Shower door assembly with linkage control

A shower door assembly with linkage control comprising a stationary frame, a movable frame and an adjustment assembly disposed between the stationary frame and the movable frame. The adjustment assembly comprises at least two adjustment devices and locking devices for locking each of the adjustment devices. Each of the locking devices comprises a locking element and a guiding device along which the locking element can slide. An actuating arm is provided to release and lock adjustment devices all at once. Therefore, it is unnecessary to adjust each of the adjustment devices separately, facilitating the operation of adjustment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention claims priority from Chinese invention application No. 201410002366.2 filed on Jan. 3, 2014 in the name of Ideal Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shower door, and in particular, to an adjustment assembly useful for the shower door, which achieves linkage control.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Doors used for shower enclosure are often mounted against wall surfaces and the doors thus mounted are kept as vertical as possible. However, the wall surfaces of buildings are often not exactly vertical, for example, titled toward outside/inside by an angle. Therefore, if mounted completely along the wall surface, the doors may not be smoothly opened or closed. In this regard, it is necessary to adjust the distances between the top/bottom end of a door and a wall surface so as to keep the door in a vertical position.

To achieve this adjustment, a door assembly usually comprises a stationary frame to be attached to a wall surface, and a movable frame connected with a door panel, such as a glass door panel. The stationary frame is firstly attached to the wall surface and then the movable frame is moved toward the stationary frame, during which the distances between the top and bottom ends of the movable frame, and the stationary frame are such adjusted that the movable frame is in a vertical position, and thus so is the door panel. The stationary and movable frames are finally connected to each other by drilling thereon and by using fasteners.

However, in one aspect, the drilling operation requires at least two people to cooperate and is very time-consuming. In another aspect, the drilling may inadvertently cause damages to the surfaces of the frames (generally made of aluminum materials), which is undesirable to consumers.

In an aim to solve these problems, it was proposed solutions that do not involve drilling, by incorporating adjustment assemblies in the door assembly. However, when the relative distance between the stationary and movable frames needs to be changed, it is necessary to operate each of the adjustment assemblies separately. Further, the adjustment of the relative distance is normally achieved by the change of the engagements between teeth, so the minimum adjustment depends on the space between two adjacent teeth. If more precise adjustment is needed, the conventional solutions will not suffice. Moreover, these solutions require forming teeth on different components, causing increased complexity and cost for manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a shower door assembly that does not need drilling when assembling and can achieve linkage control of all of adjustment devices.

In one embodiment, a shower door assembly with linkage control is provided, the shower door assembly comprises a stationary frame, a movable frame and an adjustment assembly disposed between the stationary frame and the movable frame, the adjustment assembly comprising at least two adjustment devices and locking devices for locking each of the adjustment devices, wherein each of the locking devices comprises

a locking element having an upper locking portion and a lower locking portion, the upper and lower locking portions each comprising a first through hole and a second through hole in communication with the first through hole, the first through hole having a dimension greater than or equal to a dimension of an end surface of corresponding adjustment device, the second through hole having a dimension smaller than the dimension of the end surface of the corresponding adjustment device, the upper locking portion further comprising a upper securing portion and an actuating arm, the actuating arm passing through the upper securing portion, the lower locking portion further comprising a lower securing portion and a fixing element, the fixing element passing through the lower securing portion; and

a guiding device having an upper guiding element and a lower guiding element,

the upper guiding element comprising a first guiding slot along which the locking element is able to slide, a supportive platform for supporting the actuating arm, a first cavity for receiving one of the at least two adjustment devices, and a carrying platform for carrying the upper securing portion of the locking element,

the lower guiding element comprising a second guiding slot along which the locking element is able to slide, a second cavity for receiving other of the at least two adjustment devices, an elastic element for providing elastic force when pressed against the lower securing portion, and a third cavity located lower with respect to the second cavity and having the elastic element received therein, the fixing element passing through the lower securing portion and the elastic element and fixing to an upper wall of the third cavity.

In one embodiment, the upper and lower locking portions form in one piece. In another embodiment, the upper and lower locking portions detachably connected to each other by a linkage element.

In one embodiment, the locking element further comprises one or more intermediate locking portions, each of the intermediate locking portions comprising a first through hole and a second through hole in communication with the first through hole, the first through hole having a dimension greater than or equal to a dimension of an end surface of corresponding adjustment device, the second through hole having a dimension smaller than the dimension of the end surface of the corresponding adjustment device. Correspondingly, the guiding device further comprises one or more intermediate guiding elements, each preferably having same structures as the upper guiding element.

In one embodiment, each of the upper locking portion, the lower locking portion and the possible intermediate locking portion(s) further comprises a third through hole in communication with the first through hole and symmetrically disposed with respect to the second through hole about the first through hole. The third through hole has a dimension smaller than the dimension of the end surface of the corresponding adjustment device. The third through hole preferably has same dimension as that of the second through hole.

In one embodiment, each of the adjustment devices comprises an adjustment element and a carrier element bearing the adjustment element. The adjustment element has smooth side surfaces exposed for engaging with the locking device.

In one embodiment, the carrier element comprises connection wings for connecting to the movable frame, an upper loading frame connecting to the connection wings, a lower loading frame in parallel with the upper loading frame and in connection with the connection wings, and an opening which, together with the upper and lower loading frames, defines a space for receiving the adjustment element.

In one embodiment, the carrier element further comprises a front blocking plate connecting with the free ends of the upper and lower loading frames respectively, in order to prevent the adjustment element from moving outside the space.

In one embodiment, the adjustment element further comprises end surfaces, a top surface and a bottom surface, with one of the end surfaces in contact with the front blocking plate. At least one of the top and bottom surfaces is provided with a sliding groove. Correspondingly, a portion of at least one of the upper and lower frames forms a guiding rail for engaging within the sliding groove such that the adjustment element can be stably received within the space.

In one embodiment, the adjustment element is not provided with the sliding groove, but instead, the adjustment element has a height preferably greater, more preferably slightly greater, than a height of the opening, such that the adjustment element can be received in the space by virtue of its flexibility.

In one embodiment, the adjustment element has a length equal to or slightly smaller than that of the space.

By operation of the actuating arm, the adjustment devices can be locked or released all at once, without the need of operating the adjustment devices one by one. Therefore, a linkage control of the adjustment assembly is achieved. In addition, the locking devices are able to lock the adjustment element at any position along the side surfaces of the adjustment element, such that the relative distance of the stationary and movable frames can be adjusted continuously.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be described in more detail by the following examples in reference to the accompanied drawings.

FIG. 1shows a locking device according to one example of the invention. The locking device comprises a locking element30and guiding devices31,32, which are cooperated to lock an adjustment element10.

In the example, the locking element30comprises a upper locking portion35and a lower locking portion36, with each of the locking portions comprises a first through hole351,361and a second through hole352,362in communication with the first through hole. The first through hole351,352has a dimension greater than or equal to that of an end surface102of the adjustment element10. The second through hole352,362has a dimension less than that of the end surface102. Therefore, the adjustment element10, which is disposed on a carrier element20, can pass through the first through hole351,352, but not the second through hole352,362.

The locking element30further comprises an upper securing portion354at the upper locking portion35, a lower securing portion364at the lower locking portion36, an actuating arm40(FIG. 11) passing through the upper securing portion354, and a fixing element329(FIG. 5) passing through the lower securing portion364.

In the example, the upper and lower locking portions35,36are detachably connected by a linkage element33. The detachable connection can be achieved by a number of methods known in the art. In the present example, linkage holes356,366are respectively provided to the upper and lower locking portions35,36, and are connected to hooks331provided at both ends of the linkage element33, such that the upper and lower locking portions35,36are connected.

In other examples, the upper and lower locking portions35,36are form in a single piece, as shown inFIG. 7. In this situation, no linkage element33is necessary.

With reference again toFIG. 1, the guiding device comprises an upper guiding element31and a lower guiding element32. As shown in more detail inFIGS. 2 and 3, the upper guiding element31comprises a first guiding slot314along which the locking element30is able to slide; a supportive platform313for supporting the actuating arm40; a first cavity312for receiving one of the adjustment elements10; and a carrying platform319for carrying the upper securing portion354of the locking element30.

In the example, the first guiding slot314is interrupted between the supportive platform313and the carrying platform319. In another example, the first guiding slot314is continuous as long as the guiding elements provide a passage for the actuating arm to pass through and to abut against the supportive platform313.

In the example, seeFIGS. 4 and 5, the lower guiding element32comprises a second guiding slot324. The locking element30is able to slide along the first guiding slot314and enters into the second guiding slot324and slides therein. The lower guiding element32further comprises a second cavity322for receiving other of the adjustment element10, an elastic element321for providing elastic force when in contact with the lower securing portion364, and a third cavity323located below the second cavity322and having the elastic element321received therein. The fixing element329passes through the lower securing portion364and also the elastic element321and is fixed to an upper wall325of the third cavity322. In the example, the elastic element321is a spring.

The upper and lower guiding elements31,32are connected to the stationary frame by suitable methods. In the example, seeFIGS. 2 to 5, the upper and lower guiding elements31,32each has linkage elements316,318and326,328respectively. A plurality of threaded holes are provided at bottom side of the stationary frame60, wherein a threaded hole62is position in corresponding to the linkage elements such as316,318, such that the guiding elements31,32are connected to a space63of the stationary frame60by fasteners.

In another example, with reference toFIGS. 17-19, the upper guiding element31has an extension310where at least one locking recess311is provided. Between the extension310and the carrying platform319and also on the supportive platform313are formed with locking slots315, with the locking recess311adjacent the path of the locking slots315. Similarly, the lower guiding element32has an extension320where at least one locking recess327is provided. On the lower guiding element32is formed with a locking slot380, with the locking recess327adjacent the path of the locking slot380. The stationary frame60has a guiding groove66defined by two ridges65which are able to insert into the locking slots315,380, such that the upper and lower guiding elements31,32can slide along the stationary frame60. When the guiding elements31,32is suitably positioned, the ridges65will be pressed by a tool (such as a screw driver) in alignment with the recesses311,327, so that the ridges will be deformed and forced into the recesses. The guiding elements31,32will then be prevented from sliding and connected to the stationary frame60.

The stationary frame60can be attached to a suitable surface, such as a wall surface, by suitable methods. In the example, threaded holes61are provided at the bottom side of the frame60such that the frame can be attached to the wall surface by fasteners. The person skilled in the art will know other ways to achieve the attachment.

With reference again toFIGS. 1 and 7, in the example, the locking element30further comprises one or more intermediate locking portions34, each comprises a first through hole341and a second through hole342in communication therewith. The first through hole341has a dimension greater than or equal to that of the end surface102of the adjustment element10. The second through hole342has a dimension less than that of the end surface102.

Correspondingly, the guiding device further comprises one or more intermediate guiding elements37, each preferably having same structures as the upper guiding element31.

For purpose of standardization, each of the upper locking portion35, lower locking portion36and possibly existed intermediate locking portions34further comprises a third through hole353,343or363which is in communication with the first through hole351,341,361and symmetrically positioned with respect to the second through hole352,342,362about the first through hole351,341,361. The third through hole353,343,363has a dimension less than that of the end surface102and preferably same as that of the second through hole352,342,362.

In the example, the upper guiding element31has a spacer317arranged between the supportive platform313and the carrying platform319, such that the upper guiding element31has a height matching with that of the locking element30.

With reference toFIG. 8, it is shown an exemplary adjustment device which comprises the adjustment element10and a carrier element20carrying the element10. The adjustment element10has a smooth side surface104, exposed when loaded on the carrier element20.

The adjustment element10has end surfaces102, a top surface106and a bottom surface (not shown). In the example, at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface is provided with a sliding groove11. In other examples, the sliding groove can also be absent.

The carrier element20comprises connection wings12for connecting to a movable frame50(FIG. 10), an upper loading frame14connecting to the connection wings12, a lower loading frame13in parallel with the upper loading frame14and in connection with the connection wings12, and an opening17which, together with the upper and lower loading frames14,13, defines a space16for receiving the adjustment element10.

In the example, a portion of at least one of the upper and lower frames14,13forms a guiding rail for engaging within the sliding groove11such that the adjustment element10can be stably received within the space16.

In other examples, when the adjustment element10is not provided with the sliding groove11, the adjustment element10has a height slightly greater than that of the opening17, such that the adjustment element10can be received in the space16by virtue of its flexibility.

In the example, the adjustment element10has a length equal to that of the space16. In other examples, the adjustment element10has a length slightly smaller/greater than that of the space16.

In the example, the carrier element20further comprises a front blocking plate15connecting with the free ends of the upper and lower loading frames14,13, respectively, in order to prevent the adjustment element10from moving outside the space16. When the adjustment element10is received in the space16, one of the end surfaces102is in contact with the front blocking plate15. In other examples, the front blocking plate15may be absent.

With reference toFIG. 9, it is shown the adjustment element10and the carrier element20when assembled. As shown, when the adjustment element10is loaded on the carrier element20, the two side surfaces104of the adjustment element10are exposed outside. The top surface106is in contact with the top loading frame14, and one of the end surfaces102abuts against the front blocking plate15, and the other end surface102is accommodated in the opening17.

FIG. 10shows the assembly of the adjustment device with an exemplary movable frame50. The movable frame50is provided with a receiving groove51into which the wings12can be inserted so that the whole adjustment device can be attached to the movable frame50and slide along the groove51.

FIG. 11shows the assembly of one adjustment device, the upper locking portion35and the upper guiding element31. As shown, the adjustment device passes through the first through hole351and into the first cavity312of the upper guiding element31. The upper locking portion35is inserted into the first guiding slot314. The actuating arm40(a threaded rod in this example) passes through the upper securing portion354and the through hole316of the carrying platform319and then abuts against the supportive platform313. In the state as shown, the adjustment device can pass through the first through hole351and the first cavity312freely, so the position and angle of the movable frame50can be adjusted freely in relative to the stationary frame60.

FIG. 12shows that the adjustment device is forced into the second through hole352such that it is locked. Specifically, when the position of the movable frame50in relation to the stationary frame60is determined, by rotation of the actuating arm40, the upper locking portion35will move upward due to counterforce, because the actuating arm40has one terminal end abutting against the supportive platform313and thus cannot move downward. However, the first cavity312is not able to move upward, the adjustment device therefore will be forced into the second through hole352.

In the present invention, the adjustment element10is generally made from flexible materials, such as rubbers, PU or modified PU, while the locking device is generally made of rigid materials, for example engineered plastics such as polyformaldehyde or Nylon66, or Zinc alloy. Therefore, the adjustment element10can be forced into the second through hole352by application of forces. When forced into the second through hole352, the adjustment device will be unable to move in relative to the stationary frame60. Therefore, relative position between the movable frame50and the stationary frame60is fixed.

FIGS. 13 and 14show the assembly of an adjustment device with an intermediate locking portion34and an intermediate guiding element37. The locking of the adjustment device by the locking portion34is similar to that as shown inFIGS. 11 and 12, except that the intermediate locking portion34does not need additional actuating arm40, but instead, is moved upward by virtue of the linkage element33or along with the upper locking portion35when formed into one piece therewith.

FIGS. 15 and 16show the assembly of an adjustment device with the lower locking portion36and the lower guiding element32. InFIG. 15, the adjustment device can pass the first through hole361and the second cavity322freely, so that the position and angle of the movable frame50can be freely adjusted in relation to the stationary frame60. As shown, the elastic element321is in its relaxed or slightly compressed state. By similar principle as that shown inFIGS. 11 and 12, the adjustment device is locked by the lower locking portion36, except that the lower locking portion36does not need additional actuating arm40, but instead, is moved upward by virtue of the linkage element33or along with the upper locking portion35when formed into one piece therewith. In the locked state, the elastic element321is in its compressed state due to the upward movement of the lower locking portion36.

When the relative position between the movable frame50and the stationary frame60needs to be changed, by contrarotation of the actuating arm40, the whole locking device is pushed to move downward along the first and second guiding slots314,324due to the elastic force of the elastic element321, such that the adjustment device is released from the second through hole352,342,362and returns back to the first through hole351,341,361where the adjustment device can freely move again.

It should be understood that various example embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only some example embodiments are shown. The present invention, however, may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein.