Patent Publication Number: US-11047160-B2

Title: Sliding door mounting system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/649,033 filed Mar. 28, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/713,717 filed Aug. 2, 2018; the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to doors, and more particularly to a door support and mounting assembly for mounting doors in a suspended sliding manner. 
     Sliding doors such as barn style door or similar are mounted in a suspended and linear sliding manner from an overhead support system of some type. This contrasts to conventional door mounting hardware which pivotably mount the doors via hinges to the vertical door jambs that define the doorway. Sliding doors do not consume the same room space necessary to operate a pivotably mounted door, and are therefore beneficial in tight spaces or other situations where a slideable door mounting is a desirable option. There are however drawbacks to current mounting hardware for sliding doors. 
     Hardware for mounting barn style doors typically use a fixed rail track and relatively large diameter pulley wheels which are attached to the door and roll along the rail as the door is opened or closed. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0067276 discloses such an arrangement as an example. When the door is pushed in a direction along the rail, these large diameter pulleys are conducive for imparting significant momentum to the door once it starts rolling in a somewhat uncontrolled manner. The doors may therefore strike the ends of the track with considerable force causing damage and/or hardware mounting the track to the wall. 
     Another drawback to suspended barn style door mounting systems is a lack of means to resistant the door from moving and swaying in and out in a plane transverse to the direction of travel when a user pushes or leans against the large front/back side of the door. This can push the door off the rail and/or cause damage to the building structure. 
     In addition, yet another drawback is that the mounting hardware for suspended sliding doors is sometimes bulky and unrefined in ornamental appearance, thereby limiting application of such installations to situations where aesthetics is not an overriding consideration. 
     Improvements are desired in suspended sliding door mounting hardware. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a mounting system for hanging a door in a suspended and sliding “barn style” manner from the building structure that overcomes the shortcomings of prior door mounting hardware. The door mounting system disclosed herein has improved aesthetics while including features that provide smooth operation and sufficient structural strength for hanging the door. Advantageously, the present door mounting system further includes provisions which reduce the rolling momentum of the door and prevents sway in a plane transverse to the door&#39;s direction of travel. The mounting system may variously be used with door systems having a single or double operating doors. In addition, the mounting system may be used with any type of sliding door in various environments and applications such as shower doors, closet doors, interior or exterior doors, and others. 
     In one non-limiting embodiment, a door mounting system for sliding translation of a door includes a horizontally/longitudinally elongated support rail, a pair of wall mounts such as standoffs rigidly anchoring the support rail to a vertical support surface, a door bracket movably engaging the support rail, and a door supported by the door bracket in a suspended manner, wherein the door is linearly translatable along the support rail. The mounting system may further comprise a linear needle roller bearing disposed at an interface between the door bracket and the support rail to facilitate sliding movement of the door bracket along the support rail and/or a nylon bearing sheet attached to the door bracket and slideably engaging a side surface of the support rail. The door bracket may include a hook-shaped hanger and an anti-sway bracket in one embodiment which is configured to arrest movement of the door in a plane transverse to the door&#39;s direction of travel. In one construction, the support rail, door bracket, and mounting standoffs may be formed of stainless steel for moist operating environments such as bathrooms. 
     In one aspect, a door mounting system for sliding translation of a door includes: a longitudinally elongated support rail defining a horizontally oriented mounting axis; a pair of wall mounts rigidly anchoring the support rail to a vertical support surface; a door bracket movably engaging the support rail; a door supported by the door bracket in a suspended manner; and a linear roller bearing disposed at an interface between the door bracket and support rail to facilitate movement of the mounting bracket along the support rail; wherein the door is linearly translatable along the support rail. 
     According to another aspect, a door mounting system for sliding translation of a door includes: a longitudinally elongated support rail defining a mounting axis; a pair of wall mounts rigidly anchoring the support rail to a vertical support surface; a door bracket movably engaging the support rail, the door bracket including a pair of open ends and rearwardly open channel extending between the ends, the channel slideably receiving the support rail therein; a door supported by the door bracket in a suspended manner; and a linear roller bearing disposed at an interface between the door bracket and support rail inside the channel to facilitate movement of the mounting bracket along the support rail; wherein the door is linearly translatable along the support rail via rolling engagement between the roller bearing and the door bracket. 
     According to another aspect, a method for using a mounting system for sliding translation of a door includes: providing a longitudinally elongated support rail defining a mounting axis, a pair of elongated wall mounts rigidly attached to the support rail, a door bracket including an opposing pair of open ends and a rearwardly open channel extending between the ends, and a linear roller bearing disposed inside the channel; attaching the door bracket to a door; anchoring the support rail to a vertical support surface of a building; lifting the door with attached door bracket; inserting the support rail through the open ends of the door bracket into the channel; engaging the linear roller bearing with a top surface of the support rail; and sliding the door in one of two direction on the support rail. 
     In some embodiments, the method may further include: the door bracket further including an anti-sway clip; applying a lateral transverse force against the door; and engaging a stop surface of the anti-sway clip with the support rail to arrest motion of the door in a plane transverse to the mounting axis. 
     In yet other embodiments, the method may further include: the linear roller bearing having a U-shaped body comprising a top wall and at least one lateral sidewall extending downwards from the top wall, the top wall including a plurality of top needle rollers engaging the top surface of the support rail, and the at least one lateral sidewall including a plurality of lateral needle rollers oriented transversely to the top needle rollers; and the step of applying the lateral transverse force against the door further engages an upper rear surface of the support rail with the lateral needle rollers and the anti-sway clip engages a lower rear surface of the support rail to arrest motion of the door in a plane transverse to the mounting axis. 
     In yet other embodiments, the method may further include: the linear roller bearing having a U-shaped body comprising a top wall and at least one sidewall extending downwards from the top wall, the top wall including a plurality of top needle rollers engaging the top surface of the support rail, and the at least one sidewall including a plurality of lateral needle rollers oriented transversely to the top needle rollers; applying a lateral transverse force against the door; and engaging a rear surface of the support rail with the lateral needle rollers to arrest motion of the door in a plane transverse to the mounting axis. 
     In another aspect, a roller bearing includes: a U-shaped body comprising a top wall and a pair of lateral sidewalls extending downwards from the top wall; the top wall including a plurality of top needle rollers configured and arranged to engage a corresponding first planar support surface of a support structure; the sidewalls each including a plurality of lateral needle rollers configured and arranged to engage corresponding second and third planar support surfaces of the support structure which are each oriented perpendicularly to the first planar support surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features of the exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the following drawings in which like elements are labeled similarly, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sliding door mounting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is an end view thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a sliding door mounting system according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view thereof; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view thereof; 
         FIG. 8  is an end view thereof; 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of a door bracket of the door mounting systems of  FIGS. 1 and 5 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view thereof; 
         FIG. 11  is a rear view thereof; 
         FIG. 12  is a front view thereof; 
         FIG. 13  is an end view thereof; 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a linear needle roller bearing of the door mounting systems of  FIGS. 1 and 5 ; 
         FIG. 16  is an alternative embodiment of a base plate of the door mounting systems of  FIGS. 1 and 5 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a U-shaped linear roller bearing; 
         FIG. 18  is an enlarged view thereof taken from  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 19  is a bottom view thereof; 
         FIG. 20  is a first longitudinal cross-sectional view taken from  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a second longitudinal cross-sectional view taken from  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a transverse cross-sectional view taken from  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 23  is an end view of the linear roller bearing of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 24  is an end view of the door mounting system of  FIG. 1  which alternatively incorporates the U-shaped linear roller bearing of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 25  is a transverse cross-sectional end view of an alternative embodiment of a mounting door bracket configured for mounting to hollow door; and 
         FIG. 26  is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken in  FIGS. 4 and 24  as indicated which is representative of both of the linear needle roller bearings of the door mounting system assemblies of  FIGS. 4 and 24  with respect to engagement of the needle rollers with the top surface of the mounting rail. 
     
    
    
     All drawings are schematic and not necessarily to scale. Parts given a reference numerical designation in one figure may be considered to be the same parts where they appear in other figures without a numerical designation for brevity unless specifically labeled with a different part number and described herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The features and benefits of the present disclosure are illustrated and described herein by reference to exemplary (“example”) embodiments. This description of exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. Accordingly, the present disclosure expressly should not be limited to such embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the claimed invention being defined by the claims appended hereto. 
     In the description of embodiments disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “lateral,” “longitudinal,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “attached,” “coupled,” “affixed,” “connected,” “interconnected,” and the like refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise in a more limiting manner. 
     As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosure controls. 
       FIGS. 1-4  show one non-limiting embodiment of a sliding door mounting system  100  according to the present disclosure, which in this case controls operation of a double door system. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the door mounting system may instead control operation of a single sliding door. 
     The door mounting system  100  generally includes a support rail  102 , one or more wall mounts such as mounting standoffs  110  for anchoring the support rail to a vertical support surface  104  in the illustrated embodiment, and at least one door bracket  120  for each of two doors  101  which are configured for mounting to the top rail  103  of the doors. Support rail  102  provides a track for the sliding door  101 . The support rail  102  has a body which is horizontally elongated in length and defines a horizontal longitudinal mounting axis MA of the door mounting system for convenience of reference. Mounting axis MA defines a direction or path of travel of sliding doors  101 . The support rail  102  may have a rectilinear configuration in one embodiment as shown; however, other polygonal and non-polygonal shapes may be used. In the non-limiting illustrated embodiment, support rail  102  has a rectangular prismatic configuration with a corresponding rectangular transverse cross section. Support rail  102  may include a combination of planar or flat surfaces including a horizontal top surface  102   a , opposing horizontal bottom surface  102   b , vertical front surface  102   c , and opposite vertical rear surface  102   d  as shown. The support rail  102  may be hollow or solid in construction depending on the required weight of the door to be supported. A suitable metal such as without limitation steel (including stainless steel), aluminum, titanium, or others may be used for the support rail. The support rail has a length sufficient to accommodate the desired full range of motion for the double doors  101  to provide a fully open position and access to and through the doorway. 
     The mounting standoffs  110  each include a fixed end  113  fixedly coupled to the rear surface  102   d  of the support rail  102  and an opposite free mounting end  114  configured for anchoring to a vertical support surface  104  such as a wall, beam, joist, stud, or any other structural support surface of the building structure. The standoffs  100  extend perpendicularly from the support rail  102  and space the rail horizontally/laterally apart from the support surface by a clearance distance. In one embodiment, at least two standoffs may be provided. Additional standoffs  110  can be provided for added support depending on the weight of the door(s)  101  and range of motion needed. The standoffs  110  are arranged so as to not interference with the sliding action of the door. Each standoff  110  may have an elongated body or shaft which may be cylindrical in one embodiment with circular cross section; however, other non-polygonal or polygonal shapes including rectilinear may be used. The standoffs  110  may be hollow or solid in construction similarly to the support rail depending on the required weight of the door to be supported. The mounting end  114  may comprise an enlarged mounting plate  112  configured for anchoring to the wall or support surface  104  of the building structure. In one embodiment, the mounting plate  112  may be dimensionally enlarged (e.g. diametrically in the present configuration) relative to the cylindrical shaft  111  of the standoff  110  for added support and attachment to the support surface  104 . The mounting plate  112  may be oriented perpendicularly to the cylindrical shaft  111  and can include holes for using threaded fasteners to anchor the standoff to the wall. Although a circular mounting plate is shown, other non-polygonal or polygonal shapes (e.g. hexagonal, octagonal, square, rectangular, etc.) may be used which need not match the cross-sectional shape of the shaft  111 . A suitable metal such as without limitation steel, aluminum, titanium, or others may be used for the standoff assemblies. 
     Although a door system comprising two sliding doors and support rail with two standoffs is shown, the same system may be used for mounting a single door which would comprises only one of the doors shown in  FIG. 1  sufficient in width to fully cover and close the doorway. Regardless of the number of doors  101  provided in the door system, each door may have an associated single or dual door brackets  120  for mounting the door in a suspended sliding manner from the support rail depending on the weight and size of the door(s). In addition, it bears noting that the support rail  102  may instead be mounted to a horizontal support surface such as a ceiling or other overhead structure in which case the standoffs  110  are vertically oriented and attached to the top surface  102   a  of the rail. 
       FIGS. 9-14  show the door brackets  120  in additional detail. Referring generally to  FIGS. 1-4 and 9-14 , the door brackets  120  which are attached to the doors are the movable component of the door mounting system  100  while the support rail  102  rigidly attached to the vertical support surface wall  104  is the fixed component. The door brackets  120  are thus slideably/rollingly mounted to support rail and include features which enhance smooth linear translation and operation of the door. In one embodiment, each door bracket  120  may be a compound structure including a generally horizontal door mount base plate  121 , a hanger  122  having a recurvant hooked end  123  for engaging the support rail, and an anti-sway clip  124 . The anti-sway clip  124  and hanger  122  may each be separately attached to the base plate  121  as shown. The base plate  121  is configured for mounting to the top rail  103  of the door(s)  101 . Other than the top rail  103  which preferably is solid in construction, the remainder of the door beneath this rails may be substantially hollow or solid. In the illustrated embodiment, the base plate  121  may comprise a flat horizontal metal plate which is configured for attaching to the top rail of the door. A plurality of fastener holes  125  may be provided in the base plate for securing the mounting bracket  120  to the door  101  with threaded fasteners  126 . For aesthetics, a channel  127  may optionally be routed or otherwise formed in the top rail  103  of the door  101  so that the base plate  121  is recessed and not visible to the user in some embodiments. In other possible embodiments, the base plate  121  may be shaped as a clevis having an inverted U-shape which slips over the top rail of the door with parallel portions or arms of the clevis engaging the front and rear surfaces of the door via fasteners (see, e.g.  FIG. 16 ). The shape of the base plate  121  and method of attachment to the top rail  103  of door  101  is not limiting of the invention. Any type of door may be used with the door bracket, including for example without limitation wooden doors, composite doors, metal doors, glass doors with metal or wooden top rails for mounting the door bracket, or other. 
     The hook-shaped hanger  122  of door bracket  120  may generally be considered to have a substantially inverted J-shaped configuration in one embodiment. Hanger  122  includes a vertical front wall section  130  attached to the base plate  121  and extending upwards therefrom, a horizontal top wall section  131  extending perpendicularly and laterally therefrom, and a downward turned vertical rear first flange wall section  132  extending perpendicular and downwardly therefrom. In one embodiment, the vertical wall section  130  of hanger  122  may be centered on the base plate  121 . The centerline of wall section  130  defines a vertical axis VA of the mounting bracket  120 , which is transversely and perpendicularly oriented to the longitudinal mounting axis MA of the support rail  102 . The vertical axis may be laterally offset from the mounting axis. The hanger wall sections  130 - 132  may be formed as integral parts of a unitary monolithic metal plate-like structure which is cast, extruded, forged, machined, and/or otherwise formed into the configuration shown. The base plate  121  may be integrally formed with and as part of the monolithic hanger  122  in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the hanger  122  and base plate  121  assembly may have a welded construction wherein some or all of the hanger wall sections are welded together to form an integral construction. 
     The downward turned rear first flange wall section  132  of the hanger  122  has a shorter vertical height than the vertical wall section  130 . The height vertical section added to the thickness of the base plate  121  defines a height of the door bracket  120 . The first flange wall section  132  is spaced horizontally/laterally apart from and parallel to the vertical wall section  130  and defines downwardly open interior upper recess  134  beneath the top wall section  131  for receiving the upper portion of the support rail  102  and a flat linear needle roller bearing  150  assembly (see, e.g.  FIGS. 4 and 15 ), as further described herein. 
     The anti-sway clip  124  may generally be considered to have a substantially C-shaped configuration in one embodiment. The anti-sway clip includes a horizontal bottom wall section  140  attached to the base plate  121  of the door bracket  120 , a vertical wall section  141  extending perpendicularly and upwards therefrom, a top wall section  142  extending perpendicularly and horizontally/laterally therefrom, and an upward turned second flange wall section  143  extending perpendicularly upwardly therefrom. Similarly to the hanger  122 , the wall sections  140 - 143  of the anti-sway clip  124  may be formed as integral parts of a unitary monolithic metal plate structure which is cast, extruded, forged, machined, and/or otherwise formed into the configuration shown. The upward turned second flange wall section  143  may have a shorter vertical height than the vertical wall section  141  of the anti-sway clip. The second flange wall section  143  is spaced horizontally/laterally apart from the vertical wall section  141  and defines an interior lower recess  144  above the bottom wall section for receiving the lower portion and bottom wall of the support rail (see, e.g.  FIG. 4 ). 
     As shown, in one embodiment the anti-sway clip  124  may be shorter in height than the hook-shaped hanger  122  and/or have a horizontal/longitudinal length which is coextensive to the length of hanger. The base plate  121  of the hanger may have the same or a greater length than the hanger  122  and anti-sway clip  124  to provide a larger purchase area for door fasteners  126 . 
     The hanger  122  and anti-sway clip  124  collectively define a rearwardly open horizontal extending cavity or channel  160  configured for slideably receiving the support rail  102  therein. The rear opening of the channel  160  has a height defined between the first and second flange wall sections  132 ,  143  of the hanger and anti-sway clip respectively which is smaller than the height of the support rail  102  as shown in  FIG. 1 . This prevents the support rail  102  from being laterally/horizontally withdrawn from the channel  160  in a direction transverse to the longitudinal mounting axis MA of the mounting assembly and captures the support rail in the channel. During assembly of the door mounting system  100 , the support rail  102  may be inserted in a direction parallel to the horizontal/longitudinal mounting axis MA into the channel  160  through one of the two open ends  148  of the bracket  120 . 
     Advantageously, the second flange wall  143  of the anti-sway clip  124  prevents the door  101  from moving or swaying/swinging rearwards in a plane transverse to the sliding direction of the door and longitudinal mounting axis MA if inadvertently pushed against by a user. Flange wall  143  of anti-sway clip  124  defines a stop surface  146  facing inwards towards channel  160 . Stop surface  146  is arranged to engage the rear surface  102   d  of the support rail  102  if the user inadvertently pushes door  101  in an outward forward direction away from the vertical support surface  104  (e.g. wall) in the plane transverse to the mounting axis MA. This arrests undesired swaying motion of the door  101  and prevents damage to the vertical support surface such as a wall behind the door when the door  101  is in a partially or fully open position, or edges of the adjacent doorway when in a closed position. It bears noting that the combination of the hanger  122  and anti-sway clip  124  of the door bracket  120  via the first and second flange wall sections  132 ,  143  provide fully guided motion of the door  101  along the support rail  102  without the need for any additional or separate type of guide elements which are not part of the door bracket  120 . 
     In one embodiment, the vertical wall section  141  of the anti-sway clip  124  may be spaced horizontally/laterally apart from the corresponding vertical wall section  130  of the hanger  122 , thereby forming a gap G therebetween (see, e.g.  FIG. 4 ). A nylon gasket  170 , which may comprise a sheet of nylon in one embodiment, may be inserted in the gap to abuttingly engage the front wall of the support rail. The nylon gasket  170  provides a low friction surface arranged to slideably engage the vertical front surface  102   c  of the support rail  102  when the bracket is slid along the support rail to open/close the door. In the event the user happens to push inwardly and rearwardly on the door  101  towards the vertical support surface  104  (e.g. wall) when sliding the door thereby applying a rearward force acting in a plane transverse to the mounting axis MA of the support rail, nylon gasket  170  on hanger  122  will engage the front surface  102   c  of stationary support rail  102  ensuring smooth and quiet operation of the door. The nylon gasket  170  may extend for the full vertical height of the channel  160  in the mounting bracket in one embodiment. In some embodiments, the nylon gasket  170  may further extend along the top and first flange walls sections  131 ,  132  of the hanger  122  within the upper recess  134 . The nylon gasket  170  may be secured to the vertical wall section  130  of hanger  122  by any suitable means such for example adhesives, fasteners, press or frictional fit, clips, fasteners, or other measures. In other possible embodiments, the nylon gasket and gap may be omitted. In yet other embodiments, a felt pad may be substituted for the nylon gasket. 
     The door bracket  120  and its foregoing components may be formed of a suitable metal with sufficient thickness and strength to support the weight of the door in a rigid manner without undue deformation or deflection. The door bracket may be formed of steel (including stainless steel), aluminum, titanium, or other metals. When the door mounting system will be used in environments exposed to moisture, the support rail  102 , standoffs  110 , and door bracket  120  may preferably be constructed of a corrosion resistant material such as without limitation stainless steel or others. 
     Depending on the width and weight of the door to be hung from the support rail  102 , the door brackets  120  may have a length which is sufficient to allow a single bracket to be used for each door provided. In other embodiments, preferably two or more door brackets may be used for each door as needed. 
     The foregoing flat linear needle roller bearing  150  is disposed at an interface between the support rail  102  and the hanger  122  of door bracket  120 . In one embodiment, the roller bearing  150  may be mounted within the horizontally-extending channel  160  of the door bracket  120  on the underside of the top wall section  131  of the hanger  122  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Accordingly, the needle roller bearing  150  is integrated into the door bracket  120  and visually concealed for both aesthetics and to avoid dust/debris accumulation which might impede operation of the rollers. The roller bearing  150  provides a combination of sliding and rolling action of the door bracket  120  along the support rail  102  for smooth operation of the door. 
     Linear needle roller bearings are well known and commercially available from numerous sources.  FIG. 15  schematically depicts the components of a typical needle roller bearing usable with the present door mounting system. The roller bearing  150  generally includes a plurality of cylindrical radial needle rollers  152  having a low profile which are mounted in linear horizontal spaced apart relationship in an axially elongated cage strip  151  (e.g. base retainer). The needle rollers  152  are each mounted in roller pockets formed in the cage strip  151  in a manner which allows the rollers to rotate relative to the cage strip. The cage strip  151  has a straight and relatively flat and somewhat thin configuration. The case strip may preferably be formed of plastic (e.g. nylon, etc.) in one embodiment, or alternatively metal in other embodiments. The needle rollers  152  may preferably be made of a strong plastic (e.g. polypropylene, etc.) in one embodiment with a hardness capable to withstand rolling engagement with metal support rail and support the weight of the door without substantial deformation which adversely affects the ability of the rollers to rotate in the cage strip. In one embodiment, both the cage strip  151  and rollers  152  may be plastic with the hardness of the rollers being preferably harder than the cage strip. Other possible embodiments may use metal needle rollers with metal or plastic cage strips. 
     In one non-limiting example construction, the cage strip  151  may have a thickness less than 0.5 inches and the needle rollers  152  may have a diameter less than the cage strip. In one embodiment, the cage strip (base retainer) may be about 0.375 inches thick and the needle rollers may be about 0.25 inches in diameter. Other sizes/dimensions may of course be used. The cage strip and rollers are constructed to withstand compressive forces transmitted thereon by the horizontal top wall section  131  of the hook member  122  of the door bracket created by the weight of the door suspended from the bracket. In operation, the weight of the door is transmitted from the hanger  122  through the needle roller bearing  150  to the top surface  102   a  of the support rail (see, e.g.  FIG. 4 ). 
     The needle roller bearing  150  when be mounted to the underside of the top wall section  131  of the hanger within upper recess  134  is oriented with the rollers  152  facing downwards to engage the top surface of the support rail  102  in the position shown in  FIG. 4  Any suitable means may be used for attaching the cage strip  151  of the roller bearing to the hanger  122 , such as for example without limitation adhesives, retaining clips, tabs, rails, etc. The manner of mounting used is not limiting of the invention. Mounting the needle roller bearing  150  on the moving door bracket  120  inside the channel  160  of the hanger  122  advantageously minimizes the length of the roller bearing needed to reduce costs. In one embodiment, needle roller bearing  150  may have a length substantially coextensive with the horizontal length of the door bracket  120 . 
     Notably, the needle roller bearing  150  overcomes the high momentum “runaway” door problem encountered with prior suspended sliding door mounting systems noted above. In lieu of large diameter pulley or other style wheels used in the past, use of the present roller bearing  150  creates less momentum when the door is moved between the open and closed positions. This is attributable to the fact that the multiplicity of needle rollers  152  provided for the roller bearing each have a substantially smaller diameter (e.g. 0.25 inches diameter) than comparable large prior pulley style wheels previously used which thereby creates less angular momentum than large diameter wheels created by sliding the door open or closed. Typically, one or two significantly larger wheels have been provided heretofore to support the weight of the door in rolling manner. In short, the needle roller bearing  150  advantageously generates less momentum and linear velocity of the door  101  itself than prior wheeled barn-style door mounting approaches to avoid damaging the door mounting system hardware at the ends of the track and/or walls adjacent to the track. 
     In other possible alternative embodiments, the needle roller bearing  150  may instead be mounted to the top surface  102   a  of the support rail  102  in the position shown in  FIGS. 5-8 . The roller bearing  150  is oriented in this alternative arrangement with needle rollers  152  facing upwards to engage the hanger  106  (specifically, the underside of its horizontal top wall section  131 ). In such a configuration, the cage strip  151  of the roller bearing may have a length extending for at least a majority of, or substantially the entire length of the support rail  102  as shown. Any suitable means may be used for attaching the cage strip  151  of the roller bearing  150  to the support rail  102 , such as for example without limitation adhesives, retaining clips, tabs, rails, etc. In one embodiment, a horizontally-extending channel (not shown but similar to channel  127  routed in the top of door  101  seen in  FIG. 4 ) may be routed into the top of the support rail  102  to at least partially recess the roller bearing  150  in the rail such that the needle rollers  152  still protrude upwards beyond the top of the support rail to rollingly engage the hanger  122  (see, e.g.  FIG. 8 ). 
     A method for using a door mounting system for sliding translation of the door  101  will now be briefly described. In one embodiment, the method may include: providing components of the door mounting system  100  including a longitudinally elongated support rail  102  defining a mounting axis MA, a pair of elongated wall mounts  110  rigidly attached to the support rail, a door bracket  120  including an opposing pair of open ends  148  and a rearwardly open channel  160  extending between the ends, and a linear roller bearing  150  disposed inside the channel; attaching the door bracket to a door; anchoring the support rail to a vertical support surface of a building; lifting the door with attached door bracket; inserting the support rail through the open ends of the door bracket into the channel; engaging the linear roller bearing with a top surface of the support rail; and sliding the door in one of two direction on the support rail. The method may further include the door bracket further including an anti-sway clip; applying a lateral transverse force against the hung door; and engaging a stop surface of the anti-sway clip with the support rail to arrest motion of the door in a plane transverse to the mounting axis. Variations in steps and sequence of the foregoing method are possible. 
       FIGS. 17-24  depict an alternative embodiment of a customized and modified linear roller bearing  250  usable in generally a similar manner to roller bearing  150  previously described herein. Roller bearing  250  may be mounted within the horizontally-extending channel  160  of the door bracket  120  on the underside of the top wall section  131  of the hanger  122  as shown in  FIG. 17 . This is a similar use and mounting arrangement to previous roller bearing  150  shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Whereas roller bearing  150  was a generally flat bearing comprising a plurality of needle rollers  152  arranged in a cage strip  151  extending linearly in a single horizontal direction or plane, roller bearing  250  on the other hand includes a multi-directional cage strip. As seen in  FIG. 4 , roller bearing  150  when mounted within the horizontally-extending channel  160  of the door bracket  120  is positioned and operable to receive the vertical dead weight load or forces of the door  101  acting in a vertical direction. These forces are transmitted by the bearing to the support rail  102 . By contrast, roller bearing  250  is configured to absorb both vertical and laterally/horizontally acting loads/forces by virtue of its two-way load bearing design, as described below. 
     Roller bearing  250  has a generally elongated U-shaped body which extends axially along mounting axis MA when mounted in door bracket  120  between opposing ends  255 ,  256 . The roller bearing  250  comprises a cage strip  259  including a horizontal top wall  251  and opposing vertical sidewalls  253  projecting downwards therefrom. Sidewalls  253  are horizontally/laterally spaced apart defining a downwardly open recess  262  configured for receiving the top portion of door bracket  120  therein as shown in  FIG. 24 . In one embodiment, sidewalls  253  are arranged perpendicularly to top wall  251 . 
     A plurality of cylindrical top needle rollers  252  having a low profile are mounted in linear horizontal spaced apart relationship in the elongated horizontal wall  251  of the cage strip  259  (similar to cage strip  151  and needle rollers  152  of roller bearing  150 ). Needle rollers  252  are horizontally oriented. 
     The top needle rollers  252  are each mounted in respective complementary configured and elongated roller pockets  257  formed in the horizontal wall  251  in a manner which allows the rollers to rotate relative to the cage strip. Roller pockets  257  are arranged perpendicularly to mounting axis MA when roller bearing  250  is in a mounted position in door bracket  120 . As best shown in  FIG. 18 , the roller pockets  257  each define elongated windows or openings  260  facing inwards towards recess  262  and through which only a portion of the diameter of needle rollers  252  are exposed and project upwards above horizontal wall  251  to rollingly engage the top surface of support rail  102  (see, e.g.  FIG. 24 ). Openings  260  have an axial width W 1  measured in the direction of mounting axis MA which is less than the diameter of rollers  252  to trap the rollers in the cage strip  259 , yet allow rotation of the rollers and engagement with support rail  102 . 
     Each of the sidewalls  253  of roller bearing  250  in one embodiment also includes a plurality of axially spaced apart and elongated lateral needle rollers  254  having a similar cylindrical configuration to rollers  252 . Lateral needle rollers  254  are oriented vertically and perpendicularly to top needle rollers  252 . Lateral needle rollers  254  are each similarly mounted in respective roller pockets  258  having openings  261  facing inwards towards recess  262  of the cage strip  259 , and through which only a portion of the diameter of needle rollers  254  are exposed and project laterally inwards into recess  262  beyond sidewalls  253  (see, e.g.  FIG. 24 ). Roller pockets  258  are configured to retain the rollers  254  in the cage strip in a similar manner to rollers  252 . The lateral needle rollers  254  are arranged to engage the lateral side surfaces of support rail  102 . In one embodiment, each sidewall  253  of cage strip  259  includes at least one pair of lateral needle rollers  254  as shown for engaging the support rail  102  (i.e. vertical front and rear surfaces  102   c ,  102   d ) at two different points of rolling contact. Advantageously, the lateral needle rollers  254  prevent rubbing and friction between the lateral side surfaces of support rail  102  and the door bracket  120  to ensure smooth rolling movement of door bracket and door  101  along the support rail during opening and closing sliding motions of the door. In addition, these lateral needle rollers  254  advantageously also resist any front-to-back swaying motion of the door at the top of support rail  102 , whereas stop surface  146  formed on anti-sway clip  124  and facing inwards towards channel  160  resists any front-to-back swaying motion of the door at the bottom of the support rail  102  (see, e.g.  FIG. 24 ). This combination of top and bottom anti-sway features advantageously enhances lateral support and resistance to swaying door motions to ensure smooth rolling of the door  102  along the support rail  102  even if the user pushes against the door while rolling it open or closed. 
     In other possible embodiments, only the rear sidewall  253  of roller bearing  250  in one embodiment may include a plurality of axially spaced apart and elongated lateral needle rollers  254  to arrest motion of the door in a plane transverse to the mounting axis MA if the user pushes against the door. In such embodiments, the front sidewall  253  of the roller bearing  250  may optionally be omitted in some embodiment, or alternatively retained but without lateral needle rollers  254 . In yet other embodiments having only rear lateral needle rollers  254  and no front sidewall  253 , such a roller bearing  250  construction may be used in conjunction with nylon gasket  170  on hanger  122  previously described herein. 
     To ensure the lateral needle rollers  254  are securely retained in the U-shaped cage strip  259 , a portion of the roller pockets  258  and rollers  254  extend at least partially into top wall  251  of the cage strip (referring  FIGS. 17-18 and 20-23 ). This advantageously maximizes the length of the rollers  254  while minimizing the height of the cage strip  250  to allow for a compact bearing mounting arrangement. In one embodiment, at least half of the length of rollers  254  (e.g. upper portions) may be embedded in the top wall  251  of the cage strip (see, e.g. cross section of  FIG. 22 ). Accordingly, only the lower portion of rollers  254  are exposed in cage strip recess  262  to engage the support rail  102 . 
     In one embodiment, the lateral needle rollers  254  may each be interspersed between the top needle rollers  252 . Advantageously, this minimizes the size and profile of the cage strip  259  allowing for a compact construction. Because the laterally-acting loads or forces imparted to the cage strip  259  by the door bracket  120  bracket caused by swaying of door  101  into/out of the plane of the door are significantly less than the vertically-acting loads or forces caused by the dead weight the door, the lateral needle rollers  254  may be smaller in diameter and/or length than the top needle rollers  252  in some embodiments as shown. This further contributes to the compactness of the cage strip  259 . In addition, the lateral needle rollers  254  may be smaller in number than the top needle rollers  252 . In some embodiments, the lateral needle rollers  254  may spaced farther apart than the top needle rollers  252 . 
     The case strip  259  may preferably be formed of plastic (e.g. nylon, etc.) in one embodiment, or alternatively metal in other embodiments. The needle rollers  252 ,  254  may preferably be made of a suitably strong plastic (e.g. polypropylene, etc.) in one embodiment to withstand engagement with the metal support rail  102  for supporting the weight of the door without deformation. Other possible embodiments may use metal needle rollers. Accordingly, any combination of metal or plastic rollers and cage strip materials may be used together. In a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, a plastic case strip  259  and rollers  252 ,  254  are used. The foregoing same combinations of materials may be used for roller bearing  150  previously described herein. 
       FIG. 24  shows the present multi-directional roller bearing  250  in a mounted position within the horizontally-extending channel  160  of the door bracket  120  on the underside of the top wall section  131  of the hanger  122 . Roller bearing  250  may have a length substantially coextensive with the horizontal length of the hanger  122  (in a similar vane to roller bearing  150  previously described herein). In operation, the top needle rollers  252  of bearing  250  ride along the horizontal top surface  102   a  of the support rail  102  as the door  103  is rolled back and forth on the rail. The needle rollers  252  support the weight of the door and any attached hardware such as door brackets  120 , as previously described herein. If the user happens to push and apply an inward or outward directed force acting normally to the door (i.e. towards the left or right in  FIG. 24 ) while sliding the door axially along mounting axis MA, this will cause the door to tilt or cant out of its normal vertical hanging plane about the hanger  122  at top which suspends the door  101  from the mounting rail  102 . The lateral needle rollers  254 , however, advantageously provides lateral guidance for door  101  via rolling engagement with the lateral vertical front surface  102   c  and/or opposite vertical rear surface  102   d  of the support rail  102 . This not only helps stabilize the door, but advantageously reduces friction between the door bracket  120  and support rail  102  to ensure smooth gliding motion of the door. 
       FIG. 25  shows an alternative embodiment of mounting door bracket  120  configured for mounting to hollow door  300  which may lack a solid top rail  103  as described in previous embodiments. This allows a low cost and extremely light weight sliding door system to be provided. Door  300  includes substantially planar non-structural front panel  302  and rear panel  303  each of which define a major exterior surface. Panels  302  and  303  may have a solid construction and be arranged in spaced parallel relationship, thereby collectively defining a substantially hollow interior  301  of the door. The interior  301  may or may not optionally include suitable acoustic sound insulation (e.g. fiberglass, mineral wool, etc.) in some embodiments to reduce sound transference from one building space to the adjacent one. In some embodiments, the interior  301  may include a paper or fiberglass honeycomb cellular core insert comprising a plurality of open cells if added strength is desired to structurally reinforce the door. 
     The opposing lateral front and rear edges  121   a  of the door mount base plate  121  on the bottom of door bracket  120  are fixedly embedded in and secured within door interior  301  to the front and rear panels  302 ,  303 . The embedment may include the use of suitable industrial adhesives in some embodiment to permanently affix the base plate  121  to the panels. Base plate  121  is positioned for mounting at the upper or top portion of door  300  as shown. It bears noting that in addition to fixing the base plate  121  of door bracket  120  to the door  300 , the base plate also serves the role of structurally coupling the front and rear door panels  301 ,  302  together at the top of the door. To couple the panels together near the bottom of the door, an embedment plate  304  of similar construction and size to base plate  121  may be provided having front and rear edges  304   a  also embedded in the panels in similar fashion. Each of base plate  121  and embedment plate  304  may have a planar rectangular shape similar to that further shown in  FIG. 9  for door bracket  120 . The base plate  121  and/or embedment plate  304  may have axial widths that extend for less than a majority of the axial width of the door  300  (similar to that shown in  FIG. 1  for door  101 ), or alternatively more than a majority of the width for firmly securing the front and rear panels together. The base plate  121  and embedment plate  304  may have the same or different widths. 
       FIG. 26  is a longitudinal cross sectional view representative of both of the linear needle roller bearings  150 ,  250  of the door mounting system brackets of  FIGS. 4 and 24  with respect to engagement of the needle rollers  152 ,  252  with the top surface  102   a  of the mounting rail  102 . This sectional view is taken along a bisecting vertical plane as indicated in  FIGS. 4 and 24  through the central portion of the roller bearings  150 ,  250  so that the vertical needle rollers  254  of the door hanger embodiment of roller bearing  250  is not visible in  FIG. 26 . As seen, the horizontal oriented needle rollers  152 ,  252  rollingly engage the top surface  102   a  of mounting rail  102  when the door(s) is/are operated. 
     While the foregoing description and drawings represent exemplary (“example”) embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various additions, modifications and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope and range of equivalents of the accompanying claims. In particular, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other forms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and with other elements, materials, and components, without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. In addition, numerous variations in the methods/processes as applicable described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. One skilled in the art will further appreciate that the invention may be used with many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials, and components and otherwise, used in the practice of the invention, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof, and not limited to the foregoing description or embodiments. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.