The invention is in the art relating to doors operable to close and open openings and doorways of buildings. More particularly, the doors are large one-piece overhead doors supported on frames and movable with hydraulic cylinders between closed positions and open positions relative to doorways of buildings.
Commercial and industrial buildings, aircraft hangers, farm equipment shop and storage structures, marine and vehicle holding structures, and warehouses have large openings or doorways that are opened and closed with large and heavy doors. Overhead doors are used to maximize useable space of the doorways. Frames are employed to support the overhead doors independently of the building structure. Examples of overhead doors supported on frames and selectively moveable with hydraulic cylinders to open positions and closed positions are identified in the following U.S. patents.
K. O. Jonsson in U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,161 discloses a garage having a swingable door mounted in a building frame comprising two vertical posts. Horizontals support arms secured to the posts are pivotally connected to moveable arms attached to the door. Piston and cylinder units pivotally connected to the support arms and the moveable arms balance the door so that the net force required to open and close the door is small. The entire weight of the door is subjected to the two vertical posts. D. J. Kerkvliet in U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,273 discloses an overhead door pivotally connected to a framework that is separate from a building structure. The framework has a horizontal member secured to vertical members. The vertical members are steel tubes secured with welds to opposite ends of the horizontal member. Hinges pivotally support the overhead door on the horizontal member. Hydraulic cylinders connected to the vertical members and overhead door are operable to move the overhead door between an upright closed position and a horizontal open position. The weight of the overhead door, the wind forces and the hydraulic cylinder forces subjected to the overhead door are transferred to the upright members. D. Crown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,952 discloses two hydraulic cylinders mounted on opposite sides of a building door frame operable to open and close an overhead door. Hinges pivotally mount the door to the horizontal member of the door frame. Each hydraulic cylinder is pivotally mounted on the door frame below the axis of rotation of the overhead door and attached to a side edge of the overhead door. The overhead door and the two hydraulic cylinders pivotally connected to the building door frame subject the building door frame to the overhead door weight and the forces of the hydraulic cylinders that move the overhead door between the closed position and the open position. R. W. Betker in U.S. Pat. No. 8,245,446 discloses a tilt-up door support on U-shaped channel members for movement by hydraulic cylinders to a closed position and an open position. The hydraulic cylinders located upright within the U-shaped channel members are anchored to the U-shaped channel members and pivotally connected to the door. The hydraulic cylinders are operable to tilt the door between an upright closed position and a horizontal open position. Upright I-beams are disclosed as supports for a track supporting the tilt-up door. The track controls the tilting movements of the tilt-up door. R. Peterson in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2011/0225895 discloses an overhead door pivotally connected with hinges to a horizontal header of a frame. The frame includes upright posts attached to opposite ends of the header that are located adjacent opposite sides of a doorway. The posts are tube stock material. U-shaped channel members secured to the header telescope into the tube posts to connect the header to the posts. Hinges at opposite ends of the header pivotally connect the overhead door to the header. Hydraulic cylinders connected to the posts and overhead door are operable to pivot the overhead door between an upright closed position and a horizontal open position. All the weight of the overhead door and the forces of the hydraulic cylinders that open and close the overhead door are subjected to the upright posts. M. L. Schweiss in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,316,576, 10,358,860 and 10,604,991 discloses the combination of an overhead door and a frame for supporting the overhead door for movement between an upright closed position and a horizontal open position relative to a doorway of a building. The frame has a horizontal header attached with splice assemblies to two upright columns. Each column is a single upright tubular member. Hinges pivotally connect the overhead door to the header to allow hydraulic cylinders to move the overhead door between the upright closed position and the horizontal open position and allow the overhead door to move from the horizontal open position to the upright closed position. The weight of the over door, wind forces and forces of the hydraulic cylinders on the overhead door are subjected to the two upright columns.
The frame of the invention supports an overhead door operable to be moved with linear actuators between a generally upright closed position and a generally horizontal open position. The frame has a horizontal header supported by upright tripod legs. Each tripod leg has first and second upright columns connected to an upright I-bar. Connectors attach the tripod legs to opposite ends of the header. The connectors comprise splice assemblies having a first splice assembly fastened to a first upright column and a second splice assembly fastened to a second upright column. Cooperating retainers and fasteners align the tripod legs with the header and maintain the columns straight, flush and in the same upright plane of the header. A plurality of hinge assemblies pivotally connect upright members of the door frame to the header. Linear actuators, such as hydraulic cylinders or motor driven screws, connected to the door and tripod legs operate to swing the door between an upright closed position and a generally horizontal open position and allow the door to move from the generally horizontal open position to the upright closed position. The frame supports the weight of the door and absorbs wind forces and the forces subjected to the door by the linear actuators during the opening and closing of the door thereby eliminating most if not all weight and forces on the adjacent building structure. Each splice assembly has an upright body having a wall and opposite end edges. A plurality of upright ribs attached to the body are retained in a flat surface engagement with a column by adjustable fasteners connecting the column to the body. The fasteners include nuts secured to the body and bolts mounted on the column engageable with the nuts. In use, the bolts are turned to move the columns into alignment with the header and secure the columns to the splice assemblies. A plurality of second adjustable fasteners comprise cooperating nuts and bolts. The bolts engage an edge of the body to hold the opposite edge of the body in engagement with the columns concurrently with the engagement of the ribs with the columns. The first and second adjustable fasteners retain the splice assemblies in engagement with the perpendicular walls of the columns. The hinge assemblies have sleeves rotatably mounted on non-rotatable pins. The sleeves are connected with arms to the upright members of the door frame. Header members or supports adjacent the sleeves are secured to the header whereby the hinge assemblies support the door on the header of the frame for movement of the door between open and closed positions and absorb the forces of the linear actuators that move the door between the closed position and the open position. The tripod legs provide the frame with lateral and vertical strength and stability required for large and heavy metal overhead doors.
A building 9, shown in
As shown in
Frame 11, shown in
Tripod leg 13, shown in
The second tripod leg 14, shown in
Proceeding to
Frame 11 has first splice assemblies 107 and 108, shown in
Splice assembly 107 has a body 109 comprising a flat upright member supporting a pair of upright ribs 111 and 112. Ribs 111 and 112 have flat end surfaces located in surface engagement with a first inside wall 119 of column 74 of tripod leg 14. Body 109 has a first end 113 located in engagement with a second inside wall 123 of column 74. A fastener 116, shown as a threaded bolt, cooperates with a nut 117 retained on body 109 to hold ribs 111 and 112 in upright surface engagement with inside wall 119 of column 74. A second fastener 121, shown as a threaded bolt, extends through a nut 122 secured to column 74. The distal end of fastener 121 engages second end 114 of body 109 and forces first end 113 of body 109 into engagement with second inside wall 123 of column 74. A fastener 124 cooperates with a nut 126 on body 109 and a third fastener 127 cooperating with a nut 128 on body 109 operates in concert with fastener 116 to retain ribs 111 and 112 in surface engagement with inside wall 119 of column 74. A plat 129 secured to body 109 and ribs 111 and 112 is fixed by welds to header 12.
Splice assembly 108 has an upright body 131 supporting a pair of upright ribs 132 and 133. Fasteners 134, 139 and 141 retained on column 76 cooperate with nuts 136, 142, 143 concurrently hold ribs 132 and 133 in upright surface engagement with a first inside wall of column 76. An additional fastener 139 threaded through a nut 138 secured to column 76 has a distal end that contacts body 131 and holds body 131 in engagement with a second inside wall of column 76. Body 131 and ribs 132 and 133 are secured to a plate 144. Welds secure plate 144 to header 12. Splice assemblies 107 and 108 are laterally spaced apart and telescope into the upper ends of tubular columns 74 and 76 of tripod leg 14. Fasteners 116, 124 and 127 secure splice assembly to column 74. Fasteners 134, 139 and 141 secure splice assembly 108 to column 76.
Hinge assembly 38, shown in
Hinge assembly 37 mounted on the end of header 12 opposite hinge assembly 38 has the same structure and function as hinge assembly 38. Hinge assemblies 37 and 38 are concurrently operative to support overhead door 10 on frame 11 and allow overhead door 10 to be moved with linear actuators 16 and 17 from a door closed position and a door open position. Hinge assemblies 37 and 38 also support overhead door 10 in the open position on frame 11.
Proceeding to
The foregoing drawing and description of the overhead door and frame with tripod legs and splice assemblies is one embodiment of the invention. Persons skilled in the art of overhead doors can make changes and modifications of the structures and materials to the door, the frame and the hinges without departing from the door, the frame and the tripod leg defined in the claims.
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/877,068 filed May 18, 2020. application Ser. No. 16/877,068 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/295,835 filed Oct. 17, 2016 and U.S. application Ser. No. 29/724,280 filed Feb. 13, 2020. application Ser. No. 29/724,280 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 29/627,432 filed Nov. 27, 2017.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16877068 | May 2020 | US |
Child | 17459017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15295835 | Oct 2016 | US |
Child | 16877068 | US | |
Parent | 29724280 | Feb 2020 | US |
Child | 15295835 | US | |
Parent | 29627432 | Nov 2017 | US |
Child | 29724280 | US |