Abstract:
The present invention relates to a reinforcement device suited for bracing a building aperture cover, such as a garage door; the device automatically engages when the aperture cover is lowered and disengages when the door is raised. The device employs at least one upper anchoring element, cooperating with the door header, and one lower anchoring element, cooperating with the floor structure. Both the upper and lower elements are securely attached to aperture cover so that they effectively divide and support the span of the aperture cover against positive and negative wind loads.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention is directed to garage door reinforcement and, in particular, to a securement device especially suited for providing auto-engaging reinforcement to a garage door.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Windstorms, such as tropical storms, tornados, storm bursts and hurricanes may place severe stress on buildings which, if left unchecked, can lead to property damage and loss of life. These storms may be slow moving providing time to prepare, or fast moving leaving very little time to prepare. In either case, high-velocity winds are often strong enough to remove roofs from buildings by breaching the building structure. Even if the roof and walls of a building are sufficiently strong to resist the winds produced by a storm, the building aperture covers, such as garage doors, often fail. Many devices have been developed to protect building aperture covers against damage from windstorms. Some of these devices are easier to install or operate than others, but all devices known require some type of manual action in order to provide reinforcement to the aperture cover. Therefore, if the homeowner is away or is not able to install the protective device due to a time constraint, the structure will not be properly protected from a storm.  
         [0003]     The largest aperture cover in the typical home is the garage door, some having a horizontal span exceeding 16 feet. High wind loads cause these large aperture covers to deflect across their unsupported spans. Once the aperture cover exceeds a given amount of deflection the cover will buckle or break. When a covering such as the garage door buckles under high wind loads, the garage is instantly pressurized. This often leads to a “domino” failure of the entire building structure. The instant pressurization of the garage causes the garage roof to be blown off the house. Once the garage roof blows off, the remaining roof blows off the house and the walls cave inward.  
         [0004]     The proper use of reinforcement during high wind loads can effectively prevent the failure of a wide span garage door. Smaller building aperture covers may be sufficiently reinforced against buckling by installing a secondary fixed-panel over the aperture, for example, sheets of plywood anchored against the aperture periphery. Corrugated panels of aluminum or other rigid materials, removably mounted on permanent tracks, are used in other situations. These reinforcement methods are suitable for relatively small apertures. However, since these types of reinforcement panels do not collapse, they must be removed and stored when not in use. Weight and space requirements quickly become prohibitive factors as the size of the aperture to be covered increases. Panels sized to cover large windows or garage doors may be too heavy and cumbersome to move by a single person. The need for two-person installation severely limits the usefulness of this reinforcement method; a second person may not be available when a storm approaches, possibly preventing proper installation.  
         [0005]     Folding, accordion-style panels are used as a way to address some of the shortcomings found in fixed-panel reinforcement methods. Folding panels typically require installation of one or more permanent guide tracks and are not suitable in all instances. For example, since accordion-style reinforcement devices are folded, not removed, during storage, sufficient space is required on either side of the aperture to accommodate the folded panels. Additionally, these types of reinforcing devices are often exposed to weather and require preventive maintenance to ensure that the stored panels will unfold easily and travel along the guide tracks when needed. Furthermore, folding-panel reinforcement devices are typically custom made, requiring specialized equipment and many hours of labor for production and installation. This tends to make folding panel reinforcements expensive.  
         [0006]     Other known storm protection devices, permanently attach to the inside of garage doors, or are braces installed before a storm. These devices require manual engagement or installation. Manual engagement or installation is not always possible. Homeowners are often not capable of moving or installing these devices and there is likely to be a shortage of contractors available before a major storm capable of completing the installation. The limited amount of time available before a storm may leave some of the people who own this type of protective device without protection.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0007]     Devices that have been developed specifically to support garage doors include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,708,917; 3,815,943; 3,891,021; 4,996,795; 5,205,096; 5,331,786; 5,337,520; and 5,371,970. Each discloses garage door supporting devices. However, these devices do not lower the stresses placed on the door mounting hardware and do not protect the reinforced door against damage from sustained wind loads. Additionally, these devices each require skill during installation.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,877 discloses a locking and reinforcing mechanism for a garage door wherein each door panel includes a set of telescoping tubes. To engage the protective device the operator must remove pins and manually slide the inner tube from one panel across to the next panel and replace the pin. After the device in engaged the door cannot be opened until the device is disengaged. To disengage the device the pin must again be removed, the inner tube returned to its original position, and the pin replaced to retain the tube.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,758 requires hand engagement and disengagement, and remains secured to a door even when not used. Although this arrangement is suitable for many settings, permanently attached reinforcement members add extra weight that may be undesirable in some cases.  
         [0010]     The assignee recognized the shortcomings and developed a garage door reinforcement device for hurricanes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,916 reduces undesirable weight permanently attached to a garage door. This device provides proven protection against high wind loads, passing Miami Dade hurricane tests. Further, this device provides excellent support for older unreinforced doors. However, the device must be installed and removed by hand. Current construction regulations require the installation of stronger garage doors, thus, the overall support provided by the &#39;916 patent can be reduced without reducing effectiveness.  
         [0011]     None of the above noted devices is capable of providing protection to an aperture opening without some type of hand installation or engagement to utilize the device.  
         [0012]     Thus, what is needed is an aperture cover reinforcement device that includes advantages of the known devices, while addressing the shortcomings they exhibit. The reinforcement device should passively operate, being automatically engaged and disengaged. The reinforcement device should also provide support against damage from both positive and negative wind loads. The reinforcement device should also allow unhindered operation of the garage door and not hinder ingress or egress of the aperture opening.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The present invention a reinforcement device suited for bracing a building aperture cover, such as a garage door; the device automatically engages when the aperture cover is lowered and disengages when the door is raised. The device employs at least one upper anchoring element, cooperating with the door header, and one lower anchoring element, cooperating with the floor structure. Both the upper and lower elements are securely attached to aperture cover so that they effectively divide and support the span of the aperture. A metal hook and wire rope loop arrangement is utilized in the upper elements while an engagement pin employing a tongue and groove arrangement is utilized in the lower element. The device is capable of providing protection against both positive and negative pressure wind-loads.  
         [0014]     More particularly, the upper element includes an adjustable bracket assembly, a flexible wire rope loop, and a hook member. The bracket assembly includes two L-shaped elements having one leg adjustably attached to each other via bolts, screws, or a similar fastener to allow vertical adjustment of the bracket assembly with respect to the substantially parallel first and second ends. The first end of the bracket assembly is suitably attached to the top strut of the garage door via bolts, screws, or a similar fastener. The metal cable loop is constructed from a length of flexible wire rope, having each end attached to the second end of the bracket assembly to form a loop configuration defining an aperture. The metal hook member is attached to the aperture header so that it substantially aligns and cooperates with the wire rope loop.  
         [0015]     The lower anchoring element includes an engagement pin and an anchor plate. The engagement pin is suitably attached to a mounting plate, such as by weldment, and attached to a vertical intermediate stile of the aperture cover via bolts, screws, or a similar fastener. The floor-mounted anchor plate includes a pin insertion aperture that accommodates the engagement pin. Below the insertion aperture is a suitable relief pocket in the floor for pin insertion. Bracing grooves disposed around the circumference of the first end of the engagement pin, engage corresponding pin passthrough aperture edges, as a tongue and groove arrangement, when the pin shifts laterally, as when a door reinforced by the present invention is subjected to wind loads. In this manner, the bracing notches prevent vertical motion of the support post during use.  
         [0016]     Because the device is automatically engaged, the operator merely needs to lower the garage door to provide reinforcement. As the garage door is lowered the wire rope loop travels downward with respect to the metal hook member and the metal hook engages the wire rope loop aperture while the lower element engagement pin travels downward and is directed into the pin insertion aperture disposed in the lower anchor plate. As the garage door comes to rest on the garage floor surface, the device assumes a securing orientation that prevents unwanted movement of the aperture cover.  
         [0017]     Thus, it is an objective of the instant invention to provide a reinforcement device for an upward opening aperture covering that is automatically engaged.  
         [0018]     Another objective of the instant invention is to provide a reinforcement device for an upward opening aperture covering that provides support against damage from both positive and negative wind loads.  
         [0019]     A further objective of the instant invention is to provide a auto-engaging reinforcement device for an upward opening aperture cover that minimizes the deflection of an aperture covering during high wind-loads.  
         [0020]     An additional objective of the instant invention is to provide a auto-engaging reinforcement device that allows unhindered operation of the secured aperture cover.  
         [0021]     Yet another objective of the instant invention is to provide a auto-engaging reinforcement device that does not require removal or storage between uses.  
         [0022]     Still another objective of the instant invention is to provide an auto-engaging reinforcement kit which is suitable for installation on new as well as existing upward opening aperture covers.  
         [0023]     Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial view showing the inside of a garage door in a secured orientation with the reinforcement device of the present invention in place;  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a section view of the garage door in  FIG. 1  along lines  1 - 1 , illustrating the cooperative engagement between the present invention and the building structure;  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a close-up view of the upper anchoring element shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a close-up view of the lower anchoring element shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a partial section view of the lower anchoring element of  FIG. 4 , showing the tongue and groove arrangement in an engaged orientation;  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is an alternative embodiment of the lower anchoring element allowing for the cooperative engagement point between the engagement pin and the floor to be spaced inwardly from the back side of the aperture cover;  
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is an alternative embodiment of the lower anchoring element wherein the engagement pin is spring loaded in an extended position to prevent damage to a vehicle in the event the aperture cover is inadvertently closed before the vehicle has completely entered or exited the building;  
         [0031]      FIG. 8  is a side view of one guide track, illustrating the angular relationship between the guide track and the vertical wall containing the aperture. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0032]     It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification.  
         [0033]     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the automatically engaging reinforcement assembly  100  of the present invention is shown in use providing additional support to a building aperture cover, such as a garage door  10 . The garage door  10  is illustrated as a generally rectangular, sectional, vertical opening type garage door. The garage door  10  is adapted to form a closure for a generally rectangular opening  12 , defined by a vertical wall  14  and horizontal floor  16  of a building, such as a residential garage, for example. The garage door  10  is of substantially conventional construction, except as modified by the present invention, and is typical of vertical opening garage doors. However, the garage door of the present invention may also be utilized in other applications and may have specific design features different from some of the detail features of the door described herein.  
         [0034]     The door  10  is made up of a plurality of hinged sections or panels. The sections are secured together by spaced apart hinges  32 . The hinges  32  are connected to each of the sections adjacent respective lower and upper generally horizontal edges in a conventional manner. Each garage door section has elongated, generally horizontal extending upper edges  20  and lower edges  22 , which are formed by folding the upper and lower panel edges and ends to form a somewhat tubular box beam-shaped configuration.  
         [0035]     The garage door  10  is adapted to be moved from a closed position covering the opening  12  to a substantially open position along opposed guide-tracks  17  ( FIG. 8 , only one side shown), supported on wall  14  adjacent the opening  12 . Spaced apart guide rollers  18  are supported on the respective sections and operable to ride in the guide tracks  17  in a conventional manner. The door  10  may be moved between open and closed positions by conventional mechanisms, including counterbalances, springs, and power operated openers (not shown).  
         [0036]     Each of the garage door sections is provided with a plurality of spaced apart strengthening members or stiles  18  which extend between the upper edges  20  and lower edges  22  of each panel or section  19 . The stiles  18  may comprise generally tubular, channel, or flat cross section members which are attached to the door sections faces between embossed sections or alternatively are attached to the horizontal extending upper edges  20  and lower edges  22  of the door sections  19 .  
         [0037]     The garage door  10  is preferably also provided with strengthening members comprising elongated struts or rails  24  extending across and suitably secured to the door sections.  
         [0038]     The guide-tracks  17  may extend at a slight angle from the vertical in order to provide for movement of the garage door  10  away from the wall surface  14  when the door is being moved into an open position ( FIG. 8 ). As a result of straight line winds, this slight inclination of the guide-tracks  17  and the outer surface of the garage door  10  will tend to produce a force component on the door, which may tend to “lift” the garage door  10  into an open position.  
         [0039]     By way of overview, and with additional reference to  FIG. 2 , the reinforcement assembly includes at least one upper anchoring element  26 , cooperating with the door header  28 , and one lower anchoring element  30 , cooperating with the floor structure  16 . The upper anchoring element  26  utilizes a metal hook and wire rope loop arrangement which includes an adjustable bracket assembly  34 , a flexible wire rope loop  36 , and a metal hook member  38 . The lower anchoring element  30  utilizes an engagement pin  40  that extends below the seal  42  of the bottom garage door section to cooperate with an anchor plate  44  securely fastened to the garage floor  16 . When the garage door  10  is closed, the engagement pin  40  passively cooperates with a bottom anchor plate  44 , and the wire rope loop  36  passively cooperates with the metal hook  38 , as shown. With this arrangement, the upper and lower anchoring elements automatically maintain the garage door  10  in a secured orientation with respect to the building aperture  12 .  
         [0040]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the upper anchoring element  26  is shown. The bracket assembly  34  extends vertically from the top strut  46  of the top door panel and includes two metal L-shaped elements  48  and  50 , each having one leg adjustably attached to the other via bolts, screws or other suitable fastener well known in the art that would allow vertical adjustment of the bracket assembly  34  with respect to the substantially parallel first  52  and second ends  54 . It is noted that the vertical adjustment may be permanently fixed, if desired. The first end  52  of the bracket assembly  34  is suitably attached to the top strut  46  of the garage door  10  via bolts, screws, or similar fastener. The wire rope loop  36  is preferably constructed from a length of flexible metal strands laid helically about a metallic or non-metallic core having each end attached to the second end  54  of the bracket assembly  34  forming an aperture  56  that aligns vertically with metal hook member  38  securely fastened to the header  28  of aperture  12 . Alternatively, the wire rope loop may be constructed of other suitable materials well known in the art capable of withstanding the adequate tensile forces. The metal hook member  38  is generally S-shaped and constructed of a suitable metal to withstand the expected forces from the wind-loads. The metal hook member  38  should be suitably attached to the aperture header  28  and positioned so that it substantially aligns and cooperates with the wire rope loop when the garage door  10  is in the closed position and positioned sufficiently from the upper edge of the door section so as to allow clearance for the door  10  when it moves along the guide tracks  16  from a closed position to an open position. In this manner, the metal hook  38  and wire rope loop  36  arrangement reduce door flex and transfer a portion of the load to the structure, thereby reducing the loads placed on existing door-mounting hardware by high wind loads.  
         [0041]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the lower anchoring element  30  is shown. The lower anchoring element  30  includes an engagement pin  40  and an anchor plate  44 . The engagement pin  40  is suitably attached to a mounting plate  64 , such as by weldment, and attached to a vertical intermediate stile  18  of the garage door  10  via bolts, screws, or a similar fastener. Bracing grooves  56  are disposed around the circumference of the first end of the engagement pin  40 . The bracing grooves  56  engage corresponding aperture edges  58  in the anchor plate  44 , as a tongue and groove arrangement, when the pin  40  shifts laterally during wind loads. The floor mounted anchor plate  44  includes a pin insertion aperture  60  that is sized to accommodate the engagement pin  40 . Below the pin insertion aperture  60  and covered by the anchor plate  44  is a relief pocket  62  to allow insertion and proper operation of the engagement pin  40 . The engagement pin  40  and mounting plate  44  are preferably constructed from cold rolled steel but may be constructed of other suitable materials well known in the art.  
         [0042]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the cooperating tongue and groove arrangement of the engagement pin  40  and the anchor plate  44  is shown. As the garage door  10  is subjected to wind-loads, the door may shift forward or backward with respect to the building aperture  12 . Positive-pressure wind-loads will tend to force the garage door  10  inward, while negative-pressure wind-loads will tend to pull the door outward. In each case, the engagement pin  40  will be forced against corresponding front or rear edges  58  within the associated anchor plate aperture  60 . With this arrangement, the engagement pin groove  56  will engage the corresponding pin aperture edge  58 , as a tongue and groove, preventing vertical motion of the door  10  during both positive and negative wind loads.  
         [0043]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , an alternative embodiment of the engagement pin assembly is shown wherein the mounting plate  66  is constructed in the form of an L. The first leg of the mounting plate is provided with fastener slots  68  for attachment and vertical alignment of the engagement pin  40 . The engagement pin  40  is preferably attached to the mounting plate  66  by weldment or other suitable fastening means well known in the art.  
         [0044]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , an alternative embodiment of the engagement pin assembly is shown wherein the engagement pin  40  is slidably mounted on the mounting plate. The assembly includes a mounting plate  64  having a guide  70  suitably attached. A stop pin  74  is removably attached to the engagement pin  40  for cooperating with the elongated guide aperture  72 . The guide aperture  72  and stop pin  74  limit the travel of the engagement pin  40 . A resilient member  78  is attached between the stop pin  74  and a rigidly attached spring pin  76  to resiliently extend the engagement pin  40 . In this manner the engagement pin  40  is able to retract in the event that the garage door  10  is inadvertently closed on a vehicle or person.  
         [0045]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , a side view of the guide tracks  17  is shown, illustrating the angular relationship of the guide track  17  to the surface of the vertical wall  14  as described above.  
         [0046]     In operation, the reinforcement device of the present invention is passively engaged by lowering the garage door  10 . As the door  10  is lowered into a secured orientation the engagement pin  40  is inserted through the pin insertion aperture  60  located in the floor-mounted anchor plate  44 , as the wire rope loop  36  of the upper anchoring element  26  is lowered over the metal hook member  38 . As seen with particular reference to  FIG. 1 , the bottom anchoring plate  44  is secured to the garage floor  16 . and the metal hook member  38  is attached to the door header  28 . The device is passively disengaged by raising the garage door  10 , thereby reversing the above described actions.  
         [0047]     Although the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications, rearrangements and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.