GB2364732A

GB2364732A - Weather excluder for a door threshold

Info

Publication number: GB2364732A
Application number: GB0023590A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Brian Allport; Des Gray; Brian Christopher Allport; Mark Charles Allport; Hannah Susan Gray; Susan Margaret Allport
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-07-17
Filing date: 2000-09-26
Publication date: 2002-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2020-09-26
Also published as: GB2364732B; IE20000579A1; GB0023590D0

Abstract

A weather excluder for a door (2) threshold includes a weatherbar (12, fig 2) for mounting on the threshold frame and a ramp section (38) which can be snap-fitted to the weatherbar (12) preferably by inter-engagement of lips (24, 26) on the ramp section and grooves (20, 22) on the weatherbar. The weatherbar may include drainage holes.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> WEATHER EXCLUDER The present invention relates to a weather excluder and, in particular, to an improved threshold weather excluder for a door.

In general, known weather excluder arrangements for doors comprise two components: a threshold weather excluder for mounting on the threshold portion of a door frame and a doorbase section for mounting on the base of a door. The doorbase section generally includes a deflector section for mounting on the face of the door and a seal carrier section for mounting on the underside of the door. Typically, known weather excluders have to be fitted during building construction and as such can be liable to construction damage after T-n nrqdi ti on, in order to correctly fit such known weather excluders, the rebate of the door frame has to be notched out, particularly in the case where the weather excluder extends across the full width of the rebate. Furthermore, drainage can be inhibited with known types of weather excluder.

The present invention has been made from a consideration of the above mentioned disadvantages and, in particular, in order to provide an improved weather excluder which overcomes one or more of the problems associated with known weather excluders.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a weather excluder for a door

comprising a weatherbar for mounting on the threshold of a door frame, and a ramp section, said weatherbar and said ramp section comprising mutually engaging means whereby said ramp section may be snap fitted to said weatherbar.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of assembling a weather excluder on a threshold of a door frame comprising securing a weatherbar to the threshold, locating a lip of a ramp section in a groove of said weatherbar and applying pressure to said ramp section to thereby snap fit said ramp section to said weatherbar.

Preferably, the mutually engaging means comprise upper and lower grooves on the weatherbar and upper and lower lips on the ramp section- Preferably. the weatherbar comprises a base adapted to extend along the threshold and an upturned front portion adjacent a front edge of the weatherbar. Preferably, the grooves are provided on the upturned front portion. Preferably, the weatherbar comprises a seal receiving channel extending longitudinally adjacent the weatherbar edge opposite the upturned front portion. Preferably, the grooves have front and rear wall sections, the rear wall section of one or both grooves extending beyond that groove's front wall section. Preferably, drainage holes are provided in the weatherbar.

Preferably, the ramp section comprises a substantially planar base and a curved ramp extending from one longitudinal edge of the base. Preferably, one lip

extends upwardly from the other longitudinal edge of the base and the other lip extends downwardly from the free edge of the ramp. Preferably, the upper and lower lips are in substantially the same plane.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a weather exlcuder of the invention in use on a door frame; Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the weather excluder and door frame of Figure 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view through an alternative embodiment of weather excluder and door frame. Referring to the drawings, a weather excluder arrangement for a door 2 and door frame 4 comprises a deflector section 6 mounted on a face of the door and a seal carrier 8 mounted on the underside of the door. The seal carrier includes channels for receiving weather seals 9 which in use seal against a weather excluder 10 according to one embodiment of the invention mounted on the threshold of the door frame. The weather excluder 10 of the invention comprises an elongate weatherbar 12 and an elongate ramp section 14. The weatherbar comprises a base 16 which in use extends along the threshold and an upturned longitudinal front

portion 18 adjacent the front edge of the weatherbar. The front portion 18 comprises upper and lower grooves 20, 22 which are adapted to receive corresponding lips 24, 26 on the ramp section 14. A seal 28 receiving channel extends longitudinally adjacent the weatherbar edge opposite the upturned longitudinal front portion 18 and opens outwardly in a direction away from the upturned portion 18. The channel may have any suitable form to receive an appropriate seal 28. The weatherbar is secured to the threshold by any suitable means, such as screws 30. Typically the weather excluder comprises aluminium. Typically, the grooves 20, 22 of the upturned portion 18 have front and rear wall sections 32, 34, the rear wall section 34 of each groove extending beyond the groove's front wall section 32- Thus, each aroove has a front wall which is lower than the rear wall. The ramp section 14 comprises a separate member which can be snap fitted to the weatherbar 12. The ramp section comprises a substantially planar base 36 with a curved ramp 38 extending from one longitudinal edge of the base. The upstanding lip 26 extends upwardly from the other longitudinal edge of the base and the lip 24 extends downwardly from the free edge of the ramp, both lips being in substantially the same planeDrainage holes 40 are provided in the weatherbar 12, typically along and adjacent the region where the base 16 extends into the upturned front portion 18. The base 16 is inclined generally towards the front longitudinal

edge of the weatherbar and thereby acts to guide moisture drainage towards the drainage holes 40.

In use, the weather excluder is mounted on a door frame by locating the weatherbar 12 on the threshold and securing in position by means of screws 30. Subsequently, the ramp section 14 is tilted relative to the weatherbar and located so that the upper lip 24 engages in the upper groove 20. Downward pressure on the ramp section then causes the lower lip 26 to snap into engagement behind the front wall 32 of the lower groove 22.

Thus, it will be seen that with the weather excluder and method of the invention, the ramp section can be positioned into the upper groove of the front face of the weatherbar and then with slight pressure snapped down into its position. Such clip-on action enables the installer to have the ramp section fitted as an alternative or after the building has been completed, thus avoiding construction damage to the finished surface of the ramp section. The invention also has the major advantage of doing away with notching out into the rebate to accomodate the ramp section, as would be required if the ramp section and weatherbar were extruded as an integral excluder. Thus, since the ramp section and weatherbar are separable, the ramp section can be shorter to fit the narrower span of the rebate and the weatherbar can be longer to f it the wider span of the rebate.

Furthermore, with the weather excluder and method of the invention, drainage from the well of the weatherbar can take place underneath the ramp section.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the ramp section 42, which has a different profile, is extended to the floor and is typically not supported on the flange above the floor. Drainage holes 40 may then be provided in the weatherbar sill or base 16 so that moisture drainage would enter into the ramp section 42 therefrom and drain through exit holes 44 provided in the front of the ramp section. Caps may be fixed on each end of the ramp section to stop the penetration of moisture into the door frame.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is not int-en-ded to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A weather excluder for a door comprising a weatherbar for mounting on the threshold of a door frame, and a ramp section, said weatherbar and said ramp section comprising mutually engaging means whereby said ramp section may be snap fitted to said weatherbar.
2. A weather excluder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mutually engaging means comprise upper and lower grooves on the weatherbar and upper and lower lips on the ramp section.
3. A weather excluder as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the weatherbar comprises a base adapted to extend along the threshold and an upturned front portion adjacent a front edge of the weatherbar.
4. A weather excluder as claimed in claim 2 or any succeding claim wherein the grooves have front and rear wall sections, the rear wall section of one or both grooves extending beyond that groove's front wall section.
5. A weather excluder as claimed in any preceding claim wherein drainage holes are provided in the weatherbar.
6. A weather excluder as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the ramp section comprises a

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substantially planar base and a curved ramp extending from one longitudinal edge of the base.
7. A weather excluder as claimed in claim 7 wherein one lip extends upwardly from the other longitudinal edge of the base and the other lip extends downwardly from the free edge of the ramp.
8. A method of assembling a weather excluder on a threshold of a door frame comprising securing a weatherbar to the threshold, locating a lip of a ramp section in a groove of said weatherbar and applying pressure to said ramp section to thereby snap fit said ramp section to said weatherbar.
9. A weather excluder substantially as hereinbefore described wit-h- reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
10. A method of assembling a weather excluder on a door threshold substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.