CA2206281A1 - Folding garage door for vehicle shelters - Google Patents

Abstract

A folding garage door for retrofit installation on a vehicle shelter having a planar garage door opening. The garage door of the present invention comprises four door sections which are movably mounted on a rail and which are foldable over one another for forming accordion pleats.
In one aspect of the invention, a resilient levering system is affixed to the third and fourth door sections and is acting upon a hinge between the third and fourth door sections for resiliently restricting a movement of that hinge relative to movements of the first, second and third door sections such that during a folding of the door sections, the first and second door sections are foldable firstly and the third and fourth door sections are foldable lastly.

Description

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 TITLE: FOLDING GARAGE DOOR FOR VEHICLE
SHELTERS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to folding garage doors for vehicle shelters, and more particularly, it pertains to motorized accordion-type folding garage doors for retrofit installation on vehicle shelters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicle shelters are generally temporary installations which are often used during winter only. These shelters are preferred by tenants who do not own enough land to put or build a permanent garage, or those who prefer having a second garage near the street or road for example.

These shelters are not always installed on level ground. In many 0 cases, these shelters are installed on frozen ground or on inclined driveways leading to a basement garage for example. Furthermore, the structure of these shelters is normally made with light tubular structural members and detachable joints, and does not have the stiffness of a permanent building. Therefore, it is particularly difficult to install a motorized door on these shelters, and to mAint~in the door in good working order.

In a first example of folding garage doors of the prior art, the CAnA(liAn Patent 2,051,998 issued on April 5, 1994, to Rheal X.J. Hamelin, discloses a roll-up type door sliding along a pair of guide rods. In this installation, the guide rods must remain substantially vertical and parallel to one another in order to allow a proper operation of the door.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 Another roll-up door for vehicle shelters is disclosed in C~n~ n Patent Application 2,162,420, filed on Nov. 8,1995 by Robert Lepage and Michel Paradis. In this installation, the flexible door is guided in a pair of channel members and is extensible laterally for covering an isosceles trapezoidal garage opening. A cable and pulley system is used for automatically opening and closing the door.

A further type of flexible door for covering a garage opening having upwardly converging side members is disclosed in C~n~ n Patent Application 2,122,676, filed on May 02,1994 by Renald Boudreault and André Tremblay. In this installation, the flexible door is hung to an overhead horizontal bar by a plurality of curtain rings, and is movable along the bar by means of a cable and pulley arrangement.

Although the automatic garage doors of the prior art have some undisputable merits, these installations are often impracticable in l 5 conditions of strong winds, for example, or where snow tends to accumulate against the bottom of the door. For these reasons, numerous users of vehicle shelters still prefer manual type flexible sliding doors of the type described in C~n~ n Patent Application 2,134,828 filed on Nov.
01, 1994 by Damien Ross, and of the type having double door panels as illustrated in US Patent 3,125,155 issued on March 17, 1964 to C.P.
Fromrnelt and S.J. Frommelt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, however, there is provided a folding garage door with several unique features which make it especially appropriate for retrofit installation on vehicle shelters of various types and settings.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a folding garage door for installation on a vehicle shelter having horizontal and first and second upstanding framing members defining a planar garage door opening. The folding garage door of the present 5 invention comprises: first, second, third and fourth door sections each having a pair of upstanding edges and a top edge defining a nominal width thereof. The first, second, third and fourth door sections are juxtaposed to one another. There is further provided a first hinge mounted on one of the pair of upstanding edges of the first door section and this first hinge is 10 connectable to one of the first and second upstanding framing members of the vehicle shelter. This first hinge is foldable in a first direction for allowing movement of the first door section relative to the garage door opening when the first hinge is connected to one of the first and second upstanding framing members.

The folding garage door of the present invention further comprises second, third and fourth hinges each being connected to juxtaposed upstanding edges on a respective adjacent pair from the first, second, third and fourth door sections; the third hinge is foldable in the first direction and the second and fourth hinges are foldable in a second direction 20 opposite the first direction such that the first, second, third and fourth door sections are foldable over one another for forming accordion pleats. There is also provided a support rail mountable to the horizontal framing member above the garage door opening, and guide blocks mounted on the rail and attached to the second and fourth door sections for guiding a folding 25 movement of the door sections along the rail.

The folding garage door of the present invention further comprises a resilient levering system affixed to the third and fourth door sections and acting upon the fourth hinge for resiliently restricting a movement of the CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 fourth hinge relative to movements of the first, second and third hinges such that during a folding of the door sections, the first and second door sections are foldable firstly and the third and fourth door sections are foldable lastly.

In accordance with another aspect of the folding garage door of the present invention, the first door section has an inverted J-shape with one of the pair of upstanding edges of that first door section being longer than the other one of that pair. The second and third door sections each has an inverted U-shaped structural member, and a height of each U-shaped lo structural member is substantially shorter than a length of the longer upstanding edge of the first door section. Furthermore, the fourth door section has a trapezoidal shape comprising a horizontal upper member, a horizontal lower member, a pair of spaced apart upstanding members joining the horizontal upper and lower members. The lower member is substantially shorter than the upper member, such that an encumbrance of the lower member inside the vehicle shelter when the garage door is folded is less than an encumbrance of the upper member.

The shape of the fourth door section, together with the aforesaid shapes of the first, second and third door sections and the folding sequence described above are particularly appropriate for operating the door discretely with minim~l encumbrance in the parking space inside the vehicle shelter. The folding garage door of the present invention is thereby particularly apl)lop-iate for installation on a relatively short vehicle shelterwhich is used for covering a large sedan car for example.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the pair of spaced apart upstanding members of the fourth door section comprises an oblique member near the third door section and a door-edge CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 member away from the third door section, and this door-edge member has an upper portion and a first flexible joint joining the upper portion thereto.
The fourth door section further comprises a cable actuator connected to an anchor point on the third door section and to the upper portion such that 5 when the fourth hinge is articulated, the upper portion is pulled back by the cable actuator for reducing an encumbrance of the upper portion of the door-edge member in a direction outside a plane of the door opening. This draw back movement ensures that the upper portion does not rub against an apron covering an upper area of the door opening when the door is 10 actuated and when such apron is provided above the door opening.

In accordance with another aspect of the folding garage door of the present invention, the door-edge member further has a lower portion and a second flexible joint joining the lower portion thereto. Therefore, when snow accumulates along the bottom edge of the garage door for example, 15 and the door is actuated, the lower portion of the door-edge member is able to flex and to slide over obstructions along the bottom edge of the door.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, the folding garage door of the present invention comprises an electric garage door actuator having a chain and sprocket drive system comprising a roller chain 20 connected to a guide block for sliding the guide block along the rail. The roller chain has an elongated releasable connection there-along, and this releasable connection has a drive tad extending away from a longitudinal axis of the releasable connection. The guide block has a pair of spaced-apart driven tabs extending away from a longitudinal axis of the rail. The 25 drive tab of the releasable connection is engageable with the driven tabs of the ~uide block for cormecting the releasable cormection to the guide block.
The driven tabs and the drive tab each has a hole therein and a connection CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 of the drive tab with the driven tabs comprises a hitch pin inserted through these holes. A common alignment of these holes and of the hitch pin is substantially downwardly, whereby the hitch pin is easily accessible to a person standing near the fourth door section, and is easily removable by that person by pulling down on the hitch pin. Once the hitch pin is removed, the garage door is operable m~ lly. This feature is particularly advantageous for opening the garage door during power outages for example.

Other advantages of the foldable garage door of the present invention, are that the original tarpaulin door closure is mountable on the structure of the present invention, thereby providing an economy of material. The foldable garage door of the present invention is a sturdy construction operable with minimum consideration for maintenance and repair. Furthermore, the foldable door of the present invention is a simple construction manufacturable at a reasonable cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which;

- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the front and left side of a vehicle shelter having a folding garage door of the preferred embodiment mounted thereto;

- Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the garage door of the preferred embodiment as seen along line 2-2 in Fig. l;

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 - Fig. 3 is a plan view of the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment partly opened;

- Fig.4is a side view of the garage door of the preferred embodiment in an open position;

- Fig.5is an elevation of the fourth door section of the folding garage door;

- Fig. 6 is a cross section of the upper tubular member of the fourth door section, as seen along line 6 in Fig. 5, illustrating a preferred lo clip for retaining a tarpaulin to the garage door;

- Fig. 7 is a cross section of adjacent tubular members on the third and fourth door sections of the folding garage door, as seen along line 7 in Fig. 5, and illustrating the preferred placement of a hinge between the sections;

lS - Fig.8is a cross section of the adjacent tubular members of the third and fourth sections, as seen along line 8 in Fig. 5, illustrating the attachment of the actuator cable, when the garage door is in an extended position;

- Fig.9 is the cross section illustrated in Fig. 8 when the garage door is partly opened;

- Fig.lOis a cross section of the door framing member, as seen along line 10 in Fig. 5, showing a funnel-form clip mounted thereon for guiding the door-edge member of the folding garage door, during the closing of the door;

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 Fig. 11 is a plan view of the framing members for holding the first section of the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment to the structure ofthe vehicle shelter, as seen along line 11-11, in Fig.

2;

Fig. 12 illustrates the lower hinge used for retaining the first door section of the folding garage door to the structure of the shelter;

Fig. 13 illustrates the upper portion of the door-edge member of the fourth door section of the garage door;

Fig. 14 illustrates a side view of the guide block guiding the folding movement of the fourth door section along a guide rail;

Fig. 15 is an end view of the guide block guiding the fourth door section along the guide rail;

Fig. 16 is a side view of a sprocket for supporting a roller chain actuating the folding garage door;

Fig. 17 is an end view of the guide rail and a preferred mounting of the sprocket to the rail;

Fig. 18 is an end view of the guide block in Fig. 15, connected to a releasable connection mounted on the drive chain;

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the releasable connection in Fig. 18.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The folding garage door 30 of the preferred embodiment is particularly appropliate for retrofit installation on a vehicle shelter 32 having a tubular frame and a tarpaulin cover. Such shelter is illustrated for 5 reference purpose in Figure 1. It will be appreciated by the skilled technician in the light of the present disclosure, that the folding garage door 30 of the preferred embodiment is also mountable in the door opening of a permanent garage without major modification to the structure of the folding garage door as defined herein.

Referring now to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the folding garage door 30 of the pr~r~lled embodiment has a first section 34, the frame of which has the appearance of an inverted J-shape. The leg member 36 of the frame of the first section 34 is movably mounted in a vertical orientation on a pair of hinges comprising upper and lower hinges, labelled 38,40 respectively.
15 The first section 34 is movably cormected to a second section 42 having an inverted U-shaped frame. The second section 42 is movably connected to a third section 44 also having an inverted U-shaped frame. The third section 44 in movably connected to a fourth section 46 having a trapezoidal-shaped frame. Pairs of hinges 100 which are better seen in 20 Figures 5-9 connect each pair of adjoining sections of the folding garage door for allowing an accordion-type folding movement of the door.

The folding garage door 30 of the preferred embodiment is held and guided on a rail 48 above the door opening by means of a first and second slide blocks 50,52 engaged for movement on the rail 48. The first guide 25 block 50 is movably affixed to the second section 42 and the second guide block 52 is movably connected to the fourth section 46.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 Although the folding garage door 30 of the preferred embodiment is illustrated herein as a single-vehicle-type garage door, it will be appreciated that additional pairs of U-shaped sections may be added between the second and third sections to enlarge the span of the folding 5 garage door for covering the opening of a double-door garage for example.

The operation of the folding garage door is preferably effected automatically by an electric door actuator 54 mounted on the tubular frame 56 of the vehicle shelter 32. The preferred door actuator 54 is a common sprocket-and-chain-type garage door opener which is operable by remote 10 control. The pl~rell~d door opener 54 has a motor capacity of between 1/4 and 3/4 H.P. The capacity of the motor is selected according to the width of the folding garage door and the conditions of use. A typical arrangement of the drive chain 58 and sprockets 60 is illustrated in Figure 2. The chain 58 is connected to the second guide block 52 by means of a releasable 15 connection as will be explained later when m~king reference particularly to Figures 14,15,18 and 19. The actuation of the chain 58 has the effect of moving the guide block 52 along the rail 48 to entrain the far edge 86 of the fourth section 46 and to cause the folding garage door to open or to close.
The fourth section 46 of the folding garage door 30 has an inverted U-shaped upper horizontal member 80 having a nominal width, a lower horizontal member 82 having an adjustable span and an elongated oblique member 84 joining the upper member 80 to the lower member 82. The 25 door-edge post 86 is connected to the upper portion 80 and to the lower member 82 and defines with the upper and lower members 80,82 and the oblique member 84, the trapezoidal shape of the door section 46.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 The sections of the folding garage door 30 have on their uppermost members several clips 88 for retaining the upper edge of a tarpaulin 90 covering the folding garage door 30 entirely. A typical clip 88 used for retaining the tarpaulin 90 to the sections of the folding garage door of the 5 preferred embodiment is illustrated in Figure 6. Each clip 88 is loosely mounted on the tubular framing members of the door sections and are thereby allowed to slide on the framing members to accommodate a movement of the tarpaulin 90 relative to the framing members when the folding door is opened or closed. The door-edge post 86 also has several 10 clasps 89 for ~elai~ g the vertical edge of the tarpaulin 90 thereto such that the transversal movement of the door-edge post 86 entrains the tarpaulin 90 and causes it to fold upon itself thereby opening the garage door, or to stretch over the opening of the garage door thereby closing the garage door.

The articulation of the hinge 100 between the third and fourth 15 sections 44,46 is preferably a restricted articulation such that when the door 30 is being opened, the first and second sections 34,42 are articulated firstly as shown in Figure 3, and the third and fourth sections 44,46 are articulated lastly. This feature is particularly advantageous for preventing the tarpaulin 90 from sliding over the rear end of a vehicle parked in the 20 vehicle shelter near the door of the shelter. To accomplish this movement, an articulation restrainer 92 is installed on the hinged connection between the third and fourth sections 44,46.

Referring now specifically to Figure 4, the horizontal length of the 25 lower member 82 of the fourth section 46 is substantially less than the nominal width of the upper portion 80. The projection of the lower end of CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 the fourth section 46 inside the shelter when the folding garage door is open is therefore substantially less than the overall width of the section 46.
The folding garage door 30 of the preferred embodiment is thereby appropriate for installation on relatively small vehicle shelters 94 being used for covering large sedan cars 96 for example.

Referring now to Figures 5, 7-9, there is illustrated therein the details of the articulation of the hinges 100 between a first upstanding member 102 ofthe third door section 44 and a second upstanding member 104 ofthe fourth door section 46. A set screw 106 is provided through the first upstanding member 102, and extends against the second upstanding member 104 for preventing the rotation of the hinge 100 beyond a certain angle corresponding to a straight or nearly straight alignment of the third and fourth door sections 44,46. Similar set screws are installed on the hinges 100 between other adjoining door sections of the folding garage door 30.

A roller 108is also provided on the second upstanding member 104, next to the hinge 100. The roller 108is preferably a roller having two circumferential grooves therein for receiving and guiding a pair of cables side-by-side. The roller 108 is offset a nominal distance from the alignment of both sections 44,46, on the side of the sections opposite from the hinge 100. The roller 108is thereby also offset a radial distance from the axis of articulation of the hinge 100. A cable 110 is tied to a spring 112 connected to the upper member 80 of the fourth door section 46. The cable 110 is stretched over the roller 108 and around a screw 114 threaded through the first upstanding member 102. The screw 114 is threaded tightly into the first upstanding member 102 such that the cable 110 is CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 rigidly retained thereto. The articulation restrainer 92 as referred to in the foregoing disclosure comprises the spring 112, the cable 110, the roller 108 and the screw 114.

When the third and fourth door sections 44,46 of the folding garage 5 door are being folded over one another, the relative displacement of the first and second upstanding members 102,104 as illustrated in Figure 9, causes the cable 110 and the spring 112 to stretch, thereby applying a restriction upon the folding movement of these sections. The opening of the folding garage door 30 of the plerelled embodiment is thereby effected 10 in sequences starting with the articulation of the first and second door sections 34,42 followed by the articulation of the third and fourth door sections 44,46.

The cable 110' also preferably extends from the screw 114 over the roller 108, and to the upper portion 120 of the door-edge post 86. The door-edge post 86 is a tubular member and the upper portion 120 thereof is flexibly mounted thereon by means of a spring 122 extending into the post 86 and into the upper section 120. When the third and fourth sections 44,46 are being folded over one another, the aforesaid stretching of the cable 110' pulls on the upper section 120, causing this upper section to 20 bend inwardly as illustrated in Figure 4. This feature is particularly advantageous for preventing the upper section 120 of the door-edge post 86 from rubbing against and ~m~ging the apron 124 normally provided above the door of a vehicle shelter.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 Referring particularly to Figures 5 and 10, the door framing member 130 of the vehicle shelter 32 preferably has two or more funnel-form clips 132 attached thereto for guiding the door-edge post 86 during the closing of the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment, and for securing 5 the door-edge post 86 when the folding garage door is closed.

A deflector strip 98 is preferably affixed to the door post of the vehicle shelter for closing a gap between the door-edge post 86 and the door structure of the vehicle shelter 32 as better illustrated in Figure 1, when the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment is closed.

In Figures 11 and 12, there is illustrated a preferred installation for retaining the lower hinge 40 of the first door section 34 to the framing members 131,133 of the vehicle shelter. In the preferred installation, the lower hinge 40 is connected to a ferrule, telescoping rods and clamp assembly generally designated by labels 134,135,136, 137, and 138. The l 5 ferrule, rod and clamp assembly is adjustably movable along the framing members 131,133 for positioning the upstanding member 36 of the first door section 34 in a vertical alignment. The upper hinge 38 is similarly adjustably retained to the framing member 131 by a clamp member 140 as illustrated in Figure 2.

The lower end 150 of the door-edge post 86 preferably has a flexible connection 152 similar to the flexible joint 122 of the upper portion 120.
In these flexible connections, the springs 122,152 are respectively held inside the tubular door-edge member by screws 121 extending through the wall of the door-edge member and in between twns of the springs 122,152.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 When the folding garage door is being opened and the lower end 150 strikes against an obstruction, such as snow mound for example, the lower end 150 is allowed to flex for preventing any damage to the folding garage door or to the door opener 54 and to the chain drive system.

Referring now to Figures 14-19, the rail 48 and second guide block 52 are illustrated therein. The rail 48 preferably has an inverted 'T' shape and the web portion thereof is attached to a transversal tubular member 160 of the vehicle shelter 32 by carriage bolts or the like. The slide block 52 encloses loosely the flange portion of the T-shaped rail 48 for allowing a free sliding movement of the guide block 52 along the rail 48. The slide block 52 is mounted on a ch~nnel member 162 enclosing an upper segment of the upper member 80. A vertical pivot 164 is provided in the connection of the slide block 52 to the channel member 162 for allowing a movement of the slide block about a vertical axis when the folding garage door is operated. The channel member 162 is affixed to the upper frame member 80 by means of a hose clamp 166. The slide block 52 is thereby adjustable relative to the upper frame member 80 to accommodate a particular position of the chain and sprocket drive system for example.

Similar ch~nnel members 168,170 and hose clamps, as illustrated in Figure 5, are affixed to the upper and lower members 80,82 respectively for adjusting the lateral inclination of the door-edge post 86 according to the alignment of the door framing member 130 of the vehicle shelter.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the lengths of channel members 168,170 may be varied to align the door-edge post 86 to CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 the door framing members 130 of a variety of vehicle shelters, and also to those vehicle shelters having a vertical door framing member 130.

Both sprockets 60 of the sprocket and chain drive system are also affixed to the rail 48. Each sprocket 60 is mounted on a bracket 180 having 5 a clamp member 182 enclosing and locking upon the flange portion of the rail 48. Each sprocket 60 is thereby easily positioned along the rail 48 to accommodate a particular chain length for example.

The guide block 52 further has a pair of spaced apart driven tabs 190 extending laterally from the inside edge thereof. In operation, the driven lo tabs 190 are engaged with a mating drive tab 192 extending sideways from the releasable connection 194 of the chain and sprocket drive system. The drive tab 192 is set at an angle with the longitudinal axis of the releasable connection. This angle corresponds to the angle of the driven tabs on the guide block 52. A hitch pin clip 196 is installed through holes in the drive l 5 tab 192 and driven tabs 190 to connect the releasable connection 194 to the guide block 52. The holes in the drive and driven tabs as well as the hitch pin 196 are oriented downwardly such that the hitch pin is easily removable from the tabs 190,192 by pulling it downward.

A second drive tab 192' is preferably provided and mounted at a 20 mirror angle from the first tab 192 relative to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the releasable connection 194. Both drive tabs 192,192' are provided for accommodating a right or a left side operation of the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment.

CA 02206281 1998-0~-08 The installation of the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment is effected easily with common handyman tools. The installation comprises broadly: the attachment of the rail 48 and electric door actuator 54 to the structural members 56,160, above the door opening;
5 the installabon of the ferrule, telescoping rods, and clamp assembly 134,135,136,137 and 138 and the upper hinge 38 to the framing member 131,133; the installation of a pair of funnel-form clips 132 and a deflector 98 to the door framing member 130; and the covering of the folding door structure with a tarpaulin cover 90. All this work requires hand tools 10 normally found in common tool boxes. Therefore, the folding garage door of the preferred embodiment is particularly apl)rop-iate for commerciali-zation as a do-it-yourself kit for retrofit installation on a variety of vehicleshelter types and sizes.

While the above description provides a full and complete disclosure 15 of the preferred embodiment of the folding garage door of the present invention, various modifications and equivalents may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternate structural arrangements, sizes, garage door dimensions and shape, construction features and the like. Therefore, the 20 above description and the illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (65)

1. A garage door for installation on a vehicle shelter having horizontal and first and second upstanding framing members defining a planar garage door opening, said garage door comprising:
first, second, third and fourth door sections each having a pair of upstanding edges and a top edge defining a nominal width thereof; said first, second, third and fourth door sections being juxtaposed to one another;
a first hinge means mounted on one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section and having means connectable to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter, said first hinge means being foldable in a first direction for allowing a movement of said first door section relative to said garage door opening when said first hinge means is connected to said one of said first and second upstanding framing members;
second, third and fourth hinge means each being connected to juxtaposed said upstanding edges on a respective adjacent pair from said first, second, third and fourth door sections;
said third hinge means being foldable in said first direction and said second and fourth hinge means being foldable in a second direction opposite said first direction such that said first, second, third and fourth door sections being foldable over one another for forming accordion pleats;

a rail mountable to said horizontal framing member, and guide means engaged with said rail and with said second and fourth door sections for guiding a folding movement of said door sections along said rail; and resilient levering means affixed to said third and fourth door sections and for acting upon said fourth hinge means, for resiliently restricting a movement of said fourth hinge means between said third and fourth door sections relative to movements of said first, second and third hinge means;
whereby during a folding of said door sections said first and second door sections are foldable firstly and said third and fourth door sections are foldable lastly.

2. The garage door as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient levering means comprises:
a roller affixed to said fourth hinge means, at a radial distance from an axis of articulation thereof toward a hinging side thereof;
an extension spring affixed to a first anchor point on said fourth door section; and a first cable section having a first end attached to said spring and extending over said roller and having a second end attached to a second anchor point on said third door section;
such that when said fourth hinge means is articulated, a relative displacement of said third and fourth door sections about said axis of articulation causes said first cable section to pull on said spring and to exert a force on said roller to oppose a folding movement of said fourth hinge means.

3. The garage door as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first, second, third and fourth door sections are made of tubular structural members.

4. The garage door as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first, second, third and fourth door sections are covered with tarpaulin material.

5. The garage door as claimed in claim 4, wherein said tarpaulin material is affixed to said first, second, third and fourth door sections by means of a plurality of clips each loosely mounted on one of said tubular structural members.

6. The garage door as claimed in claim 3, wherein said fourth door section has a trapezoidal shape comprising a horizontal upper member, a horizontal lower member, a pair of spaced apart upstanding members joining said horizontal upper and lower members; said lower member being substantially shorter than said upper member, such that an encumbrance of said lower member inside said vehicle shelter when said garage door is adapted to be mounted on said vehicle shelter and said garage door is adapted to be in an open position, is less than an encumbrance of said upper member.

7. The garage door as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first door section has an inverted J-shaped frame with said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section being longer than the other upstanding edge from said pair.

8. The garage door as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second and third door sections each has an inverted U-shaped frame, and a height of said U-shaped frame is substantially shorter than a length of said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section.

9. The garage door as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pair of spaced apart upstanding members comprises an oblique member near said third door section and a door-edge member away from said third door section, and said door-edge member has an upper portion and a first flexible joint joining said upper portion thereto.

10. The garage door as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a second cable section having a first end connected to said second anchor point on said third door section, extending over said roller and having a second end connected to said upper portion, such that when said fourth hinge means is adapted to be articulated, said upper portion is pulled by said second cable section toward said fourth hinge means for reducing an encumbrance of said upper portion in a direction outside a plane of said door opening when said garage door is adapted to be mounted to said vehicle shelter.

11. The garage door as claimed in claim 10, wherein said first cable section and said second cable sections form a single cable wrapped around said second anchor point.

12. The garage door as claimed in claim 11, wherein said door-edge member has a lower portion and a second flexible joint joining said lower portion thereto.

13. The garage door as claimed in claim 12, wherein said door edge member is made with a tubular structural member and said first and second flexible joints each comprises a compression spring mounted inside said tubular structural member.

14. The garage door as claimed in claim 13, wherein said spring is held inside said tubular members by means of screws extending through said tubular member and between turns in said compression spring.

15. The garage door as claimed in claim 9, wherein said door-edge member comprises an upper adjustment means connected to said horizontal upper member, and a lower adjustment means connected to said horizontal lower member, and said upper and lower adjustment means being movable relative to said horizontal upper and lower members, such that an alignment of said door-edge member is adjustable relative to said oblique member.

16. The garage door as claimed in claim 15 wherein said adjustment means comprises a channel with the flanges thereof mounted astride one of said horizontal upper and lower members, and a pipe clamp adjustably holding said channel to said one of said horizontal upper and lower members.

17. The garage door as claimed in claim 3, further comprising means for selectively preventing an articulation of one of said second, third and fourth hinge means toward a closing direction thereof.

18. The garage door as claimed in claim 17, wherein said means for selectively preventing an articulation of one of said second, third and fourth hinge means comprises a set screw threaded through said tubular structural member near said one of said second, third and fourth hinge means.

19. The garage door as claimed in claim 6, wherein said rail is an inverted T-rail having anchor means mountable to said horizontal framing member.

20. The garage door as claimed in claim 19, wherein said guide means comprises a first guide block affixed to said second door section and a second guide block affixed to said fourth door section.

21. The garage door as claimed in claim 20, wherein said first and second guide blocks each has a C-shaped section enclosing a flange portion of said T-rail.

22. The garage door as claimed in claim 20, further comprising an electric garage door actuator having a chain and sprocket drive system comprising a roller chain connected to said second guide block for sliding said second guide block along said rail.

23. The garage door as claimed in claim 20, wherein said roller chain has an elongated releasable connection there-along, and said releasable connection is connectable to said second guide block.

24. The garage door as claimed in claim 23, wherein said second guide block has a pair of spaced-apart driven tabs extending perpendicularly from a longitudinal axis of said rail when said second guide block is mounted on said rail; and said releasable connection has a drive tad extending perpendicularly from a longitudinal axis thereof and said drive tab is engageable with said driven tabs for connecting said releasable connection to said second guide block.

25. The garage door as claimed in claim 24, wherein said driven tabs and said drive tab each has a hole therein and a connection of said drive tab with said driven tabs comprises a hitch pin inserted in said holes.

26. The garage door as claimed in claim 25, wherein a common alignment of said holes and of said hitch pin is substantially downward.

27. The garage door as claimed in claim 26, wherein said releasable connection comprises a first and second drive tabs, and said second drive tab is a mirror image of said first drive tab relative to a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

28. The garage door as claimed in claim 20, wherein said fourth door section comprises a channel and clamp assembly connecting said second guide block to said horizontal upper member.

29. The garage door as claimed in claim 22, wherein said sprocket and chain drive comprises a pair of sprockets each being mounted on opposite ends of said rail, and said garage door further comprises clamp members enclosing a flange portion of said inverted T-rail, and retaining said sprockets to said T-rail.

30. The garage door as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means connectable to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter comprises telescoping members for adjustably mounting said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter

31. The garage door as claimed in claim 9, further comprising funnel-form clips mountable on another one from said first and second upstanding framing members along said garage door opening for guiding said door-edge member during closing of said garage door, when said garage door is adapted to be installed on said vehicle shelter.

32. In combination, a vehicle shelter having horizontal and first and second upstanding framing members defining a planar garage door opening, and a garage door mounted in said garage door opening, said garage door comprising:
first, second, third and fourth door sections each having a pair of upstanding edges and a top edge defining a nominal width thereof; said first, second, third and fourth door sections being juxtaposed to one another;
a first hinge means mounted on one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section and being connected to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter, said first hinge means being foldable in a first direction for allowing a movement of said first door section relative to said garage door opening;

second, third and fourth hinge means each being connected to juxtaposed said upstanding edges on a respective adjacent pair from said first, second, third and fourth door sections;
said third hinge means being foldable in said first direction and said second and fourth hinge means being foldable in a second direction opposite said first direction such that said first, second, third and fourth door sections being foldable over one another for forming accordion pleats;
a rail mounted to said horizontal framing member, and guide means engaged with said rail and with said second and fourth door sections for guiding a folding movement of said door sections along said rail; and resilient levering means affixed to said third and fourth door sections and for acting upon said fourth hinge means between said third and fourth door section, for resiliently restricting a movement of said fourth hinge means relative to movements of said first, second and third hinge means;
whereby during a folding of said door sections, said first and second door sections are foldable firstly and said third and fourth door sections are foldable lastly.

33. The combination as claimed in claim 32, wherein said resilient levering means comprises:
a roller affixed to said fourth hinge means, at a radial distance from an axis of articulation thereof toward a hinging side thereof;
an extension spring affixed to a first anchor point on said fourth door section; and a first cable section having a first end attached to said spring and extending over said roller and having a second end attached to a second anchor point on said third door section;

such that when said fourth hinge means is articulated, a relative displacement of said third and fourth door sections about said axis of articulation causes said first cable section to pull on said spring and to exert a force on said roller to oppose a folding movement of said fourth hinge means.

34. The combination as claimed in claim 32, wherein said first, second, third and fourth door sections are made of tubular structural members.

35. The combination as claimed in claim 34, wherein said first, second, third and fourth door sections are covered with tarpaulin material.

36. The combination as claimed in claim 35, wherein said tarpaulin material is affixed to said first, second, third and fourth door sections by means of a plurality of clips each loosely mounted on one of said tubular structural members.

37. The combination as claimed in claim 36 wherein said garage has a tubular frame and a tarpaulin cover covering said tubular frame.

38. The combination as claimed in claim 33, wherein said fourth door section has a trapezoidal shape comprising a horizontal upper member, a horizontal lower member, a pair of spaced apart upstanding members joining said horizontal upper and lower members; said lower member being substantially shorter than said upper member, such that an encumbrance of said lower member inside said vehicle shelter when said garage door is in an open position, is less than an encumbrance of said upper member.

39. The combination as claimed in claim 36, wherein said first door section has an inverted J-shaped frame with said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section being longer than the other upstanding edge from said pair.

40. The combination as claimed in claim 37, wherein said second and third door sections each has an inverted U-shaped frame, and a height of said second and third door sections is substantially shorter than a length of said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section.

41. The combination as claimed in claim 36, wherein said pair of spaced apart upstanding members comprises an oblique member near said third door section and a door-edge member away from said third door section, and said door-edge member has an upper portion and a first flexible joint joining said upper portion thereto.

42. The combination as claimed in claim 41, further comprising a second cable section having a first end connected to said second anchor point on said third door section, extending over said roller and having a second end connected to said upper portion, such that when said fourth hinge means is articulated, said upper portion is pulled by said second cable section toward said fourth hinge means for reducing an encumbrance of said upper portion in a direction outside a plane of said door opening.

43. The combination as claimed in claim 42, wherein said first cable section and said second cable sections form a single cable wrapped around said second anchor point.

44. The combination as claimed in claim 42, wherein said door-edge member has a lower portion and a second flexible joint joining said lower portion thereto.

45. The combination as claimed in claim 41, wherein said door edge member is made with a tubular structural member and said first and second flexible joints each comprises a compression spring mounted inside said tubular structural member.

46. The combination as claimed in claim 45, wherein said spring is held inside said tubular members by means of screws extending through said tubular member and between turns in said compression spring.

47. The combination as claimed in claim 41, wherein said door-edge member comprises an upper adjustment means connected to said horizontal upper member, and a lower adjustment means connected to said horizontal lower member, and said upper and lower adjustment means being movable relative to said horizontal upper and lower members, such that an alignment of said door-edge member is adjustable relative to said oblique member.

48. The combination as claimed in claim 47 wherein said adjustment means comprises a channel with the flanges thereof mounted astride one of said horizontal upper and lower members, and a pipe clamp adjustably holding said channel to said one of said horizontal upper and lower members.

49. The combination as claimed in claim 34, further comprising means for selectively preventing an articulation of one of said second, third and fourth hinge means toward a closing direction thereof.

50. The combination as claimed in claim 49, wherein said means for selectively preventing an articulation of one of said second, third and fourth hinge means comprises a set screw threaded through said tubular structural member near said one of said second, third and fourth hinge means.

51. The combination as claimed in claim 37, wherein said rail is an inverted T-rail having anchor means connected to said horizontal framing member.

52. The combination as claimed in claim 51, wherein said guide means comprises a first guide block affixed to said second door section and a second guide block affixed to said fourth door section.

53. The combination as claimed in claim 52, wherein said first and second guide blocks each has a C-shaped section enclosing a flange portion of said T-rail.

54. The combination as claimed in claim 52, further comprising an electric garage door actuator having a chain and sprocket drive system comprising a roller chain connected to said second guide block for sliding said second guide block along said rail.

55. The combination as claimed in claim 52, wherein said roller chain has an elongated releasable connection there-along, and said releasable connection is connectable to said second guide block.

56. The combination as claimed in claim 55, wherein said second guide block has a pair of spaced-apart driven tabs extending perpendicularly from a longitudinal axis of said rail when said second guide block is mounted on said rail; and said releasable connection has a drive tad extending perpendicularly from a longitudinal axis thereof and said drive tab is engageable with said driven tabs for connecting said releasable connection to said second guide block.

57. The combination as claimed in claim 56, wherein said driven tabs and said drive tab each has a hole therein and a connection of said drive tab with said driven tabs comprises a hitch pin inserted in said holes.

58. The combination as claimed in claim 57, wherein a common alignment of said holes and of said hitch pin is substantially downward.

59. The combination as claimed in claim 58, wherein said releasable connection comprises a first and second drive tabs, and said second drive tab is a mirror image of said first drive tab relative to a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

60. The combination as claimed in claim 52, wherein said fourth door section comprises a channel and clamp assembly connecting said second guide block to said horizontal upper member.

61. The combination as claimed in claim 54, wherein said sprocket and chain drive comprises a pair of sprockets each being mounted on opposite ends of said rail, and said garage door further comprises clamp members enclosing a flange portion of said inverted T-rail, and retaining said sprockets to said T-rail.

62. The combination as claimed in claim 32, wherein said means connectable to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter comprises telescoping members for adjustably positioning said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter.

63. The combination as claimed in claim 41, further comprising funnel-form clips mounted on another one from said first and second upstanding framing members along said garage door opening for guiding said door-edge member during closing of said garage door.

64. The combination as claimed in claim 41, further comprising a deflector strip affixed to one from said first and second upstanding framing members adjacent said door-edge member of said fourth section, for closing a gap between said door-edge member and said one from said first and second upstanding framing members when said garage door is closed.

65. In combination, a vehicle shelter having horizontal and first and second upstanding framing members defining a planar garage door opening, and a garage door mounted in said garage door opening, said garage door comprising:
first, second, third and fourth door sections each having a pair of upstanding edges and a top edge defining a nominal width thereof; said first, second, third and fourth door sections being juxtaposed to one another;

a first hinge means mounted on one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section and being connected to one of said first and second upstanding framing members of said vehicle shelter, said first hinge means being foldable in a first direction for allowing a movement of said first door section relative to said garage door opening;
second, third and fourth hinge means each being connected to juxtaposed said upstanding edges on a respective adjacent pair from said first, second, third and fourth door sections;
said third hinge means being foldable in said first direction and said second and fourth hinge means being foldable in a second direction opposite said first direction such that said first, second, third and fourth door sections being foldable over one another for forming accordion pleats;
said first door section having an inverted J-shaped frame with said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section being longer than the other upstanding edge from said pair;
said second and third door sections each having an inverted U-shaped frame, and a height of said second and third door sections being substantially shorter than a length of said one of said pair of upstanding edges of said first door section;
and said fourth door section having a trapezoidal shape comprising a horizontal upper member, a horizontal lower member, a pair of spaced apart upstanding members joining said horizontal upper and lower members, said lower horizontal member being substantially shorter than said horizontal upper member, such that an encumbrance of said horizontal lower member inside said vehicle shelter when said garage door is in an open position, is less than an encumbrance of said horizontal upper member.