AU607346B2

AU607346B2 - A fold up door

Info

Publication number: AU607346B2
Application number: AU39107/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephen Rodney Jones
Original assignee: Rollup Industries Pty Ltd
Current assignee: MONARCH GROUP Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1988-08-02
Filing date: 1989-07-31
Publication date: 1991-02-28
Anticipated expiration: 2009-07-31
Also published as: AU3910789A

Description

607346 S F Ref: 58411 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ae r"? 1

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: PI9614 2 August 1988 Accepted: Published: Priority: C C t 4 Related Art: Name and Address of Applicant: Rollup Industries Pty Ltd 4 Bay Road Taren Point New South Wales 2229

AUSTRALIA

Actual Inventor: Stephen Rodney Jones Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia S Complete Specification for the invention entitled: A Fold Up Door The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us !l ii S0 0C9152 31 /07/E89 5815/2 i r"

ABSTRACT

A FOLD-UP DOOR In order to save space at the head of a door opening, and still allow horizontal panels making up a fold-up door to have a substantial vertical extent, the panels are provided with horizontally extending hinges alternate ones of which include guide rollers and offset guide rollers Tracks (30,31) in the head of the opening engage the rollers and bias the alternate rollers into uppermost and lowermost positions so that'the panels of the door fold-up in a concertina 10 configuration. Such a configuration is more space saving than the conventional roll-up doors and still allows panels of large vertical extent.

1 nas/169r L A FODUPDO Declared at T -REN. 0 R0)T this day of 19 R Signature of Declarant(s) SFP3 To: The Commissioner of Patents 9/81 i CY W IILILPUI~Y I~II 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 00 o o 0 00 0 o oo0 0 0 0 o 0 o The present invention relates to doors for shop fronts, garages, and like openings. In particular, the present invention relates to a fold up door as distinct from a rollup door.

Rollup doors are well known in such applications and consist of a plurality of horizontally extending panels each of which are hingedly connected together with the hinge axes being substantially horizontal and parallel. In order to raise the door, thq door is rolled into a cylindrical roll which occupies a substantial volume at the head of the door opening. The diameter of this roll is of crucial importance in 10 determining whether the door can be satisfactorily mounted within a S particular opening.

However, the diameter of the roll is determined not only by the height of the door (and thus the length of material to be rolled into the o0 roll) but also the vertical extent of the panels. Generally speaking, the narrower the panels, the smaller the diameter of the roll.

It is desirable for various aesthetic and functional reasons for the Sdoor panels to have a substantialy vertical extent. This is particularly o o0 the case where the door panels are transparent since the door is intended S to be, in effect, a roll up window through which prospective purchasers can night shop, for example. Because of the abovementioned physical 4. limitations, the rollup type of door used hitherto has suffered from a relatively small maximum permissable height for the panels.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the abovementioned disadvantages by the provision of such a door which instead of rolling up is folded up so that the panels are formed into a concertina like configuration and therefore do not occupy so much space at the head of the door opening.

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00 0 0 0o S0:C 0 C 0 0 0 0 o o o According to the present invention there is disclosed a fold-up door for shop fronts, garages and like openings, said door comprising a plurality of horizontally extending panels each hingedly connected to an adjacent panel with the hinge axes being substantially horizontal and parallel, at least each first alternate hinge comprising a first guide member, said panels being supported between a pair of guide arms each of which has a track for said first guide members, and means for raising said panels up to, and lowering said panels from, the elevation of said guide ai'ms, wherein said track is configured so as to deflect said first guide 10 members as said panels are raised to move the panels from a substantially co-planar configuration into a folded, substantially concertina-shaped o configuration.

0 In a preferred embodiment, each second hinge, alternate to said first 0 hinges, comprises a second guide member, offset from said first guide 15 member, and wherein said guide arms have a second track spaced apart from 0 said first track by a distance substantially corresponding to width of said panels and said offset such that said second guide members are deflected as said panels are raised to move the panels from a substantially co-planar 0 configuration into a folded, substantially concertina-shaped configuration.

2p Preferably, there is also provided a tension spring connected to 0 0" adjacent panels across each of the second hinges, whereby the tension springs bias the panels into a co-planar configuration.

PC 0 One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a fold up door according to the invention without its supporting frame, Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the frame for, and lowermost panel of, the rollup door of Fig. 1.

000 0o0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 -3- HRF/3692F t a a a

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*c r Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the componevts required to fabricate adjacent door panels, Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the hinge members in the co-planar configuration, Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the hinge members in the folded, concertina configuration, Figs. 6-8 are a sequence of like schematic side views illustrating the folding action of the door of Figure 1, Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a 10 fold-up door according to the invention, and Fig. 10 is a schematic side view illustrating the folding action of the door of Figure 9.

As seen in Fig. 1, the fold up door 1 of the preferred embodiment is formed from four horizontally extending panels 2 each of which is formed from three sections 3. The panels 2 are hinged together by horizontally extending substantially parallel, hinges 4.

At each end of each of the hinges 4 is a guide roller 5 or 6. It will be seen that the alternate guide rollers 6 are offset relative to the intermediate guide rollers Turning now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the door 1 is intended to be mounted within a frame 8. The frame 8 consists of a horizontal axle 9 which extends between a pair of guide arms 10 and 11. Only the lowermost portion of the door 1 is illustrated in Fig. 2 and is connected by cables 12 to wind up drums 13 carried on the axle 9. The axle 9 can be rotated in known fashion so as to raise or lower the dor 1 and increase or decrease the tension within helical spring 14 which provides a force to counter balance the weight of the door 1.

(aI I 't 0 0 o a 0 G 00 00 0 -4nas/169r 00 0 0 0 0 0 o o It will be seen from Fig. 2 that the guide rollers 5 extend along two vertical tracks 16 (only one of which is illustrated) which are secured to the door jamb (also not illustrated).

Fig. 3 illustrates the details of the hinge mechanism with the hinge being formed in three parts from extruded aluminium. Each of the hinges 4 comprises a central member 24, an upper member 23 and a lower member Each of the sections 3 is separated by means of an H-shaped member 18 which receives, and conceals, the vertical ends of the sections 3 which are preferably formed from polycarbonate, or light weight transparent plastics 10 material.

It will also be apparent that each of the central members 24 has a oo central aperture 26 into alternate ones of which a stub axle 27 carrying the guide rollers 5 is inserted. The guide rollers 6 are carried by a 0 crank 28 which is inserted into the central aperture 26 of the appropriate intermediate hinges. The crank 28 provides the necessary offset for the guide rollers 6. Although in this embodiment the axis of rotation of the o guide rollers 5 is coincident with the plane of the fold up door 1, this is 0 not essential. It is, however, the most convenient arrangement.

00 Figs. 4 and 5 respectively illustrate the hinge members 23-25 in the planar configuration and the folded configuration into which the hinges 4 are able to be moved.

0o Figs. 6-8 illustrate the sequence of events which takes place during the raising of the fold up door. It will be seen from Figs. 6-8 and Fig. 2 that the guide arms 10 and 11 are each provided with a pair of tracks and 31. Track 30 is aligned with, and directly connected to, track 16 and receives the guide rollers 5. However, track 31 is offset from track and is aligned to receive the offset guide rollers 6. Although only the tracks 30 and 31 on the guide arm 11 are illustrated the tracks on the 000 0o o0 00 0 0 O0 0 00 0 00 0 o 0 0 nas/169r

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S0 0 00 0 O f a o 0 0 0 0 0 guide arm 10 are a mirror image thereof.

As seen in Fig. 6, the upper edge of the uppermost panel 2A is provided with a guide roller 5. However, the uppermost edge of the next panel 2B is provided with an offset guide roller 6, and so on in alterate sequence.

As the door 1 is raised, the uppermost panel 2A rises and is initially maintained substantially vertical with the guide roller 5 passing up the track 30 until eventually the guide roller 6 immediately above panel 2B enters the track 31.

10 As seen in Fig. 7, at this time the guide roller 5 connected to panel 2A is progressing rearwardly along track 30 away from the plane of the door 1. In addition, the guide roller 6 attached to panel 2B is also moved rearwardly, but to a lesser extent, along the track 31.

at However, as the guide roller 5 attached to the upper edge of panel 2C is constrained to follow the path of track 30, panels 2A and 2B no longer remain co-planar but instead are kinked with the intermediate hinge 4 lying 00 0 to the rear of both panels. This kinking commences the folding action.

o0o 00 As the next panels are brought upwardly towards the guide arms 10, 11 the succeeding hinge 4 is kinked forwardly and the next following inge is then kinked rearwardly. This alternate action produces the folded, concertina like configuration illustrated in Fig. 8.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from Fig. 8, in particular, that the amount of room adopted by the 'olded door is very much less than the amount of room which would be adopted by identical panels 2 being formed into a helical roll. Because of the relatively large vertical extent of the panels 2, the diameter of such a roll would be extremely large, and very much larger than the head room height (or vertical extent) between the tracks 30 and 31 of the guide arms 10, 11.

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4 1 r t 009( o 0 00 0 0 0 a oo 0o o o o 00 Oo o o o o oD o oo The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the arrangements of the panels 2 and hinges 4 can be changed without changing the essential folding mechanism described herein.

Furthermore, as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, it is not necessary for The offset guide rollers 6 to be provided in all circumstances as the weight of the panels will generally cause them to orientate in a vertical direction so that as long as the guide rollers 10 are positioned at alternate hinges, these rollers 5 moving in track 30 will cause these hinges to be positioned at the top side of each panel which will hang vertically due to gravity in the desired concertina configuration.

However, one disadvantage which can occur, is that the door can fold S back on itself due to the folding having commenced before the guide roller 15 5 has travelled fully around the perpendicular angle of track 30. In this case the hinge 4 having offset guide roller 6 moves to fold up the door S and, effectively, pulls the adjacent hinges having guide rollers 5 together o within the vertical section of track 30 thus causing the door to jam.

00 Figure 9 shows a second embodiment of a fold-up door according to the 20 invention. In this embodiment, a door 1, similar to that shown in Figure 1, is provided with tension springs 40 which extend substantially S vertically between adjacent panels 2 across the alternate hinges 4 which have offset guide rollers 6. As also shown in Figure 10, each spring acts to bias the adjacent panels, to which the ends of the spring are attached, into a co-planar configuration. This exerts a force on the two adjacent hinges 4 having guide rollers 5 to keep them apart and therefore biases the first such roller 5 in track 30 to continue in the track so as -7nas/169r to travel around the perpendicular angle thereof. Then, when the hinges having rollers 5 and 6 are in the correct position, the concertina-like folding acton takes place against the bias of the spring 0 0 0 0l0 .0O 0o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 o 0 oo 0000 00 0 0 00 0 00 00 0 00.) 0 0 0 0 O B 0 0 8 nas/169r

Claims

2. A fold-up door according to claim 1 wherein each second hinge, o00oo 0 0 alternate to said first hinges, comprises a second guide member, offset from said first guide member, and wherein said guide arms have a second track spaced apart from said first track by a distance substantially corresponding to width of said panels and said offset such that said second 0.0. guide members are deflected as said panels are raised to move the panels 0.00 00 0 from a substantially co-planar configuration into a folded, substantially 0 concertina-shaped configuration.
3. A fold-up door according to claim 2 further comprising a tension 0 spring connected to adjacent panels across each of said second hinges, o°° whereby said tension springs bias said panels into a co-planar configuration.
4. A fold-up door according to any preceding claim wherein said means for raising and lowering said panels comprises at least one rotatable drum and a cable which winds and unwinds around said drum and is connected to at least the lowermost of said panels. 0 -9- i9 i.r A fold-up door according to claim 4 further comprising spring means which provides a force to counter-balance the weight of the panels.
6. A fold-up door substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawings. DATED tnis THIRTY FIRST day of JULY 1989 Rollup Industries Pty Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON 151 I0 4 r, 0 1 q. .6 a o I 0 6 o 0 o a i 10 nas/169r ij: _li