US Patent 9708842 Garage door safety device

A garage door assembly that includes a torsion spring counterbalance apparatus mounted on a header wall above a garage door, the apparatus including at least one spring wound on a shaft, also includes a safety device. The safety device includes a capture device mounted on the header wall above the garage door, and a catch device attached to the shaft at a location proximate to the capture device on the header wall. The catch device rotates with the torsion spring counterbalance shaft, and the catch device is capable of extending away from the shaft under centrifugal force to engage the capture device and thereby stop the garage door from further free-falling.