US 4,441,301 A · Garage door panel apparatus and method

Abstract

A garage door panel apparatus is formed with a metal sheet and having an insulating barrier strip connecting the inner and outer metal sheets of each panel to block conduction of heat between the front and back metal sides. The barrier strip holds front and back sheets together and provides a support for the weatherstrip. The metal sheet is filled with a rigid polymer foam which acts as insulation and support for the metal sheet. The method provides for making of a garage door panel in which the metal sheet of the front and back panels are joined by a barrier strip which holds the sheets together in a spaced relationship to each other. The expansion of the polymer foam within the door panel metal sheet increases the pressure to lock the barrier strips onto the edges of the panel's metal sheet. Thus, the barrier strip locks the front and back metal sheets together while forming an insulator against the conduction of heat through the metal and simultaneously providing a support for weatherstripping.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A garage door panel comprising in combination:

a metal skin formed to a generally door panel shape and having elongated parallel edges along one edge side thereof;
an elongated, non-metallic barrier strip attached to each elongated parallel edge to hold said parallel edges together and to space said parallel edges from each other;
filler material filling said formed metal skin held together with said elongated barrier strip;
and
an elongated weatherstrip attached to said barrier strip to form a weather seal between one garage door panel and an adjacent panel, said elongated non-metallic barrier strip being formed of a polymer material having a cross-section shaped to form a pair of gripping clips, each positioned to grip one metal edge for spacing the metal edges from each other, said barrier strip cross-section being shaped to form a hollow triangle having three walls, a slot through one wall thereof having a slot therethrough and having a first clip portion extending generally parallel to a second triangular wall adjacent said second wall to form a clip therewith and a third said triangle wall having a flange and a second clip portion extending at an angle from said third wall barrier strip adjacent to form a second clip therewith.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Garage door panel apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Garage door panel apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7