Sliding door having pinion and idler wheel
AssigneeSteelcase Canada Ltd.
InventorRobert T. Whalen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A horizontal sliding door for a housing such as a cabinet. An axle rotatably mounted at the rear of the door projects into two identical tracks one at each side of the housing. Each track has a lower toothed rack and an upper stop surface facing the rack. A pinion slideably and non-rotatably mounted on each end of the axle engages the rack and is held there by an idler wheel slideably and rotatably mounted beside each pinion. A spacer sleeve near one end of the axle is removable, allowing one pinion and idler wheel to be slid inwardly, allowing removal of the door by passing that one end of the axle through a slot in one end of the track.
Claims15
A housing having a door structure comprising:
- (a) a door,
- (b) a pair of elongated tracks one on each side of said door and each mounted on said housing,
- (c) each track having a toothed elongated first surface and a flat longitudinal second surface spaced from and extending parallel to and facing said first surface,
- (d) an axle rotatably mounted on said door and having a pair of ends one projecting into each track,
- (e) a pinion non-rotatably mounted on each end of said axle,
- (f) an idler wheel rotatably mounted on each end of said axle adjacent said pinion,
- (g) the spacing between said first and second surfaces and the diameters of said pinions and idler wheels being such that each pinion engages said teeth in its associated first surface and is clear of its associated second surface and each idler wheel contacts its associated second surface and is clear of its associated first surface,
- so that as said door is moved back and forth in said housing, said pinion wheels rotate together in engagement with said teeth to keep said door aligned in said cabinet and said idler wheels rotate in a direction opposite to that of said pinions and maintain said pinions in engagement with said teeth,
- (h) at least one pinion and its associated idler wheel being slideable laterally along said axle, and
- (i) a spacer member removably mounted on said axle for holding such slidable pinion and idler wheel in their associated track,
- so that said spacer member can be removed and said pinion and idler wheel slid along said axle out of said track to facilitate removal of said door from said housing.
A set of parts for mounting a door having an axle mounted thereon on a housing, said set of parts comprising:
- (a) a pair of elongated tracks adapted to be mounted one at each side of said door on said housing,
- (b) each track having a toothed elongated first surface and a flat longitudinal second surface spaced from and extending parallel to and facing said first surface,
- (c) a pair of pinions one adapted to be mounted on each end of said axle and each pinion having an interior opening having means therein to engage said end of said axle so that said pinion cannot rotate on said end of said axle,
- (d) a pair of idler wheels each adapted to be rotatably mounted on an end of said axle adjacent a said pinion,
- (e) the spacing between said first and second surfaces and the diameters of said pinions and idler wheels being such that when said set is assembled, each pinion will engage said teeth in its associated first surface and be clear of its associated second surface and each idler wheel will contact its associated second surface and be clear of its associated first surface, so that as said door is moved back and forth in said housing, said pinion wheels rotate together in engagement with said teeth to keep said door aligned in said cabinet and said idler wheels rotate in a direction opposite to that of said pinions and maintain said pinions in engagement with said teeth,
- (f) at least one pinion and its associated idler wheel being slidable laterally along said axle when such pinion and associated idler wheel are mounted on said axle,
- (g) a spacer member adapted to be removably mounted on said axle for holding such slidable pinion and idler wheel in their associated track when said set is assembled, so that when said set is assembled, said spacer member can be removed and said pinion and idler slid along said axle out of said track to facilitate removal of said door from said housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.