US2029711A

US2029711A - Door check

Info

Publication number: US2029711A
Application number: US654634A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul E Frantz
Original assignee: APEX ELECTRICAL Manufacturing Co CL
Current assignee: APEX ELECTRICAL Manufacturing Co CL; APEX ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING Co CLEVELAND
Priority date: 1933-02-01
Filing date: 1933-02-01
Publication date: 1936-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1953-02-04

Description

Patented" Feb. 4, 1936 DOOR CHECK Paul E. Frantz, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Apex Electrical Manufacturing Company.

Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 1, 1983, Serial No. 654,634

2 Claims. (01. 16-86) This invention relates to door-checks and in particular stop' devices for arresting the movement of a door after it has swung to its open position.

It is the object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive check or stop for a door which operates to gradually and positively arrest a of the hinges engage the end portions of arcuv the movement of the door after it has been swung apredetermined distance in its opening direction.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter illustrated and described in some of its embodiments in the accompanying drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a refrigerator illustrating one mode of practicing the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 22, Figure 1, showing the details of the door-check. a

A refrigerator has been used to illustrate one use of the invention and in the drawing the numeral I indicates a refrigerator cabinet having a door 2 provided with a latch 3 for securing the door in its closed position. The door is mounted on a pair of hinges 4. The hinges are secured to the frame of the refrigerator bymeans of a number of screws and one of the securement screws of each hinge is provided with an elongated head 5 which is provided for detachably carrying a rubber block 6 which cooperates with the edge 1 of the door 2 to provide a stop for the door when it is swung to its open position on the hinges 4.

In Figure 2 the dotted line position of the door illustrates the manner in which the rubber block cooperates with the door in providing a gradually acting stop therefor. When the door is swung to the'dotted line position as illustrated in Figure 2 the edge I of the door engages the block and pinches it between the hinge and this portion of the door. The portion of the door which engages the rubber blocks is located near the axis of the hinges so that the door can swing through a considerable distance for a slight compression of the blocks 6 and in this manner the opening swinging movement of the door is gradually checked and brought to a stop.

In efiecting the operations just described the off-set edge I of the door and the movable parts ately formed elongated rubber blocks 6 which initially oppose the movement of the door in much the same manner as the yielding, compressible stops or bumpers of the type shown in the prior art in which a block of elastic material is compressed in a direction substantially tangent to the arc of movement of the door at the pointoi' 5 contact.

In the prior art devices of the type referred to, further movement of the door serves to compress the stops or blocks still more in the indicated manner and direction.

The action of the door-check disclosed in this m application diifers from the prior art devices in that upon further movement of the door from its initially retarded position the off-set edge I of the door also serves to engage and to actively compress the blocks in a direction normal to the tangent referred-to or in-adirection substantially radially of the hinge. axis. This peculiar action results by reason of the fact that each of the blocks is formed and positioned so that its outer edge extends at gradually increasing distances 20 outwardly from "the'arc of the circle described by the ofi-set edge I of the door about the hinge axis. It is also essential in order to effect the gradual checking of the door that the rubber be free to expand'in certain directions so that the g5 resistance offered by the rubber is built up" gradually.

It is not absolutely necessary that the rubber be initially compressed in the tangent direction as the gradually increasing resistance offered by 3 the block results primarily by reason of the configuration or shape of the block as well as by reason of the manner in which it is engaged and compressed by the moving door. It may be true that the prior art devices accomplish the gradual checking of a door or similar article which accomplishment is one of the objects of this invention. This efiect in the prior art devices results primarily however from the compressible character of the block of material used and not by 40 reason of the novel shape or novel manner in which such block is compressed as is the case in the present invention.

One of the important features of this invention is that of providing a gradually acting stop which is simple and inexpensive and which is not apt to require servicing over extended periods of use. This invention is susceptible to uses other than in connection with refrigerator doors and the refrigerator shown was selected merely for purposes of illustrating the invention.

The invention is obviously capable of assuming other forms than the one herein illustrated as will occur to one skilled in the art after a consideration of this disclosure. An important feature ll of the invention resides in the locating of a compressible block near the axis of the door so that it operates to provide a positive yet gradully acting stop for the door. 1

Furthermore it is to be understood that the particular forms of apparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth are presented for purposes of explanation and that various modifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made without departure from 20 hinge in position to be pinched between the hinge m'ent of the door over an appreciable distance' and thus gradually bring the door to a stop after it has been opened apredetermined distance.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door supporting hinge and screw means for securing said hinge to a supporting structure, of a block of soft, yielding, elastic material detachably carried by the head of said screw means in position to be pinched between the hinge and a part of the door located near the axis thereof when the door is swung to its open position, whereby the said block opposes the movement of the door over an appreciable distance and thus gradually bring the door to a stop after it has been opened a predetermined distance.

PAUL E. FRANTZ.