Top-Hung Sliding Door Soft-Close Apparatus

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Solution Overview

Problem

Sliding doors often lack effective mechanisms to control their motion smoothly, leading to potential damage, noise, and limited installation flexibility, especially in narrow spaces or aesthetic considerations.

Innovation Solution

A 'soft-close' apparatus for top-hung sliding doors, featuring a gas piston as a biasing member and a door engagement member that moves along a defined path, allowing for controlled and damped door closure by engaging with the door hanger's flange, providing a constant velocity force to guide the door to its final position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional sliding door mechanisms are used, then the door can move freely, but the door closes abruptly causing noise and potential damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedoor closure controlVSAvoidnoise and damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The biasing member (gas piston) is pre-installed in the apparatus to provide cushioning force before the door engages. As the door approaches the closed position, the biasing member extends to engage the door engagement member, gradually reducing the door's momentum and absorbing impact energy, thereby preventing abrupt closure, noise, and damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The apparatus acts as an intermediary device between the moving door and the door frame. The door engagement member, guided by the body's defined path, mediates the interaction between the door and the frame, controlling the closure motion through the biasing member's gradual engagement rather than direct impact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the apparatus is installed above the door track, then it can control door motion, but installation and maintenance become difficult in narrow spaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinstallation easeVSAvoiddoor width requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of installing the apparatus above the door track (conventional approach), the invention inverts the installation location to below the door track. This allows the apparatus to be accessed from underneath, making installation and maintenance easier in narrow spaces without requiring overhead clearance, while still achieving the same door motion control function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of operation

If the door engagement member is retained at the first end of the path, then it can be easily engaged by the flange, but the door cannot be held in the open position

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveengagement easeVSAvoiddoor position flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The door engagement member is designed to be rotatable along a defined path within the body. The retaining protrusion can engage with the retaining recess at the first end to hold the door open, or disengage to allow the biasing member to move the engagement member to the second end for closed position. This dynamic positioning provides both easy engagement and flexible door position control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The apparatus ensures a quiet, durable, and efficient 'soft-close' motion, allowing for narrower door installations and easier maintenance, as it can be installed from underneath the door track, reducing the minimum door width requirement and simplifying installation and servicing.

Implementation Method 1

the biasing member comprises a gas piston

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas piston:

Implementation Method 2

a biasing member; a door engagement member coupled to the biasing member

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic potential energy: Spring

Implementation Method 3

The door engagement member is configured to engage the flange, and the biasing member is configured to extend and move the door engagement member

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentUS9388622B1Apparatus for controlling the motion of a sliding door

Publication Date: 2016.07.12 K N CROWDER MFG INC

AI summary

An apparatus for controlling the motion of a top-hung sliding door. The apparatus has a biasing member, a door engagement member coupled to the biasing member for releasably engaging a flange extending from a door hanger from which the sliding door is supported, and a body defining a path for the door engagement member. A first end of the path is configured such that the door engagement member may be releasably retained at the first end of the path, whereby when the door engagement member is retained at the first end of the path and the door engagement member is contacted by the flange: the door engagement member is configured to engage the flange, and the biasing member is configured to extend and move the door engagement member to a second end of the path.