Slatted door with increased impact resistance
AssigneeMcKeon Rolling Steel Door Co., Inc.
InventorsAndrew C. Lambridis, Ashraf Gomaa, Oscar Escobar, Vadim Litman, Steven Anderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A slatted door includes a plurality of interengaged slats, and end members arranged at ends of respective slats. The end members and the slats are configured and arranged so that, when the slats are engaged with one another and with respective end members, at least one lateral reinforcement impact distribution structure is formed. The impact distribution structure is configured to absorb, distribute and/or redirect impact force in a direction along the length of the slats.
Claims11
A door assembly for covering an opening defined by at least one structural element of a building, the door assembly comprising:
- a shutter roller positioned proximate the opening and rotatable about an axis of rotation;
- a drive mechanism configured to rotate the shutter roller about the axis of rotation;
- a flexible door having an outward face and windable on and off the shutter roller such that the flexible door is movable between retracted and extended positions by operation of the drive mechanism, the flexible door having a plurality of interconnected slats, each having two ends, a first edge and a second edge, and each being arranged along a direction perpendicular to a direction of travel of the door;
- a guide rail assembly positioned at each side of the opening and extending along the direction of travel of the door;
- a plurality of end members each attachable to an end of a corresponding slat;
- and
- at least one stiffening insert affixed to, and positioned proximate, an inner side of the outward face, and arranged in a direction along the length of the at least one slat,
- wherein in the end members, insert brackets are provided, each having at least one opening to accept and secure one end of a respective stiffening insert, and
- wherein the at least one stiffening insert forms a lateral reinforcement impact distribution structure configured to distribute and redirect an impact force applied to one or more of the slats of the door in a direction substantially along the length of said one or more slats.
A door assembly for covering an opening defined by at least one structural element of a building, the door assembly comprising:
- a shutter roller positioned proximate the opening and rotatable about an axis of rotation;
- a drive mechanism configured to rotate the shutter roller about the axis of rotation;
- a flexible door having an outward face and windable on and off the shutter roller such that the flexible door is movable between retracted and extended positions by operation of the drive mechanism, the flexible door having a plurality of interconnected slats, each having two ends, a first edge and a second edge, and each being arranged along a direction perpendicular to a direction of travel of the door, wherein when a first slat is engaged with a second adjacent slat, portions of the first and second adjacent slats engage one another;
- a guide rail assembly positioned at each side of the opening and extending along the direction of travel of the door;
- a plurality of end members each attachable to an end of a corresponding slat, each of the end members has an anchor affixable to an end of one of the slats, and a force dampener offset from said anchor, each force dampener at least partially overlapping a force dampener of an adjacent end member at a spacing to absorb shock applied to one or more of the slats of the door and distributing said force in a direction substantially along the direction of travel of the door;
- and
- at least one stiffening insert affixed to, and positioned proximate, an inner side of the outward face, and arranged in a direction along the length of at least one slat of the plurality of interconnected slats,
- wherein the at least one stiffening insert forms a lateral reinforcement impact distribution structure configured to distribute and redirect an impact force applied to one or more of the slats of the door in a direction substantially along the length of said one or more slats.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.