GB2193243A - Panels - Google Patents

Abstract

A door comprises a rectangular internal frame made up of four mitred and connected generally channel shaped extrusions connected by brackets. The door is clad with sheets adhered to the sides of the extrusions by means of double sided adhesive tape. A peripheral frame channel houses hinge mounting blocks, sealing strip or edge strips. The interior may be reinforced or foam filled.

Description

SPECIFICATION Panels This invention concerns panels, such as are usable for doors.

Panels of particular concern are of spaced skin construction wherein an open frame has cladding skins secured thereon, one to each side. For skins and frames of wood, such securement typically involves pinning and for skins and frames of metal, such securement typically involves rivetting, screwing or welding.

In applications where hygiene is of importance such as in hospitals and catering establishments, such securements often provide traps for dirt to collect and for germs to breed in spite of diligent cleaning.

The object of this invention is to provide a panel, such as may be usable for a door, that may be easier to keep clean than panels or doors of the aforementioned types of construction.

The invention proposes simplified fabrication and advantageous resulting structures from using only adhesive means to secure the skins to opposite surfaces of a, preferably perimetral, frame. Particularly suitable adhesive means comprises double sided adhesive tape but could be a bead of adhesive spread by bringing the-skins onto the frame, perhaps even layers of adhesive.

The skins can be of any suitable material but preferred materials are plastics and metal.

The frame must obviously provide substantially flat outward surfaces onto which the skins can be adhered and a preferred frame construction is from shaped extrusions, say of aluminium or other suitable metal or alloy. The extrusions are preferably connectable without welding.

A preferred extrusion shape permits mitred connections between lengths thereof to form generally rectangular frames. A suitable extruI-~~-- sion shape comprises a generally square cornered channel section with extensions from the corners turned inwards but not meeting.

Internal webs extending from the sides of the channel section are provided whereby there is formed between them and the middle side of the channel convenient space into which connecting pieces can be inserted, such as right angle brackets, to hold mitred extrusions together. The brackets may be secured in place by any suitable means such as screws or bolts also through the middle side.

If desired, skins adhered to the frame may be additionally folded over the edges of the frame and any gap between facing edges sealed, say by rubber or the like extrusions.

The rubber or like extrusions are preferably shaped so as to be retained by the turned-in extensions of the frame extrusions, optionally trapping the folded over skin edges.

One particular important application of the invention is in the construction of doors. To attach hinges to a door so constructed, suitable blocks can be located in the aforesaid space in the extrusions to which hinge parts can be attached.

Doors or panels constructed in accordance with the invention may be filled or reinforced inwardly of the frame. For example, a door or panel may be filled with a foamed insulating material.

In addition, one or more windows may be provided in the doors or panels. Conveniently, openings will be formed in both sides and glass or other suitable transparent material sheets secured therein say by rubber or the like extrusions, such as of the weatherstrip type.

Doors and panels constructed in accordance with the invention can thus have no outwardly visible means of securement, at least on their faces, making them easy to clean and so particularly suitable for use in areas requiring high levels of hygiene.

This invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a door; Figure 2 shows a corner arrangement of the internal frame of the door panel of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on line A-A of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section on line B-B of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section of the edge of the door of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a section of a second form of door edge; Figure 7 is a section of a third form of door edge.

Referring to the drawings, a door 10 shown in a door frame 11 comprises a rectangular internal frame 12 made up of four mitred and connected generally channel shaped extrusions 14, say of aluminium. In section the extru -sions 14 have parallel sides 16 linked by a bridging web 18. The sides 16 are extended beyond the web 18 and turned in at 20. Internal webs 21, 22 are also formed on the sides 16.

The extrusions 14 are secured together by right angle brackets 26 each arm of which is fitted in space 28 between the bridging web 18 and the internal webs 21, 22 of the extrusions and retained by nuts and bolts 30, 32 through the brackets and the webs 18.

The door 10 is shown as being a two way door i.e. that can swing both ways on its hinge arrangement 34 (see Figure 4). The space 28 in the extrusion 14 again provides a location for block pieces 35 onto which the hinge arrangement is fastened, shown here by means of screws 38.

The door 10 is clad with sheets 40 of a desired material, such as of metal or plastics, that are adhered to the sides 16 of the extru sions 14 by means of double sided adhesive tape 42 or merely adhesive itself. The door edges may be finished off in several ways, three of which are here illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7. In Figure 5, the sheets 40 are folded over the extensions 20 of the extrusion 14 and covered by an extrusion 43 that is in turn held in place by its feet 44 retained under the extension 20 of the extrusion 14. The extrusion 43 may be a neoprene rubber or other suitable sealing strip.

The alternative shown in Figure 6 does not have the sheets 40 folded over but finishing flush with the edge of the extrusion 14 and meeting the underside of rubber strip 43' similar to that shown in Figure 5.

In Figure 7 a rather different arrangement is shown, in which a retaining strip 60 is held behind the extensions 20 of the extrusion 14.

The strip 60 has a longitudinal slot 61 with divergent sides towards the base of the slot for holding a suitably shaped sealing strip 62.

The sealing strip 62 has a lip 64 on each side that holds down the folded overedges of the sheets 40.

Between the sheets 40 the door may be reinforced or filled with any suitable material or materials. In the illustrated embodiment the door 10 has a foam filling 46.

Although not essential, one or more windows may be incorporated in doors according to the invention. One example of such is shown in the illustrated embodiment in which a window 50 is provided. The window 50 is formed by cutting a suitable opening in each facing sheets 40 and forming an opening in the foam filling 46. The window 50 comprises a sheet of glass 52 secured in the opening of each sheet 40 by means of rubber sealing strips 54 of the type known as weatherstrip.

Thus, the illustrated door 10 has no outward rivetting or other connecting means giving a seam-free finish to both faces of the door.

The invention has been described specifically in relation to doors but it will be appreciated that the inventiqn may be equally applicable to the construction of panels.

Claims (16)

1. A panel comprising an open frame providing substantially flat outward faces and skins on opposite faces thereof and secured thereto by means of adhesive.

2. A panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame is perimetral.

3. A panel as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the adhesive is in the form of a double sided adhesive tape.

4. A panel as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the adhesive is applied as a bead and spread by bringing the skins onto the frame.

5. A panel as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein the frame is constructed from shaped extrusions.

6. A panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the extrusions are connectable without welding.

7. A panel as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the extrusions comprise a generally square cornered channel section with extensions from the corners turned inwards but not meeting.

8. A panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the extrusions further comprise internal webs extending from the sides of the channel section, whereby there is formed between them and the middle side of the channel convenient space into which connecting pieces can be inserted to hold mitred extrusions together.

9. A panel as claimed in claims 7 or 8, wherein the skins are additionally folded over the edges of the frame and any gap between facing edges of the skins sealed.

10. A panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein said gap is sealed by a rubber or like extrusion.

11. A panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein said rubber or like extrusion is retainable by the frame.

12. A panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein said rubber or like extrusion is shaped so as to be retained by the inward extensions of the frame extrusions.

13. A panel as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 12 having a filling reinforcement between the skins.

14. A panel as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 13 provided with one or more windows.

15. A door made from a panel as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 14.

16. A panel or door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.