US20040113528A1

US20040113528A1 - Sliding door and wardrobe arrangement

Info

Publication number: US20040113528A1
Application number: US10/318,060
Authority: US
Inventors: Wen-Tsan Wang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-12-11
Filing date: 2002-12-13
Publication date: 2004-06-17
Also published as: EP1428968B1; EP1428968A1

Abstract

A sliding door and wardrobe arrangement is constructed to include a wardrobe body and a reversible sliding door structure controlled to close/open the wardrobe body, the reversible sliding door structure including a hollow cylindrical casing movable along horizontal top and bottom tracks of the wardrobe body, a folding collapsible sliding door, the folding collapsible sliding door having a fixed end fastened to the frame structure of the wardrobe body and a free end coupled to the casing, a plurality of cord members transversely fastened to the folding collapsible sliding door at different elevations to guide the folding collapsible sliding door between an extended position and a received position, the cord members each having a free end inserted into the inside of the casing and extended over a pulley inside the casing, and a weight fixedly fastened to the free end of each of the cord members and adapted to receive the folding collapsible sliding door each time the folding collapsible sliding door is unlocked from the extended position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wardrobe for holding clothes and, more particularly, to a sliding door and wardrobe arrangement.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional portable wardrobes are commonly comprised of a metal wardrobe frame and a covering of plastic sheet material covering the metal wardrobe frame. These portable wardrobes commonly use a zipper fastener for operation by hand to close/open the front door. However, because the two opposite door panels of the covering of plastic sheet material have a respective bottom side coupled to the zip fastener, the front door is not fully opened when unfastened the zipper fastener. In order to eliminate this problem, additional zip fasteners are provided for enabling-the door panels of the covering of plastic sheet material to be fully opened. However, it is inconvenient to unfasten all the zip fasteners.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a sliding door and wardrobe arrangement, which uses a sliding door to close/open the wardrobe. It is another object of the present invention to provide a sliding door and wardrobe arrangement, which automatically receives the sliding door without consuming power each time the folding collapsible sliding door unlocked from the extended position. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sliding door and wardrobe arrangement, which has the sliding door made folding collapsible. To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the sliding door and wardrobe arrangement comprises two tracks respectively and horizontally installed in top and bottom frames of the wardrobe body; a hollow cylindrical casing, the casing having a top side and a bottom side; two slides respectively fixedly provided at the top and bottom sides of the casing and respectively coupled to the tracks to guide movement of the casing along the tracks; a pulley pivotally fastened to the inside of the casing near the top side of the casing; a folding collapsible sliding door, the folding collapsible sliding door having a first vertical side fixedly fastened to the wardrobe frame and a second vertical side secured to the casing; a plurality of cord members transversely fastened to the folding collapsible sliding door at different elevations to guide the folding collapsible sliding door between an extended position and a received position, the cord members each having a free end inserted into the inside of the casing and extended over the pulley; and a weight fixedly fastened to the free end of each of the cord members and adapted to receive the folding collapsible sliding door each time the folding collapsible sliding door is unlocked from the extended position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the folding collapsible sliding door extended out. [0006]
FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the present invention, showing the folding collapsible sliding door received. [0007]
FIG. 3 is a sectional front plain view of the present invention, showing the weight lifted. [0008]
FIG. 4 is another sectional front plain view of the present invention, showing the weight lowered, the folding collapsible sliding door received.[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a sliding door and wardrobe arrangement in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised of a rectangular wardrobe body formed of horizontal top and [0010] bottom frames 2 and four posts 22 vertically connected between the top and bottom frames 2 in four corners, a covering covering the wardrobe body, and a reversible sliding door structure mounted in wardrobe body and moved to close/open the front opening of the wardrobe body.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 1 again, the aforesaid reversible sliding door structure comprises a hollow [0011] cylindrical casing 1, two slides 12 respectively fixedly located on the top and bottom sides of the casing 1 and respectively coupled to a respective track 21 in the top and bottom frames 2 to guide movement of the casing 1 along the top and bottom frames 2, and a folding collapsible sliding door 13 coupled to the casing 1. The folding collapsible sliding door 13 comprises a plurality of vertical slats 131 vertically arranged in parallel, a plurality of cord members 14 transversely (horizontally) fastened to the vertical slats 131 to join the vertical slats 131 and to be the vertical slats 131 be moved between the extended position and 3 and the received position. The cord members 14 each have one end respectively inserted into the inside of the casing 1 and extended over a pulley 16 at a top side inside the casing 1, and finally connected to a weight 17. The remote one of the vertical slat 131 (the one remote from the casing 1) is fastened to one post 22 of the wardrobe body by fastening means, for example, hook and loop materials. Further, a handle 11 is located on the casing 1 for moving the folding collapsible sliding door 13 between the close (extended) position and the open (received) position.
Referring to FIGS. [0012] 1˜4 again, when the user pulled the handle 11 to move the casing 1 along the tracks 21 of the top and bottom frames 2 in direction away from the post 22 to which the remote vertical slat is fastened, the vertical slats 131 are extended out to close the wardrobe (see FIGS. 1 and 3). When the folding collapsible sliding door 13 fully extended out, the lock (not shown) is fastened up to lock the folding collapsible sliding door 13 in the extended (close) position. At this time, the weight is lifted to the upper position. When unlocked the lock, the weight falls due to the effect of its gravity weight, thereby causing the cord members 14 to pull the casing 1 along the tracks 21 of the top and bottom frames 2 to the post 22 to which the remote vertical slat is fastened, and therefore the folding collapsible sliding door 13 is received and, the wardrobe is opened (see FIGS. 2 and 4).
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims. [0013]

Claims

What the invention claimed is:

1. A sliding door and wardrobe arrangement comprising a wardrobe body having a wardrobe frame defining a front opening and a covering of flexible sheet material covering said wardrobe frame, and a reversible sliding door structure mounted in said wardrobe body and moved to close/open the front opening of said wardrobe body, wherein said reversible sliding door structure comprises:

two tracks respectively and horizontally installed in top and bottom frames of said wardrobe body;

a hollow cylindrical casing, said casing having a top side and a bottom side;

two slides respectively fixedly provided at the top and bottom sides of said casing and respectively coupled to said tracks to guide movement of said casing along said tracks;

a pulley pivotally fastened to the inside of said casing near the top side of said casing;

a folding collapsible sliding door, said folding collapsible sliding door having a first vertical side fixedly fastened to said wardrobe frame and a second vertical side secured to said casing;

a plurality of cord members transversely fastened to said folding collapsible sliding door at different elevations to guide said folding collapsible sliding door between an extended position and a received position, said cord members each having a free end inserted into the inside of said casing and extended over said pulley; and

a weight fixedly fastened to the free end of each of said cord members and suspended from said pulley inside said casing.

2. The sliding door and wardrobe arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said folding collapsible sliding door is comprised of a plurality of vertical slats respectively coupled to said cord members and arranged in parallel.

3. The sliding door and wardrobe arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing has a handle located on the periphery thereof.