EP0387207A1

EP0387207A1 - Adjustable anti-forcing hinge for doors, windows and similar frames

Info

Publication number: EP0387207A1
Application number: EP90830071A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergio Pacini
Original assignee: Fapim Fabbrica Accessori Per Infissi Metallici Srl; Fapim SNC
Current assignee: Fapim Fabbrica Accessori Per Infissi Metallic
Priority date: 1989-03-10
Filing date: 1990-02-28
Publication date: 1990-09-12
Also published as: DE69000171T2; DE69000171D1; ES2033166T3; IT1234629B; IT8917702A0; EP0387207B1

Abstract

A hinge for the pivotable connection between the fixed case and the mobile leaf of doors, windows and similar frames, having anti-forcing means and adjustment means. The hinge comprises two supports (1, 2) respectively screwed to the case (3) and to the leaf (4), provided with a screw-cover plate (13) which is not removable when the leaf (4) is mounted on the case (3), by virtue of a tooth (41) projecting from the inner face of the plate (13) which abuts against the projecting head of one of the fixing screws (5, 6). In through holes of the supports (1, 2) are seated two bushings (18, 19), each possessing an eccentric hole (20) in which are accommodated the two half-sections (30a, 30b) of a pin (30) which acts as a fulcrum for rotation. By rotating the bushings (18, 19) in the holes (16) of the supports (1, 2) it is possible to adjust the distance between case (3) and leaf (4). Both the holes (16) of the supports (1, 2) and the bushings (18, 19) possess longitudinal groovings (17, 22) and can be reciprocally blocked by a stopper (32) having projecting plugs (34) which are inserted between the groovings (17, 22). The pin (30) cannot be retracted when the leaf (4) is mounted on the case (3), since it possesses an annular enlargement (31) of a diameter greater than that of the holes (16) of the supports (1, 2).

Description

The present invention relates to a hinge for the pivotable connection between the fixed case and the mobile leaf of doors, windows and similar frames. More specifically, it relates to an adjustable anti-forcing hinge.
Hinges are known which comprise a lower support, generally mounted on the fixed case, and an upper support mounted on the mobile leaf. These supports are pivotably connected by means of a pin which is seated in holes made in the supports. The supports are fixed to the uprights of the leaf and of the case, generally by means of screws, and in the event that the latter are accessible with the leaf mounted and closed on the case, the hinge is usually called an "externally supported" hinge and is used when the uprights of the case and of the leaf do not permit the making of recesses for the mounting of the supports.
In order to protect the screws for fixing the supports to the uprights and to render them inaccessible and anti-forcing when the mobile leaf is closed, some hinges are provided with screw-cover plates which in turn are fixed to the supports by means of special screws which can be actuated with the leaf open. This fact entails an additional tightening operation during the mounting of the hinge and the use of a suitable key; furthermore, a hole is necessary on the outer part of the hinge which impairs its aesthetic value.
Another anti-forcing feature of some types of hinges is a special screw which is wedged in a recess made in the rotating pin, impeding retraction thereof. In this case, apart from the disadvantage of a more complicated mounting and the anti-aesthetic effect of the hole for the screw, the pin is also weakened at the point of the recess.
As regards the commercially available adjustable hinges, some types permit adjustment in two predetermined positions with no possibility of further intermediate adjustments; other types possess bushings having an eccentric internal hole interposed between the pin and the supports, which also permit intermediate adjustments between the extreme positions, but such adjustment is possible only with the leaf removed from the case, and so requires a great deal of time in order to be performed, a plurality of mountings and dismantlings of the leaf relative to the case being necessary to find the optimum distance between the latter.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hinge for doors, windows and similar frames which is anti-forcing and simple to mount without possessing the abovementioned disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge for doors, windows and similar frames which permits easy adjustment of the distance between the fixed case and the mobile leaf, with the leaf mounted on the case and with the possibility of easy intermediate adjustment relative to the extreme positions.
These and other objects are achieved by the hinge according to the invention, which comprises a lower support and an upper support, mounted respectively on said fixed case and on said mobile leaf, a lower bushing and an upper bushing being seated in through holes made respectively in the lower and upper supports and each possessing an eccentric longitudinal hole in which, in turn, are seated the two half-sections of a hinge pin for the pivotable coupling between the supports. The characteristic of the hinge according to the invention is that of comprising means for the adjustment of the distance between said case and said leaf with the leaf mounted on the case, and anti-forcing means for impeding the retraction of the pin and the dismantling of the supports from the case and from the leaf when the latter is mounted and closed on the case.
The abovementioned adjustment means comprise a plurality of equidistant, parallel longitudinal groovings made within the through holes of the supports, a plurality of equidistant, parallel longitudinal groovings made outside each of the bushings from one of their ends, and two resilient stoppers which can be fixed at the grooved ends of the bushings. Each of these resilient stoppers possesses a plurality of equidistant parallel plugs projecting from one face of each stopper and able to engage between the groovings of the holes and the groovings of the bushings to block the rotation between the latter and the respective supports. Each bushing is provided with a seating for an adjustment key which is accessible with the stopper removed; each stopper possesses a resilient projection which engages by snap-fitting in the seating for the key.
The anti-forcing means for impeding the retraction of the pin comprise an annular enlargement made along the pin and of greater diameter than the diameter of the through holes of the supports. The anti-forcing means for impeding the dismantling of the supports comprise a screw-cover plate possessing lateral profiles which engage in guides made on each of the supports. A projecting tooth is formed on one face of the plate and abuts against the head of one of the tightening screws of the supports, thus impeding the retraction of the screw-cover plate when the leaf is mounted on the case.
Further features and advantages of the hinge according to the invention will be more clearly apparent from the description which follows of an embodiment thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the hinge according to the invention;
- Figure 2 shows a partially sectioned lateral elevation view of the hinge according to the invention;
- Figure 3 shows a plan view from above of the hinge according to the invention;
- Figures 4 and 5 show, respectively, a plan view and a lateral view of the mounting of a screw-cover plate on the hinge according to the invention;
- Figures 6 and 7 show a sectional view in the direction of the arrows VI-VI and VII-VII respectively of Figures 4 and 5;
- Figure 8 shows a diagrammatic plan view from above of one position of the hinge according to the invention.

With reference to Figure 1, the hinge according to the invention comprises a lower support 1 and an upper support 2 which can be fixed respectively to the uprights 3 and 4, for example of the fixed case and of the mobile leaf of a door, window or similar frame, by means of tightening screws 5 and 6 which screw into threaded holes 7 in a counter-plate 8 via the holes 9 of the supports 1 and 2, the holes 10 of the uprights 3 and 4 and the washers 11 and 12. The washer 12 is of greater thickness than the washer 11 so that the screw 6 projects from the hole 9, while the screw 5 does not project at all. A screw-cover plate 13 engages against the guides 14 and 15 of the supports 1 and 2 and renders the screws 5 and 6 inaccessible once tightened.
With reference to Figures 1 and 2, in the supports 1 and 2 there are made through holes 16 possessing six parallel and equidistant longitudinal groovings 17. In the holes 16 of the lower support 1 and of the upper support 2 are seated, respectively, a lower bushing 18 and an upper bushing 19, each of which is of substantially elongate cylindrical shape and possesses an eccentric longitudinal cylindrical hole 20 and a grooved end 21 having six equidistant parallel groovings 22 extending longitudinally over a section of the outer surface, and a hole 23 acting as a seating for an adjustment key (not shown). Two teeth 24, angularly spaced by 60°, extend radially through each of the bushings 18 and 19 at the level of the edge of the grooved end 21. Each tooth 24 is positioned mid-way between two adjacent grooves and has dimensions which are less than the cross-section of each grooving 17 of the hole 16 of the supports 1 and 2, in a manner such as to be able to slide therein and permit the passage of the bushings 18 and 19 in the holes 16. These bushings possess, at the other end, an annular projection; more specifically, the lower bushing 18 possesses an annular projection 25 which is coaxial with the outer surface of the said bushing, while the upper bushing 19 possesses an annular projection 26 which is coaxial with the eccentric hole 20. The annular projection 25 engages against a constriction 27a of the inner surface of a ring 27 interposed between the two supports 1 and 2. Within the eccentric holes 16 is accommodated a pin 30 possessing an annular enlargement 31, of greater diameter than that of the holes 16 of the supports 1 and 2, but of lesser diameter than the internal diameter of the ring 27 and of the constriction 27a. More specifically, the two half-sections 30a and 30b of the pin 30 are pivotably situated in the eccentric holes 16 of the bushing 18 and of the bushing 19 respectively.
A blocking stopper 32 can be fixed by means of a resilient projection 33 at each of the grooved ends 21 of the bushings 18 and 19 which are screwed into the holes 16 of the supports 1 and 2, and engages by snap-fitting in the hole 23 by means of the elastic tabs 33a. The stopper 32 also comprises six equidistant parallel plugs 34 projecting from its lower face 32 and arranged along a circumference whose diameter is equal to the diameter of the holes 16 and to the outer diameter of each of said bushings. The plugs 34 thus engage between the groovings of the hole 16 and of each of the bushings 18 and 19, impeding the relative rotation between bushing and support.
With reference to Figures 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, the screw-cover plates 13 engage against the guides 14 and 15 of each of the supports 1 and 2 by means of the profiles 36 and 37. The latter possesses a notch 38 which divides it into two profiles 37a and 37b of lesser length than a second notch 39 made at the middle of the guide 15, for example by means of a milling tool which also produces a substantially circular recess 40 between the holes 9 in each of the supports 1 and 2. A tooth 41 projects from each plate 13, from its inner face 13a, and is seated in the recess 40 between the screws 5 and 6.
In order to mount the hinge according to the invention and to produce a pivotable coupling between the uprights 3 and 4, with reference to the abovementioned figures, it is necessary to clamp the supports 1 and 2 on the uprights 3 and 4 by means of the screws 5 and 6; then to apply the screw-cover plates 13 by tapping their profile 36 against the guide 14 of each support and subsequently introducing the profile 37a into the notch 39 of the guide 15 in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 4. At this point, sliding the plate 13 in the guides 14 and 15 in the direction of the arrow B in Figures 5 and 6, the tooth 41 abuts against the projecting head of the screw 6 within the recess 40 and does not permit the plate 13 to slide out.
It is then necessary to introduce the bushings 18 and 19 into the grooved through holes 16 of the supports 1 and 2 thus mounted, by sliding the teeth 24 in the groovings 17 and rotating each bushing through 30° once the teeth 24 have moved out of the groovings 17. The annular projections 25 and 26 of the bushings 18 and 19 respectively, together with the teeth 24, impedes any spontaneous escape by the bushings 18 and 19 from the supports 1 and 2 during the mounting stage. The ring 27 is positioned between the bushing 18 and the support 1 during mounting. Once the half-section 30a of the pin 30 has been inserted in the hole 20 of the bushing 18, and the support 19 has been threaded onto the half-section 30b of the same pin 30, the hinge according to the invention produces the pivotable coupling between the two uprights 3 and 4.
The hinge according to the invention is anti-forcing in that the screw-cover plates 13 can be retracted only when the leaf is dismantled from the case, or when the support 2 is unthreaded from the pin 30. With reference to Figures 2 and 3, in fact, the screw-cover plates 13, with the hinge mounted, cannot move in that the profiles 36 abut against the ring 27 and the tooth 41 abuts against the screw 6. Consequently, the screws 5 and 6 for dismantling the supports 1 and 2 are accessible only with the leaf open and removed from the case, since only in this position is it possible to remove the ring 27 and unthread the screw-cover plates 13.
The pin 30 is impossible to retract from the hinge with the leaf closed on the case, by virtue of its annular enlargement 31 and of the annular projection 25 and 26 of the bushings 18 and 19 which will not pass through the holes 16 of the supports 1 and 2.
With reference to Figures 2 and 8, in order to adjust the reciprocal position of the mobile leaf relative to the fixed case, or of the upright 4 relative to the upright 3, it is necessary to extract the stoppers 32 by levering, for example, with a screwdriver so that the projection 33 of each stopper is released from the hole 23 of each bushing. In this manner, the groovings 17 and 22 are also freed from the plugs 34 and, by means of a suitable key, it is possible to act on the holes 23 and to rotate the bushings 18 and 19 in the holes 16. With reference to Figure 8, X designates the eccentricity which exists between the geometrical axes 43 of the holes 16 and the geometrical axis 44 of the pin 30 seated in the hole 20 of each of the bushings 18 and 19. By rotating the bushings 18 and 19, it is possible to vary the distance between the two uprights 3 and 4 by a quantity which is between - 2X and + 2X in both the directions indicated by the arrows C and D, relative to a mean distance selected at the time in which the holes 10 are made on the uprights 3 and 4. Overall, thirty-six distance combinations are possible between the uprights 3 and 4, depending on how the bushings 18 and 19 are positioned in the holes 16, the groovings 22 being caused to coincide each time with the groovings 17, respectively. In particular, four of the abovementioned combinations are of value, specifically those corresponding to the variations in distance in the direction of the arrow C which are respectively equal to -2X, -X, +X and +2X.
The groovings 22 and the groovings 17 can also be different in number from what is indicated, and may also be mutually different in number provided that they are respectively a multiple and a factor of each other, and of course equidistant and parallel.
The plugs 34 of the stoppers 32 can also be different in number from what is indicated, provided such number is equal to or less than the number of groovings 22 and is a factor thereof.
The ring 27 supports the weight of the mobile leaf, transmitting it directly from the support 2 to the support 1 and relieving the pin 30 and the bushings 18 and 19. For this reason, said ring is preferably produced in an anti-friction material. Such materials or similar materials are preferably also used to form the bushings 18 and 19, since these are seatings for the rotation of the pin 30.
The stoppers 32, apart from locking the position of the bushings after adjustment, also act as a seal against the penetration of dust and dirt within the hinge.
Alternatively, in place of the washers 11 and 12 of mutually different thickness it is possible to use mutually equal washers and screws 5 and 6 with, respectively, lower and higher heads.
Variations and/or modifications can be introduced to the adjustable anti-forcing hinge for doors, windows and similar frames according to the present invention, without thereby departing from the protective scope of the said invention.

Claims

1. Adjustable anti-forcing hinge for the pivotable connection between the fixed case (3) and the mobile leaf (4) of doors, windows and similar frames, comprising a lower support (1) and an upper support (2), mounted respectively on said fixed case (3) and on said mobile leaf (4), a lower bushing (18) and an upper bushing (19) being seated in through holes (16) made respectively in said lower (1) and upper (2) supports and each possessing an eccentric longitudinal hole (20) in which, in turn, are seated the two half-sections (30a, 30b) of a hinge pin (30) for the pivotable coupling between said supports (1, 2), said hinge being characterized in that it comprises means for the adjustment of the distance between said leaf (4) mounted on said case (3) and means for impeding the retraction of said pin (30) and the dismantling of said supports from the closed leaf (4) on the case (3).

2. Hinge according to Claim 1, in which said means for the adjustment of the distance between said case (3) and said leaf (4) comprise a plurality of equidistant, parallel longitudinal groovings (17) made within said through holes (16) of said supports (1, 2), a plurality of equidistant, parallel longitudinal groovings (22) made outside each of said bushings (18, 19) from one of their ends (21), two resilient stoppers which can be fixed at said end and are suitable for closing said through holes (16) possessing a plurality of equidistant parallel plugs (34) projecting from one face (32a) of each stopper (32) and able to engage between the groovings (17) of said holes (16) and the groovings (22) of said bushings (18, 19) in order to block the rotation between the latter and the respective supports (1, 2), each bushing (18, 19) being provided with a seating (23) for an adjustment key.

3. Hinge according to Claims 1 and 2 in which said seating (23) for the key for the adjustment of said bushings (18, 19) in said supports (1, 2) is a hole (23) made at the end (21) with groovings (22) of each bushing (18, 19), a projection (33) having elastic tabs (33a) engaging in said hole (23) by snap-fitting and extending centrally from each of said stoppers (32), from the same part (32a) of said plugs (34), said bushings (18, 19) at said end (21) each possessing at least two teeth (24) made radially between said groovings (22) and set apart by an angle which is a multiple of the angular distance between two adjacent groovings (22) and of lesser dimensions than the cross-section of the groovings (17) of said through holes (16).

4. Hinge according to the preceding claims, in which said means for impeding the retraction of said pin (30) comprise an annular enlargement (31) made at an intermediate point on said pin (30) and of greater diameter than the internal diameter of said through holes (16) of said supports (1, 2), two annular projections (25, 26) made at the end opposite said grooved ends (21) of said lower (18) and upper (19) bushings respectively, a ring (27), mounted between said supports (1, 2) and coaxially with said lower support (1), possessing a constriction (27a) made on its inner surface which engages with said annular projection (25) of said lower bushing (18).

5. Hinge according to the preceding claims in which said anti-forcing means for impeding the dismantling of said supports (1, 2) comprise a screw-cover plate (13) possessing two parallel lateral profiles (36, 37) which engage in two parallel guides (14, 15) machined on each of said supports (1, 2), a projecting tooth (41) formed on one face of said plate (13), said lower (1) and upper (2) supports being fixed to said case (3) and to said leaf (4) by means of at least two screws (5, 6) seated in holes (9) machined in said supports (1, 2), one of said screws (6) projecting from the hole (9) and abutting against the tooth (41) of said plate (13), and one of said guides (14) being longitudinally machined on the lateral surface of each of said supports (1, 2) so that with the supports fitted, said guide (14) possesses a blocked end.

6. Hinge according to Claim 5, in which one of said profiles (37) of each of said plates (13) possesses a central notch (38) which divides it into two profile sections (37a, 37b) while the guide (15) in which said profile (37) engages also possesses a notch (39) of greater width than each of said profile sections (37a, 37b) which divides said guide into two guide sections (15a, 15b) each of lesser length than the notch (38) of said profile (37).

7, Hinge according to the preceding claims, in which said plugs (34) projecting from said stoppers (32) and said groovings (17, 22) made respectively within said holes (16) and along said bushings (18, 19) are equal in number.

8. Hinge according to Claim 7, in which said plugs (34) and said groovings (17, 22) number six.