Patent Application
20080229663
This invention relates generally to an improved apparatus and method for opening a door, such as an auxiliary door, more specifically to a device operable remotely by an operator to enable the automatic opening of the door.
In order to save energy and better control the temperature in many homes, a second door is installed in the major entrances. These doors generally have a removable panel providing a screened entry. The door typically is installed on the outside of the house and opens by pulling on a handle and moving back from or to the side of the portal as it opens. The door opening is opposed by a spring, hydraulic, or pneumatic device to reclose the door; thus the person entering must also hold the door open against the opposing force as they pass through the doorway. Handicapped persons, as well as persons in a wheelchair or on crutches, often do not have a hand free to open the door and have great difficulty in moving to allow the door to open. A device to open such a door would be a valuable asset. It would need to be easy to install and not hinder normal door operation when not in use.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided an improved apparatus and method for operating an auxiliary door. Preferably, a remote signal, such as a radio signal, is used to initiate the opening of the door by an electric motor powered cable-retracting device or the like. The device is generally mounted on the wall adjacent to the hinged side of the door, but could also be mounted on the door. One end of the device is cantilevered out from the wall and door at the door hinge. A cable operated by a motor and pulley in the device is attached to the door such that when the motor is energized the door is pulled opened to the cantilever overcoming the closing force for the door. This force is normally provided by a spring, hydraulic, pneumatic, or other known door closing device. Controls are provided to stop the opening motion if an obstacle blocks the door. The effort to open the door will restart in a few seconds, thus allowing time for the obstacle, generally the person entering, to be cleared. When the door is fully open, a displacement or proximity switch stops further opening. The door remains open since the force of the door closing device is insufficient to backdrive the gear motor. Additional manual force could be applied to backdrive the motor and close the door in an emergency situation assuming for some reason that motorized closure was not possible. A second signal, reversing the motor, allows the cable to extend at a uniform rate opposing the force of the closing device. If an obstacle blocks the closing of the door, the extension of the cable will cease until the obstacle is removed. If the opening device becomes inoperable during opening or closing, the cable is easily detached at the door be removing a pin through loop in the end of the cable.
An additional advantage of the device is that the door is free to open in a normal manner only causing the cable to go slack.
In order for this device to work the latch on the door must be deactivated or an unlatching mechanism must be provided. Such a device may be easily incorporated into the electronic controls of the opener, thus making the device easily retrofitted to most exterior, outside-opening doors that are fitted with a closing device.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the figures.
Specific exemplary embodiments of the invention now will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,” “including” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
It will be understood that although the terms first and second are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The symbol “/” is also used as a shorthand notation for “and/or”.
As illustrated in
A second radio signal starts the pulley motor 108 in reverse and negates stop switch 110 letting cable 106 unwind allowing the door 103 to close by the force of the closer or spring (not shown). The rate of closure is controlled by the speed of rotation of the motor pulley 109. The operating battery 111 or other power source and the electronic controls package 112 are placed within the form of the structural housing 101.
The motion of the door 103 is further controlled during opening and closing to protect the entrant by the mechanism illustrated in
When an opening signal is received the closing switch is negated and the pulley motor 108 reverses its direction to wind up cable 106 on motor pulley 109. The force of winding against the closing force tends to straighten the catenary in cable 106 putting tension in spring 305. If the tension force becomes greater than that typically required to open the door due, for example, to the present of an obstruction, possibly the entrant, the angle in the catenary will straighten. Contact 306 rigidly attached to arm 302 will then close overtension detecting microswitch 307, which stops pulley motor 108. A delay in the application of the operating force, say of 4 seconds, allows the obstruction to be removed. The pulley motor 108 again energized when attempting to open door. This sequence will continue until the door is completely (90 degrees) open and the motor 108 is stopped by the displacement or proximity switch 110.
The electrical circuitry for the remote operation, power control of the pulley motor and other operating switches are methods well established and require no special techniques not used in general practice.
It will be appreciated that the apparatus and operations described above are illustrative examples, and that other architectures and operations fall within the scope of the present invention. More generally, in the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined by the following claims.
