Patent ID: 6173532
Filing Date: 2001-01-16
Classification: E05F,E05Y

Abstract:
In combination a garage door and a garage door opener for automatically opening and closing said garage door relative to a garage door opening in a vehicle entry wall of a garage having an interior, the improvement comprising an opener mechanism that includes:a track secured to said vehicle entry wall above said garage door opening and said track extends in a curve and includes a track opening directed away from said vehicle entry wall and toward said interior of said garage,a chain having first and second ends wherein said first end of said chain is connected to the top of said garage door and said second end of said chain is always engaged with said track, and wherein said chain includes a plurality of links that have corners which are hinged together in articulated fashion to permit relative movement of said links between straight, linear alignment with each other and curvature in only one single direction from linear alignment with each other, anda reversible drive system that advances said chain out from said track opening and into said garage interior so that all of said chain links that are located between said track opening and said top of said door reside in straight, linear alignment with each other as aforesaid, and that alternatively retracts said chain from said garage interior onto said track so that said links follow said curve in said track.