Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 95/31627 PCTIUS95/04855
21 X7532
_, _
DOOR HAVING SNAP-ON FACADES
The present invention relates generally to doors and,
more particularly, to doors having an external appearance that may
be altered by attachment and removal of interchangeable snap-on
facades.
Background of the Invention
Doors for use in entrance ways, passageways and as
overhead garage doors~are typically manufactured with a variety of
external appearances so that they will be aesthetically compatible
with varying architectures and personal tastes. Typically, the panels
of the door have the external appearance formed directly therein
such that it is a permanent feature of the door. Although such doors
permit individuals to personalize the appearance of their doorways,
such a system suffers from many shortcomings.
For example, if the individual should decide to change
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the appearance of the doorways, the existing doors must first be
removed and then replaced with doors having the desired
appearance. Additionally, developers who build homes for the
general market must select the doorways to be used rather than
allowing the ultimate buyer to make the selection.
To more easily permit a manufacturer to produce doors
having varying appearances, Audia U.S. Patent No. 5,095,675 and
Corvese U.S. Patent No. 4,706,431 cut a groove into the front and
back sides of a door panel. In these grooves, a decorative molding
of any desired appearance may be secured. However, the moldings
are attached to the panels by adhesive, screws or nails and may not
easily be changed once attached. Further, by bonding the door and
moldings together in this manner, differing expansions and
contractions of the components cannot be accommodated without
considerable stress being placed on the components, possibly
resulting in cracking or warping.
Another attempt used attachable facades for an
overhead garage door as shown in Stansberry U.S. Patent No.
3,178,776. That patent discloses a garage door having intersecting
rails and mullions that have outwardly extending shoulder ledges.
Replaceable facades are received between the shoulder ledges and a
removable clip is placed along the ledges to hold the panels in place.
Although such a system permits the alteration of the external
WO 95/31627 ~ ,5 2 PCT/US95104855
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appearance of a door following installation, it too has several
limitations.
First, the basic door (not having facades in placel has
an unsightly external appearance. Thus, it would be unlikely that the
door would be used without the removable facades in place. Next,
the external clips for holding the removable facades in place are
always visible, and, hence, may detract from the desired aesthetic
appearance of the door. Further, the clips are separate components
and not an integral part of the door panels or facade, thereby
increasing the cost and complexity of the system. Finally) a door
having removable facades such as that shown in the Stansberry
patent would be unable to accommodate expansion and contraction
of the door caused by temperature fluctuations without the
formation of unsightly gaps along the edges of the facades that are
visible to the user.
A still further attempt permitted the user to place trim
facades over glass panels in an overhead garage door. Schlicht et al.
U.S. Patent No. 5,123,211 includes a rectangular frame to support a
glass pane. A channel is located along the periphery of the frame to
receive the ends of the trim facade. After the trim facade is placed
within the channel, a retainer strip must be wedged between the
trim facade and the frame to retain the facade within the frame.
Thus, additional components are required to secure the facade to the
panel. Further, because the retainer strip holds the facade snugly
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PCT/US95/04855
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within the frame, the system cannot accommodate differing
expansions and contractions of the panel and facade without
buckling or the risk that the facade will fall out of the frame.
Therefore, there is a significant need for a door having a
base unit that is aesthetically pleasing but whose appearance may be
easily and quickly altered by attachment of removable
interchangeable facades that include integral structure for releasable
interlocking engagement with the door. Additionally, there is a need
for a door having interchangeable facades that can accommodate
expansion and contraction of the components without detracting
from the appearance of the door.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a door whose external
appearance may be easily and quickly altered. To this end, and in
accordance with the principles of the present invention, a door is
provided having at least one panel with a front face and a back side,
with the front face having an elongated locking slot formed therein
for releasable interlocking engagement with an interchangeable
facade. The base door itself has an aesthetically pleasing
appearance, however, the door may include at least one
interchangeable facade having a decorative front side and a back
side with an elongated, integrally formed, backwardly projecting clips
thereacross that is adapted for releasable interlocking engagement
with the locking slots. The slots and clips preferably are formed
218i53Z
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horizontally along the entire length of the panels and facades with
the clips being movable within the slots. Caps having inwardly
projecting ledges that overlay the ends of the facades may be
secured to the ends of the panels to retain the facades within the
slots.
It is contemplated that the slots will be spaced to
permit attachment of a plurality of facades to each of the door
panels. Further, the slots preferably include a lip extending from one
of the edges of the slot with the clip comprising a flexible locking
arm having an outwardly projecting finger that snaps onto the lip
when the clip is inserted into the slot to releasably interlock the
facade to the panel. The clip may include a support arm that is
substantially parallel to the locking arm and is spaced for abutting
relationship with the opposing edge of the slot.
The slots may also include lips extending from both
edges of the slot with the clip having a pair of opposed flexible
locking arms that snap onto both lips when the clip is inserted into
the slot.
A further aspect of the invention contemplates the door
being a sectional overhead garage door comprising a plurality of
vertically interconnected panels) each of which includes a front face
and a back side.. Preferably, the slots are formed in and extend
horizontally across the entire length of the panels.
Additionally, it is contemplated that the door may be
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either an entry door or a passageway door comprising a single panel,
which includes slots formed in both sides of the panel for releasable
interlocking engagement with the removable facades.
To accommodate expansion and contraction of the door
and facades, the horizontal dimension of the facade is preferably less
than that of the panel. As the structures expand and contract, the
clip flexes and slides horizontally within the slot without causing
buckling of the panels or facades. Further, the cap ledges that
overlay the facade edges prevent the formation of unsightly gaps.
The panels and facades are preferably plastic and may be extruded
from thermoset or a thermoplastic such as ABS, polyvinylchloride or
polycarbonate.
In use, the base door may be installed without
removable facades attached thereto. Subsequently, interchangeable
facades having a variety of appearances may be attached to the door
panels by snapping the clips on the interchangeable facades into the
slots formed within the panels. To remove the facades, the user
places a flat tool, such as a putty knife, under the facade to inwardly
flex the locking arm, thereby releasing the clip from the slot.
By virtue of the foregoing) there is thus provided a base
door having a pleasing initial appearance but whose appearance may
be easily and quickly altered by attachment of interchangeable
facades thereto. Further, the assembly is able to accommodate
expansion and contraction of the components without affecting the
'. WO 95/3162'7 ~ 1 ~ 7 ~ 3 2 PCT/US95/04855
_7_
external appearance of the door. These and other objects and
advantages of the present invention shall be apparent from the
accompanying drawings and the descriptions thereof.
Brief Description of the D~awinas
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in
and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and, together with a detailed description of the
invention given below, serve to explain the principles of the present
invention.
Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partially broken away,
of an overhead garage door in accordance with the principles of the
present invention with interchangeable facades secured to the
panels;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partially exploded, of a
panel of the overhead garage door of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the overhead garage door along
3-3 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a section view of the overhead garage door
along 4.-4 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4A is an enlarged view of the encircled portion 4A
of the overhead garage door of Fig. 4;
Fig. 4B is an enlarged view of the encircled portion 4B
of the garage door of Fig. 4;
21 8753 2
. _8_
Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partially exploded,
similar to Fig. 2 but with a different interchangeable facade
in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view, partially exploded, of
an entry or passageway door in accordance with the principles
of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a section view of the entry or passageway
door along 7-7 of Fig. 6.
Detailed Description of the Invention
With reference to Figs. 1-4, there is shown a
multipanel overhead garage door 10 comprising a plurality of
vertically interconnected panels 12 having interchangeable
facades 14, 16 removably attached thereto. Standard door
rollers 17 are secured to the ends of each panel 12 for
guiding garage door 10 in a standard track 18 attached to an
opening 19 in a building wall 20. Panels 12 may be
interconnected by any suitable method, but are shown
interconnected by flexible hinges 21. Flexible hinges 21 are
described more fully in Leist U.S. Patent Nos. 4,995,441;
5,054,536; and 5,129,441, which are assigned to the same
assignee as the present invention.
Although panels 12 may be of any height, they are
preferably about 53.3 cm (21") in height, as is standard, and
may be of any length necessary for the intended use. Further,
each panel has a
2~18~ 53~
_9_
back side 22 and a front face 23 having a centrally positioned recess
24 extending across the full length of panel 12 formed therein.
1~5 b i.8 ~~,
Recess 24 includes a floor 26 about~~0.6 to about 0.7 inch behind
front face 23 and top and bottom eLdges 28, 30 separated by about
3~. s ~,..)
~~t 4'/= inches Elongated, horizontal locking slots 32, 34, 36 are
formed in floor 26 and extend across the entire length thereof for a
purpose to be described below.
Caps 38 may be secured to the ends of facades 12 for
a purpose to be described below. Caps 38 include a ledge 40
3 . i ~,..,
extending inwardly about~~l.2 inches~over front side 23 of panels 12.
Caps 38 may be affixed to panels 12 by any accepted technique
such as. by way of example, by screws or adhesive bonding.
Panels 12 are preferably formed from a plastic. Further,
it has been found to be beneficial to extrude the panels from any
extrudable material such as thermoset or thermoplastic including, by
way of example. ABS, poiycarbonate or poiyvinylchloride. Further,
panels 12 are preferably hollow having a material thickness of about
o - m ~w,
L(0.06 inch, To provide internal support, steel U-shaped channels 42
are included in the top and bottom sections of each of panels 12.
The remaining hollow portions of panel 12 may be filled by a
material such as polystyrene to improve the insulating properties of
door 10. Caps 38 are preferably plastic injection molded plastic.
However, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that
other materials, such as wood and steel, and other means of
AN~END~D St~ET
WO 95!31627 21 g ~ ~ 3 2 PCT/US95/04855
-10-
manufacture may be used in constructing panels 12 and caps 38.
Each panel 12 presents an aesthetically pleasing
appearance. However, panels 12 may include interchangeable top
and bottom facades 14 and interchangeable middle facade 16 to
alter the appearance thereof. As best seen in Figs. 4A and 4B,
facades 14, 16 include a decorative front side 50 and a back side 52
having an elongated, integrally formed, backwardly projecting clip
54, 56, respectively, extending horizontally across the entire length
thereof. Clips 54, 56 are adapted for releasable interlocking
engagement with locking slots 32, 34, 36 as will be discussed
below.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 4A, top and bottom facades 14
simulate the appearance of a corner molding and have a generally
triangular cross-section with decorative front side 50 and back side
52 being joined by an edge wall 60. Edge wall 60 abuts top and
bottom edges 28, 30 of recess 24 when facades 14 are releasably
interlocked to panel 12 and has substantially the same height as top
and bottom edges 28, 30 to create the appearance of a continuous
surface.
Clip 54 which extends backwardly from back side 52 is
adapted for releasable interlocking engagement with locking slots
32. 36. To this end, locking slots 32, 36 have a generally
rectangular cross-section and include a lip 62 having a camped
leading surface 64 extending inwardly from recess top and bottom
., WO 95/31627 ~ ~ PCT/US95/04855
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edges 28, 30. Clip 54 has a substantially U-shaped cross section
and includes a rectangular support arm 70 and a substantially parallel
flexible locking arm 72 having an outwardly projecting finger 74 on
the distal end thereof. Finger 74 has a vamped leading surface 76
for slidable engagement with lip leading surface 64. Further) support
arm 70 and locking arm 72 are spaced to be snugly received within
slot 32, 36.
When clip 54 is inserted into locking slot 32, 36, finger
leading surface 76 slidably engages lip leading surface 64, flexing
locking arm 72 inwardly. As finger 74 emerges beyond lip 62,
locking arm 72 resumes its original shape and finger 74 snaps onto
lip 62 of slot 32, 36, thereby releasably interlocking facade 14 to
panel 12. Simultaneously, support arm 70 is in abutting relationship
with the other edge 66 of slots 32, 36 to securely support facade
14. Following releasable attachment of interchangeable facade 14
to panel 12, slots 32, 36 and clip 54 are hidden from view. To
remove facade 14, a thin flat tool, such as a putty knife, is inserted
between edge 60 of facade 14 and recess top edge 28 or bottom
edge 30 to flex locking arm 72 inwardly, thereby permitting the user
to remove clip 54 from slots 32, 36.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 48, middle facade 16, having a
decorative front side 97 and a back side 98, is releasably secured to
panel 12 by means similar to that used for top and bottom facades
14. Middle locking slot 34 includes a pair of lips 84 extending
WO 95/31627 PCT/US95/04855
21 ~~532
-12-
inwardly from top and bottom edges 80, 82 and have camped
leading surfaces 86 similar to lip 64 in slots 32, 36. Clip 56 projects
backwardly from back side 98 and extends horizontally across the
entire length thereof. Clip 56 includes a pair of locking arms 88
having outwardly projecting fingers 90 with camped leading surfaces
92 that are spaced to be received within slot 34. As clip 56 is
inserted into slot 34, finger leading surfaces 92 slidably engage lip
leading surfaces 86 flexing locking arms 88 inwardly. As fingers 90
are inserted beyond lips 84, locking arms 88 resume their
undeformed shape with fingers 90 snapping onto lips 84 of slot 34
and releasably interlocking facade 16 to panel 12. As before, slot
34 and clip 56 are hidden from view when facade 16 is secured to
panel 12. To remove facade 16 from panel 12, a thin, flat tool, such
as a putty knife, is inserted between facade backside 98 and recess
floor 26 to flex finger 90 inwardly, thereby releasing clip 56 from
slot 34.
To ensure that top and bottom edges 94, 96 of facade
back side 98 abut the floor 26 of recess 24, back side 98 slopes
backwardly as shown in phantom lines in Fig. 4B. As clip 56 is
inserted into slot 34, top and bottom edges 94, 96 of facade 16
contact back side 98 and are urged away from panel 12 until clip 56
is releasably locked into slot 34 as described above. At this point,
facade back side 98 has a concave shape caused by clip 56 being
pulled backwardly into slot 34. This urges top and bottom edges
-13-
94, 96 to remain adjacent to font face 23, thereby giving panel 12
and facade 16 the appearance of being a single component.
The interchangeable facades 14, 16 are preferably
formed from plastic. Further, it has been found to be advantageous
to extrusion mold the facade from a thermoplastic such as ABS,
polycarbonate or polyvinyichloride. Still further, the facades may be
p.(5c...,
hollow with a wall thickness of abou~0.06 inch as shown, to
decrease weight and cost. However, as will be readily appreciated,
other materials, such as wood or steel, may be used without
deviating from the spirit or principles of the present invention.
As noted above, locking slots 32, 34, 36 and clips 54,
56 preferably extend across the entire length of panels 12 and
facades 14, 16 respectively. However, locking slots 32, 34, 36 may
comprise a plurality of discrete short slots with clips 54, 56
comprising a plurality of discrete, short clips (not shown) that have a
length shorter than the slots. Thus clips 54, 56 and facades 14, 16
may move horizontally along panels 12. To assist in retaining
facades 14, 16 on panels 12, caps 38 may be secured to the ends
of panel 12. To accommodate differing thermal expansions and
contractions of panels 12 and facades 14, 16 due to the use of
different materials and other environmental factors, facades 14, 16
are preferably somewhat shorter in length than panels 12. Further,
clips 54, 56 should be flexible. As the components expand and
contract, clips 54, 56 may flex and/or slide horizontally within slots
~IMEND~D SHEET
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32, 34, 36. This permits changes in size of either the panels 12 or
facades 14, 16, or both to be accommodated without buckling.
Additionally, cap ledge 40, which extends across the ends of
facades 14, 16, prevents the user from seeing any gap between the
ends of facades 14, 16 and the ends of panels 12.
With reference to Fig. 5, there is shown another
interchangeable facade 100 in accordance with the principles of the
present invention. Facade 100 includes upper and lower edges 102,
104, decorative front side 106 and a back side 108 including a pair
of elongated, integrally formed clips 110 projecting backwardly from
facade upper and lower edges 102, 104. The height of facade 100
is chosen such that upper and lower edges 102, 104 of facade 100
are in abutting relationship with recess top and bottom edges 28, 30
when facade 100 is secured to panel 12. As before, clips 110
preferably extend horizontally across the entire length of back side
108 although clips 110 may comprise a plurality of discrete clips.
Preferably clips 110 have the same structure as clips 54 such that
they releasably interlock with locking slots 32, 36 as shown in Fig.
4A. Front side 106 may include a variety of appearances formed
ZO therein such as) by way of example, a tudor appearance, the address
of the individual or the name of the individual.
To releasably interlock facade 100 to panel 12, clips
110 are slidably inserted into slots 32, 36 until finger 74 of locking
arm 72 snaps onto lip 62 of slot 32, 36 (see Fig. 4A1. Again, when
WO 95/31627 ~ ~ ~ ~ -~ ~ L PCT/US95/04855
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facade 100 is secured to panel 12, clips 110 and slots 32, 34, 36
are hidden from view. To remove facade 100, a thin, flat tool, such
as a putty knife, is inserted between upper and lower edges 102,
104 of facade 100 and recess top and bottom edges 28, 30 to flex
finger 74 inwardly, thereby releasing clips 110 from slots 32, 36.
Although panels 12 are shown having three horizontal
slots 32. 34, 36 formed therein, it will be readily appreciated by
those skilled in the art that any number and orientation of slots may
be used without deviating from the principles of the present
invention. By forming the slots horizontally, both panels 12 and
facades 14, 16, 100 may be extrusion molded. However, panels 12
and facades 14, 16, 100 may be injection molded with the locking
slots being formed vertically. Additionally, the slots need not extend
across the entire length of the panel. However, three horizontal
slots were chosen as providing the user with considerable flexibility
in the selection of design options for door 10.
In use, to attach facade 14, 16, 100 to panel 12, the
user first flexes facade 14, 16, 100 and inserts the ends thereof into
recess 24 between the floor 26 on panel front side 23 and cap
ledges 40. Ctips 54, 56, 110 are then inserted into locking slots 32,
34, 36 until fingers 74, 90 snap onto lips 62, 84 thereby releasably
interlocking the facades to the panels. To remove facades 14, 16.
100, the user inserts a thin, flat tool either between facade upper or
lower edges 94, 96, 102, 104 and recess edges 28. 30, if it is a top
WO 95/31627
PCT/US95/04855
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or bottom facade 14 or a full panel facade 100, or inserts the tool
between facade back side 98 and floor 26 if it is middle facade 16.
The tool is inserted until fingers 74, 90 are flexed inwardly, releasing
clips 54, 56, 110 from slots 32, 34, 36. The user then flexes
facades 14, 16, 100 to remove them from the space between panel
front side 23 and cap ledge 40.
With reference to Figs. 6 and 7, there is shown an entry
door or passageway door 120 in accordance with another aspect of
the present invention comprising a single panel door 122 having
interchangeable facades 130 removably attached thereto. Single
panel door 122 includes a pair of stiles 132 and rails 134 having a
front face 136 and a back side 138 secured thereto with caps 140,
142 affixed to the periphery of front face 136 and back side 138.
Front face 136 and back side 138 include a plurality of
elongated, horizontally disposed locking slots 14.4, 146 formed
therein and extending thereacross that are similar to locking slots 32,
36. As before, locking slots 144, 146 may comprise a plurality of
discrete slots rather than a continuous single slot. Stiles 132 include
U-shaped grooves 148 formed therein to accommodate slots 144,
146. Front face 136 and back side 138 are secured to stiles 132
and rails 134 by adhesive bonding or any other suitable technique.
Facade 130 is similar to full panel facade 100 (see Fig.
5) and includes an elongated, integrally formed upwardly facing clip
150 and downwardly facing clip 152 similar to, and operating in the
WO 95/31627 ~ 3 ~ PCT/US95/04855
_17_
same manner as, clip 54 (see Fig. 4A). Facade 130 is releasably
interlocked to front and back face 136, 138 by inserting clips 150,
152 into locking slots 144, 146 until fingers 74 snap onto lip 62
(see Fig. 4A). As before, slots 144, 146 and clips 150, 152 are
hidden from view when facade 130 is secured to panel 122.
Caps 140, 142 have a generally U-shaped cross-section
comprising a base 154 and front and rear ledges 156. Base 154 is
affixed to stiles 132 and rails 134 by any recognized technique.
However, it is preferred that screws be used to provide a more
positive contact. Additionally, the outside ends 158 of caps 140,
142 should be angled inwardly about 45' such that, when
assembled, caps 140, 142 form a substantially rectangular frame for
single paneled door 122 having a mitered appearance.
Ledges 156 may be spaced to snugly receive front face
136 and back side 138 therebetween (as shown), or may be spaced
sufficiently to also receive facades 130 therebetween. If ledges 156
are adjacent front face 136 and back side 138 when assembled,
facades 130 should be sized to abut ledge 156 when releasably
interlocked with panel 122. However, to accommodate expansion
and contraction of panel 122 and facade 130, ledges 156 may be
spaced to overlap and receive facades 130 therebetween with clips
150, 152 being movable in slots 14.4, 146. As with the overhead
garage door 10, facades 130 should be a length sufficient to extend
under ledges 156, but preferably shorter than faces 136, 138.
WO 95/31627 ~ PCT/US95/04855
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Thus, expansion and contraction of the components will not cause
buckling of panel 122 or facade 130 or permit the user to see
unsightly gaps. Additionally) top and bottom caps 140 may be sized
to snugly receive front and back faces 136, 138 therebetween while
side caps 142 may be sized to receive facades 130 therein.
Additional variations may be desirable, as will be recognized by
those skilled in the art, depending upon the intended use for the
door.
Although single panel door 1.22 is shown having four
locking slots 144, 146 formed therein, it will be readily appreciated
that any number, orientation and type of slots may be used to
provide a door having an external appearance that may be easily and
readily altered by attachment and removal of facades. Additionally,
facades 130 may include a single integrally formed clip, such as
facade 14 (see Figs. 4 and 4A), or facade 16 (see Figs. 4 and 4B) in
place of multiple clips 150, 152.
Facades 130 and single panel door 122 are preferably
injection molded or extruded from thermoset or a thermoplastic such
as ABS, polycarbonate or polyvinylchloride.
In use, to releasably interlock facade 130 to single panel
door 122, if ledges 156 abut front and back faces 136, 138, clips
150, 152 are merely inserted into locking slots 144, 146 until
fingers 74 snap onto lips 62 (see Fig. 4A). Alternatively, if ledges
156 are spaced to receive facade 130 therebetween, facade 130
- 19 -
must first be flexed to permit the ends thereof to be inserted under
ledges 156. The remainder of the insertion process is identical to
that just described. To remove facade 130 from single pane! door
122, a thin flat tool, such as a putty knife, is inserted under facade
130 to flex finger 74. Clips 150, 152 may then be removed from
stots 144, 146. Again, if ledges 156 are spaced to receive facade
130 therebetween, facade 130 must be flexed for removal from
between ledges 156.
By virtue of the foregoing, there is thus provided a door
whose outward appearance may be easily and readily changed by
releasably interlocking removable facades thereto. Additionally, the
door is able to accommodate expansion and contraction of the door
and facades without buckling or the formation of gaps.
AMEND~D St~~T
