Patent Abstract:
A roll-up door guard assembly includes a first guard mount and a second guard mount capable of being mounted at ends of a roll-up door, a bar extending between the first guard mount and the second guard mount, the roll up door disposed between the bar and a wall to which said roll-up door is connected, the guard mounts connected to one of a wall and the roll-up door.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Present embodiments relate to a roll-up door. More specifically, present embodiments relate to a guard for a roll-up door which inhibits damage to the door or door shroud from objects passing through the doorway, such as fork lifts for example. 
     Roll-up doors are utilized for a variety of functions. One usage is to allow passage through firewall openings within a building or warehouse. The roll-up door is opened during most usage but is lowered during fire conditions to inhibit spread of or contain a fire. 
     However, during operation of a warehouse, for example, forklifts and hand trucks are used on a regular basis and pass through these openings in the firewall. Often the forks of the forklifts for example are in a raised condition when the vehicle is moving. During passage through openings, the forks, the load or otherwise elevated structure can impact the door or door shroud of the roll-up door assembly. This has two results. First, the shroud may be damaged, which may result in the roll-up door being inoperable. Second, if the impact is severe enough, the door may be damaged as well as the shroud. This will also adversely impact door operation. 
     In either instance, the damage to the shroud or the door and shroud may preclude use of the door which presents an undesirable fire hazard. Specifically, the door cannot be closed in a fire condition which, as a result, allows the spread of fire through the building housing the roll-up door. 
     As may be seen by the foregoing, there is a need to provide a structure for inhibiting damage to the door shroud and the roll-up door from equipment passing through the doorway. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to some embodiment, a roll-up door guard assembly comprises a first guard mount for positioning adjacent a first end of a roll-up door assembly and a second guard mount for positioning along a second end of said roll-up door assembly, a sleeve mounted to each of the first guard mount and the second guard mount, a bar extending between the first sleeve and the second sleeve, the bar capable of being positioned forward of the roll-up door assembly. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the sleeves are formed to receive the bar. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the sleeves are formed to be received by the bar. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the sleeves are removably connected to the first and second guard mounts. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the sleeves are integrally connected to the first and second guard mounts. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the roll-up door guard is configured for connection to said roll-up door assembly. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the roll-up door guard is configured for connection to a wall adjacent the door cover assembly. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the bar is of a length equal to a distance between the first guard mount and the second guard mount. The roll up door guard assembly wherein the bar is welded to the first guard mount and said second guard mount. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein said bar is welded to the first sleeve and the second sleeve. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the bar is of a length greater than a distance between the first sleeve and the second sleeve. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the bar is captured between the first sleeve and the second sleeve. The roll-up door guard assembly further comprising a set screw connecting the bar to the first and second sleeves. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the sleeves and the bar are square-shaped in cross-section. 
     According to some other embodiments, a roll-up door guard assembly comprises a bar extending between a first sleeve and a second sleeve, a first guard mount at a first end of the bar and a second guard mount at a second end of the bar, the first sleeve extends from the first guard mount and the second sleeve extends from the second guard mount, the first and second guard mounts being connectable to a roll-up door assembly. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the bar is hollow. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the bar is disposed adjacent a storage area for a roll up door. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the first sleeve and the second sleeve are L-shaped. The roll-up door guard assembly may be U-shaped. 
     According to still other embodiments, a roll-up door guard assembly, comprises a first guard mount and a second guard mount capable of being mounted at ends of a roll-up door, a bar extending between the first guard mount and the second guard mount, the roll up door disposed between the bar and a wall to which the roll-up door is connected, the guard mounts connected to one of a wall and said roll-up door. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the guard mount further comprises a sleeve. The roll-up door guard assembly wherein the bar is one of removably or fixedly connected to the sleeve. 
     All of the above outlined features are to be understood as exemplary only and many more features and objectives of the roll-up door guard assembly may be gleaned from the disclosure herein. Therefore, no limiting interpretation of this summary is to be understood without further reading of the entire specification, claims, and drawings included herewith. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS 
       The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the roll-up door guard will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the roll-up door at the doorway and a roll up door guard assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the roll-up door with the guard assembly exploded away. 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of an exemplary roll-up door guard assembly. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an exemplary door guard assembly. 
         FIG. 5  is an alternate embodiment of a door guard assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments provided, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation of the disclosed embodiments. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to still yield further embodiments. Thus it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-5 , a roll-up door guard assembly is depicted in various embodiments. The roll-up door guard assembly allows for positioning adjacent to a rollup door assembly such that when the roll-up door is in the up position allowing passage through the doorway, vehicles loading equipment or loads having a substantial height cannot directly contact the roll-up door assembly and cause damage to the door or shroud. Instead the guard receives the contact and precludes damage to the roll-up door which would otherwise occur without the door assembly. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a doorway  10  is depicted defined by a wall  12  having an opening  13  and a header  14  extending above the opening  13 . The doorway  10  has a first track  20  in a second track  22  adjacent the wall  12  along the opening  13  and extending vertically to guide roll up or down of a door  24 . A floor  16  is depicted below the header  14  and a threshold  18  is defined between the walls  12  and across the opening  13  wherein the door  24  may be seated when in the closed position. The door  24  is shown partly open, merely for illustration. One skilled in the art will understand that the door  24  will likely be in the fully open position when traffic, such as moving machinery is passing therethrough. In case of a fire, the door is closed to inhibit spread of fire through the building. 
     Above the doorway  10  is a roll-up door assembly  30 . The door assembly  30  comprises a first door bracket  32  and a second door bracket  34  which provide two functions. First the brackets  32 ,  34  allow connection of the roll-up assembly  30  to the wall  12 . Second, the brackets allow for rotation of the assembly allowing the door  24  to move up and down for opening and closing. The roll-up door assembly  30  further includes a door shroud cover  36  wherein the door  24  is housed when in the up or open position. The roll up door assembly  30  includes a pivot assembly  40  at each end of the assembly  30  which allows rotation of the door  24  during the roll up or roll down function to open or close the doorway  10 . The pivot assembly  40  may include a biasing structure which is not shown for clarity purpose but may include, for example, a coil or torsion spring to aid in lifting or lowering the door and controlling the weight thereof. 
     Positioned in front of the door assembly  30  is a door guard assembly  50 . The guard assembly  50  is positioned in front of the roll up door assembly  30  in order to inhibit machines from damaging the door assembly  30  when passing through the doorway  10 . In use within a warehouse, or manufacturing facility, forklifts or other load movers tend to utilize structure which is moveable through a range of heights. As such mover or loading equipment raises the load or equipment, the may exceed the maximum height allowed for clearance by the roll-up door assembly  30 . When this occurs and the driver does not correct the situation, the equipment will strike the roll-up door assembly  30 . The result is that at a minimum that the cover  36  is dented. More typically though, the cover is damaged inhibiting operation of the door  24  or the strike is so severe as to damage the door  24  in addition to the cover  36 . 
     The guard assembly  50  is positioned forward of the roll up door assembly  30  in order to protect from such damage. The guard assembly  50  receives the impact from the moving equipment passing through the doorway  10  rather than the roll-up door assembly  30 . This guard assembly  50  therefore will reduce repair and replacement costs for door assemblies  30  and related components. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an exploded view of the rollup door assembly  30  and the guard assembly  50  is depicted in isometric view. The guard assembly  50  includes a first mounting member  52  and a second mounting member  54  position for mounting at axial ends of the roll-up door assembly  30 . 
     Each of the mounting members  52 ,  54  have a first end which is mounted toward the wall  12  wherein the doorway  10  is positioned and a second end spaced away from the first end. The mounting members  52 ,  54  may be of various shapes and may be formed of steel or other fire rated high strength materials which allow for mounting in a variety of ways. The mounting members  52 ,  54  are shown as generally rectangular in shape, however the members  52 ,  54  may vary in shape and may alternatively be formed of various materials. 
     Connected to the first and second mounting members  52 ,  54  are sleeves  56 ,  58 . Each sleeve  56 ,  58  has a first end spaced toward the corresponding mounting member  52 ,  54  and a second end spaced away from the mounting member. The exemplary sleeves  56 ,  58  in combination with the mounting member  52 ,  54  form an L-shaped structure. However, such description should not be considered limiting, but instead merely exemplary. The sleeve  56  is shown with a square cross-section of may be any of various shapes which may or may not correspond to a bar structure  60  which, discussed further here in. According to some exemplary embodiments, the sleeve  56 ,  58  is shown as receiving the bar  60  and therefore is at least partially hollow in shape. Alternatively, the sleeves  56 ,  58  may be sized and configured so that the bar  60  receives the sleeves  56 ,  58  opposite to the depicted embodiment. The combination of the mounting number  52 ,  54  and each sleeve  56 ,  58  forms an L-shaped according to the instant embodiment. However various configurations may be formed with this configuration. Additionally, the sleeves  56  and  58  may be permanently connected to mounting members such as by welding or integrally forming such as by molding or cast forms. In a further embodiment, the sleeves  56 ,  58  may be removably attached to the mounting number  52 ,  54  effectively. For example, a set screw  59  may be used retain bar  60  within sleeves  56 , 58 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an exploded view of the sleeves  56 ,  58  and bar  60 . The sleeves  56 ,  58  receive the bar  60  at hollow ends of the sleeve  56 ,  58 . As described previously, various shapes may be sued to form the sleeves  56 ,  58  and the corresponding shape of the bar  60 . For example, circular bar stock may be used instead of the square bar. Additionally, the bar  60  may be hollow or may be solid. Weight requirements related to mounting as well as the width or span of the doorway  10  may dictate the type of bar  60  used and the size of sleeves  56 ,  58 . According to some embodiments the bar  60  may be formed hollow and large enough to receive the sleeves  56 ,  58 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a top view of the guard assembly  50  is shown in the assembled configuration. According to one embodiment, the sleeves  56 ,  58  are spaced apart a distance d 1 . The bar  60  is accordingly cut to a length d 2  which is either equal to or greater than the distance d 1 . The receiving ends of the sleeves  56 ,  58  may be spaced apart a distance d 1 . The bar  60  is cut to a length equal to d 1  wherein the bar is welded to the sleeves  56 ,  58 . In an alternative, the bar  60  is a length d 2  that is greater than the distance d 1 . In this embodiment, the bar  60  may be slidably positioned within the sleeves  56 ,  58  or may be positioned exteriorly thereof. As shown in the depicted embodiment, the broken lines within the sleeves  56 ,  58  show the oversized bar length. In this embodiment, the oversized length of the bar  60  results in capture of the bar  60  so that it cannot be removed when the mounting members  52 ,  54  are fixedly mounted. In addition, for example, the bar  60  may or may not additionally be welded to the sleeves  56 ,  58 . Alternatively, the bar may be locked by a set screw passing through sleeves  56 , 58 . 
     Additionally shown in  FIG. 4 , along the mounting members  52 ,  54  are flanges  53  which may be used to connected the mounting members  52 ,  54  to the roll-up door assembly  30 . The flange  53  may be positioned at any location along the members  52 ,  54 . In the alternative, a fastener aperture  55  ( FIG. 2 ) may be disposed in the members  52 ,  54 . This will allow for multiple mounting options to accommodate for various roll-up door assemblies. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , alternative mounting members  152 ,  154  are shown. In this embodiment, flanges  53  are disposed at ends of the members in order to allow mounting of the members to a wall. This embodiment is used to connected the guard to a wall as opposed to or in addition to the roll-up door assembly. 
     While multiple inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the invent of embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure. 
     Examples are used to disclose the embodiments, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the apparatus and/or method, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Features described herein may be combined in any combination. Steps of a method described herein may be performed in any sequence that is physically possible. 
     All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms. The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. 
     It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited. 
     In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4