GB2516093A

GB2516093A - Door safety hinge

Info

Publication number: GB2516093A
Application number: GB201312454A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Benjamin Hall; Julian Hall
Original assignee: Kingsway Enterprises UK Ltd
Current assignee: Kingsway Enterprises UK Ltd
Priority date: 2013-07-11
Filing date: 2013-07-11
Publication date: 2015-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2033-07-11
Also published as: GB2539135A; GB2534513B; GB201615990D0; GB2534513A; GB201312454D0; GB2516093B

Abstract

A hinge for mounting a door to open both inwards and outwards comprising a pair of longitudinal hinge members 10, 40 each with a plurality of axially aligned and spaced apart tubular sleeves attached to mounting elements 12, 42, the sleeves interdigitating coaxially to receive a hinge pin 115, the mounting element of each hinge member having a flat surface for attachment to a door edge or door frame, said surface facing away from the sleeve and being spaced therefrom, the sleeves being able to rotate relative to one another by at least 45 degrees in either direction from a central closed position. Each hinge member may be formed integrally by extrusion. One hinge member may be formed with its sleeves spaced apart from the mounting elements by an integral web having a necked cross-section with concave surfaces on each side. The hinge may be used in schools, hospitals or mental health facilities to prevent accidental injury of fingers.

Description

DOOR SAFETY HINGE

This invention relates to a hinge system for a door, particularly for use in institutions such as schools, hospitals or mental health facilities, where accidental injury can be caused by misuse of a door. In particular, fingers can be caught in door hinges or between door leaf and frame when heavy doors swing shut, often under spring bias.

A further need arises in mental institutions, where suicide attempts may involve threading a ligature through a gap in or around a door hinge.

The present invention provides a hinge for mounting a door to open in both directions, comprising a pair of hinge members each with a plurality of axially aligned and spaced apart tubular pin-receiving sleeves attached to a mounting element, the respective sleeves of the two hinge members interdigitating coaxially to receive a hinge pin to form a complete hinge, wherein the mounting element of each hinge member has a flat surface for attachment to a door edge or door frame, said surface facing away from said sleeve and being spaced therefrom and wherein when said hinge members are connected together with a hinge pin passing through said sleeves they can rotate relative to one another by at least 45° in either direction from a central closed position in which their respective attachment surfaces are parallel to one another and at a maximum distance from one another.

The position of maximum spacing of parallel flat surfaces defined above is referred to as a closed position because it is the position in which, in use with the hinge connected the edge of a door and to a door fame, the door is in a closed position within the frame but able to swing open in either direction.

The interdigitating sleeves of the respective hinge members preferably extend continuously, in the manner of a piano hinge, over the full height of the door, leaving no gaps.

The two hinge parts are preferably each formed integrally, most suitably from aluminium although materials such as steel or rigid preferably reinforced, plastics material could be considered, depending on the intended use.

The two hinge members are preferably formed symmetrically about a plane perpendicular to the flat attachment surface in each case. The hinge member for attachment to the door edge may be formed with the pin-receiving sleeves closely adjacent the mounting element, whereas on the hinge member to be mounted on the door frame the pin-receiving sleeves are preferably spaced from the mounting element by an integral web. This web is preferably formed with longitudinally extending concave surfaces on each side to receive an edge of the door leaf when the door is fully open, thus increasing the angle to which the door can be opened.

The invention further provides a two-way door, comprising a door frame, a door leaf and a hinge as defined above, with one of the hinge members secured by its mounting element to an edge of the door leaf and the mounting element of the other hinge member secured to an opposing surface of the door frame, spaced from the door leaf. The door is preferably self closing, with a spring mechanism mounted at the top and/or bottom of the hinge assembly.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front view of one mounting element of a hinge in accordance with the present invention, intended for attachment to one edge of a door leaf; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the mounting element of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view of a section of the mounting element of Figure 2 within the broken line box indicated by Ill in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a front elevational view of a mounting element intended to cooperate with the element of Figures 1 to 3 to form a hinge in accordance with the invention and to be mounted on a door frame; Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the mounting element of Figure 4; Figure 6 is an enlarged section of the side elevation of Figure 5, within the broken line box VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is an enlarged cross section on the line VII to VII of Figure 5; Figure 8 is an enlarged cross section on the line VIII to VIII of Figure 5; Figure 9 is an enlarged cross section on the line IX to IX of Figure 2; Figure 10 is an enlarged cross section on the X to X in Figure 2; Figure 11 is a schematic plan view showing how a door is mounted by means of a hinge comprising the mounting members of the Figures 1 to 10; Figure 12 is a schematic plan view similar to Figure 11, but at a different level and showing the door in its fully open position; and Figure 13 is a plan view of a top plate for mounting on the top edge of door leaf fitted with the hinge of Figures 11 and 12, with a connection for a door closing mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 to 3, 9 and 10 illustrate a mounting element forming one part of a hinge assembly according to the present invention.

The mounting member is preferably made of integrally extruded aluminium, and comprises a continuous attachment section 12 having on one side a series of alternating axially alignedsleeve sections 14 and part-cylindrical bearing surfaces 16.

As shown in Figures 3 and 9, the sleeve sections 14 have central cylindrical bores 35, all aligned coaxially with one another to receive a hinge pin. The intervening part-cylindrical surfaces 16 have a radius fractionally larger than the outer radius of sleeve sections 14, and are coaxial therewith.

On the side opposite the sleeve sections, the mounting element has continuous flat surfaces 36 on either side of a central locating ridge 30.

Screw holes 15 are formed along both sides of the attachment section at regular intervals, to secure the mounting element to the edge of a door leaf.

The length of mounting element 12 corresponds to the height of the door leaf to which it is to be attached and will thus typically be in the region of 2 metres.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 8 a second hinge member 40 is shown which is similar in construction to that of Figures 1 to 3 but differs in two respects as will be discussed below.

Like the hinge member of Figures 1 to 3, the member of Figures 4 to 8 comprises an attachment section 42 at an axially aligned series of hinge pin sleeves 44 and part cylindrical bearing surfaces 46. On this hinge member there are bearing surfaces 46 at each end, whereas the hinge member of Figures 1 to 3 has cylindrical sleeves 14 at each end, so that the sleeves 14, 44 of the two hinge members can interdigitate.

The cylindrical sleeves and part-cylindrical bearing surfaces of the two hinge members may suitably all be of equal length, but in any case the sleeves on each hinge member of a length to fit neatly between the sleeves of the other so that all the sleeves may interdigitate coaxially with substantially no gaps between them. The lengths of the sleeves 14,44 and part-cylindrical inner surfaces 16, 46 may typically be from 50 to 100mm. The inner radius of the pin-receiving sleeves may typically be from 5 to 12mm.

The hinge member 40 also differs from that of Figures 1 to 3 in that the sleeves 44 and pad-cylindrical surfaces 46 are spaced from the mounting element 42 by a necked web 50, on each side of which is a concave recess 70 the purpose of which will be described below.

Like the hinge member of Figures 1 to 3, the hinge member of Figures 4 to 8 has screw holes 45 positioned at intervals along its length on both sides of the web 50, and a central alignment ridge down the centre of its attachment surface 75.

Referring now to Figure 11, a hinge in accordance with the invention, comprising the hinge members 10, 40 are used to connect a door leaf 112 to door post 110. Hinge member 10 is secured to a vertical edge of the door leaf, in which an alignment channel 113 has been preformed to receive the alignment ridge 30 of the hinge member, to ensure that the hinge member is slightly vertical land symmetrical relative to the door leaf. The hinge member can then be secured to the door leaf by screws through screw holes 15.

Hinge member 40 is secured to the door frame 110 in the same way, with its alignment ridge 60 sitting into a preformed vertical channel 111 formed in the door post.

The cylindrical sleeves of the two hinge members interdigitate coaxially with a hinge pin 115 passing through the aligned sleeves over the length of the hinge to secure the two hinge members together with the outer surfaces of cylindrical sleeves 14 of hinge members 10 bearing against are cylindrical surfaces 46 of hinge members 40 as shown in Figure 11. The outer surfaces of cylindrical sleeves 44 of hinge member 42 fit close to the part cylindrical surfaces 16 of hinge members 10 as shown in Figure 12, with just enough clearance to allow rotation.

The lower end of hinge pin 15 is accommodated in a base plate 116 secured to the floor by screws through screw holes 118.

Figure 12 shows the hinge attachment of Figure 11 at a different level, so that the outer surface of a cylindrical sleeve 44 of hinge member 40 is shown in close proximity to corresponding part-cylindrical surface 16 of hinge member 10. In this figure, the door leaf 112 is shown in a fully open position of one side of door post 110, with an edge extending into concave recess 70 of each member 40, enabling the door to open by more than 90°. The door leaf is similarly able to swing open on the opposite side of the post 110, to the same extent.

It can be seen from Figures 11 and 12 that as the door opens and closes there are no surfaces coming together in such a way as to cause serious injury to fingers or like. Conventional two way swing doors are generally of heavy construction and have hinge parts that close tight together, often under considerable force, as the door closes.

Figure 13 shows a top plate 130 positioned along a top edge of door leaf 112, rebated into it. The plate is secured to the door leaf by screws through screw holes 132. The top plate has a shoulder 135 abutting the side edge of the door leaf 112, and shaped to align with mounting elements 12 of hinge member 10.

Integral with this shoulder is a cylindrical section 135, shaped to align coaxially with the upper most sleeve 14 of hinge member 10, but with a square aperture 136 therein, to receive a correspondingly shaped projection of a door closing mechanism mounted in the top of the door frame. This door closing member may be of a known type, with the projection linked to a spring bias mechanism, enabling the projection to rotate clockwise or anticlockwise against a spring bias, according to the direction in which the door is opened. The spring bias mechanism is arranged such that the projection into aperture 136 is not biased in either direction when the door is closed, this being the default position of the door.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A hinge for mounting a door to open in both directions, comprising a pair of hinge members each with a plurality of axially aligned and spaced apart tubular pin-receiving sleeves attached to a mounting element, the respective sleeves of the two hinge members interdigitating coaxially to receive a hinge pin to form a complete hinge, wherein the mounting element of each hinge member has a flat surface for attachment to a door edge or door frame, said surface facing away from said sleeve and being spaced therefrom and wherein when said hinge members are connected together with a hinge pin passing through said sleeves they can rotate relative to one another by at least 45° in either direction from a central closed position in which their respective attachment surfaces are parallel to one another and at a maximum distance from one another.
2. A hinge according to claim 1 wherein said two hinge parts are each formed integrally.
3. A hinge according to claim 2 wherein the hinge parts are formed from aluminium, steel or rigid plastics material
4. A hinge according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the two hinge parts are formed by extrusion.
5. A hinge according to any preceding claim wherein each of the two hinge members is formed symmetrically about a plane perpendicular to its flat attachment surface.
6. A hinge according to any preceding claim wherein one said hinge member is formed with its pin-receiving sleeves closely adjacent the mounting element whereas with the other hinge member the pin-receiving sleeves are spaced from the mounting element by an integral web.
7. A hinge according to claim 6 wherein said integral web is of necked-cross section with longitudinally extending concave surfaces on each side.
8. A two-way door comprising a door frame, a door leaf and a hinge according to any preceding claim, with one of the hinge members secured by its mounting elements to an edge of door leaf and the mounting element of the other hinge member secured to an opposing surface of the door frame, spaced from the door leaf.
9. A two-way door according to claim 8 wherein the interdigitating sleeves of the respective hinge members extend continuously in the manner of a piano hinge, over substantially the full height of the door.
10. A two-way door according to claim 8 or claim 9 which is self-closing, with a spring mechanism mounted at the top and/or bottom of the hinge assembly, whereby the door leaf may be swung open in either direction from a closed position within the door frame, against a bias provided by said spring mechanism.