Signals and indicators – Vehicle – Curb feelers
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-11
2001-04-03
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2859)
Signals and indicators
Vehicle
Curb feelers
C033S264000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209478
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a garage having a parking position indicator which moves in response to the garage door.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The space available in the garage of a home is generally restricted. Upon pulling a vehicle into the garage, it is difficult to know when the vehicle is properly positioned. This is especially true for a large vehicle.
To assist in the proper positioning of a vehicle in a garage, parking position indicators have been developed. One type of indicator consists of an object suspended from a flexible element such as a cord. When the windshield of a vehicle touches the object, the vehicle is properly positioned in the garage.
The object can be suspended from a fixed location of the garage ceiling. However, the object then hinders freedom of movement in the garage when the vehicle is not present.
To overcome this drawback, the object is suspended in such a manner that it rises to the ceiling as the garage door closes and drops to windshield height as the garage door opens. This is currently achieved by attaching the cord from which the object is suspended to the garage door.
In most garages, the distance from windshield height to ceiling is less than the distance through which the garage moves. Hence, it is necessary to compensate for the difference in the distance of travel of the object and the distance of travel of the garage door.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,865, one conventional manner of compensating for the difference in the distances of travel is to make at least part of the cord elastic. This has the disadvantage that the cord loses its elasticity over time and will eventually snap. When the cord snaps, damage or injury can occurs
As shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,322 and 3,817,203, another conventional manner of compensating for the difference in the distance of travel of the object and the distance of travel of the garage door involves the use of a reel having two portions of different diameter. Two cords are employed with one of the cords being attached to the garage door as well as the larger-diameter portion of the reel. The second cord carries the object and is attached to the smaller-diameter portion of the reel. As the garage door closes, the cord attached to the garage door is pulled by the latter and unwound from the reel. The reel then rotates in a sense such that the cord with the object is wound onto the reel thereby causing the object to rise. When the garage door opens so that the cord attached to the garage door is no longer under tension, the reel rotates under the weight of the object and the object drops. The cord attached to the object is unwound from the reel whereas the cord attached to the garage door is wound onto the reel.
The last arrangement for indicating parking position is somewhat complex. Thus, the arrangement requires two cords with a suitable ratio of lengths. Moreover, the arrangement requires the reel to have two portions whose diameters differ and lie in a specific proportion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a parking position indicating arrangement which allows complexity to be reduced.
Another object of the invention is to provide a parking position indicating arrangement which enables the likelihood of damage or injury to be decreased.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a parking method which permits a less complicated parking position indicating arrangement to be employed.
A further object of the invention is to provide a parking method which makes it possible to reduce the chances of damage or injury by a parking position indicating arrangement.
The preceding objects, as well as others which will become apparent as the description proceeds, are achieved by the invention.
One aspect of the invention resides in a garage comprising a garage door movable between a closed position and an open position, and means for moving the garage door between the closed position and the open position. The garage further comprises means for indicating a parking position when the garage door is in the open position. The indicating means includes an elongated flexible element, and a coiling member for winding up and paying out the flexible element in response to movement of the garage door. The coiling member comprises a reel driven by an energy source which constitutes part of the moving means or part of the coiling member.
The use of a reel to wind up and pay out the flexible element makes it unnecessary for all or part of the flexible element to be elastic. This reduces the likelihood that the flexible element will snap in such a manner as to cause damage or injury.
Since the reel is driven by an energy source which constitutes part of the garage door moving means or part of the coiling member, the object which indicates parking position need not be used for this purpose. Hence, it becomes possible to design the parking position indicating means without dual flexible elements and without two reel portions of different diameter.
Another aspect of the invention resides in a method of operating a garage door. The method comprises the steps of moving the garage door from a closed position to an open position employing moving means, and providing an indication of a parking position in response to the moving step. The method further comprises the steps of returning the garage door to the closed position employing the moving means, and removing the indication of the parking position. One of the providing step and removing step includes the operation of paying out at least a portion of a flexible element from a reel forming part of a coiling member. The other of the providing step and removing step includes the operation of winding such portion of the flexible element onto the reel. Furthermore, one of the winding operation and paying out operation comprises driving the reel with an energy source which constitutes part of the moving means or part of the coiling member.
The energy source may include a biasing element constituting part of the coiling member. The reel can then be mounted on the garage door or, alternatively, can be suspended from the flexible element and constitute a parking position indicator. In the latter case, the step of providing a parking position indication may involve lowering the coiling member while the step of removing the indication may involve raising the member.
The energy source may also comprise a motor constituting part of the moving means. Here, the reel can be mounted on the motor, on a rotatable shaft which forms part of the moving means and is connected to the garage door, or on a chain which forms part of the moving means and is driven by the motor and connected to the garage door.
The reel may include a winding core defining an axis of rotation, and a pair of axially spaced flanges on the core each having a plurality of openings. Each opening in one of the flanges is arranged to register with a respective opening in the other of the flanges. The method can here further comprise the step of adjusting the winding circumference of the reel, and the adjusting step may include inserting at least one pin-like element in registering ones of the openings in the flanges.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be forthcoming from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3817203 (1974-06-01), Brauer
patent: 3872820 (1975-03-01), Hess
patent: 3874322 (1975-04-01), Brauer
patent: 4490917 (1985-01-01), Pilling
patent: 5297500 (1994-03-01), Wilson
patent: 5315953 (1994-05-01), Mullarkey, Jr.
patent: 5832865 (1998-11-01), Harmel
Durando Antonio R.
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
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