US2937044A

US2937044A - Non-sag latch means for overhead doors

Info

Publication number: US2937044A
Application number: US726413A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clement E Petitpas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-04-04
Filing date: 1958-04-04
Publication date: 1960-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 1977-05-17

Description

May 17, 1960 Filed April 4, 195a NON-SAG LATCH MEANS FOR OVERHEAD DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I, 25 Z '4' 4* z/ 22 I 0-- I 2- 176. 1. I I h l I f f x CLEMENT E. 257/ 73 ,45 7 INVENTOR.

5' AEQZ/ AND JESSZ/P,

47702/VEV5 5y W 426 May 17, 1960 c. E. PETITPAS NON-SAG LATCH MEANS FOR OVERHEAD DOORS Filed April 4, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Illl Ill/lllllllllI/l C'lEMFNT EFF/7, 345

INVENTOR. fiiez/AA/o JESS? flTI'OP/VE/S w 2,937,044 NON-SAG LATCH MEANS FOR OVERHEAD DOORS Clement E. Petitpas, Redondo Beach, Calif. Application April 4, 1958, Serial No. 726,413

13 Claims. (Cl. 292-99) This invention relates to doors'of the overhead retracting type, such as garage doors,'-andmore particularly relates to the latch means associated'therewith-for se-' V curing the door in overhead horizontal position.

. The object of the invention is to provide an improved 7 latch means for doors of theo verhead retracting type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a latch means for such type doors which 'is adapted to secure the door in its overhead horizontal position in such man ner as to prevent the door from sagging.

A further object of the invention is to provide a non-sag latch means for doors of the overhead retracting type.

Still another object is to provide'a releasable latch means for securing a door of the overhead retracting type in non-sag overhead horizontal position.

Other objects will be apparent as the invention is more fully hereinafter disclosed.

In accordance with these objects, I have devised an improved latch means for securing an overhead door of theretracting type in a non-sag overhead horizontal position, in which latch means a pin means mounted on the outer surface of the door engages a movable cam latch as the door approaches its overhead horizontal position which operates to lift the door out of sag position into non-sag position as the door reaches horizontal position and to releasably secure the door in said non-sag position. The cam latch is sustained in pinengaging position to be selectively adjustable from a low to an intermediate or to a high position to adapt the latch means for utility with doors having varying degrees of sag.

Before further disclosure of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings wherein one specific embodiment of the improved latch means of the present invention is illustrated by way of example but not by way of limitation.

In the drawings: 3

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevational view of a garage door of the overhead retracting type provided with the improved latch means of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevational view of I the upper end of the structure shown in Fig. 1 showing the illustrated. This type of door 'D is typical of the type door moved out of the vertical position of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the doorin horizontal overhead position with the non-sag latch means of the present invention engaging the door; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along plane 4 4 of Fig. 1.

'Referring to the drawings, a door D of the overhead commonly utilized as garage doors and in the instant specific embodiment the door D is to be construed as being of the size commonly known as the 2% door type. The

2,937,044 Pdtented May 17, iaeo part of the present invention except as being necessary and essential thereto.

The present invention relates to the latch means L and the cooperating pin means P, associated with the door D specific embodiment shown, this vertical alignment is at the approximate vertical center of the door D.

The pin means P is comprised of a double arm bracket 10'having'a pin 11 mounted between and on the arms thereof in determined spaced relation to the door D with its' pin axis disposed in a horizontal plane parallel to the outer surface of the door D. The pin 11 is mounted at a horizontal level adapted to provide for the engagement of the pin 11 by the hook end 20 of the latch means L as'the door D is lifted fromthe vertical position shown in Fig. l to a near-horizontal overhead position. Upon engagement of the pin 11 with the hook end 2001? the latch means L, the slide cam 21 from which the hook end 20 depends is moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3 in which latter position the door D is movably secured or latched into a nonsag horizontal position.

Referring to the latch means L, this means comprises a bracket 31 having a bracket arm 30 mounted thereon 'on which bracket arm is mounted a slide cam 21 from which depends the hook end 20. V

The slide cam 21 is mounted on the bracket arm 30 in such manner as to be movable in the direction of door movement from a low position when the door is in its verticalposition to a high position when the door is in I the specific embodiment shown the bracket arm 30 is comprised of a substantially triangular steel plate having two sides disposed at right angles to each other; The shorter side is secured to the bracket 31 with the longer side uppermost and with the bracket arm 30 sustained vertically at the approximate vertical center of the door. The trackway for the slide cam 21 is provided in the arm 30 by means of the slot 22 formed in the bracket arm 30 in parallel spaced relation to the angularside thereof.

The slide cam 21 is comprised of a pair of steel plates (21a- -21b, Fig. 4) also substantially triangular in shape, secured together in parallel spaced relationship by means of

rollers

23, 24 and 40. The

rollers

23 and 24 engage; the trackway provided by the slot 22 and dependingly sus- '.tain the cam 21 on the trackway for sliding movement therealong in both directions. N a

A latch means comprising a notch 9r transverse groove 26 adjacent the uppe'f'end of the 'trackwayi22 als'o'iis provided, into'which the roller 23 passes as the cam 21 reaches high position, as shown in Fig. 3, to thereby dependingly sustain the door D in non-sag position.

door D and the means R associated therewith are not a.

Roller 40, mounted on the hook end 20 of the slide cam 21, is a star-type roller and has a dual purpose, 'As indicated in Fig. 1, the latch means L is mounted in such a position ,as to permit the hook end 20 of theslide position. The engagement of the hook-end 20 by the pin slide cam 21 must be so mounted on the trackway of slot '22 as to be free to assume thereon three different positions. 7 c

In the position indicated in Fig. 1, the normal first or the axis of the roller 24 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1 upon the return movement of the door D to vertical position. This is provided for in the specific embodiment by providing the lower end of the slot 22 with an upwardly-extending reversing slot portion 25 into which the roller 23 is free to move as the upper edge of the door D engages the hook end 20 in the return movement of the door, while the cam 21 pivots about the axis ofthe roller 24.

In the reverse movement of the door D to horizontal position, the cam 21 reversely pivots about the a'xisof the roller 24 as the cam 21 gravitationally returns to full depending position when the door D returns to the position shown in Fig. 2.

After the pin 11 is engaged in the hook end 20 of the cam 21, the eccentric positioning of the hook end 20 on the cam 21 pivots the cam 21 about the axis of roller 23 raising the roller 24 into contact with the track way provided by the upper edge of the slot 22. In this pivoted position, the weight of the door D is dependingly carried by the cam 21 as the cam 21 is moved upwardly to a position bringing the roller 23 into the notch or transverse groove 26. In other words, the cam 21 has an uplift effect as it moves up the slot 22, under the influence of inward movement of door D. Entrance of the roller 23 into the latch groove 26 effectively latches the door D in horizontal position as the sag weight of the door D holds the cam 21 in seated position in the groove 26, requiring a determined'downward pull on the bottom of the door D to lift the roller 23 out of groove 26 engagement over the rounded shoulder 27 to release the roller 23 from latch groove 26.

To adapt the latch means L for utility with doors having varying degrees of sag, the arm 30 is provided with means comprising bolts 3536 and cooperating aligned openings in bracket 31 and bracket arm 30 to vary the horizontal level of the hook endZtl.

In this means the lower bolt 35 functions as the pivot point for the arm 30 and the upper bolt 36 engages one of the arcuately spaced

openings

37, 38, '39 in'the arm 30. When the bolt 36 engages the opening 37, the arm 30is mounted in its lowest position with the hook end 20 at its lowest horizontal leveL. When the bolt 36 engages opening 39, the arm 30 is mounted in its highest position with the hook end 20 at its highest horizontal level. When the bolt 36 engages the intermediate opening 38, the hook end 20 isdisposed at an intermediate horizontal level. The spacing between the

openings

37, 38 and 39 is selected to provide fora relatively wide range of sag conditions encountered, and the total number of said openings may be increased if desired without essential departure from the invention.

From the drawings it is believed apparent that in operation the non-sag latch means L of the present invention operates substantially as follows:

When the door D is moved upwardly out of the vertical position shown in Fig. 1 by means ofyhandle 50 to the position shown in Fig. 2, the slide cam 21 falls gravitationally from the rest position shown in Fig. 1 to the pin-engaging position shown in Fig. 2 bringing the hookend 20 into a position to engage the pinll of the bracket as the door D approaches its overhead horizontal rest posiiton, the cam 21 must be free to pivot about characteristics for the purpose in view, as is also the slide cam 21. It is preferred to comprise the slide cam 21 of is so located therein to provide for this as the door D reaches full horizontal position. The weight of the door D on the cam 21 secures the door D in full horizontal position until a downward vpressure is applied to the bottom end of the door D sufiicient to lift the roller 23 out of groove-engaging position'and over the rounded shoulder or lip 27' back onto the inclined trackway provided by the slot 22. The door D then can be returned to first (door closure) position by the retracting means R normally provided. When returned to closure position the latch means L assumesthe position shown in Fig. 1 wherein the lower roller 23 passes into the reentrance portion 25 of the slot 22 thereby permitting the star roller 40 of the hook-end 20 of the slide cam 21 to lift upwardly and to rest upon the plate 41.

Bracket 31 and bracket arm 30 are each comprised of heavy steel plate material having the required strength two spaced plates 21a21 b, substantially as indicated in Fig. 4, with the rollers 23-24 maintained therebetween by means of bolts 505tl.' Various alternative arrangements may be employed, however, without essential de parture from the invention, as one skilled in the art will perceive.

Having hereinabove disclosed the present invention generically and specifically and having described and illustrated one specific embodiment thereof, it is believed that many modifications, changes and departures may be made therein without essential departure therefrom, and all such are contemplated as may fall within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1; In overhead doors of the retracting type, a latch means for securing the door in a non-sag overhead horizontal position, said latch means comprising a sliding up lift cam provided with a hook end, means sustaining the sliding uplift cam in a position above the horizontal level of the door when in overhead position with the hook end thereof in a position to be engaged by a pin means mounted on the exterior surface of the door as the door. approaches its overhead horizontal position, thereby to actuate the sliding uplift cam from a low to a high position as the door reaches overhead horizontal position, and a releasable latch means retaining the cam in said high po sition, said high position of said cam dependently sustaining the door by said hook end in a non-sag position.

2. The latch means of claim 1 wherein said sliding uplift cam comprises a plate member provided with spacedapart rollers and wherein said rollers are mounted on an upwardly-inclined trackway, and, wherein said trackway is sustained at a horizontal level above the said door when in overhead horizontal position with the upward incline of the trackway extending in the direction of door movemounted in a bracket arm extending from a bracket secured to the door header.

4. The latch means of claim 3, said bracket arm being vertically adjustable to vary the position of said hook end.

5. In combination with a door of the overhead retracting type, an overhead latch means for securing'the door in non-sag overhead horizontal position, said latch means comprising a hook-ended vertical uplift cam, means sustaining the cam in aposition above the-door when in its overhead position for its hook end to be engaged by a pin 'means disposed on the outer surface of the door as the door approaches said overhead position to thereby engage the cam to movethe cam from a low position to a vertically higher'positionas the door reaches said overhead position, and means at said higher position to secure the cam in non-sagposition, said securing means being releasable by the return movement of the door out of its horizontal position to a vertical position.

6. The combination of claim 5, said means sustaining the said cam comprising a bracket mounted above the door, a bracket arm extending horizontally therefrom, an inclined trackway for said cam, spaced roller means on said cam and engaging said trackway, the incline of said trackway being upward in the direction of door movement to overhead position, and wherein said means to secure the said cam in said higher position eomprises'a transverse groove in said trackway adjacent its upper end adapted to seat one of the said rollers therein. 2

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein means is provided at the lower end of said trackway for the lower said roller to be displaced vertically upwardly thereby to lift the cam and hook end thereon to a horizontal level at which the said hook end rests upon the top of the said door when it is in its vertical position.

8. A vertical uplift cam means, said cam means comprising a bracket, a bracket arm thereon and means to mount the bracket with the bracket arm extending therefrom in a horizontal plane, a vertically-inclined trackway on said bracket arm, a cam, roller means mounting the cam to be movable along the trackway, and a hook arm depending from said cam in a position 'to be engaged by a hook end engaging-means on an object being moved in the direction of said trackway at a horizontal'level below said trackway when said cam is located at the lower end of said trackway, thereby to dependingly sustain the said object therefrom at the upper end of said trackway at a higher horizontal level.

9. The cam means of claim 8, a transverse groove in said trackway adjacent the upper end thereof adapted to receive and seat the said roller means movably therein.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein said bracket arm comprises a substantially triangular plate member having two sides substantially at right angles to each other, means sustaining the plate member in a vertical plane with the third side downward, a slot extending along and in spaced relation to said third side, and providing a trackway for said cam.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said cam comprises a pair of plate members, a pair of rollers and means securing the two plates together in parallel spaced relationship with the said rollers therebetween in spaced relation adjacent one end of the plate and with the said rollers engaging the said trackway to dependingly sustain the cam therefrom, a hook end on the depending end of said plates, said hook end being provided with a roller means.

12. The combination of claim 11, said lashmentioned roller means comprising a star roller.

13. The combination of claim 10, said slot being provided at its lower end with a vertical reversing slot 'ofifset.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,579,621 Smith Dec. 25, 1951 2,660,765 Carlson Dec. 1, 1953 2,703,247 Wolf et al. Mar..1, 1955 2,770,005 Smith Nov. 13, 1956 2,807,460 Guimont Sept. 24, 1957 2,828,992 Palhegyi -2 Am. 1. 1958