US3334681A

US3334681A - Upwardly acting doors

Info

Publication number: US3334681A
Application number: US380426A
Authority: US
Inventors: Flay D Crosswell
Original assignee: Overhead Door Corp
Current assignee: Overhead Door Corp
Priority date: 1964-07-06
Filing date: 1964-07-06
Publication date: 1967-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 1984-08-08

Description

Aug- 8, 1957 F. D, cRosswl-:LL 3,334,681

UPWARDLY ACTING DOORS Filed July e, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IL Y r' f 'I 7' .5 r l 7'- 7 47 2 INVENTOR 7770 7. (fawn/e# 57j 71 E 7J. BY 7 Y @www ATTORN-EY.

Aug. 8, 1967 F. D. cRosswELl.

UPWARDLY ACTING DOORS 3 Sheets-sheet z Filed July e, 1964 INVENTOR. .7V/Uy 0. (mnu/@ BY ATTORNEY.

Aug. 8, 1967 F. D. cRosswELL UPWARDLY ACTING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 6, 1964 INVENTOR. /O C/owu/d/ BY@ ATTOR N E Y.

United States Patent O 3,334,681 UPWARDLY ACTING DOORS Flay D. Crosswell, Marion, Ohio, assignor to Overhead Door Corporation, Hartford City, Ind. Filed July 6, 1964, Ser. No. 380,426 13 Claims. (Cl. 160-40) 'Ihis application is a continuation-impart of United States patent application Ser. No. 135,988, led Sept. 5, 1961, now Patent No. 3,198,242, entitled, lUpwardly Acting Door and Seal Means Therefor.

This invention relates to upwardly acting doors.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide an upwardly acting door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected sections and which presents a substantially smooth inner surface when the door is in closed position.

Second, to provide an upwardly :actin-g door having the above characteristics in which the joints between the sections are effectively sealed when the door is in closed position.

Third, to provide a door assembly in which the track engaging rollers are mounted at the ends of the sections yand closely adjacent to the hinge connections therefor.

Fourth, to provide means for connecting a counterbalancing cable to the door without removing the door from its supporting and guiding tracks.

Fifth, to provide a coupling connection for a counterbalancing cable to an upwardly acting door which minimizes the stress on the cable at the point of its connection to the door.

Objects relating to details and economies of the inven- Ation will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary inside elevational view of an upwardly acting door comprising -a plurality of sections embodying my invention, a fragment of the track at one end of the closure being conventionally shown.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the relationship of the sections to a track, a portion only of the jamb being shown.

FIG. 3 is yan enlarged fragmentary view partially in section on a line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical view partially in section on a line corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in vertical section on a line corresponding to line 5-5 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the relationship of adjacent sections and the hinge connections therefor and the support for the track engaging rollers.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary View in section on a line corresponding to line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end elevational view illustrating the bottom portion of the door in closed position rela- ,tive to the sill, which is conventionally shown, and illus- `pair in tilted relation to the other, -and illustrating strucice tu-ral details of the adjacent edges of the sections and the seal therefor.

I have illustrated a commercial embodiment of my invention in an upwardly acting door comprising a plurality of sections. Structures embodying my invention are particularly desirable where it is important that there should be no parts projecting inwardly to any substantial extent from the inner side of the closure for use, for example, in enclosed trucks, trailers, railway cars and the like Where contents are likely to shift into engagement with the closure, and further where effective sealing of the sections in relation to each other and to the jamb or frame is an important factor, and in that connection a door which requires little elfort in opening and closing.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated comprises a plurality of sections including top section 1, bottom section 2, and intermediate sections 3. These are substantial duplicates so far as their meeting edges are concerned and therefore I have only illustrated in detail the relationship of a pair of the sections. The closure is slidably mounted on rails designated generally by the numeral 4 with which the rollers 5 coact.

A door jamb 6 is conventionally illustrated in FIG. 2, but a cross section thereof is illustrated in FIG. 4 with the track 4 mounted thereon and with which the rollers 5 coact. A sill is conventionally illust-rated at 7, see FIGS. l and 8. A portion of a wall is illustrated at 8 in FIG. 4. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the door sections comprise body members 9, inner sheet metal facing panels 10, and outer panels 11. The body members 9 may be of different stock or materials, multiply stock or insulating materials. These body members have upwardly projecting longitudinally extending tapered rib-like portions 12 on their upper edges and cooperating downwardly facing longitudinal grooves 13 on their lower edges, these parts being designed so that they nest when the sections are in closed position, as is illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 11.

It will be noted that there are shoulder-

like portions

14 and 15 on the outer sides of the ribs and grooves. Resilient seal members 16 are mounted on the shoulders 15, these being provided with upwardly projecting longitudinally extending flanges 17, see FIG. 11. These flanges lare such that they are readily collapsed when the sections are in closed position (see FIG. 5) and insure effective sealing.

The connecting hinges for the closure sections are of l the leaf type comprising leaves 18, coacting knuckles 19,

and pivots 20. The inner panels 10 have recesses 21 therein adapted to desirably littingly receive the hinge leaves, as is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. It will be understood that Where closures are of a substantial width it is desirable to provide intermediate hinges as well as hinges adjacent the edges of the door, as is illustrated4 in FIG. 1. These hinge leaves are iixedly secured to the closure sections as by means of the screws 22.

In the embodiment illustrated, the spindles 23 of the rollers 5 are supportedly engaged with and carried by the spindle support members 24 disposed in recesses 25 which open at the ends of the sections and desirably also at the inner edges thereof for convenience in manufacturing and assembling. These recesses 25 are overlapped and closed by one of the hinge leaves. The recesses are of noncircular cross section and the members 24 have parallel top and bottom sides and are ttingly engaged in the recesses, as is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7. These spindle support members have attaching flanges 26 which are disposed in lapping relation to the ends of the sections and secured thereto as by means of the screws 27.

The spindles 23 are provided with shoulders 28 which about or are in thrust engagement with the outer ends of the bearings. The rollers 5 being in engagement 3 with the track as illustrated in FIG. 4 effectively prevent lateral shifting or edgewise shifting of the door as it is opened or closed, or subjected to racking stresses in use in a motor vehicle, for example.

If desired, the spindles for the rollers may be nonrotatably engafed in the spindle support members 24 and the rollers rotatably mounted on the spindles. However, both forms of track engaging rollers are old in the art but the shoulders on the outer end of the spindle disposed in thrust engagement wtih the outer end of the spindle bearing member is an important and novel feature of this invention.

In the accompanyinqg drawing the spring actuated counterbalance means is designated by the numeral 29. The cable 30 is desirably of twisted wire and is wound upon the drum 31 and connected to the bottom door section 2 by anchoring means illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. This particular cable anchoring means has the advantage of minimizing stress upon the cable and also facilitates connecting the cable to the door in installing and in the event the cable should be broken.

The means for connecting the cable to the door includes the combined spindle support bracket and cable anchoring member designated generally by the numeral 32 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) and includes the anchoring plate 33 provided with holes to receive screws 34. This member 32 has an inwardly projecting bearing 35 disposed in the bore 36 provided therefor. There is also a bore 37 which is adapted to receive the coupling socket 38 for the coupling pin 39 of the cable anchoring member 40 so that this member 40 is swingable transversely of the door section, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 8, thereby permitting coupling engagement of the cable and relieving the cable of any twisting or kinking stress as the door is opened and closed.

The coupling member 40 is provided with an inwardly projecting lug 41 and has a keyhole slot 42 therein through which the cable may be inserted or removed, the cable being provided with an anchoring collar 43 on its lower end.

The jamb seal 44 designated generally by the numeral 44 is mounted on the frame 6 so that the door is in engagement with the yieldabl'e seal portion 45 when the door is in closed position, as indicated in FIG. 4. This is not described in detail as it forms no part of my present invention.

A seal unit designated by the numeral 46 is disposed on and supportedly connected to the bottom door section as illustrated in FIG. 8. This coacts under sealing cornpression stress with the sill when the door is in closed position. The guard member 47 is a strip of flexibly resilient material and extends from edge to edge of the bottom section at the outer side of the sill seal unit with its lower edge in engagement with the sill when the door is in fully lclosed position. This prevents the entrance of water or forming of ice which might adhere the seal member 46 to the sill and result in its being fractured when the door is opened. This guard member is desirably of flexible resilient material so While stiff enough to maintain its position yet it yields when subjected to stress.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly desirable embodiment. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other adaptations as it is believed this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to ernbody or adapt the invention as may be desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination in an upwardly acting door including a plurality of sections, the sections comprising form retaining body members having inner facing panels lixedly connected thereto, leaf` hinges connecting said sections, the said inner panels having openings therein in which the leaves of said hinges are disposed, a resilient seal member mounted on the edge and extending longitudinally of one of said sections and of such thickness that it is compressedly engaged between the adjacent edges of sections when the sections are in closed relation to each other, the body member of one of the sections having a spindle support member receiving slot therein opening at the inner side thereof and positioned so that it is covered by the hinge leaf attached thereto, a spindle support member having a noncircular portion supportedly fitting within said slot and having an attaching flange at its outer end secured to the end of the section, and a track engaging roller having a spindle disposed in said spindle support member.

2. The combination in an upwardly acting door including a plurality -of sections, the sections comprising form retaining body members having inner sheet metal facing panels xedly connected thereto, leaf hinges connecting said sections, the said inner panels having openings therein in which the leaves of said hinges are disposed, the adjacent edges of said body members having recesses, said hinges having inwardly projecting knuckle portions received into said recesses, the body member of one of the sections having a spindle support member receiving recess therein, a spindle support member having a noncircular portion supportedly fitting within said re.- cess and having an attaching ange at its outer end engaged with and secured to the end of the section, and a track engaging roller having a spindle disposed in said spindle support member, there being a shoulder at the outer end of said spindle disposed in thrust bearing engagement with the outer end of said spindle support member.

3. The combination in `an upwardly acting door in cluding a plurality of sections, the sections comprising form retaining lbody members having inner facing panels ixedly connected to the inner sides thereof, leaf hinges connecting said sections, the said vinner panels having openings therein in which the leaves of said hinges are disposed, the body member of one of the sections having a spindle support member receiving sl-ot therein opening at the inner side thereof and positioned so that it is coveredby the hinge leaf attached to the lower section, a spindle support member having a noncircular portion supportedly and non rotatably fitting within said slot and having an attaching ange at its router end engaged with and secured to the end of the section, and a track engaging roller having a spindle disposed in said `spindle Isupport member.

4. The combination in an upwardly acting door including a plurality of sections, the sections comprising form retaining body members having inner sheet metal facing panels fiXedly connected to the inner side thereof, leaf hinges connecting said sections, the said inner panels having openings therein in which the leaves of said hinges are disposed, the adjacent edges of said body members having recesses, said hinges having inwardly projecting knuckle portions received into said recesses, the body member of one of the sections having a spindle support member receiving recess therein, a spindle support member having a noncircular portion supportedly fitting within said recess and having an attaching flange at its outer end engaged with and secured to the end of the section, and a track engaging roller having a spindle disposed in said spindle support member.

5. The combination in an upwardly acting door including a plurality of sections, the sections comprising form retaining body members having inner facing panels iixedly connected to the inner sides of said body members, leaf hinges connecting said sections, the said inner panels having openings therein in which the leaves of said hinges are disposed, the body member of one of the sections having a slot-like spindle support member receiving lrecess therein opening at the inner side thereof and positioned so that it is closed by the hinge leaf attached to the lower section, a spindle support member having a noncircular portion supportedly fitting within said recess and having an attaching ange at its outer end engaged with and secured to the end of the section, and a track engaging roller having a spindle disposed in said spindle support member.

6. The combination in an upwardly acting door including a track, a plurality of hingedly connected sections, one of an adjacent pair of sections having a spindle support receiving recess extending from and opening at the inner side of the section to an end edge thereof and having parallel top and bottom walls, said recess being positioned so that it is covered by the hinge leaf attached to said one of said pair of sections a spindle support member having parallel top and bottom surfaces iittingly engaged with the top and bottom surfaces of said recess and having attaching ange portions at its outer end projecting above and below said recess, said flange portions being Iixedly secured to the end of the section above and below said recess and constituting a reinforcing means for the portion of said section above said recess therein, and a track engaging roller provided with a spindle disposed in said spindle support member and provided with an inwardly facing shoulder in coacting relation with the outer side of said spindle support member.

7. The combination in an upwardly acting door including a track, a plurality of sections connected by hinge means, the lower of an adjacent pair of sections having a spindle support receiving recess extending inwardly from the end edge and one side edge thereof and having substantially parallel top and bottom walls, a spindle support member having substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces supportedly engaged with the top and bottom walls of said recess and having an attaching ange on its outer end projecting above and below said recess, attaching means for said support member engaging said iiange above and below said recess, a part of said hinge means covering said side edge of said recess and a track engaging roller provided with a spindle supportedly disposed in said spindle support member.

8. The structure deiined in claim 6 including adjacent edges of said sections being recessed to receive the inwardly projecting portions of the knuckles of said hinge.

9. The structure defined in claim 6 wherein one of an adjacent pair of sections comprises along an edge thereof longitudinally extending rib means projecting outwardly from said edge of said one section, the adjacent section having along an edge thereof correspondingly shaped groove means adapted to receive said rib means.

10. The structure deiined in claim 9 wherein said rib means and said groove means comprise one rib and one groove substantially centrally positioned on said edges of said adjacent pairs of sections so that shoulder-like portions are formed on the inner and outer edges of the said sections.

11. The structure defined in claim 6 including a resilient seal member mounted on yone of said sections, said seal member having a thickness that is compressedly engaged between the adjacent edges of said rib sections.

12. The structure defined in claim 6 wherein said sections comprise a form retaining body member having inner facing panels iixedly connected thereto.

13. The structure defined in claim 12 wherein said panels have openings therein into which said leaves of said hinges are disposed so that said leaf portions of said hinges are flush with the side of said section.

References Cited UNITEDv STATES PATENTS 7/ 1930 Great Britain.

DAVID I. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSLEY, Examiner.

Claims

7. THE COMBINATION IN AN UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR INCLUDING A TRACK, A PLURALITY OF SECTIONS CONNECTED BY HINGE MEANS, THE LOWER OF AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SECTIONS HAVING A SPINDLE SUPPORT RECEIVING RECESS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE END EDGE AND ONE SIDE EDGE THEREOF AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS, A SPINDLE SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TOP AND BOTTOM SURFACES SUPPORTEDLY ENGAGED WITH THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS OF SAID RECESS AND HAVING AN ATTACHING FLANGE ON