A door

Abstract

 The present invention provides a door 1 comprising a metal frame 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d, supporting plastic panels 6, 7. A number of features may be employed to give the door a high profile appearance, for example the door may have a translucent or transparent feature panel 16 extending across apertures 14, 15 in the outer panels 6, 7, which feature panel can be illuminated by a light source 12 housed within the door 1

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a door of a novel construction, which door may be suitable for both commercial and domestic premises alike.

[0002] Many modem contemporary buildings feature composite materials both in their external and internal design. Selected use of such material can make a building aesthetically pleasing. The same applies to refurbished premises, particularly bars, clubs and offices.

[0003] Most buildings feature a number of internal and external doors. Doors, particularly internal doors are normally of standard dimensions, installed as complete units and are focal points of a building, if only because people have to identify the location of a door to pass through. The present inventor has realised that the "look and feel" of a building can be significantly altered by using a radically different design of door. Moreover it is a relatively simple matter to substitute a new door for an existing door.

[0004] According to the present invention there is provided a door comprising two outer plastic panels forming respectively two sides of the door, a peripheral frame separating and bordering said panels such as to form the edges of the door, the door having at least one transparent or translucent section therein.

[0005] Preferably the peripheral frame is made of a metal, typically aluminium, and the plastic panels are formed from acrylic, Perspex, or polycarbonate sheet. Doors fabricated of these materials can be particularly striking in appearance with a wide variety of colours.

[0006] Advantageously the plastic panels each comprise corresponding apertures in register, the door further comprising a feature panel extending between the outer panels across said apertures. The apertures can be of any desired shape.

[0007] Preferably the outer panels are opaque and the feature panel is translucent, however the feature panel may be transparent if desired and the outer panels may be translucent. The feature panels may be towards the centre of the door, thus if transparent, or even translucent, this will provide some warning of the approach of a person from the other side of the door.

[0008] Preferably the door comprises a light source between the outer panels and advantageously the feature panel extends towards said light source such that light is received through an end face of the feature panel, whereby the feature panel acts as a light guide. The opposite edge of the feature panel may be mirrored to reflect light back or there may be a further light source located adjacent to the opposite edge of the feature panel. When the feature panel acts as a light guide it is particularly advantageous if the panel is engraved or comprises a design to be illuminated.

[0009] The door may comprise a kick panel providing access to the light source. The light source may be a fluorescent tube along the bottom of the door between the outer panels or possibly high brightness LEDs. Alternatively, various displays could be mounted within the door, for example a plasma display, a liquid crystal display or an LED display.

[0010] The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1A is a front perspective view of a door in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 1B is a side view of the door of Figure 1A;

Figure 1C illustrates a comer piece for use for the door shown in Figures 1A and 1B;

Figures 2A to 2F illustrate various design options for the door shown in Figures 1A and 1B;

Figures 3 to 6 illustrate alternative embodiments of doors in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 7 illustrates an alternative door edge.

[0011] Referring to Figures 1A and 1B a door, illustrated generally as 1, comprises an internal, powder coated, aluminium frame 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d attached by respective comer pieces 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d. Over each side of the frame extends respective plastic sheet 6, 7. A further outer aluminium frame 8 is attached to the inner aluminium frame, only one section of which is illustrated.

[0012] The door 1 additionally comprises handles and associated mechanism, indicated generally as 9, kick plates 10 and 11, a 12 volt fluorescent light 12 and an electrical connection point 13 for the light.

[0013] The outer panels 6, 7 each have apertures 14, 15 therein, which apertures are in register. Extending across the apertures 14, 15 between the outer panels, is a transparent feature panel 16. The bottom edge 17 of the feature panel 16 is adjacent the light 12, and the top edge 18 is mirrored such that the feature panel 16 acts as a light guide, dispersing received light within it. The door may instead comprise an additional light along the top edge of the feature panel 16, accessible through the top edge of the door, when the door is open.

[0014] The feature panel can be translucent so that the light will cause it to glow, or it may be translucent and etched such that only the etching appears to be illuminated. In either case it is preferable that the outer panels 6, 7 are opaque.

[0015] The feature panel 16 is held in place by opaque aperture boundary walls 19, 20 which are on respective sides of the feature panel 16, the aperture boundary walls 19, 20 being bonded to both the feature panel 16 and respective ones of the outer panels 6, 7.

[0016] The kick plate 10 is removable to provide access to the light 12.

[0017] The door illustrated in figures 1A and 1B has rounded comers. Where this is to be installed in a traditional rectangular door frame, comer pieces 21, as illustrated in figure 1C are supplied to modify the shape of the existing frame. Alternatively, the door may have conventional square comers.

[0018] Figures 2A to 2F provide examples of designs for the feature panel, but there is an unlimited number of possible designs that could be employed.

[0019] Figures 3 to 6 illustrate alternative embodiments of doors in accordance with the present invention, which all employ the same type of frame construction supporting two outer panels as illustrated, and described with reference to, figures 1A and 1B. In the figure 3 embodiment the door 1 comprises plasma screen, LED or liquid crystal display between the outer panel 6, 7. In the figure 4 embodiment the outer panels 6, 7 are translucent or transparent with a Venetian blind 23 there between. In the figure 5 embodiment wires 24 extend across the frame 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, with optical fibres wrapped around, which optical fibres receive light from a small light source within the door (not shown).

[0020] In the figure 6 embodiment the panels 6, 7 have a graphics display therein, which display comprises fluorescent/neon tubes.

[0021] The panels 6, 7, 16 may be laminated to provide additional rigidity. Additionally the hardness of the layers of the laminate may be different, the panels having a harder external surface layer to minimise scratching.

[0022] Depending on the thickness of the door, it may be desirable to have a shaped edge to prevent "binding" at the edge when the door is opened. This can also be a stylistic feature, for example the outer aluminium frame 8 may be semi-circular in cross-section as shown in Figure 7.

[0023] A number of embodiments have been described above. However many other alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent which will be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A door comprising two outer plastic panels forming respectively two sides of the door, a peripheral frame separating and bordering said panels, such as to form the edges of the door, the door having at least one transparent or translucent section therein.

2. A door as claimed in claim 1 wherein said peripheral frame is made of metal.

3. A door as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said outer panels are acrylic

4. A doors as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein said plastic panels are Perspex.

5. A door as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the outer panels each comprise corresponding apertures in register, the door comprising a feature panel extending across said apertures between the outer panels.

6. A door as claimed in claim 5 further comprising an aperture boundary wall extending around the periphery of the aperture between an outer panel and the feature panel.

7. A door panel as claimed in claim 6 comprising a second aperture boundary wall in register with the first and extending between the feature panel and the other outer panel.

8. A door as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein each aperture boundary wall is bonded to the feature panel and a respective outer panel.

9. A door as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein the outer panels are opaque and the feature panel is transparent.

10. A door as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein the outer panels are translucent and the feature panel is transparent.

11. A door as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 10 comprising a light source between the outer panels, said feature panel extending towards said light source such that light is received through an end face of the feature panel, whereby the feature panel acts as a light guide.

12. A door as claimed in claim 11 wherein an edge of the feature panel, opposite to the edge closest to the light source, is mirrored.

13. A door as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 12 wherein the feature panel comprises an etched design.

14. A door as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 13 wherein the features panel comprises an image.

15. A door as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the outer panels are transparent and a Venetian blind is housed between said panels.

16. A door as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 comprising a light source between the outer panels.

17. A door as claimed in claim 16 wherein the outer panels are transparent or translucent, the door further comprising wires extending across the door between said panels, wherein the light source is connected to optical fibres extending along the wires.

18. A door as claimed in claim 16 wherein the light source is a light emitting diode display.

19. A door as claimed in claim 16 wherein the light source is a plasma display.

20. A door as claimed in claim 16 wherein the panels comprise an image backlit by the light source.

21. A door as claimed in claim 20 wherein the light source is ultra violet.

22. A door as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a kick panel and a light source accessible through the kick panel on the door.

Drawing