US2327778A

US2327778A - Garage door

Info

Publication number: US2327778A
Application number: US377498A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cecil R Wolf; Birdie D Ferris
Original assignee: Frantz Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Frantz Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1941-02-05
Filing date: 1941-02-05
Publication date: 1943-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 1960-08-24

Description

Aug. 24, 1943. w. D. FERRIS "Er AL 2,327,778

GARAGE DOOR V Filed Feb. 5, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 m1 a j 2 EA V J0 3B 7 J 1 J9 Bi 37 9 .31

' Z@ I J60 5 v INVO v w 35 fl/ilk'amfl Wanna; Z6 1 Ceca/ii? waif Au .24,194s. F RRIS m, 2,27,778

GARAGE DOOR V Filed Feb. 5, 1941 3 Shee ts-Shet 2 V .10 1! 30 J3 J 1:;

Aug? 1943- w. D. FERRIS ETAL 2,327,778

GARAGE DOOR Fil ed Feb. 5, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J0 v 9 I 1 INVENTORs. Fer/fags Patented Aug. 24, 1943 UN ITED STATES FATENT FFI'CE v GARAGE Door. William in. Ferris and Cecil E. Wolf, steerin 9111.;1 Birdie D. Ferris, executrix of said William D. Ferris, deceased, assignors to Frantz Manufactusing 00., Sterling, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 5, 1941, Serial No. 377,498

11 Claims.

This invention relates to garage doors, and more particularly to those that are composed of horizontal sections which are hinged together at their meeting edges and which move upwardly in unison and then horizontalls overhead to the open position or the door.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby a door of this pap ticula-r character is more easily operated and is more free from anyv action that would cause jolting and jarring in the opening and closing thereof.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a door construction wherein the doors are inhinged sections and include means operating along a track under the impulsion of a spring for opening the door, wherein the'track mechanism is of tubular construction and the spring is housed within the track mechanism whereby the tubular track serves a plurality of functions, such as serving as a guard for the s ring, as'wel'l as supplying an anchor for the spring, thereby eliminating the necessity of brackets and other spring accessories which tend to clutter up the garage or other housing chamber. Furthermore, by means of this construction the spring is supported along its entire length whereby as the d'ooris opened the weight of the spring is not added to the pull of the spring-which ordinarily would result in too much power being applied'near the final opening movemen-t. Fnr-"thermore, by the utilization of this construction the spring acts as a check or brake upon the door, to stop its forward movement without imparting a rebound as the door reaches its fully open position.

Another object is to provide an improved form of track section between the vertical tracks at the sides of the doorway and the horizontal or overhead tracks, in' order'to improve the action of the door in the; opening and closing movement thereof. 7

In addition, one object of the invention is to provide an improved form of, overhead. or horizontal-ly disposed tracks for supporting the weight of the door in. its open position and.

which are adapted to enclose the coil springs that assist in the opening of the door.

Yet another object of the invention resides in providing a tubular track along which roller means on the door sections are adapted to roll,

in combination with an elongated spring housed within the tubular track and connected to'fithe door sections so as to causethe door se tions to be guided by "and rolledalong said track.

Yet another object of the invention resides in "the details of construction of the tubiilar track \vh'ereloy it terms not dnlf; 'a gnidewav forthe rollers carried by the door sections, but also whereby it provides a housing for the spring means which raises the door sections.

Yet another "object or the invention resides in the construction of the tiiloiilar track so as to'no't only house the elongated power spring meansfor the door, but also whereby the track provides means Ior anchoring the "spring means adjustably thereto, and also provides means for moiinting the door buffer means thereon.

To the foregoing and other useful endsgthe invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompany ing drawings, in which- A Fig. '1 is a vertical section of a garage door embodying the principles of the invention, showing the same in its vertical or closed position and showing portions of the garage building also in "section;

Fig. :2 is a similar view showing" the upper most section of the door unlatched and moving into an inclined position inside the blli'l'dlrig.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the uppermost section "open'to a greater degree,

4 is a similar view showing the door in its raised and overhead open position.

Fig. Eris a longitudinal section of the tubular track in which each lifting spring is'enclosed; showing a portion of the spring thus contained in the track. N

Fig. '6 is a'view similar to Figs. '1, 2 and "3, but showing. the uppermost section of the door tilted entirely over into its inclined position within the building. I i

Fig. '7 is an inside elevation of the portions shown in Fig; f of the drawings, beingin the nature of an enlarged section line 1-4 in' Fig. 1 of the. drawings.

Fig, 3 is "an enlarged detail fragmentary view,

being in the nature of a section on line 8-B in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

Fig. 9 is a similar view, but showing the parts in different positions.

Fig.10 is an inside view or elevation of the compIete door, showing portionsof the garage building in vertical section.

Fig. 11 is a detail cross section, on a larger scale, of one of the overheadtubuiar tracks in which the springs are enclosed. I i

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11, but showing a different form of the invention.

.As thus illustrated, the door comprises the four sections I, 2;, 3 and 4 that are hinged together by hinges 5 at their horizontal meeting in Fig. 11 of the drawings, but each cylindrical track having a longitudinal slot III at its inner side. The upper and lower endsof thedoors are provided with wheels or rollers II that also travel in said tracks, being carried by brackets mounted on the door.

The uppermost section I :of the door is, as previously explained, hinged to the section 2 of the door, so that the upper edge portion of this section I is, free to swing outwardly into vertical or closed position and is free to swing inwardly into an inclined position, as shown more clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Preferably, the upper edge of the section I is provided with a' latchbolt I2 for engagement with a bracket I3 fastened to the top of the doorway, so that when the door is closed, this uppermost section I of thedoor will automatically be latched in closed position. To unlatch the uppermost section of, the door, a handle I4 is swiveled on thesection '2 of the door, and the inner end portion of the said handle 'is provided with a crank-arm I5 which .in cushioning the opening and closing of the section 2 of the door. In addition, this pivot 22, of each link 2|, Works into and out of the notch 25 in the bracket 26 fastened to the doorway. It will be seen that the notch 25 of each bracketplate, there being one at each side of the doorway, is longer on its lower edge 'so that the notch is shorter on its upper edge than at its lower edge. Preferablythe slot 23 of each plate 24 bulges toward the door near its lower end as it is .found that this formation has a beneficial action door. The bulge in the slot 23 positions the pivot 22 at thejinner end of the notch 25, as shown in Fig. 9, while thes'traight lower portion of the slot 23 pulls the pivot out of engagement with said notch, as shown in Fig. 8, whereby the door' is then ready to' go up into its overhead open position. This construction eases the action, so

I to speak, and prevents the uppermost section I is connected bya-chain I6 with the'lower end of the said latch-bolt. In this-way, the handle I 4, the latch-bolt is disengaged from the bracketor strike-piece I3 and the door will then automatically move to substantially horizontal open position.

Between the upper ends of the track sections'8 and-the outer ends of the tracksections 9, there are track sections I60 that are formed ina special manner, as more clearly shown in Figs. 1,.2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. Each track section IE0 is composed of two straight portions I 1 and I 8 and anintermediatecurved portion I 9 and it will be observed that the straight portion I8 is preferably the same length as'the straight portion I1, and the ends of these two sections I60,

I one at each side'of the doorway, can be welded by rotating or otherwise suitably fastened to the ends of the vertical and horizontal tracks. The special form thus provided for the two sections I 60, it is found by actual experience, insures a smoother and easier and better motion or movement of the door. into its open position, and thereafter'into its closed-position. The door is shown'in' its open position in Fig; fl: of the drawings where itwill be seen that it occupies a horizontal plane vertically at the tops of the horizontal tracks. In other words, the action'of the wheels or rollers on the door is much improved by the provision of these track sections I68 in the form shown anddescribed, and the actionis much better than would be the case if these sections I 60 were formed with one curve from end to end with a single radius. a

Another feature which is of special importance is the manner in which the uppermost section I of the door is automatically controlled in its opening and closing movements. For this purpose, there is a pivot 20 on each upper corner of the door, that is connected by a link 2| with a pivot 22, which latter works up and down in a slot 23 in a bracket-plate 2 4 fastened to the formed tracksections.

;jolting or jarring or violent action when from closing violently with a jerk or a slam when it moves outwardly laterally toward the door frame. When thefdoor is latched in vertical or closed position, the notch 25 of the two plates- 26 holds the mummy against any upward movement. a For automatically opening the door when un;

latched, and for pulling. the door into itsfopen overhead position, a pair of coil springs are used, one in each ofthe overhead-tracks 9. The ends of these springs 21 are connected by 'a pairof I section}, as shown in the drawings. Each link 28 is made double, as it is composed of two bars that. are

links 28 with the pivots 2 9 on the door spread apart at their lower ends. and bent tosgether at their upper ends. The upper ends of these links 28' are connected to wheels orrolle'rs 1 30 that travel in the overheadtracks and that are in turn'connectjed to the said springs 21 con tained in saidtracks. The innermost ends of .said springs maybe fastened in placein' any suitable or desired manner, as by bolts -3I insorted through spaced holes in the overhead 3 tracks. This provides adjustment for the spring. Thus, these springs arealways inside of,said overheadtracks and arefnever extended therefrom, and hencethese springs cannot sag or move up and down, but can only have extension endwise and horizontally inside of said tracks. The springs are stretched to their full capacity when the door is in'closed position, as shown in Fig.1 of the drawings, but the stretch is ,practically all out of the springs when the door assumes its overhead'ope'n position, against the bumper springs 32, and in this way there is no reaches its final open position.

It will be seen that the door starts moving upward practically as soon as, the upper section thereof is unlatched andthat such movement ;cause's the first wheels or rollers on the doorto enter the straight portions I? of the specially and 3 of the drawings, and this action causes the links 2I to pull the section I over into an in- ;clinedposition, as the pivots 22 are at such time not. out ofthe notches25 of the. two bracketplates fastened to the door frame. However, as

soon as the section I reaches, the position shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the springs 21 then exert a pull that raises the door to an extent that the slots 23 move the pivots22 out of the notches 25, so that the door is then free to move I the door I I 69, as indicated in Figs; 2

in the notches25,

as shown in Fig. '9 or the drawings, at a. moment when it is important that this be done the proper and desired action of the door.

In Fig. 12, the modification shows adiiferent of being cylindrical, and in the 'door h'as' two rollers 33 rests-seer the one roller shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings. Thus, in any form of the invention, the pivots 22 are at the tops of the slots 23 when the door is in closed position, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and the said pivots are at the same ends of the said slots when the door is in open position, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. This is true, of course, regardless of the form of the overhead tracks, for in each case the same control devices are employed for controlling the action of the uppermost section of the door, in the opening and closing of the latter.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a garage door construction in which the door is of the sectional form in which the horizontal sections are hinged together at their horizontal meeting edges, vertical tracks for the sides of theadoorway, horizontally disposed tracks overhead, and intermediate track sections connecting the upper ends of the vertical tracks with the outer ends of the horizontally disposed tracks, each intermediate track section havin a middle curved portion and having straight end portions, together with means on the door for engaging said tracks and track sections.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, the upper straight portion being longer than the lower straight portion.

3. In a garage or other door construction in which the door is of sections hinged together at their horizontal meeting edges, a vertical track and a horizontal overhead track interconnected with said vertical track, said overhead track being tubular, means carried by certain of the door sections adapted to travel in said tubular track to guide the door sections from vertical closed position to substantially horizontal overhead open position, and spring means housed within the tubular overhead track and connected to the door and contracting within said tubulartrack to lift the door.

i. In a garage or other door in which the door is composed of sections hinged together at their horizontal meeting edges, a vertical track and a tubular horizontal track having interconnecting track portions, means carried by certain of the door sections to travel on the internal wall of said tubular track to guide the door sections from verticall closed position to substantially horizontal overhead open position, elongated spring means housed in said tubular horizontal track in advance of said means and having one end anchored in said tubular track and having its opposite portion connected to one of the door sections.

5. In a garage or other door in which the door is composed of sections hinged together at their horizontal meeting edges, vertical and horizontal tracks having interconnecting track portions, said horizontal tracks being tubular in cross section and open at one side, an elongated spring housed within the tracks and having one end thereof anchored adjacent one end of the tracks, the opposite end of the sprin being connected with a door section, and means carried by certain of the door sections, including lateral extensions passing through the openings of the tracks, and

rollers 'on'isaid extensions rolling within s'aid' tracks as said elongated spring contracts iniliftmg -thefdoor sections toosubstantially horizontal open position. I I

Inia, garage 'or'nther door in which the door is composed of sections hinged'toge'ther at. horizontal" meeting edges, vertical and horizontal traclcsrfor. interconnecting track portions, said horizontal" tracks being tubular in cross section and provided at their outer ends with spaced registering holes adapted to receive an anchorage bolt, an elongated spring housed within said tubular tracks and having one end connected to said bolt, and means connecting the other end of the spring to a door section.

'7. In a garage or other door in which the door is composed of sections hinged together at horizontal meeting edges, vertical and horizontal tracks for interconnecting track portions, said horizontal tracks beingtubular in cross section, an elongated spring housed within said tubular tracks and having one end connected to anchorage means, and means connecting the other end of the spring to a door section, and resilient bumper means mounted on the exterior wall 01' said tubular tracks and adapted to be contacted by the leading end of the foremost door section when the doors are moved to open position.

8. In a garage or other door in which the door is composed of sections hinged together at horizontal meeting edges, vertical and horizontal tracks for interconnecting track portions, said overhead track being tubular except for a longitudinal opening in the side thereof, and an elongated coil spring housed in said tubular track which spring when released, in cross section is substantially of the same cross section, but slightly smaller, than the inner cross section of the tubular track, said spring having one end anchored in said tubular track and the other end connected to a door section, and roller means carried by certain of the door sections and passing through the side lots in the tubular track and rolling along an inner surface of said track, said Y rollers in diameter corresponding substantially to the inner diameter of the tubular track.

9. In a garage or other door in which the door is composed of sections hinged together at horizontal meeting edges, vertical and horizontal tracks for interconnecting track portions, said horizontal tracks being tubular in cross section, said tubular tracks being substantially rectangular in cross section and provided with a longitudinal opening along one side, the inner walls of said tubular tracks providing spaced horizontally disposed tracks, means carried by certain of the door sections extending therefrom and passing through the longitudinal opening in the side of said track, and spaced rollers on said extensions, said rollers rolling on the bottom wall portions of said tracks, and elongated spring means enclosed within said tubular tracks, one

end of the spring means being anchored therein and the other end of the spring means being connected to a door section.

10. In a garage door having horizontally hinged sections, the combination of a door frame, track means affixed thereto having vertical and horizontal sections and an interconnecting section along which the door is adapted to move, bearing means carried by certain of the door sections adapted to run in said track means, spring means mounted in the horizontal track section and interconnected with the door, for

pulling the door upwardly to open position along said track.

11. In a garage or other door construction wherein the door is composed of horizontally hinged sections, .a door frame including vertical and horizontal tracks having interconnected track portions, certain of the door sectionshaving bearing means adapted to run' in said tracks,

power spring means disposed in the horizontal track, said spring means having one end an. chored, another portion of the spring means be ing connected by means of a link to one of the door sections, the uppermost door section being free to swing from a vertical closed position to an inwardly inclined position during the upward movement of the door sections by the spring. WILLIAM D. FERRIS. CECIL R. WOLF.