Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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POCXET DOOR SUSPEN5IO~ SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION
The present invention relates to a pocket panel
suspension system, such as a suspension system for a door
movable between a first or closed position in which it is
ad~acent to the corner of a wall panel, and perpendicular to
that wall, and a second or open position in which it is
parallel to the wall and ~etracted to lie alongside and to
overlie the face of the wall.
Many pocket door suspension systems have been devised.
All incorporate hinges mounted to permit the door edge to
slide relative to the supporting wall. Because of this, the
weight of the door will tend to cause the bottom hinge to
move relative to the top hinge in a direction such that the
center of the gravity of the door would be under the top
hinge. This tendency cause~ the door to sag or skew from its
normal vertical hinge axis, and to tilt the door from a
squaxe relationship to the hinges, slides, and side wall.
Early pocket door suspension systems counteracted the
tendency o~ the door to sag or skew relative (to the slides'
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traverse axis) by employing, for example, a series of rollers
to support the bottom edge of the door as it moves into and
out of the pocket. Other earlier systems employed
increasingly heavier hinges and telescoping slides, the
resulting strength of the~e members being intended to resist
the tendency of the door to sag or skew. Some more recent
systems have employed chains or cables to transmi~ to the top
hinge the force tending to skew the bottom hinge, to hold the
hinge~ over one another and to maintain the door square to
the hinges, slides, and side wall. One example of such a
cabling arrangement is shown in German Patent No. 1,143,415
to Ziehl î another example of such a cabling system is shown
in Stone US Patent No. 4,729,612. Such cabling arrangements
fix the ends of the cable to the top and bottom hinge plates,
and provide pulleys, one at the rear end of the top slide and
the other at the front end of the bottom slide, so that the
cable traces a "Z" pattern on the side wall. Thus, as the
door is moved, for example, towards a retracted position, the
force tending to move the bottom hinge plate further into the
pocket or cabinet is transmitted by the cable directly to the
top hinge plate, to hold the top hinge plate over the bottom
hinge plate.
There are two different and distinct forces which tend
to cause a pocket panel or door to sag or skew relative to
the side wall. One of these forces has been described. It
is the force of gravity which tends to torque the bottom
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hinge relative to the top hinge such that the center of
gravity of the door would be under the top hinge. The other
force is the manual force applied to move the door, which
force can tend to lift the door and move the top hinge, for
example, further into the pocket than the bottom hinge. To
hold a door square to its attached cabinet or side wall, it
is necessary to prevent skewing resulting from both of these
forces, not just the force of gravity. However, prior pocket
door suspension systems, especially those which are
relatively economical in construction and easy to install,
have only addressed the first force, the force of gravity.
one object of the present invention is to provide a
pocket door suspension system which is simple in
construction, easy to install, and which counteracts all
significant forces tending to skew the door, thereby to
ensure that the door remains in a square relationship to the
slides and side wall. Another object of the present
invention is to provide such a system which is simple to
install and easy to ad~ust.
These and further ob;ect of the invention will be
apparent from the following description of a preferred
embodiment.
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The pocket door suspension system of the present
invention is designed, in its preferred embodiment, to be
used with a door or other panel which is movable between a
closed position in which the door is ad;acent a corner
defined by two walls, or at the end of a supporting wall, and
is perpendicular to that supporting wall, and an open or
retracted position in which the door has been turned to lie
parallel to the supporting wall and moved to a position in
which it overlies the supporting wall, preferably with the
front edge portion of the door lying adjacent to the end of
the supporting wall.
The suspension system of the present invention holds
such a pocket door square to the supporting wall as it moves
between its closed position and its open, retracted position.
The system includes at least two telescoping slide
assemblie~, one portion of each assembly being attached to
the supporting wall, normally perpendicular to the pivoting
edge of the door. These slide assemblies are spaced relative
to one another, and are fixed to the supporting wall such
that they are sub~tantially parallel to one another and lie
substantially in the same plane. The door is attached to the
slide assemblies by hinges, one leaf of each hinge being
attached to the door and the other leaf of each hinge being
attached to the movable, telescoping portion of the slide
assembly substantially in the plane defined by slide
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assemblies, thereby to permit the door to pivot between a
position perpendicular to the slide assembly and parallel to
the slidQ assembly.
The present invention holds the door square to the
slides and supporting wall by employing cable elements. one
end of each cable element is fixed adjacent to the rear end
of the fixed portion of one slide assembly, the other end of
the cable being fixed adjacent the front end of the fixed
portion of the other side assembly.
In one embodiment, the cable elements are separate; in
another embodiment, the same cable provides both cable
elements.
A pair sf double pulley assemblies are also employed, a
pulley being fixed to the movable portion of each slide
assembly preferably adjacent the hinge leaf. Each cable
element (of the pair cables) i~ positioned to pass over each
pulley assembly such that the cable elements trace an "I"
figure and lie substantially in the plane defined by the
slide assemblies. Thus, as the door moves between its closed
and open positions, the cable elements cooperate with the
pulleys to hold t:he sliding portions of the telescoping slide
assemblies in a fixed, square relationship to one another
against canting forces resulting from both the force of
gravity upon the door as well as from any lift which may be
applied to the door as it is being moved.
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In the preferred embodiment, preferably a channel is
attached to the sliding portions of the slide assemblies to
fix and hold the hinges relative to one another, and to
envelope and shield the portions of the (moving) cable
elements extending between the slide assemblies as the door
moves between its closed and open positions. Also,
preferably guide rollers are employed to require the door to
be first moved from a position perpendicular to the
supporting wall to a position parallel to the supporting wall
before the door is moved back into its pocket to overlap the
supporting wall, and to hold the door alongside the
supporting wall when it is in a partially or fully retracted
position~ Further, preferably the cable elements are part of
a single cable for ease of assembly.
These and other features of the present invention are
described in the following sections, and are set forth in one
or more of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be further described in connection
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet or closet
showing one door in a closed position and another door in an
open position ready to be moved back into the cabinet;
Figure 2 is an elevational view of a door, broken to
show only its hinged edge portion, and one arrangement of the
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suspension system of the present invention mounted on a
supporting wall;
Figure 3 is an elevational view of one arrangement of
the suspension system of the present invention, but without
any hinges attached thereto;
Figure 4 is an elevational view of a portion of the
suspension system of the present invention showing the edge
portion of a door hinged to the slide plate attached to the
slideable member of a telescoping slide assembly, only a
portion of the slide assembly being shown;
Figure 5 is a view in cross section takan on lines 5 - 5
of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a top view of the slide assembly shown in
Figure 4, but without the door and its hinge being attached
thereto:
Figure 7 is an elevational view of one construction of
the front fixed portion of the upper telescoping slide
assembly; and
Figure 8 is an elevational view of one construction of
the rear fixed portion of the upper slide assembly.
Figure 9 is an elevational view similar to Figure 3 of a
second arrangement of the suspension system of the present
invention;
Figure 10 i9 an elevational view of the rear fixed
portion of the upper slide assembly shown in Figure 9; and
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Figure 11 is an elevational view of the front fixed
portion of the upper telescoping slide assembly shown in
Figure 9.
Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the rear fixed
portion of the upper slide assembly as seen through section
lines 12-12 o~ Figure 10.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The pocket door suspension system of the present
invention is shown and described in connection with a cablnet
or closet structure having doors hinged to be moveable about
a vertical axis. It could, of course, be applied to most any
other type of pocket door or panel, such as one in which the
door is hinged about a horizontal axis, or is movable about
an axi~ located in most any other orientation. Thus, the
following detailed description of a preferred embodiment
should not be construed to limit the generality or broad
usefulness of the present pocket door suspension system.
As shown in Figure 1, the suspension system maybe
incorporated in a closet or cabinet 2 having side walls 4, a
top wall 6, a bottom wall 8, and doors 10. Each door is
attached to an ad;acent side wall by a suspension system 12
having a top telescoping slide as~embly 14, a bottom
telescoping slide assembly 16, and a follower channel or
bracket 18. Hinges 20, each being preferably a toggle type
or European style hinge, such as a Mepla hinge, attach the
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edge portion of door 10 to the slide plate 40. Auxiliary
pivot rollers 22 are mounted to the top and bottom walls of
the cabinet, tangent to the rear door face, to require each
door to be ~ully opened to a position generally parallel to
its side wall before the door can be moved back into the
cabinet, the top and botto~ edge portions of the door rolling
against the pivot rollers 22 as the doors are moved into and
out of the cabinet. Preferably each slide assembly is an
Accuride slide, available from Accuride, 12311 Shoemaker
Avenue, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. These slide assemblies
preferably are mounted to the side wall at a spacing from one
another which is a multiple of 32 millimeters, consistent
with the 32 millimeter European system of cabinetry
construction. Of course, various other types o~ slides, and
mounting hardware, could be employed, the particular
selection being largely determined by the preference of the
user.
As shown in our preferred embodiment in Figure 3, each
slide assembly consists of a channel 30 fixed to the
supporting side wall by appropriate fasteners. A slide
member 32 i~ received within the channel 30 and held spaced
from the concave, opposed sides of the channels by a series
of ball bearings 34 (best shown in Figure 4). A ball
retainer 36 (see Figure 5) holds balls 34 within the slide
assembly and in a predetermined relationship to one another.
Thus, as the slide member 32 moves relative to the fixed
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member 30 from one end to the other end, it rolls along
bearings 34. Appropriate bumpers or stops 38 are provided at
the front and back end of the fixed member 30 to prevent the
slide member fro~ moving out of its telescoping relationship
to the fixed member.
As shown best in Figures 4 and 5, a slide plate 40 is
attached to each slide member 32, preferably by welding. It
receives and supports a pulley stud 42 about which is mounted
a pair of pulleys 44 and 46, preferrably formed of delrin.
A cable holder ball bracket 50 tsee Figure 8) is
attached adjacent to each fixed ~lide assembly member near
its rear end, and a cable holder wire clamp bracket 52 (see
Figure 7) is attached adjacant to each fixed member 30 near
its front end. A pair of cable elements 60 and 62 are
attached between these cable holder brackets, one end of each
cable element having a ball swaged thereto and being received
in one of cable holder ball bracketR 50, the midportion of
the cable element passing over pulley 44 and then extending
to the opposite slide plate 40 where it passes over pulley 46
and is clamped to cable holder wire clamp bracket 52 by a set
screw 64 shown in Figure 7. During installation preferably
the tension on each cable element is adjusted to be a few
pounds, then set screw 64 (see Figure 7) retightened to clamp
and hold this tension on the cable. Any equivalent means of
fixing each cable element end under tension may be employed,
if desired.
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The follower bracket 18 preferably is shaped as a
channel to receive and partially envelop the midportions of
cable elements 60 and 62 extending between the pulley
assemblies on the opposed slide plates 40. As can be seen
most clearly in Figure 3, by virtue of this construction
cables 60 and 62 trace an "I" pattern.
As shown most clearly in Figure 5, the two cable
elements pass over two pulleys 44 and 46 mounted on a single
stud 42. Thus, one cable is spaced further from slide plate
40 than the other. Preferably these cables are threaded over
the pulleys such that the cable extending to clamp bracket 52
is closest to slide plate 40, and the cable extending to ball
bracket 50 passes over the pulley furthest from slide plate
40. In other words, the two cables as they pass one another
in follower channel 18 cross over. By this arrangement, the
cable holder ball bracker 50 receives the end portion of a
cable at an elevation spaced further from slide plate 40 than
the elevation of the slot in clamp bracket 52 through which
the cable passes to be clamped by set screw 64.
Because the center of gravity of door 10 is spaced
substantially away from the pivoting axes of hinges 20, a
torque will be exerted on the hinges and the structure to
which they are attached. This torque tends to pivot the
door, by virtue of its weight, so that its center of gravity
would be under the top-most hinge 20. In addition, as the
door i8 being moved manually, an upward force may be exerted
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on it tending tc move the door to pivot about the lowermost
hinge 20. The suspension system of the present invention
counteracts both of these force~ in a simple yet effective
fashion. More speci~ically (and with reference to Figure 3)
the torque resulting from the force of gravity on the door
will tend to move the lower slide plate 40 towards the rear
end of the bottom slide assembly and it~ cable holder bracket
50. This force is transmitted by the lower pulley assembly
to cable element 62, and by this cable element to the upper
slide plate 40 and its attached pulley assembly, then to
cable holder bracket 50 at the rear end o~ the top slide
assembly. Because of this arrangement, cable element 62 and
its associated structure will effectively prevent the lower
slide plata 40 from moving out of a square relationship to
the slide assemblies and to upper slide plate 40. Similarly,
any upward force exerted upon the door will tend to cause
upper slide plate 40 to move towards cable holder 50 and
lower slide plate 40 to move towards cable holder 52. These
forces are counteracted by cable element 60, the force
exerted on uppex slide plate 40 being transmitted to this
cable element by its attached pulley assembly, and by the
cable element to the pulley assembly attached to lower slide
plate 40 and then to the rear cable holder bracket 50
attaahed ad~acent to the lower telescoping slide assembly 30.
Thus, cable elements 60 and 62 will hold the door square to
slide assemblie~ 14 and 16.
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Mounting a pocket door using the suspension system of
the present invention can be accomplished quickly and simply.
First, the telescoping slide assemblies are attached to the
side wall in a parallel relationship with their front ends
just behind the dcsired back plane of the door. As has been
noted previously, preferably the two slide assemblies are
~paced from one another a distance which i9 a multiple of 32
millimeters. Next, pulleys 44 and 46 are attached to the
movable portions of the telescoping slide assemblies, and
cables 60 and 62 loosely threaded from one cable holder 50 to
an opposed cable holder 52, then follower bracket 18 is
attached to the slide plates. The cable elements are each
pulled to equalize their tension ~a few pounds of tension
normally is sufficient) and to square follower bracket 18 to
the slide a~semblies; each cable element is clamped to cable
hold bracket 52 by tightening set screw 64. The edge portion
of the pocket door to be mounted is drilled to receive one
leaf of the toggle hinge 20, and the base plate of the toggle
hinge is attached to the slide plate 40 (or follower bracket
18). Then the other leaf of the toggle hinge is received
onto the base plate, and attached to the base plate which is
already fastened to plate 40 by screws 69 (see Figure 4), to
attach the door to the suspension system. Then the
suspension system and door is moved to its forward position
and the door adjusted, by loosening and tightening the screws
attaching the toggle hinge to its base plate, to position the
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edge of the door at the desired location relative to the edge
of the sids wall 4. This completes the assembly and
installation. Should the pocket door ever require
readjustment, it can easily be effected by the process just
described.
The doors 10 may be mounted by the present suspension
system in an overlapped or non-overlapped relationship to
cabinet 2. They are shown in Figure 1 in a non-overlapped
position. Were they instead in an overlapped position, the
edge portions of the doors to which hinges 20 are attached
would overlie the front edge~ of walls 4.
At times it is difficult to access the front cable
holder bracket 52 since it is easily blocked by the door. In
addition, the embodiment of the suspension system just
described requires each cable element to be separately
adjusted, which gives rise to the possibility that one cable
element will have a significantly different tension than the
other cable element.
Shown in Figures 9 through 11 is an alternate embodiment
of the pocket door suspension system in which the cable
elements are portions of a single cable, and pass through
brackets of a somewhat different construction than brackets
50 and 52. Thus, in this alternative embodiment the cable,
instead of tracing an "I" pattern, traces a pattern defining
a "A" lying on its side. The cable extends from one clamp
bracket 70 at the innermost end of one slide, over the pulley
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assembly then through channel member 18', over the pulley
assembly at the other end of the channel then to clamp
bracket 72 ~which is identical to clamp bracket 70), then to
clamp bracket 74, then again over the pulley assemblies and
through the channel member 18' to terminate in clamp bracket
76. The clamp brackets are all essentially identical in
construction. That construction is shown in Figures 10-12.
The clamp bracket consists of a block 80 having an arcuous
channel 82 definedv in its front face to receive a portion of
the cable, and incorporating two openings for screws 84 and
86. To mount these clamp brackets, the other elements of the
slide assembly are first mounted to side walls 4, then the
clamp brackets are positioned at the end/s of each slide, as
shown in Figure 9. Screw 86 is employed to attach the bracket
to the panel, the bracket snugly bearing upon the ad;acent
face of the channel 30'. After a cable 90 has been threaded
through the brackets and over the pulleys as previously
described, a screw 84 are inserted in each clamp bracket and
used to loosely clamp and hold the cable 90 in place. Then
the door or othex panel number with its hinges is mounted on
channel 18l.
To ad~ust the door to obtain a plumb or vertical
relationship, it is simply necessary to loosen a screw 84 at
clamp bracket 76 and draw a slight tension on cable 90. This
will tend to skew channel number 18 somewhat. However, the
tension extends through this section of the cable to at least
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clamp block 74. Next, the screws 84 in clamp blocks 70 and
72 are loosened and the cable end of clamp block 70 drawn
through the block sufficiently to increase the tension in
this portlon of the cable to pull channel member 18' with its
supported door into a truly plumb or vertical relationship.
Then screws 84 in all clamp blocks 70-76 are tightened as
best depicted in Figure 12. This holds the crossing cables,
and the slide assembly, in the desired relationship to ensure
that the door will remain plumb throughout itB use. Thus,
the embodiment of the slide assembly shown in Figures 9
through 11 i8 somewhat easier to install and adjust than the
embodiment shown in Figure~ 3 through 8.
Since modifications and elaborations of the present
invention will be apparent to those killed in this art, the
invention i8 not limited to the preferred embodiment shown
and described but instead i8 set forth in the following
claims.
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