The present invention relates to a modular counter-frame for disappearing sliding doors and relevant kit and assembling method.
More specifically, the invention concerns to a counter-frame that can be divided into modular parts, which has been particularly studied and realised to be easily transported and easily installed, particularly in plasterboard walls.
As it is well known, disappearing sliding doors are widely used in the building field, said doors having a counter-frame, provided with a box, realising a space, and with sliding means, so as to take a first opening position, in which it is fully or partially inserted within said space, and a closure position, in which it is outside said space. Usually said box replaces a portion of the wall on which said sliding door is installed.
It is also known in the above field that plasterboard walls are always more diffused. In order to realise a plasterboard wall, it is usually provided a first horizontal guide, having a "U" shaped cross-section on the floor, along the line on which it is wished realising the wall, with its concavity faced upward, and a second "U" shaped horizontal guide on the ceiling, with its concavity faced downward. Furthermore, a plurality of uprights, with a "U" shaped cross-section, is provided vertically and have their ends inserted and coupled, respectively, with said first and second guides. Usually, said uprights are spaced each other of 60 cm. Finally, plasterboard panels are fixed to said guides and to uprights by self-threading screws, to be then stuccoed and finished.
A needing of those installing plasterboard walls is that of installing disappearing sliding doors within plasterboard walls. Furthermore, it is also felt the needing of reducing installation and transportation costs.
First solution providing a standard counter-frame requires a high precision when realising the opening for positioning the counter-frame. This obviously increases time required for realising plasterboard walls and for installing the door.
Further, the above counter-frames are sold packaged, each packaging containing a box, sliding transverse bars and suitable members for permitting sliding of the wing. However, they are well known in this field limits due to dimensions of said packaging. This creates remarkable transportation problems and increases total costs of counter-frame, as well as logistic complications. It is also known in this field a wall structure for sliding doors described in Italian patent n°
Finally, it must also be taken into consideration that at present different measures exit for wings of sliding doors. Therefore, it would be suitable having a kit suitable to wings having different sizes. The patent application
It is therefore specific object of the present invention a modular counter-frame for disappearing sliding doors, of the type that can be installed in an opening of a wall, comprising a base crossbeam, an upper crossbeam arranged parallel with respect to said base crossbeam, two or more pairs of uprights, to which wall panels are fixable by fixing means, such as screws and like, each upright of each pair being faced and spaced with respect the upright of the same pair and coupled with said base crossbeam and with said upper crossbeam, the assembly of said pairs of uprights, said base crossbeam and said upper crossbeam defining a sliding cavity for a wing, and a linear sliding guide inserted within said upper crossbeam in such way that the ends of said sliding guide extend out from it, wherein sliding means, such as carriages are moving, couplable with said wing, characterized in that said base crossbeam and said upper crossbeam have respectively a "U" shaped and an inverted "U" shaped cross section and comprise coupling elements on the lateral walls of said two or more pairs of uprights, and in that said uprights are couplable by snap-fit coupling with said coupling means of said upper crossbeam.
Always according to the invention, each one of said uprights is realized by two or more vertical grooves and provides on each end at least one slot, that is made in the re-entering portion between the said grooves, and each coupling element of said upper crossbeam comprises two or more folded tabs, arranged projected outwardly with respect to said lateral walls and each one capable of inserting in one corresponding groove, one or more insertion tongues with a funnel-shaped end coupling with seats arranged in the re-entering portions at the sides of the respective upright and at least one insertion and blocking tongue comprising an elastically preloaded notching, said insertion and blocking tongue coupling with the re-entering portion between said grooves and said elastically preloaded notching coupling with said slot.
Still according to the invention, said uprights can be snap-fit coupled with said coupling elements of said base crossbeam.
Advantageously, according to the invention, each one of said uprights has, on each one of its ends, at least a slot, obtained in the re-entering portion between said grooves, and each coupling element of said base crossbeam comprises two or more folded tabs, arranged projected outwardly with respect to said lateral walls and each one capable of inserting in one corresponding groove, one or more insertion tongues with a funnel-shaped end, coupling with seats arranged in the re-entering portions at the sides of the respective upright and at least one insertion and blocking tongue comprising an elastically preloaded notching, said insertion and blocking tongue coupling with the re-entering portion between said grooves and said elastically preloaded notching coupling with said slot.
Furthermore, according to the invention, said base crossbeam can be provided with threaded pins, to which said uprights can be fixed by nuts, and each one of said uprights can have a plurality of notchings along its lower portion, along which said uprights can be cut to adjust their length, said notchings being provided at different heights, and a plurality of hole groups, each hole groups being placed at different heights in correspondence of each notching, said threaded pins being able to be inserted within said holes of said base crossbeam, to which they can be fixed by nuts.
Always according to the invention, said counter-frame can comprises means for coupling with said wall, said coupling means comprising one or more fixation bridges, slidably inserted on said sliding guide and fixed to the same by fixation means, such as screws and like, and at least one fixation square fixed to an end of said sliding guide by fixation means, such as screws and like.
Still according to the invention, said upper crossbeam comprises a reference tooth, and said sliding guide is provided with: reference marks on the surface, for adjusting its length according to the measurement of the width of the wing to be installed within said counter-frame and/or according to the installation of said counter-frame for a single or double wing door; and a notch with which said reference tooth interferes, so as to set the reciprocal final assembly position of said sliding guide with said upper crossbeam.
Furthermore, according to the invention, said counter-frame comprises thickness elements made of plastic material coupled with each side of said sliding guide, arranged so that the width of the portion of the sliding guide not inserted in said upper crossbeam is substantially equal to the overall width of said wall.
Advantageously, according to the invention, said base crossbeam is selected among one of the following groups: said base crossbeam has a length substantially equal to the length of said upper crossbeam; said base crossbeam has a length greater than the length of said upper crossbeam, said length being eventually adjustable by cutting on the basis of the width of the wing to be installed within said counter-frame.
Always according to the invention, said counter-frame is couplable with a further counter-frame arranged opposed for realizing double wing doors, the ends of the respective sliding guides of said counterframes being fixed each other by coupling means, such as bars.
It is further object of the present invention, a modular counter-frame as defined in the above, characterized in that it comprises: at least one base crossbeam; at least one upper crossbeam; two or more pairs of uprights; at least one sliding guide; and coupling means such as one or more fixation bridges and one or more fixation squares.
Still according to the invention, said kit comprises at least one rod, provided with reference marks.
It is also an object of the present invention, a method for assembling a disappearing sliding door comprising a counter-frame as defined in the above characterized in that it comprises the following steps: arranging said base crossbeam and said upper crossbeam ; coupling said uprights with said base crossbeam and with said upper crossbeam by snap-fit coupling; cutting said sliding guide and inserting the same within said upper crossbeam; providing a rod provided with reference marks adjusting its length by cutting, eventually coupling a square to an end of said rod, inserting said rod between said uprights in said cavity and fixing said rod to said uprights preferably to the profiles fixed to the pair of uprights which define the entrance of said cavity; fixing said counter-frame to said wall by said coupling means; fixing the wall panels, preferably plasterboard panels, to said uprights by fixing member, like screws and like; removing said rod; and coupling a wing with said sliding means of said sliding guide.
Always according to the invention, said method wherein said wall comprises horizontal guides and vertical rods for fixing to them further wall panels, preferably plasterboard panels, can comprises the following further step: arranging said base crossbeam so as to superimpose on the same at least partially said horizontal guide of said wall arranged on the floor.
Still according to the invention, said method can comprise the following further step: cutting possible exceeding length of said base crossbeam on the basis of the dimensions of the wing employed.
The present invention will be now described for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, with particular reference to the figures of the enclosed drawings, wherein:
Similar parts will be indicated in the various figures by the same reference numbers.
Making reference to
Modular counter-frame 1 mainly comprises a base crossbeam 20, an upper crossbeam 30, two pairs of uprights 40 and a sliding guide 50. Structure of counter-frame 1 will be described in the following, also following the main mounting steps.
Base crossbeam 20 has a "U" shaped cross section, and it can be placed on the floor, while upper crossbeam 30 has an inverted "U" cross section, and it is substantially parallel with respect to the base crossbeam 20. Concavity of said base crossbeam 20 and of said upper crossbeam 30 are faced each other. Each one of said uprights 40 is coupled at the ends of base crossbeam 20 and to the upper crossbeam 30.
Uprights 40 are secrion bars, preferably realised by forming. They can couple with lateral walls 21 and 31, respectively, of said base crossbeam 20 and of said upper crossbeam 30, by snap-fit with suitable coupling elements, respectively indicated by reference numbers 22 and 32.
Once coupled uprights 40, said base crossbeam 20, said upper crossbeam 30 and said uprights 40 define a space 60 that can receive a wing.
Profili 42 are fixed, by screws, on the uprights 40 defining entrance of space 60 for inserting the wing, and namely on their leading edges.
Sliding guide 50, realised as well by extrusion, defines an inner channel 51, within which carriages (not shown in the figures) can be inserted, to which a wing is coupled, so that the latter can slide to enter/exit from space 60.
Sliding guide 50, made up of a section bar, preferably realised by extrusion, can be sliding inserted in said upper crossbeam 30. The latter has a reference tooth 37, that can interfere with a corresponding notch (not shown in the figures) obtained on said sliding guide 50, so as to determine final position of each one of the parts.
Sliding guide 50 is also provided with reference notches 52, for adjusting its length according to the width of the wing employed (e.g. for a size standard set of 80 cm, 90 cm and 100 cm), and on the basis of installation of counter-frame 1 for a single- or double-wing door. By said reference notches 52, an operator can properly cut sliding guide 50 by a standard cutting tool (not shown in the figures). Thus, when reference tooth 37 interferes with said notch, said space 60 defined by said base crossbeam 20, by said upper crossbeam 30 and by uprights 40, besides by the opening of wall in which counter-frame 1 is installed, is already conformed to the wing size.
At the sliding end of sliding guide 50 (reference is made also to
One or more fixing bridge 54 (see also
Finally, once inserted the sliding guide 50 in upper crossbeam 50, plastic thicknesses 5 that can be suitably cut, are coupled to each side of said sliding guide 50. Said thicknesses 55 substantially make width of sliding guide 50 portion not inserted within upper crossbeam 30 equal to the whole width of wall.
As it can be noted from figures, base crossbeam 20 is larger than upper crossbeam 30. As it will be clearer in the following, this is useful for an alternative mounting of counter-frame 1. In any case, said base crossbeam 20 can, with respect to the upper crossbeam 30:
Before installing the counter-frame 1, it is also provided a rod 70. Length of the latter is adjusted on the basis of the wing width by reference notches 71, by which operator cuts the possible exceeding part. A fixing square element is preferably coupled to the end 72 of said rod 70. Then, said rod 70 is inserted, as shown in the figure, within space 60 and fixed to section bars 42 by two holes realised on the same.
Then, it is possible installing counter-frame 1. Particularly, making reference to
In the present embodiment, uprights 40 have laterally, and in their lower portion, a plurality of notches 45 at different heights, for adjusting cutting, and a plurality of holes groups 44, each hole group 44 being placed at different heights, in correspondence of each notch 45. Said threaded pins 27 of said base crossbeam 20' is can enter within each one of said hole groups 44.
By said embodiment, it is possible adjusting length of said uprights 40. Particularly, it is sufficient cutting said uprights 40 along said notches 45, in order to select the (same) measure of all the uprights 40, fixing each upright 40 to the threaded pins 27 of the "U" shaped base crossbeam 20', inserting said threaded pins 27 within holes 44 of the corresponding upright 40 and screwing nuts 27' on said threaded pins 27.
Thus, it is possible easily adjusting height of modular counterframe 1.
As it can be noted, counterframe 1 according to the invention can be mounted to be then inserted within opening A of a wall. However, it is also possible assembling counterframe 1 and the inserting the same within the wall while the same is realised. For example, while installer places horizontal guide on the floor, it is possible juxtaposing the latter to the base crossbeam 20, coupling them, thus limiting the risk of misalignment of the wall. Only then it will be placed and fixed the upper horizontal guide to counterframe 1, to define opening A. In other words, it is first assembled counterframe 1, and then the wall.
Making reference to
The present invention has been described for illustrative, but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that variations and/or modification can be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the relevant scope, as defined in the enclosed claims.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.