US1251724A - Mechanism for automatically operating doors. - Google Patents

Description

R. WRIGHT.

MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATICALLY UPERAIING DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED IIIIIE Ia. IsI I.

1,251,724. Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l. I

R. WRIGHT.

MECHANISM FOR AUTQMATICALLY OPERATING DOORS. APPLlcmoN r|Lo1uNE13.19 17.

2 SHEETS-'SHEET 2.

1,251,724. v Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

KWK WmGHT UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

m WRIGHT, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM M. KING,

' OF OMAHA, NEBBASKA.

lMEG-HANISE FOB AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING DOORS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

. Application illed June 13, 1917. Serial No. 174,578.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, RINK WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha,

in the county of Douglas and State of Ne'- v braska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Automatically Operating Doors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improved mechanism for automatically operating doors, and has for its primary object to provide simple and positively operating means for opening and Closing the door of a garage or similar structure upon the entrance or egress of an automobile or other vehicle to or from the same.

It is another object of my invention to provide in A combination with a vertically movable door and supporting trackways therefor, endless chains connected to one end of the door to move the same toits open and closed positions, and means for actuating said chains including friction operated rollers driven by the rear wheels of the vehicle It is also another important object of the invention to provided a mechanism for the above purpose, which is relatively simple in its construction and arrangement and may be readily installed in the building or garage at comparatively small cost.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view, the door being in partly open position;

Fig. 2 is al vertical section through one of the door jambe, the door being in its closed position;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the mounting of the friction rollers.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designated the vertical door jambs secured in the structure at opposite sides of the door opening 'in any suitable manner. These jambs may be either of metal or wood, and to the inner face of each jamb, parallel ver- 'tical guide cleats 6 are secured. A block 7 is also fixed to the inner face of each j amb at its upper end, and extends inwardly from the outer cleat 6. To this block and to thev Patented Jan. 1,1918. i

upper end of the inner guide cleat 6, the I outer end of a metal track 8 is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured. This track is in theform of a single metal core bent upon itself to provide spaced parallel portions. The

lower edge of the block 7 is obliquely inclined and spaced from the end of the inner cleat 6, whereby an inclined channel 9 is formed, said channels constituting 'a' continuation of the track 8 and the guideway formed by the spaced cleats 6. The inner ends of the metal tracks 8 are supported by the hangers 10 which are suitably secured to the ceiling beams, said hangers being also connected to each other at their-"inner ends spring 16 is attached, the upper ends of said springs being suitably secured to the outer sides of the j amb. These springs normally act by contractile force to pull the door upwardlv between the ambs 5.

17 designates spaced parallel floor beams which extend between the jambs 5 and beneath the iioor surface both interiorly and exteriorly of the door opening. Alshaft 18 is rotatably mounted in these beams and in the lower ends of the jambs 5. Sprockets 19 are fixed upon the extremities of this shaft and connected by the endless chains20 to similar sprockets 21 mounted upon the outer side faces of the jambs 5 at their upper ends. One stretch of each chain is suitably attached, as at 22, to one of the roller trunnions 14.

In the parallel beams 17 and at each end' l i thereof, the spaced parallel shafts 23 and 24 respectively are journaled. Spaced roll- 100 .ers25 of wood or other friction material are ixed upon each of these shafts. The shafts 23 and 24 are connected by an endless chain 26 ltraversing sprockets 27 and 28 respecwill be understood` that the concrete or other 110 tively, secured upon said shafts. An addi- Hooringmaterial entirelycoversthe beams 17, the shafts 23 and 24 and rollers 25 and the several operating ,chains being suitably incased, and the peripheries of the rollers 25 projecting slightly above the floor surface..

In the operation of the apparatus, it will be understood from the above description that when the machine is either entering or leaving the garage, the front wheels pass over the rollers 25 and the rear wheels which exert the driving force are positioned upon said rollers. The frictional contact of the wheel tires with these wood rollers 25 drives said rollers in a direction indicated by the arrow, thereby rotating they shaft 24, and through the medium of the chain 30, the shaft 18. This shaft in turn imparts movement to the endless chains 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow, so that the stretches of the chains to which the trunnions 14 are attached are moved upwardly, thus forcing the door upwardly between the door jambs. The upper pair of rollers 13 move through the inclined channels 9 and upon the tracks 8, as the lower rollers 13 move upwardly between the cleats 6 until the door is finally disposed substantially in a horizontal position between the tracks 8. In this movement of the door to its open position, the springs 16 act as counterbalancing means to sustain the weight of the door as the upper wheels 11 move inwardly upon the tracks 8, so that but a small proportion of the weight of the door will devolve upon the chains 20 and the door will move freely to its open position with a minimum expenditure of power. In the full open position of the door, the upper rollers 13 strike the inner ends of the tracks 8 and the rear wheels of the vehicle will then move olf of the rollers 25. After the machine has passed through the door opening and whenthe rear wheels again come into position uponA the other set of rollers 25, the operation of the vehicle engine is reversed, thereby reversing the movement of the chains 20 to lower the door to its closed position. In

leaving the garage, when the drive wheels of the machine are disposed upon the inner set of rollers, the operation of the engine is again reversed so as to raise the door to its open position. When the door is disposed at the limit of its inward movement on the tracks 8, the drive wheels of the machine will move backwardly o of the rollers 25, and the machine is then driven forwardly through the door opening. It will, however, be understood, that if desired, the inner chains 26 and 30 can be twisted so that it will not be necessary to reverse the rotation of the drive wheels. When the door is in its fully closed position and the lower edge thereof is in tight contact with the floor surface, the drive wheels of the vehicle move off of the rollers. The door, when closed,

is securely held against displacement by heavy winds and, as the lower edge of the door is in close abutting' contact with the floor, a ysnow and water-tight closure is obtained. By the provision of the counterbalancing springs, the door may at any time be very easily opened or closed by hand. In the automatic operation of the door, the driver is not required to leave his seat in the vehicle. The doorfmay, of course, be constructed in various sizes and will operate satisfactorily, irrespective of the height of the ceiling from the garage floor.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it

is believed that the construction, manner of operation, and several advantages of the invention will be clearly understood. The apparatus may be constructed and installed at relatively small cost, and while I have referred to the same as being particularly designed for use in connection with automobile garages, it is apparent, of course, that the invention may also be adapted to warehouses and various other analogous structures. As the mechanism includes comparatively few elements which are all of simple form, it will be appreciated that the device will be very reliable and positive in its operation. I have above set forth a particular mounting and arrangement of the friction driven rollers 25 and their connection with the door operating shaft 18, but it is manifest that in practice, various alternative arrangements of these rollers and of the driving connections may be utilized. The form, construction, and relative arrangement of the several other elements is also susceptible of considerable modification and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitima'te changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is: Y

l. The combination with a vertically movable door and trackways therefor, of rollers mounted in spaced relation to thedoor opening interiorly and exteriorly thereof and adapted to be driven by the frictional engagement of the drive wheels of a motor-vehicle therewith, means connected to the door to move the same to its open or closed positions, and operating connections between said rollers and said door operating means.

2. The combination with a vertically movable door and trackways therefor, of rollers mounted in spaced relation to the door opening interiorly and exteriorly thereof and adapted to be driven by the frictional en gagementof the drive wheels of a motor vehicle therewith, an endless chain having one stretch thereof connected to the lower end of the door, and actuating means for said chain operatively connected to said rollers.

3. The combination with a vertically movable .door and trackways therefor, of -rollers mounted in spaced relation yto the door opening interiorly and exteriorly thereof. and adapted to be driven by the rictional en# gagement of the drive wheels of a motor .vehicle therewith, a shaft mounted in the lower ends of the door jambs, vertically disposed endless chains operatively connected l to the ends of said shaft, one stretch of each chain being connected to the lower end of the door, and actuating means for said shaft operatively connected to the rollers.

4. The combination with a vertically mo'vable door and trackways therefor, of rollers mounted in spaced relation to the door opening interiorly and exteriorly thereof and adapted to be driven by the frictional engagement of the drive wheels of a motor vehicle therewith, counterbalancing springs connected to said door, a shaft mounted in the lower ends of the door jambs, vertically disposed endless chains operatively connected to the ends of said shaft, one stretch of each chain being connected to the lower vdoor jambs having` guideways, tracks extending from the upper ends of the ideways, a door mov-able upon the tracks 1n the guideways, said jambs having vertically eX- tending slots therein, trunnions xed to the lower end of the door and movable in said slots, an endless Vchain mounted upon the 4 under side of each j amb and having one of its stretches connected to one of said trunnions, rollers mounted in spaced relation to the door opening interiorly and exteriorly thereof and adapted to be driven by the frictional engagement of the drive wheels of the vehicle therewith, and operating connections between said rollers and the endless chains.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RINK WRIGHT.

Witnesses: A

GEO. H. EMBREE, GLENN Conner.

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