GB2232434A - Weatherbar for doors - Google Patents

Abstract

A weather bar for doors has a top part (12) moulded in a single operation with a first rigid portion (14) for being secured to the door and a second integral flexible seal portion (16a, 16b). In one arrangement a sill (28) having a first portion with interlocking means for receiving a spacer portion (36) for increasing the height of the sill (28) from the floor is also provided. The top part (12) can be used with existing aluminium sills or with sills having a spacer portion (36) as desired by the user. A coloured trim strip 22 may clip into part 12. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED WEATHER BAR The present invention relates to a weather bar for use with inward or outward opening doors.

Weather bars are best exemplified and understood with reference to applicants existing patent No.1583686 and to applicant's registered design No's 1023643 and 1023644.

There are two types of weatherbars which are currently available a Carpet Sill type and a Low Sill type. Both types have two parts, namely a floor-mounted part and a door-mounted part. In each case the door-mounted part is the same but the floor-mounted part (sills) are different, with the carpet sill having a greater depth, or threshold, so that the threshold clears carpets, including underlay and mats. The top part of the carpet and low sill are substantially the same with the difference mainly being the length of the legs.

Although the existing seals have been found to work very satisfactorily they nevertheless suffer from a some drawbacks. Firstly the door mounted part or top rail is made of extruded aluminium and the flexible rubber seals require to be extruded separately resulting in increased cost. Secondly the door mounted sill requires a colour clip which is clipped on top of the outside of the door and is available in a range of colours for aesthetic reasons. The colour clip may be made in a variety of colours but is relatively complex to make and must be carefully snap fitted onto the top rail. A further disadvantage is that the sills are not interchangeablewhich means that separate extrusions of different sill types are required,leading to increased cost and reduced flexibility.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved weather bar which obviates or mitigates at least one of the aforesaid disadvantages.

This is achieved by providing a weather bar having a top part moulded in a single operation with a first rigid portion for being secured to the door and a second integral flexible seal portion.

In one arrangement a sill having a first portion with interlocking means for receiving a spacer portion for increasing the height of the sill from the floor is also provided. The top part can be used with existing aluminium sills or with sills having a spacer portion as desired by the user.

Conveniently the sill consists of a first plastic rigid portion and second plastic flexible portions at the base of the sill for sealing against the floor or the spacer. Furthermore the spacer includes interlocking means for engaging with the sill. The top part has a moulded channel therein for receiving a snap fitting coverclip.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a top rail for use with an improved weather bar, said top rail being moulded in a single operation and consisting of a rigid plastic structure for being secured to a door and having at least one integral flexible seal portion moulded therewith.

Preferably said top rail has a moulded channel therein for receiving a cover clip in a snap fitting manner. At least two flexible sealing strips are integrally moulded with said rigid top rail.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a sill for use with an improved weather bar, said sill being formed in a single extruding operation and having a first rigid plastic portion for engaging, in use, with a flexible seal adapted to be coupled to the door rail, said sill having a base defining interlocking means for receiving an interlocking spacer adapted to space the sill at a greater distance from the floor.

Advantageously said spacer means is moulded from the rigid plastic in a single operation and includes an upstanding projection for engaging with said interlocking means of said sill for spacing said sill at a predetermined height above the floor.

Conveniently said top door rail can be used with conventional aluminum sills or with said novel extruded sills.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in combination with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic and perspective view of part of a door in a closed position, and depicting an improved weather bar in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2, is an exploded new view of the top rail sill and spacer parts of the weather bar shown in Fig. 1, and Figure 3 is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of a weather bar in accordance with the present invention.

Reference is first made to Figs.l and 2 of the drawings. Fig. 1 depicts a door 10 having an improved weather bar in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The weather bar consists of a generally L shaped top rail 12 which is a plastic extrusion of two plastics of different hardness: a first generally rigid plastic part indicated by reference numeral 14, and second flexible seal portions generally indicated by reference numeral 16a to d. Seals 16a and 16d abutt the side and bottom of the door surface to minimise draught and water leaking past the top rail and larger flexible seal 16b and 16c engage the top surface of the sill for sealing engagement therewith as will be later described in detail.The top rail 12 has a front face 18 having a parallel channel 20 formed therein for receiving in a snap fitting manner a cover clip 22 as best seen in Fig. 1. The cover clip is also extruded plastic and can be made in a variety of colours. The front face 18 of the top rail includesa drip edge 24 which is formed in rigid B plastic.

Flexible seals 16b and 16c are designed to abutt the top surface 26 of sill 28. Sill 28 is also a one piece plastic extrusion and consists of generally rigid plastic which has integral flexible seals 30a and 30b moulded therewith in a single operation. The shape of the top surface of the sill is substantially the same as that disclosed in the above mentioned references. However, the bottom of the sill is shaped to define an arcuate channel 32 respectively for receiving a complements elongate ribs 34 of an extruded plastic spacer generally indicated by reference numeral 36.

It will be seen in Fig. 1 that with the addition of the spacer the sill top surface 26 is extended to a height such that it projects beyond the top of the pile of the carpet 38. However, if a low threshold should be required in the same way as the SEALBAR (trademark) low sill the spacer 36 may be removed and the sill portion 28 fastened directly to the floor by screws or the like which pass through a plurality of countersunk apertures 38 spaced along the length of the sill. The spacer has spaced apertures disposed so as to register with aperture 38 if the spacer is needed so that a single screw or the like passes through both apertures 38, 40 to fasten the sill and spacer to the floor.

With reference to Fig. 2 it can be seen that the shape of the generally rigid top rail 12 includes various channels 42 and behind the top rail are disposed mastic grooves 44 to further facilitate sealing of the top rail to the door.

In the sill 28 the interlock channels 32, also acts as a mastic groove to facilitate sealing of the sill to the floor if a spacer 36 is not used in addition to flexible seals 30a and 30b. The spacer 36 is of generally rectangular shape and has the elongate ribs 34 extruded so as to engage with channel 32 and to provide a good sealing engagement. The base of the spacer 36 also defines extruded longitudinal channels 46 and 48 respectively to allow spacers to be stacked if required. An elongate supporting wall 50 is also extruded so as to give rigidity to the spacer when in use. It will be appreciated that the design of the sill and spacer uses no closed channels which facilitates extrusion and minimizes costs. If the spacer 36 is not used with other spacers then channels 46 and 48 can be filled with mastic to provide optimum sealing.

It will be understood that the top rail and the sill hereinbefore described may be used in combination and also the spacer may be used in combination with the hereinbefore described sill depending on the height of threshold required. It will also be understood that the top rail hereinbefore described may be used with existing aluminium extruded sills of the type provided by the applicant in the aforementioned references.

Reference is now made to Fig.3 of the drawings which depicts an alternative embodiment of weatherbar. In this case the top rail 52 is shaped similar to rail 12 but only the rigid plastic parts are extruded. Two spaced channels 54, 56 are provided to receive separate elastomeric seals 58. Otherwise the arrangement is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus the sill and spacer arrangement can also be used with top rails in applicant's existing designs.

Various modifications may be made to the structures hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention, for example the size and shape of the channels and projections on the sill and spacer may be of any suitable shape consistent with providing a suitable interlocking means sufficient to facilitate sealing. The sill is extruded in a dual hardness plastic having a rigid plastic part and a flexible plastic part. These plastics may be of the same material but also may be different plastics and suitable examples for these materials are rigid UPVC and flexible PVC. The plastic extrusion may be of the same or different colours to facilitate co-ordination or product identification and, as the colours, are integral they retain a better appearance after knocks, scrapes and the like. The number and shape of the channels on the front of the door rail may be varied to receive the cover clips of a different shape as required.

Advantages of the invention are that a single extrusion is required for the top rail and for the sill with rigid parts and flexible seals being produced in a single operation. A single sill is manufactured and is interchangeable being used with a spacer to suit thresholds of different height and the spacers can be stacked to increase flexibility of use of the sills. The cover clip is of a simple shape and is readily snap fitted into the front rail and manufacture requires a simple extrusion operation and a variety of colours can be provided for and extruded to suit customers requirements.

In addition the top rail hereinbefore described may be used with the sills hereinbefore described with existing sills to suit particular requirements.

Claims (9)

1. A top rail for use with an improved weather bar, said top rail being moulded in a single operation and consisting of a rigid plastic structure for being secured to a door and having at least one integral flexible seal portion moulded therewith.

2. A top rail as claimed in claim 1 wherein said top rail has a moulded channel therein for receiving a cover clip in a snap fitting manner.

3. A top rail as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein at least two flexible sealing strips are integrally moulded with said rigid top rail.

4. A sill for use with an improved weather bar, said sill being formed in a single extruding operation and having a first rigid plastic portion for engaging, in use, with a flexible seal adapted to be coupled to the door rail, said sill having a base defining interlocking means for receiving an interlocking spacer adapted to space the sill at a greater distance from the floor.

5. A sill as claimed in claim 4 wherein said spacer means is moulded from the rigid plastic in a single operation and includes an upstanding projection for engaging with said interlocking means of said sill for spacing said sill at a predetermined height above the floor.

6. A sill as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein said top door rail can be used with conventional aluminium sills or with said extruded sills.

7. A weather bar being the combination of the top rail as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 and the sill as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6.

8. A top rail substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A sill substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.