Sectional Door Wicket Hinges for Practically 180° Opening

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wicket doors in sectional doors have a limited opening angle, restricting their usability, and existing solutions often require visible mounting features that detract from aesthetics.

Innovation Solution

The sectional door design incorporates diabolo-shaped locking elements and set screws to secure hinges, allowing the wicket door to open up to 180° without visible connections, using a blind rivet or threaded bush with a bolt for attachment, ensuring a snug fit and easy assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the wicket door is equipped with traditional visible mounting features (cover plates), then the hinge connection is secure and visible, but the aesthetic appearance is compromised and the opening angle is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveopening angleVSAvoidaesthetic appearance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the visible cover plates and mounting features from the hinge assembly. The hinge connection is designed to be completely hidden within the door structure, with only the necessary functional elements (diabolo locking element, set screw) remaining, which are positioned to be invisible from the exterior. This extraction of visible mounting features resolves the contradiction by achieving both secure attachment and aesthetic appearance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent relocates the hinge rotation axis to the exterior side of the sectional door by positioning the hinge door leaf part on the opposite side of the wicket door. This dimensional repositioning allows the wicket door to open to practically 180° while keeping all mounting features hidden within the door structure, thus resolving both the opening angle limitation and the aesthetic appearance requirement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the wicket door is mounted with limited opening angle design, then the mounting structure is simple, but the usability is restricted

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveusabilityVSAvoidmounting structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent relocates the hinge rotation axis to the exterior side of the sectional door by positioning the hinge door leaf part on the opposite side of the wicket door. This dimensional repositioning allows the wicket door to open to practically 180° while keeping all mounting features hidden within the door structure, thus resolving both the opening angle limitation and the aesthetic appearance requirement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Shape

If the wicket door is equipped with hidden hinge connections, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the mounting precision and secure fit become more difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaesthetic appearanceVSAvoidmounting precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a diabolo-shaped locking element as an intermediary component between the hinge door leaf part and the wicket door profile. This locking element, combined with the set screw, provides precise positioning and secure attachment while remaining hidden from view. The intermediary locking mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling hidden connections to achieve the same mounting precision and security as visible connections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4424969B1Sectional door
Publication Date: 2025.10.29 CONDOOR GROUP
  • EP4424969B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1C
  • EP4424969B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP4424969B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Sectional door (1) comprising panels (2) that are hingedly connected to each other, said sectional door (1) being provided with a wicket door (3) fitting in a wicket door frame (4) of the sectional door (1) and connected to the sectional door (1) with hinges (5), wherein the wicket door (3) snugly fits into the wicket door frame (4) with the exterior sides of the wicket door (3) and the sectional door essentially being flush with respect to each other, and the hinges (5) are fitted onto the sectional door (1) and onto the wicket door (3) such that the hinges (5) are free from a visible connection with the wicket door (3), wherein each hinge (5) comprises a first hinge part (5') mountable on the wicket door (3), said first hinge part (5') comprising a hinge door leaf part (6) which is connectable or connected to a wicket door profile (7), which wicket door profile (7) is provided with a connecting element (8) which attaches a diabolo shaped locking element (13) to the wicket door profile (7), and the hinge door leaf part (6) is equipped with a set screw (10) which engages the diabolo shaped locking element (13) so as to clamp the hinge door leaf part (6) and the wicket door profile (7) onto each other.