AU669189B2 - Door jamb - Google Patents

Description

S91 89 R.J. BRODIE PTY LIMITED

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: ~o r e a r ri ci DOOR JAMB The invention is described in the following statement:- The present invention relates to door jambs and like surrounds for door openings, particularly metal door jambs, for use in the construction of doorways during building, or as replacement door jambs in existing buildings.

The invention is particularly suited to construction methods utilising timber frame walls upon which is fixed sheeting or (ladding such as plaster board or the like.

Whilst the invention is particularly suited to metal door jambs, it is not necessarily intended that the invention be limited thereto as other suitable materials, particularly those which may be extruded would lend themselves equally well to the invention.

However, for convenience, the following description refers to the use of metal door jambs only but it is understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Any reference to a door jamb, whether metal or otherwise, is meant to encompass materials which may be usefully substituted for metal.

Furtherm-re, whilst the invention is described in terms of door jambs per se, such reference is meant to encompass any similar inclusion in a wall, such as a window frame for a casement style window or the like.

Indeed, the invention may equally well be utilised in doorways and similar openings where in fact a door or the like is not fitted, i.e. merely where a finished opening is required. Whilst the term jamb generally refers to the upright or side portions of the opening into which the door fits, for convenience jamb is herein utilised to encompass both the uprights and the head or cross member as well. Thus, the term jamb is herein meant to encompass any door or like surround whether it has a rebate for receiving a door or not.

In the construction of a typical timber frame wall, the wall may be framed up first, and cladding such as plaster board or the like added thereto. At some convenient point during construction, the door jamb will be fixed in place in an opening left in the timber frame. Alternatively, when constructing such a wall, it may be practical to place the door jamb in position, thus defining its exact position and size and building the wall around it, securing the door frame to the wall as construction proceeds.

In traditional building methods utilising timber door jambs, it has been found expedient to use an architrave 15 or timber moulding around the perimeter of the door jamb on each face of the wall to cover any gap between the wall cladding and the jamb itself.

For many years now, the advantages of metal and, in particular, steel have been recognised in the construction of a robust door jamb. One of the major advantages in utilising steel arise from its relative strength as it does not warp like timber, and can be manufactured to much higher tolerances. The use of steel door jambs also has obvious advantages over timber in regard to security. Furthermore, the jamb may be fully assembled prior to fitting so that it can be simply slid into place in the door opening. Such pre- ,Lssembly is often accomplished by welding which imparts a degree of strength and resistance to twist and distortion. Significantly, developments in steel jambs have led to the pre-assembly of not only the jamb itself but the whole door assembly, the door being hung on the jamnb at the factory so that on site the whole assembly is simply placed in position and secured as required.

Therefore, such steel door jambs have found wide utilisation in the construction of doorways particularly in brick or concrete walls where the surface of the wall is rendered. In these applications, it has been found convenient to render over the brickwork or concrete blocks as required, the render itself effectively bridging the gap between the edge or perimeter of the door jamb and the wall structure (bricks etc.).

Alternatively, where it is desired to feature the bricks themselves unrendered), the gap between the wall and the door jamb may be conveniently filled with mortar 15 matching the mortar utilised in the construction of the remainder of the brickwork.

However, in timber framed houses, whether fully timber framed or of the style of construction known as brick veneer, metal door jambs have not found such wide S. 20 acceptance as there has been no convenient way to bridge the gap between the wall cladding and the metal jamb itself as timber is largely unsuitable for such a job, being of totally different texture and appearance to the .:metal of the jamb and not being readily affixed thereto.

Alternatively, plastering techniques are ineffective, either leaving an unsightly gap which would not be tolerable, or resulting in cracking if an attempt is made to fill the whole gap with plaster. This cracking occurs since plaster does not have the same characteristics or performance as, for example, mortar used in brick construction, thus resulting in severe cracking around the metal jamb, primarily due to Expansion and contraction as well as vibration from the opening and closing of the door.

The present invention has therefore been conceived out of the need to provide an effective means to overcome the disadvantages of previously known metal door jambs particularly in timber frame walls by providing a grooved element and lip associates therewith to allow the insertion therein of a suitable sheet of wall cladding or the like to cover the edge of the cladding in order to provide a neat finish at the junction between the wall cladding and the jamb Thus, according tu the present invention, there is provided ajamb element of constant cross-section, the jamb element comprising a steel construction, the construction further comprising a leading face having formed in it at least one rebate for receiving a door, and leading face integral with two laterally located flanges, at least one flange defining a first side wall of a continuous full length groove which opens away from the leading face as to accommodate the insertion of a sheet material, an opposite second side wall of the groove being defined by a fin which extends in a direction away from the leading face.

Where such a door jamb is fitted in a wall of brick veneer construction an external wall having cladding on one said only), it is only necessary to provide the groove along one edge of the jamb, i.e. on one side of the opening in order to receive the wall e ee^ cladding on that side, as the remaining side may be of conventional cross-section to allow for construction utilising bricks and mortar or rendering techniques as discussed above.

However, with advantage, the door jamb can be provided with grooves along both edges thereof, i.e. on both sides of the opening, for use as a door jamb in a timber frame wall (typically an i',ternal wall) in which cladding is located on both sides.

Preferably, the cross-section of extruded or rolled metal or other material from which the door jamb is constructed, defines at least one door receiving rebate along its length such that upon construction of the jamb, a door may be conveniently fitted. Alternatively, 15 as noted above, where the door jamb merely functions as a facility to finish off the opening, no door receiving rebate need be part of the cross-section.

Alternatively, and with advantage, a pair of door receiving rebates may be located on either side of the cross--section along the length of the extrusion to provide flexibility during construction in that the door maj be fitted to either side and hence open on either side of the opening. This is particularly convenient in relation to door jambs for fitment in timber frame walls, particularly internal timber frame walls, where it ray be advantageous to hang the door from either side. In such circumstances, the door jamb will generally have a cross-sectional profile having an axis of symmetry along the length of the extrusion.

On the other hand, where the jamb is fitted to an external wall of a brick veneer structure, the provision of a rebate on both sides thereof is not essential.

However, it may be convenient to provide two rebates as discussed above to allow for the later fitment of secondary doors such as security screen doors or flywire doors exterior to the main door which would normally open inwardly.

With advantage, door jambs according to the inventionmay be conveniently manufactured as preassembled items comprising the two side jambs proper together with one head in which the head is suitably welded or affixed by other suitable means to the respective upper ends of the jambs proper.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of illustration only with reference to the accompanying figures in which: S**Lv FIGURE 1: shows a perspective view of a door jamb according to the present invention, the jamb appearing in situ in a timber framed wall with partial cladding in place; FIGURE 2: shows in detail a perspective view highlighting the profile of the door jamb illustrated in Figure 1; and FIGURE 3: shows a perspective view of an alternate profile suitable for use in brick veneer construction.

Throughout the drawings, like components are referenced by the same numeral.

Referring generally to Figures 1 and 2, there is provided a door jamb assembly generally referenced 11, for fitment in a frame wall generally referenced 12.

The wall comprises inter alia stud 13, noggin 14 and lintel 15. The wall is provided with cladding 16 in suitable sheet form.

The jamb assembly 11 comprises upright jamb members 17 10 and 18 fixedly connected to head member 19 which extend horizontally therebetween. Each of the jamb elements 17, 18 and 19 are of the same cross-section as depicted more conveniently in Figure 2 in which a length of jamb generally referenced 20 is illustrated. The profile of the jamb components 17, 18 and 19 (or portion illustrated in Figure are generally provided with a leading face 21 (with respect to the door opening) in which are provided two rebates 22 and 23 along the outer edges thereof for receiving a door. Substantially at 20 right angles to the leading face 21, are flange portions 24 and 25 each of which comprises a recess or groove 26 and 27 respectively formed therein. Each of these grooves 26 and 27 is so formed as to be able to accommodate the edge of a sheet of plaster board or like cladding 16 which may be inserted therein.

Conveniently, the free end portions 28 and 29 of flange portions 24 and 25 respectively act as fins or wings which may be conveniently attached to the respective studs 13 or the like from which wall frame 12 is constructed.

Thus, during construction, a wall 12 is prepared comprising studs 13, noggins 14 and lintel 15 according to the usual methods. As is the case with known methods of construction, the lintel 15 in fact is normally located above the height of the assembled door jamb assembly 11 as no weight should bear down thereupon, thereby also facilitating fitment of the door jamb 11 into the opening, since there is no obstruction provided by the lintel However, as it will be observed from Figure 1, the jamb assembly 11 is fitted in the door opening in such a way that the free ends of the flanges i.e. fins 28 and 29 extend over at least a portion of the stud 13 immediately adjacent the door opening. Since the stud 13 does not entirely fill the recess provided by the profile of the jamb cross-section, it is in fact possible to walk the door jamb into position, sliding it further past the jamb 13 on one side of the door opening and then locating the other side of the jamb relative to its r=spective stud and sliding it back into the correct position relative to both studs.

The jamb assembly 11 may then be conveniently affixed to the respective studs 13 by means of screws or nails (not illustrated) passing through the fins 28 and 29.

Once fixed in position, sheets of cladding 16 may be fitted to the wall structure 12 in the usual way with the exception that the edge thereof adjacent the jamb assembly 11 is inserted into the respective grooves 26 and 27 formed therein. In this way, an extremely neat appearance is achieved no matter how untidy the edge of cladding is, provided always of course, that the cladding is cut approximately to fit so as to be comfortably accommodated in the said grooves 26 and 27.

Thus, the front faces of flanges 24 and 25 effectively for-i an architrave about the perimeter of the jamb aissembly 11.

Referring generally to Figure 3, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment, being a profile generally referenced 30 wherein the like components as illustrated in Figure 2 are referenced using the same referenced numerals. As will be seen, one side portion of the jamb section 30 is similar to that illustrated in Figure 2, whilst the second flange portion 25 is not provided with a groove at all, but instead is provided with a rolled edge 31 which is conveniently utilised in conventional masonry construction where bricks, cement blocks and the like may be abutted there against, the gap being suitably filled with mortar or render as required.

The particular advantage of this construction is that no fin such as 29 illustrated in Figure 2 exists on that side of the jamb and, accordingly, the jamb assembly as a whole may be readily inserted in a preformed opening without needing to walk it in the same way as required for a timber frame construction illustrated in Figure 1 and discussed above. In other words, the jamb assembly can simply be slid perpendicularly into position in the 25 opening of the door until the remaining fin 28 abuts the respective side of the stud 13 against which it will be fixed.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It will be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.

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