GB2553751A

GB2553751A - Improvements to door furniture

Info

Publication number: GB2553751A
Application number: GB1611270.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jennings David; Mcloughlin John
Original assignee: UAP Ltd
Current assignee: UAP Ltd
Priority date: 2016-06-29
Filing date: 2016-06-29
Publication date: 2018-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2036-06-29
Also published as: GB2553751B; GB201611270D0

Abstract

A door furniture item 1, such as a letter plate, door knocker, door knob or door handle, comprises a first component 5 that is adapted to be located adjacent an exterior or interior surface of a door. The first component comprises a projection 6 adapted to be inserted into an aperture of the door. The projection has a row of resilient teeth 7 arranged along at least part of its length. The resilient teeth project outwards from the projection and have apexes, in the manner of barbs, which are orientated away from the intended direction of insertion of the projection into the aperture. The projection may have a polygonal cross-sectional profile and the teeth may be located along one or more of the exterior corners 12 of the profile. The projection may comprise a sleeve. The door furniture item may comprise a second component that is fitted to the door from the opposite side of the first component. The second component may comprise a second projection which is inserted into the sleeve of the first component and may have a second row of resilient teeth that project outwards from the second projection.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

UAP Limited (Incorporated in the United Kingdom)

Unit 1 Albert Close Trading Estate, Whitefield, MANCHESTER, M45 8EH, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

David Jennings John Mcloughlin (56) Documents Cited:

GB 2376718 A GB 1034972 A

US 6406071 B1 (58) Field of Search:

INT CL A47G, E05B, E06B, G10K

Other: WPI, EPODOC, Patent Fulltext, Internet (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

L J Bray & Co.

Raw Holme, Midgehole Road, HEBDEN BRIDGE, West Yorkshire, HX7 7AF, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Improvements to door furniture

Abstract Title: Door furniture item comprising resilient teeth (57) A door furniture item 1, such as a letter plate, door knocker, door knob or door handle, comprises a first component 5 that is adapted to be located adjacent an exterior or interior surface of a door. The first component comprises a projection 6 adapted to be inserted into an aperture of the door. The projection has a row of resilient teeth 7 arranged along at least part of its length. The resilient teeth project outwards from the projection and have apexes, in the manner of barbs, which are orientated away from the intended direction of insertion of the projection into the aperture. The projection may have a polygonal cross-sectional profile and the teeth may be located along one or more of the exterior corners 12 of the profile. The projection may comprise a sleeve. The door furniture item may comprise a second component that is fitted to the door from the opposite side of the first component. The second component may comprise a second projection which is inserted into the sleeve of the first component and may have a second row of resilient teeth that project outwards from the second projection.

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IMPROVEMENTS TO DOOR FURNITURE

The present invention relates to door furniture, in particular but not exclusively to letter-plates, and the way in which the door furniture is secured to a door or other closure for an opening, such as an opening window.

Conventionally, door furniture is secured to a door by using bolts or screws, which involves accurate machining of the door to enable the furniture to be fitted correctly and neatly. Letter-plates, for example, typically comprises a pair of frames with inter-engaging sleeves that are fitted together through interior and exterior sides of a slot cut through a door to accommodate same. The letter-plate finishes the slot and usually provides one or more flaps and/or brushes to cover it. The frames are usually secured to the door or to each other by bolts or screws that pass into or through bores made in or through the door adjacent the slot and these bores must again be accurately located. The location of these bores and the machining of the slot in the door to the correct size are the main problems encountered when fitting a letter-plate. The same applies when fitting other items of door furniture such as door viewers, knockers and the like where an aperture or bore extends through the door. Inaccurate cutting damages the door and makes the aperture vulnerable to the penetration of rainwater into the door structure. Such damage may occur regardless of the materials of which the door is made, for example wood, plastics, aluminium, or a composite. In more modern door structures, polystyrene or other plastics foam is used as an infill and these are particularly susceptible to water damage and resultant degradation. In addition, conventional silicone sealants that could be used to prevent water penetration through the apertures made for the fixing of door furniture are also unsuitable for use in most cases as these sealants attack the metals of the door furniture.

For the avoidance of doubt, hereinafter and in the claims the term “door” should be interpreted broadly to cover any structural closure for an opening in a building and includes doors, windows, flaps, and trapdoors.

It is an object of the present invention to provide door furniture that overcomes or substantially mitigates the aforementioned problems.

According to the present invention there is provided a door furniture item comprising a first component adapted to locate adjacent an exterior or an interior surface of a door with a projection adapted to be inserted into an aperture of commensurate size formed in the door, the projection having arranged along at least part of its length a first row of resilient teeth that project outwards from the projection and that have apexes orientated away from the intended direction of insertion into the aperture in the manner of barbs.

Hence, the teeth facilitate the insertion of the projection into the aperture but resist withdrawal of the component and therefore the door furniture item from the door.

Preferably, each tooth in the first row or rows of teeth has a substantially triangular profile with a leading edge and a trailing edge with regard to the intended direction of insertion of the projection into said aperture.

Advantageously, the leading edge of each tooth makes an angle of between 6o° and 120⁰ inclusive with said intended direction of insertion. Similarly, the trailing edge of each tooth preferably makes an angle of between 30° and 6o° inclusive with said intended direction of insertion.

Preferably also, the door furniture item comprises a second component adapted to be fitted to the door from the opposite side to the first component, the second component comprising a second projection adapted to locate through the aperture in the door for insertion into the sleeve of the first component and having arranged along at least part of its length a second row of resilient teeth that project outwards from the second projection and that have apexes orientated away from the intended direction of insertion of the second component into the aperture.

Preferably also, the sleeve of the first component comprises at least one third row of resilient teeth located along at least part of its interior length that have apexes orientated in the same direction as said first row of teeth, which third row or rows of teeth are adapted respectively to engage the second row or rows of teeth of the second component.

Preferred additional features of the invention are described in the dependent claims appended hereto.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. l is a perspective view of a first embodiment of door furniture item according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the item shown in Fig. l;

Fig, 3 is a cross-section along line III-ΠΙ in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view to an enlarged scale of part of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing fitment of the item shown in Figs. 1 to 4 to a door;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of two components of a second embodiment of door furniture according to the present invention;

Fig. 7 shows rear elevations of the two components shown in Fig. 6;

Fig, 8 is a cross-section along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a cross-section along line IX-IX in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to those of Figs. 8 and 9 but showing the two components of Figs. 6 and 7 when partially engaged with one another and with scrap views, as indicated, to an enlarged scale.

The embodiments of door furniture items shown and described hereinafter with particular reference to Figs. 1 to 8 are letter-plates but it should be appreciated that the invention covers a door furniture item generally without particular reference to its actual function. Such an item may take many different forms, such as a letter-plate, doorknocker, door viewer, doorknob, door handle, etc.

A first embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and comprises a door furniture item comprising a component 1 of a letter-plate that is adapted to be fitted into an aperture 2 in a door 3 from one side 4 of the door 3, as shown in Fig. 5, which shows the component during the fitment operation. The side 4 of the door 3 may be the interior or the exterior side of the door 3. The component 1 comprises a first portion 5 that is adapted to locate adjacent the surface of the side 4 of the door 3 and a projection 6 that is adapted to be located into the aperture 2, which is commensurate in size with the size of the projection 6 so that the projection 6 may be inserted into and then pushed into position in the aperture 2 until the first portion 5 comes into contact with the side 4 of the door 3. In the illustrated example, the first portion 5 comprises a frame and the projection 6 is a sleeve of the letter-plate so that the aperture 2 comprises a slot cut through the door 3. However, in other door furniture items the projection will have a different purpose and may comprise a functional part of the item such as the optical parts of a door viewer or simply comprise a means of fastening the item to the door, for example if the item is a doorknocker. In the latter case, the aperture 2 need not extend all the way through the door and may comprise a blind bore into which a projection in the form of a stub is inserted.

Along at least part of the length of the projection 6 is a first row 7 of resilient teeth 8 that project outwards from the projection 6. Although the row 7 of teeth may be formed from a resilient material and secured to the projection 6, preferably the projection 6 and the row 7 of teeth 8 are integrally formed, for example by moulding. More preferably, the component is itself integrally formed. Suitable resilient materials for the projection 6 and/or the component 1 as a whole are dependent on the application but it will be appreciated that several types of resilient plastics materials are appropriate such as polypropylene. However, it should be appreciated that the teeth 8 may be made from metal as can the projection 6 and/or the first portion 5.

As shown in detail in Fig. 4, the teeth 8 preferably have a substantially triangular profile, the apexes 9 of the teeth 8 being orientated towards the first portion 5 that is towards the side 4 of the door 3 on which the component 1 is fitted to the door 3. Hence, the teeth 8 form barbs so that when the projection 6 is pushed into the aperture 2 in an insertion direction that is parallel to the base of the triangular teeth 8, the sides of the aperture readily slide over the apexes 9 of the teeth 8. However, if an attempt is made to pull the component 1 out of the door 3, the apexes 9 of the teeth 8 dig into the sides of the aperture 2 and resist removal of the component 1 from the aperture 2. It will be appreciated that the more acute the angle at the tips of the teeth 8, that is the sharper the tooth 8, the more the teeth 8 will tend to flex as they are forced into an interference fit with the aperture 2 in the door 3 and the more they will tend to embed themselves into the material of the door 3 These two factors affect how hard it will be to remove the component 1 from the door 3 without damage to either and therefore whether such a removal is possible. A larger angle A on the leading edge 10 of each tooth 8 makes insertion of the projection 6 into the aperture 2 easier and a shallower angle B on the trailing edge n of each tooth 8 makes removal more difficult. Preferably, therefore, the angle A is between 120⁰and 150⁰ inclusive to the direction of insertion I and the angle B is between 6o° and 120⁰ inclusive to the direction of insertion I as shown in Fig. 4.

In addition, the teeth 8 and even the projection 6 as a whole projection are preferably resiliently compressible or deformable. For example, the projection 6 may be a sleeve that is made from a resilient plastics material. In this case, the projection 6 be fitted into and can therefore accommodate slightly differently sized apertures 2, the teeth 8 and/or the projection 6 compressing slightly if necessary to ensure that it is a tight, interference fit. In this way it is possible for the component 1 to be permanently attached to the door 3 with no additional fasteners being necessary, it being practically impossible to withdraw once fully inserted into the aperture 2.

The size of the teeth 8 is again dependent on the application of the component 1 but in most door furniture it is expected that the teeth 8 will be between 1 and 3 mm inclusive in length and that the rows of teeth will be at least 10 mm in length.

It will be appreciated that the greater the number of rows 7 of teeth 8 the more secure the fitment of the component 1 to the door 3. Preferably, therefore, the projection 6 comprises at least two rows 7 of teeth 8 arranged on opposite sides thereof. In many cases the projection 6 will have a substantially polygonal cross-sectional profile, for example if the projection comprises the sleeve of a letter-plate, as illustrated. In this case the row or rows 7 of teeth 8 are located along one or more the corners 12 of the profile, in particular along four outer corners 12 of the sleeve as shown in Fig. 1. In these positions the teeth 8 have maximum purchase on the material of the door 3 so that the fitment is more secure.

The item may comprise additional components that are adapted to be secured to the component l. For example a second portion, such as a second frame may be adapted to be secured to the end of the projection 6 after it has been pushed through the aperture 2 in the door. If the item is a doorknocker, a handle or similar, then the first portion 5 may comprise the exterior part of the item such as the knocker itself and the projection may comprise a solid stub that is inserted into a blind bore in the door to fasten the first portion thereto.

Turning now to a second embodiment, here the door furniture item comprises first and second components 13 and 14. The component 13 is adapted to be fitted to the door 3 through the aperture 2 from the side 4 but the component 14 is adapted to be fitted from the opposite side of the door 3 and to engage with the component 13 within the aperture 2. More specifically, both of the components 13 and 14 comprise projections 15 and 16 respectively, one of which is adapted to locate within the other within the aperture 2. In the illustrated embodiment, projection 15 comprises a sleeve in which the projection 16 locates. These projections 15 and 16 are adapted to inter-engage and therefore secure the components 13 and 14 to one another through the door 3. Preferably, the component 13 with the outermost projection 15 is provided with rows 7 of teeth 8 in a similar manner to component 1 above so that in addition to inter-engagement with the other component 14, the component 13 also anchors the door furniture item directly to the door 3. Hence, to fit the item to the door, the component 13 is fitted to the door first in the same manner as the component 1 above and then the projection 16 of the second component 14 is inserted into the slot 2 from the other side to the component 13 so that it engages with the sleeve 15 of the component 13 to lock the two components 13 and 14 together. Insertion of the second component 14 into the first component 13 and the interference between them also has the beneficial effect of further bedding the teeth 8 of the first component 13 into the material of the door 3.

- 8 In Figs. 6 to io, the second embodiment of door furniture item comprises a letter-plate. In addition to the projections 15 and 16, the first and second components 13 and 14 respectively comprise portions 17 and 18 in the form of frames that are adapted respectively to locate adjacent the surfaces of opposite sides of the door 3. Also, the projection 16 of the second component 14 is also in the form of a sleeve of commensurate size and complementary shape to the sleeve 15. The frames 17 and 18 may be formed separately from their respective sleeves 15 and 16 and then secured thereto prior to fitment to the door or they may be integrally formed with their respective sleeves 15 and 16. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments of the invention there is no need for the projection 16 to comprise a sleeve nor for the component 14 to comprise the frame 18. In all cases, however, the sleeve 15 and the projection 16 of the two components 13, 14 engage one another by inter-engagement of two rows 19 and 20 of teeth 21 and 22 respectively that can be pushed together in a ratchet manner. When the projection 16 has been inserted into the sleeve 15 such that their combined “thickness” is equal to that of the door 3, it will cease to be possible to insert the projection 16 further into the sleeveis but preferably the mutual engagement of their sets of teeth 19, 20 will ensure that the components 13 and 14 cannot be pulled apart other than destructively.

To this end, along at least part of its length the projection 16 comprises at least one row 20 of outwardly projecting, resilient teeth 22 having a substantially triangular profile with apexes orientated towards the frame 18 or more generally towards the side of the slot 2 in the door 3 through which the component 14 is fitted to the door 3. Similarly, the sleeve 15 comprises at least one row 19 of resilient teeth 21 located along at least part of its interior length. These rows 19 and 20 are located at positions on the interior of the sleeve 15 and the exterior of the projection 16 where they will inter-engage when the projection 16 is inserted into the sleeve 15, for example at adjacent corners. The teeth 21 have apexes orientated in the same direction as the teeth 8 on the projection’s exterior side, that is towards the frame 17 or more generally towards the side of the slot 2 in the door 3 through which the component 13 is fitted to the door 3. However, the pitch of the teeth 21 and 22 in the rows 19 and 20 should be identical. This is to ensure that they inter-engage when the projection 16 is inserted into the sleeve 15. In the case of a letter-plate this pitch is preferably between 1 and 2 mm inclusive. Also, the ranges of leading and trailing angles of the teeth 21 and 22 similar to the angles A and B described above can be larger than those for the teeth 8. Larger leading angles make insertion of the projection 16 into the sleeve 15 easier. However, to make withdrawal of the projection 16 from the sleeve 15 impossible after fitment, then the trailing angles B preferably need to be at least 90° but they maybe 120⁰ or more.

As in the first embodiment, the teeth 21 and 22 may be formed from a resilient material such as metal or a plastics material and secured to the sleeve 15 and to the projection 16. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 10 where the rows of teeth 7 and 19 are formed on a single strip that is secured to the sleeve 15. In other embodiments the rows of teeth 19 and 20 may be integrally formed with their respective projections 15, 16, for example by moulding. As with the component 1, the components 13 and 14 may also each be integrally formed.

In all embodiments of the invention, the provision of the rows of teeth 8,19 and 20 that secure the item to the door 3 and two components 13,14 of an item to one another in a permanent fashion is beneficial as it may enable items of door furniture such as letter-plates, doorknockers, door viewers, doorknobs, door handles and the like to be fitted without the need to use additional fasteners such as screws or bolts. This makes the fitment of such items much easier than is currently the case, particularly when standard doors are supplied in bulk pre-drilled and cut to provide appropriate apertures 2 to enable a fitter to attach appropriate door-furniture items as required.

Claims

1. A door furniture item comprising a first component adapted to locate adjacent an exterior or an interior surface of a door with a projection adapted to be inserted into an aperture of commensurate size formed in the door, the projection having arranged along at least part of its length a first row of resilient teeth that project outwards from the projection and that have apexes orientated away from the intended direction of insertion into the aperture in the manner of barbs.

2. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim l, wherein the projection comprises at least two first rows of said teeth arranged on opposite sides thereof.

3. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the projection has a substantially polygonal cross-sectional profile, the first row or rows of teeth being located along one or more the exterior corners of said profile respectively.

4. A door furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein each tooth in the first row or rows of teeth has a substantially triangular profile with a leading edge and a trailing edge with regard to the intended direction of insertion of the projection into said aperture.

5. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the leading edge of each tooth makes an angle of between 120⁰ and 150⁰ inclusive with said intended direction of insertion.

6. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the trailing edge of each tooth makes an angle of between 6o° and 120⁰inclusive with said intended direction of insertion.

7- A door furniture item as claimed in any of Claims l to 6, wherein the teeth are formed from a resilient plastics material or from metal.

8. A door furniture item as claimed in any of Claims l to 7, wherein the

5 projection and the first row or rows of teeth are integrally formed.

9. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the first component is integrally formed.

10 10 A door furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the projection comprises a sleeve.

11. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the sleeve has a substantially polygonal cross-sectional profile and four first rows of

15 teeth are respectively located along four outer corners of the sleeve.

12. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 10 or Claim 11, comprising a second component adapted to be fitted to the door from the opposite side to the first component, the second component comprising a

20 second projection adapted to locate through the aperture in the door for insertion into the sleeve of the first component and having arranged along at least part of its length a second row of resilient teeth that project outwards from the second projection and that have apexes orientated away from the intended direction of insertion of

2 5 the second component into the aperture.

13. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the sleeve of the first component comprises at least one third row of resilient teeth located along at least part of its interior length that have apexes

3 0 orientated in the same direction as said first row of teeth, which third row or rows of teeth are adapted respectively to engage the second row or rows of teeth of the second component.

14- A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the pitch of the teeth in said second row or rows of teeth is the same as the pitch of the teeth in said third row or rows of teeth.

5 15. A door furniture item as claimed in Claim 14, wherein said pitch of the teeth is between 1 and 2 mm inclusive.

16. A door furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 15, wherein said row or rows of teeth are at least 10 mm in length.

17. A door furniture item as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 16, comprising any of a letter-plate, a doorknocker, a door viewer, a doorknob and a door handle.

15 18. A door furniture item substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 or Figs. 6 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.

Intellectual

Property

Office

GB1611270.8

1-18

Application No: Claims searched: