Overhead door

• US 5,645,333 A
• Filed: 04/17/1995
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sugatsune Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sugatsune Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakurai, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDY, ROBERT JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/422,960
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 47/197, 312/323, 312/322, 312/321.5, 312/307, 312/319.4, 312/319.1, 312/219, 312/107.5, 312/245, 16/51, 16/52, 16/DIG. 9
• US Class Current: 312/322
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 13/1207 with tension springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 13/1253 with canted-coil torsion springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/582 with horizontal swinging axis E05D15/581 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1016 with a canted-coil torsion spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1075 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/266 rotary
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furnitures, e.g. cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 16/09 Hydraulic actuated checks, closers

Abstract

There is provided an overhead door that is placed on the roof board of a cabinet or the like to which it is fitted when it is opened so that the space available within the cabinet may be maximized. The overhead door 8 is swingably secured to the inner lateral wall surfaces 4, 4 of the cabinet 1 by means of a pair of support arms 14, 14 such that the distal end of each of the support arms is rotatably secured to a rotary shafts 15 on the corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and the proximal end is pivotably fitted to the inner surface of teh door at a position close to the lower edge thereof by way of a bracket 16. The door 8 is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies 9, 9, each comprising a relatively long outer rail 9c and a relatively short inner rail 9d arranged vis-a-vis the outer rail and pivotably secured at the upper end to the front edge of the roof wall 2 of the cabinet 1 by means of a hinge 14 comprising hinge bodies 10a, 10b and an axis 10c. Thus, the door 8 can be swung closed as a combined effect of slewing and sliding motions when it is pulled forward and downward from its fully open position located on the roof board 2.

Claims

1. An overhead door swingably secured to inner lateral wall surfaces of a cabinet by means of a pair of support arm/damper assemblies such that a damper of each of the assemblies is rigidly fitted to a corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and a distal end of a support arm of each of the assemblies is secured to a rotary shaft of the damper while a proximal end is pivotally fitted to an inner surface of the door at a position close to a lower edge thereof, characterized in that the door is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each of said slide rail assemblies comprising a relatively long outer rail and a short inner rail arranged vis-a-vis the outer rail with a ball retainer interposed therebetween and pivotably secured at an upper end to a front edge of a roof wall of the cabinet by a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully opened, the door is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet, that the door is also provided on the inner surface thereof with a number of longitudinal grooves, each of said grooves accommodating a tension spring having one end hooked to an upper end of a corresponding one of the hinges and another end hooked to a lower end of the groove, so that the upward motion of the outer rail and the door relative to the inner rail is restrained whereas downward motion of the outer rail and the door in relation to the inner rail is facilitated by the tension springs and that the damper of each of said short arm/damper assemblies is provided with a coil spring having one end hooked to the rotary shaft of the damper and another end hooked to a damper main body so that said coil spring is wound further when the door is moved down toward a closed position and urges the outer rail and the door upward relative to the inner rail.

2. An overhead door swingably secured to inner lateral wall surfaces of a cabinet by means of a pair of support arms such that a distal end of each of the support arms is rotatably secured to a corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and a proximal end is pivotably fitted to an inner surface of the door at a position close to a lower edge thereof, characterized in that the door is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each of said slide rail assemblies comprising a relatively long outer rail and a short inner rail arranged vis-a-vis the outer rail with a ball retainer interposed therebetween and pivotably secured at an upper end to a front edge of a roof wall of the cabinet by a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully opened, the door is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet and that the door is also provided on the inner surface thereof with a number of longitudinal grooves, each of said grooves accommodating a tension spring having one end hooked to an upper end of a corresponding one of the hinges and another end hooked to a lower end of the groove, so that the upward motion of the outer rail and the door relative to the inner rail is restrained whereas downward motion of the outer rail and the door relative to the inner rail is facilitated by the tension springs.

3. An overhead door swingably secured to inner lateral wall surfaces of a cabinet by means of a pair of support arm/damper assemblies such that a damper of each of the assemblies is rigidly fitted to a corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and a distal end of a support arm of each of the assemblies is secured to a rotary shaft of the damper while a proximal end is pivotably fitted to an inner surface of the door at a position close to a lower edge thereof, characterized in that the door is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each of said slide rail assemblies comprising a relatively long outer rail and a short inner rail arranged vis-a-vis the long outer rail and a short inner rail arranged vis-a-vis the outer rail with a ball retainer interposed therebetween and pivotably secured at an upper end to a front edge of a roof wall of the cabinet, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully opened, the door is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet.

4. An overhead door swingably secured to inner lateral wall surfaces of a cabinet by means of a pair of support arm/damper assemblies such that a damper of each of the assemblies is rigidly fitted to a corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and a distal end of a support arm of each of the assemblies is secured to a rotary shaft of the damper while a proximal end is pivotably fitted to an inner surface of the door at a position close to a lower edge thereof, characterized in that the door is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each of said slide rail assemblies comprising a relatively long outer rail and a short inner rail arranged vis-a-vis the outer rail with a ball retainer interposed therebetween and pivotably secured at an upper end to a front edge of a roof wall of the cabinet by a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully opened, the door is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet and that the door is also provided on the inner surface thereof with a number of longitudinal grooves, each of said grooves accommodating a tension spring having one end hooked to an upper end of a corresponding one of the hinges and another end hooked to the lower end of the groove, so that the upward motion of the outer rail and the door relative to the inner rail is restrained whereas downward motion of the outer rail and door relative to the inner rail is facilitated by the tension springs.

5. An overhead door swingably secured to inner lateral wall surfaces of a cabinet by means of a pair of support arm/damper assemblies such that a damper of each of the assemblies is rigidly fitted to a corresponding lateral wall of the cabinet and a distal end of a support arm of each of the assemblies is secured to a rotary shaft of the damper while a proximal end is pivotably fitted to an inner surface of the door at a position close to a lower edge thereof, characterized in that the door is provided on the inner surface thereof with a pair of longitudinally arranged slide rail assemblies, each of said slide rail assemblies comprising a relatively long outer rail and a short inner rail arranged vis-a-vis the outer rail with a ball retainer interposed therebetween and pivotably secured at an upper end to a front edge of a roof wall of the cabinet by a hinge, so that the door can be swung open or closed as a combined effect of slewing and sliding motions and, when fully opened, the door is placed on the roof wall of the cabinet and that the damper of each of said short arm/damper assemblies is provided with a coil spring having one end hooked to the rotary shaft of the damper and another end hooked to a damper main body so that said coil spring is wound further when the door is moved down toward a closed position and urges the outer rail and the door upward relative to the inner rail.