Sliding glass door assembly having glass doors which are lockable together to slide as a unit

• US 6,276,091 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1998
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jaime Carl Ridgway
• Original Assignee: Jaime Carl Ridgway
• Inventors: Ridgway, Jaime Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US09/154,883
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 491/25, 491/42, 49/98, 49/95, 49/68, 494/13, 494/04, 494/49, 160/90, 160/91, 160/89, 292/DIG.46
• US Class Current: 49/125
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/0864 the bolts sliding perpendicular to the wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/60 holding sliding wings open E05C17/443, E05C17/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/4609 for windows E06B3/4654 - E06B3/4681 take precedence

Abstract

An assembly for use in a generally rectangular sliding doorway. The assembly includes two sliding glass doors and a stationary screen that are provided in the doorway. The sliding glass doors can be slid within the doorway to allow access across the doorway, to seal the doorway, or to permit ventilation across the doorway through the screen. The assembly also includes a coupling rod provided in a frame of one of the sliding glass doors to be selectively extended into a frame of the other sliding glass door. The sliding glass doors can be locked together to slide as a unit in a fixed relation to each other. The sliding glass doors can also be locked together to lock the sliding glass doors in a closed position to seal the doorway. The same coupling rod serves to lock the sliding glass doors together in the position where they slide together as a unit and in the closed position. The assembly is fully adjustable to be configured with the screen on the right or left side of the doorway. In standard usage, the glass doors will slide to open and close the doorway, but the screen will remain stationary.

Claims

1. A sliding door assembly comprising:

a substantially rectangular sliding door doorway, the sliding door doorway having a door frame formed by a lower doorway frame member, an upper doorway frame member, a first vertical doorway frame member, and a second vertical doorway frame member, the sliding door doorway being between an inside area and an outside area;

a first glass door slidably received by the upper and lower doorway frame members, said first glass door having a first rectangular door frame, said first rectangular door frame having a first vertical door frame member and a second vertical door frame member, said first vertical door frame member having a coupling passageway formed therein, said second vertical door frame member having a locking passageway formed therein, said first glass door being adapted to slide to a position wherein said first vertical door frame member is in sealed engagement with said first vertical doorway frame member;

a second glass door slidably received by the upper and lower doorway frame members, said second glass door having a second rectangular door frame, said second rectangular door frame having a third vertical door frame member and a fourth vertical door frame member, said second glass door being adapted to slide to a position wherein said fourth vertical door frame member is in sealed engagement with said second vertical doorway frame member, said second glass door being adapted to slide to a position wherein said first vertical door frame member is in alignment with said third vertical door frame member;

a screen panel operably received by the upper and lower doorway frame members;

a coupling member operably received in said third vertical door frame member such that said coupling member can engage said coupling passageway when said second glass door is in said position wherein said first vertical door frame member is in alignment with said third vertical door frame member to selectively connect said first glass door with said second glass door such that said first and second glass doors are slidable together as a unit in a fixed relation to each other between said first and second vertical doorway frame members, said coupling member further being able to engage said locking passageway when said first glass door is in said position wherein said first vertical door frame member is in sealed engagement with said first vertical doorway frame member and said second glass door is in said position wherein said fourth vertical door frame member is in sealed engagement with said second vertical doorway frame member to lock said glass doors within said sliding door doorway; and

means for locking said screen panel against the first vertical doorway frame member such that when said first and second glass doors are slid to engage the second vertical doorway frame member and said screen panel is locked against the first vertical doorway frame member said screen panel in combination with said glass doors prevent egress across the sliding door doorway but still allow ventilation between the inside area and the outside area across said screen panel, such that when said first glass door is in said position wherein said first vertical door frame member is in sealed engagement with said first vertical doorway frame member and said second glass door is in said position wherein said fourth vertical door frame member is in sealed engagement with said second vertical doorway frame member said first and second glass doors substantially prevent ventilation and egress between the inside area and the outside area across the sliding door doorway, and such that when said first and second glass doors and said screen panel engage said first vertical doorway frame member an opening is formed between said first and second glass doors and said second vertical doorway frame member to allow egress across the sliding door doorway between the inside and outside areas.

2. The sliding door assembly according to claim 1, further comprising means for locking said screen panel against the second vertical doorway frame member such that when said first and second glass doors are slid to engage the first vertical doorway frame member and said creen panel is locked against the second vertical doorway frame member, said screen panel in combination with said first and second glass doors prevent egress across the sliding door doorway but still allow ventilation between the inside area and the outside area across said screen panel, and such that when said first and second glass doors and said screen panel engage the second vertical doorway frame member an opening between said first and second glass doors and the first vertical doorway frame member is formed to allow egress across the sliding door doorway between the inside and outside areas.

3. The sliding door assembly according to claim 1, wherein said coupling member is slidably received within a coupling member passageway such that said coupling member is slidable between a retracted position wherein said coupling member is retracted into said coupling member passageway and a coupling position wherein a portion of said coupling member extends beyond an outside surface of said third vertical door frame member.