Strengthened automatic sliding door
AssigneeAssa Abloy Entrance Systems AB
InventorsJeffrey A. Wolfe, Steven J. Fontaine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a vertical profile for an automated sliding door. The profile is formed by front and rear walls connected by nose and tail walls. The nose and tail walls are thicker than the front and rear walls to provide enhanced resistance to deflection in the through-door direction. The walls are formed as an aluminum extrusion. The arrangement and thickness of the walls provides strength sufficient to withstand high wind loads without the installation of reinforcing members. Fillets may be provided where the walls are joined to lessen the tendency for the nose and tail walls deflect, further strengthen the profile.
Claims15
A vertical support member for a sliding door comprising:
- a front wall forming a front surface of the member and having a first thickness;
- a rear wall parallel to the front wall forming a rear surface of the member and having a second thickness;
- a nose side wall forming a nose surface of the member and having a third thickness;
- a tail side wall forming a tail surface of the member and having a fourth thickness, wherein the nose side wall and tail side wall join the front and rear walls to one another to form a hollow central cavity therebetween;
- and
- four fillets each disposed at respective intersections of the nose side wall and the tail side wall with the front wall and the rear wall, wherein the four fillets each extend into the central cavity of the member and each has a constant cross section along a length of the member;
- and
- wherein the member is formed as a unitary body, and wherein the third and fourth thicknesses are greater than the first and second thicknesses.
A door assembly comprising:
- two vertical support members each comprising:
- a front wall forming a front surface of the member and having a first thickness;
- a rear wall parallel to the front wall forming a rear surface of the member and having a second thickness;
- a nose side wall forming a nose surface of the member and having a third thickness;
- a tail side wall forming a tail surface of the member and having a fourth thickness, wherein the nose side wall and tail side wall join the front and rear walls to one another to form a hollow central cavity therebetween;
- and
- four fillets each disposed at respective intersections of the nose side wall and the tail side wall with the front wall the rear wall, wherein the four fillets extend into the central cavity of each member and each has a constant cross section along a length of each member, wherein each member is formed as a unitary body, and wherein the third and fourth thicknesses are greater than the first and second thicknesses;
- a top support member;
- a bottom support member;
- a glass door pane held along a perimeter by the vertical support members, top, and bottom support members, wherein the pane and the support members form a door member;
- a slide rail positioned below the door member, the slide rail adapted to allow the door member to slide in a horizontal direction;
- and
- a door operation mechanism adapted to drive the door member in the horizontal direction to open and close the door member in response to a signal, wherein the vertical support members are formed as unitary bodies from aluminum alloy extrusions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.