Patent Application
20210040790
Door seals with rodent resistant barrier; mounting and shielding strips for the mounting of such seals and for the protection of door leaves; mounting tools for mounting such door seals and mounting and shielding strips; assemblies including such door seals; methods for rodent proofing doors and protecting door leaves.
The disclosure relates to oblong blade seals and seal assemblies for sealing a space A) between a building part—e.g. an edge of a door leaf—and an adjacent surface B) between a wall and an adjacent surface and/or C) between a fence and an adjacent surface in particular for sealing the threshold gaps of doors to avoid entrance of for example unwanted animals, insects, or water—especially unwanted rodents such as rats and mice. The unwanted water may include sewage water, rain water and water from flooding. The seals and seal assemblies may also help in controlling the physical atmosphere within a room behind the door by restricting air drafts and by reducing heat transfer so that the interior may be more effectively heated or cooled. The disclosure also relates to A) separate mounting and shielding strips for mounting said seals on door leaves and for protecting the door leaves, B) a tool for mounting said seals and said mounting and shielding strips, and C) methods for at the same rodent proofing doors and protecting door leaves by mounting said door seals and mounting and shielding strips.
A general problem of building design relates to the dual issues of excluding inclement weather and animals or vermin from entering or impacting the interior when the entryway is shut. There is a need for better door seals. The seal according to the aspects of the disclosed embodiments meet this need. Compared with existing seals it furthermore presents a considerable number of other substantial advantages. Below these advantages are explained in further detail.
The seal according to the aspects of the disclosed embodiments are an oblong blade seal of a flexible outer material with a rat and/or mice resistant barrier made of a plurality of elongated metal members in the form of A) metal wires, B) narrow metal strips or C) a combination of metal wires and narrow metal strips embedded in the part of the seal with the sealing function (the sealing section), where the elongated metal members are arranged at a distance to each other and substantially in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the seal and where at least one of the elongated metal members is provided with 3 or more bends.
The expressions “door leaf”, “door wing”, “door panel” and (when used about a double door) “door half” are used interchangeably and mean one and the same thing, namely the e.g. board shaped part of the door, which moves when opening and closing the door.
The expression “the threshold bap” means the gap between the bottom edge of a door leaf in closed position and the underlying surface.
The expression “the threshold bottom surface” means the bottom surface of the threshold gap.
The expressions “door sill” and “threshold” are used interchangeably and mean one and the same thing namely a board or the like mounted under a door leaf in order to provide A) a suitable bottom surface of the threshold gap and B) a protruding edge, against which the door leaf can press when closed.
The expressions “the front of a door” and “the front of a door leaf” means the side of the door/door leaf pointing in the direction, in which the door opens.
The expressions “the backside of a door” and “the backside of a door leaf” means the side of the door/door leaf pointing in the direction, in which the door closes.
The expression “in front of a door” means in front of the front of the door.
The expression “the overpassed ground” means the ground in front of a door which is overpassed by the door leaf when the door is opened and closed.
“Elongated metal members” means A) metal wires, including flexible multi stranded metal wires, such as braided or twisted wires and single stranded wires, B) narrow metal strips, and C) combinations of metal wires and narrow metal strips.
“Manual doors” are doors, which are opened and closed by human muscle power.
“Motorized doors” are doors, which are opened and closed by means of some sort of motor power. All automatic doors are motorized. Some hand-controlled doors are motorized. Many motorized doors are equipped with a security stop mechanism, which can stop the closing of the door, when the hand of a person or some other obstacle is detected by a sensor.
“Automatic doors” are motorized doors which are opened and closed automatically by a movement sensor, when it senses someone coming sufficiently close to the door.
“Hand controlled doors” are doors which are opened and closed by a person e.g. by pressing a button—as opposed to automatically by a movement sensor. All manual doors are hand controlled. Some motorized doors are hand controlled.
When a hinged swing door has been mounted in a building there will often be a significant gap between the bottom edge of the door leaf in closed position and the threshold bottom surface, i.e. a significant threshold gap. There are primarily 3 reasons for that:
A significant threshold gap does unfortunately cause problems. It cannot keep out pests, wind and water. Furthermore, it is an undesirable thermal bridge. Such problems can often be reduced substantially by mounting a threshold with a protruding edge, towards which the lowermost part of the door leaf can press when in closed position. In many cases that is, however, not a useful option. This is e.g. not the case when goods are to be transported in and out of the door on pallet jacks. For in such cases a threshold would soon get smashed. Furthermore, the goods would often drop from the pallet jack, when it was to pass over the threshold. For these reasons there is very often in many shops a door to the storage room with a significant threshold gap without any compensating threshold.
Such significant threshold gaps without compensating thresholds is a big problem, especially because it provides free access for rats and mice. Thus, a rat only needs 20 mm in order to enter under a door leaf and a mice can do with as little as 6 mm.
Rats and mice are capable of transmitting very dangerous contagious diseases, which can be transferred to humans via foods. Therefore, food enterprises are in many countries subject to one or more of the following requirements, which are aimed at reducing the risk for transfer of diseases to humans, when a rat or mouse has entered the premises of the food enterprise: A) The rat or mouse must be caught. B) All foods, which the rat or mouse may have been in contact with, must be destroyed. C) All parts of the enterprise, with which the rat or mouse may have been in contact, must be disinfected. D) The enterprise must close until the problem has been thoroughly solved.
Solving the problem is usually very costly and may run into several hundred thousand USD. Therefore, the annual losses due to rats and mice entering food enterprises are extremely high.
Although the main problem with rats and mice entering buildings through insufficiently sealed threshold gaps of doors has been known for more than a century there is still a substantial need for a better solution. In many countries the standard solution is for example the mounting of door seals in the form or high-density brushes integrated in a mounting strip of aluminum even though it is well known that they cannot keep out rats and mice.
The reason why the main problem has not been solved effectively long ago in spite of the seriousness and economic impact of the problem is undoubtedly, that an effective solution has to live up to a number of requirements, which are hard to meet simultaneously. Thus, when the door is a hinged swing door and the threshold gap is to be secured against rats and mice, an effective door seal must live up to the following minimum requirements:
It is far from obvious how one can at the same time meet all the above requirements. The door seal described in the international patent application PCT/DK2017/050401 constitutes a major step in the right direction. However, as explained in relation to the 2nd aspect in section 4.G below there is room for improvement especially in relation to the proofing of the threshold gap of hinged swing doors and to some extent also the threshold gap of folding doors and rotating doors.
The solution according to the aspects of the disclosed embodiments have been tested. The tests covered both durability and ability to resist prolonged attacks from rats. The tests were successful, and it is, therefore, substantiated that the aspects of the disclosed embodiments actually does solve the main problem in an effective way.
It is of course a substantial advantage that the main problem has been solved in a satisfactory way. On top of that the aspects of the disclosed embodiments offer several other advantages.
For example, when the doors are hinged swing doors and the door seals are mounted horizontally on the bottom parts of the door leaves in order to seal their underlying threshold gaps, the door seals according to one or more embodiments of the first and second aspects of the disclosed embodiments have the following other advantages compared to one or more of the door seals presently on the market:
The above is for presentation purposes limited to hinged swing doors. However, the aspects of the disclosed embodiments have a broader field of application and can with several of the abovementioned advantages also be used for other doors including bifold doors, folding doors and rotating doors.
On the face of it one would think that ordinary solid and single stranded steel wires is the logical and best choice when choosing elongated metal members for a door seal according to the present disclosure. This is because A) such wires provide better protection against rat attacks than multi stranded wires consisting of a plurality of much thinner and less gnaw resistant steel wires and B) such wire is a cheap standard product which can be bought in the form of 5 or 2.3 km long coils, which are very suitable for being used in an extrusion process.
However, the surface of ordinary solid and single stranded steel wires is smooth and in a practical implementation it has unexpectedly been found that this may generate a problem under very special circumstances. Thus, when a door seal according to the present disclosure with such smooth wires has been mounted horizontally on the bottom part of a hinged door in order to secure the threshold gap, and the door seal several thousand times hits a serious obstacle in front of the door during the opening and closing of the door, some of the lowest positioned of the wires (closest to the threshold bottom surface) may gradually be forced out of one end of the door seal. The same problem may arise when the door seal is mounted on the door leaves of bifold doors, folding doors and rotating doors.
There are several ways, in which this problem may be solved or at least reduced. In the international patent application PCT/DK2017/050401 the following is suggested:
The above on how to solve the unexpected problem associated with the use of solid single stranded wires with a smooth surface apply mutatis mutandis to narrow metal strips with a similar smooth surface.
As explained below in section 4.G in relation to the 2nd aspect there has been invented an alternative and more effective way of solving the problem.
Electronically controlled doors such as automatic hinged swing doors and automatic sliding doors are normally equipped with a safety function, which stops the opening or closing of the door, if during the opening or closing an unusually resistance is registered. This is because such an unusual resistance may be caused by a person being hit by the opening or closing door leaf.
When a door seal according to the present disclosure is mounted on such an electronically controlled door, the bottom part of the door seal may during opening or closing of the door come in contact with the threshold bottom surface or the overpassed ground in such a way, that it generates so much friction and resistance, that the safety function is triggered, and the opening or closing stops. This is not desirable. In order to solve this problem, the door seal must be equipped with something that reduces the friction and resistance without at the same time giving unrestricted access for pests and the wind. A solution to the problem is to secure short brushes or fibers to the bottom part of the door seal or to integrate the short brushes or fibers in the bottom part of the door seal. It may be integrated by means of a slot formed in the flexible outer material, in which a brush strip can fit.
A brush strip or fiber strip may also be secured to the door seal e.g. by means of a slot in the flexible outer material in order to make the door seal better at sealing indentations in an uneven or rough threshold bottom surface.
According to a first aspect of the disclosed embodiments there is provided an oblong blade door seal of a flexible outer material comprising a plurality of substantially parallel elongated metal members in the form of A) metal wires, B) narrow metal strips or C) combinations of metal wires and narrow metal strips embedded in the flexible outer material with the elongated metal members arranged substantially in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the seal and at some distance to each other. The main purpose of the seal is to repel A) animals such as rodents including mice and rats B), insects, and C) water. The seal may also help in controlling the physical atmosphere within a building by restricting air drafts, so the interior may be more effectively heated or cooled. The purpose of the elongated metal members is to secure against rodents such as rats and mice gnawing their way through the seal. The elongated metal members do in other words serve as a barrier.
In a possible implementation form, the seal comprises a first section intended to seal a space or gap (the sealing section) and a second section (the mounting section) to be mounted on a door in a building. The mounting section may be made of another material than the sealing section and may be with or without the embedded elongated metal members, while the sealing section must be with a plurality of the embedded elongated metal members. The structure of the seal may be symmetric with an entirely uniform structure so there is no apparent difference between the sealing section and the mounting section and it is up to the user to decide which part the user wishes to use as the mounting section for mounting purposes.
Each of the seals 101 and 201 has a flexible outer material with a first side part 102a, 202a and a second side part 102b, 202b encompassing a plurality of embedded metal wires 103, 203, where each of the wires 103, 203 run substantially in parallel to each other. The flexible seals 101, 201 have a longitudinal extension, and the metal wires 103, 203 run substantially in the longitudinal direction of the seal 101, 201. The substantially parallel metal wires 103, 203 are arranged at a distance to each other, and it is preferred that the metal wires 103, 203 are arranged with a substantially equal spacing. It is preferred that the flexible outer material 102a, 102b, 202a, 202b encompasses the embedded parallel metal wires 103, 203 only.
The upper part of the seal 101 with the uppermost 4 metal wires may serve as the mounting section while the lower part with the lowermost 5 metal wires may serve as the sealing section and vice versa.
The flexible outer material 102a, 102b, 202a, 202b may have a flattened form with a substantially constant or uniform thickness. The flexible outer material 102a, 102b, 202a, 202b may be made of a material selected from: A) a flexible polymer or plastic material, such as flexible polyvinyl chloride, PVC, and/or a flexible rubber material B) a flexible polymer material, which may be a material comprising a natural polymer material such as rubber and/or a synthetic polymer material such as synthetic rubber or a thermoplastic material or a polyvinyl chloride, PVC, material, and C) a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) such as a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV)—e.g. Santoprene™, such as Santoprene™ 201-73.
The ratio between the thickness of the flexible outer material 102a, 102b, 202a, 202b and the Shore A hardness score of the flexible outer material (indirectly reflecting the flexibility of the material) may be in such a way that the result of a multiplication of the predominant thickness in mm by the Shore A score is a number in the range of 175-275, such as 190-275, such as 200-260, such as 210-250 such as 220-240.
The flexible outer material may have a thickness in the range of 2 to 30 mm, such as in the range of 2 to 20 mm, such as in the range of 2 to 10 mm, such as in the range of 2 to 5 mm, such as in the range of 2.5 to 4 mm, such as about 3 mm. The Shore A hardness score of the outer flexible material may be 45-90 such as 60-90, such as 65-88 such as 70-85, such as about 78.
The wires 103, 203 may be arranged at a distance to each other which is no larger than 20 mm, such as no larger than 19 mm, such as no larger than 18 mm, such as no larger than 17 mm, such as no larger than 15 mm, such as no larger than 12 mm, such as no larger than 10 mm, such as no larger than 9 mm, such as no larger than 8 mm, such as no larger than 7 mm, such as no larger than 6 mm, such as no larger than 5 mm, such as no larger than 4 mm, such as no larger than 3 mm, or such as no larger than 2 mm.
In a possible implementation form at least part of the wires 103, 203 in the sealing section are arranged at a distance to the nearest wire (i.e. to the neighboring wire) being no larger than 20 mm, such as no larger than 19 mm, such as no larger than 18 mm, such as no larger than 17 mm, such as no larger than 15 mm, such as no larger than 12 mm, such as no larger than 10 mm, such as no larger than 9 mm, such as no larger than 8 mm, such as no larger than 7 mm, such as no larger than 6 mm, such as no larger than 5 mm, such as no larger than 4 mm, such as no larger than 3 mm, or such as no larger than 2 mm.
In order to use the seals 101, 201 as a seal barrier for vermin and pests, such as rats or mice, the wires shall be dimensioned and made of a material, which the rats and/or mice cannot bite their way through. Thus, the wires shall have a thickness and be made of a material, which the rats and/or mice cannot bite through, and also the distance between the wires shall be so small, that the rats and/or mice cannot move in between the wires, even if they gnaw off the flexible outer material.
The wires 103, 203 or some of them may be made of a selection of the following materials or alloys thereof: a) iron b) steel c) stainless steel d) spring steel e) welding wire filler metal such as 308L, 316L, 309L and 347 filler metal. The wires 103, 203 or some of them may a) be flexible multi stranded metal wires, such as braided or twisted wires with a natural uneven surface or b) single stranded wires with a smooth surface or an uneven surface. The metal wires 103, 203 or some of them can also be narrow metal strips having a width, which may be substantially equal to the thickness of the narrow metal strips, or in the range of one to three times the thickness of the narrow metal strips.
When using spring steel for the metal wires 103, 203 the seal 101, 201 gets an improved resistance against strokes or collisions. Moreover, a protruding part of a mounted seal with wires of spring steel is less likely to harm passing persons because of the extra flexibility and bending qualities.
The wires 103, 203 may have a thickness or diameter equal to or no less than 0.4 mm, equal to or no less than 0.6 mm, equal to or no less than 0.7 mm, equal to or no less than 0.8 mm, equal to or no less than 0.9 mm, equal to or no less than 1 mm, equal to or no less than 1.1 mm, equal to or no less than 1.2 mm, equal to or no less than 1.3 mm, equal to or no less than 1.4 mm, equal to or no less than 1.5 mm, equal to or no less than 1.6 mm, equal to or no less than 1.7 mm, equal to or no less than 1.8 mm, equal to or no less than 1.9 mm, equal to or no less than 2.0 mm, equal to or no less than 2.1 mm, equal to or no less than 2.2 mm, equal to or no less than 2.4 mm, equal to or no less than 2.7 mm, or equal to or no less than 3 mm.
When the wires 103, 203 are metal strips, the metal strips may have a width equal to or no less than 0.6 mm, equal to or no less than 0.8 mm, equal to or no less than 1 mm, equal to or no less than 1.5 mm, equal to or no less than 2 mm, or equal to or no less than 2.5 mm.
The seals 101, 201 may have a width in the range of 1.5 to 30 cm, such as in the range of 2 to 25 cm, such as in the range of 2 to 20 cm, such as in the range of 2 to 15 cm, such as in the range of 4 to 10 cm, such as in the range of 5 to 9 cm, such as about 6 cm or about 8 cm.
By having the metal wires 103, 203 running substantially in parallel, the seal 101, 201 can relatively easily bend or flex around an axis substantially parallel to the metal wires 103, 203 and the longitudinal direction of the seal, while bending or flexing around an axis perpendicular to the parallel metal wires 103, 203 and the longitudinal direction of the seal will also be possible but to a lesser extent. The flexibility around the axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the blade seal is substantially larger than the flexibility around the axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the seal.
The main difference between the first seal 101 and the second seal 201 is that for the first seal 101, metal wires 103 are provided at a distance to each other in the whole width of the seal 101, while for the second seal 201, only a part of the seal 201 has metal wires 203 running substantially parallel to each other.
When using the flexible seal 201 mounted with a separate or integrated mounting strip on a door, it is not necessary to have metal wires in the mounting section. Thus, there is only need for having metal wires in the sealing section.
It is preferred that the mounting section of the seal 201 has a maximum width equal to or no less than one fifth of the maximum width of the sealing section, equal to or no less than one quarter of the maximum width of the sealing section, equal to or no less than one third of the maximum width of the sealing section, equal to or no less than half of the maximum width of the sealing section, equal to or no less than two thirds of the maximum width of the sealing section, equal to or no less than three quarters of the maximum width of the sealing section, or equal to or no less than the whole width of the sealing section.
In a specific embodiment the seal 201 has a total width of about 75 mm, the width of the sealing section is 58 mm, the mounting section has a width of 17 mm, and the width from the bottom of the seal 201 to the lowermost metal wire 203 is 3 mm. Here, the seal 201 has a thickness of 3 mm, the metal wires are made of 308L welding wire with a diameter of 1 mm, the distance between neighboring metal wires 203 is about 5 mm, and the total number of metal wires is 10.
In a specific embodiment the seal 101 has a total width of about 60 mm and the distance from each of the edges of the seal 101 to the nearest metal wire 103 is about 3 mm. The seal 101 has a thickness of 3 mm. The metal wires 103 are made of stainless spring steel with a diameter of 1 mm. The distance between neighboring metal wires 103 is about 5 mm, and the total number of metal wires is 10.
It is within an embodiment of the disclosure that the distance from the lowermost arranged metal wire 103, 203 to the lower edge of the seal 101, 201 is smaller than the distance between neighboring arranged metal wires 103, 203. Thus, the distance from the lowermost arranged metal wire 103, 203 to the lower edge of the seal 101, 201 may be in the range of ⅔ to ⅓ or about half or below half of the distance between neighboring arranged metal wires 103, 203. If the wires 103, 203 for example are arranged at a distance to each other, which distance is at least 4 mm, such as 4 mm or 5 mm the distance from the lowermost arranged metal wire 103, 203 to the lower edge of the seal 101, 201 may be about 2 mm. If the wires 103, 203 are arranged at a distance to each other about 5 mm, the distance from the lowermost arranged metal wire 103, 203 to the lower edge of the seal 101, 201 may be about 2 mm or 3 mm or in the range of 2-3 mm.
The flexible seals 101, 201 may have been produced by a single extrusion process or in a single insert molding process, in which case the first side parts 102a and 202a and the second side parts 102b and 202b constitute one single outer material, in which the wires 103, 203 are embedded. One material may be used for the sealing section and another for the mounting section. If so, one of the materials must be provided by on ore more inlets to the extruder or the mold while one or more other inlets must be used for providing the other material in such a way that one of the materials ends up in the sealing section and the other material ends up in the mounting section. The profile of the extruded seal is determined by the design of the outlet part of the extrusion die. Each of the wires may be fed into the extrusion die in the same way as wires are fed into an extrusion die when producing plastic covered electric cables. The crosshead extrusion process which is widely used for coating wires and cables may be used.
In a possible implementation form, the number of metal wires 103, 203 in the seal 101, 201 is at least 2, such as at least 3, such as at least 4, such as at least 5, such as at least 6, such as at least 7, such as at least 9, such as at least 10, such as at least 11, such as at least 13.
The number of metal wires 103, 203 in the sealing section is at least 2, such as at least 3, such as at least 4, such as at least 5, such as at least 6, such as at least 7, such as at least 9, such as at least 10.
In a possible implementation form of the seal 101, there are at least 2 metal wires 103 in the mounting section, such as at least 3, such as at least 4, such as at least 6, such as at least 8. One purpose of the wires in the mounting section is to reinforce the section in order to make mounting without a mounting strip an operational option e.g. so it becomes possible to mount the seal 101 securely by means of facade screws with screw heads spanning over at least two neighboring wires embedded in the mounting section. Another purpose is to make it possible to reuse a used seal 101 with a worn out or damaged sealing section by inverting it, so the former mounting section becomes the sealing section with a barrier of metal wires 103, and the former sealing section becomes the mounting section with reinforcing wires 103.
The flexible seals 101, 201 may be integrated into a stiff mounting strip of metal such as aluminum. However, it is preferred that they are not integrated into such a stiff mounting strip. The flexible seals 101, 201 may have a smooth and easy to clean surface.
One side of the mounting section of the seal 101, 201 may be provided with double sided tape which can hold the seal in place during the mounting process A) so the user does not need to use one hand for holding the door seal in place while mounting and B) the user can use both hands for handling tools, fasteners and—if the seal is to mounted with a separate mounting strip—a mounting strip.
The elongated metal members of
A brush strip or fiber strip may as described in section 4.E be secured to the door seal (101 or 201) e.g. by means of a slot in the flexible outer material (102a, 102b, 202a and 202b).
In
The object of the aspects of the disclosed embodiments are achieved in accordance with a second aspect by providing a seal according to any of the possible implementation forms of the first aspect for sealing a space between an edge of a door (e.g. the edge of a door leaf) and an adjacent surface such as the threshold gap of a hinged swing door, a bifold door, a folding door, or a rotating door. The door may be a manual door, an automatic motorized door or a hand operated motorized door.
An implementation form of this second aspect is illustrated in
The seal assembly 500 of
By having the flexible end parts 504a and 504b, the flexible seal 501 can be arranged with the end parts 504a, 504b protruding from one or on both sides of the door leaf edge, to thereby obtain a close seal to the lower part of the frame of the door (i.e. of the 2 door jambs).
The adjacent threshold bottom surface 510 may be a ground surface, a floor surface, a concrete surface, a threshold or a door sill and the gap may be the threshold gap. The adjacent surface may also be a door jamb. Furthermore, if the door is a double door with 2 door leaves the adjacent surface may also be the other door leaf.
The door leaf (507) may be the door leaf A) of a hinged swing door, a bifold door, a folding door or a rotating door, and B) of a manual door, an automatic motorized door or a hand operated motorized door.
The connecting plate (506) may be a mounting strip of any of the implantation forms of the 5th aspect described in section 4.J.
The assembly may comprise an elongated brush strip mounted in a slot formed in the flexible outer material of the door seal.
A specific implementation form of the assembly could comprise:
When a straight (not bend) door seal with a barrier of solid single stranded wires is mounted on the bottom of the door leaf of a hinged swing door in order to seal the threshold gap, it is as previously described an unexpected problem, that there under very special circumstances is a risk that the lowermost wires may be forced out of an end of the door seal. Similar problems may be experienced when such door seals are mounted in a similar way on a folding door, on a bifold door or on a rotating door. The problem may arise both when the door is a manual door and when it is motorized.
The problem may be solved or at least reduced if the friction between the lowermost wires and the flexible outer material is increased e.g. by securing better adhesion of the flexible outer material to the wires. One way of obtaining this is to use solid single stranded wires with an uneven surface e.g. wires with a deformed surface.
The problem may also be solved or at least reduced by bending at least one part of the door seal, as this can also provide an increased friction between wires and outer flexible material.
The mounting of a bent end part of the door seal on an edge of the door leaf provides the added advantage that it seals the part of the threshold gap between the edge in question and the threshold bottom surface. This is especially of importance, when there is a gap of 6 mm or more between A) the hinged edge or the leading edge in question and B) the adjacent door jamb, as such a gap provides sufficient space for a mouse to pass through the gap and thereafter under the edge of the door leaf.
On
The friction between wires and outer flexible material may also be increased in order to solve or reduce the problem if at least a part of at least one of the metal wires is provided with 3 or more stable bends e.g. stable bends selected from: a) a curve-shaped bend, b) a bulging deformation, c) a wave-shaped bend and d) a wave-like deformation. This solution to the problem is very effective and far more effective than some the other solutions, which are only capable of reducing the problem. The solution with metal wires provided with 3 or more stable bends is therefore preferred. It may be combined with one or more of the other above strategies for reducing or solving the problem.
The number of said metal wires (300) provided with said stable bends may be at least 1, such as at least 2, such as at least 3, such as at least 4, such as at least 5, such as at least 7, such as at least 9.
Said stable bends may be evenly distributed over the whole length of the wire (300).
When the bends are wave-shaped, one bend shall be considered to correspond to one wave i.e. spanning one whole wave-length. When the beds are not wave-shaped, one bend shall be considered to be whatever looks most like a wave-shaped bend.
The number of said bends of said metal wires (300) may be at least 3 such as at least 5, such as at least 10, such as at least 15, such as at least 20, such as at least 30, such as at least 40, such as at least 50, such as at least 70, such as at least 100, such as at least 150, such as at least 200.
The number of said stable bends per meter metal wire (300) may be at least 3 such as at least 5, such as at least 10, such as at least 15, such as at least 20, such as at least 30, such as at least 40, such as at least 50, such as at least 70, such as at least 100, such as at least 150, such as at least 200.
When said stable bends are wave-shaped the peak amplitude measured from the core of the wire (300) may be at least 0.05 mm, such as at least 0.1 mm, such as at least 0.15 mm, such as at least 0.2 mm, such as at least 0.25 mm, such as at least 0.4 mm, such as at least 0.7 mm, such as at least 1 mm, such as at least 1.5 mm, such as at least 2 mm.
When said stable bends are wave-shaped the peak amplitude measured from the core of the wire (300) may be no more than 10 mm, such as no more than 8 mm such as no more than 6 mm, such as no more than 4 mm, such as no more than 3 mm, such as no more than 2 mm, such as no more than 1 mm.
When said stable bends are wave-shaped the wavelength of the waves may be at least 2 mm, such as at least 3 mm, such as at least 4 mm, such as at least 5 mm, such as at least 6 mm, such as at least 7 mm, such as at least 10 mm, such as at least 12 mm, such as at least 15 mm.
When said stable bends are wave-shaped the wavelength of the waves may be no more than 30 mm, such as no more than 25 mm such as no more than 20 mm, such as no more than 15 mm, such as no more than 10 mm, such as no more than 8 mm.
When said stable bends are not wave-shaped the measure corresponding to the peak amplitude of a wave-shaped bend measured from the core of the wire may be at least 0.05 mm, such as at least 0.1 mm, such as at least 0.15 mm, such as at least 0.2 mm, such as at least 0.25 mm, such as at least 0.4 mm, such as at least 0.7 mm, such as at least 1 mm, such as at least 1.5 mm, such as at least 2 mm.
When said stable bends are not wave-shaped the measure corresponding to the peak amplitude of a wave-shaped bend measured from the core of the wire may be no more than 10 mm, such as no more than 8 mm such as no more than 6 mm, such as no more than 4 mm, such as no more than 3 mm, such as no more than 2 mm, such as no more than 1.5 mm.
When said stable bends are not wave-shaped the measure corresponding to the wavelength of a wave-shaped bend may be at least 2 mm, such as at least 3 mm, such as at least 4 mm, such as at least 5 mm, such as at least 6 mm, such as at least 7 mm, such as at least 10 mm, such as at least 12 mm, such as at least 15 mm.
When said stable bends are not wave-shaped the measure corresponding to the wavelength of a wave-shaped bend may be no more than 30 mm, such as no more than 25 mm such as no more than 20 mm, such as no more than 15 mm, such as no more than 10 mm, such as no more than 8 mm.
When said stable bends are wave-shaped the ratio between the abovementioned number of bends per meter and the abovementioned peak amplitude measured from the core of the wire may be such that the result of a multiplication of said number of bends per meter and said peak amplitude in mm is A) a number in the range of 5-200, such as 10-150, such as 20-100, such as 40-80, such as 50-60 or B) a number in the range of 5-100, such as 10-60, such as 20-40, or C) a number in the range of 70-95.
When said stable bends are not wave-shaped the ratio between the abovementioned number of bends per meter and the abovementioned measure corresponding to the peak amplitude of a wave-shaped bend measured from the core of the wire may be such that the result of a multiplication of said number of bends per meter and said measure in mm is A) a number in the range of 5-200, such as 10-150, such as 20-100, such as 40-80 such as 50-60 or B) a number in the range of 5-100, such as 10-60, such as 20-40, or C) a number in the range of 70-95.
Said bends 904 extend substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the lengthwise and width-wise directions of the door seal 901.
Minimum bends e.g. in the form of bulging or wavelike deformations of an embedded metal wire 903 is needed in order to maintain the position of the metal wire 903 within the flexible material 902. For the seal 901 of
If the height difference of said bends e.g. in the form of bulging or wavelike deformations 904 gets too large, the metal wire 903 may work itself through the flexible material 902 surrounding the wire 903. Partly because of this, it is preferred that the difference in height between a top part 905 and a consecutive bottom part 906 is no larger than 5 times the diameter or thickness of the metal wire, such as no larger than 4 times the diameter or thickness, such as no larger than 3 times the diameter or thickness.
In order for the metal wire 903 to be held in position within the seal 901, the distance from one bend e.g. wavelike deformation 904 to the neighbouring bend e.g. wavelike deformation shall not be too large. Partly because of this, it is preferred that the distance between two neighbouring tops 905 of the bulging or wavelike deformations 904 is no larger than 20 times the diameter or thickness of the metal wire 903, such as no larger than 17 times the diameter or thickness, such as no larger than 15 times the diameter or thickness, such as no larger than 12 times the diameter or thickness, or such as about 8 times the diameter or thickness.
If the distance from one of said bends 904 to the neighbouring bend gets too small, the metal wire 903 may work itself through the flexible material 902. Partly because of this, it is preferred that the distance between two neighbouring tops 905 of the bends 904 is at least 4 times the diameter or thickness of the metal wire 903, such as at least 5 times, such as at least 6 times.
The seal 901 of
The seal 501 in
The metal wires (300 and 903) mentioned in all the above implementation forms of the 2nd aspect may also be A) narrow metal strips or B) combinations of metal wires and narrow metal strips.
A specific implementation form of the flexible door seal of this 2nd aspect could be a 3.2 mm thick, 62 mm broad and 1 m long extruded blade door seal with a flattened form and substantially uniform thickness for rodent proofing the threshold gap under the door leaf of a manual single hinged swing door in a building,
The third aspect of the disclosed embodiments is a method of one or more of the following:
The threshold gap may be 1-50 mm high, such as 5-40 mm high, such as 5-35 mm, such as 10-30 mm. The door may be an exterior or an interior door.
The method may comprise one or more of the following steps:
The method may also comprise one or more of the following steps:
When the door is a double swing door the method may comprise the step of mounting 2 seals according to the 2nd aspect horizontally on the bottom parts of the 2 door leaves of the double door in order to seal the 2 threshold gaps under the 2 door leaves, in such a way that the end parts of the seals at least partly overlap where they meet in the middle of the double door when both door leaves are closed thereby closing at least a part of the gap between the two threshold gaps (i.e. the space under the bottom of the astragal gap between the two door leaves) and possibly also the lowermost part of the astragal gap. The 2 door seals may likewise be mounted so they adjoin instead of overlapping.
When the door is a single swing door the method may comprise the step of mounting a blade seal horizontally at the bottom of the door leaf in such a way A) that said door seal is mounted on the front of the door leaf and protrudes from the leading edge of the door leaf and overlaps at least a part of the lock jamb of the door or B) that said door seal is mounted on the backside of the door leaf and protrudes from the hinged edge of the door leaf and overlaps at least a part of the hinge jamb of the door.
When using a mounting and shielding strip with a chamfered or beveled end piece, and the door is a hinged swing door, the method may comprise the step of placing said end piece adjacent to the hinge door jamb, on which the door leaf is hinged.
When using a mounting and shielding strip with a chamfered or beveled end piece with an oversized predrilled hole close to said end piece, and the door is a hinged swing door, the method may comprise the following: A) placing said end piece adjacent to the hinge door jamb, on which the door leaf is hinged and B) using an oversized screw or rivet in said oversized predrilled hole. Alternatively the method may comprise the step of mounting a screw bolt through a predrilled hole close to said end piece and through the door leaf with a corresponding nut on the opposite side of the door leaf.
A specific embodiment of the method could comprise
The type of door seals of the 2nd aspect where at least a part of at least one of the metal members e.g. metal wires is provided with 3 or more stable bends e.g. bends selected from: a) a curve-shaped bend, b) a bulging deformation, c) a wave-shaped bend and d) a wave-like deformation may according to a fourth aspect be produced by first producing a flat and straight seal e.g. a seal similar to the type of seals shown in
The flat and straight seal 1010 may be placed on the feed support 1007 between the teeth 1003, 1004 of the two gear-wheels or corrugating rolls 1001, 1002 with the embedded metal members e.g. wires extending substantially perpendicular to the rotation axes 1005, 1006. The flat and straight seal 1010 can then be passed between the at least partly interconnecting teeth 1003, 1004 of the two gear-wheels or corrugating rolls 1001, 1002 while these are rotated, whereby pressure is provided on both sides of the seal 1010 by the teeth 1003, 1004 of the gear-wheels or corrugating rolls 1001, 1002. This pressure provides a number of consecutive bends e.g. bulging or wavelike deformations in the now deformed seal 1009. The conveying speed may be 10 cm to 20 meter per minute such as 20 cm to 5 m per minute, such as around 1 meter per minute.
The exact configuration of the method will depend a lot on the dimensions and other qualities of the flat and straight seal. What is said above is at least relevant to the seal described in example 4.G.2.
The abovementioned flat and straight seal may have been produced by an extrusion process or by insert molding. How to do that is described in the 2 PCT applications PCT/DK/2017/050400 (WO/2018/099532) and PCT/DK/2017/050401 (WO/2018/099533)
In a possible implementation form of the fourth aspect, the flat and straight seal has been produced by an extrusion process or an insert molding process comprising the following step: At least one of the elongated metal members is heated to a temperature in the range of 175 to 225° C. before A) being fed into the extruder die or B) placed in the insert molding die.
The purpose of the heating of the elongated metal members is to secure a better attachment of the flexible outer material to the elongated metal members.
In a possible implementation form of the fourth aspect at least one of the metal members of the flat and straight seal is a solid single stranded metal wire, a multi stranded metal wire or a solid narrow metal strip which is at least partly deformed, roughed, surface treated or primed—e.g. at least partly fluted or grooved, chemically treated or etched, sandblasted, glass bead blasted, shot blasted, chromate coated, coated by a deformed coating material, coated by an adhesive coating, such as a brass alloy coating or coated by a primer coating such as a zinc chromate primer—before being embedded in the flexible outer material during the extrusion or insert molding process.
The number of pre-drilled mounting holes 1102 in the 20 cm of the mounting strip 1101 closest to one of the ends of the mounting strip may be at least 3, such as at least 4, such as at least 6, such as at least 8. The distance between at least one of said at least 3 holes and the neighboring hole in the said 20 cm may be 1-8 cm, such as 2-6 cm, such as about 3-5 cm. The distance between the ends of the mounting strip and the hole closest to the end may be 1-8 cm, such as 2-6 cm, such as about 3-5 cm.
When adapting the length of the mounting strip 1101 to the dimensions of the door leaf, the other building part, the fence or the wall, on which it is to be mounted, the user can cut off the relevant part of the (left) end with the high concentration of holes and be relatively sure to have a useful mounting hole conveniently close to both ends of the mounting strip.
The separate mounting strips 1101 and 1103 may be reused for mounting a new seal on the same surface (the mounting surface), when the seal already mounted by means of the mounting strip it to be replaced e.g. because the old seal has been worn out or damaged. The mounting strips 1101 and 1103 may be reused several times in this way. However, there is a limit to how many times the mounting strip 1101 and 1103 can be reused in this way using the same screw or rivet mounting holes in the surface, on which the seal and the mounting strip 1101 and 1103 is mounted. When such screw or rivet holes are worn out and can no longer be reused, it is, therefore, desirable that there are alternative predrilled mounting holes 1105 in the mounting strip close to the holes used for originally mounting the seal and the mounting strip 1103 on said surface, as this makes it easy to reuse the mounting strip 1103 in the described way with a new set of fresh mounting holes in said surface corresponding to the alternative mounting holes 1105 in the mounting strip 1103. Having such close alternative holes 1105 at least doubles the number of times, in which the mounting strip 1103 can be reused on the same surface in the described way.
It is preferred that the pre-drilled mounting holes 1101, 1104 and 1105 of the separate mounting strips of
The mounting strips serve a dual purpose as they do not only fixate the door seal to the door leaf but also protect both the door leaf and the door seal against colliding pallet lifters and other sorts of violent impact which may damage the door leaf and/or the door seal.
When the door leaf of a hinged swing door in a building has been provided with a door seal and a mounting and shielding strip on the backside of the door leaf in order to seal the horizontal threshold gap under the door leaf, and the door is open, there is a risk that the mounting and shielding strip (1101 or 1103) will be damaged e.g. bend if the end-surface (1106) of the mounting and shielding strip closest to the hinge door jamb, is hit by e.g. a heavy pallet lifter.
The risk may also be reduced A) by using oversized fasteners for fixating said end of the mounting and shielding strip on the door leaf e.g. by oversized screws or rivets with a diameter of at least 6 mm, such as at least 7 mm, such as at least 8 mm, such as at least 9 mm, such as at least 10 mm and ii) a diameter being at least and B) by making the predrilled hole (1110) or the two predrilled holes closest to said end surface correspondingly oversized e.g. to provide it (1110) or them with a diameter of at least 6 mm, such as at least 7 mm, such as at least 8 mm, such as at least 9 mm, such as at least 10 mm. Screws, rivets and predrilled holes shall in this context been seen as “oversized” if their diameter exceeds the average diameter of the majority of the used screws or rivets or the predrilled holes by at least 2 mm, such as at least 3 mm, such as at least 4 mm such as at least 5 mm. Another way of reducing the risk is to use a screw bolt and a corresponding nut with the screw bot going through the door leaf and the head of the screw bolt and the nut on opposite sides of the door leaf. The diameter of such a screw bolt could be at least 5 mm, such as at least 6 mm, such as at least 8 mm, such as at least 10 mm.
The risk of the mounting strip being hit and damaged by e.g. a pallet lifter may, be reduced by the addition of warning colors on at least a part of the mounting strip e.g. in the form of A) one or more warning colors painted on the mounting strip or B) warning colored tape taped on the mounting strip. Warning colors shall in this connection be understood as colors and combinations of colors usually used for warning purposes such as conspicuous, intense and bright colors e.g. red, orange or yellow and combinations of such colors and other colors e.g. stripes of yellow and black.
It is preferred that the predrilled holes are countersunk holes for countersunk screws as the use of countersunk screws will reduce the risk for the screw heads getting knocked off e.g. when hit by a pallet lifter.
A specific implementation form of the separate mounting and shielding strip of this 5th aspect could be
When mounting a door seal—e.g. a blade door seal according to the 2nd aspect of the disclosed embodiments—on the bottom part of a door leaf in order to seal the threshold gap under the door leaf it can be difficult for one person at the same time to hold the door seal in place and to fasten it to the door leaf with fasteners such as screws or rivets. That can be even more difficult if the person has to hold both the door seal and a separate mounting strip—e.g. a mounting strip according to the fifth aspect of the disclosed embodiments—in place while fastening both to the door leaf.
The width may be 30 to 50 mm, while the height is 30 to 50 mm and the thickness is 30 to 50 mm, In one implementation form the width is 35-45 mm, the height is 35-45 mm and the thickness is 35-45 mm.
At least one of the edges 1205 should be rounded in order to make the tool more user friendly than a tool with sharp edges. Preferably all the edges shall be rounded.
At least one of the corners 1206 should be rounded in order to make the tool more user friendly than a tool with pointed corners. Preferably all the corners shall be rounded.
During the mounting process A) the tool is placed on the ground close to the door seal, B) the door seal is placed between the door leaf and the tool and C) the tool is pressed up against the door seal, so the door seal becomes pressed up against the door leaf and is held in place there. Simultaneous use of 2 or 3 tools placed at a distance of 20-60 cm to each other is preferred.
The tool should be made from a heavy material in order to improve its ability to maintain its position on the ground when holding the door seal in place. Suitable materials are metals including iron, steel, stainless steel and brass. The weight of the tool may be at least 100 g, such as at least 200 g, such as at least 300 g, such as at least 400 g, such as at least 500 g.
The notches have a width 1209 and a height 1210.
When a separate mounting strip—e.g. a mounting strip according to the fifth aspect of the disclosed embodiments—is placed in one of the notches 1208, the mounting strip can be held in place in an elevated position at a distance from the underlying surface corresponding to the total height of the tool 1203 minus the height 1210 of the notch.
When provided with more than 1 notch, the notches may have different measures in order to make the tool more flexible and thereby useful A) for different combinations of door seals and mounting strips and B) under different mounting conditions such as different conditions in relation to unevenness of the underlying surface.
The width 1209 of a notch may be 1-10 mm, such as 2-7 mm, such as 3-6 mm, such as 4-5 mm. The height 1208 of a notch may be 10-60 mm, such as 12-40 mm, such as 14-30 mm, such as 15-25 mm, such as 18-22 mm.
The width 1209 of a notch may be 2 to 7 mm, while the height 1210 of the notch is 15 to 25 mm. In one implementation form the width is 3-5 mm and the height is 18 to 22 mm.
Three door seals according to the present disclosure were tested for their ability to resist persistent rat attacks. The test was designed and carried out by the independent Danish test institute Danish Technological Institute.
The door seals were (3 mm thick and 75 mm wide) made of Santoprene™ 201-73 (a TPV with a Shore A hardness score of 78) and solid single stranded steel wires with a diameter of 1 mm. These were the sole components of the door seals. Ten parallel steel wires were embedded in the Santoprene flexible outer material to form each door seal. The door seals were produced by simultaneous extrusion of the TPV Santoprene™ 201-73 and the steel wires. The distance between neighboring steel wires was 5 mm. The first steel wire was embedded 3 mm from one of the edges, and the tenth steel wire was embedded 17 mm from the opposite edge.
The 3 door seals were tested on a double swing door of steel with each door leaf mounted on 2 hinges. Each of the door leaves was 85 cm broad. The astragal gap i.e. the distance between the leading edges of the 2 door leaves when closed was 8 mm. A broad steel strip was mounted under the double door. The threshold gap i.e. the distance between the bottom edges of the 2 door leaves when closed and the underlying steel strip was approx. 45 mm.
The two rats used in the test were male rats of average size and in good health conditions. Danish Technological Institute provided the rats.
The bottom of the quadrangular test box, in which the double door was mounted, and in which the test was performed, was 1.8 meter by 1.5 meter. The test box was 0.6 meter high. On top of the box there was a plywood plate with Plexiglas windows, so the rats could be observed without taking off the top plate. Attached to one end of the test box there was a small cage where the 2 rats could sleep. Attached to the opposite end of the box there was another small cage, where food was served during the first week of the 2-week test period (the feeding cage). The double door was mounted in the middle of the test box and divided into 2 halves of equal size. The double door was closed during the entire 2 week test period.
The 3 door seals were mounted on the 2 door leaves by means of 3 mounting strips of stainless steel. The steel strips were 2 mm thick and 38 mm broad. The steel strips were fastened to the door leaves by rivets.
The 2 threshold gaps were covered by 2 door seals mounted horizontally on the bottom of the 2 door leaves. The astragal gap was covered by the 3rd door seal, which was mounted vertically on the active door leaf (i.e. the door leaf to be swung open first when opening the double door). The 2 horizontally mounted door seals partly overlapped with each other, where they met in the middle of the double door. The horizontal overlap was 7 mm.
The length of the 3 door seals was as follows: A) The door seal horizontally mounted on the active door leaf: 860 mm. B) The door seal vertically mounted on the active door leaf: 500 mm. C) The door seal horizontally mounted on the passive door leaf: 855 mm.
The 3 steel strips were mounted on the door leaves in line with the edges of the door leaves so no part of the steel strips covered any part of the astragal gap or the threshold gaps—except the end pieces of the horizontally mounted steel strips, which both covered 3 mm of the lowermost part of the astragal gap (leaving a 2 mm wide vertical gap between the end parts of the 2 steel strips). With the said exception the astragal gap and the threshold gaps were only covered by the door seals. The 2 horizontally mounted seals were mounted with their 17 mm wide sections containing no steel wires upwards. Said 17 mm wide sections were entirely covered by the steel strips—except in the very small part of the astragal gap, where the 2 door seals overlapped without being covered by the mounting strips. The uppermost 30 mm of the 2 horizontally mounted seals constituted the mounting section of said 2 door seals, while the lowermost 45 mm constituted the sealing section.
The test was performed over a 14 days period in May 2017. In the beginning of the test period none of the door seals were mounted. The rats could, therefore, freely pass under the door leaves through the 45 mm threshold gaps.
During the first 7 days, the rats were fed generously in the feeding cage. On day 8 the 3 door seals were mounted. They blocked the rats' access to the half of the test box, where the rats were used to be fed (the feeding half).
The next 7 days, the 2 rats were fed less generously, and they were fed in the half of the test box, where they slept (the sleeping half). Even though the diet was reduced, it was sufficient to keep them in good health and alert. The rats' favorite food such as an open sandwich with eggs and shrimps was placed on the bottom of the feeding half of the test box and a fan was placed behind the food in order to blow the smell of the food through chinks in the double door to the rats in the sleeping half.
The purpose of changing the diet and placing favorite food in the feeding half was to make them interested in overcoming the introduced obstacle between the 2 halves of the test box—i.e. to make them interested in attacking the door seals and entering the feeding half.
The 2 rats did—as they were supposed to—try to gnaw their way through the door seals. The rats succeeded in gnawing off several centimeters of the Santoprene™, but the partly bare steel wires maintained their ability to repel the attacks even though they had been laid open. The rats also attempted to push the horizontally mounted door seals up in order to pass under them, but that attempt was also unsuccessful. The door seals passed the test as the rats did not manage to enter the feeding half with their favorite foods.
i.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA201700744 | Dec 2017 | DK | national |
| PA201800009 | Jan 2018 | DK | national |
| PA201870153 | Mar 2018 | DK | national |
| PA201800160 | Apr 2018 | DK | national |
| PA201800238 | May 2018 | DK | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DK2018/050412 | 12/20/2018 | WO | 00 |
