US3924377A

US3924377A - Door

Info

Publication number: US3924377A
Application number: US460501A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clyde E Gill
Original assignee: LENNON Manufacturing Inc
Current assignee: LENNON Manufacturing Inc
Priority date: 1974-04-12
Filing date: 1974-04-12
Publication date: 1975-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-09

Abstract

A plastic faced door with a foam filled core has an extruded aluminum casing member extending around the entire periphery of the door to join the plastic facing panels. The edges of the panels are inturned and engaged in the aluminum extrusion casing and are distorted and held in engagement therewith by the formation of the foam core. A ferrous metal insert is positioned in the aluminum extrusion to provide a member attracting a magnetic flexible gasket exteriorly of the door.

Description

Unite States Patent 1 [111 3,

Gill Dec. 9, 1975 DOOR 3,834,101 9/1974 Wilder et al. 52/620 [75] Inventor: Clyde E. Gill, Lennon, Mich. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 73 Assigneez Lennon Manufacturing Inc 90,081 8/1967 France 52/619 Lennon, Mich. Primary ExaminerI-Ienry C. Sutherland [22] Ffled: 1974 Attorney, Agent, or FirmWebster B. Harpman [21] Appl. No.: 460,501

[57] ABSTRACT 52 us. (:1 52/620' 52/DIG 4 A Plastic faced with a foam filled we has [51] Int. Cl. E04B 2/20 truded aluminum casing member extending around [58] Field of Search 52/619 620 DIG 4 the entire periphery of the door to join the plastic fac- 49/1516 ing panels. The edges of the panels are inturned and engaged in the aluminum extrusion casing and are dis- [56] References Cited torted and held in engagement therewith by the formation of the foam core. A ferrous metal insert is po- UNITED STATES PATENTS sitioned in the aluminum extrusion to provide a memg; Sig g/ -23 ber attracting a magnetic flexible gasket exteriorly of rien l 3,750,333 8/1973 Vance.... 52/620 the door. 3,796,008 3/1974 Eakin 52/620 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures A I r US. Patent Dec. 9 1975 DOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to doors and more particularly to a lightweight, rigid foam filled door constructions particularly suitable for use in mobile homes, trailers and the like although not limited thereto.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior structures of this type have comprised metal facing plates with plastic extrusions defining the periphery of the door and enclosing a foam core such as in US. Pat. No. 3,750,333. Other prior art may be seen in US. Pat. Nos. 3,334,464, 3,310,920 and 3,700,385.

This invention provides a structurally strong door, the visible surface panels of which may be readily and inexpensively formed of vacuum formed plastic panels so as to incorporate desired design with the aluminum extrusion comprising the peripheral edge of the door being completely located on the edges of the door and not visible from either side thereof. The addition of a section of steel strapping or the like enables a magnetic flexible gasket in a door frame to be magnetically attracted to the otherwise non-magnetic door construction and the aluminum extrusion used in the edge of the door provides sturdy mounting for a lock set on one side and hinges on the other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A door formed of vacuum formed plastic surface sheets having inturned edges engaged between flanges of aluminum extrusions defining the periphery of the door are held in position by a foamed in place core which distorts the inturned edges of the plastic surface sheets and secures them to the aluminum extrusions forming the peripheral edge of the door.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a door and door frame,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with parts broken away and parts in cross section,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section one line 3-3 of FIG. 1 with parts broken away and parts in cross section, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1 with parts broken away and parts in cross section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the form of the invention chosen for disclosure herein, the door will be seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings to be mounted in a frame and secured thereto by hinges. A front panel of the door is illustrated along with a frame preferably formed of aluminum extrusions l2 and the hinges are indicated by the numeral 13. A lock set which may include a door knob is shown in broken lines and indicated by the numeral 14.

By referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a horizontal section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 may be seen and it will be observed that the door itself comprises front and back panels 10 and which are preferably vacuum formed plastic sheets and which have right angular offset flanges on their longitudinal edges as at 16 and 17. Similarly, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the

panels

10 and 15 have flanges l6 and 17 on the top and bottom edges thereof. Thus, the

panels

10 and 15 each have peripheral flanges 16 and 17, respectively, and the flanges are distortable. The peripheral edge of the door as seen in FIG. 1 is defined by four sections of rigid aluminum extrusions or

casing members

18 and 19 and in FIG. 2 of the drawings the vertical peripheral edges of the door are formed by two sections of the extrusion 18 which is an elongated member or strip having a flat outer surface and longitudinally extending inturned short flanges 20 on the longitudinal edges thereof so formed that the overall width of the extrusion 18 is less than the overall width of the door as defined by the front and

back surface panels

10 and 15. A T-headed flange 21 is formed axially of the extrusion l8, and comprises a web integral with the strip intermediate the edges thereof and a pair of oppositely extending flanges on the web, with the parallel portions or flanges of the T-headed flange 21 spaced relative to the inner surfaces of the main longitudinal section of the extrusion l8 and the inturned offset flanges l6 and 17 of the front and back

plastic panels

10 and 15 positioned in the channels defined by the T-headed flanges 21 on the extrusion 18 with the offset engaging the opposite inner surfaces of the short flanges 20 thereof.

Still referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it will be observed that the frame 12 may be formed of aluminum extrusions supported on any desirable structural member and that resilient magnetic gaskets 22 are mounted on the frame 12 for sealing engagement with the longitudinal vertical edges of the door. In order that these magnetic gaskets 22 can be attracted to the nonferrous door, strips of steel strapping or similar material 23 are positioned in the channels defined by the aluminum extrusion l8 and its T-shaped flange 21.

In forming the door, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and hereinbefore described, the front and

back surface panels

10 and 15 are vacuum formed of suitable heated plastic material to provide a desirable configuration and the inturned offset flanges 16 and 17 thereon. They are then assembled into the peripheral frame formed of the four sections of the aluminum extrusions l8 and 19 which are then secured together at their corners which will be understood by those skilled in the art and the door components thus assembled are held in a fixture while plastic foam is injected therein. The plastic foam, which may be polyurethane, is foamed in place in the door and generates sufficient pressure, being confined by the fixture, to distort the inturned flanges l6 and 17 on the front and back

plastic panels

10 and 15 to lock them in the positions illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings and beneath the flanges 20 of the extrusions 18 and the inturned flanges on the edges of the extrusions 19.

When the foamed in place core has set, the door is removed from the fixture and comprises'a lightweight, solid, substantially-unitary structure as the foam surrounds both sides of the T-

headed flanges

21 and 27 and thus secures the extrusions l8 and 19 in desired position.

Those skilled in the art will observe that secondary flanges 25 having inturned edges may be formed on the T-headed flanges 21 so that corner key constructions can be inserted therein and retained thereby. Alternately metal fasteners may be employed and engaged in cross sectionally circular configurations 26 on modified, T-headed flanges 27 as seen on the extrusions 19 in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings and which extrusions are shown forming the upper and lower peripheral 3 edges of the door.

In FIG. 3 of the drawings, the upper horizontal portion of the door frame 12 is formed of an aluminum extrusion having means carrying a deformable, magnetic gasket 28 arranged to sealingly engage the door by reason of the incorporation of a strip formed by ferrous material 29 in one of the channels of the extrusion 19.

By referring now to FIG. 4, a section through the bottom of the door and the frame as seen in FIG. 1 is illustrated and it will be observed that a threshold is defined by several aluminum extrusions, generally indicated by the numerals 30, one of which incorporates means for receiving and retaining a resilient elongated arched gasket 31 which extends upwardly and out of the threshold so as to wipingly engage the bottom of the door.

It will thus be seen that a simple efficient lightweight, durable door construction has been disclosed which is particularly suitable for use in mobile homes, trailers, campers and the like although the door may obviously be used in other applications including residential and commercial buildings. The novel features of the door include the high insulating value of the foamed in place core with the plastic surface panels and the isolation of the aluminum extrusions forming the periphery of the door around the edges thereof and where they will conduct a minimum of cold or heat thereby. The incorporation of the ferrous metal inserts in the aluminum extrusions enables magnetic gaskets to be employed in sealing relation and the fact that the foam core being foamed in place distorts the inturned offset flanged edges 16 and 17 of the plastic surface panels of the door so as to lock them in relation to the inturned short flanges of the

peripheral extrusions

18 and 19 insures the locking inter-engagement of the parts of the door and results in a substantially unitary structure.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described herein it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A door comprising spaced, substantially parallel front and back plastic panels each having peripheral, distortable, inturned flanges thereon extending at a right angle to the plane of the panel, elongate, rigid, metallic casing members secured on the peripheral edges of said door, said casing members each comprising a substantially flat strip parallel to the plane of the inturned flanges and having a width less than the thickness of the door and having an inner surface and an outer surface, said strips having continuously extending inturned right angular flanges on their longitudinal edges, 21 web integral with the strip on the inner surface thereof intermediate the longitudinal edges and extending axially along the strip and disposed substantially perpendicular to the plane of the strip, a pair of laterally outwardly extending flanges on the web extending parallel to and spaced from the inner surface of the strip, the distortable flanges on the edge portions of said front and back plastic panels extending into juxtaposition with said web on opposite sides thereof and positioned between the inner surface of said strips and said outwardly extending flanges on said web, said distortable flanges including an offset portion defining a shoulder behind the flanges on the longitudinal edges of the strip, and a foamed in place core between said front and back plastic panels extending into contact with said distortable flanges, distorting said distortable flanges of said front and back panels outwardly into proximity with the strips between the inturned flanges on the edges thereof so as to secure the front and back plastic panels to the casing members.

Claims

1. A door comprising spaced, substantially parallel front and back plastic panels each having peripheral, distortable, inturned flanges thereon extending at a right angle to the plane of the panel, elongate, rigid, metallic casing members secured on the peripheral edges of said door, said casing members each comprising a substantially flat strip parallel to the plane of the inturned flanges and having a width less than the thickness of the door and having an inner surface and an outer surface, said strips having continuously extending inturned right angular flanges on their longitudinal edges, a web integral with the strip on the inner surface thereof intermediate the longitudinal edges and extending axially along the strip and disposed substantially perpendicular to the plane of the strip, a pair of laterally outwardly extending flanges on the web extending parallel to and spaced from the inner surface of the strip, the distortable flanges on the edge portions of said front and back plastic panels extending into juxtaposition with said web on opposite sides thereof and positioned between the inner surface of said strips and said outwardly extending flanges on said web, said distortable flanges including an offset portion defining a shoulder behind the flanges on the longitudinal edges of the strip, and a foamed in place core between said front and back plastic panels extending into contact with said distortable flanges, distorting said distortable flanges of said front and back panels outwardly into proximity with the strips between the inturned flanges on the edges thereof so as to secure the front and back plastic panels to the casing members.