Clopay Building Products Company, Inc.

Clopay Corporation

Other

Clopay Building Products R&d Company, Inc.

Clopay Building Products, Inc.

Alan R Leist

Thomas E Youtsey

Kenneth E Carper

Jeffrey W Stone

Richard J Lewis, Jr

Thomas G Mushaben

Frank R Wilgus

Thomas Edward Agin

Frank A Wilgus

John A Colston

Tony Y Lin

Bobby G Bailey

William J Sachs, Jr

George S Carper

Richard J Lewis

A sectional garage door has a roller track and a plurality of sections pivotally coupled together for movement along the roller track to and between open and closed positions relative to a door opening. A first one of the sections is heavier than other sections. The sectional garage also includes a counterbalance mechanism coupled to the sections to assist an operator in moving the sections along the roller tracks to and between the open and closed positions. The sectional garage door also has a weight assist mechanism coupled to the door and engaged with at least one of the sections to assist at least one of the sections to assist in the movement of the first one of the sections during movement along at least a portion of the roller track due to the weight of the first section relative to the other sections.

System for unevenly weighted sectional doors

A panel () for an overhead sectional door () offers increased performance and economy by optimizing the panel skin (). The upper and lower structural rail areas () which typically mate with corresponding lower and upper rails () of an adjacent panel () have thicker skin (). The non-structural areas or the front face of the panel () in one embodiment has a thinner skin () which is typically embossed with a wood grain or other pattern. The structural rail areas () which have the thicker skin () add rigidity and resistance to deflection from wind loads and similar dynamic forces. The overhead door panel () with differing performance characteristics for specific portions of the skin () may be utilized with a variety of rail configurations () such as a lap joint, tongue and groove joint, and convex/concave joint between adjacent panels (). In another aspect, a specific bottom rail section () using the variable thickness concept avoids the need for an astragal retainer thereby providing a cost savings while offering structural and strength benefits.

Method of making an optimized overhead sectional door and associated door panel

A hinge assembly pivotally couples adjacent panels together in an overhead sectional door. The panels include stiles between each lateral end of the panel to which the hinge assemblies are attached. The hinge assembly includes an upper hinge leaf on an upper panel with a pair of spaced generally parallel flanges which span the juncture between the upper and lower panels. The hinge assembly also includes a lower hinge leaf with a pair of flanges projecting generally parallel to each other. The lower hinge leaf is mounted to one of the stiles of the lower panel and each flange includes a pivot axis hole near a terminal end thereof for alignment with a pivot axis hole in one of the flanges of the upper leaf. The stile includes a pair of spaced, parallel sidewalls and a notch, depression or recess is on each sidewall. The recesses provide a seat for the respective flanges of the hinge leaves and clearance between the sidewall of the stile and any adjacent components. A rivet or similar pivotal connector device is seated within the pivot axis holes on each side of the hinge.

Overhead sectional door, hinge and stile assembly

An overhead door and associated mating panels include enhanced wear surfaces and protection against the intrusion of climatic elements or the like in the form of a combined weather seal, light block and wear insert on the upper and/or lower edges of the mating adjacent door panels. The wear surfaces are utilized during the opening and closing of the door so that frictional interaction or rubbing between the mating edges is minimized to reduce wear and damage to the panels over the service life of the door. Additionally, the wear insert portion reduces a gap between the mating edges of the adjacent panels to provide enhanced protection without requiring increased roll forming tolerances on the panel manufacturing process. Moreover, the invention includes upright projecting weather seal and light blocking portions that are positioned in a gap formed at the juncture of the mating panels. When the door is closed, the weather seal and light blocking portions are deflected. The weather seal provides a climatic barrier as well as inhibiting the passage of foreign material between the mated panels and the light block inhibits light from passing between the mated panels.

Combined weather seal, light block and wear insert for overhead door panel

An overhead door apparatus utilizing a torsion spring counterbalancing mechanism. The counterbalancing mechanism includes a worm drive ring-shaped gear winding mechanism for setting the appropriate torque or number of winds in the spring. A counting mechanism is provided to indicate to the installer the number of winds being given to the spring. Means are also provided for accommodating spring growth and contraction during winding and unwinding using the winding mechanism and during normal raising and lowering of the door. A spring clip gear retainer is disclosed for preventing rotation or creep of the worm drive gear and spur gear during normal raising and lowering of the door. A second embodiment is disclosed allowing more universal interchangeability of components between the left and right sides of the door system, easy snap-in assembly, and including a telescoping spring cover. Each embodiment includes a spring winding counter.

Counterbalancing mechanism for an overhead door

A multiple section door system, such as an overhead residential garage door, wherein a variety of different door front configurations are formed with a limited number of panel designs by flipping or turning at least one panel relative to an adjacent panel. Each panel includes identical structured joint members along two longitudinal edges thereof which enable one panel to be 'flipped' or turned such that the lower edge becomes the upper edge and vice versa, while an adjacent panel may remain in its original orientation. A third structured joint member is connected between the two adjacent joint members of adjacent panels. The third structured joint member is a male member, while the two structured joint members attached to each panel are female members. Adjacent female joint members of two panels form a universal pinch resistant joint with the male joint member.

Multiple section modular door and joint structure

An overhead door apparatus utilizing a torsion spring counterbalancing mechanism. The counterbalancing mechanism includes a worm drive ring-shaped gear winding mechanism for setting the appropriate torque or number of winds in the spring. A counting mechanism is provided to indicate to the installer the number of winds being given to the spring. The ring-shaped gear is a spur gear which is formed integrally with the fitting or cone which attaches by way of a threaded connection with one end of the spring. Means are also provided for accommodating spring growth and contraction during winding and unwinding using the winding mechanism and during normal raising and lowering of the door. A spring clip gear retainer is disclosed for preventing rotation or creep of the worm drive gear and spur gear during normal raising and lowering of the door.

An extension spring overhead door system in which the spring may be quickly and easily placed in tension with the door in a closed position. A spring tensioning device is provided which eliminates the need for multiple installers to lift the full weight of the door and then clamp or otherwise prop the door in an open position. An extension spring containment tube is also provided which surrounds the entire periphery of the spring to fully contain the entire length of the extension spring.

Extension spring system for an overhead door

A sectional door, which may be an overhead door such as a residential garage door, including hingedly connected door panels each being formed from a plurality of subpanels. The subpanels forming each door panel are disposed end-to-end to form the entire length of the door panel. Rigid connection between adjacent subpanels of the same door panel is made by at least one and preferably two connecting bars extending within channels of adjacent subpanels in a lengthwise direction. The connecting bars are each formed of a length substantially less than the overall length of the door panel but slightly longer than the length of an individual subpanel. All components of the door may be stored and transported in relatively small packages or cartons, yet may be assembled into a structurally rigid, wind resistant sectional door.

Sectional door having multiple piece panel sections

Novel compressible flexible hinge assemblies for connecting abutting panel sections of upward acting or sectional doors, such as garage doors, are disclosed. More particularly, abutting panel sections of an upward acting door are hingedly connected together economically and in a weather-tight relationship by a flexible hinge assembly which can be easily installed without the use of tools by snapping it into predesigned elongated slots in the abutting panel sections from the rear or interior side of the door. When assembled, a compressible flexible hinge assembly of the present invention provides a smooth, flush back surface on the rear or interior side of an upward acting door and eliminates the unsightly appearance associated with conventional metal hardware heretofore used to hinge abutting panel sections of upward acting doors. A novel compressible flexible hinge assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated flexible hinge having first and second arms connected to a central web formed with a material substantially resistant to flexure fatigue and two elongated compressible slats wherein each arm of the hinge is adapted to be inserted into one elongated slot along the abutting edge of one abutting panel section and each compressible slat is adapted to compress when being inserted into or removed from one of the elongated abutting slots to lock the flexible hinge in the elongated slots and hingedly connect together the abutting panel sections for articulation with respect to each other.

Sectional doors and compressible flexible hinge assemblies

Novel flexible hinge assemblies for connecting abutting panel sections of upward acting doors, such as garage doors, are disclosed. More particularly, abutting panel sections of an upward acting door are hingedly connected together economically and in a weather-tight relationship by a flexible hinge assembly which can be easily installed without the use of tools by snapping it into predesigned elongated slots in the abutting panel sections from the rear or interior side of the door. When assembled, a flexible hinge assembly of the present invention provides a smooth, flush back surface on the rear or interior side of an upward acting door and eliminates the unsightly appearance associated with conventional metal hardware heretofore used to hinge abutting panel sections of upward acting doors. Examplary of a novel hinge assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated flexible hinge having first and second arms connected to a central web formed with a material substantially resistant to flexure fatigue and two elongated slats wherein each arm is adapted to be inserted into one elongated slot along the abutting edge of one abutting panel section and each slat is likewise adapted to be inserted into one of the elongated abutting slots in contact with one of the arms inserted therein to lock the flexible hinge in the elongated slots and hingedly connect together the abutting panel sections for articulation with respect to each other.

Sectional doors and flexible hinge assemblies

Novel flexible hinge assemblies for connecting abutting panel sections of upward acting doors, fsuch as garage doors, are disclosed. More particularly, abutting panel sections of an upward acting door are hingedly connected together economically and in a weather-tight relationship by a flexible hinge assembly which can be easily installed without the use of tools by snapping it into predesigned elongated slots in the abutting panel sections from the rear or interior side of the door. When assembled, a flexible hinge assembly of the present invention provides a smooth, flush back surface on the rear or interior side of an upward acting door and eliminates the unsightly appearance associated with conventional metal hardware heretofore used to hinge abutting panel sections of upward acting doors. Examplary of a novel hinge assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated flexible hinge having first and second arms connected to a central web formed with a material substantially resistant to flexure fatigue and two elongated slats wherein each arm is adapted to be inserted into one elongated slot along the abutting edge of one abutting panel section and each slat is likewise adapted to be inserted into one of the elongated abutting slots in contact with one of the arms inserted therein to lock the flexible hinge in the elongated slots and hingedly connect together the abutting panel sections for articulation with respect to each other.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Alan R Leist