US2654118A

US2654118A - Spring hinge

Info

Publication number: US2654118A
Application number: US160348A
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael H Scott
Original assignee: International Harverster Corp
Current assignee: Navistar Inc
Priority date: 1950-05-05
Filing date: 1950-05-05
Publication date: 1953-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 1970-10-06

Description

Oct. 6, 1953 sco -r 2,654,118

SPRING HINGE Filed May 5, 1950 Patented Oct. 6, 1953 SPRING HINGE Michael H. Scott, Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 5, 1950, Serial No. 160,348

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a spring hinge particularly adapted for hinging an evaporator door to the cabinet of a household refrigerator.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a door with a novel spring hinge which will automatically close the door from a partly open position and will hold the door open when in a fully open position.

Another object is to provide a door with a spring hinge in which a spring is so mounted that it will be deflected as the door is opened, thus producing a force of sufficient strength to close the door automatically.

A further object is to provide a spring hinge which is cheap to manufacture, simple in construction, strong and durable and effective in operation.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the drawings attached hereto and forming a part hereof inwhich:

Fig. l is a view in elevation of a portion of a refrigerator evaporator door equipped with the novel spring hinge as viewed from the interior of the refrigerator cabinet.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the spring hinge and door assembly.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the spring.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken K on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the door in its fully opened position.

Illustrated in the drawing by reference numeral i is a portion of the outer wall or door pan of a vertical hinged door which is particularly adapted for closing the evaporator storage compartment of a household refrigerator. This outer door pan is formed from sheet metal and is stamped into the shape of a hollow pan having a front portion ll, side wall l2, top wall [3 and bottom wall i 4. A finished door would have insulation placed between said walls with a back panel fastened [to the edges of said walls, but for purposes of illustration, only the outer door pan I0 is shown. I

Hinge leaves l are spaced apart on the inner side of side wall I2 and attached thereto by rivets l6. These leaves are formed from sheet metal and are provided with knuckles I! which project through slots formed in side wall l2. Pivot pins or pintles it are press fitted into the knuckles H.

A hinge butt l9 fits between the leaves l5. This butt is formed from sheet metal and is provided with knuckles into which the pintles i8 ro- 2 tatively fit. Slots 2! are formed in butt [9 into which screws are positioned for adjustably securing said butt to a refrigerator cabinet.

A U-shaped bracket 22 is punched out of hinge butt I9 into which a, spring 23 is secured. The spring 23 is in the form of a spring rod and is constructed from stainless steel spring wire. The spring could be a straight spring rod but in the illustrated embodiment it is formed into a semielliptic shape having a central portion 33 and

end portions

26 and 21 which are bent back on a smaller radius than the semi-elliptic portion. The side wall i2 has upper and lower portions 24 bumped inwardly. Vertical disposed holes or sockets 25 are provided in portions 24 into which the end portions of spring 23 fit. The sockets 25 are slightly larger than the spring di ameter so that the

end portions

26 and 27 are free to rotate and to slide up or down. The bracket 22 is large enough to allow the center portion 33 of the spring torotate freely therein.

In Fig. 3 the longitudinal length of spring 23 while in closed door position is indicated by reference numeral 30. As the door is opened the center portion 33 will be held in place by bracket 24 while the end portions 26 and 2'? will be swung away from the closed door position into the deflected position as shown by dotted lines and indicated by reference numeral 32. This will cause the

end portions

26 and 27 to approach each other, thus shortening the longitudinal length of the spring to a length indicated as 3!. The spring will be free to assume this deflected position since the end portions 26 and 2'! are free to slide and rotate in sockets 25 and the center portion 33 is free to rotate in bracket .22. If desired, lubricant may be placed in the bracket and sockets in order to insure smooth and quiet operation.

In Fig. 4 reference number 35 indicates the axis about which the door I0 rotates, 28 indicates the center of the center portion 33 of the spring 23 in

bracket

22 and 29 indicates the center of end portions 26 and 2'! in socket 25. The center 29 is located an angular distance of slightly more than from center 28 about axis 35. When the door is in closed position the distance between centers 28 and'ZB is great enough to slightly deflect spring 23, thus causing a moment about axis 35 in a direction and of sufficient magni-tude to hold the door tightly closed.

As the door 10 is opened, center 29 will swing about axis 35 and the distance between

centers

28 and 29 will increase. This will cause a greater deflection of spring 23 which will, in turn, in-

crease the moment for closing the door. Before the door reaches the fully open position of 90 degrees center 29 will pass through dead center. In Fig. 4, dead center is indicated by a line through axis 35 and center 28. Therefore, as the door reaches fully open position of 90 degrees, the resultant force of spring 23 will be acting on the opposite side of axis 35 and will hold the door open. When the door is in the fully open position of 90 degrees, spring 23 contacts the edge 34 of hinge butt l9, thus providing astop for preventing the door from opening any further.

In the present construction, there is thus provided a spring hinge arrangement for a door in which a semi-elliptic spring produces a force which will automatically close the door from a partly open position. The spring arrangement will also hold the door in fully open position, and as the door is then forced closed, it is only necessary to force the door past dead center, whereupon the spring will complete the closing of the door.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has herein been described and illustrated,

it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made and incorporated within the scope of the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cabinet structure, the combination comprising, a door having a front panel and an integrally formed side portion at a right angle thereto, a pair of spaced apart hinge leaves secured to the outer surface of said side portion between the side thereof cooperating with said front panel and the outer marginal edge thereof, said leaves having pintles projecting therefrom, a hinge butt having an L-shaped cross section, the first leg of said hinge butt being provided with knuckles, each of said knuckles being positioned at the outer marginal edge and at the longitudinal extremities of said first leg, said knuckles being rotatably journaled on said pintles, the second leg of said hinge butt having slots therein so that said second leg is mountable to said cabinet, whereby said first leg lies substantially in a plane parallel to the plane in cluding said front panel and perpendicular to the plane including said side portion and whereby said second leg lies substantially in a plane perpendicular to said plane including said front panel and parallel to said plane including said side portion when said door is in the closed, position, and whereby said first leg lies substantially in a plane perpendicular to the plane including said front panel and parallel to the plane including said side portion and whereby said second leg lies substantially in a plane parallel to said plane including said front panel and perpendicular to said plane including said side portion when said door is in the open position, said second leg further having a bracket formed on the inner side thereof, spring means for holding said door in its fully opened and closed positions, said means including a spring rod having a semi-elliptical central section rotatably journaled in said bracket, said side portion further formed to have a pair of bumped out portions projecting from the inner surface thereof, said bumped out portions having holes therein and being positioned on the inner surface of said side portion at points rearwardly of said pintles with respect to said front panel, the ends of said spring rod being slidably and rotatably positioned within said bumped out portions and through said holes, said bracket being positioned at a point on said second leg so that a portion of said spring rod abuts the outer marginal edge of said first leg and so that the portion of said spring rod disposed within said bracket and the ends of said spring lie in a plane positioned forwardly of said pintles with respect to said front panel when said door is in the open position, whereby said spring rod is tensioned in all positions of said door, and whereby the tension of said spring rod maintains the door in the open and closed positions.

2. In a cabinet structure, the combination comprising, a door having a front panel and an integrally formed side panel at a right angle thereto, a pair of spaced apart hinge leaves secured to the outer surface of said side panel between the outer marginal edge thereof and the side thereof cooperating with said front panel, said leaves having pintles projecting therefrom, a hinge butt having an L-shaped cross section, the first leg of said hinge butt being provided with knuckles, each of said knuckles being positioned at the outer marginal edge and at the longitudinal extremities of said first leg, said knuckles being rotatably journaled on said pintles, the second leg of said hinge butt having slots therein so that said second leg is mountable against said cabinet, said second leg further formed to have a bracket on the inner side thereof, a substantially straight rod formed of a resilient material whereby said rod tends to assume said substantially straight position, the center of said rod being rotatably journaled in said bracket, said side panel further formed to have a pair of bumped out portions projecting from the inner surface thereof, said bumped out portions having holes therein and being positioned on the inner surface of said side panel at points rearwardly of said pintles with respect to said front panel, the ends of said rod being slidably and rotatably positioned within said bumped out portions and through said holes, said bracket being positioned at a point on said second leg so that a portion of said rod abuts the outer marginal edge of said first leg and so that the portion of said spring rod disposed within said bracket and the ends of said rod lie in a plane positioned forwardly of said pintles with respect to said front panel when said door is in the open position, whereby said spring rod is tensioned in all positions of said door, and whereby the tension of said spring rod maintains the door in the open and closed positions.

MICHAEL H. SCO'I'I.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,100,987 Pratt June 23, 1914 1,292,725 Dexter Jan. 28, 1919 1,327,065 Shields Jan. 6, 1920 2,105,071 Bowers Jan. 11, 1938 2,134,993 Wimmenauer Nov. 1, 1938 2,255,534 Roethel Sept. 9, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 395,343 France Feb. 20, 1909