Bi-fold door system

A bi-fold door assembly comprising

• first and second door panels,
• upper and lower pivot structure at one side of said first door panel constructed and arranged to mount said first door panel within a door opening adjacent one side thereof for pivotal movement about a vertical pivotal axis,
• upper and lower hinge structure between an opposite side of said first door panel and an adjacent side of said second door panel constructed and arranged to hingedly connect said first and second door panels together for relative movement about a vertical hinge axis between a closed position wherein said first and second door panels are disposed generally aligned with one another and an opened position wherein said first and second door panels are disposed generally in side-by-side relation to one another adjacent the one side of the door opening,
• upper and lower horizontally extending track structure constructed and arranged to be installed in the door opening,
• upper and lower guiding structure at an opposite side of said second door panel constructed and arranged to guide the opposite side of said second door panel along horizontally extending track structure, said guiding structure being constructed and arranged to allow said second door panel to pivot about a moving vertical axis which is movable horizontally as the opposite side of said second door panel moves along said track structure,
• each guiding structure comprising a molded plastic mounting member including a fixed mounting portion constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted on the opposite side of said second door panel, a pivoted portion and an elongated thin narrow wall integrally interconnecting said pivoted portion with respect to said fixed portion and establishing said movable vertical axis,
• each guiding structure including track engaging structure slidably engaged with an associated track structure for horizontal sliding movement along said track structure,
• each pivoted portion being operatively associated with an associated track-engaging structure so as to move horizontally along an associated track structure so that an associated elongated thin narrow wall and the connection of said fixed mounting portion with the opposite side of said second door panel allow the opposite side of said second door panel to pivot about the moving vertical axis established by said elongated thin wall while being moved horizontally thereby as said pivoted portion is moved horizontally with said track-engaging structure.

A hinge assembly for hingedly interconnecting first and second door panels for movement between a closed position wherein said door panels are aligned and an opened position wherein said door panels are side by side, said hinge assembly comprising

• a pair of hinge members including mounting portions constructed and arranged to be fixed to the first and second door panels respectively,
• a spring having opposed portions biased toward one another,
• said hinge members having axially aligned hinge portions,
• a pivot pin within said hinge portions establishing a hinge axis between said hinge members enabling said hinge members to move between a door closed position corresponding with the closed position of the door panels and a door open position corresponding with the opened position of the door panels,
• said mounting portions having opposed stop surfaces disposed in engagement with one another to establish the door closed position thereof,
• said opposed spring portions having pivotal connections with said mounting portions constructed and arranged to provide pivotal axes parallel with the hinge axis provided by said pivot pin so that (1) when said hinge members are in or near the door closed position thereof said spring biases said hinged members into the door closed position thereof and (2) when said hinge members are in or near the door open position thereof said spring biases said hinge members into the door open position thereof,
• each hinge member is molded of plastic material and each pivotal connection includes integral resiliently cantilevered snap-action elements constructed and arranged to receive a spring portion with a pivotal snap-action fit.

A track and guide assembly for controlling a door panel for horizontal rectilinear motion and simultaneous pivotal motion about a vertical axis within a door opening, said trade and guide assembly comprising

• horizontally extending track structure constructed and arranged to be installed in the door opening,
• said guiding structure comprising a molded plastic mounting member including a fixed mounting portion constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted on the door panel, a pivoted portion and an elongated thin narrow wall integrally interconnecting said pivoted portion with respect to said fixed portion and establishing said vertical axis, said guiding structure including track engaging structure slidably engaged with the track structure for horizontal sliding movement along said track structure,
• said pivoted portion being operatively associated with said track engaging structure so as to move horizontally therewith when said track engaging structure moves horizontally along said track structure so that said elongated thin narrow wall and the connection of said fixed mounting portion with the opposite side of said second door panel allow the opposite side of said second door panel to pivot about the moving vertical axis established by said elongated thin wall while being moved horizontally thereby as said pivoted portion is moved horizontally with said track engaging structure.

A track and guide assembly for controlling a door panel for horizontal rectilinear motion and simultaneous pivotal motion about a vertical axis, said track and guide assembly comprising

• a track section constructed and arranged to be mounted horizontally within a door opening,
• said track section being constructed of plastic material and configured to provide therein a T-shaped guide groove defined by a central elongated slot opening outwardly having opposed grooves extending transversely in opposite directions from an inner end of said central slot,
• a guide assembly including fixed mounting structure constructed and arranged to be fixedly connected with the door panel, pivoted structure pivotally connected with said fixed mounting structure for pivotal movement about a vertical axis corresponding to the vertical pivotal axis of the door panel, and track engaging structure slidably mounted in said track section for horizontal movement therealong, said track engaging structure being operatively associated with said pivoted structure to enable the pivoted structure to move horizontally with said track engaging structure, said track engaging structure including a first flange having pivoted structure fixed therewith, said first flange being configured to be moved through said central slot and into an operative position wherein said first flange is disposed in one of said annular grooves and a second flange fixed to a movable structure operatively associated with said pivoted structure to move from (1) an insertion position allowing said first flange to be moved into the operative position thereof and after said first flange has been moved into the operative position into (2) an operative position wherein said second flange is disposed in an opposite one of said annular grooves to thereby prevent said first flange from being moved out of the operative position thereof without first moving said second flange into the insertion position thereof.

A track and slide assembly for a door panel for controlling horizontal movement of the door panel back and forth along a rectilinear path comprising

• a track section constructed of plastic material and configured to provide therein a T-shaped guide groove including a central slot opening outwardly having opposed grooves extending transversely in opposite directions from an inner end of said central slot,
• a one piece molded plastic member having track engaging structure capable of being detachably mounted on said track section,
• said one piece molded plastic member including a main body part and a movable part connected with said main body part by an integral elongated thin narrow wall enabling said movable part to pivot with respect to said main body part,
• said track engaging structure including said track engaging structure including a first flange extending from an end of said main body part configured to be moved through said central slot and into an operative position wherein said first flange is disposed in one of said annular grooves and a second flange extending from an end of said movable part constructed and arranged with respect to main body part to be moved from (1) an insertion position allowing said first flange to be moved into the operative position thereof and after said first flange has been moved into the operative position thereof into (2) an operative position wherein said second flange is disposed in an opposite one of said annular grooves to thereby prevent said first flange from being moved out of the operative position thereof without first moving second flange into the insertion position thereof, movement of said movable part from the operative position thereof into the insertion position thereof enabling said one piece molding to be removed from said track section by withdrawing said first flange from the operative position thereof outwardly of said central slot.