DE20011070U1 - Sealing device for a lower door gap - Google Patents

Description

Dipl.-Chem. EL FRITZ 00/268

Dr. Dipl.-Phys. R. BASFELD May 19, 2000/EF/Ni

Dipl.-Phys. E. HARAZIM Patent Attorneys M. HOFFMANN Attorney at Law

Ostentor 9 59757 Arnsberg

company

F. Athmer

Rönkhauser Street

59757 Arnsberg

"Sealing device for a lower door gap"

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The present invention relates to a sealing device for a lower door gap, which can be fastened to the underside of the door leaf, comprising a trigger which, when the door is closed, actuates a sealing mechanism which leads to the lowering of an inner rail with a sealing profile attached to it.

Sealing devices for a lower door gap of the aforementioned type are known from the prior art. With the known sealing devices of this type, it can happen that the sealing device has been installed in the lower door gap and the door has been hung back in place, but then other work is carried out on the construction site by other tradesmen, such as laying tiles, carpets, parquet floors or the like. This can damage parts of the already installed sealing device, e.g. the sealing profile.

This is where the present invention comes in. The invention is based on the idea that, in order to avoid the aforementioned problems, it is advantageous to divide the assembly process into pre-assembly and final assembly. During pre-assembly, those parts of the sealing device that are relatively insensitive to damage can be attached to the door, with pre-assembly usually taking place when the door leaf is removed. The door can then be hung again. Other tradesmen can then carry out the other work mentioned above on the construction site without affecting the parts of the seal that have already been pre-assembled. The other sensitive parts of the sealing device are assembled in a later work step in the final assembly after the other work on the construction site has been completed.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of creating a sealing device for a lower door gap of the type mentioned at the beginning, which has such a

allows two-stage assembly, whereby the final assembly is possible especially when the door leaf is already in place.

The solution to this problem is provided by a sealing device according to the invention for a lower door gap of the type mentioned at the outset with the characterizing features of the main claim.

The solution according to the invention provides that the sealing mechanism comprises lever elements which are articulated on the inner rail. These lever elements are provided with locking means at one end so that it is possible to create a locking connection with other parts of the sealing mechanism which are connected to the trigger or to create a locking connection with the trigger itself. Alternatively, it is also possible to connect the lever elements via locking means to receiving parts which in turn can be firmly connected to the outer rails. The concept according to the invention therefore initially provides for only the outer rails to be attached to the door leaf using the aforementioned receiving parts. This takes place in the pre-assembly step. The sealing mechanism with the sensitive parts and the sealing profile is not yet in the outer rail. This sealing mechanism is then designed so that it can be installed in the final assembly even when the door leaf is already in place. This is done because the sealing mechanism is in the inner rail and the inner rail can be pushed into the outer rail from the side. All other parts of the sealing mechanism 0 can be largely prefabricated in the factory and accommodated in the inner rail, so that assembly on site can be carried out very quickly. The inner rail is inserted into the outer rail from the side and the connection between the inner rail and the outer rail is made via the locking means, whereby the locking means are located on the lever elements of the sealing mechanism on the one hand and on the receiving parts, which are already pre-assembled in the

The advantage of this is that the corresponding end position of the inner rail in the outer rail is already predetermined when it is pushed in. The inner rail is pushed in until the lever elements engage with the receiving parts.

The sealing device can also work without the outer rail, in which case the receiving parts can be attached directly in a groove in the door leaf, for example.

There is preferably also a connection between the trigger for the sealing mechanism and the lever elements via locking means. This has the advantage that the lever elements can be used for multiple functions, namely for establishing the locking connection with the receiving parts and also for establishing a locking connection with the trigger, if necessary via intermediate connecting parts.

Preferably, two lever elements are used, which are preferably identical in construction and are arranged symmetrically to a vertical center plane of the sealing arrangement. Furthermore, two receiving parts are preferably provided, which are also arranged symmetrically with respect to the imaginary vertical center plane through the sealing arrangement. This has a decisive advantage, as the sealing mechanism can be pushed into the outer rail from both sides. This makes assembly considerably easier, as when pre-assembling the outer rail on the door leaf you do not have to pay attention to which side the sealing mechanism is triggered from, i.e. whether it is triggered from the lock side or the hinge side. This can then be decided during final assembly before the sealing device is put into operation. This has an advantage, as the decision can also depend on the previously laid floor coverings or other local conditions.

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The locking connection between the lever element and the trigger can, for example, be designed in such a way that a locking element provided at the end of the lever element is connected to a corresponding locking element provided at the end of a rod connected to the trigger in a clip connection.

Preferably, a locking element is provided on one side of the receiving part, which in shape and dimensions corresponds approximately to the locking element connected to the trigger, so that identical lever elements can be used in two different functions, since they can be connected via their locking elements on the one hand to the rod of the trigger or the trigger itself and on the other hand to the receiving part.

The connection of the receiving part to the outer rail can also be made using locking devices, so that no tools are required to attach the receiving parts to the outer rail. The outer rail, preferably with two receiving parts, is attached to the door leaf during pre-assembly, preferably in a lower groove. This attachment can be made using a screw connection 5, for example. The door leaf can then be hung back in place.

Furthermore, it is provided that the receiving part preferably has a fork 0 on the side opposite the locking element, suitable for receiving a section of the lever element between them. As a result, when inserting the sealing mechanism into the outer rail with the already pre-assembled receiving parts, a section of the lever element can be pushed between the fork of the receiving part, 5 whereas the other lever element is connected to the other receiving part by a clip connection. If the sealing mechanism is inserted into the outer rail from the other side, the clip connection is set.

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between one lever element and the other receiving part. Preferably, therefore, receiving parts of the same construction also perform several functions simultaneously. This multifunctional design of the components, preferably both the lever elements and the receiving parts, makes it possible to reduce the total number of components required for the sealing arrangement to a minimum. In principle, it would also be possible to do without the outer rail if the receiving parts provided according to the invention were to be fastened directly in the door groove of a door leaf. This variant is also intended to be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

The lever elements used are preferably two-armed lever elements that are pivoted on the inner rail about a horizontal pivot axis. Two arms extend from the pivot point, one of which is preferably somewhat longer and is provided with the locking means at the end. A somewhat shorter arm preferably extends from the pivot point to the other side, the end of which is supported against the force of a spring. A compression spring can be used here, for example.

A wide variety of locking devices can be used to create the clip connection. Locking elements on the lever elements in the form of partially cylindrical receptacles have proven to be particularly advantageous, into which corresponding, roughly cylindrically shaped rollers of the receptacle parts or the trigger mechanism then snap into place. The corresponding locking elements can also be designed the other way round, i.e. that the rollers are located on the lever elements and corresponding receptacles are provided on the trigger and the receptacle parts.

In the context of the present invention, it is essentially only important that the locking means allow for simple, tool-free assembly.

The features mentioned in the subclaims relate to preferred developments of the solution to the problem according to the invention. Further advantages of the invention emerge from the detailed description below.

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The present invention is described in more detail below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through an inventive

Sealing device in the rest position;

Fig. 2 a corresponding longitudinal section of the

Sealing device of Fig. 1 after actuation; 10

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view of a section III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the receiving part;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section along the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is another enlarged detail view showing a

0 further function of the recording part demonstrated;

Fig. 7 is a view of the receiving part with screw connection;

Fig. 8 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing

shows that the outer rail can accommodate the sealing mechanism from either side.

0 First, reference is made to Figs. 1 to 3. The sealing device according to the invention comprises an outer rail 11 into which a sealing mechanism can be inserted. The outer rail 11 can be, for example, a metal rail with a U-shaped cross section or the like. The outer rail 11 can be fastened, for example screwed, in a groove on the underside of a door leaf (not shown). The outer rail 11 is assembled in a first assembly step and after this assembly

the door leaf can be hung. The sealing mechanism can then be inserted into the outer rail 11 later when the door is hung by sliding it in from either side. 5

The sealing mechanism essentially consists of the following parts:

The trigger 12, which protrudes slightly from the side of the outer rail 11 and is connected to a lever element 14 via a rod 13. The lever element is mounted on an inner rail 15 so that it can pivot about a horizontal axis. An elongated sealing profile 16 is in turn attached to the underside of the inner rail 15. The lever element 14 is a two-armed lever, one arm of which is connected to the rod 13 of the trigger 12 and the other arm of which is mounted at the end of the inner rail 15 via a compression spring 17, so that when the sealing mechanism is actuated via the trigger 12 and the inner rail 15 is lowered downwards with the sealing profile 16, the compression spring 17 is compressed, as can be seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the triggered seal after actuation with the inner strip 15 lowered. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of a detailed section in the area of the lever element 14.

In Fig. 3, the pivot axis 18 of the lever element 14 can be seen, which is located where the lever element 14 is hinged to the inner rail 15. The fastening of the lever element 14 to the inner rail 15 in the area of the

The pivot axis 18 can be achieved, for example, by engaging parts of the lever element 14, which may be made of plastic, that protrude slightly outwards into openings or holes in the inner rail 15 in the area of the joint axis 18. 35

Fig. 1 shows that two lever elements 14 are provided symmetrically to the center plane of the entire sealing device. Furthermore, two

Receptacle parts 2 0 are present, also arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner to an imaginary vertical center plane of the sealing device. These receptacle parts 2 0 are multifunctional parts, the function of which is explained in more detail below.

The activation of the sealing device can be explained by comparing Fig. 1 and 2. The trigger 12, which can protrude either on one or the other side of the sealing device, depending on which side the sealing mechanism is inserted into the outer rail 11, protrudes on the wall side or the lock side of the door and is pushed inwards a little when the door is closed, as can be seen by comparing Fig. 1 and 2.

This triggers the sealing mechanism. The trigger 12 is connected to the rod 13 and then presses on the lever element 14, which in turn deflects and pivots about its horizontal axis. This pivoting or tilting movement of the lever element 14 can be seen in Fig. 2. This compresses the compression spring 17 and also the inner rail 15 with the sealing profile 16 is pressed down by the lever element 14 into the sealing position. Fig. 1 shows the rest position and Fig. 2 shows approximately the maximum stroke of the inner rail 15, which can of course be selected arbitrarily but is, for example, around 11 mm for seals of this type. The lever element 14 shown on the left in the drawings Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is connected to the trigger 12. The right lever element 14 in the drawings Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is articulated to the right receiving part 20 at the end of its one longer arm and the compression spring 17 is located at the end of the other arm. Since the right lever element 14 is also articulated to the inner rail 15, it also pivots about its horizontal pivot axis 18 in the region of its pivot point on the inner rail 15, as can be seen in Fig. 2 and 3.

The inner rail 15 with the sealing profile 16 is pressed down evenly over its length.

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The connection between the longer arm of the right lever element 14 and the receiving part 20 can be seen in Fig. 3 and also in Fig. 6. At the end of its longer arm, the lever element has a partially cylindrical receptacle 21, into which a correspondingly approximately cylindrically shaped roller 22 can engage at one end of the receiving part.

This partially cylindrical holder 21 has a further function, as can be seen from Fig. 4. It can also hold a roller 23 formed on one end of the rod 13 of the trigger 12 and can thus be connected to the trigger 12. From Fig. 1 and the detailed drawings Fig. 4 and 6 it can be seen that on one side the rod 13 of the trigger is connected to a lever element 14 and on the other side of the sealing device one side of the holder part 20 is connected to the lever element 14 in the manner described above, this being a type of clip connection. Because the two lever elements 14 are arranged symmetrically to a vertical center plane in the sealing device, as can be seen from Fig. 1, two identical lever elements 14 can be used with different functions, once for connection to the trigger 12 and once for connection to the holder part 20. The same applies to the two receiving parts 20 used in the sealing device according to Fig. 1. These two receiving parts 20 are also arranged symmetrically to the imaginary vertical center plane of the sealing device, so that the two molded-on partially cylindrical rollers 22 are directed towards each other. The receiving part 20 has a fork 24 on the side opposite the partially cylindrical roller 22, consisting of two parallel legs extending in the longitudinal direction, which have a free space in the middle between them and are thus spaced apart. This fork 24 can therefore be used in the left receiving part 20, which is shown in Fig. 4, to receive one arm of the lever element 14 between them. This fork 24 therefore forms a certain guide for this arm of the

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Lever element 14 during the lowering movement of the sealing device (see also Fig. 2).

The type of fastening of the receiving part 20 in the outer rail 11 can be seen from Fig. 4, 5 and 7. Fig. 5 shows the outer rail 11 in cross section and shows that the receiving part 20 located therein can be screwed through a hole 26 in the outer rail by means of a screw 25, the hole 26 preferably being located in the upper crosspiece 11a of the outer rail. From Fig. 5 it can also be seen that the receiving part 20 has two elastically springy tongues 27 that protrude slightly outwards and are arranged on both sides of the screw 25 approximately in its middle region, by means of which the receiving part can be inserted into corresponding recesses in the outer rail.

11 can be locked in place. The screw 25, which passes through the hole 26 of the outer rail, serves to screw the outer rail 11 onto the door leaf and at the same time to fix the receiving parts 2 0 in the intended 0 position inside the outer rail 11.

Fig. 1 shows that a trigger with rounded ends

12 can be used, preferably if the trigger is intended for the hinge side of the door. Alternatively, a trigger 12a suitable for triggering on the lock side can also be used, which is also shown in Fig. 1. This lock-side trigger 12a has a bevel 12b at the end.

0 Fig. 8 shows that after the assembly of the outer rail 11, the side from which the inner rail 15 with the sealing device is inserted into the outer rail 11 can still be freely selected, which is a particular assembly advantage of the sealing device 5 according to the invention. This allows the assembly to take place in two steps, whereby the first step of mounting the outer rail 11 on the door leaf is usually carried out before the door is installed and the second step of inserting and

Mounting the inner rail 15 with the sealing device in the outer rail 11 can take place after the door has been hung in place. Fig. 8 shows, in the upper arrangement, an inner rail 15 with a sealing device that has been pushed into the outer rail 11 in such a way that the trigger 12 protrudes on the left side of the rail. It can be seen that the rod 13 of the trigger is connected to the partially cylindrical holder 21 of the left lever element 14. In contrast, the partially cylindrical holder 21 of the right lever element 14 is connected to the molded-on roller 22 of the right holder part 20. The two holder parts 20 are identical in design, but are used for different functions. The same applies to the two lever elements 14. In the lower arrangement according to Fig. 8, the inner rail with the sealing device was pushed in from the other side so that the trigger 12 protrudes on the right side. Here again, the same designed receiving parts 20 and lever elements 14 are present as before, but now the right lever element takes over the connection with the rod 13 of the trigger and the left lever element is connected here to the left receiving part 20. Fig. 8 therefore illustrates the versatility of the receiving parts 20 and lever elements 14 used according to the invention, which means that such a sealing device can be used very variably and still manage with a minimal number of parts.

Claims (11)

1. Sealing device for a lower door gap, which can be fastened to the underside of the door leaf, comprising a trigger which, when the door is closed, actuates a sealing mechanism which leads to the lowering of an inner rail with a sealing profile attached to it, characterized in that the sealing mechanism comprises lever elements ( 14 ) which are articulated on the inner rail ( 15 ) and which are provided at one end with locking means for producing a locking connection with parts ( 13 ) connected to the trigger or the trigger ( 12 ) itself, wherein the lever elements ( 14 ) can alternatively be connected in a locking manner to permanently attached receiving parts ( 20 ) via locking means. 2. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one outer rail ( 11 ) which can be fastened to the underside of the door leaf and that the receiving parts ( 20 ) can be firmly connected to the outer rail(s) ( 11 ). 3. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least two lever elements ( 14 ) are provided, which assume a symmetrical arrangement to a vertical center plane of the sealing device. 4. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that at least two receiving parts ( 20 ) are provided, which assume a symmetrical arrangement with respect to a vertical center plane through the sealing device. 5. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a clip connection is provided between a locking element ( 21 ) provided on the end of an arm of the lever element ( 14 ) and a corresponding locking element ( 23 ) provided on the end of a rod ( 13 ) connected to the trigger ( 12 ). 6. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a locking element ( 22 ) is provided on one side of the receiving part ( 20 ), which corresponds in shape and dimensions approximately to the locking element ( 23 ) connected to the trigger ( 12 ). 7. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the receiving part ( 20 ) can be connected to the outer rail ( 11 ) via locking means ( 27 ). 8. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the receiving part ( 20 ) and the outer rail ( 11 ) can be fastened, preferably screwed, to a door leaf by means of fastening elements ( 25 ). 9. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the receiving part ( 20 ) has a fork ( 24 ) on the side opposite the locking element ( 22 ), suitable for receiving a portion of the lever element ( 14 ) between them. 10. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the lever element ( 14 ) is pivotally connected to the inner rail ( 15) about a horizontal pivot axis (18 ) and has a preferably longer arm extending from the pivot point, which is provided at the end with the locking means ( 21 ) and has a preferably shorter arm extending from the pivot point to the other side, which is mounted at the end against the force of a spring ( 17 ). 11. Sealing device for a lower door gap according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that approximately partially cylindrical receptacles ( 21 ) are formed as locking elements ( 21 ) on the lever elements ( 14 ), into which corresponding approximately cylindrically shaped rollers ( 22 , 23 ) of the receiving parts ( 20 ) or of the trigger mechanism engage, or that conversely the partially cylindrical receptacles ( 21 ) are located on the receiving elements ( 20 ) and correspond to corresponding parts on the lever element ( 14 ) or trigger mechanism ( 12 , 13 ).