Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~Z~ 3
SPECIFICATION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to sliding door frame
structures, primarily sliding glass doors which are commonly
used as patio doors and the like.
Sliding door assemblies normally have two or more
panels, at least ona of which slides, along a track, supported
in a frame. To allow proper door functioning~ the frame must
be rigid and strong enough to withstand substantial perpendicular
loading, due not only to environmental loading, i.e. wind loads,
but also to forces exerted during use. The problem of bending
of the frame members is complicated by thair lengths, ~hich in
sliding doors can be 8-12 feet. As a result, loads applied to
the frame can, depending upon how the frame is installed in
the jamb, create substantial bending moments.
--1--
~Z~ 83
In addition to perpendicular loads, the frame must
be capable of withstanding axial stresses imparted during opening
and closing movement o~ the sliding door or doors, such that the
track and frame remain rigid.
For aesthetic effect, the door panels, when usPd as
outside doors, are formed almost entirely o~ glass, which
results in panes of substantial size. Due to the large glass
area, each of the panes is necessarily extremely heavy, on the
order of 250 lbs. per pane. This requires a frame structure
which is strong enough to support substantial weight, and
durable to hold up to repetitive door opening and closinq
motions under substantial stress.
Concern for thermal insulation of doors and windows,
through which considerable heat loss can occur, coupled with
the fact that sliding ylass doors have a large glass surface
area and glass is a relatively poor insulator o~ heat, has
almost necessitated ~he use of double or triple glazing in
the door panels. This not only complicates the ~rame configura-
tion, but the s~bstantial additional weight resultant from the
added panes of glass places significant additional strain on the
frame support members. It i~ for this reason too, thermal
efficiency, that it i5 necessary to retain rigidity o~ the ~rame
and door members to resist bending under wind loads as would
cause excess infiltration o~ air ~and water), and loss of heat.
These heavy load and stress ~actors have severely
inhibited the use Qf rigid plastic as the frame and sash mem~ers
in the sliding glass door assembly, although from the standpoint
of cost and ease of manufacture the use of a rigid plastic frame
4~83
and sash would be greatly desirable. However, in order to be
capable of withstanding the in-use conditions of the sliding
glass door, the plastic members would have to have a relatively
thick construction. Alternatively, if plastic members of
relatively thin wall thickness were used, metal reinforcement
members would be required to prevent bending or cracking of
the plastic. In either case, the cost savings advantage of
using plastic in the first place would be obviated due both
to material costs and construction costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a novel construction for
a sliding door assembly in which the door frame structure and
door ~ashes may be formed entirely of rigid plastic, for
example rigid polyvinyl chloride.
In the sliding glass door assembly, tha frame includes
~our elongated plastic members. Each member is extruded with
relatively thin plastic walls, but has a cross-section of
a plurality of adjacent, cooperating hollow sections to provide
interlocking strength and rigidity to the overall elongated
member. The four elongated members are assembled togeth~r as
the basic frame unit. The surfaces ~acing outwardly ~rom the
~rame include projections to engage the jamb, for example in
the wall o~ a building, and the frame surfaces facing inwardly
have guides for supporting the sliding glass door panel~. The
four ~rame members may be extruded, cut to the appropriate
lengthsf and assembled in the form in which they are initially
extruded, without the use of additional metal ~upports, metal
~9~83
brackets, or other reinforcing members. As such the structure
may be assembled on site, for example as a replacement door
or in a new home construction, quickly and easily.
The upright members include, as viewed in cross-
section, a plurality of in-line hollow structural sections
separated by smaller hollow sections adapted to accept
screws. The screws, when the frame is assembled, extend
through the smaller hollow sections of the upright members
and screw into longitudinally extending plastic screw bosses
in the upper and lower frame members. The screw boss arrange-
ment per se is also the subject of an application by the same
inventor. When used in conjunction with the frame members
described herein, the screw boss arrangement permits the frame
members to be assembled without the use of a separate metal
screw boss insert, and at the same time is capable of
withstanding the normal bending and torsional loads trans-
mitted across the joints. Moreover, the screw boss arrange-
ment is formed entirely of plastic and i5 extruded at the
same time as the upper and lower frame members are extruded.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable from a cost standpoint.
The upper and lower frame members are also co~structed
in the form of adjoining hollow sections with the hollow sections
separated ~y the axially extending screw bosses. As in the case
of the upright frame members, the upper and lower frame members
also have depending guides, structurally formed as hollows,
extending inwardly into the space defined by the frame to capture
and guide the sash members of the sliding doors.
-4-
~L2~ 83
The panes of the sliding qlass door panels are supported
in sash members. The sash members may also be formed entirely
of rigid plastic, for example rigid polyvinyl chloride, and
for strength are formed as cooperating hollow sections in a
manner similar to the frame members. The sash members are
constructed from four elongated extruded-plastic members
which engage the panes of the door panel and which are attached
to each other by longitudinally extending plasti~ screw bosses
in the vertical sash members, such that mounting screws
exte.nd through the horizontal sash members into the screw bosses
o~ the vertical members to form a unitary sash.
In accordance with the invention, the frame and
sash members may be constructed entirely out of rigid polyvinyl
or other plastics. Despite the substantial lengths of the
members and weight of the glass panels, the cooperating hollows
of the ~rame provide the frame and sash assemblies with the
requisite strength, rigidity, and durability needed to stand
up under normal wind loads and provide low permeability to
air and water infiltration without the need for aluminum
or steel reinforcing members.
The design is simple in construction and easy to
assemble in view of the novel screw boss arrangement in the
upper and lower cros~ members, and the screw supporting hollow
sections in the upright members. In addition, each of the
2S structural plastic members is uniform in cross-section along
its entire length, and thus may easily and inexpensively be
~abricated by continuous extrusion of plastic. ~he frame
~5--
~29~99~83
members may be cut to size on site to accommodate minor
variations in jamb opening sizes, and no matter what length,
can ~till be readily assembled due to the uniformity in cross-
section, and thus availability of the screw boss, no matter
where the frame members are cut.
The stre~gth provided by the cross-sectional design
of the frame and sash members, in which individual hollow
sections cooperate with other hollow sections to impart an
overall strength in excess of any individual wall of the
thin plastic, permits the use of multiple glazing in the
door panels without adversely affecting the durability and
per~ormance of the door.
For a better understanding of the invention,
reference is made to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the
drawings accompanying the application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a top view, partially in section,
of a sliding glass door assembly in accordance with the
invention with the top horizontal frame member removed; and
Fig. 2 is a side sectional view, taken through
lines 2-2, o* the sliding glass door assembly of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to ~he drawings, a sliding glass door
assembly has a fixed door panel 10 and a sliding door panel 50.
The door panels lO and 50 are supported in a door ~rame which
is formed entirely o~ extruded ri~id plastic members, in the
--6--
83
form of a pair of upright frame members 100 ~Fig. 1), and a
pair of horizontal frame members 150 and 150' (Fig. 2). For
clarity, the upper horizontal frame member 150 is removed from
Fig. 1.
Each of the upright frame support members 100 is
made of extruded rigid vinyl plastic, for example polyvinyl
chloride, and includes a plurality of aligned hollow
structural sections 102 separated by smaller hollow sections
104 to provide interlocking strength o~ the members 100. The
smaller hollow sections 104 are adapted to accept screws 106
which extend through the upright members, and which engage
screw bosses 154 and 154' in the upper and lower frame members
150 and 150' as described further on. Preferably the smaller
hollow sections 104 are sized so that the surface of the outside
wall 105 which engages the screw head is only slightly larger
than the screw head. The larger hollow sections 102 include
outwardly projecting jamb engaging sections 108, and also
include upriqht in~ardly projecting posts 110, 112 and 1l4
for capturing and supporting the sash members of the door
panels 10 and 50. The inwardly projecting posts 112 and 114,
which support the fixed door panel 10 and secure the sliding
panel ~0 against wind loads, are provided as hollow structural
sections to provide added strength. The respective upright
frame members 100 are mirror images of one other and may be
extruded in continuous form, cut to size, and merely inverted
relative to each other to form the mirror sections. Thi~
provides savings in manufacturing costs, and facilitates on-site
fabrication and re-sizing, where needed, of the frame members.
--7--
83
Referring to Fig. 2, in which the horizontal frame
members 150 and 150' are shown in cross-section, the upper
frame member 150 is constructed in the form of adioining hollow
sections 152 with the sections 152 separated by axially extending
screw bosses 154. Such screw bosses are described in greater
detail in the applicant's co-pending application Serial No.
163,092, filed Jun~ 26, 1980. Each of the screw bosses 154
is formed entirely of plastic and includes a longitudinally
extending bore 156 adapted to receive the screws 106 illustrated
in Fig. 1, and also includes a plurality of inwardly projecting
ribs 15~. With the provision of the plastic screw bosses 154,
the upper and lower frame members 150 and 150' may be quickly and
easily attached to the vertical frame members 100 during
installation. As shown in Fig. 1, the screws 106 extend through
the upright frame members 100 and thereafter extend into the
screw bosses 154,154' (for purposes of illustration, one of
the screws 106 is shown extending into one of the lower screw
bocses 154; for clarity, the screws 106 are omitted in Fig. 2).
The screws are twisted into the screw bosses 154, where the
screw threads cut cooperating threads in the spaced ribs 158
to lock the screws in place. Due to the longitudinal extension
of the bosses 154, a secure mounting is provided between the
frame members 100, 150 and 150~, which is resistant to twisting
and other torsional forces and produces a rigid unitary
structural frame assembly without the need for any metal
supporting hardware at the joints other than the attaching
screws 106.
8--
~2~4~3
Since as described before the wall 105 of the small
hollow sections 104 that engages the screw head i5 kept small,
the wall is not subjected to a substantial movement or bending
by the force of the screwed-down screw toward the screw boss
154. Also, since the size of the hollow space of the sections
104 is relatively small, the tendency of the walls defining the
hollow sections 104 to buckle under twisting load would be
minimal. Thus, the high stress loading of the upright beams
100 at the screw joints will not cause failure of the structure,
or cracking of the relatively thin plastic wall engaging the
screw head.
The up~er horizontal frame member 150 includes a
plurality of outwardly extending jamb engaging sections 160,
and also includes downwardly dependent door guides 162, 164,
and 166, which support the fixed door panel 10 and function
as sliding supports for the sliding glass door panel 50.
The lower frame member 150' is also formed entirely
of rigid plastic an~ is extruded in the form of a plurality
o~ abutting hollow sections for interlocking support. The
~ower frame member 150' supports the fixed door panel 10, and
also provides a moveable support surface for the sliding glass
door panel 50. For the sliding panel, the lower frame member
150 has a trac~ re~eiving recess 200/ which receives a longi-
tudinally extending metal track 202. The track 202 supports a
pair o~ spaced roller assemblies ~04, one of whi~h is shown in
Fig. 2, which are attaGhed to th~ lower sash member 66 by screws
62 that extend up into screw bosses 60 in each upright sash,
members 56, 58, o~ the sliding panel 50. The lower frame member
~Z~483
150' may also include an auxiliary guide bracket 206 which
extends adjacent to a longitudinal portion of the lower sash
66 of the sliding glass door panel 50, to provide further support
and resistance to wind loads on the door panel 50, and to
prevent the roller assembly 204 from de-railing due to pull
forces exerted on the door during opening and closing movement,
or attempted forced entry from outside. As shown in Fig. 2, the
lower door assembly also includes a plurality of longitudinally
extending screw boss assemblies 154', which are similar to the
screw boss assemblies 154 provided in the upper frame members
150. The upright frame members 100 are thus easily attached
to the lower frame member 150' by screws 106 extending through
the hollow sections 104 into the lower screw bosses 154'.
The upper and lower frame members 150 and 150 ! are
formed as extruded plastic, for example polyvinyl chloride, and
after extrusion, cut to size, since each member lS0 or lS0'
is uniform in cross-section along its entire length.
As shown in the ~igures, ~he sash members for the
glass door panels 10 and 50 are also constructed of hollow
cross-section, and may be formed entirely of rigid plastic.
In the illustrated embodiment, both the fixed glass door
panel 10 and the sliding glass door panel 50 employ triple
glazing 12 and 52 and/or single or dual glazing for effective
thermal insulation.
Referring to the fixed door panel 10, the ~ash has a
pair of upright sash members 14, 14~ and a pair of horizontal
sash members 64, 66 formed o~ extruded hollow sections of
rigid plastic. All of the ~ash ~e~bers ~4, 14', 64 and 66
--10--
~24~3~83
are identical in cross-section and may be extruded from the
same die. Each of the panes 12 is sealed in the upright sash
members 14 and 14'. The upright sash member 14 is supported
betw~en a pair of inwardly projecting posts 112 and 114 on
the frame member 100. The inner upri~ht sash member 14' is
supported in a vertically extending post 16 projecting between
the horizontal frame members 150 and 150', and provides lateral
support for the fixed panel 10 as well as the sliding panel 50,
the latter through a hollow extension portion 17. The extended
lQ portion 17 includes extending interlock portions 18 which capture
and receive cooperating interlock portions 54 in the sliding
glass door assembly 50.
The panes 52 of the sliding door panel 50 are sealed
in a pair of uprighk sash members 56 and 58 which are similar
in cross-section, the member 58 including interlock portions 54.
Each upright sash member 56 and 58 includes a pair of spaced
longitudinally extending screw boss~s 60 which are substantially
the sama as the screw bosses described in connection with the
upper and lower horizontal frame support members 150 and 150'.
These screw bosses 60 are used to attach the roller housings
204 at either end of the panel 50.
As shown in Fib. 2, the horizontally extending sash
members 64 and 66 of t~e stationary panel 10 are support~d and
captured in p~rtions of the horizontal~y extending frame members
150 and 150'. Each of the sash members 64 and 66 has posts
which enclose and seal the glass panes 12. When the panel 10
is assembled, mounting scraws 62' extend vertically through
apertures in the horizontal sash members ~4 and ~6 and thare~
after into the screw bosses 63 of the vertical sash memb~rs 14
and 14' to form a unitary s~sh.
83
The upper sash member 64' of the sliding panel 50
slides between projecting guides 162 and 164. As described
above, the lower sash 66' of the sliding panel 50 is held by
track 202 and optionally by bracket 206. The lower sash 66'
of the sliding panel 50 has a channel 67 in which the roller
elements 204 are positioned at either end of the panel 50.
Each of the roller elements 204 are attached to the sash 66'
using a pair of spaced screws 63, which extend through a
mounting bracket 203 on each roller element 204 into the screw
bosses 60 of each of the upright sash members 56 and 58. For the
sake of clarity, the screws 63 are omitted in Fig. 2. The top
sash ~ember 64' also screws down onto the upright sash members 56
and 58 by screws 63 that extend through apertures in the hsrizon-
tal sash ~ember 64' down into the screw bosses 60 of the members
56 and 58.
As shown in Fig. 1, the sliding glass door panel 50
is provided with inside and outside pull handles 68 to facilitate
opening and closing of the sliding door. Although not shown,
a lock mechanism may be provided in the upright sash member 56,
positioned within the hollow space 57 of the member 56, to
engage a cooperating latch in the upright frame member 100.
A metal support channel 59 may be inserted into the hollow
space 57 to provide a strengthened attachment surface for the
lock and the pull handles ~8.
Preferably, weather stripping elements 74 are
provided at various joints and interfaces between the sash and
frame members to inhibit air and water infiltration through the
assembly. The frame joints and sash joints are also preferably
cemented together for added strength. The screw and screw boss
-12-
~2~ 83
arrangements clamp the joints together while the cement sets
to form a good bond. Since auxiliary clamps are not needed,
PVC extrusion cement may be applied and the unit installed
without having to wait for setting to occur, which would in other
cases delay installation.
The frame and sash members may be made entirely
out of rigid polyvinyl chloride or other rigid plastic (with the
exception, of course, of the locks, possibly the door handlas,
the roller mechanism for the sliding door, and whatever other
hardware accessQries may be provided). However, the basic frame
and ~ash may be made entirely out of plastic. Despite the
substantial lengths of the members and weight of the glass
panels, which especially in the case of double or triple
glazing is substantial, the frame and sash assemblies due to
the cooperating hollows in the frame illustrated in the
drawings, provide the raquisite strength, rigidity, and dur-
ability ~o ~tand up under normal wind loads and provide low
permeability to air and water infiltration without the need
for aluminum ~r steel rein~orcing members. In addition, as
described above the design is simple in construction and
easy to assemble in view of the novel screw boss arrangement
in the upper and lower cross-members and screw supporting hollow
~ections in the upright members of the frame, and the corresponding
screw boss assembly arrangements in the sa h members. Each of
the frane and sash members may be formed by contlnuous extrusionJ
and cut ~o any desir~d frame size, since at each point the
cross-section assembly surfaces would be identical. Also, as
described above, many of the members are identical, i.e. the
12~9~83
upright fram m6mbers lO0, and the fixed panel sash members 14,
14' and 64 ~the upper sash member 64' is also identical), and
thus may be cut from the same extrusion.
The foregoing repreSQnts a description of the
preferred embodiments of the invention. Variations and
modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art
without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein.
For example, while in the illustrated embodiment, a sliding
glass door assembly is shown which includes one fixed panel
and one sliding panel, it is apparent that both panels could
slide, or that additional sliding or fixed panels could be
added to form a multiple panel door. Also, whils a preferred
arrangement for hollow sections has been illustrated, it is
possible to vary the cross-sectional configuration of the frame
and sash members and still provide the requisite strength and
rigidity required for the frame and sash members, that is, such
that adjacent hollow sections cooperate to impart overall
strength and rigidity to the elongated plastic sections in
excess of the individual plastic per se, which is relatively
thin in cross-saction. All such modifications and variations
are intended to be within the scope of the present invention,
as ~et ~orth in th~ following claims.
-14-
