Closure Piece with Embedding Material for Level Sliding Door Tracks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of sliding door or window tracks poses challenges, particularly in creating a level surface that is accessible for individuals with disabilities, as direct installation to interior or exterior concrete surfaces can create height differences and require specialized labor and fasteners.
Innovation Solution
The use of a closure piece with a bottom plate, front plate, top plate, and hat channels, embedded with materials like foam, allows for the track to be installed without drilling through concrete, ensuring the track is level with the floor or balcony surface, facilitating easy installation and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the track is installed directly to the interior floor or exterior surface, then the track provides structural support for sliding doors or walls, but it creates a height difference between surfaces that causes accessibility difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (closure piece with embedding material) between the concrete surface and the track. This intermediary allows the track to be mounted at the correct height while the embedding material is recessed into the concrete, eliminating the height difference and creating a flush surface that is accessible to wheelchairs and carts.
2Ease of manufacture
If the track is installed directly to a concrete surface, then the track is securely anchored, but it requires additional labor and specialized fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The closure piece is prepared in advance with pre-drilled holes and embedding material already positioned within it. This preliminary preparation allows for quick installation by simply mounting the track to the closure piece, eliminating the need for specialized concrete anchoring procedures and specialized fasteners during the actual installation process.
3Ease of operation
If the track is installed at a height to provide proper clearance, then sliding doors or walls can move freely, but it creates a threshold that inhibits wheelchair crossing
Solution Approach 1:
The embedding material is nested within the closure piece structure, which itself is mounted to the concrete surface. This nested arrangement allows the track to maintain its proper mounting height for door operation while the embedded portion recesses into the concrete, creating a flush surface that eliminates thresholds and improves wheelchair accessibility without compromising mounting stability.
Data Source
AI summary
An example apparatus is disclosed that may include a bottom plate, a front plate coupled along a bottom edge to a front edge of the bottom plate, a top plate coupled along a front edge to a top edge of the front plate such that a channel is formed between the bottom and top plates, a vertical stopping plate coupled along a lower edge to a back edge of the top plate, a hat channel coupled to an inner surface of the channel, wherein the hat channel runs perpendicular to a length of the channel, and a embedding material inside the hat channel, wherein the embedding material is adjacent to a bottom surface of the top plate. An example method is disclosed that may include coupling a closure piece to a floor panel and coupling a track to the closure piece.