Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
Technical field application :
This invention relates to roll-up type door assemblies which are generally
used in commercial
and industrial applications, elongate guides for use in these door assemblies,
and curtain locks for
retaining edge sections of the flexible door curtains used in these
assemblies. But the invention
also relates to any roll-down or roll-side type door and conveyor type door.
It is well known in the door industry to provide a flexible, roll up door that
can be used to
provide a passageway barrier in industrial, commercial, mining and other such
facilities to
accommodate the access of trucks, trains, forklifts and other such equipment
to the facility or
building or to provide passageway barriers within the facility.
The invention also relates to rooftop application for agriculture and
residential greenhouses.
The invention hereby is also related to the industry of greenhouses which is
well known to need a
translucent roof, translucent walls and ventilation openings to control
moisture and temperature at
optimized level for the growth of plants.
Previous Techniques :
A flexible roll-up type door typically consists of a synthetic rubber or
fabric curtain which acts as
a barrier across the passageway. The curtain is attached across its top edge
to a rigid steel pipe
spanning the width of the passageway. This steel pipe is typically known as a
drive barrel and is
equipped with a solid steel shaft at both ends. Each of the two steel sha8s
are supported by a
flanged type bearing attached to a steel plate, typically known as an
endplate, which is attached to
the building structure directly above the passageway. Applying a controlled
rotational movement
of the drive barrel results in the curtain spooling onto the drive barrel,
thus retracting the curtain
upward to expose the passageway. Also, it may be inversely spooled off the
drive barrel to
dispense the curtain downward and close off the passageway.
The lq cr, horizontal perimeter or the bottom of the curtain is reinforced
with structural steel
members to provide rigidity to the section of curtain edge malting contact
with the ground. This
component of a flexible roll-up door is typically known as a bottom bar and
must be of sufficient
rigidity to maintain adequate straightness of the curtain for the operation of
the door The bottom
bar is configured to a predetermined mass to provide adequate gravitational
force to pull the
curtain to the ground. The bottom bar may include reversing, safety and/or
sealing devices
mounted thereon.
The two vertical perimeters of edge sections of the curtain usually travel
within suitable
enclosures mounted adjacent to the passageway on each side. This component is
typically known
as a guide and serves the purpose of maintaining the required position of the
vertical edge of the
curtain while permitting unrestricted travel during door operation. The
curtain is most often
configured along its vertical edges with appropriate components, hereto
referred to as curtain
locks, to mate with the guides. Many flexible roll-up doors are constructed so
that a
predetermined releasing force can cause the curtain to disengage itself from
the guide or guides,
for example, when the curtain is impacted by a vehicule or other device or by
extreme wind
pressure. The curtain is both retracted by and dispensed from the drive barrel
over the forward
side of a horizontal, rigid steel pipe spanning the width of the passageway.
This pipe is located
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above the passageway and inn close proximity to the building structure to
provide an upper
horizontal perimeter seal to the passageway and fu ther serves as a curtain
positioning
mechanism, aligning the curtain with the guides mounted to the vertical sides
of the passageway.
This steel pipe is typically known as an idler barrel and is equipped with a
solid steel shaft at both
ends. Each of the two steel shafts are supported by a flange bearing attached
to its respective
mounting angle.
The known flexible roll-up door systems can also include various other
components to complete
their functionality such as a counterbalance system, often through the use of
torsion springs
and/or weights, an operating mechanism that may consist of a manual hoist
and/or electric motor
with gear and/or chain power transmission arrangement, along with other
secondary components.
Known roll-up doors are commonly equipped with a curtain that has an element
or elements
attached to the vertical edges of the curtain (forming a curtain lock or
locks) that co-operate with
fabricated, often elaborate, guide assemblies.
United States Patent No. 5,392,836 which issued February 28, 1995 to Rite Hite
Co "on
teaches the use of a series of hemispherical follower elements attached to
side edge sections of
the curtain of a roll up type door. An external force can disengage these
follower elements from
the door guide by changing the relative dimension of the gap formed by the
guide and the
follower element or elements. This relative dimensional change is achieved by
utilizing a
multiple component, fabricated guide that is inherently incapable of precise
production
dimensioning and often becomes askew or out of alignment during service. Thus,
it is believed
that this known roll-up door system is incapable of precise operation and
therefore lacks
reliability.
In the same way, Canada patent No. 2,446,648 which issued March 29, 2005 to
John Craig Ycnv
and to TNR Industrial Doors Inc. teaches the use of a locking rounded exterior
surface rib
attached to the curtain as a connector to the locking guides. This rounded
design is known to have
problems to make curtain and its rounded lock to roll and keep alignment.
Since the design of a
rounded form is hardly stackable on a rolling drive barrel.
United States Patent No. 3,815,174 which issued June 11, 1974 Marianne Seitz
teaches the use
of a track for curtain and drapes designed for retaining spherical or rounded
sliding means on a
sliding strip in the track. Also, it teaches the use of a guiding strip
substantially parallel to a
ceiling flange. This application does not refer to an angular body of the
sliding means or
connector, neither that it is designed to have a guiding strip substantially
perpendicular to a
locking strip or ceiling flange.
Resume of the invention
The major problem encountered with roll-up doors is to find a good design for
the rolling curtain
and its connecting endlocks that could respect three constraints, said endlock
referring to any
fastener connector attached to the curtain on its side edge. The first
constraint is that the
connecting endlocks should be flexible enough to bend onto the rolling drive
barrel. The second
constraint is that the connecting endlocks should be easily stackable so it
could keep a straight
alignment. The third constraint is that the connecting endlocks should be
lockable in the side
guides to be able to stretch curtain to both side ends and also to be able to
release or not in case of
impact The novelty of the design hereby on the connecting endlock respects
perfectly all
constraints and allows a fast and easy rolling movement while being stackable
with alignment.
Also, this new connecting endlock, allows either a releasable or non-
releasable holding into the
designed guides (guide referring to a track). Finally, the components and
design of the closing
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device hereby allows an easy and efficient washing and then, no food should
stick to the curtain,
to the guides and to the connecting endlock nor into any interstice which is a
good advantage for
the food industry in their search for clean and self-cleaning equipments.
Also, related to the greenhouse industry, the novelty of the concept and
designs hereby allows a
complete movable rooftop application.
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Brief deiption of drawings .
Figures listed below are titled underneath each figure showed.
Figure 1 is a transverse cross-section view of the closing device system
Figure 2 is a transverse cross-section view of the track
Figure 3 is a transverse cross-section view of the sliding fastener connector
Figure 4 is a transverse cross-section view of an aligned rolling door on a
rolling trunk
Figure 5 is a front view of one application of a rolling door as a roll-up
door, with some
components added to structure : a cover box for rolling trunk 166, a motor for
operation 168, a
spring 170 to reduce the weight of the rolling door, an extended rib on the
linen 125, a bottom bar
and sensing edge 172 as for examples to components and weights addable.
Figure 6 is a side view of a rolling trunk
Figure 7 is top cross-section view of a track 102, a sliding fastener
connector 100 and a linen,
curtain, canvas 108 or a solid wall 110, as for one application when a track
102 is attached to a
steel or aluminium angle 174 with a screw 176 and where the said steel or
aluminium angle is
attached to a wall 178.
Figure 8 is a view of the closing device attached to a steel or aluminium
angle 174.
Figure 9 is a transverse cross-section view of a sliding fastener connector
wherein some flat,
curved or other angular body besides the angular sliding and locking body on
sliding fastener
connector can be present either or both together on extreme edge of said
sliding fastener
connector or between angular sliding and locking body on sliding fastener
connector and flexible
linen or solid wall attached to it-
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Detailed description of drawings with references
Figure 1 is a transverse cross-section view of the closing device system where
linen, curtain or
canvas 108 or a solid wall 110 is attached to the axis of the flat body 106 of
the sliding fastener
connector 100 (Figure 3) having three contacts with the track 102 (Figure 2);
allowing a holding
by triple contacts of the track 102 on the sliding fastener connector 100 or
by triple contacts of
the sliding fastener connector 100 on the track 102; a first contact 136 of
the sliding fastener
connector 100 with the track 102 is located on the sliding inner face 138 of
the exterior
substantially parallel wall 140 of the track 102 with the extreme concave face
142 of the angular
body 104 of the sliding fastener connector 100; a second contact 144 of the
sliding fastener
connector 100 with the track 102 is located on the sliding face 146 of the
internal substantially
parallel wall 148 of the track 102 with the extreme convex face 150 of the
angular body 104 of
the sliding fastener connector 100; a third contact 152 of the sliding
fastener connector 100 with
the track 102 is located on the inner face 154 of the locking restriction wall
122 of the track 102;
the third wall 122, called locking restriction wall 122 holds the sliding
fastener connector 100
inside the track 102 with a contact on the central convex face 156 of the
angular body 104 of the
sliding fastener connector 100.
Figure 2 is a transverse cross-section view of the track 102 for sliding
fastener connector 100
designed to allow the penetration of the angular body 104 of the sliding
fastener connector 100
inside of it between two walls 116, which their axis are substantially
parallel separated by a gap
118 allowing the slide of the sliding fastener connector 100 in the track 102;
a third wall 120 in
the track 102 substantially orientated perpendicularly to the two
substantially parallel walls 116
while being spaced from the free edges of the two substantially parallel walls
or at least spaced
from the free edge of one sliding strip and connected to the other sliding
strip, to allow
passageway of the angular body of the sliding fastener connector, said sliding
strips to be the two
substantially parallel walls in the track, allow the possibility of a tight or
releasable holding of the
sliding fastener connector 100 in the track 102 by opposition to the angular
body 104 of the
sliding fastener connector 100 which forms a locking restriction 122 to the
angular body 104 of
the sliding fastener connector 100.
Figure 3 is a transverse cross-section view of the sliding fastener connector
which the sliding
fastener connector has an angular body 104 longitudinally on its side edge;
the median of the
angular body 104 of the sliding fastener connector 100 is substantially
orientated perpendicularly
to the axis of the flat body 106 of the sliding fastener connector or to the
surface of the linen 108
or wall 110 attached to it; on the opposite side of the sliding fastener
connector is either the
extension of the linen which is an integrated part of the sliding fastener
connector or an attach by
contact to the linen or a longitudinal gap 112 forming two elongated pellicles
114 allowing
contact and wrapping for a link to a linen 108 or a wall 110.
Figure 4 is a transverse cross-section view of an aligned rolling door on a
rolling trunk where the
sliding fastener connector 100 has an angular body 104 longitudinally on its
side edge allowing a
rolling aligned movement 128 of the sliding fastener connector 100 and of the
linen 108 or wall
110 attached to it by stacking layers 130 encasing 132 the angular body 104 of
the sliding
fastener connector 100 on a rolling trunk 134.
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Figure 5 is a front view of one application of a rolling door as a roll-up
door, where sliding
fastener connectors 100 on both side edges of the linen, curtain or canvas 108
or of solid wall 110
slides inside the tracks 102 on both side of rolling door as a roll-up door,
rolling the door on a
rolling trunk 134 and with some components added to structure : a cover box
for rolling trunk
166, a motor for operation 168, a spring 170 to reduce the weight of the
rolling door, an extended
n'b on the linen 125, a bottom bar and sensing edge 172 as for examples to
components and
weights addable.
Figure 6 is a side view of a rolling trunk 134 with a rolling aligned movement
of the curtain and
of its sliding fastener connectors stacked 128 onto the rolling trunk 134 and
located above or at
the end of a track 102
Figure 7 is top cross-section view of a track 102, of a sliding fastener
connector 100 and of a
linen, curtain, canvas 108 or a solid wall 110, as for one application where
track 102 is attached
to a steel or aluminum angle 174 with a screw 176 and where the said steel or
aluminum angle is
attached to a wall 178.
Figure 8 is a view of the closing device attached to a steel or aluminium
angle 174, where a linen,
curtain, canvas 108 or a solid wall 110 is attached to sliding fastener
connector 100 sliding inside
a track 102 attached to a steel or aluminum angle 1 74 and where a bottom bar,
or sensing edge
172, or an extended rib or weight 125 is added to the linen, curtain, canvas
108 or to a solid wall
110.
Figure 9 is a transverse cross-section view of a sliding fastener connector
100 wherein some flat
158, curved 160 or other angular body 162 besides the angular sliding and
locking body 104 on
sliding fastener connector 100 can be present either or both together on
extreme edge 164 of said
sliding fastener connector 100 or between angular sliding and locking body 104
on sliding
fastener connector 100 and flexible linen 108 or solid wall I10 attached to
it.
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