Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Processes – Portal or closure construction
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-06
2002-03-19
Safavi, Michael (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Processes
Portal or closure construction
C052S215000, C052S745210, C403S265000, C428S136000, C428S343000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06357200
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the mounting of a door and in particular a pre-hung door and door jamb assembly in a door opening.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, in a large percentage of installed doors, whether residential or commercial, the doors are supplied to builders as pre-hung doorjamb assemblies. In particular, the door is already mounted or hung in the jamb assembly by fixing, on one side, a hinge, or an equivalent securing means, to one of the jamb members. The other side of the door is usually formed with a lockset and knob opening and an opposing jamb member is typically fixed with a latch or striker plate opening so that the door can be securely shut.
Typically, pre-hung door and jamb assemblies are shipped to the installation site with the jamb member opposite the door hinges either fastened directly to the edge of the door or spaced from the door edge by a plurality of shipping stabilizers. Often, the shipping stabilizers are nothing more than thin pieces of wood, paper or cardboard, that are nailed or adhesively secured between the door and jamb and held in place by strapping, for example, the entire door and jamb assembly with a cellophane material or the like or by nailing a nail through the jamb into the door. In other instances, an L-shaped stabilizing brackets have been provided that are bolted into the edge of the door and the front of the jamb. This stabilizing bracket and bolt system is more commonly used on commercial metal pre-hung doors by manufacturers such as Stanley Tools.
In most cases, when the door is received at the installation site, the jamb member opposite the hinges is freed or unfastened from the strapping or the nail is removed. Generally, all of the pieces attached to the door during shipping are removed.
While the door is hinged to one side of the jamb assembly, removal of the spacers and/or the unbinding of the assembly from the strapping frees the opposite doorjamb to move relative to the door. In assembling the door to the door frame of the home or building, the door needs to be positioned correctly in the door opening. Typically, the doorjamb is nailed into the king stud and the door is opened and closed to test the reveal space of the door. Typically, the measurement of the reveal space is done without the aid of a ruler. Any adjustment is then made to the reveal until the proper reveal space is achieved.
The shims used in the door are often made from wood or other similar material. While they are generally effective to provide the proper alignment for assembling the door in the door opening, conventional shims can only tolerate a limited pressure load or force before breaking for a given shim or shim assembly. That is, for a given shim, the average amount of pounds per square inch of force that each shim can tolerate is limited. The problem is that, as a general rule, the larger the force tolerance of the shims, the more secure the door installation since the door can withstand larger forces. Thus, it is desirable to provide a more secure door than is possible with typical shims. In addition, conventional shims are generally installed at the construction site when the door is being fitted into the opening. This adds time to the installation of the door in the frame since it is usually necessary to place a number of shims to properly align the door within the frame.
Moreover, the shims that are affixed to the door are usually thinner than the desired reveal space between the door and the jamb. The installer has to compensate by manipulating the jamb to produce the desired reveal space. Ideally, during this process, two installers work together to control the free or lockset side of the door. Typically, however, only one installer must attempt to hold the door while securing it to the king stud which results in a poorly aligned door. Using conventional techniques for installation, the door can be installed in approximately 20 to 30 minutes. This is a significant time savings over doors which are not pre-hung. However, it is still desirable to further reduce the time required to install pre-hung doors so that the construction of the building may occur more quickly and efficiently.
Further, the difficulties associated with manipulating the position of pre-hung door assemblies prior to installation can compromise the quality of the installation. Often, pre-hung doors are installed with varying degrees of skew, particularly when the door openings are roughly constructed. This is disadvantageous and can affect the stability and security of the installed doors. The poor installation of a door also affects the appearance of the door in that the reveal space may not be proper. In particular, the reveal space is {fraction (3/32)}″ for an inside door and ⅛″ for an outside door.
One apparatus developed to solve some of the above problems and limitations involves using a door framing device to space a pre-hung door mounted by hinged means to a jamb assembly during installation of the door and jamb assembly in a door opening. Conventional door framing devices include a spacer positioned between the door and the jamb assembly. The spacer has a thickness substantially equal to the desired reveal space to be maintained between door and the jamb assembly. The spacer is formed to secure the door to the jamb assembly and is formed to enable opening of the door after installation to allow removal of the spacer.
While such a door framing device indeed alleviates some of the disadvantages described above regarding conventional door installation, the device can be disadvantageous in that the spacer device is complicated to manufacture. In addition, because the opposing portions of the spacer device are separable, the device can often inadvertently separate, necessitating the use of a replacement device in order to properly install the door. This can add to the time required to install the pre-hung door in the door frame. In addition, if the installation is done improperly, it is very difficult to remove the door framing device since the door is installed using a plurality of nails.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a more robust spacer device that can be used during installation of a door in a frame and that is less likely to suffer from the disadvantages of conventional spacers. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a pad that has a characteristically stronger force tolerance than that of the prior art shims and that can be installed on the door assembly at the factory before the door is wrapped in the strapping. It is also desirable to provide a door frame assembly that can be installed easily by a single installer. It is to these ends that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention permits a door or other appliance in a residential or commercial building to be installed rapidly and properly. In particular, the system and devices in accordance with the invention permit a single installer to accurately install a pre-hung or other door. To accomplish this, one or more of the following: a spacer, a racking spacer, a positioning clip and a pad member, may be utilized. Each of these devices simplify the door installation process. For example, the pad members permits the door assembly to be quickly secured to the king stud. The other devices similarly make the installation process easier as described in more detail below. A bottom strap in accordance with the invention may permit the pre-hung or other door to be shipped while ensuring that the door remains closed during the shipping.
In accordance with the invention, a method for installing a door is described wherein a door and jamb assembly is positioned in a door opening and the door and jamb assembly includes one or more pad members attached to the outside of the jamb to abut the door opening. The method further comprises injecting a material into each pad member wherein each pad member comprises one or more channels to permit the material injected into the pad member to expand through the channels so that the i
Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP
Safavi Michael
LandOfFree
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