Sliding Door Panel Edge-Mounted Bumper Reducing Shear Stress

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Solution Overview

Problem

Rail mounted bumpers in multi-track sliding door panels suffer from shear stress issues, limited overlapping length, and aesthetic drawbacks, such as visibility, which affect their functionality and durability.

Innovation Solution

A door pusher configuration with a bumper portion and mounting portion directly attached to the panel's stile via an interlock and fastener, oriented parallel to the panel's travel direction, reducing shear stress and visibility while allowing greater overlap and a larger opening.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If rail mounted bumpers are used, then the panels can be prevented from complete overlap and opening operation can be assisted, but shear stress is applied to the fasteners which reduces durability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedurability of fastenersVSAvoidshear stress on fasteners

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional bumper mounting approach by attaching the bumper to the panel edge rather than mounting it on the rail. This repositioning changes the force transmission path so that fasteners are no longer subjected to shear stress from panel movement, thereby improving durability while maintaining the bumper's protective function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The bumper is relocated from a rail-mounted configuration (one dimension) to an edge-mounted configuration on the panel (another dimension). This spatial repositioning allows the bumper to maintain its overlap prevention function while eliminating the shear stress issue by changing the mounting plane and force distribution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of operation

If rail mounted bumpers are used, then opening operation is assisted through cascading effect, but overlapping length of panels is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveopening operationVSAvoidoverlapping length of panels

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of mounting the bumper on the rail where it limits overlap, the bumper is inverted to be mounted on the panel edge. This allows the bumper to extend further along the panel, increasing the overlapping length while still providing the cascading effect to assist opening operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Reliability

If rail mounted bumpers are used, then functionality is achieved, but visibility of bumpers reduces aesthetic appearance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctionality of bumpersVSAvoidaesthetic appearance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The bumper is extracted from its traditional rail-mounted position where it is highly visible on the face of the panels. By relocating it to the panel edge, the bumper maintains its protective and operational functionality while being less visually prominent, thereby improving aesthetic appearance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12044057B1Door pusher apparatus and related methods for sliding door panels

Publication Date: 2024.07.23 WINCORE WINDOW CO LLC

AI summary

A door pusher for a multi-rail sliding door is described. An example door pusher includes (i) a mounting portion secured to the at least one stile of the a sliding door panel using a fastener aligned with a sliding direction of the sliding door panel, and (ii) a bumper portion configured to contact an edge of an adjacent sliding door panel.