US 5,148,850 · Granted 1992-09-22
The Hinge That Keeps Garage Door Weather Out
Imagine a garage door made of separate panels that fold up. This patent is about a special hinge that connects those panels while also sealing out rain, wind, and dirt. It uses a flexible rubber connector that bends smoothly and toughly when the door opens and closes.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a hinge connector system for articulated overhead doors—specifically, a design where rigid metal members attached to adjacent door panels are joined by an elastomeric (rubber-like) flexible connector that serves two jobs at once: it allows the panels to rotate and fold, and it creates a dynamic seal that prevents water and debris from entering the gaps between panels. What's protected here is that specific sandwich-like design where the flexible rubber member dynamically accommodates movement while maintaining weatherproofing.
Why it matters
Garage doors need hinges that can handle thousands of open-close cycles while staying weathertight. Before this design, hinges and seals were often separate components, which meant more parts, more cost, and more places for leaks to develop. By combining the hinge function with an elastomeric shock absorber and dynamic seal in one unit, this patent addressed a real maintenance pain point for homeowners and builders—reducing the number of potential failure points in overhead door systems.
Real-world use
Every time you open or close a sectional garage door on a rainy day, you're relying on hinges like this one to keep water from seeping into the joints between the door panels.
Original USPTO abstract
A new dynamic shock-resistant flexible sealing hinge connector comprising members associated with adjacent door panels and an elongated, shock-absorbing elastomeric connector member engaging the rigid members such that the elastomeric connector member dynamically seals and rotatably joins the door panels.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,148,850
- Filing date
- 1991-01-04
- Grant date
- 1992-09-22
- Assignee
- Paneltech Ltd.
- Inventor(s)
- URBANICK; BURTON A.
- CPC class
- E06B3/486
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