Patent Publication Number: US-2022228424-A1

Title: Door construction for a portable building door

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     United States design patent application 29/717,768. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to portable buildings; and, more particularly, to the construction of a door installed in a sidewall of such buildings and which is lowered from a vertical or upright closed position to an inclined open position in which the door serves as a ramp for enabling people and objects to be moved into and out of the building. 
     Portable buildings are known in the art. These typically include a roof, four sidewalls and a floor. Skids are installed beneath the floor for moving the building from one location to another. It is also known to install doors in a side of the building with the door being movable from a closed vertical or upright position to an inclined open position in which the door functions as a ramp. This facilitates the movement of people and equipment into and out of the building. 
     It will be appreciated that these types of doors are subject to significant amounts of stress and strain giving the amount of weight to which the door is subjected when functioning as a ramp not only because of the ingress and egress of people, but also the types and amount of equipment and materials which are also moved into and out of the building using the ramp. It is important therefore that the door be constructed not only to support this weight, but also that the door not be distorted through use so that it continues to properly seal the opening in the side of the building when closed, and that, when closed, it remains relatively air tight and does not leak. This latter is important because if there is leakage, for example, there may be water damage to the contents stored in the building, or dirt and debris may be blown into the building contaminating or damaging the stored contents. 
     What is needed is a door whose construction is such as to properly function as desired, not be compromised during normal usage, and which has an exterior appearance in keeping with the building&#39;s aesthetic. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A door for installation in the sidewall of a portable building includes a rectangular frame on which components forming the door are assembled. An insulation foam panel is sized and shaped to fit within the frame. First and second exterior door panels are each sized and shaped to conform to the size and shape of the foam panel and are affixed to respective sides of the foam panel. The foam panel, together with the exterior door panels and the frame, form a laminated door that fits within an opening in the sidewall. 
     The door is connected to a mechanism for lowering and raising the door. In operation, the mechanism lowers the door from an upright, vertical position to an inclined open position with the door then forming a ramp for moving people and objects into and out of the building. The door is constructed so that it does not bow or sag. The door may flex slightly when significant amounts of weight are moved over the ramp, but the door returns to its original configuration when the weight is removed. This allows greater weight to be moved over the ramp than otherwise might be possible. Also, the door does not leak when it is closed so water, dirt, or other contaminants are kept out of the building 
     Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevation view of a portable building having a first embodiment of a door constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  having a second embodiment of a door constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of a door of the present invention partially constructed; and 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of the door. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference numerals will be used throughout the several figures of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description illustrates the claimed invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the claimed invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the claimed invention, including what I presently believe is the best mode of carrying out the claimed invention. Additionally, it is to be understood that the claimed invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The claimed invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     Referring to the drawings, a portable building B has sidewalls S, a roof R, a floor F, and at least one skid K installed beneath the floor for moving the building from one location to another. As shown in the drawings, building B is equipped with two skids K. A rectangular opening P for a door is formed in at least one side S of building B. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of a door  10  made in accordance with the present invention is installed in opening P. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a window W may be installed above the door which is now generally indicated  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a door  10  includes a door member having an exterior cover panel  12  comprising either a wood siding material or a composite siding material. Panel  12  is made of a treated wood siding material which is water resistant. A wooden plywood panel  14  is used as an interior cover panel for the door. A water-proof foam insulation panel  16  is laminated, as will be described, between the exterior and interior panels  12 ,  14  to provide rigidity to the door when door  10  is in its lowered, open position and used as a ramp to move people, equipment, materials, and other objects into and out of building B. A door handle  18  is fitted to exterior panel  12  of the door member, and spaced supports comprised of rotatable t-hinges  20  (three of which are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) are attached to panel  12  at the base of the panel. Each t-shaped support has a base fitting beneath the bottom of the door as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and a vertical leg extending upwardly along the exterior of the door panel  12  forming the outside of door  10  when the door member is installed in building B. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the door member of door  10  includes a rectangular frame  22  on which components forming the door are assembled. Frame  22  has a top frame member  24 , respective side frame members  26   a ,  26   b , and a bottom frame member  28 . The frame further includes a central, vertical frame member  30  which extends from top member  24  to bottom member  28 . All of these frame members are either made of wood, metal, or a composite material. 
     Fitted within frame  22  are two rectangular shaped foam insulation panels  16  as previously identified. Both panels  16  are, for example, 1.5″ thick and sized and shaped to fit, in a side-by-side relationship, within the respective portions of frame  22  with the top, sides, and bottom of each panel abutting against the respective top, sides, and bottom surfaces of frame  22 . 
     Finally, exterior door panel  12  and interior door panel  14  are sized and shaped to conform to outer dimensions of reinforcement  29  so to completely fit over the respective foam panels  16  and the sides of frame  22 . In this regard, it will be understood that both the exterior and interior doors may be in two sections, with each section, when installed in a vertical side-by-side configuration, completely covering the respective side of the door. Further in this regard, and as shown in  FIG. 4 , exterior door panel  12  is longer than interior door panel  14  and foam panel  16 . Further as shown in  FIG. 4 , while the upper ends of the panels  12 ,  14 , and  16  are co-terminus, the lower end of exterior panel  12  extends below that of the other two panels so to facilitate the installation and functioning of the hinged supports  20 . 
     When installing the exterior and interior panels  12 ,  14 , a Loctite® type adhesive material is first spread over the entire outer surfaces of the foam panels  16  so the respective abutting surfaces of the exterior and interior door panels  12 ,  14  adhere to the respective surface of foam panel  16  when the panels  12 ,  14  are set in place. After exterior door panel  12  is installed, handle  18  is affixed to the outside of the panel in a convenient location for grasping by a user wanting to lower or raise the door. The t-hinges  20  are affixed to the base of panel  12  adjacent each side of the panel and in the middle of the panel. Adjacent each side of panel  14 , toward the top of the panel, a connector  36  is attached. One end of a rope/wire  38  is attached to connector  36 , the rope/wire  38  being part of a pulley system (not shown) such as is well-known in the art for use in facilitating the lowering and raising of door  10 . The pulley system comprises part of an actuator or control mechanism  40  by which a motor or actuator (both not shown) installed within building B are electrically or electronically operated to control movement of the door. The motor or actuator may be battery powered and mechanism  40  is controllable by a handheld unit  42 . Among other things, mechanism  40  may include a rotatable rod (not shown), a spool (also not shown) coupled to the rod, and a rope, chain, or wire wound on the spool and coupled to door  10  for moving the door in its opening or closing direction. 
     Once completed, door  10  comprises a laminated door which, when installed in opening P, can be lowered from an upright, vertical (door closed) position to an inclined (door open) position in which it forms a ramp for moving people and objects into and out of building B. Importantly, laminated door  10 , when significant amounts of weight are moved over the ramp it forms, may slightly flex, but does not sag or break. This allows significantly more weight to be movable over the ramp than otherwise would be possible. 
     It will be understood that door  10  may have a decorative exterior appearance. That is, the exterior of the door may be painted, and/or it may have vertical, horizontal, or diagonal ornamental elements fitted to the outside of panel  12 . One such example of such a decorative construction is shown in applicant&#39;s co-pending design patent application 29/717,768. 
     What has been described is a door  10  employing a laminated door member for use in a portable building B. Each door member has a reinforced frame with inner and outer door panels fitted over, and secured to, a foam center panel using an adhesive material. Hardware and decorative trim are affixed to or fitted to the exterior door panel. The laminated door of the present invention is capable of withstanding significant amounts of weight when used as a ramp when the door is in its open, lowered position. Door  10  is advantageous over use of a steel door, for example, because it is easier to install in a building B since to install a steel door in the building, which is typically made of wood, would require drilling holes into a side of the building for installing the door. An advantage to the construction of door  10  is that it requires no use of nails or screws to fabricate; and, when completed is significantly lighter in weight than a comparable steel door and is significantly cheaper as well. 
     In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects and advantages of the present invention have been achieved and other advantageous results have been obtained. 
     As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.