IE75883B1 - Weather excluder - Google Patents

Abstract

A weather excluder comprises an elongate channel member 10 for fixing on a threshold below the lower edge of a door 16, and an elongate sealing blade 23 for fixing to and extending downwardly from the lower edge of the door for sealing against the channel member when the door is closed. The upper surface of the channel member has an upwardly and rearwardly stepped portion 22 and the sealing blade 23 has a free end 26 for engaging the stepped portion 22. As viewed in figure 1 the door opens in the direction of arrow 17 to the interior of a building, which direction is defined as rearward.

Description

This invention relates to a weather excluder of the kind comprising an elongate sill member for locating on a threshold below the lower edge of a door.

According to the present invention there is 5 provided a weather excluder comprising an elongate sill member for fixing on a threshold below the lower edge of a door, and an elongate resilient sealing blade for fixing to and extending downwardly from the lower edge of the door for sealing against the sill member when the door is closed, the upper surface of the sill member having an upwardly and rearwardly stepped portion and the sealing blade having a free end for engaging the stepped portion.

The invention further provides a sill member for use in a weather excluder as specified above.

In the foregoing and elsewhere in this specification, the front to rear direction is the direction of opening of the door.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-section through a weather 5 excluder according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the channel member forming part of the weather excluder of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross-section through a weather excluder according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The weather excluder shown in Figure 1 comprises an elongate sill member 10 (see also Figure 2) of substantially constant channel-shaped cross-section which is, for example, extruded from a lightweight metal such as aluminium.

The channel member 10 has front and rear pairs of legs 11, 12 and 13, 14 respectively on its underside by which the member is stood on a door threshold 15. In Figure 1 the excluder is shown located beneath the lower edge of a door 16 which opens inwardly as shown by the arrow 17, the building exterior being to the left of the door (as seen in Figure 1) and the building interior being to the right of the door. As mentioned above, the front to rear direction is the direction of the arrow 17.

The channel member 10 is fixed in place on the threshold 15 by a pair of end plates 18 which are fitted in each end of the channel member 10 and are screwed to r the door frame 19, and by screws 20 extending through the base of the channel member 10 into the threshold 15. « Drainage holes 21 are provided at the front of the channel member 10 to permit any rainwater which may enter the channel to drain away to the outside.

In order to prevent draughts and water being driven from the exterior to the interior of the building underneath the excluder, the space between the rear pair of legs 13 and 14 and the channel member 10 is filled with a silicone or mastic sealant, or alternatively accommodates a resilient sealing member as described in our Irish Patent No. 47920.

At the rear, above the legs 13 and 14, the upper surface of the channel member 10 has an upwardly and rearwardly stepped portion 22. This stepped portion 22, which comprises a plurality of shallow substantially equal height steps, is for cooperation with an elongate resilient sealing blade 23 fixed to and extending downwardly from the lower edge of the door 16. In particular, the blade 23 has an enlarged root portion 24 which is held in a member 25 which is screwed to the door 16, and the free end 26 of the blade 23 engages one of the steps of the stepped portion 22. The sealing blade 23 is shown as having a cranked design, as described in our United Kingdom Patent Specification 2102868, with at least that portion 27 thereof adjacent $ the free end 26 being angled towards the rear of the channel member 10.

The particular step 22 engaged by the tip 26 of the blade will depend upon the thickness of the door 16, and the height of the gap below the door.

The advantage of the construction shown is that the pressure of wind entering beneath the door 16 from the outside will tend to force the tip 26 of the blade 23 into tighter contact with the particular step 22 which it engages. Without the steps 22, the blade would tend to be lifted away from the channel member 10, permitting the ingress of moisture.

Referring now to Figure 3, the weather excluder there shown comprises an elongate sill member 30 also of substantially constant cross-section, but in this case it is not channel-shaped but presents a generally convex upper surface.

The sill member 30 has front and rear pairs of legs 31, 32 and 33, 34 respectively on its underside by which the member is stood on a door threshold 35. In Figure 3 the excluder is shown located beneath the lower edge of a door 36 which opens inwardly as shown by the arrow 37, the building exterior being to the right of the door (as seen in Figure 3) and the building interior being to the left of the door. The front to rear direction is the direction of the arrow 37.

The channel member 30 is fixed in place on the threshold 35 by screws (not shown) extending through the sill member 30 into the threshold 35.

As before, the space between the rear pair of legs 33 and 34 of the sill member 30 is filled with a silicone or mastic sealant, or alternatively accommodates a resilient sealing member as described in our Irish Patent No. 47920.

At the front, just above and to the rear of the legs 33 and 34, the upper surface of the sill member 30 r has an upwardly and rearwardly stepped portion 42, for cooperation with an elongate resilient sealing blade 43 « fixed to and extending downwardly from the lower edge of the door 36. The blade is designed the same as that in Figure 1, and is similarly held in a member 45 which is screwed to the door. As before, the free end of the blade 43 engages the stepped portion 42.

The member 45 which holds the blade 43 has a canopy portion 46 which extends downwardly and outwardly away from the external face of the door 36 to serve as a drip deflector.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein which may be modified or varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS :

1. A weather excluder comprising an elongate sill member for fixing on a threshold below the lower edge of a door, and an elongate sealing blade for 5 fixing to and extending downwardly from the lower edge of the door for sealing again,st the sill member when the door is closed, the upper surface of the sill member having an upwardly and rearwardly stepped portion and the sealing blade having a free end for 10 engaging the stepped portion.

2. A weather excluder as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least the free end of the blade which engages the sill member is angled towards the rear of the sill member. 15

3. . A weather excluder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the sill member is channel-shaped.

4. A weather excluder as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stepped portion of the upper surface of the sill member is formed at the rear of the channel. 20

5. Ά weather excluder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the stepped portion of the upper surface of the sill member is formed at the front of the sill member, and the sealing blade is held in a member which has a downwardly and outwardly extending canopy. 25

6. A weather excluder substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A.sill member for us© in a weather excluder as claimed in any preceding claim.