Sliding Door Wheel Mounting With Low-Profile Header Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding panel assemblies, such as those for shower doors, require large headers due to the need for connection mechanisms between the door panel and the wheel, resulting in increased manufacturing costs, reduced open space, and potential glass weaknesses when holes are drilled for fastening.
Innovation Solution
A sliding door assembly that securely fastens a panel to an engagement device using a support member with a channel and a fastener extending through the support member and a gap in the panel, minimizing vertical space and avoiding direct fastening through the panel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a connection device is used to clamp the upper portion of the door panel and connect it to the wheel, then the door panel can be securely held and connected to the wheel, but additional vertical space is required resulting in an upper frame member with a large profile
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a support member as an intermediary component between the wheel and the door panel. This support member has a channel that receives the upper portion of the door panel, allowing the wheel to be mounted on the support member rather than directly on the header. This intermediary structure enables secure connection while reducing the vertical space required in the header profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the connection system into separate functional components: the wheel, the support member with channel, and the door panel. By segmenting the connection device into a support member that specifically receives the panel portion and a wheel mounting portion, the design achieves secure connection without requiring a large overall header profile.
2Ease of manufacture
If a hole is drilled through the door panel to fasten the wheel directly to the panel, then the wheel can be connected to the panel, but weight bearing apertures in glass create weaknesses and require excessive glass extension
Solution Approach 1:
The support member acts as an intermediary that receives the upper portion of the door panel within its channel. This allows the wheel to be fastened to the support member rather than directly to the glass panel, eliminating the need to drill holes through the glass and preserving the structural integrity of the panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the fastening function from the door panel itself and relocates it to the support member. By taking out the aperture-creating operation from the glass panel and placing it in the support member structure, the design maintains glass strength while achieving secure fastening.
3Reliability
If connection mechanisms are employed between the door panel and the wheel, then the door can be held securely, but manufacturing costs increase due to unnecessarily large headers
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the connection system into a support member with channel and a wheel mounting portion, the patent enables the header to be smaller and more efficiently designed. This segmentation allows standard manufacturing processes to be used for smaller components, reducing material costs and manufacturing complexity while maintaining secure door holding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the dimensional parameters of the header by using a support member with channel that requires less vertical space. This parameter change in the header size directly reduces manufacturing costs while the channel design maintains the security of door holding through proper support and alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for coupling a sliding door to a track is disclosed generally comprising a support member, which has a channel in which an upper portion of the panel is disposed, that is connected to an engagement device, such as a wheel, adapted to engage the track. The engagement device is fastened to the support member at a point adjacent to the upper portion of panel in order to minimize the vertical space required. In some embodiments, the panel has a gap in the upper portion, and the engagement device is fastened to the support member via a fastener that extends through the support member and the gap in the panel. In certain embodiments, the support member is a shoe with first and second sidewalls. In some of these embodiments, the fastener extends through the engagement device and into the first sidewall adjacent the panel.