Door Assembly

Abstract

A door assembly includes a core sandwiched between a pair of one-piece panels. Portions of the panels surround an opening and a frame retains the panel portions to define the opening and supports an insert therein.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS

This invention is an improvement over the door described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,703 issued on Aug. 17, 1971 to A. Mennuto and N. Popovich.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The door described in the aforenoted U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,703 is more costly to manufacture than doors of the type now known in the art. Moreover, the frame which defines an opening in the door cannot be preassembled for reducing installation time, nor can it be readily reversed for right or left hand choice at the installation site. The door of the present invention overcomes these disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention contemplates a door assembly including a core sandwiched between a pair of one-piece panels. Portions of the panels surround an opening. A frame has top, bottom and side members which support resilient elements and the core urges the portions of the panels against the resilient elements to define the opening. The frame is adapted for supporting inserts in the opening so defined.

One object of this invention is to provide a door of the type including a core sandwiched between a pair of one piece panels and having an improved frame for retaining portions of the panels to define an opening in the door.

Another object of this invention is to adapt the frame to support resilient elements so that the opening is defined when the core urges the portions of the panels against the resilient elements.

Another object of this invention is to adapt the frame for supporting inserts with snap-in panels in the opening so defined.

These and other objects and features of the invention are pointed out in the following description in terms of the embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are not a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a door according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1 and showing the upper member of the frame for retaining the portions of the panels to define the opening in the door and showing a glass insert with a snap-in panel supported in the opening.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a screen insert with a snap-in panel and which may be supported in the opening.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an installation structure 2 having a pair of side members 2A and 2B commonly known in the art and hereinafter referred to as Z-bars. Structure 2 has an upper member or raincap 2C extending across the top and suitably secured to Z-bars 2A and 2B.

A door assembly 4 is hinged by hinges 6 to one of the Z-bars such as the Z-bar 2B. Door assembly 4 includes a one-piece panel 4A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a one-piece panel 4B and a core 8 sandwiched between the panels as shown in FIG. 2. The lower portions of panels 4A and 4B include embossed designs such as the crossbucks 10, and which lower portions otherwise serve as kickplates. The upper portions of the panels include rectangular openings which cooperate upon assembly to form opening 12 shown in FIG. 1. Opening 12 receives a rectangular frame 14 having upper and lower members 14A and 14B and side members 14C and 14D, and which members may be suitably keyed or otherwise fastened together so that frame 14 is rigid. Frame 14 retains the portions of panels 4A and 4B forming the openings and supports an insert therein as will be hereinafter described.

It is to be noted that panels 4A and 4B are one-piece stampings of aluminum or steel or some other suitable metal or alloy or may even be of a rigid plastic material, with the method of providing stampings of this size and shape being outside the scope of this invention. It will suffice to say for present purposes that there is thus provided a unitary type panel which eliminates the disadvantages of multimembered panels now known in the art, to wit: loosening of kickplates loosening and breaking of molding, sagging, splitting, racking, etc.

Core 8 may include suitable separators, structural members and insulating members and may further include a top cap, bottom cap and side caps for supporting panels 4A and 4B. All of the aforenoted members and caps may be of a suitable non-metallic material when thermal properties are desired or of metallic materials when structural considerations are of prime importance.

As heretofore noted, opening 12 of door 4 receives frame 14, and which frame has upper and lower members 14A and 14B and a pair of side members 14C and 14D. The frame members may be of rigid vinyl or of a metal such as aluminum as shown in the drawing, and each member has a like section, with FIG. 2 showing for illustration purposes a section of upper member 14A.

Thus, upper member 14A has a generally U-shaped section 15 with sides 20 and 22 and a bottom 24. Side 20, which is longer than side 22, terminates in an inwardly extending arm 26, and which arm 26, in turn, terminates in a member 28 having a substantially C-shaped section.

Side 22 has an arm 30 extending outwardly from the lower portion thereof and a side member 32 extends upward from arm 30 substantially parallel to side 22 and nearly to the end thereof. Side member 32 terminates in an inwardly extending lip 38. Side 22 of U-shaped section 15, arm 30 and side member 32 cooperate to form a member 39 having a substantially U-shaped section.

A member 40 extends downward from bottom 24 of U-shaped section 15 near side 20 thereof, and which member 40 has a substantially C-shaped section. C-shaped member 40 is substantially parallel to C-shaped member 28.

With further reference to FIG. 2, member 28 retains a bumper 42 which may be of a resilient material such as, for example, wool pile as shown in the figure. Member 42 is substantially T-shaped having a cross-bar portion retained in the C-shaped section and a base portion extending beyond said section and having a purpose as will be hereinafter described. It will be understood that member 42 is in effect weather stripping and has the function of providing a weather and thermal seal.

Member 40 retains a bumper 44 which may be of a resilient material such as, for example, vinyl as shown in the figure. Member 44, which is also, in effect, weather stripping, is substantially H-shaped having one leg retained in C-shaped section 40 and another hollow leg extending beyond said section and having a purpose as will be hereinafter described. Members 28 and 40 have lips 28A, 28B and 40A, 40B, respectively, for retaining the respective bumpers 42 and 44.

A substantially V-shaped bumper 46, of a resilient material such as, for example, vinyl as shown in the figure, includes a notch or groove 48 at the apex thereof. Groove 48 accepts lip 38 of side member 32, with bumper 46 being thereby locked so that one leg of the V extends between side 22 of U-shaped section 15 and side member 32 and abuts side 22, and the other leg of the V extends beyond said side and side member for a purpose as will be hereinafter described. It is to be noted that bumpers 42, 44 and 46 extend the full length of frame members 14A-14D in which they are retained.

Side 20 of U-shaped section 15 includes an inwardly extending ledge 50 and side 22 includes an inwardly extending ledge 52. Ledges 50 and 52 are at the bottom portions of the respective sides and cooperate with bottom 24 of U-shaped section 15 for forming a channel which accepts a key 54 having a pair of mutually perpendicular legs. Four such keys are required for securing the upper, lower and side frame members each to the other to provide a rigid frame 14 as will now be understood.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, core 8, which is shown as being of a suitable insulating material, but may be of a structural material as well, is sandwiched between panels 4A and 4B. The dimensions of frame members 14A-14D, panels 4A, 4B and core 8 and the resiliencies of bumpers 42 and 46 are such that when the edges of the panels surrounding opening 12 are disposed between bumpers 42 and 46, core 8 is effective for urging the panels apart, whereupon a force is exerted against the resilient bumpers which provide a spring-like action for retaining the panels as disposed. The arrangement is such that the base of T-shaped bumper 42 abuts panel 4A, the end of one of the legs of V-shaped bumper 46, which has a surface 46A, abuts side 22 of U-shaped section 15 and the end of the other of the legs of the V-shaped bumper, which has a surface 46B, abuts panel 4B. Further, the panels are retained by the aforenoted spring-like action so that a slight gap exists between the panels and adjacent frame portions as shown at A and A' to maintain a desirable thermal and sound barrier which is of importance if metallic materials are used.

Bumper 44 and bottom 24 of U-shaped section 15 cooperate to retain an insert 60 which is shown in FIG. 2 as a glass insert but may be a screen insert as well. Inserts of the type contemplated are described in the aforenoted U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,703, and it will suffice to say for present purposes that the glass insert includes upper, lower and side members, each of which may have a U-shaped section such as that designated as 62 in FIG. 2. The members are suitably keyed to form a rigid rectangular insert frame and carry suitable tracks or channels 63 of a resilient material such as vinyl for retaining a glass pane 64. The insert is held in position by clamps (not shown) secured to frame 14 as is well known in the art. It will be understood that suitable clearance should exist between frame 14 and insert 60 to facilitate assembly and disassembly.

The section of the insert member includes a member 65 extending normal to glass pane 64. The end of member 65 includes a lip 66 extending in the same sense and substantially parallel to the glass pane so as to form therewith a channel 67. Channel 67 receives and retains a snap-in member 68 which may be a grill or a decorative panel as the case may be.

FIG. 3 shows a typical section of a screen insert member 70. The section has a generally O-shaped portion 69 having substantially parallel sides 71 and 73, and a substantially parallel top and bottom 75 and 77, with side 71 being elongated for forming a base member of a generally T-shaped portion 72. T-shaped portion 72 has a cross-member 74, one arm of which extends substantially parallel to the top 75 of 0-shaped portion 69 for forming therewith a generally C-shaped channel 76. The end of a screen 80 is inserted in channel 76 and held firmly therein by a relatively close fitting rod shaped spline 82 of vinyl or other such suitable material. The upper, lower and side members of the screen insert are secured each to the other by keys (not shown) which are inserted in the center part of 0-shaped portion 69, for forming a rigid screen insert. The screen insert is retained in frame 14 by engaging the outside faces of sides 71 and 73 of 0-shaped portion 69 with bumper 44 and bottom 24 of U-shaped section 15.

Crossmember 74 of T-shaped portion 72 has longitudinally extending ends 74A and 74B which cooperate to form a channel 79 which accepts snap-in member 68.

It will now be seen that the aforenoted objects of the invention have been met. The door includes an improved frame which retains the panels to define an opening in the door. The opening is defined when the core urges the panels against the resilient weather stripping bumper 42 and locking bumper 46. Moreover, the frame is adapted for supporting inserts in the opening so defined.

The frame can be preassembled to reduce installation time and can be readily reversed for right or left hand choice at the installation site, and thus the door assembly of the invention represents a distinct improvement over prior art doors.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes may also be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A door assembly comprising:

a pair of panels;

a core sandwiched between and supporting the panels, said panels having portions which surround an opening;

a frame in the opening having upper, lower and side members, each of said members having a section with a pair of sides and a bottom separating the sides;

one of the sides terminating in an inwardly extending member;

the other of the sides being part of an outwardly extending member;

a resilient weather stripping bumper retained by the inwardly extending member;

a resilient locking bumper retained by the outwardly extending member;

the pair of panels arranged between the bumpers, with the portion of one of the panels which surrounds the opening abutting the weather stripping bumper and the portion of the other panel which surrounds the opening abutting the locking bumper; and

the core exerting a force on the panels which urges the panel portions against the bumpers to retain the panels so arranged.

2. A door assembly as described by claim 1, including:

the side terminating in the inwardly extending member extending below the bottom separating the sides and terminating in a C-shaped member; and

another resilient weather stripping bumper retained by the C-shaped member.

3. A door assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:

the outwardly extending member has a U-shaped section, with the other of the sides of the frame member section being one of the sides of the U-shaped section, and the other of the sides of the U-shaped section terminating in a lip;

the locking bumper has a V-shaped section with a groove at the apex thereof engaging the lip; and

the other of the sides of the frame member section abuts one of the legs of the V-shaped section and the portion of the other panel which surrounds the opening abuts the other leg of the V-shaped section.

4. A door assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:

the inwardly extending member has a substantially C-shaped section; and

the weather stripping bumper has a substantially T-shaped section with a crossbar portion retained in the C-shaped section and a base portion extending beyond said section, with the portion of the one panel which surrounds the opening abutting said base portion.

5. A door assembly as described by claim 2, wherein:

the weather stripping bumper retained by the C-shaped section has a substantially H-shaped section with one leg retained in the C-shaped section and the other leg extending beyond said section.

6. A door assembly as described by claim 5, including:

an insert having upper, lower and side members;

each of the members having a section which retains a glass pane;

said section supported in the frame by the bottom of the section of a corresponding frame member and by the leg of the H-shaped bumper extending beyond C-shaped section;

an arm extending from the insert member section substantially normal to the glass pane and terminating in a lip, said lip, arm and pane cooperating to form a channel; and

a snap-in panel retained in the channel.

7. A door assembly as described by claim 5, including:

an insert having upper, lower and side members;

each of the members having a member which retains a screen;

said section supported in the frame by the bottom of the section of a corresponding frame member and by the leg of the H-shaped section extending beyond the C-shaped section;

an arm extending from the insert member section substantially normal to the screen and having a pair of lips arranged with said arm to form a channel; and

a snap-in panel retained in the channel.

8. A door assembly as described by claim 5, wherein:

the C-shaped section which retains the weather stripping bumper has a pair of arms terminating in oppositely directed lips; and

the lips lock the one leg of the bumper in the C-shaped section.

9. A door assembly as described by claim 4, wherein:

the C-shaped section of the inwardly extending member has a pair of oppositely directed lips; and

the lips lock the crossbar portion of the bumper in the C-shaped section.

10. A door assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:

the portion of the one panel which surrounds the opening abuts the weather stripping bumper so as to be out of contact with the inwardly extending member; and

the portion of the other panel which surrounds the opening abuts the locking bumper so as to be out of contact with the outwardly extending member.