US2620508A

US2620508A - Door hinge

Info

Publication number: US2620508A
Application number: US746543A
Authority: US
Inventors: Martin J Goulooze
Original assignee: Nash Kelvinator Corp
Current assignee: American Motors Corp
Priority date: 1947-05-07
Filing date: 1947-05-07
Publication date: 1952-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1969-12-09

Description

Dec. 9, 1952 M. J. GOULOOZE 2,620,508

DOOR HINGE Filed May 7, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 FIE-1 v JNVEIyTOR. MflET/N J Gou .0025

Dec. 9, 1952 M. J. GOULOOZE 2,620,508

DOOR HINGE Filed May 7, 1947 2 smams smzm 2 JNVENTOR. NflET/N \J- GOULOOZE W&.Gokn/L A TTOE/VEY Patented Dec. 9, 1952 DOOR HINGE Martin J. Goulooze, Grand Rapids, Mich assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Maryland Application May 7, 1947, Serial No. 746,543

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to refrigerator cabinets and more particularly to door hinges therefor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator door hinge leaf of a character such that screws for attaching the hinge are hidden from view.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved refrigerator door hinge leaf which may be of reduced width with corresponding saving in material without affecting the efficiency of the hinge.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved refrigerator door hinge leaf of a character to reinforce the door structurally.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a part of my door hinge;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a part of the cabinet;

Fig. v6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the refrigerator cabinet at one of the door hinges;

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view of the refrigerator cabinet, taken along the line ll of Figure 6, and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of-one of the door hinges, taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral designates generally, a refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment closed at the front thereof by an access door 22. The access door 22 is hinged to one side of the cabinet proper 20 by my'improved hinges, designated generally by the numeral 26, there being three of these hinges in the present instance.

The cabinet 20 comprises an outer metal casing 28 and an inner metal liner 30. I-nterposed between the outer casing 28 and the liner 30 is heat insulation 32 which may be of any suitable type. The liner 3!) forms the walls of the food storage compartment. The front wall of the cabinet 20, around the compartment door opening is preferably faced by trim strips or by so-called breaker strips 34 of low heat conductive material, such as a phenolic plastic material, connecting the outer casing and the liner. These breaker strips 34 are retained in channels 35 formed in the casing of the cabinet front wall. The door 22 carries a rubber sealing member 36 on the inner side thereof, arranged to engage the outer surface of the cabinet casing 28 around the door opening when the door is closed so as to seal the food storage compartment. In hanging the door 22 care must be taken that the hinges 26 are properly placed to insure that the door seal engages the cabinet outer wall surface properly around the entire periphery of the seal.

The door 22 comprises, an outer metal casing 38 and an inner facing panel 40. Insulation 42 is preferably disposed between the door casing and its inner facing panel which insulation may be of any suitable type. The door casing 38 has an inturned flange 44 around its periphery to which the facing panel 46 may be secured by screws 46 which also clamp the rubber seal 36 to the door, between the facing paneland the door casing flange 44. Preferably, the door casing flange 44 is provided with an inturned edge portion 48 to stiffen the flange.

My improved hinge 26 includes a pair of

hinge leaves

50, 5| and a pintle 52. The hinge leaves 50, 5| have the usual notched, interfitting hinge ends to receive the pintle 52 for pivotally connecting the hinge leaves together. The hinge leaves each have a wall abutting vertical edge 53 and a knuckle edge opposite the wall abutting edge. The leaf edge 53 is formed with an angle-like recess 55 complementary with the outer corner of the door casing 38. These hinge leaves 50 seat against the corner of the door and are held tightly thereto by screws 54 which screwthread into a nut or angle backing member 56 fitting complementary with the inner corner of the door casing 38. In hinge leaf 50, apertures for screws 54 extend through leaf edge 53 and the knuckle edge and the heads of the screws 54 are located at the knuckle edge between the hinge knuckles for ready accessibility. Further the screw heads are seated flush to avoid interference with knuckles of the other hinge leaf 5| which overlies and conceals the screwheads. As shown, the backing member 56 is wedge shape and seats against the adjacent sides of the door casing 38 adjacent the door corner. This backing member 56 reinforces the door at the corner thereof and may be welded or be otherwise secured to the inner side and to the flange 44 of the door casing 38 or the backing member 56 may be held in place solely by the screws 54. The other hinge leaf 5| lies fiat against and is attached to the outer surface of the adjacent side wall of the cabinet.

In the corner of the cabinet, adjacent the hinge leaf 5|, I provide a reinforcin or looking member 58 for the outer casing 28 where the hinge leaf 5| attaches to the cabinet. This reinforcem'ent 58 is preferably an angle member, to fit complementary with the cabinet inner corner, having one leg 60 engaging the casing inner side wall and another leg 6| engaging the casing front wall. The angle reinforcement 58 and the casing may be welded or be otherwise suitably secured together. Positioned to engage flat.

against the inner side of the reinforcement leg 60 is an adjustable hinge clamp 64, the-clamp as and. hinge leaf 5| being drawn together into frictional holding relation with the cabinet wall by screws 66. In the cabinet outer casing side wall and in the reinforcement leg 60 aligning

clearance holes

61, 69 are provided for the screws efi so that the clamp 64 and the hinge leaf 5| may be adjusted to proper position for best results in hanging of the door. The reinforcing angle member 58 also serves as a holder or retainer for the clamp 64. To this end, the clamp 64 is provided with notches 10 in one side edge thereof to receive tabs H formed out of the reinforcement leg 60, the tabs fitting loosely in the notches 10 to permit limited adjustment movement of the clamp in a vertical plane. Other tabs 12 are formed out of the reinforcement leg 6| and are bent over the clamp at the opposite side edge from the tabs H, the tabs Hand if being in vertical spaced relation as shown in Figure 5.

'Inihanging the door 22, the hinge leaves 56 may first be mounted on the'door and rigidly securedv thereto by tightening down the screws 54. The cooperating hinge leaves 5| are then attached to the side wall of. the cabinet and one or more of the screws 56 of each of these hinge leaves. 5| are tightened down just sufficiently to hold the hinge leaves in place. The door 22 is then positioned to interfit the hinge leaves iil, 5| and the pintles 52 are'inserted pivotally conmeeting the leaves together. The door m'aynow be held in closed position and adjustment of the position of the hinge leaves 5| may be made to efiectproper seating of the door seal along its entire periphery against the cabinet front wall after which the screws 66 are tightened down rigidly securing the hinge leaves to the cabinet. 'By' reason of the large clearance holes 69 in locking member 60 and the similarly large clearance holes 8! in casing'28 to receive the screws 66, it will be seen that the positions of clamp and'hinge leaf 5| may be shifted some to obtain proper seating of the door seal against the face of the cabinet. When the desired position is attained, screws 66 are tightened to secure the hinges to the cabinet. In each of the present hinge leaves there are three holes for the screws 66 and a fourth hole for a locking screw '55. Using the said fourth hole as a guide, a hole is provided in the casing 28 for threaded engage-- ment with looking screw l5 which is then tightened down and functions as a stop to prevent movement of the hinge relative to the easin 28. Thescrew Z5 shown is of such length as to require the provision of a clearance hole therefor in clamp 65, as shown for example, more clearly in Fig. 7.

From the foregoing it will be noted that I have provided a fiat-like piano type hinge which adequately supports the door in addition to the arrangement for aligning the door originally. Preferably the hinged leaves are made of extruded aluminum. By utilizing a fiat type hinge the overall width of the refrigerator is only slightly increased and by securin one leaf to the corner of the door the gasket seal is not disturbed and the hinge rigidly supports the door without a wide and expensive leaf on the door.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a door hinge for attachment to a wall corner, a hinge leaf having a Vgrooved edge complementary to the wall corner and having a knuckle edge opposite the grooved edge, a plurality of spaced apertures extending through said leaf from one of said edges to the other, a plurality of screws in said apertures to secure said leaf to said wall corner and having heads flush with said knuckle edge, said screw heads being disposed between adjacent knuckles,'and a knuckle edge of a second hinge leaf interfitting with said first knuckles and concealing said screw heads.

2. In a door hinge for attachment to a refrigerator cabinet having a casing, a hinge leaf to position against the outer surface of thecasing, a clamping strip to position within the casing in superimposed relationship to said hinge leaf, a retainer strip interposed between said clamping strip and said casing, a plurality of apertures in said hinge leaf aligning respectively with apertures in said clamping strip and with apertures in said retainer strip, said retainer strip loosely supporting said clamping strip for movable adjustment of the latter, screws extending through said apertures and screwthreaded into said clamping strip, said retainer strip-apertures and casing apertures being larger than the other apertures to allow adjustment of the position of said hinge leaf prior to tightening the screws, another aperture through said hingeleaf aligning with a clearance aperture in said retainer strip and with a smaller aperture in: said casing, and a locking screw in said last-named hinge leaf aperture to screwthread into the casing to lock the hinge leaf in adiusted'position.

3. In a door hinge adapted to attach a refrigerator door member to a wall memberof a refrigerator cabinet, said hinge having a leaf formed with an edge to abut one of the members and a knuckle edge opposite said first edge, a pair of spaced knuckles on said knucklei edge, an aperture in said. leaf extending through both of said edges, a screw in said aperture holding said leaf to said one member and having a; head at said knuckle edge between the knuckles, .a second hinge leaf attached to the. other of'said members having a knuckle edge with the knuckles thereof interfitting with the knuckles of said first leaf, and a pintle received in the interfitting knuckles of said leaves.

4. In a 'door hinge adapted to attach a refrigerator door member to a wall of a refrigerator cabinet, said hinge having a leaf formed with an edge to abut one of the members'and a knuckle edge opposite the first edge, a plurality of spaced knuckles on said knuckle edge, an aperture extending through said hinge leaf having one end open at said first edge and the other end open at said knuckle edge between said spaced knuckles, a plurality of screws respectively extending through said apertures to secure said leaf to said one member and having heads substantially flush with said knuckle edge, a second hinge leaf having a plurality of knuckles interfitting with said first knuckles and concealing said screw heads, and a pintle received in said interfitting knuckles pivotally connecting said leaves together.

' MARTIN J. GOULOOZE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 15 Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fells Aug. 4, 1908 McKinley July 13, 1920 Wallace Jan. 24, 1922 I-finkle July 24, 1923 Marshall Mar. 29, 1927 Marshall July 5, 1927 I-Iiser Sept. 23, 1930 Soloman Jan. 14, 1936 Phelan Sept. 29, 1942 Bergstrom Oct. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1910