Quick release door roller assembly
OwnerDaniel A. Deutschinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved vertical lift door roller assembly has a wheel pivotally mounted to a shaft. The shaft is placed within a spring loaded locking cylinder. The locking cylinder is movable between a first position where it restricts pivoting of the wheel and a second position where the wheel is able to pivot. The door roller assembly is mountable to a support a vertical lift door, such as a bracket or a hinge. The roller wheel can be pivoted to decouple the roller from a vertical lift door wheel track and to reseat the wheel in the track.
Claims15
A roller assembly for use in a vertical lift door and comprising:
- a wheel having a central axis;
- a bearing connected to the wheel;
- a first shaft having an inner end connected to the bearing and extending along the central axis to an outer end;
- a second shaft having an outer end and an inner end and a length LS;
- a pivot joint connecting the inner end of the second shaft with the outer end of the first shaft;
- an elongated cylinder having an outer end, an inner end and a length LC less than LS, a middle portion of the cylinder having a substantially smooth outer surface;
- the second shaft extending through the elongated cylinder, the inner end of the elongated cylinder being closer to the pivot joint than the outer end of the elongated cylinder, the cylinder being slidably movable relative to the second shaft from a first position where the pivot joint and the inner end of the second shaft are exterior to the elongated cylinder, to a second position where the pivot joint is within the elongated cylinder and the inner end of the elongated cylinder abuts a portion of the first shaft;
- a bias mechanism on the outer end of the second shaft configured to apply force to the outer end of the elongated cylinder to urge the elongated cylinder to the second position;
- wherein the wheel is configured to ride within a track of a vertical lift door and the elongated cylinder is configured to be mounted within a lateral cylinder of a support attached to the vertical lift door, the lateral cylinder having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the elongated cylinder.
A method comprising the steps of:
- providing a vertical lift door assembly having a track, a plurality of hingedly connected panels, and a support attached to one of the panels, the support having a lateral cylinder oriented substantially normal to the track;
- providing a door roller comprising a wheel, a first shaft with inner and outer ends, a second shaft with inner and outer ends, and an elongated cylinder with inner and outer ends, the inner end of the first shaft connected to the wheel, the outer end of the first shaft connected to the inner end of the second shaft with a pivot joint, the second shaft passing through the elongated cylinder and wherein the elongated cylinder is slidably movable relative to the second shaft from a first position where the pivot joint and the inner end of the second shaft are exterior to the elongated cylinder, to a second position where the pivot joint is within the elongated cylinder;
- and
- mounting the door roller to the vertical lift door assembly with the wheel in the track and the elongated cylinder within the lateral cylinder of the support so that a middle portion of the elongated cylinder is within the lateral cylinder and the inner and outer ends of the elongated cylinder are external to the lateral cylinder with the elongated cylinder in the second position.
A method for operating a vertical lift door assembly comprising a door, a first track adjacent a first door edge and a second track adjacent a second door edge, the door comprising a plurality of panels including a top panel and a second panel, the top panel having a top edge, first and second side edges and a bottom edge and being hingedly attached at the bottom edge to the second panel, a first support attached to the top panel adjacent the first edge and top edge, and a second support attached to the top panel adjacent the second edge and top edge, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing first and second door rollers, each respective door roller comprising a wheel, a first shaft with inner and outer ends, a second shaft with inner and outer ends, and an elongated cylinder with inner and outer ends, the inner end of the first shaft connected to the wheel, the outer end of the first shaft connected to the inner end of the second shaft with a pivot joint, the second shaft passing through the elongated cylinder and wherein the elongated cylinder is slidably movable relative to the second shaft from a first position where the pivot joint and the inner end of the second shaft are exterior to the elongated cylinder, to a second position where the pivot joint is within the elongated cylinder;
- mounting the first door roller to the first support on the top panel with the wheel of the first door roller in the first track and the elongated cylinder of the first door roller in the second position;
- and
- mounting the second door roller to the second support on the top panel with the wheel of the second door roller in the second track and the elongated cylinder of the second door roller in the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.