Skinned door panels with replacement bottom rails
OwnerAudrey Eigner, Todd Bruchuinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Skinned door panels with replacement bottom rails and related methods are described herein. The skinned door panels with bottom rail replacements and related methods of replacing bottom rails in door panels having a trimmed bottom edge include a replacement bottom rail that is particularly resistant to moisture penetration allowing for convenient modification of the height of the door panels without degrading their long-term viability in use.
Claims20
A door panel comprising:
- a first skin and a second skin positioned opposite from each other on opposite major sides of the door skin, wherein each of the first skin and the second skin comprise a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge;
- a first composite stile positioned between the first side edges of the first skin and the second skin, the first composite stile comprising a first stile cap exposed between the first edge of the first skin and the first edge of the second skin, and a first interior stile located inward from the first stile cap, wherein the first stile cap extends from the bottom edges of the first skin and the second skin to a top edge of the door panel, and wherein the first interior stile comprises a first inset end spaced inward from the bottom edges of the first skin and the second skin and a bottom end of the first stile cap;
- a second composite stile positioned between the second side edges of the first skin and the second skin, the second composite stile comprising a second stile cap exposed between the second edge of the first skin and the second edge of the second skin, and a second interior stile located inward from the second stile cap, wherein the second stile cap extends from the bottom edges of the first skin and the second skin to a top edge of the door panel, and wherein the second interior stile comprises a second inset end spaced inward from the bottom edges of the first skin and the second skin and a bottom end of the second stile cap;
- and
- a bottom rail located between the bottom edges of the first skin and the second skin, the bottom rail positioned in a pocket defined by the first skin, the second skin, the inset end of the first interior stile, the inset end of the second interior stile, the first stile cap, and the second stile cap, wherein the bottom rail comprises:
- a first end proximate the first stile cap and a second end proximate the second stile cap,
- an interior face extending from the first end to the second end, the interior face facing towards the first inset end of the first interior stile and the second inset end of the second interior stile,
- an exterior face facing away from the first bottom end of the first interior stile and the second bottom end of the second interior stile, and
- a side surface extending between the interior face and the exterior face of the bottom rail about a perimeter of each of the interior face and the exterior face;
- a first side sealant cavity located between the side surface of the bottom rail and the first skin;
- a second side sealant cavity located between the side surface of the bottom rail and the second skin;
- and
- flowable sealant located in the first side sealant cavity and the second side sealant cavity.
A method of shortening a door panel comprising a first skin and a second skin positioned opposite from each other on opposite major sides of the door panel, a first composite stile positioned between a first side edge of the first skin and a first side edge of the second skin, the first composite stile comprising a first stile cap exposed between the first edge of the first skin and the first edge of the second skin, and a first interior stile located inward from the stile cap, a second composite stile positioned between a second side edge of the first skin and a second side edge of the second skin, the second composite stile comprising a second stile cap exposed between the second edge of the first skin and the second edge of the second skin, and a second interior stile located inward from the second stile cap, the method comprising:
- removing a selected portion of the door panel proximate a bottom of the door panel, wherein the removing comprises removing a selected portion of each of the first skin, the second skin, the first stile cap, the first interior stile, the second stile cap, and the second interior stile, wherein, after the removing, the first skin and the second skin each comprise a trimmed bottom edge, the first stile cap and the second stile cap each comprise a trimmed stile cap bottom end, and the first interior stile the second interior stile each comprise a trimmed interior stile bottom end;
- forming a pocket between the first skin, the second skin, the first stile cap, and the second stile cap pocket, wherein forming the pocket comprises removing a second selected portion of each of the first interior stile and the second interior stile after removing the selected portions of the first skin, the second skin, the first stile cap, the first interior stile, the second stile cap, and the second interior stile, wherein the first interior stile comprises a first inset end located inward from the trimmed stile cap bottom end of the first stile cap and the trimmed bottom edges of the first and second skins, and wherein the second interior stile comprises a second inset end located inward from the trimmed stile cap bottom end of the second stile cap and the trimmed bottom edges of the first and second skins;
- inserting a bottom rail into the pocket, wherein the bottom rail comprises:
- a first end proximate the first stile cap and a second end proximate the second stile cap,
- an interior face extending from the first end to the second end, the interior face facing towards the first inset end of the first interior stile and the second inset end of the second interior stile,
- an exterior face facing away from the first inset end of the first interior stile and the second inset end of the second interior stile, and
- a side surface extending between the interior face and the exterior face of the bottom rail about a perimeter of each of the interior face and the exterior face;
- providing flowable sealant in a first side sealant cavity located between the side surface of the bottom rail and the first skin;
- and
- providing flowable sealant in a second side sealant cavity located between the side surface of the bottom rail and the second skin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.