US3286424A

US3286424A - Door construction

Info

Publication number: US3286424A
Application number: US423178A
Authority: US
Inventors: Romer G Weyant
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-01-04
Filing date: 1965-01-04
Publication date: 1966-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-22

Description

NOV. 22, 1966 R, WEY T 3,286,424

DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 4, 1965 744 r if 1 .7 MW/775% twig INVENTOR F76 5 HOMER a. WEI NT United States Patent 3,286,424 DOOR CONSTRUCTION Romer G. Weyant, 81 Edgewater Drive, Elkhart, Ind. Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 423,178 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-291) This invention relates generally to improvements in the construction of doors, and more particularly to exterior doors that must be straight and true relative to the door jamb to provide a good weather seal.

A good weather seal is highly desirable with exterior doors, particularly with doors used in house trailers, and the like. One door used in house trailers generally comprises a frame on which front and rear panels are mounted. The panels may be made of wood or sheet metal. One side edge of the door is hinged on a side jamb to open into the trailer. Weatherstripping is fastened on the hinged side jamb, the head jamb and the other side jamb to weather seal the top, and the hinged and unhinged sides of the door when the door is closed. Weatherstripping may also be provided along the bottom of the door or on the threshold.

One problem faced in the manufacture and use of such doors is to assure that a proper weather seal is provided initially and that the seal can be maintained with use. A good seal along the hinged side of the door can be assured when the door is hinged. A good seal for the three unhinged edges can be obtained initially by manufacturing the door and the jamb to be straight and true. However, in the industry a guaranteed straight door within prescribed manufacturing tolerances may be straight and true to within one quarter of an inch. This tolerance is too great for house trailer doors and the like where a weather seal along the unhinged edges is of the utmost importance, particularly with wide doors which are not protected by a canopy or an awning. Thus it is desirable to provide a door that is straight and true to within less than one quarter of an inch. This tolerance is not commercially practical with conventional door constructions and a slight warp or camber in the jamb will impair the weather seal. Sheet metal panel doors present an even greater problem. A temperature difference between the front and rear metal panels may be as high as 50 or 60. The outside sheet metal will contract with respect to the inside panel to warp or camber the door and thus impair the weather seal. Thus it is desirable to adjust the camber in the door in directions inwardly and outwardly of the plane of the door so that the door may be made straight and true for a jamb that is straight and true or selectively bent to conform to a warped door jamb.

The object of this invention is to provide a door whose camber is adjustable in directions both inwardly and outward of the plane of the door by a construction that is simple and economical to manufacture; that provides a door that is straight and true; that simplifies initial installation and later adjustment to a warped door jamb; and that does not detract from the appearance of the door.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 shows an exterior door constructed in accordance with the present invention and hinged on a jamb to swing in an inwardly direction;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of the right side of the door as viewed in FIG. 1 with portions of the door broken away to illustrate a vertical frame member and one of a pair of tension rods for adjusting the camber of the door in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 with a portion of the jamb also shown to illustrate the pair of tension rods disposed adjacent front and rear faces of the door.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2 with a portion of the jamb also shown to illustrate an upper threaded end on each of the tension rods together with a washer and a nut for selectively tensioning the rods; and

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2 to illustrate out-of-round heads on the lower end of each of the rods to prevent rotation of the rods when the tension in the rods is adjusted.

Referring to FIG. 1 a door jamb 10 is illustrated as having a pair of

vertical side jambs

12 and 14 and a top or head jamb 16. An exterior door 18 is hinged along one side 19, the left side as viewed in FIG. 1, on jamb 12 to swing inwardly, as for example, to open into a room in a trailer.

lambs

14, 16 are fashioned with lateral stops 20, 21 (FIGS. 4 and 3), respectively, that face inwardly toward door 18. Door 18 fits closely in jamb 10 so that a good weather seal can be provided between head jamb 16 and a top edge 22 of door 18 and between an unhinged side edge 24 and side jamb 14. A bottom edge 26 on the door 18 is arranged to fit closely with a threshold 28.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, door 18 generally comprises a front panel 30 and a rear panel 32.

Panels

30, 32 may be made of wood or sheet metal. A wooden frame mem ber 34 extends vertically between the front and

rear panels

30, 32 from the top edge 22 to the bottom edge 28 and directly adjacent side 24 of the door 18.

Panels

30, 32 may be glued directly on opposite faces of frame member 34. A notch 35 is cut in the top corner of member 34 adjacent side 24 to form a fiat horizontal face 36. A notch 37 is cut in the bottom corner of member 34 adjacent side 24 to form a flat horizontal face 38. A longitudinal groove 40 is formed in a front face of the member 34 adjacent panel 30. A groove 42 is formed in the opposite face of member 34 adjacent panel 32. Grooves 40, 42 extend vertically between faces 36, 38 of notches 35, 37. A front tension rod 44 is disposed in groove 40 and the rear tension rod 46 is disposed in groove 42. Each of the

rods

44, 46 has a

head

48, 50 at its lower end and a

nut

52, 54 threaded on its upper end.

Heads

48, 50 are generally rectangular to engage each other and prevent rotation of

rods

44, 46. Disposed between

nuts

52, 54 and the face 36 of notch 35 is a flat plate or washer 56, 58, respectively.

A wooden block 60 is disposed in notch 35 and releasably secured to member 34 as by screws 62. Block 60 has a recess 64 to accommodate the upper end of

rods

44, 46 together with

nuts

52, 54 and washers 56, 58. Similarly a block 66 is disposed in notch 37 and is releas-. ably secured to member 34 as by screws 68. Block 66 has a recess 70 to accommodate

heads

48, 50 of

rods

44, 46.

By way of illustration two different types of weatherstripping are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 as being useful with a door constructed in accordance with the present invention. The Weatherstripping may be in the form of metal strips 74, (FIGS. 3 and 4). One edge of strip 74 is fastened to the inner periphery of head jamb 16. One edge of strip 75 is fastened to side jamb 14. Strips 74, 75 have free edges that engage the respective top edge 22 and side edge 24 of door 18. Alternately the Weatherstripping may be plastic beading 76 fastened on stops 20, 21 to abut panel 30 adjacent top 22 and side 24. With either form of Weatherstripping the tension in

rods

44, 46 can be adjusted to make door 18 straight and true or to conform door 18 to a warped jamb and thus assure a good seal between the door and the weatherstripping.

The tension in

rods

44, 46 can be adjusted selectively by tightening or loosening

nuts

52, 54 to straighten member 34 and thus door 18 along edge 24 or to camber member 34 and thus door 18 to conform to a warped jamb. For example increasing the tension in rod 44 and relieving the tension in rod 46 bows the top and bottom of member 34 and thus door 18 in a direction toward the left as viewed in FIG. 3. On the other hand by increasing the tension in rod 46 and relieving the tension in rod 44 the top and bottom of member 34 and thus door 18 are bowed in a direction to the right as viewed in FIG. 3. By adjusting rods, 44, 46 door 18 can be held fiat by

rods

44, 46 or cambered to conform to a warped jamb and thus assure a good weather seal.

In manufacturing door 18 the tension in

rods

44, 46 is set at the factory by adjusting

nuts

52, 54 to make door 18 straight to within less than one quarter of an inch along edge 24.

Blocks

60, 66 are then fastened in place. Door 18 can be made straight to within less than one quarter of an inch along edge 19 when the door is fastened on side jamb 12. If head jamb 16 and side jamb 14 are straight and true a good weather seal between door 18 and the Weatherstripping is achieved. However if door 18 has warped prior to installation, block 60 can be removed and the tension in

rods

44, 46 can be adjusted to straighten door 18 along edge 24. If the side jamb 14 or head jamb 16 is warped the tension in

rods

44, 46 can be adjusted to conform the door to the warped jamb.

It will be understood that the door construction which is herein disclosed and described is presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and is not intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a door having front and rear panels in spaced relation and having top, bottom and side edges forming a continuous margin adapted to fit into a door jamb, a frame member mounted between said panels and extend ing vertically substantially between said top and bottom edges of said door and being disposed closely adjacent one of said side edges, said door being adapted to be hinged on said jamb at the other of said side edges, said frame member further having a pair of longitudinal grooves extending vertically substantially between said top and said bottom edges, one of said grooves being disposed in said frame member adjacent said front panel, and the other of said grooves being disposed in said frame member adjacent said rear panel, and a pair of tension members extending longitudinally of said vertical frame member in parallel spaced relation, one of said tension members being disposed in one of said grooves and the other of said tension members being disposed in the other of said grooves, each end of each of said tension members having an abutment engaging opposed horizontal faces adjacent opposite ends of said frame member, one of said abutments on each of said tension members being adjustable longitudinally of said member to selectively adjust the tension in said tension members and thereby selectively adjust the compression in said frame member adjacent said front face and said rear face.

2. In a door having front and rear panels in spaced relation and top, bottom and side edges forming a continuous margin adapted to fit into a door jamb, a frame member mounted between said panels and extending vertically substantially between said top and bottom edges of said door and being disposed closely adjacent one of said side edges, said door being adapted to be hinged on said jamb at the other of said side edges, said frame member having top and bottom corners at said one side edge that are notched to form a pair of opposed horizontal faces, said frame member further having a pair of longitudinal grooves extending vertically substantially between said top and said bottom edges, one of said grooves being formed in said frame member inwardly from said front panel, and the other of said grooves being formed in said frame member inwardly from said rear panel, and a pair of tension members extending longitudinally of said frame member in parallel spaced relation and being substantially coextensive with said frame member in a vertical direction, one of said tension members being disposed in one of said grooves and the other of said tension members being disposed in the other of said grooves, each end of each of said tension members having an abutment, the abutments at one end of each of said tension members engaging one of said opposed faces, the abutments at the other end of each of said tension members engaging the other of said opposed faces, and one of said abutments on each of said tension members being adjustable longi tudinally of said member to selectively adjust the tension in said tension members and thereby selectively adjust the compression in said frame member adjacent said front panel and said rear panel.

3. A door having front and rear panels in spaced relation and top, bottom and side edges forming a continuous margin adapted to fit into a door jamb, a wooden frame member mounted between said panels and extending vertically substantially between said top and bottom edges of said door and being disposed closely adjacent one of said side edges, said door being adapted to be hinged on said jamb at the other of said side edges, said frame member having top and bottom corners at said one side edge that are notched to form a pair of opposed horizontal faces, said frame member further having a pair of longitudinal grooves extending vertically substantially between said top and said bottom edges, one of said grooves being formed in said frame member to open at said front panel, and the other of said grooves being formed in said frame member to open at said rear panel, a pair of tension rods extending longitudinally of said vertical frame member in parallel spaced relation, said tension rods being substantially coextensive with said frame member in a vertical direction, one of said tension rods being disposed in said one groove closely adjacent said front panel and the other of said tension rods being disposed in said other groove closely adjacent said rear panel, each end of each of said tension rods having an abutment, the abutments at one end of each of said tension rods engaging one of said opposed faces, the abutments at the other end of each of said tension rods engaging the other of said opposed faces, the abutments at one of said faces being acircular and adapted to engage each other to limit rotation of said tension rods, the abutments at the other of said faces being adjustable longitudinally of said member to selectively adjust the tension in said member and thereby selectively adjust the compression in said frame member adjacent said front panel and said rear panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,105 5/1943 Billner 52223 2,578,240 12/1951 Green et al 52-291 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH D Examiner,

Claims

1. IN A DOOR HAVING FRONT AND REAR PANELS IN SPACED RALATION AND HAVING TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE EDGES FORMING A CONTINUOUS MARGIN ADAPTED TO FIT INTO A DOOR JAMB, A FRAME MEMBER MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID PANELS AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES OF SAID DOOR AND BEING DISPOSED CLOSELY ADJACENT ONE OF SAID SIDE EDGES, SAID DOOR BEING ADAPTED TO BE HINGED ON SAID JAMB AT THE OTHER OF SAID SIDE EDGES, SAID FRAME MEMBER FURTHER HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL GROOVES EXTENDING VERTICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID TOP AND SAID BOTTOM EDGES, ONE OF SAID GROOVES BEING DISPOSED IN SAID FRAME MEMBER ADJACENT SAID FRONT PANEL, AND THE OTHER OF SAID GROOVES BEING DISPOSED IN SAID FRAME MEMBER ADJACENT SAID REAR PANEL, AND A PAIR OF TENSION MEMBERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID VERTICAL FRAME MEMBER IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION, ONE OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED IN ONE OF SAID GROOVES AND THE OTHER OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED IN THE OTHER OF SAID GROOVES, EACH END OF EACH OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS HAVING AN ABUTMENT ENGAGING OPPOSED HORIZONTAL FACES ADJACENT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FRAME MEMBER, ONE OF SAID ABUTMENTS ON EACH OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS BEING ADJUSTABLE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID MEMBER TO SELECTIVELY ADJUST THE TENSION IN SAID TENSION MEMBERS AND THEREBY SELECTIVELY ADJUST THE COMPRESSION IN SAID FRAME MEMBER ADJACENT SAID FRONT FACE AND SAID REAR FACE.