Patent ID: 6948547

Claim:
An overhead garage door adapted to be suspended horizontally when open and incorporating decorative elements of a house façade, the door having a front side, a rear side and a height, the front side forming an exterior façade having the appearance of a plurality of adjacent doorways, the garage door comprising: three longitudinal sections arranged in a stack; a first array of impact resistant, light-transmitting first panels formed in the three longitudinal sections, the first array extending vertically more than half the height of the door, the first array including a first vertical stack of light-transmitting panels and a second vertical stack of light-transmitting panels, the first vertical stack being horizontally spaced apart from the second vertical stack by a first gap; a second array of impact resistant, light-transmitting second panels formed in the three longitudinal sections, the second array extending vertically more than half the height of the door, the second array including a third vertical stack of light-transmitting panels and a fourth vertical stack of light-transmitting panels, the third vertical stack being horizontally spaced apart from the fourth vertical stack by a second gap; a third array of impact resistant, light-transmitting first panels formed in the three longitudinal sections, the third array vertically extending more than half the height of the door, the third array including a fifth vertical stack of light-transmitting panels and a sixth vertical stack of light-transmitting panels, the fifth vertical stack being horizontally spaced apart from the sixth vertical stack by a third gap; a first vertical column formed by portions of the three longitudinal sections disposed within a first horizontal space between the first array and the second array, the first vertical column being wider than the first and second gaps; a second vertical column formed by portions of the three longitudinal sections disposed within a second horizontal space between the second array and the third array, the second vertical column being wider than the second and third gaps; and a plurality of guide rollers; wherein said light-transmitting panels permit light from the front side to transmit through the door to the rear side, said arrays being arranged on said exterior façade to simulate adjacent, light-transmitting doorways, and said impact resistant light-transmitting panels in conjunction with said vertical columns provide the functionality of structural integrity for the garage door.