US1932515A

US1932515A - Overhead garage door

Info

Publication number: US1932515A
Application number: US487113A
Authority: US
Inventors: William D Ferris
Original assignee: Frantz Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Frantz Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1930-10-08
Filing date: 1930-10-08
Publication date: 1933-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1950-10-31

Description

- 3 w. D. FERRIS OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR Filed Oct. 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet, 1

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Oct. 31, 1933. w, D, FERR 1,932,515

OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR Filed 001;. 8, 1930 z'sheets-sneet, 2

Patented Oct. 31, 1933 OVERHEAD GARAGE noon William D. Ferris, Sterling, 111., assignor to poration of Illinois Frantz Manufacturing 00., Sterling, 111., a cor- Application October 8. 1930. Serial No. 487,113

17 Claims.

This invention relates to garage doors, or doors for other buildings, and more particularly to those that open by moving upwardly, into an overhead position.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction whereby the apparatus for assisting in opening the door, and for easing the door gently into closed position, is arranged entirely in an overhead position, and in such position that the door, when opened, is in a horizontally disposed position immediately below said apparatus.

It is also an object to provide a door of this kind made in sections which are hinged together, which sections move or swing relative to each other when the door is opened with the assistance of said apparatus, and when the door is moved into a closed position.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction'tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of an overhead opening door of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the in vention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view looking at the door edgewise, or in the plane thereof, showing adjacent portions in open position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the door in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a View inside of the building, looking at the inside of the door, showing certain portions thereof broken away for convenience of illus tration;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus for assist-- ing in opening the door, showing the apparatus in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and also in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a door composed of sections 1, hinged together at 2 and provided with rollers or wheels 3 that travel in the tracks 4 at opposite sides of the doorway. It will be seen that these tracks have vertical portions in which the rollers or wheels 3 travel while the door is moving upwardly, or while it is moving downwardly, and have horizontal over head portions in which the said wheels or rollers travel while the door is moving overhead, the two right angle portions of each track being connected together by the curved portion 5, as shown. Thus, the door can slide or move upwardly into an overhead and horizontally disposed open posiof the building in section, and showing the door tion, and can then move downward into a vertical or closed position.

The apparatus for assisting in the opening of the door, and for gently easing the door into closed position, comprises the levers 6 pivoted at 7 on the horizontally disposed overhead beam 8, as shown. Another beam 9 is provided in an overhead position, parallel with thebeam 8, and springs 10 are connected between this beam 9 and the shorter end portions of the levers 6, in the manner shown. Sheaves 11 are provided on the building, inside thereof, over the doorway, and cables 12 are trained around these sheaves, and the sheaves 13, on the longer ends of said levers, the cables being fastened at one end to the beam 9 at 14, and having their other ends fastened to the lower corners of the door at 15, whereby the springs 10 serve to assist in raising the door into open position.

When the door is moved upwardly, the springs l0 assist in moving the door upwardly and. into a horizontal overhead position, through the action of a lever 6 and the sheaves and cables, in a manner that will be readily understood, so that the door will then occupy the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings. When the door is pulled downwardly, the springs serve to cushion the downward movement, and serve to ease the door gently into closed position.

Thus, the apparatus for assisting in opening the door, and which makes it very easy to both open and close the door, is disposed entirely overhead, Where it is entirely out of the way. This apparatus is above the door when the door is in open position, but the door is also, at such time, entirely overhead and conveniently out of the way.

Thus it will be seen that the door raising and lowering apparatus, for assisting in raising the door and for easing the door gently into closed position, is operative in a horizontally disposed plane, about the vertically disposed

axes

7 and 7, which axes are supported in fixed position by the cross-bar 8 disposed immediately over the horizontal plane of the tracks 4 upon which the door is supported in open position.

it will be seen, therefore, that instrumentalisprings and the door may be of any suitable form or construction, without departing from the spirit of the invention. By cables, it will be understood that any suitable flexible connection, such as ropes or chains or wires or cords, is meant. Preferably, each lever has a relatively short arm, and a relatively long arm, and the springs are preferably connected in any suitable or desired manner with the short, arms, while the long arms are preferably connected in any suitable manner with the door.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an overhead opening door. the combination of a door, tracks adapted to support the door in an overhead open position, means on the door for engaging said tracks, and apparatus located above the open position of the door and having means for assisting in opening the door, and to ease the door gently into closed position, said apparatus comprising a pair of levers pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane, and comprising springs connected to the shorter ends of said levers, together with cables connected to the longer ends of said levers and to the door.

2. In an overhead opening door, the combination of a door, tracks adapted to support the door in an overhead open position, means on the door for'engaging said tracks, and apparatus located above the open position of the door and having means for assisting in opening the door, and to ease the door gently into closed position, said apparatus comprising a pair of levers pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane, and comprising springs connected to the shorter ends of said levers, together with cables connected to the longer ends of said levers and to the door, sheaves being provided on said levers and on stationary portions of the building to engage said cables, each cable having one end fastened to a stationary portion of the building, and having its other end attached to a lower portion of the door.

3. In an overhead opening door, the combina tion of a door; tracks adapted to support the door in an overhead open position; means on the door for engaging said tracks; and apparatus connected flexibly to the lower portion of the door, located above the open position of the door and having means for assisting in opening the door, and to ease the door gently into closed position, said apparatus comprising a pair of levers pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane, and comprising springs connected to the shorter ends of said levers, together with cables connected to the longer ends of said levers and to the door.

l. In an overhead opening door, the combination of a door; tracks adapted to support the door in an overhead open position; means on the door for engaging said tracks; and apparatus connected flexibly to the lower portion of the door, located above the open position of the door and having means for assisting in opening the door, and to ease the door gently into closed position, said apparatus comprising a pair of levers pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane, and comprising springs connected to the shorter ends of said levers, together with cables connected to the longer ends of said levers and to the door, sheaves being provided on said levers and on stationary portions of the building to engage said cables, each cable having one end fastened to a stationary portion of the building, and having its other end attached to a lower portion of' the door.

5. In an overhead opening door, the combination of an door; tracks adapted to support the door in an overhead open position; means on the door for engaging said tracks; and apparatus located above the open position of the door and having means for assisting in opening the door, and to ease the door gently into closed position, together with a transverse bar disposed in a horizontal plane immediately above the horizontal plane of said tracks, and vertical pivots for supporting said apparatus on the under side of said tranverse bar.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, comprising another transverse bar above said tracks, said apparatus comprising coils springs indirectly connected to said first-mentioned transverse bar, and directly connected to said last mentioned transverse bar.

'7. A structure as specified in claim 5, said apparatus comprising levers supported between their ends by said pivots, whereby said levers swing in a common horizontal plane, with coil springs anchored at one end and hitched at their other ends to the shorter ends of said levers.

8. In garage door construction, the combination of a door, overhead horizontal tracks, means on said door to engage said tracks, whereby the door is adapted to move from its closed vertical position into its horizontal overhead open position, a pair of lifting springs, stationary means for supporting the springs at one end thereof, a pair of pivoted levers and cables forming a medium of connection between the springs and the door, said levers each having a relatively short arm and a relatively long arm, with each short arm suitably connected with its allotted spring, and with each long arm suitably connected with the door, together with sheaves engaging said cables.

9. A structure as specified in claim 8, said springs being disposed horizontally overhead, and said cables extending partly horizontally and partly vertically, at opposite sides of the doorway.

10. A structure as specified in claim 8, each lever being pivoted between its ends, whereby each lever has its fulcrum between the two arms thereof.

11. A structure as specified in claim 8, said levers being pivoted to swing in a common horizontal overhead plane.

12. A structure as specified in claim 8,'said cables being connected between the door and the long ends of the levers.

13. A structure as specified in claim 8, said cables being held stationary at one end and connected at their other ends to the door.

14. A structure as specified inclaim 8, said sheaves being stationary in overhead positions, serving to support the cables at opposite sides of the doorway.

15. A structure as specified in claim 8, said sheaves being mounted on the long arms of said levers, to engage in loops of said cables, one end of each cable being stationary, and the other end being connected to the door.

16. In an overhead opening door, the combination of a door; tracks adapted to support the door in an overhead open position; means on the door for engaging said tracks; and apparatus connected flexibly to the lower portion of the door, located above the open position of the door, having means operative in a horizontally disposed plane, about vertically disposed axes, for assisting in opening the door, and operative about said axes to ease the door gently into closed 1,

and comprising springs connected to the shorter ends of said levers, together with cables connected to the longer ends of said levers and to the door.

1'7. In an overhead opening door, the comabout said axes to ease the door gently into closed position, said apparatus comprising a pair of levers pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane, and

comprising springs connected to the shorter ends of said levers, together with cables connected to the longer ends of said levers and to the door, sheaves being provided on said levers and on stationary portions of the building to-engage said cables, each cable having one end fastened to a stationary portion of the building, and having its other end attached to a lower portion of the door.

WILLIAM D. FERRIS.