US2543711A

US2543711A - Closure operator

Info

Publication number: US2543711A
Application number: US758575A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schultz Abraham
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-07-02
Filing date: 1947-07-02
Publication date: 1951-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 1968-02-27

Description

Feb. 27, 1951 A. SCHULTZ CLOSURE OPERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 2, 1947 m w m m a M) MM E 2 8 7 Z i M j V ATTORNEY Feb. 27, 1951 SCHULTZ 2,543,711

CLOSURE OPERATOR Filed July 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

v. ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOSURE OPERATOR Abraham Schultz, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 2, 1947, Serial No. 758,575

14 Claims. (01. 160-312) 1 This invention relates to closures for buildings, particularly to improvements in vertically movable closures for door and window openings, and has for its primary object to provide an improved counterbalancing arrangement therefor.

It has been the practice heretofore in raising and lowering heavy closures and the like to employ counterbalancing devices for facilitating movement thereof. Such devices in the main comprise torsional springs that are wound up as the closure descends, thereby setting up an increased potential force when the closure reaches its ultimate descent, which force assists in lifting the closure upon manually raising the same, the spring unwinding with decreasing force as the closure is rolled upon its drum. Counterbalancing devices employing torsional type springs, however, are unsatisfactory, particularly in view of the heavy steel wire that is required and also in View of the end connections therefor. 'Attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages by utilizing the expansive and contractive force of springs but, insofar as applicant is aware, these havealso been unsuccessful.

It is therefore, another object of the invention to overcome the above disadvantages and to provide an improved counterbalancing spring arrangement in which the spring element is expanded and contracted longitudinally instead of twisted.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved arrangement for translating rectilinear motion of an expanding and contracting spring to rotary motion in a counterbalancing device.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide an improved counterbalancing device in which the increasing weight of the closure as it approaches the closed condition is proportion-.

ately compensated.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a counterbalancing device for rolling doors, fire stops, etc., that is of improved construction, compact, light, simple, and cheap to manufacture.

With the above objects in view one embodiment of the invention discloses a counterbalancing device for a rolling door which is secured at one edge to'a hollow drum and coiled thereon, the drum being rotatively supported between the uprights of an opening in a building structure. Within the drum is disposed a coiled spring having one end rigidly secured thereto while the other end of the spring is connected to a gear freely rotatable in the drum. A stationary gear also in the drum is in mesh engagement with the first gear, so that as the drum rotates the first gear alsorotates, thereby extending or retracting the spring longitudinally with respective dropping or raising of the door.

In another embodiment of the invention the counterbalancing device is provided with an auxiliary spring which becomes efiective only when the rolling door approaches its closed position, the auxiliary spring being secured at one end to the drum. The other end of the auxiliary spring is provided with a slotted member.

In another embodiment of the invention there is disclosed in the drum a gear reduction train with sprockets connected by a link chain to a heavy spring and a weaker spring, the weaker spring having a slotted member at its free end and efiective only when a cross-bar in the link chain reaches the end of the slot.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of this invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of a rollable type door disposed in an opening of a structure with the door partially uncoiled from the drum at the top thereof;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinally sectional view of the counterbalancing device of my invention with the counterbalancing spring in the retracted position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 bringing out the anti-frictional rollers for guiding the movable end of the spring;

Fig. 4 isa sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the detailed connection of the cross-bolt, spring, and anti-friction rollers;

Fig. 5-is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the connection at the fixed end of the spring;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified counterbalancing device for heavy duty Work showing a gear reduction train coupled by a pair of link chains to a main and auxiliary spring;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of Fig. 6 bringing out the slotted member of the auxiliary spring;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a counterbalancing device showing a single chain connection; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9--9 of 8 bringi g out the termination of the two ends of the chain.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, there is Shown a closure or door IIJ, preferably constituted by interconnected fiexible metal strips of well known construction, such as interconnected corrugated slats, one end of the door being secured in any suitable manner upon a drum I2, which is disposed under a sheet metal canopy or hood I4 carried upon a building structure I6. Upon rotation of the drum the door is adapted to be wound or coiled thereupon in the open position, the edges of the door being guided in channels I8 disposed at the sides of an opening IS in the building structure (see Fig. 1).

The drum I2 comprises a hollow cylinder 28, a concentrically disposed shaft 22 at the right end (see Fig. 2) and a bearing member 24 at the left end thereof. The shaft 22 is preferably secured to the cylinder 20 through a pair of disks 28, which are welded both to the shaft and to the cylinder, the inner disk being secured to the cylinder by a plug weld 28. The free end of the shaft 22 is shown extending through a casing as and bearing 32, both of which are secured together and mounted in the building structure. Within the casing 30 is disposed a gear 34 that is rigidly carried upon the shaft 22, as by a key and key-way combination 36. Thus, it is readily seen that the gear 34, shaft 22, and cylinder 29 will rotate as a single unit.

In mesh with the gear 34 is shown a pinion 38, which in turn is preferably integral with a sprocket wheel 48 rotatably supported upon a shaft 42 journalled in the casing 30. The sprocket 42 is adapted to be manually rotated by a chain 44, whereby the drum I2 may be revolved to coil or uncoil the flexible door Ill.

The left bearing member 24 includes a flange 46, which is rigidly secured to the cylinder 20, as by fiat headed screws 48 flush with the sur face of th cylinder in order to preserve auniform external peripheral surface; and within the bearing member 24 is disposed a shaft 50 that is also mounted in an end bearing 52 having a hub 54. The end bearing 52 is shown rigidly secured, as by bolt-nut combinations 56, to a plate 58 attached to the building structure IS in any suitable manner. To prevent vibration of the shaft 58, which is normally stationary, the hub 54 is provided with openings 60 disposed preferably 90 apart, one of said openings being adapted to register with an opening 62 in the shaft 50 when the shaft is at the desired orientation, as will appear hereinafter. registry of said openings the two parts are fastened tightly together by the usual nut-bolt combination 64, thereby affording a more rigid supporting surface for the shaft 50.

At its inner end the shaft 55 is of reduced diameter and to this extremity is rigidly secured, as by a tapered pin 66, a bevel gear 68, which is normally stationary alone with the shaft 58. Gear 68 is shown in mesh engagement with a pair of bevel gears I0, I2 that are rotatably disposed upon a gear shaft I4 preferably'welded in openings in the cylinder 20. The shaft I4 is shorter than the dameter of the cylinder 28, thereby preventing the ends thereof from projecting beyond the surface of the cylinder 28. The gear is rigidly afl-lxed to a sleeve It, as by a weld connection, although these parts may be made integral, and upon this sleeve is formed an eye I8 located along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder 20. The bevel gear I2 includes its own hub or sleeve 80, which is separate from that of the sleeve I6, and functions as an idler Upon 4 gear to balance the force presented by gear I0 upon gear 68. However, this gear I2 is not necessary and may be eliminated.

Through the eye I8 is passed a cable 82, both ends of which are looped around a movable pin 84 and secured thereto by bands 86. The pin 84 is in turn connected to one end of a resilient element, such as a coiled spring 88, by a pair of straps 98, a cottor pin 92 being disposed at each end'of the pin 84 in order to keep the straps in their repective positions. To prevent the .spring 88 from frictionally engaging the sides of the cylinder 2!], a pair of rollers 94 rotatably carried on pins 98 are provided as anti-friction elements. The pins 96 are carried upon angle brackets 98, see Fig. 4, mounted upon-plates IIJn, which ar connected through the straps to the pin 84, the various parts being secured together preferably by welds I 02, as shown, to form a single assembly. The other end of the spring is connected by a pair of straps I24 to a flatheaded bolt I06 threadedly engageable with the wall of the cylinder 28, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

It is readily apparent from inspection of Figures 2 and 3 that rotation of the cylinder 28 by chain 44, as described hereinbefore, will cause gears I9 and I2 to rotate, since gear 68 is stationary. Rotation of gearxlll will therefore cause the cable 82 to wind thereupon and the spring 88 to become elongated towards the left, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, without any twisting action on the part of the spring. The arrangement in Figs. 2 and 3 is representative of the condition where the closure I0 is wound upon the drum I2. Thus, as the closure is unwound from the drum the tension of the spring is increased until the closure is dropped the full length of the opening I9, thereby substantially counterbalancing the weight thereof, so that the closure I!) may be raised with minimum effort by the operator.

To assure that the proper counterbalancin tension is available in the spring 88, a spring adjusting arrangement is provided. As shown at the left of Figs. 2 and 3, it comprises an element I88 having a hub I II] rigidly secured to the shaft 50, as by a pin H2. The element I88 is provided along its periphery with spaced radial openings II4 into which is adapted to be placed a pin IIS carried upon a bracket I I8 aifixed in any suitable manner to the plate 58. In operation. the tension of the spring 88 is adjusted by rotating the element I08, as by a spanner wrench (not shown) in the required direction, the shaft 58 and gears 68, Ill and I2 rotating therewith and the cable 82 winding upon the sleeve I6. Upon the desired spring tension being obtained the pin I I 6 is dropped into the registered opening II4, thereby maintaining the shaft 50 in a stationary condition.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and '7 there is shown another embodiment of the invention which includes a reduction gearing arrangement and which is particularly adapted for counterbalancing larger and heavier closures by the use of main and auxiliary springs. Employing like characters for like parts, the stationary bevel gear 58 on shaft 50 is'shown in mesh engagement with a single bevel gear I24 having an elongated hub I22 rotatably disposed upon a shaft I24 rigidly secured, as by welds, in the cylinder 28. Upon the hub I22 is fixedly attached along the axis of the cylinder 28 a pinion I26, which is shown in mesh engagement with a gear I28 having a greater number of teeth than the pinion I25. The gear I28 is rotatably carried upon a sleeve I30 and,

in turn, a shaft I32 fixedly secured to the cylinder 20, as shown, a pair of sprocket gears I34, one on each side of the gear I28, being preferably welded both to the gear Iand to the sleeve I30, so that the gears I28, E34 and the sleeve I rotate as a single unit.

To each of the sprocket gears I34 is fastened, as by a pin I36, one end of a link chain I38, the other end of which is connected to a movable pin I in any suitable manner, as by a strap I42. Mounted adjacent the ends of the pin I40 are shown straps I44 connecting one end of a main spring I 46 thereto, while the other end of the main spring is connected by straps I58 to a stationary pin I50 rigidly secured to the cylinder 20. Within the main spring I46 is shown an auxiliary spring I52, which is connected at one end by straps I54 to the pin I50 and at the other end to elongated members I56 having slots I58 of predetermined length therein. Th pin I40 is adapted to slide in these slots I58 and, to maintain the elements I56 at their set interval, a bushing I60 is mounted therebetween on the pin I40. Thus it is readily seen that movement of the pin I40 to the left, as viewed in Figs. '7 and 8, will extend the main spring I46 but will, be unable to extend the auxiliary spring I54 until the left end of the slot I58 is reached thereby. In other words, the auxiliary spring I54, is rendered efiective only when the closure I0 (Fig. 1) approaches its lowermost position, thereby more evenly counterbalancing the closure during the overall movement thereof.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown still another embodiment of the invention, similar to that of Fig. 1, in which a link chain I 62 is utilized for interconnecting a spring I54 coupled at its stationary end by straps I06 to a pin I68 rigidly secured to the cylinder 20 and at its movable end by straps tT0= to a pin I'I2. To the pin I12 is connected, as by a strap I74, one end of the link chain I 62, which is engageable with the teeth of a sprocket gear N8, the other end of which is connected by a resilient member I80 to the stationary pin I68. The sprocket gear I18 is shown rigidly fastened to a sleeve I02, which is rotatably mounted upon a pin I84 fixedly attached to the cylinder in the hereinbefore described manner. A bevel gear I80 is also rigidly connected to the sprocket gear I18 and sleeve I82, the gear I86 being in mesh engagement with the stationary gear 68. The operation of this embodiment is substantially similar to that described hereinbefore, the main distinction residing in the fact that the chain IE2 is not coiled upon the sprocket I78 during the winding operation.

While the invention has been shown and described as embodying certain features merely for the purpose of illustration, it is clear to anyone skilled in this art that modifications are possible by the substitution of mechanical equivalents without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. The invention is, therefore, not to be understood as limited to thespecific embodiments shown but includes, necessarily, any other known arrange-- ment of similar scope which can be adapted by a person skilled in the art to the performance of the functions hereinbefore described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a rotatable drum, a nontorsional resilient element carried therein, means for securing one end of said resilient element to said drum, a gear rotatably supported in said drum, means adapted to be carried around said gagement with said rotatable gear, said rotatable gear upon rotation of said drum in one direction being adapted to exert a pull upon said interconnecting means to expand said resilient element longitudinally.

2. In combination, a rotatable drum, a nontorsional spring carried therein, one end of said spring being rigidly attached to said drum, a gear including a collar thereon rotatably mounted in said drum, means including a cable for interconnecting said gear and the other end of said spring, and a stationary gear in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear disposed in said drum, whereby said rotatable gear is adapted to revolve in response to rotation of said drum, said rotatable gear upon rotation of said drum being adapted to wind or unwind said cable upon or from said collar and thereby respectively expand or contract said spring longitudinally along said drum.

3. In combination, a rotatable drum, a nontorsional spring carried therein, one end of said spring being rigidly attached to said drum, a gear including a collar thereon rotatably mounted in said drum, means including a cable for interconnecting said gear and the other end of said spring, anti-friction means including a cable on said other end of said spring in engagement with said drum, and a stationar gear in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear disposed in said drum, whereby said rotatable gear is adapted to revolve in response to rotation of said drum, said rotatable gear upon rotation of said drum being adapted to wind or unwind said cable upon or from said collar and thereby respectively expand or contract said spring longitudinally along said drum.

4. In combination, a vertically movable member, a counterbalance for said member comprising a rotatable drum, a non-torsional spring within said drum, one end of said spring being rigidly connected to said drum, a gear including a collar thereon rotatably supported within said drum; means including a cable for interconnecting said gear and the other end of said spring, said cable being adapted to be wound upon or unwound from said collar upon rotation of said gear, and a stationary gear carried within said drum, said gears being in mesh engagement with each other and adapted to translate rotation of said drum to rectilinear movement of said spring, said spring being expanded upon rotation of said collar, rotatable gear, and drum in response to descent of said vertically movable member, whereby an increasing rectilinear force is set up to counterbalance the increasing weight of said member.

5. In combination, a vertically movable member, a counterbalance comprising a rotatable drum, upon which said member is adapted to be coiled, a non-torsional spring within said drum, one end of said spring being rigidly connected to said drum, a gear including a collar thereon rotatably supported within said drum, an eye on said gear, a cable passed through said eye with the ends thereof terminated on the other end of said spring, said cable being adapted to be wound upon or unwound from said collar upon rotation of said gear, and a stationary gear carried within said drum, said gears being in mesh engagement with each other, said spring being expanded upon descent of said vertically movable member,

whereby an increasing rectilinear force is set up to counterbalance the increasing weight of said member.

6. In combination, a vertically movable member, a counterbalance comprising a rotatable drum upon which said member is adapted to be coiled, a non-torsional spring within said drum, one end of said spring being rigidly connected to said drum, a gear rotatably supported within said drum, a spocket gear rigidly coupled to said gear, means including a link chain adapted to be coiled around said sprocket gear for interconnecting said sprocket gear and the other end of said spring, and a stationary gear carried within said drum, said gears being in mesh engagement with each other, said spring being expanded upon rotation of said sprocket gear and rotatable gear in response to descent of said vertically movable member, whereby an increasing rectilinear force is set up to counterbalance the increasing weight of said member.

7. Counterbalancing means for a rollable door comprising, in combination, a rotatable hollow member for carrying said door, one end of said door being rigidly secured thereto, a non-torsional resilient element disposed within said hollow member, means for rigidly securing one end of said resilient element to said member, gear means including a sleeve rotatably disposed within said hollowmember, a stationary gear within said hollow member in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear means, and means including a cable for interconnecting the other end of said spring and said sleeve, said cable being adapted to be coiled upon said sleeve as said drum is rotated to drop said door to a closing position.

8. Counterbalancing means for a rollable door comprising, in combination, a non-torsional spring adapted for rectilinear movement only connected to said door, a rotatable hollow men ber upon which said door is rollable, one end of said spring being rigidly secured to said member, a gear reduction train rotatably carried by said member, means including a chain for interconnecting the other end of said spring and said gear train, and a stationary gear in mesh engagement with said gear train, said gear reduction train upon rotation of said member in one direction being adapted to exert a pull upon said chain to expand said spring.

9. Counterbalancing means for a rollable door comprising, in combination, a non-torsional spring adapted for rectilinear movement con nected to said door, a rotatable hollow member upon which said door is rollable, one end of said spring being rigidly secured to said member, gear reduction means rotatably carried by said member, tie-means for interconnecting the other end of said spring and said gear reduction means, said gear reduction means upon rotation of said member in one direction being adapted to exert a pull upon said tie-means to expand said spring, a stationary gear in mesh engagement with said gear reduction means, a second resilient element rigidly secured at one end to said member and connected at the other end to said tie means, and an element at said other end of said second resilient element for rendering said second resilient element efiective only after said first resilient element has been expanded a predetermined amount.

10. Counterbalancing means for a rollable door comprising, in combination, a non-torsional spring adapted for rectilinear movement connected to said door, a rotatable hollow member upon which said door is rollable, one end of said spring being rigidly secured to said member, a bevel gear and a pinion rotatably carried by said member, said bevel gear and pinion being rigidly interconnected, a gear in mesh engagement with said pinion, a sprocket gear rigidly connected to said preceding gear, means in said member for rotatably carrying said gear and sprocket gear, means including a link chain for interconnecting the other end of said spring and said sprocket gear, said chain being adapted to be coiled upon said sprocket gear, whereby said spring is tensioned upon rotation of said sprocket gear in response to rotation of said hollow member in one direction, and a stationary bevel gear in mesh engagement with said rotatable bevel gear.

11. In a counterbalancing device for a rollable door, a rotatable hollow member for carrying said door, one end of said door being rigidly secured thereto, a non-torsional coil spring disposed within said hollow member for counterbalancing the weight of said door, one end of said spring being rigidly secured to said member, rotatable gear means including a sleeve disposed r within said hollow member, a stationary gear within said hollow member in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear means, and means including a cable for interconnecting the other end of said spring and said sleeve, said cable being adapted to be wound upon said sleeve in response to rotation of said hollow member in one direction and thereby exert a pull upon said cable to expand said spring, said resilient element being adapted for rectilinear movement only and said gears being adapted for translating rotational movement of said drum to said rectilinear movement of said resilient element.

12. In combination, a building structure having an opening therein, a rollable closure adapted for vertical movement in said opening, a counterbalance for said closure comprising a hollow drum, means in said structure for rotatabl supporting said drum, a non-torsional resilient element in said drum being adapted to be expanded or be contracted longitudinally in response to respective movements of the closure, means for rigidly securing one end of said resilient element to said drum, a gear rotatably carried in said drum, means including a cable for interconnecting said gear and the other end of said resilient element, said gear upon rotation of said drum in one direction being adapted to exert a pull upon said cable to expand said resilient element, a gear rigidly secured to said structure in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear, and antifriction elements on said other end of said resilient element for engagement with the inner surface of said drum, said antifriction elements being adapted to space said other end of the resilient element from said drum.

13. In combination, a building structure having an opening therein, a rollable closure adapted for vertical movement in said opening, a counterbalance for said closure disposed in said opening, said counterbalance comprising a hollow drum, means in said structure for rotatably supporting said drum, a non-torsional resilient element in said drum being adapted to be expanded or be contracted longitudinally in response to respective movements of the closure, means for rigidly securing one end of said resilient element to said drum, a gear rotatably carried in said drum, means including a cable for interconnecting said gear and the other end of said resilient element, said gear upon rotation of said drum in one direction being adapted to exert a pull upon said cable to expand said resilient element, a gear rigidly secured to said structure in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear, antifriction elements on said other end of said resilient element for engagement with the inner surface of said drum, said antifriction elements being adapted to space said resilient element from said drum, and a second resilient element rigidly secured at one end to the drum and at the other end to the rotatable gear, said second resilient element being efiectiveas a counterbalance only after said closure has descended a predetermined distance.

14. In combination, a building structure hav ing an opening therein, a rollable closure adapted for vertical movement in said opening, a counterbalance for said closure disposed in said opening, said counterbalance comprising a hollow drum,

means in said structure for rotatably supporting drum, a gear train rotatably carried in said drum, 1

means including a chain and pin for interconnecting said gear train and the other end of said resilient element, one end of said chain being connected to said pin and the other end of said chain being connected to said gear train, said gear train upon rotation of said drum in one direction being adapted to exert a pull upon said chain to expand said resilient element, a gear rigidly secured to said structure in mesh engagement with said rotatable gear train, antifriction elements on said other end of said resilient element for engagement with the inner surface of said drum, said antifriction elements being adapted to space said resilient element from said drum, a second resilient element rigidly secured at one end to the drum and at the other end to the gear train, and an element having a slot carried by said other end of said second resilient element, said pin being adapted to slide in said slot, whereb said second resilient element is effective as a counterbalance only after said closure has descended a predetermined distance. ABRAHAM SCHULTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 575,451 Yost Jan. 19, 1897 781,895 McCloud Feb. 7, 1905 958,605 Doring May 1'7, 1910 2,350,286 Michelman May 30, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 135,882 Austria Dec. 11, 1933