Method of opening and closing a bi-fold door

A method of opening and closing a door opening located adjacent an upright column with a bi-fold door having a first panel pivotally connected to a second panel and holding the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the upright column when the door opening is closed with the bi-fold door characterized by:

• locating the first panel and the second panel in an aligned position adjacent the upright column to close the door opening,
• attaching a first end of a first flexible member to one of the first panel or the second panel,
• attaching a second end of the first flexible member to a bi-fold door lift drum,
• attaching a first end of a second flexible member to the upright column,
• attaching a second end of the second flexible member to a bi-fold door latch drum,
• mounting the door lift drum and the door latch drum on a shaft, and
• connecting the shaft to a reversible drive unit operable to selectively rotate the shaft in opposite directions to wind and unwind the first flexible member onto and off the bi-fold door lift drum to open and close the door opening and to wind and unwind the second flexible member onto and off the bi-fold door latch drum to hold the first panel and the second panel of the bi-fold door in engagement with the upright column when the first panel and the second panel are the in aligned position closing the door opening and allow the first panel and the second panel to move from the aligned position to a folded side-by-side position out of engagement with the upright column to open the door opening.

A method of opening and closing a door opening located adjacent an upright column with a bi-fold door having a first panel pivotally connected to a second panel characterized by:

• locating the first panel and the second panel in an aligned position adjacent the upright column to close the door opening with the bi-fold door,
• attaching a first strap to the first panel and a bi-fold door lift drum,
• attaching a second strap to the upright column and a bi-fold door latch drum,
• mounting the door lift drum and the door latch drum on a shaft,
• rotating the shaft in a first direction to wind the first strap on the bi-fold door lift drum to move the first panel and the second panel from the aligned position to a folded position to open the door opening and to unwind the second strap from the bi-fold door latch drum to allow the first panel and the second panel to disengage the upright column as the first panel and the second panel move from the aligned position to the folded position, and
• rotating the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction to unwind the first strap from the bi-fold door lift drum to allow the first panel and the second panel to move from the folded position to the aligned position to close the door opening and to wind the second strap onto the bi-fold door latch drum to hold the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the upright column.

A method of opening and closing a door opening located adjacent an upright column with a bi-fold door having a first panel pivotally connected to a second panel characterized by:

• locating the first panel and the second panel in an aligned position adjacent the upright column to close the door opening with the bi-fold door,
• attaching a first flexible member to the first panel and a bi-fold door lift drum,
• attaching a second flexible member to the upright column and a bi-fold door latch drum,
• mounting the door lift drum and the door latch drum on a shaft,
• rotating the shaft in a first direction to wind the first flexible member on the bi-fold door lift drum to move the first panel and the second panel from the aligned position to a folded position to open the door opening and to unwind the second flexible member from the bi-fold door latch drum to allow the first panel and the second panel to disengage the upright column as the first panel and the second panel move from the aligned position, and
• rotating the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction to unwind the first flexible member on the bi-fold door lift drum to allow the first panel and the second panel to move from the folded position to the aligned position to close the door opening and to wind the second flexible member onto the bi-fold door latch drum to hold the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the upright column.

A method of opening and closing a door opening located between a first upright column and a second upright column with a bi-fold door having a first panel pivotally connected to a second panel and holding the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the first upright column and the second upright column when the door opening is closed with the bi-fold door characterized by:

• locating the first panel and the second panel in an aligned position adjacent the first upright column and the second upright column to close the door opening,
• attaching a first end of a first strap to one of the first panel or the second panel,
• attaching a second end of the first strap to a bi-fold door lift drum,
• attaching a first end of a second strap to the first upright column,
• attaching a second end of the second strap to a first bi-fold door latch drum,
• attaching a first end of a third strap to the second upright column,
• attaching a second end of the third strap to a second bi-fold door latch drum,
• mounting the door lift drum and the first bi-fold door latch drum and the second bi-fold door latch drum on a shaft, and
• connecting the shaft to a reversible drive unit operable to selectively rotate the shaft in opposite directions to wind and unwind the first strap onto and off the bi-fold lift drum to open and close the door opening and to wind and unwind the second strap onto and off the first bi-fold door latch drum and to wind and unwind the third strap onto and off the second bi-fold door latch drum whereby the second strap holds the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the first upright column and the third strap holds the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the second upright column when the first panel and the second panel are in the aligned position closing the door opening and allow the first panel and the second panel to move from the aligned position to a folded side-by-side position out of engagement with the first upright column and the second upright column to open the door opening.

A method of opening and closing a door opening located between a first upright column and a second upright column with a bi-fold door having a first panel pivotally connected to a second panel and hold the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the first upright column and the second upright column when the door opening is closed with the bi-fold door characterized by:

• locating the first panel and the second panel in an aligned position adjacent the first upright column and the second upright column to close the door opening,
• attaching a first end of a first flexible member to one of the first panel or the second panel,
• attaching a second end of the first flexible member to a bi-fold door lift drum,
• attaching a first end of a second flexible member to the first upright column,
• attaching a second end of the second flexible member to a first bi-fold door latch drum,
• attaching a first end of a third flexible member to the second upright column,
• attaching a second end of the third flexible member to a second bi-fold door latch drum,
• mounting the door lift drum and the first bi-fold door latch drum and the second bi-fold door latch drum on a shaft, and
• connecting the shaft to a reversible drive unit operable to selectively rotate the shaft in opposite directions to wind and unwind the first flexible member onto and off the bi-fold lift drum to open and close the door opening and to wind and unwind the second flexible member onto and off the first bi-fold door latch drum and to wind and unwind the third flexible member onto and off the second bi-fold door latch drum whereby the second flexible member holds the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the first upright column and the third flexible member holds the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the second upright column when the first panel and the second panel are in the aligned position closing the door opening and allow the first panel and the second panel to move from the aligned position to a folded side-by-side position out of engagement with the first upright column and the second upright column to open the door opening.

A method of opening and closing a door opening located between a first upright column and a second upright column with a bi-fold door having a first panel pivotally connected to a second panel and holding the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the first upright column and the second upright column when the door opening is closed with the bi-fold door characterized by:

• locating the first panel and the second panel in an aligned position adjacent the first upright column and the second upright column to close the door opening,
• attaching a first flexible member to one of the first panel or the second panel,
• attaching the first flexible member to a bi-fold door lift drum,
• attaching a second flexible member to the first upright column,
• attaching the second flexible member to a first bi-fold door latch drum,
• attaching a third flexible member to the second upright column,
• attaching the third flexible member to a second bi-fold door latch drum,
• mounting the door lift drum and the first bi-fold door latch drum and the second bi-fold door latch drum on a shaft,
• rotating the shaft in a first direction to wind the first flexible member on the bi-fold door lift drum to move the first panel and the second panel from the aligned position to a folded position to open the door opening and to unwind the second flexible member from the first bi-fold door latch drum and unwind the third flexible member from the second bi-fold door latch drum to allow the first panel and the second panel to disengage the first upright column and the second upright column from the aligned position to the folded position, and
• rotating the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction to unwind the first flexible member from the bi-fold door lift drum to allow the first panel and the second panel to move from the folded position to the aligned position to close the door opening and to wind the second flexible member onto the first bi-fold door latch drum and to wind the third flexible member onto the second bi-fold door latch drum to hold the first panel and the second panel in engagement with the first upright column and the second upright column when the first panel and the second panel are in the aligned position.