Apparatus for opening aligned sliding doors of furniture

Apparatus for opening aligned sliding leaves of furniture, comprising an item of furniture with at least two sliding leaves which are aligned in the closed position, wherein the or each sliding leaf comprises an upper track for receiving a roller, a slide guide fixedly secured to or integral with said item of furniture and having a movable part movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the leaf and provided with a first roller having a vertical axis received in said upper track and an engagement member, such as a pin, a first pulley coupled to said movable part by said engagement member, a second pulley in a lower part of said item of furniture, an inextensible, flexible element connecting said first and second pulleys, a horizontal shaft extending across the width of said door leaf for supporting said second pulley, an arm extending from each end of said shaft acting upon lateral trolley members supported by pairs of rollers sliding in guides rigidly secured to said item of furniture, said trolleys carrying a substantially U-section member, second rollers having a horizontal axis and third rollers, having a vertical axis and a support member rigidly connecting said second and third rollers to said door leaf whereby said second and third rollers can run in said U-section member, fourth rollers mounted on a support member and arranged, when the leaf is moved perpendicular to said plane and in a direction away from the item of furniture, to cooperate with a horizontal lower track mounted parallel to the front surface of the item of furniture.