Rite-hite Corporation

Frommelt Industries, Inc.

Floyd D West

Mark S Ungs

John A Frommelt

David R Noon

John Olthafer

A door assembly is provided for use in proximity to door openings wherein there is a large amount of material handling vehicle traffic. The assembly includes a frame mounted within the door opening and having upright elongate side sections. Each section has an interior guideway with an elongate entry thereto. Within each section is a pair of guide members forming therebetween a gap aligned with the entry. A flexible door member is slidably mounted on the frame. Opposite marginal side segments of the door member extend through the entries and gaps into the section guideways. Each marginal segment is provided with a plurality of relatively spaced, vertically aligned follower elements normally impassable with respect to the gap. Upon an external force of at least a predetermined magnitude being exerted on an exposed surface of the door member while in a closed mode, the follower elements will exert a predetermined wedging force on the gap-forming portions of the guide members causing a change in the relative dimensions of the gaps and follower elements allowing the follower elements to pass through the gaps and effect at least partial disassembly of the door member from the frame. Each section is provided with an adjustable panel which may be selectively adjusted to an open position exposing the guideway thereby permitting the follower elements to be reassembled in the respective guideway.

Door assembly

A panel for a multi-panel folding door includes a semi-rigid, transparent partition with insulating layers disposed on opposing sides thereof. A collapsible nose seal adjacent to a lateral edge of the panel and extending substantially the length thereof is adapted for engagement with another similar panel also having a collapsible nose seal to provide an interlocking, insulated seal between the panels when the door is closed while permitting the panels to be separated when the door is opened. A magnet in the collapsible nose seal of each panel is adapted for magnetic coupling to a metal plate in the other panel to provide a weather-tight, thermal insulating seal. Each of the insulating layers includes an aperture, with the apertures in mutual alignment to form a window in the panel.

Folding door system

Overlapping seal for insulated folding door

A multi-section folding door includes first and second sets of vertically aligned panels with the panels in each set coupled together in an edge overlapping manner. Each of the panels is suspended from a support bracket attached to the panel's upper edge, with each of the brackets coupled to and suspended from a track by means of a respective trolley. A drive arrangement displaces the trolleys permitting the first and second sets of panels to be displaced toward or away from each other in closing or opening the folding door relative to an opening in a wall. Attached to an upper edge of each panel is an elongated flexible loop which is inserted in a lower slot of a respective support bracket along the length thereof. An elongated cord comprised of a hard material is inserted in the loop and positioned along the length thereof to maintain the loop securely coupled to and suspended from the support bracket. Breakaway coupling is provided along the full length of the overlapping edges of adjacent panels while the outer edges of the two end panels are each coupled in a sealed manner to a respective side frame. A sweeper strip extends from the lower edge of the panel and engages the floor to form a seal therewith. Each panel preferably includes an intermediate insulating layer, with the folding door particularly adapted for low temperature applications such as in freezers.

High speed folding door

A multi-section folding door includes first and second sets of vertically aligned panels with the panels in each set coupled together in an edge overlapping manner. Each of the panels is suspended from a support bracket attached to the panel's upper edge, with each of the brackets coupled to and suspended from a track by means of a respective trolley. The trolleys permit the first and second sets of panels to be displaced toward or away from each other in closing or opening the folding door relative to an opening in a wall. An endless chain/sprocket arrangement driven by an electric motor allows the multi-panel folding door to be opened and closed very rapidly. A thickened upper edge of each panel is inserted in a lower slot of a respective support bracket along the length thereof to facilitate assembly and installation of the door as well as replacement of a damaged or worn panel. One or more breakaway straps couple adjacent panels in each set of panels to facilitate re-connecting adjacent panels as well as to reduce the possibility of damage to the trolleys and support track upon impact of a moving vehicle with a door panel. Each of the trolleys includes a plurality of rollers engaging the I-beam shaped support track in a self-aligning arrangement which provides continued rolling displacement of the trolleys along the track following vehicular impact with and displacement of its associated suspended panel.

A pair of vertically oriented hook seals positioned in facing relation on the lateral portions of a loading dock shelter engage the aft lateral portions of a truck or van positioned adjacent to a loading dock and seal the gap between the truck sides and its open doors. Each seal is coupled to a dock shelter side panel and extends inward toward an aperture in a wall about which the dock shelter is disposed. Each seal is comprised of a curtain having a plurality of spaced, resilient, flexible ribs or reinforcing strips disposed along the length thereof and securely coupled at their respective outer ends to a dock shelter side panel. The inner end of each of the reinforcing strips is coupled to an elongated foam strip extending substantially the full height of the dock shelter sides and having a generally triangular cross section. Each of the foam strips is adapted to engage in a sealed manner an aft lateral edge of the truck as well as the proximal edge of an adjacent open door of the truck and to fill the gap between the truck and its open door. The flexible reinforcing strips along the length of each of the curtains in combination with a collapsible support frame in each side frame allow the foam strips to fill the door/truck gap along the full height of the truck not only in the case of an inclined or declined loading dock, but also when the truck is misaligned relative to the loading dock shelter, i.e., in not 'square' relative to the wall upon which the dock shelter is mounted. The hook seal arrangement is also capable of accommodating trucks having a range of widths.

Growing community of inventors

Galena, IL, United States of America

Floyd D West