US3469350A

US3469350A - Door frame assembly and method for making same

Info

Publication number: US3469350A
Application number: US667682A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert Lange
Original assignee: Soule Steel Co
Current assignee: Soule Steel Co
Priority date: 1967-09-14
Filing date: 1967-09-14
Publication date: 1969-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-30

Description

Sept. 30, 1969 H. LANGE 3,469,350

DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME Filed Sept. 14, 1967 FlG 1 u La INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS HERBERT LANGE" United States Patent 3,469,350 DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME Herbert Lange, San Mateo, Calif., assignor to Soule Steel Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Sept. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 667,682

I Int. Cl. E06b 1/18 U.S. Cl. 49-504 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door frame assembly in which a head bar having depending tabs is fastened to the jamb bars and the jamb bars secured within overlapping flanges on the head bar. The jamb bars are provided with a raised outer lip and a parallel raised shoulder, the lips being notched to receive door hinge butts and a lock strike which abut the raised shoulders.

This invention relates to door frame assemblies and more particularly to a novel extruded metal door frame and method of making such a frame.

Extruded metal door frames have become particularly popular in recent years, being widely employed in modern building construction. They are generally easily installed in rough openings in the partitions. Since they are usually extruded from aluminum, they are pleasing in appearance and the metal lends itself to various color treatments well-known in the art in addition to the usual painting.

One of the continuing problems associated with the use of such door frames, however, is the installation of the door hinges to the jambs and the lock strike on the opposite jamb which usually requires mortising, that is, cutting out recesses to accommodate the hinge butts and the lock strike. A number of solutions have been proposed, including the use of cover plates between the hinge butts such as in US. Patent No. 3,287,856 or of a separate plate to which the hinge butts are aflixed such as in US. Patent No. 2,910,154.

The present invention was designed to eliminate the necessity for the supplemental pieces required by the prior art devices in the mounting of hinge butts to the jamb. This is accomplished in the present construction by the provision of a raised lip along the outer edge of the jamb member together with a raised shoulder parallel to the lip against which the edge of the hinge butt will rest which together form a channel along the jamb. All that is required for installation of the hinge is a milling out of a notch in the raised lip to permit the hinge butt to be fitted in the notch and against the raised shoulder.

Still another problem associated with the use of prior art door frame assemblies is the lack of rigidity of the assembly when the jamb members are assembled with the head member. In the present construction this rigidity is assured by the use of formed tabs integral with the head member which may be bolted directly to the jamb members. There is further provided in the present construction a novel arrangement which permits the outer edges of the jamb members to be secured within the flanges of the head member so that the three constituents of the frame form a rigid unit.

Still another feature of the present construction is the 3,469,350 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 provision on the jambs of a door stop flange having a removable cover section. This permits the screws or bolts used to aflix the jambs in the wall opening to be concealed. This results in a door frame completely free from exposed fasteners.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a typical head member;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section through a typical hinge jamb member;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through a typical strike jamb member;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged isometric view of the ends of a head member and hinge jamb member showing how the two are assembled together;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section through a hinge jamb member showing the placement of a hinge and door;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the joint between a head member and jamb member showing how the jamb is engaged by the flanges of the head member; and

FIG. 7 is an isometric View of a hinge jamb showing the placement of a hinge butt.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views, FIG. 1 is the head member or head bar shown generally at 10. The head bar comprises face flange l1 and a parallel rear flange 12 joined together by the connecting web 13. In the head bar the door stop flange which is perpendicular to the bottom surface of connecting web 13 comprises a cover section 14 having an integral groove 15 therein within which a mohair, plastic or rubber draft stop may be mounted. The door stop flange section 14 is snapped into place by means of

longitudinal tongues

16 and 17. Flanges 11 and 12 of the head bar 10 extend past the connecting web 13, forming retaining flanges 18, the function of which will be described in detail below.

The vertical portions of the door frame assembly are the hinge jamb member or hinge bar 20 shown in FIG. 2 and the strike jamb member or strike bar 30 shown in FIG. 3. The hinge bar comprises a face flange 21 and a parallel rear flange 22 joined by a connecting web 23. Formed integrally with and perpendicular to the web 23 of the hinge bar is stop flange 24 which has a continuous groove 25 formed therein for receiving the mohair draft stop previously mentioned. The door stop flange is completed by means of cover section 26 which is snapped into place and secured by appropriately formed tongues 27. An integral part of the hinge bar is shoulder 28 which is parallel to the face flange 21 and raised from the surface of the web a distance equal to the thickness of a typical door hinge butt. A raised lip 29 is parallel to the shoulder 28 and a continuation of the front flange 21. The lip forms the outer edge of the jamb. The raised lip 29 and shoulder 28 together define a channel the depth of which is equal to the thickness of a hinge butt. The elevation of the lip 29 is also equal to that of the thickness of a typical hinge butt. Lip 29 will be notched out to receive the hinge butt so that the edge of the hinge butt abuts shoulder 28 and is received securely within the notch.

In order to make provision for screwing the hinge butts to the jamb bar, the section 43 of web 23 which lies between the shoulder 28 and the lip 29 is of substantially greater thickness than the balance of the web in order to permit a sufficient number of threads to be formed within the metal in order to securely hold the hinges in place.

The strike jamb member or strike bar 30 corresponds in most respects to the hinge bar 20. The strike bar is adapted to receive the strike plate, that is, the plate which receives within it the lock bolt which holds the door closed. The strike bar comprises a face flange 31 and a parallel rear flange 32 joined by connecting web 33. Formed as an integral part of web 33 is the stop flange 34 which is formed with slot 35 to receive the draft stop therein. The stop flange is completed by means of the boxlike cover plate 36 which snaps into appropriate grooves by means of longitudinal tongues 37. The strike bar 30 is also formed with a longitudinal shoulder 38 parallel to the side flanges and elevated from the surface of the web 33 a distance equal to the usual thickness of the strike plate which is to be affixed to the strike jamb. Strike bar 30 is also formed with raised lip 39 a continuation of the face flange 31 forming a channel similar to that on the hinge bar. Lip 39 is milled out a sufficient width to accommodate the strike plate required for the particular door to be assembled in the frame assembly.

FIG. 4 shows the method of assembling the jamb bars and head bar. The head bar 10 is provided with a tab member 19 which is formed as part of the connecting web 13 and bent downward perpendicular to the connecting web 13. The head bar 10 fits securely over the end of the jamb bar 20, the side flanges 21 and 22 being received within the retaining flanges 18 of the head bar. The head bar 10 is provided with tab member 19 at both its ends. When these tab members are formed, the distance between their inner faces is established to close tolerances. This establishes the exact door opening which will result from the use of that head bar. Tab 19 fits against the inner surface of connecting web 23 and is bolted securely to the

jamb members

20 and 30 to form the frame assembly. FIG. 6 shows how the parts fit together, with the

flanges

21 and 22 locked in place between retaining flanges 18 of the head bar and with tab 19 bolted to the jamb member.

The bolting of the tab 19 to the jamb is done with the stop flange covers 26 and 36 removed. These covers are among the last parts to be assembled since the jambs, when they are placed in the door opening, must be screwed to the studding in the walls. Such screws are shown in dash line form in FIGS. 2 and 3. After the jambs and the head bar are assembled together, the stop

flange cover plates

26 and 36 are snapped into place therefore concealing the screw heads from view.

FIGS. and 7 show a hinge 40 fastened into place on a jamb bar. The lip 29 is milled out a width suflicient to accommodate the hinge butts 41, the standard butt being four inches in height. The hinge butt 41 may then be slipped through the lip 29 to abut the shoulder 28. Appropriate holes are then drilled and tapped through the web section 43 and screws inserted through the hinge butt 41 to firmly affix the hinge to the jamb bar. The other hinge butt 42 is fastened to the door 44.

As may be seen in FIG. 5, the door 44 is spaced a short distance from the face of stop flange 24. That space is filled by a mohair or other resilient material draft stop 45 inserted into the slot 25 on the hinge jamb bar. Such weather stripping is also inserted into

slots

15 and 35 in the jamb and head bars to make a continuous draft stop around the perimeter of the door.

The result of the use of the present invention is a rigid door frame assembly which is easily assembled and installed in a wall opening and which has no exposed assembly screws.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the spirit of the invention as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A door frame assembly comprising a head member, a jamb member adapted to receive a hinge butt, and a jamb member adapted to receive a lock strike, said head member having at least one depending flange member for engaging an end of a jamb member and holding said jamb member in alignment therewith, said head member provided with means for fastening said head member to a jamb member, said hinge jamb member having a surface for receiving door hinge butts, said surface defined by a raised lip along an outer edge of the member and by a raised shoulder parallel thereto and spaced from said raised lip, said raised lip having a notch whose depth extends to said hinge receiving surface, the length of said notch being suflicient to receive the hinge butt therein, the height of the raised lip above the hinge butt receiving surface and the height of the shoulder above said surface equal to the thickness of the hinge but received thereon.

2. The door frame assembly of claim 1 and wherein the head member is provided with a pair of depending parallel flange members extending substantially the length of the head member and wherein said fastening means comprises a pair of downward extending tab members at the opposite ends of said head member, said tab members spaced apart a fixed distance so that the jamb members will be spaced apart a dimension defining a door opening when fastened thereto, and said parallel flanges spaced apart a dimension equal to the depth of said jamb members for securely engaging the outer edges of the jamb members therebetween.

3. The door frame assembly of claim 1 and wherein the strike jamb member has a surface for receiving a lock strike, said surface defined by a raised lip along an outer edge of the member and by a raised shoulder parallel thereto and spaced from said raised lip, said strike jamb lip having a notch whose depth extends to the strike receiving surface, the length of the notch being suflicient to receive the look strike therein, the height of the strike jamb lip above the lock strike receiving surface and the height of the shoulder above said surface equal to the thickness of the lock strike received thereon.

4. A method for assembling a door frame comprising:

(a) providing a head member having first and second flanges in parallel spaced relation joined by a connecting web normal thereto; a hinge jamb member having a channel formed therein with a generally flat bottom and perpendicular sides, the depth of said channel being equal to the thickness of a hinge butt, one side of said channel defining an outer edge of said jamb; and a strike jamb member having a strike channel formed therein with a generally flat bottom and perpendicular sides, the depth of said strike channel being equal to the thickness of a lock strike, one side of said strike channel defining an outer edge of said strike jamb;

(b) assembling said head and jamb members so that the outer edges of said jambs are received within the first and second flanges of the head member;

(c) removing a portion of said channel defining outer edge of the strike jamb so that a lock strike may be received therein; and

(d) removing a portion of said channel defining outer edge of the hinge jamb so that a hinge butt may be received within the removed edge section.

5. The method of claim 4 and wherein said head memher is provided with first and second depending tab members generally orthogonal with respect to the flanges and web thereof and (a) fastening said jambs between said tab members.

'6. The method of claim 4 and wherein said jamb members are provided with door stop flanges comprising a rib generally parallel to the channel and cover means adapted for engagement with the rib and (a) fastening said jambs into a wall opening by insert- 5 6 ing fastening means through said jambs adjacent said 3,270,477 9/1966 Johnston 56-656 XR stop flange rib, and 3,310,920 3/1967 Bell et a1. 49-504 XR (b) engaging said cover means with said rib so that 3,324,599 6/1967 Brost 49505 the fastening means are concealed.

R f C1 6 5 KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner e erences 1 e UNITED STATES PATENTS US. Cl. X.R.

2,652,907 9/1953 Miller 49 s04 52-413 2,726,745 12/1955 Quinn 49-399