US3771268A

US3771268A - Pre-assembled unitarily-insertable hanger-attached elevator shaft entrance construction

Info

Publication number: US3771268A
Application number: US00285027A
Authority: US
Inventors: C Loomis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-08-30
Filing date: 1972-08-30
Publication date: 1973-11-13
Anticipated expiration: 1990-11-13

Abstract

For insertion in the entrance opening of an elevator shaft, the present invention provides a pre-assembled entrance frame including a horizontal frame head to which is attached the upper ends of two laterally-spaced vertical jambs. Previously secured in the elevator shaft wall above the entrance opening thereof is an unfolded Z-section hanger provided with an outwardlyprojecting flange equipped with a depending pair of laterallyspaced threaded headed fasteners, which also serve as locating pins for the entrance frame. The horizontal sheet metal wall of the entrance frame head is provided at its inner or rearward edge with an upstanding L-section flange having a vertical web portion and a reversely-bent horizontal portion. This vertical web portion is provided with a pair of horizontally-elongated laterally-spaced angle Tee-slots of the same separations as the hanger fasteners, the slots having narrow horizontal portions extending forwardly into the horizontal flange. The entrance frame is preassembled, as in the adjacent corridor and is then slid into the shaft entrance opening with its horizontal head slots aligned with the heads of the hanger-mounted fasteners so that the threaded shanks thereof enter these horizontal slot portions as guide pins or locating pins and the heads pass through the vertical slot portions. He then inserts a flat wrench through the horizontal slot portions onto the fastener heads and by it rotates the fasteners to tighten them so as to secure the frame head to the hanger. At the same time, the installer guides the lower ends of the jambs into their intended locations on or near the floor, whereupon he secures them in such locations in any suitable way which is beyond the scope of the present invention. One such way is described and claimed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 124,127 filed Mar. 15, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,686,808 for Door Frame, Sill, and Facia Construction for Elevator Shaft Entrance Shaft Entrances.

Description

United States Patent [191 Loomis 51 Nov. 13, 1973 PRE-ASSEMBLED UNITARILY-INSERTABLE HANGER-ATTACHED ELEVATOR SHAFT ENTRANCE CONSTRUCTION Charles M. Loomis, PO. Box 453, Arkansas City, Kans. 67005 22 Filed: Aug. 30, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 285,027

[76] Inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl.... 52/30, 52/211 {51] Int. Cl B66b 9/00, E06b 1/04 [58] Field of Search 52/127, 30, 29, 217,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1968 Halpern 52/211 10/1968 Halpern 52/217 10/1970 Atkinson et a1. 52/30 8/1971 Loomis 52/29 Primary ExaminerPrice C. Faw, Jr. Att0rneyWillis Bugbee [57] ABSTRACT unfolded Z-section hanger provided with an outwardly-projecting flange equipped with a depending pair of laterally-spaced threaded headed fasteners, which also serve as locating pins for the entrance frame. The horizontal sheet metal wall of the entrance frame head is provided at its inner or rearward edge with an upstanding L-section flange having a vertical web portion and a'reversely-bent horizontal portion. This vertical web portion is provided with a pair of horizontally-elongated laterally-spaced angle Tee-slots of the same separations as the hanger fasteners, the slots having narrow horizontal portions extending forwardly into the horizontal flange. The entrance frame is preassembled, as in the adjacent corridor and is then slid into the shaft entrance opening with its horizontal head slots aligned with the heads of the hangermounted fasteners so that the threaded shanks thereof enter these horizontal slot portions as guide pins or 10- cating pins and the heads pass through the vertical slot portions. He then inserts a flat wrench through the horizontal slot portions onto the fastener heads and by it rotates the fasteners to tighten them so as to secure the frame head to the hanger. At the same time, the installer guides the lower ends of the jambs into their intended locations on or near the floor, whereupon he secures them in such locations in any suitable way which is beyond the scope of the present invention. One such way is described and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 124,127 filed Mar. 15, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,686,808 for Door Frame, Sill, and Facia Construction for Elevator Shaft Entrance Shaft Entrances.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENIEDnov 13 I915 SHEET 2 OF 2 A .w\ u

PRE-ASSEMBLED UNITARILY-INSERTABLE HANGER-ATTACHED ELEVATOR SHAFT ENTRANCE CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hitherto, the components of the elevator shaft entrance frame have been necessarily assembled in the elevator shaft entrance opening piece by piece, with the entrance frame head secured to the hanger upon which is mounted the trackway for the sliding door or doors of the entrance opening. The jambs must also be separately inserted in the entrance opening and separately secured to the elevator entrance frame head while at the shaft opening. This prior construction is thus incapable of being pre-assembled in the building corridor and slid into place unitarily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a hanger-attached elevator shaft entrance frame which can be conveniently pre-assembled in the building corridor or elsewhere, inserted unitarily into the elevator shaft entrance opening while guided by its head slots and the hanger fasteners as locating devices by the hanger fasteners to the hanger in a rapid, simple and precise yet inexpensive manner.

In the drawings, 1

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the major portion of a pre-assembled unitarily-insertable hanger-attached elevator shaft frame, looking outward from the interior of the elevator shaft;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the inner portion of the entrance frame head, looking downward and outward from the interior of the elevator shaft, showing the angle-T-slots for the reception of the hanger attachment fasteners;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1 showing the elevator entrance frame head being slid into guided locating and coupling engagement with the hanger fastener;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but at a later stage of assembly, showing the relative positions of the corresponding parts after the head of the entrance frame has been engaged with the horizontal flange of the hanger and secured thereto by the headed fasteners in the slots of the elevator engrance frame head;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of a prior art construction showing the attachment of the elevator entrance frame head to the hanger and the subsequent-.

ly-mounted jambs secured to the head after insertion in the elevator shaft entrance opening;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the modified head of a preassembled unitarily-insertable hanger-attached elevator shaft frame adapted for use with a two-speed, two-part door, shown in dotted lines, as substituted for the head construction shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken-along the line 7-7 in FIG. 6. 7

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a pre-assembled unitarily-insertable hanger-attached elevator shaft entrance construction, generally designated 10, as consisting generally of a hanger 12 adapted to carry the door-supporting trackway (not shown), and also adapted to be secured to a wall of an elevator shaft 14 in any suitable manner. One such arrangement, for example, is disclosed and claimed in the Loomis US.

Pat. No. 3,601,938 issued Aug. 31, 1971 for Universal Elevator Shaft Entrance Construction. The particular manner of securing the hanger 12 to the elevator shaft structure is beyond the scope of the present invention 5 and forms no part thereof. Secured to the hanger 12 in the manner described below is a pre-assembled unitarily-insertable elevator entrance frame, generally designated 16, consisting generally of a horizontal sheet metal head 18 to which are secured and from which depend two laterally-spaced parallel vertical jambs 20.

The two jambs 20 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1) are of similar construction but of opposite hand so that the flanges of both face outward away from each other and away from the entrance opening 22 which they, the entrance head 18, and a sill 24 define. Each jamb 20 is formed from sheet metal and includes a central vertical panel or side wall 26 having laterallybent front and

rear end walls

28 and 30, the outer edges of which are provided with reversely-

bent flanges

32 and 34 respectively directed toward one another in parallel relationship to the side wall 26. Secured to each side wall 26 near the lower end thereof and facing outward toward the

flanges

32 and 34 is a jambconnection bracket 36 welded or otherwise attached by one or more arms 38 to the side wall 26.

Each jamb-connection bracket 36 is detachably and adjustably secured in a manner the details of which are beyond the scope of the present invention, to an adjacent jamb floor bracket 40 of channel section having a lower floor-engaging flange 42 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the corridor floor 44 and has a perpendicularly-bent portion 46 extending downward and attached to the sill 24. The jamb floor bracket 40 is of channel section having an upstanding web portion 48 and an upper flange portion 50. The web portion 48 is provided with two keyhole slots (not shown) into which are insertable two headed fasteners (also not shown) secured to the jamb-connection bracket 36 in a manner disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 124,127 filed Mar. 15, 1971 for Door Frame, Sill and Facia Construction for Elevator Shaft Entrances, the details of which form no part of the present invention.

The entrance frame head 18 is also of sheet metal and has a horizontal bottom wall 52 from the forward edge of which rises a forward web 54 the upper edge of which is formed with a reversely-bent upper flange 56 extending rearwardly parallel to the bottom wall 52 and having downwardly-bent end portions 58 overlapping and secured as by welding to the outer forward flanges 32 of the jamb 20. Extending upward from the rearward edge of the bottom wall 52 is a rearward web 60 the upper edge of which is formed with a reverselybent rearward flange 62. The rearward web 60 and flange 62 (FIG. 2) areprovided with two laterallyspaced angle tee-slots 64 each of which consists of a A horizontally-elongated rectangular lower slot portion 66, a narrower intermediate connecting slot portion 68, and a horizontal upper slot portion 70, the latter being formed in and extending through the upper rearward flange 62. f

The hanger 12 which, as previously stated, is of unfolded Z-section form, has a lower horizontal flange 72 extending forward from the lower edge of an intermediate vertical panel 74 the upper edge of which continues in a rearwardly-extending horizontal panel 76 terminating at its rearward edge in a vertical flange 78. The

lower flange 72 is provided with a pair of threaded holes 80 spaced horizontally apart from one another at the same distance or separation as the vertical slot portions 68 of the angle tee-slots 64. Threaded upward from below the lower flange 72 into the holes 80 are the shanks 82 of two fasteners such as bolts or cap screws 84 with heads 86. The fasteners 84 also serve as locating pins and guide pins, as described below. The elongated vertical slot portions 66 are of greater vertical widths than the thicknesses of the bolt heads 86 and the vertical slot portions 64 are of greater widths than the diameters of the shanks 82 so that the bolts or cap screws 84 may easily enter the angle tee-slots 64 and still leave room for the insertion and operation of a flat wrench thrust through the slot portions 66 into engagement with the bolt heads 86.

In the prior art construction (FIG. 5) which is superseded by the present invention, the jarnbs 90 are secured at their upper ends to the horizontal panel portion 92 of the entrance frame head 94, after the jarnbs 90 and head 94 have been inserted in the elevator shaft entrance opening 22. Extending upward from the rearward edge of the horizontal panel 92 of the head 94 is a vertical panel 96 which is drilled near its upper edge with holes 98 for the reception of screws 100, the threaded shanks 102 of which are threaded into and through correspondingly-threaded holes 104 in the vertical panel 106 of a hanger 108 with a horizontal lower flange 110. In this prior art construction, in addition to requiring the jarnbs 90 and the entrance head 94 to be separately inserted and joined together in the elevator shaft entrance opening 22, the

bolt holes

98 and 104 must be drilled and the latter threaded after such positioning, by a workman located inside the elevator shaft 14. This prior construction thus requires each installation to be custom made and assembled in and from the inconvenient working space constituted by the elevator shaft 14 and its entrance opening 22.

In the installation of the pre-assembled unitarilyinsertable hanger-attached elevator shaft entrance construction 10, the jarnbs and head 18 are lined up with one another in any convenient location, such as in the building corridor adjacent the elevator shaft 14 and its entrance opening 22, and are then secured to one another by bolting, welding or in any other suitable manner as shown in FIG. 1. The jamb connection brackets 36 are conveniently secured in the same manner to their respective side walls 26 either at this time or during the manufacture of the jarnbs 20 at the factory. The hanger 12 is secured in its proper location relatively to the entrance opening 22 inside the elevator shaft 14 as described, for example, in my previouslymentioned US. Pat. No. 3,601,938 of Aug. 31, 1971, and the jamb floor brackets 40 and sill 24 are installed as also described in that patent.

With the pre-assembled unitarily-insertable elevator entrance frame 16 thus fabricated at a location away from the elevator shaft 14, the installing workmen now slide it into the entrance opening 22 with the jamb connection brackets 36 aligned with their respective jamb floor brackets 40. The entrance frame l6 is moved inward until its horizontally-elongated portion 66 of each angle tee-slot 64 receives and passes the head 86 of its corresponding fastener 84 while the vertical slot portion 64 and the horizontal slot portion 70 receives and passes the threaded shank 82 thereof.

While this procedure is being carried out, the installing workmen also guide the heads (not shown) of the laterally-projecting fasteners secured to the jamb connection brackets 36 into their respective key-slots (also not shown) in the webs 48 of the channel-shaped jamb floor brackets 40 with the fastener heads first passing through the circular portions of the keyhole slots and the shanks afterward sliding along the narrower rectangular portions of the keyhole slots, as disclosed in my previously-mentioned co-pending application Ser. No. 124,127 filed Mar. 15, 1971. With the entrance frame 16 thus reaching its intended and final position, one of the installing workmen inserts the head of the appropriate flat wrench through each horizontally-elongated vertical slot portion 66 (FIG. 4) into engagement with the head 86 of its respective threaded fastener 84 and rotates the latter to tighten the head 86 securely against the slot 70 and force the latter tightly against the flange 72 of the hanger 12. He then repeats this procedure with the other fastener 84 at the other end of the

flanges

62 and 72, completing the installation.

The pre-assembled unitarily-insertable hangerattached elevator shaft entrance construction, generally designated 116, with the modified head construction shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 shows the adaptation of the invention to an elevator installation employing a twopart two-speed door D having a slow-speed door component S and a fast-speed door component F (FIG. 6). The modified arrangement shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is closely related to the construction of the head 18 in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, and employs the same remaining parts of the elevator entrance frame construction shown below the head 18 in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive. The installation instructions set forth above also remain substantially the same for FIGS. 6 and 7.

The modified entrance frame head, generally designated 112, like the entrance frame head 18, is of sheet metal and has a horizontal bottom wall 114 from the forward edge of which rises a forward web 116. The upper edge of the web 116 is provided with a reverselybent upper flange 118 extending rearwardly parallel to the bottom wall 114 and having downwardly-bent end portions 120 overlapping the outer forward flanges 32 of the jamb 20 (FIG. 1) and secured as by welding thereto. Extending upward from the rearward edge of the bottom wall 114 is a rearward vertical flange 122.

Mounted upon the bottom wall 114 is a forward channel bracket 124 having a vertical rearward flange 126 abutting the vertical rearward flange 122 and having a web 128 resting upon the bottom wall 114. Rising from the forward end of the web 128 is a vertical flange 130 containing a T-slot 132 extending into a horizontal flange 134 thereon. Also mounted upon the bottom wall 114 in laterally-spaced relationship thereto is a rearward channel bracket 136 also having a rearward flange 138 abutting the rearward head flange 122 and a narrower web 140 resting upon the bottom wall 1 14. Rising from the web 140 is a vertical flange 142 also containing a T-slot 144 similar to the T-slot 132 and similarly extending into a horizontal flange 146, similar to the horizontal flange 134. Due to the fact that the web 140 of the rearward channel bracket 136 is narrower than the corresponding web 128 of the forward bracket 124, the vertical flange 130 and T-slot 132 of the latter is offset in a forward direction from the vertical flange 142 and T-slot 144 of the rearward channel bracket 136. This offset construction thus provides the necessary offset relationship and clearance of the slowspeed and fast-speed components S and F of the twopart two-speed door D mounted beneath them. Each of the T-

slots

132 and 144 includes a horizontallyelongated approximately rectangular vertical lower slot portion 148 formed in the

vertical flange

130 or 142 communicating at its mid-point with a horizontal upper slot portion 150 perpendicular to the lower slot portion 148 formed in the upper horizontal flange 134 or 146 respectively. The two channel brackets 124 and 136 are welded or otherwise secured to the bottom wall 114 adjacent the rearward flange 122 thereof.

The installation of the pre-assembled unitarilyinsertable hanger-attached elevator shaft frame 116 follows the same procedure set forth above for the elevator shaft construction and is believed to require no further description.

I claim:

1. The combination of a pre-assembled unitarilyinsertable elevator shaft entrance frame with a frameanchoring hanger comprising a hanger having an upper portion adapted to be secured within the elevator shaft adjacent and above an entrance opening thereof and having a lower portion projecting from said upper portion at an angle relatively thereto,

said lower portion having a plurality of laterallyspaced holes therein,

a fastener disposed in each of said hanger holes and having tool-applying means thereon for moving said fastener relatively to said lower portion of said hanger,

and an elevator shaft entrance frame constructed and arranged to fit the elevator shaft entrance opening and including a pair of laterally-spaced vertical jambs and a horizontal frame head secured to the upper end portions of said jambs in interconnecting relationship therewith, said frame head having therein a pair of laterallyspaced apertures of the same lateral spacing as said fasteners and adapted to receive said fasteners in guided relationship thereto in response to movement of said entrance frame into the elevator shaft entrance opening into engagement with said fasteners and with said hanger carrying said fasteners.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said apertures comprise slots and wherein said fasteners have shanks movable into said slots during coupling of said frame with said'hanger.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said fasteners have enlarged heads urging said lower portion of said hanger and said frame head into coupled engagement with one another.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein said lower portion of said hanger comprises a flange projecting from the lower edge of said upper portion toward said frame head, wherein said frame head has a bent portion disposed adjacent said hanger flange, and wherein said apertures are disposed in said bent portion.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein said frame head has a central substantially horizontal panel, wherein said frame head bent portion is of angle crosssection with a web portion disposed substantially perpendicular to said frame head panel and with a flange portion disposed substantially perpendicular to said web portion in spaced parallel relationship to said panel, and wherein said apertures are disposed in said web portion.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said apertures comprise slots disposed in part on said web portion and in part in said flange portion.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein each of said slots is of tee-shaped configuration with a laterallyelongated web section disposed in said web portion and with a narrower flange section disposed in said flange portion.

8. The combination of claim 4, wherein said frame head has a pair of upstanding bent portions thereon disposed in laterally-spaced relationship in spaced parallel planes, and wherein said apertures are disposed in said bent portions.

9. The combination of claim 8, wherein said bent portions have flange portions disposed substantially perpendicular thereto, and wherein said apertures comprise slots disposed in part in said bent portions and in part in said flange portions.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein each of said slots is of tee-shaped configuration with laterallyelongated lower sections disposed in said bent portions and with narrower upper sections disposed in said flange portions.

Claims

1. The combination of a pre-assembled unitarily-insertable elevator shaft entrance frame with a frame-anchoring hanger comprising a hanger having an upper portion adapted to be secured within the elevator shaft adjacent and above an entrance opening thereof and having a lower portion projecting from said upper portion at an angle relatively thereto, said lower portion having a plurality of laterally-spaced holes therein, a fastener disposed in each of said hanger holes and having tool-applying means thereon for moving said fastener relatively to said lower portion of said hanger, and an elevator shaft entrance frame constructed and arranged to fit the elevator shaft entrance opening and including a pair of laterally-spaced vertical jambs and a horizontal frame head secured to the upper end portions of said jambs in interconnecting relationship therewith, said frame head having therein a pair of laterally-spaced apertures of the same lateral spacing as said fasteners and adapted to receive said fasteners in guided relationship thereto in response to movement of said entrance frame into the elevator shaft entrance opening into engagement with said fasteners and with said hanger carrying said fasteners.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said apertures comprise slots and wherein said fasteners have shanks movable into said slots during coupling of said frame with said hanger.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein said frame head has a central substantially horizontal panel, wherein said frame head bent portion is of angle cross-section with a web portion disposed substantially perpendicular to said frame head panel and with a flange portion disposed substantially perpendicular to said web portion in spaced parallel relationship to said panel, and wherein said apertures are disposed in said web portion.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein each of said slots is of tee-shaped configuration with a laterally-elongated web section disposed in said web portion and with a narrower flange section disposed in said flange portion.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein each of said slots is of tee-shaped configuration with laterally-elongated lower sections disposed in said bent portions and with narrower upper sections disposed in said flange portions.