US1753340A - Garage-door operator - Google Patents

Description

A ril 8, 1930. A. HERR 1,753,340

GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed July 11, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l A 46 {a 7 a V IN N TOP.

A TORNEY.

April 8, 1930. A. HERR 1,753,340

GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed July 11, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 1927 s Sheets-Sheet s m i mw T ur m1 .w 1 fi fli Q Q Q H n A. HERR GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed July 11,

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April 8, i930.

Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED" STA ADAM HERE, on SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN GARAGE-DOOR OPERATOR Application filed July 11,

Th1s invention relates to improvements in garage door operators.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a garage door operating 5; mechanism which will be actuated by the exterior approach of a vehicle to the garage doors to automatically open the same. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a garage door operator constructed so that when the vehicle moves into the garage, beyond the doors, the same will be automatically closed andlocked. I r

A further object of the inventionis to provide a garage door operator designed for use with sliding doors.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garage door operator provided with mechanism operated by engagement with a vehicle to automatically open and close the doors'without the necessity of any one getting out of the vehicle for that purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garage door operator which is of simple construction, is strong and durable, and is well adapted for the purpose set forth.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved garage door operator, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a view of the inner faces of a pair of sliding garage doors with the improved operating mechanism, and shown in closed position, parts being shown in section Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, showing the doors in open position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4: is a plan view of the floor and track arrangement for operating the mechanism with the garage doors shown in horizontal section;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the 1927. Serial No. 204,947.

drawings, it will appear that the numerals 8' indicate a pair of garage doors hung on straps 9 which carry rollers 10 to ride on a horizontal track 11, permitting sliding movement of said doors to open and close the door opening of a garage or building. The tracks 11 depend from-supporting members .12 within the garage. Extending transversely tothe plane of the garage doors 8 are a plurality of vehicle track members. To receive the track members, theexterior ground approach to the garage doors is provided with a pair of spaced, inclined, longitudinal recesses or; channels 13, and in each of said recesses an outer track member 14 is movably mounted, the width between said tracks being equal to the width between a pair of vehicle wheels. The top surfaces of said tracks 14 are normally flush with the ground or drive level wherein they are-set. The outer end portions of said tracks are mounted on tubular supports 15. The tracks 14 terminate at'their inner ends below the'doors'8 and are normally supported by an operating frame designated generally by the numeral 16 and to be described more in detail hereinafter.

In alinement with the tracks 14 are a pair of spaced inner tracks 17 mounted inchannels 18 therefor in the garage floor or base. The inner end portions of said tracks 17 have a lapped engagement with the inner end portions of the tracks 14 and are also hinged thereto, as at 19, and are also supported by the operating frame 16. The outer end portions of the tracks 17 are mounted on tubular supports or bearings 20 and are under the floor and covered. I

The operating frame 16 is formed of tubular piping and is rectangular in shape and surrounds the frame or opening for the doors 8 interiorly of the garage. The lower horizontal portion of said frame extends into a recess 21 below the floor line, while the upper horizontal portion of the frame is considerably above the upper edge portions of the doors, as shown in Fig. 1. The side vertical portions 16 of the frame are slidably mounted at their upper-end portions in bearing brackets 22 which are carried by the end portions of a transverse bar 23 which depends from supports 24. The lower portions of the frame sides 16' are slidably mounted in hollow guard housings 25. A coiled spring 26 is mounted on the upper end portion of each frame side member 16 between an adjustable pin 27 and the bearing bracket 22. V

Pivotally secured to the upper bar 16 0f the frame, to one side of the mid-portion thereof, is the end portion of a link 28. An intermediate link 29 is pivotally secured at one end portion to the other end portion of the link 29, and the other end portion of said link 29 is pivotally secured to anend portion of an inner link 30. The link 29 is formed with an enlarged squared mid-por tion 29 for engagement with a stop 31 mounted on the bar 23.

As shown in Fig. 3, the major portion of the bar 23 is of bifurcated form, and dependin from the mid-portion thereof is a bracket 32 through which is revolubly mounted a stud shaft 33 on which a lever 34 is mounted fast intermediate its ends. The upper end portion of the lever 34 is of bifurcated form with a long arm 35 and a short arm 36. Thelower end portion of the lever 34 is formed as a socket 37 in which the inner end portion of an extension arm 38 is adjustably secured. Pivotally secured'to the upper end portion of the lever arm 35 is one end portion of a rod 39 which extends and is pivotally secured to a lug 40 secured to one of the sliding doors 8. The outer end portion of the link extension arm 38 is pivotally secured to an end; portion of a two-piece adjustable rod 41 which is pivotally secured at its other end portion to a lug 42 secured to the other sliding door 8. An intermediate portion of the bar 23 has pivotally connected thereto forked members 42 and each forked member has pivotally se-- cured thereto a pair of auxiliary links 43. The other end portions of each pair of links 43 straddle and are pivotally secured to an intermediate portion of the frame top bar 16". Secured between the pivotal connections of-the links 43 and the forked members 42 and lugs 44 depending from the bar 16" are coiled springs 45. There is also secured between the link 28 and a lug 46 depending from the bar 16" another coiled spring 47.

The operation of the mechanism thus far described is as follows: When a vehicle drives upon the front or outer operating tracks 14 sufiiciently far, its weight will cause the inner end portions of said tracks to be clepressed within their grooves or channels 13. The doors 8 normally, and up to this time, are of course, closed, and all of the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1. 'With the depression of the inner end portions of said tracks, a pressure is exerted on the bottom bar of the frame 16, and the entire frame is lowered thereby vertically against the tension of the springs 26. The downward m0ve-' ment of the frame causes a vertical downward movement of the link 28 which in turn moves the intermediate link 29 in a clockwise direction in Fig. 1, until it strikes the stop 31, and the link 30 will be raised and moved toward the left in Fig. 1. Also, the pivotal lever 34, and arms forming part thereof, will turn in a counter-clockwise direction, with the result that the rod 39 will be pushed to the left, pushing therewith to open position the attached door 8, mounted on the track 11 and rollers 10. The other door will be similarly moved to the right in Fig. 1 to open position, by means of force exerted by the rod 41. The positions of all of the parts when the doors are in open position is illustrated in Fig. 2, and it will be noted that the frame moving springs 26 are compressed, while the link moving springs 45 and 47 are stretched.

After the vehicle moves into the garage through the open doors, its weight is shifted from the outer operating tracks 14 to the inner operating tracks 17 and the forward portion of the same are held depressed until the major portion of the vehicle moves off the exposed portions of said tracks, and over the covered end portions, shown in Fig. 5. Then, the springs 26 will raise the frame 16 to nor mal position, being assisted by the spring 45 operating the auxiliary links 42 and 43, and the spring 47, together with the links 28, 29 and 30 will return the lever 34 and extension arms to normal position, and the doors 8 will be drawn to closed position, as shown in Fig. 1.

After the doors have automatically closed, with the vehicle within the garage, if the vehicle is advanced slightly its forward wheels will ride upon'a trap door 48 which is hingedly connected to the garage floor over an opening 49 and is normally maintained in an inclined position by means of a pair of side slidably mounted rods 50 engaging the free ends of the trap door, there being coiled springs 51 on said rod between the door 48 and rod bearings 52 (see Fig. 6). There are pivotally connected to said trap door opposed links 53 which are pivotally connected to the end portions of levers 54 which are centrally pivotally mounted, as at 55, within the opening 49. The other end portions of the levers 54 are pivotally connected with links 56 which in turn are pivot ally connected with short bars 57 Said short bars are formed with bores 58 and slots 59, and the end portions of opposite elongated rods 60 enter said bores and said end portions are provided with transverse pins 61 movable in said'slots and limited in movement by the ends of the same. The major portion of each rod 60 and its short bar 57 are confined within a pipe 62 within the garage floor, and communicatin g at one end with a recess 13, each rod being mounted on roller bearings 63. Each rod 60'also has thereon a coiled spring able through an opening 67 therefor in the adjacent door frame portion and when the parts are moved to locking position, the

extension portions 66 assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, and each engages the side edge of a door 8, preventing the doors from being opened.

When the rods 60 move to the left in Fig. 6, an end portion 60 of each rod, guided by an eye-bolt 68, moves under an angular plate 69 on the lower portion of the frame 16, and prevents the same from being lowered.

It is, therefore, obvious that the weight of a vehicle on the tracks exterior of the garage operates mechanism to quickly open the doors. When the vehicle gets into position within the garage, its weight is relieved from the mechanism and springs return the parts to normal positions to close the doors. Also, the doors are automatically locked by the weight of the vehicle on the trap door 48 which operates locking members to lock the doors and frame. In leaving the garage the reverse takes place. When the weight of the vehicle leaves the trap door, it is raised by the springs 51, and the levers are moved thereby, as well as by auxiliary springs 69, and the locking mechanism is released. Then, as the weight of the vehicle is disposed upon the exposed portions of the inner tracks 17, the same are depressed and the frame is loW- ered to open the doors.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the improved garage door operator is of simple and novel construction, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A garage door operator, comprising door sliding levers, a rectangularly shaped vertically movable intermediate member surrounding a door opening connected at its upper portion to said levers for moving the same, and a depressible track mounted in a drive-way and supported at one point by a lower portion of said intermediate member to lower the same upon being depressed, said track extending in the path of travel of a vehicle.

2. The combination with a sliding door, of a lever connected to the upper portion thereof and movable in one direction to open the door, a vertically moving rectangular frame surrounding the door when closed and connected at its upper end portion to said lever for moving it, a track extending at right angles to the plane of the door and engaging the lower portion of said frame to lower it and move the lever in door opening direction upon depressionof the track by a vehicle driven thereover, springs for moving the frame to normal position, and another spring for moving the lever to door closing position. a

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ADAM HERB.

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