US3097842A - Bi-parting doors for track port - Google Patents

Description

BI-PARTING DOORS FOR TRACK PORT Filed Nov. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS July 16, 1963 ODEND'HAL 3,097,842

BI-PARTING DOORS FOR' TRACK PORT Filed Nov. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 Q INVENTOR F Ode/ 2d Izal ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,097,842 BI-PARTING DOORS FOR TRACK PORT Fortune Odendhal, Hagerstown, Md., assignor to Jamison Cold Storage Door Company, Hagerstown, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Nov. 5, 1957, Ser- No. 694,552 4 Claims. (Cl. 268-14) This invention rel-ates to an improved arrangement of bi-parting doors for a track port. Such a device is of value in connection with doors for walk-in cold storage compartments where an overhead track is provided to carry suspended goods, for example, sides of meat, through the doorway and into the cold storage compartment. Separate closures can be provided tor the port around the overhead track. Reference is made to prior Patents Nos. 2,208,309 and 2,465,650 for typical arrangements by which closures on the port are provided for operation jointly with the main swinging door of the cold storage compartment.

The present-invention provides an improved facility by which the trolley from which the goods are suspended actuates the doors of the port to move them out of the path of the trolley as the latter passes over the entrance portion of the track, after which the doors close without further attention.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide biparting doors for the track port which normally rest in closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide means by which the doors are clamped to the outer wall of the cold storage compartment and thus seal the latter around the port.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved linkage by which the doors are suspended in place for tree movement into opening position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved suspension 'for the individual doors in the nature of a ballistic pendulum, thus maintaining the doors in suspended position substantially vertical during operation.

Among the objects of the invention is the arrangement of the linkage tor suspending the doors so that they diverge slightly toward the bottom and thus increase the clearance around the track for the trolleys.

The invention also has for an object the suspension of the doors from a point outside the diagonal from the upper inner corner to the outer lower corner so that greater pressure will be applied to seal the upper and outer edges of the doors.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred form of the invention as illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the bi-parting doors in closed position over the track port;

FIG. 2 is -a side elevation of the same partly in section on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the particular method of sealing a door in closed position.

Briefly speaking, the invention consists in providing a pair of laterally sliding doors which fit over the track port in the wall of the cold storage compartment above the entrance door. Each of the doors is suspended by parallel linkage in a vertical plane slightly forward of the front wall of the compartment. The main swinging door is adapted to bring the doors of the port into sealing contact with the compartment wall during the closing operation of the said main door.

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The pair of doors swing apart by reason of curved tenders or guides which are moved by the trolley on the track as it passes through the port.

On the drawings the compartment is indicated as having a front wall '6. A swinging door 7 closes the main doorway in the usual manner. Above the main doorway is a port 8 through which a horizontal trolley track 9 passes. This track 9 supports a trolley 10 having a supporting roller 11.

A horizontal supporting bracket 12 is attached to the compartment wall 6 above the port 8. A pair of sliding doors -13, 14 fit over the port 8 and meet vertically in the center in the plane of the track 9. A sealing strip 15 surrounds the edge of each door 13 and 14- where the latter normally contact each other and the front wall 6. This sealing strip 15 is resilient or flexible to insure tightness. The sealing member also extends vertically over the contiguous edges of the door so that the port is sealed closely around the track 9.

. Means are provided for suspending each door individually from the bracket 12. Each door has an inner link 16 loosely pivoted at 18 on its upper end to a depending flange 17 of the bracket 12. The link 16 is likewise loosely pivoted at 19 in the center of the door practically below the pivot 18. A second link 20 is pivoted at 21 on the flange 17 outwardly from pivot 18.

The link 20 is substantially parallel with the link 16 and is correspondingly pivoted to the door 14 at 22 opposite the pivot 19. However, the link 20 is longer than the link 16 and extends slightly below the bottom of the door 14.

The companion door 13 also has an inner link 23 and an outer link 24 pivoted loosely to theflange 17 in the manner already described. The links 23 and 24 are likewise pivoted at 25 and 26 respectively to the mid-portion of the door 13.

In order to cause the doors to spread open more opposite the track 9 than at the top and thus afiord greater clearance for the trolley, several arrangements are possible. Preferably the distance between the pivots 19 and 22 is greater than the distance between pivots 18 and 21.

Similarly the same result is attained by raising outer pivots 22 and 26 relatively to inner pivots 19 and 25 or by lowering outer pivots 21, 21 on the flange 17 relative to the inner pivots 18, 18.

A tender or guide 27 is mounted on the face of the door 13, preferably by means of the same bolts 28, 28, which form part of the pivots 25 and 26.

The front end of the guide 27 has an outwardly curved end 29 as shown in FIG. 3.

Door 114 is also provided with a guide 30 having an outwardly curved end 31 symmetrical to the curved end 29.

It will be readily understood when the trolley or carrier 10 is advanced over the track 9 between the ends 29 and 31, the latter are spread apart and will also separate the doors 13 and 14 to the extent that the trolley and its roller 11 are permitted to pass through the doorway.

Due to the particular arrangement of the lengths of the links or the positions of the respective pivots, the inner edges of the door diverge in opening so that the greatest separation occurs at the bottom opposite the track 9.

Similar inner guides 32 and 33 are also provided on the doors 13 and :14. These guides are in contact to a point within the inner plane of the doors at which point they diverge. Thus, the doors are operated by the trolley in its movement both inwardly and outwardly.

FIGURE 1 shows that the separating movement for the doors 13 and 14 raises them slightly out of the position occupied when closed. Thus gravity will tend to return the doors to closed position.

However, it may be found desirable to insure the closing movement by providing a coil spring 34 attached by pins 35 and 36 to links 16 and 23 respectively, by which means the bi-parting of the doors by the guides 32 and 33 is resisted and the doors brought back into closed position as soon as the trolley has passed.

As will be seen more clearly in FIGURE 2, when the door 7 is open, the links 20 and 24 hang vertically as shown in dotted lines with the doors 13 and 14 in loose sliding contact or even separated from the wall 6.

The upper edge of the door 7 is provided with a bracket 37 which has a flange 38. This flange comes in contact With the lower ends of the outer links 20 and 24- when the door 7 is closed. The operation of closing the door 7 bends the lower ends of the links 20 and 24 as shown in full lines in FIGURE 2 so that the sealing member 15 on the doors are brought in close contact with the front wall 6.

Thus, the doors 13 and 14 are prevented by the resilient pressure of links 20 and 24 from inadvertent separation from the Wall 6 so long as the door 7 is closed.

The above structure provides an effective and economical apparatus for insuring closure of the ports along a trolley track. Depending upon opening the main door 7, the doors 13 and 14- are released from the sealing engagement. The trolley 10 may therefore roll between the curved ends 29 and 31 of the guide. This action rocks each door 13 and .14 outwardly and upwardly into the position shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 1.

After passage of the trolley, the doors 13 and 14 will rock back into closed position either by gravity alone or through the added influence of spring 34.

While the preferred form of this invention has been illustrated and described, numerous changes in materials, forms and minor arrangements are possible without departing from the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a door frame having a track port, a main door for the door frame, a track in the port above the door, a bracket extending forwardly from the frame above the port, an auxiliary laterally swinging door on each side of the track, a pair of substantially parallel pivotal links suspending each auxiliary door from the front edge of the bracket, the outer link of each pair extending to a point on the bottom of each auxiliary door, resilient means connecting the inner links of each pair, and a flange on the main door for engaging and deflecting the end of each outer link when the auxiliary doors are closed.

2. In combination with a door frame having a track port, a main door for the door frame, a track in the port above the door, a bracket extending forwardly from the frame above the port, an auxiliary laterally swinging door on each side of the track, a pair of substantially parallel links pivoted from the front edge of the bracket above each auxiliary door, said links being pivoted to the auxiliary doors, and means on the main door for engaging and deflecting certain of the links to press each closed auxiliary door against the door frame.

3. In combination, a bracket, two pairs of spaced substantially parallel links suspended from the front edge of the bracket, a door pivotally supported from each pair of links, the outer links of each pair having depending free ends extended to the bottom of said doors for engagement with deflecting means.

4. In combination, a bracket, two pairs of spaced inner and outer pivots on the bracket, a laterally swinging door beneath each pair of pivots, inner and outer pivots on each door, said last named inner and outer pivots being more widely spaced apart than are the pivots on the bracket, and links connecting each pivot on the bracket with the corresponding pivot on the adjacent door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. 3. IN COMBINATION A BRACKET, TWO PAIRS OF SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LINKS SUSPENDED FROM THE FRONT EDGE OF THE BRACKET, A DOOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED FROM EACH PAIR OF LINKS, THE OUTER LINKS OF EACH PAIR HAVING DEPENDING FREE ENDS EXTENDING TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID DOORS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH DEFLECTING MEANS.

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