Abstract:
A blank filler plate for the lock edge cut-out in a steel door is disclosed. The blank filler plate which does not utilize visible fastening means is removably mounted in the lock edge cut-out. The blank filler plate is provided with zones of weakening for adjusting the size of the blank filler plate after the door hardware has been installed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to steel door construction and more particularly to a blank filler plate for the lock edge cut-out in a steel door. 
     In steel door construction, the various openings are precut in steel sheets prior to forming the sheets and assembly of the door. The cut-outs for mounting the hinges and the standard lock edge cut-out are precut so that a standard lock assembly and hinges can be installed without further preparation of the door. When a customer desires a different type of lock assembly other than a standard lock assembly, a new lock edge cut-out will be required. After the door is assembled, additional openings are difficult to prepare and can only be accurately cut by using special tools. Any cross bore that may be required need not be precut since the cross bore for a dead bolt assembly or the like may vary with the type of lock to be used. The center line for any cross bore may vary and can be accurately cut by the door installer or distributer. To provide the various lock designs, a blank filler plate is utilized and is mounted in place by screws in the lock edge cut-out; however, screw mounted blank filler plates require additional steps to mount and do not give a neat appearance to the door. Such an assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,813. Other lock designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,479,851 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,418. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a blank filler plate having means for removably mounting the plate in the lock edge cut-out of a steel door. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a blank filler plate which is easy to install and remove from the lock edge cut-out of a door, in which only the outer perimeter thereof is visible, and no visible fasteners are required to hold the blank filler plate in position. 
     The invention generally contemplates the use of a blank filler plate which is releasably mounted in a lock edge cut-out of a steel door. The blank filler plate includes latch means integrally formed along opposed vertical edges of the plate and resilient means mounted on the inner surface of the filler plate for maintaining the plate in position in the lock edge cut-out so that the outer surface of the plate lies in the plane of the outer surface of the vertical edge of the door. The blank filler plate may also include zones of weakening formed along the inner surface thereof and extend normal to its vertical edges so that when a dead bolt or other variations of a standard lock is mounted in the lock edge cut-out, the size of the blank filler plate can be adjusted. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The several features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the drawings which form a part of this specification. 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a steel door with the standard preparation for the door knob and lock bolt cut-outs and the blank filler plate mounted in the edge cut-out; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the blank filler plate shown mounted in position in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric view of the lock section of the door as indicated in the circle of FIG. 1 to clearly illustrate the blank filler plate mounted in the lock edge cut-out of the steel door; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 3; 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the sequence of steps for the removal of the blank filler plate shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIGS. 6 to 8 are enlarged fragmentary isometric views of various designs of door hardware in which portions of the blank filler plate are utilized. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention is best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5B. In FIG. 1, steel door 10 illustrates blank filler plate 20 of the present invention, mounted in the lock edge cut-out 22 of steel door 10 so that the outer surface of the blank filler plate is continuous with the outer vertical edge surface of the door. Steel door 10, as illustrated, is of the flush type and is made generally in accordance with the steel door assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,385. The door comprises opposed panels 14 and 16 formed of sheet material. Panel 14 includes side flanges 15--15 having inturned lips 13. Panel 16 includes side flanges 17--17 which form the vertical side edges of the assembled door 10. Flange 17 is bent in the form of a &#34;U&#34;to form a groove 18 adapted to receive mating lips 13 of panel 14 so that panels 14 and 16 are latched or locked together by the mating of the lips 13 with the grooves 18 and is most clearly shown in FIG. 4. 
     Door 10 includes a filler core 12 of the honeycomb design and may be, for example, filled with a foamed plastic material such as foamed polyurethane to provide sound deadening and insulating means and also to reinforce the door when fully assembled. A wooden lock reinforcement 26 is positioned against the inner face of the lock vertical flange 17. Wood lock reinforcement 26 extends along vertical flange 17 approximately the area delineated by the circle in FIG. 1 and serves as backing member for blank filler plate 20 and also provides means for mounting the hardware in door 10. 
     Blank filler plate 20 is preferably made of plastic such as molded vinyl or the like. Opposed parallel lips or flanges 22, 24 are formed along the opposed vertical edges of blank filler plate 20. Steps 23, 25 are formed having a depth equal to the gauge of the sheet steel used to form panels 14 and 16 so that the outer face 28 of blank filler plate 20 lies in the same plane of the outer face of vertical flange 17. Thus, when blank filler plate 20 is mounted in the lock edge cut-out 27 of vertical flange 17 only an embossed line is visible since the outer perimeter of the blank filler plate 20 is visible and simulates an embossed section of the door. There are no visible fastening means such as screws for holding blank filler plate 20 in position. 
     A resilient member 30 is mounted on the inner face 21 of blank filler plate 20 which biases against the wood filler stile 26 mounted along the inner face of vertical edge 17. When blank filler plate 20 is mounted in lock edge cut-out 27 resilient member 30 urges blank filler plate 20 outwardly so that lips 22 and 24 are latched against the inner vertical edges 28, 29 of lock edge cut-out 27 to hold blank filler plate 20 in place. Resilient material 30 is preferably made of a cellular compressible, resilient and flexible material so as to provide the necessary force required to hold blank filler plate 20 in position in the lock edge cut-out 27. Resilient member or material 30 is mounted on the inner surface 21 of blank filler plate 20 by a suitable adhesive 33. Resilient material 30 may be either synthetic or foam rubber and may be either an open or closed cell foam. Suitable synthetic foam materials may be either an open or closed cell polyurethane foam, or polyvinyl open cell foam or a closed natural rubber foam. Also formed on surface 21 of blank filler plate 20 are transversely spaced grooves which form weakening zones 31 and are illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 2. These zones of weakening permit the blank filler plate to be broken in a clean straight line to provide properly sized section or sections which are used to fill the remaining opening in lock edge cut-out 27 as illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8. 
     Referring to FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B, a sequence of steps is illustrated which indicate the method for removing blank filler plate 20 from edge cut-out 27. Obviously, the reverse sequence of steps shown in FIGS. 5B, 5A and 4 are used to mount blank filler plate 20 in lock edge cut-out 27. To remove blank filler plate 20, digital pressure is applied to its outer face to urge blank filler plate 20 toward panel 16. Step 25 of lip 24 will be forced inwardly so that outer face of blank filler plate 20 will slide inside vertical flange 17. Digital pressure is then removed and the resilient material 30 will return to its relaxed or uncompressed form so as to force step 23 of lip 22 radially outwardly as shown in FIG. 5B. Blank filler plate 20 is then grasped and removed from the lock edge cut-out 27. A door knob and lock assembly such as is illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 88 may then be installed in the conventional manner after the appropriate cross bore opening is made in door 10 to fit the dead bolt assembly in lock edge cut-out 27. The standard door knob and door latch is mounted in the openings shown in FIG. 1. Blank filler plate 20 is then severed along one or more of the weakening zones to provide properly sized blank filler plate section or sections which are then mounted in the respective opening of lock edge cut-out 27 as illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8.