Rite-hite Holding Corporation

John K Olthafer

Robert J Harter

James C Boerger

Mark G Petri

A flexible guide for a door includes straps that are mounted in pairs along either side of a doorway. The straps for each pair are generally parallel, facing each other, and spaced apart to create a gap or channel between the two. As the door opens and closes, the straps guide the vertical movement of a door panel that travels within the channel. The straps are pulled in tension between upper and lower anchors to provide the straps with enough stiffness to effectively hold the door panel within the channel under normal operation. In some embodiments, springs are used to maintain the tension in the straps. The straps are also sufficiently pliable and resilient to allow an impact to dislodge the door panel out from within the channel without damage. The upper or lower anchor is moveable between a normally extended position and a yielded position to prevent an impact from breaking the anchor and may further be biased to the normal position.

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Platteville, WI, United States of America

John K Olthafer