Anti-ligature Sliding Door Track with Retained Slide Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surface-mounted sliding doors face issues with derailment and anti-ligature concerns, as existing designs are prone to jamming, breaking, and fail to prevent suicide attempts, particularly in environments where door hardware can be used as a ligature, and they are not well-suited for retrofit situations or surface-mounted configurations.
Innovation Solution
A sliding door system featuring a horizontally elongated track with a protuberance and sliding elements that provide enhanced stability and anti-ligature protection, using a track and slide assembly without wheels, where the sliding elements are retained by the protuberance and can be locked to prevent disengagement, and incorporating a thumb-turn lock mechanism to prevent ligature use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wheels or rollers are used in the sliding system, then the door can slide along the track, but the wheels are prone to jamming and breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the wheels/rollers from the sliding system entirely. Instead of using wheeled components that can jam or break, the invention employs a direct slide assembly that engages with the track through a channel and protrusion interface, eliminating the problematic rotating elements while maintaining sliding functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the wheel-based mechanical rolling system with a direct sliding contact system. The slide assembly with its channel and the track with its protrusion create a friction-based sliding mechanism that is simpler and more reliable than the wheel system, substituting rotational mechanics with linear sliding mechanics.
2Ease of operation
If traditional door hardware is used, then normal door operation is enabled, but the hardware can be used for ligature attempts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the track with a specific protrusion geometry and the slide assembly with a corresponding channel that creates an anti-ligature configuration. The protrusion has a shape that prevents ligatures from being tied or looped around it, while still allowing the slide assembly to engage and disengage properly for door operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses asymmetry in the design of the track protrusion and slide channel. The irregular geometry of the protrusion within the channel creates an configuration that is asymmetric in a way that prevents ligature attachment while maintaining symmetric door operation functionality from the user perspective.
3Ease of manufacture
If surface-mounted sliding door design is used, then retrofit installation is enabled, but the door is prone to derailment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the anti-ligature function with the derailment prevention function into a single integrated track and slide assembly design. The same protrusion that prevents ligatures also serves as the engagement feature that prevents derailment, combining multiple safety functions into one structural element that maintains retrofit compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding door system with a door includes a horizontally elongated member having a mounting portion with which it is mounted to a support structure, and a horizontally elongated track extending downwardly therefrom. The horizontally elongated track includes a horizontally elongated upper portion having a width, and a horizontally elongated protuberance below the upper portion having a width greater than the width of the upper portion. At least one sliding element is mounted to the top of the door and has a channel corresponding to the protuberance, and in which part of the elongated protuberance is disposed such that the sliding element is retained by and slidable on the protuberance. In some embodiments, a vertically extending rod is concealed between the front and back walls of the door and can be moved vertically in and out of an aperture in the protuberance to lock and unlock the door.