Aug. 10, 1965
A. WEINSTEIN
3,199,153
GARAGE DOQR OPERATORS
Filed Nov. 29, 1963
2 Sheets-Sheet 1
Inventor:
ALBERT WEINSTEIN
Aug- 10, 1965
A. WEINSTEIN
3,199,153
GARAGE DOOR OPERATORS
Filed Nov. 29, 1963
2 Sheets-Sheet 2
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Inventor:
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ALBERT
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United States Patent 0 ice
Patented Aug. 16, 1965
2
provided with a door frame ill and with a door 12. The
latter is of any suitable conventional construction com
monly known as an overhead door, which is movable
between a closed position and an open position and is
biased toward its open position by any suitable conven
tional means.
In the instance illustrated, the biasing
This invention relates to new and useful improvements
means assume the form of a torsion spring 13 on a shaft
in remotely controlled door operators, and in particular
14 which also carries a drum 15, a cable 16 being wind
able on the drum and connected to the door 12 as for
the invention concerns itself with an apparatus for auto
matically opening a garage door upon approach of an 10 example at 17, it being understood that when the door
automobile thereto.
is moved to its closed position, energy is stored in the
There are, of course, numerous devices known in the
spring 13 which energy is subsequently used to move
art for operating garage doors by a remote control which
is automatically responsive to the approach of a vehicle,
but such conventional devices usually embody electric
the door to its open position when means which hold the
door closed are released, as will be hereinafter described.
The door biasing means may also assume the form of
motors, solenoids, photoelectric cells, radio transmitters,
tension springs or weights, it being also understood that
electronic circuits, complicated mechanical linkage or
the biasing means and the door structure itself form no
transmission, and the like.
part of the present invention other than in combination
As a result, they are of a
complex character, expensive to purchase, difficult to
therewith and that any conventional door structure with
install and likely to get out of order, so that the use of 20 biasing means may be utilized. Also, suitable guides or
such conventional devices is usually limited to special
runways are provided for the door, but these have been
installations where the aspects of cost, placement and
maintenance are of little moment.
omitted in the illustration for sake of simplicity.
The invention comprises a fully self-contained, re
As such these con
motely controlled device for releasably retaining the
door 12 in its closed position, the arrangement being such
that when the retaining device is released in response to
the presence of an approaching vehicle, the door is auto
matically opened by the biasing means 13. Of course,
ventional devices are obviously unsuitable for use with
garage doors of private homes or for installation by so
called “Do-lt-Yourself” enthusiasts.
it is, therefore, the principal object of this invention
to provide an extremely simple, fully self-contained and
highly dependable apparatus for automatically opening a
after the vehicle has been driven into the garage, the
door is returned to its closed position by hand.
As detailed in FIGURES 2-5, the device of the inven
tion comprises a unitary holder 2%) which is substantially
garage door in response to the approach of an automobile,
the apparatus being such as to lend itself to convenient
and economical manufacture, very low purchasing cost,
and easy installation on garage doors of different con
L-shaped in elevation and channel-shaped or U-shaped
ventional types, without
requirement of skilled
in cross section, the holder including a vertical portion
labor.
An important feature of the invention resides in the
self-contained nature of the apparatus which makes it
24%’ and a horizontal portion 28” at the lower end of
the vertical portion. The entire holder Ell is secured in
a fixed position adjacent the door 12, as for example by
being disposed eXteriorly of the door and attached by a
completely unnecessar ,1 for it to be connected to a source
of electric current or any other external energy source,
the apparatus being operated solely by air pressure from
pair of screws 21, 22 to the door frame ll, these screws
ill)
passing transversely through the vertical portion 20’ of
the holder, as illustrated.
Wheel thereover as the vehicle approaches the
arage door. Thus, the apparatus of the invention is
evoid of electrical or electronic components and re
iuires no electric energy for its operation.
-
Other objects, features and advantages of the inven
tion will be apparent from the following description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein like characters of reference are used to designate
like parts, and wherein:
Y‘ZGURE l is a perspective view, largely schematic
and partly broken awa‘ , showing the invention in associa
tion with a garage door;
2 is an enlarged perspective view of the door
latch and ?uid operator with their unitary holder;
FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the door
catch;
However, if preferred, the
holder may also be mounted on the door frame inside
the door, as will be readily apparent.
An elongated latch 2.": is provided intermediate the ends
thereof with a pair of apertured ears 24%, whereby it may
be pivotally mounted on the vertical portion 2%’ of the
holder, as for example, by passing the mounting screw 21
through the apertured ears, the screw Zll thus being uti
lized for both, attaching the holder to the door frame and
for pivotal mounting of the latch. A tubular spacer 25
may be provided on the screw 21 between the cars 21%, if
desirable or necessary. The upper end portion of the
latch 23 is longitudinally or axially twisted as at 23' and
is formed with a hook-shaped extremity including a cam
surface as and an underlying notch or recess 27, as will
be clearly apparent.
The notch 27 of the latch 23 is adapted to receive
the ein a projecting portion 28' of a catch 28 which is
is a vertical sectional view, partly in eleva
secured to the door 12. as by suitable screws 29, the catch
tion, showing the holder with the latch and fluid opera
tor and also showing the catch applied to a door illus 60 portion 23’ being received in the notch 27 when the door
is closed, so that the latch 23 retains the door in its closed
trated by dotted lines;
position, despite the biasing action of the means 13. The
FEGURE 5 is a view, partly in section and partly in
upper
end portion of the latch is urged toward the catch
elevation, of the ?uid ‘reservoir and its associated hose;
23 by a compression spring 3%), one end of which is
and
secured by a bolt, nut and washer assembly 31 to the latch
FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view, partly in vertical
23 at a point below the fulcrum screw Zll. The spring 3%
ection and partly in elevation, of the holder, latch, door
is disposed in the holder portion 29' and abuts the latter
atch and means for releasing the latch from the catch
as shown, thus urging the upper end portion of the latch
rorn the inside of the door.
toward the catch, as aforesaid. It will be apparent that
Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail,
during the closing movement of the door, the catch por
more particularly to FIGURE 1, the reference numeral
tion 28' will come into engagement with the cam surface
it? designates a typical garage having a door opening
26 of the latch, thus moving the latch away from the catch
3,199,153
3
as indicated by the arrow’ 32 and ultimately permitting
retaining engagement of the latch with the catch by action
of the spring 30 which moves the latch toward the catch
so that'the catch portion 28’ is received in the notch 27.
,. Disengagernent of the latch from the catch is effected
by 'a fluid pressure actuator which includes a ?uid operator
33, a ?uid reservoir 34 and a connecting ?exible tube 35.
The ?uid operator $3 consists‘ of an air cylinder which is
d
,
its inner end is provided with a push button 47, a com~
pression spring 48 being interposed between the push
button and‘ the door 12 to normally hold the pin in its
retracted position, as shown. However, by pressing the
button 47 at the inside of the door as shown by the arrow
49, the pin is caused to slideoutwardly and the pin head 46
displaces the latch 23 from the catch 28 to facilitate
positioned in the horizontal portion 207 of the holder and
opening of the door by the biasing means 13, quite in
dependently of actuation of the latchby the ?uid pres
is retained therein in any suitable manner, as for example,
sure
by being press-?tted and frictionally held in place, or by
clamps, screws, or the like, (not shown). The air cyl
inder of the operator contains a piston 36 and a piston .
operator.
"
I
‘
7‘
While in the foregoing there has been described and
shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various
modi?cations may become apparent to those skilled in
the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is
rod 37, the latter abutting the lower end portion of the
latch 23. The latch 23 is not physically connected to the
not desired to limit the ‘invention to this disclosure and
piston rod, but is urged into engagement therewith by the
various modi?cations and equivalents may be resorted to,
aforementioned spring 3th. The outer end of the air cyl
falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as
inder is provided with an adapter 38 for connection to the
?exible hose 35, the latter being shown as passing out
What is claimed as new is:
wardly through a notch 39 formed in the outer end wall 20
The combination of a door movable between a closed
of the holder portion 20".
a
position and an open position, means biasing said door
The ?uid reservoir 34 is in the form 'of a resiliently
toward its open position, and fully self-contained re
compressible tubular member, such as for example, a
motely actuated means for releasably retaining the door in
length of rubber tubing or hose. It is preferably of a con
its closed position, said last mentioned means comprising
siderably larger diameter than the ?exible hose 35, to 25 a catch carried by said door, a latch movably mounted
which it is connected by an adapter 4t) provided in one end
adjacent the door andengageable with said catch when
of the reservoir. The other end of the reservoir is suit-p
the door is closed, resilient means biasing said latch into
ably closed, as by a plug 41.
engagement with said catch, a ?uid pressure actuator for
As shown in FIGURE 1, the reservoir 34 is positioned
said latch, said actuator including a resiliently compres
on the ground or driveway 412 at some distance from the 30 sible fluid reservoir positioned in;the path of travel of a
garage door 12, so that it lies in the path of travel of an
vehicle approachingsaid door, a ?uid operator connected
automobile wheel as the automobile approaches the garage
to said reservoir, a unitary holder for mounting said latch
door. As a practical matter, the reservoir need not ex
and said ?uid operator adjacent said door, said ?uid
tend fully across the driveway and need be long enough
operator having a movable member in operative engage
to reach only under one side of the vehicle.
35 ment with said latch for disengaging the latch from said
When the device is placed in use, the latch 23 normally
catch when ?uid under pressure is delivered to said oper
engages the catch 28 and thus retains the door 12 in its
ator upon compression of said, reservoir, a flexible hose
closed position. However, when an automobile ap
connecting said ?uid operator to said reservoir, said res
claimed.
7
‘
ervoir comprising a length of resiliently compressible
the ?uid reservoir 34, the latter becomes compressed and 40 tubing closed at one end and having said hose connected
air under pressure is delivered therefrom through the
to its other end, said tubing being of a substantially larger
hose 35 into the air cylinder 33. There the air'pressure
diameter than said hose,'said latch and said catch being
, slides the piston 36 and piston rod 37 which presses the
disposed exteriorly of said door, and means manually
lower end of the latch 23 in the direction of the arrow 43,
operablerfrom the interior of the door for disengaging
correspondingly moving the upper end of the latch as at 32 45 said latch from said catch independently of actuation
proaches the garage door and one of its wheels passes over
and disengaging the latch from the catch 28. The door
of said remotely actuated means.
12 is then free to move upwardly as at 44 from its closed
to its open position by the door biasing means 13. After
the vehicle is driven into the garage, the door 12 is manu
ally lowered to its closed position, at which time the catch 50
28 again becomes engaged by the latch.
References Qited by the Examiner
UNITED STATES‘ PATENTS
2,396,610
,
3/46
Schultze
____________ __
In instances where the latch is mounted at the outside
3,096,815 7 7/63
May r. ______________ __
of the door as illustrated herein, it is desirable to provide
FOREIGN
PATENTS
means for unlatching the door from the inside, as for
example, prior to taking the automobile out of the garage. 55. 530,189 ' 12/40v Great Britain.
268-61
268-42
Such means, as one embodiment, are shown in FIGURE 6,
wherein a 'pin or plunger 45 extends slidably through a
bore or aperture formed in the door and in the catch 28.
The outer end ‘of the pin carries a suitable head 46 while
CHARLES E. 'O’CONNELL, Primary Examiner.
HARRISON R‘. lbiOSELEY, Examiner.
'