Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
1
BRAKE DEVICE FOR GARAGE DOORS AND THE LIKE, AND DOOR
ASSEMBLY INCLUDING THE SAME
Field of the invention:
The present invention relates to a brake device, also commonly known in
the industry as a "stop bottom bracket", and also relates to a door assembly
including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
braking
device for use with a cable-operated door, such as 'garage doors and the like,
and
is used to reduce the risk of the garage door falling, or at the very least
slow down
its descent, in case of a rupture of one of the cables or in case of a failure
of one
of the elements (e.g. spring) of the counterbalancing mechanism that holds the
cables and/or operates fihe door, these cases being generally represented by a
loss of tension in a given cable.
Backctround of the invention:
Cable-operated doors such as garage doors are well known in the art. A
garage door is usually connected to an overhead counterbalancing mechanism
that provides a counterbalancing force in order to decrease the force required
to
open the door and also facilitate its closing. A conventional garage door is
typically
connected to the counterbalancing mechanism by means of two cables, one at the
right and one at the left. The cables are usually made of steel. The lower
free end
of each cable is usually attached at the bottom of the door.
It is also known in the art that a garage door needs to have a proper
counterbalancing system so that it may be easily opened and closed. The
counterbalancing force is generally achieved by the usage of either one or
many
torsional springs. Each torsional spring is generally connected to two plugs,
a first
one being the "winding plug" at one end of the spring, and a second one being
the
"stationary plug" at the other end of the spring. The winding plug is
generally in
turn fixed onto the shaft while the stationary plug is generally fixed onto a
fixed
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
2
structure, such as a bearing plate mounted to a wall for example. To transmit
the
force to the door, there are generally two drums on the shaft of the
counterbalancing mechanism on which cables are installed. The extremities of
these cables are generally fixed onto bottom brackets, one on each side (left
and
righfi) of the door, typically at the last or bottom panel of a sectional door
for
example.
One could envisage that, although very unlikely, it might happen that one of
the elements (e.g. spring) of the counterbalancing mechanism which are
operatively connected to the cables may undergo a failure, leading to the
garage
door falling, which is undesirable. There have been other attempts to come up
with
braking devices used in the event of a failure of a cable or of an element
holding
the same.
Known in the art are the following US and foreign patents/patent
applications which describe various cable braking devices for garage doors and
the like: US 4,385,471; US 5,090,522; US 5,291,686; US 5,581,939; US 6,279,268
B1; US 6,553,716 B2; US 6,640,496 B2; US 6,715,236 B2; US 2002/0117787 A1;
US 2003/0000655 A1; and FR 2,697,570.
However, most of the devices comprise detecting means which detect a
loss of tension in the cable by means of levers, linkages, and the like which
are
either displaced along the same direction of the cable or in a direction
perpendicularly thereto, which does not always enable a direct and sudden
braking capability upon detection of the loss of tension in the cable.
Furthermore,
in order to carry out their braking functions, most of the above-mentioned
devices
rely on cams, and the like, which are used to frictionally engage or clamp a
given
portion of a side rail so as to brake the cable-operated door with respect to
such a
fixed structure. However, the braking capabilities of such devices rely mainly
on
the particular shape and eccentricity of the given cam.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
3
Hence, in light of the above-discussed, there is a need for an improved
brake device which would be able to overcome some of the aforementioned prior
art problems.
Summary of the invention:
The object of the present invention is to provide a brake device which, by
virtue of its design and components, satisfies some of the above-mentioned
needs, and which is thus an improvement over other related brake devices
and/or
methods known in the prior art.
In accordance with the present invention, the above object is achieved with
a brake device for a cable-operated door operated by a tensioned cable, the
cable-operated door having a movement guided along a fixed structure, the
fixed
structure having an inner portion and an outer portion, the brake device being
mountable onto the cable-operated door and being configured for cooperating
with
the tensioned cable so as to immobilize the cable-operated door with respect
to
the fixed structure in the event of a loss of tension in the cable, the brake
device
comprising:
a support bracket mountable onto a bottom portion of the cable-operated
door, the support bracket comprising:
at least one hole for receiving each a corresponding fastener for
securely mounting the support bracket onto the cable-operated door; and
a connection point onto which an extremity of the tensioned cable is
connected;
a guiding assembly operatively mounted onto the support bracket for
travelling along the inner portion of the fixed structure so as to guide the
movement of the cable-operated door along said fixed structure when the
support
bracket is mounted onto the bottom portion of the cable-operated door;
a braking assembly operatively mounted onto the support bracket for
cooperating with the tensioned cable, the braking assembly comprising a swivel
component pivotably mounted and moveable about the support bracket, the swivel
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
4
component having opposite first and second ends, the first end being provided
with a braking arm, and the second end being provided with a lever portion
positioned, shaped and sized about the support bracket for cooperating with
the
tensioned cable, the braking arm projecting out from the support bracket for
positioning of said braking arm adjacent to the outer portion of the fixed
structure,
the braking arm being operable between a retracted configuration, where the
braking arm is urged away from the fixed structure via a frictional engagement
of
the tensioned cable against the lever portion opposite to the braking arm on
the
swivel component, so as to allow the guiding assembly to guide the cable-
operated door freely along the fixed structure, and a braking configuration,
caused
by a given loss of tension in the cable resulting in a decrease of frictiorial
engagement of the cable with the lever portion, where the braking arm is no
longer
urged away and thereby engages a portion of the outer portion of the fixed
structure for braking movement of the cable-operated door with respect to the
fixed structure;
biasing means operatively connected between the support bracket and the
braking assembly for biasing the braking arm into a braking configuration; and
a guiding channel defined within the lever portion of the swivel component
for guiding the tensioned cable about the braking assembly and onto the
connection point of the support bracket.
Preferably, the braking arm is provided with a knife having an edge
extending from the braking arm for engaging with the outer portion of the
fixed
structure when in the braking configuration. The knife is preferably removably
mounted onto the braking arm with at least one fastener, and said at least one
fastener preferably comprises a pair of fasteners each comprising a bolt and a
corresponding w nut, each bolt being insertable through a corresponding hole
provided along the braking arm.
Preferably also, the biasing means comprise a spring having one end
operatively connected to the support bracket and another end operatively
connected to the braking arm via a hinging portion thereof.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
Preferably also, the brake device comprises a protective casing removably
mountable onto the support bracket for substantially covering the support
bracket
and other components operatively connected thereto.
5
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided
a door assembly having a cable-operated door operated by a tensioned cable,
the
cable-operated door having a movement guided along a fixed structure, the
fixed
structure having an inner portion and an outer portion, the cable-operated
door
comprising a brake device configured for cooperating with the tensioned cable
so
as to immobilize the cable-operated door with respect to the fixed structure
in the
event of a loss of tension in the cable, the brake device comprising:
a support bracket mountable onto a bottom portion of the cable-operated
door, the support bracket comprising:
at least one hole for receiving each a corresponding fastener for
securely mounting the support bracket onto the cable-operated door; and
a connection point onto which an extremity of the tensioned cable is
connected;
a guiding assembly operatively mounted onto the support bracket for
travelling along the inner portion of the fixed structure so as to guide the
movement of the cable-operated door along said fixed structure when the
support
bracket is mounted onto the bottom portion of the cable-operated door;
a braking assembly operatively mounted onto the support bracket for
cooperating with the tensioned cable, the braking assembly comprising a swivel
component pivotably mounted and moveable about the support bracket, the swivel
component having opposite first and second ends, the first end being provided
with a braking arm, and the second end being provided with a lever portion
positioned, shaped and sized about the support bracket for cooperating with
the
tensioned cable, the braking arrn projecting out from the support bracket for
positioning of said braking arm adjacent to the outer portion of the fixed
structure,
the braking arm being operable between a retracted configuration, where the
braking arm is urged away from the fixed structure via a frictional engagement
of
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
6
the tensioned cable against the lever portion opposite to the braking arm on
the
swivel component, so as to allow the guiding assembly to guide the cable-
operated door freely along the fixed structure, and a braking configuration,
caused
by a given loss of tension in the cable resulting in a decrease of frictional
engagement of the cable with the lever portion, where the braking arm is no
longer
urged away and thereby engages a portion of the outer portion of the fixed
structure for braking movement of the cable-operated door with respect to the
fixed structure;
biasing means operatively connected between the support bracket and the
braking assembly for biasing the braking arm into a braking configuration; and
a guiding channel defined within the lever portion of the swivel component
for guiding the tensioned cable about the braking assembly and onto the
connection point of the support bracket.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also
provided a method of operating the above-mentioned brake device and/or door
assembly.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also
provided a kit for assembling the above-mentioned brake device.
The objects, advantages and other features of the present invention will
become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description
of
preferred embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only
with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Brief description of the drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a brake device according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
7
Figure 2 is another perspective view of what is shown in Figure 1, the brake
device being now shown without its protective casing, and cooperating with a
tensioned cable represented schematically by a dotted line.
Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of what is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an exploded view of the brake device shown in Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of a bottom portion of a door assembly
provided with a brake device such as the one shown in Figure 1.
Figure 6 is another perspective view of what is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a bottom perspective view of what is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a front plan view of what is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of what is shown in Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a side plan view of what is shown in Figure 8.
Figure 11 is another perspective view of what is shown in Figure 5, the
brake device being now shown without its protective casing.
Figure 12 is another perspective view of what is shown in Figure 11.
Figure 13 is a bottom perspective view of what is shown in Figure 11.
Figure 14 is a front plan view of what is shown in Figure 11.
Figure 15 is a bottom plan view of what is shown in Figure 14.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
8
Figure 16 is a side plan view of what is shown in Figure 14.
Figure 17 is a partial perspective view of a bottom portion of a door
assembly provided with a brake device such as the one shown in Figure 1, the
brake device being shown in a retracted configuration according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 18 is a front plan view of what is shown in Figure 17.
Figure 19 is a bottom plan view of what is shown in Figure 18.
Figure 20 is a side plan view of what is shown in Figure 18.
Figure 21 is another perspective view of what is shown in Figure 17, the
brake device being now shown in a braking configuration according to a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 22 is a front plan view of what is shown in Figure 21.
Figure 23 is a bottom plan view of what is shown in Figure 22.
Figure 24 is a side plan view of what is shown in Figure 22.
Figure 25 is a perspective view of the support bracket of the brake device
shown in Figure 4.
Figure 26 is a front plan view of the support bracket shown in Figure 25.
Figure 27 is an exploded view of the swivel component, including opposite
braking arm and lever portion with integrated guiding channel defined therein,
of
the brake device shown in Figure 4, the swivel component being shown in an
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
9
exploded relationship with a corresponding knife and fasteners to be mounted
onto
the braking arm.
Figure 28 is another perspective view of the swivel component shown in
Figure 27.
Figure 29 is a botfiom plan view of what is shown in Figure 28.
Figure 30 is a perspective view of a protective casing of the brake device
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 31 is a front plan view of what is shown in Figure 30.
Figure 32 is a rear perspective view of what is shown in Figure 30.
Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention:
fn the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar
elements. The embodiments shown in the figures are preferred, and are used for
exemplification purposes.
Moreover, although the present invention was primarily designed for use
with a cable-operated door, such as a garage door assembly for example, it may
be used with other types of doors and objects and in other fields, as apparent
to a
person skilled in the art. For this reason, expressions such as "cable",
"garage",
"door", etc., as used herein should not be taken as to limit the scope of the
present
invention and includes all other kinds of doors and/or items with which the
present
invention could be used and may be useful.
Moreover, in the context of the present invention, the expressions "driving
mechanism", "controlling mechanism", "counterbalancing mechanism", and any
other equivalent expression known in the art will be used interchangeably.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
Furthermore, the same applies for any other mutually equivalent expressions,
such as "cable-operated door" and "garage door", "braking arm" and "lever
arm",
as well as "braking" and "slowing down descent rate" for example, as also
apparent to a person skilled in the art.
5
In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises various components such as
a guiding channel 23, a roller 27, a shaft 29, a sleeve 31, a spring 63, a
casing 65,
etc., and although the preferred embodiment of the brake device 1 as shown
10 consists of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated
herein,
not all of these components and geometries are essential to the invention and
thus
should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken as to
limit the
scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a
person
skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperations
thereinbetween,
7 5 as well as other suitable geometrical configurations may be used for the
brake
device 1 and corresponding parts according to the present invention, as
briefly
explained and as can be easily inferred herefrom by a person skilled in the
art,
without departing from the scope of the invention.
Broadly described, the brake device 1 according to the present invention, as
shown in the accompanying drawings, is a device 1 for use with a cable-
operated
door 3, such as garage doors 3 and the like, for providing advantages in that
it is
intended to slow down its descent, in the event of a failure in the
counterbalancing
mechanism of the cable-operated door 3, such as, for example, a rupture of one
of
the cables 5 or a failure of one of the elements (e.g. torsional spring)
operatively
connected to the cables 5, which is generally represented by a loss of tension
in
the given cable 5 operating the cable-operated door 3. The brake device 1
according to the present invention is intended to reduce the risk that the
garage
door 3 will fall, or at the very least, it will slow down its descent, so as
to minimise
the occurrence of damages to property, and the like.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
11
Indeed, according to the present invention, the brake device 1 is intended
for a cable-operated door 3 operated by a tensioned cable 5, the cable-
operated
door 3 having a movement guided along a fixed structure 7, such as a guide or
side rail for example, as better shown in Figures 5-21, the fixed structure 7
having
an inner portion 7a and an outer portion 7b. The brake device 1 is devised to
be
mountable onto the cable-operated door 3, at a suitable location thereon, such
as
a bottom portion thereof or a bottom panel of a sectional door 3 for example,
and
is configured for cooperating with the tensioned cable 5 so as to immobilize
the
cable-operated door 3 with respect to the fixed structure 7 in the event of a
loss of
tension in the cable 5, which represents typically a failure in the
counterbalancing
mechanism (not shown) of the door 3 such as, as aforementioned, a rupture of
one of the cables 5, a failure of one of the elements (for example, a
torsional
counterbalancing spring) operatively connected to the cables 5 of the
counterbalancing mechanism, and/or other similar situations, as apparent to a
person skilled in fihe art.
As better in the accompanying drawings, the brake device 1 comprises a
support bracket 9, a guiding assembly 15, a braking assembly 17, biasing means
21, and a guiding channel 23.
The support bracket 9 is preferably mountable onto a bottom portion of the
cable-operated door 3, such as the bottom panel of a sectional garage door for
example, and preferably comprises at least one hole 11 for receiving each a
corresponding fastener (not shown) for securely mounting the support bracket 9
onto the cable-operated door 3, as can be easily understood when referring to
Figures 5-24, and the support bracket 9 also preferably comprises a connection
point 13 onto which an extremity of the tensioned cable 5 is connected. In
Figure 2
for example, the tensioned cable 5 has been represented schematically by a
dotted line.
As better shown in Figures 1-10, the guiding assembly 15 according to the
present invention is operatively mounted onto the support bracket 9 for
traveling
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
12
along the inner portion 7a of a fixed structure 7 so as to guide the movement
of the
cable-operated door 3 along said fixed structure 7 when the support bracket 9
is
mounted onto the bottom portion of the cable-operated door 3. It is to be
understood, as apparent to a person skilled in the art, that a conventional
door
usually has a plurality of guiding assemblies (e.g. rollers) for guiding the
cabie-
operated door 3 along said fixed structure 7, such as a side rail for example,
and
that the brake device 1 according to the present invention is not absolutely
necessary for guiding the cable-operated door 3 along said fixed structure 7,
but
preferably takes the place of a bottom guiding assembly which would otherwise
be
normally present in a conventional door, while at the same time providing
safety
advantages, as described herein.
As can be easily understood when referring to Figures 2 and 4, the braking
assembly 17 of the present brake device 1 is operatively mounted onto the
support
bracket 9 thereof for cooperating with the tensioned cable. The braking
assembly
17 comprises a swivel component 18 pivotably mounted and movable about the
support bracket 9. This swivel component 13 has first and second opposite
ends,
the first end being provided with a braking arm 19, and the second end being
provided with a lever portion 20, said lever portion 20 being positioned,
shaped
and sized about the support bracket 9 for cooperating with the tensioned cable
5.
Preferably, the braking arm 19 and lever portion 20 are thus rigidly connected
thereto, so that movement (i.e, rotation) of one causes an opposite movement
of
the other. They also preferably have a common pivot axis (i.e. pivot axis of
shaft
29 and/or of sleeve 31, as explained hereinbelow), and are thus pivotally
moveable with respect to the support bracket 9, as can be easily understood
when
contrasting Figures 17-20 and 21-24. Moreover, as also shown, the braking arm
19 projects out from the support bracket 9 for positioning of the braking arm
19
adjacent to the outer portion 7b of the fixed structure 7, as also illustrated
in the
above-mentioned figures. The braking arm 19 is operable between a retracted
configuration, better illustPated in Figures 17-20, and a braking or "engaged"
configuration, as better illustrated in Figures 21-24. In the retracted
configuration,
and as can be easily understood when referring to Figures 2 and 17-20, the
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
13
braking arm 19 is urged away from the fixed structure 7 via a frictional
engagement of the tensioned cable 5 against the lever portion 20 opposite to
the
braking arm 19 on the swivel component 18, so as to allow the guiding assembly
15 to guide the cable-operated door 3 freely along the fixed structure 7.
However,
when in the braking or "engaged" configuration, caused by a loss of tension in
the
cable 5 resulting in a decrease of frictional engagement of the cable 5 with
the
lever portion 20, the braking arm 19 is no longer urged away, i.e, not biased
anymore by the tensioned cable 5 pushing on the lever portion 20 and is
thereby
allowed to engage a portion of the outer portion 7b of the fixed structure 7
for
braking movement of the cable-operated door 3 with respect to the structure,
said
engagement being driven not only by the design and the nature of the braking
arm
19, as will be explained in greater detail hereinbelow, but also driven by
biasing
means 21, as also described hereinbelow, and as apparent to a person skilled
in
the art.
Indeed, the biasing means 21 are operatively connected between the
support bracket 9 and the braking assembly 17 for biasing the braking arm 19
info
a braking configuration, that is, for urging the braking arm 19 constantly
towards
the outer portion 7b of the fixed structure 7. Thus, as may now better be
appreciated, when there is tension in the tensioned cable 5, the tensioned
cable 5
overrides the biasing force of the biasing means 21 (e.g. springs 63) and
pushes
on the (ever portion 20 of the swivel component 18, thereby urging the braking
arm
19 away from the fixed structure 7 (i.e. side rail), whereas when there is a
loss of
tension in the cable 5, said cable 5 no longer pushes against the lever
portion 20
and can no longer urge the braking arm 19 away from the fixed structure 7, and
thus the braking arm 19 is in turn allowed and driven by the biasing means 21
towards the outer portion 7b of the fixed structure 7 (e.g. rail), and is
designed in
such a way that it engages the side rail in a frictional and/or deformable
manner
(by cutting, notching, etc., itself therein) so that once it is anchored into
the side
rail, the cable-operated door 3 is prevented or stowed down from falling.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
14
The braking device 1 according to the present invention also preferably
comprises a guiding channel 23 defined within the lever portion of the swivel
component for guiding the tensioned cable 5 about the braking assembly 17 and
onto the connection point 13 of the support bracket 9, as better represented
in
Figure 2.
Preferably, and as better shownin Figures2, 4, 25 and 26, the
support
bracket 9 comprisesa pair of supportarms and the guiding assembly
25 15
comprises a rollermounted about shaft said shaft 29 being
27 a 29, rotatably
mounted about said support arms 25.
Preferably also, and as better shown in Figure 4, the guiding assembly 15
comprises a sleeve 31 rotatably mounted about the support arms 25, and the
shaft
29 of the roller 27 is further rotatably mounted within the sleeve 31.
Preferably also, and as better shown in Figures 4 and 27-29, the braking
arm 19 has a hinging portion 33 pivotably mounted about the sleeve 31. The
hinging portion 33 preferably comprises a pair of hinging flanges 39 each
having a
corresponding orifice 41 for the sleeve 31 to pass therethrough.
Preferably also, and as better shown in Figures 2, 4 and 27-29, the guiding
channel 23 is operatively connected to the hinging portion 33 of the braking
arm
19, and is preferably made integral to said hinging portion 33. It is worth
mentioning though that the braking arm 19, lever portion 20, guiding channel
23,
and hinging porfiion 33 according to the present invention may take on various
other suitable embodiments. Indeed, the may consist of a single component, and
may be made integral to each other (i.e. same component made out of the same
material), as shown in the accompanying drawings, or may be defined by various
separate components connectable to each other by suitable means, as apparent
to a person skilled in the art. '
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
Preferably, and as better shown in Figures 2, 4, 14-24 and 27, the braking
arm 19 is provided with a knife 43 having an edge extending from the braking
arm
19 for engaging with the outer portion 7b of the fixed structure 7 when in the
braking configuration. The knife 43 is preferably removably mounted onto the
5 braking arm 19 with at least one fastener 45. Said at least one fastener 45
preferably comprises a pair of fasteners 45 each comprising a bolt 47 and a
corresponding nut 49, each bolt 47 being insertable through a corresponding
hole
51 provided along the braking arm 19. It is worth mentioning that other
suitable
means may be used for properly securing the knife 43 onto the braking arm 19,
as
10 apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example, a given knife 43
could be
made integral to the braking arm 19, that is, made of one single component and
made out of the same material, in which case said knife 43 would also act as
the
braking arm 19 itself, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art.
15 Preferably, and as better shown in Figures 1-4, the support bracket 9
comprises a supporting flange 53, and the connection point 73 comprises a hook
55 having a threaded portion 57 removably insertable into a corresponding hole
59
of the supporting flange 53. It is also to be understood that other suitable
connection points 13 and means for connecting it to the support bracket 9 may
be
included according to the present invention, and as also apparent to a person
skilled in the art.
Preferably, and as better shown in Figures 2, 4, 25 and 26, the support
bracket 9 comprises at least one embossment 61 for increasing the structural
integrity of the support bracket 9.
Preferably, and as better shown in Figures 2, 4, 13, 15 and 19, the biasing
means 21 comprise a spring 63 having one end operatively connected to the
support bracket 9 and another end operatively connected to the braking arm 19
via
the hinging portion 33 thereof.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
16
Preferably, and as better shown in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 30-32, the brake
device 1 comprises a casing 65 removably mountable onto the support bracket 9
for substantially covering the support bracket 9 and other components
operatively
connected thereto.
As previously explained, the support bracket 9 preferably comprises first
and second support arms 25, as better shown in Figures 4 and 25, and the
guiding
assembly 15 preferably comprise a roller 27 mounted about a shaft 29, the
shaft
29 being mounted onto the first and second support arms 25 of the support
bracket 9, as also better illustrated in Figure 2. It is worth mentioning that
the roller
27 may be pivotally mounted about the shaft 29, and that said shaft 29 may be
made integral to the support bracket 9, but preferably, the shaft 29 is
pivotally
mounted onto the support arms 25 and the roller 27 is securely mounted about
said shaft 29 (e.g. by press fitting) so that when the shaft 29 rotates, so
does the
roller 27. However, as apparent to a person skilled in the art, other
dispositions
between the shaft 29, roller 27, sleeve 31, and support bracket 9, along with
other
components, may be made so as to enable the roller 27 to properly guide the
cable-operated door 3 along the fixed structure 7, without departing from the
scope of the present invention.
It is worth mentioning though that several modifications could be made to
the present brake device 1 according to the present invention without
departing
from the scope of the present invention. Indeed, although the biasing means 21
preferably comprise a loaded spring 63, capable of storing potential energy
via
deformation so as to provide a potential force urging the hinging portion 33,
and
thus the braking arm 19, towards fixed structure 7 (e.g. rail) and into a
braking
configuration, in the event of a loss of tension in the cable, it is worth
mentioning
however that other suitable biasing means 21 which do not use potential energy
for providing a biasing force may be used according to the present invention,
so
long as these biasing means 21 are capable of biasing the braking arm in a
suitable way in the manner discussed above, and as apparent to a person
skilled
in the art.
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
17
Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the biasing means 21 may have other
suitable dispositions on the brake device 1 so as to ensure a corresponding
biasing force on the braking arm 19, via the hinging portion 33 thereof, for
example, according to the present invention.
It is worth mentioning also that, according to the present invention, the
different various components of the brake device 1 may be disposed otherwise
on
the support bracket 9, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art.
Referring to Figures 1 and 4, there is shown how the brake device 1 is
preferably provided with a casing 65 which is removably mountable onto the
support bracket 9 for substantially covering the support bracket 9 and other
components operatively connected thereto, such as the support arms 25, the
spring 63, the braking arm 19, etc. The casing 65 may be provided with
suitable
visual information for example, such as the expression "warning" for instance,
as
illustrated in the figures, or other expressions and/or symbols conveying
information.
As can be easily understood from the accompanying drawings, when the
braking arm 19 is in the retracted position, the roller 27 of the brake device
1 will
guide fihe door 3 along the rail and the braking arm 19 will travel freely
therealong
outside the rail. When the braking arm 19 is triggered into the operable
position
(i.e. braking configuration) by a loss of tension in the cable 5, said loss of
tension
results in the fact that the cable 5 can no longer push the lever portion 20
of the
swivel component 18 and maintain the braking arm 19 away from the fixed
structure 7. Namely, the force of the actuating spring 63 becomes greater than
the
force that was acted upon by the tensioned cable 5 against the braking arm 19
via
the lever portion 20, thereby causing the actuating braking arm 19 which is
preferably rigidly connected to the hinging portion 33 to rotate the same and
thus
engage (i.e. anchoring via cutting, notching, etc.) the rail, under the
influence of
the biasing means 21 (e.g. spring 63), thereby urging the knife 43 against the
rail
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
18
and once anchored therein or engaged thereagainst, preventing andlor slowing
down substantially downward movement of the garage door, as apparent to a
person skilled in the art. As can be easily understood, this combined action
brakes
the movement of the cable-operated door 3 and thus reduces the risk of it
falling,
or at the very least, slow down its descent.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided
a door assembly provided with a brake device 1 such as the one described and
illustrated herein.
As may now be better appreciated, the brake device 1 according to the
present invention preferably comprises several safety features. For example,
as
better shown in Figures 1 and 4, the brake device 1 preferably comprises a
protective casing 65 removably mountable onto the support bracket 9 by
suitable
attachment means, for protecting the mechanism of the brake device 1 and for
preventing access to the mechanism to the general public (i.e. unskilled
users).
Moreover, as can be easily understood from the accompanying drawings, the
braking arm 19 used with the biasing means 21 of the braking device is
preferably
shaped, sized and positioned to cut into the side rail when triggered into the
braking configuration, so as to stop or, at the very least, slow down the
descent of
the cable-operated door 3.
Moreover, the device shown in the accompanying figures is a "right" brake
device 1 to be located at the bottom of the garage door, more specifically at
the
right-hand side thereof when viewed from the inside of the garage. A "left"
brake
device 1, that is, a left-hand side version of the brake device 1 shown, would
simply be a mirror image of what is in the accompanying figures.
Furthermore, the present invention is a substantial improvement over the
prior art in that, by virtue of its design and components, the brake device 1
is
simple and easy to use, as well as is simple and easy to manufacture and/or
assemble, without compromising the reliability of its functions. Hence, it may
now
CA 02519142 2005-09-14
WO 2005/080725 PCT/CA2005/000232
19
be appreciated that the present invention represents important advantages over
other brake devices known in the prior art, namely in terms of performance.
The present invention is also an improvement and presents several
advantages over other brake devices known on the prior art in that if may be
used
in the garage door industry, with new garage doors or existing garage doors,
whether commercial or residential. Indeed, in the case of a cable/spring
failure, the
present invention is intended to stop or at the very least slow down the fall
of the
garage door 3 so as to minimize or even prevent adverse effects which could
otherwise occur if the brake device 1 according to the present invention was
not
present. Furthermore, the present invention may be used with other kinds of
doors, such as slidable truck doors, or with any other items suspended by a
cable,
as apparent to a person skilled in the art.
Of course, numerous modifications could be made to the above-described
embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined the
appended claims.
