DE29907980U1 - Guide device for sliding door elements of a piece of furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

The guide rail (4) has a C-shaped fastening groove (10) in the middle of its cross section to receive fasteners. Guide grooves (11) are provided above and below the fastening groove to receive rollers (6) or sliders. Fasteners may comprise plugs (12) and eccentric fittings (13) or screws.

Description

Guide device for sliding door elements of a piece of furniture

The present invention relates to a guide device for sliding door elements of a piece of furniture, comprising a guide rail that can be fixed on the furniture side and at least one guide part that can be fastened on the sliding door side, preferably in the form of a roller.

Guide devices of this type are known in many different designs. In practice, before installing a sliding door element, a guide device is required in the lower end area and another guide device in the upper end area of the sliding door element. To fix the sliding door element in relation to the guide rails, at least two guide parts are usually required in the lower and upper areas.

The present invention is based on the object of creating a guide device of the generic type which can be manufactured easily and inexpensively and which can be fixed in a variety of ways to the front of a furniture body.

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL-ING. STRACKE ■ DIPL.-ING. LOESEI^BEtK^ j

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 2

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the guide rail is provided with a C-shaped fastening groove in its central cross-sectional area for receiving fastening means and is equipped with guide grooves both below and above the fastening groove for guiding guide parts such as rollers or sliding pieces.

The guide rail of the guide device can be fixed to the front of a furniture body in a variety of ways, as the C-shaped fastening groove arranged in the middle cross-sectional area provides ideal conditions for this.

The guide rail can be attached to a furniture body using dowels and eccentric fittings, whereby the dowels are provided with a head that engages in the C-shaped fastening groove. With this type of fastening, the C-shaped fastening groove faces the furniture body with its open side.

If the guide rail is mounted in the opposite position to the furniture body, simple fastening screws can be used, which then penetrate the web area that borders the fastening groove on the floor side.
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The open side of the C-shaped fastening groove can then be closed as desired using a cover rail.

Since the guide rail is provided with guide grooves above and below the fastening groove, it can be used in both the lower and upper areas of a sliding door element to guide this sliding door element. In addition, another sliding door element can be provided below a sliding door element, which can then be guided in its upper area in the lower guide groove of the guide rail that is also used to guide the upper sliding door element.

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL-ING. STRACKE · DIPL-ING. LOESEfjBE*C£- PATPTjTAI^tTE -fiJELE^FBLD

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 3

Further features of the invention are the subject of further subclaims.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are described in more detail below.
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Show it:

Figure 1 shows a vertical partial section through a piece of furniture with a sliding door element with a guide device according to the invention,
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Figure 2 shows a vertical section through a guide rail fixed to the furniture body according to a further embodiment of the invention,

Figure 3 is a partial view in the direction of arrow III in Figure 1, shown without the intermediate floor of the furniture body shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a schematically illustrated vertical partial section through a piece of furniture with superimposed sliding door elements with a guide device according to the invention,
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Figure 5 is a view in the direction of arrow V in Figure 4, shown without the intermediate floor according to Figure 4,

Figure 6 shows a vertical section through a piece of furniture with two overlapping sliding door elements which are guided on guide devices according to the invention

are conducted,

Figure 7 is a schematic, perspective exploded view of a particularly advantageous fastening option for the guide rail of a guide device according to the invention,

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL.-ING. STRACKE · DIPL.-ING. LOESEJtBEClt - PATEÜJAblWftLTE -*^IEL^ELD

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 4

Figure 8 shows a vertical section through a guide rail attached to the body side according to Figure 7.

In the embodiment of the invention according to Figures 1 and 3, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a furniture body which is equipped with a sliding door element 2 in the form of a glass door.

This sliding door element 2 is supported and guided by a guide device 3, which essentially consists of a guide rail 4 and a guide part 5, here in the form of a roller 6.

The guide rail 4 is fixed to the furniture body 1, specifically to an intermediate floor 7. This intermediate floor 7 is slightly recessed from the front surface 8 of the furniture body 1, so that a spacer 9 is provided between the intermediate floor 7 and the guide rail 4 to compensate for the difference between the front edge of the intermediate floor 7 and the front surface 8 of the furniture body 1.

The guide rail 4 is equipped with an approximately C-shaped fastening groove 10 in its middle cross-sectional area.

Above and below this fastening groove 10, the guide rail 4 is provided with guide grooves 11.

In the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 3, only the upper guide groove 11 is used to guide the roller 6 of the sliding door element 2.

The guide rail 4 is attached to the furniture body 1 - here specifically to the intermediate floor 7 - using a dowel 12 and an eccentric fitting 13, whereby the dowel 12 is equipped with a head 14 held in the fastening groove 10 of the guide rail 4. By turning the eccentric fitting 13, the

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL-ING. STRACKE · DIPL-ING. LOESENC^C^- PAT^ItANWfITE -PJELEJf&

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 5

Dowel 12 is tightened in a known manner in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1 and thus the guide rail 4 is pulled firmly against the spacer 9 and thus also the intermediate floor 7.

Figure 2 shows another fastening option for a guide rail 4 of a guide device according to the invention.

As Figure 2 clearly shows, a spacer 9 is also provided here between the intermediate floor 7 of the furniture body 1 and the guide rail 4. This spacer 9 is equipped with a metric internal thread. A fastening screw 15 is screwed into the front side of the intermediate floor 7, the head 14 of which engages in the fastening groove 10 of the guide rail 4 and is partially provided with a metric thread section 16. The spacer 9 is screwed onto this metric thread section 16 and, after the fastening screw 15 has been secured, can be screwed opposite the intermediate floor 7 in the direction of the guide rail 4, so that here too the fastening rail 4 is secured perfectly.

Both when fastening the guide rail 4 according to Figure 1 and according to Figure 2, the guide rail 4 points with its open side of the fastening groove 10 in the direction of the furniture body 1.

As Figure 4 clearly shows, the guide rail 4 can also be fixed on the furniture side using a simple fastening screw 15a, which then passes through the web area that delimits the fastening groove 10 on the floor side. As Figure 4 clearly shows, the open side of the fastening groove 10 faces the front of the furniture body 1 and is expediently closed by a cover rail 17 after assembly.

Figure 4 also shows by way of example that a guide rail 4 can be used to guide two sliding door elements 2 lying one above the other, whereby

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL-ING. STRACKE · DIPL-ING. LOESET^CHC- &Rgr;&Agr;&Tgr;^&Tgr;.&Agr;^&bgr;//&Bgr;.&Tgr;*&Egr; -&IELEfi

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 6

then the roller 6 of the upper sliding door element 2 engages in the upper guide groove 11 and the roller 6 of the lower sliding door element 2 engages in the lower guide groove 11 of the guide rail 4.

Furthermore, Figure 4 illustrates by way of example that the sliding door elements 2 can be made of different materials, for example, in the embodiment according to Figure 4, the upper sliding door element 2 is made of wood, while the lower sliding door element 2 essentially consists of a glass plate which is held in a running frame 18.

Figure 5 shows brackets 19, which on the one hand support the rollers 6 of the guide device and on the other hand are attached to the rear of the sliding door elements 2. The screws 20 for securing these brackets 19 to the sliding door elements 2 are guided through elongated holes 21 in the brackets 19, so that after loosening the screws 20, the sliding door elements 2 can be easily and without problems dismantled by moving the brackets 19.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment in which two sliding door elements 2 are guided in an overlapping manner on the guide devices 4 according to the invention.

The sliding door element 2 that is directly facing the furniture body 1 is guided in the lower guide grooves 11 of the respective guide rail 4 and the sliding door element 2 that is further away from the furniture body 1 is guided with its rollers 6 in the upper or lower guide groove 11 of the respective guide rail 4.

The sliding door element 2 facing away from the furniture body 1 can also engage in a lower area with a simple slide rail 22 in the lower guide groove 4 of the lower guide rail 4, as Figure 6 clearly shows.

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL.-ING. STRACKE · DIPL-ING. LOESENB£c£- PATENT ATTORNEYS -

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 7

The embodiments described so far already show the enormous variety of the attachment and guidance of sliding door elements 2 using a guide device 3 according to the invention. This variety can be seen not only in the possibility of attaching the guide rail 4 to a furniture body, but also in the attachment of sliding door elements one above the other or overlapping.

Only one type of guide rail 4 is required at any one time, as described in detail above.
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Figures 3 and 5 clearly show, by way of example, that the guide rail 4 can be closed at the front by cover caps 23, which can simultaneously form end stops for the sliding door elements 2.

As an alternative to the fastening options for the guide rail 4 already mentioned, these end caps 23 can also be used to fasten the guide rail 4 to a furniture body. These end caps 23 can be pushed onto the guide rail 4 and secured to the furniture body, for example by screws, so that the guide rail 4 is fastened at the same time. Such a solution should be considered in particular if the guide rail 4 does not have a very great overall length.

Figures 7 and 8 show a possibility of simultaneously carrying out an adjustment of the guide rail 4 in the horizontal direction with the fastening means for securing the guide rail 4 of a guide device 3 according to the invention. As Figures 7 and 8 show, a dowel 12 and an eccentric fitting 13 are again provided here for fastening the guide rail 4. The area of this dowel 12 that passes through the open side of the fastening groove 10 or the head 14 of this dowel 12 is eccentric with respect to the dowel's longitudinal axis.

Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL-ING. STRACKE · DIPL-ING. LOESENB^CKJ- PATB^EAFjfflfltTE -^IIleV^I

Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 8

designed so that the height of the guide rail 4 can be adjusted by turning the dowel 12 using a tool 24.

The shaft of the dowel 12 is multi-edged and passes through the multi-edge recess 25 of a spacer 9, which is designed on the outside as a hexagon, for example, and can thus be easily rotated using a corresponding tool 24. Ultimately, the fastening means can therefore also be used as an adjustment device for the guide rail 4.

The end caps 23 can be provided with a damping coating 26 in the stop area of the sliding door elements 2 for noise reduction, as shown in Figure 3, whereby this damping coating 26 can consist of rubber, felt, plastic or the like. Alternatively, however, a springy damping element can also be integrally formed on the respective end cap 23.

Claims (10)

Dr. LOESENBECK(IQSo) · DIPL-ING. STRACKE · DIPL.-ING. LOESE^BECft - PATEKTAWyAl-TE -*g?EL|f€LD Application text dated 05.05.99 Page 9 Protection claims 1. Guide device for sliding door elements of a piece of furniture, comprising a guide rail which can be fixed on the furniture side and at least one guide part which can be fastened on the sliding door side, preferably in the form of a roller, characterized in that the guide rail (4) is provided in its central cross-sectional area with a C-shaped fastening groove (10) for receiving fastening means and is equipped both below and above the fastening groove (10) with guide grooves (11) for guiding guide parts such as rollers (6) or sliding pieces. 2. Guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening means for the guide rail (4) consist of dowels (12) and eccentric fittings (13), the dowels (12) being provided at one of their front ends with a head (14) engaging in the fastening groove (10) and at their other front end with a clamping head engaging in an eccentric fitting (13) that can be fixed on the furniture side. 3. Guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening means consist of fastening screws (15, 15a) which pass through the web region delimiting the fastening groove (10) on the bottom side. 4. Guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening means consist of screws (15) which can be screwed directly into the material of the furniture with a cutting thread section and are provided at their opposite end region with a head (14) engaging in the fastening groove (10), wherein between the head (14) and the cutting thread section a section provided with a metric thread (16) onto which a spacer with a metric internal thread (9) is screwed. Dr. LOESENBECK (1980) · DIPL.-ING. STRACKE · DIPL.-ING. LOESEiiB^C^- PATgIJTA Wß//ft.TE -XiIlEfIlD Registration text dated 05.05.99 Page 10 5. Guide device according to claim 2, characterized in that the head (14) or the region of the dowel (12) passing through the open side of the fastening groove (10) is arranged eccentrically with respect to the dowel longitudinal axis. 6. Guide device according to claim 5, characterized in that the shaft of the dowel (12) is polygonal and passes through a corresponding polygonal recess (25) of a spacer (9) which is polygonally delimited on the outside. 7. Guide device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide rail (4) is closed at the front by end caps (23). 8. Guide device according to claim 7, characterized in that the end caps (23) are equipped with stop areas for a sliding door element (2). 9. Guide device according to claim 8, characterized in that a damping coating (26) made of rubber, felt, plastic or the like is fastened in the stop region of the end caps (23). 10. Guide device according to claim 8, characterized in that a damping element in the form of an integrally formed, resilient section is provided in the stop region of the end caps (23).