Abstract:
The specification discloses a pocket door assembly having a notch or recess in a pocket portion of the frame that allows for use of a protruding handle, such as a doorknob, to be used on a door portion of the assembly. In a second aspect, the specification discloses a latch mechanism for use with pocket doors that may utilize rotary handles, such as standard doorknobs.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     None.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0004]     Embodiments of the invention are directed to an improved pocket door assembly. More particular, the embodiments of the invention are directed to a pocket door assembly that may use a standard doorknob to facilitate opening and closing of the door.  
         [0005]     2. Background of the Invention  
         [0006]     A “pocket door” is a door that may be used within homes and offices that, rather than swinging on a hinge, slides or translates along an upper rail. In a closed position, a pocket door obstructs a doorway. In order to open a pocket door, the door itself slides into a “pocket” within walls immediately adjacent to the doorway. Pocket doors may be used in locations where it is disadvantageous for the door to swing.  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a related art pocket door assembly as it may be received from a manufacturer, with the door  40  in its fully open or retracted position. To close the related art door, the door  40  may be pushed into the pocket, where a spring biases the door out such that the door itself may be grabbed and pulled toward a closed position. Alternatively in the related art, a latch mechanism  42  may be used, at least initially, to pull the door from the retracted position.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2 , taken substantially along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , illustrates one possible construction of a frame of a related art pocket door assembly. In particular, this portion of the frame may comprise vertical lumber members  44  and  46 , which may span the entire height of the frame assembly. Steel channels  48 ,  50  may be attached to the vertical lumber members  44  and  46  respectively, and it is within these channels  48 ,  50  that horizontal lumber cross members  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58  (see  FIG. 1 ) may attach. After installation of the pocket door assembly, sheet rock may be placed on top of the horizontal members  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58 , and pressed into the shoulder area  60 . Thereafter, decorative trim may be attached to the vertical members  44  and  46 , such as by the use of finishing nails. U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,645 to Johnston describes another possible construction of the frame portion of the pocket door assembly that may comprise use of metal channels within which pieces of lumber may be inserted.  
         [0009]     Regardless of the particular construction of the frame, the door  40  in each of these related art devices is designed and constructed to slide fully within the pocket created by the frame. Because of this construction, it is not possible to have a doorknob or handle mechanism extending in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by the door, as may be used on doors that rotate about a hinge assembly. Some pocket doors may attempt to implement door locks, but the lock mechanisms, because of the limited space between the door and the vertical members, are difficult to operate, at best.  
         [0010]     Thus, what is needed in the art is a pocket door assembly design that overcomes these and other problems.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]     The problems noted above are solved in large part by a pocket door assembly that provides an indention or notch in the vertical members of the frame. The door of the pocket door assembly may comprise a handle that protrudes outwardly from a plane defined by the door by an amount greater than a clearance between the door and the vertical frame members. When the door is opened, the handle translates at least partially into a region or area defined by the notch. Opening and closing the door may thus be accomplished by applying force to the handle, and thereby sliding the door open or closed.  
         [0012]     A second aspect of the preferred embodiments may be a locking mechanism for use with a pocket door that may be actuated using an off-the-shelf rotary-type doorknob as a handle. The latching mechanism may latch the door of the pocket door assembly in a closed position, and the latch may be released by rotating the doorknob to release the latch.  
         [0013]     The various characteristics described above, as well as other features, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, and by referring to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     For a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a related art pocket door assembly;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows a cross-section of a portion of the related art pocket door assembly;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of a pocket door assembly, with the door retracted or open, in accordance with embodiments of the invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates an elevational view of a pocket door assembly, with the door extended or closed, in accordance with embodiments of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the pocket door assembly taken substantially along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines  6 A- 6 A of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6B  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line  6 B- 6 B of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the recess;  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  illustrates yet another alternative embodiment of the recess;  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a latch assembly in accordance with embodiments of the invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  illustrates a striker plate in accordance with embodiments of the invention; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary contact of a handle connection member with bolt arm. 
     
    
     NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE  
       [0027]     Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function.  
         [0028]     In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]      FIG. 3  illustrates a pocket door assembly  100  constructed in accordance with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the pocket door assembly  100  may comprise a frame  110  that may generally comprise a doorway portion  112  and a pocket portion  114 . The pocket door assembly  100  may further comprise a door  116  slidingly mounted within the frame  110 , and in particular, the door  116  may be mounted to a horizontal header assembly  113  which may span substantially an entire upper length of the pocket door assembly. The perspective view of the pocket door assembly  100  of  FIG. 3  illustrates the door  116  in its retracted or open position. By contrast, the elevational view of the pocket door assembly  100  of  FIG. 4  shows the door  116  in its extended or closed position. Before proceeding, it should be understood that the pocket door assembly  100  illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4  is as it may be received from a door manufacturer prior to installation, and thus the pocket door assembly is not shown with solid walls covering the pocket portion  114 , as would be the case after final installation.  
         [0030]      FIG. 5 , taken substantially along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 , illustrates the coupling of vertical members  122  and  124  to various horizontal members in accordance with at least some embodiments of the invention. The vertical members  122  and  124  may define, in part, an opening through which door  116  may slide or translate. A distance between the door  116  and each vertical member may define a clearance  117 . Each vertical member  122 ,  124  may have coupled thereto a metallic member  136 ,  138 , possibly having an “L” shaped cross-section. The metallic elements  136  and  138  may be aluminum; however, other materials may be equivalently used. In the cross-section illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the horizontal members  126 A and  126 B couple to the metallic members  138  and  136  respectively. In at least some embodiments, the horizontal members  126  are made of wood or lumber, and thus the coupling between the horizontal members  126  and the metallic members  122 ,  124  may be by any suitable connection mechanism, such as screws, bolts, adhesives, and the like. In alternative embodiments, the vertical members  122  and  124  may be created as one assembly, for example using injection molded plastic techniques. In these embodiments, the metallic members  136  and  138  may not be used, and the structural members forming the pocket may not necessarily be horizontal. Although  FIG. 5  shows only horizontal members  126 A, B coupled to the vertical members, it will be understood that the remaining horizontal members, as well as the brace member  134 , may couple in a similar manner.  
         [0031]     As is illustrated by  FIG. 5 , the horizontal members may not precisely align with an outer surface of the vertical members  122  and  124 . This forms a shoulder region  140  into which wall board  142  may be placed. For decorative purposes, trim or molding  144  may be attached to the vertical members  122  and  124  (not shown attached to  122 ). It is noted that the wall board  142  and molding  144  are not shown in  FIG. 3 , but were included in  FIG. 5  for purposes of explaining how these materials may couple to the pocket door assembly  100 .  
         [0032]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the pocket door assembly  100  of the various embodiments of the invention may have an indention or notch  118 . The notch  118  may be defined by an offset in the vertical members  122 ,  124 , as well as corresponding offsets in the metallic members  136 ,  138 , if used, the offset extending toward a back  129  ( FIG. 3 ) of the pocket. As best shown by the door  116  in the retracted or open position as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the notch  118  allows for use of a handle  120  extending outwardly from a plane defined by the door a distance greater than the clearance  117  between the door  116  and vertical members  122 ,  124 . The handle  120  may reside, at lest partially, in an area defined by the notch  118  when the door  116  is substantially within the pocket. Although the notch  118  shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  has three sides  119 A, B, C ( FIG. 4 ), any shape notch  118  is within the contemplation of this invention. For example,  FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment where the notch  118  is rectangular. Likewise,  FIG. 8  illustrates an embodiment where the notch is semi-circular.  
         [0033]     The pocket portion  114  of the pocket door assembly  100  may comprise a plurality of horizontal members  126 ,  128 ,  130  and  132 . Although not specifically shown in  FIG. 3 , there may be a corresponding set of horizontal members on the opposite side of door  116 , and these horizontal members may define, in part, the cavity or pocket of the pocket portion  114 . In at least some embodiments, the horizontal members  126 ,  128 ,  130  and  132  may be lumber, and may be attachments points for installation of sheet rock or other wall-board material. At least some of the horizontal members, for example horizontal member  128  and  130 , may couple to brace member  134 , which may simply reinforce the notch  118 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 6A , taken substantially along line  6 A- 6 A of  FIG. 3 , illustrates that, in at least some embodiments, a lower portion of the pocket assembly  114  may comprise rollers, for example rollers  146  and  148 .  FIG. 6B , taken substantially along line  6 B- 6 B of  FIG. 3 , illustrates the rollers  146 ,  148  from a different perspective. Rollers  146  and  148  may help keep the door  116  centered between the horizontal and vertical members, thus making opening and closing of door  116  easier as well as lessening the likelihood that the door  116  makes unwanted contact with other stationary components, which may damage the door and/or make opening and closing the door difficult.  
         [0035]     In installations where door  116  need not be latched closed, for example if the pocket door assembly  100  provides access to a linen closet, it may not be necessary to provide a latch mechanism for the door  116 . However, in some installations, for example a pocket door assembly  100  on an entrance to a bedroom or bathroom, the door  116  of the pocket door assembly  100  may comprise a latch mechanism  200  (partially seen in  FIG. 3 ) that may hold the door in the extended or closed position, and which may also be utilized to lock the door.  
         [0036]      FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view of the latch mechanism  200 , which may be utilized with a striker plate  220  as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , in accordance with embodiments of the invention. The latch mechanism  200  may comprise an elongated outer housing  202  having an axis  204 . The latch mechanism may be coupled to the door  116  by inserting the latch mechanism  200  into a hole, possible of circular or semi-circular cross-section (not shown), in the door  116 , where an axis of the hole and latch mechanism  204  may be substantially aligned with a direction of translation of the door  116 . The latch mechanism  200  may comprise a bolt  206  that slides within a bolt cavity or housing  208 . Spring  210  may bias the bolt to an extended position, with pin  212  retaining the bolt  206  within the housing  208 . In the rest position, the bias spring  214  may bias the bolt housing  208  against a lower portion of the outer housing  202 . As the door  116  is translated out of the pocket portion  114 , a latch end  207  of the bolt  206 , in particular a curved strike area  216 , may contact the cross-bar  218  of the strike plate  220 . Initial contact with the strike area  216  may be made near the tip  222  of the bolt  206 . The contact may progress from the tip  222  toward the slot  224 .  
         [0037]     The contact of the bolt  206  with the cross-bar  218 , and progress of the contact, may produce two movements of the bolt  206 . First, upon initial contact of the bolt  206  with the cross-bar  218 , the bolt  206  may compress spring  20  translating or telescoping the bolt  206  into the bolt housing  208 . Somewhat simultaneously, contact of the bolt  206  with the cross-bar  218  may pitch the bolt housing  208  (as indicated by arrow  226 , and as illustrated in dashed lines). Pitching of the bolt housing  208  may be allowed by a hinge  230 , having a stationary portion coupled to the outer housing  202 , and a rotating portion coupled to a bolt arm  232 . As the contact point moves from the tip  222  toward the slot  224 , the latch end  207  of the bolt  206  may extend into an aperture  228  of the strike plate  220  ( FIG. 10 ). As a component of an applied force along an axis of bolt  206  begins to diminish, i.e. the contact point moves closer to the slot  224 , the bolt  206  may telescope out of the bolt housing  208  under force applied by spring  210 , at which point the slot  224  may slide over a corresponding structure coupled to the doorway portion  112  of the frame, such as cross-bar  218  ( FIG. 10 ). With slot  224  engaging cross-bar  218 , the latch mechanism  200  may hold the door in the closed position. To unlatch the latch assembly  200 , a rotary handle  120 , such as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , may be rotated. A handle connection member, extending through the door  116  substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the door  116  and connecting the handle members on each side of the door, in response to rotation of the handle may rotate the bolt assembly housing  208 , possibly by application of force on the bolt arm  232 . Locking of the door  116  with latch  200  may be accomplished with a doorknob or handle  120  that prevents rotation in the locked position.  
         [0038]      FIG. 11  illustrates an interaction between the handle connection member and the bolt arm  232 . In particular,  FIG. 11  shows a partial cross-sectional elevational view of the latch assembly  200  with the bolt arm  232  pitched by contact of a handle connection member  234 . In a rest position, the bolt arm  232  may rest substantially on an upper surface of the handle connection member  234 , where that surface is substantially horizontal (the rest position indicated in  FIG. 11  by the shadowed connection member in dashed lines). By rotation of the handle (not shown in  FIG. 11 ), the handle connection member likewise may rotate, thereby pitching the bolt housing  208 . While some off-the-shelf doorknobs have a substantially square handle connection member, as shown in  FIG. 11 , other off-the-shelf doorknobs have a handle connection member with a “U” shape (not shown). Operation of the latch assembly in this situation is substantially the same as described above, except upper portions of the “U” shaped handle connection member contact the bolt arm  232 . For those doorknobs that implement locking functionality with the “U” shaped handle connection member, a locking rod may reside within a valley of the “U” shaped member, and in this case, the bolt arm  232  may be grooved or arched to allow the bolt arm to rest on the “U” shaped member in spite of the locking rod.  
         [0039]     The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. For example, the frame  110  of the pocket door assembly may be made of injection molded plastic, with portions thereof reinforced by metallic members. Further, while only three variations for the recess  118  are shown, one of ordinary skill in the art, now understanding the concept of creating a recess and using a protruding handle, such as knob  120 , could easily fashion numerous variations for the configuration of the recess  118 , and each of these variations falls within the contemplation of this invention. Further, it may be possible to have a door that does not slide completely within the pocket, and in this case a notch may not be required in spite of using a handle that extends a distance greater than the clearance between the door and the vertical member. With regard to the rollers  146  and  148  illustrated in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , being circular cylinders having their axis aligned with the vertical members  122  and  124 , one of ordinary skill in the art, now understanding the benefits of providing rolling surfaces near a bottom of the door  116 , could easily implement many variations, such as ball bearings with suitable housings, and the like. Further, though the embodiments of the invention described show notches formed on both sides of the door  116 , the benefits of the invention may be equivalently obtained by a notch  118  on only one side, and correspondingly a handle that extends on only one side of the door. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.