EP0799959A2

EP0799959A2 - Hinge arm for furniture or the like with cam means for movement thereof in the longitudinal direction

Info

Publication number: EP0799959A2
Application number: EP97200951A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberto Corbetta
Original assignee: Danco SpA
Current assignee: Danco SpA
Priority date: 1996-04-05
Filing date: 1997-04-01
Publication date: 1997-10-08
Also published as: IT1283719B1; ITMI960668A0; EP0799959A3; ITMI960668A1

Abstract

Arm (1) for hinges for furniture and the like, comprising a body (10) and a fastening element (30) provided with a locking device (40) for coupling the arm (1) to a base-piece (50) fixed to the furniture, wherein there is provided at least one cam element (80) arranged between said body (10) and said fastening element (30), the operation of said cam element being designed to cause a translation of the body (10) relative to the fixed base-piece (50) in the longitudinal direction (X-X) of the arm (1).

Description

The present invention relates to an arm for hinges for furniture and the like which can be fastened to a base-piece fixed to the furniture itself and is provided with cam means for adjusting, in the longitudinal direction, the position of the arm relative to said fixed base-piece.
It is known in the art relating to the assembly of modular furniture and the like of the need to connect together, by means of hinges, the leaves, doors and the like, to the side of the fixed part forming the container of the furniture.
It is also known that said hinges substantially consist of two parts, one of which forming the base-piece to be fixed to the said fixed side of the furniture, and the other forming the hinge arm, or wing, joined to the leaf which must perform an opening/closing rotational movement.
It is also known that, in order to reduce and facilitate the operations of assembly and alignment of the furniture in the location where it is positioned, said base-pieces and hinge arms, which are mounted beforehand on the respective parts, must be such as to allow rapid mutual coupling and easy adjustment of the positioning and relative alignment to be performed by means of manual tools such as a screwdriver or the like.
The hinge arms of the known type have in particular some drawbacks represented by the fact that, in order to perform the said coupling with the base-piece and the subsequent adjustment of the relative alignment, it is necessary to manufacture the hinge with a large number of parts and provide screw means for relative fixing thereof; this results in great difficulties when adjustment is performed since the operator is obliged to slacken the screw, causing disengagement of the hinge which must then be manoeuvred with the other hand with obvious difficulties and approximation as regards positioning.
The technical problem which is posed, therefore, is that of providing an arm for hinges for furniture and the like which is composed of a small number of parts which are movable relative to one another so as to allow the adjustments for positioning and relative alignment of the hinge arm with respect to a fixed base-piece and which, at the same time, is provided with operating means which are simple and economical to produce and can be precisely operated using manual tools, even when the hinge is mounted.
These results are obtained by the present invention which provides an arm for hinges for furniture and the like, comprising a body and a fastening element provided with a locking element for coupling the arm to a base-piece fixed to the furniture, wherein there is provided at least one cam element arranged between said body and said fastening element, operation of said cam element being designed to cause translation of the body relative to the fixed base-piece in the longitudinal direction of the arm.
Further details may be obtained from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the hinge arm according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a partially sectioned view of the hinge arm according to Fig. 1 in the assembled condition;
Figure 3 shows an exploded view of a second example of embodiment of the hinge arm according to the invention;
Figure 4 shows a partially sectioned view of the hinge arm according to Fig. 3 in the assembled condition;
Figure 5 shows an exploded view of a further example of embodiment of the hinge arm according to the invention;
Figure 6 shows a partially sectioned view of the hinge arm according to Fig. 5 in the assembled condition;
Figures 7a,b,c show sectional views of the arm according to Fig. 5 in the different positions of adjustment with respect to a fixed base-piece.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hinge arm 1 according to the invention comprises a body 10, an element 30 for fastening to a base-piece 50 (Fig. 7a) fixed to the furniture 5, and a device 40 arranged at one end of the fastening element 30 for locking the body 10 to the fixed base-piece 50.
Said body 10 has a cross-section in the form of an upturned "U" and in the region of one of its ends, defined for the sake of simplicity as "rear" end, the side surfaces have two holes 10a for the insertion of pins 2a for hinging the body 10 with a flat spring 2, by means of which the arm itself is connected to the body 3 fixed to the leaf 4 of a piece of furniture (Fig. 2) or the like.
On the upper surface of the body 10 there are provided: a threaded hole 11, an opening 12 and an eyelet 13, the longitudinal axis of which is arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis X-X of the body 10.
On the opposite side surfaces 10b of the body 10 and in the region of its free or "front" end there is also provided an eyelet 14 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the arm 10.
The fastening element 30 has a shape substantially equivalent to that of the body 10 and transverse dimensions such as to allow it to be housed inside it.
The upper surface of the rear end of the fastening element 30 has formed in it an eyelet 31 arranged in the longitudinal direction and open towards the rear side; still in the region of the rear end, each side surface 30a of the fastening body 30 has a small hook 36 directed downwards, the pair of hooks 36 forming the first element for fastening the arm 10 to the fixed base-piece 50, as will be explained below.
In correspondence with the front end of the fastening element 30, the upper surface has a hole 33, while the side surfaces 30a thereof have two longitudinal incisions 34 and a hole 35 designed to guide and fix a locking device 40.
Each side wall 30a of the fastening element 30 also has formed in it a hole 34a for the insertion of a pin 14a which, when the hinge is mounted, also passes through the eyelets 14 of the arm 10, connecting the same to the locking element 30.
Said locking device 40 consists of a substantially hollow parallelepiped body from which there extend in the transverse direction two guiding flanges 45 designed to be inserted into the corresponding incisions 34 of the fastening element 30, and a tooth 44 extending in the longitudinal direction and designed to engage with a corresponding surface 54 of the base-piece 50 (Fig. 7a).
The inside of the parallelepiped body 40 also has formed in it an axial cavity 42a designed to contain a spring 42, against the opposing action of which the body 40 may be made to translate towards the outside of the fastening element 30.
The locking device 40 is joined to the fastening element 30 by means of a pin 35a which passes through the hole 35 and an eyelet 45a formed on the side surfaces of the device 40, allowing fixing thereof and at the same time forming the element for locking the spring 42.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the two components 10 and 30 of the hinge arm 1 are joined together by means of a threaded grub screw 60 and a cam element 80.
The grub screw 60 is provided with a shank 61 terminating in a disk-shaped piece 62; the threading of the grub screw 60 engages with the corresponding female thread of the hole 11 in the body 10, while the shank 61 co-operates with the open eyelet 31 of the fastening element 30, any possible outward movement upwards of the grub screw being prevented by the disk-shaped piece 62. The rotation of the grub screw 60 about its axis causes a corresponding rotation of the arm 10 about the pin 14a and therefore allows the inclination of the arm to be adjusted with respect to the fastening element 30.
The cam element 80 is arranged with the head 83 in the transverse eyelet 13 and with the shank 83a in the hole 33 of the fastening element 30.
Once the arm 10 and the fastening element 30 have been connected together, as described above, it is possible to adjust the relative position, in the longitudinal direction, of the arm 10 with respect to the fastening element 30, by rotating the cam element 80, the eccentric head 83 of which co-operates with the eyelet 13 forcing the arm 10 to translate longitudinally with respect to the fastening element 30 and hence with respect to the fixed base-piece 50, not shown in the figure.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the hinge arm according to the invention, in which the travel of the hinge arm 10 may be increased by arranging a plate 20 between the fastening element 20 and the arm 10 itself.
The said plate 20 has a substantially rectangular shape and dimensions such that it may be contained inside the body 10; it has an elongated eyelet 22, the longitudinal axis of which is arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis X-X of the body 10, and a hole 23 aligned with the eyelet 13 of the arm 10.
The body 30 has in this case a hole 32 which is coaxial with the eyelet 22 of the plate 20.
As illustrated in Fig. 4, the four components of the hinge arm 1 are joined together by means of the already described grub screw 60 which connects the arm 10 to the fastening element 30; the already described eccentric cam 80 which, being inserted into the eyelet 13 of the arm 10 and into the hole 23 of the plate 20, connects the latter with the arm 10; and by means of a further cam element 90, the eccentric head 92 of which is arranged in the eyelet 22 of the plate 20, while the shank 92a is arranged in the hole 32 of the fastening element 30, thus connecting the latter to the plate 20.
Operation of the double-cam hinge illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 will be obvious with reference to the description of operation of the third embodiment of the arm according to the invention described below with reference to the Figures 5 to 7c.
In said embodiment there is provided a plate 120 which has an elongated eyelet 122, the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body 10, and a hole 23 coaxial with the eyelet 13, while the fastening element 30 has a threaded hole 132 aligned with the eyelet 122 of the plate 120.
As illustrated in Fig. 6, the four components of the hinge arm 1 are joined together by means of the threaded grub screw 60, the eccentric cam 80 and a screw 70 which replaces the second cam 90 described in relation to Figs. 2 and 3.
The threading 72a of the screw 70, passing through the opening 12 and the eyelet 22, engages with the corresponding female thread of the hole 32 of the element 30, while the head 72 is arranged inside the opening 12.
The eccentric cam 80 is arranged with the head 83 in the transverse eyelet 13 of the arm 10 and with the shank 83a in the hole 23 of the plate 20.
As can be seen more clearly from the description of operation of the hinge provided with reference to Figs. 7a-7c, the connection of the said parts allows easy adjustment, in the longitudinal direction, of the relative position thereof.
Operation of the hinge arm is as follows:
Upon assembly of the hinge (Fig. 7a), the front ends of the plate 20 and the body 10 are arranged aligned with one another, this means that the screw 70 is located with the threading 72a arranged at the rear end of the eyelet 122 and the eccentric cam 80 is arranged with the head 83 in the transverse eyelet 13 and the shank 83a in the hole 23; during this first phase the screw 70 is tightened, by locking the plate 20 to the fastening element 30 with which it thus forms a single body.
The arm 1 is then coupled to the base-piece 50, which is fixed to the furniture 5, by engaging the hooks 36 onto a corresponding shoulder 56 of the base-piece 50 and rotationally pressing the front end of the arm 1 so as to allow operation of the locking device 40 which engages the tooth 44 onto the shoulder 54 of the base-piece 50.
Once fastening has been performed, the front end of the arm 10 is aligned with the front end of the plate 20 and arranged at a distance "A" from the front end of the fastening element 30.
When it is required to perform adjustment, in the longitudinal direction, of the relative position of the hinge arm 10 with respect to the fixed base-piece 50, it is possible to operate the cam 80, rotating in either direction the eccentric head 83 so as to cause displacement by an amount B (Fig. 7b), in the longitudinal direction, of the body 10 with respect to the plate 20 joined to the fastening element 30 by means of the screw 70 and therefore with respect to the fastening element 30 itself which remains stationary being locked on the base-piece 50.
After this first movement, the arm is translated as shown in Fig. 7b.
Should greater travel adjustment be required, this may be achieved by slackening the screw 70 and thus freeing the plate 20 with respect to the fastening element 30; once freed from constraint, the plate 20 may translate, by means of the eyelet 122, causing further translation of the body 10 joined thereto by means of the eccentric cam 80 and resulting in a further amount of travel being recovered as illustrated by C in Fig. 7c.
In any position of the arm and in a known manner, the angle of the body 10 on the base-piece 50 may also be adjusted by means of the grub screw 60.
Operation of the arm has been described, for the sake of simplicity, with movement of the various parts from an initial end position into a final end position; in practice, however, it could be convenient to start from an intermediate position so as to allow adjustment in both directions, even though by a smaller amount; in addition to this, it is obvious for the person skilled in the art how the double travel may also be obtained by means of the alternate operation of the two cams 80 and 90 described in relation to the example of embodiment according to Figs. 3 and 4.
Many variations may be introduced as regards the realization of the parts which make up the invention, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the claims which follow.

Claims

Arm (1) for hinges for furniture and the like, comprising a body (10) and a fastening element (30) provided with a locking device (40) for coupling the arm (1) to a base-piece (50) fixed to the furniture, characterized in that there is provided at least one cam element (80) arranged between said body (10) and said fastening element (30), the operation of said cam element being designed to cause a translation of the body (10) relative to the fixed base-piece (50) in the longitudinal direction (X-X) of the arm (1).
Arm according to Claim 1, characterized in that said body (1) has an eyelet (13) which is elongated in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis (X-X) of the arm itself.
Arm according to Claim 1, characterized in that said fastening element (30) has a hole (33) coaxial with said eyelet (13) of the body (10).
Arm according to Claim 1, characterized in that said cam element consists of a pin (80), the eccentric head (83) of which is housed in said eyelet (13) and the shank (83a) of which is inserted into said hole (33) of the fastening element (30) and constrained to the latter in the axial direction.
Arm according to Claim 1, characterized in that said arm (1) has a plate (20) arranged between the body (10) and the fastening element (30).
Arm according to Claims 1 and 5, characterized in that said plate (20) has a transverse eyelet (22) coaxial with a hole (32) of the fastening element (30) and a hole (23) coaxial with said eyelet (13) of the body (10).
Arm according to Claims 1 and 6, characterized in that it comprises first cam elements (80) and second cam elements (90) respectively arranged between said body (10) and plate (20) and between said plate (23) and fastening element (30).
Arm according to Claims 1 and 5, characterized in that said plate (20) has a longitudinal eyelet (122) coaxial with a threaded hole (132) of the fastening element (30) and a hole (23) coaxial with said eyelet (13) of the body (10).
Arm according to Claims 1 and 8, characterized in that said cam means (80) are arranged between the body (10) and the plate (20).
Arm according to Claims 1 and 8, characterized in that said arm comprises a screw (70), the threading (72a) of which co-operates with the female thread of the hole (132) in the fastening element (30) for relative locking of the plate (20) with the fixing element itself.
Arm according to Claim 1, characterized in that said body (10) is provided with an opening (12).