U.S. patent number 3,871,133 [Application Number 05/433,400] was granted by the patent office on 1975-03-18 for door bottom weather sealing structure.
Invention is credited to Chester W. Ellingson, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,871,133 |
Ellingson, Jr. |
March 18, 1975 |
Door bottom weather sealing structure
Abstract
An automatic door bottom weather sealing structure disposed in a
channel formed in the bottom of a door comprising a pair of
interfitting channel members being transversely extensible and
retractable in which the improvement consists of a flexible
accordion gasket forming an air pocket with the bottom of the lower
of said channel members to provide a flexible bottom sealing member
and the side walls of said gasket member overlying the side walls
of said channel members forming a sealed extensible enclosure for
the moving parts of said door bottom sealing structure.
Inventors: |
Ellingson, Jr.; Chester W.
(Burnsville, MN) |
Family
ID: |
23720014 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/433,400 |
Filed: |
January 14, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
49/308; 49/470;
49/493.1; 49/310 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B
7/2316 (20130101); E06B 7/215 (20130101); E06B
7/20 (20130101); E06B 2007/202 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E06B
7/18 (20060101); E06B 7/20 (20060101); E06b
007/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;49/308,307,306,303,309,310,311,312,313,314,488,470 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Kannan; Philip C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gregory; Leo
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A door bottom weather sealing structure in connection with a
door, having in combination:
door mounting means,
a first channel member carried by said door mounting means,
a second channel member interfitting with said first channel
member,
means operatively connecting said first and second channel members
for an extension and retraction of the same relative to one
another,
a flexible accordian-like gasket overlying the side walls of said
channel members,
a lower portion of said gasket enclosing the bottom of said second
channel member,
an upper portion of said gasket having sealing engagement with said
first mentioned channel member, and
said gasket being extensible and retractable responsive to
extension and retraction of said channel members relative to one
another.
2. A door bottom weather sealing structure in connection with a
door having in combination
a door mounting plate member,
a first channel member disposed onto said mounting plate
member,
a second channel member interfitting with said first channel
member,
means operatively connecting said first and second channel members
for an extension and retraction of the same relative to one
another,
a flexible accordion-like gasket,
a lower portion of said gasket enclosing the bottom of said
second-mentioned channel member having sealing engagement with
either side thereof,
side walls of said gasket extending upwardly from said lower
portion thereof and overlying the side walls of said first and
second channel members,
said upwardly extending side walls having terminal portions,
means providing sealed engagement for said terminal portions with
the upper portion of said first-mentioned channel member, and
said side walls of said gasket being extensible and retractable
responsive to extension and retraction of said channel members
relative to one another.
3. The structure set forth in claim 2, wherein
said mounting plate member has a pair of opposed depending guide
rails, and
said first channel member has flanges slidable onto said guide
rails.
4. The structure set forth in claim 2, wherein
said second channel member has a pair of outwardly facing T-slotted
rails, and
said lower portion of said gasket forms flanges disposable into
said T-slotted rails.
5. The structure set forth in claim 2, wherein
said first channel member has a pair of opposed outer slotted
rails, and
said terminal portions of said side walls of said gasket comprise
flanges disposed into said slotted rails.
6. The structure set forth in claim 2, wherein
said side walls of said gasket are gathered in accordion-like
form.
7. The structure set forth in claim 2, including
a door bottom having an open bottom channel therein, and
said mounting plate member being recessed in said channel.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Extensible door bottom sealing structures are known in the art and
are generally operated by a rod engaging a door jamb to extend the
floor engaging drop bar as a sealing member. Such a structure is
generally fitted into a slot or channel formed in a door bottom
with the moving parts thereof being generally unprotected against
the entry and accumulation of dust and dirt.
It is desirable to have a door bottom sealing structure to be
disposed within a channel at the bottom of the door in which a
plate member is first secured being arranged and constructed to
slidingly receive thereon the door sealing structure and to have
said structure sealed against the entry and accumulation of dust
and dirt and to provide a wide positive yielding engagement with
the underlying sill or floor surface serving both as an effective
air and sound barrier.
It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a door
bottom sealing structure having a mounting plate member in
connection therewith, said plate member being disposed and secured
in a channel formed in the bottom of a door with said sealing
structure being slidingly carried by said plate member within said
channel for convenient installation.
It is another object of this invention to have a flexible sealing
member forming an air pocket at the bottom of said sealing
structure and having side wall portions overlying said sealing
structure forming an effective sealed enclosure for the same.
More generally stated, it is an object of this invention to provide
a door bottom sealing structure in connection with a channel formed
in the bottom of a door, a mounting plate member secured within
said channel, said plate member having a pair of depending guide
rails at each side thereof, a channel member having flanged
portions received in said guide rails, a second channel member
receiving therein said first-mentioned channel member, said
first-mentioned channel member having extensible means therein and
having said second-mentioned channel member operably secured
thereto, a rod operable by engagement with a door jamb actuating
said extensible means to extend said second-mentioned channel
member for floor engagement and a gasket underlying said
second-mentioned channel member to form an air pocket at the bottom
thereof as a sealing member and overlying the side walls of said
channel members to form a sealed enclosure for the same.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set
forth in the following description made in connection with the
accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to
similar parts throughout the several views and in which:
FIG. 1 is a broken view in elevation showing the portion of a door
structure;
FIG. 2 is a broken view on an enlarged scale in vertical section
taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1 as indicated;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a different operating
position;
FIG. 4 is a broken view in perspective on an enlarged scale showing
details of structure;
FIG. 5 is a view on a somewhat reduced scale in vertical
longitudinal section taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 2 as indicated;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 3 as
indicated; and
FIG. 7 is a broken view in vertical section showing a detail of
structure on an enlarged scale.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, a door 10 is indicated as representative
of doors in common use such as metal doors which generally have the
outer walls thereof secured in spaced relation such as by U-channel
members on the order of the inverted U-channel member 12 adjacent
the bottom portion of said door as shown and the same may be
secured in position as by welding. Said door is shown having
adjacent its hinged side a jamb 14 and disposed thereunder is a
floor surface or a sill 15.
The channel member 12 is shown forming a channel 17 adjacent the
bottom of said door with said channel being of sufficient height to
accommodate the door bottom sealing structure 25 hereinafter to be
described. Said channel is shown closed at the outer or free end of
the door as at 17a and open at the inner end of said door as at
17b.
Disposed within said chanel 17 and secured by screws 18 to the web
of said channel member 12 is a supporting mounting plate member 19.
Said plate member extends the full length of said channel 17 and
comprises a top wall 20 having depending facing right angled
flanges 22 and 23 at each side thereof forming a pair of facing
guide rails.
Removably carried by said plate member 19 is said door bottom
sealing structure 25.
Said sealing structure comprises what is here shown as a
substantially H-shaped channel member 27 having upper outer
oppositely extending horizontal flanges 29 and 31 having outer
portions thereof disposed in and supported by said guide rails 22
and 23. Each of said flanges has an intermediate depending
horizontally disposed T-slotted rail portion indicated respectively
as 32 and 33.
Adapted to have interengagement with said channel member 27 is a
U-shaped channel member 40 receiving said channel member 27
therein. Said channel member 40 has side walls 41 and 42 and a
bottom wall 43. At the lower outer sides of said side walls 41 and
42 in oppositely facing relation are T-slotted rails 45 and 46.
It will be understood that said channel members 27 and 40 are
readily formed as extrusions.
Referring now to the channel member 27, the door sealing operating
mechanism will be described. This structure is well-known in the
art and only a brief description will be given. A U-shaped bracket
50 is riveted to the web 28 as illustrated and has extending
therethrough a rod 51 threaded at its inner end at 52 and extending
forwardly having a forward threaded portion 53 onto which is
threaded a jamb engaging operating rod 54 having a slotted head 55
and being tapped to be threaded onto the threaded portion 53 of
said rod 51. Carried on said rod 51 between said rod 54 and the
bracket 50 is a coil spring 56.
A plate spring 58 has a right angled end portion 59 apertured to be
secured by nuts 60 to said inner threaded end portion 52 of said
rod 51. Said plate spring slides under an elongated plate-like
keeper 62 riveted to said web 28 and said plate spring is secured
at its free end to said web 28 by a rivet 63.
When the rod 54 engages the jamb 14 upon the door 10 being closed,
said rod causes the portion 58a of said spring 58 to bulge
outwardly as shown in FIG. 6 which will cause the transverse
extension or dropping action of the channel member 40.
Said plate spring 58 operatively connects said channel member 40
and said channel member 27 by having a pin or rivet 69 pass through
side walls of said channel 40 and adjacent its bottom wall 43 and
overlie a central portion of said plate spring as shown in FIGS. 5
and 6. The side walls 34 and 35 of said channel member 27 are
notched as at 35a to permit the passage of said rivet 69 through
said side walls.
With reference to FIGS. 2-4, the essential novelty of the invention
herein is present in the structure and application of the gasket
member 74 to the channel members 27 and 40.
Said gasket member will be formed of a suitable flexible plastic
material having an accordion-like action as will be described.
Said gasket member will comprise a bottom wall 75 having upwardly
and inwardly curved wall portions 76 and 77 terminating in
T-flanges 78 and 79 disposed into said slotted rails 45 and 46.
Upper side wall portions 81 and 82 of said gasket member extend
upwardly of said portions 76 and 77 outwardly of said flanges 78
and 79 and terminate in T-flange portions 84 and 85 disposed into
said T-rails 32 and 33.
Said upper side wall portions 81 and 82 are of sufficient length to
permit said channel member 40 to drop or extend out of the channel
17 freely onto floor or sill engagement. When said channel members
27 and 40 are in retracted position, said gasket has its upper side
walls gathered in accordion fashion and said side walls preferably
will also be gathered to some extent with said sealing apparatus in
extended position. In actual practice the depth of the channel 17
will be on the order of 11/4 inches and the drop from the bottom of
the door to the underlying floor surface or seal may be on the
order of one-half inch.
The bottom wall 75 of said gasket in forming a pocket about the
bottom wall 43 of said channel member 40 in effect forms a
resilient inflated sealing member which makes an air-tight seal
with the underlying floor surface or sill and is sufficiently
resilient to have a tight sealing contact with the entire
underlying surface and very readily accommodates any irregularity
present in such underlying surface. The upper side walls of said
gasket form a sealed enclosure about the side walls of said channel
members 27 and 40 in having an air-tight engagement by being
received within the T-rails 45 and 46 at their bottom portions and
by being received within the T-rails 32 and 33 with their upper
T-flanged portions. The mounting plate 19 has an effective sealing
engagement with the U-channel member 12 which in turn is integral
with the door structure.
Thus with the bottom sealing structure 25 in door sealing operating
position, there is prevented the passage of air through or about
said sealing structure and further, the gasket with its respective
pockets of air as described forms a very effective sound
barrier.
In a conventional type of door sealing structure where the door
sealing apparatus is merely mounted within a slotted or channel
formed within the bottom of a door, it has been found that there is
sufficient leakage about the door sealing member in and through the
slot in which it is disposed to permit the passage of significant
quantities of air and also to permit the passage of significant
sound. The applicant's structure as herein described forms a
substantial improvement with respect to providing a more effective
air seal and an effective sound barrier.
Although the sealing structure 25 carried by the mounting plate 19
is here shown as being secured within a channel at the bottom of a
door, the same may be surface mounted at the bottom of a door.
It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in
form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without
departing from the scope of the invention herein which, generally
stated, consists in an apparatus capable of carrying out the
objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts
disclosed and defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *