Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural and/or with rigid closure – Diverse types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2002-04-16
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural and/or with rigid closure
Diverse types
C049S467000, C049S471000, C052S204100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06371188
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a door assembly that comprises a door frame assembly that mounts within an exterior doorway of a building and a door panel that opens and closes over the doorway. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved door sill assembly and an improved method for making a door sill assembly.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the traditional problems faced when constructing door assemblies that mount within a doorway on a building exterior is preventing water and other liquids from flowing through the door frame assembly, specifically at the lower edge thereof where the door sill assembly is located. Conventionally, door sill assemblies have used a sub-sill that is capable of receiving water and draining it out to the building exterior and the tread is provided with a weep system that allows water to flow into the sub-sill. One problem with these conventional arrangements is that the side jambs of the frame are attached to the outside of the sub-sill ends, thereby creating a potential for water to flow between the sub-sill ends and the side jambs. To solve this problem, gaskets or similar rubber seals have been provided between the side jambs and the sub-sill to prevent such leakage. These gaskets add extra cost to the door frame assembly and may still not solve the potential leakage problem if they are improperly positioned between the sub-sill ends and the side jambs. Water that leaks between the door sill assembly and the door panel can flow into the building interior and create puddles or damages floor treatments, such as carpeting. Also, some of this water may possibly leak between the door sill assembly and the building floor into the building sub-floor where over time it can cause the wood components in the building sub-floor to rot, thereby incurring the high expense associated with tearing up the building floor and re placing sub-floor components.
Another problem with some known door sill assemblies is that the sub-sills have a low fluid capacity. In high wind conditions, wind can blow into the drainage system and increase the pressure inside the sub-sill. Without a sufficient volume to accommodate this increase in pressure, the sub-sill may not function effectively to drain the fluid therein. Further, in arrangements that use grooves to guide the water to the drainage openings, such as the assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,967, the wind may displace some of the fluid and force it back out through its weepholes.
Consequently, there exists a need for a door frame assembly that includes an improved high volume door sill assembly that functions effectively to prevent water from draining into the building sub-floor. To meet this need, one aspect of the present invention provides a door frame assembly constructed and arranged to be installed in a doorway located at an exterior of a building in conjunction with a door panel movable between open and closed positions with respect to the doorway. The door frame assembly comprises first and second side jambs constructed and arranged to be mounted along first and second generally vertically extending sides of the doorway and a door sill assembly constructed and arranged to be mounted along a lower edge of the doorway between the first and second side jambs. The door sill assembly comprises a sub-sill having a peripheral wall including a bottom wall, first and second end walls extending generally upwardly from the bottom wall at opposing end portions of the sub-sill, a rear wall extending longitudinally between the end walls, and a front wall extending longitudinally between the end walls opposite the rear wall. The walls of the sub-sill provide interior surfaces that cooperate to define an open fluid-receiving trough extending between the front and rear walls and the first and second end walls. The peripheral wall has one or more openings formed therethrough to allow fluid in the trough to drain from the trough to the building exterior when the door frame assembly is installed in the doorway with the front wall facing the building exterior. The end and rear walls are constructed and arranged to prevent fluid in the trough from flowing into the building interior.
A tread structure is mounted to the sub-sill so as to cover the sub-sill. The tread structure and the sub-sill are constructed and arranged such that fluid flowing over the tread structure towards building interior is directed into the trough of the sub-sill and then is allowed to drain out from the trough to the building exterior through the one or more openings in the peripheral wall of the sub-sill. The first and second side jambs and the door sill assembly are constructed and arranged such that the first and second side jambs connect to the opposing end portions of the sub-sill with portions of the first and second side jambs extending inside the first and second end walls, respectively, and downwardly into the trough adjacent opposing end portions of the tread structure so that fluid flowing over the tread structure towards the building interior adjacent to the first and second side jambs is allowed to flow downwardly into the trough of the sub-sill between the tread structure and the side jambs and then is allowed to drain out from the trough to the building exterior through the one or more openings in the peripheral wall of the sub-sill.
Thus, it can be appreciated that the door sill assembly of the present invention provides an effective arrangement for draining water and other liquids flowing through or attempting to flow through the doorway and preventing the water or other liquids from leaking into the sub-floor between the door jambs and the sub-sill. The open trough of the sub-sill provides the door sill assembly with a relative large fluid capacity for handling fluid drainage in comparison to the prior art arrangements that use narrow grooves for guiding the fluid. The advantage of this open trough construction is that, when a high wind is blowing directly on the building exterior, the wind may blow into the sub-sill via its openings. Because of the sub-sill's open trough arrangement, the wind can flow over the top of the water contained in the trough and out through the weepholes. This prevents the wind from creating a high pressure situation in the trough.
Related aspects of the invention also provide the door sill assembly for use in the door frame assembly, and the entire door frame assembly which includes the door panel itself.
Another aspect of the invention relates specifically to door frame assemblies of the type that are used in conjunction with a door panel that is movable between its open and closed positions in a generally rectilinear manner, such as a conventional sliding or rolling door panel. In these types of arrangements, the tread structure on the door sill assembly is typically provided with a door panel supporting lip that extends generally upwardly therefrom for supporting the rectilinearly movable door panel. Fluid flowing over the tread structure tends to become trapped behind the lip, thus providing a supply of fluid that can flow into the building interior. To obviate this problem, this aspect of the invention provides a door frame assembly constructed and arranged to be installed in a doorway located at an exterior of a building in conjunction with a door panel movable in a generally rectilinear manner between open and closed positions with respect to the doorway. The door frame assembly comprises first and second side jambs constructed and arranged to be mounted along first and second generally vertically extending sides of the doorway and a door sill assembly constructed and arranged to be mounted along a lower edge of the doorway between the first and second side jambs. The door sill assembly comprises a sub-sill having surfaces defining an interior fluid receiving space which has one or more openings to allow fluids therein to drain therefrom to the building exterior when the door frame assembly is installed in the doorway. The sub-sill is co
Baczuk Eric
Jackson Daniel A.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Redman Jerry
The Stanley Works
LandOfFree
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