US2120084A - Vehicle actuated means for opening and/or closing doors and gates - Google Patents

Description

W', AUSTIN 2,120,084 VEHICLE ACTUATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND/OR CLOSING DOORS AND GATES June 7, 1938.

6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3l, 1956 /A/vf/*vro WML/fm1 fil/574; BY ffm/Mu W M TcToRA/ns W. AUSTIN `une 7, 1938.

VEHICLE ACTUATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND/OR CLOSING DOORS AND GATES 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5l, 1936 l/VVNTOR N WILLIAM UST 2ans QNM Q@ SNA. N SQ mm,

.www uw@ June 7, 1938. 4 w. AUSTIN 2,120,084

VEHICLE CTUATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND/OR CLOSING DOORS AND GATES A Filed Oct. 51, 1936 GvSheetS-Sheet l5 June 7, 1938.

w1 AUSTIN VEHICLE ACTUATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND/OR CLOSING DOORS AND GATES Filed oct. 51, 1936.v

Jne 7, 1938. w, AUSTIN Y 29,984

VEHICLE ACTUATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND/OR CLOSING DOORS AND GATES Filed Oct. 3l, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 fig/ff' O ff w. AUSTIN 2,l20,084

VEHICLE ACTUATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND/OR CLOSING DOORS AND GATES `lme 7, 3938.

6 sheets-sheet 6 Filed OCb. 3l, 1956 Patented June 7, 1938 .UNITED vs'rAr-Es VEHICLE ACTUAT'ED' MEANS FOR OPENING AND/R CLOSING DOORS AND YGATES Wiiiiam Austimoanterbury, England 'Application October v31, 1936,'Serial No. 108,ii14

In Great Britain November 6, 1935 Y 10 Claims.

"Thejpresent' invention relates to vehicle actuated 4meansfor opening and/or closing doors, gates and the like.

The invention is applicable to the opening V5 and/or closing of any kind of'doors, gates or the likethrough which the vehicle is required tofpass; forexample the doors of; a garage in which the vehicle is tobe housed, orv gates in a roadway, such as the entrance .gates of mansions; The dovorsfof'a 4garage, if hinged, are usually constructed to open outwards,whereas hinged gates of private carriageways leading off a public high- Way must `be constructedzto open inwards. It is therefore desirable vthat the Vvehicle actuated opening and `closing means when applied to hinged'doors or gates maybe adaptableto both kinds of doors or gates, viz. those that open outwards andthose that open inwards, the actual detail'of the mechanism employedbeing modified toasuit either class.

'An :object of the invention is to provide improved means kfoivoiolei'ling and/or lclosing doors, gates or the like, whichwill bel simple, cheap and easy to install and require the minimum of maintenance. In its broadest aspect the present invention consists'of mechanicalgmeans foropening and/or closing doors,gates andthe like 'operable-by* a vehicle; approachingand/or receding from said doors, gates or the like. f

A particular object of this invention is to reduce to a minimum the amount of excavation required for theA installation of the device and to leliminate theI necessity for a separatefprime' mover.

"The present vvinvention 'further comprises aV vehicle-actuated device vfor opening and/orclosing hin-ged doors' or gates having a exible train (or trains) of `.motion transmitting elements, of

which train one constituent *flexible element is adapted tov be attached to the door or gate to be operated and is guided in a quadrant-shaped Afurther object of ythe invention is to provide path centred on the hinge of '.the door `or, gate, and an actuating member (or members) Vproject-Y ing above'the groundlevel atagdistance'from said door or gater within the track of the vehicle and movable in the line of travel thereof and connected with the said trainV of motion transmitting elements, the latter being lcapable vof gate at such a point that thetravel; of the actui ating member is considerably less than thatof the extremity of the door or gateremote fromithe hingel and'preferablyj at a point distant from the hinge about one third ofthe width ofthe door, or gate. p ,Y

This'device maybe Vadapted to openand close a door or doors, eg. of a garage, from the outf side only, in whichcase' it'will comprise a single actuating member situated in the roadway outside the said door or doors, gat-e'or gates.

Alternatively, thedevice may be adapted "to 5 open and close a door or doors, lgrate or gates,

from either side, in which caseit will'comprise l two'actuating members situated respectively on the' inside and outsideoi said door (doors) or gate (gates). l

On approaching the door or `gateway thevehicle operates the device, by ,a iiXed part. thereof, e. g; the front axle coming irl-contact with an actuating member which is 'moved in the direction towards the door or 4gateway by the progress ofthe vehicle, there-by opening, the door or gate. When' the doorV is fully opened the said xed part of the vehicle rides over the actuating member, which may beyarranged'to; yield 'as'hereinafter moregparticularly described. If the Aapparatus is required to close the door behind the' vehicle after its passage a second actuating member'is placed on the other sideof the doorand is arY rangedto close the doorgon being moved infthe direction of travel by contact with the fixed part Y of-the vehicle.

When the second actuating'memberI has completed its travel and the doorsare fully'closed the said fixed part` of thevehicleV may 'ride over itfolfy which purpose it may be arranged' to yieldin the rsame way asY the first mentioned actuating member. VOn reversing the vehicle the sequence of operations mentioned above is performed in the reverse direction, the doors being opened to allow the vehicle to pass and nally closed again. Y

It is desirable, especially in the case ofthe ap- Y plication of the device toithe'doors of la garage or in any other situation'where .economy of space is required, that the same part Vof Ythe vehicle shall make contact with the .actuating member or `members irrespective of whether the vehicle `its travelling forward or in reverse. For example, hinged garage doors are usually constructed to open outwards and runless theactuating member is distant by more than the vehicles length from the door it is necessary to ensure that the actuating member isY not fouled by the rear axle of the vehicle when it is reversed out of the garage,y

asV this would cause the doors yto close before the vehiclewas clear 'of them;

y It is therefore desirable that the projection Vabove the ground level of the actuating member f ormembers shall 'be less than the general ground "clearance of the vehicle, .the necessary contact being established by vproviding on a convenient part of the vehicle jan attachment or device pro- Y jecting below the level ofthe rest of the under part of the chassis. As the more usualmethod Y habit of reversing intoV his garage the attachment is to drive into agarage forwards and reverse out again, the front axle or bumperA is the most convenient position for mounting the said attachmentor device, but 'if`v a vehicle owner is in the or`device may be mounted at the back, e. g. on the rear bumper Oron the back axle.

'Furthen in order that the actuating lever may Y V be placed as close as possible to the Vgarage doors j to save space it is preferable'to mount the attachment or device for operating the door actuating member lat the furthest forward point of the .vehicle, i. e. on the front bumper if :one is fitted.

. -In-applying the device-tothe operation of a' gate or gates, e. g. of a private driveway leadingoff a public road, suchv gatesbeing invariably ar.-

ranged to open inwards, the position .on the ve' hicleofthe part adaptedfto make contact with ating member.

the actuating element is of less importance as there is generally suicient Vroom inside the gateway tomount. the actuating member far enough from the gate (or gates) to avoid any possibility of fouling the gate, vwhatever part of the vehicle is used to make contactrwith the actu- Y Even in this case, however, as the available space on -the outside of the gateway may be limited, it is preferableto arrange the contactingattachment or device at Vthe, front of the .vehicle. Y

The tting of a suitable .projecting part or contact element to a vehicle may be done in any con- Y venient way'and it is to be understood that the mere attachment to a vehicle of Ya projecting present invention. Y g

This inventiomhowever, includes theprovision, as an attachment to the vehicle, of av device'comprising a resiliently mounted member adapted to makecontactwith the actuating element, the

memberdoes not initself constitute a part of the' resilient mounting ofthe said member allowingr Y itftoyield in the direction of pressureand upwardly, so as to 4enable it to ride over the actuating Yelement 'after completing the throw 'ofA the latter for operating the door, gate or the like;

,v Conveniently, the resiliently mounted membermay consist of a transverse bar preferably carry;

ing a roller mounted below the bumper or axle the actuating element.

and supported at its ends on arcuate guides arranged in the fore and aft direction with their Y convexities downwards and carryingsprings resisting themovement of the bar in either direc-Y tion on said guides.y 'Ihe springs must be stiif enough not .to yield appreciably to the pressure required forV operating the door'openingldevice,

but when the actuating element reaches the endY of its throw the yielding of the springsallows the bar to rise along the arcuate guides and ride over tachment lmay preferably be xed to the axle, in which case if the axle is of .I section a sheet metal cover may be applied to it Vto prevent the end ofthe door actuating element .(if long enough) from catching in the hollowfof the I section. rOn the other hand if space-saving in the door operating installationis a consideration,

the attachment should be fixed on the bumper as above indicated.V

In the case of an rinstallation foroperating the doors of a domesticgarage, it is undesirable that .1

the actuating element or elementsY should project much .above ground level and therebyconstitute trip in the dark.

For appearance this atobstructions on which a person might stumble or V'Ihis may be obviated by'raising an artificial V4hump in the ground surrounding theactuating x element.

Preferably in a'vehicle` actuated devicefforxy opening and/or closing doors or gates as herein-.-A

before Y' set' forth, the flexiblettrain ofmotion i if the device is adapted to operate the door or Vgate t from either side the two actuating members thereof vare respectively "connected to "opposite: ,limbsV of the endless motion transmitting member. Y

In this case the limb of the endless member to t.

which the door or gate to be operated` is connected depends on the direction in which the door or gate opens. i Y

In one formV of construction the device" is Vadaptf ed tooperate double doors or gates, in which case .v

it comprises duplicated elements each adapted 4to operate one of the two doors or gates and both Y connected to an actuatingl member or members situated centrally of the carriageway.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention the flexible trainl of motionv transmitting elements is entirely composed of ilexible cable operating in tension and includes a portion of cable provided with an element adapted to be attached tothe door or gate, and led over a pluralityV of idle rollers mounted in a quadrantal channel centred on theA doorV hinge andsituated inror Vbelow the carriageway.

. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the'exible motion transmittingttrain in cludes a motion transmitting element orelements Vconstituted by a strip (or strips) of spring steel guided in'averticalslot or channel (slots or .chan-Y nels) partly quadrantal in plan form, and having no abrupt bends, situated in or belowthe kcare e f riageway. Y

The attachment to the-.door or gate is lprefel .erably effected by-means of a vertical bolt mounted onl the door,-Which bolt can be dropped into (or raised from) a suitable eye formed in a constituent member of the motion transmitting train.

@ther features of this invention willfappeanin theffollowingv description with reierencefto the aocom-panying drawings of an embodiment "of the invention and afmodification vthereof,'both :adapted to operate'double doors or gates` from veither side, the arrangementlbeing suitable for 'thedouble doorsof aprivate garage. An attachment to' the vehicle'ior operating the device gis :alsoedescri-bed and illustrated.

,if Inf the dra-wingst '..--Fig-.fl' isa fragmentary plan viewjof anlembodimen'tofithe invention applied .to operating double :doorsof Va domestic,4 garage;

Fig. 42 is'a fragmentary `central longitudinal vertical'fsection of the same;

Fig..f3.is a fraginentary'view in-perspective on 1an 1enlarged scale and partly .broken away, showing the attachment of the operating mechanism tozthedoor .and adjacent parts of the mechafnism'; l Figi. 4 isa detail view in perspective, partly in rc-ection'and on a urther'enlarged scale, of the 'door attachment 'andV adjacent parts;

, Fig. 5 is a 4detail View Vin `perspective on an eniairgeds'cale;showing'the attachments to one ofA the actuating levers and .adjacent parts; .-rFig: 6 is a detail View in perspective to approximately the same scale as Fig. 5, showing one of thefguidesz of the actuating lever detached'from its foundation;

fFig'I is a'fragrnent'ary plan View of a modication;l ffligl is a view in central longitudinal vertical section taken' along the line 8-8 of Fig. '7; v."'.Fi"g.9 is a Vfragmentary viewinfront elevation, partly inv section, of an-attachment to a vehicle'resiliently mounted on the frontv bumper ff'or actuatinga device as shown in any of Figs. ltoffpf f "Fig: 1Q is a view in section taken along the line lil-LIQ off'Fig. 9;*and Y "Fig.' 1:1 is asomewhat diagrammatic view to a reduced scale showing'the deviceV of Figs. 9 and 10 in position on a motor..vehi`cle. Y I A "Referring to Figs'. 1'to6';.2a Ydomesticgarage having wallsIiI-and-a-cement'or concrete floor I2*continuedfoutside"the doors by an apron I3, is providedwi'th'double doorsl I, II@ hinged at Hx. "Asthe twofdoors and their :attachments are"exactly'similar,it'is onlynecessary to Adescribe the fattachrrientsto the door II.` 'Il'he corresponding parts associated '.WiththeY other i door I ia have similar reference -`V numbers it'o. v'those associatedwith :the door i I I, fand .are @distinguishedgiwhereshown. in the drawings, 'byA addition -oi'the letterLa'.

l\lear'the.hinge and' at a distance therefrom about one-third'of'the width of'the door, the door ii .isiprovided With .a Yvertical bolt I4 adapted atoube dropped into .or raised :from `a attachedxcablesY I'fand: H. Themetalblockl and theadjacentpart of; the :cable I6 fare llocated in .a channel-#82 Whichmay'be of i metaLrcement', earthenwaref or YAother suitable rmaterial andi is substantially buried in the apron I3. The'channel YI 9 is* circular in1cross-isection aridzquadrantal in'plan form, being centredon ,thedoorrhinge IIar;V The upper part ofthe,channelt'ISis cut aW'ayfto` form a slotY I9. 'Ihepart ofthezfcable I6 adjacentjtherblockrl 51s ledtovenennumberfof Y of ther cables.

`:idlerrollers I8mounted inthe channel I9.1The

.block Ivi-.is partly circularfin--crosssection, being :of= a size .toibezarunningt'inrthe.channel I9, .and :is provided With a fiat ISy to-roll oni-'the rollers I,8. Furthermore, the block I5is curved inf plan Yto iit the plan curvature ofthe channel fllgfand"thiszprevents the block vfrom turning onv `its axis of movement.

Beyond the outerend ofthe channel lI9 the lcable Iltis led over a xed roller 2I-and then passed through a straight duct 22 Whichi'may conveniently be of metal'piping buried within vthe-*concrete ooring, and beyond the inner end of f.the channel vI9 the cables `I6 and I1 are led .over'idlepulleys 20,#23 respectively, located'rbeflD door Iia are exactly similarjand the cables I'Ia and IIal corresponding tothe cables I6 and I'I :are .ledround idle pulleysv 24a, 25a. The pulleys ;24,i24a.,125, 25a are .all mounted on the same vervtical axle but are independent of one another. `'After passing round the pu1leys.24,. 24a the cables '.i, waere led length-ways of the garage to` -Wards "theinside and are both connected to a i'tting` 25 :which may conveniently be ra turnbuckle,'foradjusting the tension of the cables. To the 'fitting 725'- is4 attached a single lcableZI Vwhich lies in continuation of the cables-16,' I 6u. i-

and is ledalongthe centre line of` the garage towards the back and. shackled at 28 to `averti'cal-actuating lever29 .arranged to 'rock in a longitudinal direction. Y

Ina similar manner the cables I1, I'Ia, after passing'round thepul1eys'25,125a are-led along the-central linetowards the outside of the garage andare-both joined to a'turnbuckle 30 similar toturnbuckle 26,-to which is attached-a single cable'3l in continuation of the cables I'I,- Ila. The cableV 3l is led along the centre line off'the carriageway-'and passed over a xed pul1ey'32a located in the carriagewaynoutside the garage. It is then brought back along the same line and thenattached to a `shackle 33a of a lever 29a similar to the vlever`29. The lever 29a is provided with a shacklefa similarly placed to the shackle 28 of the lever 29, Which is in turn provided Ywith a shackle 33 similarly placed to the shackle-33a" '55 cable 34 which is passed over a Xed pulley 32k 'of the lever 29a. To the shackle 33 is attached a guided in ducts 36 .laid iny the'oor of-.the garage" and. .inthe external'. apron; these 'ducts Ymay con.-

v'eniently be'of iron or steel pipe.

The pulley assembly .2 4,."240L,`.l 25, 125m. andthe adjacent parts' of the cablesflf, ll, Ia,'IIa are located'in a shallow excavation 133,l which isl covered Lbyacover platel 381:, inspection covers'f39 being .provided (where shown)v for access to the 21, 3|, 34 and 34a (where shown),v the small ducts 36` each enclosing a single cable opening into the larger ducts 31, which may be formed of cement, earthenware or other suitableV material. Y

It will be seen from the foregoing that the doors II, IIa are' connected to an endless train of flexible motion transmitting elements consisting successively of the cables I6 or IBLL, 21, 34, 34a, 3|, and I1 cr I1a, the said trainbeing branched at 30 and 26 'forV connection lto the two doors to beoperated;

The parts more particularly associated with theV two actuating levers 29 and 29a being exactly similar, it will be unnecessary to; describe more than one. Y

yThe lever 29 is situated in a narrow but relatively deep excavation 49, in the bottom of which is arranged a fixed transverse fulcrum pin 4I engaging in Va slot 29x at vthe bottom of the lever. Near the upper end the lever is provided with apair of rollers 42 arranged on each [side of .the leverl which ride on a pair of longitudinal guides 43. These guides arehoriz'ontal but terminate at eachv end in an abruptly curved ramp 43:11. The slotted connection 4I, 29a: enables the rollers 42 to remain in contact with the guidesV 43 and the weight of the leveris supported on the rollers. The lever is thus guidedin its travel in such a way that the projection of the lever above the floor or ground level remains substantially constant throughout its travel except at the ends thereof, where the ramps '43:13 allow the lever to drop Vslightly and this enables the part of the vehicle'which makes contact with the lever to ride over the end thereof when the lever has completed its stroke in eitherdirection. To raise the lever again after the passage of the vehicle by forcing it up the ramps 43m, buier springs 44 are fixed to the lever on either side thereof which make. contact with the Walls of the excavation 4I). 'Ihe lever 29a is constructed and mounted in an exactly similar manner to the' lever 29,Y being fulcrumed on a pin 4Ia and provided with rollers 42a riding on ramps 43a and with buffer springs 44a.' v f Thedetails of the lever and its attachments to the cables operating the doors are shown on an enlarged scale inY Fig. 5.

`To enable the cable 3| to pass the lever 29a it .is deected slightly to one side thereof vas shown in Figs. l, 2,Y and 5. The Vmounting of the guides 43 is shown in greater detail in Fig. 6. The upper edges of the cement or concrete Walls of the Vexcavation (or 49a) are shaped Vto the samevform as the guide 43, as shown at 48 in Figf, and the guide itself is'provided'with lateral 41 embedded in the cement edging .48. 60

tongues which are secured byV nuts 46 to studs After securing the tongues 45 on the studs 41 the whole (except the guide itself)V is preferably covered over with a rendering of cement and to assist in positioning and securing the guides there are further'providedV lateral pins 49` which become embedded in thesaid cement rendering.

YIn order'toY prevent the external lever from,`

VV2,120,084 Y p For inspecting the vxedpulleys 32, 32a,"de=

tachable covers 5I, 5Ia are preferably provided. The operation of the -device is as follows. 1

Assuming the doors Yto be closedV and the ex V ternal and internal'leversV 29a,`29 at the outer i Yandinner ends of their throws respectively, Ythe approach of Vthe vehicle ,brings a suitable part y thereof in contact with the lever 29a. Further progress of the vehicle throws over the lever 29a.

from the outer to the inner end of its travel (right to left in Figs. 1 and 2). The Vmovement ofthe lever is communicated in tension by the cables 3|, I1 and I1a to the blocks I5 I5a which are` j caused to travel along the quadrantal channels` I9,' I9a carrying with them the bolts I4, I4a, and

thereby opening doors I |,`|Ia. When the lever y 29areaches the end of its travel the rollers 42a drop down the ramps 43.7: and the consequent dropping of the lever 29a allows the vehicle to pass. After'the passage of the vehicle the lever is sprung up the'ramps again by the action of the spring buffer 44a.

At thesame time the movement of the lever v 29a is further communicatedrby the blocks I5 and I5a to the cables I6, I Baand the cab1e 21 (acting intension) to the lever 29, Whichgis thereby thrown over fromthe inner tothe outerV 1 I end of its travel (left to right in Figs. 1 and` 2),

y'se

backagain'by the buffer Vspring 44 in readinessV n,

for engagement again. Themovement vof the lever is communicated by the cable 21 and the cables IB, IGa (acting in tension) tothe .blocks I5, I5a which are therebyv pulledback along theY quadrantal channels I9, I 9aand close the doorsk f again. This movement is further communicated Y from the blocks I5,. I5a by means of the cables` I1, I1a and 3| (acting in tension) to the lever 29a which'is thereby pulled back from the innerV to the outer end of its stroke. i

In this way the vehicle on approaching and` entering the garage rst opens the `doors and 'y then closes the doors after its entry.

When it is required. .to reverse the vehicle out of the garage the sequence of operations isexactly ofthe lever 29 is communicated bythe cables 34, 34a acting in tension, to the lever 29a, and thence by means', of the cables 3|, I1, and I 1a,

. reversed. In this case the outward movementY` also acting in tension, to the blocks I5, I5a; and

on emerging from the garage theoutward move- Y ment of the lever 29a is communicatedy by means of the cables 34a and 34 (acting in tension) to the lever 29, and thence" by means of ther cables 21, I6, and IEa, also acting in tension, to the blocks I5, 'I5a; In this Way the vehicle, on being reversed out of the garage, rst opens the garage doors and'then closes themafter it.

The movement of theactuating levers 29, 29a

is indicated in Fig. 2 by double-ended arrows and asimilar curved double-ended arrowin Fig. 3 indicates the movement of the bolt I4 and block I5. `H

can be modiedto operate a single door or gate by eliminating one set of the branched cables I6, I6a, I1, I1a and the appropriate parts of the duplicatemechanism actuated thereby. Y

v '70 It will easily be seen that this arrangement li'ilrther,l it will `bel seen that the apparatus'can be'modied'to operate a'door'or-'gate (or pairof doors or gates) from "one sidel only, i. e.Y the inside or the outside, by 'eliminating one of the levers 29"or'29iz, and coupling up the appropriate cables,

e.- g. 34;; 21,* directly to yone another. With such an arrangement the car will open the doors (or gates) on approaching them from one side, e. g.

, the" outside, an-d leave them open after passing through, and on passing out in the opposite direction will .then close theY doors (orgates) from theyoutside after it has passed.

Whereasl the device is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as Ainstalled for operating the doors of a garage whichopenoutwards,` it will readily be understoodthattif' the device is to'beV adapted for operatinggates in acarriageway or the like which open'inwards,l the left'hand half ofthe drawing wil'rrepresent'the outside of the carriageway and tleiright hand Vhalf of the drawing the part of the carriageway'within*y the gates, the doors II, IIa being'replaced by the gates in question and the garage'wallsomitted. Insuch a case only so much ofthe carriageway need be cemented or concretedas is necessary to form a suitably rigid housing and` support for the' gate operating mechanism:

Itshould'further be noted that in this instance Utheiouter actuating lever 29 may be set quite "'close' to" the gateway, as itwill be operated by lsary to`take' precautions against creating obv structions projecting from the ground, so that edges of the doors I I, I Ia.

:Witlr'the length of the excavation 40a containing the hump 50' may be omitted, but if such hump is thought advisable, both the actuating levers shouldb'e shrouded by a hump'and not only one fas-shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

It will .be seen 'by reference to Fig. 2 that when the'external lever'29a is at the inner end of its travelitis approximately in line with the outer This length, together the 'lever' mechanism, represents the minimum space outsidethe garage doors required for inst'alling'the device. If the external lever mechanism 40a was placed any nearer the door opening,

the front of the vehicle 'would foul the doors as they open on its approach.

It` is further to be noted that if the external lever 4mechanism is placed as close .to the doors as this, the lever must be actuated by the most forward part of the vehicle, i. e. by the front bumper or la member attached thereto. If the axle is used for actuating the lever, the lever mechanism must be set back outside the garage byafurther'distance equal to the distance by which .the Vaxle is set back from the most forward part of the vehicle, e. g. the bumper or dumb irons;

Similarly .the exact position for the internal lever mechanism within the garage must bedetermined vin accordance with what part of the vehicle is adapted to actuate the internal lever; atleast when'the garage is only just large enough to hold the vehicle -it is to house. Obviously if the garage has an excess of length over that of thevehicle, a corresponding tolerance may be exercised'in the placing of the lever mechanism.

In a modication of the device described above, Y

, .the cable'systemH I6," Ia, I1, Ila (acting always intension) is replaced by a push and pull system utilizing strips of spring steel guided in suitable channels.

This modification is illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8` a rigidY crosshead 52, which is alsoY connected direct to-the cable 3l by substituting yforthe branched cables il, Ilal (Figs. 1 and 2) a short single length of cableV 3Ia: in prolongation'of the cable 3|. To the ends of the crosshead are connected the inner ends of a' pair of strips- 53, 53a of" spring steel set on edge and guided' Vwithin narrow channels 54, S40/formed in theV concrete flooring I2. The -outer ends of these springsteel strips are bent over to form eyes 53:1:

which receiventhe lower ends of the-bolts I4 and Ida. 1

It will be'evident that the movement of the actuating levers shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for opening the doors is communicated by the cablet 3| 3Ix actingfin tension to the crosshead 52v and thence by means of strips-53and 53a acting in compression, to the doors To enable the strips 53, 53a to operate in compression, the guide channels 54, 54a must not be too wide otherwisethe strips 53, 53a will be liable .to buckle and jamA on the sides of the channels. the guide channels must obviously not be so narrow that binding occurs.

As will be seen from'the'drawings (Fig. '7) the channels 54 are generally ogival in plan form terminating at .their outer ends `in a quadrantal part 54x centred on the upper hinge IIx. vThese quadrantal parts 54a: form the tracks of the bolts I4, Ida in opening and closing the doors.

In Fig. 7 Vdouble-ended arrows indicate the' approximate movement of the doors on their hinges and the longitudinal movement of the crosshead.

The apparatus described .above with reference to any of Figs. 1 to 8 may also be modified to operate simultaneously the door or doors of a garage and an outer gate or gates in the carriageway, e. g. as may be provided to close Yaccess to a private drive-way leading tothe garage from the public high-way. Y

In this casethe external actuating member (lever) is arranged on the outside of the outer gates and so much- 'of the mechanism as is necessary is duplicated. For example, in the'form of the device shown in Figs. 1 to `6, the -set of elements Il! to 25, Ida. to 25a, 26 vand 3Uwil1 be duplicated, one set being connected to the garage doors and thefother to the outside gates, the cables 21, 3I being extended as necessary between the duplicated connections 26,130 respectively. If the outer gates open thessame wayas the garage doors, e. g. outwards, the duplicate setiof elements I4 to 25;. I 4afto'25a,` .connected to the outer gates vwill be .arranged exactly similarlyA to the first set operating the garage doors; but if the outer gates open theopposite'way to -the garage doors, the duplicate quadrantal channelsv I9; I9a of .theI duplicate setswill be disposed oppositely in plan and .theV adjacent parts of the installation arranged 2 accordingly.

The above described arrangements are most easily'installed if the drive-way between the outsidegatesI and the garage doors is straight but if not, the installation is still possible, provided the bend orcurveof the drive-way is nottoo abrupt,

On the other hand the change of Vdirection being accommodated byl providing suitable guiding pulleysV or fair-leads for the cables 3l, 34a.r

As the invention also comprises a resilient device for attachment to a vehicle andadapted to engage `with the actuating levers of a door (or gate)Y voperating device in accordance with this invention, an example of Vsuch an attachment to the vehicle is shown in Figs. 9, 10, and-V11 and may be briey described as follows:-

The bumper Ybar extending lacross the front of the vehicleV is shown at 55.V To this are secured by bolts 5B and nuts 56a a pair of clips 5l to which are secured a pair of guide bars 58 which are curved in acircular arc and arranged with their convexities downwards. 59 hasits flattened ends 59arpierced to thread on the bars 58,7on which are further mounted helical springs 60, which are threaded on the Ybars 58V and disposed on either side ofthe iiattened ends 59a of the bar 59.

The bar 59 serves as the axle for a roller 8|. By this arrangement the transverse roller 6 l is resiliently Ysuspended beneath the front bumper 55 and is capable of yielding either backwards or forwards. The

' ground clearance o-fk the roller 6| is selected to enable it to engager the actuating levers of the door operating device when the roller is in its normal position, midway between the ends of the guide bars 58 and it is to be noted that in this position the ground clearance of the roller must be less than 'that of any other part of the vehicle lying on the central line.

The strength of the springs 69 is so chosen Ythat the resistance offered by the actuating lever to the roller 6I during the operation of the doors (or gates) is notV sufficient to cause the springs 6D to yield appreciably, but when the actuating lever reaches the end of its travel the resistance Y it encounters causes springs to yield, so that the supporting axle 59 of the roller slides along the guide bars 58, either forward or backwards as the case may be, and thereby raises the roller slightly. The engagement of the actuating lever with the roller when the latter is in its normal VVposition must not therefore be too deep, in order to enable the roller to ride easily over the end of the actuating lever when the springs 60 yield.

If the space available for the door or gate operating mechanism permits of it, the def v'vice described with reference to Figs. 9 to 11,

may, instead of being mounted on the front Y bumper, be mounted on the front axle, and this 4rantal path centred on the hinge of said door or is preferable as far as the appearance of the vehicle is concerned.

If the device in question is so Iitted to the axle and the latter is of I section, a sheet metal fairing is preferably tted over the axle to prevent the upper ends of the actuating levers Vfrom catching in the hollow of the I section.

What I claim isz- 1. Vehicle-actuated means for operating a hinged dooror gate, including an element attachable to said dooror gate, means arranged below ground level for guiding said element in a quadgate and mechanism actuable by an approaching or receding vehicle for moving said element along saidl guiding means in the appropriate direction, said mechanism'including flexible tension trans- :mitting elements connected to said first named element to move the same in either direction along its quadrantal path,'and guiding and sup` porting means for said tension transmitting elements, including a number of idle rollers mountedV A transverse bar within said first named guiding means and pulleys running on iixed axes mounted adjacentV the VendsV of said quadrantal path. k Y,

2. Vehicle-'actuated door operating means as claimed in claim 1, wherein therst mentioned guiding means consists of a hollow channel member quadrantal in plan form and slotted along its upper face and the mentioned element guided therein consists of a pieceof metal so shaped as,

to fit in said channel and to prevent turning lof. itself on its axis of movement.

3. For co-operation .with vehicle-actuatedV means for operating a door, gate or the like including an element movable in theline ofY travel of an approaching or receding vehicle by `contact therewith and mechanism actuated thereby for operating said door, gate or the like; means` means for operating a door, gate or the like in.-

cluding an element movable in the line of travel of an approaching or receding vehicle by contact therewith and mechanism actuated thereby for operating said door, gate or the likeymean's attachable to a vehicle for actuating said actuating clement including a bar arranged transversely bf the vehicle, means mounted onthe vehicle for. supporting the endsrof said bar and guiding them in arcuate paths lying in the fore and aft direc-l tion of the vehicle with their convexities .downwards, spring means mounted on said supporting and guiding meansfor resisting movement of said bar on said last named means in either direction from a mean position, and'roller means mounted on said bar.

5. Vehicle-actuated means for operating a hinged door orY gate, including motion transmitting mechanism, means for Vconnecting said mechanism to the door or gate to vbe operated, a

lever for actuating said mechanism slldably en.

gaged with a fulcrum arranged in the track of anYV approaching vehicle below ground level with` its axis transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle and means comprising horizontal guide Y rail means and coacting vmeans mounted on the lever at ailxed point thereof, Yand causing 4a sub-V stantially constant length of, the lever to project above ground level throughout; the greater/part of the travel of the lever. u

6. Vehicle-actuated means for operating a,

hinged rdoor or gate as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means mounted on the lever for coactin'grwith the guide rail means comprises rollers. Y i

'7. Vehicle-actuated door operating means "a claimed in claim` 5, wherein the mentioned hori` zontal guide rail means have downwardly curved ends Vand spring `means are provided for yieldably resisting the lever when the means; mounted en Y thereon for coacting with the guide rail meansA Y are in contact with the curved ends of theguide rail means, so as to maintain the normal degree. of projection of the leverexcept Vwhen the latter.

is forcibly moved to either extreme end of its travel.

3. Vehicle-actuated means for operating a hinged door or gate, including mechanism actuable by an approaching or receding vehicle and operating in the line of. travel of the vehicle, a flexible motion transmitting member operative in tension and compression comprising a strip of springy steel set on edge and guided in a narrow channel of generally ogival plan form terminating in a quadrantal part centred on the door hinge and means connecting the end of the said stripy moving in the quadrantal part of said channel to the door or gate.

9. A vehicle actuated device for opening and closing doors or gates mounted on vertical hinges comprising at least one actuating member projecting above ground level and movable in the line of travel of the vehicle by contact therewith, an endless exible train of motion transmitting elements actuable by said actuating member, a quadrantal channel centred on the hinge of the door or gate to be operated, said channel being located in the floor or roadway adjacent said hinge, an element connected with said endless motion transmitting train and situated in and movable along said channel, means detachably connecting the door or gate to said element, the endless motiontransmitting train being so disposed, and its connection with the coacting parts, i. e. the said door-connected element and the actuating member, being such that movement of the actuating element towards the door opens it and vice versa and the whole mechanism with the exception of the projecting part oi the actuating member being laid below ground or oor level.

10. A vehicle actuated device for opening and closing doors or gates mounted on vertical hinges comprising at least one actuating member projecting above ground level and movable in the line of travel of the vehicle by contact therewith, an endless exible train of motion transmitting elements actuable by said actuating member, a quadrantal channel centered on the hinge of the door or gate to be operated, said channel being located in the floor or roadway adjacent said hinge, an element connected with said endless motion transmitting train and situated in and movable along said channel, said element having a socket therein, and a vertical slidable bolt mounted on the door or gate and engageable with said socket for detachably connecting the door or gate to said element, the endless motion transmitting train being so disposed, and its connection with the coacting parts, i. e. the said door-connected element and the actuating member, being such that movement of the actuating element towards the door opens it and vice versa and the whole mechanism with the exception of .the projecting part of the actuating member being laid below ground or floor level.

WILLIAM AUSTIN.

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