Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
HORIZONTAL GARAGE DOOR ASSEMBLY
BACKGROUND
(00011 The present disclosure relates to garage door assemblies.
100021 In particular, the present disclosure relates to horizontal garage
door assemblies.
100031 Typical residential garage doors, formed by a plurality of panels
connected at
horizontally-extending side edges, open vertically through the use of a motor
and belt or chain
system. Due to the vertical movement of the garage door, the size of the
panels is limited as the
power capacity of the motor limits the ability of the system to lift the
panels from a closed
position to an open position. This, in turn, limits the size of an opening
that can be provided in a
garage enclosure. If a larger garage door is desired, costs are greatly
increased as motor
capacity, counter balances, and springs must be increased to lift the larger
panels. The panels
must also be reinforced to support the increased length of the panels to
prevent sagging when the
panels are in the open position. In addition, because the motor must lift the
panels from the
closed position to the open position against gravity, the risk of injury may
increase in cases when
malfunction occurs. However, vertically-opening garage doors are still in
widespread use in
North America due to strict safety standards such as Underwriters Laboratories
(UL) standards.
SUMMARY.
100041 The present disclosure provides a garage door assembly that may
reduce the safety
risks posed by garage door assemblies having vertically-opening panels and the
increase in costs
associated with an increase in an opening of a garage enclosure by providing a
garage door
assembly having panels that open horizontally.
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10005] In certain embodiments, a horizontal garage door assembly similarly
includes a
plurality of panels. Each of the plurality of panels has atop edge and a
bottom edge and a pair of
vertically-extending side edges connecting the top edge and the bottom edge.
Adjacent panels
are pivotally connected at adjacent side edges. The garage door assembly
further includes a top
rail positioned above the top edges of the plurality of panels and configured
to receive the
plurality of panels. The top rail includes a .first straight portion, a curved
portion, and a second
straight portion. The curved portion connects the first straight portion and
the second straight
portion. The garage door assembly further includes a motor positioned at a
first end of the first
straight portion, a tensioning mechanism disposed on a first panel, a gear
mechanism positioned
at a second end of the first straight portion, and a connecting band connected
to the motor and
the gear mechanism and attached to the tensioning mechanism to form a loop
along a length of
the top rail. The motor is configured to drive the connecting band such that
the plurality of
panels moves between a closed position and an open position. In the closed
position, the
plurality of panels is substantially received in the first straight portion.
In the open position, the
plurality of panels is substantially received in the second straight portion.
100061 In certain embodiments, a horizontal garage door assembly similarly
includes a
plurality of panels. Each of the plurality of panels has a top edge and a
bottom edge and a pair of
vertically-extending side edges connecting the top edge and the bottom edge.
Adjacent panels
are pivotally connected at adjacent side edges. The garage door assembly
further includes a top
rail positioned above the top edges of the plurality of panels and configured
to receive the
plurality of panels. The top rail includes a first straight portion, a curved
portion, and a second
straight portion. The curved portion connects the first straight portion and
the second straight
portion. The garage door assembly further includes a transport mechanism
disposed on a first
panel, a tensioning mechanism disposed on the first panel, and a fixed
connecting band
connecting to the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is configured
to move along
the fixed connecting band such that the plurality of panels moves between a
closed position and
an open position. In the closed position, the plurality of panels is
substantially received in the
first straight portion. In the open position, the plurality of panels is
substantially received in the
second straight portion
10071 . These and other advantageous features will become apparent to those
reviewing the
CA 2976501 2017-08-16
disclosure and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
100081 FIG. 1 shows a schematic exterior view of a garage door assembly
according to one
embodiment.
100091 FIG. 2 shows a schematic interior view of the garage door assembly
of FIG. I.
100101 'FIG. 3 shows a schematic upward view of the garage door assembly of
FIG. 1.
100111 FIG. 4 shows a schematic detailed view of a motor mounted to a
garage enclosure for
the garage door assembly of FIG. 1.
100121 FIG. 5 shows a schematic detailed view of a gear mechanism mounted
to the garage
enclosure for the garage door assembly of FIG, 1,
100131 FIG. 6 shows a schematic detailed view of a tensioning mechanism and
a quick
release mechanism mounted to a first panel of the garage door assembly of FIG.
I.
1001.41 FIG. 7 shows a schematic detailed view of a curved portion of a top
rail of the garage
door assembly of FIG. 1.
100151 FIG. 8 shows a schematic detailed view of an entrapment shield for
the garage door
assembly of FIG. 1.
100161 FIG. 9 shows a schematic detailed view of a bottom rail of the
garage door assembly
of FIG. I.
100171 FIG. 10A shows a cross-sectional view of the bottom rail of FIG. 9.
100181 FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of a bottom rail according to
another
embodiment.
[00191 FIG. 11 shows a schematic detail view of an entrapment shield
according to another
embodiment.
3
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
100201
Referring generally to the figures, disclosed herein is a garage door assembly
capable
of opening in a horizontal manner that meets the standards of 'U.S. consumer
safety
organizations, such as UL. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure provide
for a garage
door assembly capable of operating in a safe and reliable manner, while
providing a means for
enclosing an opening for a garage enclosure that is larger in both width and
height.
100211 FIG.
1 shows a schematic exterior view of a garage door assembly according to one
embodiment of the present invention, while FIG_ 2 shows an interior view of
the garage door
assembly of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a garage enclosure 50 includes
a back \.vall (not
shown), two side walls first
side wall 54 is shown), and a front wall 52 having an opening 55
for accessing an interior 20 of the garage enclosure 50 from an exterior 10.
The garage door
assembly 100 is configured to open and close the opening 55 to allow a user to
enter or exit the
interior 20 of the garage enclosure 50.
[00221 The
garage door assembly 100 generally includes a top rail 110 extending along a
length of the front wall 52 and first side wall 54, a bottom rail 130
extending along a length of a
bottom surface or floor 58 of the garage enclosure 50, and a plurality of
panels 121. The
plurality of panels 121 are each received by the top rail 110 at top portions
of the panels 121 and
the bottom rail 130 at bottom portions of the panels 121. Adjacent panels 121
are pivotally
connected to one another at vertically-extending side edges by one or more
hinges 122.
100231 As
shown in FIG. 2, the top rail 110 is positioned above top edges of the
plurality of
panels 121 and includes a first straight portion III, a curved portion 112,
and a second straight
portion 113. A first end Illa of the first straight portion 111 is mounted to
the front vvall 52 at a
first end of the opening 55 and a second end 111b of the first straight
portion III is mounted to
the front wall 52 at a second end of the opening 55 such that the first
straight portion III extends
along the length of the opening 55. A first end 112a of the curved portion 112
is mounted to the
front wall 52 to connect to the second end 11 lb of the first straight portion
111 while a second
end I 12b of the curved portion 112 is mounted to the first side wall 54 to
connect to a first end
113a of the second straight portion 113. The second straight portion 113 then
extends along the
first side wall 54 and terminates at a second end 113h.
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100241 As shown in FIG. 3, the garage door assembly 100 further includes a
motor 80, a
driven gear mechanism 85, and a tensioning mechanism 70. A connecting band 82
operably
connects the motor 80 to the driven gear mechanism 85 and attaches to the
tensioning
mechanism 70 to form a substantially closed loop along a length of the top
rail
100251 The motor 80 may be mounted to the front wall 52 or a ceiling of the
garage
enclosure 50 and positioned at the first end lila of the first straight
portion 1 1 1 As shown in
FIG. 4, the motor 80 may include a drive gear mechanism 81 that is configured
to receive the
connecting band 82 (e.g., by grooves or gear teeth). During operation, the
motor 80 rotates the
drive gear mechanism 81 to drive the connecting band 82 such that the
plurality of panels 121
move along the top rail 111 and bottom rail 130 to the open position or closed
position. In
certain embodiments, the motor 80 is a motor drive operator that meets
applicable safety
standards and includes safety features such as a photo sensor and impulse-
actuated reversible
switch in accordance with UL. The embodiments disclosed herein include all
variations of
inherent and external safety devices used to meet current or future safety
requirements described
by UL. For example, inherent safety devices include, but are not limited to,
an impulse-actuated
reversible switch. External safety devices include, but are not limited to,
documentation and
consumer notification, design, visual and audible warning devices, photo
sensors, pressure
sensors, and an external shield or wall.
100261 As shown in FIG. 5, the driven gear mechanism 85 may be mounted to
the front wall
52 or ceiling and may be positioned at the second end 11 lb of the first
straight portion 11 J. The
driven gear mechanism 85 includes a driven sprocket 89 and a tensioning
sprocket 87, which are
each configured to receive the connecting band 82 (e.g., by grooves or gear
teeth). The
tensioning sprocket 87 is linearly offset from the driven sprocket 89. During
operation of the
motor 80, the driven sprocket 89 is configured to rotate and be driven by the
connecting band 82
due to the rotation of the drive gear mechanism 81. In addition, due to the
linear offset of the
tensioning sprocket 87, the tensioning sprocket 37 provides tension in the
connecting band 82 as
the band 82 is driven by the motor 80, In other embodiments, the motor 80 may
be configured as
a direct drive operator such that the connecting band 82 and driven gear
mechanism 85 is not
used. In such embodiments, the direct drive operator includes a transport
mechanism (e.g., a
carriage) affixed to a panel (e.g., a first panel 121 shown in FIG. 2). The
transport mechanism is
CA 2976501 2017-08-16
operably connected to and configured to move along a rail encasing a fixed
connecting band
(e.g., chain or belt). The transport mechanism moves along the fixed
connecting hand, providing
movement of the plurality or panels 121 between open and closed positions.
100271 As shown in FIG. 6, the tensioning mechanism 70 is disposed along a
top portion of a
first panel 121a (as shown in FIG. 2, the first panel 121a may be, in some
embodiments, a front
panel or a leading panel). The tensioning mechanism 70 includes an attachment
bracket 72
where a first end 82a of the connecting band 82 is attached to one side of the
attachment bracket
72 and a second end 82b of the connecting band 82 is attached to the other
side of the attachment
bracket 72 to allow the motor SO to push and pull the first panel 121a through
the rotation of the
drive sprocket 81. A quick release mechanism, such as a quick release bracket
74, may also be
provided on the tensioning mechanism 70, which is configured to quickly
release the tensioning
mechanism 70 from the quick release bracket 74 (and, thus, the first panel
121a) in the event of a
power failure of the motor 80. in certain embodiments, in the event of a
release of the tensioning
mechanism 70 from the quick release bracket 74, the first panel 121a may be
provided with a
handle, which allows a user of the garage door assembly 100 to manually move
the plurality of
panels 121 between the open position and the closed position.
100281 Although shown that a first panel 121a positioned nearest the front
wall 52 of the
garage enclosure 50 when the plurality of panels 121 is in the open position
(i.e., the front panel
or the leading panel) is provided with the tensioning mechanism 70 to he
pushed or pulled by
operation of the motor 80, the motor 80, gear mechanism 85, and tensioning
mechanism 70 may
instead be positioned to push or pull a panel 121b (shown in FIG. 2) that is
positioned furthest
from the front wall 52 of the garage enclosure 50 when the plurality of panels
121 is in the open
position (i.e., a last panel or non-leading panel). For example, the motor 80
may be mounted to
the first side wall 54 at the second end 1131) of the second straight portion
113 and the gear
mechanism 85 may be mounted to the first side wall 54 at the first end 113a of
the second
straight portion 113. The tensioning mechanism 70 may then be disposed on the
panel 121b and
the connecting band 82 may operably connect the motor 80 to the gear mechanism
85 and attach
to the tensioning mechanism 70. The motor 80 may then drive the connecting
band 82 such that
the plurality of panels 121 is pushed or pulled via the panel 12Ib (i.e., the
last panel or non-
leading panel).
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100291 The motor 80 drives the connecting hand 82 such that the plurality
of panels 121 may
be moved relative to the top rail 111 and the bottom rail 130 into a closed
position, where the
plurality of panels 121 is substantially received in the first straight
portion Ill, or an open
position, where the plurality of panels 121 is substantially received in the
second straight portion
113. In moving between the first straight portion 111 to the second straight
portion 113, the
plurality of panels 121 travels through the curved portion 112 of the top rail
110, as shown in
FIG. 7. The curved portion 112 is configured to smoothly transition the
plurality of panels 121
from being substantially parallel with the front wall 52 in the closed
position to being
substantially parallel with the first side wall 54 in the open position. For
example, to provide a
smooth transition, the curved portion 112 may be provided with a radius of
curvature of about 18
inches in certain embodiments.
100301 To further aid in providing smooth movement of the plurality of
panels 121 in the top
rail 110, each of the plurality of panels 124 may be provided with a hanging
roller 126 Ill Milted
to top portions of the plurality of panels 121 with a bracket 123. The hanging
rollers 126 are
configured to be received and held within the top rail 110 and are movable
with respect to the top
rail 110 when the connection band 82 is driven by the motor 80. In some
embodiments, the
hanging rollers 126 may be in the form of ball rollers such that the plurality
of panels 121
smoothly transition through the curved portion 112 between the first and
second straight portions
111, 113.
(0031J As further shown in FIG. 7, while the curved portion 112 is
positioned and curved
such as to closely follow the transition from the front wall 52 to the side
wall 54 while still
allowing for sufficient maneuverability of the plurality of panels 121 within
the curved portion
112, a space 56 may remain between a back side of the plurality of panels 121
and corner area of
the front wall 52 and the side wall 54. When such a space 56 remains, persons
and/or objects
may become entrapped within the space 56 during movement of the plurality of
panels 121
within the curved portion 112. To prevent risk of entrapment, the space 56 may
be provided
with a shield wall 90, as shown in FIG. S. The shield wall 90 includes side
walls that are
configured to be flush with the surfaces of the front wall 52 and the first
side wall 54. In
addition, the shield wall 90 includes a front wall that is shaped to conform
to the curvature of the
curved portion 112. in this manner, the shield wall 90 is configured to
substantially fill the space
7
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56 such that the risk for entrapment is substantially reduced.
100321 As discussed above, the bottom portions of the plurality of panels
121 are received by
a bottom rail 130, which extends along a length of a floor 58 of the garage
enclosure 50. The
bottom rail 130 is configured to act as a guide for the plurality of panels
121 during movement of
the panels and prevents side-to-side motion of the panels 121. As shown in
FIGS. 9 and WA, in
some embodimems, the bottom rail 130 may comprise a base 132 having a central
protrusion 131
protruding upwardly from the base along the length of the bottom rail 130. In
addition, the
bottom portions of the plurality of panels 121 may be provided with a central
groove 123
configured to receive the central protrusion 131. In other embodiments, as
shown in FIG. 10B,
the base 132 of the bottom rail 130 may be formed by a groove 230 formed in
the floor 58 of the
garage enclosure 50, while a central protrusion 223 may be provided on the
bottom ends of the
plurality of panels 121 such that the central protrusion 223 is received into
the groove 130 to
reliably guide the plurality of panels 121 during movement.
0033j As further shown in FIG, 11, in addition to or in alternative to the
entrapment shield
shown in FIG. 8, an external entrapment shield 224 may be installed, which is
configured to
prevent entrapment of a user during movement of the garage door. In the
embodiment shown in
FIG. 11, the external entrapment shield 224 includes a plurality of supports
225 and a plurality of
panels 226 attached to the plurality of supports 225. As shown in FIG. 11, in
contrast to the
entrapment shield shown in FIG, 8, the plurality of supports 225 and the
plurality of panels 226
are placed on an external or front side of the plurality of panels 121 within
the interior of the
garage enclosure 50. The plurality of supports 225 and the plurality of panels
226 may be
configured to extend along the second straight portion 113 and curved portion
112 of the top rail
and attach to the front wall 52. When the plurality of panels 121 moves from
the closed position
to the open position, the plurality of panels 121 enter the space provided
between the external
entrapment shield 224 and the front wall 52 and first side wall 54. Although
shown in one
configuration in FIG. 11, the external entrapment shield 224 is not
necessarily limited to the
configuration shown in FIG. II and may instead be varied in any manner such
that the plurality
of panels 121 is externally shielded during movement.
10034) The garage door assembly described herein provides a reliable and
safe horizontally-
8
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opening garage door assembly. In addition, due to the horizontal manner in
which the garage
door opens, the assembly may not be significantly limited by the weight of
panels, allowing a
user to incorporate larger panels for a garage enclosure that is larger in
both width and height.
Moreover, the ceiling of the garage enclosure may remain clear of the various
components of the
assembly, hi certain embodiments, to further enhance the aesthetic of the
garage enclosure, a
false wall may be provided along and spaced apart from the first side wall 54.
The false wall and
the first side wall 54 may create a pocket or tunnel for the plurality or
panels 121 to enter as the
panels are moved into the closed position. This, in turn, may provide
additional safety features of
the assembly as users are protected from movement of the panels along the side
wall. In
addition, available space within the enclosure may be enhanced as the false
wall allows for the
addition of storage or shelving on the false wall.
[0035] It is
important to note that the construction and arrangement of the various
exemplary
embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been
described in
detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure
will readily appreciate
that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,
structures, shapes and
proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting
arrangements, use of
materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the
novel teachings and
advantages of the subject matter described herein. For example, elements shown
as integrally
formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of
elements may be
reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or
positions may be
altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be
varied or re-
sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions,
modifications, changes
and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and
arrangement of the
various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
9
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