Abstract:
In a sectional overhead garage door assembly, the problem of opening the garage door for aeration or else, while preventing small animals to enter, is solved by i) making the last and the next to last panels of the door detachable so that the last panel may remain on the ground, ii) by providing the last panel with at least one first attachment, and iii) by mounting a screen to one of a) the frame of the door and b) the next to last panel, so as to be deployable in front of the opening when the last panel is detached and the other panels are raised. The deployable screen has at least one second attachment for cooperating with the at least one first attachment for removably attaching the deployable screen to the last panel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/698,312, filed on Sep. 7, 2012, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure generally relates to garage doors. More specifically, the present disclosure is concerned with a garage door assembly including a mosquito net. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Among the many types of garage doors, the sectional overhead doors are among the most popular for style, safety, security and ease of use. They include a series of panels abutted so that two adjacent panels are pivotably mounted to one another. Such a system can be moved between closed and opened configuration by sliding the panel assembly along lateral tracks between vertical and horizontal positions by way of a cable and pulley system that is motorized by a small electric motor or which is operated manually. 
         [0004]    A drawback of conventional sectional overhead garage doors, which is shared by all garage door types, is that, by their nature and size, they do not easily accommodate a screen door. 
         [0005]    The attempts to fix a screen door to a garage door opening may be so far split in two categories. In the first one, the conventional opaque door is replaced by a screen door. While this solution may be acceptable in a temperate climate, there is always the problem of perpetual vulnerability against theft. 
         [0006]    Other attempts to integrate a screen for opening garage doors are temporary solutions. These generally includes deploying a window screen in front of the garage door opening while the door is open, and maintaining the screen in position by using either brackets that are removably mounted to the garage door, self standing poles, or others. The drawbacks of the temporary solutions are numerous, including: questionable strength of the resulting assembly, imprecise fit of the window screen in the garage door opening, doubtful aesthetic appearance, etc. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    An object is generally to provide a garage door assembly that aims at solving the problem of opening a garage door for aeration or else, while preventing small animals to enter the opening closed by the garage door. 
         [0008]    More specifically, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment, there is provided a garage door assembly for closing an opening that is at least partially circumscribed by a frame, the garage door assembly comprising:
       a series of abutting panels assembled in such a way that two adjacent panels are interconnected to allow pivotal movement therebetween; the panels being slidably mounted in two lateral parallel tracks therebetween for reciprocal movement in unison therealong, between a lowered position, wherein the opening is closed, and a raised position, wherein the opening is clear; the series of abutting panels including a last and a next to last panels that are detachable; the last panel having at least one first attachment;   a screen mounted to one of i) the frame and ii) the next to last panel so as to be deployable in front of the opening when the last panel is detached and the other panels are in the raised position;   the screen having at least one second attachment for cooperating with the at least one first attachment for removably attaching the deployable screen to the last panel.       
 
         [0012]    In accordance to another embodiment, there is provided a kit for retrofitting a sectional overhead garage door assembly with a selectively deployable screen; the garage door assembly including a series of abutting panels assembled in such a way that two adjacent panels are interconnected to allow pivotal movement therebetween; the panels being slidably mounted in two lateral parallel tracks therebetween for reciprocal movement in unison therealong, between a lowered position, wherein the opening is closed, and a raised position, wherein the opening is clear; the kit comprising:
       separable hinges, each having a first part mountable to the last panel and a second part mountable to the next to last panel of the series of abutting panels and a removable pivot pin that holds together the first and second parts;   at least one first attachment for mounting to the last panel; and   a screen for mounting to the next to last panel or to a frame of the garage door assembly to be deployable in front of the opening when the last panel is detached from the next to last panel and the other panels are in the raised position; the screen having at least one second attachment for cooperating with the at least one first attachment for removably attaching the deployable screen to the last panel.       
 
         [0016]    Other objects, advantages and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent upon reading the following non restrictive description of illustrated embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    In the appended drawings: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a back elevation of a garage door assembly according to a first illustrative embodiment; the garage door assembly being shown closed, with the last two panels still attached and the mosquito screen partially deployed; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation of the garage door assembly from  FIG. 1 ; the garage door assembly being shown opened, with the last two panels detached, and with the screen completely deployed; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of a garage door assembly according to a second illustrative embodiment; the garage door being shown opened with the mosquito screen deployed; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a back perspective of the garage door assembly from  FIG. 3 , illustrating the locking mechanism between the last two panels; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation of the garage door assembly from  FIG. 3 , illustrating the attachment of the deployed screen to the last panel when the last panel is detached; 
           [0023]      FIG. 5A  is a close up view taken along line  5 A- 5 A in  FIG. 5 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of a garage door assembly according to a third illustrative embodiment; the garage door being shown opened with the mosquito screen deployed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a previous figure. 
         [0026]    The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more. 
         [0027]    As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “include” and “includes”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contain” and “contains”), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements. 
         [0028]    A garage door assembly  10  according to a first illustrative embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The garage door assembly  10  closes a generally rectangular opening partially circumscribed by a frame  12 . 
         [0029]    Since garage door assemblies according to illustrative embodiments are similar to conventional sectional overhead garage door assemblies, only the differences therewith will be described herein for concision purposes. 
         [0030]    The garage door assembly  10  comprises a series of identical abutting panels  14 ,  16  and  18  that are assembled in such a way that two adjacent panels  14 - 14 ,  14 - 16  and  16 - 18  are so interconnected to allow pivotal movement therebetween. More specifically, each two adjacent panels  14 - 18  are assembled using conventional hinges  20  between panels  14  and  16  and two-parts separable hinges  22 . 
         [0031]    According to the first illustrated, each pair of panels  14 - 14 ,  14 - 16  and  16 - 18  is pivotally assembled using three hinges  20  or  22 : one at the center of the pair of panels, and the other two near the lateral edges thereof. 
         [0032]    The two lateral hinges  20  are further provided with rollers  23  (see on  FIG. 4 ) that slidably mount the four panels  14 - 18  in two lateral parallel tracks  24  therebetween for reciprocal movement in unison therealong between an upright lowered position, wherein the opening is closed, and a raised position, wherein the opening is clear. 
         [0033]    The tracks  24  conventionally includes a lower vertical portion  26 , a generally horizontal portion  28  and an arcuate transitional portion  29  therebetween. 
         [0034]    Whenever there is sufficient space above the door frame  12  inside the building, it has been found advantageous to extend the tracks  24  vertically beyond the maximum height of the opening so that the panels  14 - 16  move away from the vertical only once they are completely inside the building. As this will be described hereinbelow in more detail, such an arrangement allows a deployable screen  30  mounted to the door panel  16  to cover all area of the door opening above the panel  18  when the screen  30  is deployed. 
         [0035]    As mentioned hereinabove, the last panel  18  and next to last panel  16  are detachably assembled via three separable hinges  22 . These hinges  22 , that can be better seen in  FIG. 4 , include a removable pivot pin  32  that holds together top and bottom portions  34 - 36  of the hinge  22  in a quick connect manner. The distal panel  18 , also referred to herein as the lowest or last panel, can therefore be selectively detached from the other panels  14 - 16  so as to stay on the ground when the door is opened. 
         [0036]    The separable panels  16  and  18  include additional rollers (not shown) to prevent their tilting off the tracks  24  when they are separated. These additional rollers are mounted to the panels  16  and  18  via brackets  38 . 
         [0037]    An elongated container  40  is secured to the next to last panel  16  which includes a deployable screen in the form of a mosquito net  30 . More specifically, the net  30  is wrapped on a roll and biased thereon by a coil (not shown) spring in a well-known manner. 
         [0038]    According to another embodiment, the coil spring is omitted. 
         [0039]    With reference to  FIG. 5A , the distal edge  42  of the net  30  is provided with a first attachment, in the form of an elongated transversal hook  44 , that cooperates with a second attachment on the last panel  18 , in the form of an elongated transversal inverted V-shaped track  46 . The second attachment  46  allows removably securing the edge of the distal edge  42  of the net  30  onto the last panel  18  along its width. 
         [0040]    In operation, while the distal edge  42  of the net  30  is secured to the lowest panel  18 , which is detached from the panel  16  and remains to the ground, raising the panels  14 - 16  causes the mosquito net  30  to be deployed in front of the opening. 
         [0041]    The garage door assembly  10  can be equipped with a conventional automatic door opener (not shown) to automatically open the door with or without the lowest panel  18  detached and the net  30  attached thereto. The garage door assembly can also be opened manually. 
         [0042]    The garage door assembly  10  allows selective aeration through the garage door opening while preventing small animals and insects from entering. 
         [0043]    It is to be noted that the garage door assembly  10  can be provided with other conventional equipments such as a lock, sealing and security sensors (both not shown). 
         [0044]    The screen  30  is not limited to the illustrated mosquito net and can be replaced by any sheet made of any material that is permeable to air. There are also no limitations in the size and configuration of the screen openings. 
         [0045]    A garage door assembly  50  according to a second illustrative embodiment will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 3-5A . 
         [0046]    Since the assembly  50  is similar to the assembly  10 , only the differences between these two assemblies will be described herein in more detail herein for concision purposes. 
         [0047]    The container  40  is secured on a horizontal top panel  52  which is a part of the door frame  54  that is positioned outside the opening that is to be closed by the door assembly  10 . A slit  56  is provided in the container  40  to allow passage for the net  30 . 
         [0048]    Contrarily to the case of the garage door assembly  10 , the net/screen  30  cannot be automatically deployed by raising the door panels  14 - 16  since their movements are in opposite directions. The mosquito net  30  is deployed similarly to a conventional roller blind by pulling thereon. As can be better seen in  FIG. 5A , the net  30  can be attached along the edge of the panel  18  by hanging the hook portion  44  onto the track  46  that is secured along the edge of the panel  18  as described hereinabove with reference to the assembly  10 . Taking advantage of the coil spring and roll to which the net  30  is mounted, the net  30  can be retracted by pulling thereon after unhooking it from the track  46  (see arrow  58  in  FIG. 5A ). 
         [0049]    The remaining operation of the door assembly  50  is similar to the operation of the door assembly  10  described hereinabove. 
         [0050]    A person skilled in the art will now appreciate that a user may decide to open and close its garage door as any other garage door, without having to permanently remove the mosquito net, which remains ready to be deployed at all time. 
         [0051]    A garage door assembly  60  according to a third illustrative embodiment will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 6 . 
         [0052]    Since the assembly  60  is similar to the assembly  50 , only the differences between these two assemblies will be described herein in more detail herein for concision purposes. 
         [0053]    The difference between both assemblies  60  and  50  lies within the configuration of the net  62 . In the case of the assembly  60 , the net  62  is attachable near the edge  64  of the lowest panel  18  therealong via snap buttons  66 . Also, the net  62  includes an opening closed by a zipper  68  that allows easy passage to a person without having to completely or partially retract the net  62 . 
         [0054]    The position and orientation of the zipper  68  may of course be different than those illustrated. 
         [0055]    Also, other attaching means than snap buttons can be provided to secure the edge or another portion of the mosquito net  62  to the panel  18 . 
         [0056]    Velcro™ or magnets (not shown) can be used instead of the snap buttons  66  and/or zipper  68 . 
         [0057]    According to another embodiment, a kit is provided to retrofit a conventional sectional overhead garage door assembly with a deployable screen as described hereinabove. Such a kit includes for example separable hinges  22 , rollers  23  with brackets  38 , a mosquito net  30  mounted on a roll as described hereinabove and/or received in a containers  40  for mounting on the garage door frame or one of its panel and complementary attachment for removably attaching the net  30  onto the last pane of the door. 
         [0058]    It is to be noted that many modifications could be made to the garage door assembly described hereinabove and illustrated in the appended drawings. For example:
       other arrangement and mechanism than the rollers and tracks can be provided to maintain in position the door panels and to allow movement thereof relative to the door opening;   the container that receives the net can be omitted. The net can be mounted on a roll as described hereinabove directly onto the door panel or door frame;   the screen is not limited to be mounted on a roll for deployment. According to another embodiment (not shown), the screen is folded or simply deposited in a container mounted to the next to last panel;   the number, size and material of the door panels may vary; and   the screen is not limited to cover the whole area of the opening. According to other embodiments (not shown), the screen is replaced by an opaque material including one or more sections made from a net.       
 
         [0064]    It is to be understood that the garage door assembly is not limited in its application to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove. The garage door assembly is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation. Hence, although the garage door assembly has been described hereinabove by way of illustrative embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit, scope and nature of the subject invention.