EP1087087A2

EP1087087A2 - Rv mounted service door having concealed hinges

Info

Publication number: EP1087087A2
Application number: EP00119530A
Authority: EP
Inventors: John M. Antos; Gerard Cornelis Rijn
Original assignee: Thetford Corp
Current assignee: Thetford Corp
Priority date: 1999-09-21
Filing date: 2000-09-07
Publication date: 2001-03-28
Also published as: EP1087087A3

Abstract

A door assembly for an outside compartment in a recreational vehicle consisting of a generally upright rectangular frame member defining an access opening and a door member of a size to fit in the opening. Hinge members mount the door member on the frame for swinging movement between an open position and a closed position fitting in the opening. In the closed position of the door, the frame member and the closed door are in a flush relation with the outer wall of the recreational vehicle. The frame member and a component of the hinge assembly hide the hinge mechanism to enhance the overall appearance of the recreational vehicle.

Description

Background and Summary of the Invention

This invention relates generally to hinged doors for closing off and providing access to compartments and more particularly to an improved door assembly for a compartment in a recreational vehicle, which is to be accessed from outside the vehicle.

Conventional doors for external compartments in recreational vehicles have historically been very rudimentary in nature. However, most still are constructed and hinged so that the doors project outwardly beyond the plane of the exterior wall of the recreational vehicle and the hinges also project outwardly and detract from the overall appearance of the vehicle.

It is the principal object of the present invention therefore to provide an improved door assembly for an outside compartment in a recreational vehicle which has concealed hinges and a flush mounting so it streamlines the overall appearance of the RV without detracting from its overall appearance.

In this invention, the door opening for the compartment in the outer wall of the RV has a depressed area around the opening. Similarly, an annular outer surface of the door is depressed at the edge. This enables the door to be supported on a frame, which fits in the depression in the outer wall, and the hinge support is similarly enabled to be placed in the depression in the door. The frame and the hinge assembly has flange components, which are located in the depressions so as to conceal the hinge assembly from view when the door is in dosed position. The fact that the flanges block any view of the hinge while still maintaining the uninterrupted lines of the RV is because the hinges do not protrude. The result is a total concealment of the hinge assembly between the frame and the edge of the door, which is supported on the hinge.

The overall result is an improved door assembly, which is easy to use when access to an inside compartment is desired and also provides the RV with a desirable clean look, which does not detract from the overall appearance of the recreational vehicle.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a recreational vehicle shown in broken lines and provided with the access door of this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the improved door assembly of this invention as seen from the lines 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the door assembly of this invention as seen from the lines 3-3 in Figure 1 to show the structure of the hinge assembly of the door, showing the door in a closed position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view like Figure 3 but the door is in an opened position in which it extends in a direction 90° to the side wall of the RV;

Figure 5 is a sectional view like Figure 4 in which the access door is fully opened and extending in a direction parallel to the side wall of the RV; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the hinge in the hinge assembly of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawing, the door assembly of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in Figure 1 mounted in the side wall 11 of a recreational vehicle 12 which can either be a motor home or a travel trailer. The door assembly 10 provides access from outside the vehicle 12 to a compartment, which can be used, for storage of cargo, luggage or the like or other similar purposes. A recreational vehicle (RV) in common use, today can have many such doors. In any event, the door assembly 10 provides access to an internal compartment in the RV and performs a useful and necessary function in the day to day use of the RV 12.

The door assembly 10 includes a laminated door member 14 having an outer wall 16 and an inner wall 18. The RV outer wall 11 is also a laminate consisting of a foam body 20, an inner wall 22 and an outer wall 23. For convenience, the door member 14 can be the part of the RV laminated wall 11 to form the opening 24 in the wall 11 to the compartment.

The side wall is provided with a door opening 24 (Figure 2) and the wall 11 is shaped to provide a depression 26 in the side wall 11. The door member 14 is also provided with a depression 28, which extends entirely around the door 14. This construction provides a flat surface 30 on the side wall 23 and a similar surface 32 on the door 14. The

surfaces

30 and 32 are continuous, the surface 32 being within the rectangular surface 30.

In this invention, a rectangular frame 34 (Figure 1) is mounted on the side wall 11 in a fitted relation with the wall opening 24 and extending into the rectangular opening 24 from outside the RV as shown in Figure 2. The frame 34 has a body 36, which extends inwardly of the wall opening 24. The body 36 has a continuous groove 38, which receives the wedge section 39 of an angle shape member 40 with clamping plate 42 which clamps the frame 34 on the wall 11. The wedge 39 is driven into the groove 38 so as to expand the frame 36 into firm engagement with the side wall 11. At the same time, the plate 42 is moved into engagement with the inner side of the wall 11 so as to lock the frame 34 in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in the opening 24.

The frame body 36 includes a continuous flange 44 which extends into the depression 26 in the RV side wall so that the outer surface 46 is in alignment with the outer wall 23 of the RV side wall laminate 11.

In this invention, the generally rectangular door 14 is supported by a pair of hinge assemblies 52 that are identical in all respects. Accordingly, only one of the hinge assemblies 52 will be described in detail and shown in Figures 3 to 6, inclusive.

A hinge assembly 52 includes a pair of side by side spaced

hinge bars

54 and 56 connected together by a channel shaped member 58. The member 58 has leg sections 60 and an integral base section 62. The channel shape member 58 is secured to the

hinge bars

54 and 56 by welding or the equivalent. The hinge bar 54 is axially rotatably mounted on the frame 34 and the hinge bar 56 is rotatably mounted on a structural component 64 which forms part of the hinge assembly 52. The structural member 64 encircles the door 10 and is held on the door 10 by a screw 57 which extends into the structural component 64 so as to clamp the door between a plate 68 and a flange 70 which is integral with the structural member 64 and is positioned in the depression 28 in alignment with the similar flange 72 on the frame 34.

A wedge 71 is driven into the structural component 64 and carries

seal members

74 and 76 which are pliable and engage the frame 34 so as to seal the compartment (not shown) which is accessed by the door 10. The door 10 is shown in Figures 2 and 3 in a closed position. In this position, the

seals

74 and 76 extend entirely around the edges of the door 10 so as to prevent rain and snow from entering the compartment behind the door 10. The

seal members

74 and 76 are in tight engagement with the frame 34 all the way around the door 10.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3,

components

70 and 72 on the door and the frame respectively, hide the hinge 58 and the

seals

74 and 76. In addition, the

structural components

70 and 72 are located in the

depressions

28 and 30 so that the

components

70 and 72 are in a flush relation with the side wall 23. The flush relation, as used herein, means that the outer surfaces of the

components

70 and 72 are in the same plane as the outer surface 16 of the door 14 and the laminate 21 in the side wall 23.

Figure 4 illustrates the door 10 in a position providing partial access to the compartment and Figure 5 shows the door 10 in a fully open position parallel to the RV side wall 11. In this fully open position of the door, total access is provided to the compartment that is associated with the door.

From the above description, it is seen that the depressed areas around the compartment opening and a similar depression around the edge of the door enables the frame and door combination to be in a flush relation with the side wall of the recreational vehicle 12 when the door 10 is closed. The fact that the flange components block any view of the hinge 58 while still maintaining the uninterrupted lines of the recreational vehicle is because the hinge 58 does not protrude beyond the plane of the side wall of the recreational vehicle. The result is a total concealment of the hinge assembly between the frame and the edge of the door, which is supported on the hinge.

While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.

Claims

In a RV having an outer wall and a rectangular opening in said wall for a service door,

a rectangular frame mounted on said wall in a fitted relation with said wall opening and extending into said rectangular opening, a generally rectangular door member movable between closed and open positions in respect to said door opening and having four edges and one of which is the hinge edge, said hinge edge is adjacent to but in a clearance relation with the frame to enable the door to open and close without striking the frame, a hinge assembly comprising a pair of side-by-side hinge bars spaced apart and connected by a channel shape member, said channel shape member having leg sections secured to said bars and a base member extending between said leg sections to maintain the bars in the same spaced relation, one of said bars being axially rotatably mounted on said frame and the other bar being axially rotatably mounted on said hinge edge, said door being movable from its closed position to a ninety degree position relative to said frame in which the entire hinge assembly is pivoted around the one of said hinge bars that is mounted on said frame, and a further open position by pivoting said door member about the other door hinge bar which is mounted on the door.
The structure set forth in Claim 1 further including seal means on said hinge edge of said door located so as to move into sealing engagement with said frame when said door is moved into said closed position.
In a RV having an outer wall and a rectangular opening in said wall for a service door, a depression in said wall around said opening,

a rectangular frame mounted on said wall in a fitted relation with said wall opening and extending into said rectangular opening from outside of the RV, said frame having a continuous flange component located in said depression so as to be flush with said outer wall, a generally rectangular door member movable between closed and open positions in respect to said door opening and having a plurality of edges and an outer surface, said door having a continuous annular depression in said outer surface located at said edges so as to have a door surface flush with said wall depression and the remainder of the door surface being flush with the RV outer wall, a hinge assembly connected between said frame and said door, said hinge assembly having a flange component located on said door depression so that said flange components are flush with said RV outer wall and operate to screen said hinge from view when viewing said RV wall.
The structure of claim 3 wherein said hinge assembly is positioned in the space between the hinge edge of said door and said frame, said hinge assembly including a pair of hinge bars, one bar on said frame and another on said door.
The structure of claim 3, said hinge assembly comprising a pair of side-by-side hinge bars spaced apart and connected together, one of said bars being on said frame and the other bar being axially rotatably mounted on said hinge edge, said door being movable from its closed position to a ninety degree position relative to said frame in which the entire hinge assembly is pivoted around the one of said hinge bars that is mounted on said frame, and a further open position by pivoting said door member about the other hinge bar which is mounted on the door.
In an RV having an outer wall and a rectangular opening in said wall for a service door, means forming a depression in said wall around said opening,

a rectangular frame mounted on said wall in a fitted relation with said wall opening and extending into said rectangular opening, said frame having a continuous flange component located in said depression so as to be flush with said outer wall, a generally rectangular door member movable between closed and open positions in respect to said door opening and having a plurality of edges and an outer surface, said door having a continuous annular depression in said outer surface located at said edges so as to have a door surface flush with said wall depression and the remainder of the door surface being flush with the RV outer wall, a hinge assembly connected between said frame and said door, one of said door edges being the hinge edge, said hinge edge being adjacent to but in a clearance relation with the frame to enable the door to open and dose without striking the frame, a hinge assembly comprising a pair of side-by-side hinge bars spaced apart and connected by a channel shape member, said channel shape member having leg sections secured to said bars and a base member extending between said leg sections to maintain the bars in the same spaced relations, one of said bars being axially rotatably mounted on said frame and the other bar being axially rotatably mounted on said hinge edge, said door being movable from its closed position to a ninety degree position relative to said frame in which the entire hinge assembly is pivoted around the one of said hinge bars that is mounted on said frame, and a further open position by pivoting said door member about the other door hinge bar which is mounted on the door, said hinge assembly having a flange component located on said door depression so that said flange components are flush with said RV outer wall and operate to screen said hinge from view.