Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a weatherproof double door
structure~ and an enclosure embodyinq such a structure. Particularly
the invention is applicahle to housings and enclosures containinq
equipment such as telecommunications equipment and similar electrical
equipment.
nut~oor enclosures, particularly for electrical and
electronic e~uiPment, need to be sealed against the environment9 when
closed. ~lso, the enclosure should he resistant to vandalism. With
larqe enclosures having double doors and no central vertical bar,
providing a complete seal all round the periphery of the doors is
extrernely difficult, particularly preventing ingress of water.
~utters can be formed alonq the top of the enclosure, with
cooperatinq formations on the tops of -the doors. Anv water entering
hetween th~ top of a door and the top of the enclosure is caused to
fall into the qutter. However, the over'lapping of the doors to
prevent ingress of water hetween the dools, prevents the formation of
a continuous gutter a'lonq the top of the enclosure, and along the
bottom, Normally the gutter is cut, leaving a qap into which the
door edge formations fit, and some attempt is made to prevent water
leakin~ through the gap between the glltter end and door edges. This
is usually not fully effective.
The present invention provides an arrangement which
qives overlappinq interengaqing formations at the mating edges of the
doors and also a continuous gutter along the top edge, and also the
hottom edge if desired. There is provided a continuous channel at
matinq edqes of the doors and along the top, and bottom, so that
water enterinq between the edges of the doors and between the tops of
the doors and the enclosure, can drain away along the channels.
Similarly a channel along the bottom drains away water entering
hetween the ~ottoms of the doors and the enclosure. Channels also
extend down the sides of the enclosure for draina~e of water entering
between the hinqed edges of the doors and the enclosure and also to
provide a drainaqe path for water in the top channel. Gaskets are
provided for sealing inward of the channels. In enclosures having
access to back and front, with douhle doors, the drainaqe is provided
hack and Front, and also the gasket sealing.
In A double door structure comprises a continuous channel
along the top of a door opening of an enclosure, the channel having
an open side facing towards the outside of the enclosure, the open
si-le having a low wall extendinq the length of the channel; a
channel at the inner edtle of a first door, the channel having an open
si(le facing outward, the channel extending inward from the doors
outer surface, the door also having an inturned upper edge; a second
door having an inturned inner edge and inturned upper edge, the
inturned inner edge entering the inner edge channel of the first
door; a U-shaped recess extending into the inner edge channel of the
~n first door, from an inner surface, the recess aclmitting the low wall
of the continuous channel along the top of the door opening on
closinq of the first door; and a U-shaped slot in the inturned inner
edqe of the second door, the slot fitting over the U-shaped recess in
the inner edqe channel of the first door, on closing of the second
door .
The channel formed along the top of the door opening
can extend all round the door opening, with si~ilar interengaging
recess and slot at the bottoms of the inner edqes of the doors~
~Jaskets can provide a positive seal between the low wall of the
channel around the door opening and the doors, and Further gaskets
provided at the interenga~inn recesses and slots -to provide positive
sealinq at these rlositions. A qasket in the bottom of the channel at
the inner edge of the first door provides positive sealing with the
inturned inner edqe of the second door.
There is thus provided a controlled leakage or drainage
path for water all round the doors, backed up by a positive seal.
1n The channel fnrmations and inturned edges provide very effective
resistance to vandalism.
The invention will be readily understood by the
following description of a particular embodiment, by way of example,
in con~junction with the accompanyinq drawings, in which:-
Ficiure 1 illustra-tes diagramatically the interengaqing
top channel, first door channel and recess and second door inner edge
and slot;
Fi~ure 2 is a view on the front of an enclosure;
Figure 3 is a view on the inside of a first door,
2n Fiqure 4 is a view on the inner edge of the first door
as in Fiqure 3;
Fiqure 5 is a view of the inside of a second door;
Fiqure 6 is a view on the inner edge of the second door
as in Fiqure 5;
Fiqure 7 is a cross~section through a top panel of an
enclosure, illustratinq the qutter formation;
Figure 8 is an inside view of the top inner corner of
the first door, showin~ qaskets;
Fiqure 9 is a view in the direction of arrow A in
Ficlure 8;
Fi~ure 10 is an inside view of the -top inner corner of
the second door, showing the gaskets;
Figure 11 is a cross-section on the line XIAXI of
Figure 1n;
Figure 12 is a view of the top outer corner of a door
showincl the qasket arrangementO
Figures 13 and 14 are enlarged front and side recesses
of the latch, as illustrated in Fi~ures 5 and 6 in greater detail.
Figure 1 illustrates, in a very general and
diagrammatic manner, the basic features of the invention. The area
illustrated ~ the top center of a housing with the top inner corners
of the doc,rs and the channel at the top of Ihe door opening. The
area illustrated is as seen from the inside. In the Figure, at the
left is the channel a-t the top of the door openin~, indicated
lenerally at 10~ Surface 11 is the outer surface wh~ch surrounds the
door opening, the channel formed by the walls 12, 13 and 14. The
open side, at 15, has a low front wall 16. The cross-section of the
channel is also seen in Figure 7~
The top inner edge of a first door 17 is indicated
~enerally at 18, havincl a U-shaped channel defined by walls 19, 20
and 21. The channel extends inward from the outer surface of the
door 17 and has an open side 22 facing outwards. The door also has
an inturnecl top edge 23. The door pivots on hinges at the side
remote from that shown, as indicated by the arrows 25. To enable the
door to close wi~h the upper part of wall 2n adjacent to the rear
wall 13 of the toP channel 1n, a recess 26 is formed in the channel
at the inner edge of the door 17, the recess being U-shaped,
re-entrant into the door edqe channel. The recess 26 is positioned a
distance down from the top of the doorS that the bottom wall 27 of
the recess passes ~Inder the hottom wall 14 o~ the top channel 3 the
top part of wall 2Q entering through the open side of the ~eet~Y.
The low front wall abuts -the rear wall 28 of the recess, which, dS
explaine-l in more detail later, has qasket material thereon, but not
indicated in Fiqure 1.
3y this structure, the first door can be closed and
still permits of an unbroken top channel. The second door, 30, has
an inturned top ed~e 31 and an inturned inner edge 32. At a distance
down from the top edge 31, generally equal to the positioning of the
recess 26 in -the door 17, a slot 33 is formed in the inturned inner
edge 32, The slot is of such dimensions thclt it passes over the
recess 2fi in door 17. The edge 3~ of the wall 21 of the first door
17 abuts the inner surface of the second door 30, on which there a
tlasket can be placed, not indicated in Figure 1. The inner edge 32
of door 3n can also be turned in, at 35 and arranged to abut wall 20
of door 17. Atlain a ~asket can be positioned on the inner surfac~ of
wall 20.
Thus Fiqure 1 illustrates the general principle of
the invention, whereby it is possible to provide a continuous
channel~ or gutter, 10 and at the same time have two doors close,
withollt cutting the channel. The doors are closed sequentially and
complete closure is obtained against water without a central post.
7~
~!ater enterinq hetween the top of either door and the enclosure
framinq the door will finish uP in ~he channel. At the closure
position between the two doors, the water will run down to the top of
recess 2fi forward and down the rear wall 2~ of the recess, and then
skraiqht down the channel at the inner edge of the first door 17 to
the bottom. ~ similar structure can be provided at the bottom, the
arranqement inverted with a channel along the bottom of the door
openinq. The water running down the inner edge channel will drain
into this channel 9 as will water entering between the bottom edge of
1n either door and the hottom enclosure framing.
Fiqure 2 is a front view of an enclosure 40, with two
doors, correspondinq to doors 17 and 30 of Figure 1. In many cases
access to fhe rear is also required and in such cases two cloors are
also provicled at the rear. The rear view would then be the same as
the front view of Figure 2. A latchinq handle 41 is provicletl which
actuates latches at top ancl hottom, and also in the middle, to exert
a positive ~ressure aqainst a seal. The latches are describe(l later
with respeck ~o Fi~ures 13 and 1~.
Fiqures 3 and 4 illustrate the inner surface or side of
2n the first door 17 and an end view on khe inner edge of the first door
1~ respectively. Recesses 2fi are showr, at top and bottom and also
shown is a qasket ~2 which exkends alonq near the top and bottom of
the door and near the hin~e edge of the door. The qasket provides a
seal aqainst the low wall 16 of channels at top and bottom of the
enclosure. A similar channel is provided down each side of the
enclosure, hoth front ancl back if doors are in front and hack, and
4~-
the side section of qasket~A1 seals against a similar low wall on the
channel at the side. A typical gasket ~aterial is a neoprene rubber.
An inturned edqe can he provided at the hinged edge of the door, the
inturned edqe entering the channel down the side of the enclosure or
door opening. ~ short lenqth of gasket is applied to the rear wall
28 of the recess 26, at 43. A typical thickness for the gasket ~3 on
wall 28 is .25" while the typical thickness for gasket 42 is .5".
This is to provide a com~on level surface of gasket 42 and gasket
sections 43. This is illustrated in more detail in Figures 8 and 9.
Top and bottom latches 44, recessing in guides 46, are shown in
1n Figures 3 and 4. The latches 44 are connected by, in the exa~ple, a
nylon rope 45, and are biased to a latched position by compression
springs in the guides 46. The ends of the latches 44 engage behind
the wall 13 of the channel at top and bottom and can have inclined
ends to give a wedqing action to force the door edges against the
gaskets. ~nce door 30 is open, door 17 can be opened by pulling on
the rope 45.
Figures 5 and 6 are similar views of the second door
30, as Fi~ures 3 and ~ of door 17. The slots 33 are seen in F-igure
6, A sealing gasket extends round near the periphery of the door,
comprised oF two sections. A first section 50 extends up near the
inner edqe of the door, positioned for contact with the edge of the
wall 21 of the channel formed at the inner edge of door 17, this edge
of the wall identified at 34 in Figure 1. A second section 52
extends alon~ the top, down the hinqe side and along the bottom. In
the exa~ple illustrated, the thickness of section 5n is .25" and the
thickness of section 52 is .5". The end surface 51 of sections 52
abuts aqainst the end surface 54 of gasket 43. Section 52 is
3~7~
contacted hy the low wall 16 of -the channel which extends along the
top of the ~oor openinq and also down the sides and alonq the bottom.
The two sections ~0 and 5~, at the top inner corner of the door, are
illustrated in Fiqures 10 and 11. Again a typical material is
neoprene rubher. As with door 17, an inturned edqe can be provided
at the hinqed edge of the door, the inturned edc~e entering the
channel down the side of the enclosure or door openinq.
Figure 12 is an illustration of a corner of a gasket,
for example the top corner at the hinge side. The gasket material,
1n normally in strip form, is notched and bent round to form a corner
~3. A similar arranqement is used at other corners, such as with
qasket 42, in Fiqure 3.
Conveniently, the enclosure 40 has a channel formation
all rouncl the door openinq. When access is required at both back and
front, a door o~eninq is provided in back an(i front, two doors in
each oPeninq. Roth sets of doors9 and the surroundinq openintl are of
the same form of structure, as illustrated in Figure 1 particularly.
Fiqure 7 illustrates channels at both front and back.
The overlappin~ structure, hetween the doors and the
~n enclosure at top, hottom and hinged sides of the doors, and the
overlappinq structure at the mating door edges, in addition to
providinq a closely controlled path for water, also is very ef-fective
against vandalism. Ik is extremely difficult to get any form of bar
or tool between door and frame, or between matin~ ed~es of doors, due
to the channel at the edge of the door opening, and to the channel on
one door edqe. In addition, should the inner walls be forced in,
these will tend to interlock, thus hindering entry.
Fiqures 13 and 14 illustrate in more detail the latches
and associated handle on cloor 30. The handle 41 is pivotally mounted
on the front o-f the door 30, b,y means of a plate 60 attached by
screws hl, A shaft 62 extends inward from the handle 41 and carries
a flat Plate-like lever fi3 which has a tongue portion 64 extending
towards the cloor edge 32 when the handle is in a latching position~
that is with the handle extencling downward as in Figures 2 and 14.
The pivotal axis of handle 41 and lever 63 is indicated at 65 in
Fi~ure 13~ To the top and bottom of the lever 63, on the side of
1n axis h5 remote from the tonque 6~, two rods 66 and 67 are pivotally
attached. Rod 6h extends upward and rod 67 downward.
At the ends of rods 66 and 67 remote from the lever 63
are attachecl rollers 6~, the rollers carriecl in brackets fi9 formed on
or attached to the ends of the rods. The assembly of lever 63 rods
hh~ 67 and rollers 6~ is also illustrated in Figure 5. The rollers
h8 are arranqed to be in engagement with the inner surface of the
wall 13 of the channel surroun(iin-l the door openinq. The rods h6 and
67 are hiased so as to produce a c'losing force on the door 30, and
thus also on door 17 as the handle 41 is turned to a latched
2n position, the rollers rollinq up onto the wall 13. This closing
Force forces the various door edges into firm contact with the
~askets 42, 43, 50, 52. The rods 66 and 67 can run in guides
attached to the inner surface of the door 30. The tongue 64 engages
hehind the wall 20 of the door 17.
A bracket 70 can he formed on the plate 60, extending
outward and a 'luq 71 can extend inward from the handle 41. Holes in
the bracket 7n and luq 71 provide for insertion of a padlock to lock
the handle 4l in a latched position.
