Patent Application
20100000157
1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to interlocking door skins and a method of manufacturing a door. More particularly, the invention relates to door skins having a plurality of interlocking tabs which function to secure the door skins as a unit. Specifically, the invention relates to interlocking door skins which are secured to one another with a plurality of interlocking tabs and sealed together with glue in order to provide a heavy door which is easy to manufacture and will survive the rigors of industrial use.
2. Background Information
Doors in general, but industrial doors in particular, have suffered from a variety of defects which lead to dangerous operating conditions or unsatisfying build quality. Since wood is generally light and can be shaped and cut easily, wooden doors do not suffer from unsatisfying build quality. Nevertheless, wooden doors cannot withstand the harsh environments required of industrial applications and are therefore inappropriate.
Steel or metal doors, on the other hand, provide strength and the ability to withstand extreme environmental conditions. Due to the heavy material, the metal doors generally have a hollow cavity in order to substantially reduce the overall weight.
Traditionally, the metal door was manufactured with two door skins if the top and bottom pieces were manufactured integral to the respective door skins or four pieces if the top and bottom pieces were not integral to one of the door skins. One traditional method of manufacturing the door is to weld the pieces together at the seams. The welded door provides great resistance to the harsh environment and can generally withstand fires, but suffers from being a time consuming and costly procedure as well as unattractive.
The welded door is unattractive due to the welded seams which contain a variety of bumps and ridges from the welding process. Further, the welding process is generally unreliable and may cause material flexing and fitment issues due to the extreme heat required to weld the door together. Finally, the welded door is costly to produce because an acceptable door must be prepped for welding and then welded. Not only is welding expensive and time consuming, the unattractive seams that result must be sanded and polished to provide an acceptable finish. The sanding and polishing procedures are objectionable because they are both labor intensive and messy.
A second method of manufacturing a metal door is to use an adhesive. While the adhesive is easier, cheaper, and faster than welding, the adhesive is unable to endure the high heat of a fire and will melt, thereby posing a safety hazard. The process of adhering the doors skins with an adhesive still takes more time than is desired because the skins cannot be glued and then moved to the next processing station, but instead must remain untouched until the adhesive hardens. Further, if the doors are moved before the adhesive hardens, then the door skins will not be properly aligned and the door may have to be scraped, thereby increasing production costs. Thus there is a demonstrated need for an interlocking door assembly which is capable of being produced quickly and efficiently without welding and is able to withstand harsh environments as well as the extreme heat of a fire.
The door of the present invention comprises a first skin having a first mechanical connection means extending from a first wall and a second mechanical connection means, a second skin having a third mechanical connection means, an end cap having a fourth mechanical connection means, wherein the end cap is secured to the first skin upon sliding engagement of the first mechanical connection means and the fourth mechanical connection means; and wherein the second skin is secured to the first skin upon engagement of the second mechanical connection means and the third mechanical connection means. The engagement of the first mechanical connection means and the fourth mechanical connection means prevents removal of the end cap. The first skin further comprises a stop preventing movement of the end cap beyond the stop. The first mechanical connection means may be at least one locking tab, the second mechanical connection means may be at least one mounting slot, the third mechanical connection means may be at least one protrusion, and the fourth mechanical connection means may be at least one slot. The first mechanical connection means may be at least one slot, the second mechanical connection means may be at least one protrusion, the third mechanical connection means may be at least one mounting slot, and the fourth mechanical connection means may be at least one locking tab. The at least one mounting slot includes a positioning portion and a locking portion wherein the second skin is releasably secured to the first skin upon sliding engagement of the at least one protrusion form the positioning portion to the locking portion. The at least one mounting slot may be a plurality of mounting slots disposed about a periphery of the first skin. The end cap of the present invention includes a plurality of bosses and may be fixedly secured to the first skin with an adhesive and the second skin is fixedly secured to the first skin with an adhesive. The first skin includes at least one locating tab wherein the end cap is releasably secured within the locating tab.
The first skin further includes a second wall generally parallel to and adapted to be spaced away form the first wall by a side wall, wherein the side wall includes at is least one axial protrusion, a plurality of sliding locks, and at least one mounting hole. The present invention may further include at least one hinge reinforcement plate having at least one mounting slot, a plurality of locking slots, and at least one securing hole wherein the at least one hinge reinforcement plate is fixedly secured to the side wall upon sliding engagement of the at least one axial protrusion and the at least one mounting slot. The hinge reinforcement plate may be fixedly secured to the side wall upon sliding engagement of the plurality of sliding locks and the plurality of locking slots.
The method of manufacturing a door of the present invention comprises stamping a first skin with at least one locking tab and at least one mounting slot, stamping a second skin with at least one protrusion, stamping an end cap with at least one slot, applying a first layer of adhesive within the first skin, inserting the end cap within the first skin and in contact with the first adhesive, applying a second layer of adhesive on a top side of the end cap and the first skin, and disposing the second skin at least one protrusion within the at least one mounting slot and in contact with the second layer of adhesive. Alternatively, adhesive may be applied to the second skin directly. The method also includes stamping a side wall in the first skin, stamping at least one axial protrusion, a plurality of sliding locks, and at least one mounting hole in the side wall, and disposing a hinge reinforcement plate on the at least one axial protrusion and the plurality of sliding locks. The method further includes stamping a positioning portion and a locking portion in the at least one mounting slot and urging the second skin at least one protrusion within the at least one mounting slot from the positioning portion to the locking portion.
The preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrative of the best modes in which Applicant has contemplated applying the principles of the invention, are set forth in the following description and are shown in the drawings.
At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements of the invention. While the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention as claimed is not limited to the disclosed aspects.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods, devices, and materials are now described.
The interlocking door of the present invention is indicated generally at door assembly 30, as is particularly shown in
In accordance with one of the main features of the invention, door assembly 30 generally includes base skin 40, top skin 42, lower end cap 44, and upper end cap 46. Base skin 40 includes mounting slots 48 and top skin 42 includes protrusions 50.
Averting now to
In accordance with another the main features of the invention,
First wall 58 includes locking tab 64, locating tab 66, and mounting slots 48. Locking tab 64 has a first end 70 and second end 72. Preferably, first end 70 is generally parallel and located on the same plane as first wall 58. Second end 72 is preferably located above or below the plane of the first wall and is generally offset from first wall 58. Similar to locking tab 64, locating tab 66 includes a depressed end a flush end. However, the depressed and flush ends of locating tab 66 are generally the opposite of the locking tab ends and function only to limit the distance an object may be inserted within the base skin and to facilitate alignment of the inserted object. In a preferred embodiment, mounting slots 48 are generally located about the periphery of the base skin and include positioning portion 74 and locking portion 76 arranged to receive the protrusions of the top skin.
Referring to
Averting now to
Protrusions 50 must be designed and manufactured with certain specifications and tolerances to fit within the base skin mounting slots and still be releasably secured. Width 90 of the protrusions must be less than the width of positioning portion 74 but more than the width of locking portion 76. Width 92 of the protrusions must be less than both positioning portion 74 and locking portion 76. Advantageously, widths 90 and 92 allow the protrusions to be axially disposed within positioning portion 74 and then slid into locking portion 76. Further, height 94 of the protrusions must provide sufficient clearance to allow the base skin to fit between the protrusion and the top skin. Widths 90 and 92 and height 94 do not have to be any particular dimensions, but must be collectively scaled with the mounting slots to fit securely within the mounting slots. The top skin may be composed of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, polycarbonate, or any other suitable plastic or metal composition.
Averting now to
Having now described the structure of the interlocking door, a method of assembling the door will be described in detail. While the following is described as a series of steps, no particular order is to be inferred and is limited only by the appended claims.
Averting now to
Further,
Having now described structure and a method of assembling the interlocking door, a method of manufacturing the door will be described in detail and should be viewed in light of
Door assembly 30 is manufactured by stamping base skin 40 with locking tabs 64, mounting slots 48 having positioning portions 74 and locking portions 76, and side wall 60. Side wall 60 is then stamped with axial protrusions 80, sliding locks 82, and mounting holes 84. Hinge reinforcement plate 96 is then secured on axial protrusions 80 and sliding locks 82. Next, top skin 42 is stamped with protrusions 50 and end caps 44 and 46 are stamped with slots 54 and fastening ends 52. Adhesive 114 is then applied to an interior portion of base skin 40 and lower end cap 44 and upper end cap (not shown) are inserted within the base skin, respectively, and in contact with the adhesive. Adhesive 118 is then applied to a top side of lower end cap 44, upper end cap (not shown), and base skin 40 or to top skin 42. Next, protrusions 50 of the top skin are disposed within mounting slots 48 and top skin 42 is in contact with adhesive 118. Finally, the top skin and protrusions 50 are urged from positioning portion 74 to locking portion 76 in the direction indicated by arrow 122.
Accordingly, the interlocking door assembly is an effective, safe, inexpensive, and efficient device that achieves all the enumerated objectives of the invention, provides for eliminating difficulties encountered with prior art devices, systems, and methods, and solves problems and obtains new results in the art.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
Having now described the features, discoveries, and principles of the invention, the manner in which the interlocking door is constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices, elements, arrangement, parts, combinations, and methods are set forth in the appended claims.
