Storm rail for sliding door

A support brace for structurally linking a horizontally sliding door to a surrounding structure at an edge of the sliding door spaced between laterally spaced parts of the surrounding structure, comprising:

• a rail having a first end and a second end, said rail being removably attachable to the edge of said sliding door so that said first end is adjacent to a top edge of said sliding door and said second end is adjacent to a bottom edge of said sliding door, said rail defining a channel over at least a part of a length between the first end and the second end, wherein the rail extends around and engages against opposite sides of the sliding door at the edge;
• at least one bolt slidingly secured to said rail adjacent to each of the first and second ends, said bolts each including a locking rod wherein said bolt can be slid along said rail between a first position wherein said locking rod projects beyond one of said first end of said rail, and a second position wherein one of said first end of said rail projects beyond said locking rod;
• and
• two lock plates each including an opening defined through a portion of said plate, each of said openings being arranged in aligned relation to one of said locking rods so that when said bolt is slid from said second position to said first position, said locking rod is received in said opening.

A storm resistant sliding door assembly comprising, in combination:

• at least one horizontally sliding door panel including a pair of spaced-apart vertical stiles, a horizontal top rail, a horizontal bottom rail, a roller assembly, and a pane of glass forming a movable door panel that is displaceable between open and closed positions in a frame, at least one of the vertical stiles being an intermediate stile disposed at a space between lateral sides of the frame when the door assembly is closed;
• an elongate rail having a first end and a second end, said rail defining a channel that encloses around opposite sides of said intermediate stile so that said first end is positioned adjacent to said horizontal top rail of said sliding door and said second end is positioned adjacent to said horizontal bottom rail of said sliding door;
• at least one bolt slidingly secured to said rail and including a locking rod wherein said bolt can be slid along said rail between a first position wherein said locking rod projects beyond said horizontal bottom rail of said sliding door, and a second position wherein said locking rod is spaced from said horizontal bottom rail;
• and
• at least one lock plate including an opening defined through a portion of said plate, said opening being arranged in aligned relation to said locking rod when the door assembly is closed so that when said bolt is slid from said second position to said first position, said locking rod is received in said opening.