US1990470A

US1990470A - Sliding door construction

Info

Publication number: US1990470A
Application number: US697366A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earl W Clark
Original assignee: National Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: National Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1929-08-17
Filing date: 1933-11-10
Publication date: 1935-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 1952-02-12

Description

Feb. 12, 1935. E. w. C LARK SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Aug. 17, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 12, 1935. w, A K I 1,990,470 SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Aug. 1'7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 12, 1935 I imam SLIDING noon CONSTRUCTION 'Earl W. Clark, Warren, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to National Manufacturing Company, Sterling, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application August 17, 1929, Serial No. 1 386,622, now Patent No. 1,948,065. Divided and this application November 10, 1933, Serial'No.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to sliding door constructions, and more particularly to a modification of the type adapted to be moved from an open position to a closed position along a predetermined path, and vice versa, and as disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 386,622, filed August 17, 1929, of which this application is a division.

The invention is of general application to sliding doors for furniture, such as cabinets, or larger structure, such as warehouses, elevators, and the like, and it has particular adaptability when applied to garage doors.

The embodiment of the invention described herein has to do with a garage, but it is'to be understood at the outset that this description is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the invention including other adaptations.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved closure of the foregoing character which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and maintain, easy to operate and positive in action.

Another object is to provide a simple and im-' proved counterbalance arrangement for supporting the weight of the door and facilitating its operation.

A further object is to provide a counterbalance means which is adjustable to compensate for va- 30 riation in weights of doors as well as wear to insure the proper counterbalancing of the door as initially installed and to maintain that condition.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent as the following description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an interior elevation of the front of a garage provided with'a sliding door construc- 40 tion according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an internal elevation of one side of the garage, showing the door in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 2, the operation of the device being shown more clearly by illustrating consecutive positions in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial elevation of the track member for guidingv the door; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the remaining portion of the track.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the invention is illustrated in connection with a garage of usual construction, having a foundation 10, sill 11, studding 12, siding-13, plate 14, rafters 15 and roof boards 16. a

The front of the garage is provided with a door opening having a door jamb 17-fitted in a'casing 18'and provided with trim 19 and a'door stop or 5 I sealing member 20 constituting an abutment for the door. I 7

In the preferred embodiment, the door proper comprises a plurality of

sections

21, 22,23 and 24, flexibly connected in series by means of hinges 1'0 25 joining their adjacent edges.- A plurality of rollers 26 areassociated with the door sections and are adapted to guide them alonglguide tracks mounted in each side of the door. These tracks comprise substantially vertical portions 7 27, 15 smoothly, curved upper portions 28, and straight horizontal extensions 29. These tracks are sup-' ported byhangers 30, and a transVerse tie member 31 serves to maintain'the horizontal portions 29 parallel to each other. The details of the track, roller and hinges are shown in Fig. 4. The track is channel shaped in cross section, and comprises a flat'or base flange 32, which .in the vertical portion 27 is secured to the casing 18 in anydesired manner.- 1 For reinforcement a' backing angle 33 is secured thereto and also secured to the casing 18. The outer flange .34 ofthe channel is providedwith a retaining rim 35, the-flange 34 being spaced from the flange 32 by the web 36 of uniformdepth.

Each of the hinges 25 comprises hinge members 37 and '38, respectively, and a pintle member 39 which is rigidly secured to one of the hinge-members. The member 39 projects beyond the side of v the door section and is bent inwardly a's'at 40, and outwardly as at 41, whereby the end'portion 42 is parallel to but offset from the pintle 39. The portion 42 forms a journal for the rollers 26.

Each of the rollers has associated therewith a sealing flange 43. The flange for theupper roller 26 is of slightly smaller diameter than the associated roller, and the respective flanges for the rollers therebelow are of uniformly decreasing diameter. v

Means are provided for engaging the respective flanges for automatically urging the door against the sealing member 20, as the door is lowered into its closed position. :The' flange 34 is provided with a plurality of wedge members or inclined earns 44. which are spaced along the vertical portion 27 of the track at the positions taken by therollers when the door is in its closed position. The members 44 comprise metal straps, the two ends of which pass through slots in the flange 34 and are upset outside thereof as at 45. The members 44 are generally U-shaped, but the bridge portion thereof is inclined or tapered, as shown, forming a wedge portion 46 and a retaining portion 47. The members 44 are substantially similar, but the retaining portion 47 thereof is spaced further from the flange 34, toward the bottom of the door. Accordingly the member 44 atthe bottom of the door has a retaining portion 47 spaced a considerable distance from the flange 34, while the member 44, located near the top of the track portion 27, has a retaining portion 47 'fairly close to the flange 34.

With the construction just described, when the door approaches its closed position'the respective flanges 43 will engage the respective inclines 46 of the members 44, whichwill urge the door sections against the sealing member 20 and final movement of the door will ride the flanges 43 along the retaining portions 4'7 thus holding the door in its sealed position. Means are provided for counterbalancing the weight of the door'and' automatically retracting it into horizontal-alignment in order to provide maximum head room. A cable 48 has one end secured-to a pin 49 carriedby the lower section 24 of the door, and extends upward along the edge of the door and passes over a fixed pulley 5 0 journaled in a block 51 secured to the plate 14. :The cable 48 then passes under a lower and movablepulley '52 and then up over a fixed pulley .53, arranged beside the pulley .50 and also journaled in the block 51. Finally the cable 49 passes under a movable pulley 54 journaled in the block 55 in which the pulley 52 is journaled, and has its ends secured to a link 56 carried bythe block 51. The block 55 has a depending eye 57 which receives the end of a heavy helical spring 58 mounted in vertical position therebeneath and adjacent'the side ofthe door; The other end of the spring 58 engages an eye bolt 59 which passes through a bracket 60 secured to the casing 18 and adjustable therein by means of a .nut 61.

With the foregoing counterbalancing arrangement, a considerablemovement of the door will cause a comparatively small movement of the spring 58. In theoperation of the same, the greatest door weight to be taken care of is when the door is in its closed or vertical position; and as thedoor is'moved progressively toward its open position, so that part of the door is supported upon the horizontal track portion 29, the carried weight of the door becomes gradually and progressively less. The counter-balancing means which I have provided takes care of this conditionin that its lifting and counterbalancing effect becomes progressively and proportionately diminished as the door is. progressively opened and its weight is progressively borneby the horizontal track portion 29 and vice versa. 'By mounting the spring and counterbalancing mechanism as a'whole in vertical position, any tendency for the partsof such mechanism to set up a back-lash condition in the operation of the door is eliminated. Furthermore, in the. use of a spring and pulley arrangement, such as above described, the pulleys 52.and54 serve as a coun-' terweight, consequently reducing the effective weight of the door to becounterbalanced by the spring by an amount proportionate to the efiective weight of these pulleys and the spring 58 may be of less power than required to normally balance the weight of the door. This counterweighting action is additionally furthered by the weight ofthe spring itself. This arrangement, in

reducing'the spring action by counterweigh i g,

enables the use of a lighter spring and also tends to prevent overworking of the spring which would tend to cause the same to break down and wear out after relatively short periods of use. In other words, this arrangement reduces materially the strain onthe spring structure and the life of the counterbalance is considerably increased.

The adjustable spring connection afforded by the bracket 60, eye bolt 59, and nut 61 insures maintenance of the proper counterbalancing action at all times, notwithstanding wear of the a parts or lessening of the strength of the counterbalance spring from any cause. In other words, by adjustment of this connection, the initiallyprovided counterbalance condition may be maintained over long periods of use. It enables the proper counterbalancing condition to be initially established and to be continuously maintained after the door is in use.

The lowest roller is provided with a yieldable mounting-which permits it to move away from the section 24. The lowest hinge pintle is U-shaped, and the roller is mounted on the ex tended arm 62 thereof. A coil spring 63 urges the arm 62 toward the section 24.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be noted that as thedoor is elevated the roller 26 associated with the section 21 will ride around the curved portion 28 of the track and passion to the horizontal portion 29. The remaining sections and rollers will follow along the track until all of the sections, except section 24, are fully supported by the track section 29. In this position, the roller associated with the section 21 will abut against a stop member 64, located near the inner end of the track section 29. As the upper'sections are all fullysupported by the horizontal track portion 29, the entire force of the spring 58 will be exerted on the pin 59 carrying the lower section 24. The result of this condition is that the spring 58 will overcome the force of the spring 63 and snap the section 24 into substantial horizontal alignment with the remainingsections, thus'providing clear head room for the garage door opening.

The preferred embodiment of the'invention has been shown and described in considerable detail for the purposes of adequate disclosure, but the broad idea of the invention is not limited to the details described, but includes such embodiments as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: v

1. In an overhead door construction, means forming a doorway, track members mounted on opposite sides of said doorway, each track member comprising a vertical'portion, a horizontal portion and an intermediate'curved portion, a sectional door, means carried by the door sections and engageable with said track members for guiding the door from its closed position, where said means are associated with the vertical portions of said track members, to its open position. where said means support the door upon the horizontal portions of said track members, and counterbalancing means comprising a cable secured at one end to the bottom of said door and at its other end to a bracket fixed to the doorway forming means adjacent the top of the door and at the side thereof, afixed pulley mounted on the doorway forming means at the top "and adjacent the side of the door and over which that part of said cable leading from the door passes, a vertically disposed coil springarranged adjacent the side edge of the'door, a bracket mounted on the doorway forming means and supporting the low-.

er end of said spring, and another pulley attached to the upper end of said spring and over which said cable passes from said first pulley to its fixed bracket.

2. In an overhead door construction, means forming a doorway, track members mounted on opposite sides of said doorway, each track member comprising a vertical portion, a horizontal portion and an intermediate curved portion, a sectional door, means carried by the door sections and engageable with said track members for guiding the door from its closed position, where said means are associated with the vertical portions of said track members, to its open position, where said means support the door upon the horizontal portions of said track members, and counterbalancing means comprising vertically disposed coil spring of less power than required to normally balance the weight of the entire door, said spring being adapted to assume a contracted condition when the door is moved to its open position and an expanded condition when the door is moved to its closed position, a support for the lower end of said spring secured to the doorway forming means, a floating pulley connected to and carrying the upper end of said spring, a fixed pulley mounted above said first pulley on the doorway forming means, a cable attached at one end to the bottom of said door and passing over said second pulley and then over said floating pulley, and a support fixed on the doorway forming means for the other end of said cable, the relative positions of the counterbalancing parts being such that said floating pulley serves as a counterweight.

3. In an overhead door construction, means forming a doorway, track members mounted on opposite sides of said doorway, each track member comprising a vertical portion, a horizontal portion and an intermediate curved portion, a sectional door, means carried by the door sections and engageable with said track members for guiding the door from its closed position, where said means are associated with the vertical portions of said track members, to its open position, where said means support the door upon the horizontal portions of said track members, and counterbalancing means comprising a vertically disposed coil spring adapted to assume a contracted condition when the door is moved to its open position and an expanded condition when the door is moved to its closed position, a fixed support for the lower end of said spring mounted on the doorway forming means, floating pulley means connected to and carrying the upper end of said spring to serve additionally as a counterweight, a fixed pulley mounted above said floating pulley means on the doorway forming means, a cable attached at one end to the bottom part of said door and passing over said fixed pulley and thence over said floating pulley means, and a fixed support for the other end of said cable attached to said doorway forming means, the relative positions of the counterbalance parts being such that weight of said spring also serves as a counterweight.

EARL W. CLARK.