GB2462138A

GB2462138A - Adjustable door frame mounting

Info

Publication number: GB2462138A
Application number: GB0813164A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Andrew Hill; Timothy Michael Strawson
Original assignee: Bradbury Security Grilles Ltd
Current assignee: Bradbury Security Grilles Ltd
Priority date: 2008-07-18
Filing date: 2008-07-18
Publication date: 2010-02-03
Also published as: GB0813164D0

Abstract

A door frame, optionally having a door already hinged to it, comprises a plurality of frame members 1, 3 at least one of which includes a chassis member having at least one adjustable member 6 to engage a door opening and locate the frame within the opening. The adjustable member 6 is preferably accessible to an adjusting tool 10 when the door is closed. The chassis may be of a box-section having a rear face (7 Fig 2) and a front face, the rear face having tapped holes into which the adjustable members 6 are threaded. Each member preferably has a socket in its end face for engagement by the drive tool 10, which passes through a co-operating aperture in the front face. Permanent fixings may be inserted through holes within the adjustable members to secure the frame to the door opening.

Description

ADJUSTABLE DOOR FRAME MOUNTINGS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to door frames, more particularly to door frames for security doors, enabling adjustment to be made to the frame within a door opening prior to fixing. Even more particularly, the invention re-lates to a mounting chassis adapted to be incorporated into a door frame so that adjustable fixing of the frame can be performed.

Background to the Invention

In the context of security doors, it is common practice to offer a door frame to a door opening where the door and frame will eventually be fixed. The frame will normally have a door already hinged to it but in the closed position.

In order to accommodate variations in the "trueness" of the opening, the frame manufacturer will provide a frame with a clearance dimension with regard to the opening. This may be as little as 5mm on each side. Nevertheless, the down-side of this is that the frame, once offered up into the opening, will not be held in place. It is then necessary for wedges, temporary or permanent, to be inserted between the outer edges of the frame and the door opening.

Once this is done, the door can be opened to afford access to the inner face of the frame so that frame fixings can be used to fix the doorirame firmly in place in the opening. The door will nevertheless still need to be propped open.

The frame can be bolted or otherwise securely fixed in place. Problems will still arise, however, if the opening is not square and true. A series of trial and error adjustments will need to be carried out to ensure that the door is plumb and true. This can only be done by adjustment of the frame because normally there is little or no adjustment as between the door and its frame.

There is therefore a need for a mechanism that will simplify the mounting and adjusting stages of door frame fixing but without compromising the security aspects of the fixture. For example, there is no point increasing the size of the frame clearance if in the process the gap between the frame and the opening is increased to such an extent that a saw, for example, can be inserted in the gap so formed and the fixing bolts or the like cut through and the door, frame and all, removed.

The invention therefore seeks to address these problems and to provide a convenient, simple and secure alternative fixing mechanism.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention therefore provides a door frame comprising a plu-rality of frame members, at least one of which comprises a chassis member having at least one adjustable member adapted to be operated to engage a door opening and thereby locate the frame within the opening. The door frame preferably has a door already hinged to it when the frame is first positioned in the door opening. The adjustable member is preferably accessible to said op-eration when the door is closed.

The chassis preferably consists of a box-section having a rear and a front face, the rear face having tapped holes, the adjustable members having screw threads engaging the tapped holes. Each member preferably has a socket in its end face engageable by a drive tool passed through a co-operating aperture in the front face to cause the member to en-gage the door opening.

The chassis preferably has one or more door hinges already attached before the frame is positioned in the door opening. One or more dog bolts may extend from the hinged edge of the door and engage in a mating aperture in the frame and/or the chassis.

Once the frame is located in the opening and held by engagement of the adjustable members with the inner face of the opening, one or more of the ad-justable members may be drilled through and permanent fixing means fixed into the inner face of the opening through the adjustable member or members.

The invention also comprises a method of fixing a door frame, to which a door is already hinged, into a door opening using adjustable members provided in a chassis provided in at least one door frame member to locate the frame in the opening, after which a permanent fixing may be made through the adjust-able members into the adjacent face of the door opening.

The invention further provides a chassis adapted for incorporation into a door frame and having adjustable means whereby the chassis, and hence the frame and a door hinged to the frame, may be adjusted in position within the door opening.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a drawing of a top part of hinge side of a door frame incorpo- rating a fixing mechanism in accordance with the present invention in a de-ployed position; Figure 2 is a similar representation to Figure 1 but with the mechanism in a start position; Figure 3 is a drawing of the fixing mechanism shown in the top part of Figure 1 but viewed from the door side of the opening and with the fixing mechanism in the start position; Figure 4 is a drawing similar to Figure 3 but with the fixing mechanism in the deployed position; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken through the top part of the frame in Figure 1 with the fixing mechanism in the start position, and; Figure 6 is a cross sectional view similar to Figure 5 but with the fixing mechanism in the deployed position.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

Referring generally to the drawings and to Figure 1 in the first instance, a door frame upright 1 is shown from the side intended to fit into a prepared door opening (not shown). As can be seen, hinges 2 are already fitted to the frame 1. A cross-member or head 3 is attached to the upright by conventional means.

It should also be appreciated that there will be a similar upright (but without hinges) and a bottom cross-member to complete the frame. These are not shown for the sake of clarity. Also, it should be observed that only the top part of the upright 1 and the adjoining part of the head 3 are shown.

The cross-section of the frame 1 provides a single rebate frame, as more readily appreciated from Figures 5 and 6. Other frame sections, how-ever, may be used with the invention.

At spaced intervals along the length of the upright 1 there are a plurality of fixing devices 4 incorporating the invention. Under normal circum-stances, the upright will be in the region of two metres or so, enabling say two or three fixing devices to be provided per upright. Each device is of a strong construction, stronger than the frame uprights and cross-members, and incorpo-rating an adjustable fixing mechanism.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, for the sake only of clarity the frame members have been "removed", enabling the detail of the fixing mechanisms to be exposed. Each fixing device comprises a "chassis" 5 of box-section to which the hinges are pre-fixed. Visible in Figures 1 and 4 are adjusting elements 6.

These are cylindrical tubes with external screw threads (not shown). The ele-ments 6 are threaded through tapped holes provided in a backplate 7 of the chassis 5. When in the start position, the outermost rim or face of the elements 6 are flush with the outer face of the backplate 7, as shown in Figure 2. In the frontplate 8 of the chassis 5 are apertures 9 aligned with the elements 6 and af-fording ac-cess to them from the door side of the frame. In each of the Figures the operating end of a drive tool 10 is visible. In use, the tool is introduced into an aperture 9so as to engage one of the elements 6.

Also illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6 are a number of "dog bolts" 11. They have not been shown in Figure 3 for the sake of clarity. These are known devices that are fixed into the hinged edge of the door and are designed to enter apertures in the hinge side of the door frame when the door is closed.

Their purpose is to prevent the door being removed by cutting off the hinges. In the present invention, the dog bolts pass through large openings in the door frame and engage in apertures specially provided in the frontplate 8 of the fixing devices 4. These apertures may alternatively or additionally be provided in the

frames themselves, as in the prior art.

The fixing devices are employed in the following manner. A door frame with a door in the closed position, is offered up in the prepared door opening as in the prior art. However, in accordance with the invention, at least one element 6 of each pair of elements 6 is accessible from the door side, even with the door closed. This is most clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6, where the frame cross section provides a door jamb 12 for the closed door.

The drive tool 11 has an operating end with a particular formation.

This may be a hexagon, square or other configuration. When introduced into one of the apertures in the frontplate 8, the operating end engages a mating re-cess in one of the elements 6. Rotation of the drive tool 1 icauses the element to screw out of the backplate 7 towards the inner face of the door opening. As shown in Figure 5 and 6, although one of each pair of elements 6 will be cov- ered by the closed door, the other one of each pair will be accessible via open- ings through the enlarged part of the frame forming the door jamb 12. The ac-cessible elements 6 are adjusted by use of the drive tool 10 until the frame is lightly but firmly held in the opening. The screw-threaded elements provide a continuous range of adjustment. By adjusting each of the accessible elements in turn, the door frame plus door can be set true in the opening even before the door is opened. Once this position has been achieved, the door can then be opened and the other elements 6 of each pair of elements can be adjusted in the same way as the first. This gives the frame a second fix in the frame. Once the frame is properly aligned, the adjusting elements can, if desired, be tight-ened further.

In the final stage, the adjusting elements are drilled through from the door side and proprietary frame fixings used to fix the frame through the elements 6 into the door opening. This provides yet another level of fixing of the frame in the door opening.

The invention therefore provides a neat, convenient, simple and secure solution to the problems of fixing a security door frame into a prepared opening as discussed at the beginning of this specification.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A door frame comprising a plurality of frame members (1, 3), at least one of which comprises a chassis member (5) provided with at least one adjustable member (6) adapted to be operated (10) to engage a door opening and thereby locate the frame within the opening.
2. A door frame as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a door hinged (2) to the frame.
3. A door frame as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adjustable mem-ber (6) is accessible to said operation when the door is closed.
4. A door frame as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the chas-sis member (5) comprises a box-section having a rear face (7) and a front face Q 15 (8), the rear face (7) having tapped holes, the adjustable members (6) having N. screw threads engaging in the tapped holes.

N..
5. A door frame as claimed in claim 4, wherein each adjustable member has a socket in an end face thereof, engageable by a drive tool (10) adapted to be passed through a co-operating aperture in the front face (8), whereby to cause the adjustable member (6) to engage the door opening.
6. A door frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chassis member (5) has one or more door hinges (2) attached before the frame is positioned in the door opening.
7. A door frame as claimed in claim 2, wherein one or more dog bolts (11) extend from the hinged edge of the door and are adapted to engage in a mating aperture in the frame and/or the chassis member (5).
8. A door frame as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein one or more of the adjustable members (6) are adapted to be drilled through and per- manent fixing means fixed into the inner face of the opening through the adjust-able member or members after the frame is located in the opening and held by engagement of the adjustable members with the inner face of the opening.
9. A method of fixing a door frame, to which a door is already hinged, into a door opening, the method comprising: providing a chassis member (5) in at least one door frame member, the chassis member (5) having one or more adjustable members (6); adjusting said adjustable members (6) to locate the frame in the opening; and making a permanent fixing through the adjustable members (6) into an adjacent face of the door opening.
10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of making a Q 15 permanent fixing comprises drilling through one or more of the adjustable mem-N. bers (6) and fixing permanent fixing means into the inner face of the opening Q through the adjustable member or members. N.
11. A chassis (5) adapted for incorporation into a door frame having a door hinged thereto, the chassis having adjustable means (6) whereby the chassis (5), and hence the frame and the door hinged to the frame, may be ad-justed in position within a door opening.