IES57788B2 - A weather seal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a weather seal and in particular to a weather seal for the threshold of an external door.

An example of a known weather seal for an external door is disclosed in Irish Patent Specification No. 51462. This weather excluder comprises an elongate rigid member which is bolted to a door threshold and which has a lip on its front side to abut the bottom edge of the exterior surface of a door. The lip has a rubber seal member which contacts the door when closed to exclude rain water. A second rubber seal is provided on the rigid elongate member to contact the bottom of the door. The excluder stands proud of the floor threshold, to which it is bolted, on legs or ribs. The ends of the excluder are sealed by lugs. As the excluder is intricately shaped and comprises several component portions it is costly to manufacture and its fitting can be tedious or difficult for the non-expert. In addition, damage to the door is occasioned by the necessity of screwing the weather seal portion to the door. Furthermore, the elongate rigid portion screwed to the threshold is raised above the threshold surface and is liable to trip persons entering the doorway, as well as being itself susceptible to damage by being trodden on. Finally, on bolting the elongate portion to the threshold, * warping can occur between the bolts and the resulting buckling of the elongate portion can provide an access i point for water to seep in.

The object of the present invention is to seek to overcome the disadvantages associated with the known weather seal and to provide an efficient weather seal for doors which S& 7 7 8b - 2 can be produced cheaply and fitted easily, even by non-experts.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a weather sealing threshold adapted to be fixed to a floor surface and to receive the lower edge of a door, the threshold comprising an elongate channel of generally J-shaped cross-section defining a high arm against which the door abuts, a low arm and a substantially flat .base to form a trough, the high arm having a longitudinal slot facing the interior of the trough for receiving a sealing member, wherein on closing the door, a portion of the door- adjacent its lower edge abuts the high arm and sealing member to exclude rainwater.

Advantageously, the base includes a longitudinal groove on its underside for receiving a sealing and/or fixing compound.

Preferably, the longitudinal slot of the high arm is spaced intermediate the top and bottom of the high arm, whereby in use the seal is retained below the top of the high arm. Conveniently, drainage holes are provided to permit water entering the trough to escape to the exterior.

The invention will now be described more particularly with respect to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of example only, one embodiment of a weather sealing threshold according to the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a threshold according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the threshold of Figure 1 engaged with a door frame.

Referring now to Figure 1, the threshold 1 is generally J-shaped and has a flat base 2. The low arm 3 of the threshold is placed to the interior side, while the high arm 4 is disposed on the weather side of the door opening. The high arm 4 has a slot 5 formed in it which extends along the length of the arm. A rubber seal 6 fits in the slot 5 to provide a weather seal when a door D closes against it. The direction of the door closing is shown by the arrow.

A groove 7 extends along the length of the underside of the base 2. The threshold is fixed to the underlying floor by screwing it in place with screws S. Optionally, a track of sealant such as mastic is introduced into the groove 7 to facilitate sealing and to ensure that the threshold 1 sits level on the sub-floor. As the threshold is flat and level on the sub-floor, it does not tend to buckle when screwed in place.

The threshold 1 is provided with a drainage slot 8 to provide an escape route for any water which finds its way into the trough of the threshold, when the door is open. A slot 8 is provided at either end of the threshold, adjacent each door stile.

On closing, the door D presses tightly against the seal 6 to provide a good weather seal. The threshold 1 is constructed of strong material which, due to its shape, is unlikely to be deformed even if trodden on or run over by wheelbarrows, bicycles and the like. As the threshold itself is unlikely to warp or deform, it will be appreciated that the seal 6 will continue to provide a good seal against the door. At the end of its lifetime, the seal. 6 can be simply removed from the groove 5 and replaced by unskilled persons with a fresh seal 6.

A further advantage of the threshold of the present invention is apparent by reference to Figure 2. Weather excluders which form part of the prior art are fixed to the door threshold and extend between the door stiles. The ends of the excluders represent a weak point in that it is difficult to bring the excluder directly against both door styles, therefore water tends to enter at one or both sides. As shown in Figure 2, the construction of the threshold 1 allows this problem to be circumvented simply by the use of the threshold 1 which extends under the frame stile 9. The stile 9 is precut with a slotto accommodate the high arm 4 of the threshold 1 so that the threshold fits underneath the frame stile 9 on either side. This makes the door frame and threshold practically a single unit which is rigid, sturdy and impervious to water.

As the weather seal 6 is placed below the top of the high arm 4, it is given some protection against wear and tear as weights etc, which rest on the threshold will not crush the seal 6. This gives significant improvement in the lifetime of the seal.

The threshold 1 can be made of any suitable hard material, such as 14mm gauge stainless steel which is resistant to scratching, marking and rusting.

A shorter length of the threshold 1 may be used where it is desired to act as a weather-excluder for an existing door and where it is likely to be inconvenient to drill the existing frame stile to fit the threshold beneath it. In that case, the threshold is selected to fit between the door stiles.

V A further advantage of the threshold is that it is low lying so that it is less likely that people, especially children will trip over it.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein, which are given by way of example only, and that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS:

1 . A weather· sealing threshold adapted to be fixed to a floor surface and to receive the lower edge of a door, the 5 threshold comprising an elongate channel of generally J-shaped cross-section defining a high arm against which the door abuts, a low arm and a substantially flat base to form a trough, the high arm having a longitudinal slot facing the interior of the trough for receiving a sealing 10 member, wherein on closing the door, a portion of the door adjacent its lower edge abuts the high arm and sealing member to exclude rainwater.

2. A threshold according to claim 1, wherein the base 15 includes a longitudinal groove on its underside for receiving a sealing and/or fixing compound.

3. A threshold according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the longitudinal slot of the high arm is spaced 20 intermediate the top and bottom of the high arm, whereby in use the seal is retained below the top of the high arm.

4. A threshold according to any preceding claim, wherein drainage holes are provided to permit water entering the 25 trough to escape to the exterior.

5. A weather sealing threshold substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.