AU2005202818B2 - Mounting apparatus for sliding door assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

- 11 Abstract A system for mounting a sliding door includes a support member adapted for attachment to a sliding door having an aperture. A first portion of the aperture is dimensioned to receive a head of a sliding door trolley connection member. A second 5 portion of the aperture is dimensioned to receive a neck of the connection member but prevents the head from passing therethrough. Therefore an engagement is provided between the door and a sliding door trolley to which the connection member is attached when the neck is accommodated in the second portion of said aperture. A latch retains the neck in the second portion. Kirstie/keep/speci/other specis/Mounting Apparatus 28/06/2005 n 0u

Description

P/00/01I Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: CAVITY SLIDERS LIMITED Address of Applicant: 5-7 Rakino Way Mt Wellington Auckland New Zealand Actual Inventor: Philip Richard KENNY Address for Service: Griffith Hack, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, 6th Floor, 256 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000. Standard Complete Specification for the invention entitled: MOUNTING APPARATUS FOR SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLY The following is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 2 MOUNTING APPARATUS FOR SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLY Field Of The Invention 5 This invention relates to sliding door mounting apparatus and/or a sliding door system. Background 10 With existing sliding door systems, such as cavity door systems, a trolley runs on one or more rails provided on or connected to the lintel i.e. the rail or rails are provided in the frame or wall above the top of the door. Mounting apparatus is provided between the top of the door and the trolley, so that the door is effectively suspended from the wall or frame via the trolley. 15 A difficulty with these systems is adjustment of the door relative to the frame. Known mounting apparatus have an engagement rod which interconnects the trolley and the door. A part of the engagement rod is usually threaded so that the rod can be rotated, using a spanner for example, to adjust the distance between the top of the door and 20 trolley and thereby adjust the disposition of the door relative to the frame or wall In which the door is located. Unfortunately, the distance between the top of the door and the frame Is usually quite small, so that it can be difficult to place a spanner in this gap for adjustment. Furthermore, because the top of the door is relatively high, it is physically difficult to rotate the connection member. Finally, adjustment is laborious because the 25 spanner can only be rotated over a relatively small arc of movement, A further difficulty is installation and removal of cavity slider doors. With the known systems described above the mounting apparatus must be adjusted to install or remove the door. 30 Object It is an object of the present invention to provide sliding door connection apparatus and/or a sliding door system which will at least ameliorate one or more of the 35 disadvantages set forth above, or which will at least provide the public with the useful alternative.

3 Brief Summary Of Invention According to one aspect the invention provides sliding door mounting apparatus including a support member adapted for attachment to a sliding door, an aperture in said 5 support member, a first portion of said aperture dimensioned to allow at least a head of a sliding door trolley connection member to pass therethrough, a second portion of said aperture dimensioned such that said second portion can accommodate a neck of said sliding door trolley connection member but said head of said sliding door trolley connection member cannot pass therethrough, thereby providing an engagement between 10 said support member and said connection member when said neck of said sliding door trolley connection member is accommodated in said second portion of said aperture, and a latch means adapted to retain said neck in said second portion, the latch means being biased by a biasing means whereby the biasing means moves the latch means to a position in which said head is retained in said second portion upon said head being 15 moved from said first portion to said second portion, Preferably the latch means is releasable, being operable in use to selectively allow said neck to be moved from said second portion of said aperture to said first portion of said aperture, 20 Preferably said releasable latch means includes operating means operable to disengage said latch means to in use allow said neck to move from said second portion of said aperture to said first portion, to thereby allow disengagement of said sliding door trolley connection member from said sliding door mounting apparatus. 25 Preferably the apparatus includes the connection member and a trolley from which the connection member depends, the trolley including a pivot means to allow pivotal or rotatable movement of the connecting member relative to the trolley. 30 Preferably the trolley includes a nut means for engagement with the connecting member. Preferably the nut means includes a locking means. 35 In a further aspect the Invention provides a method of mounting a sliding door to a sliding door trolley connection member, the method including; providing an upper portion of said sliding door with at least one sliding door mounting apparatus including a support member having an aperture therein, 4 wherein a first portion of said aperture is dimensioned to allow at least a head of said sliding door trolley connection member to pass therethrough and a second portion of said aperture is dimensioned such that said second portion can accommodate a neck of said sliding door trolley connection member but 5 said head of said sliding door trolley connection member cannot pass through said second portion of said aperture; moving said neck into said second portion of said aperture via said first portion of said aperture. 10 Preferably the method includes the step of engaging a latch portion of said sliding door mounting means to substantially retain said neck in said second portion. According to another aspect the invention provides a sliding door mounting apparatus including means for engaging a sliding door, and releasable adapted to releasably engage 15 a sliding door mounting member. Preferably, said releasable mounting member engagement means may include latch means adapted to prevent said mounting member engagement means from releasing said sliding door mounting member, and operating means operable to 20 disengage said latch means to allow the sliding door mounting member to be released from engagement with said releasable mounting member engagement means. Brief Description of the Drawings 25 Figure 1: Is a sectioned front perspective view of a sliding door mounting apparatus according to one possible embodiment of the present Invention, engaged with a sliding door trolley 30 Figure 2: Is a plan view of a support member of the apparatus of Figure 1. Figure 3: Is an isometric view of the support member of Figure 2. Figure 4: Is an Isometric view of a connection member suitable for engagement with 35 the sliding door mounting apparatus of Figure 1. Figure 5: Is an exploded view of the sliding door mounting apparatus of Figure 1.

5 Figure SA: Is an isometric view of a latch member housing show in Figure 5. Figure 6: Is an isometric view of a latch member of the sliding door mounting 5 apparatus of Figure 1. Figures 7A and 7B: Are Isometric views from below and above of a sliding door trolley or carriage axle or chassis member. Figures BA and 8B: Are isometric views from above and below of a nut receiving member for location in a sliding door trolley or carriage. 10 Figures 9A and 98: Are isometric views from above and below of a clip member for a trolley or carriage assembly including components shown in Figures 7A, 7B and 8A, 8B. 15 Brief Description of Possible Embodiments of the Invention Referring first to Figures 1 to 4, a sliding door mounting apparatus according to one possible embodiment of the present invention is generally referenced 100. 20 The mounting apparatus 100 includes a support member I (which in the preferred embodiment is provided in the form of a mounting plate) which is provided with an aperture 2, and means by which the apparatus 100 may be engaged to a sliding door (not shown), for example one or more further apertures 9 adapted to engage one or more suitable fasteners (not shown). 25 A first portion 3 of the aperture 2 is dimensioned so that the head 4 of a sliding door trolley connection member, generally referenced 200, may pass therethrough. A second portion 5 of the aperture 2 is dimensioned so as to be able to 30 accommodate a neck 6 of the connection member 200, but is too narrow to allow the head 4 to pass through. In use, the connection member 200 is engaged with a sliding door trolley, generally referenced 300, which runs on a rail 7. To engage the connection member 200 35 with the mounting apparatus 100, the head 4 of the connection member 200 is Inserted 6 into the first portion 3 of the aperture 2. The connection member 200 is then moved relative to the mounting apparatus 100 so that the neck portion 6 is accommodated in the second portion 5 of the aperture 2. As is best seen in Figure 1. with the neck 6 accommodated in the second portion 5 of the aperture 2, the head 4 cannot move through 5 the second portion 5, and so the head 4 is engaged with the support member 1. The apparatus 100 is preferably adapted to be mounted flush with a top surface of a sliding door (not shown). The door may preferably be provided with a rebate adapted to accommodate the head 4 of the connector 200 when the connector 200 is engaged with 10 the apparatus 100. Referring to Figures 7A and 7B, a chassis 301 is shown for the trolley assembly. Internal surface 302 of the chassis is part spherical. In Figures 8A and 86 a nut receiving member 303 is shown having part spherical surfaces 304 and 305 for slidable movement 15 relative to surface 302 of the chassis. Portion 306 of member 303 is adapted to receive a nut (not shown) for engagement with a thread provided on the connector 200. Locking means are also preferably provided. in the most preferred form the nut comprises a self looking nut such as a Nylock nut. In Figures RA and 9B a retaining clip is shown for retention of the trolley assembly as shown in Figure 1. This trolley construction allows the 20 connector 200 to pivot or rotate relative to the trolley to accommodate misalignment. Also, the use of a locking nut to retain the connector 200 relative to the trolley prevents adjustment problems that may occur with movement of the nut with use of the door over time. 25 Referring next two Figures 5 and 6, the apparatus 100 may preferably be provided with latch means 400 which, in use, prevent the connector 200 from moving from the engaged position, where the connector 200 is accommodated in the second portion 5 of the aperture 2, to the disengaged position, where the connector 200 is in the first portion 3 of the aperture 2, 30 In one embodiment, the latch means 400 include a latch member 10 located beneath the support member 1, and biased towards the first portion 3 of the aperture 2 by biasing means 11 which is illustrated in the example shown as being a spring. The biasing means is supported along with the latch member 10 in a housing 14. The latch member 35 10 and biasing means 11 are preferably configured to allow the latch means 10 to move downward as shown in Figure 5 (but upward in use) when the head 4 of the connector 7 200 is inserted through the first portion 3 of the aperture 2. The head 4 in use contacts surface 13 of the latch member 10 and displaces the latch member away from the support 1. The head 4 is then disposed so that neck 8 may be moved into par 5 of aperture 2. The biasing means 11 then returns the latch member 10 to its original position, thereby 5 substantially preventing the connector 200 from moving back toward the first portion 3 of the aperture 2, as the head 4 is now held between surface 15 of the latch member and surface 16 of the housing 14. The latch member 10 preferably includes operating means, for example an 10 upwardly extending portion 12 that projects from support I when the connector Is in the latched position. The portion 12 is adapted to allow a user to depress the latch member 10, using a tool such as a screwdriver of knife blade, thereby allowing the connector 200 to be moved toward the first portion 3 of the aperture 2 and hence disengaged from the support means 1. The aperture 2 may include a third portion 13 adapted to accommodate 15 the operating means 12, Referring back to Figure 1, the connection between said connection member 200 and the trolley 300 may preferably allow the distance between the head 4 and the rail 7 to be adjusted. In one embodiment the connection member 200 may be provided with a 20 threaded portion adapted to engage a complimentary threaded mounting portion of the trolley 300. The relative distance between the head 4 and the rail 7 may be adjusted by rotation of the connection member 200. The connection member 200 may be provided with an adjustment portion 8 adapted to engage a suitable adjustment tool, such as a spanner. 25 Therefore the invention has the advantages that the release mechanism (which may be provided on the connector or on the door mounting member) allows it to be Installed or removed without interfering with the adjustment of the door relative to the frame. Therefore, sliding door assemblies according to the invention may be preadjusted 30 at the factory for easy installation by builders. Furthermore, once a door has been installed, it can be easily dismounted by a painter, for example to paint the door, and then reinstalled without any adjustment being required. The trolley design allows pivotal or rotational movement of the connection member to accommodate for any misalignment between the door and the frame. Furthermore, use of a locking nut, In particular a self 35 locking nut, reduces the risk of further adjustment being required as the door assembly is used over time.

Claims (7)

1. Sliding door mounting apparatus including a support member adapted for attachment to a sliding door, an aperture in said support member, a first portion of said aperture dimensioned to allow at least a head of a sliding door trolley connection member to pass therethrough, a second portion of said aperture dimensioned such that said second portion can accommodate a neck of said sliding door trolley connection member but said head of said sliding door trolley connection member cannot pass therethrough, thereby providing an engagement 10 between said support member and said connection member when said neck of said sliding door trolley connection member is accommodated in said second portion of said aperture, and a latch means adapted to retain said neck in said second portion, the latch means being biased by a biasing means whereby the biasing means moves the latch means to a position in which said head Is retained 15 in said second portion upon said head being moved from said first portion to said second portion.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the latch means is releasable, being operable in use to selectively allow said neck to be moved from said second 20 portion of said aperture to said first portion of said aperture.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said releasable latch means includes operating means operable to disengage said latch means to in use allow said neck to move from said second portion of said aperture to said first portion, to thereby allow 25 disengagement of said sliding door trolley connection member from said sliding door mounting apparatus,

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the apparatus includes the connection member and a trolley from which the connection member 30 depends, the trolley including a pivot means to allow pivotal or rotatable movement of the connection member relative to the trolley.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the trolley includes a nut means for engagement with the connection member. 35

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the nut means includes a locking means. 9

7. Sliding door mounting apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to anyone of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.