Frameless Glass Door System With Structural Handles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass door systems that meet impact standards require unsightly metallic framing around the perimeter, detracting from their aesthetic appeal and obstructing the view.
Innovation Solution
A frameless glass door system with a structural frame secured within a door opening, utilizing top and bottom rails for structural integrity and handles for vertical support, eliminating the need for perimeter framing while maintaining impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional metallic framing is used around the perimeter of glass door panes to meet impact standards, then the structural integrity and impact resistance are improved, but the aesthetic appeal is worsened due to unsightly metallic perimeters that detract from the glass doors and obstruct the view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional metallic perimeter framing from the door system, extracting only the essential structural support functions. Instead of framing all four edges, the invention uses a corner post system that provides structural integrity through corner reinforcements and internal glass bonding, eliminating the unsightly metallic perimeters while maintaining impact resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The door frame is segmented into discrete corner posts rather than continuous perimeter framing. Each corner post is independently positioned and secured to the structural opening, providing localized structural support at critical corner points while leaving the glass surfaces exposed and frameless along the edges.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional metallic framing is used around the perimeter of glass door panes, then the structural integrity is improved, but the view beyond the door is obstructed by the framing
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous metallic perimeter framing is extracted and replaced with discrete corner post elements. This removal of intermediate framing allows unobstructed views through the glass doors while the corner posts maintain structural integrity through strategic positioning and internal reinforcement mechanisms.
3Shape
If frameless glass door leaves are used to provide aesthetically pleasing appearance and unobstructed views, then the aesthetic appeal and view clarity are improved, but the structural integrity to meet impact standards becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The corner posts are pre-assembled with integrated structural components including mounting brackets and reinforcement elements before installation. The glass door leaves are also pre-treated with edge preparations and bonding surfaces that facilitate secure attachment to the corner posts, ensuring structural integrity is built into the assembly process rather than added afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner posts utilize composite construction combining metal structural elements with glass bonding components. The system integrates different materials to achieve both the aesthetic frameless appearance and the structural strength required for impact resistance, with the corner posts serving as hybrid structural-aesthetic elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A glass door construction set in a pre-existing frame includes glass door leaves made of two or more panes of glass, which define a top edge, a bottom edge, and two lateral edges. The top and bottom edges include a top and bottom rail, respectively, to enhance the structural integrity of the glass door leaves. The lateral edges, however, remain free of the typical perimeter framing required on current glass doors to meet the stringent impact standards. The glass door leaves each include handles on either side of the glass leaves that are interconnected to effectively create a structural equivalent of an I-beam. The handles provide the necessary structural rigidity along a vertical extent to meet impact standards.