Abstract:
Embodiments of a carved solid face door and methods of fabrication are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a carved solid face door includes a solid base having a substantially flat face and an opposing rear surface, wherein the face has a design carved into at least one section of the face that emulates the appearance of a multiple-piece construction including at least one of a frame, a rail, a stile, a molding, a trim, a plurality of planks, or a panel. Optionally, a backing may be coupled to the solid base. Optionally, the solid base may comprise a plurality of horizontal sections.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/723,764, filed Oct. 5, 2005, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to doors and, more particularly, to doors having a façade formed from a solid piece of material and methods of manufacturing thereof. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Doors, and particularly large doors such as overhead garage doors, come in numerous styles, shapes, and sizes. In a residential setting, many people prefer garage doors that are embellished or stylized to enhance the outer appearance of their homes. Such garage doors may be manufactured using a stamped metal or vinyl exterior or a more traditional multiple-piece construction (such as rail and stile construction). 
     However, these manufacturing methods each have their own drawbacks. For example, garage doors having a stamped metal exterior have design limitations due to the nature of the materials and tools required to form the desired patterns on the face of the door. In addition, each design requires varying tools to stamp the designs into the door. As such, this method is very expensive to use for larger numbers of designs. 
     Multiple-piece construction techniques are usually very time-consuming, due to the number of different parts that must be fabricated, aligned, and assembled to form the door. Moreover, the likelihood of quality control issues arising, such as out of tolerance, overall appearance of the door, or door-to-door variations increases with the number of components to be fabricated and pieced together. 
     Therefore, a need exists for a door suitable for ease of fabrication and flexibility of design options. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention provides a door and method of manufacture therefor. In one embodiment, the door includes a substantially solid flat face with a desired design carved into the flat face to emulate the look of a door manufactured using other traditional techniques, such as stamping or multiple-piece construction. Optionally, the door may have a backing affixed to the front face for support. The door may be manufactured using computer-aided machinery to carve the design. The flat face of the door may optionally further comprise multiple sections. 
     In one embodiment, a carved solid face door includes a solid base having a substantially flat face and an opposing rear surface, wherein the face has a design carved into at least one section of the face that emulates the appearance of a multiple-piece construction including at least one of a frame, a rail, a stile, a molding, a trim, a plurality of planks, or a panel. 
     In another embodiment, a method of making a door is provided. The method includes making a carving into a front portion of the flat face to form a generally decorative pattern in the door. In one embodiment, the design is carved into the flat face using a computer-controlled machine, such as a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, or the like. 
     In one embodiment, a method for fabricating a door includes providing a solid base having a substantially flat face and an opposing rear surface; and carving a design into the face to emulate the appearance of a multiple-piece construction including at least one of a frame, a rail, a stile, a molding, a trim, a plurality of planks, or a panel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       So the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  depicts a front view of one embodiment of a door of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial sectional view of the door of  FIG. 1 , taken along section lines  2 - 2 . 
         FIG. 3  is depicts a window that may be formed in the door of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 4A-B  depict a partial sectional side view of embodiments of the window of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention provide a door suitable for ease of construction in a variety of styles/designs and a method of manufacturing the door. The door may be any door, including front entranceways, overhead garage doors, side-mounted garage doors, and the like. The door has a solid flat face with a desired design carved into the flat face. The design may emulate the look of a door manufactured using other traditional techniques, such as stamping or multiple-piece construction (e.g., rail and stiles, raised panels, and the like). Optionally, the door may have a backing affixed to the front face for support. The door may be efficiently manufactured using computer-aided machinery to carve the design. 
       FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of a door  100  of the present invention. The door  100  generally comprises a solid base having a flat face  102  into which a design  110  is carved. The flat face  102  may comprise any suitable workable material, such as wood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), plastic, cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the like. Alternatively, the flat face  102  may comprise a flat laminate of multiple sheets of one or more of the aforementioned materials. 
     The flat face  102  of the door  100  may optionally further comprise multiple sections. In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 , three sections  104 A-C are depicted. The sections  104 A-C may be formed by cutting the door  100  along lines  120  after forming the design  110  or, the sections  104 A-C may be individually fabricated and thereafter assembled to form the final door  100 . It is contemplated that the door  100  may comprise any number of sections, including a single section. 
     The design  110  is carved into a front portion of the flat face  102  to form a generally decorative pattern in the door  100 . The design  110  may be carved into the flat face  102  in a variety of ways. In one embodiment, the design  110  is carved into the flat face  102  using a computer-controlled machine, such as a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, or the like. Using a computer-aided machine, the design  110  may be formed into the flat face  102  of the door  100  with tight tolerances, repeatability, speed, and excellent process control. Moreover, the design  110  may be expediently and inexpensively changed or altered to varying designs simply by loading a new design into the computer-aided machine. This facilitates greater speed and flexibility of manufacturing as compared to expensive and time consuming traditional methods of manufacturing doors. 
     By carving the design  110  into the flat face  102  of the door  100 , embodiments of the present invention facilitate emulation of the look of a traditional multi-piece construction (such as at least one of a frame, a rail, a stile, a molding, a trim, a plurality of planks, or a panel) with greater design flexibility, process repeatability, and speed of construction. In addition, carving the design  110  into the flat face  102  of the door facilitates greater design flexibility as compared to traditional stamped steel and vinyl construction techniques. Specifically, the carved design  110  may have designs that flow between adjacent sections (e.g., sections  104 A-C) of the door  100 . In stamped steel doors, the sections typically have uniform raised edges due to the rolled edge at the border of adjacent sections. Moreover, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, changing from one design to the next in a production environment may be accomplished by merely loading, or selecting a preloaded, new design program in the computer-controlled machine, thereby facilitating simple, quick, and practically seamless changeovers to new products. 
     In one embodiment, the door  100  may further optionally comprise a backing to stiffen, strengthen, or otherwise structurally support the flat face  102 .  FIG. 2  depicts one embodiment of a backing  210  affixed to a rear surface of the flat face  102 . The backing  210  may be affixed to the flat face  102  in any suitable manner, such as by gluing, bonding, epoxying, screwing, bolting, otherwise adhering or affixing, and the like. 
     The backing  210  may comprise one or more elements arranged to support the flat face  102  as described above. In one embodiment, the backing  210  comprises an outer frame  214  and an optional inner core  216  that are covered with a skin  212 . The frame  214  may comprise wood, plastic, metal, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The inner core  216  may comprise foam or other suitable material and may provide a high insulative rating, or R-value. The skins  212  may comprise any thin, structurally sound material, such as plywood, wood, plastic, MDF, hardboard, and the like. It is contemplated that the flat face  102  may comprise structural elements such as metal rods and or bars in place of or in addition to the backing  210 . In an alternative embodiment, the outer frame  214  may be directly affixed to the flat face  102 . In this arrangement, relatively larger openings and/or glass sections, and the like, can be formed in the door  100 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts one embodiment of an optional window  300  that may be formed in the door  100  depicted in  FIG. 1 . The window  300  is formed in the flat face  102  of the door  100  in similar fashion as the design  110 . Specifically, the window  300  is carved into the flat face  102  of the door in a desired location. Structural and/or design elements, such as the frame  302  and mullions  304 , may optionally be carved into the flat face  102  of the door  100 , leaving openings  306  that pass completely through the flat face  102  of the door  100 . In embodiments where a backing is used (as depicted in  FIG. 2 ), a corresponding opening is formed in the backing. 
     The use of a computer-aided machine greatly reduces the time and effort required to align any openings formed in the backing and in the flat face  102 . As can be seen in the window  300  of  FIG. 3 , the openings  306 , and optional frame  302  and/or mullions  304  do not need to be square. As the openings  306  are carved out of a solid piece of material (e.g., the flat face  102 ), the openings  306  may take practically any shape or design, such as circles, ellipses, waves, amoebic forms, as well as triangles, squares, rectangles, other polygons, or combinations thereof. 
     The window  300  may be left open, or a piece of material such as glass, plastic, or the like (typically glass) may be provided to cover the openings  306  of the window  300 . To facilitate manufacture, the glass for the window  300  may be cut into a convenient polygonal shape, such as a square or rectangle, and may be secured to the backside of the flat face. In embodiments where a backing is used, the backing may have a corresponding opening that facilitates the placement of the glass in the window  300 , as indicated by the dashed lines  310  in  FIG. 3 . 
     In one embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 4A , a hole  404  is formed in the backing  210  corresponding to the location of the window  300  such that a piece of glass  402  or other desired material may be placed in the opening  404  and rest against the back surface of the flat face  102 . An insert  406  may then be placed over the glass  402  to secure it in place and to provide a clean, finished appearance to the hole  404  in the backing  210 . 
     In another embodiment, depicted in  FIG. 4B , a rabbet  410  may be machined into the backside of the flat face  102  to accommodate the glass  402  such that it rests flush with the backside of the flat face  102 . The insert  406  is then placed within the hole  404  to secure the glass  402  and provide a clean, finished appearance to the hole  404  in the backing  210 . 
     Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a door has been provided that facilitates flexibility and ease of construction in a variety styles/designs and a method of manufacturing the door. The door has a desired design carved into a solid flat face that may be efficiently manufactured using computer-aided machinery to fabricate the design. The use of computer-aided machinery facilitates raised levels of production as compared to traditional techniques while maintaining or improving quality, accuracy, and repeatability, as well as reducing changeover times and costs to implement new designs. 
     While the foregoing is directed to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the following claims.