Technical Field

This invention relates generally to a sliding door assembly for a cabinet and particularly to an assembly which can be used for glass fronted display cabinets for beverages, food products and the like.

Background Art

In the prior art and, for example, in a patent owned by the assignee of the present application, namely, U.S. Patent No. 3.328.106 Self-Closing Cabinet Doors are known. This particular patent, utilizes an offset counterweight system having a double bent guide tube which directs the sash-line through two 90° turns.

As pointed out in U.S. Patent No. 3.328.106 the use of pulleys had not proved successful because the sash-line tends to slip off the pulleys, which was a problem solved by the use of a double bent guide tube. On the other hand, the guide tube does not have the relatively frictionless free motion of a pulley system such as a ball bearing pulley system.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the known prior art systems.

Summary of Invention

The present sliding door system overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art sliding door systems by providing a free motion pulley arrangement, which uses an effective guidance system to essentially eliminate sash-line slip off the pulleys. The self-closing sliding door assembly is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for use in conjunction with an open front cabinet and includes at least one door slidably mounted for movement in a plane between an open and closed position. The system includes a

counterweight offset from the plane of the door to overcome resistance to motion. A first pulley mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane and a second pulley mounted for rotation in a vertical plane. A sash-line is provided having opposed ends one of which is attached to the door and the other of which is attached to the counterweight. Guide means are provided for guiding and retaining the sash-line on the pulleys during movement of the door and counterweight.

It is an aspect of this invention to provide that each pulley is mounted to a bracket and the bracket provides the guiding and retaining means.

It is another aspect of this invention that the door can be used for double door closure purposes.

This self-closing, sliding door assembly is relatively simple to manufacture and install and is very effective for its intended purpose.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a self-closing sliding door, glass fronted merchandiser;

Fig. 2 is enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 illustrating a corner of the merchandiser;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the door and counterweight assembly;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view taken from the inside of the merchandiser, showing the pulley bracket and sash-line arrangement;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a pulley bracket;

Fig. 7 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a front perspective view of the pulley bracket

Best Modes For Carrying Out The Invention

Referring now by reference numerals to the drawings and first to FIGS. 1-4 it will be understood that the self-closing sliding door assembly is suitable for beverage merchandisers, display cabinets and storage cabinets. In the embodiment shown, the cabinet, generally indicated by numeral 10 in FIG. 1 has an opening defined by a ceiling wall 12 a floor wall 14 and a pair of laterally opposed sidewalls 16 and 18. A pair of movably mounted sliding doors 20 and 22 are slidably mounted to provide a closure for the opening of the cabinet 10 as will now be described.

Mounted on the cabinet floor wall 14 is an elongate double- channel guide track 24 which extends substantially between the end sidewalls 16 and 18. Each of the side-by-side channels 26 and 28 of the lower track 24 receives sliding doors 20 or 22, respectively, in movable relation. A similar elongate double channel track 30, having side-by-side channels 32 and 34, is mounted to the ceiling wall 12 in vertically aligned relation to the double channel of the floor wall 14 to receive and stabilize the sliding doors. In effect, the lower track 24 guides the bottom of the doors in sliding relation as by rollers. The upper track 30 guides the top of the doors by overlapping of the doors, as shown in FIG. 5, by the side flanges of the side channels 32 and 34.

As shown in FIG. 5, read in conjunction with FIGS 6-9, two sets of pulley bracket assemblies 100 are provided to guide a sash-line 60. The two sets are identical except that the first set, designated 100a, is mounted in the horizontal plane in the upper guide channel 30 and the second set 100b is mounted in the vertical plane directly to the cabinet sidewall 18. It will be understood that the axis of rotation of the pulley assembly 100a is vertical while the axis of rotation of the pulley assembly 100b is horizontal and disposed at 90° to the axis of rotation of the pulley assembly 100b. The sash-line 60 has a vertical portion 62 attached to a counterweight 70 by an eyebolt; a first horizontal portion 64 extending between the two pulley systems 100a and 100b; and a

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second horizontal portion extending from pulley system 100a to a remote connection point on the door 20 as by a screw.

The pulley systems 100a and 100b are provided with an arrangement of parts such that the sash-line 60 is guided over the pulleys and effectively retained on the associated pulleys by virtue of a guard arrangement, as will now be described.

The pulley bracket assembly 100 is best shown by reference to

FIGS. 6-9 and includes a bracket 101 and a pulley 104. the bracket includes a base plate 102 cut and shaped to form a rear portion 105, upper and lower portions 106 and 108 and slotted side flanges 110, for mounting the pulley.

The bracket 102 is apertured to receive a stud 112, which is coined or otherwise attached to the bracket 102. The stud 112 receives the pulley 104 which includes a split pair of inner races 114, an outer pulley race 116 and the assembly includes a plurality of balls 120, eleven in number in the embodiment shown, received between the inner and outer races. As shown in FIG. 8, the stud is coined at the front end

130 and the rear end 132 to hold the pulley bracket assembly 100 together. The bracket 102 includes a pair of countersunk openings 103 by which the bracket assembly 100 is operatively attached to a surface, such as the upper surface or the inner side surface of the merchandiser cabinet, by countersunk rivets or bolts.

As shown in FIGS 6-9 the sash-line is received by the pulleys

104. In the embodiment shown the periphery 134 of the pulley 104 is spaced from the associated bracket flange 110 a gap distance G where

G is substantially less than the diameter of the sash-line, and less than half of the sash-line diameter in the embodiment shown.

It is thought that the functional advantages of this self-closing sliding door assembly have become fully apparent from the foregoing detailed description of parts, but for completeness of disclosure, the installation and operation will be briefly described.

The self-closing, sliding door assembly 10 is comprised essentially of doors riding in a track for movement between open and closed limits, the doors 20, 22 being opened against the action of the counterweight 70 attached to the door by a sash-line, and the sash-line being guided and supported by a means that enables the counterweight to be suspended and located along the side of the door rather than at its end.

As is generally indicated in FIG. 4 and 5 the downward pull exerted by each of the counterweights 70 is translated by an associated sash-line 60 through the pulley bracket assemblies into a substantially horizontal pull applied at the upper innermost corner of the associated door 20 or 22 respectively where the sash-line is connected, as by a screw.

Referring to door 20 and its counterweight assembly, the gravitational pull exerted by the counterweight 70 causes a constant force to be exerted on the door 20 tending to move the door toward the closed limit in which the end of the door 20 engages the cabinet side wall 18, as is shown in FIG. 5. To open the door 20, a manual push is exerted against the door 20 to overcome the gravitational force exerted by the counterweight 70. The door 20 glides on roller balls, or the like along its associated track channels 24 and to its open limit. When the manual force applied to the door 20 is released, the constant force exerted by the gravitational pull of counterweight 70 returns the door 20 to its closed limit. While the door 20 moves between the open and closed limits, it will be understood that that sash-line 60 is passing back and forth over the pulley brackets 100a and 100b as the counterweight 70 is alternately raised or lowered within the elongate enclosure 25 (FIG 2).

The pulley bracket assemblies 100a and 100b are stationary because they are attached by screws or other suitable means to the cabinet.

lnterference of the counterweight 70 with goods stored in the cabinet is prevented by the elongate enclosure 72.

The procedure and mode of operation described above applies also to door 22 when, as indicated in the present embodiment, double doors are provided.

Although the invention has been described by making detailed reference to a single preferred embodiment, such detail is to be understood in an instructive, rather than in any restrictive sense many variations being possible within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.