US3393471A - Weatherstrip - Google Patents

Description

July 23, 1968 D. T. SKOWLUND ET WEATHERSTRIP Filed June 12, 1967 INVENTORS DAVID T. :SKOWLUND g m F. MEADOWS $1"! United States Patent 3,393,471 WEATHERSTRIP David T. Skowlund, Lowell, and David F. Meadows,

Grove City, Ohio, assignors to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 12, 1967, Ser. No. 645,235 8 Claims. (Cl. 49485) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A one-piece plastic extrusion for mounting on a door frame, the extrusion comprising elongated rigid base, attaching and abutment portions disposed in a generally Z shaped cross-section and a portion of material more flexible than the rigid portions integral therewith and positioned to form a weatherseal with a door mounted in the frame.

Background 0 the invention It is usually necessary to provide a moisture and/or wind barrier between an exterior door of a building and the surface of the frame surrounding the opening for the door. A common method of providing such a barrier utilizes an extruded metal mounting strip formed to fit the contours of the door frame and adapted to receive a flexible textile or elastomeric seal strip attached longitudinally along the metal strip. The flexible seal strip usually extends from the metal strip to make contact with the surface of the door when closed. Such an assembly is thus composed of two pieces: a metal mounting strip and a flexible seal strip attached thereupon.

Summary of the invention The present invention offers the advantage of a Onepiece Weatherstrip or sealing means having one or more flexible sealing portions integral with a rigid mounting and abutment portions which is less costly to manufacture and install than conventional sealing means, since no assembly operations are required to attach the sealing portion with the mounting strip. A further advantage of the invention is that the completed item may be fabricated by a single manufacturing process; namely, extruding. Thus, by eliminating secondary manufacturing operations, this invention permits the production of an improved sealing means at less cost than previously known articles for similar application and use. Other advantages and novel features of the improved Weatherstrip will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, the presently preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the frame and cooperating exterior door of a building equipped with the improved sealing means of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1, the door being shown in nearly closed position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 to show the details of the invention as it is applied to the overhead portion of the frame section.

Detailed description FIG. 1 illustrates the manner in which the sealing means is mounted exteriorly on the side and top frame members for the door 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the sealing means 11 at the sides of the door are installed on a conventional wooden door frame having a door stop 21 attached thereto. Therefore, the sealing means is generally Z shaped in cross-section to generally conform to the cross-sectional configuration of the door frame permitting assembly in one piece upon the exterior of the frame. The sealing means 11 comprises an elongated mounting portion 22 former of rigid plastic and is adapted to be attached to the outer surface of the door frame by external fastening means penetrating the mounting portion. Preferably, the mounting portion 22 has a durometer hardness greater than 90 on the Shore A scale and less than 80 on the Shore D scale. The mounting portion has a flat offset surface 22a penetrated by a fastening means such as screw 27 which holds the flat offset surface in contact with the exterior portion of the door frame with the remainder of the mounting portion extending in a cantilevered manner in parallel spaced relation with the surface of the frame. In the presently preferred form, the attaching portion has a generally thin cross-section which provides suflicient resilience to permit cantilever deflection of the attaching portion when the door is closed such that the portions of the extrusion contacting the door are deflected to contact the surface of the door frame. A sealing strip '28 of plastic material of lesser stiffness than the mounting portion is formed with one longitudinal edge integral with the underside of the mounting portion 22 and with a free end extending obliquely therefrom. The sealing strip 28 serves as a moisture and dust barrier by making contact with the outer surface of the door frame and exerting a positive sealing force thereon when deformed by installation of the mounting portion 22 onto the door frame. In the preferred embodiment the seal 28 has a maximum durometer hardness of on the Shore A scale.

A base portion 23 of plastic of the same stiffness as the mounting portion is formed with one longitudinal edge integral with the free edge of the attaching portion 22 and extends at substantially a right angle therefrom. In the portion illustrated in FIG. 2, the base 23 has a U- shaped configuration along the longitudinal edge integral with the attaching portion 22. The base portion 23 is thus attached to the mounting portion with a generally U- shaped portion in a manner conforming generally to the configuration of the door frame, yet maintaining the base in 23 generally spaced parallel relationship with the door frame 20. A retaining portion 24 of rigid plastic of the same stiffness, as the base and mounting portion, has one longitudinal edge thereof integrally formed with the free edge of the base 23, and extends perpendicularly therefrom in spaced parallel relationship from a stop portion 21 of the door frame. An abutment or stop portion 26 of rigid plastic material of the same stiffness as the base 23 is longitudinally integrally formed along the free edge of the retaining portion 24 extending generally perpendicularly therefrom in spaced parallel relation to the base 23.

A sealing strip 25 of plastic material of lesser stiffness than the mounting, retaining and base portions has one longitudinal edge thereof integrally united with the retaining portion 24 adjacent the abutment portion 26 and extends obliquely from the retaining portion with one longitudinal edge free. In the preferred embodiment, the sealing portion 25 is of material of stiffness and crosssection such as to be readily deformable and preferably has its free edge curled toward the retaining portion. The sealing portion 25 preferably has a durometer hardness less than 75 on the Shore A scale and is so shaped that under pressure of the closing door 10, the curled edge of the seal 25 makes contact with the surface of the retaining portion and is deformed to exert sealing force on the surface of the door. In the fully closed position, the door 10 makes contact with the stop 26 at which time the seal 25 is in a deformed state maintaining a sealing force on the surface of the door and thus serving as a 3 barrier to dust, moisture and wind. The stop 26 affords a rigid surface against which the door may be held by latching.

FIG. 3 shows the invention as it is applied to the overhead portion of the door frame, the door being shown in the nearly closed position. The sealing means for this portion of the door is of somewhat different configuration from that employed at the sides of the door but is also made as a unitary plastic extrusion of a generally Z-shape cross-section to interfit in parallel spaced relationship with the overhead portions of a door frame and stop 21. The sealing means therefore has a mounting portion 32, mounting seal 33, base 30, retaining portion and door seal 36 similar in function to the corresponding portions shown in FIG. 2 but with the sealing strip united to the retaining portion adjacent the union of the latter with the base portion. The mounting portion 32 has two opposite parallel elongated surfaces the faces of which are parallel to the mounting portion 32 and form an offset flat surface 32a. The seals 32 and 36 are made of flexible plastic material preferably having a maximum durometer hardness of 75 on the Shore A scale while the other portions are formed integrally therewith from a more rigid plastic preferably having durometer hardness greater than 90 on the Shore A scale and less than 80 on the Shore D scale.

The extrusion is attached to the frame 20 by separate fastening means 34, preferably screws, penetrating the mounting portion 32 thereby holding the ofiset flat surface 32a in contact with the surface of the door frame. A stop portion 37 of rigid plastic similar to the stop 26 in FIG. 2, is formed longitudinally integral with the free edge of the retaining portion 35 and extends at right angles therefrom toward the door 10.

The base 30 is extended beyond its intersect-ion with the attaching portion 32 to form a gutter 31. The gutter 31 therefore extends generally at right angles from the mounting portion 32 and preferably has the free edge curved upward away from the surface of the door 10 to form a lip. In the preferred embodiment, the gutter extends outwardly beyond the surface of the door 10 when the latter is closed against the stop 37 thus serving to prevent the rain water or melted snow from dripping onto the upper edge of the door. Water caught by the lip 31 is directed to the ends thereof so as to flow down the sides of the door frame.

Preferably, the Weatherstrip or sealing means is formed throughout of a single pastic material such as polyvinyl which is capable of having its stiffness, and hence its hardness, reduced by the addition of a 'plasticizer. Hence, both the rigid portions and the more flexible sealing portions are integrally formed by simultaneously extruding material of proper compositions for the respective portions through the appropriate parts of a common extrusion die. Materials other than polyvinyl chloride may be used and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art may be made within the ambit of the invention which is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A one-piece plastic extrusion adapted for mounting on a door frame and providing a seal for a door supported therein, said extrusion comprising:

(a) a rigid base portion having an elongated transverse cross-section with two opposite generally flat surfaces;

(b) a rigid attaching portion integral with said base portion and extending therefrom at substantially right angles from one side thereof;

(c) a rigid retaining portion extending from the other side of said base portion in laterally generally parallel relation to said attaching portion and at substantially right angles to said base portion; and

(d) a sealing portion comprising an elongated strip of flexible plastic having one longitudinal edge integral with said retaining portion and the other longitudinal edge free, the said strip having the portion intermediate the longitudinal edges extending in spaced relationship from the said retaining portion;

(e) the said flexible strip being formed of plastic composition of less rigidity than the composition of the said attaching, base and retaining portions for samples thereof of like dimensions, whereby the said attaching portion may be directly fastened to a door frame with the said strip engaging a door mounted in the frame in sealing cooperation therewith.

2. The extrusion defined in claim 1, wherein said base portion has a U-shaped configuration along the longitudinal region of integral union with said attaching portion.

3. The extrusion as defined in claim 1, wherein the said sealing portion has a durometer reading of not greater than on the Shore A scale While the said rigid portions have a durometer reading of not over on the Shore D scale and not less than on the Shore A scale.

4. The extrusion defined in claim 1 wherein said base portion extends at both sides of said attaching portion with the portion of the base opposite said retaining portion forming a gutter lip providing a trough for directing rain water to the sides of the door frame when the said extrusion is mounted on the overhead portion of a door frame.

5. The extrusion defined in claim 1, wherein said attaching portion has an offset flat surface for mounting on the door frame and adapted for receiving separate fasteners therethrough.

6. The extrusion defined in claim 1 and further comprising a sealing strip integral with said attaching portion on the side thereof adapted to engage the door frame, said sealing strip being formed of the same compos tion as that of the sealing strip attached to said retaining portion.

7. The extrusion defined in claim 4 wherein said attaching portion is shaped to permit sufiicient cantilever deflection when the door is closed to allow said retaining portion to contact the stop portion of the door frame.

8. The extrusion defined in claim 4 wherein the said base, attaching portion, retaining portion, gutter and seals are formed of the same plasticizable synthetic resin with said seal having a greater proportion of plasticizer than said base, gutter, retaining and attaching portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,024,501 3/1962 McPhail 49-489 X 3,130,455 4/1964 Borlenghi 49504 3,177,924 4/1965 McPhail l60-9l 3,296,743 1/1967 Curl 49-397 X 3,349,519 10/1967 Nehlig 49-504 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner.

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