Clopay Corporation

Clopay Building Products Company, Inc.

Clopay Building Products R&d Company, Inc.

Other

Thomas E Youtsey

Alan R Leist

Richard J Lewis, Jr

Thomas G Mushaben

Jeffrey W Stone

William Jason White

Jeffery W Stone

Richard J Lewis

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 universal overhead door system includes a pair of horizontal track members, a pair of vertical track members and a pair of track radius members interconnecting the horizontal and vertical track members. A pair of adjustable short radius members extend from the track radius members to guide uppermost rollers of an overhead sectional door. The overhead door system includes a pair of stationary sheaves positioned outboard of a pair of horizontal support rails which support the horizontal track members. A detent is provided at one end of the adjustable radius members to prevent undesirable travel the garage door. A spacer is provided for use in extension spring configurations when a long horizontal support rail is required. The spacer prevents metal-to-metal contact of moveable sheaves with the horizontal support rails.

Low head room overhead door system with adjustable short radius track section

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 includes a plurality of panels pivotally connected to one another with the mating upper and lower edges of the adjacent panels providing a pinch-resistant configuration during articulation of the overhead door. Additionally, the installation and assembly of the door is more easily and efficiently accomplished because of first and second contact locations between the mating upper and lower edges of the panels and the configuration of those contact locations provides registration or alignment of the panels relative to one another during installation. Additionally, the hinge assembly includes a pivot axis which is positioned between the front and back faces of the panel to enhance the pinch-resistant operation of the door and the installation of the hinge is easily accomplished with a reduced number of parts because of cooperating keyhole slots and key on the pivot pin of the hinge.

Overhead door, panel and hinge assembly

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

Wilder, KY, United States of America

Thomas E Youtsey