Adjustable door and doorway construction

• Main Authors: JAMES H. DAVIES, HAROLD HALVORSON JR, PETER J. SCHAUER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.09.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES,FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS,BLINDS, GATES; HINGES OR OTHER SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS; KEYS; LADDERS; LOCKS; SAFES; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS

A door and doorway construction includes a doorway structure having a lock jamb, a hinge jamb, and a header defining a doorway opening. An adjustable door is constructed to fit mateably into the doorway opening. The doorway structure includes an overhead expressway construction configured to structurally support a weight of the door and further adapted to carry utilities over the doorway opening. The doorway structure is vertically adjustable to align the expressway construction with adjacent wall units, which results in size changes in the doorway opening, and the door is adjustable to define an adjustable vertical height shaped to fill the doorway opening despite the size changes. In one form the door is pivoted to the doorway structure with hinges located above and below the door and at a centerline of the door. In another form, the door is slidably mounted to the doorway structure by a door-supporting boom that includes a trolley rollingly supported by the doorway structure and a downrigger that is rigidly supported on the trolley. The downrigger pivotally supports the door, and the trolley includes a breakaway latch such that the door can be broken away and pivoted outwardly if the door is pressed on with sufficient force. Additional illustrated door embodiments include a solid wood door and a floor-to-ceiling door that incorporate the above features.