I claim as follows:
1. A door skin, comprising:
an exterior side and an interior side for being secured to a frame member;
first and second molded, spaced stiles lying on a first plane;
a flat planar portion disposed between said stiles and lying on a second plane spaced from said first plane; and
a first interface portion disposed between and contiguous with said stiles and said flat planar portion.
2. The door skin of claim 1, further comprising first and second integral, molded spaced rails lying on a third plane, said third plane intermediate said first and second planes.
3. The door skin of claim 2, further comprising edge portions disposed between and contiguous with said stiles and said rails.
4. The door skin of claim 3, wherein said edge portions extend angularly from said stiles to said rails.
5. The door skin of claim 2, further comprising a second interface portion disposed between and contiguous with said rails and said flat planar portion.
6. The door skin of claim 5, wherein said second interface portion extends angularly from said rails to said flat planar portion.
7. The door skin of claim 2, further comprising a decorative layer secured to said exterior side.
8. The door skin of claim 7, wherein said decorative layer is selected from the group consisting of a veneer, foil, polymeric films, and paper overlays.
9. The door skin of claim 8, wherein said decorative layer has a decorative pattern.
10. The door skin of claim 9, wherein said decorative pattern is a wood grain pattern.
11. The door skin of claim 10, wherein said wood grain pattern runs parallel to said stiles and perpendicular to said rails.
12. The door skin of claim 2, wherein said rails are recessed from said stiles from between about 0.1 millimeters to about 0.6 millimeters.
13. The door skin of claim 1, further comprising a decorative layer secured to said exterior side.
14. The door skin of claim 13, wherein said decorative layer is selected from the group consisting of a veneer, foil, polymeric films, and paper overlays.
15. The door skin of claim 14, wherein said decorative layer has a wood grain pattern.
16. The door skin of claim 15, wherein said wood grain pattern runs parallel to said stiles.
17. The door skin of claim 1, wherein said interface portion extends angularly relative to said first plane.
18. The door skin of claim 1, wherein said interface portion includes a curved portion.
19. The door skin of claim 1, wherein said flat planar portion is recessed from said stiles from between about 3 millimeters to about 11 millimeters.
20. A door, comprising:
a peripheral frame having oppositely disposed sides;
first and second door skins, each one of said skins having an exterior side and an interior side for being secured to a frame member, first and second molded, spaced stiles lying on a first plane, first and second molded, spaced rails lying on a second plane, a flat planar portion disposed between said stiles and said rails and lying on a third plane, a first interface portion disposed between and contiguous with said stiles and said flat planar portion, a second interface portion disposed between and contiguous with said rails and said flat planar portion, and edge portions disposed between and contiguous with said rails and said stiles.
21. The door of claim 20, wherein said second plane is intermediate said first and third planes.
22. The door of claim 21, wherein said rails are recessed from said stiles from between about 0.1 millimeters to about 0.6 millimeters relative said exterior side.
23. The door of claim 20, further comprising a first decorative layer secured to said exterior side.
24. The door of claim 23, wherein said first decorative layer is selected from the group consisting of a veneer, foil, polymeric films, and paper overlays.
25. The door of claim 24, wherein said first decorative layer has a decorative pattern.
26. The door of claim 25, wherein said decorative pattern is a wood grain pattern.
27. The door of claim 26, wherein said wood grain pattern runs parallel to said stiles.
28. The door of claim 24, further comprising a second decorative layer secured to said first decorative layer covering said rails.
29. The door of claim 28, wherein said second decorative layer does not extend above the plane of said first decorative layer covering said stiles.
30. The door of claim 29, wherein said second decorative layer is selected from the group consisting of a veneer, foil, polymeric films, and paper overlays.
31. The door of claim 30, wherein said second decorative layer has a wood grain pattern.
32. The door of claim 31, wherein said wood grain pattern runs parallel to said rails.
33. The door of claim 21, wherein said edge portions extend angularly from said stiles to said rails.
34. The door of claim 21, wherein said second interface portion extends angularly from said rails to said flat planar portion.
35. A door, comprising:
a peripheral frame having oppositely disposed sides;
first and second door skins, each one of said skins having an exterior side and an interior side secured to one of said frame sides, and at least one of said skins formed to have spaced stiles lying on a first plane and a planar portion disposed between said stiles and lying on a plane spaced from the plane of said stiles; and
at least two separately formed rails secured to said planar portion at opposite ends thereof.
36. A method of producing a door, comprising the steps of:
providing a peripheral door frame having oppositely disposed sides;
providing first and second wood composite blanks having an exterior side and an interior side;
forming at least one of the blanks to have spaced stiles lying on a first plane, spaced rails lying on a second plane, and a planar portion disposed between the stiles and the rails and lying on a third plane, a first interface portion disposed between and contiguous with the stiles and the planar portion, a second interface portion disposed between and contiguous with the rails and the planar portion, and edge portions disposed between and contiguous with the rails and the stiles;
securing the interior sides of the formed blanks to one of the frame sides.
37. A method of producing a door, comprising the steps of:
providing a peripheral door frame having oppositely disposed sides;
providing first and second wood composite blanks having an exterior side and an interior side;
forming at least one of the blanks to have spaced stiles, a planar portion disposed between the stiles and lying on a plane spaced from the plane of the stiles, and an interface portion disposed between and contiguous with the stiles and the planar portion;
securing the interior sides of the formed blanks to one of the frame sides;
forming at least two rails, each one of the rails having an exterior surface and an interior surface; and
securing the interior surface of the rails onto the planar portion.
38. A method of producing a door skin blank, comprising the steps of:
providing a die set having an upper die spaced from a lower die, the dies creating a forming chamber defining first and second spaced stiles lying on a first plane, and a planar portion lying on a second plane spaced from the first plane and the planar portion being integral with and disposed between the stiles;
disposing a substrate between the upper and lower dies; and
compressing the substrate using heat and pressure to form a blank having spaced stiles lying on a first plane, spaced rails lying on a second plane, and a planar portion disposed between the stiles and the rails and lying on a third plane, a first interface portion disposed between and contiguous with the stiles and the planar portion, a second interface portion disposed between and contiguous with the rails and the planar portion, and edge portions disposed between and contiguous with the rails and the stiles.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An extendable wireless soil measurement apparatus, comprising:
a top head, disposed above a soil surface for transmitting data to a data station through a wireless means; and
a plurality of sensors, disposed under soil for sensing soil conditions, generating soil data representing the sensed soil conditions, and transmitting generated soil conditions to the top head, the plurality of sensors able to be assembled into a pole;
wherein each of the plurality of sensors further comprising:
a sensor unit for sensing a soil condition and generating soil data representing the sensed soil condition;
a circuit module connected to the sensor unit for transmitting generated soil data to the top head
a sensor housing for housing the sensor unit and the circuit module; and
an engaging element for engaging two sensors in a head-to-tail manner for form a pole.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor housing preferably made of metal, porous ceramic or plastic material.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor housing further comprises:
a first segment, further comprising a cylindered wall and a bottom, to form a dish to fit the engaging element in;
a second segment, further comprising a cylindered wall and a bottom, connected to the bottom of the first segment to form a cavity for housing the circuit module to seal and protect the circuit module from contacting the soil, the bottom having an opening for allowing the sensor unit to extend into the cavity housing the circuit module and to connect electrically to the circuit module;
a third segment, further comprising a cylindered wall and a bottom, connected to the second segment to form a cavity housing the sensor unit, the cylindered wall is disposed with a plurality of openings to allow the soil to enter the openings on the cylindered wall of the third segment to fill the cavity and contact the sensor, the sensor unit fitting tightly to the opening disposed at the bottom of the second segment to ensure a sealed cavity formed by the second segment and the bottom of the first segment; and
a fourth segment, comprising a cylindered wall, attached to the bottom of the third segment;
wherein the four segments being connected together to form an integrated shell of a cylindered shape, and when two sensors being assembled, the fourth segment of one sensor and the first segment of the other sensor being engaged by the engaging element in a head-to-tail manner to form a pole.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least a connector, wherein the connector being disposed between sensors or between the sensor and the top head to adjust the pole length and the depth of the sensors when the apparatus being buried under soil.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the connector further comprises a metal line for reducing wireless transmission loss through the connector.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the length of the metal line can be adjusted based on a wireless transmission frequency used for transmitting soil data from the sensor to the top head.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the metal line is 13 cm long when the wireless transmission frequency is 433 MHz.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein top head further comprises one or more sensor units.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein one or more sensor units may be an air humidity level sensor, an air temperature sensor, a light level sensor, a CO2 level sensor, an air pressure sensor, a GPS sensor, an accelerometer or any combination of the above.
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein sensor unit can be an accelerometer, a soil tension meter, a soil moisture sensor, a soil temperature sensor, a soil dissolved oxygen sensor, a soil pH level sensor, a soil conductivity sensor, a soil dielectric frequency sensor, or any combination of the above.