Security device for sliding folding doors

Abstract

 The issue is preventing access to the brackets of the bogies carrying the wheels moving on the guide rails, which brackets are secured to both ends of each of the panels forming the sliding and folding doors. Box members moving integrally with the panels are mounted on each panel to cover the bogie brackets. To ensure protection continuity even when the panels, because of their movements, are arranged at an angle with respect to each other, said box members have, at their ends, shapes providing a toggle joint coupling.

Description

[0001] It is well known that the safety problems are at present days of topical interest, as they never were before. For instance, in case of hanging doors, a great range of fall-preventing devices have been conceived and mounted.

[0002] The measures taken by almost all manufacturers of sliding and folding doors in order to prevent the user's fingers to be accidentally crushed between adjacent panels even at angles greater than 45° are also known.

[0003] Another issue concerning safety in sliding and folding doors, which issue is not satisfactorily solved from both the technical and the economical standpoint, is the protection of the door moving parts in correspondence of the frame sides, and more particularly in correspondence of the bogies applied to the panels and allowing sliding along the door guiding rails.

[0004] During such sliding, if no suitable protection is provided, there is the risk to put e.g. a hand between the stationary frame part and the moving parts formed by the bogies.

[0005] Under some circumstances even fluttering parts concerning a person (hairs, loose dresses and the like) could be introduced between the stationary and moving parts.

[0006] The solution proposed heretofore is to provide a stationary box-shaped protection preventing access to the bogies. Yet, said protection cannot adhere to the moving panels of the sliding and folding door, since said moving panels of the sliding and folding door move with a wide clearance. Thus, the box-shaped member remains secured to moving panels, between which introduction of fingers or other elements is possible. Application of a gasket covering the slits, which can vary because of the panel swinging, is expensive and difficult to be carried out, and moreover it does not solve the problem.

[0007] It is to be appreciated that a stationary protection covering the bogies applied to the panels reduces the width of the access to the room provided with the sliding and folding door, and this is not acceptable.

[0008] The aim of the invention is to solve the problem of the safety in sliding and folding doors in respect of possible accidental introduction of fingers, dresses and so on between the door moving parts and the stationary frame housing the wheels (or rollers) of the bogies attached to the panels.

[0009] The invention consists in applying to each panel, on the sides thereof and in proximity of the frame, a box member covering the bogie brackets.

[0010] Said box members have end parts shaped so as to provide a mutual coupling of the toggle joint type.

[0011] No remarkable shift exists in correspondence of the coupling between the box member part engaging the other part, and the part receiving that engaging part.

[0012] When the parts of the coupled box members rotate with respect to each other because of the rotation of the panels to which said members are applied, a sort of fitting to the gap size takes place without possibility for the parts to become detached.

[0013] At the maximum angle between adjacent panels, and hence between the box members in correspondence of the toggle joints, the end parts of one of said members simply remain adhering to the end parts of the other member, and the edges moving against the other member remain spaced enough, so that possible crushing situations are avoided.

[0014] A wide choice of materials is available for manufacturing said box members; also their shape can be suitably chosen in both the transversal and the longitudinal direction, provided they provide a toggle joint coupling.

[0015] What has been disclosed hereinbefore will become more apparent from the examination of the drawing sheets.

[0016] Fig. 1 schematically shows a set of panels of a sliding and folding door in an intermediate position between the open and the closed positions, each panel being equipped with an own bogie of which the wheel engages a guiding rail. The view is taken from the inside towards the outside.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 where the panels are equipped with the box-shaped protections. The wheeled bogies applied to the panels and the guiding rail cannot be seen as they are hidden by the box-shaped protections applied to the same panels.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken from the outside and not from the inside.

[0019] Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 where all parts of the sliding and folding door are transparent, so as to show the panels, the wheeled bogies and the box-shaped protections.

[0020] Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 where all parts of the sliding and folding door are transparent, so as to show the panels, the wheeled bogies and the box-shaped protections.

[0021] Fig. 6 is an axonometric view from the inside of a set of panels of a sliding and folding door in an intermediate position between the open and the closed conditions, each panel being equipped with an own bogie of which the wheel engages the guiding rail.

[0022] Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 where the panels are equipped with the box-shaped protections. The wheeled bogies applied to the panels and the guiding rail cannot be seen, except at the upper end, as they are hidden by the box-shaped protections applied to the same panels.

[0023] Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but shows the whole of a sliding and folding door instead of only a portion thereof.

[0024] Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a single panel of a sliding and folding door, in correspondence of the mounting of a wheeled bogie, of which the wheel engages a guiding rail. The box-shaped protection covering the whole bogie bracket and located in correspondence of the guiding rail can be seen.

[0025] Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view, not in cross-section, corresponding to Fig. 9.

[0026] Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic bottom view corresponding to Fig. 9.

[0027] Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic top view corresponding to Fig. 9.

[0028] Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view of two panels of a sliding and folding door shown out of the structure and arranged in aligned position. The box-shaped protection show, in transparency, the bracket of the bogies mounted on the panels. The arrangement of the free end portions of the box-shaped protections can be seen, and the portions coupled to form a toggle joint are shown in the middle of the Figure.

[0029] Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13, in which the two panels with their box-shaped protections are arranged at an intermediate angle.

[0030] Fig. 15 is a view corresponding to Fig. 13, in which the two panels with their box-shaped protections are arranged at the maximum allowed angle. In the three positions shown it can be appreciated that the coupled parts are almost adhering to each other, without gaps allowing introduction and intrusion of foreign bodies.

[0031] Reference numeral 1 denotes the various mutually coupled panels of the sliding and folding door; 2 denotes the guide rail within which the wheels carried by bogies 3 secured to the panels move; 5 denotes the box-shaped protections; 6 denotes the female end part of the box-shaped protections and 7 denotes the male end part of said box-shaped protection.

[0032] The above description clearly shows that the continuity obtained by the toggle-joint coupling at the merging points of the box-shaped protections secured to the panels of the sliding and folding door can be achieved also in different manners offering the same functionality, e. g. by means of a bellow member.

[0033] Thus, any other solution, even representing an improvement, which the skilled in the art can develop by using the teaching of the present invention, is not a departure from the scope of the present patent.

Claims

1. A safety device for sliding and folding doors, characterised in that each panel is equipped with two box members secured to its ends, nearly in contact with the guide rails in which the wheels of the bogies mounted on the panels of the sliding and folding doors move, said box members aiming at preventing free access to the brackets of said wheeled bogies.

2. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding door form, in their sequence on adjacent panels, a continuous structure without gaps allowing introduction of foreign bodies, even when pairs of adjacent panels are arranged at a certain angle.

3. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding doors have a male and a female end part, so that said members can be coupled without leaving gaps allowing introduction of foreign bodies.

4. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding doors have male and female end parts so as to form toggle joint couplings which follow the movements of the panels to which they are secured, while still leaving no gap allowing introduction of foreign bodies, and preventing mutual approach of surfaces which can cause crushing.

5. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding doors can be secured to the ends of panels which do not belong to the sliding and folding doors performing similar functions.

6. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding doors to provide continuity have ends connected through a flexible bellows.

7. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding doors are of modular type, and are each formed in a single piece.

8. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the box members secured to the ends of the panels of the sliding and folding doors are of modular type and are each formed by connecting at least two elements.

9. A safety device for sliding and folding doors as claimed in the preceding claims and as described and shown by way of example for a preferred embodiment.

Drawing