US2175323A - Elevator closure - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 10, 1939. o. F. SHEPARD 2,175,323

ELEVATOR CLOSURE Filed March 3, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 U r 3* p37 INVENTOR.

WWd M md ATTORNEY;

Oct. 10, 1939. o. F. SHEPARD ELEVATOR CLOSURE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3, 1937 I law INVENTQR.

W 1 Wm ATTORNEY;

3 and from the floor above.

that the cab be of reduced dimension to conserve Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in slide doors of a foldable or collapsible type, particularly as a closure for elevator cabs or hatchways.

An object of the invention is to provide a closure for elevator cabs, hatchways, or the like, slidably translated and compactly foldable or collapsible in opening so'as to be crowded in a minimum space, the sections or panels thereof hingedly joined for swinging into parallelism side by side against one another.

' Another object of the invention is to provide an articulated closure for a doorway or opening, foldable in zigzag form and iu'ifoldable at the end of a straight course of travel for the width of the opening.

The invention is a continuation, in part, of a copending application filed by me August 27, 1934, Serial No. 741,576, Patent No. 2,086,022, dated July 6, 1937, for animprovement in elevators, particu- 2o larly adaptable for installation in homes, and is therefore herein illustrated anddescribed in such embodiment, from which many of the advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent on account of theconditions presented. 7

[In the particular instance there is no enclosure for the cab for the main or lowermost floor served, the cab being stationed or moving in the open or being exposed to the room or hallway, traveling along a wall thereof in its ascent. and descent to It is therefore requisite space. It is also imperative that the cab door, in

opening or closing, be within the confines of the.

cab and in the interior thereof, unobstructive to the passengers in the cab in opening or closing and to the room, and be compactly assembled when open, and that it be of very simple construction to minimize its cost and be easily and effectively operative.

40 Various other features and advantages of the invention will be morefully set forth in a description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure l is a perspective view of an elevator cab, containing the improved folding or collapsible door.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 22, Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a section on line 33, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective fragmentary view of the cab, with the door partly open.

Figure 5 is a front elevation with parts broken away showing the mounting structure of the door in closed position, of a modified form of track and ,door fixture.

(c1. zo-20) Figure 6 is a section on line 6-43, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged section on line 1-4, Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 6 with the door open. 5 I Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 6, illustrating the door in closed position, of another modified form of track.

Figure 10 is a'sectional view similar to Figure 9, with the door in open position.

Figure 11 is an enlarged section on line ll-] l, FigureQJ As the improvement herein is exemplified by a, closure for an elevator cab or doorway opening, no mechanism for translating or operating the cab is disclosed. 'For a disclosure of the complete elevator installation, reference maybe had to the aforesaid application.

wAs a' home elevator serving two floors, the installation is made without major alterations to the building; the lower iioor being open and exposing only rails along a wall thereof, and an opening through the ceiling sufficient for the cab to pass therethrough. The cab,in descending and when at rest atthe lower-floor, occupies a position as a piece of furniture along a wall, taking up a minimum cab floor space ofabout x 30".

A hall or entrance way, of a width suificient to admit the cab, may serve, forwhen the elevator is not used it isstationed at an upper or second floor, leaving the lower floor clear, and the bottom of the cab provides a closure for the opening through the first floor ceiling.

The cab is provided with three closure walls and a front opening for its full width dimension, for which it is necessary to provide a closure which will not be obstructive to either the exterior or interior 0f the cab in opening and closing. The closure, preferably for the use exemplified, is composed of a plurality of sections or panels, foldable one against another and against the inner side of one of the cab sidewalls. It, however, may be any type of articulated structure, skeletonized or an assembly of bars.

Referring to the drawings for the embodiment 45 shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the door for the full width of the cab is composed of four panels or sections, 1, 2, 3 and 4, hingedly connected one to another preferably by piano type hinges 5, respectively for the full height of the panels, and in 0 arrangement provides for a zig-zag fold of the sections to bring the same together and against a side wall of the cab, to which an end panel of the group is hingedly connected. The end panel, as panel I, which may be termed the aft end of the 55,

door, hingedly connects to a side wall of the cab and has its hinged joint approximately in line with the door opening for the panel to swing inwardly of the cab to a position parallel with and against the cab side wall.

Each alternate hinged joint, from the joint connecting the door to the side wall and from which the joined panels swing inwardly, travels in a straight line with the door opening, and at such point for the top and bottom of a pair of joined panels is guided or travels upon straight rails. For the upper end of the door, at the hinged joints moving in a straight line, the joined sections are slidably suspended from a cross rail 6 by a hanger l, slidable upon the rail and fixed to a door section.

correspondingly, a bracket 8 is fixed to the bottom of a section in alignment with the hanger '5, having a stud 9 projecting downwardly into a slot or groove Ill in the floor or rail, fixed upon or within the fioor across the doorway of the cab. Each of the connected door sections, at'the joints which swing inwardly and at the upper end thereof, is provided with a vertical guide rod l I, engaging between the cross rail 6 and a guide rail I2, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, forming a track arranged to prevent the door sections from swinging inwardly for a straight-a-way portion of their travel, except within a suitable distance of approach of the side wall of the cab, against which they are to fold in opening the door.

The guide rail l2, at the open terminal of the door sections, extends inwardly as at l3, providing a clearance for the inward swing of the sections and their guide rods II, controlling the swing of the sections toward the terminal of their opening movement of travel and providing for folding the sections in a consecutive or successive order as they approach their opening limit of travel, while the sections in advance thereof are held against collapse and in their straight-a-way position.

The door sections thus swing from a straight-away position to a relatively lateral position, or vice versa, in a consecutive order as they approach or depart from their fully open position. This materially facilitates door maneuvering, provides for ease of operation, avoids undue interference with the passengers in the cab, and also prevents swinging of the panels when the door is closed.

The door control is readily reversed so as to open either to the right or left, the guide track l2 serving for either direction of travel. A change from right to left can be readily made by merely transposing a terminal guide rail section l4, detachably fixed to the guide rail l2 at the inturned bend thereof, to prevent the panel sections from swinging inwardly or laterally from a straight-a-way course.

To prevent the sections from jamming or interfering with their ease of operation, as may result if the sections are allowed to move to an aligned position or to swing outwardly from their straight line course, the door is of a measurement slightly in excess of the width of the door opening so that the panels of the group, when the door is closed, will be in a slightly askew position inwardly from the straight line of'travel.

In the modifications shown in Figures 5 to 11 inclusive, the panels are slidably suspended from a cross rod or rail 6 by hangers 'l for the joints which do not deviate from a straight line course in folding and unfolding the panels, and, at their lower end for the joints of the panels traveling in a straight line, are provided with a stud 9 projecting into a slot or channel ID in a rail or the fioor of the cab of the elevator, as previously described. For each of the joints of a connected pair of panels swinging laterally or inwardly, one of the panels, at its lower end, is provided with a bracket l5 having a depending stud l6 engaged into a channel or groove l! in the floor of the cab.

The channel or groove I1, for the major portion of its length, is in line or parallel with the groove or channel In for the joints having a continuous straight line travel, and diverts inwardly of the cab toward the end of the panel travel in opening the door. This, as heretofore described, provides for a straight-way travel of the panels for the major portion of the door span and directs them into a folding posture as they approach their end of opening travel in a consecutive order, and are controlled and operated in a similar manner for closing.

In the form shown in Figures 5 to 8 inclusive, the grooves or channels I 0 and I1, for the extent of their relative straight course, are disposed in the same line at relative different elevations and of different widths, forming a double width channel. In the instance disclosed the studs 9, for the joints traveling in a continuous straight path, are of a diameter to be sustained in the upper level of the channel, while the studs l6, for the inwardly moving joints, are of a reduced dimension to engage into and slide in the lower level of the guide channel and diverge inwardly toward the aft end of the channel.

In'the form shown in Figures 9 to 11 inclusive, the channels are parallel for their relative straight course, which prevents moving the panels into an aligned position in closing the door, or in their closed position as heretofore mentioned, and offers greater ease of operation for some uses as there is no opportunity for the joints to bind.

'Having described my invention, I claim:

1.A folding door comprising a plurality of panels connected together by means of hinges and adapted to fold in zig-zag arrangement against each other, a rail across the upper end of the door opening, means for suspending said panels from said rail, said door opening including a pair of tracks, guiding means associated with the hinges between the panels engaging said tracks, the guiding means of alternate hinges engaging one track and the remainder the other, said tracks diverging at one side .of the door opening and terminating at the side of the door opening a distance apart equal to the width of the respective panels.

2. A folding door comprising a plurality of panels connected together by means of hinges and adapted to fold in zig-zag arrangement against each other, means for slidably suspending the panels from the upper portion of the doorway, said doorway including a pair of guiding means, cooperating guiding means associated with the hinges between the panels engaging said first named guiding means, the guiding means of alternate hinges engaging one of said first named guiding means and the remainder the other, said first named guiding means diverging at one side of the door opening and terminating at the side of the door opening a distance apart equal to the width of the respective panels.

3. A folding door comprising a plurality of panels connected together by means of hinges and adapted to fold in zig-zag arrangement against each other, means for slidably suspending said panels from the upper portion of the doorway, the base of said door opening including a ing from the other at one side of the door openpair of tracks, guiding means associated with the ing and terminating at the side of the door openhinges between the panels engaging said tracks, ing a distance from the other equal to the width the guiding means of alternate hinges engaging of the respective panels.

one track and the remainder the other, one of said tracks countersunk in the other and diverg- OSCAR F. SHEPARD.

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