Abstract: A powered folding door, comprising several side-by-side door panels, includes a stabilizer that resists a reactive torque created by the inertial changes of a door panel that quickly accelerates and decelerates at the door's open and closed positions. A trolley, driven back and forth along the length of an overhead track by a long narrow drawbar, suspends one of the door panels about a swivel connection. As the door closes or folds open, the swivel allows the door panel to rotate about a vertical axis to facilitate the folding action of the door. The stabilizer extends rigidly from the trolley to slidingly or rollingly engage the track at a point beyond the vertical axis of the swivel to counteract the reactive torque. The stabilizer engaging a relatively sturdy track, prevents the trolley from transmitting the torque to the drawbar (which is much weaker than the track), and thus avoids bending the drawbar.

Abstract: A curtain guiding assembly for an industrial door is disclosed. The curtain guiding assembly is provided with a resilient member disposed adjacent the leading edge of a door curtain. The resilient member is substantially untensioned when no external force is applied to the door curtain and is adapted to at least partially conform to or at least partially deflect about encountered obstacles. The resilient member becomes tensioned upon application of an external force less than a first predetermined threshold and returns to its substantially untensioned state upon removal of the external force.

Abstract: An omni-directional breakaway guide assembly for use in conjunction with an edge member in an industrial door. The guide assembly comprises a guide extension for engaging guide members to guide the door in a plane, and an edge member portion coupled to the edge member. The breakaway guide assembly includes a releasable coupling between the guide extension and the edge member portion. Upon application of a sufficient force on the edge member at least one of the edge member portion and the guide extension portion deforms to allow the edge member portion to breakaway from the guide extension portion. Such breakaway may occur for forces applied in a variety of directions to the edge member.

Abstract: A curtain edge tensioning assembly comprised primarily of a portion of the curtain extending across the leading edge of the door. The curtain portion is releasably coupled to a guide extension extending beyond the leading edge of the door and engaging guide members to guide the door in a plane. The guide extensions also engage the guide members to restrict the guide extensions from moving toward the center of the curtain. The releasable coupling between these horizontally restricted guide extensions and the resilient member places a tension on the curtain portion. The curtain portion is thus stretched across the door, and serves as a wind retention bottom bar or edge that also substantially conforms to or deflects around an obstruction, thus preventing or minimizing damage to the door, the bottom bar and the obstruction.

Abstract: A tension and release mechanism for use on a tension belt, including a first bearing member around which the tension belt passes and which is mounted on a support member. A bias member is coupled to the support member to exert a force on the support member tending to tension the belt. Engagement member is mountable adjacent the support member and is movable to a position wherein it exerts a force on the support member to move the support member to a tension-release position. A latch is also included for latching the support member in the tension release position.