WO2005103431A1

WO2005103431A1 - Decorative laminated mirror door

Info

Publication number: WO2005103431A1
Application number: PCT/IB2005/001510
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kenneth Jacobs
Original assignee: Kenneth Jacobs
Priority date: 2004-04-20
Filing date: 2005-04-18
Publication date: 2005-11-03
Also published as: WO2005103431A8

Abstract

An inexpensive, light-weight decorative door panel includes a glass panel (90) that substantially defines a height and width of the door panel (30,40). One or more thin decorative sheets (100) are laminated to the front surface (90a) of the glass panel (90). Trim pieces (110,120) are applied to the peripheral intersections between the sheets (100) and the front surface (90a) such that the decorative door panel (30,40) appears to comprise a combination of discrete door panels. A plurality of these decorative door panels (30) are movably or fixedly mounted to a mounting assembly (20) to create a room partition.

Description

DECORATIVE LAMINATED MIRROR DOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to composite decorative door panels, and specifically relates to decorative door panels that include discrete wood and glass panel sections. 2. Description of Related Art Room partitions are used to separate rooms, separate closets from rooms, etc. Such room partitions typically include one or more movable decorative door panels and may also include one or more fixed decorative door panels. These door panels are conventionally produced from a number of differently finished panels that are assembled to produce a decorative composite panel appearance. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of one such conventional room partition 300. The partition 300 includes a mounting assembly 310 and a plurality of decorative door panels 320 slidingly mounted to the mounting assembly 310. Each door panel 320 comprises a rigid structural backing panel 330, a glass panel 340 mounted to the front of the backing panel 330, and upper and lower decorative wood print panels 350 mounted to the backing panel 330 above and below the glass panel 340k Each decorative print panel 350 comprises a decorative sheet 370 that is laminated onto a structural backing panel 360 to give the sheet 370 structural support. The glass panel 340 and the decorative print panels 350 are rigidly adhered to the backing panel 330. The backing panel 330 substantially defines a height and width of the door panel 320 and gives the door panel 320 its structural rigidity. Trim pieces 380 cover the intersections between adjacent panels 340, 350. The trim pieces 380 may help to secure the panels 340, 350 to each other and to the backing panel 330. Trim pieces 390 surround a periphery of the door panel 320 and define a frame for the door panel 320. As shown in Figure 3, the construction of the door panel 320 requires numerous structural panels 330, 350, 360, that sandwich together to create a heavy door panel 320. There is therefore a need for a simpler, lighter, less expensive decorative door panel that has a similar appearance as the door panel 320. Another conventional door panel uses six distinct panels to achieve the same effect as the door panel 320. In this conventional door panel, three pairs of panels are bonded back to back. The three double panels are then mounted to each other using H-shaped trim sections. As with the door panel 320, the resulting door panel is heavy, complex to manufacture, and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one aspect of one or more embodiments of this invention provides a decorative door panel that has the same general outward appearance as conventional decorative door panels, but is easier to manufacture than conventional door panels, less expensive to manufacture than conventional door panels, and lighter than conventional door panels. Another aspect of one or more embodiments of this invention provides a method of manufacturing such a decorative door panel. Another aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a room partition that includes a plurality of such decorative door panels. Another aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a decorative door panel that utilizes a single, full-door-sized panel to give the door panel structural rigidity. Another aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a decorative door panel that includes a glass panel having a height and a width. The glass panel defines a front surface that is at least partially exposed. The door panel also includes at least one decorative sheet laminated to the front surface of the glass panel. The at least one decorative sheet has at least one edge that defines an intersection with the front surface of the glass panel. The door panel also includes at least one trim piece mounted to the door panel in front of the intersection to conceal the intersection. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one trim piece covers all intersections between the front surface of the glass panel and all peripheral edges of the at least one decorative sheet. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one trim piece extends around and covers a periphery of the glass panel. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one sheet comprises two sheets, each of which covers approximately 1/3 of the front surface. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the glass panel defines a rear surface that is at least partially exposed. The decorative door panel further comprises at least one rear decorative sheet laminated to the rear surface of the glass panel. The at least one rear decorative sheet has at least one edge that defines a rear intersection with the rear surface of the glass panel. The door panel may also include at least one rear trim piece mounted to the door panel on the rear intersection to conceal the rear intersection. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one decorative sheet covers at least 25% of the front surface of the glass panel. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the glass panel is formed from one of a mirror, colored glass, etched glass, etched mirror, printed glass, printed mirror, plain glass, and wired glass. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one decorative sheet includes at least one wood print sheet. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, a thickness of the glass panel is approximately equal to a thickness of the decorative door panel at the exposed portion of the glass panel. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one trim piece covers all intersections between the glass panel and the at least one decorative sheet. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one trim piece covers an outer perimeter of the glass panel. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the at least one decorative sheet is thinner than the glass panel. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the glass panel and the decorative sheet appear from the front to be discrete panels. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the height and width of the glass panel approximately define a height and width of the decorative door panel. Another aspect of one or more embodiments of this invention provides a method of forming one or more of the above-described door panels. The method includes applying at least one decorative sheet to a front surface of a glass panel, thereby leaving a portion of the front surface exposed, and thereby forming at least one intersection between the exposed surface and the at least one decorative sheet. The method also includes applying at least one trim piece to the decorative sheet and glass panel to conceal an intersection between the exposed portion of the glass panel and the decorative sheet. Another aspect of one or more embodiments of this invention provides a room partition tliat includes a mounting assembly configured to be mounted to a substrate. The room partition also includes first and second ones of the above-described decorative door panels mounted to the mounting assembly. The first decorative door panel is movably mounted to the mounting assembly. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the second decorative door panel is fixedly mounted to the mounting assembly. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the first decorative door panel is slidably mounted to the mounting assembly. Additional and/or alternative advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, disclose preferred embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings which from a part of this original disclosure: Figure 1 is a front view of a room partition according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the room partition in FIG. 1, taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional room partition; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a room partition according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates a room partition 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The room partition 10 includes a mounting assembly 20, two movable decorative door panels 30, and two fixed decorative door panels 40. While a pair of movable panels 30 and a pair of fixed panels 40 are shown, the invention is not intended to be limited to such an arrangement. Any number of fixed and movable panels 30,40 can be combined. Furthermore, it is contemplated that all of the panels can be movable panels 30. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mounting assembly 20 includes top and bottom tracks 50, 60, which are adapted to be secured to a substrate such as floors, ceilings, walls, etc. If the partition 10 does not extend to the ceiling, opposing lateral ends of the top track 50 are secured to opposing walls, posts, etc. The illustrated mounting assembly 20 comprises extruded metal or bent sheet metal. Alternatively, the mounting assembly 20 may be integrally formed with the substrate. As shown in Figure 2, the movable door panels 30 slidingly mount to channels formed in the tracks 50, 60. The movable door panels 30 may alternatively slidingly mount to the mounting assembly 20 using any other suitable sliding mechanism. While the two illustrated movable door panels 30 both slidingly mount to a single channel in the top track 50 and a single channel in the bottom track 60, the panels 30 may alternatively have their own distinct set of tracks such that they can slide one in front of the other. As is known in the art, additional movable panels 30 may slidingly engage additional channels in the mounting assembly 20 without deviating from the scope of the present invention. While the illustrated movable door panels 30 slidingly mount to the mounting assembly 20, the movable door panels 30 may alternatively pivotally connect to the mounting assembly without deviating from the scope of the present invention. The movable door panels 30 can pivotally connect to an adjacent fixed panel 40 or any adjacent fixed structure or substrate. For example, a single movable door panel 30 can be mounted to a door jam. As shown in Figure 1 , the fixed door panels 40 fixedly mount to the mounting assembly 20 such that they do not move relative to the mounting assembly 20. The movable panels 30 may slide in front of the fixed panels 40 to reveal a central opening in the partition 10 behind the panels 30. Alternatively, all four panels 30, 40 may movably connect to the mounting assembly. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the decorative door panel 30 comprises a unitary glass panel 90, two decorative sheets 100, and a plurality of trim pieces 110, 120. The unitary glass panel 90 covers substantially the entire height and width of the panel 30. As shown in Figure 2, the glass panel 90 has a front surface 90a, which extends over substantially the entire height of the door panel 30. The glass panel 90 may comprise any type of decorative glass (e.g., mirror, colored glass, etched glass, etched mirror, printed glass, printed mirror, plain glass, wired glass, etc.). It is also contemplated that various synthetic materials including plastics and plexiglass^® could be used. The decorative sheets 100 are applied or laminated directly to the front surface 90a of the glass panel 90a via an adhesive or other suitable securing method (e.g., clamping in place, etc.). The term "directly" means that the decorative sheet 100 is not separated from the glass surface 90a by a structural component such as the backing panel 360 illustrated in Figure 3. The decorative sheets 100 are therefore considered to be directly applied to the front surface 90a, despite the presence of an intermediate adhesive layer. The decorative sheets 100 are preferably flexible laminate sheets that include decorative patterns (e.g., wood grain print patterns, etc.). The sheets 100 may be opaque or translucent and are preferably not transparent. As shown in Figure 2, the flexible sheets 100 gain structural rigidity via their attachment to the glass panel 90. Accordingly, distinct backing panels for the sheets 100 may be omitted and the sheets 100 may be substantially thinner and lighter than the glass panel 90. These figures are not to scale. To the contrary, certain structures in the figures are blown out of proportion to illustrate various aspects of the embodiments. For example, in Figure 2, the thickness of the trim pieces 110 and sheets 100 may be exaggerated to show their positions relative to other parts of the door panel 30. In reality, the sheets 100 may be paper thin or may be thicker. Similarly, the trim pieces 110 may be very thin relative to the rest of the door panel 30. Alternatively, the trim pieces 110 may have a substantial thickness so that they protrude forwardly from the front of the door panel 30 and appear to be structural elements of the door panel 30. The sheets 100 preferably cover at least 25% of the front surface 90a of the glass panel 90. In the illustrated door panel 30, upper and lower decorative sheets 100 each cover about 1/3 of the front surface 90a of the glass panel 90, thereby leaving exposed a portion 90b of the front surface 90a that covers the remaining 1/3 of the front surface. The exposed portion 90b preferably covers at least 25% of the front surface 90a of the glass panel 90. The arrangement of the sheets 100 is not limited to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. It is contemplated that multiple sheets 100 may be employed for each door panel 30, 40. The decorative door panel 30 illustrated in Figures 2 includes decorative sheets 100 only on the front surface 90a of the glass panel 90. This arrangement is especially well suited for use in a room partition that divides a room from a closet. In such an application, a rear surface 90c of the glass panel 90 need not be decorated because it faces into an enclosed closet space. However, as illustrated in Figures 4, it is also contemplated that the sheets 100 may be applied to the rear surface 90c of a decorative door panel 400 to create a room partition 410 that is decorated on both the front and rear sides thereof. The door panel 400 is otherwise similar to the door panel 30. The door panel 400 and room partition 410 are especially well suited for dividing two adjacent rooms where both sides of the room partition 410 are visible. While the sheet 100 patterns on the front and rear surfaces 90a, 90c of the glass panel 90 of the door panel 400 are symmetrical, the front and rear sheets 100 may alternatively form differing patterns on the front and rear surfaces 90a, 90c. Returning to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, intersections 140 are defined between the peripheral edges of the sheets 100 and the front surface 90a of the glass panel 90. The trim pieces 110, 120 are applied to these intersections 140 to conceal them and make it appear as though the trim pieces 110 are mullions that separate distinct structural panels of the door 30 and secure the door panels to each other. The trim 110 may adhere to one or both of the front surface 90a and the decorative sheet 100 via a pressure- sensitive adhesive. If the trim 110 is secured to both the front surface 90a and the decorative sheet 100, the trim 110 may help to secure the sheets 100 to the glass panel 90 or even replace the adhesive used to apply the sheets 100 to the glass panel 90. The trim pieces 110 may have an anodized finish (especially if aluminum) or may be wrapped or covered by a foil or decorative sheet that matches the decorative sheet 100. The trim pieces 120 similarly conceal peripheral edges of the glass panel 90 and the decorative sheet 100. The trim pieces 120 are preferably structural components that define a frame of the door panel 30. These structural trim pieces 120 slidingly mount to the mounting assembly 20 to slidingly mount the door panels 30 to the mounting assembly 20. The glass panel 90 and sheets 100 may be sized, shaped, and positioned relative to each other in any suitable fashion to create a variety of decorative combinations. For example, numerous smaller rectangular sheets 100 may be used to create a checkerboard pattern on the glass panel 90. The intersections 140 preferably comprise only vertical and horizontal lines so that the panel 30 appears to comprise a combination of distinct rectangular structural panels. However, the intersections 140 may additionally and/or alternatively comprise curved, angled, or alternatively shaped intersections without deviating from the scope of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, a thickness of the glass panel 90 in the area of the exposed portion 90b is approximately equal to a thickness of the decorative door panel 30 at the exposed portion 90b of the glass panel 90. The above-described door panel construction method allows such a thin door panel because additional structural backing boards/panels may be omitted. The glass panel 90, itself, gives the door panel 30 structural rigidity. The construction of door panel 30 therefore results in a cost-effective, light-weight decorative door panel. The decorative door panels 40 are preferably constructed in the same manner as the door panels 30. As illustrated in Figure 1 , the door panels 40 expose upper and lower portions of a glass panel 180, while a decorative sheet 190 is applied to a central area of the panel 40. The foregoing description is included to illustrate the operation, of the preferred embodiments and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. To the contrary, those skilled in the art should appreciate that varieties may be constructed and employed without departing from the scope of the invention. To the contrary, those skilled in the art should appreciate that varieties may be constructed and employed without departing from the scope of the invention, aspects of which are recited by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 1. A decorative door panel comprising: a glass panel having a height and a width, the glass panel defining a front surface that is at least partially exposed; at least one decorative sheet laminated to the front surface of the glass panel, the at least one decorative sheet having at least one edge that defines an intersection with the front surface of the glass panel; and at least one trim piece mounted to the door panel in front of the intersection to conceal the intersection.

2. The decorative door panel of claim 1, wherein the at least one trim piece covers all intersections between the front surface of the glass panel and all peripheral edges of the at least one decorative sheet.

3. The decorative door panel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one trim piece extends around a periphery of the glass panel.

4. The decorative door panel of claim 1, wherein the at least one sheet comprises two sheets, each of which covers approximately 1/3 of the front surface.

5. The decorative door panel of claim 1, wherein the glass panel defines a rear surface that is at least partially exposed, and wherein the decorative door panel further comprises at least one rear decorative sheet laminated to the rear surface of the glass panel, the at least one rear decorative sheet having at least one edge that defines a rear intersection with the rear surface of the glass panel.

6. The decorative door panel of claim 5, further comprising at least one rear trim piece mounted to the door panel on the rear intersection to conceal the rear intersection.

7. A decorative door panel comprising: a glass panel having a height and a width, the glass panel defining a front surface, wherein at least a portion of the front surface is exposed; and at least one decorative sheet laminated to the front surface of the glass panel, the at least one decorative sheet covering at least 25% of the front surface of the glass panel.

8. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein the glass panel comprises one of a mirror, colored glass, etched glass, etched mirror, printed glass, printed mirror, plain glass, and wired glass.

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9. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein the at least one decorative sheet comprises at least one wood print sheet.

10. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein a thickness of the glass panel is approximately equal to a thickness of the decorative door panel at the exposed portion of the glass panel.

11. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein the exposed portion of the glass panel intersects an exposed portion of the at least one decorative sheet to form at least one intersection.

12. The decorative door panel of claim 11 , further comprising at least one trim piece that conceals the intersection between the exposed portion of the glass panel and at least one decorative sheet.

13. The decorative door panel of claim 12, wherein the at least one trim piece covers all intersections between the glass panel and the at least one decorative sheet.

14. The decorative door panel of claim 12, wherein the glass panel defines a rear surface that is at least partially exposed, and wherein the decorative door panel further comprises at least one rear decorative sheet laminated to the rear surface of the glass panel, the at least one rear decorative sheet having at least one edge that defines a rear intersection with the rear surface of the glass panel.

15. The decorative door panel of claim 14, further comprising at least one rear trim piece mounted to the door panel on the rear intersection to conceal tlie rear intersection.

16. The decorative door panel of claim 7, further comprising at least one trim piece, which covers all peripheral edges of the at least one decorative sheet.

17. The decorative door panel of claim 16, wherein the at least one trim piece covers all intersections between tlie front surface of the glass panel and all peripheral edges of the at least one decorative sheet.

18. The decorative door panel of claim 7, further comprising at least one trim piece that covers an outer perimeter of the glass panel.

19. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein the at least one decorative sheet is thinner than the glass panel.

20. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein the glass panel and the decorative sheet appear from the front to be discrete panels.

21. The decorative door panel of claim 7, wherein the height and width of the glass panel approximately define a height and width of the decorative door panel.

22. A method of forming a decorative door panel comprising: applying at least one decorative sheet to a front surface of a glass panel, thereby leaving a portion of the front surface exposed, and thereby forming at least one intersection between the exposed surface and the at least one decorative sheet; and applying at least one trim piece to the decorative sheet and glass panel to conceal an intersection between the exposed portion of the glass panel and the decorative sheet.

23. A room partition comprising: a mounting assembly configured to be mounted to a substrate; and first and second decorative door panels mounted to the mounting assembly, the first and second decorative door panels each comprising a glass panel having a height and a width, the glass panel defining a front surface that is at least partially exposed, at least one decorative sheet laminated to the front surface of the glass panel, the at least one decorative sheet having at least one edge that defines an intersection with the front surface of the glass panel, and at least one trim piece mounted to the door in front of the mtersection to conceal the intersection, wherein the first decorative door panel is movably mounted to the mounting assembly.

24. The room partition of claim 23, wherein the second decorative door panel is fixedly mounted to the mounting assembly.

25. The room partition of claim 23, wherein the first decorative door panel is slidably mounted to the mounting assembly.

26. The room partition of claim 23, wherein the at least one decorative sheet of each decorative door panel covers at least 25 % of the front surface of the respective glass panel.

27. The room partition of claim 23, wherein the at least one trim piece of each decorative door panel covers all intersections between the respective front surface of the respective glass panel and all peripheral edges of the respective at least one decorative sheet.

28. The room partition of claim 23, wherein the glass panel of one of the first and second decorative door panels defines a rear surface that is at least partially exposed, and wherein the one of the first and second decorative door panels further comprises at least one rear decorative sheet laminated to the rear surface of the glass panel, the at least one rear decorative sheet having at least one edge that defines a rear intersection with the rear surface of the glass panel.

29. The room partition of claim 28, wherein the one of the first and second decorative door panels further comprises at least one rear trim piece mounted to the rear intersection to conceal the rear intersection.