A modular wall chamber for sliding doors

Abstract: The invention relates to a modular wall chamber for sliding doors (2) comprising flanks (10) constituted by fretted metal panels (3) arranged in succession and interconnected by means of connecting joints (4) made on adjacent edges (51, 52) of the panels (3). The edges (51, 52) are complementarily shaped so as to be associable by reciprocal superposing with a movement which is transversal to the lie plane (9) of the panels (3), thus connecting one to another by elastic snap-fitting and subsequent geometrical interference in a parallel direction to the lie plane (9) of the panels (3).

Description: The invention relates to a modular chamber of the type fitted into walls to receive a sliding door. Such chambers comprise flanks constituted by metal panels arranged in succession and interconnected by means of joints made on adjacent edges of the panels, the edges being shaped so as to form geometrical joints effective according to a direction of the panels which is parallel to their lie plane. Before being installed in a space specially made in a wall, the above-mentioned chambers are combined with metal grilles welded to the flanks of the chambers with the dual aim both of strengthening the chambers themselves and providing a structure usable for anchoring the chambers to the wall. Two discrete types of the above chambers are presently in production. The first type envisages the manufacturing of monolithic boxes, made-to-measure according to the door dimensions. The second type uses modular structures wherein the flanks are constructed using vertical fretted metal panels arranged equidistantly and connected on the contiguous sides of the chamber by means of metal structural bars realising one vertical stanchion and and two horizontal connecting bars, one upper and one lower. In such a chamber, one vertical end is left open so as to permit the door to slide in and out of the chamber on special horizontal guides associated to the upper connecting bar. This type of chamber can also be lengthened by adding further panels to the existing ones and thus creating enough space to house a longer door. The panel connecting joints are obtained by folding the edges of the metal panels so that complementary geometrical shapes are obtained, with the result that any two panels can be connected by means of geometrical interference. More precisely, the shaped edge of a panel is inserted into a cavity made on a corresponding edge of an adjacent panel by means of a relative movement of the two panels along a tangential direction to the lie plane of the flanks. A further characteristic of the known-type chamber is that at the open end, where the door runs in and out, means are afforded for anchoring wooden (or other material) uprights to the chamber so that it can be effectively masked from view. The means for anchoring uprights are T-shaped and are arranged in such a way as that their wings are flush with the flank of the chamber, while the central body of the T inserts into a groove in the upright and is anchored by means of screws driven transversally across the central body of the T. The fundamental drawback of the above-described type of chamber is that the special geometric conformation of the joints means that the panels can be connected only by movements which are tangential to the flank lie plane, rendering assembly problematic and causing relatively long mounting times. A further drawback of the above type of chamber lies in the fact that to mount the wooden or other uprights on the T-shaped anchoring means the screw housings have to be drilled at the moment of mounting in order to obviate errors of alignment which could render mounting difficult. This is not only problematic in terms of mounting time needed, but also in terms of economics, since the drill bits needed for drilling into wood and into metals are different in terms of both materials and shape: being able to use only one type of drill bit means, obviously, being at a disadvantage when the material to be holed is of a different type. The aim of the present invention, as it is characterised in the claims that follow, is to obviate the above mentioned drawbacks by realising panel connecting joints made on adjacent edges of reative panels and whixh are conformed in such a way as to be connectable by elastic coupling of one to another or by initial free superposing of one on another through relative movement of the panels in a transversal direction to their lie plane. Further, in chambers made according to the invention, the fixing of the wooden uprights to the flanks is effected by using Z-shaped metal bars which connect to the uprights by receiving them peripherally on two contiguous sides. A first advantage obtained by the invention essentially consists in the fact that the chambers are more economical to manufacture as the geometrical conformation of the connecting joints is simpler and quicher. A further advantage of the invention is that the conformation of the Z-shaped metal bar for connecting wooden uprights to the chamber flanks is such that the holes destined for the screw coupling of the uprights to the bars can be sunk during their manufacture. Apart from the advantages this provides during the mounting operation, including rapidity of mounting, it is also more economical thanks to the possibility it affords of rationally choosing cutting parameters for the drilling operation. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge from the detailed description that follows, of an embodiment of the invention, herein illustrated purely in the form of a non-limiting example in the accompanying figures, in which: figure 1 shows a chamber made according to the invention shown in horizontal section; figure 2 shows a constructional detail of the chamber of figure 1 in enlarged scale. With reference to figure 1, it can be seen that the invention consists of a modular chamber 1 of sliding doors 2 which when open are hidden inside the walls of rooms (not illustrated). The chamber 1 comprises flanks 10 constituted by metal panels 3 arranged in succession and interconnected by means of connecting joints 4 made directly on the panels 3 at their adjacent edges (51, 52). The two flanks 10, arranged parallel to each other, are interconnected at one of their vertical ends 12 by a C-shaped bar 11; at their other vertical end 13 they are open to receive the sliding door 2: they are further connected above and below the door 2 by a horizontal element 14. The C-bar 11 functions both as a connecting element of the flanks 10 and as an end-run striker of the door 2. With reference to figure 1 and to the detail of figure 2, it can be seen that the joints 4 are made at the edges 51, 52 of the panels 3 by means of a special complementary shaping, realising a geometrical interference in a parallel direction to the lie plane 9 of the panels 3. More in detail, the edges 51, 52 are associable by reciprocal superposing through a transversal movement with respect to the lie plane 9 of the metal panels 3, which snap-fit after elastic yielding of the metallic parts. It is interesting to note that as the end 52a of the edge 52 of the panel 3 lies on an unaligned plane to the lie plane 9, the opening 100 destined to receive the other edge 51, measured along the inclined plane 101 representing the plane of maximum entry space, can be such as to allow free transit of the edge 51 internally of the edge 52 if the relative panel 3 is initially associated with a slight inclination, that is, in the direction of the inclined plane 101. Once the edge 51 is inserted, a permanent constraint is created by the resting of the panel 3 on the horizontal. This can be observed in figure 2, showing a preferred embodiment of the joints 4, where a panel 3 provided with a first L-shaped edge 51 is associated to a corresponding U-shaped edge 52 of an adjacent panel 3: the L-shaped edge 51 is received by the U-shaped edge, which latter has one inclined wall 6 which geometrically interferes with the L-shaped edge 51. An identical conformation to the one above is used (figure 1) for connecting the flanks 10 with the C-shaped door end-run bar. Figure 1 also shows how the chamber 1 is provided at its open vertical side 13 with two further vertical bars 7 having Z-shaped section, the vertical bars 7 having a first wing 15 connected to the end edges 51, 52 of the flanks 10 of the panel 3 and a second wing 15 which, together with the centre bar of the Z engages peripherally with a wooden upright 8 or the like, which can be screwed to the bars 7 through holes already made in the bars themselves.

Claims: A sliding door wall chamber, of the type comprising flanks (10) constituted by metal panels (3) arranged in succession and interconnected by means of connecting joints (4) made on adjacent edges (51, 52) of the panels (3), said edges (51, 52) being complementarily shaped such as to link geometrically in a parallel direction to a lie plane (9) of the panels (3), the chamber being characterised in that the connecting joints (4) are conformed in such a way that the edges (51, 52) are associable through reciprocal superposition with transversal movement with respect to the lie plane (9) of the panels (3) and connect by means of geometrical interference. A wall chamber as in claim 1, characterised in that each connecting joint (4) comprises a first elastically deformable L-shaped edge (51) which is associated to a second edge (52) having at least one wall (6) destined to interfre geometrically with the first edge (51) after a snap-fit of the two edges (51, 52). A wall chamber as in claim 1, characterised in that the joint (4) comprises a first L-shaped edge (51) associated to a second edge (52) having at least one wall (6) destined to interfere geometrically with the first edge (51), the second edge (52) having an ingress opening (100) which is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane so as to allow unobstructed entry to the edge (51) when the relative panel (3) is inclined to the same degree as the opening (100) during its association, while it constitutes a permanent joint when the panel (3) returns to its natural horizontal position. A wall chamber as in claim 1, of the type comprising a vertical bar (7) connected to an edge (51 or 52) of a panel (3) of the flanks (10), which bar (7) supports an upright (8) screwed to the bar (7), the chamber being characterised in that the bar (7) is Z-shaped, having a first wing (15) fixed to the flank (10) as well as a central bar (16) and a second wing (15) peripherally associable to the upright (8), permitting of a visible connection of the upright (8) to the bar (7).

Inventors: MIGLIORINI MASSIMO, MIGLIORINI, MASSIMO
Applicants: KRONA I S P A, KRONA I S.P.A.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: E06B3
IPC codes: E06B3