Patent Document

BACKGROUND This disclosure relates to gliding doors and windows, and more particularly to lift glide door and window lock assemblies. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/262,791, filed Dec. 3, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     SUMMARY 
       [0002]    In accordance with the disclosure, a lift glide door lock assembly is provided, and a lift glide window lock assembly. Further, dual lift glide door and window assemblies are provided. 
         [0003]    With larger sliding doors and windows, the weight of the door or window increases, requiring more effort to move the door or window open. 
         [0004]    Both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and embodiments thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a lift glide door lock assembly in a closed and locked configuration; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the lift glide door lock assembly in an open configuration; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a dual lift glide door assembly in a closed and locked configuration; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the dual lift glide door assembly in an open configuration; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a dual gliding door installation; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a view of a door handle escutcheon and lock control assembly; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a view of an individual roller assembly; 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a view of an individual guide blade assembly; 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the guide blade assembly of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is a side partially transparent view of the guide blade assembly with the blade retracted; 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is a side partially transparent view of the guide blade assembly with the blade extended; 
           [0016]      FIG. 12  is a view of a lift glide window lock assembly in a closed and locked configuration; 
           [0017]      FIG. 13  is a side view of the lift glide window lock assembly in an open configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    The system according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a door and a window lock assembly for lift glide doors and windows. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a side view of a lift glide door lock assembly in a closed and locked configuration, and  FIG. 2 , a side view of the lift glide door lock assembly in an open configuration, the door  10  comprises a frame  12 , which is rectangular in shape in the illustrated embodiment, the frame supporting a glass panel  14 . Door operational hardware is mounted to the frame as will now be described. A left and right roller  16 ,  18  are rotationally supported in roller boxes  20 ,  22 , mounted at the left and right lower ends of the door. The rollers are designed to fit over and roll on a roller track  24  mounted to the door sill  26 . In the door closed position, the rollers are seated within wells  60 ,  62  defined in the roller track, which allows the door to lower slightly as it closes, enabling engagement with a perimeter door seal. The roller boxes suitably fit within receiving portions defined in the door frame, and may be secured to the frame by fasteners  28 ,  30 , which might comprise screws. The frame is constructed of wood or plastic or other suitable material that provides sufficient support and rigidity to operate as a door frame. 
         [0020]    To the left of the door panel in  FIG. 1 , is a door jamb  32 , which may be defined as part of a wall in which the door opening is made. Along the left edge of the door, positioned above roller box  20 , is a push pin case  34 , which fits into the door in an opening sized to receive the push pin case. A driving gear  36  is mounted within the push pin case, the teeth of the driving gear interacting with a push pin rack gear  38  and a pull bar rack gear  40 . The pull bar rack gear is mounted at a lower end of a pull bar  42  which extends upwardly near the left edge of the door to a second pull bar rack gear  44  which is mounted to the upper end of the pull bar. A lift gear case  46  is positioned within the door, approximately mid-height of the door in the illustrated embodiment, and holds therein a lift gear  48 , and a drive gear  50 . Drive dear  50  receives a square cross section drive shaft  52  (which is driven by operation of an opening handle to turn the drive gear counterclockwise for opening). A pair of guide blade assemblies  132  are provided at the top of the door to follow a track defined above the door, guiding the door as it moves and maintaining the door in position. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2  together, rotation of the drive shaft  52  counterclockwise causes gear  50  to rotate, and the gear teeth  50 A, which mesh with gear teeth  48 A of lift gear  48 , are thereby driven in a clockwise direction, causing lower gear teeth  48 B to also rotate, which by interaction with pull bar rack gear  44 , causes the pull bar  42  to move upwardly in the direction of arrow  54 . The upward movement of the pull bar causes pull bar rack gear  40  to also move upwardly, thereby rotating driving gear  36  clockwise, which by interacting with push pin rack  38 , causes push pin  56  to extend towards the door jamb, thereby pushing against the jamb and urging the door to open towards the right, in the direction of arrow  58 . 
         [0022]    The rollers  16 ,  18  are moved up out of the wells  60 ,  62 , thus disengaging the entire perimeter weather seal allowing for immediate release of all weather seal contact, allowing the door to move freely with zero weather seal contact. 
         [0023]    Locking of the door of  FIGS. 1 and 2  is accomplished by a series of lock components, which include a spring loaded locking pin  64  adapted to be received into locking pin slot  66  defined in drive gear  50 . A locking gear  68  is positioned within lift gear case  46 , with central drive shaft  70  controlling rotation of the gear. The drive shaft is rotated by the turning of a thumb lock control handle  112  shown in  FIG. 6 . Locking gear  68  drives a security bolt rack gear  72  which is mounted to security bolt  74 , bolt  74  extended upwardly to the top of the door and extending into a bolt receiving portion defined in the upper door jamb when in the locked position. A door latch  76  is pivotally mounted within the lift gear case, mounted to security bolt rack gear  72  by pin  80  which rides in slot  78  of the latch. The security bolt and latch are activated simultaneously. 
         [0024]    When in the locked configuration of  FIG. 1 , pin  64  is received in slot  66  of the drive gear  50 , preventing the drive gear from turning and thereby preventing opening of the door. Latch  76  is extended and is engaging a keeper defined in the door jamb, further locking the door. Finally, security bolt  74  is extended into a receiver defined in the ceiling of the door jamb, further locking the door against movement. 
         [0025]    To open the door, locking gear  68  is rotated by the counterclockwise rotation of drive shaft  70 , causing the gears of locking gear  68  to pull rack  72  downwardly, thereby pulling security bolt  74  downwardly, causing pin  80  to move down which then travels in slot  78  to cause latch  76  to rotate counterclockwise and retract. Pin  64  is simultaneously pulled upwardly, out of engagement with slot  66  so that drive gear  50  can then rotate if desired. 
         [0026]    In use, the door panel shown can be installed with a non-moving panel of similar size, wherein when open, the moving door slides along side the non-moving panel, to provide an open door on one side, and a pair of glass panes on the other side, so that it is still possible to view through both the opening and the 2 panel side. When closing, the moving panel is slid back towards the closed position, whereupon when the rollers reach the depressions in the roller track, the door drops down slightly and seals against the weather seal around the perimeter of the door. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate a door for use in a dual lift glide door system, wherein the view in  FIGS. 3 and 4  is of a right lift glide door, and a second left lift glide door would be provided, in a typically 4 pane configuration illustrated graphically in  FIG. 5 , where the 2 middle panels  68  and  70  are the gliding doors, and the left most and right most panels  72 ,  74  are the stationary panes that the gliding doors slide past when opening. Door panels  68  and  70  operatively move in the direction of arrows  76 ,  78  to open, providing a wide opening. To close, doors  72  and  74  are moved opposite the direction of arrows  76  and  78 . In this configuration, the door jamb is not available to push against for opening assist, as the gliding panels are nowhere near the jamb when closed. Accordingly an alternative configuration is provided. 
         [0028]    In the configuration of  FIGS. 3  (closed state) and  4  (open state), which illustrate one of the dual gliding door configurations (the other of the pair of doors would be substantially a mirror image) the locking and opening handle mechanisms correspond to those of the  FIGS. 1 and 2  configuration. However, the lower mechanisms of the doors are of different construction and operate differently. The push pin case  34  and its components are not present in this configuration, since no stationary door jamb is available to push against. Instead, a transfer case  82  is positioned near the bottom of the left edge of the door, the transfer case having a pull bar rack gear  84  mounted to pull bar  42 ′, which operates transfer gear  86 . Drive gear  86  interacts with horizontal rack gear  88  mounted on horizontal pull bar  90 , positioned above left roller box  20 ′. Roller boxes  20 ′ and  22 ′ have rollers  16 ′,  18 ′ mounted therewithin, the rollers riding on roller track  24 ′ in the door sill. A horizontal rack gear  92  and horizontal rack gear  94  are mounted to horizontal pull bar  90 , at roller boxes  20 ′,  22 ′, and interact with power drive gears  96 ,  98  mounted in roller boxes  20 ′,  22 ′. Power drive gears  96 ,  98  interact with counterpart gear teeth on motion gears  100 ,  102  inside the respective roller boxes. 
         [0029]    Positioned on the roller track in the sill, are a pair of push pads  104 ,  106 , situated below the motion gears  100 ,  102 , such that engagers defined on the motion gears rest at or near the surface of the push pads when the door is in a closed position. The push pads are suitably located with one to the left of center on the roller track, and the other to the right of center on the roller track. 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4  together, the opening operation of the door will be described. As the door opening handle is turned, lift gear  48  is rotated clockwise, much as in the case of the door of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , which pulls pull bar  42 ′ up, rotating the transfer gear  86  clockwise via the interaction with rack gear  84 . This rotation of transfer gear  86 , through interaction with rack gear  88  drives horizontal pull bar  90  to the left (in the present figure) in the direction of arrow  108 , which translates rack gears  92  and  94  to the left, causing gears  96  and  98  to rotate counterclockwise, driving motion gears  100  and  102  clockwise, which causes the motion gears to push against push pads  104 ,  106 , causing the door to move up and to the right, in the direction of arrow  110 , towards the open position, raising rollers  16 ′,  18 ′ out of the wells in the roller track. This provides an assist to open the door. The left and right of center positioning of the push pads ensures that the door is urged in a straight manner along the center line of the roller track, to remove the likelihood of the door binding. 
         [0031]    In  FIGS. 3 and 4  a left and right roller  16 ′,  18 ′ are rotationally supported in roller boxes  20 ′,  22 ′, mounted at the left and right lower ends of the door. The rollers are designed to roll on a roller track  24  mounted to the door sill  26 . In the door closed position, the rollers are seated within wells  60 ′,  62 ′ defined in the roller track, which allows the door to lower slightly as it closes, enabling engagement with a perimeter door seal. The roller boxes suitably fit within receiving portions defined in the door frame, and may be secured to the frame by fasteners  28 ′,  30 ′, which might comprise screws. The frame is constructed of wood or plastic or other suitable material that provides sufficient support and rigidity to operate as a door frame. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , a view of the handle portion of the doors of  FIGS. 1-4 , and to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates the locked configuration, for unlocking, rotating clockwise a thumb lock handle  112 , which is attached to a thumb lock rod that passes through central drive shaft  70  causes locking gear  68  to rotate counterclockwise. The thumb lock handle has a locking button  114  defined therein which must be depressed to allow rotation of the thumb lock handle. As the thumb lock handle rotates, gear  68  rotating counterclockwise drives security bolt rack gear  72  which raises pin  64  out of locking pin slot  66 , pulls security bolt  74  out of the receiver in the jamb above the door, and lowers the hook latch  76  out of engagement with the keeper (not shown) defined in the door jamb. The door can then be opened by operation of the handle (or handles in the case of the dual door configuration) as discussed elsewhere. To lock the door, the reverse operation is performed, turning thumb lock handle  112  clockwise, which rotates gear  68  clockwise, driving security bolt rack gear  72  upward, which moves latch  76  into engagement with the keeper, lowers pin  64  into slot  66 , and drives security bolt  74  up into its receiver, thereby locking the door. Latch  115  will lock the thumb lock handle  112 , so that the handle will not rotate again until button  114  is depressed. 
         [0033]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a view of an individual roller assembly, the roller assembly  116  comprises a case  118  (such as case  20 , for example) mounting a pivot shaft  120  which pivotally mounts an adjustment arm  122  and roller shaft  124 . Roller shaft  124  rotationally supports the roller wheel  126 . An adjustment screw  128  mounts to the case  118  and pushes against adjustment arm  122 . Opposite the position where the adjustment screw pushes against the adjustment arm, a tension spring  130  pushes against the adjustment arm. Rotation of the adjustment screw causes rotation of the adjustment arm about shaft  120 , thereby raising or lowering the wheel  126 , which allows for adjustment of the height that the door is positioned on the roller track. 
         [0034]    Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a view of an individual guide blade assembly, the guide blade assembly  132  comprises a case  134  mounted to the top of the door via securement fasteners  136 . A blade  138  carries a pin  140  at a lower portion thereof extending laterally out both sides of the blade, the pin traveling in vertical slots  142  defined in the case  134 . A rotatable arm  144  is mounted in the case and includes a slot  146  therein, slot  146  also receiving pin  140  therein. A rotary drive  148 , in the form of a star drive headed pin allows the arm  144  to be rotated. In operation, when installing the door or removing the door for maintenance purposes, the drive  148  is rotated counterclockwise, which via interaction of the pin and slots, causes blade  138  to retract down into the case in the direction of arrow  150 . The top of the door is then no longer held in alignment with the slot in jamb above the door, so the door can be removed from position. Rotating the drive  148  clockwise causes blade  138  to extend in the direction of arrow  152 . Thus, when installing the door, once the door is in position, the drive is rotated to extend the blade so that it interacts with the slot above the door, holding the door in position while still allowing the door to be moved. 
         [0035]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the guide blade assembly of  FIG. 8  wherein it may be observed that 2 washers  158  are positioned on protruding portions of rotatable arm  144 , the protruding portions received in openings  170  on each side of the guide blade assembly to define the rotation point. An opening  160  is defined in the arm  144 , receiving a spring  162  therein, with a ball bearing  164  positioned at the external end of the spring. Bearing receiving openings  166 ,  168  are defined in the face of the guide blade assembly, being of lesser diameter than the diameter of the bearing, defining an upper and lower detent that receive the ball bearing in use. The lower portion of blade  138  has an opening  172  through which pin  140  fits when the device is assembled. 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a side partially transparent view of the guide blade assembly with the blade  138  retracted, arm  144  is rotated to its lowest position (by counterclockwise turning of drive  148 . The interaction of the pin  140  and slots  142 ,  146  results in the blade being pulled down to its retracted position. Bearing  164  seats in opening  168 , keeping the blade retracted in absence of turning of drive  148 . In  FIG. 11 , the blade is extended, by turning drive  148  clockwise, which raises the blade, and by rotation of the arm  144 , causes bearing  164  to unseat from opening  168  and instead, seat in the upper opening  166 . This holds the blade in the open position so that it doesn&#39;t inadvertently lower in absence of desired lowering by operation of drive  148 . 
         [0037]    The embodiments above illustrated gliding doors, but the concepts may be employed with lift glide windows also. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 12 , a side view of a lift glide window lock assembly in a closed and locked configuration, and  FIG. 13 , a side view of the lift glide window lock assembly in an open configuration, the configuration is similar to the door of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , but with some modifications. The window  10 ′ comprises a frame  12 ′, which is rectangular in shape in the illustrated embodiment, the frame supporting a glass panel  14 ′. Window operational hardware is mounted to the frame as will now be described. A left and right roller  16 ″,  18 ″ are rotationally supported in roller boxes  20 ″,  22 ″, mounted at the left and right lower ends of the window. The rollers are designed to fit over and roll on a roller track  24 ″ mounted to the window sill  26 ′. In the window closed position, the rollers are seated within wells  60 ″,  62 ″ defined in the roller track, which allows the window to lower slightly as it closes, enabling engagement with a perimeter window seal. The roller boxes suitably fit within receiving portions defined in the window frame, and may be secured to the frame by fasteners  28 ″,  30 ″, which might comprise screws. The frame is constructed of wood or plastic or other suitable material that provides sufficient support and rigidity to operate as a window frame. 
         [0039]    To the left of the window panel in  FIG. 12 , is a jamb  32 ′, which may be defined as part of a wall in which the window opening is made. Along the left edge of the window, positioned above roller box  20 ″, is a push pin/lift gear/latch case  154 , which fits into the window in an opening sized to receive the push pin/lift gear/latch case. A push pin gear  36 ′ is mounted within the push pin/lift gear/latch case, the teeth of the driving gear interacting with a push pin  56 ′.  42 ″ The push pin/lift gear/latch case  34 ′ holds therein a lift gear  48 ′, and a drive gear  50 ′. Drive gear  50 ′ receives a square cross section drive shaft  52 ′ (which is driven by operation of an opening handle  156  ( FIG. 6 ) to turn the drive gear counterclockwise for opening). A pair of guide blade assemblies corresponding to guide blades assemblies  132  of the door configuration may be provided at the top of the window to follow a track defined above the window, guiding the window as it moves. 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIGS. 12 and 13  together, rotation of the drive shaft  52 ′ counterclockwise causes gear  50 ′ to rotate, and the gear teeth  50 A′, which mesh with gear teeth  48 A′ of lift gear  48 ′, are thereby driven in a clockwise direction, causing lower gear teeth  48 B′ to also rotate, which by interaction with push pin rack gear  40 ′, causes the push pin rack gear to move upwardly in the direction of arrow  54 ′. The upward movement of the push pin rack gear causes rotating of push pin gear  36 ′ clockwise, causing push pin  56 ′ to extend towards the window jamb, thereby pushing against the jamb and urging the window to open towards the right, in the direction of arrow  58 ′. 
         [0041]    The rollers  16 ″,  18 ″ are moved up out of the wells  60 ″,  62 ″, thus disengaging the entire perimeter weather seal allowing for immediate release of all weather seal contact, allowing the window to move freely with zero weather seal contact. 
         [0042]    Locking of the window of  FIGS. 12 and 13  is accomplished by a series of lock components, which include a spring loaded locking pin  64 ′ adapted to be received into locking pin slot  66 ′ defined in drive gear  50 ′. A locking gear  68 ′ is positioned within push pin/lift gear/latch case  154 , with central drive shaft  70 ′ controlling rotation of the gear. The drive shaft is rotated by the turning of a thumb lock control handle. Locking gear  68 ′ drives a security bolt rack gear  72 ′ which is mounted to security bolt  74 ′, bolt  74 ′ extended upwardly to the top of the window and extending into a bolt receiving portion defined in the upper window jamb when in the locked position. A window latch  76 ′ is pivotally mounted within the lift gear case, mounted to security bolt rack gear  72 ′ by pin  80 ′ which rides in slot  78 ′ of the latch. 
         [0043]    When in the locked configuration of  FIG. 12 , pin  64 ′ is received in slot  66 ′ of the drive gear  50 ′, preventing the drive gear from turning and thereby preventing opening of the window. Latch  76 ′ is extended and is engaging a keeper defined in the window jamb, further locking the window. Finally, security bolt  74 ′ is extended into a receiver defined in the ceiling of the window jamb, further locking the window against movement. 
         [0044]    To open the window, locking gear  68 ′ is rotated by the counterclockwise rotation of drive shaft  70 ′, causing the gears of locking gear  68  to pull rack  72 ′ downwardly, thereby pulling security bolt  74 ′ downwardly, causing pin  80 ′ to move down which then travels in slot  78 ′ to cause latch  76 ′ to rotate counterclockwise and retract. Pin  64 ′ is simultaneously pulled upwardly, out of engagement with slot  66 ′ so that drive gear  50 ′ can then rotate if desired. 
         [0045]    A corresponding dual lift glide window assembly may also be provided. 
         [0046]    While multiple embodiments of the technology have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the technology.

Technology Category: 0