Door check

• US 4,663,801 A
• Filed: 09/26/1985
• Issued: 05/12/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Malopolski, William A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vlachos, Leonidas
• Application Number:
  US06/780,282
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 16/82, 16/85, 16/292, 16/324
• US Class Current: 16/82
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/14 Hook and eye, or equivalent

Abstract

A door check provides a positive stop at a hold open position, as well as being disengageable to provide a fully open position, and is automatically reengageable upon door closing. A check strap is pivotally mounted to a vehicle body and resiliently biased into sliding engagement with a stop pin fixed to the vehicle door. As the door is opened, the stop pin slides along a working surface of the check strap, and into a catch portion hook to block the stop pin and provide a positive stop to maintain the door at a hold open position. The door may be moved back toward closed position to move the stop pin out of the hook, and the check strap moved by an external force away from the stop pin enough that the stop pin will miss the hook as the door is moved back to the hold open position. From there, the door can be moved to a fully open position, as the stop pin slides along the surface of a keeper portion on the check strap. The keeper portion surface is oriented so that the stop pin will slide over the catch portion and automatically back into engagement with the working surface under the resilient bias as the door is closed.

Claims

1. A disengageable and automatically reengageable positive stop door check for a door hingedly supported on a body structure to move about an axis between a closed and a fully open position, comprising in combination;

a stop member supported on one of said door and body structure and movable relative to the other of said door and body structure about said axis as said door moves about said axis,

a check strap having a first and second end and movably supported at said first end on the other of said door and body structure, said check strap including a working surface with which said stop member is slideably engageable extending substantially from said first end to a catch portion intermediate said first and second end, said catch portion being blockingly engageable with said stop member, said check strap further including a keeper portion having a surface that is slideably engageable with said stop member and extends substantially from said second end to said catch portion and oriented so as to direct said stop member over said catch portion as said stop member slides along said keeper portion surface from said second end toward said first end, and,

resilient means continually biasing said check strap about said movably supported first end so as to maintain one of said check strap working surface and keeper portion surface continually slideably engaged with said stop member as said door moves,

whereby, as said door is moved from said closed toward said fully open position, said stop member slides along said check strap working surface from said first end toward said catch portion until said stop member blockingly engages said catch portion to provide a positive stop to maintain said door at a hold open position intermediate said closed and fully open positions, said door being movable from said hold open position toward said closed position sufficiently to move said stop member away from said catch portion, said check strap then being movable by an external force about said first end against the bias of said resilient means to move said working surface away from said stop member sufficiently that said stop member will miss said catch portion as said door is moved back substantially to said hold open position, at which point the external force on said check strap may be released to slideably engage said stop member with said keeper portion surface so that said door may be opened farther to said fully open position as said stop member slides along said keeper portion surface toward said second end, said door then being movable back toward said closed position as said stop member slides back along said keeper portion surface from said second end and over said catch portion to thereby automatically reengage said check strap working surface under the bias of said resilient means.

2. A disengageable and automatically reengageable positive stop door check for a door hingedly supported on a body structure to move about an axis between a closed and a fully open position, comprising in combination;

a stop pin supported on one of said door and body structure and movable relative to the other of said door and body structure about said axis as said door moves about said axis,

a check strap having a first and second end and movably supported at said first end on the other of said door and body structure, said check strap including a working surface with which said stop pin is slideably engageable extending substantially from said first end to a resilient hook intermediate said first and second end, said hook being formed with a convex portion facing said working surface and spaced therefrom by less than the width of said stop pin so that said stop pin is resiliently capturable within said hook so as to be blockingly engaged thereby, said hook further including a concave portion facing away from said working surface with which said stop pin is slideably engageable and sized so as to cradle said stop pin,

said check strap further including a keeper portion having a surface that is slideably engageable with said stop pin and extends substantially from said second end to said hook concave portion so as to direct said stop pin through said concave portion and over said hook as said stop pin slides along said keeper portion surface from said second end toward said first end, and,

resilient means continually biasing said check strap about said movably supported first end so as to maintain one of said check strap working surface, keeper portion surface, and hook concave portion slideably engaged with said stop pin as said door moves,

whereby, as said door is moved from said closed toward said fully open position, said stop member slides along said check strap working surface from said first end toward said hook until said stop member moves past said hook convex portion to be resiliently captured within and blockingly engaged by said hook to provide a positive stop to maintain said door at a hold open position intermediate said closed and fully open positions, said door being movable from said hold open position toward said closed position sufficiently to move said stop pin out of said hook, said check strap then being movable by an external force about said first end against the bias of said resilient means to move said working surface away from said stop pin sufficiently that said stop pin will miss said hook as said door is moved back substantially to said hold open position, at which point the external force on said check strap may be released to cradle said stop pin within said hook concave portion, said door then being movable farther to said fully open position as said stop pin slides out of said hook concave portion and along said keeper portion surface toward said second end, said door then being movable back toward said closed position as said stop pin slides back along said keeper portion surface from said second end, through said concave portion and over said hook to thereby automatically reengage said check strap working surface under the bias of said resilient means.

3. A disengageable and automatically reengageable positive stop door check for a door hingedly supported on a body structure to move about an axis between a closed and a fully open position, comprising in combination;

a stop pin supported on one of said door and body structure and movable relative to the other of said door and body structure about said axis as said door moves about said axis,

a check strap having a first and second end and movably supported at said first end on the other of said door and body structure, said check strap including a working surface with which said stop pin is slideably engageable extending substantially from said first end to a stop flange intermediate said first and second end that is substantially normal to said working surface and has a height sufficient to partially block said stop pin,

said check strap further including a keeper portion extending substantially from said check strap second end and closely over and beyond said stop flange to a free end spaced from said check strap working surface by substantially the width of said stop pin to thereby form a hook in cooperation with said stop flange within which said stop pin is capturable so as to be blockingly engaged thereby, said keeper portion further including a surface with which said stop member is slideably engageable extending substantially from said check strap second end to said keeper portion free end, and,

resilient means continually biasing said check strap about said movably supported first end so as to maintain one of said check strap working surface and keeper portion surface slideably engaged with said stop member as said door moves,

whereby, as said door is moved from said closed toward said fully open position, said stop member slides along said check strap working surface from said first end toward said catch portion until said stop member moves beneath said keeper portion free end and against said stop flange so as to be captured and blockingly engaged to provide a positive stop to maintain said door at a hold open position intermediate said closed and fully open positions, said door being movable from said hold open position toward said closed position sufficiently to move said stop member from beneath said keeper portion free end, said check strap then being movable by an external force about said first end against the bias of said resilient means to move said working surface away from said stop pin sufficiently that said stop pin will miss said keeper portion free end as said door is moved back substantially to said hold open position, at which point the external force on said check strap may be released to slideably engage said stop pin with said keeper portion surface so that said door may be opened farther to said fully open position as said stop pin slides along said keeper portion surface toward said second end, said door then being movable back toward said closed position as said stop pin slides back along said keeper portion surface from said second end and over said keeper portion free end to thereby automatically reengage said check strap working surface under the bias of said resilient means.