Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Closure checks
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-30
2001-05-29
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Closure checks
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237190
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a new and improved door check for holding a pivoting member relative to a fixed member, and more particularly to door checks for holding a door in a given position with respect to a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Door checks have been used for many years in many kinds of doors, including recreational vehicle doors. The door check comprises a link and a check body. The link is typically attached to a fixed member, such as the structural body of a vehicle or a door jamb, and the check body is attached to a door. When the door is opened, the check body moves with the door. The link rotates, and since the check body and the link are not rotating about the same axis, the check body slides with respect to the link. Typically the main link has a ramped surface and a recessed surface, often referred to as a detent or well, and the check body has a roller or bearing that rolls or slides over the main link. As the check body moves across the ramped surface the amount of force needed to move the door increases. Then, once the check body moves past the ramped surface to the well, the amount of force required to move the door drops. Thus, the door is temporarily held in a hold-open position which can be overcome only by applying additional force to the door to permit the roller to move back over the ramped surface.
A problem with this kind of design is that the sweep of the link requires a great deal of space in the door. This is especially a problem for thin doors such as those used in recreational vehicles and trucks. To accommodate the sweep of the link, a large portion of material in such doors has to be removed, reducing the structural integrity of the door and increasing the likelihood of problems with wind noise and water penetration behind the door. Moreover, the door check must be made large to accommodate the large change in the angle between the link and the door check as the door pivots from open to closed positions.
Therefore it would be highly desirable to provide a door check which can be installed in a thin door, such as those common in recreational vehicles and trucks, without interfering with the structural integrity, aesthetics and element-resisting features of the door.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a door check which reduces interference with the structural integrity of the door. It is another object of the present invention to provide a door check which is easy to assemble and which is highly reliable in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with these and other objects, there is provided a door check having a check body, a main link, and a second link. The check body is adapted to pivot with respect to a fixed member, and is provided with an opening. The main link is linearly slidable through the opening of the check body in response to pivoting of the check body. The second link is pivotably connected to the main link and adapted to pivot with respect to the fixed member. In response to pivoting of the check body, the second link pivots. Preferably the check body is positioned in and attached to a door so that the door and check body pivot together. The fixed member can be, for example, a door jamb.
The main link has a ramped surface and a well, separated by a shoulder. The check body has a roller biased against the link by a biasing member. The biasing force on the roller must be overcome for the roller to move from the well back over the ramped surface. In this way the door is releasably held in a hold-open position, instead of being closed by wind, accidental movements and the like.
From the foregoing disclosure and the following more detailed description of various preferred embodiments it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significant advance in the technology and art of door checks. Particularly significant in this regard is the potential the invention affords for use of door checks in doors with thin cross sections. Additional features and advantages of various preferred embodiments will be better understood in view of the detailed description provided below.
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Cripe Todd E.
Grumm Darren M.
Smith Mark L.
Atwood Mobile Products Inc.
Knight Anthony
Pilaud Robert L.
Roth Robert K.
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