Adjustable door frame

Jan. 7, 1969 r. s. cline 3,420,003

ADJUSTABLE DOOR FRAME

Filed May 5, 1967

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Robert S. Cline by

3,420,003

Patented Jan. 7, 1969

United States Patent Office

3,420,003 ADJUSTABLE DOOR FRAME Robert S. Cline, 112 32nd Ave. W., Bradenton, Fla. 33505 Filed May 5, 1967, Ser. No. 636,509 U.S. Cl. 49—505 5 Claims

Int. Cl. E06f 1/20

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

This invention relates to adjustable door frames which are adjustable for varying wall thickness, which variations are always present along the edge of the wall opening. This frame includes a plurality of relatively short backing plates spaced along at least one edge of the wall opening and having a series of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending ratchet teeth and a pair of trim strips, one mounted on the backing plate and having a hook-shape portion projecting from the backing plate and returning toward the backing plate, all as viewed in section. The other trim strip includes a longitudinal gripping edge which is forced between the one trim strip and the plates and grips one of the series of ratchet teeth on the backing plate. The other trim strip is urged into gripping engagement by the hook-shaped portion of the one trim strip. The hooked-shaped portion also acts as a door stop. The one trim strip is mortised at the backing plates to receive the hinges so each hinge rests on a backing plate, and the hinge fasteners extend through the backing plate into the wall surface securely to support the door.

Brief summary of the invention

Briefly, this invention relates to an adjustable door frame which is adjustable over a wide range of thickness for the ever present variations in wall thicknesses, in which the door hinges are tied directly to the wall, in which no screws are showing on the trim or face, and in which the only surface screws are under the edge of the door when the door is closed.

Generally speaking, when a wall is provided with a door opening, variations in thickness of the wall invariably occur around the wall opening. Generally, these variations are in a range of plus or minus Vs inch if the wall is made of any standard materials, such as cinderblock, concrete, wood or other material in which the wall is assembled or constructed on the site. Further, in the course of building wall structures, wide variations in thickness of material is employed. For example, walls may be constructed of thickness in the range of 4 to 8 inches.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an adjustable door frame which may be quickly and easily installed and which provides for variations in thickness of the door opening naturally occurring in the construction of the walls.

It is another object of this invention to provide an adjustable closure frame which may be quickly and easily modified in order to adapt it to widely different wall thicknesses.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a closure frame which is simple and economical in construction and which can be quickly and easily adjusted and assembled.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide an improved door frame which is relatively rigid in construction and permits support of the door directly upon the wall while providing a construction which is neat in appearance.

These and various other objects, features and advan50 tages of the invention will be more clearly understood from a reading of the detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a door frame according to this invention, mounted in a wall, only a fragment of which is shown;

FIGURE 2 is a view in elevation, partly broken away and to an enlarged scale, of the portion designated by the line 2—2 in FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view in section taken along the lines 3—3 of FIGURE 1.

Detailed description of the invention

Referring now to the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of one illustrative embodiment of this invention showing an adjustable door frame 10 installed in a wall opening of a wall 11, only a fragment of which is shown. The door frame 10 comprises a plurality of backing plates or anchor plates 14, which may be spaced along at least one edge of the wall opening, and are also preferably positioned across the top of the wall opening and the distant side of the wall opening to thus provide base plates on which the remaining portions of the door frame are mounted. The remaining portions of the door frame include an outer or outside trim strip 12 and an inside trim strip 13. The references to inside and outside being with respect to the interior and exterior of the building, respectively. (It is, of course, understood that this adjustable frame may be employed on the exterior opening of a building, but is more appropriately intended to be used in the interior of the building.) Preferably, the backing or anchor plates 14 are mounted on suitable shims 15, such that the backing plates may be positioned in a vertical plane to cause the door to hang properly in a manner well known in the art. The backing or anchor plates 14 are mounted in the door opening by driving screws 20 through the shim 15 and into the wall 11. The anchor plates 14 include a series of longitudinally extending ridges 21 which are substantially triangular in cross-section and comprise a series of ratchet teeth, as viewed in cross-section in FIGURE 3. The purpose of this series of ratchet teeth 21 is to permit the interior trim strip 13 to be seelctively positioned until the trim strip engages the inner facing of the door opening 23. After the anchor plates 14 are mounted along the edge of the wall opening by means of screws 20, the outer trim strip 12 is positioned on the backing plate and is fastened to the backing plate by means of screws, such as the screws 25 in FIGURE 2. Outer trim strip 12 is then mortised at each backing or anchor plate 14 to which a hinge is to be fastened. Assuming that the door 18 is to be mounted by three hinges, the trim strip 12 is mortised at each of the three backing plates shown on the left-hand side of FIGURE 1. Each of the hinges for the door is then mounted directly on the backing palte 14 by means of screws such as screws 22 and is also connected directly to the backing plate by means of metal screws 27. As shown in FIGURE 3, screws 22 are wood screws which are of sufficient length to extend through the backing plate 14, through the shims 15 and into the wall 11. Thus, each of the hinges will be securely mounted upon the door facing proper rather than be mounted solely on the trim strip or the backing plate. Thus, any torque applied to the door 18 will be translated directly into the wall 11 through the screws 22 rather than to the trim strip 12 or solely to the anchor plates 14.

The outer trim strip 12 includes a face portion 30 which extends parallel through the outer face of the wall 11, and a re-entrant or hook-shaped portion 32 which terminates in an edge 33, which is positioned contiguous the outer face of the wall 11. These portions 30 and 32

3,420,003 of the outer trim strip cover or conceal the shims 15 and the anchor plate 14. The outer trim strips 12 also include a portion 34 which extends parallel to, and is spaced slightly from, the anchor plate 14 by means of an off-set step 35. The portion 34 also rests on a step 36 of the anchor plate 14 such that a space is provided between the portion 34 and the parallel segment 37 of the anchor plate 14.

The outer trim strip 12 includes a door stop portion 40 which includes a segment 42, extending perpendicularly from the portion 34 and perpendicularly away from the base plate 14. This portion 42 includes a longitudinal notch 43 into which a suitable sealing strip may be inserted. The door stop portion 40 includes a segment 44, extending substantially parallel to the base plates 14, and a hooked-shaped or re-entrant portion 45, returning toward the base plate 14 and terminating in a foot portion 46, positioned to urge the trim strip 13 into engagement with one of the series of ratchet teeth 21.

Inner trim strip 13 includes a hook-like portion 50 terminating in an edge 52 which is directed inwardly toward the facing 23 of the wall 11 such that the outer trim strip may be moved from the position shown on the right-hand side of FIGURE 3 in full lines to the position shown in phantom. When this movement occurs, the substantially flat portion 55 of the inner trim strip 13 moves downwardly, as viewed in FIGURE 3, and the innermost and innerfacing edge, which terminates in a ratchet-like tooth 57, as viewed in section, moves between the foot 46 of the outer trim strip 12 and the base plate 14 until the tooth 57 reaches its lowermost position, as shown in phantom lines. Thus, the door stop portion 40 engages the substantially flat surface 55 of the inner trim strip 13 and urges this trim strip into ratchet-like engagement with one of the series of ratchet teeth 21. In the event that the particular inside trim strip 13 is too wide for the door on which the frame is being mounted, a segment of the trim strip 13 is cut by the tradesman so that the next adjacent tooth 58 may engage the ratchet teeth 21. Thus, it is possible, by removing a strip or a longitudinal edge portion of the trim strip 13, to adjust the door frame 10 for wide variations in wall thickness. Further, because the backing or anchor plates 14 are spaced along the door facing, and because in each instance the outer trim strip is positioned until its inwardly directed hook 33 engages the wall 11, variations in wall thickness are accommodated. Further, because the inner trim strip 13 may engage different ratchet teeth of the series 21 at the respective one of the different anchor plates 14, it is possible to adjust for variations in wall thickness which can variably occur in the fabrication of walls.

While some illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail, it is understood that various other embodiments could be employed Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.