US2126727A - Weather strip for closures - Google Patents

Description

Aug l 193g G. N. BRUNlKl-:R 2,126,72

WEATHER STRIP FORCLOSURES Filed Aug. 13, 1957 Patented Aug. 16, 1938 Ui'iED STATES -VATsNr oFFicE Application August 13,

3 Claims.

lViy invention relates to weather strips for the bottom of doors, screens, or other similar closures and has for its object to provide a new and efficient automatically acting weather strip which will raise instantly from the sealing position to the full open position as soo-n as the door is opened the full open position being higher than bottom of door.

A further object is to provide a weather strip which is made to t and seal worn floors or uneven surfaces under the closure just as efciently as to seal perfectly even oors.

A still further object is to provide a weather strip which may be used on doors to eliminate the need of a threshold of any type, whether the door be an inside or outside door.

A still further object is to provide a weather strip which is easily and quickly installed on a door and when once installed may be quickly removed cr replaced without effecting its subsequent operation or sealing properties and without changing the mounting in any manner.

i still further object is to provide a removable weather strip which may be taken from the door during the summer if desired and replaced again in the fall but which weather strip when 'used in territories which are bothered by insects or dust be used throughout the entire year to perfectly seal the ends of the door against intrusion by such insects or dust.

These obje-cts I accomplish with the device iliustrated in the accompanying drawing in which similar numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views and as described in the specication forming a part of this application and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure i. is a face view of a door closed in its frame with my device installed thereon in the closed position.

Figure 2 is an end view of the door showing the weather strip raised after the door has been opened.

Figure 3 is' an enlarged face view of a portion ci the door and strip showing the raising spring and the mounting for the device.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Figure 1 enlarged over the showing in Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a view of the support or lifting rod and the support bar which is attached to the door showing the notch in one end of the bar bracket for removal or insertion of the lifting rod to permit ready removal of the device from the door, dotted lines indicating the position of the rod for removal from the brackets of the bar.

1937, serial No. 158,337 (o1. -67) Figure 6 is a side view of the tension spring used to hold the felt down onto the uneven iioor.

Figure 7 is a mcdied form of tension spring which may be used.

Figure 8 is a back View of the weather strip removed from the door part cut away.

Figure 9 is an end view of the actuating bracket.

In the drawing the door is shown as A, the door frame as B and the main channel of my weather strip is shown as C. This main channel C is made of a flat backing body 5, with the top edge formed into a semi-cylindrical or half circular top groove 6 which groove lls two purposes as will later be shown.

Near each end of the channel C there is a vertical slot 8 and securing bolts li) are passed through these slots with nuts Il to hold a felt or other type of sealingstrip in place on the channel C and to provide for vertical adjustment of either end of said strip. Radial springs 9 are secured under the nuts l i to hold the ends 'l of the felt in position against the channel C. The felt strip is made longer at each end 'l than the channel to provide for proper closing of the device without any danger of the channel being bent by opening or closing of the door. The felt is held in yielding relation to the channel and in sealing position to the iioor by spaced apart tension springs l2. These springs as shown in Figure 6 are made with an elliptical top leg portion i3 to fit into the groove at the top oi the channel to force upwardly there against to hold the felt down onto the floor and the other end lll of the spring is formed into a coil with an extended leg l5 to t along the top side of the felt strip and the end l of theleg l5 turned down to be inserted into the felt to give it rigidity and help hold it in place at the same time holding the spring Ain position. The free elliptical leg I3 at the spring i2 operates freely in the channel C when the devi-ce is being operated. The flat plate Il on the spring l2 is provided to prevent the leg ll5 or end i6 from penetrating too deeply into the felt and to hold it in proper position. Thus with the form of the spring l2, the plate il and the channel groove 6 the springs are held in xed relation to the channel C with their tension forcing the felt strip E downwardly at all times. When the felt is engaged with the floor the springs hold it firmly sealed thereagainst. The tension of these springs may be varied by bending the legs i3 and l5 closer together or farther apart as desired.

Near each end of the channel C there is a support bearing bracket I8, said bearing engaging around a support and lifting rod I9. The rod I9 has each end bent up at 20 and back parallel to the main body of the rod again with one end 20a to support that end of the strip and with ends 2| where it is bent back and attened to form a rectangular end, said end 2| being the means to permit removing the strip from its support bearings.

The support brackets for the device consist of a long bar 22 extending from one edge of the door A to near the opposite edge and having the two ends thereof bent outwardly at right angles to form brackets for supporting the entire device. This bracket is secured in permanent fixed position on the door by suitable screws. One end 23 is provided with a round hole to carry the end rod I9 which is round and the other bracket end 24 is provided with a round hole 25 therein With a slot 2 formed slanting downwardly from the top outer side of the bracket to intercept the hole 25 the width of this slot being suiiicient to allow the rectangular end 2| to be passed through the slot into the hole 25 when the rod has been raised to a position as shown in dotted lines a in Figure of the drawing. Thus when the one end of the rod is inserted into the end bracket 23 and then raised to a position to allow the other end to be inserted through the slot 26 into the hole 25 the entire strip may be lowered into position onto the door face for operation. A lifting spring 28 is secured to the inner edge of the channel top 6 of the channel C and the other end of the spring is carried in a groove 29 in the end 2| of the rod I9 to normally tend to hold the channel elevated or lifted from contact with the door. This spring may be secured to the channel C by passing it through a small hole therein or an adjustable sliding bracket may be made to lit the channel groove and allow for longitudinal adjustment of the position of the spring if desired. It will also be obvious that the end of the spring I8 may be attached to the door itself or to a lug formed on one side of the bar 22 if desired without departing irom the spirit of the invention and also that other modifications may be made in the detailed construction of the device without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

As shown in Figure 7 a modified form of spring may be used to hold the felt in place to seal against the floor and this spring 3U may be of an extended spiral type having one end 3| to engage within the channel 6 and the other end 32 to be inserted down into the felt strip E.

A right angled bracket actuating or operating member G for operating the weather strip C is mounted to the door frame B at that side of the door frame which is opposite to the side having the door hinges to make the device operate instantly when the door has just been cracked open.

This member G is made of a flat base 33 having slots 34 therein through which screws 35 may be passed to secure the member to the door frame and to provide for proper adjustment of the slanting angle of the bracket in relation to the vertical position of the door frame. The angle side IS of the member G is so set when the device is adjusted to the door frame that it will contact the bend 38 of the support bar I9 when the door is closed on a slanting angled position and will force this bend downwardly causing the entire weather strip C to move downwardly against the surface of the door closing the bottom edge of the felt strip E against the oor or sill as the case may be, just as the door is being completely closed thereby operating quickly, smoothly and without any drag on the felt strip. When the door is opened a very short distance to allow the door to move suicient to disengage the operating member G from the angled bend of the bar I9 the tension of the spring 28 will raise the weather strip C and the felt E from the oor against the side of the door until it is again operated by the bracket G. As will be obvious the instant the door is moved the tension of the spring 28 will cause the strip to commence to raise and as the bend slides up the bracket G with continued opening of the door the strip continues to raise until the bend has entirely left Contact with the bracket G at which time the strip will be completely raised to full elevated position to clear any object which the door will clear.

The felt strip E is made longer than the channel and the bar I9, is longer than the distance between the two bearing brackets I8 to permit installation of the device on either a right hand or left hand door as desired. This may be done by the installation of the bar 22, and the positioning of the bar and strip in relation thereto with a corresponding repositioning of the lower end of the spring 28 where it is attached to the channel or by use oi a sliding support member as hereinbefore set out.

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim:-

1. In a weather strip of the class described the combination of a body; a curved top along the top edge of said body; a strip of weather sealing material mounted to said body at each end thereof; springs mounted between the ends, said springs to force the strip downwardly to engage the oor at all places along the entire width of the door; brackets mounted to said door one of which has a slot therein and both of which have a hole in which the supporting bar is pivotally mounted; bearings on the top edge of said body; a U- shaped bar mounted in said bearings and having the ends turned in to engage in said brackets, one end being made at to engage and pass through said slot into said bracket; a spring mounted to said body and to one end of said bar to normally hold the body elevated; and an angled plate mounted to said door frame at an angle to the door face to engage the end of said bar to force the body and strip down when the door is closed.

2. In a removable weather strip for doors and closures the co-mbination of a body having the top end formed to carry pressure springs; bearings mounted near each end of said body; a U- shaped bar mounted in said bearings with the ends of each leg of the U bent inwardly and with one end attened; a long bracket strip mounted across the door with the ends turned out to form support brackets, one end being slotted into the bearing hole through which the flattened end of said rod may be passed when the body has been raised above its normal elevated position; a weather strip mounted to said body and extending below the bottom of said body to engage the floor from side to side of said door; means mounted to the door frame to engage the bar and force the body and strip down to engage the iioor; and spring means to normally hold the body and strip elevated from said floor,

3. In a removable weather strip for closures the combination of a bracket bar having each end bent out to form bearing brackets with each bracket perforated and with a slot through one side of one bracket near the top edge thereof into the hole therein; a body having bearings on the top side thereof; a bar carried in said bearings with each end turned up and back inwardly with the turned in ends to engage in the brackets of said bracket bar, with one end flattened to allow for insertion of one end of said bar in the bracket and then insertion of the ilattened end by passing it through the slot when the body and bar halve been elevated above the normal raised position of the body; a spring mounted to saidv body to normally hold the body elevated; and a weather strip mounted inside said body to engage the floor when the body has been forced down by Contact with a stop on the closure frame.

GEORGE N. BRUNKER.

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