GB1598954A - Metal frame with on-metallic threshold member - Google Patents

Description

(54) METAL FRAME WITH NON-METALLIC THRESHOLD MEMBER (71) We, LESLIE GEORGE BRIGGS, a British subject of 18 Great Wheatley Road, Rayleigh, Essex, and EDWARD KENNETH COVENTRY, a British subject of Little Bassets Farm, Magpie Lane, Little Warley, Brentwood, Essex do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the metghod by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a metal frame for supporting at least one sliding or hinged member in an open position which allows a person to walk through the frame and in a closed position which prevents a person from walking through the frame. Usually the sliding or hinged member will be a door such for example as a patio door which can be single or double glazed as desired. The sliding or hinged member can also be an interior door or panel for use as a room divider and the interior door or panel can be glazed, solid or louvred as desired.

Frames for supporting sliding or hinged members such as patio doors are well known.

The known frames often comprise top, bottom and side members which are made of an extruded metal. The bottom member is walked on or walked over and it is often known as a threshold member. This metal bottom or threshold member is not always entirely satisfactory in that it is not always readily visible and it can be slippery.

The present invention aims to provide a frame having an improved bottom member compared with the bottom members of the above mentioned known frames.

Accordingly, this invention provides a frame for supporting at least one sliding or hinged member in an open position which allows a person to walk through the frame and in a closed position which prevents a person from walking through the frame, the frame comprising top, bottom and side members which are made of an extruded metal, and the bottom member being provided with a non-metallic flexible member which acts as a threshold member in use of the frame.

The present invention also provides the combination of the frame and the sliding or hinged member.

By an appropriate choice of material, the non-metallic flexible member employed in the frame of the present invention can be arranged to be aesthetically attractive, readily visible and non-slippery. It can also be arranged to be easily replaceable in the event of wear or damage.

Preferably, the non-metallic flexible member is made of a rubber or a plastics material. The non-metallic flexible member may thus be made of a thermoplastic rubber, neoprene, polyvinyl choride or nylon.

Advantageously, the non-metallic flexible member is a push fit into a recess formed in the frame so that it is readily replaceable as mentioned above. The surface of the non-metallic flexible member remote from the bottom member may be provided with grooves for providing an increased grip for persons walking on the non-metallic flexible member.

Usually, the frame of the present invention will be made of aluminium but other metals can be employed if desired. The frame may be placed in a wooden surround for facilitating fixing of the frame in a building.

The frame of the invention may be produced in various sizes and may hold, for example, one, two or three of the sliding or hinged members.

As indicated above, the sliding or hinged members will usually be patio doors or interior divider doors or panels but it is to be appreciated that the frame can support other members.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a cross section through a patio frame with one sliding door and one fixed door.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a sliding door 2 positioned in a metal frame 4.

The frame 4 is itself positioned in a wooden surround 6 by means of screws, one of which is shown at 10. The surround 6 is itself fixed directly to the structure of a building defining an opening into which the surround 6 is to fit.

The frame 4 is extruded in several separate parts which are then fixed together by interlocking frame devices and/or adhesives and/or screws. For simplicity of illustration, only the bottom part of the frame 4 and the surround 6 have been shown.

The door 2 is double glazed as shown and thus comprises a pair of sheets of glass 12, 14 which are spaced apart by hollow edge members, one of which is shown at 16. The sheets of glass 12, 14 are located in an uncured rubber member 18, the rubber being marketed under the Registered Trade Mark Glazepta. The member 18 is shaped as shown and sits in a groove 20 formed in an aluminium base member 22 which forms the bottom of the door 2. The base member 22 is provided with an internal channel 24. This base member 22 supports a roller cage assembly 26 having rollers, two of which are shown at 28. The rollers 28 run on an elongate bead 30 which is formed on the end of a flange 32 which is upstanding from the frame 4 and which projects into the channel 24. The door 2 can thus slide on the bead 30 by means of the rollers 28. In its open position, the door 2 will slide into the plane of the paper as viewed in the drawing until it is in front of a similar but fixed door. The nearest upright side of this fixed door (or a fixed frame member therefore) is indicated by the reference numeral 32. In its closed position, the door 2 will slide to block an opening through the frame 4 and it will then be positioned mainly on one side of the fixed door.

When the door 2 is open, persons will be walking through the opening and they can step on or step over a threshold member 34. The member is non-metallic and flexible. It is preferably made of a rubber or a plastics material.

The member 34 is provided with a groove 36 along each of its sides and these grooves 36 enable the member 34 easily to be pushed into and retained in a groove 38 in the bottom member of the frame 4. Replacement of the member 34 is easily accomplished and the member 34 can be made of a colour, for example black, that easily contrasts with the colour of the metal frame 4, for example silver when the frame 4 is made of aluminium. Thus the member 34 can easily be seen and it can look aesthetically pleasing. Also, the member 34 can be moulded of a non-slip material and its upper surface can be provided with grooves 40 as shown to further provide increased grip.

When the door 2 is shut, air and water are prevented from getting under it and into the house (by moving from left to right as shown in the drawing) by a pile strip seal 42, which abuts against the door 2 as shown. The strip seal 42 is known and used and it comprises a nylon pile 44, a polypropylene backing 46 and a central polythene divider strip 48. The strip seal 42 is reasonably efficient to stop air entering the house by flowing in the direction of the arrows 50. Water flowing in the direction of the arrows 50 is also stopped by the strip seal 42. The water may saturate the pile 44 on the lower side of the divider strip 48 but the divider strip 48 prevents the water from saturating the pile 44 on the upper side of the divider strip 48.

With high wind speeds, for example of the order of sixty miles per hour and above, the strip seal 42 may not be effective to adequately prevent the ingress of air and water. In order to prevent this ingress of air and water, a non-pile sealing member 52 is provided.

In the illustrated embodiment the member 52 is non-metallic and flexible and it is made from a rubber or a plastics material. It is provided with a part circular edge bead 54 which enables it to be a push fit in a groove 56 formed in the frame 4. The part of the member 52 remote from the bead 54 is thin and flexible and it abuts against the bottom of the door as shown. The member 52 is also provided with a shoulder portion 58 for abutting against the adjacent part 60 of the frame 4.

The frame 4 is provided with a concave portion 62 which is specially designed to co-operate with the member 52. More specifically, when air and water at high speeds get under the door 2 by flowing in the direction of the arrows 50, the air and water are directed by the concave portion 62 against the underside of the member 52 and the member 52 is forced upwardly into even greater sealing contact with the door 2. As the member 52 is blown upwardly, the shoulder portion 58 abuts against the part 60 of the frame 4 and this prevents the member 52 from getting blown too far upwardly. Any air or water getting past the member 52 is then stopped by the strip seal 42 which operates as mentioned above.

Any air or water getting right inside the frame 4 is prevented from entering the house by non-pile auxiliary member 64 which is preferably made of the same material as the member 52. The member 64 has a stepped elongate bead 66 for fitting in a correspondingly shaped groove 68 in the frame 4 and the free end of the member 64 is thin and flexible for abutting against the surface 70 of the frame 4.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention desceibed above has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the elongate sides of the threshold member 34 may be differently shaped to enable the threshold member to be differently retained in the groove 38 in the frame 4. The shoulder 58 may be removed from the member 52 and the members 52, 64 may be similarly shaped. Still further, the member 52 may be made to be in two elongate parts which operate with a hinge action.

The frame 4 and the member 52 are described and claimed in the Patent Application No: 6767/78. Serialno 1598955.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A frame for supporting at least one sliding or hinged member in an open position which allows a person to walk through the frame and in a closed position which prevents a person from walking through the frame, the frame

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (10)

1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

   have been shown.

   The door 2 is double glazed as shown and thus comprises a pair of sheets of glass 12, 14 which are spaced apart by hollow edge members, one of which is shown at 16. The sheets of glass 12, 14 are located in an uncured rubber member 18, the rubber being marketed under the Registered Trade Mark Glazepta. The member 18 is shaped as shown and sits in a groove 20 formed in an aluminium base member 22 which forms the bottom of the door 2. The base member 22 is provided with an internal channel 24. This base member 22 supports a roller cage assembly 26 having rollers, two of which are shown at 28. The rollers 28 run on an elongate bead 30 which is formed on the end of a flange 32 which is upstanding from the frame 4 and which projects into the channel 24. The door 2 can thus slide on the bead 30 by means of the rollers 28. In its open position, the door 2 will slide into the plane of the paper as viewed in the drawing until it is in front of a similar but fixed door. The nearest upright side of this fixed door (or a fixed frame member therefore) is indicated by the reference numeral 32. In its closed position, the door 2 will slide to block an opening through the frame 4 and it will then be positioned mainly on one side of the fixed door.

   When the door 2 is open, persons will be walking through the opening and they can step on or step over a threshold member 34. The member is non-metallic and flexible. It is preferably made of a rubber or a plastics material.

   The member 34 is provided with a groove 36 along each of its sides and these grooves 36 enable the member 34 easily to be pushed into and retained in a groove 38 in the bottom member of the frame 4. Replacement of the member 34 is easily accomplished and the member 34 can be made of a colour, for example black, that easily contrasts with the colour of the metal frame 4, for example silver when the frame 4 is made of aluminium. Thus the member 34 can easily be seen and it can look aesthetically pleasing. Also, the member 34 can be moulded of a non-slip material and its upper surface can be provided with grooves 40 as shown to further provide increased grip.

   When the door 2 is shut, air and water are prevented from getting under it and into the house (by moving from left to right as shown in the drawing) by a pile strip seal 42, which abuts against the door 2 as shown. The strip seal 42 is known and used and it comprises a nylon pile 44, a polypropylene backing 46 and a central polythene divider strip 48. The strip seal 42 is reasonably efficient to stop air entering the house by flowing in the direction of the arrows 50. Water flowing in the direction of the arrows 50 is also stopped by the strip seal 42. The water may saturate the pile 44 on the lower side of the divider strip 48 but the divider strip 48 prevents the water from saturating the pile 44 on the upper side of the divider strip 48.

   With high wind speeds, for example of the order of sixty miles per hour and above, the strip seal 42 may not be effective to adequately prevent the ingress of air and water. In order to prevent this ingress of air and water, a non-pile sealing member 52 is provided.

   In the illustrated embodiment the member

   52 is non-metallic and flexible and it is made from a rubber or a plastics material. It is provided with a part circular edge bead 54 which enables it to be a push fit in a groove 56 formed in the frame 4. The part of the member 52 remote from the bead 54 is thin and flexible and it abuts against the bottom of the door as shown. The member 52 is also provided with a shoulder portion 58 for abutting against the adjacent part 60 of the frame 4.

   The frame 4 is provided with a concave portion 62 which is specially designed to co-operate with the member 52. More specifically, when air and water at high speeds get under the door 2 by flowing in the direction of the arrows 50, the air and water are directed by the concave portion 62 against the underside of the member 52 and the member 52 is forced upwardly into even greater sealing contact with the door 2. As the member 52 is blown upwardly, the shoulder portion 58 abuts against the part 60 of the frame 4 and this prevents the member 52 from getting blown too far upwardly. Any air or water getting past the member 52 is then stopped by the strip seal 42 which operates as mentioned above.

   Any air or water getting right inside the frame 4 is prevented from entering the house by non-pile auxiliary member 64 which is preferably made of the same material as the member 52. The member 64 has a stepped elongate bead 66 for fitting in a correspondingly shaped groove 68 in the frame 4 and the free end of the member 64 is thin and flexible for abutting against the surface 70 of the frame 4.

   It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention desceibed above has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the elongate sides of the threshold member 34 may be differently shaped to enable the threshold member to be differently retained in the groove 38 in the frame 4. The shoulder 58 may be removed from the member 52 and the members 52, 64 may be similarly shaped. Still further, the member 52 may be made to be in two elongate parts which operate with a hinge action.

   The frame 4 and the member 52 are described and claimed in the Patent Application No: 6767/78. Serialno 1598955.

   WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A frame for supporting at least one sliding or hinged member in an open position which allows a person to walk through the frame and in a closed position which prevents a person from walking through the frame, the frame

   comprising top, bottom and side members which are made of an extruded metal, and the bottom member being provided with a nonmetallic flexible member which acts as a threshold member in use of the frame.
2. 2. A frame according to Claim 1 in which the non-metallic flexible member is made of a rubber of a plastics material.
3. 3. A frame according to Claim 2 in which the non-metallic flexible member is made of a thermoplastic rubber, neoprene, polyvinyl chloride or nylon.
4. 4. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims in which the non-metallic flexible member is a push fit into a recess formed in the bottom member of the frame.
5. 5. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims in which the surface of the nonmetallic flexible member remote from the bottom member is provided with grooves.
6. 6. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims in which the top, bottom and side members are made of aluminium.
7. 7. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims which is adapted to support one, two or three sliding or hinged members.
8. 8. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims which is adapted to support at least one sliding or hinged member in the form of a patio door or an interior divider door.
9. 9. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims and including a wooden surround for faciliting fixing of the frame in a building.
10. 10. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims when in combination with the sliding or hinged member.