WO2008003117A1

WO2008003117A1 - Panels for in wall sliding doors

Info

Publication number: WO2008003117A1
Application number: PCT/AU2006/000949
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ferdinand John Lotter
Original assignee: Lotter, Lance, Sydney
Priority date: 2006-07-05
Filing date: 2006-07-05
Publication date: 2008-01-10
Also published as: AU2006345955A1; AU2006345955A8

Abstract

A panel containing an in-wall sliding door, the panel including: an extruded horizontal top member having a side portion defining a rail therealong; a plurality of spaced apart hangers supported on said rail for movement therealong; a door hanging from said plurality of hangers and adapted to slide relative to said top member in unison with movement of said hangers along said rail; inner and outer extruded vertical front end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom intermediate its ends and on opposite sides of said door; one or more extruded vertical rear end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom at or adjacent one end; a plurality of spaced apart permanent bracing members connected at one end to either said inner front end member or said outer front end member and at the other end to the or one of said rear end members on one side or the other of said door; an extruded vertical door closure member connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom adjacent the opposite end from the or each said rear end member; one or more temporary bracing members connected to one or more of said front end members, said one or more rear end members and said permanent bracing members remote from said top member to temporarily secure the lower end portion of said door closure member in a predetermined position substantially parallel to said front-end members.

Description

PANELS FOR IN WALL SLIDING DOORS

Field of the invention

This invention relates to panels for in wall sliding doors and components for such doors . There are a number of problems associated with the presently available in-wall sliding doors. Typically, a manufacturer supplies an in-wall frame panel which is adapted to house the door within the wall when in the open position and a separate slide for the door which is adapted to be bolted or screwed to the upper end of the in-wall panel. Rollers are also typically provided as separate components for hanging the door on the slide. A builder installing an in-wall sliding door is generally required to fit the in-wall panel, hang the door, construct a suitable door opening with door jam, architraves and associated fittings on site. One problem associated with installation of such doors on site is that skilled labor is required to accurately install the in-wall frame and hang the door correctly so that it is plumb within the frame, slides correctly and engages with the door jam at the opposite end of the door opening correctly. Another problem which is encountered is that the presently available in-wall door panels do not provide as aesthetically pleasing a finish as is sometimes desired or at least cannot be suitably finished as quickly or aesthetically as desired. One object of the present invention is to ameliorate at least one of the aforementioned problems. Another object is to provide an in-wall sliding door and a door panel which can be relatively easily and reliably installed. Another object is to provide an in-wall sliding door which will be reliable and efficient in use. Yet another object is to provide components for in-wall sliding doors which allow for cost effective manufacture and installation of in-wall sliding door panels.

Summary of the invention

With the foregoing in view, the invention in one aspect resides broadly in a panel containing an in-wall sliding door, the panel including: an extruded horizontal top member having a side portion defining a rail therealong; a plurality of spaced apart hangers supported on said rail for movement therealong; a door hanging from said plurality of hangers and adapted to slide relative to said top member in unison with movement of said hangers along said rail; inner and outer extruded vertical front end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom intermediate its ends and on opposite sides of said door; one or more extruded vertical rear end members connected^' to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom at or adjacent one end; a plurality of spaced apart permanent bracing members connected at one end to either said inner front end member or said outer front end member and at the other end to the or one of said rear end members on one side or the other of said door; an extruded vertical door closure member connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom adjacent the opposite end from the or each said rear end member; one or more temporary bracing members connected to one or more of said front end members, said one or more rear end members and said permanent bracing members remote from said top member to temporarily secure the lower end portion of said door closure member in a predetermined position substantially parallel to said front end members . In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a panel for an in-wall sliding door, the panel including: an extruded horizontal top member having a side portion defining a rail therealong; inner and outer extruded vertical front end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom intermediate its ends and having a space therebetween through which a door hanging from said top member may slide; one or more extruded vertical rear end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom at or adjacent one end; a plurality of spaced apart permanent bracing members connected at one end to either said inner front end member or said outer front end member and at the other end to the or one of said rear end members on one side or the other of the space between said inner and outer front end members; an extruded vertical door closure member connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom adjacent the opposite end from the or each said rear end member; one or more temporary bracing members connected to one of said front end members, said rear end member and said permanent bracing members remote from said top member and being arranged to temporarily secure the lower end portion of said door closure member in a predetermined position substantially parallel to said front end members .

Preferably, said top member has two opposed side portions defining said rail. In such form it is preferred that said top member has a wall defining a cavity or channel in which the hangers run and an opening along its base and said two side portions are adjacent said opening on opposite sides. In a more preferred form, the cavity or channel is defined in part by two elongate flanges having an elongate space therebetween, the flanges forming the rails which are adapted to support thereon the plurality of hangers from which a door can be hung for sliding movement relative to said top member.

Preferably, the panel includes two spaced apart extruded upper cavity trim members which are adapted to engage with the top member, one on each side so as to provide a bottom edge cap for plasterboard cladding. In such form, the trim members are adapted to form a recess which receives therein the edge portion of a sheet of plasterboard which may be used to clad the wall frame above the door opening. Additionally, in such case, it is preferred that the top member include support means by which the cavity trim members may be connected to and supported by the cavity or channel wall previously mentioned. In a preferred form, such support means are upwardly extending fins which are connected to the channel by sideward extending flanges. Suitably, in such form, it is preferred that the cavity trim members be adapted to engage with the fins to locate in a predetermined position thereby providing an attractive finish for plasterboard cladding and also for the top member. Preferably, the cavity trims have a fin adapted to abut the fins on the top member and to be secured thereto by rivets, screws or other suitable fasteners . It is also preferred that the top member and the cavity trims include means such as corner ribs or flanges to set the desired engagement of the inter-engaging components. It will be appreciated that different thickness wall frames will require different width top members. Suitably, different width top members can be provided to suit and complementary cavity trims can also be provided to achieve the same general appearance. Advantageously, in the aforementioned form of the invention, the extruded upper cavity trim members can also be used as the front end members with the fins providing means for connecting the permanent temporary bracing members thereto. Also advantageously, the rear end member can be constructed by joining separate inner and outer members by a joining member, the width of the joining member being selected to accommodate the particular wall frame in which the panel is to be installed, and the inner and outer members having a fin adapted to be connected to the permanent bracing members . In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a method of installing an in-wall sliding door, including: providing a panel containing an in-wall sliding door as previously described; fitting the panel into an opening in a wall frame in a predetermined location; securing the panel to the wall frame; and removing the temporary bracing members .

In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a method of installing an in-wall sliding door, including: providing a panel for an in-wall sliding door as previously described; fitting the panel into an opening in a wall frame in a predetermined location; securing the panel to the wall frame; removing the temporary bracing members; mounting a plurality of hangers from the top member; and hanging a door from said hangers for sliding movement along said top member through the space between said inner and outer extruded vertical front end members .

Terms such as top, bottom, upper, lower, horizontal, vertical, sidewards, upwards and the like are used herein to describe the invention in its normal in-use attitude and is not intended to limit the invention to use any particular orientation.

Brief description of the drawings

In order that the invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a panel containing an in-wall sliding door according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a pictorial representation of a wall in which a panel containing an in-wall sliding door according to the present invention has been installed;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional plan view of the panel of Fig. 1 without the sliding door and without the temporary braces about half way up its height; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional end elevation of the panel of Fig. 1 without the sliding door and without the temporary braces through the door opening; and

Figs . 5 to 13 are pictorial representations of various extrusions used in the construction of the panel of Fig. 1 or optional components for use in the construction of panels for wall frames of different thickness .

Detailed description of the drawings

The in-wall sliding door panel 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 contains a sliding door 11 shown in phantom and a frame 12 made up generally of extruded aluminium members. In particular, the frame includes an extruded aluminium top member 16, inner and outer extruded vertical front end members 17 and 18, extruded inner and outer rear end members 19 and 21 which are joined by a joining member 22, a plurality of spaced apart permanent bracing members 23 extending between the respective inner and outer front end and rear end members, and extruded vertical door closure member (or jam) 24 and a plurality of temporary horizontal bracing members 26 and diagonal members 27 which secures the vertical door closure member 24 to the inner and outer front end members to hold it in the desired position spaced from the front end vertical members .

As can be more clearly seen in Fig. 3, the vertical front end members and the vertical rear end members together with the permanent bracing members provide a door frame which is adapted to be mounted within the wall so that the door 11 can be practically hidden within the wall when in the closed position as will be understood from Fig. 2. However, in this embodiment the frame (or panel) containing the door can be supplied as a complete unit including the door closure member already mounted in the desired position relative to top member and the vertical front end members with the door already hung from the top member such that it can be arranged to accurately and fully close against the closure member while in the factory. Thus, the builder is merely required to construct the wall frame with a complementary opening and mount the complete unit in the opening on site. Thus provided the top member is mounted in a horizontal attitude, the door should subsequently slide correctly and close correctly.

The horizontal top member 16 includes a centrally located channel section 30 having an upper wall 30a from which two spaced apart side walls 30b depend and which are contiguous with two inwardly directed spaced apart flanges 30c extending inwardly at their lower ends to provide a longitudinally extending space 3Od therebetween. Advantageously, a plurality of rollers 31 are mounted within the channel for rolling movement along the upper face of the two flanges which form flat rails for the rollers, the rollers being adapted to have a door hung therefrom in known manner.

A fin 32 extends outwardly from each of the sidewalls 30b and each fin is contiguous with a flange 33 which extends upwardly from the outer end thereof. Suitably, each flange provides for connection of another extrusion to the top member as will be described later. Additionally, second fins 34 extend outwardly from the sidewalls 30b parallel to the first fins.

Two opposed cavity trims 36 are secured to the top member on opposite sides of the channel. Each cavity trim has a bottom wall 36a which is adapted to align with the fin 34 of the top member so that their lower faces are contiguous. Suitably, a fin 37 extends upwards from the lower wall and is adapted to engage against the flange 33 and to be connected thereto by rivets, screws or the like. Advantageously, a positioning fin 38 extends sidewards from fin 37 and is adapted to locate against the lower face of fin 32 thereby ensuring that the lower face of the wall 36a is flush with the lower face of the fin 34 as previously mentioned so as to provide a suitable aesthetic appearance. A second fin 39 extends upwards from the base wall 36a generally parallel to fin 37 and spoaced outwards therefrom to provide a cavity between adapted to receive therein plasterboard cladding or the like. On the other side of fin 37, a locating fin 41 is also provided and is adapted to space the bottom wall 36a from the fin 32 by a predetermined distance and also to provide some rigidity to the structure.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, the vertical front end members 17 and 18 have the same cross-sectional shape as the cavity trims 36 and the fin 37 is arranged to provide a means for connecting the permanent braces 23 thereto.

Vertical rear members 19 and 21 are generally L-shaped in form, with one leg of each, 19a and 21a respectively providing a means for connecting the permanent bracing members 23 thereto and the other legs, 19b and 21b respectively, providing means for connecting another extrusion 22 thereto to space the two vertical rear end members apart by a predetermined distance to suit the wall frame in which the panel is to be mounted.

Each permanent bracing member is formed with a recess along its length which is adapted to receive therein dollops of adhesive for securing the plasterboard to the bracing members. For this purpose a flute 43 is also provided along the length of the extrusion for keying the adhesive to the bracing member.

The vertical door closure member 24 includes a front wall 46 having a front face 46 against which the door closes. Spaced apart fins 47 and 48 extend rearwardly from the front wall and are adapted to receive therebetween a stud of a complementary wall frame which in this embodiment would be a 64mm wide timber stud. Other closure members may be provided to suit other sized studs. Beyond those two fins, two further fins 49 and 51 extend parallel to fins 47 and 48 to provide respective cavities therewith adapted to receive therein plasterboard cladding or the like in the same manner as previously described. As will be understood from Pig. 1, the temporary bracing members 26 and 27 can be removed after the panel has been fitted to the opening in the wall frame and secured in place. It will be appreciated that once the complete panel has been fitted, the vertical members will be parallel and plumb provided that the top member has been correctly fitted and secured horizontal.

The foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention and many modifications and variations which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A panel containing an in-wall sliding door, the panel including: an extruded horizontal top member having a side portion defining a rail therealong; a plurality of spaced apart hangers supported on said rail for movement therealong; a door hanging from said plurality of hangers and adapted to slide relative to said top member in unison with movement of said hangers along said rail; inner and outer extruded vertical front end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom intermediate its ends and on opposite sides of said door; one or more extruded vertical rear end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom at or adjacent one end; a plurality of spaced apart permanent bracing members connected at one end to either said inner front end member or said outer front end member and at the other end to the or one of said rear end members on one side or the other of said door; an extruded vertical door closure member connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom adjacent the opposite end from the or each said rear end member; one or more temporary bracing members connected to one or more of said front end members, said one or more rear end members and said permanent bracing members remote from said top member to temporarily secure the lower end portion of said door closure member in a predetermined position substantially parallel to said front end members.

2. A panel for an in-wall sliding door, the panel including: an extruded horizontal top member having a side portion defining a rail therealong; inner and outer extruded vertical front end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom intermediate its ends and having a space therebetween through which a door hanging from said top member may slide,- one or more extruded vertical rear end members connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom at or adjacent one end; a plurality of spaced apart permanent bracing members connected at one end to either said inner front end member or said outer front end member and at the other end to the or one of said rear end members on one side or the other of the space between said inner and outer front end members; an extruded vertical door closure member connected to said top member and depending substantially perpendicularly therefrom adjacent the opposite end from the or each said rear end member; one or more temporary bracing members connected to one of said front end members, said rear end member and said permanent bracing members remote from said top member and being arranged to temporarily secure the lower end portion of said door closure member in a predetermined position substantially parallel to said front end members .

3. A panel according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 , wherein said top member has two opposed side portions defining said rail.

4. A panel according to Claim 3 , wherein top member has a wall defining a cavity or channel in which the hangers run and an opening along the length of its base and said two side portions are adjacent said opening on opposite sides.

5. A panel according to Claim 3 , wherein said cavity or channel is defined in part by two elongate flanges forming an elongate space therebetween, the flanges forming said rail

6. A panel according to any one of the preceding claims, including two spaced apart extruded upper cavity trim members which are adapted to engage with the top member, one on each side so as to provide a bottom edge cap for plasterboard cladding.

7. A panel according to Claim 6, wherein the top member include support means by which the cavity trim members may be connected to and supported by the cavity or channel wall.

8. A panel according to Claim 7, wherein said support means are upwardly extending fins which are connected to the channel by sideward extending flanges.

9. A panel according to Claim 8, wherein said cavity trim members are adapted to engage with said fins to locate in a predetermined position.

10. A panel according to Claim 9, wherein said cavity trims have a fin adapted to abut the fins on the top member and to be secured thereto by rivets, screws or other suitable fasteners.

11. A panel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said top member and said cavity trims include means such as corner ribs or flanges to set their desired engagement.

12. A method of installing an in-wall sliding door, including: providing a panel containing an in-wall sliding door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims; fitting the panel into an opening in a wall frame in a predetermined location; securing the panel to the wall frame; and removing the temporary bracing members .

13. In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a method of installing an in-wall sliding door, including: providing a panel for an in-wall sliding door as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 11; fitting the panel into an opening in a wall frame in a predetermined location; securing the panel to the wall frame; removing the temporary bracing members; mounting a plurality of hangers from the top member,- and hanging a door from said hangers for sliding movement along said top member through the space between said inner and outer extruded vertical front end members .

14. A panel containing an in-wall sliding door as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .

15. A panel for an in-wall sliding door as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .

16. A method of installing an in-wall sliding door as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .