Door operator

Claim 2

An operator for a movable closure structure which is positionable within an opening in an upright wall, the closure structure being pivotally connected to said wall for vertical movement between a substantially vertical position in which said closure structure closes said opening and a substantially horizontal overhead position, comprising: a driving pinion and means rotatably mounting said pinion on said movable closure structure adjacent one edge thereof; an elongated substantially rigid gear rack and means pivotally mounting said gear rack on said upright wall substantially adjacent the one edge of said closure structure; retaining means normally maintaining said pinion and said gear rack in meshing engagement with one another; drive means interconnected to said pinion for rotating same and for causing driving engagement with said rack to cause swinging movement of said closure structure between said overhead and said closed positions; and releAse means for causing relative movement between said driving pinion and said gear rack in a direction away from one another to cause said pinion and rack to be meshingly disengaged from one another for permitting manual operation of said closure structure.

Claim 3

An operator according to claim 1, wherein said driving pinion is of substantially small diameter and said elongated gear rack is substantially straight and is pivotally connected at one end thereof to said upright wall, the other end of said gear rack being substantially free.

Claim 4

An operator according to claim 2, wherein said driving pinion is a small diameter spur gear, and wherein said drive means includes a motor mounted on said closure structure and transmission means connected between said motor and said pinion for driving same.

Claim 5

An operator according to claim 2, wherein said retaining means includes resilient means for normally maintaining said gear rack in engagement with said pinion, and wherein said release means coacts with said rack for moving the rack in opposition to said resilient means away from said pinion to meshingly disengage the rack from the pinion.

Claim 6

An operator according to claim 3, wherein said transmission means provides a substantially large mechanical advantage from said motor to said pinion for effectively locking said closure structure and preventing movement thereof due to imposition of external forces onto said closure structure, said transmission means including only nonlocking gear connections therein.

Claim 7

An operator according to claim 1, wherein said closure structure comprises a one-piece counterbalanced door mounted for vertical pivot movement about an axis disposed downwardly a substantial distance from the upper edge of said door.

Claim 8

An operator for a movable closure structure which is positioned within an opening in an upright wall, the closure structure being pivotally connected to said wall for movement between a substantially vertical position in which said closure structure closes said opening and a substantially horizontal overhead position, comprising: a driving pinion and means rotatably mounting said pinion on said movable closure structure adjacent one edge thereof, said last-mentioned means including a pinion shaft rotatably mounted on said closure structure with said driving pinion being fixedly secured to said pinion shaft; an elongated, substantially rigid gear rack and means pivotally mounting said gear rack on said upright wall substantially adjacent the one edge of said closure structure; retaining means normally maintaining said pinion and said gear rack in meshing engagement with one another, said retaining means including a keeper member rotatably supported on said pinion shaft and spring means coacting between said keeper member and said gear rack for urging same into meshing engagement with the driving pinion; release means coacting with said gear rack for permitting same to pivotally move in opposition to said spring means out of engagement with said pinion; and drive means interconnected to said pinion for rotating same and for causing driving engagement with said rack to cause swinging movement of said closure structure between said overhead and said closed positions.

Claim 9

An operator for a movable closure structure which is positioned within an opening in an upright wall, the closure structure being pivotally connected to said wall for movement between a substantially vertical position in which said closure structure closes said opening and a substantially horizontal overhead position, comprising: a driving pinion and means rotatably mounting said pinion on said movable closure structure adjacent one edge thereof, said last-mentioned means including a pinion shaft rotatably mounted on said closure structure with said driving pinion being fixedly secured to said pinion shaft; an elongated, substantially rigid gear rack and means pivotally mounting said gear rack on said upright wall substantially adjacent the one edge of said closure structure; retaining means normally maintaining said pinion and said gear rack in meshing engagement with one another, said retaining means including a keeper member rotatably supported on said pinion shaft and spring means coacting between said keeper member and said gear rack for urging same into meshing engagement with the driving pinion; release means coacting with said gear rack for permitting same to pivotally move in opposition to said spring means out of engagement with said pinion; and drive means interconnected to said pinion for rotating same and for causing driving engagement with said rack to cause swinging movement of said closure structure between said overhead and said closed positions.

Claim 10

An operator according to claim 7, wherein said release means further includes means for maintaining said gear rack in said released position out of engagement with said pinion for permitting manual operation of said closure structure.

Claim 11

In combination with a one-piece door which is positionable within an opening in an upright wall means, the door being pivotally connected to said wall means for vertical swinging movement between a substantially vertical position in which said door closes said opening and a substantially horizontal overhead open position, and an operator for pivotally moving said door between said positions, the improvement wherein said operator comprises: pinion means rotatably mountEd on one of said door and said upright wall means, said pinion being disposed adjacent the upper edge of the opening formed in said upright wall means when said door is in said vertical position; an elongated substantially rigid gear rack and connecting means pivotally connecting said rack to the other of said door and said upright wall means, said connecting means also being disposed adjacent the upper edge of said opening when the door is in the vertical position; engagement means for normally maintaining said pinion means and said gear rack in meshing engagement with one another; drive means interconnected to said pinion means for rotating same and for causing driving engagement with said rack for causing tilting movement of said door between said open and said closed positions; and release means coacting between said rack and said pinion means for permitting said rack and said pinion means to be meshingly disengaged to enable said door to be manually tilted between said positions.

Claim 12

In combination with a one-piece door which is positionable within an opening in an upright wall means, the door being pivotally connected to said wall means for vertical swinging movement between a substantially vertical position in which said door closes said opening and a substantially horizontal overhead open position, and an operator for pivotally moving said door between said positions, the improvement wherein said operator comprises: pinion means rotatably mountEd on one of said door and said upright wall means, said pinion being disposed adjacent the upper edge of the opening formed in said upright wall means when said door is in said vertical position; an elongated substantially rigid gear rack and connecting means pivotally connecting said rack to the other of said door and said upright wall means, said connecting means also being disposed adjacent the upper edge of said opening when the door is in the vertical position; engagement means for normally maintaining said pinion means and said gear rack in meshing engagement with one another; drive means interconnected to said pinion means for rotating same and for causing driving engagement with said rack for causing tilting movement of said door between said open and said closed positions; and release means coacting between said rack and said pinion means for permitting said rack and said pinion means to be meshingly disengaged to enable said door to be manually tilted between said positions.

Claim 13

The combination according to claim 9, wherein said drive means includes motor means and torque transmitting means connected between said motor means and said pinion means, said torque transmitting means including only nonlocking gear connections therein while having a substantially large mechanical advantage from said motor means to said pinion means for effectively preventing rotation of said motor means by said pinion means due to imposition of external forces on said door.

Claim 14

The combination according to claim 9, wherein said pinion means is rotatably mounted on said door adjacent an upper corner thereof, and said gear rack being pivotally connected to said upright wall means adjacent the upper edge of said opening, said rack being positioned for meshing engagement with said pinion means adjacent the lower side thereof whereby the weight of said rack tends to swing said rack downwardly out of meshing engagement with said pinion means.

Claim 15

The combination according to claim 9, wherein said engagement means includes spring means coacting against said rack for pivotally urging same into meshing engagement with said pinion means, and said release means coacting with said rack for permitting same to pivotally move away from and out of meshing engagement with said pinion means in opposition to said spring means.