GB2362412A

GB2362412A - Door and like frame structures

Info

Publication number: GB2362412A
Application number: GB0007581A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Hudson
Original assignee: MANSE MASTERDOR Ltd
Current assignee: MANSE MASTERDOR Ltd
Priority date: 2000-03-30
Filing date: 2000-03-30
Publication date: 2001-11-21
Also published as: GB0007581D0

Abstract

A frame component for the construction of a window or door frame comprises a core member 7 having a rear surface adapted in use to abut against an edge of an opening in a building, inner and outer facing members 8, 9 releasably engaged with opposite side surfaces of the core member, and a clamping member 10 detachably connected to a front surface of the core member opposite to said rear surface and operatively associated with the facing members to retain them against disengagement from the core member. Preferably the clamping member comprises a single member adapted to engage and retain both of said facing members. Preferably the core member is of solid timber construction, the facing members of timber or of plastics material, and the clamping member of metal construction.

Description

2362412 1 Door and Like Frame Structures This invention relates to frame

structures and especially to window and door frames.

Conventional door assemblies comprise. an outer door frame adapted to be secured in an opening in a building and a door member pivotally mounted in the outer frame for hinging movement between open and closed positions. The door member is variously referred to in the trade as a door blade or door leaf. In this specification the outer frame will be referred to as the door frame, the door blade or leaf as a door and the assembly consisting of door frame and door as a door assembly.

Conventional window assemblies comprise an outer frame adapted to be mounted in an opening in a building and one or more inner frames which may or may not be pivotally movable relative to the outer frame dependent on whether or not the window is capable of being opened. Although the present invention is applicable primarily to door frames, it may also be applied to window frames and the specification and claims should be construed accordingly.

As doors and windows constitute the principal means of access to and from properties, security against unauthorised opening is an important requirement of door and window assemblies. A particular problem arising in relation to modern plastic windows and doors is that even in cases where security fitments are sufficiently strong to resist forced entry, attempts to gain entry frequently result in damage to the frames and other components, with the result that the complete door or window assembly requires to be replaced. The present invention is concerned with door or window frames constructed in such a manner as to be resistant to forced entry and also more readily repairable if damaged as a result of forced entry or attempted forced entry.

The invention provides a frame component for the construction of a 2 window or door frame, the frame component comprising a core member having an outer or rear surface face adapted in use to abut against an edge of an opening in a building, inner and outer facing members releasably engaged with opposite side surfaces of said core member and a clamping member detachably connected to an inner surface of said core member opposite to said outer or rear surface and operatively associated with said facing members to retain same against disengagement from the core member.

Preferably the core member is of solid timber construction, the facing members being of timber or of plastics material.

Preferably said facing members are partly retained against disengagement from the associated side surfaces of said core member by complementary interengaging formations on the core member and facing members.

Preferably said clamping member is of metal construction and provided with projections engageable in recesses in said respective clamping members to retain same against disengagement from said core member.

Said clamping member is advantageously of generally L-shaped crosssection in plan view, whereby to provide a rebate for engagement with an edge of a door pivotally mounted in a frame constructed from a plurality of such frame components.

Preferably also a portion of said clamping member is adapted to accommodate a keep member engageable by retractable locking members carried by an associated door.

One or more of said facing members may comprise a plurality of separable parts interconnected by engagement of complementary formations on the respective parts.

3 Preferably also said clamping member is provided with at least one longitudinally extending recess accommodating a flexible seal engageable with an associated relatively movable door or window component.

The invention also provides a door or window frame at least the top and sides of which are constructed from frame components as aforesaid.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a vertical cross-section through one side of a door frame showing a portion of an associated door.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a side frame member 5 of a door frame and the free edge 6 of a door pivotally mounted at the opposite side of the frame so as to be movable relative to the frame between open and closed positions in the direction of the arrows A and B. The side frame member 5 comprises a core member 7 of solid wood or wood composition, opposed inner and outer facing members 8 and 9 respectively, and a clamping member 10 which serves to retain the facing members 8 and 9 in engagement with the core member 7. The facing members 8 and 9 may advantageously be formed from synthetic plastics material but may alternatively be formed from wood or other material. The clamping member 10 is preferably of aluminium, steel or other metal and may be formed by extrusion or other metal forming technique.

The core member 7 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves or channels 11A to 11C, channels IIA being adapted to receive a complementary longitudinally extending projection 12A on the inner facing member 8. The channels 11B and 11C are adapted to receive complementary longitudinally extending projections 12B and 12C formed on the outer facing member 9. The grooves 1 1A to 11 C and projections 12A to 12 C are arranged and dimensioned to form a tight push-fit engagement with one 4 another. Thus the facing members 8 and 9 may be engaged with and disengaged from the core member 7 by movement in the directions of the arrows C and D. When engaged with the core member 7, the facing members 8 and 9 are also retained against lateral disengagement from the core member 7 by virtue of the cooperating grooves and projections 11A to 11C and 12A to 12C.

Projecting flanges 10A and IOB at opposite ends of the clamping member 10 engage with portions of the facing members 8 and 9 respectively to retain same against movement inwardly of the frame 5 in the direction of arrow D. The clamping member 10 is secured to the core member 7 of the frame component by screws 13 at intervals along the length of the clamping member 10.

The clamping member 10 is of generally L-shaped cross-section, comprising a main body portion 10C by means of which the clamping member is secured to the core member 7 through the screws 13 and an arm IOD extending at right angles to the body portion I OC and projecting across the free edge 6A of the door 6. The clamping member thus forms a rebate into which the edge of the door 6 locates when the door is in its closed position. A groove IOE is provided in the arm IOD of the clamping member for accommodation of a seal (not shown) engageable with the door 6 in its closed position. A plurality of keep members 16 are secured at intervals to the body portion 10C of the clamping member for engagement with movable components of a locking mechanism (not shown) carried by the edge of the door 6.

The facing member 8 comprises a main body component 8A and a nose member 8B. The nose member 8B is a tight push-fit in a recess 14 in the member 8A and projects inwardly of the assembled frame component to overlie the free edge 6a of the door 6. A recess 15 is formed in the nose member 8B and is adapted to accommodate a further seal (not shown) engageable with the door 6 when the latter is in its closed position.

In assembling the frame component, the facing members 8 and 9 are brought into engagement with opposite faces of the core member 7 in the direction of the arrow C and engage therewith by location of the projections 12A to 12C in the respective channels 11A to 11C in the core member. The nose member 8B may be previously or subsequently engaged with the body member 8A of the facing member 8. The clamping member 10 is then located in position with the body portion 10c abutting the core member 7 and the projections 10A and IOB engaging the facing members 8 and 9 respectively. The clamping member is then secured in place by the screws 13 and serves to retain the facing members 8 and 9 against disengagement from the core member 7.

An intruder seeking to gain unauthorised access will normally use a jemmy or other tool inserted in the general direction of the arrow J in an effort to prise the door 6 away from the frame 5 and/or gain access to the locking mechanism. Where the frame component 5 is formed entirely of plastics material, the plastics material tends to deform and in some cases access can be quite readily attained. However in the arrangement shown in the drawing, the metal clamping member 10 serves to rigidify the door frame and to resist deformation when forced entry is attempted. The clamping member therefore not only holds the components of the frame together but resists deformation and damage through forced entry.

Attempted forced entry will inevitably result in damage to the door frame in the region of the nose member 8B. In the case of a door frame formed from a single extruded plastic frame component, it is often necessary to replace the entire frame even where the attempt at forced entry was unsuccessful. With the arrangement shown in the drawing, either the nose portion 8B or the complete facing member 8, may be detached from the frame by removing the clamping member 10. A new facing member or nose member may then be fitted to the core member 7 and retained in position by refitting the clamping member 10. Thus only the facing member 8 and in some instances only the nose member 8B, require replacement rather than the frame as a whole.

6 A further benefit arising from the illustrated embodiment is that the external appearance of the frame may be modified without completely replacing the frame. For this purpose the clamping member 10 is removed, the facing members 8 and 9 disengaged from the core member 7, alternative facing members of different configuration fitted to the core member 7 and the clamping member replaced to retain the alternative frame members in engagement with the core member. This contrasts with conventional wooden or plastic door frames in which the visual appearance of the frame can only be altered by replacing the frame in its entirety. Moreover replacement of the facing members is considerably facilitated by employment of a single clamping member serving to retain both facing members in position on the core member of the frame.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example the interengaging formations on the core member and facing members may take various forms, the size, shape and dimensions of the clamping member may vary considerably subject only to a single clamping member serving to engage and retain both facing members in position. The outer facing member may also be of unitary construction instead of incorporating a separate nose member if desired. Moreover while reference has been made herein primarily to the construction of a door frame, the invention may also be applied to the construction of window or other frames.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

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Claims

CLAIMS:-

1. A frame component for the construction of a window or door frame, the frame component comprising a core member having a rear surface adapted in use to abut against an edge of an opening in a building, inner and outer facing members releasably engaged with opposite side surfaces of said core member, and a clamping member detachably connected to a front surface of said core member opposite to said rear surface and operatively associated with said facing members to retain same against disengagement from the core member.

2. A frame component according to claim 1 wherein said clamping member comprises a single member adapted to engage and retain both of said facing members.

3. A frame component according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said core member is of solid timber construction, said facing members being of timber or of plastics material.

4. A frame component according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said facing members are partly retained against disengagement from the associated side surfaces of said core member by complementary interengaging formations on the core member and facing members.

5. A frame component according to any preceding claim wherein said clamping member is of metal construction and provided with projections engageable in recesses in said respective facing members to retain same against disengagement from said core member.

6. A frame component according to any of claims I to 5 wherein said clamping member is of generally L-shaped cross-section in plan view, whereby to define a rebate for engagement with an edge of a door pivotally mounted in a frame constructed from a plurality of such frame components.

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7. A frame component according to any preceding claim wherein a portion of said clamping member is adapted to accommodate a keep member engageable by retractable locking members carried by an associated door.

8. A frame component according to any preceding claim wherein at least one of said facing members comprises a plurality of separable parts interconnected by engagement of complementary formations on the respective parts.

g. A frame component according to any preceding claim wherein said clamping member is provided with at least one longitudinally extending recess accommodating a flexible seal engageable with an associated relatively movable door or window component.

10. A frame component for the construction of a window or door frame substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

11. A window frame or a door frame constructed from a plurality of components according to any preceding claim.

12. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.