Liquid containment door with continuous gasket

Abstract

A pedestrian door system includes a door frame comprising a frame strike side, a frame hinge side, and a frame sealing surface that extends up each of the frame strike and frame hinge sides. A threshold extends between the frame strike and frame hinge sides and includes a base secured to a floor surface and a threshold sealing surface. A door panel includes a panel bottom side, a panel strike side, a panel hinge side, and a continuous gasket extending continuously along the panel bottom side and up each of the panel strike and panel hinge sides. A door hinge couples the panel hinge side to the frame hinge side and facilitates hinged movement of the door panel between an open position and a closed position in which the gasket seals against the frame sealing surface and the threshold sealing surface in a liquid-tight manner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pedestrian door system comprising:
 a door frame comprising a frame strike side, a frame hinge side, and a frame sealing surface that extends at least partially up each of the frame strike side and the frame hinge side;   a threshold configured to extend between the frame strike side and the frame hinge side, the threshold including a base configured to be secured to a floor surface and a threshold sealing surface, wherein the threshold has an overall height of no greater than ½ inch;   a door panel comprising a panel bottom side, a panel strike side, a panel hinge side, and a continuous gasket extending continuously along the panel bottom side and at least partially up each of the panel strike side and the panel hinge side; and   a door hinge configured to hingedly couple the panel hinge side of the door panel to the frame hinge side of the door frame and to facilitate hinged movement of the door panel relative to the door frame between an open position and a closed position in which the continuous gasket of the door panel seals against the frame sealing surface of the door frame and against the threshold sealing surface of the threshold in a liquid-tight manner.   
     
     
         2 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the door frame further comprises a frame top side, and the frame sealing surface extends along an entirety of the frame strike side, the frame top side, and the frame hinge side, and   wherein the door panel further comprises a panel top side, and the continuous gasket extends continuously along the entirety of the panel strike side, the panel top side, the panel hinge side, and the panel bottom side.   
     
     
         3 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous gasket extends between 3 feet and 8 feet up each of the panel strike side and the panel hinge side. 
     
     
         4 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein all portions of the threshold configured to extend at least ¼ inch above the floor surface have a rise:run ratio of no greater than 1:2. 
     
     
         5 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the threshold sealing surface extends upwardly from the base by a vertical distance of no greater than ¼ inch. 
     
     
         6 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 5 , wherein the threshold sealing surface extends vertically from the base. 
     
     
         7 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the overall height of the threshold is vertically adjustable. 
     
     
         8 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the door panel further comprises a main panel and a door edge flange, the door edge flange extending outwardly from the main panel, wherein the continuous gasket is located adjacent to the door edge flange. 
     
     
         9 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 8 , wherein the main panel includes a dry side and a wet side, the door edge flange extending outwardly from the wet side of the main panel, and the continuous gasket extending from the door edge flange toward the dry side of the main panel. 
     
     
         10 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 9 , wherein the door edge flange includes a wet side, and wherein the wet side of the door edge flange and the wet side of the main panel form a continuous, uninterrupted planar surface. 
     
     
         11 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 10 , wherein the wet side of the main panel comprises a sheet of metal that is hemmed to create the door edge flange. 
     
     
         12 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 9 , wherein the wet side of the door edge flange and the wet side of the main panel are within 1/16 inch of flush with a wet side of the door frame when the door panel is in the closed position. 
     
     
         13 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 8 , wherein the door frame comprises a stop surface that is separate from the frame sealing surface, and wherein a dry side of the door panel is adjacent to the stop surface when the door panel is in the closed position. 
     
     
         14 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 8 , wherein the door hinge comprises a hinge leaf that extends beyond the door edge flange and attaches to the main panel. 
     
     
         15 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the door hinge comprises a flexible hinge leaf. 
     
     
         16 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous gasket comprises a one-piece gasket. 
     
     
         17 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous gasket comprises multiple gasket segments contacting one another. 
     
     
         18 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein no gasket is attached to the threshold sealing surface. 
     
     
         19 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous gasket comprises a bulb-type gasket with holes defined in a wet side wall of the continuous gasket, the holes being configured to receive liquid and/or air into an interior space within the bulb-type gasket. 
     
     
         20 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the door hinge is configured to facilitate hinged movement of the door panel relative to the door frame about a hinge axis that is located outwardly from an outermost extent of the door panel by at least ⅝ inch. 
     
     
         21 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the frame sealing surface of the door frame comprises a frame gasket and/or the threshold sealing surface of the threshold comprises a threshold gasket. 
     
     
         22 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , further comprising a passive latching mechanism configured to hold the door panel in the closed position without separate manual activation. 
     
     
         23 . The pedestrian door system of  claim 1 , wherein the frame strike side includes a center post, the frame sealing surface extending at least partially up one side of the center post, the door frame including a second frame hinge side and a second frame sealing surface that extends at least partially up each of another side of the center post and the second frame hinge side,
 and wherein the pedestrian door system further comprises:
 a second threshold configured to extend between the center post and the second frame hinge side, the second threshold having dimensions like those of the threshold, 
 a second door panel comprising a second panel bottom side, a second panel strike side, a second panel hinge side, and a second continuous gasket extending continuously along the second panel bottom side and at least partially up each of the second panel strike side and the second panel hinge side, and 
 a second door hinge configured to hingedly couple the second panel hinge side of the second door panel to the second frame hinge side of the door frame and to facilitate hinged movement of the second door panel relative to the door frame between a second open position and a second closed position in which the second continuous gasket of the second door panel seals against the second frame sealing surface of the door frame in a liquid-tight manner. 
   
     
     
         24 . A door system comprising:
 a door frame comprising a frame first side, a frame second side, and a frame sealing surface that extends at least partially up each of the frame first side and the frame second side;   a threshold configured to extend between the frame first side and the frame second side, the threshold including a base configured to be secured to a surface, and the threshold further including a threshold sealing surface;   a door panel comprising a panel bottom side, a panel first side, a panel second side, and a panel sealing surface that extends along the panel bottom side and at least partially up each of the panel first side and the panel second side; and   a gasket that comprises a bulb-type gasket with holes defined in a wet side wall of the gasket, the holes being configured to receive liquid and/or air into an interior space within the bulb-type gasket,   wherein the door panel is movable relative to the door frame between an open position and a closed position in which the gasket is positioned between the panel sealing surface of the door panel and the frame sealing surface of the door frame and between the panel sealing surface of the door panel and the threshold sealing surface of the threshold to create a liquid-tight seal.   
     
     
         25 . The door system of  claim 24 , wherein the gasket is attached to the door panel along the panel sealing surface. 
     
     
         26 . The door system of  claim 24 , wherein the gasket is attached to the door frame along the frame sealing surface and to the threshold along the threshold sealing surface. 
     
     
         27 . The door system of  claim 24 , wherein the gasket is continuous. 
     
     
         28 . The door system of  claim 24 , further comprising a door hinge configured to hingedly couple the panel first side of the door panel to the frame first side of the door frame and to facilitate hinged movement of the door panel between the open position and the closed position. 
     
     
         29 . The door system of  claim 24 , further comprising a door hinge configured to hingedly couple the panel bottom side of the door panel to the threshold and to facilitate hinged movement of the door panel between the open position and the closed position. 
     
     
         30 . A door system comprising:
 a door frame comprising a frame strike side, a frame hinge side, and a frame sealing surface that extends at least partially up each of the frame strike side and the frame hinge side;   a threshold configured to extend between the frame strike side and the frame hinge side, the threshold including a base configured to be secured to a floor surface, and the threshold further including a threshold sealing surface, wherein the threshold has an overall height of no greater than ½ inch;   a door panel comprising a panel bottom side, a panel strike side, a panel hinge side, and a continuous gasket extending continuously along the panel bottom side and at least partially up each of the panel strike side and the panel hinge side; and   a door hinge configured to hingedly couple the panel hinge side of the door panel to the frame hinge side of the door frame and to facilitate hinged movement of the door panel relative to the door frame between an open position and a closed position in which the continuous gasket of the door panel seals against the frame sealing surface of the door frame and against the threshold sealing surface of the threshold in a liquid-tight manner.   
     
     
         31 . The door system of  claim 30 , wherein the door frame comprises a pedestrian door frame, and the door panel comprises a pedestrian door panel. 
     
     
         32 . The door system of  claim 30 , wherein the threshold sealing surface extends upwardly from the base by a vertical distance of no greater than ¼ inch. 
     
     
         33 . The door system of  claim 32 , wherein the threshold sealing surface extends vertically from the base.