Abstract: An elevator door panel for closing the opening to an elevator shaft comprising a generally planar steel sheet reinforced on the shaft side by a perimeter framework and intermediate vertical stiffening members. At its lower edge the panel includes a resilient seal member supported on a structural steel construction that is generally symmetrical about a vertical plane at a mid-section of the panel thickness.

Abstract: Control systems and methods for operating the doors of an elevator where the control logic is distributed in local car and landing door controllers that communicate wirelessly with one another to eliminate door control signal wiring in the hoistway thereby simplifying installation and diagnostics and affording door motor control that is individualized for each door.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjustably mounting tracks that suspend horizontal sliding doors at a freight elevator landing. The apparatus comprises a plurality of brackets adapted to be mounted in the shaft on the header above the landing opening. The brackets are each secured to the header with anchor bolts. Each anchor bolt is set in the header but initially allows vertical movement of the bracket. An adjusting screw, carried on each bracket, is arranged to easily and precisely move the bracket up or down relative to the anchor bolt as needed to position the tracks and, therefore, the door panels at a proper height. Once adjusted such that a specified gap is established between the lower edges of the door panels and the threshold, each anchor bolt can be tightened to fix its respective bracket in its adjusted position.

Abstract: A door locking system for a freight or passenger elevator or goods lift installation having vertically spaced landings served by a vertically movable car, the landings and car each being protected by associated horizontal slide doors, a mechanical interlock device at each landing that prevents a landing door from opening without the presence of the car in registration with the landing, a door lock on the car for normally preventing the car door from opening when the car is out of registration with any landing, the interlock device being arranged to mechanically enable the door lock to release the car door to open when the car is in registration with a landing.

Abstract: A freight elevator door installation including a plurality of vertically sliding landing doors and a vertically sliding car gate, each landing door and said gate being power driven by an associated electrically energized operator, serial communication slave hardware for each landing, and serial communication slave hardware on the car, a serial communication master arranged to receive and send control signals to and from both said landing and car slave hardware, a controller coupled with the serial communication master, a common pair of buss lines in the hoistway connecting each of the landing slaves to the master, the slave hardware for each landing being connected to sensors detecting the open and closed states and locked and unlocked states of the respective landing door and normal and deployed states of an unlocking device of the respective landing door, the slave hardware on the car being connected to sensors detecting the open and closed and locked and unlocked states of the gate and being coupled to the

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjustably mounting tracks that suspend horizontal sliding doors at a freight elevator landing. The apparatus comprises a plurality of brackets adapted to be mounted in the shaft on the header above the landing opening. The brackets are each secured to the header with anchor bolts. Each anchor bolt is set in the header but initially allows vertical movement of the bracket. An adjusting screw, carried on each bracket, is arranged to easily and precisely move the bracket up or down relative to the anchor bolt as needed to position the tracks and, therefore, the door panels at a proper height. Once adjusted such that a specified gap is established between the lower edges of the door panels and the threshold, each anchor bolt can be tightened to fix its respective bracket in its adjusted position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjustably mounting tracks that suspend horizontal sliding doors at a freight elevator landing. The apparatus comprises a plurality of brackets adapted to be mounted in the shaft on the header above the landing opening. The brackets are each secured to the header with anchor bolts. Each anchor bolt is set in the header but initially allows vertical movement of the bracket. An adjusting screw, carried on each bracket, is arranged to easily and precisely move the bracket up or down relative to the anchor bolt as needed to position the tracks and, therefore, the door panels at a proper height. Once adjusted such that a specified gap is established between the lower edges of the door panels and the threshold, each anchor bolt can be tightened to fix its respective bracket in its adjusted position.

Abstract: A door panel position control mechanism for a multiple panel horizontal sliding door assembly of a freight elevator landing. The mechanism comprises a multiple node scissors linkage that is configured to be easily installed and initially adjusted and which has its parts symmetrically balanced about a vertical plane such that excessive eccentric loading on the components is reduced and a long service life is obtained with reduced wear and a reduced need for periodic adjustment.

Abstract: A control system for a motorized freight elevator landing door in which all of the doors in a single line of a hoistway are controlled with one set of proximity sensors carried on the elevator car. The sensors signal a controller that operates electric motors for opening and closing the landing door where the car has stopped. The door operating motors are two speed units and the sensors and controller are arranged to operate the motors at high speed during most of the travel in opening or closing movement and at reduced speed at the end of movement. The controller applies power to the motor for a short period after the door is fully closed or open to stall the motors and thereby dampen any rebound motion.

Abstract: A vertically sliding freight elevator landing door with a safety brake that deploys when a chain suspending the door breaks. The safety brake is adapted for use on both panels that slide up to open or that slide down to open. The brake, which is simple in construction and installation, comprises, principally, a caliber block fixed to the door and a roller cam assembled in the block. A spring biases the roller cam towards a wedge lock position while a cable normally holds the roller cam in an inactive position. The cable and, therefore, the roller cam are released when the associated door suspension chain breaks. The roller cam, operating between a tilted internal surface in the caliper block and a door guide rail quickly frictionally brakes the door on the guard rail.

Abstract: An assembly for a no-contact power reversing system for an elevator car gate comprises a lost-motion linkage comprising inner and outer telescoping members, the inner member having an upper extension which stabilizes and protects the electrical cable leading to the scanner unit of the device during retraction and extension of the scanner unit mounting as the gate approaches and leaves full closed position. The linkage and associated parts mounted in such a way that the scanner unit is protected against pilferage.

Abstract: A fire lintel for a freight elevator pass door that provides a fire stop in the gap between the door opening header and the upper panel of the pass door and that is displaceable for passage of the door above into the gap when the door above opens. Two embodiments of the fire lintel are characterized by overlapping baffle-like elements that afford a high resistance to the passage of gases into the hoistway in the event of a fire.

Abstract: The invention provides a scanning beam along the forward edge of an elevator car closure which leads the edge a predetermined distance to provide sufficient time when an object interrupts the beam to stop or reverse the closure and which retracts relative to the closure during final closing movement to dwell adjacent the line at which the closure forward edge closes.

Abstract: A hoistway car for transporting wheeled carts between floor levels which includes mechanism for reversing the cart swivel wheels to facilitate off-loading of the cart while avoiding chafing or jamming of such swivel wheels. In the illustrated embodiments, the reversing mechanism comprises turntables at the plane of the car platform which turn in predetermined directions to control wheel swivel action. In one embodiment, the turntables rely on gravitational forces to initiate swivel action, and in another embodiment, the turntables are power-operated for inducing swivel action.

Abstract: A hoistway car for transporting wheeled carts between floor levels which includes means for reversing the cart swivel wheels to facilitate off-loading of the cart while avoiding chafing or jamming of such swivel wheels. In the illustrated embodiments, the reversing means comprises turntables at the plane of the car platform which turn in predetermined directions to control wheel swivel action. In one embodiment, the turntables rely on gravitational forces to initiate swivel action, and in another embodiment, the turntables are power-operated for inducing swivel action.

Abstract: Elevator control apparatus for monitoring the floor position of a car utilizing a switch on the car to sense floor indicator cams each spaced along the hoistway in regular spatial relation to an associated floor. The control apparatus includes means to register signals from the floor switch while knowing the simultaneous direction of car travel to thereby enable it to distinguish ascent to a higher floor and descent to a lower floor. The control apparatus also includes means to disregard false signals from the floor switch resulting from car bounce and mid-floor reversals of car direction.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically handling a material unit in an elevator system. The disclosed apparatus ejects a wheeled cart from an elevator car by engaging a face of the cart with a pusher arm suspended from a carriage which traverses a track mounted at the top of the elevator car. The carriage and pusher arm are capable of ejecting the cart clear of the car from either end of the car.

Abstract: A drawbridge assembly on an elevator car which is responsive to movement of an automatic cart loader and unloader for its extension and retraction. The drawbridge compensates for expected positional variations in indexing of the elevator to a selected landing. An associated clutch permits manual deployment of the drawbridge during a power failure or other malfunction.

Abstract: An automatic loader and unloader for an elevator includes a stationary frame, a main carriage movable in either direction relative to the stationary frame, and a coupler carriage movable in either direction relative to the main carriage. The main carriage is slidably disposed on the stationary frame by a bearing arrangement which provides a cantilever support for the main carriage when the main carriage is extended. The main carriage and the coupler carriage are extended and retracted by two pair of cables. One pair of cables effects movement of the main carriage and coupler carriage in one direction, and the other pair of cables effects movement of the main carriage and coupler carriage in the other direction.