AU2003231324A1 - A kit for the construction of a frame for a door or window - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (Original) Name of applicant/Nominated Person: Peter Leslie Schumer Address for Service: Davies Collison Cave, Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, MELBOURNE, Victoria, 3000.

Invention title: "A kit for the construction of a frame for a door or window" Details of Associated Provisional Application: Provisional Patent Application No. 2002950537 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: Technical field.

This invention concerns doors and windows. More particularly, it concerns the assembly of frames of doors (especially, but not only, doors for wardrobes, cupboards, pantries and the like) and windows, using tenon and groove joints, each held securely by a mechanical fastening arrangement..

Background to the invention.

For many years, it has been accepted that the only way to manufacture the frame component of doors for wardrobes is to fit the wooden stiles (vertical members) and rails (horizontal members) together using mortice and tenon joints, and to use glue to hold the joints firmly together. The panel (or each panel) of the door is then held in place inside the frame, usually with a timber beading or putty.

In Australia, the dimensions of a door jamb in a house have been standardised. This has meant that doors for access to rooms and corridors are manufactured to a standard size and supplied directly to the house site for installation. However, the dimensions of door openings for wardrobes, cupboards and pantries have not been standardised, for the dimensions are usually determined by design considerations and the space available for the installation of the wardrobe, cupboard or the like.

Ideally, it should be possible for the door dimensions of the wardrobe, cupboard or the like to be supplied to a door manufacturer and for a kit consisting of the stiles, rails and panel(s) of the door to be sent for assembly at the house site. However, if the stiles, rails and panel (or panels) are supplied as a kit for constructing the door, skilled labour, with access to special clamps, is required if the door is to be assembled correctly. Since such skilled labour is rarely available, it is normal practice for the components of the door to be assembled in a factory and for the assembled door to be sent to the installation site.

3 The cost of transportation of an assembled door is significantly greater than the cost of transportation of a kit to enable the door to be assembled on site. In addition, doors manufactured in the conventional way have a number of disadvantages, including: a) after a period of time, the glue in the mortice and tenon joints can crystallise, in which case the mortice and tenon joints can open up, so that the door drops on its hinges; and b) removal of the (or a) panel from the frame of an assembled door is difficult, and can result in damage to the frame and/or the (or a) panel of the door.

Disclosure of the invention.

One objective of the present invention is the provision of a door frame kit from which a relatively unskilled person can assemble a rigid door of the required size, without specialist tools, without glue (and therefore without the risk of a failure of the glued joint), and from which a panel after it has been mounted within the frame can be removed without difficulty and without damage to the panel or to the frame of the door.

This objective is achieved by constructing the stiles and rails of a door so that they may be connected together using a tenon and groove joint, and securing each tenon and groove joint with a mechanical fastening arrangement that involves an elongate member (for example, a bolt) which passes through a channel near the end of a stile to engage with a receiving member (for example, a nut) mounted in, or near, the end of the associated rail. Preferably, the mechanical fastening arrangement comprises a dowel bolt which passes through the stile and a short tunnel or channel at the end of the rail, to engage with a dowel nut positioned in the end region of the rail.

It will be readily apparent to carpenters, joiners and engineers that the same frame assembly arrangement is also suitable for the construction of frames for windows.

Thus, in its simplest and broadest form, the present invention provides a kit for the construction of a frame for a door or window, the kit comprising: a) two elongate stiles, each stile having an inner face, an outer face, a top face and a bottom face; b) an elongate top rail and an elongate bottom rail, each rail having a top face, a bottom face, a front face, a back face and two ends; characterised in that: c) a groove is formed at each end of each stile, in the inner face of the stile; each groove having a length at least equal to the distance between the top face and the bottom face of one of the rails; d) a respective tenon extends from each end of each rail, each tenon being a close fit within a respective groove at the end of a stile; e) each rail has a fastener receiving element mounted in or adjacent to each of its tenons, or means to support a fastener receiving element near each of its tenons; and f) each stile has a pair of fastener access channels, each fastener access channel having a substantially circular cross-section and being dimensioned to be a clearance channel for an elongate fastener element adapted to extend through one of said fastener access channels and to engage with an associated fastener receiving element in one of said rails.

In the preferred form of the invention, I) said fastener receiving element is a dowel nut; ii) said elongate fastener is a dowel bolt; iii) each rail has a pair of first channels, each first channel extending from the front face to the back face of the rail in a direction orthogonal to the elongate direction of the rail; each first channel having a substantially circular crosssection and being a predetermined short distance from a respective end of its associated rail; each first channel being dimensioned to receive a respective dowel nut; iv) each rail has a pair of second channels, each second channel having a substantially circular cross-section; each second channel extending inwardly from a respective tenon of its associated rail, parallel to the elongate direction of the rail, to intersect with a respective one of said first channels; each second channel being dimensioned to be a clearance fit for the shaft of a respective dowel bolt; and v) each of said fastener access channels is collinear with a respective one of said second channels when the stiles and rails are assembled with the top face of the top rail coplanar with the top face of each stile and the bottom face of the bottom rail is coplanar with the bottom face of each stile.

In an alternative form of the present invention, when it is unlikely that the door or window frame will need to be disassembled, each fastener access channel in a stile is replaced with a knock-in socket with a spring steel disc, and in each rail, the fastener receiving element is replaced with a threaded stud that is screwed into the tenon, with the projecting stud adapted to be push-fitted into the socket to connect the stud and spring steel disc.

The preferred form of the kit of this invention will usually be provided with four dowel nuts and four dowel bolts. Each form of this invention will normally be provided with a panel (if the kit is for a door frame) or a glass pane (if the kit is for a window frame). The panel or pane will be dimensioned to be mounted within the frame formed by the stiles and rails.

The pane in a window frame may be held in place in the frame by any conventional window pane mounting arrangement.

The panel of the door may be held in place by any one of a number of mounting arrangements. For example, each groove in a stile may be extend along the inner face of the stile a distance which is greater than that required to receive a tenon at the end of a rail, so that the groove may also receive a projection from the side of the panel, at or near a corner of the panel. Alternatively, the grooves in the inner face of the stile which receive tenons from the rails may be extended until they connect with each other (that is, the stile may be provided with a continuous groove along its inner face), so that the edge regions of the panel (or at least one projection from a side edge of the panel) is a close fit within the groove. Another panel mounting arrangement requires at least one countersunk screw hole to be provided in each stile and/or in each rail, so that a screw inserted into a respective screw hole is screwed into a receiving hole in a side edge of the panel.

These examples of the way in which the panel may be mounted within the frame of a door formed by the stiles and rails are not exhaustive.

If the door is to have more than one panel or the window is to have more than one glass pane, additional rails will be provided. Each additional rail will have a tenon projecting from each end, and each tenon of an additional rail will be a close fit within an associated additional groove in one of the stiles (or within the groove if the stile has a continuous groove along its inner face). Each additional rail will be connected to the stiles by tenon and groove joints which are secured in place by the same mechanical fastening arrangement that is used to secure the tenon and groove joints at the corners of the frame. Thus, in the preferred arrangement, each additional rail will have first and second channels, as in the top and bottom rails, and each stile will be provided with an additional fastener access channel extending from the outer side face of the stile into each additional groove (or into the continuous groove), so that a dowel nut and dowel bolt can be used to hold each end of the (or each) additional rail firmly in place in the frame.

For sliding doors, track guides may be mounted on the top of the top rail, and roller arrangements may be fitted underneath the bottom rail.

Further details of these and other features (some optional) of the present invention are provided in the following description of embodiments of the invention. In the following description, which is included by way of example only, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings.

Figure 1 is an exploded, partially schematic, sketch of a corner of a frame for a door, to be constructed from a kit of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows an alternative rail construction to that shown in Figure 1, including a fastener receiving element.

Figure 3 shows the alternative stud and socket (with spring steel disc) fastening arrangement for securing a tenon and groove joint.

Figure 4 shows the components for the assembly of a frame for a tall door, having additional rails between the top rail and the bottom rail of the frame.

Figure 5 illustrates one way in which a panel may be mounted within a door frame constructed from a kit of the present invention.

Figure 6 contains three sketches of corners of alternative forms of panels that may be mounted in a door frame having the features illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a sketch of a frame for a door, constructed from a kit of the present invention, with another form of panel mounting arrangement.

Figure 8 is a perspective sketch, from the rear, of a stile and part of a rail for a door frame, with a partially rebated region alongside a continuous groove in the stile.

Figure 9 shows an assembled frame for the sliding door of a wardrobe.

Figure 10 is a perspective sketch, from underneath and to one side, of the lower part of the door frame of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a perspective sketch, form underneath and to one side, of the track guide featured in the door frame of Figure 9.

Detailed description of the illustrated embodiments.

One way (the preferred way) in which the components of a door or window frame, supplied as a kit in accordance with the present invention, are assembled is shown in Figure 1. A stile 10 of a door or window frame has a groove 11 machined into its inner face 12. A router may be used to cut the groove 11. A rail 20 (the upper rail of the door or window frame) has a tenon 21 extending from each of its ends.

The thickness t of the tenon 21 is such that the tenon is a close fit (preferably a tight fit) within the groove 11. The groove 11 has a length I which is equal to or greater than the height h of the rail 20. The bottom of rail of the door or window frame (not shown in Figure 1) has a similar construction to the top rail 20. The bottom end of the stile 10 has a similar groove to groove 11 in its inner face, and the other stile of the door or window frame (not shown in Figure 1) is similar to the stile 10. To assemble the frame, the tenon 21 is inserted into the groove 11 and a similar action is taken at each of the other corners of the frame.

To ensure that each tenon and groove joint at the corner of an assembled door or window frame is tightly assembled and cannot be inadvertently opened, a dowel nut 22, having a length that is equal to (or, optionally, less than) the distance d between the front face 24 of the rail 20 and its back face 25, is inserted into a first channel 23 in the rail 20, near its end. The channel 23 has a circular cross-section and extends from the front face 24 of the rail to its back face 25 in a direction orthogonal to the elongate direction of the rail. A second channel 26 extends into the rail in the elongate direction of the rail, from the outer face of the tenon 21, to intersect the first channel 23 at right angles. A fastener access channel 15 extends into the stile from, and at right angles to, the outer face 13 of the stile. The fastener access channel 15 has a circular cross-section and is located near the end of the stile so that it is collinear with the second channel 26 in the rail 20 when the tenon and groove joint has been formed.

The fastener access channel 15 is dimensioned to receive a dowel bolt 14 which has length such that, when the tenon and groove joint has been formed and the dowel bolt has been inserted into the channels 15 and 26, its threaded end 14A engages with the threads of the dowel nut 22 which has been inserted into the first channel 23. Screwing the dowel bolt 14 into the dowel nut 22 (typically using an Allen key inserted into a hexagonal Allen head recess at the end of the dowel bolt) ensures that the tenon and groove is securely held, and the tenon 21 cannot be removed from the groove 11 unless the dowel bolt is removed from the dowel nut.

A frame comprising a top rail and a bottom rail, joined to two stiles by the tenon and groove joint held firmly by a dowel nut and bolt, as shown in Figure 1, is a rigid frame for a door or window. Its assembly requires no specialist knowledge or skill.

A manufacturer can cut the stiles and rails to the appropriate lengths to form a rectangular frame of any required dimensions, and despatch them in a convenient flat package for assembly on site.

The alternative rail construction shown in Figure 2 has a screw-in, internally threaded socket 50 mounted in each of its tenons 21. The socket 50 may be a NOVER (trade mark) type B insert, marketed in Australia by Nover Fastenings Pty Ltd. A screw-in insert is preferred over a knock-in insert that is internally threaded because driving a knock-in insert into the end-grained tenon of a rail is likely to split the tenon, and possibly also the rail. With this type of internally threaded socket 50, the elongate fastener element will be a connector bolt which is passed through an appropriately dimensioned fastener access channel in a stile and screwed into the socket 50. The connector bolt will be a NOVER "Demon Connector Bolt" type JCB-B if the socket 50 is a NOVER product.

If it is unlikely that the frame, once assembled, will have to be subsequently dismantled, the mechanical fastening arrangement depicted in Figure 3 may be used to secure each tenon and groove joint of the frame. With this arrangement, the fastener access channels are not provided in each stile. Instead, a knock-in socket 52 containing a spring steel disc for example, an EVERFIX (trade mark) socket of the "non-release connecting fitting" selection marketed in Australia by Everfix Pty Limited is positioned near each end of each stile 10, with the outer face of the socket 52 substantially coplanar with the bottom of the groove 11. To mount the socket 52 in this position, a portion 51 of each wall of the groove 11 may need to be drilled out.

Each rail 20 will then have a respective threaded stud 53 (an EVERFIX stud No. 076118 if the socket 52 is an EVERFIX product) screwed into the outer face of each of its tenons 21. When a tenon 21 is pushed into the groove 11, the projecting stud 53 will engage with the aperture in the spring steel disc in the socket 52, to securely hold the tenon and groove joint that has just been established. It should be noted that the EVERFIX (and similar) fittings are termed "non-release connecting fittings" and if they are used to construct a frame, it will be very difficult to separate the assembled stiles and rails.

The embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 to 11 of the accompanying drawings all feature or imply the use of the preferred mechanical fastening arrangement of a dowel nut (in the rail) and a dowel bolt (passing through a fastener access channel) to assemble the frame. However, it should be apparent that the fastening arrangement described with reference to Figure 2, or Figure 3, may be used instead of a dowel nut and bolt.

Normally, a panel for the door will be supplied with the stiles, rails and (assuming the preferred fastening arrangement is to be used) dowel nuts and bolts for a door frame. In the assembly illustrated in Figure 1, a panel 16 has dimensions such that it will fit within the frame of the door. This panel will be held in place by a screw 17 which can be passed through a clearance channel 18 and be screwed into a short channel 19 in a side edge of the panel 16. A screw will be used in a similar manner near each corner of the frame for the door, so that the panel will be mounted within the frame by four screws. If the door is a high and/or a wide door, it may be advisable to use additional screws, located between the joints of the door frame and passing through a stile or rail and into the edge face of the panel, to ensure that the panel is mounted securely within the frame.

It is emphasised that Figure 1 shows one example only of the way in which a panel may be mounted within a door frame. Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate other panel mounting arrangements.

The kit to assemble a frame for a tall door, or to assemble a window having a number of window panes one above the other, may require at least one additional rail. As shown in Figure 4, each additional rail 20B of the frame will be positioned between the top rail 20 and the bottom rail 20A. The additional rail or rails will each have a tenon at each end, for insertion into a respective groove 11B formed in the inner face of each stile, so that the, or each, additional rail can be joined to the stiles of the door frame by tenon and groove joints. In the manner shown in Figure 1, the, or each, additional rail 20B will have first and second channels formed near its ends. A dowel nut 22 will be inserted into each first channel. A dowel bolt 14 will be passed through an extra fastener access channel 15B in the stile and also through a respective second channel of the additional rail, and its threaded region will be engaged with the threaded region of the dowel nut, to hold each additional tenon and groove joint securely in place.

A frame for a door which has one additional rail 20B will normally be constructed to have two panels mounted on it. If there are two or three additional rails 20B in the frame, the full door will normally contain three or four panels, respectively.

Each panel on a frame with at least one additional rail may be mounted on the frame using any one of the panel mounting arrangements described in this specification, or any other suitable panel mounting arrangement.

The stile 10 of the door frame shown in Figure 5 has each groove 11 in each stile lengthened so that it extends further along the stile than the distance shown in Figure 1. The extra length of the groove 11 forms a region 27 in the groove that is not filled by a tenon at the end of a rail when the door frame has been assembled, but is available to receive a projection 28 from an edge face of a panel. If the thickness p of the projection 28 and the width of the groove 11 are such that the projection is a close fit within the groove, the panel 16 in Figure 5 will be securely mounted within the door frame, and it will not be necessary to use screws, such as the screws 17 shown in Figure 1, to hold the panel firmly in place. If the door is a high and/or wide door, the stile 10 (and/or each rail) of the door frame may be provided with at least one groove intermediate the ends of the stiles (and/or rails), so that additional projections 28A from the edge faces of the panel, two of which are shown in dashed outline in Figure 5, may be used in the secure mounting of the panel within the door frame. Of course, screws (for example, screws 17 as shown in Figure 1) may be used in the mounting of the panel shown in Figure 5, if it is felt that the projections alone will not be sufficient to hold the panel firmly within the frame.

It is not necessary for projections from the side edges of a panel to be formed integrally with the panel. Three alternative ways of providing projections from the edge faces of a panel are shown in Figure 6. These projections 28 are all screwed onto the panel 16. The projections 28 of Figure 6a and Figure 6b may be made of metal or of a rigid plastics material. The projection 28 shown in Figure 6c will typically be a small block of wood or of a rigid plastics material.

Another way of mounting a panel on a door frame constructed from a kit of the present invention is shown in Figure 7. In the door frame construction of Figure 7, each rail 20, 20A is rebated over a distance r of the central region 30 of the rail. A panel 16 having an overall width w (equal to the distance between the inner faces of the stiles 10 and 10A) and with its top and bottom regions 16A and 16B reduced in width so that they fit within the rebated region 30 of the top and bottom rails, can be mounted on the frame by screws which are passed through countersunk clearance holes 31 in the reduced width regions 16A and 16B of the panel and screwed into the rails.

An alternative to the panel mounting arrangement shown in Figure 7 (this alternative is not preferred) is for each stile to have a rebated region between its top and bottom ends, and in a manner similar to that shown in Figure 7 for the panel to be mounted on the frame by screws which are passed through countersunk clearance holes in the panel and screwed into the rebated regions of the stiles.

A preferred stile construction, particularly for the mass production of frames for doors, has the groove 11 extending for the entire length of the inner face of the stile.

This enables each stile to be cut to the required length from the dressed timber with the groove already formed. It is a more complex and time consuming task (and therefore a more costly task) to cut stile timber having a substantially rectangular cross-section to the required length, then subsequently machine each groove 11 into the stile. This is particularly so when the kit of the present invention is to be used to construct a frame which has at least one additional rail 20B, positioned between the top rail and the bottom rail.

When a door frame is to be constructed, another advantage of cutting stiles from lengths of timber in which a continuous groove has been machined into the face that will be the inner face of the stile is that the preferred form of panel may be used to assemble the door. The preferred form of panel has side edges which are a fit (preferably a close fit) within the continuous groove in the inner face of each stile.

A continuous groove to receive the top or bottom edge region of a panel may also be machined into the bottom face of a top rail and the top face of a bottom rail. If this is the case, both of these rails may be cut from the same length of dressed rail timber with a continuous groove formed in one of the dressed faces. However, any additional rail 20B, that may be required for the frame, would have a continuous groove machined into both its top and bottom faces.

Figure 8 depicts a stile 10 with a continuous groove 11 machined into its inner face, but with part of the wood alongside the rear of the groove 11 rebated for a distance k. A panel fitted into a door frame constructed with this feature included in its stiles may be secured in place by screws which pass through a side region of the panel that would, in the absence of the rebated length k, be within the groove 11, and (b) are screwed into the timber of the stile which is adjacent to, and defines, the front face 11F of the groove 11 of the stile.

If each rail of the frame has a continuous groove machined into its inner face, but with part of the wood alongside the rear of the groove rebated for a distance (in the manner indicated in Figure 8 for the stile 10), a panel may be held securely in place within the frame by screws passing through the top and bottom edge regions of the panel and into the timber adjacent to the front face of the continuous roove of the rail. This method of securing the panel in place within the frame may be used instead of, or in addition to, the similar panel mounting arrangement used with the rear of the stiles rebated as shown in Figure 8.

It will be appreciated that a panel for a door may have any one of many forms. It may be a plain sheet of timber, plastics material, metal, glass or any other suitable material. It may be a decorative panel. It may include a mirror or a glass pane, or louvres. It may be provided with at least one tenon at each edge for insertion into a groove in the inner face of a stile or rail (particularly a continuous groove in a stile or rail). This list of alternative panel constructions is not exhaustive.

Figures 9 and 10 depict a frame for a sliding wardrobe door, constructed from a kit of the present invention. Features of this door include: a) the decorative, non-planar moulding of the front face 31 of the each stile and 10A (a moulded front face is, of course, an optional feature for any stile or rail); b) a continuous groove 11 in the inner faces of the stiles and rails, to receive the edges of a panel (not shown in these Figures) that would be included when the door frame is assembled; c) a second continuous groove 32 in the outer side face of each stile, to receive a bumper strip (not shown) of rubber, neoprene or any other suitable material; d) two slots 33 machined into each end of the bottom face of the bottom rail to receive a respective roller assembly; e) a channel 34 of substantially circular cross-section, near the bottom of the stiles 10 and 10A, into which an adjustment tool for the roller assembly may be inserted; f) an optional flush door pull 40 mounted on the stile 10A; and g) a groove 35 in the upper face of the top rail 20, to receive the fin 37 of a track guide 36 (see Figure 11).

Normally, as shown in Figure 9, the groove 35 will be a continuous groove, thus permitting ease of manufacture of the top rail 20 and the maximum adjustability of the position of the track guides 36. However, several short grooves may be used instead of the continuous groove 35. The bumper strip that fits into the groove 32 (which, conveniently, will have a dove-tail cross-section) will normally cover the end of the dowel bolts 14 and also the end of the channel 34.

The preferred form of track guide 36, of cast metal or moulded plastics material, is shown in Figure 11. This track guide comprises a disc 38, from one diameter of which a planar fin 37 projects. The plane of the fin 37 is orthogonal to the plane of the disc 38. The thickness of the fin 37 is such that it is a press fit, or a drive fit, in the groove 35. Part of the disc 38 is missing, so that a pair of arcuate fingers 39 is formed in the disc, each side of the fin 37. The fingers 39 are symmetrically located relative to the fin 37, and the arc of each finger has its centre of rotation at the central point of the disc 38.

It should be apparent that kits for construction of rectangular door and window frames of (in principle) any required size, optionally with at least one panel or pane included, can be made up, with the stiles and rails and, in the case of a door frame kit, the panel (or panels) painted, or given an alternative finish, for assembly by an unskilled artisan. It should also be apparent that, because glue is not used in the assembly of the door or window frame, unless the alternative fastening arrangement described with reference to Figure 3 has been adopted, an unskilled worker could 17 dismantle the frame without damage to the stiles, rails and (if included) the panel or panels, or the window pane.

It will be further apparent that although examples of realisations of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above, modifications to, and variations of, the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the present inventive concept, as defined by the claims.

Claims (33)

1. A kit for the construction of a frame for a door or window, the kit comprising: a) two elongate stiles, each stile having an inner face, an outer face, a top face and a bottom face; b) an elongate top rail and an elongate bottom rail, each rail having a top face, a bottom face, a front face, a back face and two ends; characterised in that: c) a groove is formed at each end of each stile, in the inner face of the stile; each groove having a length at least equal to the distance between the top face and the bottom face of one of the rails; d) a respective tenon extends from each end of each rail, each tenon being a close fit within a respective groove at the end of a stile; e) each rail has a fastener receiving element mounted in or adjacent to each of its tenons, or means to support a fastener receiving element near each of its tenons; and f) each stile has a pair of fastener access channels, each fastener access channel having a substantially circular cross-section and being dimensioned to be a clearance channel for an elongate fastener element adapted to extend through one of said fastener access channels and to engage with an associated fastener receiving element in one of said rails.

2. A kit as defined in claim 1, in which i) said fastener receiving element is a dowel nut; ii) said elongate fastener is a dowel bolt; iii) each rail has a pair of first channels, each first channel extending from the front face to the back face of the rail in a direction orthogonal to the elongate direction of the rail; each first channel having a substantially circular cross-section and being a predetermined short distance from a respective end of its associated rail; each first channel being dimensioned to receive a respective dowel nut; iv) each rail has a pair of second channels, each second channel having a substantially circular cross-section; each second channel extending inwardly from a respective tenon of its associated rail, parallel to the elongate direction of the rail, to intersect with a respective one of said first channels; each second channel being dimensioned to be a clearance fit for the shaft of a respective dowel bolt; and v) each of said fastener access channels is collinear with a respective one of said second channels when the stiles and rails are assembled with the top face of the top rail coplanar with the top face of each stile and the bottom face of the bottom rail is coplanar with the bottom face of each stile.

3. A kit for the construction of a frame for a door, said kit comprising: a) two elongate stiles, each stile having an inner face, an outer face, a top face and a bottom face; b) an elongate top rail and an elongate bottom rail, each rail having a top face, a bottom face, a front face, a back face and two ends; characterised in that: c) a groove is formed at each end of each stile, in the inner face of the stile; each groove having a length at least equal to the distance between the top face and the bottom face of one of the rails; d) a respective tenon extends from each end of each rail, each tenon being a close fit within a respective groove at the end of a stile; e) each rail has stud extending from each tenon in a direction parallel to the elongate direction of the rail; f) each stile has a socket containing a spring steel disc with an aperture therein mounted in each said groove, each socket having a substantially planar face which is substantially parallel to the inner face of its associated stile; the axis of said socket being collinear with the axis of a respective one of said studs when the stiles and rails are assembled with the top face of the top rail coplanar with the top face of each stile and the bottom face of the bottom rail is coplanar with the bottom face of each stile; the mounting of said sockets in said stiles being such that the aperture in each spring steel disc receives and clamps a respective stud when said frame is assembled.

4. A kit as defined in claim 1, including at least one additional rail, to be located between said top rail and said bottom rail, and at least one additional groove in the inner face of each stile, each additional groove having a length at least equal to the distance between the top face and the bottom face of the or an associated additional rail; further characterised in that a) said or each additional rail has 1. a respective tenon extending from each of its ends; and 2. a fastener receiving element mounted in or adjacent to each of its tenons, or means to support a fastener receiving element near each of its tenons; and b) each stile has at least one additional fastener access channel in each stile, each additional fastener access channel having a substantially circular cross-section and being collinear with a respective one of said second fastener receiving elements when the frame is assembled with each tenon of the or a respective additional rail positioned within the or a respective additional groove of a stile; the or each additional fastener access channel being dimensioned to receive an elongate fastener element adapted to extend through one of said fastener access channels and to engage with an associated fastener receiving element in said or an additional rail.

A kit as defined in claim 2, including a) at least one additional rail, to be located between said top rail and said bottom rail, said or each additional rail having 1. a respective tenon extending from each of its ends; 2. a pair of first channels, each first channel extending from the front face to the back face of the rail in a direction orthogonal to the elongate direction of the rail; each first channel having a substantially circular cross-section and being a predetermined short distance from a respective end of said additional rail; each first channel being dimensioned to receive a respective dowel nut; 3. a pair of second channels, each second channel having a substantially circular cross-section; each second channel extending inwardly from a respective tenon of said additional rail, parallel to the elongate direction of the rail, to intersect with a respective one of said first channels; each second channel being dimensioned to be a clearance fit for the shaft of a respective dowel bolt; b) at least one additional groove in the inner face of each stile, each additional groove having a length at least equal to the distance between the top face and the bottom face of the or an associated additional rail; and c) at least one additional fastener access channel in each stile, each additional fastener access channel having a substantially circular cross- section and being collinear with a respective one of the second channels of said, or an, additional rail when the frame is assembled with each tenon of the or a respective additional rail positioned within the or a respective additional groove of a stile; the or each additional fastener access channel being dimensioned to receive a dowel bolt adapted to extend therethrough and also through a second channel in its associated additional rail to engage with a dowel nut positioned within an associated first channel of the or an additional rail.

6. A kit as defined in claim 3, including at least one additional rail, to be located between said top rail and said bottom rail, and at least one additional groove in the inner face of each stile, each additional groove having a length at least equal to the distance between the top face and the bottom face of the or an associated additional rail; further characterised in that a) said or each additional rail has 1. a respective tenon extending from each of its ends; and 2. a stud extending from each tenon in a direction parallel to the elongate direction of the rail; and b) each stile has a socket containing a spring steel disc with an aperture therein mounted in each said additional groove, each socket in an additional groove having a substantially planar face which is substantially parallel to the inner face of its associated stile and an axis which is collinear with the axis of a respective one of said studs in an additional rail when the stiles and rails are positioned for the assembly of said frame, whereby the aperture in each spring steel disc in an additional grove receives and clamps a respective stud in said additional rail when said frame is assembled.

7. A kit as defined in claim 2 or claim 5, including a pair of dowel nuts and a pair of dowel bolts for each rail in said kit.

8. A kit as defined in claim 1 or claim 4, in which a fastener receiving element is mounted in each tenon, each fastener receiving element is an internally threaded socket, and said elongate fastener element is a bolt adapted to pass through a fastener access channel and be screwed into a respective internally threaded socket.

9. A kit as defined in claim 8, including a pair of elongate fasteners for each rail in said kit.

A kit for a door frame as defined in any preceding claim, including a panel adapted to fit within said frame in the, or a, space defined by said stiles and said rails.

11. A kit for a window frame as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, including a glass pane adapted to fit within said frame in the, or a, space defined by said stiles and said rails.

12. A kit as defined by claim 10, in which said or each panel is adapted to be held in position within said frame by at least one screw passing through a stile from its outer face to its inner face, to be screwed into an edge of the panel.

13. A kit as defined in claim 10, in which said or each panel is adapted to be held in position within said frame by at least two projections from the edge of the panel, each projection being adapted to be a fit within an extended region of a respective one of said grooves.

14. A kit as defined in claim 10, in which each rail has a rebated central region and the or each panel is adapted to be mounted on said frame by screws which pass through top and bottom regions of the panel and are screwed into 24 a respective one of said rebated regions.

A kit as defined in claim 10, in which each stile has at least one rebated region in its front face and the or each panel is adapted to be mounted on said frame by screws which pass through side regions of the panel and are screwed into a respective one of said rebated regions.

16. A kit as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, in which said grooves in each stile are established by a single continuous groove which extends over the entire length of the inner face of each stile.

17. A kit as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, or claim 16, in which the bottom face of the top rail and the top face of the bottom rail have a groove therein, extending the entire length of the rail.

18. A kit as defined in any one of claims 4, 5 and 6, or claim 16 when appended to any one of claims 4, 5 and 6, in which the bottom face of the top rail, the top face of the or each additional rail, the top face of the bottom rail, and the bottom face of the or each additional rail each have a groove therein, extending the entire length of the rail.

19. A kit for a door as defined in claim 16, claim 17 when appended to claim 16, or claim 18 when appended to claim 16, including at least one panel adapted to be mounted on said frame in the, or a, space defined by said stiles and said rails, said or each panel having side edge regions which are a fit within a respective one of the continuous grooves in the stiles.

A kit for a door as defined in claim 16, claim 17 when appended to claim 16, or claim 18 when appended to claim 16, including at least one panel adapted to be mounted on said frame in the, or a, space defined by said stiles and said rails, said or each panel having at least one projection from each side edge, each said projection being dimensioned to be a fit within a respective one of the continuous grooves in the stiles.

21. A kit as defined in claim 17 or claim 18, in which said or each panel has top and bottom edge regions which are a fit within a respective one of the continuous grooves in the rails.

22. A kit as defined in claim 17 or claim 18, in which said or each panel has at least one projection from its top and bottom edge regions, each said top and bottom projection being dimensioned to be a fit within a respective one of the continuous grooves in the rails.

23. A kit as defined in claim 13, claim 14 when appended to claim 13, or claim when appended to claim 13, in which, in each stile, part of the material of the stile which is between the continuous groove and the rear face of the stile is rebated.

24. A kit as defined in claim 14 or claim 15, in which, in each rail, part of the material of the rail which is between the or each continuous groove and the rear face of the rail is rebated.

A kit as defined in any one of claims 1 to 10, or any one of claims 12 to 24, for a sliding door, including: a) a continuous groove in the outer face of each stile, to receive a bumper strip; b) track guide receiving means in the top face of the top rail, to receive at least one track guide; 26 c) two roller assembly receiving slots machined into the bottom face of the bottom rail, each near a respective end of the bottom rail; and d) an access channel near the bottom of each style, into which a roller assembly adjustment tool may be inserted for adjustment of a roller assembly.

26. A kit as defined in claim 25, in which said guide receiving means comprises a slot in the top face of the top rail, into which a fin of said track guide may be positioned.

27. A kit as defined by any preceding claim, in which each stile, each rail and (if present) said or each panel is painted or otherwise treated.

28. A kit as defined in any preceding claim, in which the front face of each stile and/or rail is decoratively moulded.

29. A kit for a frame of a door or window, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A kit as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, or claim 16, or claim 17, or any one of claims 23 to 29, assembled as a door frame.

31. A kit as defined in claim 30, including at least one panel, assembled as a door.

32. A kit as defined in any one of claims 11 to 15, or any one of claims 19 to 22, assembled as a door.

33. A kit as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, or any one of claims 16 to 18, or claim 30, assembled as a window. Dated this first day of August 2003. Peter Leslie Schumer, by his Patent Attorneys Davies Collison Cave.