US2061304A - Sectional garage door - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 17, 1936. I M. P. GRAHAM SECTIONAL GARAGE DOOR Filed Nov. 10, 1934 5 ShQQtS-SIIQGI? 1 Nov. 17, 1936. M. P. GRAHAM 2,061,304

SEGTIONAL GARAGE DOOR Filed Nov. 1Q, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet -2 NOV. 17, 1936. M GRAHAM SECTIONAL GARAGE DOOR File d Nov. 10, 1934 :5 Sheets-Sheet 3 vwmv fi k i Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE The Crawford Door- Company, Detroit, Micln,

a corporation of Michigan Application November 10, 1984, Serial No. 752,394

I 14 Claims.

This invention relates to a sectional garage door and concerns itself primarily with a sheet metal construction. In the Pa t such sectional garage doors have usually been made of wood 6 which had to be transported from a very distant location thereby greatly increasing the cost of such doors. In addition, such wooden doors were quite heavy.

According to this invention, the sections of the door are made from sheet metal whereby the cost thereof is greatly reduced. In addition, the weight of the door is materially reducedin the use of relatively light sheet metal which is suitably stamped and reinforced to give the effect of a wooden door and to provide the necessary rigidity.

This invention comprises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which iilus-' trate a preferred form of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the-different views:

track for an overhead sectional door.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a'garage door involving this invention.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the bottom section of the door involving this invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line IVIV of Figure 8.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line V'V of Figure 2.

Figure 6is an enlarged sectional view taken upon the line VIVI of Figure 3.

Figure '7 is an enlarged sectional view of an intermediate section taken upon the line VII--VII of Fig. 2. a

Figure 8 is anenlarged fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line VIIIVIII of Figure 2 illustrating the hinge connection between a pair of adjacent sections of the door.

In referring to the drawings, it will be observed that there has been illustrated a door consisting of a plurality of sections hinged together whereby the door can be readily raised to an overhead position. In the illustrated embodiment the door consists of an upper section I and a lower section 2 with a plurality of intermediate sections 3 and 4. v I These sections are made from sheet metal in a manner that will presently appear. Each sec- Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of one side of a garage door frame illustrating the tion consists of a main'plate 5 the upper and lower portions (Figs. 7 and 8) of whichare oifset outwardly as indicated at 5a. The upper oflset portion 5a." terminates in an inwardly directed flange 8 that is upwardly offset at its inner margin as indicated at in. whereby a rabbet 'I is formed for a purpose that will later appear. The lower ofiset portion 5a with the exception of the lowermost section has an inwardly directed flange which is upwardly offset as indicated at 8:1 whereby a rabbet 9 is formed.- Upper and lower reinforcing plates l0 are welded to themain plate 5 between the offset portions to and upon the inner side thereof. These reinforcing plates are inwardly offset as indicated at Illa, and with the exception of the lowermost reinforcing plate of the lower door section, these offset portions have flanges lilb welded to the offset portions 6a and 8a of the flanges 8 and 8.' These reinforcing plates cooperate with the main plate to form an upper and lower box-like structure upon each panel. Hinge members II and I2 (Fig. 8) are attached to the flanges Illb for hinging two sections together. When two sections are thuswise hinged together, it will be observed that the rabbeted edges of adjacent sections interflt. -Thus the rabbet I receives the main portion of the. flange 8 of an adjacent section while the rabbeted portion 9 of such adjacent section receives the offset flange 6a of the other section. The lowermost box-like structure of the lower hinge section of the door is left open as shown in Figure 6 and a shock absorbing member i3 which may be in the form of wood is secured in such box-like structure and projects beyond the lower end thereof. When the door descends this shock absorbing member will strike the ground and ab-' sorb the impact and prevent the metal from contact with the ground or foundation which is usually of concrete or the like. 1

In the event that a window is desired in such a garage door, spaced vertical U-shaped plates l4 may be welded to the plates 5 as shown in Figures 3 to 5, to extend between the oifset'portions 5a. Suitable window apertures may be cut in the main plate 5 between the vertical plates I4 as shown in Figures 5 and 7 and the lateral margins of the cut away portions of the plate 5 may be inwardly oflset as indicated at I5 in Figure 5. It will be noted that the lateralvertical plate It cooperates with the oifset portions l5 to form lateral grooves for receiving a transparent member Hi.

The upper and lower grooves or lodgements for the transparent member are shown in Figure '7. In referring to this flgure, it will be noted that the upper and lower edges of the transparent member are confined between the main plate 5 and offset portions I1 formed upon the ends of the upper and lower reinforcing plates III. A U-shaped rubber member i8 surrounds the edges of the transparent member.

The door is provided with lateral rollers l8 adapted to be mounted in suitable guideways upon the sides of the door frame as is well known in the art. These guideways extend to an overhead position for supporting the door in its open overhead position.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that a rigid, durable and relatively light garage door has been provided to take the place of the heavier and more costly wooden doors that are now generally used. It should also be appreciated that the main plate and the reinforcing plate are brought into a novel cooperative relation and that the upper and lower edge portions of adjacent sections in their rabbeted relation effectively exclude the weather between the sections.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from .the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garage door, a sheet metal section comprising a main plate member having upper and lower ofiset portions, said ofi'set portions terminating in flanges extending in a direction opposite to the direction of said oflset portions,

said flanges having terminal offset portions extending in the same direction whereby rabbets are formed upon opposite portions of said flanges, and upper and lower reinforcing plates having oflset portions corresponding to the oflfsets of said main plate but oppositely directed, said reinforcing plates being welded to said main plate and having flanges welded to the flanges of said main plates.

2. In a garage door, a sheet metal section comprising a main plate member having upper and lower offset portions, and reinforcing plates having offset portions welded to said main plate and forming therewith upper .and lower boxlike structure, said main plate having terminal flanges formed with rabbets for the purpose set forth.

3. A sheet metal garage door comprising a plurality of sections, said sections having upper and lower box-like structures formed with rabbets and terminal flanges extending in the same direction and hinge members connecting said terminal flanges, the rabbets of adjacent sections having an interfltting relation.

4.. In a sheet metal garage door, a plurality of hinged sections, one of said sections having upper and lower offset portions forming boxlike structures, spaced vertical U-shaped metal plates welded to said section between said boxlike structures, said section being cut away between said U-shaped plates and the margins of said cut away portion being offset and cooperating wtih said U-shaped plates ,for receiving a transparent member.

5. In a metal garage door, a hinge section comprising a main plate having upper and lower oil'set margins terminating in right angled ,flanges formed with rabbets, upper and lower reinforcing plates welded to said main plate between said oflset portions, said reinforcing plates having oflset portions cooperating with the oilset portions of said main plate for forming boxlike structures and having terminal flanges welded to the flanges of said main plate.

6. A sectional door comprising a plurality of metal sections, the adjacent portions of said sections comprising spaced sheet metal plates, the plates of each section terminating in laterally directed flanges extending in the same direction, said flanges being in overlapping relation beyond the planes of said plates and hinges connecting and hinges connecting the overlapping flanges of one section with the overlapping flanges of the adjacent section, the flanges on the plates most remote from said hinges being horizontally offset to provide interfltting parts.

8. In a door, a plurality of metal sections, each section comprising a sheet metal panel member having upper and lower spaced portions, the adjacent spaced portions of said sections terminating in laterally directed flanges extending in the same direction and overlapping beyond the planes of said plates, and hinges connecting said overlapping flanges.

9. In a garage door, a sheet metal section comprising a plate having upper and lower laterally offset portions terminating in right angled flanges vertically offset to provide rabbets, a plate,

cooperating with each laterally oflset portion to form box-like structures, and having a right an gled flange abutting the flange upon the first plate beyond the planes of said plates.

10. In a sectional garage door, a plurality of sheet metal sections having upper and lower boxlike structures vertically oflset to provide interfltting rabbets, said box-like structures comprising spaced plates having terminal right angled flanges extending in the same direction and overlapping'beyond the planes of said plates and means hingedly connecting the overlapping flanges of one section with the overlapping flanges of an adjacent section.

11. In a sectional garage door, a sheet metal I section having upper and lower box-like structures, the end terminal of each box-like structure being vertically oiIset and having overlapping flanges extending beyond the plane thereof, and bracing members extending between said box like structures.

12. In a sectional garage door, a sheet metal section comprising a central panel portion and upper and lower box-like portions symmetrically one of said flanges being vertically offset to form a rabbet in the end of the section for the purpose set forth.

13. In a sectional garage door, a pair of ad- Jacent sections, each section comprising spaced plates having their ends at one terminal of the section transversely directed in overlapping relation and extending beyond one side of said sections, the transversely directed ends of said sections being in overlapping relation, and hinge means connecting said ends.

14. In a sectional garage door, a lower shee metal section comprising a plate having upper and lower ofiset portions, 9. second plate attached to the first plate and having an offset portion co-' operating with the ipper oflset portion-oi the first plate, the upper ends 01' said plates terminating in laterally directed flanges in contacting and overlapping relation and extending beyond the side of said section, a third plate attached to the first plate and having an oflset portion cooper-

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