1. Field of the Invention
The invention is an “assemblage” in that it consists of two main components: a retractable door seal attached to the underside of an inswinging door and a floor sill against which it tightly presses. The movement of the seal down towards the sill is actuated by the closure of the door itself.
The design of fenestration products must meet architectural needs but also satisfy various government regulations that sometimes work at odds to one another. Post-Hurricane Andrew building codes require ever tighter closure of such products against very high onslaughts of wind and rain. But other regulations make that job more difficult. The American with Disabilities Act, for example, limits the overall height of primary entry-door sills to only a half inch in order that they accommodate wheelchairs.
Most inswinging exterior doors feature a simple rubber-like flap on the bottom that seats against the sill, or an elongated bulb in the sill that seats against the door bottom, or a combination. Again, codes limit the pressure needed to open and close these doors, so the seal cannot be too tight, certainly not tight enough keep out wind-driven rain.
The invention described herein is presented as a solution to this dilemma. By using the closing movement of the heavy door to inter-engage the door bottom mechanism with the sill, which in turn pivots the seal down hard against the sill, a much tighter closure can be attained. Because it does not rely on rubber components undergoing an extended compression and abrasion, it can do so without out making the door too hard to close (and reopen). And because the sill is engaged just before the door latches, the seal can drop down to the weather side of what little elevation “dam” in the sill the ADA permits (one-quarter inch).
When the door is reopened, the disengagement of the door bottom mechanism and the sill swings the seal up and over any such dam and, with the help of a magnet, retracts the components of the door bottom mechanism far enough so that they will not rub on the interior floor covering.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic door bottoms are currently commercially available. Typically, they feature a horizontal actuating member that protrudes from the hinge stile of the door. As the door is closed and the protrusion mashes against the door jamb, the horizontal member is moved laterally. That movement is then converted by the use of springs—by bowing leaf-type springs, for example—to move a seal down vertically against the door sill.
Commercially available devices may keep out dust and non-conditioned air on a still day, but the seal produced by the relatively weak springs is not nearly strong enough to keep out wind-driven rain. (The installation instructions typically say to adjust the seal so that it just touches the sill.)
The devices, which mount either under the bottom rail of the door or on the exterior face of the door, are designed for outswinging doors. While a face-mounting device could theoretically be shimmed out beyond the face of the door far enough to work on an inswinging door (the protrusion would mash against the door stop rather than the jamb), this would create new water-infiltration problems around the perimeter of the door-bottom device.
Accommodating an inswinging door is very important because many entry doors are designed to operate this way, especially those used in condominium and apartment buildings. Out-opening doors in such buildings require by code much wider exterior hallways in which to swing and therefore dictate a bigger, more expensive structure. Also, outswinging doors are awkward and more subject to catching in the wind.
Inswinging doors do present more of a challenge in terms of preventing water infiltration, however.
Thus it is an object of the current invention to accommodate inswinging doors.
In doing so, it is an object of the invention to present an apparatus that will automatically create a storm-resistant seal between the door and sill each time the door is closed; and to automatically release that seal as the door is opened.
Additionally, it is an object of the invention to use only components which are sturdy enough in design and simple enough in function to repeatedly stand up to storm-like conditions (no springs, for example).
Also, it is an object of the invention to provide such a seal in a way that does not adversely affect the seals between the other edges of the door and the door frame.
Further, it is an object of the invention to present an apparatus that will automatically create a storm-resistant seal between the door and sill each time the door is closed; and to automatically release that seal as the door is opened.
Further, it is an object to provide said seal without requiring an unreasonable effort on the part of the person opening and closing the door.
Finally, it is an object that the sealing apparatus and the sill be easily trimmed to length without special tools, so that the invention could be used as a retrofit product on its own as well as a new-door component. (Since an existing door would itself also have to be trimmed to the proper height above the floor, the retrofit application would be limited to wood or other trimmable doors.)
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds