Support roller provided with roll-up mechanism for rolling doors, gates and the like

A support roller on which a door and the like is rolled up and unrolled between an opened position and a closed position, comprising:

• an elongated tubular member having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough to receive a spring loaded roll-up mechanism therein for counterbalancing the weight of the door when the door is being rolled up to the opened position, and to also receive rotation means therein for rolling up and unrolling the door;
• recess means for receiving a hinge portion of an uppermost slat of the door;
• bulge means for engaging the uppermost salt and providing a surface for securing the uppermost slat thereto;
• rail means for:
• engaging first portions of the roll-up mechanism for rotation therewith, said rail means being disposed in the first portions to prevent relative rotation therebetween so that said tubular member rotates the first portions for winding up spring means of the roll-up mechanism when the door is being unrolled, and so that the first portions rotate said tubular member by action of the spring means unwinding when the door is being rolled up, and
• engaging second portions of the rotation means for rotation therewith, said rail means being disposed in the second portions to prevent relative rotation therebetween so that said tubular member is rotated by the second portions for rolling up and unrolling the door;
• wall means having a non-circular configuration to supportingly provide the door with a substantially circular configuration when rolled up on said support roller in the opened position;
• a number of flanges being securely mounted on said tubular member in a longitudinally spaced apart arrangement to support the door thereon when rolled up;
• each of said flanges including a small tubular portion and a large tubular portion connected together by a side wall in a one piece integral construction;
• p1 first securement means for fixedly securing said small tubular portion of each of said flanges on an outer surface of said tubular member;
• said large tubular portion of each of said flanges being provided with said recess means, said bulge means and said wall means;
• said wall means of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges being formed by radii having different lengths to provide a smooth non-circular curved outer wall surface of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges;
• said recess means of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges including a longitudinally extending recess provided in an outer wall of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges;
• said bulge means of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges including a longitudinally extending bulge portion provided on said outer wall of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges;
• said bulge portion of said large tubular portion of each of said flanges being adjacent and parallel to said recess associated therewith in said large tubular portion of each of said flanges;
• said rail means including an elongated bar extending longitudinally across an entire length of said tubular member in an outward direction from an interior wall of said tubular member for being received in the first portions of the roll-up mechanism, and for also being received in the second portions of the rotation means;
• and
• second securement means for fixedly securing said elongated bar to said interior wall of said tubular member.

A roll-up device for rolling up a door to an opened position, and for unrolling the door to a closed position, comprising:

• a tubular support roller for mounting the door thereon,
• a spring loaded roll-up mechanism for counterbalancing the weight of the door when the door is being rolled up to the opened position;
• said roll-up mechanism including first shaft means for longitudinal positioning within the support roller with an end portion of said first shaft means extending out of an end of the support roller, a first collar rotatably mounted on said end portion of said first shaft means for securement to an end portion of the support roller, a second collar rotatably mounted on an opposite end portion of said first shaft means within the support roller, and a coil spring mounted on said first shaft means between said first and second collars, an inner end of said coil spring being secured to said second collar and an opposite end of said coil spring being secured to said first shaft means adjacent to said first collar;
• said first shaft means, said first and second collars and said coil spring being assembled together as a first unit construction to permit said first unit construction to be inserted into the end of the support roller;
• rotation means for rotating the support roller to roll up and unroll the door;
• said rotation means including second shaft means for longitudinally positioning within the support roller with an end portion of said second shaft means extending out of an opposite end of the support roller, a third collar fixedly mounted on said end portion of said second shaft means for securement to an opposite end portion of the support roller, a fourth collar fixedly mounted on an opposite end portion of said second shaft means within the support roller, securement means fixedly securing said third and fourth collars to said second shaft means for rotation with said second shaft means;
• said second shaft means, and said third and fourth collars being assembled together as a second unit construction to permit said second unit construction to be inserted into the opposite end of the support roller;
• said opposite end portion of said first shaft means being longitudinally spaced from said opposite end portion of said second shaft means within the support roller;
• first recess means for engaging the support roller to rotate said first and second collars therewith, said first recess means being provided in said first and second collars for receiving an inwardly projecting portion provided on an interior wall of the support roller to prevent relative rotation between said first and second collars and the support roller so that the support roller rotates said first and second collars for winding up said coil spring of said roll-up mechanism when the door is being unrolled and so that said first and second collars rotate the support roller by action of said coil spring unwinding when the door is being rolled up, while permitting longitudinal movement of said second collar within the support roller;
• second recess means engaging the support roller for rotation therewith, said second recess means being provided in said third and fourth collars for receiving the inwardly projecting portion provided on the interior wall of the support roller to prevent relative rotation between said third and fourth collars and the support roller so that the support roller is rotated by said third and fourth collars for rolling up and unrolling the door;
• said first recess means and said second recess means being in longitudinal alignment with each other to receive the inwardly projecting portion provided on the interior wall of the support roller;
• and
• edge means provided on each of said first, second, third and fourth collars for providing a smooth non-circular curved outer edge surface on each of said first, second, third and fourth collars to conform to the interior wall of the support roller, said outer edge surface of each of said first, second, third and fourth collars being formed by radii having different lengths;
• whereby when the door is being rolled down by said rotation means, said first shaft means is held stationary while the support roller rotates said first and second collars so that said second collar winds up said coil spring on said first shaft means to a tensioned condition to counterbalance the weight of the door for when the door is rolled up to the opened position.