Door corner joint with force transfer block

Abstract

An improved joint construction for commercial metal doors is disclosed which utilizes a novel force transfer block. The force transfer block has spaced-apart flanges which engage corresponding reglets in a door stile. The inner faces of the flanges bear against the inner walls of the reglets. The flanges of the force transfer block are configured such that they will retain the block on the stile by way of an interference fit with the walls of the reglet. Thus the block does not have to be separately fastened to the stile. A rail abuts the stile and has a recessed portion into which the block is received. A threaded rod extends through the rail and into the stile, and tightening a threaded fastener onto each end of the rod clamps the rail securely between two stiles. The recessed portion of the rail has surfaces bearing snugly against at least two sides of the block such that twisting forces applied to the rail are transferred to the block. Twisting forces transferred to the block from the rail are transferred by the inner faces of the flanges to the inner walls of the reglets.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.