Air heated, flexible door panel

• US 20040134128A1
• Filed: 01/10/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jamison Door Co.
• Original Assignee: Jamison Door Co.
• Inventors: Berry, Curtis L., Nichols, William B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,983,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 49/231
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/80 flexible upwardly folding flexible screens E06B9/262
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 7/02 for providing ventilation, e.g. through double windows; Arrangement of ventilation roses airflow control members per se F24F13/08
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 7/12 Measures preventing the formation of condensed water double glazing E06B3/24 - E06B3/28 and E06B3/677 ; heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas H05B3/84
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 21/04 Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2201/12 using an insulating packing material
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/021 Sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/087 Sealing strips
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/02 Sensors detecting door opening

Abstract

A door system for a cold storage locker has increased resistance to damage when by including resilient door panels that flex when hit by a forklift. A high degree of insulation is achieved by the choice and thickness of the resilient foams therein. Also, the resilient door panels are magnetically attracted to a gasket seal on a doorframe to provide an affirmative seal. Active magnetic control may enhance the attraction or repulsion of the door panel. Frost control is realized by warming air from the cold storage locker and passing it through air channels in the door panel proximate to the gasket seal and down an astragal interface between door panels. Door panels of laminate, bagged poured foam formation, and self-skinning foam formation give further reduced cost of manufacture and shipping.

Claims

1. A closure system for selectably accessing a cold space, comprising:

a doorframe defining an entry between a cold space and a warm space;

a movable door panel having a periphery selectably disposable against the doorframe to at least partially block the entry when in a closed position;

a sealing member in contact with the doorframe and the door panel periphery when in the closed position; and

a frost control system to prevent ice forming on the sealing member, comprising;

an air passage communicating between the cold space and the periphery of the movable door panel, and

a frost control system in communication with the air passage to warm air from the cold space and to move the warmed air through the air passage to the periphery of the door panel.

2. The closure system of claim 1, wherein the air passage include a doorframe port and an internal door air passage traversing at least a portion of the periphery of the door panel proximate to the sealing member and terminating in an exit port, the internal door air passage including an inlet port communicating with the doorframe port to receive warmed air.

3. The closure system of claim 2, wherein the exit port in the door panel is in communication with an intake to the frost control system to recycle warmed air.

4. The closure system of claim 1, wherein the frost control system comprises:

an air mover interposed in the air passage and having an intake and exhaust; and

an upstream air heater communicating between the cold space and the intake to the air mover for maintaining the air mover within an optimum temperature range.

5. The closure system of claim 4, wherein the air heater further comprises:

a temperature sensor positioned to sense air temperature in the air passage; and

a temperature controller responsive to the sensed air temperature from the temperature sensor to selectively activate the air heater.

6. The closure system of claim 4, further comprising a door position sensor, wherein the air heater further comprises a temperature controller that is responsive to the door position sensor to activate the air heater.

7. The closure system of claim 4, wherein the air heater further comprises:

a downstream air heater communicating with the exhaust and downstream portion of the air passage.

8. The closure system of claim 1, wherein the movable door panel comprises at least two hinged leaves pivotally attached at an astragal interface, the air passage including a branch traversing the astragal interface.

9. The closure system of claim 8, wherein the astragal interface is defined by a concave recess along a length of the two leaves with outer edges in close proximity to the other leaf of at least one leaf including the concave recess closely aligned to the proximate edge of the other leaf when in the leaves are in a horizontal plane in the closed position, thereby defining an astragal air passage between the two leaves.

10. A closure system, comprising:

a doorframe defining an entry between a cold space and a warm space;

a movable door panel having formed of resilient material and having a periphery selectably disposable against the doorframe to at least partially block the entry when in a closed position;

a magnetic assembly having a first member installed in the doorframe and a second member installed in a rear facing portion of the door panel, wherein first and second members magnetically attract each other when in a closed position and thereby maintain the door panel into proximity with the doorframe.

11. The closure system of claim 10, wherein the first member and second members of the magnetic assembly comprise a ferrous target and a permanent magnet.

12. The closure of system of claim 10, wherein the first member comprises an electromagnet and the second member comprises a ferrous target, the magnetic assembly further comprising a door controller responsive to a user command to open the door panel and to deactivate the electromagnet.

13. The closure of system of claim 10, wherein the first member comprises an electromagnet and the second member comprises a permanent magnet, the magnetic assembly further comprising a door controller responsive to a user command to open the door panel and to deactivate the electromagnet.

14. The closure system of claim 10, further comprising a rearwardly projecting flap attached to a trailing edge of the door panel and including the second member.

15. An automated door system, comprising:

a doorframe defining an entrance and including a ferrous target;

a door track mounted across a top portion of the doorframe;

a door panel movably and vertically supported by the door track and comprised of a resilient material for being able to recover from an impact and movable to contact the doorframe and to obstruct at least a portion of the entrance when in a closed position;

a door positioning system operable to position the door panel in a closed position with a periphery of the door panel registered to the ferrous target of the doorframe;

a magnet in the periphery of the door panel for a flexible rearward face into sealing contact to the doorframe; and

a frost control system for warming the sealing contact between the door panel and the doorframe.

16. The automated door system of claim 15, further comprising a door sensor operable to sense a condition of the door panel being blocked, the door positioning system being response to the door sensor to discontinue moving the door panel in the direction of the blockage.

17. The automated door system of claim 15, wherein the entrance communicates between a warm space and a cold space, the frost control system comprises an air heater configured to heat air from the cold space and to direct the heated air proximate to the sealing contact.

18. The automated door system of claim 17, wherein the frost control system further comprises air passages in the door panel configured to receive the heated air and to direct the heat air to the periphery of the door panel.

19. The automated door system of claim 18, wherein the door panel comprises at least two hinged leaves pivotally attached at an astragal interface, the air passage including a branch traversing the astragal interface.

20. The automated door system of claim 18, wherein the frost control system further comprises:

a temperature sensor positioned to sense temperature in the air passage;

an air heater interposed in the air passage;

an air mover positioned to move air from the cold space through the air passage to the sealing contact between the door panel and the doorframe; and

a temperature controller responsive to the temperature sensor and configured to activate the air heater and the air mover.

21. The automated door system of claim 18, wherein the frost control system further comprises an electrical heater in the doorframe proximate to the sealing contact.

22. An automated door system, comprising:

a doorframe defining an entrance;

a door track mounted across a top portion of the doorframe;

a door panel movably and vertically supported by the door track and comprised of a resilient material for being able to recover from an impact and movable to contact the doorframe and to obstruct at least a portion of the entrance when in a closed position;

a door position sensor operable to sense the door panel in a closed position with a periphery of the door panel registered to the doorframe; and

a door positioning system operably configured to position the door panel to the closed position and to reset the door panel to an open position in response to the door position sensor sensing the door panel no longer being registered to the doorframe indicating impact.

23. The automated door system of claim 22, further comprising a restraining device positioned to urge a lower portion of the door panel into contact with the doorframe.

24. The automated door system of claim 23, wherein the door track includes a lateral extension sufficient for the door panel to open beyond contact with the restraining device, and wherein the door positioning system is further operably configured to reset the door panel by opening the beyond contact with the restraining device and thereafter closing the door panel.

25. The automated door system of claim 24, wherein the door positioning system is further operably configured to wait for a period of time with the door opened beyond contact with the restraining device allowing the door panel to fall back toward the vertical.

26. The automated door system of claim 24, wherein the door positioning system is further operably configured to open the door panel in response to a user command to an open position wherein the door panel remains in contact with the restraining device.