GB2139678A - Sill - Google Patents

Abstract

A sill for mounting at the foot of a door frame has an inner face 10, an outer face 11 and a web 12 interconnecting the two faces, the web 12 being sloped so that any water which gets under a door on to the sill will drain towards face 11 and out through holes 16. The sill can be positioned over an existing water bar 17. The outer face 11 has an upwardly extending flange 19 against which the door abuts when closed. The inner face of the flange 19 is provided with a groove 20 into which a rubber draught excluding strip having a correspondingly shaped head 21 is slid. The draught excluding strip is bent upwardly when seen in cross- section and presses sealingly against the door when the door is closed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sills The invention relates to sills and particularly to sills for mounting at the foot of a frame of a door, window or like device to provide a substantially weatherproof seal between the foot of the frame and the foot of the door, window or like device, when the device is closed. A sill of this type is disclosed in my co-pending patent application No. 7917908.

There is a known device called a water bar which in use is fixed to a support structure such as a floor below a door to act as a barrier for water when the door is closed.

However a water bar is not particularly effective in excluding rainwater since the rainwater can penetrate between the bar and the bottom of the door by capillary action. A sill such as that shown in application 7917908, which includes a draught excluding strip and formation to collect and remove rainwater is much more effective.

It is therefore desirable to replace existing water bars by a more efficient sill but unfortunately removal of the existing water bars can be difficult and time consuming, particularly if they have been in position for a long time.

According to one aspect of this invention, a sill for mounting at the foot of a frame of a door, window or like device to provide a substantially weatherproof seal between the foot of the frame and the foot of the door, window or like device, comprises a draught excluding device, at least one water collecting channel, means to drain water out of the channel to the outside of the door, window or like device, the underside the sill being shaped to accommodate a water bar.

With the sill according to this aspect of the invention there is no need to remove an existing water bar as the sill can merely be fixed on top of the water bar.

The sill may have an outer face, an inner face, and a web interconnecting the outer and inner faces, the web being arched upwardly so that a water bar can be accommodated underneath the web.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a sill for mounting at the foot of a frame of a door, window or like device to provide a substantially weatherproof seal between the foot of the frame and the foot of the door, window or like device, comprises a draught excluding device, at least one water collecting channel, and means to direct water from the channel to the outside of the door, the sill having an upwardly extending outer flange against which the outer face of the door, window or like device abuts, when closed, and the draught excluding device comprising a draught excluding strip attached to the inner face of the said flange, providing a cushion for the door, window or like device to close on to.

Preferably the flange, in the region of the draught excluding strip, is concave in the direction facing the door, window or like de- vice, thus providing a recess for the draught excluding strip to press into, enabling the door, window or like device to be closed right up to the front edge of the flange, touching the end of the flange all along its length, but with the draught excluding strip housed within the concavity pressing against the closed door, window or like device.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of an embodiment of sill according to the invention; Figure 2 is an end view of part of the sill shown in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is an end view to a larger scale of part of Fig. 2; Figure 4 is a view to a larger scale of another part of Fig. 2; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the sill in use.

The sill illustrated in the drawings comprises an aluminium extrusion having a generally Z-shaped cross-section, with an inner face 10, an outer face 11, and a web 12 interconnecting the inner and outer faces.

The web 12 slopes downwardly so that any rainwater which should get under the foot of a door beneath which the sill is mounted, for example the door illustrated diagrammatically at 14 in Fig. 5, will drain down the upper side of the web 12 into a V-shaped channel 15 and then will pass to the outside of the door through drain holes such as that illustrated at 16 in Fig. 5.

The web 12 is arched upwardly so that the sill can be fixed in position without the need to remove an existing water bar, such as the bar 17 illustrated in Fig. 5. The height of the bottom 18 of the door 14 is of course raised to accommodate the sill, which is greater in height than the water bar 17.

The outer face 11 of the sill has an upwardly extending flange 19 against which the door abuts when closed, as shown in Fig. 5.

On the inner face of this flange 19 there is a formation which defines a T-shaped groove best illustrated at 20 in Figs. 2 and 4. A rubber draught excluding strip has a T-shaped head 21 (best seen in Fig. 1) which is slid into the T-shaped groove 20, the remainder of the strip having a banana-shaped cross-section.

Above the formation which provides the groove 20, the flange 19 is concave in the direction of the door.

As can be seen from Figs. 1 and 5, the draught excluding strip does not project above the top of the flange 19 and so the strip is unlikely to be damaged by people stepping on the sill. Nevertheless the draught excluding strip is readily positioned to engage the door as the door closes. Because of the shape of the draught excluding strip and the concave flange 19, a closing door first engages the draught excluding strip, being cushioned thereby, and as more closing pressure is exerted on the door, the door urges the draught excluding strip towards the flange 19 as shown in Fig. 5. Thus the concave shape of the flange 19 provides a housing to partially accommodate the deformed strip and in the final closed position of the door can abut tightly against the lip of the flange 19 with the draught excluding strip applying resilient pressure all along the length of the door, below the lip of the flange 19.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment.

Claims (4)

1. A sill for mounting at the foot of a frame of a door, window or like device to provide a substantially weatherproof seal between the foot of the frame and the foot of the door, window or like device, comprising a draught excluding device, at least one water collecting channel, means to drain water out of the channel to the outside of the door, window or like device, the underside of the sill being shaped to accommodate a water bar.

2. A sill as claimed in Claim 1, comprising an outer face, an inner eace and a web intercqnnecting the outer and inner faces, the web being arched upwardly so that a water bar can be accommodated underneath the web.

3. A sill for mounting at the foot of a frame of a door, window or like device to provide a substantially weatherproof seal between the foot of the frame and the foot of the door, window or like device, comprising a draught excluding device, at least one water collecting channel and means to direct water from the channel to the outside of the door, the sill having an upwardly extending outer flange against which the outer face of the door, window or like device abuts, when closed, and the draught excluding device comprises a draught excluding strip attached to the inner face of the said flange, providing a cushion for the door, window or like device to close on to.

4. A sill as claimed in Claim 3, in which the flange, in the region of the draught excluding strip, is concave in the direction facing the door, window or like device, thus providing a recess for the draught excluding strip to press into, enabling the door, window or like device to be closed right up to the front edge of the flange, touching the end of the flange all along its length, but with the draught excluding strip housed within the concavity pressing against the closed door, window or like device.

A sill constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.