US2863503A

US2863503A - Sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type

Info

Publication number: US2863503A
Application number: US606442A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earl L Stroup
Original assignee: Overhead Door Corp
Current assignee: Overhead Door Corp
Priority date: 1956-08-27
Filing date: 1956-08-27
Publication date: 1958-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-12-09

Description

' Dec. 9, 1958 E. L. STROUP 2,863,503

SECTIONAL DOOR OF THE VERTICALLY OPENING HORIZONTALLY HINGED TYPE Filed Aug. 2'7, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

fizzy f 5- 5 ffyf/ 4. 57/0640 Dec. 9, 1958 E. STROUP 2,363,503

SECTIONAL DOOR OF THE VERTICALLY OPENING HORIZONTALLY HINGED TYPE Filed Aug. 27, 1956 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 INVENTOR.

////a/Wa Dec. 9, 1958 E ROUP 2,863,503

SECTIONAL DOOR-0F. VERT LLY OPENING HORIZONTALLY HINGE. YPE

Filed Aug. 27, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent t ir SECTIONAL DOOR OF THE VERTICALLY OPEN- ING HGRIZONTALLY HINGED TYPE Earl L. Stroup, Hartford City, Ind., as'signor to ()verhead Door Corporation, Hartford City, Ind.

Application August 27, 1956, Serial No. 606,442 10 Claims. (Cl. 160-201) This invention relates to improvements in sectional doors of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type. The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a type of door construction which will permit a manufacturer of horizontally hinged sectional doors to supply doors having a wide variety of decorative appearances with a minimum of forming equipment.

Second, to provide a sectional door structure in which a minimum of interchangeable parts are connected into a rigid door section to permit easy change of the decorative appearance of the door section by substitution of sections of different decorative design.

Third, to provide a door section assembled entirely from rolled sheet metal parts so that the parts of the door can be economically produced by a continuous rolling process.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims. The drawings, of which there are three sheets, illustrate a highly practical form of the door structure in three decorative design arrangements.

Fig; l is a front elevational view of a horizontally hinged vertically opening door embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary inside elevational view of the door shown in Fig. 1.

Fig; 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the type of elements which go to make up one of the door sections.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view through the edgeof the door section taken along the plane of the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a door section incorporating a modified artistic design.

Fig. 7 is a conventionally illustrated perspective view of a further modified artistic design for one of the elements of the door section.

Manufacturers of horizontally hinged vertically opening sectional doors have been confronted for a considerable time by the problem of diversifying the exterior appearance of their product. Doors of this type have experienced increasing popularity but due to the necessity of mass production and the relatively high cost of manufacturing equipment, the doors of each manufacturer have had to. embody a single decorative appearance as determined by the dies and forming equipment of the manufacturer. The result has been that the doors in adjacent houses. of a neighborhood are of identical appearance and sometimes do not blend well with the architecture of,

different houses all of which is objectionable to the home owners who purchase the doors. The present invention permits a single manufacturer to economically produce doors for different artistic designs which can be varied almost infinitely to suit the individual desires of ditferent purchasers.

The drawings illustrate a portion of building 1 having a doorway 2 such as. is commonly found in garages. The

'minal strips 13.

.forhingedly connecting the door sections.

hinged door having a plurality of

door sections

3 and 3A- joined along joint lines 4. The door sections may be solid or may have window openings therein as at 5 and the surface contour and appearance of the door sections may be economically varied as will be described in greater detail.

For the purpose of differentiating between the inner and outer surfaces of the door sections and the various edges of the elements of the door sections the terms inner and outer will be used with respect to the corresponding sides of the door as it is observed from the inside and outside of the building. The terms interior and exterior will be used to describe the appropriate edges of the door sections as they are observed in the plane of the door from the edges thereof. Each

door section

3 or 3A consists generally of an upper rail 6 and a lower rail 7 mounted on the exterior edges of a center panel 8. The parts 6, '7 and 8 are of rolled sheet metal construction having uniform cross section from end to end so that they can be formed from continuous strips of material by economical rolling methods.

The

rails

6 and 7 have flat planar faces 9 with exterior flanges 10 of angled shape to provide complementary rabbeted joints when two door sections are brought into abutting engagement. The interior flanges 11 of the

rails

6 and 7 have stiffening ribs 12 extending longitudinally therealong. The inner edges of the

flanges

10 and 11 are provided with interiorly turned terminal strips 13 that are coplanar when assembled into the door section.

The center panel 8 has inwardly turned upper and

lower flanges

14 and 15 that are complemental in cross section to the interior flanges 11 on the rails to nest thereagainst and against the outer sides of the interior terminal strips 13. At the outer edges of the

flanges

14 and 15 the center panels are provided with upper and lower face strips 16 that are coplanar with the outer surfaces of the rails and which have inwardly offset shoulders 17 depressed inwardly from the outer surface of the door by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the sheet metal. Between the shoulders 17 the center panels 8 have center portions that can be variously shaped with different elements of stiffening and decorative ribs 18 as will be described in greater detail presently.

In order to vertically stiffen the door sections each center panel 8 has a plurality of sheet metal stiles 19 secured to its inner surface at the ends and at other positions intermediate of its ends depending upon the width of the door. The stiles 19 are of sheet metal construction having a channel shaped cross section with laterally outwardly turned flanges 20 along their edges. The depth of the channel section of the stiles is such that the outer surface of the Web abuts the inner surface of the central portion of the center panel with the stile flanges 20 abutted against the outer surfaces of the ter- The rails stiles and the center panel are permanently and rigidly connected by

hinge leaves

21 and 22. The hinge leaves 21 and 22 are generally flat sheet metal stampings having stilf ribs 23 formed therein and are welded as at 24 and 25 to the insides of the terminal stripes on the rails with the welds 25 extending through the side flanges 20 of the stiles. The exterior edges of the

hinge plates

21 and 22 have hinge knuckles 26 formed thereon in the plane of the exterior edge of the adjacent rail and the knuckles on adjacent door sections interfit to receive the hinge pins 27 Some of the hinge plates 21 along the sides of the doors have ears 128 struck inwardly therefrom to support thebearing At the ends of the door sections where the ribbed shape of the center panels 8 would leave voids or openings along the door jamb there are provided closure strips 30 that are secured to the ends of the shoulders 17 as by the screws 31. The closure strips 30 are thus flush with the outer surfaces of the

rails

6 and 7 and the face strips 16 of the center panel. The closure strips 30 have inwardly turned flanges 32 conformed to the shape of the rib center portion 18 of the center panel to close the spaces formed by the ribs in the center panel.

The structural and mechanical connections of the elements of the door section are uniform in all doors but the construction is capable of a wide variety of artistic designs as will be apparent from a comparison of Figs.

4, 6 and 7. The

rails

6 and 7 may be of identical shape in all door sections although this is not necessarily so as long as the interior flanges 11 and exterior flanges retain the same shape to be interchangeable with other rail sections. The center panel 8 may have a variety of cross sectional shapes such as the single wide ribs shape 18 in Fig. 4 or the multiple narrow ribbed section 18A in Fig. 6 or the entirely flush center panel 18B in Fig. 7. By providing a relatively small number of different sets of rolling dies for the center panel 8 the manufacturer can provide different artistic arrangements for the door sections and door sections of different designs can be combined in various combinations in a single door.

The exterior appearance of the door sections can further be widely varied by the mounting of plaques 33 against the shoulders 17 on the center panels as is shown in Fig.6. Again a relatively small number of plaques 33 having different surface configurations 34 can be applied in a wide variety of combinations to different center panels to further individualize and distinguish the appearance of different doors. Regardless of the decorative design of the several elements selected for combination into a given door or door section the connecting elements and procedures are uniform in all doors so that the assembly can be carried out under mass production procedures at an economical cost.

- The plaques 33 besides changing the appearance of the door function to reinforce the door by bridging the decorative ribs in the center panels and in effect making a box section on portions of the center panels.

The appearance of the sections and doors generally is important because more and more houses are being built with this type of door installed in a wall facing to the front of the house and it is important to have the door harmonize with the design of the house.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal having planar .center panels withexterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having angled ribs extending longitudinally therealong and having other ter minal strips on their inner edges turned interiorly of the door section in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned be tween said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges on the rails and having upper and lower face strips flush with the faces of said rails, said center panel having inwardly oflset shoulders along the interior edges of said face strips and stiffening and decorative ribs rolled along the length of its center portion, channel shaped stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel with the web of the channel abutting the inner sides of said stiffening and decorative ribs and having laterally outwardly turned side flanges lapped behind and welded to the interiorly turned interior terminal strips on said rails, decorative plates seated against said shoulders on the outer side of said center panel and extending therebetween, hinge plates welded to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and welded through said other terminal strips to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, and ears struck inwardly on some of said hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured at their ends to said shoulders on said center panels and having inturned closure flanges conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portions of said center panels.

2. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal having planar center panels with exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having angled ribs extending longitudinally therealong and having other terminal strips on their inner edges turned interiorly of the door section in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges on the rails and having upper and lower face strips flush with the faces of said rails, said center panel having inwardly offset shoulders along the interior edges of said face strips and stiffening and decorative ribs rolled along the length of its center portion, channel shaped stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel and having laterally outwardly turned side flanges lapped behind and welded to the interiorly turned interior terminal strips on said rails, hinge plates welded to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and welded through said other terminal strips to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, and ears projecting inwardly on some of said hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured at their ends to said shoulders on said center panels and having inturned closure flanges conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portions of said center panels.

3. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal having center panels with exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having angled ribs extending longitudinally therealong and having other terminal strips on their inner edges turned interiorly of the door section in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges 0n the rails and having upper and lower face strips, said center panel having inwardly offset shoulders along the interior edges of said face strips and stiffening and decorative ribs rolled along the length of its center portion, channel shaped stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel and having laterally turned inner flanges lapped behind and welded to the interiorly turned interior terminal strips on said rails, hinge plates welded to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and welded through said other terminal strips to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, ears projecting inwardly on some of said, hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured at their ends to said center panels and having inturned closure flanges conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portions of said center panels.

4. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal with exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having angled ribs extending longitudinally therealong and having other terminal strips on their inner edges turned interiorly of the door section in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned between said rails and having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the ribs on the interior flanges on the rails, said center panel having stifiening and decorative ribs rolled along the length of its center portion, channel shaped stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel with the outside of the channel abutting the inner sides of said stifiening and decorative ribs and the inside of the stile lapped behind and welded to the interiorly turned interior terminal strips on said rails, a decorative plate on the outer side of said center panel, hinge plates welded to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and welded through said other terminal strips to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, ears on some of said hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured to said center panels and conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portions of said center panels.

5. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails with exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having angled ribs extending longitudinally therealong and having other terminal strips on their inner edges turned in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the ribs on the interior flanges on the rails, said center panel having stiflening and decorative ribs along the length of its center portion, stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel with the outside of the stile abutting the inner sides of said stiffening and decorative ribs, decorative plates on the outer side of said center panel, hinge plates secured to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and secured to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, ears on some of said hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured to said center panels and conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portions of said center panels, said rails and integral center panel having uniform cross section from end to end.

6. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal with exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having other terminal strips on their inner edges turned in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges, said center panel haying stiffening and decorative ribs rolled along the length of its center portion, stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel with the outside of the stile abutting the inner sides of said stiffening and decorative ribs, hinge plates welded to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and welded to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, ears on some of said hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured to said center panels and conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portions of said center panels.

7. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal having exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having, other terminal strips on their inner edges turned interiorly of the door section in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges on the rails and having upper and lower face strips, said center panel having inwardly offset shoulders along the interior edges of said face strips and stiflening and decorative ribs rolled along the'length of its center portion,

metal stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel and having laterally turned inner flanges lapped behind and welded to the interiorly turned interior terminal strips on said rails, hinge plates welded to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and welded through said other terminal strips to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, ears projecting inwardly on some of said hing-e plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured to the ends of said center panels and having inturned closure flanges conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portion of said center panels.

8. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails having exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having other terminal strips on their inner edges in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges on the rails, said center panel having stiffening and decorative ribs along the length of its center portion, metal stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel and having laterally turned inner flanges, hinge plates secured to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and secured to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, ears projecting inwardly on some of said hinge plates to support roller axles at the sides of said sections, and filler strips secured to the ends of said center panels and conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portion of said center panels, said rails and center panel having uniform cross sections from end to end.

9. A sectional door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails of rolled sheet metal having exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having other terminal strips on their inner edges in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel of rolled sheet metal positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges on the rails, said center panel having inwardly offset shoulders adjacent its upper and lower edges and a stiffening and decorative rib rolled along the length of its center portion, a plaque secured at its upper and lower edges to said shoulders and extending across the rib of the center portion to stiffen the center panel and alter its exterior appearance, metal stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel and having laterally turned inner flanges, hinge plates secured to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and secured to the ends of said Stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knucklesof adjacent hinge plates of said sections, and filler strips secured to the ends of said center panels and conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portion of said center panels.

10. A sectional. door of the vertically opening horizontally hinged type comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated sections, each section including upper and lower rails having exterior flanges of complementary angled section and having interiorly turned terminal strips on their inner edges, interior flanges on said rails having other terminal strips on their inner edges in the plane of said first terminal strips, an integral center panel positioned between said rails having inwardly turned flanges complementary to the interior flanges on the rails, said center panel having inwardly oilset shoulders adjacent its upper and lower edges and stifi'ening and decorative ribs along the length of its center portion, a plaque secured at its upper and lower edges to said shoulders and extending across the ribs of the center portion to stiffen the center panel and alter its exterior appearance, metal stiles positioned between the inturned flanges of said center panel and having laterally turned inner flanges, hinge plates secured to the terminal strips on said rails and extending thereacross and secured to the ends of said stiles, the exterior edges of the hinge plates having knuckles thereon in the plane of the inner edges of the exterior flanges of said rails, hinge pins connecting the knuckles of adjacent hinge plates of said sections, and filler strips secured to the ends of said center panels and conformed at their inner edges to the contour of the center portion of said center panels, said rails and said center panel having uniform cross section from end to end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 'PATENTS 809,145 Sjobning Jan. 2, 1906 1,376,607 Clarin May 3, 1921 1,395,766 Phillips Nov. 1, 1921 1,451,353 Waldman Apr. 10, 1923 1,996,004 Fraser Mar. 26, 1935 2,061,304 Graham Nov. 17, 1936 2,557,753 Mitchell June 19, 1951 2,575,255 Blodgett NOV. 13, 1951