Door apparatus with release assembly
AssigneeRaynor Garage Doors
InventorsCoy H. Burgess, Joel M. Bonnell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closure apparatus for closing an opening in a partition with a frame disposed around the opening includes a drum member rotatably mounted to the partition at the top end of the opening. It also includes a curtain member secured to the drum member. The curtain member winds around the drum member to move out of the opening in the partition; and it extends from the drum member to close the opening. A counterweight connected to the drum member offsets the weight of the curtain member; and a reducing weight reduces the weight of the counterweight to allow the curtain member to drop from a raised position. An activating assembly engages the reducing weight with the counterweight and allows the curtain member to unwind from the drum member and close the opening.
Claims17
A closure apparatus closing an opening in a partition including a frame disposed around the opening, said opening including a top end and a bottom end, said closure apparatus comprising:
- core means rotatably mounted to the partition at the top end of the opening for rotation about a predetermined axis;
- a curtain member secured to the core means, said curtain member wrapping around the core means to move out of the opening and extending from the core means to close the opening;
- counterweight means connected to the core means for countering the weight of the curtain member;
- reducing weight means connected to the frame for reducing the weight of the counterweight means;
- activating means for engaging the reducing weight means with the counterweight means to reduce the weight of the counterweight means and allow the curtain member to unwind from the core means and close the opening and for disengaging the reducing weight means from the counterweight means.
A closure apparatus for closing an opening in a partition including a frame disposed around the opening, said opening including a top end and a bottom end, said apparatus comprising:
- a drum member rotatably mounted to the partition at the top end of the opening;
- a curtain member secured to the drum member, said curtain member wrapping around the drum member to move out of the opening and extending from the drum to close the opening;
- counterweight means connected to the drum member for countering the weight of the curtain member;
- reducing weight means connected to the frame for reducing the weight of the counterweight means;
- drive means connected to the drum member for rotating the drum member to wind the curtain member on the drum member;
- activating means for engaging the reducing weight means with the counterweight means to reduce the weight of the counterweight means and allow the curtain member to unwind from the drum member and close the opening, for releasing the drive means to allow free rotation of the drum member, and for disengaging the reducing weight means from the counterweight means;
- said drum member including an axle and governor means for reducing the speed of rotation of the axle as the axle rotates to allow the curtain member to unwind off of the drum member when the reducing weight means engages the counterweight means, said governor means cooperating with the axle and a pawl member which lies pivotally mounted to the frame and which cooperates with the activating means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.