IE54382B1 - Improvements in or relating to door frames - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of securing an elongate weather bar 17 to an extruded elongate door frame member comprises forming the door frame member with an undercut recess 12 or 13 shaped to receive and retain a projecting portion 16 of one or more mounting brackets 15 on which the weather bar is carried. The weather bar 17 is secured to the door frame member by simply clipping or snapping the mounting bracket or brackets into the recess. A resilient sealing strip 22 may be wedged between the flange of the weather bar and the front face 11 of the frame member.

Description

The invention relates to door frames and particularly, but not exclusively, to door frames which are assembled from lengths of extruded material, such as aluminium. Such door frames are often supplied as a kit of parts to he assembled by the user.

Where the door is an external door it is desirable to provide on the outer surface of the door, adjacent the bottom, a weather bar which consists of a strip of material secured across the bottom rail and/or the stiles of the door frame a short distance above the threshold and having a downwardly inclined upper surface. The purpose of the weather bar is to deflect away from the door water which may run down its external surface, and thereby prevent such water running beneath the bottom edge of the door.

In the case of doors assembled from extruded aluminium frame members the weather bar normally consists of a generally angle-sectioned aluminium extrusion, one flange of which is riveted or screwed to the front face of the door bottom rail so that the other flange of the anglesection extends downwardly and outwardly from the rail. However, the necessity of drilling holes for the screws or rivets in both the weather bar and the bottom rail and/or stiles increases the time taken to assemble the door from the kit of parts, and also requires the person assembling the door to have the appropriate tools and the skills required to fit the weather bar. Specific instructions have to be followed to ensure that the weather bar is both horizontal and at the correct vertical distance from the bottom of the door rail. This vertical distance will be different depending on whether the door is to be inwardly opening or outwardly opening. The present invention sets out to provide an arrangement whereby the weather bar may be readily and rapidly fitted to the door bottom rail without special skills or the use of tools.

According to the invention a method of securing an elongate weather bar to an extruded elongate door frame member comprises forming the door frame member with an undercut recess shaped to receive and retain a projecting portion of at least one mounting bracket on which the weather bar is carried. Thus, the weather bar may be secured to the door frame member by simply clipping or snapping the mounting bracket or brackets into the recess.

The invention includes within its scope a set of parts, for incorporation in a door frame, comprising an extruded elongate door frame member formed with an undercut recess, at least one mounting bracket having a projecting portion which is shaped, to be received and retained within the recess, and an elongate weather bar carried on the mounting bracket.

Although the mounting bracket or brackets may be 5 integrally formed with the weather bar, they are preferably separately formed, the mounting brackets and weather bar being provided with interengaging formations whereby they may be clipped together. There are preferably provided two or more mounting brackets spaced apart along the length of the weather bar.

The undercut recess in the door frame member may be in the form of a longitudinally extending groove formed in the member during the extrusion thereof. As mentioned above, the required vertical position of the weather bar depends on whether the door is to be inwardly or outwardly opening. There may therefore be provided two or more similar parallel grooves in the door frame member whereby the mounting brackets, and hence the weather bar, may be mounted in alternative positions on the door frame member.

The mounting bracket or brackets may be formed from plastics material.

The set of parts may further comprise a resilient elongate sealing element for engagement between the weather bar and a surface of the door frame member. The sealing element may he so shaped that, when it is in position between the weather bar and the door frame member, the resilience thereof urges the weather bar into retaining engagement with the mounting bracket or brackets.

The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section through part of a door bottom rail showing a weather bar secured in position, Figure 2 is a similar view illustrating the manner in which the mounting brackets are first attached to the door rail, Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the weather bar and sealing strip are fitted to the mounting brackets, and Figures 4 and 5 are vertical sections showing the positioning of the weather bar on inwardly opening and outwardly opening doors respectively.

Referring to Figure 1, the door bottom rail 10 is, in known manner, an aluminium extrusion of generally box-section, only the front face 11 of the section being shown in the drawing.

Upper and lower undercut grooves 12 and 13 are extruded in the bottom, downwardly extending flange 14 of the rail. Two or more plastics mounting brackets 15 are formed with hook-shaped projections 16 which are shaped and dimensioned so as to snap into one or other of the grooves 12 or 13 so as to be retained therein with the main part of the mounting bracket 15 projecting forwardly from the front face 11 of the bottom rail.

The weather bar is in the form of a generally 34392 angle-sectioned aluminium extrusion 17. The rear flange 18 of the weather bar is generally parallel to the front face 11 of the door rail and is provided adjacent its lower extremity with a hook formation 19 which snaps behind a corresponding upwardly projecting hook formation 2(3 on the mounting bracket 15. The other flange 21 of the weather bar then slopes downwardly and outwardly away from the door rail.

A shaped sealing strip 22 of resilient plastics or rubber material is wedged between the upper part of the flange 18 of the weather bar and the front face of the door rail. The sealing strip is formed in its front face with a longitudinal recess which engages over a longitudinal projection on the weather bar, thereby retaining the sealing strip in position. The resilience of the sealing strip 22 applies a .clockwise moment to the weather bar 17, as viewed in Figure 1, and this wedges the weather bar firmly into engagement with the brackets 15 and also urges the brackets 15 towards the front face 11 of the door rail.

The underside of the front sloping flange 21 of the weather bar is formed with a longitudinally extending ridge 23 which bears on the front upper portion of each mounting bracket 15.

The weather bar is fitted to the bottom rail of the door frame after the door frame has been assembled.

The bottom rail will extend between the lower ends of two vertical stiles. The weather bar 17 is of such a length, being cut to length if necessary, to extend across the whole width of the bottom rail and stiles, but the sealing strip 22 is the same length as the bottom rail only. An appropriate number of mounting brackets 15 are inserted into the groove 12 or 13 by a turning motion, as illustrated in Figure 2. The number of brackets required will partly depend on the length of each bracket in relation to the width of the door. In the case where the brackets are 2 to 3 cm in length, two or three brackets will be required on a door of conventional width. However it will be appreciated that more brackets can be used if desired.

If the brackets are long enough only a single bracket may be required since it may then extend across substantially the whole of the length of the bottom rail.

If the door is to be outwardly opening, the brackets are located within the lower groove 13 and the weather bar, when fitted, then covers the upper groove 12, as shown in Figure 5. On the other hand if the door is to be inwardly opening, as shown in Figure 4, the weather bar must be at a higher level so as to clear the upwardly projecting threshold flange 24 of the fixed door frame 25.

In this case therefore the mounting blocks 15 are inserted in the upper groove 12.

When the mounting blocks 15 are in position the weather bar itself may be pressed downwardly into engagement with the mounting blocks as shown in Figure 3, the hookportion 20 snapping into engagement with the corresponding hook-portion 19 of the weather bar. Finally, the sealing strip 22 is pressed into position.

Claims (11)

1. A method of securing an elongate weather bar to an extruded elongate door frame member comprising forming the door frame member with an undercut recess shaped to rfeceive and retain a projecting portion of at least one mounting bracket on which the weather bar is carried.

2. A set of parts, for incorporation in a door frame, comprising an extruded elongate door frame member formed with an undercut recess, at least one mounting bracket having a projecting portion which is shaped to be received and retained within the recess, and an elongate weather bar carried on the mounting bracket.

3. A set of parts according to claim 2, wherein the mounting bracket or brackets is or are integrally formed with the weather bar.

4. A set of parts according to claim 2, wherein the mounting bracket or brackets is or are separately formed from the weather bar, the mounting brackets and weather bar being provided with interengaging formations whereby they may be clipped together.

5. A set of parts according to claim 4, wherein there are provided two or more mounting brackets spaced apart along the length of the weather bar.

6. A set of parts according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the undercut recess in the door frame member is in the form of a longitudinally extending groove formed in the member during the extrusion thereof.

7. - A set of parts according to claim 6, wherein there are provided two or more similar parallel grooves in the door frame member whereby the mounting brackets, and hence the weather bar, may be mounted in alternative positions on the door frame member.

8. ’ A set of parts according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the mounting bracket or brackets is or are formed from plastics material.

9. A set of parts according to any of claims 2 to 8, further comprising a resilient elongate sealing element for engagement between the weather bar and a surface of the door frame member.

10. A set of parts according to claim 9, wherein the sealing element is so shaped that, when it is in position between the weather bar and the door frame member, the resilience thereof urges the weather bar into retaining engagement with the mounting bracket or brackets.

11. A set of parts, for incorporation in a door frame, according to claim 2 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.