U.S. patent number RE40,001 [Application Number 09/547,563] was granted by the patent office on 2008-01-15 for jack shaft garage door operator.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Chamberlain Group, Inc.. Invention is credited to James S. Chang, David J. Miller, Mark D. Siegler.
United States Patent |
RE40,001 |
Siegler , et al. |
January 15, 2008 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Jack shaft garage door operator
Abstract
A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing a
movable garage door has a drive containing an electric motor. A
rotatable jack shaft is connected to the drive unit to be driven
thereby. A pull-up cable drum is connected to and driven by the
jack shaft. A pull-up cable extends from the drum about which it is
wound and connects to a bottom part of the garage door to raise the
door. A pivoting arm is mounted near the jack shaft and provides
tension to the cable. A shaft lock hub mounted on the jack shaft is
engaged and locked by the arm if the tension in the cable drops. A
stop is mounted on the garage door for engagement by the movable
arm in the event that the door is opened without the cable being
drawn in the cable drum.
Inventors: |
Siegler; Mark D. (Brookfield,
IL), Chang; James S. (Arlington Heights, IL), Miller;
David J. (Arlington Heights, IL) |
Assignee: |
The Chamberlain Group, Inc.
(Elmhurst, IL)
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Family
ID: |
38921120 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/547,563 |
Filed: |
April 12, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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08456874 |
Jun 1, 1995 |
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Reissue of: |
08829742 |
Mar 31, 1997 |
05743046 |
Apr 28, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
49/199;
49/322 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05D
13/003 (20130101); E05F 11/00 (20130101); E05F
15/686 (20150115); E05D 13/1261 (20130101); E05Y
2900/106 (20130101); E05D 15/24 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E05F
11/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;49/197,198,199,200,201,322 ;160/186,188,200,201,202 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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151 427 |
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Aug 1985 |
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EP |
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151427 |
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Aug 1985 |
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EP |
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2 634 815 |
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Feb 1990 |
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FR |
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Other References
Designer's Notebook, Six Ways to Reduce Costs with Trantorque
Keyless Bushings. Fenner Manheim, Manheim, PA. cited by examiner
.
Brochure, Trantorque, Fenner Manheim, Manheim, PA. cited by
examiner .
Installation Instructions, Cable Keeper, Set-Rite Seal Co.,
Levittown, PA. cited by examiner .
Garage Door Opener Owner's Manual, Series 651-2MM-1/2HP, Series
601MM-1/2HP, Series 151MM-1/4HP, The Chamberlain Group, Inc.,
published 1993. cited by examiner .
Lift Master Model MJ Series 1000 Commercial Operator Medium Duty
Jack Shaft Operator, published by The Chamberlain Group, Inc. more
than one year before Jun. 1, 1995. cited by examiner .
Model GJ Series 3000 Commercial Operator Gear Head Jack Shaft
Operator, published by The Chamberlain Group, Inc. more than one
year before Jun. 1, 1995. cited by examiner .
"Instructions for Installaton of 139.53709 Quick Turn Brackets,"
Document No. 114A798, published by the Chamberlain Group, Inc. more
than one year before Jun. 1, 1995. cited by examiner .
"ATL Rolls Out the Best Warranty in the Industry," Arrow Tru-Line
INc., published more than one year before Jun. 1, 1995. cited by
examiner .
"Posi-Tension Drums . . . One of the Many Reasons Why You Should Be
Getting `The Original` . . . `Overhead Door`", published more than
one year before Jun. 1, 1995. cited by examiner .
"SpecData", from Door Oper. & Remote Controls Mfs. Assn. &
Nat'l Assn. of Garage Door Mfs., Nov. 1983 (supersedes Feb. 1977).
cited by examiner .
"Architectural Specifications", manufactured by Link Controls, 2111
Lakeland Ave., Ronkonoma, NY 11779. cited by examiner.
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Primary Examiner: Redman; Jerry
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fitch, Even, Tabin &
Flannery
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
08/456,874 filed Jun. 1, 1995, now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing a
movable garage door, comprising: a drive unit; a jack shaft coupled
to the drive unit to be turned thereby; a pull-up cable drum
connected to the jack shaft to be driven thereby; a pull-up cable
for connection to a movable garage door and connected to the
pull-up cable drum to be raised and lowered thereby; a pivotable
arm mounted in proximity with the jack shaft and engaging the
pull-up cable, said pivotable arm including a member for engaging
the pull-up cable and holding it in tension, and means for engaging
the jack shaft to prevent further jack shaft rotation when the
pull-up cable becomes slack; and means for preventing the garage
door from opening adapted for engagement by the pivotable arm when
the garage door is lifted without the drive unit operating.
2. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing a
movable garage door according to claim 1 wherein the means for
engaging the jack shaft comprises a cross bar.
3. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing a
garage door according to claim 1 wherein the means for preventing
the garage door from opening comprises a door lock bracket that
engages the pivotable arm.
4. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing a
garage door according to claim 1 further comprising a shaft lock
hub mounted on the jack shaft and rotatable therewith, the shaft
lock hub being engaged by the pivotable arm when the cable tension
drops.
.Iadd.5. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing
a movable garage door, comprising: a drive unit; a jack shaft
coupled to the drive unit to be turned thereby; a pull-up cable
drum connected to the jack shaft to be driven thereby; a pull-up
cable for connection to a movable garage door and connect to the
pull-up cable drum to be raised and lowered thereby; a pivotable
arm mounted in proximity with the jack shaft and engaging the
pull-up cable, said pivotable arm including a member for engaging
the pull-up cable and holding it in tension; and means for
preventing the garage door from opening adapted for engagement by
the pivotable arm when the garage door is lifted without the drive
unit operating..Iaddend.
.Iadd.6. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing
a movable garage door according to claim 5 wherein the pivotable
arm comprises engagement apparatus for engaging the jack shaft to
prevent further jack shaft rotation when the pull-up cable becomes
slack..Iaddend.
.Iadd.7. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing
a movable garage door according to claim 6 wherein the engagement
apparatus comprises a cross bar..Iaddend.
.Iadd.8. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing
a garage door according to claim 5 wherein the means for preventing
comprises a door lock bracket that engages the pivotable
arm..Iaddend.
.Iadd.9. A jack shaft garage door operator for opening and closing
a garage door according to claim 5 further comprising a shaft lock
hub mounted on the jack shaft and rotatable therewith, the shaft
lock hub being engaged by the pivotable arm when the cable tension
drops..Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates in general to garage door operators and in
particular to a jack shaft garage door operator having a pivoting
arm for preventing cable associated with a pull-up cable drum from
becoming slack during the operation of the door and for providing a
positive door locking system.
One of the problems associated with jack shaft garage door
operators is that while they are compact and may be conveniently
used in garages which have little overhead room, they may present
problems to the owners of the garage in that the cable may be payed
out allowing the door to close under its own weight and if the door
stalls or if the cable pay out drum rotates too far, the tension in
the cable will drop and the cable may come off the drum
necessitating a visit from a repairman.
In addition, the jack shaft garage door operator does not provide
any secure locking facility other than a lock at the bottom of the
door, which may be tampered with by a burglar. If the door is not
locked by some other means, the bottom lock may be forced or
damaged and the door can be lifted open and the garage entered by
an intruder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,809 discloses a door operator having a winch
member built into a tilting door and movable with it. A cable is
attached to a wall member supporting the door and another end of
the cable is connected to an extensible arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,828 discloses a catch for stopping a door from
falling in the event that a sustaining cable or a counterbalance
fails or breaks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,471 discloses a door including a stopping
member having a clip connection 29 which engages a cable. If the
cable breaks, as shown in FIG. 4, the arm 27 rotates outwardly
bringing a cam dog 26 having a plurality of teeth 32 into locking
engagement with a roller 13a to prevent the roller 13a from moving,
thereby suspending the door in position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,591 to Calvagno discloses a system that is
mechanically responsive to a break in a cable to prevent a door
from falling.
French Patent No. 2634-815-A includes an "antidrop" safety
mechanism having a cam plate 21 on either side of the door equipped
with a convex toothed edge to engage a bracket in case of door
suspension failure. None of the aforementioned documents teach or
disclose solutions for preventing a door from being opened or from
stopping an operation of a garage door operator to cause it to
reverse to take up cable which may have inadvertently been payed
off a cable drum of a jack shaft door operator.
What is needed then is an improved jack shaft garage door operator
that avoids unwanted problems with the cable coming off the drum
and provides security for the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A jack shaft garage door operator is useful for opening .[.a.].
.Iadd.and .Iaddend.closing a movable garage door. The jack shaft
garage door operator embodying the present invention includes a
drive unit having an electric motor therein for driving a jack
shaft. The jack shaft is mounted above a door opening and usually
has coupled to it a spring, or the like, for providing a restoring
force to the jack shaft to help raise the door and to support a
portion of the weight of the door that is not supported by the
L-shaped rails that a door usually rides in. A pull-up cable drum
is connected to the jack shaft to be rotated thereby and has a
multi-strand steel pull-up cable connected thereto that may be
payed out to lower a door or wound up to raise the door. The
pull-up cable is typically connected to a bottom portion of the
door and, when wound up, will cause the door to rise along vertical
portions of L-shaped rails. A pivotable arm is mounted on the
garage near the jack shaft and includes an arm extension having a
rounded surface which may be a roller or may be fixed for engaging
the multi-strand steel pull-up cable. The pivotable arm, including
the cable engaging portion, is biased by a spring causing the cable
engaging portion to maintain the cable under tension in the drum.
In the event that the cable is inadvertently payed out, for
instance, by the door having reached the bottom of its travel and
the operator continuing to run, the pull-up arm is allowed to pivot
upwardly by reduced tension in the cable and swings far enough
upward that an operator arresting dog comes in contact with a
toothed wheel mounted upon the jack shaft causing the garage door
operator to stall. The garage door operator is otherwise a
conventional garage door operator and when in a stalled condition,
automatically reverses, causing the cable to be payed in and the
door to be opened. Thus, the pivotable arm prevents the cable from
coming off the cable drum. In addition, a stop or means for
preventing the garage door from opening in the form of a metal
plate is bolted on an upper panel of the garage door and, when in
the closed position, is immediately beneath the pivoting arm of the
cable when it is pulled downwardly by full tension on the cable. If
the door is attempted to be breached, for instance by an intruder
attempting to lift the door, the cable becomes slack allowing the
pivoting arm to come out slightly so that it then engages
compressionally the stop plate on the garage door thereby
preventing further upward motion of the garage door.
It is a principal aspect of the present invention to provide a jack
shaft garage door operator having a mechanical cable tension sensor
for providing door reversal before a cable pays off a cable
drum.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a jack
shaft garage door operator having a door opening block adapted to
engage a pivoting arm to prevent a door from being forced open.
Other advantages of the invention will become obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the art upon a perusal of the following
specification and claims in light of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a garage having a
garage door in a closed position with a jack shaft garage door
operator associated therewith and embodying the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view having portions broken away to
show details of a portion of the jack shaft garage door operator
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the jack shaft
garage door operator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the garage door
positioned in a closed position; and
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, partially in section, showing a
cable tensioning meter of the jack shaft garage door operator
positioned to take up slack in a pull-up cable.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and especially to FIG. 1, a jack
shaft garage door operator embodying the present invention and
generally identified by numeral 10 is shown therein. The jack shaft
garage door operator 10 is mounted on a garage 12 near a garage
door opening 14 which has associated with it a movable multiple
panel garage door 16.
The jack shaft garage door operator 10 includes a drive unit 20
having a jack shaft 22 coupled thereto to be turned thereby. A
pull-up cable unit 24 is mounted on the jack shaft 22 to be turned
and a pull-up cable 26 is wound around the cable drum 24 to be
pulled upwardly. A pivotable arm assembly 28 is mounted on a header
30 of the garage 12 immediately above the door opening 14 adjacent
the jack shaft 22 and includes a cylindrical cable engaging member
or cable tensioner arm 34 for engaging the pull-up cable 26 and
ending in a cable retaining knob 35 for preventing the pull-up
cable 26 from sliding off the tensioner arm 34. A door lock bracket
or means 36 for preventing the garage door from opening is mounted
on the garage door 16.
More particularly, the garage door 16 is a multiple paneled door
consisting of a plurality of rectangular panels 40, 42, 44 and 46.
The panels 40 and 42 are connected by a plurality of hinges 50.
Panels 42 and 44 are connected by a plurality of hinges 52. Panels
44 and 46 are connected by a plurality of hinges 54. The door is
carried on a pair of rollers in a pair of L-shaped tracks, details
of one of which are shown in FIGS. 2 through 4. The exemplary
L-shaped track 60 shown in FIG. 2 includes a vertical portion 62, a
curved portion 64 and a horizontal portion 66. Rollers 70 and 72
positioned on respective shafts 74 and 76 mounted to the door panel
46 ride in the track 60 and carry the door panel upwardly and
downwardly. In operation, when the door 16 is lowered, the jack
shaft 22 is rotated to pay out the cables 26 and 27 from the
pull-up cable drums 24 and 25.
The pivoting arm assembly 28 includes a base plate assembly 80
mounted on the header 30 and a pivot 82 which supports a pivotable
arm 84. The pivotable arm 84 includes a bracket-type stop member 86
having wall portions 88 and 90 supporting a cross bar 92. The
pivoting arm 28 includes a bottom wall 96 and a pair of sidewalls
98 and 100 for providing strength thereto, in particular,
compressional strength. The arm 84 is biased outwardly and upwardly
by a spring 104 and is normally held in a substantially vertical
position as shown in FIG. 3 by tension in cable 26 when only a
sufficient amount of cable 26 has been payed out so that the door
is either partially supported by cable 26 or has been closed
without additional cable 26 having been payed out. In the event
that, for whatever reason, the drum 24 continues to turn,
additional cable 26 is payed out and the arm 84 tends to pivot
upwardly until it reaches a substantially horizontal position as
shown in FIG. 4. At that point the cross bar 92 engages a shaft
lock hub comprising a toothed wheel 120 having a plurality of
detents or teeth 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 and 132 formed thereon and
thereby prevents further turning of the jack shaft 22, stalling the
drive unit 20 which causes the drive unit 20 to automatically
reverse, pulling the cable 26 back in and swinging the arm away
from the cog wheel 120. In addition, it should be noted that the
cog wheel 120 has asymmetric cogs with perpendicular edges as
exemplified by cog 120 with perpendicular edge 136 and sloping edge
138 allowing the jack shaft 22 to rotate upwardly despite the
cross-bar 92 being in engagement with the teeth 120 while
preventing downward rotation.
In addition, if the drive unit 20 is stopped and the door 16 is
attempted to be opened, in other words it is forced upward as shown
in FIG. 2, the cable 26 becomes slack allowing the cable arm to
pivot outwardly, as shown in FIG. 2, sufficiently so that it
engages the stop 36, more specifically a stop lip 150 thereof. The
stop 36 also includes a base wall 152 and a pair of sidewalls 154
and 156 for providing strength so that the stop lip 150 is not
deformed by being brought into compressional engagement with the
movable arm 84. In addition, since the movable arm 84 is
substantially trough shaped with sidewalls 98 and 100 providing
strength to the base wall 96, the compressional engagement will not
tend to crush the arm and will prevent the door 16 from rising
farther.
Thus, what has been provided is a mechanical device for providing
security for a garage door by preventing the garage door from being
inadvertently opened while also preventing cable from being
accidentally payed off the drums 24 and 26 which would necessitate
an expensive repair call.
While there has been illustrated and described a particular
embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that
numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in
the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all
those changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit
and scope of the present invention.
* * * * *