US2725960A

US2725960A - Adjustable storm door frame

Info

Publication number: US2725960A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis J Milone
Original assignee: Eagle Picher Co
Current assignee: Eagle Picher Co
Priority date: 1949-02-03
Filing date: 1952-03-28
Publication date: 1955-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1972-12-06

Description

L. J. MILONE 2,725,960

ADJUSTABLE STORM DOOR FRAME Dec. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 3, 1949 -1o S -1a 25 m H 24- x INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

1955 L. J. MILONE ADJUSTABLE STORM DOOR FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 3, 1949 INVENTOR BY E y MIF ATTORNE ys.

ADJUSTABLE STORM DOOR FRAME Louis J. Milone, Livingston, N. L, assignor to The Eagle- Picher Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application February 3, 1949, Serial No. 74,357, now Patent No. 2,695,084, dated November 23, 1954. Divided and this application March 28, 1952, Serial No. 279,168

2 Claims. (Cl. 189-46) This invention relates generally to convertible storm door units for residential buildings, providing weather protection during-the winter season and arranged to be used as a screen door during the summer weather.

The present application is a division of the copending application of Louis J. Milone for Storm Door Unit Serial No. 74,357, filed February 3, 1949, Patent No. 2,695,084 issued November 23, 1954, and relates particularly to the adjustable storm door frame which forms a part of the unit disclosed in the copending application.

The adjustable frame of the present invention forms a part of a complete prefabricated metal unit disclosed in the copending application, consisting of an adjustable frame, a storm door and interchangeable insert panels for the door, consisting of glass'and screen cloth adapted to be installed in the door interchangeably'to accommodate winter and summer conditions. The frame of the unit is adapted for permanent installation in the door opening of a building just outside the standard door and the convertible storm door is hung upon this frame.

The principal object of the present invention has been to provide an adaptor frame which is quickly and conveniently adjustable relative to a standard door opening to provide a snug fit for the storm door relative to the door opening without altering the storm door frame, thereby simplifying the installation of the storm door unit. For this purpose the storm door frame is constituted by individual metal strip members which are arranged to be attached to the wall surface surrounding the standard door opening spaced from the opening or angularly related to it if necessary, without regard to minor variations in size or angularity of the standard sized opening. Thus, the adjustable frame accommodates the storm door to variations in the openings from standard size, within minor limits, without expensive fitting operations.

A further object has been to provide a metal storm door formed of hollow extruded metal sections which are adapted to be dressed down if necessary to fit the door within the adjustable storm door frame. Thus, if the standard door opening varies to a majorextent from normal, the adjustable storm door frame may be altered to fit the opening and the storm door'may be dressed down to fit the altered frame. For this purpose, the extruded framing members of the storm door are provided with external spaced fins which form the peripheral edges of the door, and the outer edges of these fins, which are relatively thin, can be planed down by hand. The fins therefore aid materially in fitting the storm door unit to an opening which varies from standard size or angularity beyond the limits which can be accommodated by the adjustable frame.

The adjustable storm door frame is mounted to the outside of the door opening and consists generally of framing strips which are right angular in cross section providing a face flange adapted to fit upon the outer surface of the standard door opening with a casing flange extending within the opening and in contact with the surface of the. opening or spaced from it as determined by the variation of the opening from standard size. The casing flanges delineate the storm door casing and their rearward edges include a stop flange engageable against the edges of the door when it is closed. The framing strips are conveniently secured to the wall surface surrounding the door opening and are fastened in adjusted position by means of wood screws. Batten strips are provided along the rearward edge of the casing flange' andare arranged to seal off any space which may intervene between the casing flanges and door opening. The batten strips are secured to the surface of the door opening by wood screws such that the entire frame assembly may be installed conveniently and will accommodate itself to minor variations in the standard opening both in size and shape without reworking the metal frame.

Other details and features of the invention are disclosed in the drawings and in the following detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general view illustrating the storm door unit installed in a door opening.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2, Figure 1, further detailing the adaptor frame and door construction.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the mounting of the hinges and door latch with respect to the storm door frame.

Referring to Figure 1, the storm door, indicated gen-.

erally at 1, is mounted with respect to a conventional Wood door frame or casing 2 by means of the adjustable metal storm door frame indicated generally at 3. The

, adjustable storm door frame or buck is formed from angle shaped framing strips,'and is installed within the wood door frame to delineate accurately the opening for the storm door. The storm door frame adjustably embraces the corners of the door frame as best shown in Figure 3, each strip being provided with a face plate or flange 4 seated upon the outer surface of the door frame 2 and having a right angular casing flange 5 forming the door receiving frame or case extending within the opening. These framing strips are secured by means of wood. screws 6 passing through the face plate 4 into the wood' frame 2. By this arrangement the individual framing strips may be adjusted with reference to the wood frame,

spaced if necessary as indicated at 7 to provide a square,

accurately sized opening or casing to receive the storm door.

The rearward edge of the casing flange 5 includes a right angular stop flange 8 which is engaged by a batten or angle strip 9 secured by means of screws 10 to the inner surface of the wood frame 2. The purpose of batten strip 9 is to reinforce the door stop flange 8 and to close off the space 7 between the metal frame 3 with respect. to the inner surface of the wood frame. Thus, minor irregularities as to size and angularity encountered in the Wood frames or openings, particularly in old buildings, are readily corrected without reworking the wood frames or the metal storm door frame while the batten strips independently establish a weather seal. The angle strips of the storm door frame and the batten strips preferably are formed from aluminum alloy extrusions to provide weather resistance and to present a neat finished appearance. This material is relatively soft and can be dressed down if necessary by. using a wood plane or similar hand tool.

As best shown in Figure 1, the storm door frame 2 consists of the two side framing strips 11-11 and the top framing strip 12, joined at the miter joints 13-13. These members as furnished by the manufacturer trimmed accurately to size for the various standard door openings and the storm door fits .accurately withinthe assembled frame, metal framing strips or the storm door. The assembled frame preferably fits within the standard opening with a slight intervening space as previously indicated at 7, in order that it may be adjusted with respect to the opening if necessary.

Upon installation the side framing strips 13 are adjusted to a true vertical position and the top strip is adjusted to a-horizontal position with respect to theopening and fastened. permanently by the screws 6. The batten strips 9 are next fastened to the top and sides within the opening by the screws 10 to seal off the space and the storm dooris then hung Within the frame.

It will be apparent that the clearance 7 will allow the metal frame to -fit within openings which are out of square or which are undersize, within the limits of the clearance 7. However, in exceptional cases where the opening is badly warped or undersize to av major extent, it is a simple matter to trim the mitered ends of the framing strips and reduce the size of the metal frame sufiiciently to fit within the opening. In this instance the storm door can .be fitted into the metal frame by trimming the thin spaced fins 20 which form the marginal edgesof the storm door as described later.

The storm door is made up of aluminum or aluminum alloy extrusions consisting of vertical stiles or framing members and

horizontal framing members

16 and 17 at the top and bottom respectively. These fraimng members are of identical shape in cross section and each constitutes generally a hollow rectangular body 18 provided with a web or flange 19 located centrally along the. inner surface and a pair of parallel fins or flanges 20 extending outwardly as a continuation of the body walls. The fins 20-20 provide thin metal sections which can be planed or machined readily to facilitate fitting the door to the storm door frame as described above. The fins also provide a recess approximately the same thickness as the leaves 21 of the hinges 22 and the latch flush plate 23 as hereinafter described, so that these members need not be let into the metal proper to lie flush with the marginal edges of the door.

Thevertical and horizontal framing members are joined together at the four corners by means of an internal reinforcing insert or grid member (not shown). The internal inserts do. not form a part of the present application and are disclosedin detail in the above noted copending application.

As shown in Figure 2, the lower framing member 17 is wider than the top and side members. This member is a duplicate of the side and top members with the exception of the fins 20 which extend downwardly a substantial distance beyond the body of the member to increase the width dimension and provide the desired appearance. The lower portion of the door is provided with a kick plate or panel 24 directly above the lower framing member 17. This panel rests against the flanges 19 of the lower and side framing members and its upper edge bears against a similar ribformed in an interme diate framing member 25 secured to the vertical framing members as shown in Figures 1 and 2. To the opposite side of the kick plate there is disposed a frame 26 formed'of angle members fastened to the kick plate and frame members.

As shown in Figure 2; the screen panel 27 and the glass panel 28 may be mounted together in the storm door during the winter season; As shown, the panels are disposed on opposite sides of the flange 19 and are secured by' means of a series ofscrews 29 which pass through the frames of both panels. To prepare the storm door for summer use, the glasspanel 28- is removedandthe screen panel mounted by means of shorter normally-without trimming either the 4. These panels form no part of the present invention and a detaileddescription of them is therefore omitted from this zapplication, reference again being made to the copending application.

The assembled storm door is. furnished by the manufacturer ready for installation, one of the vertical stiles screws (not shown).

- having holes .drilledztherethrough for. .the installation of the. hinges. 22. while the .other stile is provided with a latch mechanism indicatedtgenerally at 30. The hinges are secured by means of flat head screws 31 passing through countersunk holes formed in the leaf 21 and in screwthreaded engagement with a headed sleeve 32.

extending from the opposite side of the frame. The countersunk holes are rimmedto provide. pilot collars 33 integral with the hinge leaf so that the weight load of the door is transmitted-through the collars 33 directly to the leaf 21 instead of being transmitted through the screws 31. The opposite leaf 21 of the hinge is secured .to the, metal storm. door. frame by means of flat head woodscrews 3.4.which pass through the metal frame into the wood frame, the holes for the wood screws preferably being drilled after installation of the metal frame. The advantages of this arrangement are explained in greater detail in the copending application referred to above.

The. door latch may follow anypreferred construction and includes handles 35 mounted upon .a latch shaft 36 which extends from opposite. sides of the door. The latch mechanismconcludes the usual spring pressed latch plunger 37 having its outer end. tapered and engageable in a hole 38 formed in the casing. flange 5 of the storm door frame. Since the frame is of relatively soft material subjectto rapid wear, a strike plate 39 (Figure 4) which is formed from wear resistant sheet metal such as steel, is utilized. When thedoor. is closed, the tapered end of the plunger engages .the strike plate to retract the plunger in the usual manner. Asshown, the. strike plate includes a hooked inner end 40 engaged over the marginal edge of the. hole 38. The strike plate is secured by means of a screw 41 engaged inthe face flange 4.

The storm door units, are furnished to the user in the several standard sizes complete. with framing strips and batten strips cut to size. and ready for installation. In mostinstallations the. adjustable metal frame and batten strips can be installed as furnished without trimming either the door opening or the metal frame. because of the inherent adjustability of the metal frame with respect to the door opening. If the metal frame in certain instances requires trimming, the storm door can be correspondingly reduced in size by planingdown the .thin marginal fins 20.

The trimming operations, if required at all, are quite simple and canbe performed quickly and cheaply. Thus, the metal units do not require the services of a skilled carpenter, as in thecase ofwooden storm doors, and their cost insta'lled, compares favorably with the cost of wooden storm doors.

Having described my invention, I- claim:

1. An adjustable. adaptor frame for a storm door adapted to be installed in a. standard door opening to compensate for. variations in the standard door opening and to provide a..storm door casing to receive the storm door, said adjustable frame comprising, a plurality of disjoined framing strips forming the sides and top of the adjustable storm door frame, the said framing strips being generally Z-shaped in cross section providing a face flange, a casing flange and a stop flange, said framing strips being installed within the door opening with said face-flanges in facial engagement upon the marginal wall surface surrounding the opening and with said casing flanges extended into the opening parallel with and in spaced relationship to the surface thereof, said stop flanges spaced inwardly from theface flanges and parallel therewith, said stop flanges projecting from-the surface of'the opening and engaging the marginal portion of a storm door in closed position, said framing strips being adjustable individually with respect to the door opening to accommodate the variations in the size or angularity of the opening, a plurality of fastening elements passing at right angles through said face flanges and anchored in the marginal wall surface surrounding the door opening and securing the strips in adjusted position, respective batten strips one for each framing strip, said batten strips providing a flange projecting from the surface of the opening at right angles to said surface and seated against said stop flange, said flange sealing the space intervening between the casing flange and surface of the door opening, and fastening means passing through the batten strip and anchored in the surface of the opening.

2. An adjustable adaptor frame for a storm door adapted to be installed in a standard door opening to compensate for variations in the standard door opening and to provide a storm door casing to receive the storm door, said adjustable frame comprising, a plurality of disjointed framing strips forming the sides and top of the adjustable storm door frame, the said framing strips being generally Z-shaped in cross section providing a face flange, a casing flange and a stop flange, said framing strips being installed within the door opening with said face flanges in facial engagement upon the marginal wall surface surrounding the opening and with said casing flanges extended into the opening parallel with and in spaced relationship relative to the surface thereof, said stop flanges spaced inwardly from the face flanges and parallel therewith, said stop flanges projecting from the anchored in the marginal wall surface surrounding the door opening and securing the strips in adjusted position, respective batten strips, one for each framing strip, said batten strips being L-shaped in cross section providing a flange seated in facial engagement upon the surface of the door opening adjacent said stop flange, the batten strips having a second flange projecting from the surface of the opening at right angles to said surface, said second flange seated against said stop flange and sealing the space intervening between the casing flange and surface of the door opening, and fastening means passing through the first flangeand anchored in the surface of the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,656,278 Jarvis Jan. 17, 1928 1,919,393 Reinhardt July 25, 1933 1,952,836 Burt Mar. 27, 1934 2,381,147 Weedon Aug. 7, 1945 2,565,747 Van Fleet Aug. 28, 1951 2,583,439 Oswald et al. Jan. 22, 1952