U.S. patent application number 15/044329 was filed with the patent office on 2016-08-18 for door panel for overhead roll-up doors and a method for creating the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is Rytec Corporation. Invention is credited to Brian Norbert Drifka, Christopher Gontarski.
Application Number | 20160237736 15/044329 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46876331 |
Filed Date | 2016-08-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160237736 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gontarski; Christopher ; et
al. |
August 18, 2016 |
DOOR PANEL FOR OVERHEAD ROLL-UP DOORS AND A METHOD FOR CREATING THE
SAME
Abstract
A door panel for an overhead roll-up door assembly having a
first face, a second face, a top edge, and a bottom edge. The door
panel is constructed by butt jointing at least two sub-panels
together in a horizontal direction such that neither sub-panel
overlaps the other and applying at least one strip of seaming
material over each horizontal butt joint, the seaming material
being adhered over each butt joint on at least the first face of
the door panel. The door panel further includes at least one strip
of seaming material adhered vertically along at least one face of
the door panel extending from approximately the top edge of the
door panel to approximately the bottom edge of the door panel, and
being configured such that a top face of the vertical seaming
material is substantially co-planar with a top face of the
horizontal seaming material.
Inventors: |
Gontarski; Christopher;
(Cedarburg, WI) ; Drifka; Brian Norbert;
(Richfield, WI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Rytec Corporation |
Jackson |
WI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46876331 |
Appl. No.: |
15/044329 |
Filed: |
February 16, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13297017 |
Nov 15, 2011 |
9260911 |
|
|
15044329 |
|
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61466925 |
Mar 23, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 9/11 20130101; E06B
2009/1561 20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101; B29L 2031/724 20130101;
B29C 66/71 20130101; E06B 2009/17092 20130101; B29C 65/5021
20130101; E05D 15/24 20130101; B29C 66/1142 20130101; E06B 3/7015
20130101; B29C 65/5028 20130101; E06B 3/96 20130101; B29C 66/71
20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101; E06B 2009/1522 20130101; B29C 66/43
20130101; B29C 65/5042 20130101; E06B 9/17 20130101; E06B 2003/7044
20130101; B29C 66/1162 20130101; E06B 3/48 20130101; E06B 2009/1555
20130101; B29K 2027/06 20130101; B29K 2009/06 20130101; B29K
2023/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E06B 3/96 20060101
E06B003/96; B29C 65/00 20060101 B29C065/00; E06B 9/17 20060101
E06B009/17; E05D 15/24 20060101 E05D015/24; E06B 3/48 20060101
E06B003/48; E06B 3/70 20060101 E06B003/70 |
Claims
1. A door panel for an overhead roll-up door assembly for a
vertically moving door to permit and prohibit access to an opening,
the door panel having a first face, a second face, a top edge, and
a bottom edge and further comprising: at least two sub-panels butt
jointed together in a horizontal direction in a manner such that
neither sub-panel overlaps the other; at least one strip of seaming
material adhered over each horizontal butt joint, the seaming
material being adhered over each butt joint on at least the first
face of the door panel; and, at least one strip of seaming material
adhered vertically along at least one face of the door panel, the
seaming material extending from approximately the top edge of the
door panel to approximately the bottom edge of the door panel and
being configured such that a top face of the vertical seaming
material is substantially co-planar with a top face of the
horizontal seaming material.
2. The door panel of claim 1 further comprising at least three
sub-panels, the three sub-panels configured such that: at least two
sub-panels are vertically butt jointed forming at least one of a
top portion of the door panel or a bottom portion of the door
panel; wherein the top portion of the door panel and the bottom
portion of the door panel is horizontally butt jointed to at least
one other sub-panel to form the door panel.
3. The door panel of claim 1 further comprising an intermediate
panel disposed between the top and bottom portions of the door
panel, the intermediate panel having a width substantially equal a
width of the top and bottom portions of the door panel and being
horizontally butt jointed to the top and bottom portions of the
door panel.
4. The door panel of claim 3 wherein the at least one strip of
vertical seaming material creates a gap between the first and
second faces of the door panel when the door panel is rolled-up in
at least a partially open position.
5. The door panel of claim 4 wherein each vertical butt joint in
the top portion of the door panel substantially aligns with one
vertical butt joint in the bottom portion of the door panel.
6. The door panel of claim 5 wherein the top and bottom portions of
the door panel each include at least three vertically butt jointed
sub-panels.
7. The door panel of claim 3 wherein the intermediate panel is
substantially transparent.
8. The door panel of claim 2 wherein at least one strip of seaming
material is adhered over each vertical butt joint and extends
vertically from approximately a top edge of the door panel to
approximately a bottom edge of the door panel.
9. The door panel of claim 1 wherein the strips of seaming material
have a thickness less than the thickness of each sub-panel.
10. The door panel of claim 9 wherein the strips of seaming
material have a thickness of approximately 1/16th of an inch.
11. The door panel of claim 1 wherein the strips of seaming
material each have a width in the range of approximately two to
three inches.
12. The door panel of claim 1 wherein the seaming material is
multi-layered.
13. The door panel of claim 1 wherein the seaming material includes
at least one selected from the group comprising at least a
partially woven material, fabric, PVC, PET, and a partially
reflective material.
14. The door panel of claim 1 wherein the at least one strip of
seaming material is adhered over each horizontal butt joint and
vertically on the door panel on both the first and second faces of
the door panel.
15. The door panel of claim 1 wherein a strip of heavy duty
material is attached to at least one of the strips of seaming
material or the door panel proximate the at least one strip of
vertical material.
16. The door panel of claim 1 wherein a face of the at least one
strip of vertical seaming material is substantially co-planar with
a face of the at least one strip of seaming material adhered over
each horizontal butt joint.
17. The door panel of claim 1 wherein the at least one strip of
seaming material adhered over each horizontal butt joint has at
least one discontinuity at each vertical strip of seaming material
so as to not overlap any portion of the at least one vertical strip
of seaming material.
18. A method of creating a door panel for an overhead roll-up door
for a vertically moving door to permit and prohibit access to an
opening, the door panel having a first face, a second face, a top
edge, and a bottom edge, the method comprising the steps of: butt
jointing at least two sub-panels horizontally; adhering at least
one strip of seaming material over each butt joint; and, adhering
at least one strip of seaming material vertically on at least one
face of the door panel.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of butt
jointing at least one intermediate panel horizontally between the
at least two sub-panels.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 13/297,017 filed Nov. 15, 2011, which claims priority to
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/466,925 entitled filed Mar. 23,
2011--the contents of both of which are fully incorporated herein
by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is related to overhead roll-up doors,
and more specifically to an overhead roll-up door panel constructed
from multiple panels that are butt jointed and seamed together.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Industrial overhead roll-up doors typically permit and
prohibit access to openings or doorways. These doors typically
include a door panel having opposing side edges that engage with,
and are vertically guided in, side columns. In some environments it
may be necessary to provide the door panel with an increased wind
load resistance in order to prevent the door panel from disengaging
from the side columns, particularly when the door panel is moving
vertically. In order to enhance the door's resistance to high winds
and/or air pressure, it may be desirable to manufacture the door
panels using flexible, heavy duty materials having an increased
weight in order to provide better wind load resistance to the door
panels. Regardless of wind load, it may be desirable to utilize
door panels made from such heavy duty materials in industrial
applications in order to provide a stronger door panel more
resistant to damage, and/or a door panel capable of providing a
better, more impenetrable barrier between sides of the opening.
[0004] Examples of heavy duty materials known in the art for use in
such situations include Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber ("SBR") and
ethylene propylene diene Monomer rubber ("EPDM"). While such
materials may be used to create overhead roll-up doors, SBR, EPDM,
and other similar materials are generally not made in custom
widths. Typically, panels made from these materials are not wide
and/or long enough to cover many openings or doorways opened and
blocked by overhead roll-up doors in industrial applications.
[0005] In order to provide a large enough door panel, it is known
in the art to connect multiple SBR, EPDM, or other heavy duty
material panels together to form one large door. In practice, the
multiple panels are typically joined by "skiving" the panels
together. In order to skive the panels together, the edges of each
material panel that are to be joined are cut at very sharp mating
angles that are configured to overlap each other. The overlapped
edges are then glued together. Skiving, however, has some
drawbacks.
[0006] One drawback to creating a door panel by skiving together
multiple material panels is the expense and precision of the
equipment. In order to provide a smooth cut on each material panel
and insure a proper mating angle, each cut must be extremely
precise. In order to insure this precision, skiving blades
typically need to be replaced frequently, increasing the
manufacturing cost of the door panels.
[0007] Skiving may also produce significant waste. Each material
panel must have a sufficient amount of material removed there from
in order to insure a proper and satisfactory overlap for adhering
each adjacent panel in a manner capable of supporting the remainder
of the door panel.
[0008] Because of the overlap between each panel, skiving may also
require use of additional material. Inasmuch as each material panel
is cut and overlapped with another, over large expanses the total
overlap may require the use of additional material panels to fully
block the opening.
[0009] The overlap may also lead to uneven rolling of the door
panel in the partially or fully open position. Uneven rolling may
lead to buckling in the door panel when rolled up or may lead to
increased roll sizes which requires larger headers, thereby
increasing the cost of the header while reducing the size of the
opening.
[0010] Another drawback to skiving is that it increases the tension
on each material panel in the overall door as the skived joints
make each panel located above the joint bear a significant portion
of the weight of each panel located below the joint. In many
environments it may be desirable to provide a window or a clear
panel permitting vision from one side of the door to the other when
the door panel is closed. If, for example, a clear polyvinyl
chloride ("PVC") panel is used with a door panel that is skived,
the PVC panel will typically stretch and deform from carrying the
weight of the skived material panels located below the PVC panel.
Since the skived door panel relies on the overlap seams to lift the
panels below as the door panel moves vertically upwards, less
strong materials like PVC, will stretch and deform, creating
problems in the door panel and perhaps eliminating some or all of
the visibility through the clear section. In order to avoid
stretching and door panel damage, it is known in the art to cut a
hole or area out of a full door panel and replace it with a clear
material--however doing so limits visibility through the door
panel. Furthermore, environments with many door panels,
particularly when the door panels are constructed of black
materials and/or the environment is poorly lit, limited visibility
may be hazardous to the door and any people and objects attempting
to pass there through.
[0011] An alternative method of joining panels together is shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,785 to Seuster ("the '785 patent"). As shown in
the '785 patent, it has been contemplated that panels may be
horizontally butt jointed together with the horizontal butt joints
secured with profiled stabilizing members held together by screws.
However, amongst the problems associated with only horizontal
support, utilizing profiled stabilizing members may lead to uneven
rolling in the open position, and the '785 patent provides no
vertical support for any of the panels, thereby leaving substantial
weight bearing responsibilities on each panel for the panels below,
and, in turn, the possibility that particular panels or materials
may stretch or deform. Having no vertical stabilizing members or
similar structure may also lead to increased wear on each panel
forming the door taught in the '785 patent as there are no vertical
strips or structures for the door panel to roll up on, leaving the
faces of each door panel to contact each other.
[0012] Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a door panel
utilizing heavy duty materials without requiring that multiple
panels be skived together.
[0013] It would be further advantageous if such a door panel was
capable of incorporating at least one full width panel made from a
material different from the remainder of the material panels.
[0014] The present invention is directed to solving these and other
problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention is directed to a door panel for an
overhead roll-up door assembly constructed by butt jointing and
seaming sub-panels made from heavy duty materials, like for example
SBR or EPDM. As is known in the art, the overhead roll-up door
assemblies typically include door panels guided in side columns
located proximate the edge of an opening or doorway which the door
panel is raised and lowered to permit and prohibit access there
through. In order to raise and lower the door panel, the roll-up
door assemblies typically include a motor which rotates a drum
which the door panel is wound on and off of.
[0016] According to one aspect of the invention, a door panel for
an overhead roll up door is provided having multiple SBR or other
heavy duty material panels butt jointed together horizontally
across the width of the door panel, and in some embodiments
vertically along at least a portion of the panels. Though it will
be discussed herein as an "SBR panel" or "sub-panel" it should be
appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that any
heavy duty material, like for example EPDM, may be utilized in
place of the SBR panels so long as the material is flexible enough
to roll-up on a drum or similar structure in the open position, but
heavy enough to withstand moderate or high wind loads without
blowing out of or disengaging from the side columns of the door
assembly. It is contemplated by the invention that in some
embodiments single SBR panels may be utilized to cover the entire
width of a particular opening. However, even when doing so a
vertical portion of each SBR panel may be cut and jointed together,
with at least one vertical portion in each panel extending from
each horizontal butt joint, or, preferably, with the horizontal
butt joints butting against relatively uninterrupted vertical butt
joints. In embodiments where single or multiple SBR panels are
required to fill the entire width of any opening, it is
contemplated that each SBR panel may further utilize vertically
oriented butt joint seaming material--even where physical vertical
jointing is not required.
[0017] When butt jointing each SBR panel, whether doing so
vertically or horizontally, it is preferred that no portion of any
butt joint (including when seaming material is used as discussed
herein) should overlap any portion of another butt joint and/or
seaming material. Accordingly, when jointed in accordance with the
teachings of the present invention, the adjacent surfaces of the
joined panels should be substantially planar with each other as
should any adjacent or butted seaming material. This, in turn,
facilitates relatively smooth rolling and un-rolling as the door is
wound toward and into an open orientation, and, when unwinding
toward and into a closed orientation.
[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, each
horizontal butt joint and any vertical butt joints may be seamed
together by adhering at least one strip of seaming material over
each butt joint on at least one of a first or second (front or
back) face of the door panel, and more preferably on both the first
and second face of the panel. In embodiments where the vertical
butt joints do not extend vertically over the entirety of any SBR
panel, it is contemplated by the invention that at least one strip
of the seaming material may extend vertically along the entirety of
the door panel in strips so as to cover vertically aligned butt
joints. Alternatively, vertical seaming material may only extend
vertically along at least one of the first or second faces of the
door panel the distance required to seam together the portions of
the SBR panels along which the vertical butt joints extend. The
seaming material applied over each butt joint seam may be any
material known in the art capable of adhering to the SBR panels and
preventing the SBR panels from pulling apart as the door moves
vertically or rests in a partially or fully closed position.
Examples of material which may be used include but are not limited
to fabric tapes, woven or partially woven fabrics or fabric tapes,
PVC coated fabric tapes, Polyethylene Terephthalate ("PET") fabric
strips, and PVC or other plastic strips bonded to each SBR panel
over the butt joint. Regardless of whether any vertical butt joints
are used to create the door panel, it is contemplated by the
invention to include at least one vertical strip of seaming
material extending from approximately a top edge of the door panel
to approximately a bottom edge of the door panel to further support
the weight of SBR panel and reduce wear friction on each SBR panel
face.
[0019] As should be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in
the art, butt jointing and seaming each SBR panel together reduces
the cost and labor associated with creating door panels inasmuch as
butt jointing requires little labor and less precision than skiving
each SBR panel together. Additionally, butt jointing has little to
no waste since an angled mating portion of each SBR panel does not
have to be removed. Butt jointing and seaming also creates no
overlap between SBR panels, eliminating buckling, minimizing roll
size, and limiting or reducing the amount of SBR panels required to
fill the width of a particular opening as the full width of each
SBR panel may be used when creating the door panel.
[0020] According to yet another aspect of the invention, at least
one full width clear panel made from PVC or a similar material may
be horizontally butt jointed to the SBR panels. Though described
herein as a "PVC Panel" it should be appreciated by those having
ordinary skill in the art that any material capable of forming a
clear panel may be used. As with any SBR panels horizontally butt
jointed together, the PVC panel may have at least one strip of
seaming material adhered along the entirety of the butt joints
between the PVC panel and the SBR panel(s). In embodiments where
full length vertical strips of seaming material are adhered to the
first and/or second face of the door panel, the strips of vertical
seaming material may be adhered to and extend continuously
vertically on the clear panel. While utilizing butt joints and
strips of seaming material to connect each SBR and PVC panel
together will substantially reduce, and may even eliminate, the
stretching or deforming of any PVC panels, extending vertical
strips of seaming material along the entirety of the door panel,
including the PVC panels further reduces stretching and deforming
inasmuch as the vertical seaming material acts to lift and suspend
any SBR panels located below any PVC panels, thereby reducing the
weight each PVC panel has to carry. Extending vertical seaming
material over each PVC panel reduces wear and scratching resulting
from rolling, as with the SBR panels, the thickness of the seaming
material will prevent the PVC panels from contacting each other or
any SBR panels when the door panel is in a partially or fully
opened position. As explained herein, when rolled, any seaming
material will leave a gap between the face of any PVC panel and any
rolled panels located above or below equal to at least the
thickness of the seaming material.
[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, it may be
advantageous to secure SBR strips, or other similar heavy duty
material along with any vertical strips of seaming material on one
or both faces of the door panel. Utilizing additional vertical SBR
strips may enhance the space created between each panel in the
rolled up position, and may help facilitate a smoother, more even
roll. For example, in door panels which employ a thickened edge
wind lock, and in particular a continuous thickened edge wind lock,
applying vertical SBR strips along one face of the door panel may
allow for the thickness of the thickened edges to be matched along
the interior of the door panel where the SBR strips are applied,
creating a more uniform roll.
[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, the seaming
material may be reflective or made from a much lighter color than
the SBR panels. Utilizing reflective or light colored seaming
materials against the SBR panels may increase safety in
environments where at least one side of the door panel is poorly
lit, particularly when the door panel is made from black
rubber.
[0023] Other aspects and features of the invention will become
apparent to those having ordinarily skill in the art upon review of
the following Description, Claims, and associated Drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 shows a skived joint of two panels as is known in the
prior art.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a butt joint between two panels as contemplated
by the invention.
[0026] FIG. 3 shows a front view of a door panel within a door
assembly as contemplated by an embodiment of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows a front view of a door panel as contemplated by
an embodiment of the invention.
[0028] FIG. 5 shows a front view of a door panel as contemplated by
an embodiment of the invention.
[0029] FIG. 6 shows a front view of a door panel as contemplated by
an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0030] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in
many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will
herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the
invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to
be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the
invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the
invention to the embodiments illustrated.
[0031] FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the method known in the
prior art for joining together sub-panels which form a larger
overhead roll-up door panel. As seen in FIG. 1, a portion of
roll-up door panel 100 is formed by joining a first sub-panel 102
with a second sub-panel 104 by skiving the sub-panels together
along mating angled edges forming a seam 106. As shown, skiving the
sub-panels together results in significant overlap between
sub-panels 102, 104, and results in a significant amount of waste
as portions 102a and 104a must be removed from panels 102 and 104
respectively in order to form the mating angled edges on each
panel. As explained herein, the overlapping further reduces the
effective width of the two mated sub-panels, potentially requiring
the use of an additional panel or a portion of an additional panel
to fill the width of the doorway or opening. If utilized as a
horizontal joint connecting sub-panels, like for example making 102
a top panel and 104 a bottom panel of a door panel, the skived
joint places tremendous force on sub-panel 102 from sub-panel
104.
[0032] FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention
for a method of joining sub-panels to form a larger overhead
roll-up door panel. According to a preferred embodiment, door panel
200 is formed by butt jointing sub-panels 202, 204 along butt joint
206. Butt joint 206 should be formed such that only the bottom edge
of sub-panel 202 and the top edge of sub-panel 204 contact each
other. The butt joint should be formed such that neither sub-panel
202 nor sub-panel 204 overlaps the other in any manner, nor would
any of the associated seaming material if so used.
[0033] In order to hold joint 206 together, a strip of seaming
material 208 may be applied to at least first face 210 of door
panel 200 over the seam. In some preferred embodiments, a strip of
seaming material 208 may be applied over joint 206 on both first
face 210 and second face 212 of the door panel in order to better
hold each butt joint together.
[0034] It is contemplated by the invention that the thickness T of
each portion or strip of seaming material 208 may range from just a
few millimeters on up, so long as the thickness of each piece of
seaming material is less than that of each sub-panel, 202, 204.
According to one embodiment of the invention, it may be
advantageous to utilize seaming material having a thickness of
approximately 1/16th of an inch because such thickness does not
inhibit the rolling of the door panel while providing an elevated
ridge or elevated ridges along the back and/or front of the door
panel which engage each other when the door panel is partially or
fully rolled up. Having seaming materials which engage each other
prevents the sub-panels from rubbing against each other, thereby
reducing friction wear and scratches or the like on each sub-panel.
Each strip of seaming material should be wide enough to adhere to
the door panel and hold each butt joint together. In a preferred
embodiment the width of each strip of seaming material should be
about 2-3 inches, however it should be appreciated that any width
capable of holding the butt joints together while providing enough
surface area to create a gap between each sub-panel face when the
door panel is in a partially or fully rolled up position.
[0035] In order to achieve larger thicknesses, it is contemplated
by the invention that each strip of seaming material 208 may be
adhered as a single thick body, or alternatively may be multiple
layers of material adhered together forming a thicker body. As
should be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art,
layering multiple seaming materials together may be done before the
seaming material is applied to door panel 200, or may be done by
adhering one layer at a time to door panel 200 until a desired
thickness or strength of the seaming material is reached.
[0036] The strips of seaming material may be adhered to the
sub-panels and door panel using any means known in the art. As
discussed herein, the seaming material may be a tape having its own
bonding capabilities wherein the bonding side of the tape is
adhered to each sub-panel. Alternatively, or in addition to using
materials having their own bonding surfaces or capabilities, it is
contemplated by the invention that glue or other bonding materials
may be used to adhere the seaming material to the door panel over
each butt joint. As a further alternative the seaming material may
be vulcanized to each sub-panel. As yet additional alternatives,
the seaming material may be stitched to the door panel overtop and
proximate each butt joint, or may be chemically bonded to each
sub-panel. It should be appreciated by those having ordinary skill
in the art that any method of adhering or bonding one material to
another known in the art is contemplated by the invention.
[0037] FIG. 3 shows a front view of a preferred embodiment of a
door panel in a door assembly as contemplated by the invention.
Though shown as a front view, it should be appreciated by those
having ordinary skill in the art that the back view of at least the
door panel may be substantially similar to the front view with
respect to the sub-panels, butt joints, and any strips of seaming
material located thereon. Door assembly 300 includes door panel
302, header 304 which houses drum 306 and any unrolled portion of
the door panel, and side columns 308, 310 which engage marginal
edges of the door panel to vertically guide the door panel between
the open and closed positions. As shown in FIG. 3, door panel 302
is constructed using at least an upper and lower portion 312, 314,
which are horizontally butt jointed along horizontal butt joint 316
with the butt joint being covered and held together with at least
one strip of seaming material 318 adhered to door panel 302.
[0038] In an embodiment of the invention, in order to reduce the
stress on each door panel, at least one vertical butt joint 318,
320 may extend across at least a portion of each of the upper and
lower portions 312, 314, respectively, from horizontal butt joint
316. In order to prevent these butt joints from separating, at
least one strip of seaming material may be adhered to door panel
302 over the vertically butt jointed portions of upper and lower
portions 312, 314 and extending from approximately top edge 322 to
approximately bottom edge 324 of the door panel; or, any vertical
distance in between. Vertically extending a continuous piece of the
seaming material from approximately the top edge of the door panel
to approximately the bottom edge may further reduce the stress on
each sub-panel, and in particular upper portion 312, as the seaming
material may help withstand the downward force resulting from lower
portion 314.
[0039] Regardless of whether any vertical butt joints are used when
constructing the door panel, in order to reduce the wear friction
on the first or second face of the door panel and reduce the stress
resulting from the weight of lower sub-panels, it is contemplated
by the invention that at least one strip of seaming material
extending from approximately top edge 322 to approximately bottom
edge 324 may be adhered to at least a first face of door panel 302.
Adhering the seaming material vertically along substantially the
entire length of the door panel helps prevent the first and second
faces of the door panel from contacting when rolled up in at least
a partially open position, thereby reducing wear and scratches on
the faces of the door panels as the thickness of the seaming tape
creates a gap between each portion of the first and second faces of
the door panel. In order to insure a uniform roll, it is
contemplated by the invention that whether or not the door panel
includes any vertical butt joints, one of the vertical or
horizontal strips of seaming material may discontinue at the edge
of the other so as to prevent the overlap of any seaming material.
When utilizing a discontinuity in one of the vertical and
horizontal seaming tapes, if a uniform thickness of seaming
material is used for both the vertical and horizontal strips, a top
face of the vertical strips of seaming material should be
substantially co-planar with a top face of the horizontal strips of
seaming material, making a uniform surface for rolling the door
panel. In a preferred embodiment, in order to insure the full
advantages of the vertical seaming tape, the strips of vertical
seaming tape should extend continuously from approximately the top
edge to approximately the bottom edge on one or two faces of the
door panel, while the strips of horizontal seaming materials are
discontinued at each vertical strip of seaming material. Each
horizontal discontinuity should result in portions of horizontal
seaming material substantially butting against the vertical strips
of seaming material so as to form a substantially continuous layer
of seaming material over each horizontal butt joint.
[0040] The advantage of adhering vertical seaming material to avoid
wear may be enhanced when seaming material is applied to both the
first and second face of the door panel. Applying vertical seaming
material to both faces of the door panel creates a double layer of
seaming material between each face when the door panel is rolled,
creating either a slightly larger gap between the rolled faces of
the door panel, or alternatively reducing the thickness of the
seaming material required on each face to avoid contact inasmuch as
the thickness of the seaming material when rolled is effectively
doubled by the seaming material adhered to the first face rolling
on top of the seaming material adhered to the second face.
[0041] In order to further enhance the spacing between each
sub-panel, it is contemplated by the invention that a strip of SBR
or other heavy duty material may be applied with each strip of
seaming material, and particularly with any vertical strips of
seaming material as described herein. The strips of heavy duty
material may range in thickness from just a few millimeters on up,
and in a preferred embodiment may be 1/2 inch, or, the thickness of
any thickened edge wind locks applied to one face of the door
panel, and may have a width of approximately 2-3 inches. These
heavy duty material strips may be adhered directly to the door
panel, to the strips of seaming material, or may be located between
strips of seaming material--that is a strip of seaming material may
be adhered to the door panel, a strip of SBR or other heavy duty
material adhered to the strip of seaming material. Thereafter, a
strip of seaming material may be adhered to the top of the SBR or
other heavy duty material strips and, in some embodiments the face
of the door panel, for aesthetic purposes. When utilized, SBR or
other heavy duty materials may be adhered to the door panel and/or
seaming material utilizing any of the methods described herein for
adhering the seaming material to the door panel.
[0042] It is contemplated by the invention that upper portion 312
and lower portion 314 may each be a single sub-panel having no
vertical butt joint or a partial vertical butt joint cut into each
sub-panel. Alternatively, upper portion 312 and lower portion 314
may each include at least two sub-panels which are vertically butt
jointed together along the entirety of the upper or lower portion.
The vertically butt jointed upper portion and vertically butt
jointed lower portion may then be horizontally butt jointed
together to form door panel 302. As should be appreciated by those
having ordinary skill in the art, a strip of seaming material
should be used to hold any horizontal or vertical butt joints
together on at least one face of the door panel.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments it may be desired to
place an intermediate panel between the upper and lower portions of
the door panel. Door panel 400 may be a single horizontal panel or
may be constructed by vertically butt jointing at least two
sub-panels (shown as three sub-panels 402) together to form upper
portion 404, horizontally butt jointing a continuous width
intermediate panel 406 to a lower edge of the upper portion, and
then horizontally butt jointing a lower portion 408 (shown as
vertically butt-jointed sub-panels 410) to a lower edge of the
intermediate portion.
[0044] According to an embodiment of the invention, intermediate
panel 406 may be made from a material different from sub-panels
402, 410. In some embodiments, intermediate panel may be made from
a flexible polymer or PVC material which may be substantially
transparent. The intermediate panel may also, or alternatively, be
made from a lower weight material than the sub-panels forming the
upper and lower portions of the door panel, thereby reducing the
total overall weight of the door panel to reduce the stress on the
motor and other components used to open and close the door.
[0045] Because intermediate panel 406 may be made of any material
known in the art, it may consequently be made from a material which
is more likely to stretch or deform, i.e. is weaker, than the
materials forming the sub-panels forming the upper and lower
portions of the door panel. Deforming may be particularly
problematic if the intermediate panel is substantially transparent
as deformation may alter the visibility through the panel. In order
to combat any stretching or deforming of the intermediate panel, as
discussed herein, it may be particularly advantageous to provide
full vertical butt joints along the upper and lower portions as
well as adhering seaming material to the door panel from
approximately the top edge to the bottom edge of the door panel,
including over top the intermediate panel. Including full vertical
butt joints along both the upper and/or lower portions of the door
panel and adhering seaming material over a full vertical length of
the door will further reduce the stress on the intermediate panel
as the joints and/or seaming material may carry much of the weight
imparted on the intermediate panel by each of the sub-panels. In
order to maximize the effect of full vertical butt joints in the
upper and lower portions, and to minimize the amount of seaming
material covering the intermediate portion, as seen in FIG. 4, it
may be advantageous to substantially align the vertical butt joints
in the upper and lower portions such that each vertical butt joint
in the upper portion substantially aligns with a vertical butt
joint in the lower portion.
[0046] It is contemplated by the invention that additional
intermediate portions may be included in the door panel. In order
to create such a door, one or more intermediate portions may be
created in a substantially similar manner to the upper and lower
portions and disposed between the additional intermediate portions.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, door panel 500 may include a top
portion 502 having multiple sub-panels 504 vertically butt jointed
along vertical butt joints 506 and first intermediate panel 508
horizontally butt jointed along a bottom edge of the top portion at
butt joint 510. Horizontally butt jointed to a bottom edge of the
first intermediate panel at butt joint 512 may be intermediate
portion 514 formed by vertically butting joints sub-panels 516
along vertical butt joints 518. Second intermediate panel 520 may
then be horizontally butt jointed at butt joint 522 to a bottom
edge of the intermediate portion, with lower portion 524 (which is
formed in substantially the same manner as the upper and
intermediate butt joints) horizontally butt jointed at butt joint
526 to a lower edge of the second intermediate panel. The first and
second intermediate panels may be made from similar or different
materials and one or both may be substantially transparent.
[0047] As yet a further alternative to each door panel, as shown in
FIG. 6, it is contemplated by the invention that the intermediate
panel may be vertically orientated. In such embodiments, rather
than vertically butt jointing sub-panels to form upper and lower
portions to form the door panel, door panel 600 may include
sub-panels 602 horizontally butt jointed along butt joints 604 to
form right and left portions 606, 608. Each of these left and right
portions 606, 608 may then be vertically butt jointed to
intermediate panel 610 along vertical butt joints 612, 614. As with
any of the previous embodiments discussed herein, at least one
strip of seaming material 616 may then be applied over top each
butt joint, and preferably extend the entire distance both
vertically and horizontally across door panel 600.
[0048] Alternatively, in embodiments where intermediate panel 610
is substantially transparent, it may be advantageous to adhere
seaming material 616 to door panel 600 only over horizontal butt
joints 604 rather than the full width. Inasmuch as intermediate
panel does not have to bear any vertical weight from heavier
sub-panels when vertically orientated, the total weight bearing
load on the intermediate panel is reduced.
[0049] The above-described embodiments of the present invention are
intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and
variations may be affected to the particular embodiments by those
of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the
invention, which is defined by the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *