EP1048814B1

EP1048814B1 - A door, a door panel and a method for closing a door

Info

Publication number: EP1048814B1
Application number: EP19990201295
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bo Olsson
Original assignee: Cardo Door Continental BV
Current assignee: Assa Abloy Entrance Systems Production Netherlands BV
Priority date: 1999-04-26
Filing date: 1999-04-26
Publication date: 2006-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2019-04-26
Also published as: DE69932149T2; DE69932149D1; EP1048814A1; DK1048814T3

Description

The invention relates to a door with the features of the preamble of claim 1.
Doors of this type can be used for closing larger surfaces, with the door extending in a horizontal plane, above the passage, in its open condition. When the door is being closed, the panels, which are guided in rails on either side of the passage, are tilted, starting with the lower(most) panel. During said tilting, panels positioned adjacently to each other will hinge with respect to each other.
The term inside surface as used herein is understood to mean the side of the door that faces the side where the door is present in its open condition, and the term outside surface is understood to mean the other side of the door, which usually faces the outside when the door is installed on the outside of a building.
The drawback of such a door as described in US-A-3,941,180 is the fact that a person's fingers may become wedged between the two panels when the panels move towards each other during their relative hinging movement. Another drawback is the fact that two adjacent panels cannot hinge any further than the position in which the lateral surfaces of the panels touch each other near the outside surface of the door, in which position the panels are in line, so that the door extends in a flat plane. It may be desirable, however, for the two adjacent panels to be able to hinge slightly further, in particular when the door occupies a horizontal, open position.
With the door which is disclosed in EP-A-0 304 642 the above drawbacks have been avoided by shaping the lateral surfaces such that a U-shaped recess is present between the panels at the outside surface of the door in the closed position thereof, which recess extends in horizontal direction. The dimensions of said U-shaped recess should be large so that it is not possible for a person's finger(s) to become wedged therein. However, the presence of the U-shaped recess between the panels according to EP-A-0 304 642 may be undesirable, because it forms a considerable relief on the outside surface of the door, in which dirt and other undesirable materials may accumulate. Furthermore such recess requires special sealings at the vertical edges of the door opening to obtain a water and air tight closing of the door. WO 99/16997 discloses a door with the features of the preamble of claim 1.
The object of the invention is to provide a door comprising hinged-together panels, wherein no recess is present between the panels on the outside surface of the door, when the door is closed, and wherein the risk of a person's finger(s) becoming wedged is minimal. This is accomplished by a door according to claim 1 and a panel according to claim 7. A panel according to the invention comprises a strip of an elastic, flexible material which is present in deformed condition between the two panels at the outside surface of the door in the closed condition of said door. The flexible material will deform when the lateral surfaces of two adjacent panels move towards each other, such that part of the material of the strip will move in the direction of the outside surface of the door, thus pushing out any objects that may be present at that location, such as a person's finger(s).
Preferably, the dimension of the flexible material that is present near the outside surface of the door, measured in vertical direction in the closed condition of the door, is less than 6 mm, more preferably less than 4 mm, and in a preferred embodiment said dimension is about 2 mm.
Preferably, said sloping portion is curved cylindrically, with the hinge axis forming the central axis of the cylinder. This will be explained more fully as yet by means of an example.
In one preferred embodiment, said lateral surface comprises a first portion adjacent to the outside surface of the door, which extends substantially perpendicularly to said outside surface, with said sloping portion adjoining said first portion. The strip of flexible material thereby abuts against said first portion.
Said strip of flexible material is attached at the location of the sloping portion of the lateral surface of the panel, whereby said strip of flexible material may be provided in a slot which is present in the lateral surface of a panel.
In one preferred embodiment, the strip of flexible material is compressible, that is, the volume of the material will decrease under pressure. To that end, the material may be provided with hollow spaces. Preferably, the strip of flexible material has a cross section comprising an enclosed space. The strip may thereby comprise a hollow space which extends along the length of the strip, as will be explained more fully as yet by means of an example.
The invention furthermore relates to a panel according to claim 7 and a method for closing a door, said method being claimed in claim 8.
In order to explain the invention more fully, an embodiment of the connection between two adjacent panels of a door will be described hereafter with reference to the drawing.

Figure 1 shows the connection between two panels in the closed position of a door; and
Figure 2 shows the same connection, wherein the two panels extend at an angle with respect to each other.

The figures are merely schematic representations, which only show those parts that are relevant for the explanation.
The figures show, in vertical sectional view, the upper part of a first panel 1 and the lower part of a second panel 2, which is positioned above said first panel. Panel 1 comprises an outside surface 3 and an inside surface 4, and panel 2 comprises an outside surface 5 and an inside surface 6.
First panel 1 and second panel 2 are interconnected by means of a hinge 7, which is secured to first panel 1 with a part 8 and to second panel 2 with a part 9, for example by means of screws.
The lower side of the second panel comprises a lateral surface 10, and the upper side of first panel 1 comprises a lateral surface 11, which are shaped such that at least part of lateral surface 11 can extend to within a recess 12 in second panel 2 which is formed by lateral surface 10. A strip of a flexible material 13, for example plastic or rubber, abuts against lateral surface 11, near outside surface 3.
Figure 2 shows the strip of material 13 in undeformed condition, with a hollow space 14 being enclosed therein, seen in cross-sectional view of material 13, so that the strip of material 13 is compressible, that is, that the volume thereof will decrease under pressure. Strip of material 13 extends with another part into a slot 15, in which said strip is attached with a clamped fit to abut against lateral surface 11.
When the two panels 1,2 are in line, as is shown in Figure 1, the strip of flexible material is deformed. Strip of material 13 is thereby clamped between the two panels 1,2 in such a manner that part of the material 13, which is positioned between the two panels 1,2, extends as far as the outside surface 3,5 of panels 1, 2.
When the two panels 1,2 are in line, as is shown in Figure 1, the panels 1,2 touch one another near their inside surfaces 4,6, so that they are supported one against another at that location and/or in hinge 7. Panels 1,2 are supported one against another near their outside surfaces 3,5, with the interposition of strip of flexible material 13, as a result of which the relative position of panels 1,2 can be slightly varied.
As is apparent from Figure 1, the outside surfaces 3,5 of panels 1,2 extend to a position quite close to each other, thus forming, together with part of the strip of flexible material 13, a nearly continuous outside surface of the door. This offers both visual and practical advantages.
When the two panels 1,2 are moved from the position in which they extend at an angle relative to each other (Figure 2) to the position in which they are in line (Figure 1), the lower edge 16 of second panel 2, which is positioned near outside surface 5, will move along a cylindrical part 17 of lateral surface 11 of first panel 1. As soon as lower edge 16 touches the strip of flexible material, said material will deform, whereby part of said material will move in the direction of the outside surfaces 3,5 of panels 1,2. As a result of this, an object extending between panels 1,2, for example the finger of a person who is present near the door, will be pushed out by said flexible material 13.
Lateral surface 11 of panel 1 is provided, near outside surface 3, with a portion 18 which extends substantially perpendicularly to outside surface 3. Flexible material 13 is clamped between said portion 18 and lower edge 16.
The embodiment as shown in the figures should be considered as an example, many other embodiments are possible within the scope of protection claimed in the appended claims.

Claims

A door which can be moved in vertical direction, comprising at least two adjacent panels (1,2) which extend in horizontal direction and which are directed towards each other with their lateral surfaces (10,11), which two panels (1,2) are hinged together by means of hinges (7) comprising a horizontal hinge axis which is located near the inside surface (4,6) of the door, with the two panels (1,2) supporting each other near the outside surface (3,5) of the door in the closed condition of the door, wherein a lateral surface (11) of one of said panels comprises a sloping portion (17) which faces away from the hinge axis and extends obliquely in a direction away from said panel (1) towards the inside surface (4,6) of the door, said sloping portion (11) adjoining a substantially perpendicular portion (18) which extends adjacent and substantially perpendicularly to said outside surface (3) of the door, wherein a strip (13) of elastic flexible material is attached to said sloping portion (17) and abuts said substantially perpendicular portion (18), characterized in that said strip (13) is deformable such that when said lateral surfaces (10,11) of the two closing panels (1,2) move towards each other part of the material of the strip moves in the direction of the outside surface of the door, thus any objects that may be present at the location of the strip, such as a person's fingers, are pushed out until the strip is present in deformed condition between the two panels (1,2) at the outside surface (3,5) of the door.
A door according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimension of the flexible material (13) that is present near the outside surface (3,5) of the door, measured in vertical direction in the closed condition of the door, is less than 6 mm, preferably less than 4 mm, and more preferably about 2 mm.
A door according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said sloping portion (17) is curved substantially cylindrically, with the hinge axis forming the central axis of the cylinder.
A door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said strip of flexible material (13) is provided in a slot (15) which is present in the lateral surface (11) of a panel (1).
A door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said strip of flexible material (13) is compressible.
A door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said strip of flexible material (13) has a cross section comprising an enclosed space (14).
A panel (1,2) for a door which can be moved in vertical direction, comprising an outside surface (3,5), an inside surface (4,6) and two lateral surfaces (10,11), which panel (1,2) can be hinged to a corresponding identical panel by means of hinges (7) comprising a horizontal hinge axis which is located near the inside surface (4,6) of the panel (1,2) such that said two identical hinged panels support each other near the outside surface (3,5) of the door in the closed condition of the door, wherein a lateral surface (11) of said panel (1,2) comprises a sloping portion (17) which faces away from the hinge axis and extends obliquely in a direction away from said panel (1,2) towards the inside surface (4,6) of the panel, said sloping portion (11) adjoining a substantially perpendicular portion (18) which extends adjacent and substantially perpendicularly to said outside surface (3) of the panel (1,2), wherein a strip.(13) of elastic flexible material is attached to said sloping portion (17) and abuts said substantially perpendicular portion (18), characterized in that said strip (13) is deformable such that when the lateral surfaces of two identical hinged panels move towards each other part of the material of the strip moves in the direction of the outside surface of the door, thus any objects that may be present at the location of the strip, such as a person's fingers, are pushed out until the strip (13) is present in deformed condition between the two panels at the outside surface of the panels.
A method for closing a door comprising at least two adjacent panels (1,2) which extend in horizontal direction and which are directed towards each other with their lateral surfaces (10,11), which two panels (1,2) are hinged together by means of hinges (7) comprising a horizontal hinge axis which is located near the inside surface (4,6) of the door, with the two panels (1,2) supporting each other near the outside surface (3,5) of the door in the closed condition of the door, wherein a lateral surface (11) of one of said panels comprises a sloping portion (17) which faces away from the hinge axis and extends obliquely in a direction away from said panel (1) towards the inside surface (4,6) of the door, said sloping portion (11) adjoining a substantially perpendicular portion (18) which extends adjacent and substantially perpendicularly to said outside surface (3) of the door, wherein a strip (13) of elastic flexible material is attached to said sloping portion (17) and abuts said substantially perpendicular portion (18), characterized in that said strip (13) is deformed such that when said lateral surfaces (10,11) of the two closing panels (1,2) move towards each other part of the material of the strip moves in the direction of the outside surface of the door, thus any objects that may be present at the location of the strip, such as a person's fingers, are pushed out until the strip is present in deformed condition between the two panels (1,2) at the outside surface (3,5) of the door.