Patent 7686061 was granted and assigned to Overhead Door Corporation on March, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A winding assembly used in conjunction with a door having a counterbalance system operable to offset the weight of the door, the counterbalance system including an axle rotatably supported on a pair of support brackets located at each side of the door and a counterbalance spring adapted to apply a counterbalancing force to the door. The winding assembly including a rotatable driver coupled to the counterbalance spring, the driver having a tool receiving portion, a gear wheel supported on the driver and rotatable therewith, the gear wheel defining a plurality of teeth, wherein at least one of the teeth carries a detent, whereby the detent provides a positive step to the pawl and gives an audible indication of the position of the gear wheel, and a lock assembly used in conjunction with a door system located within an opening defined by a frame, the door system including a door movable between an open position and a closed position, the door being supported on a pair of support brackets at either end of the door, a counterbalance system adapted to apply a counterbalancing force to the door, and a winding assembly adapted to adjust and maintain the counterbalancing force, the locking assembly having a lock bracket coupled to the winding assembly and fastenable to the frame to fix the winding assembly in a selected position, and a catch extending from the lock bracket and adapted to anchor the lock bracket to the frame upon unfastening of the lock bracket.