Adjustable device for moving a sliding door on a floor

Abstract

An adjustable device (10) for moving a single or double sliding door (12) to be aligned with a wall on a floor, the adjustable device comprising a rubber wheel (16) connected by a pin (20) to a frame (18) incorporating a pad (26) made of an elastic material, and provided with an overlapping elastic plate (22), the rubber wheel (16) being connected by a pin (20) to the frame (18). The resilient plate is fixed to the load bearing frame by a screw (24). The frame is formed by a fixed base (28) and an inclined support (36) in which means for adjusting and aligning the door (12) are arranged. The fixing base (28) defines a substantially rectangular plane and is provided along opposite main sides with integral sides (30) folded at 90 DEG, on each of which at one end of the fixing base (28) there is formed a through-hole (32) receiving a pin (34) for connection and articulation to an inclined support (36).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an adjustable device for moving a sliding door on a floor slab.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a device that not only allows a single sliding door or a double sliding door to slide optimally on the floor, but also compensates for any inclination of the door from the vertical direction. Background Art

[0003] As is known, sliding doors are widely used and valued for their functional characteristics, since when opened they do not protrude into the interior of the room; in some embodiments, these doors are configured to be hidden in a specific recess in the wall when opened, making these doors completely invisible. In the upper part, sliding doors generally include a sliding track that is coupled to at least one carriage fixed to the wall; the door is opened and closed by sliding the track on the wheels of the fixed carriage. According to known embodiments, from the lower part of the door, a pair of spring-loaded wheels partially protrude, which are connected to respective supports built into the ends of the lower edge of the door; the door is translated due to the rolling of said spring-loaded wheels on the floor. A solution of this type, also disclosed in EP 2,646,635, EP 3,665,52 of the same applicant, also relates to a similar solution, where opposite bottom guide rails are fixed to the floor and are defined by protruding appendages, such as pins, etc., that protrude upwards and engage and lock in a longitudinal milling cutout in the lower end of the door. A device for floor-mounted sliding doors is also known from WO2019 / 029838, which includes a forked frame fitted with one or more elastic plates, while French patent FR 2 332 406 discloses a sliding door frame carriage that includes two parts connected by threaded elements; the wheels of the carriage are supported by respective shafts that are press-fitted into support elements.

[0004] This system is very suitable for designing the structure of the door, since the mechanism that enables the door to move is completely hidden from sight; however, it has been found that the known solutions have a serious drawback. In fact, although the weight of the door is distributed between the upper carriage fixed to the wall and the spring-loaded wheels located at the bottom, the door itself may tilt to one side, i.e., in a direction opposite to the side where the above-mentioned carriage is located; this is because the relevant spring-loaded wheels are bent to a greater extent than the upper carriage and are thus more susceptible to the weight of the sliding door.

[0005] Another situation of door tilt occurs when the door slides on an inadequately flat floor, or when the floor has recesses or protrusions along the sliding track. The tilt of the door with respect to the vertical line is unacceptable from an aesthetic point of view, especially for solutions where the door itself is made of glass and has an aluminum frame; indeed, this tilt will occur with respect to the edge of the compartment, which is visible outside the glass of the frame. Another possible tilt situation also occurs when the door is positioned to close a corridor and must abut against the defining sidewall of the corridor itself; in this case, the door abuts only at the top, leaving a gap at the bottom.

[0006] The tilt of the door also limits the use of this solution to single sliding doors and is not applicable to double sliding doors. Indeed, in the case of double doors, the tilts of the two opposite sliding doors will cause the two sliding doors to abut at the top, while at the bottom there will be a more or less unacceptable and unaesthetic gap. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned defects.

[0008] More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable device for moving a sliding door on the floor, which can compensate for the possible tilt of a single sliding door or a double sliding door by vertically aligning the single sliding door or the double sliding door.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable device that can compensate for any recesses in the floor, thereby improving the sliding of a single sliding door.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a user with an adjustable device for moving a sliding door on the floor, which can ensure a high level of strength and reliability over time and can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

[0011] These and other objects are achieved by the adjustable device according to the main claims of the present invention. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] The structure and function of the adjustable device of the present invention can be better understood from the following disclosure, in which reference is made to the attached drawings showing preferred and non-limiting embodiments, in the drawings:

[0013] Figure 1 A sliding door that is vertically misaligned with respect to the wall in the central bottom part is schematically shown;

[0014] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1A partially enlarged view, as an example of the degree of height difference of the sliding door;

[0015] Figure 3 Schematically shows sliding doors that are perfectly aligned vertically;

[0016] Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 A partially enlarged view to emphasize that there is no height difference between the sliding door and the wall;

[0017] Figure 5 Schematically shows the adjustable device of the present invention in an exploded view. For the sake of clarity, the adjustable device is in an inverted position;

[0018] Figure 6 Schematically shows a side view of the adjustable device of the present invention to emphasize the possible exposure of the sliding wheels on the floor;

[0019] Figure 7 Schematically shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the device in a neutral position, i.e., no adjustment has been made to the device;

[0020] Figure 8 Schematically shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the device in which the adjustment has been fully applied to the device. Detailed description of the specific implementation

[0021] First, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the adjustable device of the present invention is attached to a seating portion formed along the bottom edge of the sliding door 12 and is partially incorporated into the seating portion; in this description, a single adjustable device will be referred to, however, it should be understood that the sliding door includes a pair of such devices positioned at opposite ends of the door along its bottom edge.

[0022] Specifically, according to the solution described in EP 3,665,352, the device is arranged adjacent to a longitudinal milling portion where a pin or attachment protruding from the floor is located. Figure 1 Shows that the door 12 is not vertically aligned with the wall represented by 14; Figure 2 The enlarged view in Figure 3 emphasizes the degree of height difference that requires a correction action by means of the device of the present invention, as further detailed below. On the other hand, Figure 4 shows that the sliding door 10 is perfectly vertically aligned with the wall, and

[0023] Figure 5The adjustable device of the present invention is generally shown at 10, wherein the adjustable device is shown in an exploded inverted view to better identify the characteristic parts and components of the adjustable device. Similar to the above solution disclosed in EP 3,665,352, the adjustable device includes: a rubber wheel 16, which is connected to a frame 18 by a pin 20; a pair of overlapping elastic plates 22 protruding from the frame 18, the frame 18 being coupled to a known pad 26 made of elastic material, and the elastic plates 22 being fixed to the frame described below by threaded members 24 inserted into holes 24'.

[0024] According to the present invention, the adjustable device 10 includes a frame, which includes two mutually articulated parts made of plastic or metal. Specifically, a first upper body constituting a fixed base 28 defines a generally rectangular plane, and the first upper body is provided with integral side parts 30 folded at 90° along opposite main sides; on each of the side parts, at one end of the fixed base 28, through holes 32 are formed to accommodate pins 34. At the opposite end, the side parts 30 extend to form opposite arcuate walls 30'.

[0025] The adjustable device 10 of the present invention includes a secondary body or inclined support 36, which also defines a generally rectangular plane, and the secondary body or inclined support 36 is intended to be fitted into the fixed base 28 between the side parts 30 and the arcuate walls 30' partially enclosing the fixed base 28. The inclined support 36 is provided with a through hole 38 at one end, and the pin 34 is inserted into the through hole 38, thereby providing a hinged connection with the fixed base 28.

[0026] According to another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a device for determining such inclination, the device including a threaded member 40, etc.; the threaded member is inserted into a threaded hole 42, which is formed at the end of the inclined support 36 opposite to the hole 32 of the pin 34. The threaded member 40 (for example having a hexagonal head) passes through the inclined support 36 and protrudes from the inclined support 36 until the threaded member 40 abuts against the inner surface of the fixed base 28, as Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown in; on the other hand, in Figure 6 it is schematically shown that the wheel 16 is more clearly exposed due to the adjustment described below.

[0027] The adjustable device 10 assembled in this way is inserted into a cavity formed at the base of the sliding door 12 and stabilized in the cavity in a known manner, and the adjustable device 10 partially protrudes from the cavity, as Figure 2 and Figure 4as shown; when the sliding door 12 is misaligned, the threaded member 40 of any one of the devices 10 located at opposite ends of the door is affected. In the case of an aluminum frame sliding door, misalignment can be detected relative to the channel edge; in the case of abutting against a wall, misalignment can be detected relative to the abutting sidewall; or similarly, in the case of a double sliding door, misalignment can be detected relative to the second door. Since the lower end of the threaded member 40 contacts the fixed base 28, the threaded member 40 cannot slide longitudinally. The threaded member 40 is screwed so that the inclined support 36 gradually lowers ( Figure 8 ), thereby aligning the sliding door 12, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 . There is sufficient wrench space between the head of the threaded member 40 and the floor, enabling the operator to easily make adjustments.

[0028] If the door is not made of wood but of glass, the door is fitted along the bottom edge with an aluminum profile generally in the shape of an "H", one side of which is adapted to accommodate the glass and the other side is adapted to accommodate a known door slider.

[0029] As can be seen from the above, the benefits achieved by the present invention are obvious.

[0030] The adjustable device of the present invention allows the sliding door 12 and the double door to be precisely aligned in a quick and smooth manner. Among other things, it can compensate for any small recesses in the floor and thus improve the sliding of the wheels 16.

[0031] Although the present invention has been described with particular reference to one embodiment given for illustrative rather than restrictive purposes, based on the above description, numerous modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to cover all modifications and variations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable device (10) for moving a single or double sliding door (12) to be aligned with a wall (14) on a floor, the adjustable device (10) being inserted into a cavity formed at the base of the door and stabilized in the cavity, the adjustable device (10) protruding partially from the cavity, the adjustable device (10) including a rubber wheel (16) connected to a frame (18) by a pin (20), the frame (18) being combined with an elastic pad (26), and the adjustable device (10) being provided with overlapping elastic plates (22) fixed to a load-bearing frame by threaded members (24). Characterized in that, the frame is formed by a fixed base (28) and an inclined support (36), the elastic plate (22) being attached to the inclined support (36), and devices for adjusting and aligning the door (12) are arranged in the inclined support (36), and the devices can be screwed into threaded holes (42) formed in the inclined support (36).

2. The adjustable device according to claim 1, Characterized in that, the fixed base (28) defines a substantially rectangular plane, and the fixed base (28) is provided with integral sides (30) folded at 90° along opposite main sides. On each of the sides (30), through holes (32) are formed at one end of the fixed base (28) for receiving pins (34) for connection and hinging to the inclined support (36).

3. The adjustable device according to claim 2, Characterized in that, at the end opposite to the hole (32), the side (30) extends to form opposite arcuate walls (30').

4. The adjustable device according to claim 1, Characterized in that, the adjusting device determines the inclination of the support (36), and the adjusting device includes a threaded member (40) or the like inserted into the threaded hole (42) formed at the opposite end of the inclined support (36) with respect to the pin (34).

5. The adjustable device according to claim 4, Characterized in that, the threaded member (40) inserted into the threaded hole (42) passes through the inclined support (36) and protrudes from the inclined support (36) until the threaded member (40) abuts against the inner surface of the fixed base (28).

6. The adjustable device according to claim 5, Characterized in that, the inclined support (36) is at least partially defined by the side (30) and the arcuate wall (30') of the fixed base (28), and the inclined support (36) is provided with a through hole (38) at one end, and the pin (34) is inserted into the through hole (38) to achieve a hinged connection with the fixed base (28).

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