Sectional folding overhead door assembly

A sectional folding overhead door assembly comprising:

• a pair of opposite, vertically disposed side support and guide means defining a door opening between them, each side support and guide means including:
• a first channel and a second channel disposed side-by-side, the first channel having a main first channel section vertically extending a height of the door opening, the second channel having a vertically extending main second channel section, and
• a curved second channel section at a top of the sectional folding overhead door assembly, said curved second channel section connecting to the main second channel section, wherein the second channel also has a horizontally extending second channel end section connecting to the curved second channel section, the second channel at least substantially extending the height of the door opening;
• a door component comprising a plurality of rectangular panels adapted for folding vertical movement along said pair of side support and guide means from a closed position, in which the panels are coplanar and vertically aligned for closing said door opening, to an access position, for allowing access through said door opening in which access position the panels are folded in a horizontal position at the top of the sectional folding overhead door assembly and are horizontally stacked on top of each other, wherein the plurality of rectangular panels comprising a first panel, a second panel, a third panel, and a fourth panel, each panel having a front side, a back side, a horizontal upper edge at a top portion of each panel, a horizontal lower edge at a bottom portion of each panel, and two side edges, the door component further comprising a plurality of horizontal hinge means connecting the horizontal edges of adjacent panels of said plurality of panels together in accordion fashion, each hinge means defining a horizontal hinge axis, wherein in said closed position the panels extend between the opposite first channels of the pair of side support and guide means;
• the plurality of panels comprising the first panel connected via one or more of the plurality of horizontal hinge means to the second panel to form a first pair of panels,
• the first panel comprises:
• first and second side plates of the first panel, each side plate extending parallel to a respective side edge of the first panel, wherein each side plate of the first panel having a first side plate end fixedly connected to the respective side edge at the top portion of the first panel and a second side plate end fixedly connected to the respective side edge at the bottom portion of the first panel;
• and
• a device fixedly attached to each side plate of the first panel for guiding and supporting the first pair of panels in a respective one of the side support and guide means, wherein each device is a first guiding pin for the first pair of panels that extends away from the first panel into a respective one of the second channels, each said device for the first pair of panels for guiding and supporting being further arranged for initiating the folding movement of the plurality of panels of the door component,
• the second panel is provided at each of its side edges with a side plate of the second panel, each side plate of the second panel extending parallel to a respective one of the side edges of the second panel, each side plate of the second panel having a first side plate end fixedly connected to the respective side edge at the top portion of the second panel and extending beyond the horizontal upper edge of the second panel and a second side plate end fixedly connected to the respective side edge at a middle portion of the second panel and extending above the back side of the second panel, each first side plate end of the second panel being provided with a horizontal side plate hinge pin extending in a direction away from a respective side plate of the second panel, and each second side plate end of the second panel being provided with a side plate guiding pin extending away from the respective side plate, wherein said side plate hinge pin defining a side plate hinge pin axis which is at least substantially coaxial with the horizontal hinge axis of the one or more hinge means connecting the first and second panels;
• the second panel of the first pair of panels is also provided at each of its side edges with a first guide plate, each first guide plate for the first pair of panels having a first guide plate upper end and an opposite first guide plate lower end, each first guide plate upper end for the first pair of panels being provided with a second guiding pin extending in a direction away from the first guide plate for the first pair of panels into a respective first channel, wherein each first guide plate lower end for the first pair of panels being provided with a third guiding pin for the first pair of panels, the third guiding pin for the first pair of panels extending in a direction away from the first guide plate of the for the first pair of panels into a respective second channel, and wherein the side plate hinge pin of the side plate of the second panel being hingeably connected to the first guide plate upper end for the first pair of panels, and
• the door component further comprises, at each side edge of the first panel of the first pair of panels, a first folding movement controlling member, each first folding movement controlling member for the first pair of panels having a first folding movement controlling member upper end hingeably connected to a respective one of the side plates of the first panel and a first folding movement controlling member lower end hingeably connected around a first folding movement controlling member hinge axis to a respective lower end of the first guide plate for the first pair of panels, wherein each first folding movement controlling member also has a first folding movement guiding channel into which first folding movement guiding channel a respective one of the side plate guiding pins of the respective side plate of the second panel extends.