Abstract:
This invention discloses a pocket door. The pocket door is capable of pivoting on hinges between a frame that holds the pocket door and allows it to slide in and out of a pocket to open and close a passageway. More specifically, the pocket door is hinged to the moving frame and also includes a two-part panel, where each panel is separated from an adjacent panel by a hinge that is capable of allowing the panels to move between flush engagement where the two panels lie in the same plane and a position where the panels are no longer lying in the same plane.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention generally relates to doors, more specifically pocket doors that are capable of pivoting on the hinges when in a closed position and which contain a door panel which can pivot on a vertical axis.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Sliding doors, also known as pocket doors, are well known for use in environments where there is insufficient space for opening a hinged door. In enclosures having curved side walls, as for example in the cabin of an airplane, sliding pocket doors are often used. Aircraft interior designers use pocket doors to save space. An example of a sliding pocket door for aircraft use is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,808, the specifications and drawings which are incorporated herein by reference.  
           [0003]    Pocket doors may consist of one or two segments. Pocket doors with a single segment are intended to slide horizontally across a door opening from a pocket within a bulkhead to a close position with the leading edge of the door against a door jamb.  
           [0004]    Aviation regulations, however, typically require doors in an aircraft interior to be capable of blowout without destroying themselves. What this means is that if there is a sudden decompression in one portion of the aircraft and the pocket door is closed, it must be capable of blowing out without shattering and possibly harming an aircraft occupant by flying debris.  
           [0005]    Present aircraft utilizing pocket doors contain blowout panels whereby sections of the door segments are releasably retained to the door by lanyards. Also, the &#39;808 Patent provides a pocket door which is capable, when in a close position, of pivoting on an axis adjacent the bulkhead pocket.  
           [0006]    However, Applicants provide for improvements on any pocket door or even a swinging door and, more particularly a door having a second pivot axis between the first pivot axis and a leading edge of the door to countenance a problem where a pocket door or any other door, upon rotation, strikes an immovable object. By providing a second axis of rotation parallel to a first axis of rotation, the door panel can fold to avoid destruction of the door.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    It is the general object of the present invention to provide for a sliding door moveable between a first and a second position mountable in an aircraft cabin.  
           [0008]    It is another object of the present invention to provide for a sliding pocket door for use within an aircraft cabin which may both slide horizontally between an open and close position and, when in a close position, is capable of rotating on a first or primary rotation axis.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide for a sliding pocket door in an aircraft interior which will, when in a close position be capable of pivoting on a primary axis and a secondary axis, the secondary axis between the primary axis and a leading edge of the pocket door.  
           [0010]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for a sliding pocket door dimensioned for receipt within the confines of an aircraft cabin and moveable between an open and close position which sliding pocket door has multiple vertical pivoting axes.  
           [0011]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pocket door for use within the interior of an aircraft cabin which pocket door includes a multiplicity of vertical seams, at least one vertical seam between a primary rotation axis adjacent the bulkhead and a secondary axis between the bulkhead and the leading edge of the door which secondary axis is capable of allowing the door to rotate on a second axis. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a door panel for use in Applicants&#39; novel pocket door, the door panel with a cover and removed therefrom and with walls cutaway to show the hinges therein.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is an illustration of Applicants&#39; novel pocket door as mounted in the interior of an aircraft cabin, the pocket door in the closed position.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3A is a top elevational view of Applicants&#39; pocket door in a closed position.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3B is a sequential view illustrating Applicants&#39; pocket door in a normally closed position, the first pivoting on a primary axis and, upon encountering an obstruction near the leading edge of the door panel, folding to a folded position along a secondary axis, the view being a top elevational view.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a view of where two sections of the panel meet and are held together by a hinge, FIG. 4 being a perspective view and illustrating the door panel in a normal (coplanar) position.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two adjacent door panels held together through the use of Applicants&#39; novel hinge and in a folded or rotated position.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the hinge of Applicants&#39; novel pocket door.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 6A and 6B are detailed views, side elevational and top elevational, respectively, of the manner in which Applicants&#39; interconnect pin joins the bias shaft of Applicants&#39; novel hinge.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a cutaway top elevational view of the manner in which the hinge plates engage the wall panels of the door.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 illustrates the sliding door panel  12 . FIG. 2 illustrates Applicants&#39; novel pocket door  10  which includes a sliding door panel  12 . FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate two positions of Applicants&#39; novel pocket door  10 . The first position illustrated in FIG. 3A is the closed position and prevents the passage of an occupant through the door opening.  
         [0022]    If a blowout or sudden decompression occurs to create a pressure gradient across sliding door panel  12 , then Applicants&#39; closed novel pocket door will rotate out of the sliding plane into a rotation plane about a primary axis  20  and, if the door strikes an obstruction Ob, fold in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3B as it pivots along a secondary axis  30 , the secondary axis parallel and spaced apart from the primary axis  20  and laying between a first section  14  and a second section  16  of the door.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 4, 5 and  6  all illustrate various views of the novel pocket door  10  including sliding door panel  12  with a novel hinge  34  between a first section  14  and a second section  16 .  
         [0024]    An overview of the accompanied drawings should provide a general understanding of the structure of Applicants&#39; novel pocket door  10 .  
         [0025]    Turning now to FIG. 1, it is seen that Applicants&#39; novel pocket door  10  may be comprised of a sliding door panel  12 . The sliding door panel  12  may include a multiplicity of sections, here first section  14  and second section  16 . The sections would typically be similar in height and thickness as illustrated in the accompanied drawings. Furthermore, as is illustrated here, secondary axis  30  is seen to be about halfway between the primary axis and the leading edge of the door. However, it may be at any point between the primary axis and the leading edge of the door. Indeed, the point at which the secondary axis is placed may depend upon where the obstruction is that requires the fold. Further, although two sections are illustrated, requiring a secondary axis  30 , the specification anticipates that there may be a tertiary axis and three sections, or even more. The number of additional axis would depend on the requirements of the door and the environment in which the door is installed.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 illustrates the sliding panel  12  comprised of first section  14  and second section  16 . Reference is made to also to FIGS. 4 and 5 that illustrate that first section and second section both may be similarly constructed and having a pair of parallel coplanar section walls  14 B and  16 B spaced apart from the second pair of coplanar adjacent section walls  14 C and  16 C. These may be made from foam core honeycomb composite construction known in the art.  
         [0027]    Sliding panel door  12  typically has a leading edge  12 A and a trailing edge  12 B. The door moves between a first position and a second position.  
         [0028]    A first bulkhead pocket door wall  22  is spaced apart and parallel to a second bulkhead pocket door wall  24  to create a pocket  26  there between. The pocket door normally moves between an open and a closed position, the closed position illustrated in FIG. 3A and the open position not illustrated but known in the prior art and the position in which the pocket door is substantially enclosed in the pocket between first bulkhead wall  22  and second bulkhead wall  24 . The position illustrated in FIG. 3B is the rotated position, obtainable upon blowout with the door in the closed position if the door strikes an obstruction Ob, as illustrated by the dotted lines in FIG. 3B.  
         [0029]    Turning back to FIGS. 4 and 5, and with reference to FIG. 6, it is seen that an novel hinge  34  is provided between door sections  14  and  16  where a hinge bracket  14 A which includes a member spaced across between the two walls of the sections as set forth in FIGS. 6 and 7 and legs, legs typically imbedded within the composite comprising the section walls, the two hinge brackets facing one another when the door is in the normal position (either open or closed) and rotating out of flush alignment as the door goes into a folded position.  
         [0030]    Turning now to FIGS. 4, 5,  6 ,  6 A and  6 B for details of Applicants&#39; novel hinge, it is seen that hinge  34  includes an elongated shaft  36 , the shaft having a coil spring  46  wound around a portion thereof, the shaft having a removed end on which is received an adjustable spring retaining nut  38  as well as, optionally, a spacer  48 . The shaft may have a threaded portion for receiving the nut and adjustably selecting the tension in the spring so as to adjustably set the tension at which the door will begin to fold. The general construction of the hinge is to bias a folding section connector link or pin  42  which will float, connected pivotally at the near end of the shaft, thus securing the first door section  14  and pivotally connected to pin anchor  40  which is anchored tightly into second section  16 . The effect of using section connector link or pin  42  pivotally mounted at either end to the two adjacent door sections is to allow them to pivot with respect to one another while remaining engaged to one another. Through the use of a bias shaft  36  and bias coil spring  46  which is connected at one end to a housing  50  fixed adjacent hinge bracket  14 , the effect is to bias section connector pin  42  to the left as illustrated in FIG. 4 so as to hold flush against one another the inside faces of hinge bracket  14 A and hinge bracket  16 A. This holds the two door sections in a coplanar position.  
         [0031]    By threading down adjustable spring retaining nut  38 , one can increase the torque required to pull the doors out of coplanar alignment. Shaft housing  50  includes a housing bore  50 A for receiving the near end of shaft  36 . Furthermore, the near end or shaft  36  defines a tongue  36 A that has a rounded nose  36 B. Cutout adjacent the tongue is a notch  36 C. With reference to FIG. 5, FIGS. 6A and 6B, it is also seen that door connector pin has, where it is pivotally mounted to the near end of the shaft, a similarly dimensioned tongue  42 A with a rounded nose  42 B and a notch  42 C such that when the two are layed together, the shaft diameter is reflected in the coupling created and, note that the dimensions, at least diameter is the same as the near end of shaft  36 . Moreover, these dimensions are designed for snug receipt into bore  50 A of the housing  50 . The length of door section connector pin  42  is such that when the doors are in a flush position as illustrated in FIG. 4, the joint portion where the tongue of the connector pin and the tongue of the shaft join will be within the bore holding the doors in a flush or coplanar position. When torque is applied to overcome resistance of the spring, edge-to-edge pivoting along mutual edges of hinge bracket  14 A and hinge bracket  16 A will pull the near end of the shaft out of the housing and allow the door connector pin to rotate at both points of articulation. Further, with slots  52  cut into walls adjacent the hinge brackets, the connector pin  42  may pivot to hold the doors adjacent one another. This is done by providing the slots and further providing a distance between connector pin mounting pins  44  (one at the shaft end and one at the anchor end) such that the distance between adjacent pins  44  along the connector pin  42  is just slightly larger than the thickness of a door.  
         [0032]    Drop down panels  32  maybe provided that are secured within pockets along the lower edge of each door segment and are either biased through the use of a spring, depressed against the floor of the cabin or, simply under the weight of the panels will lie against the floor of the cabin. Drop down door sections  32  can slide up and down vertically within each of the door segments.  
         [0033]    After the door panel  12  is manufactured, veneer or fabric  54  may be stretched across outer walls  14 B,  14 C,  16 B and  16 C so that the seam created at the secondary axis  30  is invisible. A very thin veneer of wood may be used, in which case a very careful slice, such as with a razor or scalpel, may be executed in the veneer right where the edges of hinge brackets  14 A and  16 A meet. This will prevent the veneer from shattering in case the panel moves to a folded position.  
         [0034]    Applicant&#39;s novel hinge  34  mounted along a secondary axis  32  may be used in conjunction with a similar set of hinges at the primary axis with a tension set in the spring to first allow release along the primary axis and secondarily to allow release along the secondary axis.  
         [0035]    Applicant&#39;s secondary axis  30  with its novel breakaway hinge  34  may also be used with the novel pullout hinge featured in U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,808, the specification and drawings which are incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0036]    Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.