US-20260125945-A1 - HYBRID DRIVE-THRU AUTOMATIC TOUCHLESS DOOR SYSTEM

US20260125945A1US 20260125945 A1US20260125945 A1US 20260125945A1US-20260125945-A1

Abstract

A hybrid drive-thru door system that includes a door panel assembly movable between a plurality of operating modes. The door panel assembly includes a sliding door panel operable for movement between a closed position to at least partially cover a doorway opening and an opened position to at least partially expose the doorway opening. The sliding door panel has an upper sliding door panel member releasably attached to a lower sliding door panel member. The upper sliding door panel member is independently movable relative to the lower sliding door panel member in a window operating mode of the door panel assembly.

Inventors

Vinay Patel
Christopher Kolodziej
Larry Hamaker
David Dillon

Assignees

Allegion Access Technologies LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251230

Claims (20)

1 . A hybrid drive-thru door system, comprising: a door panel assembly configured for mounting at a frame defining a doorway opening, the door panel assembly including a sliding door panel operable for automatic movement between a closed position to at least partially cover the doorway opening and an open position to at least partially expose the doorway opening, the sliding door panel having an upper sliding door panel member releasably attached to a lower sliding door panel member in a manner that facilitates selective placement of the sliding door panel between a window operating mode and a door operating mode to permit user ingress and egress through the doorway opening; and a guide system configured for joint movement of the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member relative to the frame in the door operating mode, and independent movement the upper sliding door panel member relative to the lower sliding door panel member in the window operating mode, the guide system including: at least one lower guide roller assembly arranged at a lower region of the lower sliding door panel member to facilitate movement of the lower sliding door panel member in the door operating mode, at least one intermediate guide roller assembly arranged at an upper region of the lower sliding door panel member to facilitate movement of the lower sliding door panel member in the door operating mode, and at least one upper guide roller assembly arranged at a lower region of the upper sliding door panel member to facilitate movement of the upper sliding door panel member in the door operating mode and the window operating mode.
2 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the guide system further includes a first guide track having spaced apart guide channels extending in parallel, and the at least one lower guide roller assembly is configured to engage the first guide track and facilitate movement of the lower sliding door panel member along the first guide track in the door operating mode.
3 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 2 , wherein the at least one lower guide roller assembly is arranged in a concealed position in the lower sliding door panel member and comprises: a guide body having a pair of spaced apart guide legs configured to be received in in the guide channels to laterally stabilize the lower first door panel member on the first guide track, one or more first guide wheel members connected to the guide body for rotation on the first guide track, and a bias member mounted on a guide shaft operable to apply a bias force to the guide body in a manner that facilitates vertical adjustment of the lower second door panel member during movement of the lower sliding door panel member along the first guide track while also maintaining the guide legs in the guide channels as the guide legs are moved along the guide channels.
4 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 2 , wherein: the guide system further includes a second guide track arranged on and extending in a plane parallel to an outer planar surface of the stationary door panel, and the at least one intermediate guide roller assembly is operable to engage the second guide track in a manner that facilitates movement of the lower second door panel member along the second guide track.
5 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one intermediate guide roller assembly comprises one or more second guide wheel members for rotation on the second guide track.
6 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 5 , wherein the one or more second guide wheel members are mounted in a concealed position between the stationary door panel and the sliding door panel.
7 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 4 , wherein: the guide system further includes a third guide track arranged on and extending in a plane parallel to an outer planar surface of the stationary door panel, and the at least one upper guide roller assembly is operable to engage the third guide track in a manner that facilitates movement of the upper sliding door panel member along the third guide track.
8 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 7 , wherein the at least one upper guide roller assembly comprises one or more third guide wheel members for rotation on the third guide track.
9 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 8 , wherein the one or more third guide wheel members are mounted in a concealed position between the stationary door panel and the sliding door panel.
10 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 1 , further comprising a clamp assembly operable to releasably interlock the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member.
11 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 10 , wherein the clamp assembly is selectively moveable between a locked state to secure the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member for joint movement in the door operating mode, and an unlocked state to release the upper sliding door panel member from the lower sliding door panel member for independent movement of the upper sliding door panel member in the window operating mode.
12 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 11 , wherein the clamp assembly comprises: an upper clamp member arranged on the upper sliding door panel member, the upper clamp member having one or more grooves; and a lower clamp member arranged on the lower sliding door panel member, the lower clamp member having a clamp member that is pivotably moveable between a clamped position to place the clamp assembly in the locked state, and an unclamped position to place the clamp assembly in the unlocked state.
13 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 12 , wherein: in the clamped position, the clamp member is pivoted for engagement with the upper clamp member and receipt in the one or more grooves, and in the unclamped position, the clamp member is counter-pivoted for disengagement with the upper clamp member and movement out of the one or more grooves.
14 . A hybrid drive-thru door system, comprising: a door panel assembly configured for mounting at a frame defining a doorway opening, the door panel assembly, the door panel assembly including a sliding door panel operable for movement between a closed position to at least partially cover the doorway opening and an opened position to at least partially expose the doorway opening, the sliding door panel having an upper sliding door panel member releasably attached to a lower sliding door panel member; a guide system configured to facilitate joint movement of the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member in a door operating mode to permit user ingress and egress through the doorway opening, and independent movement of the upper sliding door panel member relative to the lower sliding door panel member in a window operating mode of the sliding door panel, the guide system including: at least one lower guide roller assembly arranged at a lower region of the lower sliding door panel member to facilitate movement of the lower sliding door panel member in the door operating mode, at least one intermediate guide roller assembly arranged at an upper region of the lower sliding door panel member to facilitate movement of the lower sliding door panel member in the door operating mode, and at least one upper guide roller assembly arranged at a lower region of the upper sliding door panel member to facilitate movement of the upper sliding door panel member in the door operating mode and the window operating mode.
15 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 14 , wherein: the guide system further includes a first guide track having spaced apart guide channels extending in parallel, and the at least one lower guide roller assembly is operable to engage the first guide track and facilitate movement of the lower sliding door panel member along the first guide track in the door operating mode.
16 . The hybrid drive-thru door assembly of claim 15 , wherein the at least one lower guide roller assembly is arranged in a concealed position in the lower sliding door panel member and comprises: a guide body having a pair of spaced apart guide legs movably received in the guide channels to laterally stabilize the lower first door panel member on the first guide track, one or more first guide wheel members connected to the guide body for rotation on the first guide track, and a bias member mounted on a guide shaft operable to apply a bias force to the guide body in a manner that facilitates vertical adjustment of the lower second door panel member during movement of the lower sliding door panel member along the first guide track while also maintaining the guide legs in the guide channels.
17 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 14 , further comprising a clamp assembly operable to releasably interlock the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member, the clamp assembly being selectively moveable between a locked state to secure the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member for joint movement in the door operating mode, and an unlocked state to release the upper sliding door panel member from the lower sliding door panel member for independent movement of the upper sliding door panel member in the window operating mode.
18 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 17 , wherein the clamp assembly comprises: an upper clamp member arranged on the upper sliding door panel member, the upper clamp member having one or more grooves; a lower clamp member arranged on the lower sliding door panel member, the lower clamp member having a clamp member that is pivotably moveable between a clamped position to place the clamp assembly in the locked state, and an unclamped position to place the clamp assembly in the unlocked state; and an indicator member located on an outer surface of the sliding door panel to visually indicate a status of the clamp assembly.
19 . The hybrid drive-thru door system of claim 18 , wherein: in the clamped position, the clamp member is rotated for engagement with the upper clamp member and receipt in the one or more grooves, and in the unclamped position, the clamp member is counter-pivoted for disengagement with the upper clamp member and movement out of the one or more grooves.
20 . A hybrid drive-thru door system, comprising: a door panel assembly configured for mounting at a frame defining a doorway opening, the door panel assembly including a sliding door panel operable for movement between a closed position to at least partially cover the doorway opening and an opened position to at least partially expose the doorway opening, the sliding door panel having an upper sliding door panel member releasably attached to a lower sliding door panel member; and a guide system including a plurality of guide roller assemblies to facilitate joint movement of the upper sliding door panel member and the lower sliding door panel member in a door operating mode to permit user ingress and egress through the doorway opening, and independent movement of the upper sliding door panel member relative to the lower sliding door panel member in a window operating mode of the second door panel.

Description

The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/239,189 filed on Aug. 31, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to automatic touchless door systems that are operable to provide the functionality of a drive-thru window and a fully automatic touchless door. BACKGROUND Door systems having automatic door operators are frequently used for providing automatic opening and closing of one or more movable door members in order to facilitate ingress and egress. Some systems include door members that are swing doors that move about a pivot axis. Some door systems include sliding door members or revolving door members. Many fast-food restaurants are seeing a rise in drive-thru service. This is likely due to the initiative to make all things as touchless as possible during and after the COVID pandemic. Currently, restaurants may use one or more standard drive thru service windows to service customers in one or more lanes. The customers are instructed to park in designated parking areas (“car-hop”) during rush hours to avoid long lines in the drive thru queue. Employees will then bring their orders directly to the customer's vehicle. Problems occur when employees need to walk through the restaurant from the kitchen and then to the customer's parking place. This inefficiency wastes valuable time during rush hour when customers still expect fast service. By allowing the employees the ability to walk out directly from the kitchen to the lot, they can get food to customers much faster and with less risk of dropping the food along the way due to the shorter walking distance. Door products currently in the market typically only perform one function. Drive-thru windows are very common, but they do not provide full-door functionality. Automatic doors are also common without top sliding window functionality in the manner that a drive-thru window does. There are limited current solutions in the market, and these limited solutions offer limited functionality in one door package. Such solutions characteristically use surface-mounted linear drawing slides that are difficult to clean or sanitize due to the presence of particles, debris, germs, etc. Moreover, the presence of particles and debris that are captured on the linear slides reduces the overall performance of the doors. In addition, the structural configuration of linear drawing slides are more sensitive to tolerances and do not allow for vertical adjustment or vertical movement. The linear drawer slides are prone to binding caused from misalignment. SUMMARY In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system is provided which has great operational flexibility and provides a multi-mode functionality. Such a hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system has a configuration that includes a flexible, changeable door that is operable for use between different operational modes, namely, a drive-thru window service mode and a full-door service mode. Such a hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system serves to eliminate the requirement for a separate drive-thru and a separate door entrance. The hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system is completely touchless but can allow for manual use in the event of power failure. The hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system includes a pair of sliding door panels, each sliding door panel being bifurcated horizontally to form an upper panel member and a lower panel member. The bifurcated configuration of the sliding door panels facilitates operation of the hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system between a window operating mode in which the upper panel members are independently moveable relative to the lower panel members, and a door operating mode in which the upper panel members and the lower panel members are interlocked to move jointly together. A guide system is provided for facilitating movement of the sliding door panels. The components of the guide system are concealed and captured within the structure of the door panels. Such concealment feature provides a cleaner design, is easier to clean, and is less likely to entrap undesirable particles such as dirt and debris. The guide system can also allow for vertical adjustment and is more forgiving to any type of misalignment. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system has a structural configuration that provides multi-mode functionality. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system has a structural configuration that provides simplified automation of a manual door system. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system has a structural configuration that provides the ability to increase effic