Temporarily mountable strip door system, especially for temporary climate control of an area

A temporarily mountable strip door system includes a strip mounting frame. The frame has mounting features to enable releasable coupling to an exterior of an opening in a building. A plurality of flexible door strips are affixed to the mounting frame. The system includes means for releasably affixing the mounting frame to the exterior of the opening. A method for controlling climate in a temporarily enclosed space include moving conditioned air from inside a device having a permanent heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit associated therewith through a duct into the temporarily enclosed space. Air is returned air from the temporarily enclosed space to the inside of the device.

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to the field of flexible panel-type screens and enclosures. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and an apparatus for temporarily enclosing a space such that climate can be controlled in the temporarily enclosed space.

2. Background Art

A strip door is used to provide climate control in an enclosed area, yet allow free passage of humans, vehicles etc into and out of the enclosed area. A strip door is typically formed from a plurality of flexible plastic strips suspended from a mounting device secured to an upper edge of the opening to be sealed by the strip door. The strips may be formed from clear vinyl to enable visibility therethrough.

Strip doors are most commonly used where a great amount of such passage occurs, and where such passage would require that any other type of door be completely opened to effect such passage. In such cases using any other type of door, the cooling/heating systems used to maintain the selected interior climate either would be inadequate to handle the loss/gain in temperature, or such systems would have to be substantially oversized. Typical applications for strip doors include commercial enclosures such as refrigeration docks, air conditioned warehouses, manufacturing facilities where climates are different in different areas due to process requirements, etc.

Prior art strip doors generally have robust design and permanence of the installations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,331,425 to Groves et al. shows a robust, but complicated, high-cost strip door installation which allows for vehicle passage. The strip door attachment means shown in the '425 patent though automated, is not easily installed in a garage or temporary structure location. U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,144 to Garufo discloses strip door means customized for use in conjunction with aircraft hangers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,725 to Gidge shows another complicated strip door mounting device which includes many parts, thus making impractical to install and remove in short order. The door shown in the '725 patent focuses on energy efficiencies, vehicular passage and wind concerns. All the foregoing prior art strip door installation means do not allow flexibility in installation and removal and are relatively costly to make.

Typical strip doors known in the art are not adapted for completely temporary installation. It is desirable to have a strip door that could easily be loaded onto a delivery truck along with other temporary structures, for example, “moon walk” or similar portable, inflatable entertainment devices, and that could be used to enable otherwise non-climate controlled spaces such as residential garages to be used as climate-controlled rooms during an event of temporary duration. Using temporarily enclosed spaces in structures built to withstand inclement weather conditions can be far superior to air conditioned tents or the like and can be provided at a considerably lower cost.

Portable blower and conduit means for temporary rerouting of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (“HVAC”) are used to provide climate control in enclosed areas such as construction sites, commercial structures under modification, hospitals which may have temporary outages of HVAC and the like. Such portable blower and conduit means, however, are not known to be used as temporary HVAC rerouting inside a permanent structure. It is desirable to have temporary rerouting of HVAC using such blower and conduit means to provide temporary HVAC within certain portions of permanent structures that do not require HVAC all the time. As a specific example, a room such as a residential garage, where HVAC climate control is not ordinarily provided, could be used as a temporary extra room. In such cases, where the garage is so used, it would be desirable to have climate control. An additional, portable HVAC unit could be provided, but such unit would incur additional expense. There is a need to be able to use the HVAC system in the part of the permanent structure having such HVAC system to provide climate control in a temporarily enclosed room within such permanent structure.

Temporarily erected structures, such as tents, may be provided with temporary HVAC climate control. Climate control for such structures known in the art is typically provided by a HVAC unit used for that specific purpose. Having such a separate HVAC unit can be costly, and can reduce extra carrying capacity of vehicles used to transport the structure to its location of use. What is needed is a device to enable climate control within temperary structure that can use a vehicular HVAC system for such purpose.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a temporarily mountable strip door system. A door system according to this aspect of the invention includes a door strip mounting frame. The door strip mounting frame includes mounting features to enable releasable coupling to an exterior of an opening in a building. A plurality of flexible door strips are affixed to the door strip mounting frame. The strip door system includes means for releasably affixing the door strip mounting frame to the exterior of the opening.

Another aspect of the invention is a method for controlling the climate in a temporarily enclosed space. A method according to this aspect of the invention includes moving conditioned air from inside a device having a permanent heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit associated therewith through a duct into the temporarily enclosed space. Air is returned from the temporarily enclosed space to the inside of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention focuses the benefits of strip doors toward use in dwelling structures such as in homes, town homes, small offices, etc. Even high rise apartments and condominiums may find uses for temporary climate controlled areas where people/animals etc. can easily blend with the outdoors, yet have the comfort of an indoor, climate controlled space. A strip door system according to one aspect of the invention can easily be stored during times when the door system is not needed, and can be installed on a temporary basis when needed. In some embodiments, the temporary installation can be performed without any modification whatsoever to the structure to which the strip doors are installed. Furthermore, because the strip door installations are only temporary, the focus of climate control according to the various aspects of the invention is on making the temporary area comfortable, and the energy efficiency of climate control is only of secondary concern.

A strip door system according to the invention can also be decorated using designs such as can be painted, stenciled, etched, etc. onto the door strips themselves. The designs can flow continuously across the interfaces between the individual strips on each door panel. Such design makes the strip door usable as a decoration in addition to its climate barrier function.

Another aspect of the invention provides a very low cost means to expand the climate controlled area of a building. Additionally, in one aspect the invention adds no new HVAC equipment to the building and requires no additional electrical wiring other than what is in place in order to have climate control within an area not otherwise having climate control. Such features obviously reduce cost but also eliminate building code and architectural approval requirements that may be necessary for the addition of extra electrical/gas/power services and/or implementation of wall or window HVAC. Such services and HVAC units may not conform to some neighborhood deed restrictions, thus making the invention usable where more permanent installations may be contrary to such restrictions. In another embodiment of climate control according to this aspect of the invention, the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle having HVAC equipment therein can be used as a source of climate control for a temporarily enclosed space. As used in the description of this invention, the term “heating, ventilating and air conditioning unit” is intended to refer to any device that changes a characteristic of the air in an enclosed space, and includes, without limitation, devices such as heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers.

Having discussed the nature and applications of the various aspects of the invention, specific implementations will now be described to explain the principles by which the various aspects of the invention can be made and used.FIGS. 1 and 1Ashow an area1such as a garage, storage area or any other room forming a permanent part of a building, where the area1is ordinarily not provided with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The area1has an opening1ato the out of doors that can accommodate a temporary door made of strip panels2. The strip panels2are shown inFIG. 1Ain a stored position on storage hooks37inside the area1, which may he to one side of the opening1afor convenience of use. The strip panels2then are shown inFIG. 1mounted so as to cover the opening1a. The strip panels2may subsequently be dismounted when the temporary use for the area1is completed. After dismounting the strip panels2, as shown inFIG. 1A, stored away, the area1can be returned to its original use, for example, storage of autos when the area1is a garage. The strip panels2are shown again as stored inFIG. 1A. Thus, in a strip door system according to this aspect of the invention, the strip panels2are temporarily mounted to enclose the area1when required, and then the strip panels2are removed after the intended temporary use of the area1is completed. The strip panels2and the various forms of mounting thereof, which will be further explained below, are such that the mounting, dismounting and storage of the strip panels2can be repeated as often as necessary without any substantial modification to the building (exterior opening of the area1) in which the area1is disposed.

FIG. 2shows one embodiment of the strip panel2.FIG. 2Ashows a primary mount for the panel2in the form of a channel3, which may be made from a rigid, high strength material such as aluminum, steel or high impact plastic, which acts as mount for the panel's flexible door strips3a.FIG. 2Bshows one method of affixing the strips3ain place on the channel3using indentations5in the channel3for crimping and holding. Plastic material to form the door strips3aincludes polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl, or any other moldable, flexible plastic, and such materials are typically commercially available in 6-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch widths, cut to a selected length to fit the particular opening (1ainFIG. 1). The strips3aand can be ribbed, colored, etc. The panels2, however, should be limited in channel length and resulting number of strips so as to be easily movable by one person. The current embodiment uses eight such strips,3a, each approximately eight inches wide and approximately seven feet long. Seven feet is a typical garage door opening height. The panel2in the present embodiment can be approximately fifty inches wide, which provides for an overlap of 2 inches per strip3a. Four of the panels2will then span a typical two-car garage opening, which typically is about sixteen feet horizontal dimension. The panels2can be configured differently with respect to strip length or number of strips (and corresponding channel length), as particular applications may require, such as for openings other than a garage door. Examples of such applications include a porch, or single pedestrian door etc.

FIGS. 2C and 2Dshow one embodiment of mounting the panels2wherein through holes6are formed in the channel3, which then slide over hanger bolts6aaffixed to the front of the frame surrounding the opening1a.FIG. 2Dshows a panel2slid in position and secured by a wing nut7at one of its hanger bolt locations. Optional overlap/locking means may he used as some holes4can overlap a protruding boss6b. The present embodiment has mounting holes6on 32 inch centers,9inches from each end of the channel3to serve for a fairly balanced load distribution, but also to allow for storage hooks37to find studs on the room's1inner wall, which are typically on16inch centers. Such centers which will conform to the 32 inch centers of the mounting holes6. The present embodiment also includes an extra hole located about 24 inches from one of the 32 inch center mounting holes6to accommodate lighter duty building construction where framing studs are located on 24 inch centers. Thus, in some embodiments, the mounting holes6are located such that the panels2can be temporarily mounted in the opening for their temporary use, and may be conveniently hung for storage when not in use.

FIG. 3shows one embodiment of a flush mount design described above that allows for closure of the garage or room door8. Such mounting allows for temporary closure of the door8after periods of high pedestrian passage, thus allowing the climate control system (explained further below) to recover, if required. It also allows for temporary protection from high winds and rains if a storm or the like should pass through while the area1is being used for its temporary purpose.

FIG. 4shows a typical mounting of an HVAC unit9such as a window or wall-mount air conditioner, should the room1not be equipped with climate control.FIG. 4Ashows an alternate location where the HVAC unit9can protrude through a passage in one of the panels formed by having its strips either cut or rolled up in a fashion so as to seal around the HVAC unit9. This would be beneficial for interconnected buildings such as town homes where an outer wall for thermal exchange may not be accessible.

FIG. 5shows an alternative form of temporary mounting that requires no modifications to the building of any kinds, including a frame10consisting of a beam1Oaand mounting, jacking poles11shown in a collapsed position best for transportation and storage.FIG. 5Ashows the jacking poles11, with pivotal mounts on the top end38, pivoted out to position for affixing to the door frame. The length of the beam10aand the height of the jacking poles11can be selected to match a typical 16 foot wide, 7 foot high door opening, however the beam10aand jacking poles11can be sized for most any door width, with a beam strength sufficient to hold the loads of a plurality of panels2. A jack11a, such as a screw jack, hydraulic jack or the like can be mounted or contact part of the jacking poles11as shown inFIG. 5A.FIG. 5Bshows the temporary frame10ofFIG. 5Aplaced in front of the door opening to accommodate the temporary climate barrier made of one or more panels (2inFIG. 1).FIG. 5Dshows a view of the frame10including a ledge12by which the jack11aputs the poles11and beam10ainto compression between the floor and the garage or room door's frame. The ledge12is rigidly connected to or forms a part of the mounting beam10a, and all loads to the beam1Oatransfer through it. The area of contact between the beam1Oaand the door opening is typically protected with a scratch resistant material and/or soft material shims (not shown) are placed between the beam10aand the opening to assure no damage or scoring to the garage or room door frame. The shims can also act as a means to adjust the standard door height slightly to accommodate different ways in which doors are coped in, and to maintain the best coverage of the opening by the temporary strip door. The frictional and compressional load on the poles11when mounted as shown inFIG. 5Bkeep the poles11in place as though they were permanent column structures. InFIG. 5D, flush mount threaded studs6ccan be press fit or welded to the beam10ato provide a mounting means for the panels2similar to that explained above with reference toFIG. 2B.FIG. 5Cshows the panels2affixed to the temporary frame and a portable HVAC unit9, such as a wall mount air conditioner protruding through the temporary climate barrier for thermal exchange.

FIG. 6andFIG. 6Ashow alternate embodiments of left-handed and right-handed temporary mourning frames131,13r. Such mounting frames131,13rcan include a cantilever beam13butilizing jacking poles11, a jack11a, a rigidly connected or integrally formed ledge12, and threaded studs6c, as explained above with reference toFIGS. 5-5D). These mounting frames131,13rcan be fabricated for placing the jack11ato the left or to the right for reasons shown in following figures. The ledge12and/or mounting studs6cmay also be placed slightly off of perpendicular to vertical to allow for slight flexure of the beam and still allow for level mounting of the panels (2inFIG. 1).

FIG. 7shows an individual pedestrian door passage34. Such a passage is typically connected to a garage or similar area to be temporarily climate controlled.FIG. 7Ashows a temporary frame13rjacked into position with the jacking pole11to one side of the passage34, allowing for an adequate pedestrian passageway.FIG. 7Bshows a panel2, affixed to the mounting frame13r, thus creating a see though, walk through climate barrier for the individual passage34now blocked from view.

FIG. 8shows a single garage door opening35with both a left131and right13rtemporary mounting frame spanning the complete opening.FIG. 8Ashows panels2affixed to the temporary mounting frames creating a walk-through climate barrier, with no obstruction in the middle thereof.

FIGS. 9 and 9Ashow a double garage which utilizes two single garage door openings36. Two left131and two right13rtemporary mount frames are utilized to create a plurality of strip door passageways as described above with reference toFIG. 8.

FIG. 9Ashows the two openings36with panels2mounted. Areas ofFIGS. 8A and 9Acan easily then be climate controlled using a portable HVAC unit as described above with reference toFIG. 5C. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the advantages of making a strip door from one or more personally transportable panels include flexibility to match most any opening size. The system described above with reference toFIGS. 8 to 9Aperform the same basic climate control function as the system inFIGS. 5,5A and5B. The advantages of the system shown inFIGS. 8 through 9Amay include compact size of the components, ease of shipment, ease of set up and ease of storage, among others.

FIGS. 10,10A,10B,10C show design panels14,14a,14band14cwhich can add character of individuality to the strip door.FIG. 10Dshows panels assembled with the design portions mating up. The designs can be painted, stenciled, decaled etc. onto the strips (3ainFIG. 2A).

Another aspect of the invention will now be explained with reference toFIGS. 11 and 11A, which show an isometric view of a typical dwelling structure such as a home33that has a garage area1and a covered back porch16. The home has temporary air moving devices powered by blowers15shown in the garage1inFIG. 11, and inFIG. 11A, in the area of the back porch16. InFIGS. 11 and 11A, the blower driven mixing systems are not being used and the ducting systems are blocked with a louver or cover of some form so as to contain the conditioned air to the main section of the home.

FIG. 12is a floor plan view of the home33inFIGS. 11 & 11A.FIG. 12shows a garage1, kitchen area19, entry20, living room21, hallway22, bedrooms23,24and master bedroom25. Two large bypass ducts17,18are used to source conditioned air (controlled by the home's HVAC system to be cool, warm, humidity adjusted etc.) from the master bedroom25area. The duets17,18may be muted through the attic of the home, may he in furrowed areas just below the ceiling, or may be routed in any other fashion which may meet the level of aesthetics required by the user. The reason that the ducts17,18are routed to the master bedroom25in this embodiment is that such routing creates the longest mixing path for the air and maximizes the source benefit that the HVAC conditioned home has to offer. HVAC sourcing from the home33may be to any room, however it is best to make the air circulation path as long as possible through the climate controlled area of the home. When the bypass duct17is being used to circulate air though the garage1, the solid arrows show the path of the airflow. When bypass duct18is being used to circulate air though the porch16, the dashed arrows show the path of the airflow. In the present embodiment, the garage1or the porch16can be isolated from the outdoors using strip doors substantially as explained above.FIG. 13, for example, shows the garage area of a home33, contained by the temporary panels2as was described inFIG. 1.

The blower15is turned on and the louver or cover inside of the bypass duct17is opened or automatically opens. Simple opening of the kitchen door19a(FIG. 12) allows return air to flow back through the home and be conditioned rapidly as it passes through the already conditioned air and again returns to the garage1.

FIG. 14is similar toFIG. 13.FIG. 14shows the porch area of a home33, enclosed by the strip door panels2. The blower15is turned on and the louver means inside of the bypass duct18is opened or automatically opens. Simple opening of the living room door21a(FIG. 12) allows return air to flow back through the house and be conditioned rapidly as it passes through the already conditioned air and again returns to the porch16.

FIGS. 13 and 14are shown separately as typical home HVAC systems do not have excess capacity to condition more than one temporary area at a time, however, if the concept were planned in the initial stages of construction, ample HVAC capacity could be provided to condition both temporarily enclosed areas (porch16and garage1) simultaneously.

FIG. 15shows a climate exchange means26consisting of a fan28encased in a duct27, with a return duct29, and a conforming window mount26a. The fan28is preferably a high volume fan, powered typically by a 12 volt motor. The motor may include a power connector to enable drawing power from an automobile cigarette lighter outlet or the like. Ducts27,29are short for low pressure loss, and need only be long enough to span from a parked motor vehicle to a temporary enclosure. The window mount26acan be fabricated out of thin gauge sheet metal and wrapped with a thick foam insulator that can conform to most any vehicle window.

FIG. 16shows the climate exchange means26ofFIG. 15mounted in a window of a parked vehicle30. This is done simply by lowering the vehicle window, inserting the exchange means26, then partially closing the window so the foam insulator conforms to the window opening geometry and seals the internal passenger compartment of the vehicle30. The vehicle30is parked with safety brake on, and its hood is lifted for additional engine cooling lessening the chance of overheating the vehicle engine. This would not, however, be of concern for heating applications of the concept, as in cold weather, the engine should retain heat to operate optimally, and thus the hood would typically be closed.

FIG. 17shows the next step in the set up, where a three sided/roofed tent31is positioned next to the vehicle30ofFIG. 16. One of the tent's31three panels is perforated32to conform to the climate exchange means26. It is preferred that the perforations are to the back of the tent31which then will make the tent position to the front, safely away from vehicle exhaust.

FIG. 18shows the front side of the tent equipped with the walk through climate barrier panel2explained above with reference toFIG. 1. The air conditioning or beating system in the vehicle (30inFIG. 16) is turned on, with the vehicle engine as its regular power source. The fan28is plugged into the 12 volt power outlet (cigarette lighter outlet or similar) and die now enclosed tent31will be climate controlled as an extension of the vehicle's air conditioning or heating. Though the foregoing system is not thermally efficient, the system can greatly improve the climate in the temporarily enclosed area. The system ofFIG. 18also allows for pedestrian passage in/out of the climate controlled area where those inside have full view of the outside.