IE86135B1

IE86135B1 - Door frame assembly

Info

Publication number: IE86135B1
Application number: IE20080920A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Kevin Mcoscar
Original assignee: Trade Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 2007-12-18
Filing date: 2008-11-17
Publication date: 2013-02-13
Also published as: GB2455859B; GB0724546D0; GB2455859A; GB2455713A; IE20080920A1; GB0820368D0

Abstract

A door frame assembly having a door jamb assembly comprising at least one elongate door jamb portion and at least one elongate door stop securable to a face of the at least one door jamb portion, the or each door jamb portion being provided with first and second architrave sections adapted to extend from first and second sides of the door jamb portion to lie contiguous with opposite side surfaces of a door opening into which the door frame assembly is to be fitted, wherein one of the architrave sections has a first part for laying contiguous with a first side surface of the door opening and a second part extending substantially perpendicular to said first part and being receivable within an elongate slot defined in or between a side of the respective door jamb portion and/or its associated door stop to enable adjustment of the distance between the architrave sections. <Figure 4>

Description

Door Frame Assembly The present invention relates to an improved door frame assembly and in particular to a pre-fabricated door frame assembly for use with doors of varying thickness, whereby the need for planing or cutting of the surfaces of the door frame during hanging of the door is avoided.

The mounting of doors in a building is a relatively time consuming and skilled task requiring specialist carpenters, particularly where a large number of doors are required in a building. Even where a number of identical doors are used, dimensional inconsistencies between individual doors mean that time consuming adjustments need to be made to the door frames during hanging of the doors.

A door frame assembly typically comprises a frame, known as a jamb, within which the door is located, the jamb comprising a pair of vertical side jambs, and a header at the upper end and often includes a sill or threshold at the lower end. The decorative trim around the doors that covers the seam between jamb and the wall is known as an architrave. The architrave has a strong impact on the overall style, appearance, and proportion of the door opening and conceals the gap between the door jamb and the rough door opening and also helps to hold the frame in the opening. The architrave can be relatively plain, such as a square-edge design, or can comprise a detailed carved of moulded finish. Elongate strips, known as door stops, are secured to the side faces of the jamb, against which strips the door shuts when mounted within the frame. 861 35 Typically, the components of the door frame are made in situ and usually require adjustment to fit the particular door opening and the door to be hung therein, due to tolerances in the formation of the door openings, especially in the thickness of the wall and plaster around the door opening, and due to variations in the dimensions of the doors themselves. Such adjustment is time consuming and usually involves planing or cutting of the frame components.

It is desirable to utilise wood veneer or foil wrapped MDF mouldings as alternatives to solid wood mouldings by furniture and fitment manufacturers.

Wrapped MDF mouldings are manufactured with cores formed from medium density fibreboard (MDF). MDF is a wood product formed by breaking down a softwood into a powder, which is then mixed with wax and resin. The desired product is made by submitting the mixture to high pressure and temperature. A surface finishing material is wrapped around the MDF core, at least on the surfaces that will be visible in use.

Real wood veneer wrapped MDF mouldings can be used to match the grain and texture previously obtained with solid wood with the added advantage that the veneers can be selected for uniformity of colour and freedom from natural defects associated with solid wood. Standard wood veneers, typically 0.6 mm thick, are used for wrapping MDF mouldings. Alternatively, paper or PVC foils in plain colours or with printed decorative effects, such as wood grains, can be successfully wrapped around MDF mouldings.

The main advantages of MDF over other materials are low cost compared to solid wood, freedom from grain irregularities associated with solid wood, and the ability of the material to be moulded or machined into complex and shapes with reliable dimensional consistency.

The good machining characteristics and high internal bond strength of MDF can be put to good effect in the construction of panel doors using wrapped mouldings to make mitre jointed frames.

However, a problem with wrapped MDF mouldings is that they cannot be 10 cut, drilled, planed or pierced by nails or screws without damaging the wrapping material, often exposing the material therebeneath and leading to a cosmetically undesirable finish. Therefore, where wrapped MDF is used for a door frame, dimensional inconsistencies in the door opening (for example in the thickness of the wall around the opening) and in the thickness and size of the door cannot be compensated for.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a door frame assembly having a door jamb assembly comprising at least one elongate doorjamb and at least one elongate door stop securable to a face of the at least one door jamb portion, the or each door jamb portion being provided with a first and second architrave sections adapted to extend from first and second sides of the door jamb portion to lie contiguous with opposite side surfaces of a door opening into which the door frame assembly is to be fitted; wherein the components of the door frame assembly are made from wrapped MDF; and wherein one of the architrave sections has a first part for laying contiguous with a first side surface of the door opening and a second part extending substantially perpendicular to said first part and being receivable within an elongate slot defined in or between a side of the respective door jamb portion and/or its associated door stop to enable adjustment of the distance between the architrave sections; and wherein the second architrave section comprises a first part to lay contiguous with a second side surface of the door opening and a second part extending substantially perpendicular to said first part receivable within an elongate slot formed in a second side of the door jamb portion to provide a further scope for adjustment of the distance between the architrave sections; and wherein the elongate door stop is securable to the face of the door 10 jamb by coupling means, the coupling means being provided with cooperating mechanical locking formations which prevent separation of the door stop from the door jamb in a direction perpendicular to said face of the door jamb while permitting the position of the door stop on the doorjamb to be adjusted laterally with respect to said door jamb to accommodate doors of different thickness.

This arrangement enables adjustment of the distance between the architrave sections.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second part of the first architrave section is receivable within an elongate slot formed in a side region of the respective door stop adjacent a first side of the door jamb portion.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the elongate slot is defined by a recess formed in a rear face of the door stop, generally adjacent to the face of the doorjamb portion.

The door frame assembly of the present invention may comprise a door jamb assembly comprising a plurality of door jamb portions including first and second vertically arranged and spaced apart side jambs and a header extending between upper ends of said first and second side jambs.

In a preferred embodiment said coupling means comprise at least one 5 elongate slot or groove provided in at least one of said door jamb and said door stop, said at least one groove extending transverse to a longitudinal axis of the door jamb, and at least one locking member provided on the other of the doorjamb or door stop adapted to mate with said groove, said at least one locking member being slidable along said at least one groove to adjust the position of the door stop with respect to said the doorjamb. Said locking member may be secured to said other of the doorjamb or door stop by fastening means, such as nails or screws, or by means of a suitable adhesive. Alternatively, the locking member may be mounted within and extends from a further groove provided on said other of the door jamb or doorstop.

The coupling means may comprise a plurality of parallel elongate grooves provided in said at least one of said door jamb and said door stop, each groove extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the door jamb, a plurality of locking members being provided on the other of the door jamb or door stop adapted to mate with said grooves.

In one embodiment the or each groove may be formed within a face of the door stop, the or each locking member being secured to a face of the door jamb. Alternatively the or each groove may be formed in a face of the door jamb and the or each locking member may be secured to the opposing face of the door stop.

Preferably the or each groove extends from a side of the door stop or door jamb such that the corresponding locking member can be inserted into said groove from said side.

Preferably the sides of the or each groove define a channel having a narrowed region at or adjacent the open side of the groove, the or each locking member having a recessed region between a base and an outer end thereof corresponding to said narrowed region of the groove whereby the or each locking member can be retained within the groove to prevent separation of the doorjamb and door stop in a direction perpendicular to the face of the door jamb. In a preferred embodiment, the sides of the groove converge from a base of the groove towards said narrowed region, said locking member having correspondingly tapered sides such that the locking member fits into the groove in the manner of a dovetail mortise and tenon joint.

The present invention extends to any combination of the embodiments described and/or shown herein.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 20 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a section of a door frame in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the door frame section of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the door frame section of Fig. 1 on line A-A; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the door frame section of Fig. 1 on line B-B; Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a section of a door frame in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the door frame section of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the door frame section of Fig. 5.

A door frame assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention comprises first and second vertical door side jambs to be located on either side of the door opening and a header to be located between the side jambs at the upper end of the door opening. Each of the side jambs and header are provided with architraves to lie on either side of the door opening to define a door frame assembly. Each of the above described sections of the door frame assembly comprise a door frame section as illustrated in the drawings.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, each door frame section includes a doorjamb 2, a door stop 4 securable to the door jamb 2 by coupling means as will be described below, and first and second architrave sections 6,8 to be located on either side of the door opening into which the door frame assembly to is be fitted such that the door frame section defines a substantially U shaped cross section.

To allow the components of the door frame assembly to be made from wrapped MDF, it is desirable to avoid the need for any cutting, planing or piercing (for example by screws or nails) of the externally visible surfaces of the door frame assembly. This is achieved by providing a hidden coupling means that allows the door stop 4 to be secured to the doorjamb 2 while permitting the position of the door stop 4 on the door jamb 2 to be adjusted laterally with respect to the doorjamb 2 during assembly to enable the door frame assembly to be used with doors of different thicknesses.

Prior art door frame assemblies would require planing of the door stop to suit doors of differing thicknesses and the use of nails or screws to secure the door stop to the doorjamb, thereby preventing the use of wrapped MDF for the door stop. The present invention solves the problem associated with the prior art and enables the door stop to be made from wrapped MDF while permitting adjustment of the door frame assembly to suit doors of different thicknesses.

As shown in the drawings, the coupling means comprise a plurality of 10 spaced apart elongate fastening members 10 secured to the doorjamb 2 on the face of the door jamb to which the door stop 4 is to be fitted and a plurality of cooperating elongate grooves 12 formed in the rear face of the door stop 4, extending parallel to one another and transverse to the longitudinal axis of the door stop 4 for receiving said fastening members 10.

Each fastening member 10 has tapered sides converging from an outer edge of the fastening member to its base while each groove 12 tapers from a narrow opening to a wider base region whereby each fastening member 10 is receivable within a corresponding groove 12 provided in the door stop 4 in the manner of a dovetailed mortise and tenon joint such that separation of the door stop 4 from the door jamb 2 in a direction perpendicular to said face of the door jamb 2 is prevented by the interaction of each fastening member 10 with its corresponding groove 12 while the position of the door stop 4 on the doorjamb 2 can be adjusted laterally with respect to said door jamb 2 by sliding the fastening members 10 along their respective grooves 12 to accommodate doors of different thicknesses by varying the gap between the door stop 4 and one side of the doorjamb 2.

To accommodate door openings of different thicknesses, the architrave sections 6,8 are substantially L shaped, each having a first part 20, adapted to lie against the surface of the wall adjacent the door opening, and a second part 22, extending perpendicular to the first part and adapted to be received within a respective slot in a side region of the doorjamb assembly as will be described below, whereby the extent to which said second part 22 of each architrave section 6,8 is inserted into its respective receiving slot can be adjusted to vary the overall distance between the first parts 20 of the architrave sections 6,8.

To provide a more aesthetically pleasing finish, the first architrave section 6 located closest to the door stop 4, is insertable into a slot defined by a recess formed in a rear face of the door stop 4, extending from one side of the door stop 4, and an adjacent face of the door jamb 2 such that the thickness a of the visible door frame assembly adjacent the architrave is substantially equal on either side of the door frame assembly.

The grooves 12 forming part of the coupling means extend from an innermost end of the recess 30 in the door stop 4 such that the fastening members 10 can be inserted into their respective receiving grooves 12 from said innermost end of the recess 30, the open ends of the grooves 12 being hidden when the second part 20 of the first architrave section 6 in inserted into the slot defined between the recess 30 in the door stop 4 and the door jamb 2 when the door frame is assembled.

This arrangement also enables the position of the door stop 4 to be adjusted on the 4 on the door jamb 2 with less visible impact on the overall appearance of the door frame due to the reduced thickness of the visible part of the door stop 4 adjacent the architrave 6.

In a second embodiment, illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7, the elongate fastening members 10a are attached to a rear face of the door stop 4 while the cooperating elongate grooves 12a, into which the fastening members can be slid to fix the door stop 4 to the doorjamb 2, are formed in the doorjamb 2.

The remaining parts of the door frame section of the second embodiment are identical to that of the first embodiment and thus will not be described in more detail.

In the second embodiment, each elongate groove 12a extends from a side of the doorjamb 2 furthest from said architrave receiving slot for receiving the second part 22 of the second architrave section 8. Thus the open sides of the elongate slots 12a are covered, in use, by the second part 20 of the first architrave section 6 when the first architrave section 6 is inserted into the slot defined between the recess 30 in the door stop 4 and the door jamb 2 when the door frame is assembled.

Various modifications and variations to the described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments.

Claims

1. A door frame assembly having a door jamb assembly comprising at least one elongate door jamb portion and at least one elongate door stop 5 securable to a face of the at least one doorjamb portion, the or each door jamb portion being provided with first and second architrave sections adapted to extend from first and second sides of the doorjamb portion to lie contiguous with opposite side surfaces of a door opening into which the door frame assembly is to be fitted; 10 wherein the components of the door frame assembly are made from wrapped MDF; and wherein one of the architrave sections has a first part for laying contiguous with a first side surface of the door opening and a second part extending substantially perpendicular to said first part and being receivable 15 within an elongate slot defined in or between a side of the respective door jamb portion and/or its associated door stop to enable adjustment of the distance between the architrave sections; and wherein the second architrave section comprises a first part to lay contiguous with a second side surface of the door opening and a second part 20 extending substantially perpendicular to said first part receivable within an elongate slot formed in a second side of the door jamb portion to provide a further scope for adjustment of the distance between the architrave sections; and wherein the elongate door stop is securable to the face of the door 25 jamb by coupling means, the coupling means being provided with cooperating mechanical locking formations which prevent separation of the door stop from the door jamb in a direction perpendicular to said face of the doorjamb while permitting the position of the door stop on the doorjamb to be adjusted laterally with respect to said door jamb to accommodate doors 30 of different thickness.

2. A door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second part of the first architrave section is receivable within a elongate slot formed in a side region of the respective door stop adjacent a first side of the door jamb portion.

3. A door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the elongate slot is defined by a recess formed in a rear face of the door stop.

4. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said door jamb assembly comprising a plurality of door jamb portions including first and second vertically arranged and spaced apart side jambs and a header extending between upper ends of said first and second side jambs.

5. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said coupling means comprise at least one elongate groove provided in at least one of said doorjamb and said door stop, said at least one elongate groove extending transverse to a longitudinal axis of the door jamb, and at least one locking member provided on the other of the door jamb or door stop adapted to mate with said elongate groove, said at least one locking member being slidable along said at least one elongate groove to adjust the position of the door stop with respect to said the doorjamb.

6. A door frame assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said locking member is secured to said other of the door jamb or door stop by fastening means or by means of a suitable adhesive.

7. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5-6, wherein the locking member is mounted within and extends from a further groove provided on said other of the doorjamb or door stop.

8. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said coupling means comprise a plurality of parallel elongate grooves provided in said at least one of said doorjamb and said door stop, each elongate groove extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the door jamb, a plurality of locking members being provided on the other of the doorjamb or door stop adapted to mate with said elongate grooves.

9. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the or each elongate groove is formed within a face of the door stop, the or each locking member being secured to a face of the door jamb.

10. A door frame assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the or each elongate groove extends from a side or the door stop or doorjamb such that the corresponding locking member can be inserted into said elongate groove from said side.

11. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the sides of the or each elongate groove define a channel having a narrowed region at or adjacent the open side of the elongate groove, the or each locking member having a recessed region between a base and an outer end thereof corresponding to said narrowed region of the elongate groove whereby the or each locking member can be retained within the elongate groove to prevent separation of the doorjamb and door stop in a direction perpendicular to the face of the doorjamb.

12. A door frame assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sides of the elongate groove converge from a base of the elongate groove towards said narrowed region, said locking member having correspondingly tapered sides such that the locking member fits into the elongate groove in the manner of a dovetail mortise and tenon joint.

13. A door frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5-12, wherein said at least one elongate groove of the coupling means is formed in a rear face of the door stop and extends from an innermost side of said recess.

14. A door frame assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A door jamb assembly substantially as herein described with 10 reference to the accompanying drawings.