A door assembly is provided for which can alternate between a pivoting and a sliding configuration. The door assembly can include a door panel, a track, a first carriage assembly, a second carriage assembly, and a locking mechanism. The first and second carriage assembly can connect the door panel to the track. The first and second carriage assemblies can be slidably movable on the track, and the first carriage assembly can further include a pivot mechanism that pivotably couples the door to the track. The locking mechanism can configure the door between the sliding and pivoting configurations. For example, the locking mechanism can mechanically couple the door panel to the second carriage assembly in the sliding configuration and mechanically decouple the door from the second carriage assembly in the pivoting configuration.

An articulating bracket for a hanging door. The articulating bracket is a two-part structure having a top piece and a bottom piece rotatably coupled together. The bottom piece attaches to a door, and the top piece extends upward from the bottom piece, with a roller wheel attached to the top piece and adapted to roll along a rail mounted above the door. The articulating bracket is particularly advantageous for a pair of doors that are coupled together at their proximal edges. With a first articulating bracket attached at one extreme top position of the first door and a second articulating bracket at the other extreme top position of the second door, one of the articulating brackets is affixed to a supporting structure and the other is free to move with the roller wheel along the rail. As the roller wheel is moved, both of the brackets rotate to follow the outward rotation of the doors.

A work surface for a vehicle includes a first leaf, a second leaf, and a dual-stage hinge pivotably coupling the first and second leafs. The dual-stage hinge includes a first pivot axis and a second pivot axis.

Cooking appliances described herein may include an oven and a cooktop disposed above the oven. The oven may have an oven cavity and an oven door configured to open and close the oven cavity by pivoting about a horizontal axis. A linear actuator may be coupled to the oven door and configured to reposition the oven door in a vertical direction. Using this apparatus, a user may be assisted by the vertically-repositionable oven door when lifting and lowering objects.

A sash (62) of a window opening up to 180 and capable of tilting is mounted onto a fixedly installed frame profile (63) and houses a pair of superimposing sashes that fit tightly therein when in closure position, i.e. an upper stationary sash (65) and a lower movable-divertible sash (64), each of the sashes (64,65) provided with laterally extending shafts (49) for connection with sash (62), roller wheels (50) provided onto the shafts (49) of sash (64) that roll within a predefined path created by insert guide profile members (19) and diverter guide members (66,68) to alternately bring sash (64) in a position of superimposing sash (65) and a position of alignment with the same. Lifting mechanisms (46) provided with a regulatory screw (84) for adjusting the pretension of a spring component thereof and thereby the force required by the user for moving the sash (64) are installed within the vertically extending sides of the sash (62).

A telescoping door system includes a header that spans across a doorway. A trailing jamb and a lead jamb disposed a clear opening distance from the trailing jamb defines a clear opening of the doorway. A sidelite panel is coupled to the trailing jamb by at least one swing clear hinge; the swing clear hinge comprises a fixed gear portion intermeshed with a revolving gear portion. A slow slide panel and a fast slide panel move linearly within the header. The slow and fast slide panels are configured to create a first-sized opening when positioned in the header. The sidelite panel, the slow slide panel, and the fast slide panel are configured to pivot out of the header in a breakout position such that a trailing rail of the sidelite panel is disposed at least partially outside the clear opening and in front of the trailing jamb.

A method of making a composite pipe has the steps of (a) providing one or more sources of composite tape, the composite tape being formed of reinforcing fibres embedded in a thermoplastic matrix; (b) helically winding the composite tape(s) around a cylinder under the application of heat to form a pipe comprising fused, concentric layers of adjacently positioned, helically-wound composite tape; (c) scanning a region where edges of wound composite tape are expected to be, to generate scanning information; (d) controlling the gap between further adjacent windings by (1) using the scanning information to determine wound composite tape edge position(s), and (2) using the determined wound composite tape edge position(s) to adjust the winding process during winding; (e) repeating steps (c) and (d). The invention also relates to a corresponding apparatus for making a composite pipe.

A sash (62) of a window opening up to 180 and capable of tilting is mounted onto a fixedly installed frame profile (63) and houses a pair of superimposing sashes that fit tightly therein when in closure position, i.e. an upper stationary sash (65) and a lower movable-divertible sash (64), each of the sashes (64,65) provided with laterally extending shafts (49) for connection with sash (62), roller wheels (50) provided onto the shafts (49) of sash (64) that roll within a predefined path created by insert guide profile members (19) and diverter guide members (66,68) to alternately bring sash (64) in a position of superimposing sash (65) and a position of alignment with the same. Lifting mechanisms (46) provided with a regulatory screw (84) for adjusting the pretension of a spring component thereof and thereby the force required by the user for moving the sash (64) are installed within the vertically extending sides of the sash (62).

A rear vehicle assembly includes a body structure, a moveable tailgate, and an opening and closing device. The opening and closing device includes connecting rods fixing the tailgate to the body structure. The connecting rods are hinged at a first end to the body structure and at a second end to a lateral edge of the tailgate. One of the connecting rods includes first and second rectilinear sections and a curved section. The first and second rectilinear sections are located on respective concave and convex sides of the curved section.

A window sash interlock includes a housing configured to mount to a side rail of a window sash. The housing includes a front face that substantially aligns with a surface of the side rail. A locking member is pivotably coupled to the housing about a pivot axis. The locking member is disposed at least partially within the housing and is movable between at least a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking member is biased so as to automatically return to the unlocked position, and in the unlocked position, the locking member at least partially extends from the front face of the housing.