Door control system for folding doors

Claim 1

Folding door construction comprising an overhead track, said track arcuately curving first in one direction and then in the opposite direction to define a sinuous path, a folding door suspended from said track for movement along the sinuous path defined thereby, said door having a Leading end, a roller assembly affixed to the leading end of the door and rollingly engaging the track for movement therealong, pulley means at opposite ends of said track, an elongated cable engaged about said pulley means and defining two cable runs along said track, means engaged with said cable to longitudinally move said cable along said track, said roller assembly being engaged with one run of said cable for movement therewith, and cable guiding means along said track engaged by the two cable runs for a guiding thereof along the sinuous path defined by the track, said cable guiding means comprising a plurality of vertically oriented guide spools associated with each cable run, said spools being rotatable about vertical axes, the spools associated with each run being laterally spaced from the spools of the other run with the runs maintained in generally horizontal coplanar relation with each other, said track, in each arcuately curving portion, having a concave side and an opposed convex side, each cable run being engaged with the associated spools on the side thereof directed toward the convex side of the track curvature in each arcuately curving portion, said track comprising a pair of laterally spaced track sections oriented to the opposite sides of said guide spools, said roller assembly including a plate positionable transversely across said track immediately below said spools, and upwardly directed roller means on the opposite ends of said plate rollingly engaged within the track sections, a cable clamp mounted on said plate and projecting vertically upward therefrom, said cable clamp including means for a clamped locking to the cable, said cable clamp being so configured as to engage and ride over the spools sequentially encountered during the movement of the door.