US3138474A - Guide and control assembly for folding doors - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS EDMUND F. REISS WALTER J. MacFARLANE ATTORNEYS E. F. REISS ETAL GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FOLDING DOORS O H 1 u 1 u E rg m Q m U M. i m I S I. w v m -m E n m W OT\H m 1 E m m, r How j w W Tainan] m duha 33.51 ETFIH T i w FA I W I H H H I MH M I H HMH HH M H H MTWMHMMWMWWIWW A I W I i lu r] 0 0w k 0 L mm E I! m M June 23, 1964 Filed Jan. 29, 1962 BYW WW June 23, 1964 Filed Jan. 29, 1962 E. F. REISS ETAL 3,138,474

GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FOLDING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS EDMUND F. REISS WALTER J. MacFARLANE f BYMJy,

ATTORNEYS E. F- REISS ETAL GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FOLDING DOORS Filed Jan. 29, 1962 June 23, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS EDMUND F. REISS WALTER J. MacFARLANE B WW (W! 3 Y ATTORNEYS 7w United States Patent 3,138,474 GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FQLDING DGORS Edmund F. Reiss and Walter J. MacFarlane, New Britain, Conn., assignors to The tanley Works, New Britain,

Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Jan. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 169,253 4 Claims. (Cl. 1602tl6) This invention relates to folding doors of the type having two or more panels hinged together in side-byside relationship and more particularly to an improved guide and control assembly for such doors.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of a guide and control assembly for folding doors of the type described that is completely concealed when the doors are in closed position and that will permit the doors to open to a desirable 90 position or to a fully open position of substantially 180 without the necessity of relocating the assembly parts.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a guide and control assembly of the type referred to which will provide smooth and controlled action of the door, particularly from the standpoint of avoiding binding or jamming of the moving assembly parts during opening or closing of the doors. Included in this object is the provision of such an assembly that will hold the door panels in controlled relationship during opening and closing thereof and that will permit opening and closing of the door in a manner that is simple and requires a minimum of manual effort or direction.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a guide and control assembly for folding doors that will accomplish the above objects in a structure whose parts are relatively economical to manufacture, capable of quick and easy installation in doorways and on door panels of various dimensions and will provide effective service over long periods of use.

A more specific object of the present invention is the provision of an improved guide and control assembly for doors of the type described that can be advantageously applied to doors that are mounted within a doorway and that will permit the gap between the lead panel and its adjacent doorway jamb to be desirably minimized when the door is in closed position.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front View of a two-panel folding door mounted in a doorway of a wall and shown as incorporating an embodiment of the improved guide and control assembly of the present invention, the wall and the door being shown in fragment;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the lines 22 of FIG. 1 and additionally showing the partially open and fully open positions of the door in phantom;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 55' of FIG. 1 showing a door guide included in the improved guide and control assembly, the door guide being broken away to show its internal construction;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the door guide and a fragment of the door panel on which it is mounted;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the left-hand end portion of FIG. 2 and additionally showing in phantom two positions of portions of the assembly and door during opening or closing of the door;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view of the left-hand end portion of the track; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional View taken along lines 99 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, an embodiment of the guide and control assembly of the invention is shown in FIGS. 19 in connection with a two-panel folding door mounted within a doorway of a wall 2 and consisting of a first panel 4 and a second or lead panel 6 connected together in side-by-side relationship by means of hinges 55 secured to the rear surfaces of the panels as shown in FIG. 1. The panel 4, in turn, is pivotally connected by means of hinges 10, to the jamb 12 of a doorway adjacent the outer edge thereof so as to permit the panels to be pivoted entirely clear of the doorway. A knob 14 is provided on the lead panel 6 for use in opening and closing of the door. Although the invention is described in conjunction with a two-panel door, it will be apparent from the following description that the invention is equally applicable to doors having a multiple of two panels. In accordance with the invention, an improved guide and control assembly is provided for guiding and controlling the movement of the door between a fully closed position wherein the front surfaces of the door panels are flush with the front surfaces of the jambs 12, 12 and the header 16 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a fully open position wherein the panels are entirely removed from the doorway, as shown in phantom in FIG. 2. The guide and control assembly includes an elongated, inverted, channel-shaped track, generally designated 20, which is positioned within the'doorway at the top thereof and rearwardly of the door and extends parallel to the header 16 and panels 2 and 4 when the door is in the fully closed position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The track may be formed in any convement manner such .as by metal extrusion and a preferred configuranon of the track 20 is shown in detail in the drawings. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular shape of the track since other configurations may be utilized. The track 20 is formed with a flat base 22 and flat side walls 24 having a pair of inwardly extending flanges 26 which form a guideway. The left-hand extremity of the track 20, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with an L-shaped stop or abutment 28 fastened thereto by means of rivet 30 as shown in FIG. 8 and which stop 28 functions in a manher to be subsequently described in detail.

The left-hand end of the track 20, as viewed in FIG. 1, is supported for pivotable and reciprocating movement on the horizontal portion of door stop 32 extending along the underside of the header 16 while the opposite end of the track is pivotally connected to the rear surface of door panel 4 adjacent the top thereof. In doorways not provided with a door stop, the track 20 is supported directly on the header. Referring more specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3, the means for mounting the left-hand end of the track 20 on the horizontal door stop 32 comprises a generally rectangular bracket 33 which comprises a flange portion 34 secured to the stop 32 by means of screws 35 and an offset portion 36 having an elongated slot 38 therein. The track is pivotally connected to the bracket by means of a pivot stud 40 extending through slot 38 and having its head 41 slidably received within the confines of the bracket offset portion 36 and its lower end 42 suitably secured to the track as by peening. The bracket slot 38 is elongated so as to permit the track to move longitudinally for a limited distance governed by the length of the slot 38. In order to lessen the wear between the pivot stud 40 and bracket 33 as well as to facilitate movement of the track, a flanged bushing 44 formed of low-friction material such as nylon is provided around the pivot stud 40 so as to contact the offset portion 36 of the bracket as shown in FIG. 3. Relative vertical movement between the track 20 and the bracket 32 is prevented simply by means of a washer-type bearing 46 provided around the pivot stud 40 and disposed between the offset portion 36 of the bracket and the track base 22.

With reference to FIG. 4, the right-hand end of the track 20, as viewed in FIG. 1, is pivotally connected to panel 4 for movement therewith by means including a bracketed pivot socket 48 preferably formed of nylon and comprising a laterally extending arm 49 having an enlarged slot 50 therethrough and a downstanding arm 52, secured by screws 53, to the rear surface of panel 4 adjacent to but spaced from the top and hinged edges thereof. The connection is completed by a pivot stud 56 having a shank portion 57 slidably and pivotally received in the slot 50 of the pivot socket, a collar 54 forming a bearing between the track 20 and arm 49 and a threaded portion 58 which cooperates with spring lock nut 59 to secure the pivot stud to the track.

The lead panel 6 of the door is guided during its movements by the track 20 through the operation of a door guide generally designated 60 and best shown in FIGS. and 6. The door guide 60 comprises a mounting portion 62 secured by screws 63 to the rear surface of the lead panel 6 adjacent to, but spaced from the top and outer edges thereof; and a guide arm portion 65 pivotally or hingedly connected to the mounting portion 62 by means of pin 66. The outer end of arm portion 65 is provided with a follower 67 projecting upwardly therefrom which is pivotally and slidably received in the track to be guided thereby. A second follower 68 is provided for alternate use in the event the door is to be mounted for movement in the opposite direction in which case the guide is inverted. A coil spring 70 is provided around the pin 66 in order to bias the guide arm 65 to the extended position shown in FIG. 6, the movement of guide arm 65 caused by the biasing force of spring 70 being limited by the engagement between the rear surface of the panel 6 and the end 72 of the guide arm 65. The guide arm portion, including followers 67 and 68, is preferably formed from nylon or other low friction material of good wearing quality.

In order to hold the door releasably in closed position so as to preclude accidental or unwanted movement thereof, there is provided on the rear surface of panel 4 a generally U-shaped catch member 75 having a pair of arcuate springs arms 76 and 78, as shown in FIG. 9. The catch member 75 is dimensioned and positioned on the panel 4 so as to permit the track to be resiliently grasped by the spring arms 76, 78 as the door reaches its fully closed position.

The operation of the improved guide and control assembly will be apparent from the foregoing description taken in connection with the following explanation. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, with the door in fully closed position, the track 20 extends parallel to both the header 16 and the door, and door guide element 65 is in its fully retracted position, generally in line with the track 20. As the door is initially opened, the track 20 will move leftwardly as permitted by the bracket slot 38 and at the same time the right-hand end of the track will pivot with panel 4 about stud 56 and the left-hand end of the track will pivot about stud 40. This movement is accompanied by pivotal movement of the door guide 65 out of its fully retracted position, aided by the bias of the spring 70 and progressive movement of the door guide follower 67 to the right along the track, the latter thus providing a controlled guide for the lead panel 6.

When the panel 4 reaches an approximate 45 position, the stud 40 will have reached the extreme left end of its slot 38 thus preventing further leftward movement of the track 20, however, the panel 4 will still be free to continue to open without jamming of the pivot socket slot wall 51 against the track stud 40, and in turn the track, by virtue of the enlarged longitudinal dimension of slot 50 since the latter will permit the track 20 and panel 4 to undergo relative movement to accommodate continued opening of panel 4. When the panel reaches an approximate 70 position, the track will begin to move longitudinally in the righthand direction with continued opening movement of the door. The position of the parts when the panel 4 has been pivoted approximately and also the fully open position of the door are shown in phantom in FIG. 2. Movement of the panels to the fully open position is accompanied by continued drawing of the door guide 60 along the track 20 and continued longitudinal movement of the track in the right-hand direction, and the final movement of panel 4 into its fully open position is efiected smoothly without obstruction by the track 20 because of the enlarged pivot socket slot 50 which again permits relative movement between the track and the panel 4 during this final movement. In full open position, further movement is precluded by engagement between the right-hand end of bracket slot 38 and the pivot stud 4t and the abutting engagement between the track and the rear corner of panel 4.

Closing of the door is characterized by the reversal of the above-described movements. Referring to FIG. 7, during final closing of the door, the door guide element 65 will begin to retract by pivoting clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 7) relative to panel 6 and in opposition to the spring biasing force whereupon continued closing movement of the door will cause the outer edge 73 of the lead panel 6 to contact the jamb 12' as shown in phantom. In the jamb contacting position, the track stop 28 will abuttingly engage the door guide pivot 67 whereupon continued closing movement of the door will cause the track to move in the right-hand direction thereby causing the stop 28 to fully retract the door guide element 65 into the position substantially aligned with the track thus permitting the lead panel 6 to move out of contact with jamb 12' and into fully closed position together with panel 4. Thus, it will be seen from the foregoing that the retractability of the door guide 60 permits the gap between the lead panel 6 and jamb 12', when the door is in closed position, to be reduced to a desired minimum without affecting the smooth operation and control of the door. Additionally, the door guide spring 70 functions to maintain the door guide 60 in its unretracted position during the abovedescribed door movement so as to space the rear corner of the lead panel 6 from the track 20 (as shown in phantom in FIG. 2) thereby precluding interfering engagement therebetween and ensuring smooth operation of the door.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mounted therein and having a pair of panels hinged together in side-by-side relationship with one of the panels hingedly mounted along one side edge of the doorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprising a track, means mounting one end of the track on the top edge of the doorway for pivotal and reciprocal movement, means pivotally connecting the other end of the track on said one of the panels, and a door guide including an arm pivotally connected at one end to the other panel and having a follower at its other end pivotally and slidably engaged in the track, and a spring biasing the arm away from the other panel to an extended position to thereby space the other panel from the track.

2. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mounted therein having a pair of panels hinged together in side-by-side relationship with one of the panels hingedly mounted along one side edge of the doorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprising a track, means mounting one end of the track on the top edge of the doorway for pivotable and reciprocable movement, means pivotally mounting the other end of the track on said one of the panels, a guide pivotally and slidably engaged in the track and including an arm pivotally connected to the other panel to permit limited movement of the other panel away from and toward the track during initial opening and final closing of the door, spring means biasing said arm away from said other panel, and a stop fixed at said one end of the track and movable with the track to engage the guide during the final closing movement of the door for causing the guide to pivot toward said door and into a retracted position aligned with the track.

3. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mounted therein and having first and second panels hinged together in side-by-side relationship with the first of the panels hingedly mounted along one side edge of the doorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprising an elongated track extending alongside the top of the panels when the panels are in their closed position, means pivotally mounting one end of the track Within the doorway along the top edge thereof and permitting longitudinal movement of the track, means pivotally mounting the other end of the track on the first panel, retractable guide means on the second panel engaged in the track and providing for limited movement of the second panel toward and away from the track, means biasing the guide means to extended position to space the second panel from the track, and a releasable catch on one of the panels engageable with the track to retain the panels in close proximity to the track against the bias on the guide means.

4. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mounted therein having a pair of panels hinged together in side-by-side relationship with one of the panels hinged along one side edge of the doorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprising a track, means mounting one end of the track along the top edge of the doorway for pivotal and longitudinally reciprocable movement, means pivotally mounting the other end of the track on said one of the panels, a guide pivotally and slidably engaged in the track and including an arm pivotally connected to the other panel to permit movement of the other panel away from and toward the track during initial opening and final closing of the door, spring means biasing said arm to an extended position away from said other panel to thereby space the other panel from the track, a stop fixed at said one end of the track and movable with the track to engage the guide during the final closing movement of the door to thereby cause the guide to pivot toward said door and into a retracted position aligned with the track, and a releasable catch on one of the panels engageable with the track when the door is closed to thereby maintain the panels in close proximity to the track against the bias of the spring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,536,867 Karl May 5, 1925 1,552,359 Thorne Sept. 1, 1925 1,700,184 Sipes Jan. 29, 1929 1,768,267 Phillips June 24, 1930 2,629,435 Dadswell Feb. 24, 1953 2,973,809 Sklar Mar. 7, 1961 3,029,868 Ogburn et al. Apr. 17, 1962

Claims (1)

1. IN THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A DOORWAY AND A FOLDING DOOR MOUNTED THEREIN AND HAVING A PAIR OF PANELS HINGED TOGETHER IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE OF THE PANELS HINGEDLY MOUNTED ALONG ONE SIDE EDGE OF THE DOORWAY, A GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR SAID PANELS COMPRISING A TRACK, MEANS MOUNTING ONE END OF THE TRACK ON THE TOP EDGE OF THE DOORWAY FOR PIVOTAL AND RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE OTHER END OF THE TRACK ON SAID ONE OF THE PANELS, AND A DOOR GUIDE INCLUDING AN ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE OTHER PANEL AND HAVING A FOLLOWER AT ITS OTHER END PIVOTALLY AND SLIDABLY ENGAGED IN THE TRACK AND A SPRING BIASING THE ARM AWAY FROM THE OTHER PANEL TO AN EXTENDED POSITION TO THEREBY SPACE THE OTHER PANEL FROM THE TRACK.

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