EP0635616A1

EP0635616A1 - Door having depressed surface portions

Info

Publication number: EP0635616A1
Application number: EP93305723A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ho-Tsung Fang
Original assignee: Fang Ho Tsung
Current assignee: Fang Ho Tsung
Priority date: 1993-07-21
Filing date: 1993-07-21
Publication date: 1995-01-25
Also published as: AU4209793A; CA2101975A1; ZA935313B; CA2101975C

Abstract

A door includes a door frame (20) and two skins (10,30) made of moldable material and forming two faces of the door by mounting on the door frame (20). Each of the two skins (10,30) is shaped by vacuum forming to provide depressed decorative patterns. Each of the two skins (10,30) is attached with a backing sheet (102,302) having cut-away portions corresponding to the depressed decorative patterns for receiving the same to maintain a sufficient rigidity of the door.

Description

The present invention relates to a door formed with a rigid frame and with two skins being molded to provide the door with decorative patterns.
My U.S. Patent No. 5,003,745, issued April 2, 1991, discloses a door consisting of a solid board having opposed depressed portions in major opposed side walls and two moldable sheets made of P.V.C. or A.B.S. respectively attached to the major side walls of the solid board and having depressed portions, which are embossed with decorative patterns, to be fitted in the depressed portions of the solid board. The solid board is usually 3' X 7' x 2'' in size and heavy in weight rendering difficulties in machining of the depressed portions.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved door in which the door can be provided very easily with a great variety of decorative patterns, and in which the assembling of the door requires only a few operations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved door which needs no foam material for filling into empty spaces between opposed door skins to maintain an essential rigidity of the door.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved door with concave major surfaces for securing designs or patterns shaped therein from being fractured.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved door which is light in weight and formed with concave major surfaces for labour and space savings in packaging.
According to the present invention, there is provided a door which comprises a door frame made or a rigid material a first skin made of a moldable material and shaped with depressed decorative patterns, a first backing sheet preferably of a plywood sheet attached to a bottom side of the first skin and formed with cut-away portions for firmly receiving the depressed decorative patterns and mounted on the door frame, a second skin also made of a moldable material and shaped with decorative patterns and a second backing sheet attached to a bottom side of the second skin and formed with cut-away portions for firmly receiving the depressed decorative patterns and mounted on the door frame.
The present invention will now be described further hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view showing the different non-assembled parts of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a vacuum forming process of a moldable or thermalplastic sheet.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the backing sheet formed with cut-away portions and its cut-down parts.

As illustrated on FIG. 1, the door 1 according to the present invention includes a rigid and sturdy frame 20 which can be advantageously made of light wood, a first skin 10 shaped with depressed decorative patterns 101 and mounted on the frame 20, and a second skin 30 also shaped with depressed decorative patterns (not shown) and mounted on the frame 20.
Referring now to FIG. 2, plywood or backing sheets 102, 302 are provided for respectively backing the first and second skins 10, 30. Each of the plywood sheets 102, 302 is substantially of the same size as the skins 10, 30 and formed with cut- away portions 103, or 303.
The plywood sheet or backing sheet 102, as best shown in FIG. 4, can advantageously be machined by punch with a pre-arranged mold or blade to cut off cut-down parts 104 so that the cut-away portions 103 is located in the plywood sheet 102. The cut-away portions 103 of the plywood sheet 102 generally corresponds with the depressed decorative patterns 101 in the first skin 10 for firmly receiving the depressed decorative patterns 101 when the plywood sheet 102 is attached to bottom of the first skin 10 in manners with contact glue. The depressed decorative patterns 101 in the first skin 10 can maintain a very clear and original contour under protection of corresponding cut-away portions 103 in the plywood sheet 102 from fracturing.
The skins 10, 30 can advantageously be shaped by vacuum forming to provide the corresponding faces of the door with decorative patterns. Referring to FIG. 3, as it is well known, in such a vacuum forming process, a moldable sheet constituting the skin 10 is supported over a mold between a male die 11 and a female die 12 in a sealed condition. Heat is applied to the moldable sheet 10 to a temperature at which it can be reshaped. The male die 11 is provided with a plurality of passages 110 extending downwardly to connect an air conduit 13 which is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) to establish a vacuum between the mold and the sheet 10 that will pull in the softened sheet 10 to the mold contour where it hardens to the desired shape.
The plywood sheet 102 has a shape adapting with the shape of the door frame 20 for mounting thereto with the skin 10 forming one of the two faces of the door 1. In alternative, the plywood sheet 102 can be dimensioned to be accommodated within the door frame 20 so that the skin 10 can be directly mounted on the door frame 20. The second skin 30 is identical with the first skin 10 in processing to form the other one of the two faces of the door 1. Under serial tests, the thickness range of each plywood sheet is preferably between a quarter to a half inch so as to maintain sufficient rigidity of the door 1.
A door as described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings have the following advantages over the conventional doors as described in the preamble of the present disclosure:

A) The skins 10, 30 backing with respective plywood sheets 102, 302 render sufficient rigidity of the door 1. Therefore, no stuffing, such as styrofoam and polyurethane foam, is necessary to be filled or injected into spaces between the skins 10, 30;
B) The depressed decorative patterns of the skins 10, 30 are firmly received in corresponding cut-away portions in the plywood sheets and thus protected from fracturing to maintain a clear and original contour;
C) The decorative patterns of the skin are depressed below a level with its surface so that there is no disturbance between stacked doors in package;
D) Such a door is generally light in weight and easy and space saving in package; and
E) The materials, namely high impact polystyrene. P.V.C. and/or A.B.S., forming the skins 10, 30 provide to the door of the invention a durable, scuff and scratch resistant, and maintenance free elegant finish.

Claims

A door having first and second faces each being provided with depressed decorative patterns in their surface, comprising:
a door frame 20 made of a rigid material;
a first face means mounting on the door frame and having a first skin 10 with a first major side forming the first face of the door and made of a moldable material which is shaped by vacuum forming to produce the depressed decorative patterns, and a first backing sheet 102 attached to a major side opposite to the first major side of the first skin and having reception portions 103 corresponding to the depressed decorative patterns and adapted for firmly receiving the depressed decorative patterns; and
a second face means mounting on the door frame and having a second skin 30 with a first major side forming the second face of the door and made of a moldable material which is shaped by vacuum forming to produce the depressed decorative patterns, and a second backing sheet 302 attached to a major side opposite to the first major side of the second skin and having reception portions 303 corresponding to the depressed decorative patterns and adapted for firmly receiving the decorative patterns.