Vehicle infinite door check
First Claim
1. An infinite door check mechanism for enabling a door to be moved from a closed position in a door frame to any one of a plurality of different open positions, comprisinga door check housing adapted to be mounted on the door,a support member arranged in said housing,a movable locking member arranged in said housingan elongate strip member adapted to be mounted to and extend outward from the frame, said strip member extending at least partially through said housing and being at least partially interposed between said locking member and said support member,biasing means for selectively pressing said locking member against said strip member to force said strip member against said support member and thereby retain said strip member in a fixed position resulting in checking of the door and releasing pressure of said locking member against said strip member and thereby enable movement of said strip member, and,torque means for applying a torque to said locking member to prevent said locking member from slipping on said strip member when the checking is occurring.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An infinite door check mechanism for enabling a door to be moved from a closed position in a door frame to any one of a plurality of different open positions including a clevis adapted to be mounted to the frame, an elongate strip member mounted to the clevis and directed outward from the frame, a door check housing adapted to be mounted on the door, the strip member extending at least partially through the housing, and a support member arranged in the housing. A movable locking member is arranged in the housing such that the strip member is interposed between the locking member and the support member. A biasing member such as a spring is positioned in the housing for selectively pressing the locking member against the strip member to force the strip member against the support member and thereby retain the strip member in a fixed position and releasing pressure of the locking member against the strip member and thereby enable movement of the strip member. Structure is also provided to exert a drag force onto the strip member to enable the locking member to rotate without slipping.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An infinite door check mechanism for enabling a door to be moved from a closed position in a door frame to any one of a plurality of different open positions, comprising
a door check housing adapted to be mounted on the door, a support member arranged in said housing, a movable locking member arranged in said housing an elongate strip member adapted to be mounted to and extend outward from the frame, said strip member extending at least partially through said housing and being at least partially interposed between said locking member and said support member, biasing means for selectively pressing said locking member against said strip member to force said strip member against said support member and thereby retain said strip member in a fixed position resulting in checking of the door and releasing pressure of said locking member against said strip member and thereby enable movement of said strip member, and, torque means for applying a torque to said locking member to prevent said locking member from slipping on said strip member when the checking is occurring.
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24. An infinite door check mechanism for enabling a door to be moved from a closed position in a door frame to any one of a plurality of different open positions, comprising
a door check housing adapted to be mounted on the door, a support member adapted to be mounted to the frame, said support member including a hinge pin defining a rotational axis about which said support member is rotatable, a hinge member arranged around said hinge pin, a movable locking cam arranged in said housing to engage said hinge member, and biasing means arranged in said housing for selectively pressing said cam against said hinge member to force said cam against said hinge member and thereby retain said hinge member and thus the door in a fixed position and releasing pressure of said cam against said hinge member and thereby enable rotation of said hinge member and thus the door.
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29. An infinite door check mechanism for enabling a door to be moved from a closed position in a door frame to any one of a plurality of different open positions, comprising
a door check housing adapted to be mounted on the frame, a support member adapted to be mounted to the door, said support member including a hinge pin defining a rotational axis about which said support member is rotatable, a hinge member arranged around said hinge pin and being adapted to be connected to the door to enable the door to rotate about said axis, a movable locking member arranged in said housing to engage said hinge member, and biasing means arranged in said housing for selectively pressing said locking member against said hinge member to force said locking member against said hinge member and thereby retain said hinge member and thus the door in a fixed position and releasing pressure of said locking member against said hinge member and thereby enable rotation of said hinge member and thus the door.
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34. An infinite door check mechanism for enabling a door to be moved from a closed position in a door frame to any one of a plurality of different open positions, comprising
a door check housing adapted to be mounted on the door, a support member arranged in said housing, an elongate strip member adapted to be mounted to and extend outward from the frame, said strip member extending at least partially through said housing, and a flexible U-shaped element fixedly mounted in said housing and having a section in constant contact with said strip member to urge said strip member against said support member.
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37. A method for making an infinite door check device for holding a door of a particular vehicle model at an arbitrary position between an open position and a closed position, comprising the steps of:
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determining the checking torque required to hold the door against the expected forces tending to further open or to close the door; determining the minimum design coefficient of friction for a door check mechanism including a strip member and a loading member; selecting materials for the strip member and the loading member of the door check mechanism such that the coefficient of friction between the strip member and the loading member will not be less than the designed minimum coefficient of friction; selecting a support member design and load to be applied by the loading member to achieve the checking torque; and providing a means for exerting an additional force by the loading member onto the strip member to prevent the loading member from slipping on the strip member when the coefficient of friction is at the minimum value and when the check device is operating to check the motion of the door.
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Specification