Patent Publication Number: US-9834979-B2

Title: Arcuate drive through bin door assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a drive through bin door and more particularly to a drive through bin door that is angled/curved. 
     Drive through bin doors are known in the art. Known drive through doors have a straight top and a straight bottom I-beam. During erection, it is often difficult to assemble a straight door bin with a circular bin and often results in a miss-fit or twist of the sidewall sheets which reduces the structural strength of the bin. Known drive through doors also lead to the complexity of the foundation in order to accommodate the straight bottom I-beam and are also difficult to fit into smaller diameter bins. 
     The assembly of current drive through bin doors require critical joints to be field welded. Thus, the structural integrity of the door is dependent upon the quality of the weld. Also, because current doors are not designed heavy enough to handle hoop tension loads, a pair of door panels are bolted to a vertical member. To open the door requires the removal of hundreds of bolts which is labor intensive, inconvenient, and time consuming. Therefore, a need exists in the art for a drive through bin door that addresses these deficiencies. 
     An objective of the present invention is to provide a drive through bin door that closely follows the curvature of a grain bin. 
     Another objective is to provide a drive through bin door that is easy to assemble in the field. 
     A still further objective is to provide a drive through bin door that is easy to open and close. 
     Yet another objective is to provide a drive through bin door frame designed to take all hoop tension loads. 
     A still further objective is to provide a drive through bin door that minimizes or eliminates field welding. 
     These and other objectives will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art based upon the following written description, drawings, and claims. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A drive through bin door having a generally arcuate (i.e., angled/curved) bottom I-beam connected to an inner and outer door frame. The door frames have a curved top member connected to a pair of posts by a plurality of nuts and bolts. A door panel is hingedly connected to one of the door frames. 
     Sandwiched between the door frames, which are bolted together, are a horizontal wall panel and a pair of vertical wall panels. A pair of sealing plates connect the horizontal wall panel to the vertical wall panel. Also a secondary door is hingedly connected to the door panel to cover an opening in the door panel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a drive through bin door; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a drive through bin door; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of a drive through bin door; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a latch of a latch assembly; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a catch of a latch assembly; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a latch assembly; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a latch assembly; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a latch assembly; and 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of a latch assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the Figures, a drive through bin door  10  for use with a grain bin  12  includes a bottom built-up I-beam  14  which is set into the foundation stemwall  16  when poured. The bottom I-beam  14  is generally arcuate with an angle and/or curve and closely follows the curvature of the grain bin  12 . An inner  18  and outer  20  door frame are connected to the bottom I-beam  14 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the I-beam has a plurality of spacers  17 . Holes  23  in the inner  18  and outer  20  door frame align with openings  21  in an upper flange  25  of the I-beam such that the bolts  19  are threadably received in nuts (not shown) that are welded to the bottom of the upper flange  25  and the spacers  17 . The door frames  18  and  20  each have a pair of cold formed C-channel posts  22  connected to a built-up angled/curved C-channel member  24  that is transverse to and positioned above the posts  22 . The C-channel member  24  has a plurality of openings  26  that extend through a portion of a bottom side  28  of the member  24  and align with openings  30  in a top side  32  of the posts  22 . A plurality of bolts  34 , secured by nuts  35 , extend through openings  26  and  30  to secure the C-channel member  24  to the posts  22 . The bottom side  36  of the posts  22  are secured to the I-beam  14  with bolts  19  or alternatively the posts  22  are field welded to the bottom I-beam  14 . 
     A pair of vertical  38  and a horizontal  40  frame or wall panel is positioned between the inner and outer door frames  18  and  20 . A pair of sealing plates  42  are bolted to the frame or wall panel  38  and  40  to connect and seal the frame or wall panel  38  and  40 . With the frame or wall panel  38  and  40  sandwiched between inner and outer door frames  18  and  20 , the door frames are bolted together. More specifically, the door frames  18  and  20  have a plurality of apertures  41  that are aligned with one another and aligned with apertures  43  on wall panels  38  and  40 . As such, a plurality of bolts are inserted through apertures  41  and  43  and with a nut  35  secure the door frames  18  and  20  and wall panels  38  and  40  together. 
     A door panel  44  is hingedly connected to the inner door frame  18  using a plurality of hinge brackets  46  and a hinge pin  48 . The door panel  44  may open inwardly or outwardly. Opposite the hinge brackets  46  and secured to the inner door frame  18  are a plurality of guides  50  and an adjustable latch  52 . The latch assembly is of any type and preferably includes a latch  54  pivotally attached to the door panel  44  that is positioned to be selectively received within a catch  56  that is attached to the outer door frame  20 . The latch  54  has an arm  58  having a first aperture  60  and a second aperture  62 . A pivot pin  64  is received through aperture  62  to pivotally connect latch  54  to the door panel  44 . An upper  66  and lower  68  flange extend outwardly and transversely from the arm  58 . The upper flange  66  is positioned adjacent a top edge  70  of the arm and extends the length of the arm  58 . The lower flange  68  is positioned adjacent a lower edge  72  of the arm  58  and extends only a partial length of the arm  58 . A handle  74  is connected to the top of the upper flange  66  and extends beyond the arm  58  at an end opposite the pivot pin  64 . 
     The latch  54  is mounted and preferably welded, via a mounting plate  76 , to the outer door frame  20  such that the catch  56  is transverse in relation to the latch  54 . A vertical plate  78  having a notch  80  adjacent one end is connected to a bottom surface of the mounting plate  76 . Connected to the bottom of the vertical plate  78  is a horizontal support plate  82 . An end plate  84  is connected transversely to the end of the vertical plate  78  adjacent the notch  80  that is preferably tapered. The end plate  84  has an aperture  86  that aligns with aperture  60  on the latch  54  for receiving a locking pin (not shown). The notch  80  is formed to receive the arm  58  of the latch  54 . 
     A stop  88  is welded to the bottom of I-beam  14  and an elongated handle (not shown) is connected to the exterior of the door panel  44 . Also a support wheel  92  is connected to the door panel  44  by a bracket  94  to assist in opening and closing the door panel  44 . For a door that opens inwardly, a secondary door  96  is hingedly connected to the door panel to allow one to enter the bin and clear grain in front of the door panel  44  so that the drive through door may open inwardly. 
     In another embodiment the latch  56  has a first bracket  98  attached to the outer door frame  20 . The first bracket  98  has a top member  100  and a bottom member  102  that extend outwardly from the outer door frame  20  in parallel spaced relation. Preferably one end of the members  100  and  102  is tapered. A catch pin  104  extends through and between members  100  and  102 . 
     A second bracket  105  is attached to a mounting plate  106  on the door panel  44 . The bracket  105  has a top member  108  and a bottom member  110  that extend outwardly from the mounting plate  106  in parallel spaced relation. Both of the top  108  and bottom member  110  have a plurality of aligned lock pin holes  112  and a pivot pin hole  114  in vertical alignment. 
     A clamp assembly  116  is pivotally connected to the second bracket  105 . Preferably, the clamp assembly  116  has a c-shaped section having a cross member  118  and a pair of side members  120  that extend laterally from cross-member  118 . The side members  120  have a plurality of angled lock pin holes  122  and a pivot pin hole  124  that pivotally and selectively align with holes  112  and  114  of the top  108  and bottom member  110 . The clamp assembly  116  is pivotally connected to the top  108  and bottom  110  members by a pivot pin  126  that extends through the pivot pin holes  124  of the side members  120  and pivot pin holes  114  of the top member  108  and the bottom member  110 . 
     The side members  120  have a pair of second pivot pin holes  128  that are vertically aligned. A generally L-shaped handle  130  is connected to the cross-member  118 . The handle  130  has a gripping section  132  that is welded to the cross member  118  of the C-section and a locking section  134 . The locking section  134  has a second pivot pin hole  136  that is in vertical alignment with holes  128  on the side members  120 . The locking section  134  also has a plurality of angled locking pin holes  138  that selectively align vertically with the locking pin holes  122  of the side members  120  and holes  112  of the top member  108  and the bottom member  110 . Finally, the locking section  134  has pivot hole  139  that aligns with holes  124  and  114  to receive pin  126 . A hook member  141  is pivotally connected to the handle  130 . Preferably, the hook member has a pair of spaced apart longitudinal arms  140  that are connected by one or more braces  142 . A first end  144  of the longitudinal arms  140  have second pivot pin holes  146  that align with holes  128  on the side members  120  and hole  136  on the handle  130  to receive pivot pin  148 . The second end  150  of the arms  140  terminate in an arcuate section that is formed to selectively receive the catch pin  104 . 
     In operation, to lock the door panel  44 , the handle  130 , using the gripping section  132  is moved away from the first bracket  98  toward the second bracket  105 . As the handle is moved the cross member  118  and side members  120  rotate about pins  126  and  148  such that the cross-member  118  fits over the ends  152  of the top  108  and bottom  110  members of the second bracket  105 . The movement of the handle  130  also causes the locking pin holes  122  of the side members  120  and holes  138  of the handle  130  to align with a selected locking pin hole  112  of the top  108  and bottom  110  members such that a locking pin (not shown) may be inserted in the aligned holes  122 ,  138 , and  112 . Finally, the movement of the handle causes the arcuate section  150  of the hook member  141  to engage the catch pin  104  to securely lock the door panel  44  to the outer door frame  20 . The angle of holes  122  and  138  in relation to aligned holes  112  allows one to draw the clamp assembly  116  tight to create more tension due to door warpage and the like. 
     To unlock the door panel  44  the handle  130  is moved toward the first bracket  98  which causes the arcuate section  150  to release from the catch pin  104  and cross-member  118  to release from the ends  152  of the top  108  and bottom members  110  of the second bracket  105 . 
     Thus, a drive through bin door has been described that at the very least meets all the stated objectives. In particular, a drive through bin door has been described which eliminates the need for field welding, which often is performed by a non-certified welder, and this improves the quality of the door.