GB2601812A

GB2601812A - Reinforced Door

Info

Publication number: GB2601812A
Application number: GB2019600.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: john allen Daniel
Original assignee: Neptune Europe Ltd
Current assignee: Neptune Europe Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-11
Filing date: 2020-12-11
Publication date: 2022-06-15
Also published as: GB202019600D0

Abstract

The present invention provides a reinforced door 10 for a kitchen unit comprising a first face of solid wood 2, a second face of solid wood 12, a core layer 6 disposed between the first face 2 and second face 12, and a reinforcing bar 4 associated with the core layer 6. The reinforcing bar 4 provides additional support by preventing undesired movement or sagging of the wood when the door is exposed to moisture and/or variations in the temperature of the environment.

Description

Reinforced door

Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a reinforced door. More particularly, but not exclusively, this invention concerns a reinforced door for a kitchen unit, but may also be suitable for other units or domestic rooms. The invention also concerns a method of manufacturing and assembling a reinforced door.

Background of the Invention

Modern contemporary doors for kitchen units and the like often have a solid timber wood outer layer, such as oak or other solid wood material. Timber wood materials such as oak are susceptible to movement or sagging due to variations in the moisture content of the environment. This can be particularly problematic in kitchens where temperature and moisture content can fluctuate greatly.

Doors comprising solid timber wood material are often finished with lacquer, varnish, paint, or an oil or wax based coating, to seal the wood. The thicker finishes can seal the timber very well to minimise movement due to moisture absorbance, but can spoil the natural aesthetical appearance of the timber. The thinner finishes provide a better, more natural appearance to the timber, but are more permeable to moisture, which can affect the door's dimensions and stability.

In order for a door to be compatible with many integrated kitchen appliances, there may be limitations to the dimensions of the door. For example, the maximum thickness of a kitchen unit door may be 21mm. Kitchen unit doors are generally manufactured with multiple layers, for example with a solid timber wood outer layer and an inner core layer made of less expensive and/or more stable material such as MDF. In making a door more aesthetically appealing, decorative grooves can be formed on the outer surface of the solid timber wood outer layer. Those decorative grooves may carve into the limited available thickness of the door, which could weaken the integrity of the door.

A standard door construction can overcome these issues with a floating panel. A floating panel door is constructed of several solid wood pieces, where a panel is connected, but not fixed, to surrounding frame pieces so that the panel "floats" to allow the wood to expand and/or contract. However, for a modern contemporary slab design where the outer solid wood layer is exposed, a floating panel with several supporting wood pieces is not desirable.

The present invention seeks to mitigate the above-mentioned problems by providing a door with internal reinforcement to resist movement of the solid timber over time.

Alternatively or additionally, the present invention seeks to provide an improved contemporary design door for kitchen units or the like, that will not be susceptible to movement and/or sagging over time.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a reinforced door for a kitchen unit comprising a first face of solid wood, a second face of solid wood, a core layer disposed between the first face and second face, and a reinforcing bar associated with the core layer. The reinforcing bar provides additional support by preventing undesired movement or sagging of the wood when the door is exposed to moisture and/or variations in the temperature of the environment.

The reinforced bar may be hollow to reduce the weight of the bar. The reinforced bar may be a rod or a tube. The reinforced bar may be solid, for example it may be a solid cylinder.

In some embodiments, the reinforced bar may have an arm, or multiple arms extending away from the bar, for example in a perpendicular direction to the direction of the bar. The arms may provide further reinforcement to the door in the perpendicular direction to the direction of the bar. The arms may be shorter or longer than the length of the reinforcing bar. For example, the reinforcing bar may have a length of between 500 mm to 1300 mm. In one example of the invention, the reinforcing bar may have a length of 1269 mm and be located in a vertical direction at the centre of the core layer, with one or more arms extending away in the horizontal direction.

The first face may provide an external surface of the door. When the door forms part of a unit, the exposed surface of the first face may be directed away from the unit, for example facing outwards towards the kitchen. The external surface of the first face may comprise marking or grooves for aesthetic purposes. The grooves may be of different shape and patterns. The external surface of the first face may comprise a door handle to open and close the door in use.

The second face may provide an internal surface of the door. When the door forms part of a unit, the exposed surface of the second face may be directed towards the internal structure of the unit, for example, facing the inside of a kitchen cupboard.

The external surface of the second face may comprise marking or grooves for aesthetic appeal. The shapes and patterns may be substantially the same as the shapes and patterns on the external surface of the first face.

Each of the first and second faces may have four perpendicular side faces that define the depth or thickness of each face.

The core layer may comprise material such as plywood. Advantageously, plywood can be cut along the direction of the grain of wood or against the grain with minimal risk of damaging the remaining parts of the wood. Other materials may be used such as laminboard. The core layer may comprise material such as medium-density fibre (NIDF). The core layer may comprise a single material. In other embodiments, the core layer may comprise a mixture of different materials.

The reinforced door may comprise two or more core layers. Each core layer may comprise the same material. Alternatively, the reinforced door may comprise a first core layer and second core layer may comprise different materials.

The reinforcing bar may comprise a composite material, e.g. carbon fibre.

Carbon fibre material provides strength and rigidity whilst being lightweight. There are benefits to the reinforcing bar being lightweight, particularly for use in doors for small to medium sized kitchen units. The reinforcing bar may comprise a metal material, e.g. steel or aluminium. It is desirable to have a reinforcing bar made of strong material such as metal to prevent movement and/or sagging of the solid wood door. Metals such as steel and/or aluminium may be cut, moulded, or extruded to a desired dimension. The reinforcing bar may be a hollow bar of steel for example, that can resist the unwanted movement of the wood in the presence of moisture or fluctuations in room temperature.

The reinforcing bar may be circular in cross section. The reinforcing bar may be substantially square or rectangular in cross section. A square or rectangular cross sectional reinforcing bar will have four flat sides. The core layer may comprise a groove which houses the reinforcing bar. The groove may be formed, for example by routing, in the surface of the core layer and dimensioned according to the dimensions -4 -of the reinforcing bar. It may be more straightforward to create a groove to house a reinforcing bar of rectangular cross section than a groove to house a reinforcing bar of circular cross section.

The reinforcing bar may be held in place within the groove by the tight tolerances from forming the groove according to the dimensions of the reinforcing bar. The reinforcing bar may be held in place within the groove by other attachment means, such as glue. There may be voids when the reinforcing bar is placed within the groove, which may be filled with glue or other adhesive filler material. The reinforcing bar may be fastened in place with clips or other types of fasteners.

The reinforced door may comprise a plurality of reinforcing bars. Multiple reinforcing bars may be arranged and oriented in different directions. Having more than one reinforcing bar may provide more stability for the door. Advantageously, having multiple reinforcing bars may distribute the weight associated with the reinforcing bars so that the reinforced door will be evenly weighted.

The reinforced door may comprise at least two reinforcing bars oriented vertically. The use of the terms vertically and horizontally are used as would be understood by the skilled person to be the usual door orientation when in use. Each reinforcing bar may be located at or near a side portion of the core layer, and orientated vertically i.e, extending upwards from a bottom portion to a top portion of the core layer, or vice versa, when the door is assembled as part of a kitchen unit.

The reinforced door may comprise at least three reinforcing bars oriented horizontally. Each reinforcing bar may be located at or near the top portion and/or bottom portion of the core layer, arid orientated horizontally with respect to the surface of the core layer i.e extending across from one side portion to a the opposite side portion The reinforced door may comprise a greater number of reinforcing bars running perpendicular to the direction of the grain of wood of the first and/or second face than running parallel to the grain of wood of the first and/or second face. It has been found that having a reinforcing bar in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the grain of the wood supports the wood from sagging or moving.

The reinforced door may have a total maximum thickness of 21mm. The door is made of multiple layers as described above. The total maximum thickness of the door must include the thickness of the first face, second face, core layer and the reinforcing bars associated with the core layer. Therefore, each layer has a maximum -5 -thickness associated with the maximum thickness of the door. The door is preferably relatively lightweight so that people can open and close the door easily. The maximum door thickness is also chosen such that the door does not take up an undue amount of either potential storage space in the kitchen unit, or generally space within the kitchen. The door is also expected to look aesthetically pleasing as it is continually on display.

The first face may have a maximum thickness of 4.5mm. The core layer may have a maximum thickness of 12mm. The second face may have a maximum thickness of 4.5mm. Each layer may have a larger or smaller maximum thickness, provided that the total thickness of all the layers equates to the chosen maximum thickness of the assembled door. There may be greater or fewer number of layers. For example, there may be two substantially similar core layers, each having a maximum thickness of 6 mm each.

The grain of wood of the first face may be oriented in approximately the same direction as the grain of wood of the second face. Having approximately the same grain direction for both the first face and second face may be preferable because expansion/contraction forces will be exerted in the same direction, and the reinforcing bar can be placed accordingly. This may reduce the number of reinforcing bars required compared to arrangements where the grain of wood of the first face is oriented in a different direction to the grain of wood of the second face.

The solid wood of the first face may be the same type of solid wood of the second face. Having the same type of wood on the first and second face may be more cost effective and simpler to manufacture than providing a first face and second face of different woods. Additionally, having the same type of wood may be more aesthetically pleasing to the user. Alternatively, the solid wood of the first face may be different to the solid wood of the second face.

The solid wood of the first and/or the second face may comprise any of oak, pine, maple, alder, walnut, cherry or any other suitable solid wood. Each of the first and/or second solid wood may comprise of single type of wood. Alternatively, each of the first and/or second solid wood may comprise composite wood material. As mentioned previously, the first face and second face may comprise different materials. The first solid wood face, the core layer, and the second solid wood face may be fastened together. Each of the first and second solid wood face may be bonded to the core layer with glue. The first and second solid wood face and the core layer may -6 -be bonded together in a laminating press. Other conventional methods of fastening the solid wood faces to the core may be used, as will be understood by the skilled person. Another aspect of the invention is a method of manufacturing a reinforced door for a kitchen unit having a first face of solid wood, a second face of solid wood, a core layer disposed between the first face and second face, and a reinforcing bar associated with the core layer. The method comprises the steps of forming the reinforcing bar to the dimensions of the door, forming grooves into the core layer to house the reinforcing bar, fitting the reinforcing bar in the groove, and assembling the first layer, second layer and the core layer comprising the reinforced bar housed in the grooves therebetween.

In a third aspect of the invention there is a method of assembling a kitchen unit with the reinforced door as described with reference to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising the step of attaching the reinforced door to a kitchen unit.

It will of course be appreciated that features described in relation to one aspect of the present invention may be incorporated into other aspects of the present invention. For example, the method of the invention may incorporate any of the features described with reference to the apparatus of the invention and vice versa.

Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a reinforced door according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows the internal structure of the reinforced door according to the first embodiment; Figure 3 shows the structure of the reinforcing bar and its cross section Figure 4 shows the internal structure of a reinforced door according to a second embodiment; and Figure 5 shows the internal structure of a reinforced door according to a third embodiment.

Detailed Description -7 -

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a reinforced door 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The reinforced door 10 is intended to form part of kitchen units (not shown) such as cupboards or as a door for a built-in unit such as a fridge. Figure 1 shows that the reinforced door 10 has a height h, a width w, and a thickness A. In this embodiment, the maximum thickness A of the reinforced door 10 is 21mm, and the reinforced door 10 has a height, h 1333 mm and a width, of 687 mm. It will be appreciated that different embodiments may have different dimensions.

The reinforced door 10 comprises a first outer solid wood layer 2, a second outer solid wood layer 12 and a core layer 6 as best shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the internal structure of the reinforced door 10. Each layer has a maximum thickness so that the combination of all the layers provides a reinforced door with a maximum thickness A of 21 mm. In other embodiments of the invention, the reinforced door may have a different maximum thickness suitable for other units or rooms depending on the required dimensions.

The first outer solid wood layer 2 has a maximum thickness of 4.5mm, and has a height and width of the door as described above. The first outer solid wood layer comprises multiple decorative grooves 16 on its external surface. The grooves 16 in Figures 1 and 2 show multiple vertical lines in the direction of the height of the door.

It will be appreciated that the grooves 16 as shown here are an example, and different shapes and/or patterns may be incorporated on the outer surface of the front outer solid layer 2. The external surface of the first outer solid wood layer 2 is arranged to be room facing, for example facing the kitchen.

The first outer solid wood layer 2 may have a minimum thickness within the trough of the grooves 16. The minimum thickness of the first outer solid wood layer 2 is 1 mm. It will be appreciated that the depth of the grooves 16 may vary depending on the design of the door.

A second outer solid wood layer 12 has a maximum thickness of 4 5 mm. The dimensions of the second outer solid wood layer are the same as that of the first outer solid wood layer. The second outer solid wood layer comprises grooves on its outer surface (not shown) that are similar to those of the first face.

In between the first solid wood layer 2 and second solid wood layer 12, there is a core layer 6. The core layer 6 is rectangular, having four edge portions 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d. The core layer 6 has straight side edge portions 3a, 3b, and straight top and bottom -8 -edge portions 3c, 3d. The core layer of the first embodiment has a height of 1309 mm and width of 663 mm. The core layer 6 has a maximum thickness of 12 mm. The core layer may have different dimensions in other embodiments.

On a surface of the core layer 6 there are receiving grooves 14', 14" and 14" In the present embodiment, each side edge portion 3a, 3b, has a linear side-receiving groove 14' running in the direction parallel to the height of the core layer 6. Each top and bottom edge portion 3c, 3d, has respectively; a top-and bottom-receiving groove 14" that run in the direction parallel to the width of the core layer. The core layer 6 has a linear central receiving groove 14-' that runs parallel to the top-and bottom-receiving grooves 14", and is located equidistant from each top and bottom edge portion 3c, 3d. The central receiving rod 14" need not be located equidistant from the top and bottom edge portion. In other embodiments there may be fewer or greater number of receiving grooves, as described in more detail below.

Each receiving groove 14', 14-, 14-' has a maximum depth of 10 mm. In other embodiments the receiving grooves 14', 14", 14" may have a smaller depth, such as 9 mm, 8 mm, 7 mm, 6 mm or even 5 mm. Each of the receiving grooves 14', 14", 14" are configured to receive a reinforcing bar 4. Therefore, the dimensions of the receiving grooves 14', 14", 14" are configured to receive the reinforcing bar 4.

In the present embodiment, there are two vertically aligned receiving bars 4' to be slotted into each of the side-receiving grooves 14', and three horizontally aligned bars 4" to be slotted into each of the top-, bottom-, and central receiving grooves 14", 14". The dimensions of the reinforcing bar 4 are better shown in Figure 3. The reinforcing bar 4 is held in place within the grooves 14', 14", 14" by the tight tolerances from forming the grooves 14', 14-, 14-according to the dimensions of the reinforcing bar 4.

Figure 3 shows the profile of the reinforcing bar 4 and an expanded view of its cross-section. The reinforcing bar 4 is substantially linear. The vertically aligned reinforcing bar 4' has a length of 1259 mm, and the horizontally aligned reinforcing bar 4" has a length of 573 mm. In other embodiments, the reinforcing bar 4 may be longer or shorter.

The reinforcing bar 4 of the present embodiment has a square cross-section comprising four sides, with each side being equal in length. The length of each side of the cross-section of the reinforcing bar 4 is 10 mm. Further, the reinforcing bar 4 has a -9 -hollow centre. Each side of the cross section of the reinforcing bar 4 has thickness x, y, of 2 mm. In other embodiments, the thickness may be greater.

The first and second outer solid wood layers 2, 12, and the core layer 6 are fastened together to form the reinforced door 10 as seen in Figure 1. Each of the first and second solid wood layers 2, 12 and the core layer 6 are bonded together with an adhesive and a press is used during the curing of the adhesive.

The door 10 further comprises four solid timber lipping bars 8, two side timber bars arranged near the side edge portions 3a, 3b of the core layer 6, and a top and bottom timber bars arranged near the top and bottom edge portions 3c, 3d, of the core layer 6. These are common in the art when fitting doors, and secure the core layer 6 between the first and second outer solid wood layers 2, 12. Additionally, they improve the aesthetic design of the door by covering the core layer 6 from visibility during use.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention as best shown in Figure 4, there is a reinforced door 10' comprising a first outer solid wood layer 22 and a second outer solid wood layer 32 comprising the features as described in the first embodiment, and two core layers 26' and 26". In this embodiment, each core layer 26', 26", may have a maximum thickness of 6mm each, so that when the layers are brought together, the combination of the two core layers will equal the maximum thickness of the individual core layer 6, i.e. 12 mm, as described in the first embodiment.

Each core layers includes receiving grooves 24', 24-, 24'n. There may be a side-receiving groove 24' located at each side edge portion, and a top-and bottom-receiving groove 24" located at each top and bottom edge portion of each core layer. Further, there is a central-receiving groove 24-that is parallel to the top-and bottom-receiving grooves, and located equidistant from each top and bottom edge portion.

Each receiving groove on each core layer has a maximum depth of 5 mm, and is configured to fit a reinforcing bar 34, that has substantially the same dimensions as described above and shown in Figure 3. The length of each sides of the reinforcing bar 34 are larger than the depth of the receiving grooves. In assembling the layers of the door, part of a reinforcing bar 34 will fit within one of the receiving grooves of the first core layer 26', and the other part of the reinforcing bar will fit within the corresponding receiving groove on the second core layer 26".

-10 -In a further embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 5, there is a reinforced door 100 comprising a first outer solid wood layer 202 and a second outer solid wood layer 212 comprising the features as previously described in the first embodiment. The reinforced door 100 comprises a core layer 216 with two vertical side-receiving grooves 44', two horizontal top-and bottom receiving grooves 44" and three horizontal and parallel central receiving grooves 45a, 45b, 45c. This configuration is best suited for larger doors such as large kitchen units. A greater number of central receiving grooves may be included for larger doors. For example, an entrance door for a room may comprise of greater than nine horizontally aligned central receiving grooves.

Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein. By way of example only, certain possible variations will now be described.

Each of the first and/or second outer solid wood layer may comprise multiple decorative grooves on an external surface. The minimum thickness of each of the first and/or second outer solid wood layer may be at least 0.5 mm up to 4.5mm. In other embodiments, the first and/or second outer solid wood layer may have a flat outer surface with no decorative grooves. In this example, each of the first and/or second outer solid wood layer may have approximately the same thickness across the surface of the door.

Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, which should be construed so as to encompass any such equivalents. It will also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that such optional integers or features, whilst of possible benefit in some embodiments of the invention, may not be desirable, and may therefore be absent, in other embodiments.

Claims

-H -Claims A reinforced door for a kitchen unit comprising: a first face of solid wood a second face of solid wood a core layer disposed between the first face and second face and a reinforcing bar associated with the core layer.
2) A reinforced door as claimed in claim I, wherein the first face provides an external surface of the door 3) A reinforced door as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second face provides an internal surface of the door.4) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the core layer comprises plywood.5) A reinforced door as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the core layer comprises MDF.6) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the reinforcing bar comprises a composite material.7) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the reinforcing bar comprises a metal material.8) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the reinforcing bar is circular in cross section 9) A reinforced door as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reinforcing bar is rectangular in cross section.10) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the core layer comprises a groove which houses the reinforcing bar.-12 - 11) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of reinforcing bars 12) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim comprising at least two reinforcing bars oriented vertically.13) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising at least three reinforcing bars running horizontally. 10 14) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first face of solid wood has a grain in a first direction, the reinforced door comprising a first number of reinforcing bars running perpendicular to the direction of the grain of wood of the first face and a second number of reinforcing bars running parallel to the direction of the grain of wood of the first face, and the first number is greater than the second number.15) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the *e nforced door has a maximum thickness of 21mm. 20 16) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first face has a maximum thickness of 4.5mm, the core layer has a maximum thickness of 12mm, and the second face has a maximum thickness of 4.5mm.17) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first face of solid wood has a grain running in a first direction and the second face of solid wood has a grain running in a second direction, and the first direction and second direction are parallel.18) A reinforced door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the solid wood of the first face is the same type of solid wood of the second face.19) A method of manufacturing a reinforced door for a kitchen unit as claimed in claim 1, the method comprising the steps of 1 - -assembling the core layer and the reinforcing bar between the first face and second face.20) A method of assembling a kitchen unit with a reinforced door as claimed in any of claims 1-19 comprising the step of attaching the reinforced door on a kitchen unit.