U.S. patent number 3,635,277 [Application Number 04/872,130] was granted by the patent office on 1972-01-18 for door control mechanism.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Steiner American Corporation. Invention is credited to Erwin B. Bahnsen.
United States Patent |
3,635,277 |
Bahnsen |
January 18, 1972 |
DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM
Abstract
A door control mechanism for controlling the movement of a
sectional door between the closed position and the open position
thereof wherein the door is biased towards the closed position
thereof, the mechanism accommodating manual movement of the door to
the open position followed by an automatic movement of the door to
the closed position followed by an automatic movement of the door
to the open position and then followed by manual movement of the
door to the closed position, the mechanism including a first latch
having a door-holding condition for holding the door in its open
position and having a door-releasing condition for releasing the
door and allowing it to move to the closed position thereof, a
second latch mechanism having a device-connecting condition for
connecting an energy-storing device to the door thereby
automatically to move the door to the open position thereof, and
having a device-holding condition for maintaining the
energy-storing device out of operative connection with the door, a
trigger for selectively operating the first and second latch
mechanisms, and a selector for selectively rendering the trigger
operable to change the condition of only one of the first and
second latch mechanisms at one time.
Inventors: |
Bahnsen; Erwin B. (Hinsdale,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Steiner American Corporation
(Salt Lake City, UT)
|
Family
ID: |
25358906 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/872,130 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/191; 49/200;
49/379; 49/272 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05F
15/75 (20150115); E05F 15/686 (20150115); E05D
13/1261 (20130101); E05Y 2900/106 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E05F
15/20 (20060101); E05F 15/16 (20060101); E05f
011/54 (); E05f 013/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;49/360-364,379,199,200,263-274 ;160/188-191 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bell; J. Karl
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising: first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a first
position with respect to the opening and a second position with
respect to the opening, counterbalance mechanism for mounting on
the associated building adjacent to the door-receiving opening to
counterbalance said door so that said door is biased toward the
first position thereof, and door control mechanism for mounting on
the associated building and operatively connected to said door,
said door mechanism including means selectively operable between a
door-holding condition for holding said door against the biased
first position thereof and a door-releasing condition permitting
movement of said door to the first position thereof for
accommodating manual movement of said door from said first position
to said second position followed by automatic movement of said door
from said second position to said first position followed by an
automatic movement of said door from said first position to said
second position and then followed by a manual movement of said door
from said second position to said first position.
2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said second
position of said door is an open position with respect to the
opening and said first position of said door is a closed position
with respect to the opening.
3. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a first
position and a second position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening to counterbalance said door
so that said door is biased toward the first position thereof, a
door control mechanism for mounting on the associated building and
including a drive connection operatively connected to said door,
first latch mechanism operatively associated with said drive
connection and having a door-holding condition for holding said
door against said biasing means subsequent to a manual movement of
said door to said second position and having a door-releasing
condition permitting movement of said door to said first position,
a door-driving device for said control mechanism and operative when
connected to said drive connection automatically to move said door
from the first position thereof to the second position thereof,
second latch mechanism having a device-connecting condition for
connecting said door-driving device to the associated door to
effect automatic operation thereof from the first to the second
position thereof and having a device-holding condition for
maintaining said door-driving device out of operative connection
with the door, whereby selective operation of said second latch
mechanism to the device-connecting condition thereof effects
automatic movement of said door to the second position thereof and
selective operation of said first latch mechanism to the
door-releasing condition thereof and said second latch mechanism to
the device-holding condition thereof effects automatic movement of
said door to the first position thereof.
4. The combination set forth in claim 3, wherein said first
position of said door is a closed position with respect to the
opening and said second position is an open position with respect
to the opening.
5. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a first
position and a second position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening to counterbalance said door
so that said door is biased toward the first position thereof, a
door control mechanism for mounting on the associated building and
including a drive connection operatively connected to said door, a
carrier mounted for movement with respect to the opening and having
thereon for movement therewith a first latch member and a drive
element, a door-driving device for said door control mechanism and
operatively connected to said drive element and having an
energy-storing condition and a door-driving condition, a second
latch member mounted adjacent to said carrier for engagement with
said first latch member, engagement of said first and second latch
members holding said door-driving device in the energy-storing
condition thereof and disengagement of said first and second latch
members placing said door-driving device in the door-driving
condition thereof, a third latch member mounted on said drive
connection and movable therewith and a fourth latch member mounted
adjacent to said carrier for selective engagement with said third
latch member, engagement of said third and fourth latch members
holding said door in the second position thereof and disengagement
of said third and fourth latch members releasing said door for
movement to the first position thereof, whereby disengagement of
said first and second latch members effecting automatic movement of
said door to said second position and engagement of said first and
second latch members together with disengagement of said third and
fourth latch members effecting automatic movement of said door to
said first position thereof and engagement of said third and fourth
latch members holding said door in the second position thereof.
6. The combination set forth in claim 5, wherein said first
position of said door is a closed position with respect to the
opening and said second position of said door is an open position
with respect to the opening.
7. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a first
position and a second position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and including a torsion bar
operatively connected to said door, said counterbalance mechanism
serving to counterbalance said door so that said door is biased
toward the second position thereof, and door control mechanism for
mounting on the associated building adjacent to one of said tracks
and operatively connected to said torsion bar, said door control
mechanism including means selectively operable between a
door-holding condition for holding the door against the biased
second position thereof and a door-releasing condition permitting
movement of said door to the second position thereof for
accomplishing selective automatic movement of said door from the
first position to the second position thereof subsequent to manual
operation of the door from the second position to the first
position thereof and automatic movement of said door from said
second position to said first position thereof followed by manual
movement of said door from the first position to the second
position thereof.
8. The combination set forth in claim 7, wherein said first
position of said door is an open position with respect to the
opening and said second position of said door is a closed position
with respect to the opening.
9. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a
closed position and an open position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and including a torsion bar
operatively connected to said door said counterbalance mechanism
serving to counterbalance said door so that said door is biased
toward the closed position thereof under the urging of gravity, a
door control mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to one of said tracks and including a first latch
mechanism operatively connected to said torsion bar and having a
door-holding condition for holding said door in the open position
thereof against the urging of gravity and having a door-releasing
condition, a door-opening device for said door and operative when
connected thereto automatically to move said door from the closed
position to the open position thereof, second latch mechanism
having a device-connecting condition for connecting said
door-opening device to said door to effect automatic opening
thereof and having a device-holding condition for maintaining said
door-opening device out of operative connection with said door,
whereby selective operation of said second latch mechanism to the
device-connecting condition thereof effects automatic opening of
said door and selective operation of said first latch mechanism to
the door-releasing condition thereof and said second latch
mechanism to the device-holding condition thereof effects automatic
closing of said door.
10. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a
closed position and an open position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and including a torsion bar
operatively connected to said door to counterbalance the same so
that said door is biased toward the closed position thereof under
the urging of gravity, a door control mechanism for mounting on the
associated building adjacent to one of said tracks and including a
door disc operatively connected to said torsion bar to rotate with
said torsion bar in response to movement of said door in said
tracks, a first latch mechanism having a door-holding condition for
holding said door in the open position thereof, said first latch
mechanism in said door-holding condition being in operative contact
with said door disc to prevent rotation thereof and thereby to
prevent said door from closing, said first latch mechanism having a
door-releasing condition when said first latch mechanism is out of
operative contact with said door disc thereby to permit free
rotation of said door disc, a counterbalance disc for said door and
having associated therewith an energy-storing device, said
counterbalance disc being operative when connected to said door
automatically to move said door from the closed position to the
open position thereof, second latch mechanism having a
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition for connecting said
counterbalance disc and energy-storing device associated therewith
to said door to effect automatic opening thereof and having a
counterbalance-disc-holding condition for maintaining said
counterbalance disc out of operative connection with said door,
whereby selective operation of said second latch mechanism to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
opening of said door and selective operation of said first latch
mechanism to the door-releasing condition thereof and said second
latch mechanism to the counterbalance-disc-holding condition
thereof effects automatic closing of said door.
11. The combination set forth in claim 10, wherein said door disc
rotates less than one revolution when said door moves between said
open position and said closed position thereof.
12. The combination set forth in claim 10, wherein said torsion bar
rotates through a plurality of revolutions and said door disc
rotates less than one revolution when said door moves between said
open position and said closed position thereof.
13. The combination set forth in claim 10, wherein said door disc
and said counterbalance disc are mounted for rotation about a
common horizontally disposed axis.
14. The combination set forth in claim 10, wherein said door disc
and said counterbalance disc are journaled on a common shaft, said
door disc being journaled for free rotation about said shaft, said
counterbalance disc being fixedly journaled to said shaft for
rotation therewith.
15. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, first and second tracks for
attachment to the associated building respectively adjacent to the
sides of the door-receiving opening, a sectional door having a
plurality of rollers mounted thereon and engageable in said tracks
for movement of said door between a closed position and an open
position with respect to the opening, said combination comprising
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and including a torsion bar
operatively connected to said door to counterbalance the same so
that said door is biased toward the closed position thereof under
the urging of gravity, a door control mechanism for mounting on the
associated building adjacent to one of said tracks and including a
door disc operatively connected to said torsion bar to rotate with
said torsion bar in response to movement of said door in said
tracks, a first latch member fixedly connected to said door disc
for rotation therewith, a second latch member pivotable between a
door-holding condition for holding said door in the open position
thereof and a door-releasing condition, said second latch member
being normally biased to said door-holding condition and engageable
in said door-holding condition with said first latch member, said
second latch member in said door-releasing condition being out of
operative contact with said first latch member carried by said door
disc thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counterbalance disc
for said door and having associated therewith an energy-storing
device, said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to
said door automatically to move said door from the closed position
to the open position thereof, a third latch member fixedly
connected to said counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a
fourth latch member pivotable between a
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition for connecting said
counterbalance disc to said door to effect automatic opening
thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for maintaining
said counterbalance disc out of operative connection with said
door, said fourth latch member in said counterbalance-disc-holding
condition thereof being in operative contact with said third latch
member to prevent rotation of said counterbalance disc and said
fourth latch member in the counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
thereof being out of operative contact with said third latch member
thereby to permit rotation of said counterbalance disc, whereby
selective operation of said fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
opening of said door and selective operation of said second latch
member to the door disc-releasing condition and fourth latch member
to the counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof effects
automatic closing of said door.
16. The combination set forth in claim 15, wherein when said second
latch member is in the door-holding condition thereof and said
fourth latch member is in the counterbalance-disc-holding condition
thereof, the first latch member is angularly spaced about
90.degree. from the third latch member.
17. The combination set forth in claim 15, wherein when said door
is in the closed position thereof, said first and said third latch
members are angularly spaced apart about 90.degree..
18. The combination set forth in claim 15, and further including
means for preventing engagement of said first and said second latch
members subsequent to an automatic opening of said door.
19. The combination set forth in claim 15, and further including a
stop lug mounted on said second latch member and a stop lug mounted
on said fourth latch member and stop pins mounted on said door disc
and said counterbalance disc for respective engagement therewith
thereby to prevent engagement of said first and second latch
members subsequent to an automatic opening of said door.
20. The combination set forth in claim 15, wherein said
energy-storing device is a spring.
21. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a
closed position and an open position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening to counterbalance said door
so that said door is biased toward the closed position thereof
under the urging of gravity, a door control mechanism for mounting
on the associated building and including a drive connection
operatively connected to said door and having a door-closed
position and a door-opened position, first latch mechanism
operatively associated with said drive connection and having a
door-holding condition for holding said drive connection in the
door-opened position thereof against the urging of gravity and
having a door-releasing condition, a door-opening device for said
door control mechanism and operative when connected to said drive
connection automatically to move said drive connection from the
door-closed position to the door-opened position thereof, second
latch mechanism having a device connecting condition for connecting
said door-opening device to said drive connection to effect
automatic opening of said door and having a device-holding
condition for maintaining said door-opening device out of operative
connection with said drive connection, and a trigger selectively
operable on said first latch mechanism for operating said first
latch mechanism between the door-holding condition and the
door-releasing condition thereof and selectively operable on said
second latch mechanism for operating said second latch mechanism
between the device-holding condition and the device-connecting
condition thereof, whereby selective operation of said second latch
mechanism to the device-connecting condition thereof effects
automatic opening of said door and selective operation of said
first latch mechanism to the door-releasing condition thereof and
said second latch mechanism to the device-holding condition thereof
effects automatic closing of said door.
22. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, first and second tracks for
attachment to the associated building respectively adjacent to the
sides of the door-receiving opening, a sectional door having a
plurality of rollers mounted thereon and engageable in said tracks
for movement of said door between a closed position and an open
position with respect to the opening, said combination comprising
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and including a torsion bar
operatively connected to said door to counterbalance the same so
that said door is biased toward the closed position thereof under
the urging of gravity, a door control mechanism for mounting on the
associated building adjacent to one of said tracks and including a
door disc operatively connected to said torsion bar to rotate with
said torsion bar in response to movement of said door in said
tracks, a first latch member fixedly connected to said door disc
for rotation therewith, a second latch member pivotable between a
door-holding condition for holding said door in the open position
thereof and a door-releasing condition, said second latch member
being normally biased to said door-holding condition and engageable
in said door-holding condition with said first latch member, said
second latch member in said door-releasing condition being out of
operative contact with said first latch member carried by said door
disc thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counterbalance disc
for said door and having associated therewith an energy-storing
device, said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to
said door automatically to move said door from the closed position
to the open position thereof, a third latch member fixedly
connected to said counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a
fourth latch member pivotable between a
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition for connecting said
counterbalance disc to said door to effect automatic opening
thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for maintaining
said counterbalance disc out of operative connection with said
door, said fourth latch member in said counterbalance-disc-holding
condition thereof being in operative contact with said third latch
member to prevent rotation of said counterbalance disc and said
fourth latch member in the counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
thereof being out of operative contact with said third latch member
thereby to permit rotation of said counterbalance disc, a trigger
selectively operable on said second latch member for pivoting said
second latch member between the door-holding condition and the
door-releasing condition thereof and selectively operable on said
fourth latch member for pivoting said fourth latch member between
said counterbalance-disc-connecting condition and said
counterbalance-disc-holding condition, and a plurality of angularly
spaced lugs on said door disc for selectively rendering said
trigger operable to change the condition of only one of said second
and fourth latch members at one time to cause positive operation of
the selected one of said latch members by said trigger, whereby
selective operation of said fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
opening of said door and selective operation of said second latch
member to the door disc-releasing condition and fourth latch member
to the counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof effects
automatic closing of said door.
23. The combination set forth in claim 22, wherein said trigger is
positioned between said second and said fourth latch members.
24. The combination set forth in claim 22, wherein said trigger
includes a cam follower positioned adjacent to said door disc to be
contacted by said lugs mounted on said door disc to position said
trigger relative to said second and said fourth latch members for
selective operation of said second and fourth latch members by said
trigger.
25. The combination set forth in claim 22, wherein said plurality
of angularly spaced lugs consist of two lugs angularly spaced apart
about 90.degree. on said door disc.
26. The combination set forth in claim 22, wherein said second and
said fourth latch members each have an opening therein respectively
to receive a portion of said trigger.
27. The combination set forth in claim 22, wherein said trigger has
extending therefrom two outwardly disposed cams, said cams
extending at an angle of 180.degree. from each other, said trigger
being positioned between said second and said fourth latch members,
said second and said fourth latch members each having therein an
opening respectively to receive a cam of said trigger.
28. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, first and second tracks for
attachment to the associated building respectively adjacent to the
sides of the door-receiving opening, a sectional door having a
plurality of rollers mounted thereon and engageable in said tracks
for movement of said door between a closed position and an open
position with respect to the opening, said combination comprising
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and including a torsion bar
operatively connected to said door to counterbalance the same so
that said door is biased toward the closed position thereof under
the urging of gravity, a door control mechanism for mounting on the
associated building adjacent to one of said tracks and including a
door disc operatively connected to said torsion bar to rotate with
said torsion bar in response to movement of said door in said
tracks, a first latch member fixedly connected to said door disc
for rotation therewith, a second latch member pivotable between a
door-holding condition for holding said door in the open position
thereof and a door-releasing condition, said second latch member
being normally biased to said door-holding condition and engageable
in said door-holding condition with said first latch member, said
second latch member in said door-releasing condition being out of
operative contact with said first latch member carried by said door
disc thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counterbalance disc
for said door and having associated therewith an energy-storing
device, said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to
said door automatically to move said door from the closed position
to the open position thereof, a third latch member fixedly
connected to said counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a
fourth latch member pivotable between a
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition for connecting said
counterbalance disc to said door to effect automatic opening
thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for maintaining
said counterbalance disc out of operative connection with said
door, said fourth latch member in said counterbalance-disc-holding
condition thereof being in operative contact with said third latch
member to prevent rotation of said counterbalance disc and said
fourth latch member in the counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
thereof being out of operative contact with said third latch member
thereby to permit rotation of said counterbalance disc, a trigger
selectively operable on said second latch member for pivoting said
second latch member between the door-holding condition and the
door-releasing condition thereof and selectively operable on said
fourth latch member for pivoting said fourth latch member between
said counterbalance-disc-connecting condition and said
counterbalance-disc-holding condition, a plurality of angularly
spaced lugs on said door disc for selectively rendering said
trigger operable to change the condition of only one of said second
and fourth latch member at one time to cause positive operation of
the selected one of said latch members by said trigger, and a
control element disposed adjacent to the associated building and
operatively connected to said trigger to activate said trigger in
response to operation of said control element upon the entering of
or the exiting from the associated building by a wheeled vehicle,
whereby selective operation of said fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
opening of said door and selective operation of said second latch
member to the door disc-releasing condition and fourth latch member
to the counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof effects
automatic closing of said door.
29. The combination set forth in claim 28, wherein said control
element moves said trigger downwardly in response to operation of
said control element.
30. The combination set forth in claim 28, wherein said control
element is hydraulically operated thereby to activate said trigger
in response to movement of hydraulic fluid in said control
element.
31. The combination set forth in claim 28, wherein said control
element is disposed in front of the associated building and across
the door-receiving opening therein.
32. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a
closed position and an open position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening to counterbalance said door
so that said door is biased toward one of said positions, and door
control mechanism for mounting on the associated building and
including a controlling element therefor disposed in front of the
door-receiving opening, said door-control mechanism being
operatively connected to said door, said door control mechanism
including means selectively operable between a door-holding
condition for holding the door against the biased position thereof
and a door-releasing condition permitting movement of said door to
the biased position thereof for accomplishing selective automatic
movement thereof between said closed and open positions of said
door, said door control mechanism in the closed position of said
door accommodating both manual opening of said door and automatic
opening of said door by actuation of said control element, said
door control mechanism in the open position of said door
accommodating both manual closing of said door and automatic
closing of said door by actuation of said control element after
manual opening of said door.
33. The combination set forth in claim 32, wherein said door is
biased toward the closed position thereof.
34. The combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, said combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in said tracks for movement of said door between a
closed position and an open position with respect to the opening,
counterbalance mechanism for mounting on the associated building
adjacent to the door-receiving opening and operatively connected to
said door to counterbalance the same, said counterbalance mechanism
including a torsion bar and a wheel having a plurality of teeth
mounted on the periphery thereof journaled thereon for free
rotation with respect thereto, a torsion spring surrounding said
torsion bar and fixed at one end thereof to the associated building
and fixed at the other end thereof to said wheel, drive means
mounted to said torsion bar for rotation therewith and adjustment
with respect thereto and operatively connected to said wheel,
adjustment of said drive means with respect to said torsion bar
rotating said wheel with respect to said torsion bar to adjust the
tension in said torsion spring.
35. The combination set forth in claim 34, wherein said drive means
includes a worm gear.
36. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position to the first position thereof under the urging of a
biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
drive connection operatively connected to said door, a carrier for
movement with respect to the opening and having thereon for
movement therewith a first latch member and a drive element, a
door-driving device operatively connected to said drive element and
having an energy-storing condition and a door-driving condition, a
second latch member mounted adjacent to said carrier for engagement
with said first latch member, engagement of said first and second
latch members holding said door-driving device in the
energy-storing condition thereof and disengagement of said first
and second latch members placing said door-driving device in the
door-driving condition thereof, a third latch member mounted on
said drive connection and movable therewith and a fourth latch
member mounted adjacent to said carrier for selective engagement
with said third latch member, engagement of said third and fourth
latch members holding said door in the second position thereof and
disengagement of said third and fourth latch members releasing said
door for movement to the first position thereof, whereby
disengagement of said first and second latch members effecting
automatic movement of the door to said second position and
engagement of said first and second latch members together with
disengagement of said third and fourth latch members effecting
automatic movement of the door to the first position thereof and
engagement of said third and fourth latch members holding the door
in the second position thereof.
37. The door control mechanism set forth in claim 36, wherein the
first position of the door is a closed position thereof and the
second position of the door is an open position thereof.
38. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position the the first position thereof under the urging of
a biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
first latch mechanism operatively connected to the biasing means
and having a door-holding condition for holding the door in the
second position thereof, and having a door-releasing condition, a
door-driving device for the door and operative when connected
thereto automatically to move the door from the first position to
the second position thereof, second latch mechanism having a
device-connecting condition for connecting said door-driving device
to the door to effect automatic movement thereof to the second
position and having a device-holding condition for maintaining said
door-driving device out of operative connection with the door,
whereby selective operation of said second latch mechanism to the
device-connecting condition thereof effects automatic movement of
the door to the second position thereof and selective operation of
said first latch mechanism to the door-releasing condition thereof
and said second latch mechanism to the device-holding condition
thereof effects automatic movement of the door to the first
position thereof.
39. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position to the first position thereof under the urging of a
biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
door disc operatively connected to the biasing means to rotate with
the biasing means in response to movement of the door, a first
latch mechanism having a door-holding condition for holding the
door in the second position thereof, said first latch mechanism in
said door-holding condition being in operative contact with said
door disc to prevent rotation thereof and thereby to prevent the
door from moving to the first position thereof, said first latch
mechanism having a door-releasing condition when said first latch
mechanism is out of operative contact with said door disc thereby
to permit free rotation of said door disc, a counterbalance disc
for the door and having associated therewith an energy-storing
device, said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to
the door automatically to move the door from the first position to
the second position thereof, second latch mechanism having a
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition for connecting said
counterbalance disc and said energy-storing device associated
therewith to the door to effect automatic movement thereof from the
first position to the second position thereof and having a
counterbalance-disc-holding condition for maintaining said
counterbalance disc out of operative connection with the door,
whereby selective operation of said second latch mechanism to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the first position to the second position
thereof and selective operation of said first latch mechanism to
the door-releasing condition thereof and said second latch
mechanism to the counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof
effects automatic movement of the door from the second position to
the first position thereof.
40. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position to the first position thereof under the urging of a
biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
door disc operatively connected to the biasing means to rotate
therewith in response to movement of the door, a first latch member
fixedly connected to said door disc for rotation therewith, a
second latch member pivotable between a door-holding condition for
holding the door in the second position thereof and a
door-releasing condition, said second latch member being normally
biased to said door-holding condition and engageable in said
door-holding condition with said first latch member, said second
latch member in said door-releasing condition being out of
operative contact with said first latch member carried by said door
disc thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counterbalance disc
for the door and having associated therewith an energy-storing
device, said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to
the door automatically to move the door from the first position to
the second position thereof, a third latch member fixedly connected
to said counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a fourth latch
member pivotable between a counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
for connecting said counterbalance disc to the door to effect
automatic movement thereof from the first to the second position
thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for maintaining
said counterbalance disc out of operative connection with the door,
said fourth latch member in said counterbalance-disc-holding
condition thereof being in operative contact with said third latch
member to prevent rotation of said counterbalance disc and said
fourth latch member in the counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
thereof being out of operative contact with said third latch member
thereby to permit rotation of said counterbalance disc, whereby
selective operation of said fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the first to the second position thereof
and selective operation of said second latch member to the door
disc-releasing condition and fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the second position to the first position
thereof.
41. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position to the first position thereof under the urging of a
biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
drive connection operatively connected to the door and having a
first position and a second position, first latch mechanism
operatively associated with said drive connection and having a
door-holding condition for holding said drive connection in the
second position thereof and having a door-releasing condition, a
door-driving device for said door control mechanism and operative
when connected to said drive connection automatically to move said
drive connection from the first position to the second position
thereof, second latch mechanism having a device-connecting
condition for connecting said door-driving device to said drive
connection to effect automatic movement of the door from the first
position to the second position thereof and having a device-holding
condition for maintaining said door-driving device out of operative
connection with said drive connection, and a trigger selectively
operable on said first latch mechanism for operating said first
latch mechanism between the door-holding condition and the
door-releasing condition thereof and selectively operable on said
second latch mechanism for operating said second latch mechanism
between the device-holding condition and the device-connecting
condition thereof, whereby selective operation of said second latch
mechanism to the device-connecting condition thereof effects
automatic movement of the door from the first position to the
second position thereof and selective operation of said first latch
mechanism to the door-releasing condition thereof and said second
latch mechanism to the device-holding condition thereof effects
automatic movement of the door from the second position to the
first position thereof.
42. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position to the first position thereof under the urging of a
biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
door disc operatively connected to the biasing means to rotate
therewith in response to movement of the door, a first latch member
fixedly connected to said door disc for rotation therewith, a
second latch member pivotable between a door-holding condition for
holding the door in the second position thereof and a
door-releasing condition, said second latch member being normally
biased to said door-holding condition and engageable in said
door-holding condition with said first latch member, second latch
member in said door-releasing condition being out of operative
contact with said first latch member carried by said door disc
thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counterbalance disc for
the door and having associated therewith an energy-storing device,
said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to the door
automatically to move the door from the first position to the
second position thereof, a third latch member fixedly connected to
said counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a fourth latch
member pivotable between a counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
for connecting said counterbalance disc to the door to effect
automatic movement thereof from the first position to the second
position thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for
maintaining said counterbalance disc out of operative connection
with the door, said fourth latch member in said
counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof being in operative
contact with said third latch member to prevent rotation of said
counterbalance disc and said fourth latch member in the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof being out of
operative contact with said third latch member thereby to permit
rotation of said counterbalance disc, a trigger selectively
operable on said second latch member for pivoting said second latch
member between the door-holding condition and the door-releasing
condition thereof and selectively operable on said fourth latch
member for pivoting said fourth latch member between said
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition and said
counterbalance-disc-holding condition, and a plurality of angularly
spaced lugs on said door disc for selectively rendering said
trigger operable to change the condition of only one of said second
and fourth latch members at one time to cause positive operation of
the selective one of said latch members by said trigger, whereby
selective operation of said fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the first position to the second position
thereof and selective operation of said second latch member to the
door disc-releasing condition and fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the second position to the first position
thereof.
43. A door control mechanism for use with a door mounted in an
associated building door-receiving opening to accommodate a manual
movement of the door from a first position to a second position
thereof followed by an automatic movement of the door from the
second position to the first position thereof under the urging of a
biasing means and then by an automatic movement of the door from
the first position to the second position thereof and then by a
manual movement of the door from the second position thereof to the
first position thereof, said door control mechanism comprising a
door disc operatively connected to the biasing means to rotate
therewith in response to movement of the door, a first latch member
fixedly connected to said door disc for rotation therewith, a
second latch member pivotable between a door-holding condition for
holding the door in the second position thereof and a
door-releasing condition, said second latch member being normally
biased to said door-holding condition and engageable in said
door-holding condition with said first latch member, second latch
member in said door-releasing condition being out of operative
contact with said first latch member carried by said door disc
thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counter-balance disc for
the door and having associated therewith an energy-storing device,
said counterbalance disc being operative when connected to the door
automatically to move the door from the first position to the
second position thereof, a third latch member fixedly connected to
said counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a fourth latch
member pivotable between a counterbalance-disc-connecting condition
for connecting said counterbalance disc to the door to effect
automatic movement thereof from the first position to the second
position thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for
maintaining said counterbalance disc out of operative connection
with the door, said fourth latch member in said
counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof being in operative
contact with said third latch member to prevent rotation of said
counterbalance disc and said fourth latch member in the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof being out of
operative contact with said third latch member thereby to permit
rotation of said counterbalance disc, a trigger selectively
operable on said second latch member for pivoting said second latch
member between the door-holding condition and the door-releasing
condition thereof and selectively operable on said fourth latch
member for pivoting said fourth latch member between said
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition and said
counterbalance-disc-holding condition, and a plurality of angularly
spaced lugs on said door disc for selectively rendering said
trigger operable to change the condition of only one of said second
and fourth latch members at one time to cause positive operation of
the selective one of said latch members by said trigger, and a
control element disposed adjacent to the associated building and
operatively connected to said trigger to activate said trigger in
response to operation of said control element upon the entering of
or the exiting from the associated building by a wheeled vehicle,
whereby selective operation of said fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the first position to the second position
thereof and selective operation of said second latch member to the
door disc-releasing condition and fourth latch member to the
counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof effects automatic
movement of the door from the second position to the first position
thereof.
Description
This invention is directed to a door control mechanism of the type
useful with garage doors and the like, and particularly useful in
combination with sectional overhead doors.
It is an important object of the present invention to provide an
improved combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein, the combination comprising first
and second tracks for attachment to the associated building
respectively adjacent to the sides of the door-receiving opening, a
sectional door having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon and
engageable in the tracks for movement of the door between a first
position with respect to the opening and a second position with
respect to the opening, counterbalance mechanism for mounting on
the associated building adjacent to the door-receiving opening to
counterbalance the door so that the door is biased toward the
second position thereof, and door control mechanism for mounting on
the associated building and operatively connected to the door for
accomplishing manual movement of the door from the first position
to the second position followed by automatic movement of the door
from the second position to the first position followed by an
automatic movement of the door from the first position to the
second position and then followed by a manual movement of the door
from the second position to the first position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an
improved combination of the type set forth in which the door
control mechanism therefor includes first latch mechanism
operatively associated with the drive connection and having a
door-holding condition for holding the door against the biasing
means subsequent to a manual movement of the door to the second
position and having a door-releasing condition permitting movement
of the door to the first position, a door-driving device for the
control mechanism and operative when connected to the drive
connection automatically to move the door from the first position
thereof to the second position thereof, second latch mechanism
having a device-connecting condition for connecting the
door-driving device to the associated door to effect automatic
operation thereof from the first to the second position thereof and
having a device-holding condition for maintaining the door-driving
device out of operative connection with the door, whereby selective
operation of the second latch mechanism to the device-connecting
condition thereof effects automatic movement of the door to the
second position thereof and selective operation of the first latch
mechanism to the door-releasing condition thereof and the second
latch mechanism to the device-holding condition thereof effects
automatic movement of the door to the first position thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
door control mechanism and an improved combination of the type set
forth, in which the door control mechanism includes a drive
connection operatively connected to the door, a carrier mounted for
movement with respect to the opening and having thereon for
movement therewith a first latch member and a drive element, a
door-driving device for the door control mechanism and operatively
connected to the drive element and having an energy-storing
condition and a door-driving condition, a second latch member
mounted adjacent to the carrier for engagement with the first latch
member, engagement of the first and second latch members holding
the door-driving device in the energy-storing condition thereof and
disengagement of the first and second latch members placing the
door-driving device in the door-driving condition thereof, a third
latch member mounted on the drive connection and movable therewith
and a fourth latch member mounted adjacent to the carrier for
selective engagement with the third latch member, engagement of the
third and fourth latch members holding the door in the second
position thereof and disengagement of the third and fourth latch
members releasing the door for movement to the first position
thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
combination of the type set forth in which the counterbalance
mechanism includes a torsion bar operatively connected to the
door.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
combination of the type set forth in which the counterbalance
mechanism includes a torsion bar operatively connected to the door
and serving to counterbalance the door so that the door is biased
toward the closed position thereof under the urging of gravity.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved combination of the type set forth in which the door
control mechanism includes a door disc operatively connected to the
torsion bar for rotation therewith in response to movement of the
door.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved door control mechanism and an improved combination of the
type set forth in which the door control mechanism includes a first
latch member fixedly connected to the door disc for rotation
therewith, a second latch member pivotable between a door-holding
condition for holding the door in the open position thereof and a
door-releasing condition, the second latch member being normally
biased to the door-holding condition and engageable in the
door-holding condition with the first latch member, the second
latch member in the door-releasing condition being out of operative
contact with the first latch member carried by the door disc
thereby to permit free rotation thereof, a counterbalance disc for
the door and having associated therewith an energy-storing device,
the counterbalance disc being operative when connected to the door
automatically to move the door from the closed position to the open
position thereof, a third latch member fixedly connected to the
counterbalance disc for rotation therewith, a fourth latch member
pivotable between a counterbalance-disc-connecting condition for
connecting the counterbalance disc to the door to effect automatic
opening thereof and a counterbalance-disc-holding condition for
maintaining the counterbalance disc out of operative connection
with the door, the fourth latch member in the
counterbalance-disc-holding condition thereof being in operative
contact with the third latch member to prevent rotation of the
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition thereof being out of
operative contact with the third latch member thereby to permit
rotation of the counterbalance disc.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
door control mechanism and an improved combination of the type set
forth in which the door control mechanism includes a trigger
selectively operable on the first latch mechanism for operating the
first latch mechanism between the door-holding condition and the
door-releasing condition thereof and selectively operable on the
second latch mechanism for operating the second latch mechanism
between the device-holding condition and the device-connecting
condition thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
door control mechanism and an improved combination of the type set
forth in which the control mechanism includes a selector comprising
a plurality of angularly spaced lugs on the door disc for
selectively rendering the trigger operable to change the condition
of only one of the second and fourth latch members at one time to
cause positive operation of the selected one of the latch members
by the trigger.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
door control mechanism and an improved combination of the type set
forth in which the door control mechanism includes a control
element disposed adjacent to the associated building and
operatively connected to the trigger to activate the trigger in
response to operation of the control element upon a wheeled vehicle
entering or exiting from the associated building.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
door control mechanism and an improved combination of the type set
forth in which the door control mechanism includes controlling
elements therefore disposed in front of the door-receiving opening,
the door control mechanism being operatively connected to the door
for accomplishing selective automatic movement thereof between the
closed and open positions of the door, the door control mechanism
in the closed position of the door accommodating both manual
opening of the door and automatic opening of the door by actuation
of the control element the door control mechanism in the open
position of the door accommodating both manual closing of the door
and automatic closing of the door by actuation of the control
element after manual opening of the door.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved
combination of the type set forth in which the counterbalance
mechanism includes a torsion bar and member journaled thereon for
free rotation with respect thereto, a torsion spring surrounding
the torsion bar and fixed at one end thereof to the associated
building and fixed at the other end thereof the member, drive means
mounted to the torsion bar for rotation therewith and adjustment
with respect thereto and operatively connected to the member
adjustment of the drive means with respect to the torsion bar
rotating the member with respect to the torsion bar to adjust the
tension in the torsion spring.
The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,
together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be
understood by reference to the following specification taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates an automobile in front of a garage having
therein a garage door in a door opening therein and including a
door control mechanism incorporating the features of the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the garage door of FIG. 1 as
seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 2-2 thereof;
FIG. 3 is a view partly in section of the garage door of FIG. 2 in
a closed position taken along line 3-3 thereof;
FIG. 4 is a view partly in section of the garage door shown in FIG.
3 with the door in an open position;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the torsion bar and
door-opening and closing mechanism shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the torsion spring and worm
drive therefor of FIG. 5 as seen in the direction of the arrows
along line 6-6 thereof;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the torsion spring and worm drive
therefor of FIG. 6 taken along line 7-7 thereof;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view with portions in section of the
door disc, the latch assembly therefor, the trigger associated
therewith and the hydraulic system for moving the trigger of FIG. 5
as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 8-8
thereof;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the counterbalance disc and
latch therefor of FIG. 5 as seen in the direction of the arrows
along the line 9-9 thereof;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the door disc latch particularly
showing the cam opening therein;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the trigger device particularly
showing the placement of the latch cams and including a phantom
view of the door disc latch showing the spatial relationship
between the latch and the trigger;
FIG. 12 is a view in section of the counterbalance disc having a
catch thereon in engagement position with the associated latch;
FIGS. 13 to 15 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the door disc, the counterbalance disc, the associated
catches, pins and lugs thereon, the trigger and the cam openings in
the associated latches when the garage door is closed prior to a
manual opening thereof;
FIGS. 16 to 18 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches after the door has been
manually opened;
FIGS. 19 to 21 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches when the rear wheels of
the automobile are on the actuator;
FIGS. 22 to 24 are diagrammatic views showing the relative position
of the discs, trigger and latches when the rear wheels of the
automobile clear the actuator;
FIGS. 25 to 27 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches when the front wheels
of the automobile are on the actuator;
FIGS. 28 to 30 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches when the front wheels
of the automobile clear the actuator and the door is in the
automatically closed position thereof;
FIGS. 31 to 33 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches when the front wheels
of the automobile are on the actuator and the door begins an
automatic opening thereof;
FIGS. 34 to 36 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches when the front wheels
of the automobile clear the actuator and the door is in an
automatically opened position thereof;
FIGS. 37 to 39 are diagrammatic views showing the relative
positions of the discs, trigger and latches when the door has been
manually closed; and
FIG. 40 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for
maintaining the door in an unlatched position after the door has
been automatically opened.
There is illustrated herein a garage door 110 and door control
mechanism 200 therefor which accommodates movement of the door 110
between the first and second positions thereof, certain of such
movements being manually effected and others being automatically
effected. As illustrated, the garage door 110 is counterbalanced so
that it is urged to the first or closed position thereof, the door
control mechanism 200 accommodating manual movement of the door 110
from the first (closed) position to the second (open) position
followed by automatic movement thereof from the second (open) to
the first (closed) position followed by an automatic movement of
the door 110 from the first (closed) to the second (opened)
position and then followed by a manual movement of the door 110
from the second (opened) to the first (closed) position.
With reference to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1 to 4
thereof, there is shown an automobile 100 having two spaced-apart
front wheels and two spaced-apart rear wheels 102, the car 100
being positioned on the ground or driveway 103 in front of a garage
105. The garage 105 includes two spaced-apart upstanding side walls
106, a slanted roof or top wall 107, a front wall 108
interconnecting the two sidewalls 106 and a backwall (not shown).
The front wall 108 has centrally located therein a door-receiving
opening 109, the door opening 109 being of sufficient height and
width to receive therein an appropriate sectional door 110.
The sectional door 110 consists of a plurality of sections 111,
four sections 111 being illustrated herein, the sections 111 being
identical in dimension and hingedly fastened one to another by
means of a plurality of hinges 112, each of the hinges 112
including two attachment flanges 113 interconnected by a hinge pin
114, each attachment flange 113 of every hinge 112 is connected to
an adjacent section 111 of the door 110, thereby to hingedly
connect the sections 111 of the garage door 110 one to another. As
particularly shown, each section 111 of the door 110 is fastened to
the adjacent section 111 by three hinges 112, the hinges 112 being
positioned one at each outer edge of the sections 111 and one
midway between the outermost hinges 112. The door 110 is further
provided on each of the outer edges thereof adjacent to the bottom
of the door with two cable pins 116, the cable pins 116 being for a
purpose hereinafter explained; the door 110 further is provided
with a handle 117, the handle 117 being positioned in the center of
the second section 111 from the bottom of the door 110 only for
purposes of illustration. As is well known in the art, a handle may
be positioned on the inside of the door 110, but is not here
shown.
Adjacent to the outer edges of the door-receiving opening 109 in
the front wall 108 of the garage 105 are two tracks 120, the tracks
120 being spaced apart a distance slightly in excess of the width
of the door-receiving opening 109, the tracks 120 each being
channel shaped in cross section and including two spaced-apart
sidewalls 121 interconnected by a web 122. The tracks 120 each
include a substantially vertically extending flight 123 and a
substantially horizontally extending flight 124, the two flights
123 and the two flights 124 of the two tracks 120 being generally
parallel one to another, each of the flights 123 and 124 being
interconnected by an arcuate flight 125. The tracks 120 are
connected to the front wall 108 adjacent the bottom of the garage
by the usual means (not shown) and the tracks 120 are connected at
the rearmost part of the substantially horizontal flight 124 to the
garage roof 107 by means of struts 126, each of the tracks 120
being provided with an attachment strut 126. The substantially
vertical flights 123 are somewhat diagonally inclined toward the
rear of the garage 105, i.e., away from the front wall 108, and the
substantially horizontal flights 124 of the tracks 120 are inclined
upwardly toward the top 107 of the garage 105, all to facilitate
movement of the door 110 in the tracks 120.
The door 110 is provided with a plurality of roller assemblies 130,
the roller assemblies 130 each being shown by way of illustration
associated with a hinge 112, it being understood that the roller
assemblies 130 may be independently placed, if so desired. Each of
the roller assemblies 130 includes an L-shaped flange 131 having an
abutment portion 132 fixedly connected to one of the attachment
flanges 113 of the associated hinge 112, the abutment portion 132
being preferably connected to the flange 113 connected to the upper
adjacent section 111 of the door 110, the L-shaped flange 131
further including a transverse portion 133 extending outwardly from
the section 111 and carrying on the distal end thereof a stub shaft
134 providing a mounting for a wheel 135, each of the wheels 135
being so sized as to fit between the sidewalls 121 of the tracks
120. As may be seen from the drawings, the four-section door 110 is
provided with a total of 10 roller assemblies 130, the roller
assemblies 130 providing for rolling action of the door 110 from
the closed position thereof to the open position thereof along the
tracks 120.
The door 110 is counterbalanced to the closed position, a
substantial portion of the weight of the door 110 being
counterbalanced by means of a torsion bar 140 and the hardware
associated therewith, the torsion bar 140 being a hollow steel tube
positioned above the door-receiving opening 109 in the front wall
108 and extending laterally across the opening 109 and spaced
slightly above the door 110, all as particularly shown in FIGS. 2
and 5 of the drawings. The torsion bar 140 is secured to the front
wall 108 of the garage 105 by means of a left-hand mounting bracket
141, the bracket 141 including an abutment portion 142 extending
parallel and fixedly secured to the front wall 108 by means of
bolts 143, the bracket 141 further including at one end thereof a
transverse portion 145 extending outward from the front wall 108
and carrying a bushing 146 therein to facilitate rotation of the
torsion bar 140 with respect thereto. Abutting the bushing 146 is a
cable drum 147 fixedly secured to the torsion bar 140 for rotation
therewith, the cable drum 147 having thereabout a plurality of
spiral grooves 148 and a flange 149 at the inner end of the drum
147. The drum 147 receives in the spiral grooves 148 a cable 150,
the cable 150 being fixedly secured at one end to the flange 149 of
the drum 147 and on the other end to the left-hand cable pin 116
fastened adjacent to the bottom of the garage door 110.
The torsion bar 140 is further secured to the front wall 108 of the
garage 105 by means of a right-hand mounting bracket 151, the
bracket 151 including an abutment portion 152 extending parallel
and fixedly secured to the front wall 108 by means of bolts 153,
the bracket 151 further including at one end thereof a transverse
portion 155 extending outward from the front wall 108 and carrying
a bushing 156 therein to facilitate rotation of the torsion bar 140
with respect thereto. Abutting the bushing 156 is a cable drum 157
fixedly secured to the torsion bar 140 for rotation therewith, the
cable drum 157 having thereabout a plurality of spiral grooves 158
and a flange 159 at the inner end of the drum 157. The drum 157
receives in the spiral grooves 158 a cable 160, the cable 160 being
fixedly secured at one end to the flange 159 of the drum 157 and on
the other end to the right-hand cable pin 116 fastened adjacent to
the bottom of the garage door 110. The cables 150 and 160 provide
the necessary connection between the door 110 and the torsion bar
140, thereby to translate rotation of the bar 140 into movement of
the door 110 along the tracks 120 between the open position and the
closed position.
If the sectional door 110 is for a two-car garage, then the torsion
bar 140 will be provided with two torsion springs 165 positioned
thereabout and spaced therealong; however, for the sake of brevity
and simplicity, only one of the torsion springs 165 is herein
illustrated. The torsion spring 165 is positioned about the torsion
bar 140 and has at the right end thereof, as seen in FIG. 5, a hook
166. An L-shaped bearing bracket 170 includes an abutment portion
171 extending parallel to and fixedly secured to the front wall 108
of the garage 105 by means of bolts 172, the bracket 170 further
including a transverse portion 173 extending outwardly from the
front wall 108 toward the rear of the garage 105. The transverse
portion 173 has therein an aperture 174 for receiving therein the
hook 166 of the torsion spring 165, thereby to secure one end of
the torsion spring 165 to the garage 105. A bushing 177 extends
through the transverse portion 173 of the bearing bracket 170 to
facilitate rotation of the torsion bar 140 with respect to the
bracket 170 and to prevent contact between the torsion bar 140 and
the torsion spring 165.
At the left-hand end of the torsion spring 165, as particularly
seen in FIGS. 5 to 7, there is provided a generally cylindrical
worm housing 180 positioned about the torsion bar 140, the housing
180 including an offset body portion 181 forming at the internal
ends thereof a shoulder 182, the housing 180 being fixedly secured
to the torsion bar 140 by setscrews 183, thereby to provide for
rotation of the housing 180 with the torsion bar 140. Adjacent to
the end of the offset portion 181 of the housing 180 is a circular
groove 184, the groove 184 being for a purpose hereinafter
explained, and journaled to the housing 180 is a member or worm
gear 185, the worm gear 185 in the form of a wheel 186 carrying
about the periphery thereof a plurality of gear teeth 187. The
wheel 186 is integral with and extends outwardly from a collar 188,
the collar 188 being cylindrical and journaled to the offset body
portion 181 of the worm housing 180 for rotation with respect
thereto, the collar 188 abutting the shoulder 182 at one end and
being held against axial movement along the housing 180 by a
retaining ring 194 positioned in the circular groove 184 in the
offset portion 181 in the housing 180. The worm gear 185 is
provided with a spring retainer or indent 189 in the wheel 186
adjacent to the collar 188, the indent 189 receiving therein a hook
(not shown) at the other end of the torsion spring 165, thereby to
prevent rotation of the spring 165 with respect to the worm gear
185. There is further provided a worm drive in the form of a hollow
shaft 195, the shaft 195 having extending therethrough a square
socket hole 196 and having extending therearound spiral flanges
197. The shaft 195 is positioned so that the gear teeth 187 are
intermediate the spiral flanges 197 and retained in the aforesaid
position by a retention flange 191 including a transverse wall 192
extending from the worm housing 180 and having positioned at either
end thereof spaced-apart end flanges 193, the end flanges 193
providing radial and axial support for the shaft 195. It is
therefore seen that the torsion spring 165 is fixed at one end
thereof with respect to the garage 105 at one end by the hook 166
and bearing bracket 170 and at the other end the torsion spring 165
is prevented against rotation thereof with respect to the worm gear
185 by the indent 189 in the worm gear 185. The usual problems of
varying the tension in the torsion spring 165 are avoided by the
novel adjustment structure hereinbefore described. The tension of
the torsion spring 165 is simply varied by adjustment, either
manually or by machine, of the shaft 195 thereby to rotate the worm
gear 185 and wind or unwind the spring 165 fixedly connected
thereto, the tension in the torsion spring 165 being easily
adjusted so as to counterbalance the door 110 slightly less than
the total effective weight of the door 110 so that the door 110
will be biased to the closed position by the action of gravity if
the door 110 is released at any point along the tracks 120 and
unacted upon by other forces. It being understood that the
counterbalance force of the torsion spring 165 is transmitted to
the door 110 by the torsion bar 140, the worm housing 180, the worm
gear 185, the drums 147 and 157, the cables 150 and 160 and the
cable pins 116.
With reference to FIGS. 5, 8-12 and 40 there is shown the door
control mechanism 200. The right-hand end of the torsion bar 140 is
provided with a drive connection or drive sprocket 210; however,
while the drive sprocket 210 is located on the right-hand end of
the torsion bar 140, as shown in FIG. 5, the sprocket 210 may be
also located on the left-hand side, it being a mere matter of
preference, the drive sprocket 210 being provided with teeth 211
about the periphery thereof and suitably mounted on a jack shaft
212. The jack shaft 212 is received within a countersunk portion
(not shown) of the torsion bar 140 and held in place for rotation
therewith by a clamping collar 213 fixedly secured thereabout by
bolts 214.
Disposed below the drive sprocket 210 is a disc enclosure 220, the
disc enclosure 220 being mounted on the front wall 108 of the
garage 105 and including an upstanding left-hand sidewall 221 and
an upstanding right-hand sidewall 222, the sidewalls 221 and 222
being spaced apart and joined by a rear wall 223, each of the
sidewalls 221 and 222 having a downwardly extending top edge 226
and a forwardly extending rear edge 227 and a horizontally
extending bottom edge 228. The sidewalls 221 and 222 are of similar
shape and parallel to each other, each having therein an aperture
(not shown) in registry one with the other, each of the apertures
being surrounded by a support flange 229, the support flanges 229
supporting therein a jack shaft 235, the jack shaft 235 preferably
being made of brass or bronze thereby to avoid the necessity of
bushings in the apertures.
Freely rotatable around the jack shaft 235 is a carrier or a door
disc 240, the door disc 240 being positioned with the plane of
rotation thereof perpendicular to the front wall 108 of the garage
105 and including a hub 241 positioned about the jack shaft 235
thereby to position the door disc 240 against excessive lateral
movement along the shaft 235. The door disc 240 has around the
periphery thereof a plurality of teeth 242, the number of teeth 242
being about six times the number of teeth 211 on the drive sprocket
210, the ratio of 6 to 1 being for a purpose hereinafter explained,
and interconnecting the door disc 240 and the drive sprocket 210 is
a link chain 243, the link chain 243 engaging the teeth 242 on the
door disc 240 and the teeth 211 on the drive sprocket 210. It will
be seen therefore that rotation of the torsion bar 140 upon
movement of the door 110 along the tracks 120 produces similar
rotation of the drive sprocket 210. The number of revolutions of
the door disc 240 per one complete opening or closing of the door
110 is controlled by the ratio of the teeth 211 on the sprocket 210
to the teeth 242 on the door disc 240, the ratio being so chosen as
to limit the door disc 240 to less than one complete revolution per
each complete opening or closing of the door 110, preferably the
door disc 240 rotating about 270.degree..
On the inside of the door disc 240, or on the right-hand side
thereof as viewed in FIG. 5 there is positioned a catch 245, the
catch 245 being positioned radially outwardly adjacent to the teeth
242 of the door disc 240 and having an attachment surface 246
connected to the door disc 240 by means of bolts 247 and having an
offset portion 248 spaced from the door disc 240. The offset
portion 248 has a camming surface 249 on the end of the catch 245
away from the attachment surface 246 and also an abutment surface
250 away from the attachment surface 246, the edge of the catch 245
forming the abutment surface 250 extending along a radius of the
door disc 240. There is also provided on the inside of the door
disc 240 a release lug 252, the release lug 252 being radially
positioned away from the periphery of the disc 240 toward the
center of the door disc 240 so as not to interfere with other
structure hereinafter explained, the lug 252 having an abutment
surface 252a, the abutment surface 252a being formed by an edge of
the lug 252 extending along a radius of the door disc 240, the
angle between the abutment surface 250 of the catch 245 and the
abutment surface 252a of the lug 252 being less than 270.degree.
for the constructional example hereinafter set forth. Positioned
between the catch 245 and the lug 252 is a lug 253, the lug 253
being radially positioned from the center of the door disc 240
identically to the lug 252, the lug 253 having an abutment surface
253a formed by an edge of the lug 253 extending along a radius of
the disc 240, the abutment surface 252a and the abutment surface
253a forming a selector selectively to operate certain parts as
hereinafter explained. Radially outwardly of the lug 253 and
secured to the disc 240 is a drive lug 255, the drive lug 255 being
positioned between the lug 252 and the catch 245 so as not to
interfere with other structure hereinafter defined and being spaced
radially outwardly from the lugs 252 and 253 so as not to interfere
with their operation. As hereinbefore stated, since the door disc
240 rotates less than one complete revolution for each door opening
or door closing, the drive lug 255 also rotates through less than
one complete revolution, thereby, in the particular constructional
example illustrated in the drawings, the drive lug 255 rotates
through a 270.degree. arc between a door-closed position and a
door-open position, so as not to interfere with the operation of
the structure cooperating with the catch 245.
Movement of the door 110 along the tracks 120 results in rotation
of the torsion bar 140 and thereby the drive sprocket 210. The door
disc 240 is connected to the drive sprocket 210 by means of the
chain 243 operatively associated with the teeth 211 on the drive
sprocket 210 and the teeth 242 on the door disc 240, thereby to
translate rotation of the torsion bar 140 into rotation of the door
disc 240, the ratio of the number of teeth 242 on the door disc 240
to the number of teeth 211 on the drive sprocket 210 being
sufficiently large so as to provide for less than one complete
revolution of the door disc 240 for each complete opening or
closing of the door 110.
There is further provided a door-driving device or a counterbalance
disc 260 fixedly secured to the jack shaft 235, such as by set
screws (not shown), the counterbalance disc 260 being positioned
parallel to the door disc 240 and rotatable about a common axis,
the disc 260 including a hub 261 positioned at the center of the
counterbalance disc 260 about the jack shaft 235, or to the left of
the disc 260 as seen in FIG. 5, the hub 261 preventing excessive
lateral movement of the disc 260 along the jack shaft 235. There is
further provided, at the periphery of the counterbalance disc 260
on the right-hand side thereof, as seen in FIG. 5, a flange 262
having an attachment surface 263 fixedly secured to the
counterbalance disc 260 and an offset portion 264 forming a cable
groove between the offset portion 264 and the counterbalance disc
260, the flange 262 thereby providing a groove for a cable for a
purpose hereinafter explained. The counterbalance disc 260 further
includes a catch 265 positioned on the inside of the disc 260
opposite to the flange 262, the catch 265 being radially spaced
from the center of rotation of the counterbalance disc 260 the same
distance as the catch 245. The catch 265 includes an attachment
surface 266 fixedly secured to the counterbalance disc 260 by bolts
267 and an offset portion 268 spaced from the counterbalance disc
260, the offset portion 268 having a camming surface 269 and an
abutment surface 270, the abutment surface 270 being formed by an
edge of the catch 265 extending along a radius of the disc 260. The
counterbalance disc 260 is further provided with a stop pin 273
adjacent to the periphery of the disc 260 at a predetermined
angular location, as will hereinafter be explained, and with a
latch cam pin 274, as seen in FIG. 40, for a purpose hereinafter
explained, the latch cam pin 274 being positioned adjacent to the
periphery of the counterbalance disc 260 and at a predetermined
angle counterclockwise from the abutment surface 270 of the catch
265, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The counterbalance disc
260 further includes a drive lug 275, the drive lug 275 being
radially positioned from the center of the counterbalance disc 260
so as to contact the drive lug 255 on the door disc 240 when the
drive pin 275 and the drive lug 255 are operatively connected, the
drive pin 275 extending transversely of the counterbalance disc 260
for a distance sufficient to contact the drive lug 255 when the lug
255 and the pin 275 are in operative association.
The counterbalance disc 260 is further provided with an
energy-storing device in the form of a spring 276, the spring 276
being connected at one end to a cable 277 fitting in the cable
groove 264 and secured to the counterbalance disc 260; at the other
end, the spring 276 is connected to the front wall 108 of the
garage 105 as at 278, as seen in FIG. 4. The force exerted by the
spring 276 on the counterbalance disc 260 biases the disc 260 to
rotate in the clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 9, the force
exerted by the spring 276 being sufficient when added to the force
exerted on the door 110 by the torsion bar 140 and spring 165 to
drive the door 110 from the closed position to the open position
thereof. It may be seen therefore that when the spring 276 is out
of operative connection with the door 110, the door 110 is biased
toward the closed position thereof due to the fact that the force
exerted thereon by the torsion bar 140 and the spring 165 is
slightly less than the effective weight of the door 110, but when
the spring 276 is operatively connected to the door 110, then the
combined forces of the spring 276, the torsion bar 140 and spring
165 are sufficient to overcome the effective weight of the door
110, thereby to raise the door 110 from the closed position to the
opened position thereof and to maintain the door 110 in the opened
position.
As best seen in FIGS. 8 to 12, there is provided a door disc latch
280, the door disc latch 280 being generally channel-shaped and
having an outer sidewall 281 adjacent to the door disc 240 and an
inner sidewall 282 spaced from the outer sidewall 281 and generally
parallel thereto, interconnecting the sidewalls 281 and 282 is a
web 283, the web 283 being disposed generally horizontally. The
door disc latch 280 may be tapered with the narrowest part adjacent
to the rear wall 223 of the disc enclosure 220 of the latch 280 may
be uniform in width, as shown, the door disc latch 280 having at
the front end thereof near the front wall 108 of the garage 105
aligned apertures 284 in each of the sidewalls 281 and 282, and
toward the rear end of the latch 280, that is away from the front
wall 108 of the garage 105, there is a latch pin 285 rotatably
mounted on a pin extending between the sidewalls 281 and 282, the
offset portion 248 of the catch 245 fitting between the sidewalls
281 and 282 of the latch 280 to provide for contact between the
catch 245 and latch pin 285. The door disc latch 280 is pivotally
mounted to the left-hand sidewall 221 of the disc enclosure 220 by
a pivot 286 extending through the aligned apertures 284 in the
sidewalls 281 and 282 of the latch 280, thereby to provide up and
down pivotal movement of the latch 280. The latch 280 is biased in
an upward position by means of a spring 287 connected at one end to
a tongue 288 extending from the rear wall 223 of the disc enclosure
220 and at the other end, the spring 287 is connected to the latch
280 thereby to bias the latch 280 to a horizontal position. There
is further provided on the wall 221 a stop lug 289, the lug 289
being positioned to engage a stop pin 254 on the door disc 240, for
a purpose hereinafter explained.
In an alternate embodiment of the door disc latch 280, there is
provided a transversely extending flange 291, as seen in FIG. 40,
extending from the inner sidewall 282 of the latch 280 toward the
counterbalance disc 260, the flange 291 having upwardly extending
therefrom a camming surface 292 for operative camming contact with
the latch cam pin 274 on the counterbalance disc 260, all for a
purpose hereinafter explained. The alternate embodiment of the door
disc latch 280 obviates the necessity for the stop lug 289 and the
associated stop pin on the door disc 240 in the first embodiment.
The purpose of these two structures is to prevent the door 110 from
being locked in the open position after the door 110 has been
automatically opened, thereby to allow the door to be closed
without activation of the door disc latch 280, all as hereinafter
explained.
The door disc latch 280 further includes a cam opening 295, the cam
opening 295 being positioned toward the rear of the latch 280, that
is to the left as seen in FIG. 8, the cam opening 295 being
generally L-shaped and having an abutment surface 296, a lower leg
297 and a forwardly extending leg 298. Positioned adjacent to the
forwardly extending leg 298 of the cam opening 295 is a pawl 320,
the pawl 320 being pivotally mounted on the inner wall 282 of the
latch 280 as by a pivot 321, the pawl 320 having an end abutment
surface 322 extending into the forward leg 298 of the cam opening
295, the pawl 320 having associated therewith a rest pin 323
positioned below the pawl 320, thereby normally to maintain the
pawl 320 in the horizontal position, the pin 323 being fixedly
secured to the wall 282 of the latch 280.
Parallel to and spaced from the door disc latch 280 is a
counterbalance disc latch 300, the counterbalance disc latch 300
being generally channel-shaped and having an outer sidewall 301
adjacent to the counterbalance disc 260 and an inner sidewall 302
spaced from and parallel to the outer sidewall 301; interconnecting
the sidewalls 301 and 302 is a web 303, the web 303 being generally
disposed horizontally. Toward the front of the counterbalance disc
latch 300, that is to the left as viewed in FIG. 9, there is an
aperture 304 in each of the sidewalls 301 and 302, the apertures
304 being aligned to receive a pivot 306 to provide for up and down
movement of the latch 300, the pivot 306 being connected to the
right-hand wall 222 of the disc enclosure 220. Toward the rear of
the latch 300, there is a latch pin 305 freely rotatably mounted on
a pivot between the walls 301 and 302, the latch pin 305 being
normally positioned in alignment with latch pin 285 when the latch
280 and the latch 300 are horizontally disposed. The latch 300 is
biased to a horizontal position by a spring 307, the spring 307
being connected at one end to a tongue 308 extending from the rear
wall 223 of the disc enclosure 220 and at the other end, the spring
307 is connected to the latch 300. There is further provided on the
wall 222 a stop lug 309, the stop lug 309 cooperating in its
operative position with the stop pin 273 on the counterbalance disc
260, thereby to halt clockwise rotation of the counterbalance disc
260 before the catch 245 on the door disc 240 latches with the
latch pin 285 on the door disc latch 280, thereby to lock the door
110 into an open position after an automatic opening thereof, all
as hereinafter explained. The stop pin 273 and the stop lug 309 are
not required if the alternate embodiment of the latch 280 shown in
FIG. 40 is employed.
Toward the rear of the inner wall 302 of the latch 300 is a cam
opening 315, the cam opening 315 being generally spaced across from
the cam opening 295 in the door disc latch 280, the cam opening 315
being positioned differently as hereinafter explained. The cam
opening 315 in the latch 300 is generally L-shaped and has an
abutment surface 316, a lower leg 317 and a rearwardly extending
leg 318. It is here noted that the cam opening 315 has a leg 318
extending to the rear of the latch 300, that is away from the front
wall 108 of the garage 105, while the door disc latch 280 has a cam
opening 295 therein which has a leg 298 extending toward the front
of the latch 280, that is toward the front wall 108 of the garage
105, the two cam openings 295 and 315 being so positioned and
aligned for a purpose hereinafter explained.
As stated before, the door disc latch 280 is generally parallel to
and spaced apart from the counterbalance latch 300, and there is
provided therebetween an actuator or a trigger 325, the trigger 325
selectively operating the latches 280 and 300 and being disposed
also between the door disc 240 and the counterbalance disc 260, the
trigger 325 including a vertically extending body portion 327 in
the form of a slab disposed generally parallel to the sidewalls of
the latches 280 and 300. At the bottom end of the body portion 327
is a pivot hole 326 and at the top of the body portion 327 of the
trigger 325 is a leaf spring 328 extending upwardly from the body
portion 327, the leaf spring 328 terminating at its upper end in a
cam follower 330 in the form of a split cylinder, the cam follower
330 being in position to be moved by contact with the abutment
surfaces 252a and 253a for a purpose hereinafter set forth. Spaced
below the leaf spring 328 and extending outward therefrom at a
90.degree. angle to the body portion 327 of the trigger 325 is a
door disc latch cam 335, the door disc latch cam 335 having two
parallel and opposed sidewalls 336, a top wall 337 and a bottom
wall 338. Extending at an angle of 90.degree. outward from the body
portion 327 of the trigger 325 is a counterbalance disc latch cam
340, the cam 340 extending at an angle of 180.degree. from the cam
335, the cam 340 including two spaced-apart sidewalls 341, a top
wall 342, and a bottom wall 343. The cam 340 and the cam 335 are
positioned at the same vertical point along the trigger 325, the
cams 335 and 340 respectively fitting within and extending through
the cam openings 295 and 315 in the respective latches 280 and
300.
It will be seen therefore that when the latches 280 and 300 are in
their normal horizontal position, the abutment surfaces 250 and 270
of the catches 245 and 265 will be in contact with the latch pins
285 and 305 of the associated latches 280 and 300 if the door disc
240 or the counterbalance disc 260 is in the proper angular
position. When the latches 280 and 300 are depressed out of their
normal horizontal position, then the discs 240 and 260 may rotate
without contacting the latches 285 and 305. The latch 280 is
therefore pivotable between a door-holding condition in which the
latch pin 285 is in operative contact with the abutment surface 250
of the catch 245 thereby to maintain the door 110 against movement
thereof and a door-releasing condition when the latch pin 285 is
out of operative contact with the catch 245 thereby to allow
movement of the door 110 in the tracks 120 between the above
mentioned first and second positions. The latch 300 is also
therefore pivotable between a device or
counterbalance-disc-connecting condition in which the latch pin 305
is out of operative connection with the catch 265 thereby to
operatively connect the spring 276 to the door 110 and effect
movement thereof from the closed to the open position thereof and a
device or counterbalance-disc-holding condition in which the catch
265 is in operative connection with the latch pin 305, thereby to
hold the spring 276 in the energy-storing position thereof out of
operative connection with the door 110; the device-holding
condition of the latch 300 may also be termed as energy-storing
condition due to the energy-storing condition of the spring 276
when the disc 260 is held against rotation thereof. When the
trigger 325 is in the position shown in FIG. 8, the cams 335 and
340 are positioned within the associated cam openings 295 and 315,
but are not in contact with any of the surfaces defined thereby and
the cam follower 330 is in position to be contacted by the selector
formed of either the abutment surface 252a of the release lug 252
or the abutment surface 253a of the release lug 253 to bias the cam
follower 330 toward or away from the front wall 108, thereby to
move the cams 335 and 340 in the cam openings 295 and 315,
respectively.
Vertical, that is both up and down, displacement of the trigger 325
may be achieved by a plurality of means well known in the art; for
instance, the trigger 325 may be operatively connected to a
solenoid which may be key actuated or radio control actuated,
operation of which would produce vertical displacement of the
trigger, but in the drawings there is shown a hydraulic device 350
for operating the trigger 325. The hydraulic device 350 includes a
cylinder 351 having sealably and slidably disposed therewithin a
piston 352. A spring 353 is positioned between the bottom of the
cylinder 351 and the piston 352, thereby to bias the piston 352
towards the top of the cylinder 351, the piston 352 having
extending upwardly therefrom a stem 354 containing therein a pivot
355 extending through the pivot hole 326 in the body portion 327 of
the trigger 325, thereby operatively to connect the piston 352 with
the trigger 325, a suitable fitting 356 being disposed about the
piston stem 354 thereby to seal the hydraulic fluid 366 in the
cylinder 351. The cylinder 351 is further provided with an aperture
360 therein, the aperture 360 being surrounded by a suitable
fitting 361 exterior of the cylinder 351 and sealably connected to
an elbow 362, thereby to provide a sealed connection between the
cylinder 351 and the elbow 362. Connected to the elbow 362 is a
flexible hose 363, the hose 363 extending downwardly from the
hydraulic cylinder 351 and out of the garage 105, as shown in FIG.
1, to a control element or an actuator 365 extending transversely
across the driveway 103, thereby to be contacted by the front
wheels 101 and the rear wheels 102 of the automobile 100 as it
proceeds into or out of the garage 105. It being seen that the
introduction of hydraulic fluid into the cylinder 351 by depression
of the actuator 365 will force the piston 352 downwardly thereby
carrying therewith the trigger 325 and hence the associated cams
335 and 340. Upon release of the actuator 365 by removal of the
wheels 101 or 102 of the automobile 100, hydraulic fluid 366 is
forced out of the cylinder 351 by the action of the spring 353
against the piston 352 thereby raising the trigger 325 to its
normal position and thereby also the cam follower 330 and the lugs
335 and 340.
The operation of the door 110 through a complete cycle consisting
of a manual door opening, followed by an automatic door closing,
followed by an automatic door opening, followed by a manual door
closing will hereinafter be explained. As an example of the
structure described above the door 110 may be 7 feet in height and
the disc 240 be adapted to rotate through 270.degree. for a
complete door-opening or a complete door-closing by making the
number of teeth 242 on the disc 240 six times greater than the
number of teeth 211 on the sprocket 210. The angular and radial
position of the lugs 252, 253 and 255 depend on the degree of
rotation of the disc 240, the position of the catch 245 and the cam
follower 330. It being understood that certain angles, such as the
90.degree. angle between the abutment surfaces 252a and 253a and
others hereinafter described are variable depending upon the angle
through which the door disc 240 rotates for one complete opening or
closing operation. In the particular example, there is about a
7.degree. angular difference between the abutment surface 250 of
the catch 245 and the camming surface 249 of the catch 245. This
7.degree. difference is important in preventing the door disc 240
from being latched when the door 110 has been automatically opened.
As hereinbefore stated there are shown two structures to prevent
the door disc 240 from being latched when the door 110 is being
automatically opened. With the first embodiment, the stop pin 273
on the counterbalance disc 260 is located about 263.degree. in the
counterclockwise direction from the abutment surface of the stop
309, that is when the counterbalance disc 260 has rotated
263.degree. in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 9, the
stop pin 273 contacts the stop 309 thereby to prevent further
rotation of the counterbalance disc 260. The drive pin 275 is so
located on the counterbalance disc 260 that when the door 110 is to
be automatically opened by release, as hereinafter explained, by
rotation of the counterbalance disc 260, the drive pin 275
immediately contacts the drive lug 255 on the door disc 240 and
carries the door disc 240 with the counterbalance disc 260. It may
be seen therefore, that when the stop pin 273 has rotated through
an angle of 263.degree. it contacts the stop lug 309 to halt
rotation of the counterbalance disc 260 and since the door disc 240
has also rotated through an angle of 263.degree. , the catch 245
will also have been rotated through an angle of 263.degree.,
thereby to position the camming surface 249 of the catch 245 on the
latch pin 285 rather than having the catch 245 pass the pin 285 and
having the abutment surface 250 positioned against the latch pin
285, as in FIG. 13.
The alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 40 also provides for the
catch 245 to be unlatched when the door 110 has been automatically
opened. In this embodiment, the camming surface 292 on the flange
291 is contacted by the latch cam pin 274 when the counterbalance
disc has rotated through 263.degree. of rotation, thereby to
depress the latch 280 and to prevent contact of the abutment
surface 250 of the catch 245 with the latch pin 285 carried by the
latch 280 and to prevent latching of the door disc 240 thereby. In
the first example, the door 110 is stopped before it is in the
fully opened position during an automatic opening operation while
in the second example or embodiment the door 110 is fully opened,
but the latch 280 is depressed during the last 7.degree. of
rotation of the door disc 240 to prevent contact of the abutment
surface 250 of the catch 245 with the latch pin 285 of the latch
280, the latter embodiment is preferred.
With reference to the diagrammatic views shown in FIGS. 13 to 39,
inclusive, FIGS. 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34 and 37 show the
angular relationship between the door disc 240 and the
counterbalance disc 260 at various times in the door opening and
closing cycles, the discs 240 and 260 are viewed from the left of
the disc enclosure 220 as seen in FIG. 5. Therefore, the door disc
240 is viewed from one side in the above-mentioned series of
figures and it is viewed from the other side in FIG. 8, thereby
rotation of the disc 240 in a clockwise direction in the
diagrammatic views corresponds to a counterclockwise rotation of
the disc 240 in FIG. 8. The disc 260 is viewed from the same side
in the aforementioned diagrammatic views as in FIG. 9, and thereby
clockwise rotation in the aforementioned diagrammatic views
corresponds to clockwise rotation in FIG. 9. FIGS. 14, 17, 20, 23,
26, 29, 32, 35 and 38 in the diagrammatic views show the angular
relationship between the lugs 252 and 253 and the cam follower 330
connected to the trigger 325. Since the door disc 240 is viewed
from the left-hand side as seen in FIG. 5 in the last above
mentioned diagrammatic views and the door disc 240 as viewed from
the right-hand side as seen in FIG. 8, the positions of the lugs
are reversed, the views being no more than a mirror image, thereby
clockwise rotation of the disc 240 in the diagrammatic views
corresponds to counterclockwise rotation of the disc 240 in FIG. 8.
FIGS. 15, 18, 21, 24, 29, 30, 33, 36 and 39 in the diagrammatic
views show the relationship of the cam openings 295 and 315 in the
latches 280 and 300, respectively, with the cam lugs 335 and 340
connected to the trigger 325, the cam opening 295 being viewed from
the left side of the disc enclosure 220 as is the door disc 240 in
the diagrammatic views, thereby the forwardly extending leg 298 of
the cam opening 295 points to the left in the diagrammatic views
whereas the leg 298 points to the right in FIG. 8. The cam opening
315 shown in phantom in the diagrammatic views has the rearward
extending leg 318 extending to the right in the diagrammatic views
corresponding to the direction thereof in FIG. 9.
FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 show the angular and spatial relationships
between the door disc 240, the counterbalance disc 260, the trigger
325, the latch 280 and the latch 300 after the door 110 has been
manually closed and before the door 110 is manually opened. In
these diagrammatic views, the biasing of the cam follower 330 to
the right, as shown in FIG. 14, corresponds to biasing the cam
follower 330 toward the rear of the garage 105, that is away from
the front wall 108 as shown in FIG. 8. The angular positions of the
discs 240 and 260 in FIGS. 8 and 9 correspond to the angular
positions of the discs 240 and 260 in the diagrammatic view 13,
whereby it is seen that the biasing of the lugs 335 and 340 to the
right as seen in FIG. 15 corresponds to a biasing of the lug 335
and 340 toward the rear of the garage 105 as shown in FIG. 8. When
the door 110 is in the closed position, the catch 245 is disengaged
from the latch 285 and the abutment surface 252a of the lug 252
contacts the cam follower 330 and biases the trigger 325 to the
right as shown in the diagrammatic views. The catch 265 on the
counterbalance disc 260 is positioned so that abutment surface 270
of the catch 265 contacts the latch pin 305 of the latch 300,
thereby to prevent rotation of the counterbalance disc 260 in the
clockwise direction due to the spring 277 being extended and
exerting a force on the disc 260. The trigger 325 is in its
uppermost position thereby to position the lugs 335 and 340 in
substantially the vertical center of the lug openings 295 and 315,
respectively, and slightly above the abutment surfaces 296 and 316,
respectively.
With reference to FIGS. 16 to 18, inclusive, upon a manual opening
of the garage door 110, rotation of the torsion bar 140 and thereby
the drive sprocket 210 rotates the door disc 240 through
270.degree. until the camming surface 249 of the catch 245 contacts
the latch pin 285, thereby to depress the latch 280 so that the
catch 245 may pass thereby. After the camming surface 249 has
passed the latch pin 285, the latch 280 returns to its biased
position due to the spring 287, thereby to contact the abutment
surface 250 of the catch 245 and to prevent rotation of the door
disc 240 in the counterclockwise direction and thereby to latch the
door 110 in the open position, it being remembered that the door
disc 240 is always operatively connected to the door 110 and
rotation of the disc 240 always corresponds to movement of the door
110 in the tracks 120. The counterbalance disc 260 is maintained in
the position shown in FIG. 13 due to the latch pin 305 being in
contact with the abutment surface 270 of the catch 265, thereby to
prevent clockwise rotation of the disc 260, the rotation of the
door disc 240 not affecting the counterbalance disc 260 because the
disc 240 is journaled for free rotation about the jack shaft 235
and the drive lug 255 on the door disc 240 rotates away from the
drive pin 275 thereby not to contact the same. Rotation of the disc
240 through 270.degree.causing the lugs 253 and 252 to assume the
positions shown in FIG. 17, wherein the abutment surface 253 a of
the lug 253 contacts the cam follower 330 of the trigger 325
thereby to bias the trigger 325 to the left as seen in FIG. 17. Due
to the angular position of the lug 253 and abutment surface 253a
thereon, the latch pin 335 abuts the abutment surface 322 of the
pawl 320 and is prevented from further movement to the left of the
cam opening 295, as seen in FIG. 18, by the pawl 320, it being
noted that the cams 335 and 340 are in the approximate vertical
center of the cam openings 295 and 315 respectively, but above the
abutment surfaces 206 and 316, due to the fact that the trigger 325
is in its uppermost position. When the door 110 has been manually
opened, the abutment surface 250 of the catch 245 is in contact
with the latch pin 285 and serves to prevent the door 110 from
closing due to the action of gravity as it normally would, the door
110 being biased to the closed position thereof because the tension
in the torsion spring 165 is adjusted to produce a force slightly
less than the effective weight of the door 110 thereby to cause the
door 110 to close upon the release thereof; however, the operative
condition of the latch mechanism including the abutment surface 250
of the catch 245 with the latch pin 285 prevents the closing of the
door 110 because the door 110 is operatively connected through the
torsion bar 140, the drive sprocket 210 and chain 243 to the door
disc 240.
With reference to FIGS. 19 to 21, as the automobile 100 is backed
out of the garage 105, the rear wheels 102 back onto the actuator
365 thereby causing hydraulic fluid 366 to force the piston 352
downwardly in the cylinder 351, and to carry the trigger 325
downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 20; however, since the
latch cams 335 and 340 are positioned so that they are pulled down
into the lower legs 297 and 317 of the cam openings 295 and 315,
respectively, the downward movement of the trigger 325 has no
effect on the position of the door disc 240 and the counterbalance
disc 260 and thereby no effect on the position of the door 110.
With reference to FIGS. 22 to 24, as the rear wheels 102 of the
automobile 100 clear the actuator 365, the spring 353 in the
cylinder 351 forces the piston 352 upwardly thereby to move the
trigger 325 upwardly to the position it occupied in FIG. 20. Since
the lug 253 is in the same position in FIG. 23 as it is in FIG. 20
the cam 330 and thereby the trigger 325 will be biased to the left
as the trigger 325 rises to its upward position and the door disc
latch cam 335 will rise underneath the pawl 320, thereby pivoting
the pawl 320 about the pivot 321 so that the door disc latch cam
335 will be positioned on the abutment surface 296 of the cam
opening 295. It is seen, therefore, that the difference in the
positions of the door disc latch cam 335 between FIGS. 18 and 24 is
due not to a difference in the angular position of the door disc
240 or the vertical position of the trigger 325, but due to the
fact that a trigger action has intervened which allows the door
disc latch cam 335 to approach the pawl 320 from the underside
thereof, thereby to pivot the pawl 320 about the pivot 321 and
position the door disc latch cam 335 on the abutment surface 296 of
the cam opening 295.
With reference to FIGS. 25 to 27, when the front wheels 101 of the
automobile 100 back onto the actuator 365, the trigger 325 is moved
downwardly as hereinbefore described, and because the door disc
latch cam 335 is not positioned on the abutment surface 296, the
door disc latch 280 is pivoted downwardly out of the horizontal
position against the biasing of the spring 287. When the door disc
latch 280 has been pivoted downwardly due to the action of the
trigger 325 in response to the action of the actuator 365, the
latch pin 285 is carried away from the abutment surface 250 of the
catch 245 and the door 110 which is biased to the closed position
now being free to move in the tracks 120 because the disc 240 can
rotate, will close, thereby causing the door disc 240 to rotate
through 270.degree.to assume the angular position shown in FIG. 13
and FIG. 8. The counterbalance disc 260 does not move from the
position it has heretofore assumed because depression of the
trigger 325 has no effect on the counterbalance disc latch 300 due
to the fact that the counterbalance disc latch cam 340 is
positioned in the lower leg 317 of the cam opening 315 in the latch
300 and thereby, the latch pin 305 remaining in contact with the
abutment surface 270 of the catch 265 to prevent rotation of the
counterbalance disc 260 in a clockwise direction.
With reference to FIGS. 28 to 30, when the front wheels 101 of the
automobile 100 clear the actuator 365, the trigger 325 is moved
upwards to its normal position, thereby to position the cam
follower 330 so as to be biased to the right by the abutment
surface 252a of the lug 252 on the door disc 240 as shown in FIG.
29, and also in FIG. 13, thereby to move the door disc latch cam
335 and the counterbalance disc latch cam 340 to the right, as
shown in FIG. 30, so that the counterbalance disc latch cam 240
rests on the abutment surface 316 of the cam opening 315, all as
shown in FIG. 13. It is here noted that the position of the discs
240 and 260, and the cams 335 and 340 are the same when the door
110 is closed, whether by a manual operation or an automatic
operation.
With reference to FIGS. 31 to 33, when the automobile 100
approaches the garage 105, the front wheels 101 hit the actuator
365, thereby moving the trigger 325 downwardly, as shown in FIGS.
32 and 33. Since the counterbalance disc latch cam 340 is
positioned on the abutment surface 316, downward movement of the
trigger 325 results in pivotal movement of the latch 300 about the
pin 306, thereby causing disengagement of the abutment surface 270
of the catch 265 with the latch pin 305 to permit rotation of the
counterbalance disc 260 in the clockwise direction due to the force
exerted thereon by the spring 276 which has been under tension.
With the drive pin 275, the drive lug 255 and the stop pin 273
angularly positioned as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, as the
counterbalance disc 260 rotates in the clockwise direction, the
drive pin 275 contacts the drive lug 255, thereby to carry the door
disc 240 and thereby the door 110 operatively connected thereto in
a clockwise direction through 263.degree. of rotation before the
stop pin 273 hits the stop lug 309. If, as explained hereinbefore,
the alternate embodiment of FIG. 40 is employed, the discs 240 and
260 will rotate a full 270.degree. to the automatically opened
position because the latch 280 will be depressed due to the flange
291, cam surface 292 and latch cam pin 274 to prevent the latch
roller 285 from engaging the catch 245.
It is here noted that when the door 110 has been automatically
opened there is no need to latch the door 110 in the open position
to prevent the closing thereof due to gravity, as is needed after a
manual opening because the added force of spring 276 is sufficient
with the torsion bar 140 and spring 165 to maintain the door 110
open. Actually it is desirable not to latch the door 110 after an
automatic opening thereof to allow a manual closing thereof without
the necessity of releasing the latch 280 and catch 245, there being
shown herein two embodiments for preventing such latching, that
shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and the diagrammatic views and that shown in
FIG. 40.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 31, after an automatic door opening,
the door disc 240 is positioned with the camming surface 249 of the
catch 245 in contact with, or close to, the latch pin 285 of the
latch 280, thereby preventing latching of the door 110 in the open
position while the counterbalance disc 260 has rotated through an
angle somewhat less than 270.degree., thereby to position the catch
265 in the position shown. The lugs 253 and 252 have rotated with
the door disc 240 to the position shown, the position of lug 253
being several degrees away from the position it would assume if the
door had been manually opened with the catch 245 locked against the
latch 285 as seen in FIG. 13.
With reference to FIGS. 34 to 36, when the front wheels 101 of the
automobile 100 clear the actuator 365, the piston 352 in the
cylinder 351 is moved upwardly by action of the spring 353 to
position the cam follower 330 in the position shown in FIG. 35. As
will be noticed, due to the displacement of cam 253, the spring 328
and cam follower 330 is not biased to the right as shown in FIG. 17
when the door has been manually opened, but rather the trigger 325
is unbiased and the cams 335 and 340 assume the position as shown.
There is no movement of either the door disc 240 or the
counterbalance disc 260 during the upward movement of the trigger
325 as the front wheels 101 clear the actuator 365.
The door 110 is thereafter manually closed and in so doing, the
door disc 240 and the counterbalance disc 260 are rotated in a
counterclockwise direction to a final position shown in FIG. 37 due
to the movement of the door 110 to the closed position and the
transmittal of that movement through the torsion bar 140 and drive
sprocket 210 to the door disc 240, the counterbalance disc 260
being carried in the counterclockwise direction by the contact
between the drive lug 255 and the drive pin 275. It is seen,
therefore, that it is necessary to have the drive pin 275 and the
drive lug 255 abutting when the door 110 is in the closed position,
so that during a manual closing of the door, the drive lug 255
moves the counterbalance disc 260 in the counterclockwise direction
to extend the spring 276 and to position the abutment 270 of the
catch 265 in latching position with the latch pin 305 of the latch
300. The latch 300 being depressed when the camming surface 269 of
the catch 265 contacts the latch pin 305 and the latch 300 being
raised to the normal or horizontal position by the spring 307 after
the catch 265 has passed thereby to assume the latching position
with the latch pin 305 in contact with the abutment surface 270 of
the catch 265. After this operation, the door disc 240 and the
counterbalance disc 260 are in the same positions as shown in FIG.
13, and the door 110 is ready for a manual opening thereof as
hereinbefore explained.
The invention hereinbefore set forth is readily adaptable to be
manufactured in a kit form, the kit including, for instance, all
the mechanism carrying a reference numeral 200 or greater.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been
provided an improved door control mechanism and an improved
combination for use with an associated building having a
door-receiving opening therein for shiftably and pivotally
operating a sectional door between the closed position and the open
position thereof. While there has been described what is at present
considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will
be understood that various modifications may be made therein and it
is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications
as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *