GB2139275A

GB2139275A - Draught excluder

Info

Publication number: GB2139275A
Application number: GB08404672A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stanley William Skipp
Original assignee: TEMPLEMAN PETER JOHN
Current assignee: TEMPLEMAN PETER JOHN
Priority date: 1983-02-26
Filing date: 1984-02-22
Publication date: 1984-11-07
Also published as: GB8404672D0

Abstract

A draught excluder for attachment to the bottom of a door, comprises a roller 4 having a tufted fabric surface 5 supported by arms 9 enabling it to rotate over obstructions during door opening. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Draught Excluder The present invention relates to an improved draught excluder for attachment to the bottom of a hinged door.

On the main sources of draught through a house is the gap that exists between the bottom of a door and the immediate floor. The problem is expecially acute when the gap has to be sufficient to enable the door to move over a floor covering such as a carpet square or rug, which does not extend beneath the door.

Numerous methods have been proposed to alleviate this problem with varying, limited, degrees of success, such methods including the provision of a member fixed to the door that includes downwardly extending bristles which are able to bend over a low obstruction.

I have now developed an effective draught excluder for attachment to the bottom of a door which is able to ride over projecting floor coverings without damage to the draught excluder or the floor coverings and which will return to its initial position when the door is closed.

According to the invention a draught excluder for attachment to the bottom of a sidehinged door, comprises a cylindrical member for sealing engagment with the bottom of a door and an adjacent surface said member having a compressible peripheral sealing surface, a pair of mountings for attachment to a door one at each end of the cylindrical member, said member being rotatably secured thereto about its longitudinal axis and the said mountings each having means to enable the cylindrical member to rise and fall relative to the bottom of the door to which it is attached.

The compressible peripheral sealing surface is preferably in the form of a sleeve forming a cover, supported by the rigid inner member, thereby being removable for cleaning or replacement.

The material is preferably a tufted fabric, e.g. shag carpet material or simulated fur fabric. Other suitable materials may, however, be used such as a cellular rubber material which may be a solt foam or sponge rubber.

The cylindrical member is preferably hollow with detachable end caps and may be formed from a plastics material such as nylon or polyvinylchloride.

The mounting may each comprise a Lshaped bracket incorporating a spring-arm one end of whch is disposed in fixed engagement with the L-shaped bracket and the other end is free and for rotational engagement with the cylindrical member so that when the said bracket is attached to a door the said rise and fall causes resilient deflection of the springarm.

The spring-arm may have a free end disposed substantially at right angles to an arm portion to form a pivot for said rotational engagement and has an opposite end formed into a looped shape which lies within a correspondingly shaped recess formed within the bracket so as to constrain the arm so that when the bracket is attached to a door the arm rotationally supports the cylindrical member in a spring-loaded pivotal relationship therewith.

In an alternative arrangement the pair of pivotal mountings each comprise a plate for attachement to a door each plate having a bearing, the mounting incorporating an arm freely rotatable in the bearing, the arm being engageable at one end in freely rotatable relationship with the cylindrical member enabling the said member to rise and fall relative to the bottom of a door to which it is attached.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view broken in parts of the lower end of a door including a draught excluder of the present invention; Figure 2 is a rear view of a mounting; Figure 3 is a side view of a mounting taken in the direction of Arrow "X" of Fig. 2; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alternative mounting.

Referring to the drawings, a door 1 is hinged to door jamb 2 to permit opening and closing: as shown in Fig. 1 the door is in a partially open position. Attached to the bottom of the door and making contact with the door and floor 20 is a draught excluder 3.

The draught excluder 3 comprises a rigid inner cylindrical member 4, including detachable end caps 4(a) of plastics material covered with a compressible peripheral sealing surface in the form of a removable simulated fur fabric sleeve 5. The sleeve 5 is arranged to be a snug fit on member 4; frictional engagement between the material and the member being sufficient to prevent relative movement therebetween when in use.

Member 3 is attached to the door 1 through mountings located at each end of the said member. Each mounting comprises an Lshaped bracket 6 of plastics material fixed to door 1 by a screw 7 passing through a hole 8 in one leg of the bracket (see Fig. 3). A spring-arm 9 is trapped at one end by the screw fixing in a recess 10 against the surface of the door 1, this end being formed into an open rectangular looped shape 11 fitted around the screw shank and hole 8. The other end of the arm 9 is free and is bent at right angles to form an extension 12 for rotational engagement with the cylindrical member 4, the arm between its ends having an inclined resilient portion 13.

Bracket 6 is attached to door 1 at a height such that the fur fabric sleeve 5 is in contact with both door and the floor when the former is in the closed position, thereby providing a seal between the door and floor to prevent ingress of draught through the gap 21 existing between the bottom of the door and the floor. The resilient portion 13 of the arm 9 urges the sleeve 5 into contact with door and floor.

As the door is opened the member 4 rotates on the extensions 12 of the arms 9 of pivot member 7 with the result that the wear on the sleeve 5 is significantly reduced and if, during the opening of the door, the sleeve meets a low obstruction, such as the edge of a carpet square, arm 9 deflects resiliently to allow the sleeve 5 to rise and roll over the obstruction.

When the door is subsequently closed the sleeve 5 reverts to its original position in resilient contact with the floor and the door.

In an alternative bracket construction shown in Fig. 4, for use with cylindrical member 4 and sleeve 5 as already described, a plate 14 is attachable by fixing two holes 15 to a door, one plate for each end of member 4. A bearing portion 16 of the plate carries a limb 1 7 of a substantially U-shaped rigid arm 18, one end 1 9a being bent at right-angles to prevent disengagement of the arm 18 from the bearing portion 16 and the other end 1 9b being bent at right-angles to form an extension for rotational engagement with a hole in a cylindrical member as will be understood by comparison with the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Claims

1. A draught excluder for attachment to the bottom of a side-hinged door comprising a cylindrical member for sealing engagement with the bottom of a door and an adjacent surface said member having a compressible peripheral sealing surface, a pair of mountings for attachment to a door one at each end of the cylindrical member, said member being rotatably secured thereto about its longitudinal axis and the said mountings each having means to enable the cylindrical member to rise and fall relative to the bottom of a door to which it is attached.

2. A draught excluding according to claim 1 wherein the cylindrical member comprises a sleeve provided with the said compressible peripheral sealing surface forming a cover supported by a rigid inner member.

3. A draught excluder according to claim 2 wherein the sleeve has an external surface of tufted fabric.

4. A draught excluder according to claim 2 wherein the sleeve incorporates a cellular rubber material.

5. A draught excluder according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 4 wherein the rigid inner member comprises a hollow cylinder a detachable end cap being provided at each end of the cylinder for rotationally securing the cylinder to the mountings.

6. A draught excluder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the pair of mountings each comprise an L-shaped bracket.

7. A draught excluder according to claim 6 wherein each of said mountings comprises a spring-arm one end of which is disposed in fixed engagement with the L-shaped bracket and the other end is free and for rotational engagement with the cylindrical member so that when the bracket is attached to a door the said rise and fall causes resilient deflection of the spring-arm.

8. A draught excluder according to claim 7 wherein the spring-arm has a free end disposed substantially at right angles to an arm portion to form a pivot for said rotational engagement and has an opposite end formed into a looped shape which lies within a correspondingly shaped recess formed within the bracket so as to constrain the arm so that when the bracket is attached to a door the arm rotationally supports the cylindrical member in a spring-loaded pivotal relationship therewith.

9. A draught excluder according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the pair of pivotal mountings each comprise a plate for attachment to a door each plate having a bearing the mounting incorporating an arm freely rotatable in the bearing, the arm being engageable at one end in freely rotatable relationship with the cylindrical member enabling the said member to rise and fall relative to the bottom of a door to which it is attached.

10. A draught excluder constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A draught excluder constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to the Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.