US2200312A - Hinge - Google Patents

Description

I Patented May 14, 1940 f HINGE Harold E. Van Voorhees, Detroit, Mich., assigner to The Atwood Vacuum Machine Company, a

co-partnership composed of Seth B. Atwood and James T. Atwood, Rockford, lll.

Application May 12, 1931, serial No. 142,096

calms. (ci. 16-135) This invention relates to a new and improved Vconcealed'hinge for the doors of motor vehicles, and is more .particularly concerned with improvee ments on the ball-and-socket type concealed 5 x hinge .disclosed in my earlier application Serial .-No. 128,356, filed March 1, 1937.`

One ofthe principal objects of the present invention is to. provide a hinge of the kind mentioned of simpler and more economical construc- 1|) tion, and one which at the same time is stronger 'f therein for fastening the socket member 1 to and more rigid and easier to install.

Another object is to provide a hinge having the socket member thereof ofstamped sheet metal construction and designed so as to use a 1liv yminimum amount of material for low cost, while at the same time incorporating outwardly bent anges around the slotted portions to obtain the desired strength and rigidity.

AThe invention is illustrated in the accompany- 2 ing drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a partial side view of an automobile,

l l the doors of `which are equipped' with concealed f hinges made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section'on the linef2-2l of Fig. l, on a larger scale, showing an end elevation of the hinge; 1

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2,.looking at theback of the hinge, and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line4-4 0f Fig. 3.

The same reference numerals are applied to `corresponding Iparts throughout the views.

Referring ilrst to Figs. 2 to 4, and mainly Fig. 4, 5 designates the pillar and 6 the door, but itv will soon be evident that it is immaterial whether the socket member 1 and gooseneck member 8 of my improved ball-and-socket hinge lare mounted onthe pillar and door, respective- .ly,.or vice versa. The gooseneck memberv 8 comofprises an L-shapeduneck or shank 9 terminating iat.,y one end in a ball head I0, and having the `other end reduced and formed to oblong cross- ,section, as indicated at and entered in a correspondingly shaped hole |2 in a plate I3, the 57..reduced end being either upset or welded at its-,extremity |4 to secure the parts together. `Horizontalslots I5 in the plate |3 receive bolts I6 llwhich thread inholes in a ktapping platel |1 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the inside of an indented portion i8 on the edge of the door-,9. The outside of this indented portion provides -a flat seatA |9 for engagement by the plate. I3.. The neck orshank 9 of the gooseneck member operates with ample clearance in a horizofntal slot 20 in ,onemside -wall ofthe inner channel-shaped member 2| oi the pillar 5. The

web 22 oi this channel-shaped member provides a seat for the socket member 1, a portion of the web being embossed, as at 23, to provide fa recess Yin the hinge seat for the socket 24. The 5 socket member 1 comprises simply two plates 25 and 25 formed uat the centers to provide half of the socket 24 in the plate 25 and the other half in the plate 26.' Registering horizontal slots 21 in the plates 25 and 25 have bolts 28 entered l0 the pillar, the bolts being passed through holes i in the web 22 and threaded in nuts 29,' welded or otherwise suitably secured on the.opp0site Iace ofthe web. The plates 25 and 26 forming 15 `the socket member1 are held together by rivets socket member 1, sumcient to allow the door 6 to swing open to a position approximately at right angles tothe body 5. The'sheet metal alongside the slot 32 yis bent' outwardly to pro- 25 v lvide a reenforcing flange 33 extending the full length of the slot.

In regard to the mounting of the doors, it. must rst be understood that the tapping plates |1 and nuts 29 are so accurately located on'the 3i)A doors and pillars that the hinged edges of the doors will be hung at the right elevation in the door openings, or near enough for practical purposes. Shims 34-31 are entered f in the door opening around the door, as illustrated in Fig. 1, 35 when the two hinges, indicated at A and B, have lbeen loosely secured in place; that is to say, with'the bolts i6 and 28 threaded in placeloose- 'ly`enough to allow the gooseneck and socket members to shift horizontally relative to the 40. hinge seats. These shims are usually wedge shaped and are adjusted by a workman inside the car, until the door has been wedged in approximately the desired position, centrally locatv ed in the door opening and properly lined up 45 with the body and the other door 5'. The latter has its pair of hinges A'J and B' and will be shimmed in a similar manner, although no shims are indicated on Fig. 1. In view of the fact that 'the hinge seatsl 9 onthe door are in a plane at 50 right angles to the hinge seats 22 on the body, and thegooseneck members 3 are adjustable in and out on the seats I9 and the socket members 1 are adjustable back and forth on the seats 22,

I it is clear that all of ythe necessary adjustments cross piece or ller 39 forming the innerv wall s of the channel member 2l ofthe door pillar. In a similar manner, while the bolts I6 areloose, so that the gooseneck members 8 are slidable in and outon the seats I9, it is clear that the door can be adjusted in the manner described, and when properlyadjustedcan be held in fixed relation to the hinges `by the tightening of the bolts IB. The rst tightening of thesebolts, sufi'lci'ent to maintain the adjustment; can be accomplished with an end wrench from inside the body before the door is opened andthe shims removed. Care will be taken inthe opening of thev doors not to cause the hinge members" to shift in relation tothe doors and pillars, and when the Vdoors are opened, all off-the bolts IB can, of course, be tightened up. Then the doors can be closed again to recheck their adjustment, and, while I have not shown dowels -for permanently locating the hinge members with respect to the 4doors and body, it should be understood that these may be provided in a similar manner as disclosed in the copending application of Seth B. Atwood, Serial N0. 135,068, filed April 5, 1937,

namely, by simply providing holes in the plates I3, 25l and 26, and drilling holesin the vhinge seats in register with these holes afterthe doors have been properly adjusted, and drivingksteel dowel pins into the registering holes to prevent shifting vof the parts from adjusted positions.

It should be clear from this description that `I have provided a concealed ball-and-socket hinge for the doors of motor vehicles of an. extremely ing to reenforce the plate at that portionpf practical and commercially feasible design and construction, inasmuch as it can be produced at a low enough cost to be competitive with the. old style pintle hinges, and its design is such that it lends itself to easy assembling on the doors and pillars of cars of present-day construction. It is obvious 'that the ball heads I0 swivelled in their sockets`24 each determines a single point of suspension, and these twov points thus xed de-v termine the hinging axis of the doors in a plane inwardly spaced from the curved outside surfaces of the door and body portions. As a result, the doors swing uniformly smoothly throughout their` range of opening, and since the socketsI are just inside the .outer wallof the pillars next to the joint line between the doors andpillars, the hinge axes are properly located for a large enough range of door movement and give ample vclearance between the doors and the curved outside of-the body. 'Ihe fact that the hinges are not bent in any way to make the doors t, as was previously the practice with pintle hinges, eliminatesthe likelihood of the hinges being placed under any stress and there is accordingly no binding whatever and no danger of play developing and giving rise to door rattling, it being generally conceded that with the old style pintle hingesgnost of the wear and consequent door rattle was due to misalignment resulting from the bending of the hinges in the mounting of the doors. Furthermore, these ball-and-socket hinges afford a much lower unit bearing pressure than the old style pintle hinges, so that wear is'greatly reduced and longer life assured. y i It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and ad-l 2,2oo,s1a

vantages of my invention. Thev appended rclaims have been drawnfwith a view to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim: k Y Y 1. vAs an article of manufacture, a socket mem'- ber for, a ball-and-jsocket hinge-comprising two flat-sheet metal plates yhayinga socket to receive the ball member therebetween, said socket formed partly by a substantially hemispherical recessed portion intermediate the ends of one plate and partly by another substantially hemispherical re A cessed portion in and intermediate the ends of4 `the other plate'registering therewith, the one recessed portion having an elongated opening pro-.-

vided -in the wall thereof for extension there- 15 vthrough of a neck on theball and oscillation o through substantially 90, the 'opposed end -portions and having means for securing the-same tober in place in the socket for oscillatory ,move- `4tions of said plates constituting attaching porbeingv formed to provide'a continuous outwardly;

projecting flange `defining the opening and serv.

2. As an article of manufacture,` a socket member for a ball-and-s'ockethinge comprisingvr two at sheet metal plates having a ysocket to receive the ball member therebetweemsaid socket formed partly `by a substantially hemispherical-recessed portion intermediate the ends of one plate yand partly by another substantially hemispherical-recessed portion in and intermediate the ends of the other plate registering therewith, the opposed end portions of said plates constituting attaching portions and having means-'for securing the same together so as to conne the ball of the ball member in place in the socket for oscillatory movement, the one recessed portion ,having an elongated opening provided in the wall thereof transversely withrespect to said plate .and extending from one edge ofthe plate inwardly to the recessed portion for'extension therethrough of a neck on the ball and oscillation through nearly 90.'` and the other recessed portion having a registering elongated opening provided portion having the elongated opening provided therein being formed to provide a 'continuous U,. shaped flange extending inwardlyv along one side of theopening and around the inner end of the opening on the'recessed portion and outwardly along the other side of the opening-said flange projecting outwardly from the plane of the plate.

3. A hinge. comprising cooperating ball-and-/i n socket members. the ball member-comprising a ball head and a goose-neck-extending therefrom land adapted to be attached at its remote end to one of two relatively hingedl parts', thelsocket member being `adapted to be secured to the o ther of two relatively hinged parts "and comprising two *elongated` sheet metal plates,` .one having a transverse-,slot provided therein intermediate the ends thereof` extend-v ing from one edge inwardly and communi- -cating'with one side of a Asubstantially semispherical socket portion projecting out ofthe plane of the sheet metal of said plate, yand the therein in register with the first slot extending from the edge of the second plate inwardly and 4other plate having a transverse slot providedl stantially semi-spherical portion protruding from communiaungwith meriti-ev of another sub- \stantially semi-spherical socket portion projecty -ing out of the plane ofthe sheet metal of the seeondplate in register with the first-named semispherical socket' portion, the slot in the second plate being extended along the wall of the socket portion f ar enough to provide clearance therein for the-gooseneckof the ball member throughout. a range of approximately 90 of swinging movement of the ball member relative to the socket member, said second platehaving a continuous U-shaped flange extending inwardly along one side of the transverse slot and around the inner l.end of the yslot on the socket portion and outwardly along the other side of the transverse slot. the iiange projecting outwardly from the plane of the plate.

, 4. A hinge for the door of a motor vehicle, comprising an angular gooseneck adapted to be sethe plane of one of said plates and formed from the sheet metal thereof and half by another opposed hollow, substantially semi-spherical portion protruding from the plane of the other of said plates and formed from the sheet metal thereof in registering relation with the first-mentioned semi-spherical portion, the bali head having a swivel flt in said socket, and the wall of at least one of said semi-spherical portions having an elongated horizontal slot provided therein through which the goosene'ck extends for swinging movement relative to the Lsocket through substantially 90 in the opening and closing movements' of the door, said slot being extended from the socket to the adjacent edge of the plate, and said plate being formed to provide a continuous outwardly projecting flange dening the slot and serving to reenforce the, plate at the slotted portion.

5. A hinge as set i'orth in claim 4, wherein the other plate also has an elongated opening provided therein in register with saidslot, the opening extending from the edge of said-plate inwardly 'to the semi-spherical socket portion thereof so as to provide an increased range of swinging movement for the gooseneck.

HAROLD n. van vooarmss.

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