The invention relates to a sealing bead, which comprises a bead, which has an edge surface and a side surface, and a seal attached to the edge surface, which seal has a hollow and a sealing surface in the longitudinal direction of the seal. The sealing between the door leaf of an outer door and the frame of the door is usually implemented with flexible seals attached either to the frame and/or the door. In use, the seals over time lose their flexing and recovery ability, whereby the sealing of the door weakens. Additionally the curving of the door leaf caused by humidity and temperature variations can locally increase the width of the gap between the door leaf and the frame so much that the seal no longer completely covers the gap between the frame and the door leaf. Deterioration of the sealing of the outer door causes an uncomfortable feeling of draft in buildings and increases heating costs.

Traditionally the sealing of doors has been improved by replacing the worn seals which have lost their deformability for new ones. Installing new seals is however in practice often a difficult procedure. The new seal must have precisely the right thickness, so that it provides a desired improvement in sealing, however without diminishing the closing ability of the door. Renewing the seal does always not improve the sealing of the door, if the deterioration of the sealing is caused by a curving of the door leaf.

Finnish utility model application U970340 discloses a sealing element, which comprises a bead and a compressible seal attached to the edge of the bead. The sealing element is attached to the inner surface of the door frame, so that the seal therein is pressed against the surface of the door leaf. This easily installed sealing element can efficiently and easily improve the sealing also of curved door leafs.

In the sealing element disclosed in utility model application U970340 the seal attached to the edge surface of the bead has a round cross-sectional shape. A round seal functions flawlessly when the door leaf presses against the seal approximately in the direction of the normal of the edge surface of the bead. Such a situation typically prevails on the edge of the door toward the lock. On the hinge side of the door the door leaf is however pressed against the seal along a curved movement path. Thus there is a danger that the seal surface "sticks" with friction force to the door leaf already before the door is finally closed, and the seal moves sideways along with the closing door leaf partly into the gap between the door leaf and the frame. There is especially a danger of the seal moving, when the seal with a round cross-section is a hollow so-called hollow seal, which when pressed against the door leaf widens significantly in the lateral direction. The risk of being pressed between the door leaf and the frame is further increased if the sealing element is attached to the frame too close to the surface of the door leaf, whereby the seal is significantly compressed and widened. A seal pressed between the door leaf and the frame can prevent the door leaf from closing and quickly leads to a premature breaking of the seal.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved sealing bead, by which the disadvantages relating to the prior art sealing bead can be reduced.

The objects of the invention are obtained with a sealing bead, which is characterised in what is presented in the independent claim. Some advantageous embodiments of the invention are presented in the dependent claims.

The invention relates to a sealing bead, which comprises a bead, which has an edge surface and a side surface. The side surface of the bead here means the widest visible surface of the bead set into place. A seal is attached to the edge surface of the bead; which seal has a hollow and a sealing surface in the longitu^ dinal direction of the seal. The sealing surface here means the part of the outer surface of the seal, which is meant to be set into contact with the other edge sur- face of the gap to be sealed. For example when sealing an outer door, the other edge surface of the gap to be sealed is made up by the surface of the door leaf. The sealing surface thus means the part of the outer surface of the seal, which is meant to be set against the surface of the door leaf. The sealing bead according to the invention can also be used in the juncture between the floor and the wall, as a so-called base board. Thus the sealing bead is attached to the lower edge of the wall, so that the seal is set in the gap between the edge surface of the bead and the floor surface. The sealing surface of the seal is then the part of the outer surface of the seal, which is set against the floor surface.

The basic idea of the invention is that the cross-sectional shape of the sealing sur- face is a blunt angle, which has a first flank, a second flank and a tip pointing away from the edge surface. The first flank and second flank of the seal are advantageously substantially even surfaces. Due to the shape of the seal, the seal is pressed against the closing door leaf first only by its tip, whereby only a narrow line-shaped contact surface is formed between the sealing surface and the door leaf. This narrow contact surface does not generate a high friction, which would move the seal sideways.

In an advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead according to the invention the seal has, in its uncompressed state, a base in the direction of the edge surface of the bead, set against the edge surface. Due to the base, the seal does not move on the edge surface by rolling as a seal with a round cross-section does, even if forces in the lateral direction i.e. forces transverse to the longitudinal direction of the seal are directed at the seal at the sealing stage. Such a situation is in question for example when the sealing bead is installed in the frame of an outer door, so that the sealing surface is set against the door leaf of the closed door. When closing the door, the door leaf thus approaches the sealing bead on the hinge side along a curved movement path from the lateral direction of the seal.

In a second advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead according to the invention the seal additionally has a first side and a second side, which in the un- compressed state of the seal are substantially in the direction of the side surface of the bead. The cross-sectional shape of the seal is advantageously a pentagon formed by the base, the flanks and the sides. Due to the cross-sectional shape of the seal, the tip of the sealing surface moves toward the base, when the sealing surface is pressed for example against the surface of a door leaf. Simultaneously the flanks on both sides of the tip bend slightly in a curve. Due to the curving of the flanks the sides of the seal move outward only very little, i.e. the sides are in the compressed seal almost in the direction of the side surface of the bead. The seal is compressed with a comparatively small force for so long that the tip of the sealing surface is set on the same line as the outermost edges of the sides of the seal. In this position, which is optimal with regards to sealing, three line-shaped contact surfaces are formed between the sealing surface and the surface set against it, such as the door leaf: one contact surface by the tip of the seal and one in each edge of the seal.

From this optimal state onwards the force needed for compressing the seal grows significantly. This is because continuing the compression from here on causes significant deformations, in addition to the flanks, also in the sides of the seal. The seal of the sealing bead according to the invention thus behaves when being compressed clearly in a different way than a hollow seal with a round cross-sectional shape, which when compressed significantly widens sideways and which can easi- ly be compressed into a state which completely closes the hollow, without remarkable changes in the force needed for the compression. Due to the compression behaviour of the seal of the sealing bead according to the invention, which behaviour differs from what is common, the sealing bead is easy to attach in place for example in a door frame or in the juncture between a wall and a floor, so that an optimal compression with regards to the sealing is obtained in the seal. In a third advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead according to the invention the edge surface of the bead has an attaching groove, and the base of the seal has an attaching protrusion, which is fitted into the attaching groove. Due to the attaching groove and attaching protrusion the seal can be reliably attached in its place in the edge surface without other attaching members or gluing. In still another advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead according to the invention the width of the seal in its uncompressed state is substantially the same as the width of the edge surface of the bead. The seal can also have substantially the same colour as the side surface of the bead, whereby the seal is hardly distinguishable from the bead material.

In still another advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead according to the invention the width of the seal in its uncompressed state is substantially smaller than the width of the edge surface of the bead, and the edge surface has a cavity in the longitudinal direction of the bead, into which the seal is fitted. The depth of the cavity can be dimensioned so that it is substantially the same as the height of the seal, i.e. the distance between the base and tip of the seal, when the seal is optimally compressed with regards to the sealing. Thus the edge surface of the bead is in the sealing step set practically against the other edge surface of the gap to be sealed, such as the surface of the door leaf or floor. Because the seal widens sideways only very little even when being compressed, the width of the groove formed for the seal only needs to be slightly larger than the width of the uncompressed seal. The cavity can extend to the other edge of the edge surface, whereby the cavity forms an indentation in the hidden edge of the edge surface for the seal.

An advantage of the invention is that it makes easier the installation of the sealing bead in its place, because the seal of the sealing bead naturally settles in the correct compression sealing against the door leaf or the floor surface. The installation of the sealing bead thus easily succeeds also by a person unused to installation work. The correct compression sealing of the seal guarantees an optimal sealing result. A further advantage of the invention is that it in practice prevents the edge of the compressed seal from ending up in the gap between the door leaf and the frame. The invention thus decreases the danger of premature breaking of the seal and ensures easy closing of the door. In the following, the invention will be described in detail. In the description, reference is made to the enclosed drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows as an example a sealing bead according to the invention shown diagonally from the front, from the end of the sealing bead,

Figures 2a, 2b and 2c show as a series of images the behavior of the seal of the sealing bead when a door leaf is pressed against the sealing bead and

Figures 3a and 3b show an advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead according to the invention as cross-sectional views.

Figure 1 shows as an example a sealing bead according to the invention shown diagonally from the front, from the end of the sealing bead. The sealing bead is an elongated rigid bead 10, which has a side surface 14 meant to remain visible, a rear surface 15 and an edge surface 12. The bead is with regards to its cross- sectional shape a bead like common base boards or cover strips used in the interior lining of buildings, the material of which bead can be for example solid wood, MDF plate, hard plastic or metal, such as aluminium. A seal 20 is attached to the edge surface of the bead. The seal is a so-called hollow seal, i.e. it has a penetrating hollow 24 the entire length of the seal, which hollow has a substantially evenly thick wall all over. The cross-sectional shape of the seal is a pentagon, so that it has a base 22 substantially in the direction and of the width of the edge surface, two sides turning in a right angle from the edges of the base, a first side 32 and a second side 34, and two flanks turning in a slanting angle from the sides, a first flank 26 and a second flank 28. The first and second flank form a blunt angle. In the juncture between the flanks there is a tip 30. The base, sides and flanks are in the uncompressed state of the seal substantially even surfaces. The size of the cross-section of the seal can be selected in a desired manner for example based on the measurements of the bead or based on the desired compressibility properties of the seal. The width of the base of the seal can for example be 11 mm, the width of the side 4 mm and the distance of the tip from the outermost surface of the base 7 mm. The thickness of the wall of the hollow can for example be 1 mm. The seal can be made of any suitable flexible sealing material, such as thermoplastic elastomer marketed under the commercial name Dryflex.

In the edge surface 12 of the bead there is an attaching groove 16 in the longitudinal direction of the bead and in the base of the seal there is an attaching protru- sion 36 in the longitudinal direction of the seal, which attaching protrusion is fitted into the attaching groove. Both side surfaces of the attaching protrusion have two wings, the outermost edges of which correspond to the walls of the attaching groove. The wings are formed in the side surfaces in a slanting position, so that the wings bend toward the side surfaces when the attaching protrusion moves into the attaching groove. When the attaching protrusion moves away from the attaching groove, the edges of the wings strive to grip the edges of the attaching groove. The wings thus impede the setting of the attaching protrusion into the attaching groove as little as possible, but resist removing the attaching protrusion from the attaching groove. The attaching protrusion, the wings therein and the seal itself are a uniform string-like part manufactured from the same material.

Figures 2a, 2b and 2c illustrate by means of a series of images the behaviour of the sealing bead according to the invention, when the seal therein is pressed against a surface 100, such as a door leaf or a floor. In the starting situation (Figure 2a) the seal is in an uncompressed state, whereby it has a cross-section shaped like a pentagon. When the seal is pressed against the surface, its tip 30 moves toward the base 22 of the seal and one line-shaped air-tight contact surface is formed at the tip between the seal and the surface. At the same time the flanks 26, 28 curve and the sides 32, 34 bend slightly outwards (Figure 2b). Due to the curving of the flanks, the bending outwards of the sides remains very small. As the seal is pressed further toward the surface, the edges of the sides also come into contact with the surface (Figure 2c). Three line-shaped contact surfaces are thus formed between the surface and the seal: one in each edge of the seal and one in the tip of the seal. Two elongated isolating air pockets in the longitudinal direction of the seal are formed between the line-shaped contact surfaces. A seal in this state achieves an optimal sealing between the surface and the seal.

Figures 3a and 3b show as an example an advantageous embodiment of the sealing bead 10 according to the invention as a cross-sectional view. In this embodiment the edge surface 12 of the sealing bead has a cavity 18 and the seal 20 is attached to the bottom of the cavity. The depth of the cavity, i.e. the distance of its bottom from the edge surface, is substantially the same as the height of the side 32, 34 of the seal, and the width of the cavity is slightly larger than the width of the seal. There is thus sufficient room in the cavity for receiving the slight lateral deformations of the seal. In this embodiment the optimal sealing mentioned in the description of the Figure 2c is formed between the seal and the surface, when the edge surface of the sealing bead is pressed against the surface 100 (Figure 3b). The sealing bead according to the invention is especially well applicable for sealing construction parts which can be opened, such as doors and windows, particularly outer doors. In this use purpose the sealing bead is attached to the frame of the outer door, so that the rear surface 15 of the bead 10 is set against the frame surface and the sealing surface in the edge surface of the seal is set against the surface of the door leaf. The bead is attached to the frame surface with suitable attaching members, such as nails. It is easiest to attach the attaching bead in place on the frame when the door is closed. Thus the sealing bead can in the installation stage be pressed against the door leaf, so that the seal is always compressed in an optimal manner with regards to sealing when the door is closed. In addition to outer doors, the sealing bead can also be used in intermediate doors in buildings for example for improving the sound insulation of the doors.

In addition to sealing construction parts which can be opened, the sealing bead according to the invention can be used in the juncture between a wall and a floor as a so-called base board or in the juncture between a wall and a ceiling as a lin- ing strip. Thus the sealing bead is attached to the upper or lower edge of the wall, so that the rear surface 15 of the bead 10 is set against the wall surface and the sealing surface in the edge surface of the seal is pressed against the surface of the floor or ceiling. In this use purpose the sealing bead can be used for improving the sound insulation of the juncture between the wall and the floor or ceiling. The sealing bead according to the invention can be used for making the juncture between a floor and a wall waterproof, whereby the passing of water into the structures through a gap between the base board and the floor is efficiently prevented.

Some advantageous embodiments of the sealing bead according to the invention have been described above. The invention is not limited to the solutions described above, but the inventive idea can be applied in different ways within the scope of the claims.