Patent ID: 7441308

Claim:
A watertight sealing arrangement having a door panel, a door wall, and a door frame attached to the door wall, the door frame encompassing an opening formed in the wall to be closed by the door panel, a hinge assembly pivotally supporting the door panel on the door frame comprising: upper and lower hinge pads fixed to the door frame in vertically spaced relation to each other; a hinge blade fixed to the door panel and extending horizontally therefrom between the vertically spaced hinge pads; a hinge pin supported on the upper hinge pad and extending downwardly therefrom along a vertical axis through the hinge blade and through the lower hinge pad; and a bushing arrangement positioned within the hinge blade for guiding angular displacement of the door panel about the vertical axis of the hinge pin to a position closing the door wall opening while allowing limited horizontal displacement relative to the hinge pin, wherein the bushing arrangement comprises a bottom flange supported on the lower hinge pad and a cylindrical body portion extending vertically upwardly from the bottom flange into the hinge blade, and spacing washers positioned on the hinge pin between the bottom flange and the lower hinge pad, the cylindrical body portion of the bushing arrangement having a slot hole through which the hinge pin extends, the slot hole being elongated in a horizontal direction to accommodate the limited horizontal displacement of the bushing arrangement relative to the hinge pin, the watertight sealing arrangement further comprising a substantially U-shaped channel attached to the door panel, a gasket affixed inside the substantially U-shaped channel, a knife edge formed on the door frame, wherein when the door panel is angularly displaced to close the wall opening, the knife edge is in pressing contact with the gasket establishing the watertight seal, wherein the knife edge is positioned such that the horizontal displacement of the bushing arrangement relative to the hinge pin moves the door panel towards and away from the knife edge, wherein in the bushing arrangement, the diameter of the bottom flange is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical body portion, and wherein the hinge blade is supported on the bottom flange, the bottom flange being sandwiched between the hinge blade and the spacing washers, wherein each of the bottom flange and the cylindrical body portion are circular, and wherein the upper hinge pad and the bushing arrangement are vertically spaced apart with no washer therebetween, to enable the adjustment of the height of the door panel.