US3150659A - Hinge construction - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1964 M. s. ELLIS ETAL HINGE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 12, 19s; 7

FIG. 2

1- a I I uvmvrons MARVIN G. ELLIS PETER P. NOWOSIELSKI M ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1964 M. G. ELLIS ETAL 3,150,659

HINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet' 2 INVENTORS MARVIN G. ELLIS BY PETER P. NZWOSIELSKI ATTOPNEY United States Patent 3,150,659 HINGE CONSTRUCTION Marvin G. Ellis, Clearwater, Fla., and Peter P.

Nowosielski, Milwaukee, Wis, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed July 12, 1961, Ser. No. 123,518 7 Claims. (Cl. 126194) This invention relates to door structures and more particularly to hinge mechanisms for the same.

While not limited thereto, this invention is particularly applicable to oven doors. In the main, oven doors are each hinged to swing about a horizontal axis to a fully open position in which the door extends horizontally outward from the oven. Cleaning the interior of an oven while its door projects horizontally in this open position is difiicult. Stretching across the projecting door requires a reach longer than that of the average housewife and consequently the further recesses of the oven may be omitted entirely or reached only by extreme effort. Further, the projecting edges of the door can inflict painful bruises on the body of the person attempting the cleaning.

To alleviate these difiiculties, various arrangements have been proposed for the complete removal of the door. Prior art arrangements have required the insertion of stops against moving parts, removal of pins and other steps preparatory to the actual removal. Only then could the door he removed and cleaning take place. When the door was to be replaced, it had to be aligned properly on the hinges, replaced and locked on the hinges. In many of these mechanisms, enameled parts of the door were subjected to undue stress and strain causing chipping of enameled surfaces. Further, the fingers of the person handling the door were exposed to snap locks and other hazards.

It is felt that an ideal solution to the problem comprises a door hinging arrangement in which the door is firmly locked to the hinge mechanism for normal usage, but wherein removal of the door may be accomplished in a single step comprising the simple slide withdrawal of the door from the hinge. The hinge mechanism after removal should remain in a position for accepting the return of the door thereto, so that no realignment of any consequence is necessary for the repositioning of the door. Further, the hinge mechanism should present a minimum hazard for the fingers and body of the person handling and cleaning. It is felt that the present invention meets these criteria.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the invention to provide in a door pivotal about a horizontal axis, an in1- proved hinge mechanism which allows the door to be readily removed in a single step operation.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a pivotal door which is locked to its hinge mechanism in all open positions past a slightly ajar position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved linkage whereby the door hinge mechanism is suitably spring-biased to close the door tightly against the adjacent door frame; the hinge linkage being productive of a leverage sufiicient to hold the hinge linkage in a predetermined position against the aforementioned bias even with the door removed from the hinge mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means which when the door has been removed is operative to maintain the hinges in a position in which the door may be returned thereto by a simple manual effort 3,150,659 Patented Sept. 29., 1964 not requiring the use of tools or special devices of any kind.

The invention both as to its organization and principle of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side View of a typical range utilizing the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective View of the hinge mechanism and an internal perspective view of the door slideways.

FIGS. 3-6 are partial side sectional views of a door and oven to show the mechanism clearly. FIG. 3 shows the door in the closed position. FIG. 4 shows the door and hinge in the ajar position permitting removal of the door. FIG. 5 shows the door in a fully open position. FIG. 6 shows the hinge mechanism in the ajar position with the door removed.

FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of the lock or latch member employed herein.

FIG. 8 is a partial section taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 6 showing the pinched tips in greater detail.

In FIG. 1 is shown a typical range 10 having an oven cavity 11 with a rectangular front opening defined by the frame structure 12. In the conventional range such as that shown, all external surfaces are porcelainized to protect against rust and corrosion.

The oven door 20 is preferably a door of the swingdown type which is pivotal about its lower axis. The door 2% comprises an inner panel 21 and an outer panel 22 secured together by any conventional arrangement. Adjacent each lateral end, the inner panel has a vertically disposed elongated slot 24 extending into communication with an opening 25 in the bottom of the door. On the outer panel, any suitable handle 26 is secured to facilitate movement of the door between its vertical closed position and a horizontal open position in which the inner panel of the door substantially constitutes a continuation of the lower wall of the oven cavity. In its open position, the door thus constitutes a convenient shelf or landing space on which the housewife may set foodstuffs prior to or following the cooking operation.

As previously noted, the door is arranged to be removed from its hinges under certain conditions. In furtherance of this objective, within the door structure at its respective lower corners there is afiixed a slideway 28 (best shown in FIG. 2), comprising a closed rectangular body or channel of steel or other rigid structural material. Each slideway is permanently alfixed within the door by riveting, welding, or by any other appropriate manner which will secure the slideway against movement relative to the door. A rear wall 28.1 of the slideway is adjacent to the inner panel 21 of the door. A slot 28.2 in the rear wall is similar in length and width to the slot 24 in the inner door panel, and is in exact alignment therewith. Similarly, the open bottom of the slideway is equal in dimensions to the opening 25 in the bottom of the door and is in alignment therewith. Further, the front wall 29 of the slideway near its lower end has a rectangular cutout 29.1, which is used to receive means for latching the door to the hinge mechanism as will be explained more fully. Across the sidewalls 30 of the slideway at a level below the sidewall upper edge there is riveted or otherwise suitably secured across the slideway, a rod 30.1 which serves as a stop and positioning member for the hinge mechanism as also will be explained more fully.

The door hinge mechanism includes individual hinge support members 32 fixed to the oven frame structure 12 at each of the lower corners thereof and projecting through appropriate openings therein. Pivotally attached to the free end of each support member 32 by a hinge pin 34, is a hinge bracket assembly 33. Each bracket 33 is formed of two similar but oppositely disposed rail members 35 and 36 assembled together and joined at their upper end, as viewed in FIG. 2, to provide a shape which gives to the hinge bracket a width and depth to allow each bracket to fit into smoothly fitting, slideable relationship within its associated slideway 28. It will be understood that the opening 25 in the bottom of the oven door is adequate to receive the hinge bracket assembly without conflict and without the necessity on the part of the user precisely to align the door openings with the bracket during the replacement operation. It will be evident from FIG. 2 that the sloping shoulders of the bracket immediately below its upper extremity facilitate the guiding and consequent firm contacting of the respective door slideways into slideable contact with the external Walls of the hinge brackets when the door is being replaced thereon.

Intermediate the ends of the hinge bracket but preferably relatively close to the upper end thereof, the bracket rails are constricted inwardly to receive between them the door counterbalance arm 37. The counterbalance arm is pivotally secured at its outer end to the bracket as by the pivot roller or pin 38 spaced a substantial distance above the bracket hinge pin 34. As is well known in the art, the counterbalance arm 37 extends through a suitable elongated slot 42 in the frame 12 and at its innermost end is associated with a spring 39 anchored at a suitable location within the range body. The counterbalance arm 37 is arranged to ride upon a detent roller 40 which may conveniently be mounted within the range body by means of a suitable triangular bracket 41 comprising an element of the frame structure 12. Arm 37 is formed intermediately along its lower surface with a nose 44 which affords a demarcation between a sloping face 45 which, as shown in FIG. 3, engages with the roller 40 to establish the door in its closed position, and a depressed portion 46 which, as shown in FIG. 4, establishes the door in a partially open position. It will be understood that the nose of the counterbalance arm does not impose any great restraint against the operation of the door to its full opening position, as indicated in FIG. 6. The position of depressed portion 46 is so related to the weight distribution of the door when in the ajar position that the line of effort of the spring 39 is sufficient to maintain the door in an ajar position. It should be noted that the lever distance between the pivot point 34 and the connection point 38 of the counterbalance arm 37 is sufficiently great to maintain the counterbalance arm in a substantially horizontal plane (FIG. 4) with the door in the ajar position. With arm 37 in this position, the horizontal component of force effected by spring 39 is comparatively small so that the closing force on the door is also comparatively small. In an electric range, broiling operations are carried out with the door in this ajar position. In gas ranges, however, it is not necessary to maintain the door ajar while broiling. Therefore, as respects the present invention, which is applicable to both gas and electric ranges, the position of the depressed portion 46 is such that the door is in an angular position rendering it convenient to be handled when the door is to be removed from or replaced on the hinge brackets.

Within the hinge bracket rails adjacent the hinge support there is secured the hinge-to-door latch member 50 shown in detail in FIG. 7. This member 50 is pivoted near its lower end to both side rails by means of a suitable pivot rod 52. The latch or look member is substantially upright as fitted within the bracket and has at its uppermost end a finger 54 extending in the direction away from adjacent door frame. The member includes a second arm 56 intermediate along its vertical length which extends toward the door frame 12 and includes a circular opening for receiving one end 58 of tension spring 60. The other end 62 of the tension spring is secured to an emboss 64 in one guide rail and is positioned about at the center of the guide rail. In this way the latch member is biased in a direction calculated to force the latch member in a direction away from the oven frame. To restrain the latch from this motion, the lock member has at its lower end a detent 66 which extends toward and in some positions engages the adjacent sector of the hinge support 32.

At its outermost end, the hinge support 32 is notched to form the cam surface 68 evident in FIGS. 3 through 6. This cam surface is designed to mate with detent 66 while the door or hinge bracket is open to the ajar position or less open. With the door fully closed, as shown in FIG. 3, cam 68 rotates the lock member against the bias of spring to a position freeing finger 54 from engagement with the lock member 29.1 of the adjacent slideway. With the hinge bracket in the ajar position, the lock finger 54- is allowed to pivot slightly but not sufficiently to enter the adjacent notch 29.1 in the slideway structure (FIG. 4). With the door and hinge bracket in positions more fully open than the ajar position, the cam surface 68 releases the detent 66 and the tension spring 60 pivots the member 50 so that finger 54 extends past the side rails and penetrates notch 29.1 in the slideway, thereby locking the door to the hinge bracket (FIG. 5).

To remove the door from the hinge bracket, the door is opened to the ajar position of FIG. 4. In this position, the lock finger 54 is maintained out of engagement with the adjacent slideway notch by the cam surface 68 and there is no interference with the slide removal of the door up the plane of the hinge bracket. The hinge bracket is held in the ajar position by the contact of counter-balance armdepressed section 46 with roller 40. Further, it can be seen that the angle of counterbalance spring to the counterbalance arm produces a comparatively small component of horizontal force tending to draw the hinge bracket into the closed position. Thus, the hinge bracket will remain in the oblique ajar position and the door may be slid up the plane of the bracket until clear of the bracket assembly. The bracket assembly is then retained in the ajar position awaiting the return of the door.

If, by chance, the hinge bracket is jostled when the door has been removed from the bracket, the counterbalance arm spring will draw the bracket toward the closed position but without sufficient horizontal force to cause the bracket to slam home against the door frame. Further, the inner lower edge of the hinge bracket includes the constricted tips 70 of both rail guides so that the constriction will strike the top of hinge support 32 when the bracket reaches the door closed position of FIG. 3. These constricted tips may be pinned together (as shown in FIG. 8) to prevent spreading with use. In FIG. 3, it can be seen that the pinched tips are in contact with the top surface of the hinge support and the hinge bracket cannot close further. Naturally, with the door on the bracket, this contact position is the fully closed position of the door. With the door removed, the hinge bracket can only travel to a position adjacent but not touching the door frame. Thus, it can be seen that the hinge bracket is not sufficiently biased to slam home and cannot directly contact the door frame. By this construction, the door frame will not be chipped by the bracket striking the door frame and also the hands of a person cleaning the door frame are not subject to the danger of jammed fingers.

If the bracket assembly is restored to the closed position with the door removed, it can readily be drawn back to the ajar position against the bias of spring 39 to remain in position facilitating return of the door.

When the door is to be returned to the hinge brackets, the openings 25 in the bottom of the door are aligned with the hinge brackets and the door is lowered onto the brackets in telescoping relation. The door continues downwardly until the lateral rod 30.1 of the slideway contacts the matching concavity 33.1 in the bracket top edge. This matching relationship and .the slight taper of the bracket to fit the slideway maintains the door to the hinge in firm non-rattling relation. The weight of the door tends to hold the door in the ajar position until the door is restored to the closed position.

Recapitulating, there is provided a door-to-hinge latch operative in all positions more fully open than the ajar position used for broiling. The latch releases in the ajar position to allow the door to be removed from the hinge bracket in the ajar position. The counterbalance arm will tend to hold the hinge bracket in the ajar position when the door is removed from the bracket. The relationship of the counterbalance arm to the hinge bracket provides a lever distance which cannot generate sufficient force to slam the hinge bracket toward the door frame if inadvertently jostled. Further, the inner edges of both hinge bracket rails are constricted to engage the stationary hinge support before the hinge bracket will strike adjacent door frame, thus preventing direct contact between the hinge bracket and the door frame. And with the door on the hinge bracket, the mating parts form a tight fit firmly holding the door to the hinge mechanism.

While there has been described what is at present thought to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that it is intended to cover in the appended claims all modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanism for hinging a door removably to a door frame structure Where said structure surrounds an opening to be covered by said door, said mechanism comprising a stationary hinge support adapted to extend from said frame structure, a hinge bracket pivotally secured to said hinge support to maintain said'bracket substantially adjacent to said door frame structure in a closed door position, a channel frame adapted to be secured within said door for telescopic relationship about said bracket for rendering said door pivotally cooperative with said hinge bracket from said closed position through a plurality of partially open positions to a fully open position, means for holding said bracket in a predetermined partially open position, said channel frame slideably removable from said hinge bracket in said predetermined position, said bracket holding means balanced to hold said door in said partially open position with the door removed, a stop member on said hinge support to impede movement of said hinge bracket upon release of said holding means and thereby adapted to hold said bracket spaced from said frame structure.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which said hinge bracket comprises vertically extending parallel rail members spaced apart to pivot about said hinge support, pinched together tips of said rails adjacent said support stop member whereby said tips impinge against said stop member on release of said holding means for cooperatively stopping said bracket from further motion toward said door frame structure.

3. A mechanism for hinging a door removably to a frame structure where said structure forms an opening to be covered by said door, said mechanism comprising a hinge support adapted to extend rigidly from said structure, a hinge bracket pivotal about the free end of said hinge support, an open rectangular structure adapted to be secured Within said door and shaped to telescope tightly about said bracket whereby said door is rendered pivotal by said hinge bracket from a closed position covering said opening through an arc to a fully open position, latch means pivotal within said bracket, bias means for pivoting said latch means in a direction away from said frame structure upon movement of said door toward the fully open position, latch receiving means in said rectangular structure receptive of said latch means on said pivoting for latching said door to said bracket in the fully open position, a lateral cross member in said rectangular structure, and a concave upper extremity on said bracket for mating with said cross member for tightly holding said bracket within said structure.

4. A mechanism for removably mounting a door relative to a vertical opening in a compartment to be closed by said door, said mechanism including a fixed support member adapted to be carried by a wall of said compartment near the lower end of the opening thereof, a hinge bracket pivotally secured to said support member, a sleeve adapted to be carried by said door in fixed relation to a side wall thereof for sliding telescopic engagement with said bracket, a detent member pivotally mounted on said bracket, said member having first structure at one end thereof for engagement with said sleeve to secure the same to said bracket at certain angular relations of said bracket to said support member, spring means for biasing said detent member into rotation to effect such engagement, and second structure on said detent member engageable with said fixed support member at other angular positions of said bracket relative to said support member to disengage said first named detent structure from said sleeve to release the same for removal from said bracket member.

5. A mechanism for removably mounting a door relative to a vertical opening in a compartment to be closed by said door, said mechanism including a fixed support member adapted to be carried by a wall of said compartment near an end of the opening thereof, a hinge bracket pivotally secured to said support member, said bracket comprising a pair of wall members disposed in parallel spaced relation, a sleeve adapted to be carried by said door in fixed relation to a side wall thereof for sliding telescopic engagement over said bracket wall members, a detent member pivotally mounted within said bracket, said detent member having at one end thereof a first projection facing away from said support member and at the opposite end thereof a second projection facing toward said support member, spring means between said detent member and said bracket for rotating said member to lock said first projection to said sleeve to secure the same to said bracket at certain angular relations of said bracket to said support member, means on said support member engageable with said second projection to disengage said first projection from said sleeve at other angular relations of said bracket and support member, means for biasing said bracket int-o rotation toward said cabinet opening, and means on said bracket engageable with other portions of said support member to limit the said rotation.

6. Mechanism as recited in claim 5, in which the rotation limiting means comprises an abutment on said bracket formed by bending portions of the wall members thereof into engagement one with the other.

7. A mechanism for removably mounting a door relative to a vertical open end of a compartment to be closed by said door, said mechanism including a fixed bracket adapted to be carried by a wall of said compartment near the lower end thereof, a roller adapted to be carried by said wall, a core, means hingedly securing the lower end of said core to said bracket, a lever, means pivotally connecting one end of said lever to said core at a point spaced from said lower end thereof, a tension spring connected to the other end of said lever, a sleeve adapted to be carried by said door and detachably engageable with said core, a cam carried by the underside of said lever and movable into engagement with said roller and adapted to hold said door in a predetermined, partly open position, there being an opening in a wall of said sleeve, a normally vertically disposed latch pivoted, intermediate its ends to said core and rotatable to a first position in which the upper end of said latch engages said opening and prevents 7 8 movement of said sleeve relative to said core, and to a at said predetermined position and in an engaged position second position in which said upper end 'of said latch is when the door is moved in an opening direction beyond out of engagement with said opening and said sleeve is said predetermined position. freely movable relative to said core, a spring normally biasing said latch to one of said positions, a fixed cam on 5 References Cited in the file of this Patent said bracket and engageable with said latch means and UNITED STATES PATENTS determining said latch means position relative to said opening o that said latch means is out of engagement 3003495 Coultnp 1961

Claims (1)

1. A MECHANISM FOR HINGING A DOOR REMOVABLY TO A DOOR FRAME STRUCTURE WHERE SAID STRUCTURE SURROUNDS AN OPENING TO BE COVERED BY SAID DOOR, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A STATIONARY HINGE SUPPORT ADAPTED TO EXTEND FROM SAID FRAME STRUCTURE, A HINGE BRACKET PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID HINGE SUPPORT TO MAINTAIN SAID BRACKET SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT TO SAID DOOR FRAME STRUCTURE IN A CLOSED DOOR POSITION, A CHANNEL FRAME ADAPTED TO BE SECURED WITHIN SAID DOOR FOR TELESCOPIC RELATIONSHIP ABOUT SAID BRACKET FOR RENDERING SAID DOOR PIVOTALLY COOPERATIVE WITH SAID HINGE BRACKET FROM SAID CLOSED POSITION THROUGH A PLURALITY OF PARTIALLY OPEN POSITIONS TO A FULLY OPEN POSITION, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID BRACKET IN A PREDETERMINED PARTIALLY OPEN POSITION, SAID CHANNEL FRAME SLIDEABLY REMOVABLE FROM SAID HINGE BRACKET IN SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION, SAID BRACKET HOLDING MEANS BALANCED TO HOLD SAID DOOR IN SAID PARTIALLY OPEN POSITION WITH THE DOOR REMOVED, A STOP MEMBER ON SAID HINGE SUPPORT TO IMPEDE MOVEMENT OF SAID HINGE BRACKET UPON RELEASE OF SAID HOLDING MEANS AND THEREBY ADAPTED TO HOLD SAID BRACKET SPACED FROM SAID FRAME STRUCTURE.

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