AU647951B2

AU647951B2 - A fold up door

Info

Publication number: AU647951B2
Application number: AU20968/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephen Rodney Jones
Original assignee: MONARCH GROUP Pty Ltd
Current assignee: MONARCH GROUP Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1991-08-15
Filing date: 1992-08-10
Publication date: 1994-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 2009-07-31
Also published as: AU2096892A

Description

64 79 51 S F Ref: 217804

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

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S S Name and Address of Applicant: Inventor(s): Address for Service: The Monarch 4 Bay Road Taren Point

AUSTRALIA

Group Pty. Limited New South Wales 2229 Stephen Rodney Jones Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia *5

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Complete Specification for the invention entitled: A Fold Up Door ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS Application No. Country Application Date PK7788 AU 15 August 1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 5846/4 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This Invention relates to doors for shop fronts, garages, and similar openings, and especially to such doors which fold up. In particular, this invention relates to an Improvement in, or modification of, the fold up door described in Australian Patent No. 607346, the disclosure of which is Incorporated herein by reference.

In Australian Patent No. 607346, there is described a fold up door formed of a number of horizontal panels hingedly connected by horizontal hinges, which folds up at the top of the door opening with the panels in a vertical position in a concertina fashion. The panels are constrained to fold up in this way by means of guide rollers positioned at the ends of each hinge and movable within guide tracks. Alternate guide rollers on alternate hinges are offset so as to move within alternate guide tracks. At the top of the door opening, the two guide tracks are i5 configured to deflect the panels into a vertical orientation in a concertina fashion.

The above-described door has the disadvantage that the space above the door opening must be sufficient to accomodate the panels In a vertical orientation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It Is an object of the present Invention to provide an alternate way of stacking the door panels.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a fold-up door for shop fronts, garages and similar openings, the door comprising a plurality of 25 horizontally extending panels, each hingedly connected to an adjacent panel with the hinge axes being substantially horizontal and parallel, each first alternate panel being provided with a first guide member at each end at one horizontal edge thereof and a second guide member at each end spaced from the first guide member, said panels being supported between a pair of guide arms each having first and second guide tracks for the first and second guide members, respectively, and means for raising and lowering said panels, whereby said guide members move within said respective guide tracks, the guide tracks being configured to deflect the respective guide members as said panels are raised to move the panels into a substantially horizontal orientation folded in concertina fashion.

jic/574r In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is further provided a locking member which extends from each of the first alternate panels and which moves, as the panel rotates from a vertical orientation to the horizontal orientation, into a supporting structure to lock the panel in the horizontal orientation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING One embodiment of a fold-up door according to the invention will now be more fully described, by way of example, with reference to the drawing, which is a part perspective exploded view of a door in its folded-up position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Thus, as shown in the drawing, the fold-up door 1 according to one embodiment of the invention comprises a plurality of panels 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. The panels 2 extend substantially horizontally across a door opening 3 and are hingedly connected by horizontally extending hinges 4.

Alternate panels 2a, 2c are provided with first guide rollers 5 at either end thereof. The first guide rollers 5 are positioned adjacent the-upper edge of the panel, when the door is In a closed position. The same alternate panels 2a, 2c are further provided with second guide rollers 6 mounted by mountings 7 at either end thereof. The second guide rollers 6 are spaced from the first guide rollers 5 along the ends of the panels and are arranged to stand out from the panel further than guide rollers due to mountings 7 being elongated.

The door 1 Is arranged to be supported between a pair of 25 substantially vertical guide arms 8, each of which comprises a first guide track 9 and a second guide track 10. The first guide track 9 is arranged on the outer side of the second guide track 10 with respect to the door opening 3. The first guide rollers 5 are arranged to move within the first guide track 9 and the second guide rollers 6 are arranged to be movable within the second guide track As can be seen in the drawing, the second guide track 10 extends substantially parallel to the first guide track 9 over the main portion of the door opening 3, but near the top of the opening, the second guide track 10 diverges Inwardly from the first guide track t, v'hich remains substantially vertical. The second guide track 10 diverges at an angle of approximately 30° to the vertical. Thus, as will be appreciated, as the panels are raised, by any desired means, for example a cabi1 (not shown) attached to the lowermost panel, the second guide rollers 6 moving j1c/574r -4within second guide track 10 are moved inwardly thereby causing the alternate panels 2a, 2c to rotate from their normal verticO orientation to a horizontal orientation. The panels 2b, 2d, between the alternate panels 2a, 2c, are thereby constrained to rotate anout the hinges 4 to a horizontal orientation such that the panels take up a concertina configuration. Clearly, because the panels are not all in the same position, but are below each other, the spacing of the second guide rollers 6 from the first guide rollers 5 will not be identical on each alternate panel. In fact, as shown in the drawing, the second guide rollers 6 will be spaced such that, when the panels are folded Into their concertna configuration, the second guide rollers 6 form a line at the same angle to a line formed by the first guide rollers 5, as the second guide track 10 makes to the first guide track 9, for example 30 It will be apparent that the lowermost panel 2d will require a first guide roller 5 at its lowermost edge in order to keep the panel in position. However, if the raising means, such as a cable, is sufficient to hold the lowermost edge of the lowermost panel in the vertical plane, the guide roller will not be necessary. It will also be apparent that an even number of panels in the door will be advantageous.

As is also shown in the drawings, each of the alternate panels 2a, 2c is provided with a locking bar 11. The locking bars 11 extend beyond the lower edge of the panel at each end thereof and are substantially parallel to the panel, although a small angle (perhaps 100-15 is advantageous. Each guide arm 8 is also provided with a support structure 25 12 adjacent the first guide track 9 and outwardly thereof. The support structures are configured to receive the outer end of the locking bars 11 as they rotate from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation due to the panels rotating, as described above.

As shown, each support structure 12 is provided with the same number of inwardly extending supports 13 as there are panels having locking bars. As the respective panel rotates into the horizontal orientation, the respective locking bar 11 rotates to rest on the respective support 13. When the locking bar 11 is fully in position resting on support 13, the second guide roller is spaced, slightly above, the second guide track 10. This allows the panel to be rotated slightly back until the second guide roller 6 is in contact with second guide track 10 to allow the locking bar 11 to rotate out of the support structure 12 jlc/574r When the door 1 is to be closed, the opposite movements occur: each of the panels in turn, starting from the lowermost, start to rotate from the horizontal orientation, thereby releasing the locking bar 11 from the support structure 12 thus allowing the panel to rotate fully into the vertical orientation as the panel is lowered.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been described, it will be apparent that various modifications and irarovements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

jlc/574r

Claims

1. A fold-up door for shop fronts, garages and similar openings, the door comprising a plurality of horizontally extending panels, each hingedly connected to an adjacent panel with the hinge axes being substantially horizontal and parallel, each first alternate panel being provided with a first guide member at each end at one horizontal edge thereof and a second guide member at each end spaced from the first guide member, said panels being supported between a pair of guide arms each having first and second guide tracks for the first and second guide members respectively, and means for raising and lowering said panels, whereby said guide members move within respective guide tracks, the guide tracks being configured to deflect the respective guide members as said V: 15 panels are raised to move the panels into a substantially horizontal orientation folded in concertina fashion.

2. A fold-up door according to Claim 1 further comprising a locking member which extends from at least one of the ends of each of the said first alternate panels and which moves, as the panel rotates from a vertical orientation to the horizontal orientation, into a supporting structure to lock the panel in the horizontal orientation.

3. A fold-up door according to claim 2 wherein the supporting structure comprises a plurality of extending slots in which the locking member for each respective said first alternate panel rests to lock that panel in place In the horizontal orientation.

4. A fold-up door according to claim 3 wherein the locking member for each said first alternate panel is mounted to be generally coincident with a said first guide member for that pael.

A fold-up door according to claim 4 wherein the said locking member is formed as a bar.

6. A fold-up door according to Claim 5 wherein the said locking member extends beyond the lower edge of each c" said first alternate panels at each end thereof at an angle of approxrmarty 10-15 degrees to the panel.

7. A fold-up door according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the lowermost said panel is provided with a said first guide member at each end at the lowermost horizontal edge of the panel.

8. A fold-up door according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each said second guide member is mounted by mountings at each end of each said first alternate panel so that each said second guide member jlc/1421 "I -7- stands out from the said panel further than the first said guide member on that panel.

9. A fold-up door according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each said second guide track extends substantially parallel to the said first guide track over the main portion of the door opening but diverges inwardly at the top margin from the first said guide track which remains substantially vertical.

A fold-up door according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second guide member on each first alternate panel Is spaced from the said first guide member on the same said first alternate panel such that when the panels are in the substantially horizontal orientation folded in concertina fashion the said second guide members on all said first alternate panels form a line at the same angle to a line formed by 15 the said first guide members on all said first alternate panels as the second said guide track makes to the said first guide track on each said vertical guide arm.

11. A fold-up door substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawing. DATED this SEVENTH day of AUGUST 1992 The Monarch Group Pty Limited S" Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON jlc/1421