US2247885A - Door - Google Patents

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. H. LOMAX DOOR Filed' Jan. 26, i940 INVENTOR 74 hn .HjLomaw ITNESSES J. H. LOMAX July 1, 1941.

DOOR

. Filed Jan. 26, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR v .LhnJLLomax BY M MM P ATTORNEYS J. H. LQMAX July 1, 1941.

DOOR

Filed Jan. 26, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ywiwm 53 I JohnJLLomax BY v / ATTORNEYS C 6 wrmzssss 3 Patented July 1, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR John H. Lomax, Asbury Park, N. J. Application January 26, 1940, Serial N0. 315,727

.(CL 20-19) f 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in doors, particularly doors to be used in the entranceways of garages, industrial buildings or similar structures.

It is an object of the invention to provide a i door of the above character which is of compact construction and which requires a relatively smallamount of space even when shifting between open and closed position.

A further object is to provide a door which is not cumbersome and which is relatively light and maineuverable as'compared with other doors of similar size and purpose.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a'door of the above character which has improved operating mechanism for opening and closing the door and which may be either manually or automatically controlled.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improved locking mechanism for a door of the above character. 2

Among other'objects is the provision of a door particularly suited for use in the entranceways of garages and similar structures which is relatively economical to manufacture but nevertheless rugged in construction. I

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a door embodying my invention illustrated as applied to the entranceway of a garage;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View in the direction of the arrows on the line 2"2 of Fig. showing the operating and supporting mechanism for the door and illustrating the door in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the door in open position and partially broken away on the right-hand side of the figure so as to more clearly show the relative .positions'of the door panels; 5

Fig. 4 is a sectional of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view door and operating mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a partially diagrammatic representation of the operating mechanism of the door;

Fig. 7 is a detailed plan View of the portion of the supporting and operating mechanism shown on the left-hand side. of Fig. 6;,

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation on: the line 8-8 0 Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of the door and the preferred form of locking mechanism used in connection therewith.

In the accompanying drawingswI have. illustrated my improved door It! as applied to the plan view on the line 4 4 of the entranceway of agarage ll 'butit should be understood :of course that doors embodying my invention may be used inconnectionw'ith many different types of buildings. H

My door comprises one or moresectionseach of which is formed of a plurality of separate parallel panels. In the preferred form of my invention as shown in thevdrawings the door is formed of two sections A and B each of which in turn is formed of two separate pane1s,..the centrally disposed panel of .each section being indicated by the numeral l2 and theouter panel being indicated by the numeral. l4. .1v

The respective sections A and B together with the mountingsthereforare similar in construction being mirror images of eachother. and accordingly a description of one will serve as a description of the other. The door sections are mounted'in an improved manner so as to shift towards and away from each other between closed and open position. I W'h en in closed position the panels are disposed side by side in abutting relationship and extend across the entranceway of the'structure. When in open position the two sections are disposed at the two sides of and in back of the entranceway substantially at rightangles" to their closed position as shown most clearly in Fig'. 3. When in intermediate 'position the panels are spaced apart as showni'nFig'l' 6 and indotted lines in Fig. 4; so as to'insur'e a tight fit between the panels when in closed position the abutting edges may be rabbeted as indicated at 15. The door supporting mechanism. comprises a separate hanger for each section and each comprising a rigid bar l6 which is" offsetadjacent the two ends as indicated at H and I8. Each of the hangers l6 extends approximately the full length of its respective sectionand is pivotally connected to the panels adjacent the opposite or outer edges of the upper portionof the panels by means of the spring hinges 19. The spring hinges are provided with spiral springs 20 as shown most clearly in Figs. 7 and 8 which serve to urge panel "of section A- and panel l2 ofsection B in a clockwisedirection and panel l2 of section A and panel M of section B in a counterclockwise direction.- a

The hangers are in turn supported from -th building structure so that each door section may be shifted between open-and closed position and suitable guiding mechanism is provided to guide the shifting. In this connection each hanger is provided with a :bracket 2|. which is pivotally connected to arm 22 whichin turn is mounted on the vertical rod 23 pivotally supported on the structure. Each rod 23 is supported so that it and arm 22 may rotate through an arc 'of approximately 90 thereby permitting hanger I6 to shift from a position extending transversely across one side of the entranceway to a position substantially at right angles to the entranceway at one side and at the back thereof. To guide the shifting of the hangers in this manner I provide -apair of .guide tracks 24 -and 25 for each hanger, the .guide tracks 24 being disposed at right angles to the transverse axis of the entranceway at the sides thereof and guide tracks I being disposed transversely of the entranceway extending inwardly from the two sides thereof. Pivotally connected to the two ends of each hanger 16 are guide shoes 26 which ride in the respective guide tracks-as shown most clearly in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. In this wayit will be seen that when the arm 22 is rotated the interengagement; :betweenzthe. guide shoe and. guide tracksnwillacause hanger lBato. shiftbetween .the two positions idescribedtabove.

As previously statedt-aspring'i hinge connection I 9 :is provided .:between-.the far sends of the 'door panelsi in :each section and its hanger .l.6. This Wouldlnormally oausethe abutting .ends of .the panelsiin'eachsectiomto rotate outwardly. In order'to" prevent this anddnorder to guide the abutting ends :;of .the panels when the door is shifted between open and closed .position I vprovideia ourvedguidetrack.21for:each door section, suitably supported aslforrinstance. on the guide tracks L 24 and-Z25 and which is engaged by the rollers 28 supported. on braCKets-Madjacent the upper portion of the abuttingedges-of the panels in-each section. "Thus it will be- -seenthat when the door is-shifted between open and closed positions the hangers l fi and also the'panels I2 and I4 in each-section-of the *door areguided in their movement'bythe-arm 22; the-shoes'26,'the rollers 28 and the cooperating guide tracks--24',-25-and 21;

'When the doors are inclosed position the panels are in abutting relationship disposed transverselyof the entrancewayan'd the brackets I 6 are: parallelto' the panels. "As: the door shifts to partly open'positionthepanels and hangers will'be arranged 'asshown in'tFigsBand'l and in dotted'lines in Fig. 4'with' thepanels in spaced relationship. When the door is in fully opened position the several parts will appear as shown inFigg3. 'The guide shoes, rollers and guide tracks cause thelpanels to shift tothe respective sides of the entranceway before shifting rearwardly substantially at right angles'to the transverse axis of the entranceway. 'In this way the maximum amount of. space remains unobstructed at the front corners of the entranceway even when the door ispartially. open.

I have found it desirable to-give additional support to the panels byproviding a hanger 30 at thebottom of each section A and B. The hangers shouldt-be of'rigidconstruction and are pivotally connected as by means of hinges 31 to. the lower portion of the panels-in the respective sections adjacent the extreme'orouter edges thereof. The central portion of-zthe hanger'30 is connected as byzmeans 'of arm-32 to the supporting rod 23. In this way when arm ;2 2 z'isrrotated the arm 32 will likewise be caused' to'rotate' so that "hanger 30 'willshift between open and closed'positions'in similar-manner to hanger l6-patthe top of the door. -In Fig: ithe hangers 30:are shown in fully closed-positionin full lines and inzpartia'llyiopen position in dotted lines. is indicated in Fig. 3.

The door supporting mechanism may be actuated in many different ways so as to shift the door between open and closed positions. A preferred form of actuating mechanism is indicated in the accompanying drawings. Thus referring more specifically to Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 7 it will be seen that I have provided a pair of levers 33 which are pivotally mounted adjacent the center of the garage onithe' supporting frame 34 which in turn is supported from the building structure. The levers 33 have sliding connection with the two arms 22. This connection may take the form of a shoe 35 pivotally connected to the end of eachlever and disposed in a guide track The fully open position "formed on each of the arms 22. It will thus be .seen that when-the levers 33 are pivoted forwardly towards each other the arms 22 cause the hangers l6 and door panels to shift to closed positionand when-the levers areZ-pivotedirearwardly-away from-each other and ea wayyf-rom: the entranceway they cause hangerclfirand the:door panels to shift to open position. This; movement of the levers 33-is-transmittedthrougnthezgshoes 35-which form sliding connectionawiththezarms 22. The levers-33 are caused tOzDi-YOt-"QOWELIdS and away from each :otherin'; this manneroby means of the links -36"which-.-are pivotally-connected between: the 'leversand a slide 31 .mounted for slide movement :upon :the 'frame n34. :It will be seenithat when-.-thegslide;-3'l:is shift'edrrearwardly through the actionwofrl-inks :3Bctheglevers are caused to pivot outwardiy. When: the'fslide131 is shifted-forwardly the .levers 33 are-caused to pivot towards eachother. -it:will be :seen that lay-shifting slide :31 the-door .can zbe moved between open and 'closedrpositions.

The shifting of the slide 31 -mayi-be--;contro1led either manually or automatically. --.In1the accompanying drawings I have illustratedsacmanually operated control ,-mechanism;consisting of the oables-38-and 39 'connecteda-to the frontzandfrear of the slide and. extending- .aroundguide pulleys 40-whereby theslide may be shifted. : Thecables 38 and 39 terminate Hithe -members 1and"42 having handles 43 andflformedathereon. The members 4| and" depend'downwardly insome convenient location I 34S-'f0ri instanceata-thefront of the garage to one side of-.-the;-ent-rancewayzand maybe'disposed inside -ofacompartment-having a cover 45 "whereby .the *compartmentrmay be opened or closed. Byrpulling the handle43idownwardly the slide r31. is shifted: forwardlyiand: the dooris closed. Bypulling Y the. handle :44 downwardly the slide "is shiftedrrearwardlyxiandwthe door is opened. The -members? aI Id'iQZLaIE preferably; positioned in; guiderways 4 6 .as shown so as to prevent them from becoming tangled and so as 1 to hold them in".'predeterminedrelationship.

So' that the, ,doors:-may.:alsd "be controlled from inside the garageilzprovide iadditional cables ll and'48 connected "to the front= and rear of the slide-in the .same .manner as cables 38* and 39 and which. ex-tendbverthe iguide' rollers 49. The cables 41 and 48' terminate in ttle members 50 and 5| havingihandlesi52- and 53. Tite -members 50 and 5| depend idownwardly in some convenient location inside the garage and areprefera'bly provided. with guide-ways 54-similar to the guide ways 46; By: pulling the handle t'uZ- downwardly the door is closed-- and --by-pulling thehandle '53 downwardly the; door' is opened.

: I alsoxprovi'de an 'improved loc'king mechanism for my door whichis most clearly shownin Fig. 9,.

and also in Figs. 1 and v5. The locking .mechanism preferably takes the form of detents or bolts, 55 and 56 pivotally mounted on the garage at the two sides of the entranceway and engageable with the keepers 55 secured to the outer edges of the two panels l4. The detents are urged into engagement with their respective keepers by means of spiral springs 58 connected between the detents and the garage. To raise the detents out of engagement with their keepers I provide a pair of bell cranks 59 and 60 keyed to the shaft 5! which is suitably supported on the garage above the entranceway. The bell crank 59 is connected to detent 55 by rod or cable 62 and the bell crank 60 is connected to detent 56 by rod or cable 63. Upon rotation of rod 6! in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 9 the detents are raised upwardly and released from engagement from their respective keepers thereby permitting the door to be opened.

The rod 61 may be caused to rotate so as to release the detents in some suitable manner as for instance by means of the handle 64 pivotally mounted at the front of the garage near the handles 43' and 44 inside of the door 45 and also by means of a handle 65 pivotally mounted inside the garage adjacent the handles 52 and 53. The lever 64 is connected by rod or cable 65 to an arm 61 formed on bell crank 60. The lever 65 is connected by rod or cable 68 to bell crank 69 pivotally mounted on the garage and which in turn is connected by rod or cable Hi to arm 7| keyed on shaft 6|. By pressing either of levers 64 or 65 downwardly the detents are released from engagement with their keepers. When pressure is removed from levers 64 and 65 the springs 58 cause the detents to return to their normal position.

As previously stated my improved door may be applied to the entranceway of many different types of structures such as for instance the garage illustrated in the drawings. The door may be opened from either inside or outside the structure by shifting the handle 44 or the handle 53 downwardly. Similarly the door may be closed by shifting either handle 43 or 52 downwardly. It will be seen that when the door is in either opened or closed position the panels in each section are positioned side by side and abut each other. In open position the two sections of the door are positioned on the two sides and to the rear of the entranceway and are substantially at right angles to the closed position of the door. In an intermediate position between open and closed positions the panels in each section are spaced apart. In shifting to open position each panel first shifts to the side of the entranceway and then shifts rearwardly and does not cut across the front corner of the garage and in this way utilizes a minimum of space even in partiailly open position. The door is eifectively and releasably retained in closed position by means of my improved locking mechanism and cannot be released unless the levers 64 or 55 are pressed downwardly. The door 45 for the external compartment in which the handles 43, 44 and lever 64 are positioned may be provided with a suitable look so that it may be opened only by authorized persons.

It will be appreciated of course that many variations may be made in the illustrated and described embodiment of my invention. Thus instead of or in addition to the manually controlled operating mechanism motor driven mechion. It will also be appreciated that difierent operating mechanism may be provided for shift ing the door between closed and open positions.

The doors may alsobe used in connection withv many different types of structures such as buildings of various types, cabinets, refrigerators or the like.

I claim:

1. A door for an entranceway or the like of a building comprising a plurality of separate panels positioned side by side in abutting relationship when in closed position, a rigid hanger pivotally connected adjacent the opposite edges of a pair of adjoining panels, an arm pivotally mounted adjacent one side of the entranceway and pivotally connected to the central portion of the hanger, guide means having engagement with the two ends of the hanger, guide means for the adjoining edges of the said pair of door panels and means for shifting the said hanger whereby the pair of panels may be shifted from closed position extending across the entranceway to open position at one side of the entranceway substantially at right angles thereto.

2. A door for an entranceway or the like of a building comprising a pair of sections each consisting of a pair of parallel panels positioned side by side in abutting relationship when in closed position, a pair of rigid hangers pivotally connected adjacent the opposite edges of the pairs of panels in the respective sections, a pair of arms pivotally mounted adjacent the two sides of the entranceway, each being pivotally connected to the central portion of one of the hangers, guide means having engagement with the two ends of the hangers, guide means for the adjoining edges of each pair of panels, and means for shifting the hangers whereby the panels in each section may be shifted towards and away from each other between closed position extending across the entranceway and open position at the two sides of the entranceway substantially at right angles thereto.

3. A door for an entranceway or the like of a building comprising a plurality of separate panels positioned side by side in abutting rela tionship when in closed position, a rigid hanger pivotally connected adjacent the opposite edges of a pair of adjoining panels, an arm pivotally mounted adjacent one side of the entranceway and pivotally connected to the central portion of the hanger, guide means parallel to the transverse axis of the entranceway extending inwardly from one side thereof and having engagement with a member secured adjacent one end of the hanger, guide means disposed at right angles to the transverse axis of theentranceway and extending rearwardly from one side thereof and having engagement with a member secured to the other end of the hanger, guide means comprising a guide track mounted adjacent and having portions parallel to the above-mentioned guide means and having engagement with rollers mounted adjacent the abutting edges of the pair of panels, and means for shifting the hanger whereby the pair of panels may be shifted between closed position extending across the entranceway and open position at one side of the entranceway substantially at right angles thereto.

4. A door for an entranceway or the like of a building comprising a plurality of separate, parallel panels adapted to extend across the entranceway, a hanger pivotally connected to each of the panels, an arm pivotally mounted adiacent -one side of the entraneeway and'pivotaliy conn'ectedio the central portion of the hanger for shifting the hanger .from a, position adjacent the entrancewayto a'positionat 'one side'of the entran'ceway and means for guiding and "supporting fiche hanger so that; when the hangeris shifted the=panelsare caused to shift fromelosed position extending across the entranceway 430 open positionatone-side and to :iihe' back (if-the entrancewayi 93ndsubstantialiy at-rightvang'les to their closed position, said panels being in abutting relationship when in fully-opened and closed positions b'ut -"'being :in :spaced relationship when in interm ediate'- position.

YJQHN H. LOMAX.

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