Pivoting Plastic Guide Fitting for Sliding Door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guide devices for sliding doors often result in bent guide sliders or loose fastening screws when heavy door leaves are set down on the floor, as the metal guide sliders bear the entire weight, leading to structural damage.
Innovation Solution
The use of U-shaped guide fittings made of plastic, which can be pre-installed without tools, pivot to avoid protruding when the door is installed, allowing for quick and easy locking onto a pre-mounted guide rail, and can be used in existing installations without modifying the base construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal guide sliders are used to support heavy door leaves, then the door can be properly guided, but the guide sliders become bent when the door is set down on the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by designing the guide fitting to pivot upward when the door leaf is set down on the floor, preventing the guide slider from bearing the full weight of the door. This anticipatory design prevents damage before it occurs, allowing the door to be safely installed without risking bent guide sliders or torn fastening screws.
2Reliability
If guide fittings are designed to pivot upward when door is set down, then damage to guide sliders is prevented, but the fitting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the guide fitting pivotable rather than fixed. The guide fitting can dynamically adjust its position - pivoting upward when the door is set down on the floor to avoid weight bearing, and pivoting into the locked position once the door is properly installed. This dynamic behavior provides both protection and functionality without requiring complex additional mechanisms.
3Ease of manufacture
If U-shaped guide fittings made of plastic are used, then installation is simplified and rework is eliminated, but load-bearing capacity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining plastic for the guide fitting body with metal components for the guide rail and fastening elements. The plastic U-shaped guide fitting provides ease of installation and resistance to corrosion, while the metal guide rail and fastening screws provide the necessary strength and load-bearing capacity. This composite approach allows the use of plastic without compromising the overall structural strength.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2e
Figure 3a~4f
Figure 5a~5b
AI summary
A guide device according to the invention for a sliding door with at least two door leaves (1, 2) that can be moved in parallel planes comprises a U-shaped, first guide fitting (10) for attachment to an inward-running door leaf (1), which has a central leg (11a), a longer side leg (11b) with a T-shaped guide slot (12) and with a receptacle (13) open at one end face, and a shorter side leg (11c), wherein the guide slot (12) has a keyhole (15) and a longitudinal slot (14) extending approximately parallel to the central leg (11a), which opens at its end away from the receptacle (13) into a transverse slot (17), which has a first transverse slot section (17a) directed away from the central leg (11a) and a second transverse slot section (17b) directed towards the central leg (11a) with an end-side locking receptacle (18).