Patent ID: 7617860

Claim:
An elevator door system comprising: a motor; a vertical reel rotatably driven by said motor; a door wound upon and unwound from said reel by operation of said motor; a flexible force transmission member mounted on and extending along an entire width of said door, said flexible force transmission member being directly connected to said reel whereupon said flexible force transmission member selectively transmits tensile and compressive forces generated by said motor to said door; and a vertical counter-reel rotatably mounted, a weight attached to said counter-reel and said flexible force transmission member being attached to said counter-reel with a cable, said weight operating to rotate said counter-reel and unwind said door from said reel when said motor is not generating said tensile and compressive force, wherein said vertical reel and said vertical counter-reel are spaced apart and non-coaxial.