GB2034790A - Bi-panel overhead garage door - Google Patents

Abstract

A liftable door for a garage comprises a first panel 10 hingeably mounted to a second panel 11, the two panels being of sufficient size to substantially close the door opening. A first pair of tracks 13 is mounted substantially vertically along the vertical sides of said opening, and a second pair of tracks 14 extends horizontally from the top of the tracks 13. A third pair of tracks 15 extends behind and alongside at least part of the first tracks 13 and upwardly towards said second tracks and underneath and alongside at least part of the second tracks 14. The first panel 10 has rollers 23 mounted at either end adjacent its top edge and adapted to move along the second track 14. The second panel 11 has rollers 22 mounted at either end adjacent its top edge and adapted to move along the third tracks 15. Rollers 21 mounted at either end of the second panel 11 adjacent its lower edge are adapted to move along the first tracks 13. Counter balance means 16 to 20 urge the panels in an upward direction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bi-panel overhead garage door This invention relates to apparatus used for the closure of moderate sized, frequently used door openings. In domestic application these openings are more particularly garage doors.

With the increased complicity of modern architecture, more demands are placed on the flexibility of a garage door to meet a number of criteria, some of which are listed below: (a) ease of operation; (b) silence in operation; (c) simple installation; (d) minimum space taken inside the doorway at the head or at both sides; (e) one door to enclose wide multi-car width doorways; (f) to be suitable for arched or shaped door openings:: (g) suitable for operation by automatic door openers; (h) minimum of working parts; (i) not to swing out and protrude on the garage face alignment; (j) to weather proof the doorway when the door is closed; (k) to withstand heavy winds without slamming; (I) standardiation of door parts to make a range of door sizes; (m) reduce production costs compared with other types; (n) convenience and cost of transporting and packaging.

Known garage doors include: roller doors; sliding doors; swing doors; overhead single panel doors; overhead multi panel doors.

The roller door is popular for use in many applications except when the criteria (d) and (e) are to be considered. Overhead single panel doors again meet with problems when criteria (f), (i), (j), (k) and (n) are to be met.

A more recent adaption is the multi panel overhead door. This answers many of the criteria except (b), (c), (d), (h) and (m). This door consists of rectangular sub-panels made from suitable material such as light gauge sheet metal or fibregiass framed or strengthened on its perimeter.

The bottom sub-panel rests on the ground and standing vertically on one long edge, the adjacent sub-panel is joined by hinge means to the other long edge.

In turn, this sub-panel is connected by hinge means to the one above until there are sufficient sub-panels to enclose the doorway in height. The compieted door made from a minimum of at least four sub-panels, overlaps the doorway in width.

Secured on each side of the doorway and in close proximity to the door are substantially vertical channel section guide tracks, which receive guide roller wheels that are attached to the door on each side and adjacent to the hinged joints of each subpanel.

Additional pairs of guide roller wheels are fixed to the top as well as the bottom of the door.

Therefore the minimum height door with four sub panels has five pairs of roller wheels. The roller wheels being engaged in the guide tracks hold the door in the vertical closed position.

The guide tracks continue above the height of the doorway with a curved section of the track that arcs inwards to the open spaces of the garage. The continuation of the guide tracks then are substantially horizontal and parallel with each other. The weight of the door is counter-balanced by means of springs, through pulleys and cables attached to the bottom corners of the door. The spring mounting assembly is fitted above the door inside the doorway or at or near the rear of the horizontal section of the guide track On lifting the counter-balanced door the top sub-panel roller wheels are directed around the curved section of the guide track and will lead into the horizontal section of the guide track.Further lifting of the door will allow each successive pair of roller wheels to follow, which in turn causes the hinged sub-panels to move from a vertical to a horizontal plane as the door is lifted out of the vertical guide track. This movement is finally limited by the cable being attached to the bottom corners of the door preventing the bottom panel moving completely into the horizontal guide track.

To close the door the opposite function of roller wheels in guide tracks will bring the sub-panels to the vertical closed position when the top guide rollers are clear of the curved section of the track.

It is obvious although this door meets with many of the criteria sought, the great number of door parts comprising of sub-panels with hinge and guide rollers are costly to produce and difficult to install. Also friction and noise is caused when these guide rollers change direction of the door around a limited arc of the curved track. Valuable space is taken inside the garage to accommodate the curved section of the track above the head of the door and inwards into the garage at the height of the horizontal track. The door must then be fully closed to be clear of the curved track.

The object of the invention is to ameliorate the abovementioned disadvantages.

In its broadest form the invention provides a liftable door for a garage, said door comprising a first panel hingeably mounted to a second panel, said first and second panels being of sufficient size to substantially close a door opening; and said panel being mounted above said second panel when in use across said opening; a first pair of tracks mounted substantially vertically along the vertical sides of said opening, a second pair of tracks, one each extending from the top of respective ones of said first tracks in a direction substantially perpendicularly in both lateral and horizontal directions from the plane of said opening; and a third pair of tracks extending behind and alongside at least part of said first tracks and upwardly towards said second tracks and underneath and alongside at least part of said second tracks; said first panel having first traveller means mounted at either end adjacent its top edge and adapted to move along said second track; said second panel having second traveller means mounted at either end adjacent its top edge and adapted to move along said third track, and third traveller means mounted at either end of said second panel adjacent said lower edge and adapted to move along said first track, and means to urge said panels in an upward direction.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of the invention with the door in its closed position: Fig. 2 is a similar view as Fig. 1, but with the door in a partly open position; and Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 with the door fully open.

The door is comprised of two rectangular panels 10 and 11 preferably made from light gauge sheet metal with suitabiy strengthened surrounds. These two panels, 10, 11 when placed in the doorway will enclose the door opening in height and width. The long side of second panel 11 (the bottom panel) is resting on the ground 24, the other long side is attached by hinge means 1 2 to the other (first) panel 10 (the top panel). The two panels 10, 1 can be of similar dimension in height and width but may vary in height from one another to permit a standard range of panel heights for use in combination to enclose varying heights of doorways.

On each side of the doorway and secured to the inner marginal edges are substantially vertical first guide tracks 13. The guide tracks 13 are straight and reach from the floor 24 to the top of the door and are in close proximity to the vertical edges of the doorway. Guide rollers 21 secured to both bottom corners of the bottom panel 11 engage the vertical channel section guide tracks 1 3.

A second set of substantially horizontal channel section guide tracks 1 4 of similar length on each side are mounted to engage a first pair of guide rollers 23 that are secured to the top corners of the top panel 10. The other end of this set of straight tracks are supported by various means to the ceiling of rafters (not shown). The tracks 14 are parallel with each other and being approximately horizontal, run inwards from the head of the doorway.

A third set of channel section guide tracks 1 5 are attached at one end 1 5" to near midway but inward from the vertical set of tracks 1 3. The other end 15' being attached to near midway but underneath the horizontal track 14. This third set of tracks 1 5 may be straight but are preferably curved upwards 15"' to subscribe a steady curve between the attaching points. This curve does not need to be symmetric.

A pair of guide roller wheels 22 are fixed to the door in close proximity to the hinged joint 1 2 between the top and bottom panels.

The guide rollers 22 in turn engage the third mentioned set of channel section guide tracks 1 5.

Counter-balancing means of the door are by springs 1 6 through pulleys 18 and 19 and cables 20 attached to each bottom corner of the bottom panel 11. The spring assembly can be mounted above or behind the horizontal guide tracks 1 4 and attached to spring mounting bracket 1 7.

To operate the door from the outside when closed (vertical position) a slight inward pressure is applied centrally to the top panel 10 (alternatively from the inside a pulling motion).

This panel is hinged to the bottom panel 1 The top panel 10 moves inward only at the top as the horizontal guide track rollers 23 run along the horizontal guide track 14. This inward movement of the top panel 10 has the effect of lifting the bottom panel 11 as it compounds the forces needed to initially lift the door.

To further open the door, the bottom panel 11 is then lifted vertically permitting the top panel 10 to come quickly to a horizontal position. Further lifting of the bottom panel 11 allows the central pair of rollers 22 to move around the third mentioned track 1 5, changing the direction of the bottom panel 11 from vertical to horizontal. The bottom of the bottom panel may move freely to the head of the doorway and both panels are now lying in a near horizontal plane (opened position Fig. 3) with each set of rollers being engaged in their respective tracks.

The encroachment of each panel as it changes from vertical to horizontal takes place at the upper section and inside the door opening. The encroachment is acceptable in most cases and is not considered to be sufficient to create diffipulties for the operator as would be evidenced with a single panel overhead door. To operate the door to closed vertical position, the bottom of the bottom panel 11 is pulled downward allowing the bottom set of rollers to run down the vertical guide tracks 1 3. The top of the bottom panel 11 pivots at its hinged connection 12 with the top panel 10 and rotates around the centre rollers 22 that are engaging in their curved guide tracks 15"'. This brings the bottom panel 11 quickly to a vertical plane. Further pulling downward of the bottom 11 and then the top panel 10 allows both panels to assume a vertical position enclosing the door opening. The very final forward movement of the top of the top panel 1 0 with the top rollers 23 running in the horizontal guide tracks 14 permits locking or latching of this panel 10 at the back of the head ensuring complete security against the inner marginal edges of the door opening as the door is then engaged by the bottom and centre rollers in their respective guide tracks as well as being locked at the top of the top panel 10.

Claims (3)

1. A liftable door for a garage, said door comprising: a first panel hingeably mounted to a second panel, said first and second panels being of sufficient size to substantially close a door opening; and said first panel being mounted above said second panel when in use across said opening; a first pair of tracks mounted substantially vertically along the vertical sides of said opening, a second pair of tracks, one each extending from the top of respective ones of said first tracks in a direction substantially perpendicularly in both lateral and horizontal directions from the plane of said opening; and a third pair of tracks extending behind and alongside at least part of said first tracks and upwardly towards said second tracks and underneath and alongside at least part of said second tracks, said first panel having first traveller means mounted at either end adjacent its top edge and adapted to move along said second track; said second panel having second traveller means mounted at either end adjacent its top edge and adapted to move along said third track, and third traveller means mounted at either end of said second panel adjacent said lower edge and adapted to move along said first track, and means to urge said panels in an upward direction.

2. The door as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means to urge said panels in an upward direction comprises spring means having one end attached to the remote end of said second pair of tracks, said spring means being attached at their other end to a pulley, said pulley being a 2:1 reduction around which a wire or synthetic rope passes, said rope having one end fixed and the other end attached to the lower part of said second panel such that said spring means is extended and tensioned when the door is in its closed position and by means of the rope urges the lower part of the second panel upwardly thus assisting in opening the door.

3. A liftable door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.