US2873111A - Vehicle actuated mechanism for garage doors - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 10, 1959 E. w. voss VEHICLE ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR GARAGE DOORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1957 W wzw, N

INVENTOR.

ELMER wvoss ATToENEYs Feb. 10, 1959 E. w. voss VEHICLE ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR GARAGE DOORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1957 INVENTOR.

E LM E R W. \/O a s ATTO F2 NE vs E. W. VOSS Feb. 10, 1959 VEHICLE ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR GARAGE DOORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 5, 1957 88 INVENTOR.

ELMER w. vo 5s ATTORNEYS Feb. 10, 1959 E. w. voss 73,

VEHICLE ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR GARAGE DOORS Filed March 8, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

E LME R W \IO 5 A was United States Patent VEHICLE A'CTUATED MECHANISM F0 GARAGE DOORS Elmer W. Voss, Wagoner, Okla.

Application March 8, 1957, Serial No. 644,879 3 Claims. (Cl. 268-37) This invention relates to improved vehicle operated mechanism for operating garage doors to open and closed positions.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a more reliable and efiicient mechanism of this kind which is simple in construction, composed of a small number of simple and easily assembled parts, and wherein the weight of the garage door is availed of for closing the door from open positions into which it has been operated by vehicle actuation of the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism of the character indicated which includes resilient means for absorbing and cushioning shocks, imposed upon the mechanism incidental to its actuation and to imperfections in its components due to wear thereon and inaccuracies in the assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle-actuated garage door operating mechanism of the character indicated which can be made in well-finished, rugged, and serviceable forms at relatively low cost, is easily installed and maintained, and is highly practical and acceptable for the purpose intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully, hereinafter described and' claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a contracted horizontal section taken through a garage, showing installed therein, in top plan, vehicle-actuated door operating mechanism of the invention;

Figure 2 is a contracted vertical longitudinal section taken substantially on the plane of line 2-2 of Figure 1, portions of the mechanism being broken away, and showing in phantom lines a vehicle within the garage, and operated positions of the mechanism and the door;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken substantially on the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged and contracted fragmentary vertical transverse section taken substantially on the plane of line 4-4 of Figure 2;

' Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the mechanism of the invention; and I Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the cable assembly, showing the arrangement thereof relative to the pulley of the door-operating lever of the mechanism. t V

Referring to the drawings in detail, indicated generally at 10 is a garage comprising a front wall 12in which is a door opening 14, a floor 16, preferably in the formv of a poured concrete slab, which is extended to provide Figures 1 and 2, is a garage door 20, of any suitable con struction which is of the vertically movable overhead type, and can be displaced rearwardly and upwardly to the generally horizontal overhead open position shown in phantom lines in Figure 2.

The garage 10 further comprises side walls 22 and 24 on Whose inner sides are secured posts 26 and 28, respectively, which have extending laterally inwardly therefrom at their upper ends, axially aligned bolts 30 and 32, respectively, which have journalled thereon the rear ends of lever arms 34 and 36, on whose forward ends are laterally inwardly extending brackets 42 and 44 which are fixed to the rear side of the garage door 20, as indicated at 46, at points substantially midway between the upper and lower edges of the door 20.

For counterbalancing the weight of the door 20, a contractile spring 52 is stretched between the lever arm 34 and an eye 50 secured in a block 48 secured to the garage side wall 22 at a point spaced above and rearwardly from the post 26.

The illustrated vehicle-actuated mechanism of the invention comprises front and rear treadle assemblies 56 and 58, a door operating lever assembly 60, and a latch assembly, indicated generally at 62.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lever assembly 69 and the latch assembly 62 are located along the garage side wall 24, out of way of a vehicle V entering and leaving the garage 19, the front treadle assembly 56 is spaced forwardly from the front wall 12 of the garage, and the rear treadle assembly 58 is located rearwardly of the latch assembly 62 and at the same side of the garage.

The front treadle assembly 56 comprises a transversely elongated ramp 64 rising from the driveway l8 and having therein a transversely elongated trench 66, see Figure 2. Secured in and rising from the ramp 64 at opposite ends of the trench 66 are hollow standards 68 and 70, the standard 70 being substantially taller than the standard 68. As clearly seen in Figure 4, the standards 68 and 70 have in facing portions of their sidewalls, vertically elongated slots 72 and 74, respectively, communicating withthe trench 66 of the ramp 64. Extending along the trench 66 and normally positioned above the upper surface of the ramp 64, and depressible into the trench 66, is an elongated treadle bar 76 having secured on the underside thereof longitudinal arms 78 and 80, which extend beyond related ends of the treadle bar 76 and extend into the standards 68 and 70 through the slots 72 and 74, as seen in Figure 4. The arm 78 has a depending lug 82 which has circumposed thereon the upper end of a coil spring 84, whose lever end is seated in a recess 86 in the ramp 64.

The standard 70 is open at its lever end, as seen in Figure 4, and communicates with an elongated passage 88 formed in the driveway 18 and in the floor 16 of the garage 10, and extending rearwardly beneath the lever assembly and the latch assembly 62, see Figure 2.

The rear treadle assembly 58 comprises. a ramp 92 rising from the garage floor 16 rearwardly of the latch assembly 62, and having therein a transversely elongated trench 94. Set into the end of the ramp 92 near the garage side Wall 24 is the lower end of a hollow standard 96, similar to the standard and in longitudinal alignment with the standard 70. The lever end of the standard 96 communicates with the trench 88, as seen in Figure 2. Extending along the trench 94 is an elongated a driveway 18 leading to the door opening 14. Nor

mally closing the opening 14,-as shown in full lines in treadle bar 98, which is normally positioned above the ramp 92 and is depressible into the trench 94 by the front wheels F of a vehicle V entering and leaving the garage 10, as seen in phantom lines in Figure 2. When the vehicle V is parked in the garage, its front wheels-F 3 are located rearwardly beyond the rear treadle assembly 58.

The treadle bar 98 has suitably secured on its underside at the end thereof remote from the standard 96, suitable hinge means 102 secured to the floor 16, and the treadle bar 98 is normally yieldably maintained in its elevated position by a compression spring 103 interposed between the bottom of the trench 94 and the underside of the treadle bar 98. Extending longitudinally beyond the end remote from the hinge means 102 is an arm 104 which extends through a vertical slot 196, see Figure 2, in the lower end of the standard 96.

The door operating lever assembly 68 comprises a lever 108 which extends in a forwardly inclined position, as shown in full lines in Figure 2, and has transversely pivoted in its upper end, as indicated at 116, the upper rear end of a link 112, whose forward lever end is pivotally connected at 114 to the upper edge of the door bracket 44.

The lever 108 includes a yoke 116 having spaced parallel legs 118 and 120 secured to the ends of a transverse shaft 122 at the lower end of the lever 108. The shaft 122 'is journalled in bearings 123 seated in the garage floor 16, the shaft 122 being located in an opening 90 in the garage floor 16 which communicates with the passage 88. Fixed on the shaft 122 between the bearings 123 is a pulley 124 which is located in the opening 90, as seen in Figure 2.

As indicated in Figure 2, counterclockwise rotation of the pulley 124 through approximately ninety degrees results in operation of the door 20 from the solid line closed position to the open overhead position shown in phantom lines in Figure 2. Looped around the shaft 122 is an intermediate portion 125 of a flexible cable 126, with the portion 125 of the cable extending crosswise of the pulley 124 through a notch 128 in the periphery of the pulley 124. The cable 126 is wound several times around the pulley 124 in the groove 127 thereof, as indicated at 130 in Figure 7, and has flights 132 and 134 extending downwardly from the rear side of the pulley, as seen in Figures 2 and 6. The cable flight 132 extends under an upstanding guide pulley 136 on a bracket 138 secured on the floor of the passage 88. Another such pulley 142 on a bracket 140 is secured on the floor of the passage 88, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, is located beneath the lower end of the standard 70 of the front treadle assembly 56 and has the cable flight 132 trained thereunder. Mounted within the upper part of the standard 70 is an upper shaft 144 having a pulley 146 thereon over which an intermediate part of the cable flight 132 is trained, with the terminal end 148 thereof secured in an opening 150 in the arm 80 of the front treadle assembly 76, see Figure 4.

The cable flight 134 is trained rearwardly under a pulley 152 mounted on a bracket 154 behind the pulley 124 and depending from the top wall of the passage 88, and rearwardly under a pulley 156 on a bracket 158 mounted on the bottom of the passage 88 beneath the standard 96 of the rear treadle assembly 58. The standard 96 has in its upper end a shaft 160 having thereon a pulley 162 over which the cable flight 134 is trained, the terminal end of the cable flight 134 being secured to the arm 104 of the treadle bar 98, as indicated at 164, see Figure 6.

The latch assembly 62 comprises a vertical, inverted U-shaped housing 166 comprising a top plate 172 and depending parallel side plates 168 and 170 disposed at opposite sides of the garage floor opening 90, which communicates with the passage 88, the lower ends of the side plates 168 and 170 being secured to a block 171 secured to the garage floor 16. The side plates 168 and 170 have extending between the upper portions thereof a shaft 174 which has journalled thereon intermediate portions of latch levers 176 and 178, the latch lever 176 being operatively connected to the front treadle assembly 56 and the latch lever 178 being operatively connected to the rear treadle assembly 58, as hereinafter described. Stretched between the housing top plate 172 and the rear ends of the latch levers 176 and 178 are contractile springs 180 and 182, respectively. The springs 180 and 182 bias the forward ends of the latch levers 176 and 178 downwardly in clockwise directions, as viewed in Figures 2 and 6. The latch levers 176 and 178 have depending hooks 184 and 186, respectively, on their forward ends, which have on their forward ends cam surfaces and 190, respectively.

The yoke 116 of the door operating lever 108 has extending transversely between intermediate portions of its legs 118 and 120 spaced upper and lower plates 192 and 194, the lower plate 194 being a latch plate. The upper edge 196 of the latch plate 194 is arranged to be engaged by the hooks 184 and 186 of the latch levers 176 and 178 so as to retain the lever 108 in the operated phantom line position shown in Figure 2. The cam surfaces 188 and 190 of the latch levers are arranged to be operatively engaged by the upper latch plate 194 as the lever 108 moves rearwardly and upwardly, so as to engage the books over the upper edge 196 of the latch plate 194. The upper yoke plate 192 is arranged to engage the cam surfaces of the latch levers and retain the same in elevated positions, against the resistance of the springs and 182, as hereinafter described.

The latch levers 176 and 178 have depending from their rear ends contractile, shock-absorbing coil springs 198 and 200, respectively, whose lower ends are secured to terminal ends of secondary cables 202 and 204, respectively. The cable 204 is trained under the pulley 136 and extends forwardly under the pulley 142 and upwardly over a pulley 206 mounted on a transverse shaft 208 in the standard 70 of the front treadle assembly 56. The terminal end of the cable 204 is secured to the arm 80 of the treadle bar 76, see Figure 6. The cable 202 is trained under the pulley 152 and extends rearwardly under the pulley 156 and upwardly and over a pulley 210 on a shaft 212 extending transversely in the standard 96 of the rear treadle assembly 58. The terminal end of the cable 202 is secured to the arm 104 on the treadle bar 98.

If desired, the cable flights 132 and 134 may incorporate in intermediate portions thereof suitable shock absorbing springs 214, see Figure 6.

The garage door operating mechanism functions in the following manner:

With the door 20 in the closed solid line position shown in Figure 2, and a vehicle approaching to enter the garge 10, the front wheels of the vehicle roll over and depress the front treadle bar 76. This pulls the cable flight 132 forwardly so as to rotate the pulley 124 and the door operating lever 108 in a counter-clockwise direction, so as to elevate the door 20 from the solid line position shown in Figure 2, to the rearward overhead position shown therein in phantom lines. At the same time, the secondary cable 204 is pulled forwardly so that the latch lever 178 is tilted rearwardly. Continued upward movement of the lever 108 results in engagement of the latch plate 194 with the cam surface 188 of the latch lever 178, so as to engage the hook 184 of the latch lever 176 over the upper edge 196 of the latch plate 194. At the same time, the upper yoke plate 192 engages the cam surface of the latch lever 178 and thereby maintains the latch lever 178 in the rearwardly tilted position mentioned, so that as the front wheels of the vehicle pass the front treadle assembly 56 and enter the garage, the door 20 is retained in the overhead phantom line position of Figure 2, by the engagement of thet hook 184 of the latch lever 176 over the upper edge 194 of the latch plate 194. When the vehicle is in the garage and its front wheels engage and depress the treadle bar 98 of the rear treadle assembly 58, the cable flight 134, which is operatively connected to the latch lever 176, is pulled rearwardly so as to tilt the latch lever 176 in a rearward, counterclockwise direction, so as to elevate the forward end thereof and disengage the hook 184 from the upper edge 196 of the latch plate 194 and enable the door 20 to descend gravitationally to itsclosed position 'behindthe vehicle.

This releases the latch lever 178 from the yoke plate 192 to be swung down to its normal horizontal position by the spring 182.

In order to elevate the door 20 from its closed position to enable backing the vehicle from the garage, the vehicle is backed up so that its front wheels engage and depress the treadle bar 98 and thereby pull the cable flight 134 rearwardly, so that the door 20 is elevated to the overhead phantom line position shown in Figure 2. Asthis occurs the secondary cable 202 is pulled rearwardly so that the latch lever 176 is tilted rearwardly in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 6, so that its cam surface 188 is engaged by the yoke plate 192 and is held out of action while the garage door 20is open. At the same time, the latch plate 194 engaged the cam surface 190 of the latch lever 178 and causes the hook 186 thereof to engage over the upper edge 196 of the latch plate 194, so that the door 20 isheld in its open overhead position. As the vehicle moves out of the garage its front wheels engage and depress the treadle bar 76 so that the secondary cable 204 is pulled rearwardly so as to tilt the latch lever 178 rearwardly in a counterclockwise direction, against the resistance of the spring 182, so as to disengage the hook 186 from the upper edge of the latch plate 194, so as to permit the door 20 to descend to its solid line closed position of Figure 2. The passage of the rear wheels of the vehicle, on entering the garage, overthe front treadle bar 76 has no effect upon the mechanism.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. 'In combination, a garage comprising sidewalls, a floor, a front wall having a door opening therein, a

driveway in front of said front wall, a door mounted to swing from a closed vertical position in the door opening to a rearward overhead open position, a door-operating lever assembly comprising a transverse shaft journalled on said floor behind the door, a pulley fixed on said shaft, a normally forwardly inclined lever having a lower end fixed on said shaft and an upper end operatively connected to the door, said lever having thereon a transverse latch plate and a yoke plate spaced thereabove, a latch assembly mounted on said floor behind said lever, said latch assembly comprising an upstanding housing, laterally spaced first and second latch levers pivoted on said housing, spring means normally depressing said latch levers, said latch levers having rear and forward ends, depending hooks on the forward ends of the latch levers having forwardly facing cam surfaces thereon, said latch plate having an upper edge, said lever being arranged to be swung rearwardly from its normally forwardly inclined position wherein said door is in its closed position toward a vertical position wherein said door is in a rearward overhead open position, a front treadle assembly on said driveway and spaced forwardly from the front wall of the garage, a rear treadle assembly in the garage and spaced rearwardly from said latch assembly, first operating connection means connected between said front treadle assembly and said pulley and said first and second latch levers for elevating said first latch lever and swinging the door operating lever rearwardly as the front treadle assembly is depressed by wheels of a vehicle, rearward-movement of the door operating lever producing engagement of the latch plate with the *cam surface of the second latch lever and engagement of its hook over the upper edge of the latch plate and retaining engagement of the yoke plate with the cam surface of the first latch lever in the elevated position thereof, whereby the door operating lever is retained'in its rearward vertical position, second operating connection' means connected between said rear treadle assembly, the pulley of the door operating assembly and said first and second latch levers for elevating said second latch lever so as to disengage its book from the upper edge of the latch plate as the rear treadle assembly is depressed by Wheels of a vehicle in the garage as the vehicle is backed outof the garage and thereby free the door operating lever to be swung downwardly toward its normal position by the weight of the door moving toward the closed position.

2. In combination, a garage comprising sidewalls, a floor, a front wall having a door opening therein, a driveway in front of said front wall, a door mounted to swing from a closed vertical position in the door opening to a rearward overhead open position, a door-operating lever assembly comprising a tranverse shaft journalled on said floor behind the door, a pulley fixed on said shaft, a normally forwardly inclined lever having a lower end fixed on said shaft and an upper end operatively connected to the door, said lever having thereon a transverse latch. plate and a yoke plate spaced thereabove, a latch assembly mounted on said floor behind said lever, said latch assembly comprising an upstanding housing, laterally spaced first and second latch levers pivoted on said hous ing, spring means normally depressing said latch levers, said latchlevers having rear and forward ends, depending hooks on the forward ends of the latch levers having forwardly facing cam surfaces thereon, said latch plate having an upper edge, said lever being arranged to be swung rearwardly from its normally forwardly inclined position wherein said door is in its closed position toward a vertical position wherein said door is in a rearward overhead open position, a front treadle assembly on said driveway and spaced forwardly from the front wall of the garage, a rear treadle assembly in the garage and spaced rearwardly from said latch assembly, first operating connection means connected between said front treadle assembly and said pulley and said first and second latch levers for elevating said first latch lever and swinging the door operating lever rearwardly as the front treadle assembly is depressed by wheels of a vehicle, rearward movement of the door operating lever producing engagement of the latch plate with the cam surface of the second latch lever and engagement of its hook over the upper edge of the latch plate and retaining engagement of the yoke plate with the cam surface of the first latch lever in the elevated position thereof, whereby the door operating lever is retained in its rearward vertical position, second operating connection means connected between said rear treadle assembly, the pulley of the door operating assembly and said first and second latch levers for elevating said second latch lever so as to disengage its hook from the upper edge of the latch plate as the rear treadle assembly is depressed by wheels of a vehicle in the garage as the vehicle is backed out of the garage and thereby free the door operating lever to be swung downwardly toward its normal position by the weight of the door moving toward the closed position, said front and rear treadle assemblies comprising transverse treadle bars, spring means yieldably holding said treadle bars in elevated positions above the driveway and the garage floor, said operating connection means comprising cables having flights connected to one end of the treadle bars and engaged around the pulley, some of the cable flights having terminal ends severally connected to the rear ends of the first and second latch levers.

3. In combination, a garage comprising sidewalls, a. floor, a front wall having a door opening therein, a driveway in front of said front wall, a door mounted to 7 swing from a closed vertical position in the door opening to a rearward overhead open position, a door-operating lever assembly comprising a transverse shaft journalled on said floor behind the door, a pulleyfixed on said shaft, a normally forwardly inclined lever having a lower end fixed on said shaft and an upper end operatively connected to the door, said lever having thereon a transverse latch plate and a yoke plate spaced thereabove, a latch assembly mounted on said floor behind said lever, said latch assembly comprising an upstanding housing, laterally spaced first and second latch levers pivoted on said housing, spring means normally depressing said latch levers, said latch levers having rear and forward ends, depending hooks on the forward ends of the latch levers having forwardly facing cam surfaces thereon, said latch plate having an upper edge, said lever being arranged to be swung rearwardly from its normally forwardly inclined position wherein said door is in its closed position toward a vertical positon wherein said door is in a rearward overhead open positi n, a front treadle assembly on said driveway and spaced forwardly from the front wall of the garage, a rear treadle assembly in the garage and spaced rearwardly from said latch assembly, first operating connection means connected between said front treadle assembly and said pulley and said first and second latch levers for elevating said first latch lever and swinging the door operating lever rearwardly as the front treadle assembly is depressed by wheels of a vehicle, rearward movement of the door operating lever producing engagement of the latch plate with the cam surface of the second latch lever and engagement of its hook over the upper edge of the latch plate and retaining engagement of the yoke plate with the cam surface of the first latch lever in the elevated position thereof, whereby the door operating lever is retained in its rearward vertical position, second operating connection means connected between said rear treadle assembly, the pulley of the door operating assembly and said first and second latch levers for elevating said second latch lever so as to disengage its hook from the upper edge of the latch plate as the rear treadle assembly is depressed by wheels of a vehicle in the garage as the vehicle is backed out of the garage and thereby free the door operating lever to be swung downwardly toward its normal position by the weight of the door moving toward the closed position, said front and rear treadle assemblies comprising transverse treadle bars, spring means yieldably holding said treadle bars in elevated positions above the driveway and the garage floor, said operating connection means comprising cables having flights connected to one end of the treadle bars and engaged around the pulley, some of the cable flights having terminal ends severally connected to the rear ends of the first and second latch levers, shock abs rbing contractile springs connecting said terminal ends to the rear ends of the latch bars, and other contractile springs connected in intermediate portions of the cable flights.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,234,341 Johnson July 24, 1917 2,543,506 Peters Feb. 27, 1951 2,554,729 Bass May 29, 1951

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