US1491598A - Elevator door - Google Patents

Description

pr'ZZ 1924.

, E. w, FENN ELEvAToR Dooa Filed nec. 1s. 1919 -/ATTORNEK M5 9.435 1nl+u l K/ H r a vw s .m u. c l :a a" 100 JSTZCJL e VJ l .1.x llruWl I... 1m u- Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

EMORY W. FENN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PEELLE COMPANY, OF

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

ELEVATOR DOOR.

Application filed December 13, 1919. Serial No. 344,723.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EMORY W. FENN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State 0f Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Doors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to elevator doors, and more particularly to doors of the character known as the pass type, wherein the door closing each opening in a shaft is formed of two vertically movable sections, each of which moves past a section of the door at an adjacent door opening, when opening a door.

Heretofore in doors of the pass type it has been the practice to provide parallel guide rails upon each side of the various door openings, and to mount one section of each door in a shaft upon one pair of said guide rails, and the other section of each door upon the otherguide rails, thus permitting the two sections of each door to have vertical movement in parallel planes, and forming a pocket between one of the sections of each door, (usually the upper section) and the wall of the shaft about the door opening, capable of receiving a section (usually the lower section) of a door at the next landing. With this type of door it has been found necessary to employ movable shields to close the gap between the doorsection .which ismore remote from the wall of the shaft and said wall to avoid the presence of an opening through which iiames and smoke can pass in the event of a fire. n

Doors of this type are used in buildings wherein the elevator door openings are so high as to affordinsuiiicient clearance between the lintel of one door opening and the sill of the adjacent opening, to aiford space within which the sections may move when opening the door, the two sections of each door, when such space is present, moving in the same vertical plane but in opposite directions.

The type of door'in which both sections move in the same vertical plane, as stated above, is known, and'will be referred to herein, as the regular type of door.

In my present invent-ion, I provide a doorV structure wherein the two sections, when the door is closed, will fit close'to the wall of the shaft about the door opening, soas to form a lire proof joint about the door, but., which, during the opening andfclosing of the door, will havevertical movement from and toward eachother with a sufficient horizontal component-to cause boths'ections to move awayV from the wall of the shaft suiflcientlyi. to pass the door sections at the door 'opening immediately above or immediately-below that opening at which is located the door being opened orv closed. Both door sections are mounted upon a guide rail 'structure in f. which but a single rail section upon each',

side of the doorropening is used, the construction being` suchv that both sections, duringthe opening and closing movement, will be so guided and` controlled `,that they will` `the wall of the shaft adjacent the lintel land sill of the door opening, when the door is closed, so as,v to reinforce the'door and f enable it to withstand the force of blows thereon from the-Hoor side -of the door, and pre-k vent displacement thereof from such blows or from other causes, in a manner to form cracks'and crevices about the ydoor suiiicient to permit flame orsmoke to pass kabout the door inthe event of fire.

In a door madein accordance with my invention, I also provide a special suspensions,

means in connection with the two door sections, to compensate for the horizontal componentof movement of each section, and to minimize likelihood of disarrangement `of the suspension mechanism with a resultant falling of the doors in the shaft. A

In a door made inaccordance with my invention, the guide shoe construction well as thaty of the guide rail issuch as to afford widely divergentfpoints of support for each door sectionV at all times, and particularly when said sections have moved from a plane closely adjacent the wall of the shaft to a plane more remote therefrom, while aording an adequate support for the door sections while in the closed position.

Another characteristic of a door made in accordance with my invention is the use of a special truck bar and astragal construction necessitated because of the horizontal component of movement of the lower door section.

The invention consists primarily in an elevator door embodying therein a movable door section, guide rails therefor arranged upon opposite sides of a door opening whereby, with the opening or closing of the door, said section `will have both a vertical and a j `horizontal component of movement; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. l is a side view of a portion of an elevator 'shaft illustrating a door opening closed by a door made in accordance with my invention, and a portion of the adjacent door structure above and below same, the door beingrshown in the closed position;

i Fig. 2 is a similar view with the door in the open position;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the door structure, the guide rail being omitted;

Fig. 4l is a detail plan view of one upper corner of the door shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the fixed guide members and the cooperating guide shoe upon the upper door section. u

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

VSince the arrangement of the guide rail and its associated guides and switches, and the construction at each side of the door, is duplicated upon opposite sides of the door opening, and of the door sections, a detailed showing of but one side of the door structure and of the guide rails at one side of the door opening, and a detailed description of the structure of one side of the door. will be entered into.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, one door opening in a shaft is shown at A, the lintel of this opening being indicated at a and the sill thereof at 0,. Above the door opening A is shown a portion of another door opening B, the sill thereof being indicated at b, while below said door opening A is a door opening C, the lintel of which is shown at c. The construction of the door in each of said openings A, B and C is the same as at every other.

*atending vertically through the shaft ,upon opposite sides of all of the door openings, is a wall rail d, the inwardly projecting flange of which carries a single guide rail composed of two sections e and e occupying parallel vertical planes, these sections being connected by oblique sections c2 and e3. The rail section e (nearer the wall of the shaft) is positioned substantially midway of the height of the door opening, while the section e is spaced away from said shaft sufficiently to cause the door section moving thereon to pass the door section at the adjacent door opening when opening the door. The oblique sections e2 and e3 assist in imparting the desired horizontal component of movement to their respective door sections. The inner edge of the wall rail d conforms to the guide rail structure, thus providing a recessed portion d adjacent the rail sections e, e2, and e3.

The door structure closing the opening A consists of two sections f and g, mounted upon the guide rail structure above described, said sections being connected by a flexible connection 7L passing over a sheave z' mounted upon the wall rail Z adjacent the lintel of the door opening.

The upper door section f is provided, adjacent the bottom of each side thereof, with a forked guide shoe adapted to straddle the guide rail, the top and bottom of the fork in said guide being flared outwardly as shown, to facilitate freedom of movement of the lower portion of the door in passing from one vertical plane to another during its opening and closing movements. This guide shoe j is in constant engagement with the guide rail.

Carried upon opposite sides of the top of said door section f is a fitting supporting a similar shoe 7c which is normally disengaged from the guide rail, and isadapted to automatically engage itself with and disengage itself from said guide rail during the opening and closing movements of the door. To facilitate this action of the guide shoe 1, a gap m is formed in the guide rail section e adjacent the lintel of the door opening A.

Adjacent the upper edge of said door section ,f upon each side thereof, is a supple* mental guide shoe u which is so located that when the door is closed it will be positioned adjacent the lintel of the door. so as to effectively hold the door against the wall at this point when the door is closed.

Carried by the rail d adjacent the lintel of the opening A is a fixed guide member o having an operative surface extending substantially parallel with the oblique rail section e2, said guide member being mounted in the path of movement of the supplemental shoe n. Pivotally mounted upon the rail d 'adjacent the Vguide member o is a movable guide or switch member o', the upper arm of which is overweighted and the lower arm of which is adapted to engage the stop pin Ais member s or stud 02 carried by said rail d. Said guide or switch member f is provided with two angularly arranged surfaces 03 and 04, the latter` of which is adjacent the stud 02 and the former of which, with the tilting of said movable guide or switch member will extend substantially parallel with the oblique operative surface of the guide member o, but spaced away therefrom sufiiciently to permit the supplemental guide shoe 'n to pass between said fixed and said movable guide members, without any tilting movement of the door. The saidv guide member o is so proportioned that when it is tilted as described, the upper end thereof will engage the guide rail section e', and the other end thereof will engage the flange of the wall rail d against the wall, the upper end of said member o being overweighted so as to ensure its occupying this position after the opening of a door and until the engagement of the shoe a therewith during the closing of the door.

The guide shoe j is adapted to co-opera-te with the vertical rail section e, the oblique rail section e2 and the adjacent portion of the vertical section e. The guide shoe la is adapted to co-operate only with the vertical rail section e above the gap m therein, while the supplemental shoe n co-operates with the guide members 0 ando to ensure the proper horizontal component ,of movement of the upper portion of the door section and accuracy in the movement of the shoe 7: so as to ensure'its proper and timely disengagement from the rail. section e.

The lower door section g is provided, adjacent the top of each side thereof, with a. fixed shoe p corresponding in construction and function with the guide shoe y' carried by, the section f. It is also provided with a projecting guide shoe g corresponding in construction and function with the guide shoe 7s, the portion of the rail e adjacent t-he sill of the door opening A having a gap m therein corresponding with t-he gap m and for the same purpose. Adjacent the lower `edge of said section g and upon opposite sides thereof, is a supplemental guide shoe r corresponding in construction and function with thesupplemental guide shoe n carried by the door section y Carried by the wall rail d adjacent the sill of the door opening is a fixed` guide member s corresponding in construction and function with the fixed guide member 0, said guide member s, however, being inverted as compared with the member o so as to have its operative surface parallel with the oblique portion e3 of `the guide rail. Pivotally mounted adjacent thc fixed guide member s is a. movaible guide or switch one arm of which, when the door is closed, is adapted to engage a pin or stud S2 carried by the rail d. The guide or switch member s has a bearing surface s3 adapted to engage the shoe fr when the door is in the closed position, and thus hold the door against the wall of the shaft adjacent the sill a. The face of said guide member s presented towardthe guide member s is so formed as to afford clearance between these guide members sufficient to receive the shoe r during the opening and closing movements of the door, without imparting any tilting movement to the door. The upper part of the member s is overweighted and the opposite ends thereof so formed that the. upper end, whlen the movable guide member is tilted, will engage the wall fiange of the rail (Z, and the lower end will engage the guide rail section e so as to properly position this guide member s after a door has been opened, to ensure' aproper return movement to the door section when closing the door. y l

Each of the fittings 0 8 is provided with a bridge as 05-85, the bridge 05 being positioned inthe path ofmovement of the shoe 7c so that `in the event of breakage of the suspension means, the upper door section f will be sustained by the fittings o upon opposite sides of the door opening. The bridge S5 has no function, its presencebeing merely7 the result of standardization of parts in the door structure.

To compensate for the horizontal component of movement during a part of the openingand closing movement of both sec- -tions of the door, I mount the sheaves 1I upon an axis parallel with the'wall of the shaft 'adjacent the door opening, thus permitting thefree movement of the flexible `connections 7L toward and from the .wall of the shaftadjacent the door opening, without likelihood of said connections riding upon the flange `of said sheaves and passing therefrom with a resultant fall or jamming of the door.

One end ofk each flexible connection 71, is secured to a bracket z5' carried adjacent the .lower edge at the side of the sectionl f,

which bracket projects acrossV the edge of a wall rail d, while the other end thereof is connected to a similar bracket .v carried at the side and adjacent the top of the lower door section g and projecting across the edge of a rail CZ. The recessed portion d of said rail al permits said 'brackets to follow the course of the guide rail.

Doors of the character 'herein described, as ordinarily used, are of aitype Which. is ordinarily known of as truckable wherein the lower door section is supported by stops carried by the guide rail so that the top bar of this door section will be arrested at the limit of the opening movement substantially flush with the sill of the door opening, and thus close the gap between said sill and the platform of a car, and per* mit the free passage of loaded trucks and vehicles from the floor of a building to the car.

lVhen it is desired to embody, in a door of my invention, this truclrable feature, the ordinary stops e are employed adjacent the sill of the door opening, and a. truck bar u having one flange thereof secured to the upper edge of the lower door section g and projecting beyond the sides of said door, so as to engage the stops a'bove referred to, while the other flange u thereof extends between and within the side walls or" the 'door opening, this last named Harige being of a width to substantially span the gap between said door section and the sill of the door, when the door is in the open position.

The upper door section f is provided with an offset astragal v adapted to pass over and engage the iiange u' of the truck bar u when the door is in the closed position. In the regular type of door, the truck bar may constitute the frame at the upper edge of the lower door section, but the form of truck bar described is made essential because of the horizontal component of movement of the lower door section during the opening and closing of the door. While with this type of truck bar .and astragal these parts project within the door opening, the extent of this projection is not such as to be objectionable, as the width of the truck bar will seldom exceed two inches and may be narrower if the structure of the door is of the corrugated metal type.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I have illustrated at the opening B, a portion of a door Section a; corresponding in construction and function with the section g' heretofore referred to, while at the door opening C I have shown a portion of a door section y corresponding in construction and function with the door section f. Itis to be noted that the gaps m and m are common to the door sections f and while the gap m is common to the door sections g and y.

The operation of the herein described door is substantially as follows A door made in accordance with my invention may be either of the manually operative, the semi-automatic or the full automatic type, the method of opening and closing the door being immaterial to the invention.

It will be observed that when a door is closed, the sections f-g will both lie in the same vertical plane and will establish a condition at the door opening substantially identical with that presented with a regular type of vertically sliding, fireproof door. When the door sections are in this position the shoe n will hold the section f close against the wall adjacent the door opening by reason of its engagement with the surface 04, and the engagement of the lower end of the movable guide or switch member o with the stop pin or stud 02. 'Ihe lower door section g will be similarly held adjacent the sill a by the shoe 1, the movable guide or switch member s and the stop pin or stud s2. The section c of the guide rail will bring and hold the door sections at their meeting point in close proximity to the wall about the door opening at a point intermediate the sill and lintel.

In addition to thus holding the door sections with relation to the wall of the shaft, the relation of parts above referred to will maintain said movable guide or switch members in a position where they will be so spaced away from the guide rail as to permit the passage of the shoes of the door section at either adjacent door opening, in the opening and closing of that door.

When the door is closed, it is therefore held in the proper position by the shoes j and n as to the section 7, and 79 and o" as to the section g, the shoes 7c and g upon said sections respectively being at this time disengaged from the guide rail.

In opening the door the sections f and g will have lirst a short vertical movement in the same plane until the guide shoes j and p respectively pass upon the oblique rail sections ez-e, and the supplemental shoes n and/r* engage the fixed guide members 0 and s. Thereafter and until the guide shoes j and la, and p and Q pass onto the rail section e', this vertical movement will continue but with a horizontal component. Thereafter both sections will have movement in the same vertical plane. In this last movement they will move past the closed doors at the openings B and C.

Upon the initial horizontal movement of the doors the movable guide or switch members o-s will be tilted until they assume the position shown in Fig. 2, which position they will retain until the door is substantially fully closed.

By mounting the sheaves c' upon an axis parallel with the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening, each suspension strip or cable 71, is permitted to swing freely toward and from the shaft to compensate for the horizontal component of movement above referred to, without departing from the normal vertical plane occupied by said connection. It is apparent that if the axis of this sheave were arranged as in the regular type of door, the horizontal movement of the door sections would cause the strip 7L to ride upon the flanges of the sheave and possibly escape entirely therefrom with a resultant falling of the doors, or a jamming thereof resulting from the connection passing between the sheave and the wall of the shaft.

In opening the door the shoes 1c and g will be brought within the gaps m and m respectively, and into afposition where, with the initial vertical movement of the doors upon the rail Vsection c', said shoes will straddle said rail section, and thus support and guide the door sections in their further vertical movement. The engagement of the shoes la and g with the rail section will be substantially simultaneous with the disengagement of the supplemental shoes 71,-4" with the guide members ons.

lilith the closing of the door, the operation will be substantially the reverse of that heretofore described, the irst movement being a vertical movement of the doors upon the rail section e, this movement being guided by the shoes j k and p-g of the respective door sections. l/Vith the engagement of the supplemental shoes 1i-7' with the movable guide members 0-s which are posi,- tioned so as to receive said supplemental shoes, the guide shoes lc and Q will enter the gaps m-m respectively so that, during the return oblique movement and short vertical movement of the door sections, these shoes will be disengaged from any guide rail.

As the doors approach their fully closed position the movable guide or switch meinbers o-s will be returned to their normal position as shown in `Fig. l, out of the path of movement of door sections closing adjacent door openings.

In opening the door the initial vertical movement will be such as to separate the truck bar u and the astragal v sufficiently to avoid interference of these 'parts while the door sections have a horizontal component of movement, and in closing the doors the Harige u of the truck bar and the astragal o will be brought into a desired relation to prevent any interference and permitthe com plete closure of the door.

During the opening and closing of the door theibrackets t-t will of necessity follow the edge of the wall rail d, the recess al being essential to permit this movement. It is desired to note that the bracket t is longer than the bracket z5, so as to avoid interference of the suspension means h adjacent' these brackets. n

The flaring formation of the groove in the forked portion of the shoes j7c and QQ-Q must besuch as to conform to the oblique portions e2 and e3 without binding, so as to permit a development ofthe desired horizontal component of movement of the door sections. v

The degree of Obliquity Vof the sections e2 and e3 may be made uniform irrespective of the Aspace available between the lintel of one door; and the sill of the door above. or this Obliquity may be varied to adapt the door structure to this space. v

The desire to standardize door structures and to permit their being assembled in the factory, would indicate a n 'desirability of such uniformity, however, A door structure made .in accordance with my invention may be readily adapted to conditions where the available space does not exceed lifteen inches, which ordinarily, with a two inch door, would afford ample spaceto permit the usev of a reasonably high pitch in the sections 'eL-e5, and thus ensure the desired freedom of movement of the door sections;v

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Furthermore the scale of said drawings is so small'that accuracy in many details is impossible. Hence the drawas to Figs. l and 2.

Having described the invention, what I .ings are largely diagrammatic, particularly claim as new 'and' desire to have protected l. An elevator door embodying therein a movable door section, a' plurality of'vertically and rectilineally arranged guide members upon each side thereof and a guide rail structure upon each side of a door opening co-operating with the guide members upon the door adjacent thereto and consisting of parallel vertical sections and a connecting oblique section, one of said vertical sections being'adapted to be engaged by one Vonly of the guide members upon the door and the'.

other vertical section being positionedl in a plane between said j first named vertical` section andthe wall' of a shaft, and being 'i adapted to be engaged by the otherguide member upon the' door when the door is in I the closed position, said last named vguide member upon the'do'or being adapted "to co-v operate with both verticalsections andthe oblique section of the guiderail, whereby with the opening' or closingof a. door, said Y' section will have both a vertical and horil zontal component of movement. f

2. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections yand co-operating guiding means carried by the wall of the shaft adjacent the door, opening and by saidsections respectively, lwhereby when the door is closed both of said sections closed by saidv door.

3. An elevator door embodying'therein two op'positely movable door sections and co-operating guiding means carried by the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening and by said sections respectively, whereby when the door is closed both of said sections will occupy the same vertical plane in close proximity to the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening, and with the opening of the door both of said sections will be brought into a vertical plane parallel with said first named plane, but sufficiently remote therefrom to permit both of said sections to pass doors at landings above and below that closed by said door, and independent means adjacent the sill and adjacent the lintel of a door opening acting upon said door sections respectively to hold them against displacement when the door is closed.

4;. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, and a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, whereby with the opening and closing of the door each of said sections will have both a vertical and a horizontal component of movement.

5. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, means carried by said door sections respectively. and co-operating with said guide rail, whereby with the opening and closing of the door each of said sections will have both a vertical and a horizontal component of movement, means independent of said guide rail and arranged between said guide rail and the wall of the shaft adjacent the sill and the lintel of a door opening, and means carried by each of said door sections and co-operating with said last named means respectively to hold said door sections against displacement when the door is closed.

6. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, flexible connections between said door sections, sheaves over which said connections pass, the axes of which are parallel with the wall of a shaft adjacent the door opening, and co-operating guiding means carried by the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening and by said sections respectively, whereby when the door is closed both of said sections will occupy the same vertical plane in close proximity to the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening, and with the opening of the door both of said sections will be brought into a vertical plane parallel with said first named plane, but sufficiently remote therefrom to permit both of said sections to pass doors at landings above and below that closed by said door.

7. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by said door sections respectively, constantly engaging the guide rail, supplemental guide shoes carried by said door sections, and a guide mechanism co-operating therewith, whereby with the opening and closing of the doorv each of said sections will have both a vertical and a horizontal component of movement.

8. An elevator door embodying therein two o-ppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a. door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by said door` sections-respectively, constantly engaging the guide rail, supplemental guide shoes carried by said door sections, and a guide mechanism co-operating with said supplemental guide shoes, comprising fixed guide members adjacent opposite sides of the sill and the lintel of the door opening, said guide members having a bearing surface substantially parallel with said oblique rail sections respectively, anda movable guide memb-er adjacent each of said fixed guide members each having a bearing surface adapted to be brought into a position parallel with the bearing surface of its fixed guide member, but spaced therefrom sufficiently to permit the .passage of said supplemental shoes without tilting the door sections, said movable guide members being so mounted as to be positioned, while a door isopen, adjacent said guide rail, and as to be moved and held by said supplemental shoes away from said guide rail when a door is closed, whereby clearance adjacent said track is afforded to permit movement of the door sections at adjacent door openings.

9. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by said door sections respectively, constantly engaging the by said door sections, and a guide mechanism co-operating with said supplemental guide shoes, comprising fixed guide members adjacent opposite sides of the sill and the lintel of the door opening, said guide members having a. bearing surface substantially parallel with said oblique rail sections respectively, and a movable guide member adjacent each of said fixed guide members each having a bearing surface adapted to be brought into a position parallel with the bearing surface of its fixed guide member, but spaced therefrom sufficiently to permit the passage of said supplemental shoes without tilting the door sections, said .movable guide members being so mounted as to be positioned, while a door is open, adjacent said guide rail, and as to be moved and held by said supplemental shoes away from said guide rail when a door is closed, whereby clearance adjacent said track is afforded to permit movement of the door sections at adjacent door openings, the upper part of each of said movable guide members being overweighted, whereby said guide member will remain adjacent said guide rail so long as a door is open, and said members being of a length to engage the adjacent guide rail section.

10. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by said door sections respectively, constantly engaging the guide rail, supplemental guide shoes carried by said door sections, and a guide mechanism co-operating with said supplemental guide shoes, comprising fixed guide members adjacent opposite sides of the sill and the lintel of the door opening, said guide members having a bearing surface substantially parallel with said oblique rail sections respectively, a movable guide member adjacent each of said fixed guide members each having a bearing surface adapted to be brought into a position parallel with the bearing surface of its fixed guide member, but spaced therefrom sufficiently to permit the passage of said supplemental shoes without tilting the door sections, said movable guide members being so mounted as to be positioned, while a door is open, adjacent said guide rail, and as to be moved and held by said supplemental shoes away from said lguide rail when a door is closed, whereby clearance adjacent said track is afforded to permit movement of the door sections at adjacent door openings, the upper part of each of said movable guide members being overweighted, whereby said guide member will remain adjacent said guide rail so long as a door is open, and said members being of a" length to engage the adjacent guide rail section, and a stop pin in the path o-f movement of the lower part of each of said movable members.

l1. An elevator door embodying therein ,y

two oppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail havingparallel vertical sections connected vby oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adj ace-nt the sill and lintel ofthe door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by said door sections respectively, constantly engaging the guide` rail, supplemental guide shoes carried vby said door sections, a guide mechanism cooperating therewith, and guide shoes projecting from the top of one of said door sections and the bottom of the other door section, said last named guide shoes being in a position disengaged from said guide rail when a door is closed, said guide rail section more remote from the wall of the shaft having gaps therein 'into whichl said last named `guide shoes pass so as tok be positioned in alinement with said rail secj oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively,`

guide shoes carried by said door sections respectively, constantly engaging the guide rail, supplemental guide shoes carried by said door sections, a guide mechanism cooperating with said supplemental guide shoes`r comprising fixed guide members adjacent opposite sides of the sill and the lintel of the door opening, said guide members having a bearing surface substantially ins parallel with said oblique rail sections rei spectively, and a movable guide member adjacent each of said fixed guide members each having a bearing surface adapted to be brought into a position parallel with the bearing surface of its fixed guide member, but spaced therefrom sufficiently to permit the passage of said supplemental shoes without tilting the door sections, said movable guide members being so mounted as to be positioned, while a door is open, adjacent said guide rail, and as to be moved and held by said supplemental shoes away from said guide rail when a door is closed, whereby clearance adjacent said track is afforded to permit movement of the door sections at adjacent door openings, and guide shoes projecting from the top of one of said door sections and the bottoni of the other door section, said last named guide shoes being disengaged from said guide rail when a door is closed, said rail section more remote from the wall of the shaft having gaps therein into which said last named guide shoes pass so as to automatically engage and disengage said guide rail.

13. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, a single guide rail therefor arrangedupon cach side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill and lintel of the door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by saiddoor sections respectively, constantly engaging the guide rail, supplemental guide shoes carried by said door-sections, a. guide mechanism co-operating with said supplemental guide slices, comprising iiXed guide members adjacent opposite sides of the sill and the lintel of the door opening, said guide members having a. bearing surface substantially parallel with said oblique rail sections respectively, and a movable guide member adjacent each of said fixed guide members each having a bearing surface adapted to be brought into a position parallel with the bearing surface of its fixed guide member, but spaced therefrom suifciently to permit the passage of said supplemental shoes without tilting the door sections, said movable guide members being so mounted as to be positioned, while a door is open, adjacent said guide rail, and as to be moved and held by said supplemental shoes away from said guide rail when a door is closed, whereby clearance V'adjacent said track is'afforded to permit movement of the door sections at adjacent door openings, guide shoes projecting from the top of one of'said door sections and the bottom of the other door section, said last named guideshoes being disengaged from' said guide rail when a'door isV closed, said rail section more remote from the wall of the shaft having gaps therein into which said last named guide shoes pass'so as to automatically engage and disengage said guide rail, said fixed guide members adjacent the lintel of the door opening having a bridge therein in the path of the projecting guide shoe. Y

14. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, flexible connections betweengsaid door sections, sheaves over which said connections pass, the axes of which are parallel with the wall of a shaft adjacent the door opening, wall rail at each side of a door opening, a single :teenage guide rail for said door sections carried by said wall rail, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, and the edge of said wall rail being recessed adjacent and between said oblique sections, brackets carried adjacent the lower edge of one of said door sections and adjacent the upper edge of the other section, projecting across the edge of said wall rail and having said flexible connections atsame vertical plane in close proximity to the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening, and with the opening of the door both of said sections will be brought into a verticalV plane parallel with said first named plane, but-suiiiciently remote therefrom to tSY permit both of said sections to pass doors at landings above and below that closed by said door. Y

l5. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, co-

operating guiding means carried by the wall of the shaft adjacent the door opening and by said sections respectively, whereby when the door is closed both of said sections will occupy the same vertical plane in close 95 proximity to the wall of the shaft :adjacent the door opening, and with the opening of the door both of said sections vill be brought into a vertical plane parallel with said iirst named plane, but suiiciently remote therefrom to permit both of said sections to pass doors at landings above and below that closed by that door, a trucl; bar carried by the lower of said sections and projecting within the door opening when the door is les closed, and an offset astragal carried by the upper door section and adapted to inclose said truck bar when the door is closed."

16. An elevator door embodying therein two oppositely movable door sections, a sinlic gle guide rail therefor arranged upon each side of a door opening, said guide rail having parallel vertical sections connected by oblique sections, the vertical sections more remote from the shaft being adjacent the sill U5 and lintel of the door opening respectively, guide shoes carried by said door sections respectively, constantly engaging the guide rail, said guide shoes being Yforked'with the top and bottom of the opening therein flared to permit said shoes to pass along said oblique rail sections without binding, supplemental guide shoes carried by said door sections, and a guide mechanism co-operating therewith, whereby with the opening and-25 closing of the door each of said sections will-1 have both a vertical and a horizontal component of movement.

17. An elevator door, comprising two sectiens vertically shiftable in opposite direcma tions into and out of position to close an In witness whereof I have hereunto afopening, a. guide rail structure on each side fixed my signature, in the presence of two 10 of the door opening, and coactingmeans on subscribing witnesses, this 3rd day of Desaid door sections and guide rail structure cember, 1919,

adapted to move both of said sections bodily EMORY W. FENN. in the same direction transversely to the Witnesses: plane of shifting simultaneously with the F. T. WENTWORTH,

vertical shifting thereof. A. E. BENTON.

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