SUPPORTING AND RUNNING DEVICE FOR SLIDING DOORS, PARTICULARLY FOR FURNITURE

Abstract: The supporting and running device for sliding doors is characterized in that each door (1, 2, 3) is provided with at least one sliding frame (4, 5; 13, 14) along a guide rail (8, 12) distinct from the guide rails (17, 29) of the adjacent doors, said sliding frames, excluding at least those sliding along external rails (8, 12), being provided with means (21, 23; 27, 26) for the elastic displacement of the corresponding door from the posi­ tion coplanar with the others.

Description: The invention relates to a supporting and running device for sliding doors, particularly for furniture. Well-known are supporting and running devices for sliding doors, particularly for furniture, provided with rollers applied to the upper edge of the doors and sliding along guides applied to the furniture frame. With the aim of allowing opening of the doors and therefore their total or partial superimposition, they have to run on parallel planes: this implies, in the closed position, the formation of openings for entry of dust inside of the furniture and a not very agreeable outlook. US-A-3 510 983 discloses flush closing sliding doors, of which a first door remains in the same plane when the doors are in the open position, that it occupies when the doors are in the closed flush position, and a second door is in the front plane when the doors are in the closed position and is moved into a rearward plane in back of the first door, when the door are in the open position. However this doors assembly: doesn't completely cover the furniture frame, but keeps in view the upper guide rails and the overstanding structure strip, to which they unavoidably must be connected, has a door which is movable inwardly, thus reducing the usable volume inside the furniture, requires the obliged position of the doors in close condition. Aim of the invention is to realize a supporting and running device for sliding doors, which allows the doors themselves to be placed parallely facing when open and coplanarly aligned when closed, and which overcomes all the draw-backs above referred to. According to the invention such an aim is attained with a supporting and running device for sliding doors, particularly for furniture, as described in claim 1. The invention is hereinafter further clarified with reference to the enclosed drawings in which: Figure 1 showns in vertical section the supporting and running device for sliding doors according to the invention applied to a wardrobe with the doors coplanar (closed wardrobe), Figure 2 shows it in the same view as Figure 1 with the doors superimposed (opened wardrobe), Figure 3 shows it in partially sectioned view from above, Figures 4 and 5 show it in schematic view from above and below respectively and in a smaller scale two doors during partial superimposition step, Figures 6 to 8 show schematically in partial schematic view from above a furniture with three doors in three subsequent steps of opening of the middle door, and Figures 9 and 10 show it in the same view in two subsequent steps of opening of a side door. As can be seen from the figures, the device according to the invention can be used, for example, for wardrobes with sliding doors. In the illustrated embodiment the doors are three and are indicated by the numerals 1, 2 and 3. Both side doors 1 and 3 are provided near the horizontal edges with pairs of longitudinal carriages 4, 5. Each upper longitudinal carriage 4 comprises a metal supporting plate 6 for a horizontal axis roller 7 sliding on a longitudinal guide 8 externally applied on the horizontal upper edge of the wardrobe 9. Each lower longitudinal carriage 5 comprises a small supporting plate 10 of a vertical axis roller 11 sliding in a guide 12 applied near the lower edge of the wardrobe 9. The middle door 2 is also provide, near its horizontal edges, with a pair of longitudinal carriages 13, 14. Each upper longitudinal carriage 13 comprises a supporting bracket 15 for a roller 16 sliding along a longitudinal guide 17. In particular, to allow transversal displacements of the door 2 with respect to the guide 17, the bracket 15 is provided with two horizontal axis rollers 18 and 19 and a vertical axis roller 20, which support and drive a rod 21 connected to the longitudinal carriage 13. Between the bracket 15 and a projection 22 connected to the rod 21 a solenoidal spring 23 is placed, having the role of elastically keeping the door 2 coplanar to the doors 1 and 3, when they are in closed position. Each lower longitudinal carriage 14 comprises a bracket 24 which at its end is provided with a pin 25 having a spring 26, to which a supporting lever 27 of a roller 28 is connected, the roller sliding on a guide 29 applied to the wardrobe and parallel to the guide 12. Furthermore, the doors 1, 2 and 3 are provided on the upper part with a guide section 30 having rounded ends which help, as it will be better clarified, the transversal displacement of the door 2 with respect to doors 1 and 3 during their reciprocal movement. Whereas, to the brackets 24 of the lower longitudinal carriage 14 a guide section 31 is applied, against which the vertical axis rollers 32, applied to the supporting plate 10 of the longitudinal carriages 5, leans. Analogously to the guide sections 30, the guide section 31 is also provided with rounded ends. The operating of the device according to the invention is as follows: when in closed position, the doors 1, 2 and 3 are placed coplanar among themselves (cfr. Fig. 6) and completely close the wardrobe 9. This position is kept elastically stable by the action of the springs 23. To open the middle area of the wardrobe, the middle door 2 is pushed from one side or the other (to the left in the embodiment, cfr. Fig. 7). Following such a push, the middle door 2 moves sideways by means of its rollers 16 sliding along the guide 17 and the same time starts to move transversally so partially superimposing the lateral door 1. Such superimposition is due to the fact that: on the upper part the rounded ends of the guide sections 30 foreseen on the doors 1 and 2 and faced in the opposite direction interreact between themselves causing the elastic lengthening of the spring 23 and the consequent transversal displacement of the door 2, on the lower part the rounded portion of the guide section 31 near the door 1, interreacts with the rollers 32 and, overcoming the reaction of the springs 26, allows the door 2 to elastically displace to the outside. Continuing this push, the door 2 superimposes itself on the door 1 until it is parallely facing to this (cfr. Fig. 8). To close the wardrobe, the door 2 is pushed towards the right: continuing this displacement, the elastic reaction of the springs 23 and 26, that drawing back the bracket 15 and the bracket 24 respectively, prevails, these springs bring back the door 2, which is no longer engaged to the guide sections 30 and 31, in a complanar position with the doors 1 and 3. In the case that one needs to open one of the side areas of the wardrobe (the left in the embodiment), the side door 1 is pushed in the direction shown by arrow 33 in Figure 9. Also in this case the reciprocal engagement between the upper guide sections 30 and between the lower guide section 31 and the roller 32 causes displacement of the middle door 2 until the side door 1 is placed parallely facing to it (cfr. Fig. 10). In such a way the device according to the invention allows an easy and quick operating of sliding doors, which, when in close position, remain coplanar among themselves, eliminating any opening for entry of dust and at the same time ensuring a pleasant aspect to the closed wardrobe.

Claims: Supporting and running device for sliding doors, particularly for furniture, having a first (1, 3) and a second type (2) of door, which are coplanar when closed and superimposed when open, carriages connected to said doors and running on guide rails, and means allowing the resilient displacement of each second type of door (2) out of its position coplanar with the others, characterized in that it comprises: a least at first pair of longitudinal carriages (4 5) connected to the upper part, resp. to the lower part, of each first type of door (1, 3) and guided by means of rollers (7, 11) along corresponding guide rails (8, 12) parallely placed out of the plane containing said door (1, 3) near to the closure surface of the furniture, at least a second pair of longitudinal carriages (13, 14) guided by means of rollers (16, 28) along corresponding guide rails (17, 29) place out of the plane containing each second type of door (2), parallely to the first ones but more distant from the closure surface of the furniture, and connected to the upper part, resp. to the lower part, of said second type of door (2), said second longitudinal carriages (13, 14) comprising an overall bridge-shaped support extending over said first type of door (1, 3) and/or its longitudinal carriages (4, 5), during their mutual movements, and at least an upper transverse carriage applied to each upper longitudinal carriage of said second type of door to allow the resilient displacement of the door outwardly of the furniture, said transverse carriage comprising at least a bracket (15), applied to the door (2) and transversely extending over the guide rails (8, 17), at least a transversal rod (21) cooperating with rolling supports (18, 19) having a horizontal rotation axes located at different distances from the plane of the door (2) to transfer the weight of the door on said rod (21) and to produce a moment opposing the moment due to said transfer of weight, as well as at least one spring (23) interposed between said bracket (15) and said roller (16), and at least a member (24, 27) interposed between each second type of door (2) and the respective lower guide rail (29) and supporting a roller (28) elastically keeping said second type of door (2) coplanar with said first type of door (1,3). Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the longitudinal carriages (4, 5, 13, 14) of the adjacent doors are guided along two parallel guide rails (8, 12, 17, 29). Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the upper transverse carriage comprises guide rollers mounted on said bracket (15) to guide the rod (21) connected to the respective upper longitudinal carriage (13), and at least one spring (23) interposed between said bracket (15) and said rod (21). Device according to claim 1 characterized in that at least one elastically articulated lever (27) is interposed between each second type of door (2) and the respective guide rail (29), said lever being connected at one end to the door (2) and being provided at the other end with a roller (28) engaged with the guide rail (29). Device according to claim 1 characterized in that each second type of door (2) is provided with a pair of horizontal guide sections (30) cooperating with guide sections (30) foreseen in the adjacent first type of door (1, 3) to cause the transversal mutual displacement. Device according to claim 5 characterized in that the guide sections (30) have the ends rounded. Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises horizontal guide sections (31) applied to the second type of door (2) and cooperating with guide rollers (32) applied to the adjacent first type of door (1, 3) to cause the mutual transversal displacement.

Inventors: BONETTI, MASSIMO, MANENTE, GIUSEPPE, MION, ABRAMO
Applicants: KAIROS S.N.C. DI M.BONETTI, G.MANENTE E A.MION ING. & ARCH.
Application year: 1982
Main classification: E05D15
IPC codes: E06B3, E05D15, E05F1