Abstract:
Accessory door assembly for the normally open sides of a recreational vehicle such as a golf cart. The door assembly includes a doorframe that can be secured to the vehicle, and a preferably rigid door that is easily mountable and demountable, and is movable between an open and closed position. The door can be secured to the vehicle in the open position so that the passengers have the option of riding in the vehicle while the door remains open. The door is contoured to match the contour of the vehicle, so that even when the door is stored in the open position, the rear vehicle wheels remain exposed. A hinge system minimizes the clearance necessary to open and close the door, and provides an optional assist feature that helps urge or bias the door to the open or closed position and maintain it there.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending Ser. No. 10/974,451 filed Oct. 27, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Enclosures for vehicles, including battery powered or gas powered vehicles such as recreational vehicles, golf carts, neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV&#39;S, which can be street-legal) and utility vehicles to protect the occupants from inclement weather, are well known. In general, conventional golf cart enclosures utilize relatively flimsy fabric material, which can be draped over the golf cart and/or golf cart roof and secured in place such as with zippers, VELCRO or other fastening means. In addition to being unattractive, such enclosures suffer from various drawbacks, including difficulty in obtaining ingress and egress from the cart, soiling of the fabric, lack of durability of the fabric and/or the fastening means, a requirement that the doors remain closed during operation of the cart, unattractiveness, etc.  
         [0003]     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,801 to Tucker discloses a golf cart enclosure that encloses the rear of the cart as well as both sides of the occupants&#39; compartment or cabin. The side enclosures utilize a top and bottom parallel channel system, with wheels that are guided in the channels to move the door open and shut. The door includes a plurality of vertical aluminum bars that support a vinyl panel.  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,610 to Howard discloses a door system for a golf cart-like street legal vehicle. A pair of hinged doors is removable from framework on each side of the vehicle. The framework is permanently mounted to existing structure on the vehicle.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,714 to Chance discloses a demountable door for a golf cart. The door includes a panel of clear plastic that is linked to the cart and is movable to allow access to the cart.  
         [0006]     None of the foregoing embodiments provides an aesthetically pleasing, durable, weather resistant, easy to operate, readily removable door system for vehicles such as golf carts. In addition, none provides a door assembly where the door can be stored in the open position in an aesthetically pleasing manner and without risk of it unexpectedly and/or undesirably slamming shut during movement or sudden stopping of the vehicle.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The problems of the prior art have been overcome by the present invention, which provides an accessory door assembly for the normally open sides of a vehicle such as a recreational vehicle, NEV, utility vehicle, or golf cart. The door assembly includes a doorframe that can be secured to the vehicle, and a preferably rigid door that is easily mountable and demountable, and is movable between an open position allowing ingress and egress from the vehicle, and a closed position. The door can be secured to the vehicle in the open position so that the passengers have the option of riding in the vehicle while the door remains open. Preferably the door is contoured to match the contour of the vehicle, so that even when the door is stored in the open position, the vehicle remains aesthetically pleasing. A unique hinge system is utilized that minimizes the clearance necessary to open and close the door, and provides an optional assist feature that helps urge or bias the door to the open or closed position and maintain it there. The door assembly remains aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing whether in the open or closed position. Minimal modification of the vehicle is necessary to install the door. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golf cart including the door assembly of a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a golf cart including the door assembly of a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the golf cart of  FIG. 1A  with the door in the open position;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the golf cart of  FIG. 1  with the door in the open position;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the top of the door frame showing the location of its attachment to the vehicle roof;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the bottom of the door frame showing the location of its attachment to the vehicle;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the door shown attached to the vehicle by an upper hinge system and a lower hinge assembly;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of the lower hinge system in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5B  is a perspective view of the lower hinge assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the upper door hinge assembly shown attached to the door and the vehicle;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a mount for the upper door hinge assembly;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the upper and lower door hinge assemblies;  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the door assembly shown in the closed position;  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the door assembly shown in the open position;  
         [0022]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the plate assembly for removably engaging the door; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view showing the engagement of the plate assembly and the door. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     Turning first to  FIG. 1 , there is shown at  10  a vehicle such as a golf cart suitable for use with the present invention. Although not to be construed as limiting, the door assembly of the present invention can be used with golf carts manufactured by Club Car, EZ-GO and Yamaha, with preferably little or no modification to the vehicle itself. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the door assembly of the invention is not limited to use on a golf cart; the door assembly also can be used on vehicles such as recreational vehicles, NEV&#39;s, utility vehicles and other off-road vehicles, although for ease of illustration, golf carts will be exemplified herein. In general, the vehicle  10  has front and rear wheels, a chassis  15 , on which is built a normally open passenger compartment (with suitable seating, generally for two passengers), an existing roof  11  having suitable supports, and a windshield  12 , as shown. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the roof  11  and windshield  12  can be original equipment or added in the aftermarket. A pair of doors  20  in accordance with the present invention is shown in the closed position on opposite sides of the vehicle  10 . The door assemblies are shown stored in the open position in  FIG. 2 . In the closed position, the doors close the access opening to the passenger compartment defined in part by the vehicle chassis, the roof and the windshield.  
         [0025]      FIG. 1A  illustrates an alternative embodiment that includes an auxiliary door panel  20 A to close the gap that may be present with the door  20  in the closed position. The gap is created as a result of the curved contour of the lower right or rearward portion of the door  20 , the curved contour allowing the rear wheel to remain exposed (when viewed from the side of the vehicle) even when the door is in the open position, thereby maintaining an aesthetically pleasing design as discussed in greater detail below. As seen in  FIG. 1B , preferably the auxiliary panel  20 A is secured to the hinge member, so that as the door  20  is opened, the auxiliary panel  20 A swings with the hinge, remains near the passenger compartment (but is now facing in the opposite direction), and therefore does not block the rear wheel.  
         [0026]     Preferably the door assembly of the present invention is attached to the vehicle with minimal modification to the vehicle itself, utilizing existing structure. To that end, as best seen in  FIG. 3 , the door frame  16  can be affixed to the underside of the existing roof  11  using existing brackets  17 A,  17 B. These brackets, each of which includes a pair of spaced flanges  117 A,  117 B are intended to support handle  14 , shown in dotted lines in  FIG. 3 . The handle is removed, and doorframe bracket  18  is inserted in the spaces between flanges  117 A and  117 B and is secured to the brackets  17 A,  17 B by any suitable means, such as with respective nuts  119  and bolts  120  as shown by the dotted lines in  FIG. 3 . In the event the brackets  17 A,  17 B are not present in a particular vehicle, the doorframe can be affixed directly to the roof, or to suitable roof extensions or brackets that can be added. The doorframe bracket  18  preferably includes spaced holes that align with respective corresponding holes in the brackets  17 A,  17 B as shown.  
         [0027]     As best seen in  FIG. 4 , doorframe  16  includes an elongated member  116  that extends downwardly from the bracket  18  and terminates in a free foot end  16 A that is secured to the vehicle bumper  75 , such as by bolt  7 . The elongated member  116  can be affixed to the bracket  18  by any suitable means, such as welding. A suitable hole  8  can be drilled in the bumper  75  for securing the free foot end  16 A thereto. As seen in  FIG. 5 , The doorframe  16  also includes a second elongated member  115  that is spaced from the first elongated member  116  and extends downwardly from the bracket  18 , and is secured to plate  431  preferably near the passenger seating area such as by welding. The second elongated member  115  can be affixed to the bracket  18  by any suitable means, such as by welding. In the preferred embodiment, the doorframe  16  is a continuous bent piece, and is preferably made of a rigid material, capable of withstanding repeated contact from the door itself. Suitable materials of construction include steel, preferably tubular for increased support, metal, aluminum and plastic, with steel being preferred. Although the doorframe  16  is intended to be permanently mounted to the vehicle and become an integral part thereof (since it does not interfere with a user entering or exiting the vehicle, nor does it interfere with the operation or storage of the vehicle), it can be readily removed if desired. The doorframe defines a doorway which can be blocked by closing door  20 , as discussed in greater detail below.  
         [0028]     Door  20  is designed to fit within the doorframe  16  when the door is in the closed position, blocking ingress into and egress from the passenger compartment, and preferably closing in a weather-tight manner. Preferably the door  20  (and auxiliary door panel  20 A) is made of a sturdy, durable, rigid material that can withstand harsh environmental conditions, golf ball impact, and protect the passengers from weather. Suitable materials of construction include metal, stainless steel, aluminum and preferably plastic such as a polyolefin, including polyethylene and/or polypropylene. Preferably the door includes molded plastic supported about its perimeter by a tubular steel framework, and includes a transparent or translucent window portion  200  to permit the passengers viewing access to the exterior of the vehicle. The window portion  200  can be formed of acrylic, polycarbonate or glass.  
         [0029]     Turning now to  FIGS. 5-7 , embodiments of the door hinge assemblies are shown. In a first embodiment, an upper hinge assembly  30  includes a rigid member  21  such as a threaded rod ( FIG. 6 ) or a metal strip ( FIG. 5 ) having a first end pivotally attached to the door  20 , and a second opposite end pivotally attached to the vehicle  10  via bracket  331 . Each of the pivot points can be formed using any suitable means, such as a pin  23  arrangement as shown.  FIG. 7  illustrates one embodiment for mounting the upper hinge assembly to the cart  10 . The rigid member  21  and optional assist  335  are pivotally mounted to bracket  331 ′ as shown. Bracket  331 ′ is shaped to be received by receiving bracket  332  that is mounted to the cart  10 . When bracket  331 ′ is properly positioned in receiving bracket  332 , holes in each align, allowing insertion of a bolt, pin or preferably a spring-loaded quick release pin  280  to removably secure the assembly to the cart.  
         [0030]      FIG. 7A  illustrates another embodiment of an upper, hinge assembly. In this embodiment, the positioning of an L-shaped mounting bracket is located inside the vehicle as shown. In order to maintain clearance as the door swings from a closed position to an open position, the rigid member  21  is bent in the vicinity near the doorway, preferably at an angle of about 25°, so that the member  21  does not contact the vehicle as the door moves.  
         [0031]     The upper hinge assembly  30  optionally also includes an assist  335 , preferably a gas spring, compression of which causes energy to be stored in the device. The assist  335  is preferably mounted directly below (or above) the rigid member  21  (in the same vertical plane), but with offset pivot points located inwardly of the rigid member pivot points. Suitable pivot mounting configurations include eyelets and ball and socket configurations. When the door is positioned at the midpoint between the open and closed position (the position shown in  FIG. 5 ), the assist  335  is in a neutral position. As the door swings past the midpoint position (either towards a closed position or an open position), the energy stored in the assist  335  is slowly released, causing the rod  336  of assist  335  to extend, which in turn assists in forcing the door to its closed or open position, as the case may be. When in the open or closed position, the extension of rod  336  results in the length of the assist  335  exceeding the length of rigid member  21 . The assist  335  also helps maintain the door in the open or closed position. Preferably the assist  335  is dampened, so that the door decelerates as it closes.  
         [0032]      FIG. 5A  illustrates lower hinge assembly  330 , which includes a pair of spaced rigid members  21 A,  21 B, each having a first end pivotally attached to the door  20 , and a second opposite end pivotally attached to the vehicle  10  via plate  431 . Preferably the rigid members  21 A and  21 B are not horizontally aligned in order to ensure clearance during operation of the door  20 . The rigid members  21 A and  21 B are of equal length, and are equal in length to rigid member  21  of upper hinge assembly  30 , so that the door remains aligned with the frame. The rigid members  21 ,  21 A and  21 B are all preferably parallel. The particular length chosen for the rigid members depends upon the distance (the diameter of the semi-circle formed during the path of door travel) desired for the door to open/close, as discussed in greater detail below. Each of the pivot points can be formed using any suitable means, such as a C-bracket  22  and pin  23  arrangement as shown. Preferably at least one of the pin arrangements is adjustable, so that proper alignment of the door is ensured. The lower hinge assembly  330  also preferably includes an assist  35  to help open and close door  20 , such as a gas spring, compression of which results in energy being stored in the device. In the embodiment shown, the assist  35  is mounted directly below (or above) the rigid member  21 A (in the same vertical plane), but with pivot points located inwardly of the rigid member  21 A pivot points. As with assist  335 , when the door is positioned at the midpoint between the open and closed position, the assist  35  is in a neutral position. As the door swings past the midpoint position (either towards a closed position or an open position), the energy stored in the assist  35  is slowly released, causing the rod  36  of assist  35  to extend, which in turn assists in forcing the door to its closed or open position, as the case may be, and maintaining it in that state. The assist  35  can be dampened, so that the door decelerates as it closes. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that for optimal operation of the door, at least three rigid members  21  should be used. Although in the embodiment shown, there is one upper rigid member  21  and two lower rigid members  21 A,  21 B, the upper hinge assembly could include two or more rigid members. Similarly, the lower hinge assemble could include only one rigid member  21 , or two or more.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5B  shows an alternative embodiment of the lower hinge assembly, where the assist  35  is located at or near the midpoint between the planes defined by the spaced rigid members  21 A,  21 B. That is, when the lower hinge assembly is in its maximum extended position (i.e., the door is positioned at the midpoint between the open and closed position and is at its farthest point away from the vehicle), the assist  35  is parallel to the rigid members and is located at or near the midpoint between their planes. Accordingly, movement of the rigid members in either direction will cause the assist  35  to expand, thereby assisting in the movement of the door  20 . As in the other embodiment, the assist  35  is shorter in length than rigid members  21 A,  21 B and thus the opposite ends of assist  35  are fixed to flanges  91 ,  92  that are bent inwardly as shown in  FIG. 5B . Rigid members  21 A,  21 B are hingedly connected to plate  431  that attaches to the vehicle, and opposite plate  431 ′ that attaches to the door  20 .  
         [0034]     Turning now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the motion of the door  20  from the closed state ( FIG. 8 ) to the open state ( FIG. 9 ) is shown. As the door is moved from the closed state to the open state, or from the open state to the closed state, its path of travel defines a semi-circle, as depicted by arrow  100  in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . The semi-circle so defined is of equal diameter regardless of the reference point of the door used. For example, the semi-circle defined by the path of travel of reference point  90  on the front surface of the door as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  has the same diameter as the semi-circle defined by the path of travel of reference point  91  at the opposite marginal side on the front surface of the door  20 , or for that matter, of any other reference point at any other place, on the same surface of the door. Similarly, the paths of travel of the rigid members  21 ,  21 A and  21 B also define semi-circles of equal diameters as viewed from reference points at the same relative position on each rigid member. As a result, opening and closing of the door  20  can be carried out even when the vehicle is in a confined space. Indeed, substantially less clearance is required than that of a door of identical size that is hinged at one end and swings outwardly, as the maximum distance the door  20  of the present invention moves outwardly from the vehicle is less than the maximum width of the door  20 .  
         [0035]     As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 8 , preferably the lower rearward side of the door  20  is arc-shaped, configured to match the contour of rear wheel fender  101  and leave the rear wheel  44  exposed. As a result, when the door is in the open position ( FIGS. 2 and 9 ), it does not interfere with the operation of the real wheel  44 , and creates an aesthetically pleasing appearance. As indicated above, the distance that the door  20  is designed to open is dictated by the length of the rigid members  21 ,  21 A and  21 B. Accordingly, this length preferably is chosen so that the lower arc-shaped portion of the door  20  aligns with the similarly shaped fender (or wheel well) of the vehicle when the door  20  is in the open, stored position.  
         [0036]     In the event the contour of the lower rearward portion of the door results in a gap or space in the doorway even when the door is in the closed position, an auxiliary door panel  20 A can be used to close or eliminate the gap as mentioned above. Preferably the auxiliary panel  20 A is positioned between the door  20  and the vehicle, and a portion of it extends beyond the lower rearward contoured portion of the door when the door is in the closed position so that it is visible when the door is closed and blocks the gap that exposes the doorway that exists in view of the contoured configuration of the rearward lower portion of the door  20 . Preferably the auxiliary panel  20 A is secured to the forwardmost and lower rigid member  21 A, as best seen in  FIG. 5B . As the door is pivoted from its closed position to its open position, the auxiliary panel  20 A follows the path of the rigid member  20 A, pivoting about 180°, until it is sandwiched between the vehicle and the frontward portion of the door in the door open state, as shown in  FIG. 1B . Preferably both the edges of the door and edges of the auxiliary panel include a gasket  88  to improve sealing against the vehicle.  
         [0037]      FIG. 10  illustrates a preferred design for securing the plates  31  in place. In this embodiment, the plate  31  on each side of the cart is affixed to a traversing rod  50 . The rod  50  spans the width of the vehicle  10 , and is secured to the vehicle by any suitable means. For example, the rod  50  can include a flange  51  that is bolted underneath the passenger seat, preferably at multiple locations to ensure it&#39;s stability.  
         [0038]     As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the door  20  is easily attached and removed from the vehicle using a self-aligning plate assembly. To that end, plate  31  has a trapezoidal shape, defined by downwardly sloped side  61 , bottom  62  and upwardly sloped side  63 . Plate  431  includes a bracket  70  secured thereto, such as by welding, the bracket  70  including a first bent flange  71  that with plate  431 , is shaped and dimensioned to define a gap to slidingly engage side  61  of plate  31 . Bracket  70  also includes a second bent flange  73  that together with plate  431 , is shaped and dimensioned to define a gap to slidingly engage side  63  of plate  31 . Accordingly, to mount the door  20  to the vehicle, the door  20  is positioned so that the bracket  70  is vertically positioned over plate  31  so that bent flange  71  is aligned over side  61 , and bent flange  73  is aligned over side  63 . The door  20  is then moved downwardly, in the direction of the arrows in  FIG. 11 , so that bracket  70  slidingly receives plate  31  and retains the door in place. In view of the trapezoidal shape of the plate  31  and bracket  70 , the mating of the two is self-aligning. Quick-release pins can be used to further secure the plate  431  to the plate  31 . Upper hinge assembly  30  is attached by sliding bracket  331 ′ into receiver  332  ( FIG. 7 ) and securing it in place with pin  280 .  
         [0039]     To dismount the door  20 , the quick-release pins are removed, and the door is lifted from the plate  31  and the upper hinge assembly  30  is removed from receiver  332 .  
         [0040]     Turning back to  FIG. 1 , there is shown front panels  80 ,  80 ′. The panels  80 ,  80 ′ are preferably permanently installed, since they do not interfere with the ingress or egress from the passenger compartment, although the panels could be made to be removable if desired. Each panel is secured to a windshield support strut and to doorframe elongated member  116 , and is preferably a molded piece made of plastic. The panels  80 ,  80 ′ preferably include a transparent or translucent window made of acrylic, polycarbonate or glass to enhance passenger visibility. The edge of each panel abutting the closed door is preferably formed with a groove to receive the door edge when the door is in the closed state. Back panels  85  can be included to further enclose the passenger compartment. Preferably the back panels  85  are secured to the roof supports, roof and doorframe elongated member  115 .  
         [0041]     To further retain or lock the door  20  in its open and/or closed position, an optional manually operable latch can be used that attaches to the elongated member  116  in the door-closed state, and to elongated member  115  in the door-open state. Alternatively or in addition, magnets can be used to retain the door open or closed.