustable and the horizontal position of the bearing surface of the sill guide may control the height of the carriage when the carriage is in the lowered position. The drop seal assembly activator may be self-adjusting to cause the elastic seal to contact the floor surface below the door panel when the door panel is in the closed position when the floor surface is spaced apart from the bottom portion of the door panel by any distance within a determined range of distances. The drop seal assembly may include a first magnet coupled to a leading end of the carriage, and the drop seal assembly activator may include a second magnet coupled to the door frame, and when the door panel is moved from the open position toward the closed position the second magnet repels the first magnet which imparts the horizontal force to the carriage of the drop seal assembly to cause the carriage to move from the raised position to the lowered position. The door panel may be in the closed position, the first magnet may be spaced apart from the second magnet by an air gap.
In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some of these elements may be arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn, are not necessarily intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements, and may have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the drawings.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed implementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that implementations may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” and is inclusive or open-ended (i.e., does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method acts).
Reference throughout this specification to “one implementation” or “an implementation” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one implementation” or “in an implementation” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more implementations.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the implementations.
One or more implementations of the present disclosure relate to providing various seals (e.g., acoustic seals) for sliding doors, such as top-hanging sliding doors. Initially, implementations for top-hanging sliding doors including a bottom guide and seal are discussed with reference to
Top-Hanging Sliding Doors Including Bottom Guide and Seal
One or more implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a drop seal assembly which is concealed within an opening in the bottom of a sliding door panel of a top-hanging sliding door. The drop seal assembly may include bottom sill guide which defines a downward facing elongated slot or track which receives a sill guide therein such that the bottom sill guide functions a retainer to keep the bottom of the sliding door panel in place and does not allow the door panel to swing out and away from the door frame. The drop seal assembly also includes a drop down acoustic seal which automatically drops down to contact the floor surface below the door panel when the door panel is moved from an open position into a closed position to provide a physical barrier, to block sound, air light and/or smoke from passing through at the bottom of the door panel when the door is in the closed position.
The distance that the seal drops down upon closing of the door panel, sometimes referred to herein as the “extension distance” or “drop distance,” may be selectively adjustable to accommodate variances in the air gap between the bottom of the door panel and the floor surface due to particular installation conditions. As discussed further below, in at least some implementations this adjustment feature is provided by an adjustable sill guide which interacts with the drop seal assembly when the door panel is moved into the closed position. The adjustable sill guide may be movable between a plurality of different positions, wherein each of the plurality of positions provides a different drop distance for the seal when the door panel is in the closed position.
In at least some other implementations, rather than the adjustable sill guide, a concealed magnetic bottom seal activator is used to provide self-adjusting activation of the door bottom seal assembly using two opposing magnets. In such implementations, a fixed sill guide may still be used as a retainer to prevent the bottom of the door panel from swinging out away from the door frame. One of the magnets may be placed on a stile pocket of the door frame, and the other magnet may be mounted to a leading edge of a movable drop portion of the drop seal assembly. The magnets may be arranged to be in opposing reverse polarity such that when the door panel is moved to the closed position from the open position, the magnet on the movably drop seal assembly comes into close proximity with the magnet fixed on the door frame. The horizontal opposing magnetic force is transformed into a vertical force, as discussed further below, which forces the seal downward into contact with the floor surface below the door panel. In such implementations, an air gap between the two magnets when the door panel is in the closed position may allow for a variance in the distance that the seal extends downward to be absorbed without requiring any manual adjustment mechanism.
The drop seal assembly 118 also includes an elongated guide bar 126 that is fixedly coupled to the E-channel extrusion 118 using a plurality of screws 128. The drop seal assembly 118 further includes an elongated carriage extrusion 130 which has a seal 132 (
A wheel bearing 142 may be fixedly attached to the carriage extrusion 130 proximate the trailing edge 144 thereof. The wheel bearing 142 may be held in place by a screw 146 and a standoff 148, for example. As shown in
The carriage extrusion 130 may also be coupled to the guide bar 126 via one or more springs 150, which springs bias the carriage extrusion 130 in the raised position to prevent the seal 132 from contacting the floor surface when the door panel 104 is in the open position. As discussed further below, when a horizontal force is applied to the carriage extrusion 130, the carriage extrusion moves vertically due to the pin 140 riding in the guide slot 138 and overcomes the biasing force provided by the springs 150.
A pin 180 (
As shown best in
Referring back to
In this implementation, instead of activation of the drop seal assembly 210 by the wheel bearing 142 contacting the bumper 164 of the adjustable sill guide 160, opposing magnets are used to drive the carriage extrusion 130 downward from the raised position to the lowered position. In particular, a first magnet bracket 212 which supports a first magnet 214 is coupled to the leading end 144 of the carriage extrusion 130 via screws 216. A second magnet bracket 218 which supports a second magnet 220 is coupled to the door frame 102 (e.g., stile pocket) at a position that is horizontally aligned with the first magnet 214 (see
The first magnet 214 and the second magnet 220 are oriented such that the same poles face each other (i.e., North pole facing North pole, or South pole facing South pole), which causes a repelling force between the first magnet 214 and the second magnet 220 when the first magnet is brought into proximity of the second magnet as the door panel 104 is moved from the open position into the closed position. Thus, instead of pulling the carriage extrusion 130 backward when the door panel 104 closes using the wheel bearing 142, as discussed above, in this implementation the carriage extrusion 130 is pushed backwards using the repelling force between the first magnet 214 and the second magnet 220 to cause the carriage extrusion to move as described above from the raised position to the lowered position.
One advantage of the magnetic drop seal activator implementation is that the system is self-adjusting. The air gap between the first and second magnets 214 and 220 allows for variation in distances between the bottom 110 of the door panel 104 and the floor surface. In particular, the force between the first magnet 214 and the second magnet 220 when the door panel 104 is in the closed position is strong enough to drive the carriage extrusion 130 downward such that the seal 132 compresses against the floor surface, but the force is not so strong so as to prevent the door panel 104 from shutting and/or remaining in the closed position. In other words, if the floor surface is lower relative to the bottom 110 of the door panel 104, the magnetic force between the first and second magnets 214 and 220 drives the carriage extrusion 130 downward to the lower floor surface for a range of distances between the bottom 110 of the door panel 104 and the floor surface.
In at least some implementations, a fixed or non-adjustable sill guide may be positioned in the still guide channel 124 of the E-channel extrusion 120 to prevent the bottom 110 of the door panel 104 from swinging outward from the door frame 102 and wall 106. In installations which do not include a drop seal assembly, the same fixed sill guide may be used. Thus, another advantage of the magnetic drop seal activator implementation is that the same fixed sill guide may be used for all types of installations including those which include a drop seal assembly and those which do not include a drop seal assembly.
Top-Hanging Sliding Doors Including Wedge Design Top Seals
One or more implementations discussed herein utilizes two angled mating surfaces, one angle surface on the fixed door frame and one reversed angled surface on the moving door panel. The moving door panel slides directly parallel to the fixed frame. In operation, the faces of the two angled seal surfaces move closer together or further apart as the sliding panel moves parallel with the door frame. This creates a mating seal surface that is only in frictional contact with the mating seal surface for a small portion of the linear slide distance, rather than the entire slide distance. By using a compressive seal, such as a hollow elastomer profile or a sponge compound elastomeric profile, a compressive seal can be obtained with very small amount of linear sliding friction during only the very last portion of the sliding motion of the door. Advantageously, the vast majority of slide travel is uninhibited by sliding friction.
As shown in
The frame wedge 312 has a frame wedge surface 318 which faces outward from a top portion of the door frame toward the door panel 304. As shown in
As shown in
The horizontal portion 324 of the door wedge 306 may include a pivot hole 334 toward an end 336 which attaches to the door panel 306 proximate the leading edge 320 thereof and an angle adjustment slot 338 proximate an end 340 of the door wedge which attaches to the trailing edge 322 of the door panel. During installation, the installer may insert a fastener (e.g., screw) into the door panel 304 through the pivot hole 334. Then the installer may pivot the door wedge 306 about the pivot hole 334 to selectively adjust the angle α2 of the door wedge surface 332 of the door wedge to provide suitable mating with the frame wedge surface 318 when the door panel 306 is in the closed position. Then, once the angle α2 has been set, the user may insert or tighten a fastener (e.g., screw) into the door panel 304 through the angle adjustment slot 338. The installer may also insert a fastener into the door panel 304 through a locking hole 342 of the door wedge 306 which is located proximate the center of the horizontal portion 324 of the door wedge. The locking hole 342 acts to lock the position of the door wedge 306 after the installer has made the angle adjustment.
As shown in
As discussed above, at least one of the door wedge surface 332 and the frame wedge surface 318 may include a compression seal 308 (e.g., foam, gasket) thereon. In at least some implementations, the door wedge surface 332 includes a layer of low durometer foam with a low friction coating disposed thereon. For example, the foam may be coupled to the door wedge surface 332 via a suitable adhesive.
The frame wedge 312 and door wedge 306 may be formed of any suitable materials. In at least some implementations, the frame wedge 312 and/or door wedge 306 are formed of aluminum, steel, and/or stainless steel.
To achieve such functionality, on the top surface 326 of the door panel 304 there are two hanger brackets 344 from which the door panel is hung from the track (not shown). The hanger brackets 344 each have U-shaped slots 346 in them which receive suspension bolts 348 therein. During installation, the installer can adjust the angle α3 of the door panel 304 by adjusting the position of the suspension bolts 348 in the U-shaped slots 346. Advantageously, in this implementation there is no need for the door wedge 306 (
In this implementation, a compression seal 360 (e.g., foam, gasket) may be positioned on the rear side 330 of the door panel 304 near the top thereof, such that the compression seal 360 contacts the frame wedge surface 318 of the frame wedge 312 when the door panel is moved into the closed position. In at least some implementations, the compression seal 360 may a layer of low durometer foam with a low friction coating disposed thereon. For example, the foam may be coupled to the door panel via a suitable adhesive.
Top-Hanging Sliding Doors Including Rear Seals
As shown in
The foregoing detailed description has set forth various implementations of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, schematics, and examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, schematics, and examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of various implementations. Those of skill in the art will recognize that many of the examples set out herein may employ additional elements and/or may omit some elements. The various implementations described above can be combined to provide further implementations.
The various implementations described above can be combined to provide further implementations. To the extent that they are not inconsistent with the specific teachings and definitions herein, all of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, including but not limited to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/442,623, filed Jan. 5, 2017 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/480,946, filed Apr. 3, 2017, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the implementations can be modified, if necessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further implementations.
These and other changes can be made to the implementations in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific implementations disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible implementations along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2018/022473 | 3/14/2018 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2018/187009 | 10/11/2018 | WO | A |
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| 2009720 | Warrington | Jul 1935 | A |
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| Entry |
|---|
| International search report and written opinion for PCT/US2018/022473, dated Jun. 7, 2018, 12 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210102420 A1 | Apr 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62480946 | Apr 2017 | US |
