Movable or removable closures – Stored in housing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-12
2001-06-26
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Stored in housing
C049S306000, C049S505000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250016
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a partition system including a closeable pocket door, where the door is adjustable to better fit a doorway opening, and further where the system and door are adapted to minimize light leaks around the door when the door is closed.
Pocket doors are often used in building walls to close doorway openings. Usually the doors are custom installed, such as through the use of shims or trimming, to optimize their fit into a particular doorway opening. Recently, some customers have wanted similar doors on partitions. Partitions have problems similar to building walls, in that floors are often not level and/or the doorway openings vary in shape and squareness. Even if the partition itself is adjusted to be perfectly level, the floor often includes uneven areas that cause unsightly gaps and light leaks around the doors. Most partition systems are designed to minimize the installation time, including minimizing the amount of time working with shims or custom trimming operations, and further are designed to minimize the amount of unsightly clutter around corners of the door (i.e., where the shims would be). However, custom installations increase installation time. Sometimes clearances are minimized in an effort to minimize unsightly areas that are visible on partitions. However, as clearances are reduced, the tendency increases to have interference or to have damaging contact between the door and adjacent partitions around the door. For example, in pocket doors where a partition is designed with a pocket shaped to closely receive a door, the door may rub on the partition as the door is moved into the pocket, thus causing damage to the door.
Accordingly, a door-and-partition system is desired solving the aforementioned problems and having the aforementioned advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a door includes a door frame having a bottom section defining a longitudinally extending cavity that opens downwardly, and an elongated plate-shaped light seal made of relatively stiff material, the light seal being operably positioned in the cavity for vertical movement between different positions as the light seal engages and rides along a floor surface as the door is opened and closed. The light seal includes first and second floor-contacting protrusions spaced apart and having longitudinally angled sides configured to slide up and over bumps in the floor as the door frame is slid in a direction parallel the cavity.
In another aspect of the present invention, a partition construction includes a partition with side frames defining a pocket and a side access opening to the pocket. A bridge flange connects the side frames at a bottom of the access opening. The partition construction further includes a door operably mounted in the pocket for movement into and out of the pocket through the access opening, the door having a door frame with a bottom section defining a longitudinally extending cavity that opens downwardly, and an elongated light seal being operably positioned in the cavity for vertical movement between different positions as the light seal engages and rides along a floor surface as the door is opened and closed. The light seal includes at least one floor-contacting protrusion having longitudinally angled sides configured to slide up and over the bridge flange as the door frame is slid in a direction parallel the cavity.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims, and appended drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 91006 (1869-06-01), Ford
patent: 1736885 (1929-11-01), Morrill
patent: 3390486 (1968-07-01), Walters
patent: 3504456 (1970-04-01), Frederick, Jr.
patent: 3571995 (1971-03-01), Kasprzak
patent: 3685226 (1972-08-01), Richter
patent: 4031665 (1977-06-01), Abramson
patent: 4148953 (1979-04-01), Horton
patent: 4179849 (1979-12-01), Kuffner
patent: 4255902 (1981-03-01), Ruff
patent: 4458450 (1984-07-01), Young et al.
patent: 4517767 (1985-05-01), Dewson
patent: 4712331 (1987-12-01), Fujiwara
patent: 4742645 (1988-05-01), Johnston
patent: 4878325 (1989-11-01), Van Tuyl et al.
patent: 4922659 (1990-05-01), Muccioli
patent: 5220748 (1993-06-01), Chadbourne
patent: 5394658 (1995-03-01), Schreiner et al.
patent: 5675946 (1997-10-01), Verbeeck et al.
Price Heneveld Cooper DeWitt & Litton
Steelcase Development Inc.
Stodola Daniel P.
Thompson Hugh B.
LandOfFree
Partition system including pocket door with light seals does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Partition system including pocket door with light seals, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Partition system including pocket door with light seals will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2445286