US2009348A - Counterbalanced garage door - Google Patents

Description

Jul 23, 1935.. v E. KEELS 2,009,348

COUNTERBALANCEJD GARAGE DOOR Filed Feb. 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v VENTOR B Y Ham 4? Jicclg Jis A TTORME y Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES AT.EN ,;oi-*FicE 3 Claims. (01. 20-19 The invention relates to a counterbalanced garage door.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practical and efficient counterbalanced garage door of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensiveconstruction, adapted to slide upwardly and inwardly or rearwardly in its opening movements and which will be perfectly counterbalanced both in its sliding and pivotal movements so that itmay be easily operated manually with the'slightest force'toopen or close. 2 a

A further object of the invention is toprovide a counterbalanced means including a weight-receiving container and adapted without increasing the number of guide pulleys to enable the weightreceiving container to be arranged at either side of a garage and at either a front or rear corner thereof or at any other convenient point.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for enabling the garage door to be shifted laterally slightly whereby to prevent any binding of the garage door against the door frame .or other portion of the garage in theopening and closing movements of the garage door.

It is a further object of the invention to im prove the means for attaching the flexible cables to the weight-receiving container and to provide a'connection adapted to permit the said container to be adjusted vertically. and also to permit a limited adjustment'for leveling the container so that the container will set level or plumb in its vertical movements. 1 With these" and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the. accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended,- it being understood that various changes in the'form, proportion, and minor detailslof. construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any-ofthe advantages of the invention. 1 I

Inthe drawings:

- .Fig. 1 is an elevation of a counterbalanced garage door constructed in accordance with this invention, 'viewedfrom the inner face' of the-door and the'latter being closed. 5 l 1 Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating .the arrangement of the counterbalanci'ng' means.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3- 3of-Fi'g.1'. v P i.

Fig; 4: is an enlarged detailv horizontal sectional view on'theline'44 of Fig. 1.' I

Fig.5 is a: detail vertical sectional view of a portion of the weight-receiving container and the attached portions of the'flexible cables.

Fig. 6 is a plan view1of the weight-receiving container. Fig. '7 is a vertical longitudinal sectional yiew showing the counterbalanced garage door open and illustrating ianother arrangement of the weight-receivingcontainer. 1 f

, Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the counterbalancing means illustrated in Fig. '7; V

In 1 the accompanying drawings, in whichyis illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, .I designatesa single piece garage door, which may be of any desired construction and of any preferred dimensions and-which is provided at opposite sidesof its .central portion with approximately U-shaped brackets 2 composed of spaced sidesand. a connecting portion secured to the inner face of the garage door by suitable fastening devices. -The sides of the bracketsZ are provided with alined openings v3 for the reception of shafts or spindles 4 .and 5 to which flexible cables 6 and 1 are connected. The cables extend upward from the shafts 4- 2111615 to overhead pulleys 8 and 9 and from the 1 said pulleys-to supplemental guide pulleys l0 and H whichgare located above aWeiglit-receivingcontainer 12 adapted-to counterbalance the garage door.

The flexible cables or'connections may be of any desired, construction as will be readily understood and they are provided-at their terminals I3 and I4 with suitableeyesreceiving the shafts 4 and 5 and preferably formed by looping. the said terminals of the cables. The shafts are provided with annular grooves I5 receiving the said eyes and adapted to preventflthe same fromsliding on the shafts 4 and 5 out of proper position. The shaft 4 hasa threaded inner portion l6 receiving nuts I1 and H3 located at the opposite faces of the inner side ofone of the U-shaped brackets 2 and-adapted to adjust the garage door laterally, as hereinafter more fully explained, to prevent the, same from binding against the-door frame. IS in the opening and closing movements of the said garage door. The supplemental overhead guide'pulleys' I0 'and ll are located directly above the'vertically movable weight-receiving container which may be placed ateither side ofthe garage door} at the front thereof and changing from one side to the other it merely-rethesupplemental guide'pulleys Ill and H to the trally pivoting the single unit door, the latter being counterbalanced on said rollers to permit free pivotal or swinging movement of the single unit door, means for counterbalancing the weight of the door in the upward and downward movement of the same, the shaft of one of said U- shaped hangers having screw threaded connection with such hanger so as to provide for a lateral adjustment of the door with respect to the door frame, and means for automatically tilting the single unit door when the same is moved upwardly and downwardly in said vertical channel guides, the latter means comprising relatively short upper inclined channel guides extending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper portions of the vertical channel guides and closed at their lower ends with respect to the vertical channel guides, the inner upper ends of said inclined guides terminating short of the rear wall of the garage and short of the top of the garage, hangers depending from the top of the garage and connected relatively close to the inner ends of the respective inclined guides to support the latter, and upper rollers carried by the single unit door and operating wholly within the upper inclined guides to effect the automatic tilting of the door when the same is raised and lowered and to effect support of the door when elevated in a horizontal plane extending partly within the garage and partly projecting therefrom at the top of the door opening.

2. A pivotally and slidably counterbalanced garage door including relatively short vertical channel guides located atthe upper portion only of the door opening of a garage and on opposite sides of the door opening, a single unit garage door, a pair of hangers secured at the central portions of the side edges of the door, shafts mounted in said hangers and extending beyond the sides of the door, a roller carried at the outer end of each shaft and arranged in the vertical channel guides and movable upwardly and downwardly therein and centrally pivoting the single unit door, one of the shafts having a screw threaded connection with the hanger in which it is mounted whereby to provide for a lateral adjustment of the door with respect to the door frame and the door being perfectly counterbalanced on said central rollers to permit free pivotal or swinging movement of the single unit door, means for counterbalancing the weight of the door in the upward and downward movement of the same, and means for automatically tilting the single unit door when the same is moved upwardly and downwardly in the vertical channel guides, the latter means comprising relatively short upper inclined channel guides extending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper portions of the vertical channel guides and closed at their lower ends with respect to the vertical channel guides, and upper rollers carried by the single unit door and operating wholly within the upper inclined guides to effect the automatic tilting of the door when the same is raised and lowered.

'3. A pivotally and slidably counterbalanced garage door including vertical channel guides located at opposite sides of the door opening of a garage, a single unit garage door, a pair of brackets arranged in horizontal alignment and secured at the central portions of the sides of the door, horizontally aligning shafts vmounted in said hangers, a roller secured at the outer end of each of said shafts and'arranged in the vertical channel guides and movable upwardly andsingle unit door, each of said shafts between the respective hangers and rollers having a groove therein, means for counterbalancingithe weight of the door in the upward and downward movement of the same including cables having connection in therespective aforesaid groove of the aforesaid shafts, one of said shafts having adjustable connectionwith the respective hanger so as to provide for a lateral adjustment of the door with respect to the door frame, and means for automatically tilting the door when the same is moved upwardly and downwardly in the vertical channel guides, the latter means comprising relatively short upper inclined channel guides extending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper portions of the vertical channel guides and closed at their lower ends with respect to the vertical channel guides, and upper rollers carried by the door and operating within the upper inclined guides to effect the automatic tilting of the door when'th-e same is raised and lowered.

HENRY E. SKEELS.

downwardly therein and centrally pivoting the r

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