Overhead door, panel and hinge assembly

An overhead door capable of being selectively moved between a generally horizontal open configuration and a generally vertical closed configuration covering an opening, the door comprising:

• a plurality of serially connected panels;
• a plurality of hinges joining adjacent panels;
• a track assembly mounted proximate the opening, the track assembly including a generally vertical section, a generally horizontal section and a transition section joining the horizontal and vertical sections together;
• and
• a plurality of rollers mounted on the panels and coupled to the track assembly to guide the door between the closed and open configurations;
• wherein selected ones of the panels further comprise:
• a) a front face and a back face, the hinges being proximate to the back face of each panel;
• b) an upper edge having a generally non-circular convex configuration separated by the front face from a lower edge having a generally non-circular concave configuration, the upper edge of each panel mating with the lower edge of an adjacent panel, wherein a cross-sectional configuration of the upper and lower edges each comprise a plurality of generally linear segments;
• c) a rail on the upper and lower edges of the panels, the rail comprising the back face extending generally parallel to the front face and a terminal lip projecting from the back face toward the front face;
• d) first and second load bearing contact locations between the upper and lower edges of the adjacent panels, the contact locations supporting a substantial portion of the weight of superjacent panels and being separated by a gap, the first contact location being proximate the front faces of the adjacent panels to inhibit the insertion of a foreign object between the adjacent panels during movement of the panels to and between the open and closed configurations of the door, the second contact location being proximate the back face of the panels and including a downwardly sloping interface between the upper and lower edges of the adjacent panels when the door is in the closed configuration to aid in the alignment of the panels;
• e) a nose at the juncture between the front face and the lower edge of the panel;
• f) a shoulder at the juncture between the front face and upper edge of the panel, wherein the nose rests upon the shoulder of the subjacent panel to form the first contact location when the door is in the closed configuration;
• and
• g) a pair of generally planar surfaces one of which is on the upper edge and the other of which is on the lower edge, the pair of generally planar surfaces being in contact when the door is in the closed configuration to form the second contact location.

A method of assembling an overhead door capable of being moved between a generally horizontal open configuration and a generally vertical closed configuration covering an opening, the method comprising:

• stacking a plurality of panels one atop another such that a lower edge of each panel mates with an upper edge of the subjacent panel, the mating upper and lower edges of adjacent panels having first and second load bearing contact locations separated by a gap in which the contact locations support a substantial portion of the weight of the superjacent panel;
• aligning the adjacent panels with each other by the contact locations, the first contact location being substantially at the juncture between respective front faces of the adjacent panels and portions of the respective lower and upper edges of the adjacent panels the second contact location being proximate a back face of the panels and includes an interface between the upper and lower edges of the adjacent panels and being oriented obliquely with respect to the face of the panels to aid in the alignment of the panels during the assembly of the door;
• and
• hingedly connecting the adjacent panels.

A panel for an overhead door comprising a plurality of the panels pivotally connected and capable of being moved between a generally horizontal open configuration and a generally vertical closed configuration covering an opening, the panel comprising:

• a front face and a back face;
• a portion of a hinge coupled to the panel proximate the back face;
• an upper edge separated from a lower edge by the front face, the upper edge of the panel for mating with the lower edge of an adjacent similar panel;
• first and second contact load bearing locations on each of the upper and lower edges of the panel when juxtaposed generally vertically relative to another similar panel, the contact locations supporting a substantial portion of the weight of superjacent panels, being separated by a gap and cooperating to inhibit the insertion of a foreign object between the adjacent panels during movement of the panels to and between the open and closed configurations of the door, the first contact location being substantially at the juncture between the associated front faces of the adjacent panels and portions of the associated lower and upper edges of the adjacent panels, the second contact location being proximate the back face of the panels and including an obliquely angled interface between the upper and lower edges of the adjacent panels when the door is in the closed configuration to aid in the alignment of the panels.

A panel for an overhead door comprising a plurality of the panels pivotally connected and capable of being moved between a generally horizontal open configuration and a generally vertical closed configuration covering an opening, the panel comprising:

• a front face and a back face;
• an upper generally convex edge separated from a lower generally concave edge by the front face, the upper edge of the panel for mating with the lower edge of an adjacent similar panel;
• first and second load bearing contact locations on each of the upper and lower edges of the panel when juxtaposed generally vertically relative to another similar panel, the contact locations for supporting a substantial portion of the weight of superjacent panels, being separated by a gap and cooperating to inhibit the insertion of a foreign object between the adjacent panels during movement of the panels to and between the open and closed configurations of the door, the first contact location being proximate the front face and the second contact location being proximate the back face of the panels;
• a nose at the juncture between the front face and the lower edge of the panel;
• and
• a shoulder at the juncture between the front face and upper edge of the panel, wherein the nose is adapted to rest upon the shoulder of the adjacent panel to form the first contact location when the door is used in combination with adjacent panels and is in the closed configuration;
• an upper and a lower rail on the upper and lower edges, respectively, of the panels, each rail comprising the back face extending generally parallel to the front face and a terminal lip projecting from the back face toward the front face;
• and
• a pair of generally planar surfaces one of which is on the upper edge and the other of which is on the lower edge, said generally planar surfaces being obliquely angled with respect to the back face, the upper edge generally planar surface and lower edge generally planar surface adapted to be in face-to-face contact with the lower edge generally planar surface and the upper edge generally planar surface, respectively, of the adjacent panel when the panel is used in combination with adjacent panels and is in the closed configuration to form the second contact location.

A method of-assembling a garage door panel comprising the steps of:

• positioning a stile generally perpendicularly to and between upper and lower laterally extending spaced and parallel rails of the panel, a face of the panel extending between the upper and lower rails thereof, the stile having a notch on each end thereof each with first and second portions;
• moving each end of the stile toward the panel to engage a respective one of the rails of the panel;
• temporarily deflecting at least a part of the respective rail with the first portion of the associated notch until a part of the rail is positioned between the first and second portions of the notch and the first portion of the notch is positioned between the face and the part of the rail;
• and
• applying a fastener to fasten the end of the stile to the respective rail.