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EP-4735716-A1 - ANTI-THEFT TROLLEY PROTECTOR FOR A GARAGE DOOR OPENER

EP4735716A1EP 4735716 A1EP4735716 A1EP 4735716A1EP-4735716-A1

Abstract

An intrusion resistant trolley assembly for a GDO in a ceiling mounted configuration may include a trolley operably coupled to a guide rail to be movable relative to the guide rail based on corresponding movement of a flexible conveyance member when selectively operably coupled to the flexible conveyance member, a latch assembly operable to alternately engage the trolley to the flexible conveyance member and disengage the trolley from the flexible conveyance member, and a cover having an opened position in which the latch assembly is accessible for operation and a closed position in which the latch assembly is not accessible and cannot be operated.

Inventors

  • PENATO, Edoardo

Assignees

  • ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems AB

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240627

Claims (20)

  1. 1. An intrusion resistant trolley assembly (60, 160) for a garage door operator (GDO) in a ceiling mounted configuration, the assembly (60, 160) comprising: a trolley (50, 150) operably coupled to a guide rail (32, 132) to be movable relative to the guide rail (32, 132) based on corresponding movement of a flexible conveyance member (40, 140) when selectively operably coupled to the flexible conveyance member (40, 140); a latch assembly (52, 152) operable to alternately engage the trolley (50, 150) to the flexible conveyance member (40, 140) and disengage the trolley (50, 150) from the flexible conveyance member (40, 140); and a cover (62, 162) having an opened position in which the latch assembly (52, 152) is accessible for operation and a closed position in which the latch assembly (52, 152) is not accessible and cannot be operated.
  2. 2. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a cover lock defining a locked state in which the cover is retained in the closed position, and an unlocked state in which the cover is enabled to transition to the opened position.
  3. 3. The assembly according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein a catch assembly is mounted to the trolley, and wherein the cover lock comprises a pivot arm that engages the catch assembly in the locked state and does not engage the catch assembly in the unlocked state.
  4. 4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the cover lock comprises a key feature operable via a key to rotate the pivot arm between the locked state and the unlocked state.
  5. 5. The assembly according to any of claims 3 or 4, wherein the catch assembly comprises a base portion mounted to the trolley and extending parallel to a surface of the trolley, a stem portion extending perpendicularly away from the base portion, and an engagement edge extending parallel to the base portion to interface with the pivot arm in the locked state.
  6. 6. The assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an arm is operably coupled at opposing ends thereof to a garage door and the trolley, respectively and wherein the cover is pivotally mounted to trolley via a pin, and wherein the pin further operably couples the arm to the trolley.
  7. 7. The assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cover comprises a main body portion extending in a plane substantially parallel to a plane in which the flexible conveyance member moves, wherein the cover comprises lateral sidewalls extending perpendicularly away from the main body portion toward the trolley on opposing lateral edges of the main body portion, wherein the cover comprises a distal end sidewall and a proximal end sidewall extending perpendicularly away from the main body portion toward the trolley on opposing longitudinal edges of the main body portion, and wherein the cover lock is accessible through the main body portion.
  8. 8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein distal ends of the lateral sidewalls, the proximal end sidewall and the distal end sidewall extend away from the main body portion to be proximate to the trolley and/or the guide rail to define a containment space inside which a lanyard of the latch assembly is retained when the cover is in the closed position.
  9. 9. The assembly according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the main body portion and the proximal end sidewall include an arm slot formed therein to receive the arm responsive to the cover transitioning from the closed position to the opened position.
  10. 10. The assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cover transitions from the closed position to the opened position responsive to gravity and pivots about 70-90 degrees when transitioning from the closed position to the opened position.
  11. 11. A garage door operator (GDO) system (10, 110) comprising: a sectional door (20, 120) movable on rails (22, 122) between a door open state and a door closed state; a GDO motor (30, 130) operable to provide power for movement of the sectional door (20, 120) between the open and closed positions via moving a flexible conveyance member (40, 140); an intrusion resistant trolley assembly (60, 160) for a garage door operator (GDO) in a ceiling mounted configuration; and an arm (170) operably coupled at opposing ends thereof to a garage door and the intrusion resistant trolley assembly (60, 160), respectively; wherein the intrusion resistant trolley assembly comprises (60, 160): a trolley (50, 150) operably coupled to a guide rail (32, 132) to be movable relative to the guide rail (32, 132) based on corresponding movement of a flexible conveyance member (40, 140) when selectively operably coupled to the flexible conveyance member (40, 140), a latch assembly (52, 152) operable to alternately engage the trolley (50, 150) to the flexible conveyance member (40, 140) and disengage the trolley (50, 150) from the flexible conveyance member (40, 140), and a cover (62, 162) having an opened position in which the latch assembly (52, 152) is accessible for operation and a closed position in which the latch assembly (52, 152) is not accessible and cannot be operated.
  12. 12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising a cover lock defining a locked state in which the cover is retained in the closed position, and an unlocked state in which the cover is enabled to transition to the opened position.
  13. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein a catch assembly is mounted to the trolley, and wherein the cover lock comprises a pivot arm that engages the catch assembly in the locked state and does not engage the catch assembly in the unlocked state.
  14. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the cover lock comprises a key feature operable via a key to rotate the pivot arm between the locked state and the unlocked state.
  15. 15. The system according to claims 13 or 14, wherein the catch assembly comprises a base portion mounted to the trolley and extending parallel to a surface of the trolley, a stem portion extending perpendicularly away from the base portion, and an engagement edge extending parallel to the base portion to interface with the pivot arm in the locked state.
  16. 16. The system according to any of claims 12-15, wherein the cover is pivotally mounted to trolley via a pin, and wherein the pin further operably couples the arm to the trolley.
  17. 17. The system according to any of claims 11-16, wherein the cover comprises a main body portion extending in a plane substantially parallel to a plane in which the flexible conveyance member moves, wherein the cover comprises lateral sidewalls extending perpendicularly away from the main body portion toward the trolley on opposing lateral edges of the main body portion, wherein the cover comprises a distal end sidewall and a proximal end sidewall extending perpendicularly away from the main body portion toward the trolley on opposing longitudinal edges of the main body portion, and wherein the cover lock is accessible through the main body portion.
  18. 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein distal ends of the lateral sidewalls, the proximal end sidewall and the distal end sidewall extend away from the main body portion to be proximate to the trolley and/or the guide rail to define a containment space inside which a lanyard of the latch assembly is retained when the cover is in the closed position.
  19. 19. The system according to any of claims 17 or 18, wherein the main body portion and the proximal end sidewall include an arm slot formed therein to receive the arm responsive to the cover transitioning from the closed position to the opened position.
  20. 20. The system according to any of claims 11-19, wherein the cover transitions from the closed position to the opened position responsive to gravity and pivots about 70-90 degrees when transitioning from the closed position to the opened position.

Description

ANTI-THEFT TROLLEY PROTECTOR FOR A GARAGE DOOR OPENER TECHNICAL FIELD Example embodiments generally relate to garage door operators (GDOs) and, in particular, relate to a release system for a GDO having a trolley protector that prevents external actors from disconnecting the trolley and gaining access to the garage. BACKGROUND A large portion of sectional garage doors for both residential and industrial applications employ an installed GDO to automatically open and close the garage doors. One solution for mounting and operating these GDOs is to mount the GDO from the ceiling proximate to the garage door. For such ceiling mounted GDOs, a ceiling mounted linear force operator drags one of the connected sections of the sectional door through the guide rails the door rides in as the sectional door transitions between opened and closed positions. A problem that can occur in relation to these ceiling mounted GDOs is that they may be exploited to affect a break-in by a thief or burglar. In general, the ceiling mounted GDO does not have any locking system integrated therewith, because the mechanical components that comprise it, and their mechanical connections, are not reversible except through the automated operation of the GDO. However, the connection of the GDO to the sectional door is typically accomplished by providing a trolley, which rides on its own reversible path associated with opened and closed positions of the sectional door, to carry and drag the door. The trolley is selectively attached to and detached from a flexible conveyance member (e.g., a chain, cable, rope, belt, etc.) that is directly attached to the GDO and which, when the GDO operates, is conveyed along a path to drag the sectional door between opened and closed positions when the trolley is connected thereto. The trolley’s selective connection to the flexible conveyance member is the typical target for the thief or burglar. In this regard, for example, the burglar would typically attempt to disengage the trolley via reaching over the sectional door (through a small gap above the door) to reach a rope or latch that releases the trolley from the flexible conveyance member. Once reached, the rope or latch may be grasped and operated to disengage the trolley, thereby leaving the door to be manually opened (lifted) by the burglar. This mode of break-in may be prevented by separate locks that may be manually inserted through the guide rails to prevent movement of the door. However, operation of these manual locks may also be considered to be a hassle by some operators. Thus, it may be desirable to find a better solution. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES In an example embodiment, an intrusion resistant trolley assembly for a GDO in a ceiling mounted configuration may be provided. The assembly may include a trolley operably coupled to a guide rail to be movable relative to the guide rail based on corresponding movement of a flexible conveyance member when selectively operably coupled to the flexible conveyance member, a latch assembly operable to alternately engage the trolley to the flexible conveyance member and disengage the trolley from the flexible conveyance member, and a cover having an opened position in which the latch assembly is accessible for operation and a closed position in which the latch assembly is not accessible and cannot be operated. In another example embodiment, a GDO system for a ceiling mounted GDO may be provided. The system may include a sectional door movable on rails between a door open state and a door closed state, a GDO motor operable to provide power for movement of the sectional door between the open and closed positions via moving a flexible conveyance member, an intrusion resistant trolley assembly, and an arm operably coupled at opposing ends thereof to a garage door and the intrusion resistant trolley assembly, respectively. The intrusion resistant trolley assembly may include a trolley operably coupled to a guide rail to be movable relative to the guide rail based on corresponding movement of a flexible conveyance member when selectively operably coupled to the flexible conveyance member, a latch assembly operable to alternately engage the trolley to the flexible conveyance member and disengage the trolley from the flexible conveyance member, and a cover having an opened position in which the latch assembly is accessible for operation and a closed position in which the latch assembly is not accessible and cannot be operated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) Having thus described some example embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a GDO system in accordance with an example embodiment; FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of some example components associated with a GDO system in accordance with an example embodiment; FIG. 3 illustrates a side vi