ROT RESISTANT DOOR
The present application is directed to doors and door systems that are made from rot and/or swell resistant components. In one exemplary embodiment, every component of the door or door system is rot and/or swell resistant. In one exemplary embodiment, the door or door system remains rot and/or swell resistant after all hardware of the door or door system is installed.
Latest THERMA-TRU CORPORATION Patents:
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/940,198, filed on May 25, 2007, titled “Rot Resistant Door.” U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/940,198 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDThe present application discloses doors 200 (see
Referring to
The door or door system components 222 can be made from a wide variety of materials that are rot and swell resistant In an exemplary embodiment, the door or door system components 222 have properties that allow the door or door system components 222 to be machined in the same manner as wood. In an exemplary embodiment, the door or door system components 222 may be made from a wood based material that is rot and swell resistant entirely through the door component. Examples of wood based materials that are rot and swell resistant entirely through the material include, but are not limited to, wood substrates that are treated entirely through with an insect and moisture protectant and composites formed by combining wood and one or more plastic materials, such as thermoplastic materials.
A wide variety of composites made from wood and plastic can be used as a door component 222. For example, wood flour (very fine particles of wood) from any variety of tree or combinations of trees that may be from hardwood and/or softwood trees can be combined with any type of thermoplastic, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc. Composites made from wood flour and plastics are available from multiple suppliers, including CertainTeed and Trex. One acceptable composite that may be used is a polyethylene and wood flour composite produced by AERT.
In an exemplary embodiment, the door skins 402, 404 are attached to opposite sides of the frame 400 with glue. A wide variety of different glues can be used. In one embodiment, a water proof glue is used. One example of an acceptable glue is a polyurethane adhesive, commonly referred to as PUR adhesives. In an exemplary embodiment, the PUR glue is activated by exposure to moisture, such as by exposure to humid air. One acceptable PUR glue is part number NP2075T available from H.B. Fuller Co.
Referring to
In the example illustrated by
Any number of the components can be made such that an entire length of the component is rot and swell resistant entirely through the component. In one embodiment, all of the components of the door system are constructed such that the entire length of each component is rot and swell resistant entirely through the component. The door system may be an inward or outward opening door system. The illustrated door systems 202 include a door 200 and a door opening frame 204. The doors 200 may be constructed as described above. The illustrated door opening frames 204 include a vertically extending hinge side jamb member 1302, a vertically extending lock side jamb member 1304, a horizontally extending top jamb member 1306, and a sill 1308. In an exemplary embodiment, the vertically extending hinge side jamb member 1302, a vertically extending lock side jamb member 1304, a horizontally extending top jamb member 1306 are wood based components that are resistant to rot caused by insects and moisture completely through the frame components. For example, the vertically extending hinge side jamb member 1302, a vertically extending lock side jamb member 1304, a horizontally extending top jamb member 1306 may treated entirely through with an insect and moisture protectant as described above or they may be formed from a wood flour and plastic composite as described above. However, any type or combination of types of materials that are rot resistant through the entire component can be used to form the vertically extending hinge side jamb member 1302, a vertically extending lock side jamb member 1304, a horizontally extending top jamb member 1306.
The sill 1308 may take a wide variety of different forms. The sill 1308 illustrated by
The illustrated door system 202 includes exterior trim components or moldings 1350. In an exemplary embodiment, the trim components 1350 are made from a material that is resistant to rot and swell completely through the trim components in any of the manners described above.
Referring to
While various aspects of the invention are described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects may be realized in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects and features of the invention, such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices, and so on may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the aspects, concepts or features of the invention into additional embodiments within the scope of the present invention even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the invention may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present invention however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated.
While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that may alternatives, modifications, and variations may be made. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that may fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A door comprising:
- a frame with first and second wood stiles made from a wood substrate, wherein an entire length of each wood stile is treated completely through with an insect and moisture protectant;
- a first door skin attached to a first side of the frame; and
- a second door skin attached to a second side of the frame.
2. The door of claim 1 wherein the protectant is formulated to protect against moisture, micro-organisms, mold, and insects.
3. The door of claim 1 wherein the insect and moisture protectant comprises an organic biocide and a hydrophobic agent.
4. The door of claim 1 wherein the insect and moisture protectant comprises an organic biocide and a hydrophobic agent that is applied completely through the wood stiles at a cellular level.
5. The door of claim 1 wherein the insect and moisture protectant is applied completely through the wood stiles at a cellular level.
6. The door of claim 1 wherein the frame further comprises top and bottom rails that comprise a wood and plastic composite that comprises wood flour and a thermoplastic.
7. The door of claim 1 wherein the frame further comprises a top and bottom rails, wherein entire lengths of the top and bottom rails are treated completely through with an organic biocide and a hydrophobic agent at a cellular level.
8. The door of claim 1 wherein the door skins are attached to the frame with a waterproof glue.
9. The door of claim 8 wherein the glue is a polyurethane (PUR) adhesive.
10. The door of claim 1 further comprising a polyurethane core disposed in the frame between the door skins.
11. The door of claim 1 further comprising a wood lock block connected to the frame disposed between the first and second door skins, wherein an entire length of the wood lock block is treated completely through with an insect and moisture protectant.
12. The door of claim 11 wherein the insect and moisture protectant of the wood lock block comprises an organic biocide and a hydrophobic agent.
13. The door of claim 12 wherein the insect and moisture protectant of the wood lock block comprises an organic biocide and a hydrophobic agent that is applied completely through the wood stiles at a cellular level.
14. The door of claim 11 wherein the wood lock block is completely protected from rotting after lockset machining.
15. The door of claim 1 wherein first wood stile is completely protected from rotting after hinge screws are driven into the first wood stile.
16. The door of claim 1 wherein the second wood stile is completely protected from rotting after multi-point lock machining of the second wood stile.
17. The door of claim 1 wherein all components of the door are rot proof.
18. A door system comprising:
- first and second door skins attached to opposite sides of a frame made from a plurality of frame components, wherein entire lengths of all the frame components are made from wood based components that are resistant to rot caused by insects and moisture completely through the frame components;
- a door opening frame comprising first and second vertical side jamb members made from wood based components that are resistant to rot caused by insects and moisture completely through the vertical side jamb members.
19. A door system comprising:
- a plurality of components that are configured to be mechanically altered during installation;
- wherein all of said plurality of components are made from a material having machinability properties that are similar to wood and are immune to moisture, micro-organisms, mold and insects;
- wherein the mechanical altering during installation does not create a pathway through the immune components to other components that are susceptible to damage by moisture, micro-organisms, mold or insects.
Type: Application
Filed: May 23, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 27, 2008
Applicant: THERMA-TRU CORPORATION (Edgerton, OH)
Inventors: Tim J. O'Brien (Shaker Heights, OH), Klaus Fink (Maumee, OH)
Application Number: 12/126,515