Patent Publication Number: US-6711778-B2

Title: Door stop apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field Of The Invention 
     This invention relates to apparatus for holding a door open and, more particularly, to apparatus for holding a vehicle door open at a plurality of stop locations. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,369 (Galla) discloses a vehicle door holding apparatus which includes an arm with a hook at the distal end of the arm. The hook limits the extend to which the door may open. The arm is pivotally secured to the door jam of the vehicle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,633 (Kassner) discloses a hinge assembly for a vehicle door. The hinge assembly includes a spring for biasing a plate against balls retained in a cage. A hinge element includes depressions which receive the balls when the door is opened, and apply force to help limit the extent of the door opening. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,755 (Bonin) discloses a pivoting bar having a plurality of indentations on the bar for marking the location of a door relative to the structure to which the door is secured. The bar is pivotally secured to the body of the vehicle. Rollers on the door engage the bar. As the doors open, the rollers move into the indentations on the bar. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,165 (Marchione) discloses another hinge assembly for a vehicle door. The hinge assembly includes elements for allowing the door to be removed from the vehicle. The hinge assembly also holds the door open or in an open position. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,421 (Kluting) discloses apparatus for holding a door in an open position. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,244 (Lee) discloses another door limiting structure which includes a pivoting arm which extends between a pair of rollers. The apparatus is somewhat similar to the &#39;755 (Bonin) structure discussed above in that rollers are biased against a bar, and the bar includes indentation elements which receive biased bars. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,570 (Lezuch &amp; Allmacher) discloses a door checking apparatus which is similar to the &#39;344 (Lee) patent discussed above. An arm is pivotally secured to the vehicle body, and the arm extends between balls and a guide member. The balls are disposed in grooves in the pivoting arm. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,622 (Kluting &amp; Klingelhofer) discloses an adjustable lock system for a vehicle door. The structure includes a motor for actuating lock elements. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described and claimed herein includes a block secured to a vehicle chassis adjacent to a door. A bar extends through the block and is secured to the vehicle door. The block includes a relatively wide door through which the bar extends. Within the block is a vertical bore in which is disposed a roller. The bar extends through the roller and the roller moves or pivots on a vertical axis as the door moves between its closed position and its open position. Included in the bar are depressions or relieved areas and within the cylinder is a spring biased roller. The roller extends into the depressions on the bar to define stop locations for the door. 
     Among the objects of the present invention are the following: 
     To provide new and useful door stop apparatus; 
     To provide new and useful door stop apparatus for a vehicle; 
     To provide new and useful door stop apparatus including a bar secured to a vehicle door; 
     To provide new and useful stop apparatus for a vehicle door including a bar having a plurality of depressions which define stop positions for the door; 
     To provide new and useful door stop apparatus including a block secured to a vehicle and a bar extending through the block; and 
     To provide new and useful door stop apparatus for a vehicle including a cylinder rotating in a block and a bar extending through the rotating cylinder. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention in the use environment. 
     FIG. 2 is a view in partial section of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of another portion of the apparatus of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of stop apparatus  20  of the present invention shown in its use environment, namely secured to a vehicle chassis door frame the panel  2  and to a vehicle door  4 . The vehicle door  4  is secured to the vehicle chassis by a pair of hinges, of which a hinge  6  is shown in FIG.  1 . 
     In the door is a strap bracket depression  10 , and a strap bracket  12  is secured to the door within the depression  10 . 
     FIG. 2 is a view in partial section of the door stop apparatus  20 . For the following discussion, reference may be made to both FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     The door stop apparatus  20  includes a block  22 . For securing the block  22  to the vehicle chassis door frame panel  2 , there is a mounting flange  24  extending upwardly on the block. A bolt hole  26  extends through the mounting flange  24 . 
     In FIG. 1, a fastening element, bolt or screw,  28  is shown extending through the hole  26  of the flange  24  and into the panel  2 . 
     A generally horizontal and somewhat diagonal bore  30  extends through the block  22 . Adjacent to the mounting flange  24  is a block top surface  40 . Extending downwardly from the top surface  40  is a vertical bore  42 . The vertical bore  42  communicates with the horizontal bore  30 . The vertical bore  42  actually extends below the horizontal bore  30 . A cylinder  50  is rotatably disposed within the bore  42 . 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the cylinder  50  and its associated elements. For the following discussion, reference will primarily be made to FIGS. 2 and 3. Reference may also be made to FIG.  1 . 
     The cylinder  50  includes a vertical bore  52  which extends downwardly from the top of the cylinder  50 . The vertical bore  52  includes a top threaded portion  54 . A horizontal bore  56  extends through the cylinder  50  and communicates with the vertical bore  52 . While the vertical bore  52  is generally cylindrical or circular, the horizontal bore  56  is generally rectangular. The bores  56  and  52  intersect each other. 
     Another pair of bores, a lower roller bore  58  and an upper roller bore  62  extend into the cylinder  50  generally perpendicular to the horizontal bore  56 . The bores  58  and  62  intersect the bore  56  at the bottom or lower portion of the bore  56  and adjacent to the upper portion of the bore  56 . A roller  60  extends into the lower bore  58  and a roller  64  extends into the bore  62 . 
     A spring  66  is disposed against the roller  64  for providing a bias on the roller  64  against a top surface  86  of a bar  80 . The bar  80  is part of a bar assembly  78 , which will be discussed below. 
     A set screw  68  engages a threaded upper portion  54  of the vertical bore  52 . The extent to which the set screw  68  is adjusted in the threaded portion  54  varies the pressure of the spring  66  against the top surface  86  of the bar  80 . 
     To allow the roller  64  to move under the bias of the compression spring  66 , the bore  62  is slightly elongated in the vertical direction to allow for movement of the roller  64 . The reason for the vertical movement of the roller  64  may be understood with reference to Figs. 1,  2 , and  4 . 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bar assembly  78 . The bar assembly  78  includes the bar  80  and a U-clamp  102 . For the following discussion, reference will primarily be directed to FIG. 4, but reference may also be made to FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 . 
     The bar  80  includes an outer end  82  and an inner end  84 . The terms “outer” and “inner” refer to the bar with respect to the door  4  and to the vehicle chassis door frame panel  2 . 
     As indicated in FIG. 1, the bar  80  extends through the horizontal, diagonally extending bore  30  in the block  22 . The bar  80  also extends through the horizontal bore  56  in the cylinder  50 . With the cylinder  50  disposed in the vertical bore  42  of the block  22 , the horizontal bores  30  and  56  are generally aligned, as best shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The bar  80  includes a top surface  86 , and three intermediate stop depressions  88 ,  90 , and  92  extend downwardly into the bar  80  from the top surface  86 . The intermediate stop depressions  88 ,  90 , and  92 , are relatively shallow depressions and their leading portion, or the portion of the depressions facing towards the outer end  82  of the bar  80  are at a relatively gentle sloping angle. A rear stop depression  94 , which comprises an outer limit depression, or a door wide open depression, also extends downwardly into the bar  80  from the top surface  86 . The depression  94  does not includes the gently sloping portions as do the depressions  88 ,  90 , and  92 . 
     The depressions  88 ,  90 ,  92 , and  94  receive the upper roller  64  for purposes of holding the door  4  in various open positions or locations or orientations. The outer limit depression  94  receives the roller  64  when the door  4  is at its widest opening, or at its wide open location. 
     When the roller  64  is disposed in the depression  94 , an inner end stop element  96  is disposed against an outer surface of the block  66  adjacent to the rear portion of the horizontal bore  30  of the block  22 . The inner end stop element  96  is appropriately secured to the bar  80 . 
     At the outer or front end  82  of the bar  80  there is a reinforcing outer end fastener element appropriately secured to the bar  80 . A pair of fastener apertures  100  extend through the element  98  and the bore  80 . 
     A U-shaped clamp  102  is disposed about the strap bracket  12  and is secured to the bar  80  by appropriate fastener elements  106 , shown in FIG. 1. A pair of fastener apertures  104 , aligned with the fastener apertures  100  of the bar  80 , receive the fasteners  106  to secure the U-clamp to the bar  80 . 
     The cylinder  50  rotates in the bore  42  of the block  22  as the door  4  is moved between its closed position and its open position. The rotating movement of the cylinder  50 , of course, moves in response to the pivoting of the bar  80  as the door moves. 
     As the door  4  moves outwardly a first distance, the spring biased roller  64  moves downwardly into the depression  88 , and holds the door in that first position. As the door is moved outwardly a greater distance, the roller  64  moves out of the depression  88 , along the tops  86  of the bar  80  and into the second depression  90 . As the door is moved outwardly further, the roller  64  moves out of the depression  80 , and along the top  86  and into the depression  92 . 
     Finally, if it is desired to open the door to its widest open position, the roller  64  is moved out of the depression  92 , farther along the top  86  and into the outer limit depression  94 . There is a positive movement of the roller  64  both into and out of the depression  94 . The positive movement is, of course, in response to the configuration of the depression  94  and to the bias on the roller  64  by the spring  66 . 
     Movement of the bar  80  is relatively smooth on the bottom roller  60 . The bottom roller  60  moves or rotates easily in its bore  58  at the bottom of the horizontal bore or slot  56  in the cylinder  50 . The rollers  60  and  64  move freely and accordingly there is relatively little drag of the bar  80  as it moves in the cylinder  50  and in the block  22 . The stop depressions  88 ,  90 ,  92  and  94  provide a holding friction to appropriately hold the door in the location or position or in the orientation as desired by a user of the vehicle and the apparatus  20 . 
     While the principles of the invention have been made clear in illustrative embodiments, without departing from those principles, there may occur to those skilled in the art modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, the elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention, or otherwise, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are intended to cover and embrace any and all such modifications, within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.