Movable or removable closures – Threshold – With diverse seal
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-01
2002-09-03
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Threshold
With diverse seal
C049S469000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06442901
ABSTRACT:
This application relates to a door bottom for use in conjunction with a door and corresponding door threshold. More particular, this invention relates to a door bottom design which functions to allow air to pass to/from a room but at the same time blocks substantial portions of light and/or noise. Door bottom seals herein may be used in hotel room doors and/or any other suitable application/environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,654 discloses a door bottom for use in conjunction with a door and corresponding door threshold. As shown in
FIG. 1
of the instant application, door
1
is attached to door frame
3
via at least one hinge
5
. A pivotable door bottom member
7
is attached to an interior face of door
1
for security reasons. The door bottom includes a base
9
which is attached to the interior face of door
1
, and a flap
11
which pivots upward/downward as the door is opened/closed. Stop member
13
, which is affixed to the door frame via screws
15
, is utilized to keep flap
11
in a down position when door
1
is in a closed state against stop
17
. Further details regarding the door bottom of
FIG. 1
may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,654, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Doors are often utilized in hotel room applications. It is desirable for air to be able to flow into and out of a room (e.g., hotel room) regardless of whether the door to the room is opened or closed. For example, it is often desired to draw air into a hotel room from the hallway of a hotel in order to feed bathroom fans and/or air conditioners.
Thus, an air tight door threshold is not desirable. An air tight design would prevent air from flowing into a hotel room for purposes of air conditioners and/or bathroom fans from an exterior hallway, whenever the door was closed. Moreover, an air tight door threshold seal may result in door closing difficulties (i.e., if a room is so tight that air cannot escape under a door as it closes, it may be difficult to close the door).
As can be seen from the above, it is desirable to have air flow beneath doors in hotel room applications as well as other applications. However, this desire is contrasted by: (1) certain fire codes require tight seals at door bottoms (e.g., NFPA 105); (2) hotel room guests prefer that light does not enter their room in significant amounts from the hallway whenever the door is closed and the lights inside the room have been turned off; and (3) hotel room guests desire minimum noise to penetrate their room from the hallway whenever the door is closed.
As can be seen from the above, there exists a need in the art to both meet fire codes requiring tight seals at door bottoms, while simultaneously blocking substantial light and/or noise from entering a room from the hallway or other exterior area when the door is closed. In other words, there exists a need in the art to provide a door bottom seal/threshold which can block substantial light, block substantial sound, and block substantial smoke all at the same time, while simultaneously allowing for air flow to/from the room interior when the door is closed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a door bottom seal which meets certain fire codes while simultaneously allowing air to flow to/from a room when the door is closed.
Another object of this invention is to provide a door bottom seal which blocks light and allows air flow to/from an interior of the room when the room's door is closed.
Another object of this invention is to provide a door bottom seal which can block substantial light and/or noise from passing into a room when the door is closed, while simultaneously allowing air flow to/from the room.
Another object of this invention is to fulfill one or more of the above listed need(s) and/or object(s).
In one example embodiment, one or more of the above listed needs and/or objects may be fulfilled by providing a door bottom seal comprising:
a door having a cavity defined in a bottom surface thereof;
a seal support being provided at least partially in said cavity;
said seal support including at least first and second elongated channels which are approximately parallel to one another;
first and second elongated and removable seal inserts positioned in said first and second elongated channels, respectively, wherein each of said first and second removable inserts includes a plurality of spaced apart sealing members extending downwardly toward a door threshold; and
wherein said sealing members of said first insert at least partially overlap respective gaps between sealing members of said second insert in order to reduce light flow through the door bottom seal while permitting air flow through the door bottom seal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3504456 (1970-04-01), Frederick
patent: 4185417 (1980-01-01), McKann
patent: 4945680 (1990-08-01), Giguere
patent: 5150544 (1992-09-01), Burnett
patent: 5174065 (1992-12-01), Schlicht
patent: 6058654 (2000-05-01), Rissone
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