Patent Abstract:
Apparatus and techniques for bracing roll down doors of a building against severe winds and against burglary use a vertical bar mounted in a quick release fashion to a plate mounted to the floor by the door and a mounting bracket, mounted to the building, which receives a bracket mounted to the vertical bar which slides into the bracket. The equipment can be provided in a kit form for easy installation by a homeowner, authorized dealer or contractor. The apparatus can be quickly and easily installed for security or when a threat of severe wind is anticipated and easily removed when the threat has passed.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    The present application is a Continuation-In-Part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/016,424 filed Jan. 18, 2008, entitled: “Improved Systems For Bracing Garage Doors Against Hurricane Force Winds” by Salvatore Michael DeCola, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates in general to garage door systems, and is particularly directed to a door bracing system made of grooved telescoping column members, that are attachable to a garage door and to the structure of the garage building proper, so as to reinforce and anchor a multi-paneled garage door against high velocity winds and against intrusive using instruments. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A typical multi-panel residential garage door, is comprised of a plurality of panels (usually made of galvanized steel or fiberglass), which are hinged together at hinge joints. The hinge joints are equipped with side wheels or rollers that ride in a pair of guide tracks that extend along opposite sides of the garage door opening. The guide tracks are usually anchored (e.g., bolted) to wall regions of the garage adjacent to the opening and attached via brackets to the ceiling. The door may be opened and closed either by hand or by way of an automated garage door translation device, such as may be mounted to the ceiling and attached to the topmost one of the door panels. 
         [0004]    As described in DeCola et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,038, entitled: “System for Bracing Garage Door Against Hurricane Force Winds”, also described in DeCola, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,269, entitled: “System of Telescoping Longitudinally Grooved Door-Stiffening Columns For Bracing Garage Door Against Hurricane Force Winds”, and as described in DeCola, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,431, entitled: “System of Telescoping Longitudinally Grooved Door-Stiffening Columns For Bracing Garage Door Against Hurricane Force Winds,” (the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), when a multi-panel garage door is exposed to high velocity winds of a violent storm, such as a hurricane, the door panels have a tendency to separate from the guide tracks as a result of continued flexing of the panels and fatigue of the tracks themselves. This repeated flexing causes the side wheels to become detached from the tracks so that the ends of panels become warped, allowing wind to enter the garage and literally rip or ‘peel’ the door away from the garage door opening. Once the garage and adjacent structure has been blown out, the ceiling of the garage and adjacent structure are no longer protected from the extremely high velocity winds of the storm, and it is simply a matter of time before the roof blows off, causing the entire structure to be destroyed. 
         [0005]    Follow-up investigation to the widespread damage to residential buildings in south Florida by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 has revealed that had garage doors been reinforced against such separation from the guide tracks, and not blown out, the full force of the hurricane would not have been able to enter many of the destroyed houses. As a result of this investigation, homebuilders in coastal areas of south Florida are required to provide some form of hurricane reinforcement for their garage doors. Recommendations of how to accomplish this have usually involved the installation of (metal or wooden) girts that extend horizontally across each panel. Such girts are intended to stiffen the panels and prevent their oscillatory motion that leads to the destructive separation from the tracks. 
         [0006]    Unfortunately, such stiffening panels add considerable weight to the door, requiring adjustments of both the lifting coil spring and of the drive of the automated garage door translation mechanism. Moreover, even with such adjustment, the substantial weight of the girts, for which neither the door nor the automated translation mechanisms were originally designed, leads to further wear and tear of the automatic garage door opener. Yet, even with such stiffeners, the fundamental problem they are intended to solve is not remedied, since they do not prevent torquing of the panels at the point of attachment of the door to the tracks, and do not effectively relieve the wind load placed on the entire garage door opening. The girts are unable to prevent torquing since they extend horizontally—making them parallel to joint lines between panels. Such an orientation provides axes of rotation, about which the panels are torqued when subjected to high velocity winds. The girts provide neither reinforcement nor a separation barrier along the lengths of the tracks, nor do they make the door a wind-loadable door. 
         [0007]    Advantageously, the door-bracing system described in the above-reference patents remedies these shortcomings, by means of a door bracing system that contains a plurality of door-stiffening column members that are installed between associated upper mounting brackets above the garage opening and lower mounting brackets affixed to the garage floor. The door bracing system also includes deflection brackets which attach the door panel hinge joints to the column members, so that the entire vertical extent of the garage door is effectively braced against high velocity winds, and thereby prevented from separating along the guide tracks. 
       Problems of the Prior Art 
       [0008]    Although the inventions described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,620,038; 5,964,269 and 6,082,431 represented a significant advancement over the prior art, each of those patents required that the vertical supports mount to the building housing the garage door above the top of the garage door opening. This made it less convenient to use with roll type garage door without extraordinary efforts. Further, each of those patents require the replacement of hinge pins with longer ones used to connect the panels of the garage door to the vertical supports. Further, there is a lack of flexibility of location in positioning the vertical supports. Further, the top connection of the vertical supports were bolted to the building, which made them difficult to remove once the threat of a hurricane passed. Thus, installation and removal is more difficult. 
         [0009]    Further, when a vertical support was placed in between the tracks for the garage door, there was not a positive connection which would protect against both positive and negative air pressure surges. Further, much of the prior art lacked hardware and techniques for securing a garage door that was the only opening into a secured space, such as a commercial storage unit, that is for securing a garage door from the outside. 
         [0010]    Finally, the prior art did not allow easy assembly and shipping to a customer in a kit form for do-it-yourself installation. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The invention is directed to apparatus and techniques for bracing garage doors against hurricane force winds which overcome the problems of the prior art. More specifically, the invention is directed to: 
         [0012]    One aspect of the invention relates to apparatus for bracing a roll down door that provides selective access to an area of a building, which has a vertical support, a floor mount for securing said vertical support to a floor at a point adjacent to a path of said roll down door; a top mount which has a mounting bracket for attachment to the building and a support bracket attached to said vertical support which slidably engages the mounting bracket. Portions of the door&#39;s surface are connected to the vertical member to resist both positive and negative pressure. 
         [0013]    Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of bracing a roll down door that provides selective access to an area of a building which involves mounting a plate to a floor beneath said roll down door, mounting a mounting bracket to said building, attaching a support bracket to a vertical support, attaching at least one sliding bolt assembly to a vertical support, sliding said support bracket into said mounting bracket; and moving at least one sliding bolt of a sliding bolt assembly into engagement with openings in said plate to prevent the bottom of the vertical member from moving in the plane of the floor. 
         [0014]    Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of bracing a roll down door by sliding a support bracket connected to the top of a vertical member into a mounting bracket mounted to said building and moving at least one sliding bolt of a sliding bolt assembly attached to the bottom of said vertical member into engagement with an opening in a floor plate mounted to a floor underneath said roll down door. 
         [0015]    Another aspect of the invention relates to a kit for bracing roll down doors of a building, including at least one vertical support, a floor plate for each vertical support, at least one sliding bolt assembly for mounting to each vertical support, a mounting bracket for each vertical support for mounting to a building surface and a support bracket for attachment to each vertical support and for slidably engaging a mounting bracket. 
         [0016]    The invention is also directed to a kit for bracing roll down doors of a building from the outside against severe winds, comprising:
       a. at least one vertical support;   b. a floor plate for each vertical support;   c. at least one sliding bolt assembly for mounting to each vertical support;   d. a mounting bracket for each vertical support for mounting to a building surface; and   e. a support bracket for attachment to each vertical support and for slidably engaging a mounting bracket.       
 
         [0022]    The invention is also directed to the kit of paragraph [0015] in which the at least one vertical support bar is a telescoping vertical support bar. 
         [0023]    The invention is also directed to the kit of paragraph [0015] in which at least on vertical support is of substantially rectangular cross section with at least one T channel extending the length of the vertical support bar. 
         [0024]    The kit of paragraph [0015] further comprising at least one bracket for attaching to a door panel and a rotatable hook for rotating into engagement with said bracket and connecting to the vertical support bar. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0025]      FIGS. 1A ,  1 B, and  1 C are perspective views of a single, double and triple vertical support for respective, single, double and triple wide garage doors in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of hardware used to attach a telescoping vertical support to the garage door in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  illustrates a backside piece for attachment to a garage door panel. 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front side piece having a U shaped channel for attachment to a garage door panel. 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  illustrates a hook piece that rotates to fit into the U shaped channel of  FIG. 4  to connect the door to the telescoping vertical support. 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  illustrates a channel slide piece that can be adjusted vertically in a T channel track of a vertical support. 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternative technique for connecting the garage door to the vertical support. 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  illustrates a first technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar shown in  FIG. 1  to the building. 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  shows details of the L bracket illustrated in  FIG. 8 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 10  shows a second technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. 
           [0035]      FIG. 11  shows a third technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. 
           [0036]      FIG. 12  shows a fourth technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. 
           [0037]      FIG. 13  shows a fifth technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. 
           [0038]      FIG. 14  shows a sixth technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. 
           [0039]      FIG. 15  shows a seventh technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. 
           [0040]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a small bracket used in the mounting arrangement of  FIG. 15 . 
           [0041]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of an assembly showing how to connect a vertical support to the horizontal cross bar shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0042]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the bracket used in  FIG. 17 . 
           [0043]      FIG. 19  is a detailed view of a preferred version of the bracket shown in  FIG. 18 . 
           [0044]      FIG. 20  is a base plate which cooperates to provide an improved floor mounting for a telescoping vertical member in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0045]      FIG. 21  is a side view of a sliding bolt assembly used in cooperation with the base plate of  FIG. 20  for securing a vertical member to the floor of a garage door entrance in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0046]      FIG. 22  is an end view of the sliding bolt assembly showing how it mounts to T channels of a vertical member in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0047]      FIG. 23  is a perspective view of how the sliding bolt assembly relates to the bottom of the vertical member in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0048]      FIG. 24  is a top view of a building mounting bracket which cooperates to provide an improved building mount for securing the top portion of the vertical member to the building in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0049]      FIG. 25  is an end view of the building mounting bracket of  FIG. 24 . 
           [0050]      FIG. 26  is a perspective view of a bracket for securing a vertical member to a building mounting bracket. 
           [0051]      FIGS. 27A and 27B  illustrate two alternative ways of enhancing the thickness of the slideable portion of the bracket of  FIG. 26  to ensure a snug fit when that bracket is mated to the building mounting bracket. 
           [0052]      FIG. 28  is an end view of the bracket of  FIG. 26  shown installed in the building mounting bracket. 
           [0053]      FIG. 29  is a side view of the bracket of  FIG. 26  showing preferred dimensions for the holes for mounting the bracket to the vertical member. 
           [0054]      FIG. 30  illustrates one way of mounting a building mounting bracket to a building wall for securing a vertical member to the building with the bracket of  FIG. 26  in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
           [0055]      FIG. 31  illustrates one way to mount a building mounting bracket to a ceiling, or header above a garage door opening for securing a vertical member to the ceiling or header with a bracket of  FIG. 26  in accordance with one aspect of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0056]      FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view of a single vertical support for a singlewide garage door in accordance with one aspect of the invention. The telescoping vertical support  100  is mounted to the floor using a mounting bracket  115  in ways that are shown in the prior art. When the vertical support is removed, the mounting bracket  115  can be removed for normal operation during a time when no hurricane is threatened. The vertical support  100  connects to a cross bar  110  using a bracket  120 , described more hereinafter. The vertical support is connected to at least one panel of the garage door using bracket  130 , as described more hereinafter. The horizontal cross bar  110  is mounted to the wall of the building using one or more brackets as described more hereinafter. 
         [0057]      FIGS. 1B and 1C  show perspective views of a double and triple vertical support for double and triple wide garage doors in accordance with one aspect of the invention. In each of these figures, the vertical support  100  is replicated two or three times to accommodate the size of the garage doors. 
         [0058]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of hardware used to attach a telescoping vertical support to the garage door in accordance with one aspect of the invention. Depiction of the thickness of the garage door is not illustrated to permit a view of the mounting of the brackets to the garage door to be visualized more readily. The mounting to the garage door occurs using a rear bracket  200  and a front bracket  210 . The two brackets are positioned on opposite sides of a panel thickness for the garage door and are sized so as to permit the panel of the garage door to roll up and be stored in its usual fashion. Bracket  210  has a U channel, described more hereinafter. A channel slide  220  fits into the T channel on the vertical support and can be moved into position and then secured by tightening the nuts associated with the bolt, the bolt head of which rides in the channel. A third bolt, extending from the channel slide is utilized to mount a hook  230 , the point of which fits into the U channel of the front bracket  210  of the door mounting brackets. 
         [0059]      FIG. 3  illustrates a rear bracket piece of a door-mounting bracket for attachment to the garage door panel. The material for the bracket is ⅛ GA steel. 
         [0060]      FIG. 4  illustrates the front bracket having a U shaped channel for attachment to the garage door. 
         [0061]      FIG. 5  illustrates a hook piece that rotates to fit into the U shaped channel of  FIG. 4  to connect the door mounting brackets to the telescoping vertical support. 
         [0062]      FIG. 6  illustrates the details of the construction of a channel slide piece that can be adjusted vertically in a track of a vertical support. 
         [0063]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternative technique for connecting the garage door to the vertical support. In this case, a bracket  700  is mounted to the vertical slide using the bolt heads to guide the bracket positioning of the bracket in the T channel of the vertical support. The bracket  700  is configured to receive and mount a spring-loaded J channel which can be inserted into the holes of the front side door mounting brackets of slightly modified construction shown in  FIG. 7 . To remove the J channel, the channel is pulled to the left until it clears the holes and then it can be released to be held in place by the spring for use when it is installed at a later time. The spring keeps the J channel out of the way when the vertical supports are stored when no hurricane threat is present. 
         [0064]      FIG. 8  illustrates a first technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar shown in  FIG. 1A  to the building. As shown, the horizontal cross bar is held in place by a U channel inserted through the lower portion of an L bracket, the vertical portion of which is mounted to a wood, concrete or steel plate securely fastened to the building. The details of the L bracket illustrated with  FIG. 8  are shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0065]      FIG. 10  shows a second technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. This technique uses two L brackets, one on either side of a plate to provide additional strength. 
         [0066]      FIG. 11  shows a third technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. This technique also utilizes two L brackets with the bottom piece of each L bracket being on opposite sides of the channel cross bar. 
         [0067]      FIG. 12  shows a forth technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. This figure is like  FIG. 11 , except that both L brackets are mounted on the same side of the mounting plate. 
         [0068]      FIG. 13  shows a fifth technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. In this case, one L bracket is utilized to mount to a plate against one portion of the building and a second L bracket, mounted below, accommodates the step nature of the building construction at the point of attachment. 
         [0069]      FIG. 14  shows a sixth technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. Again, there is a step displacement which can be utilized effectively by mounting two L brackets, one above and one below the cross bar position. 
         [0070]      FIG. 15  shows a seventh technique for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building. In this case, this technique is similar to that shown in  FIG. 8  except that a small bracket  1500 , is utilized to displace an L bracket so that it can attach underneath the bracing to which the roll for the garage door panels is mounted. This allows yet added strength. 
         [0071]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a small bracket used in the mounting arrangement of  FIG. 15 . Each of the techniques for mounting the horizontal cross bar to the building shown in  FIGS. 8-15 , utilize the same L bracket. That is, the construction of the L bracket is such as to accommodate a variety of configurations and mountings. This allows a single piece to have multiple uses and to reduce the number of pieces that might need to be stored or fabricated for an installation by homeowner in a do-it-yourself installation. 
         [0072]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of an assembly showing how to connect a vertical support to the horizontal crossbar shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C. 
         [0073]      FIG. 18  provides a perspective view of the bracket used in the attachment of  FIG. 17 . 
         [0074]      FIG. 19  provides a detailed view of a preferred version of the bracket shown in  FIG. 17 . 
         [0075]    Returning to  FIG. 17 , one can see that the bracket and the mounting bolt locations are configured so that the head of the mounting bolts can slide in the T channels of the vertical support, allowing it to be adjustable up and down the vertical support. 
         [0076]    Turning again to  FIG. 1A , the vertical cross bar (s) the horizontal cross bar, the L brackets for mounting, the door mounting brackets  130  can be conveniently packed and shipped as a kit for easy installation by a homeowner, authorized dealer or contractor. Once installed, the vertical supports can be easily removed by disconnecting the hook from each of the door panel mounting brackets and by sliding the vertical brace  100  on crossbar  110  to either side of the horizontal bar to be secured to the side wall or by lifting the bracket  120  attached to the vertical support  100  so that the top of the bracket  120  clears the horizontal cross bar so that it can be removed and stored. The floor bracket is fastened to the vertical brace and moves with the vertical brace. Push rods can be used to slide into 2 predrilled holes thru a plate fastened in the floor. This plate will remain in the floor and can be driven over etc. Thus, with the L brackets and the cross bar in place, a homeowner can quickly and easily slide the rods into the floor bracket into previously drilled holes, connect or slide the vertical support(s) to or on the horizontal cross bar using bracket  120 , adjust the channel slides to the corresponding heights of the U channels of the door mounting brackets and have a positive connection between the door panels and the vertical support bar that will protect the door against both positive and negative pressure. The sizing of the door mounting brackets are such that they can be accommodated in the roll up of the door panels when the door is open. 
         [0077]      FIG. 20  is a base plate which cooperates to provide an improved floor mounting for telescoping vertical member which provides bracing of garage doors against extreme forces in accordance with one aspect of the invention. The base plate  2000  is preferably made from galvanized steel of approximately 0.104 inches thickness. 
         [0078]    The base plate has four holes  2020  which are utilized to bolt to the base plate to the floor where vertical member is to be mounted to reinforce a garage door. The base plate also has at least two holes  2010  which are use to receive the sliding bolt utilized to mount the vertical member to the base plate as described more hereinafter. Protective caps may be utilized to cover the holes  2010  in the base plate to keep material from entering through those holes into the hole in the driveway material beneath the base plate to keep the holes from filling with dirt and other material that might otherwise be captured by the holes, thus inhibiting the insertion of the sliding bolt assembly to its appropriate depth. The holes  2010  are designed to receive the sliding bolt from the sliding bolt assembly described hereinafter and to allow it to move in and out without being forced. Particular sizing of the holes can vary, depending on the materials to which the base plate is mounted. 
         [0079]      FIG. 21  is a side view of a sliding bolt assembly used in cooperation with the base plate of  FIG. 20  for securing a vertical member to the floor of a garage door entrance in accordance with one aspect of the invention. In this view, one can see that two sliding bolts,  2100 A and  2100 B are positioned to slide through apertures in a sliding bolt assembly body  2120  which are perhaps more visible in later views. The two sliding bolts  2100 A and  2100 B are inserted through those apertures and affixed to a connecting bracket  2110  which is welded to both sliding bolts. The welding operation captures the sliding bolts between the two apertures through which the respective bolts slide. The sliding bolt assembly is shown positioned over a vertical member  2130  described more hereinafter. 
         [0080]      FIG. 22  is an end view of the sliding bolt assembly showing how it mounts to T channels of a vertical member in accordance with one aspect of the invention. As shown in the following perspective view, two tabs  2210 A and  2210 B are provided which partially surround the outer surface of the vertical member  2130 . As can be seen in  FIG. 22 , the vertical member has a plurality of T channels  2220 . Each of the tabs  2210 A and  2210 B has an opening which will accommodate a bolt. The two channels  2220  are sized to receive the head of such a bolt or a corresponding nut. In this instance, when the slide assembly body is placed as shown in  FIG. 22 , nuts are inserted in the T channel and slided to a position where they are substantially underneath the opening in the aperture  2210 A and  2210 B. A bolt is then fed through the opening in the apertures  2210 A and  2210 B and utilized to engage the nut in the T channel thus allowing the bolt and nut combinations to secure the sliding assembly body to the vertical member when the bolts and nuts are tightened. 
         [0081]    Loosening of the bolt and nut assemblies permits the sliding bolt assembly body to change position along the length of the vertical member as desired. 
         [0082]      FIG. 23  is a perspective view of how the sliding bolt assembly relates to the bottom of the vertical member. As shown in this view, top tab  2210 A is positioned over one of the T channels  2220  in the vertical member. A corresponding tab  2210 B (not shown) is positioned over an opposite T channel  2220 . In this view, two nuts and potentially washers, are inserted in the end of the T channels and slided along the T channel until they are positioned respectively below the two openings such as  2330 A are created in the tab  2210 A prior to assembly to permit the threaded body of a bolt to pass through the opening  2330  to engage the nut and any optional washers riding in the T channel track. The bolts and engaged nut assembly can be secured down or loosened to respectively lock in place or permit movement of the sliding bolt assembly body along the T channel track of the vertical member. Note that in the position shown, the bottom end of sliding bolt  2100 B is substantially in the plane of the bottom of the vertical member  2130 . Also in the position shown, the tab joining the two sliding bolts  2100 A and  2100 B holds the sliding bolt assembly in position by capturing tab  2320 A between the sliding bolts. It is clear that the sliding bolt assembly can be rotated so that the tab joining the two sliding bolts is out of engagement with the tab  2320 A so that the sliding bolts can move in a direction that allows the end of sliding bolt  2100 B to extend beyond the plane of the bottom of the vertical member  2130 . The two tabs  2320 A and  2320 B permit the sliding bolt assembly to be held in either a retracted position (shown) or in an extended position (not shown) where the sliding bolt can engage the apertures  2010  in the base plate and the holes provided beneath the base plate for receiving the sliding bolts. A combination lock or other type of lock can be utilized by inserting the hasp of the lock through openings  2310 A or  2310 B to prevent the sliding bolt(s) from moving from the extended or retracted position. 
         [0083]      FIG. 24  is a top view of a building mounting bracket which cooperates to provide an improved building mount for securing the top portion of a vertical member to the building in accordance with one aspect of the invention. In this view, one can see a plurality of mounting holes  2410  which are utilized to mount the mounting bracket to the building as described more hereinafter to facilitate connection of the vertical member to the building in a way in which the garage door can be reinforced. 
         [0084]      FIG. 25  is an end view of the building mounting bracket of  FIG. 24 . The side of the holes  2410  are illustrated in invisible lines. The space identified with a typical measurement of 0.629 inches in one embodiment can vary, depending on the desired width of a mating part. That space actually receives a portion of a bracket for securing a vertical member to a building mounting bracket in that space. For that reason, it is preferred that the holes  2410  be countersunk so that head of bolts inserted through those holes  2410  lie flat with the inside surface of the bracket. 
         [0085]      FIG. 26  is a perspective view of the bracket for securing a vertical member to a building mounting bracket. The holes  2610  are provided a lower portion of the mounting bracket and enables bolts to be utilized to secure the mounting bracket to the vertical member, using the T track approach previously described. Note that the bracket used to connect to the mounting bracket can be mounted to the vertical member in two orientations as described more hereinafter. There is an upper portion of the mounting bracket  2620 , which slidably engages with the building mounting bracket previously described. It is desirable that the thickness of the upper portion of the mounting bracket  2620  be thicker than that utilized in the portions which mount to the vertical member. 
         [0086]      FIGS. 27A and 27B  illustrate two alternative ways of enhancing the thickness of the slideable portion  2620  of the bracket of  FIG. 26  to ensure a snug fit when that bracket is mated to the building mounting bracket. In  FIG. 27A , a second piece of metal of the desired thickness,  2710 , is attached to the slideable portion  2620 . Such an attachment can occur by welding. Alternatively, slideable portion  2620  can be surrounded by a U shaped piece of metal  2720  which surrounds the outer edges of material  2620 . This U shaped piece can also be welded to the portion  2620 . 
         [0087]      FIG. 28  is an end view of the bracket of  FIG. 26  shown installed in the building mounting bracket. As shown in  FIG. 28 , the thickness of the slideable portion of the bracket  2620  is enhanced with the addition of an additional thickness  2710  to ensure a snug fit as the slideable portion and its enhances thickness slide into the mounting bracket  2510 . The holes  2610  are utilized to secure the bracket to the vertical member. 
         [0088]      FIG. 29  is a side view of the bracket of  FIG. 26  showing preferred dimensions for the holes for mounting the bracket to the vertical member. 
         [0089]      FIG. 30  illustrates one way of mounting a building mounting bracket to a building wall for securing a vertical member to the building with the bracket of  FIG. 26  in accordance with one aspect of the invention. As shown, the building mounting bracket  2510  is bolted to the wall above the garage door opening  3000 . The mounting bracket  2630  is applied to the vertical member  2130  so as to permit the slideable portion of bracket  2630  to slide into the building mounting bracket as shown. In this configuration, both the building mounting bracket  2510  and the vertical member  2130  are parallel with the wall  3000  and perpendicular to the mounting bracket  2630  as shown. 
         [0090]      FIG. 31  illustrates one way to mount a building mounting bracket to a ceiling or header above a garage door opening for securing a vertical member to the ceiling or header with the bracket of  FIG. 26  in accordance with one aspect of the invention. As shown in this Figure, the building mounting bracket  2510  is mounted to the ceiling or header above a garage door. The slideable bracket  2630  is mounted to the vertical member  2130  utilizing the T channels as described above. Once the bracket  2630  is mounted to the vertical member, and the positioning  2630  adjusted to be the correct height, the slideable portion,  2620 , of the bracket can be slided into the building mounting bracket to provide a quick and easy mounting which will secure the vertical member to the building mounting bracket for use during a storm. 
         [0091]    Once the base plate shown in  FIG. 1  is mounted to the floor by the garage door, and the building mounting bracket is attached to either the ceiling, header or the wall above the garage door, the vertical member, with its installed sliding bolt assembly and its bracket for mounting to the building mounting bracket can be installed and removed in a very short period of time. Upon removal, it may be desirable to provide filler caps, such as rubber plugs, to prevent material from accumulating in holes  2010  of the base plate when the vertical members are stored for later usage. 
         [0092]    Thus, installation of garage door protection requires only the permanent installation of a floor plate and a building mounting bracket. Both of these are unobtrusive and generally not noticeable when a vertical member is not in place. Nevertheless, when the vertical member with its mounting bracket and its sliding bolt assembly need to be positioned to protect the garage door during a storm, the sliding bolt assembly permits rapid installation of the base of the vertical member and the building mounting bracket permits a quick and slideable installation of the top end of the vertical member resulting in a strong and robust vertical member. 
         [0093]    The attachment of the garage door itself to one or more vertical members can occur in the way previously described. The components needed to secure a garage door can be assembled in a kit form in which an outside kit might include:
       a. a plurality of L brackets;   b. one horizontal cross bar;   c. at least one vertical support bar;   d. a floor mounting bracket; and   e. bracket for substantially surrounding a vertical support bar and for engaging said horizontal cross bar.       
 
         [0099]    As noted previously, an inside kit can comprise the following items:
       a. at least one vertical support;   b. a floor plate for each vertical support;   c. at least one sliding bolt assembly for mounting to each vertical support;   d. a mounting bracket for each vertical support for mounting to a building surface; and   e. a support bracket for attachment to each vertical support and for slidably engaging a mounting bracket.       
 
         [0105]    The installation and the take down of the garage door protection can occur quickly and easily. The installation of a floor bracket and a wall or ceiling bracket can be done by a homeowner with limited building skill in a quick and reliable manner. 
         [0106]    While various embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated herein in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4