US2026955A - Antirattler door guide - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1936. A. E. WEKGELE ANTIRATTLER DOOR GUIDE Filed Feb. 8, 1934 INVENTOR A/bzrTE W6! /z. avgi ATTORNEY 5.

Patented Jan. 7, 1936 ilNl'lE srrss PATENT OFFICE.

ANTIRATTLER DOOR. GUIDE- Application February 8, 1934, Serial No. 710,264

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the structure of guide for folding doors for use on buses, trolley-buses, street cars and the like for preventing rattling of the door when closed.

The general object of this invention is to incorporate directly, as a part of the usual door guide roller structure, resiliently acting means engaging with the door guide track to prevent the door from rattling while in a closed position. These and many other objects as will appear from the disclosure when taken in connection with the attached drawing are secured by means of this invention.

These and many other objects as will appear from the details of description are secured by means of the structure of this invention.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of folding doors, the guide tracks and the antirattle guide of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the guide itself;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational View thereof.

The common practice with folding doors of buses, trolley-buses, street cars and the like is to attach a door guide roller on the forward edge of each door leaf. This guide roller moves in a track which is mounted on the frame of the vehicle above the door. When means are provided to prevent rattling of the doors while in closed position, such a means usually consists of some additional structure. For example, it is common practice to break the door guide track up into sections and to mount the section adjacent the edges of the door leaves when in closed position with a resilient member so as to exert a force on the guide roller such as will hold the door securely against the door frame. Such a structure is more expensive than is necessarily required and in addition where added to vehicles already in use, additional expense is required in re-constructing the guide track which is often a structural member of the vehicle.

The general purpose of this invention is to provide a combined guide roller and anti-rattling device which cooperates with the track as originally installed for holding the doors firmly against the door frame when the doors are closed. Thus, without modification of the vehicle structure, and by the substitution of a single, simple device, the doors are firmly held, thereby eliminating rattling thereof. The substitution of devices does not require any alteration in the structure of the vehicle body or the guide track.

The view of Figure 1 shows a portion of the forward edges of the door leaves and track mounted adjacent thereto in relation to the structure of this invention. Folding doors usually consist of two leaves which are made up of two or more. sections connected together by hinges. These doors are attached to vertical shafts which rotate on a vertical aXis and which move the doors through the coaction of the guide rollers mounted on the forward sections of the leaves with the fixed guide track. The forward section of two door leaves are shown in Figure 1 at land 2; At 3 is the guide track which is usually in the form of a. U-shaped channel of rectangular section; In Figure 1 the channel is shown. as from above with its side walls pointing downwardly. At 5!! is a stop against which the doors move when in closed position as shown in Figure 1. Secured to the forward sections of the door leaves (there being only one shown in the drawing) is the resiliently mounted guide roller comprising a plate 4 having a web I integral therewith. Pivotally mounted on the web in a hub 8 by means of the stud shaft 8, is the lever 9. This lever is pivotally secured in the hub by means of the nut 8a.

The outer end of lever 9 is provided with a roller 5 which is journaled on the stud I0 secured in place by means of the nut ID. The other end of lever 9 is provided with a nut and screw 6 by means of which the normal position of the arm may be adjusted. This screw bears against a projection It which forms a stop with reference to which the arm may be adjusted. When the device is mounted on a door the screw 6 is off until the arm 9 is positioned along center line A. This adjustment is made with the door in open position. A screw ll passes through this stop and through the lever 9 and is provided with a nut l3 which may be held in adjusted position by means of a cotter pin 15. A spring I2 is interposed between the arm 9 and the nut l3, and the tension thereon may be adjusted by means of the nut l3. Figure 2 shows the device in the position it assumes when the door is closed. The axis of arm 9 lies along line A when the door is open.

The device of this invention is particularly adapted for use on folding doors. When the door moves from open to closed position, the roller moves easily in the track and continues to do so until the door approaches a nearly closed position. At this time, due to the sections of the L door leaves approaching a straight line, the roller is forced against one side of the track. Thus, as the door leaves straighten out into fully door closed position, the arm 9 is rotated about its pivot point against the action of spring 12, from the position shown by line A to the position shown in Fig. 2. The stop 50 prevents the spring from forcing the door out of position which would nullify the effect of the device. Sufiicient pressure is thus exerted between the door and the track to keep the door from rattling.

As pointed out above an important advantage of this structure is that it may be applied to buses, trolley-buses, street cars and the like without removing or changing any portion of the door track. The usual type of guide now employed can be removed and the device of this structure substituted therefor. The device is also flexible and allows for any irregularities in the formation of the track and any alterations or distortions of the vehicle body which are normally incident to continued operation thereof.

It is to be noted that Fig. 2 illustrates the adjustment of the device when it is packed for shipping. In use the screw 6 is of course backed away from the stop M to a position such as that illustrated in Figure 1, so that the arm may swing at an angle to the plane of the door, in accordance with the description of the operation of the device.

From the above description it will be apparent that this invention resides in certain principles of construction which may be embodied in other physical forms by those skilled in the art without departure from the scope thereof. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purpose of illustration, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A combination as described comprising a fixed guide track, a folding door supported so as to lie parallel to the track when closed, means including a guide roller pivotally supported on the door so that the roller moves in said track, resilient means for holding said means at an angle with the plane of the door when it is open and a member engageable by the door as it approaches closed position to constrain it against sidewise movement with respect to the track whereby said means is pivoted to tension the resilient means and hold the door against vibration while closed.

2. The combination as described comprising a fixed guide member, a folding door supported so as to lie parallel to said member when closed, a lever pivotally supported on the door, a. guide member on said lever and positioned to be guided by said fixed guide member, spring means for holding the lever at an angle to the plane of the door when open, and a second guide member engaged by the door as it approaches closed position whereby the lever pivots to tension said spring means.

ALBERT E. WEIGELE.

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