US3172506A

US3172506A - Leaf construction

Info

Publication number: US3172506A
Application number: US156882A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thornton L Urquhart
Original assignee: BYRNE DOORS Inc
Current assignee: BYRNE DOORS Inc
Priority date: 1961-12-04
Filing date: 1961-12-04
Publication date: 1965-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-09

Description

March 9, 1965 T. URQ HART 7 LEAF CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 4, 1961 FIGJ. |s

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THORNTON L. URQU HAR T WWMZWY W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,172,506 LEAF CONSTRUCTION Thornton L. Urquhart, Farmington, Mich., assignor to Byrne Doors, Inc., Ferndale, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 4, 1961, Ser. No. 156,882 2 Claims. (Cl. 18934) This invention relates generally to the construction of a leaf for controlling an opening in a building.

One object of the invention is to provide a leaf which is strong, has high resistance to Wind load and is light in weight.

Another object is to provide a leaf which is composed of only a few basic parts, reducing manufacturing costs.

Another object is to provide a leaf which is made up in large part of a number of elements of the same unit size so that leaves of varying sizes may be formed by employing more or fewer of the elements.

Another object is to provide a leaf comprising a panel including a plurality of tubular members extending in the same direction and having surfaces lying in the face of the panel.

Another object is to provide a leaf including a plurality of elongated tubular members arranged edge to edge in parallel relation and cooperating to define a face of the panel, the tubular members being of identical crosssection.

Another object is to provide a leaf wherein the tubular members have complementary engaging portions along the adjacent edges thereof to resist relative lateral deflection of the tubular members.

Another object is to provide a leaf wherein each tubular member has a rib along one edge and a complementary groove along the opposite edge, the ribs and grooves of adjacent tubular members engaging one another to prevent relative lateral deflection.

Another object is to provide a leaf wherein the walls of the tubular members cooperating to define a face of the panel are flat and coplanar, and wherein preferably each of said walls is formed with a longitudinal crease to prevent the walls from having a wavy appearance.

Another object is to provide a leaf wherein the opposite walls of the tubular members are flat and parallel to the walls thereof defining the face of the panel, and are likewise formed with longitudinal creases so that the tubular members are individually reversible.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a leaf embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional View, with parts broken away, taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view, with parts broken away, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a leaf or panel is shown in FIGURE 1 and is indicated generally by the reference character 10. The leaf may be one of several making up a door for opening and closing an opening in a building. On the other hand, such a door may comprise only the single leaf illustrated.

The leaf is made up of the

end channels

12 and 14, and the plurality of like tubular members 16 extending between the channels. The

channels

12 and 14 are of the same, although reversed, cross-sectional outline, as seen in FIGURE 2. The

channels

12 and and 14 are vertical members and extend along and define the side edges of the leaf.

The tubular members are horizontal and extend between the

channels

12 and 14, as shown in FIGURES 1 3,172,596 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 and 2. The tubular members 16 are all of the same construction, size and configuration, and are shown in crosssection in FIGURE 3. The tubular members are formed from any suitable material such, for example, as steel, the material being of uniform wall thickness throughout. The material forming the tubular members may initially be flat and formed by suitable equipment to the configuration or cross-section shown in FIGURE 3.

The tubular members are generally rectangular, each having the fiat, planar front face 18 and the flat, planar rear face 20 which is parallel to the front face. The top wall 22 is formed throughout its length with a rib 24 of generally semi-cylindrical form, and the bottom wall 26 is formed throughout its length with the groove 28 likewise of semi-cylindrical form. The grooves 28 are slight ly larger than the ribs 24 so that the ribs can be received in the grooves in the manner shown wherein the

walls

22 and 26 engage each other in full surface-to-surface contacting relation. The

walls

22 and 26, except for the ribs and grooves therein, are flat, planar surfaces parallel to one another.

The tubular members are nested together edge to edge, that is they are stacked one on top of the other and extend horizontally in parallel relation from one channel 12 to the other channel 14. The ribs and

grooves

24 and 28 provide a tongue and groove interlock between the tubular members to resist lateral deflection which might result from wind load, for example.

As will be understood from FIGURE 3, the tubular members may be formed from a sheet of material the op posite edges of which are interlocked along the rear face as indicated at 30. This need not be a welded connection and may simply be a mechanical interlock. Thus, one edge is return bent along the full length of the tubular member to provide a terminal tongue 32, and the other edge likewise along the full length of the member has an offset portion 34 return bent at 36 to provide a groove for receiving the tongue.

It will be noted that the front face 18 of each tubular member is provided with a longitudinal rib or crease 40 which extends the full length of the tubular member midway between the top and bottom thereof. The crease is provided to strengthen the tubular member and to prevent the flat surface of the wall 18 from developing a wavy or irregular appearance.

The rear wall 20 is of course strengthened by the interlock which also resists the formation of a wavy appearance. Moreover the joint 42 at the interlock, midway between the top and bottom of the tubular member, presents the same apparance as the crease 40. Hence the tubular members may be reversed, that is some of the tubular members may have the interlock on the front face of the panel and others on the rear face although the overall appearance of the panel from either side provided by the tubular members will be exactly the same.

The tubular members are respectively removably connected to the channels by the fasteners 45.

The front walls 18 of all of the tubular members lie in a common plane and cooperate to define the front face of the panel, and the rear Walls 20 of the tubular members likewise lie in the same plane and cooperate to define the rear face of the panel.

In the event one of the tubular members becomes damaged, that member only need be replaced. In other words, it is not necessary to replace the entire panel, as it is with the conventional leaf which is made up of a single flat metal sheet.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A panel comprising a series of identical horizontally extending hollow elongated tubular members of substantially rectangular cross section arranged in edge to edge relation, each of said members being formed from a single piece of sheet metal, and a pair of vertically extending channels substantially equal in height to the overall vertical height of said tubular members, opening toward opposite ends of said tubular members, and having opposite sides thereof overlapping and secured in surface to sur face relation to opposite sides of said tubular members, one upright face of each tubular member being provided substantially midway between the top and bottom thereof with a horizontally extending outwardly opening groove, adjacent edges of the single piece of sheet metal being connected horizontally substantially midway between the top and bottom of the opposite upright face of each tubular member to provide a joint simulating the groove aforesaid, whereby each tubular member is reversible,

2. A panel comprising a series of identical hollow elongated tubular members of substantially rectangular crosssection removably secured together in edge to edge re1ation, the walls of each tubular member between the edges References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 959,576 McCloud May 31, 1910 1,710,108 Orrock Apr. 23, 1929 2,101,056 Frick Dec. 7, 1937 2,146,180 Frick Feb. 7, 1939 2,722,295 Guthrie Nov. 1, 1955

Claims

1. A PANEL COMPRISING A SERIES OF IDENTICAL HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING HOLLOW ELONGATED TUBULAR MEMBERS OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION ARRANGED IN EDGE TO EDGE RELATION, EACH OF SAID MEMBERS BEING FORMED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF SHEET METAL, AND A PAIR OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING CHANNELS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN HEIGHT TO THE OVERALL VERTICAL HEIGHT OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS, OPENING TOWARD OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS, AND HAVING OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF OVERLAPPING AND SECURED IN SURFACE TO SURFACE RELATION TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS, ONE UPRIGHT FACE OF EACH TUBULAR MEMBER BEING PROVIDED SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM THEREOF WITH A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OPENING GROOVE, ADJACENT EDGES OF THE SINGLE PIECE OF SHEET METAL BEING CONNECTED HORIZONTALLY SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE OPPOSITE UPRIGHT FACE OF EACH TUBULAR MEMBER TO PROVIDE A JOINT SIMULATING THE GROOVE AFORESAID, WHEREBY EACH TUBULAR MEMBER IS REVERSIBLE.