US3289244A

US3289244A - Offset hinge assembly for a swingable door

Info

Publication number: US3289244A
Application number: US416651A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elizabeth M Carey
Original assignee: ELIASON REFRIGERATOR CO
Current assignee: ELIASON REFRIGERATOR CO
Priority date: 1964-12-07
Filing date: 1964-12-07
Publication date: 1966-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-06

Description

Uva@ 6 11%@ R. m. @www 392399244 OFFSET HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR Filed Dec. 7, 1964 5 Sheets-.Sheet l lill',

j Mauna/x www] Um@ 6 H966 m. N. @Amm OFFSET HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7, 1964 im y au,

a @m., 5 R. N. QAREY OFFSET HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR .'5 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed DSC.

United States Patent 3,289,244 OFFSET HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR Russell N. Carey, deceased, late of Niles, Mich., by Elizabeth M. Carey, executrix, Niles, Mich., assigner to Eliason Refrigerator Company, Hartford, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 416,651 14 Claims. (Cl. 16--154) This application is a continuation-impart of the application Serial No. 256,848, filed February 7, 1963, and entitled Hinge Assembly for a Swingable Door, and now Patent No. 3,160,913 issued December l5, 1964.

This invention relates in general to a hinge construction for supporting a swingable door and, more partie* ularly, to a type of hinge construction which mildly resists movement of the door away from a selected at rest position and utilizes gravity to return said door gently to said at rest position.

Swinging doors of the self-closing type, which include those doors referred to as gravitating doors, are well known in the art and have been used for many years. However, doors of this general character have not, insofar as I am aware, been capable of fully satisfactory operation in certain types of installations, particularly where problems of heat transfer are encountered, for the reason set forth in said application Serial No. 256,848.

Existing, self-closing doors are usually hung so that their at rest position is located within the opening delined by the door frame. That is, when the door is not being operated, at least most of the door is disposed between the two planes defined by the opposite surfaces of the wall containing the door opening. Thus, even when the door is fully opened, at least part of the door continues to block at least part of the opening defined by the door frame. Accordingly, the opening must be made substantially larger than the largest object which it must accommodate in order to allow for the obstruction by the door. Since this is not always possible or feasible, it is sometimes necessary to remove the doors completely from their hinges to receive such large objects through the opening.

In addition to the foregoing problem, it has been observed that most swingable doors tend to move more than 90 away from their closed position during an opening operation. This necessarily means that the hinged edge of the door may actually move into the path of or snag the object being moved through the door opening and thereby result in serious damage to the door which, in many instances, is made of relatively lightweight ma terials. Furthermore, where swingable doors are used to close opening between rooms having relatively large temperature differentials, the excessive opening simply increases the heat transfer problems. Thus, it will be seen that there has been a serious need for an easily swingable door, such as the door disclosed in application Serial No. 256,848, which is also capable of being moved completely out of the opening defined by the door frame when the need arises merely by effecting a completely normal, pivotal movement of the door.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention include the objects set forth in said application Serial No. 256,848 as well as the following:

(l) To provide an improved hinge construction for a swinging door of the self-closing type, which can be hung r ICC upon a wall adjacent an opening therein so that the door, when in its at rest position, effectively closes the open ing and, when swung open in one direction, is moved completely out of a position of interference with an object being moved through the opening, which construction is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install on door panels having a wide variety of sizes and shapes, easy to mount upon a wall structure, and which is pleasing in appearance.

(2) To provide a hinge construction, as aforesaid, which permits a swinging movement of the door through the opening in both directions with the same type of gravity-actuated, pendulous and slow-moving operation characterized by the hinge structure disclosed in application Serial No. 256,848, and which permits the use of hinge elements generally similar to the hinge elements disclosed in said application Serial No. 256,848.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a pair of swinging doors, each supported by a hinge construction of the invention upon a wall dening an opening in which the doors are located.

FIGURE 2 is a broken sectional view taken along the line II--II in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, broken fragment of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a broken sectional view substantially as taken along the line V--V in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 3 with the door in a partially open position.

FIGURE 7 is an exploded fragment of the upper hinge unit of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary, broken, front elevational view of a modified hinge construction embodying the invention.

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged, exploded, perspective view of the upper hinge unit of the modified hinge construe tion appearing in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a broken, front elevational View of another hinge construction embodying the invention.

FIGURE 12 is an exploded, enlarged and perspective view of the hinge construction and door appearing in FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XIII-XIII in FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 14 is a sectional view taken along the line XIV- XIV in FIGURE 11.

FIGURE l5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 13 and showing the hinge and door in the open positions.

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVI-XVI in FIGURE 14.

FIGURE 17 is a sectional view taken along the line XVII-XVII in FIGURE 1l.

FIGURE 18 is a broken fragment of a modified upper hinge used at the lower end of a door.

For convenience in description, the terms upperj lower and words of similar import will have reference to the hinge construction of the invention and a door 3 associated therewith as appearing in FIGURES l, 9 and l1. The terms inner, outer and words of similar import will have reference to the geometric center of said hinge construction, units thereof and parts associated therewith.

General construction The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above and in application Serial No. 256,848, have been met by providing an improved hinge construction for supporting a swingable door for substantially horizontal movement in either direction away from an at rest position into which said door is gently urged entirely by gravity. The hinge construction is comprised of an upper hinge unit, which controls the gravitating movement of the door, and a lower hinge unit which assists in guiding such movement. The hinge axis is preferably disposed at an angle to and adjacent to one vertical edge of the door, such angle diverging upwardly and being disposed either within the door opening or to one side thereof. The hingle construction of the invention can be built into the wall surrounding the opening with which it is associated, or it may be installed within the opening after the wall structure is completed.

Also, said door can be hung by an alternate form of hinge construction whereby the at rest position of the door is outside of the zone dened by the frame around the door opening. In such case, the hinge construction is arranged so that the door can be moved away from the door opening to prevent any obstruction thereof.

Detailed description The hinge construction (FIGURES l and 2), which has been selected to illustrate one embodiment of the invention, is comprised of an upper hinge 10 and a lower hinge 11 which pivotally connect the upper and lower parts, respectively, of the door 12 to the adjacent portions of the wall 13 defining the opening 14 in said wall. For illustrative purposes, a second door 16 is mounted by means of the upper hinge 17 and lower hinge 18 upon the wall 13 within the opening 14 so that the

doors

12 and 16 substantially completely close the opening 14 when said doors are in their at rest positions, as appearing in FIGURE l. The door 16, upper hinge 17 and lower hinge 18 are preferably, but not necessarily, identical with the door 12, upper hinge 10 and lower hinge 11, respectively. Accordingly, a detailed description of the door 12 and its

hinges

10 and 11 will be given hereinafter and such description will be understood to apply, at least in substance, to the door 16 and its

hinges

17 and 18.

The door 12 (FIGURE 1) may be of a substantially conventional type which, in this particular embodiment, may be fabricated from a substantially rigid and durable material such as wood, plastic and/ or metal. Where the door is fabricated from a lightweight, easily marred material, such as wood or aluminum, it is at least desirable to provide more

durable surface panels

19 and 20 to to absorb the rough treatment given to such doors, particularly when they are opened by means other than hands. That is, swinging doors of the type for which the

hinges

10 and 11 are specifically designed, are frequently opened by vehicles, containers or the like which are moved through the opening in which the door is supported. The lower panel 20, which would normally receive the rougher treatment, may advantageously be fabricated from somewhat heavier material than the material required in the upper panel 19. The added weight in said lower panel 20 also facilitates the closing movement of the door as discussed hereinafter.

The opening 14 in the Wall 13 is defined by a threshold 22 on the floor 23, a head jamb 24 and a pair of

side jambs

26 and 27 which extend between said threshold 22 and said head jamb 24. In this particular embodiment, the head jamb 24 and

side jambs

26 and 27 are disclosed as channel-shaped members which slideably embrace adjacent portions of the Wall 13. The head jamb 24 (FIGURE 4) is held in place by means such as bolts 23, and said

side jambs

26 and 27 are held in place by means such as the bolts or

screws

29 and 36, respectively (FIG- URE 2). The head jamb Z4 and side jambs 26 and 27 (FIGURES 3 and 5) may be rigidly connected to each other near their adjacent ends by means such as the bolts 33.

The upper hinge 10 includes a pivot member 34 (FIG- URES 3, 6 and 7), which is connected to the upper end of the door 12, and a support member 36 which is secured to and within the head jamb 24. More specifically, pivot member 34 (FIGURE 3) includes a mounting plate 37, which is rigidly secured to the door 12 by screws 38. The mounting plate 37 (FIGURES 4 and 7) has an integral, sidewardly extending flange 39 at its upper end to which an upwardly extending pivot pin 42 is rigidly secured, as by welding. The pivot axis 50 (FIGURE l) of the pivot pin 42 is preferably parallel with the lengthwise extent of the mounting plate 37.

A roller shaft 43 (FIGURE 5) extends through and is snugly held within a diametrical opening 44 through the pivot pin 42, preferably so that said shaft 43 is perpendicular to the plane defined by the mounting plate 37. A pair of

rollers

46 and 47 are rotatably supported upon the shaft 43 on opposite sides of the pivot pin 42 and are held upon said shaft 43 by means such as the spring clips 48 and 49. The

rollers

46 and 47 are preferably identical in size and shape and are also preferably fabricated from a durable, self-lubricating material, such as nylon, Teflon or the like. However, said

rollers

46 and 47 could also be made of hardened steel, or they could be roller or ball bearings.

The pivot member 34 (FIGURE 3) is preferably mounted upon the door 12 so that the axis-50 of the pivot pin 42 is inclined with respect to the adjacent side jamb 27 at an angle of approximately 3, when the door 12 is in its at rest position within the opening 14, which position is substantially parallel with the Wall 13. In said at rest position, the roller shaft 43 is substantially perpendicular to said wall 13.

The support member 36 includes an elongated support bracket 52 which is mounted within the head jamb 24 (FIGURE 4) upon the web 51 of the channel member 53 by the bolts 54. Said channel member 53 may be welded to the head jamb 24. Said support bracket 52 has at its opposite ends a pair of integral, downwardly extending hangers 56 and 577 with integral flanges 58 and S9, respectively, which extend toward each other substantially within the same plane from the lower ends of said hangers. The plane deued by said franges 58 and 59 is preferably disposed at an angle of approximately 3 to the horizontal, or to the web 62 of the head jamb 24 (FIGURES 3 and 6) so that said plane is substantially perpendicular to the axis 50 of the pivot pin 42.

An elongated substantially rectang-ular support plate 63 (FIGURES 5 and 7) is mounted upon and between the

flanges

58 and 59 as by the bolts 64 and 65 which extend through openings 67 and 68 in the plate 63 and openings 69 and 70 in the

flanges

58 and 59 respectively. The openings 69 and 7@ in the

anges

58 and 59 are preferably elongated laterally of the bracket 52 to permit laterad adjustment of the support plate 63 with respect to the support bracket 52 when the door 12 is initially hung or later aligned within the'opening 14.

The support plate 63 has a tranverse upwardly opening groove 73 which is substantially V-shaped in cross section and into which the

rollers

46 and 47 are simultaneously receivable. Said support plate 63 also `has a central opening 74 which preferably extends through the center of the groove 73. Said opening 74 is slightly larger than the diameter of the pivot pin 42 and said opening is located so that the pivot pin 42 does not engage the edge of the opening 74, particularly in a direction crosswise of said groove 73, when the

rollers

46 and 47 are snugly disposed within the groove 73. Accordingly, the

rollers

46 and 47 will always return to their fully seated posh tions within the groove 73 when the door is released to swing freely. The groove 73 is preferably narrow, in this particular embodiment, so that the door must be at an angle of preferably less than 45 to the at rest position before the rol-1ers start to move downwardly into the groove 73. Thus, the door 12 can he swung substantially beyond its at rest position, as indicated by broken lines at 12a in FIGURE 5, without being held open by said groove and rollers. On the other hand, by widening the groove 73, as shown in FIGURE 5, it is possible to use said groove not only to hold the door 12 in its "at rest or closed position, but also to hold it in an open position substantially beyond a 90 angle from its closed position.

The lower hinge 11 (FIGURES 3 and 8) includes a pivot member 78, which is mounted upon the lower end of the side jamb 27 adjacent the threshold 22 of the opening 14, and a guide member 79, which is rigidly secured to the lower end of the door 12. The pivot member 78 includes a support plate 82 which is rigidly secured near one end to the side jamb 27 and which has near its other end an -upstanding pivot pin 83, which pin is preferably coaxial with the pivot pin 42, when the door 12 is in its FIGURE 1 position. The guide member 79 has a mounting plate 84, which is rigidly secured to the lower end of the door 12 by screws 86, and it has an integral sidewardly extending flange 87 at its lower end which extends under the door 12. The flange 87 has a pivot opening 88 through which the pivot pin 83 is slideably and rotatably receivable. The Ilower end of the door 12 may be recessed at 91 to loosely receive the upper end of the pivot pin 83.

The lower hinge 11 (FIGURE 8) is intentionally constructed so that it does not support any of the weight of the door 12, since that would interfere with the gravitating action effected by the upper hinge 10. Although the common axis 50 (FIGURE l) of the pivot pins 42 and 83 (FIGURE 3) is preferably disposed at an angle of approximately 3 with respect to the adjacent edge 93 of the door 12, hence the adjacent vertical surface of the side jamb 27, other angles of inclination can be used if desired or required. For example, the inclination will effect the movement of the door from its open to its closed position and the amount of force required to move the door from its closed to its open position.

The door 12, where used to close an entry to a cold storage room, may be provided with gaskets or sealing

elements

95, 95a and 96, 96a along its

vertical edges

97 and 93 and its

horizontal edges

98 and 98a, respectively. The

seals

95, 95a, 96 and 96a are preferably fabricated from resiliently flexible material, such as re-enforced rubber or plastic material, which is capable of repeated bending and rubbing with a minimum of set and/ or wear. The bottom seal 96 is arranged so that it is closely adjacent the oor 23 when the door 12 is in its at rest position of FIG- URE 1. The vertical seal 95 is arranged so that it extends slightly beyond the midway line between the

adjacent edges

97 and 103 of said

doors

12 and 16, respectively, when they are both in their at rest positions of FIGURES 1 and 2. Thus, the seal 95 will overlap and gently engage the corresponding seal 102 on the vertical edge 103 of the main panel of the door 16 when it is mounted by its

hinges

17 and 18 within the opening 14, as described above with respect to the door 12 and its hinges and 11.

The vertical seal 95a is secured to and extends from the edge 93 of the door 12 so that said seal slightly engages the adjacent surface of the side jamb 27 when said door is in its at rest position. The top seal 96a (FIGURE 1), which is secured to the upper edge of the door 12, may be spaced downwardly slightly from the head jamb 24 when said door 12 is in its at rest position in FIGURE 1. Thus, when the door is raised slightly, as it is swung away from said at rest position, due to the action between the

rollers

46, 47 and the support plate 63, said top seal 96a will not be jammed against the head jamb 24.

Operation As indicated above, the doors 12 and 16 (FIGURES 1 and 2) are disposed in their at rest positions when their meeting edge seals and 182, respectively, are in slightly overlapped engagement substantially throughout their lengths. As shown with respect to the door 12, the at rest position is achieved and maintained by the snug reception of the

rollers

46 and 47 within the groove 73 in the support plate 63 (FIGURE 7). When the door 12 is moved around the pivot axis 50 (FIGURE 1) in one direction or the other (FIGURE 6) away from the at rest position, the

rollers

46 and 47 are caused to climb up the side walls of the groove 73, thereby raising the door 12 slightly due to a camming action. The walls of the groove 73 are preferably relatively steep so that the rollers promptly move up on to the upper surface of the support plate 63 into their raised positions, which are indicated in broken lines at 46a and 47a in FIGURE 6. This upward movement serves the purpose of moving the bottom seal 96 away from the door 23 with a minimum of dragging action therebetween. The groove 73 is preferably designed so that the

rollers

46 and 47 do not move back into the groove 73 until the door 12 is at an angle of less than 45 to its at rest or its closed position. Thus, the door 12 can be moved easily into the open position, indicated by broken lines at 12a in FIG- URE 5, and it can still return by gravity to its at rest position.

If the door 12 is unobstructed when it has reached its open position 12a (FIGURE 5), gravity will move the door 12 back toward its at rest position due to the inclination in the pivot axis 50 of the door hinges 10 and 11 and the cooperating, inclined upper surface of the support plate 63. This movement is largely pendulous in nature and is not intended to be a camming action. Camming occurs only after the rollers reach the groove 73 and start to move downwardly thereinto, whereby closing movement of the door tends to be accelerated slightly. However, when the rollers pass their at rest positions in the groove 73 continued movement of the door requires a raising thereof which immediately retards such movement. The resultant oscillation of the door 12 is quickly stopped with Applicants invention, unless the groove 73 is relatively shallow.

Because the rollers 46 and 47 (FIGURES 4 and 5) are disposed on opposite sides of the pivot pin 42, extremely accurate positioning of the at rest position of the door 12 can be achieved. That is, with said rollers in the groove 73, the bolts 64 and 65 are loosened so that the support plate 63 can be adjusted with respect to the

flanges

58 and 59. When adjustment of the door 12 is exactly as desired, the bolts 64 and 65 are tightened. The

protection panels

19 and 20 tend to shift the center of gravity of the door 12 toward the meeting edge 97 thereof, which improves the closing operation of the door, particularly on lightweight doors.

The door 12, and in a similar manner the door 16, can be quickly and easily removed for inspection and/or repair merely by removing the bolts 64 and 65 and thereafter sliding the support plate 63 sidewardly and downwardly through the opening 104 in the web 62 of the head jamb 24. Thereafter, the door 12 may be tilted and then raised so that the guide member 79 is moved away from and off the pivot pin 83. Alternatively, and where expedience dictates, the door 12 can be removed from its opening 14 by loosening the screws 38 which secure the mounting plate 37 to said door 12 after which the door is raised until the guide member 79 is released from engagement with the pivot member 78. Obviously, the door 12 can be quickly returned to its operating position by reversing the foregoing steps.

Modified construction The modified hinge construction disclosed in FIGURES 9 and lO includes an upper hinge 111D, which is connected to the upper end of the door 111, and a lower hinge 112 which is connected to the lower end of the door 111. The upper hinge 110 includes a substantially vertical hinge pin 113 which is secured at its upper end to the upper pin plate 114, The lower hinge 112 includes a lower hinge pin 116 which is secured to the lower pin plate 117. The upper and lower pin plates 114 and 117 are integral with and extended sidewardly in the same direction from the opposite ends of the jamb plate 118, which is secured by means such as the bolts 119 to the web 122 of the channelshaped side jarnb 123. The pin plates 114 and 117 are held snugly against the

head jamb

124 and 126, respectively, which combine with the side jamb 123 to denne a door opening 127 in the wall 123.

The upper hinge 110 includes a support member 131 having a support bracket 132 and support plate 133 which in general may be similar to the support bracket 52 and support plate 63 (FIGURE 3), except that their positions are reversed and inverted. A mounting plate 134 is secured to the support bracket 132 for the purpose of connecting the support member 131 by means of the screws 136 to the door 111. The upper edge of the door 111 is provided with a notch 137 into which the support bracket 132 is snugly received when said connection is accomplished.

Rollers

138 and 139, which may be similar to the

rollers

46 and 47, are rotatably supported upon a shaft 140 which is in turn secured to the upper hinge pin 113 in substantially the same manner as the shaft 43 is mounted upon the pivot pin 42. The support plate 133 has a central opening 142 for loose reception of the pin 113 therethrough. Said plate 133 also has a downwardly facing groove 143 which extends through the opening 142 and is engaged by the

rollers

138 and 139, as discussed above with respect to the upper hinge 10, except that the corresponding elements are in the reverse positions. That is, when the door 111 is swung away from its at rest position of FIGURE 9, the support plate 133 moves with the door and with respect to the hinge pin 113 so that the lower surface of the support plate 133 moves upwardly onto the

rollers

138 and 139, whereby the door 111 is raised slightly. A typical cover plate 144 (FIGURES 9 and is mounted upon the support bracket 132 and extends across the front surface of the parts disposed therein. A similar cover plate can be mounted upon the opposite side of the support bracket 132.

The lower hinge 112 includes a guide member 146 having a mounting plate 147 which is secured by the screws 148 to the lower portion of the door 111.

The vertical .jamb plate 118 is somewhat further from the upper hinge pin 113 than it is from the lower hinge pin 116 so that the hinge axis 153 diverges upwardly with respect to the adjacent edge 154 of the door 111. Thus, when the door 111 is moved in a substantially horizontal direction either way from its at rest position of FIG- URE 9, gravity urges the return of the door toward its at rest position. The reception of the

rollers

138 and 139 into the groove 143 dampens the oscillations of the door as it swings back with a pendulous motion toward its at rest position and positively locates such at rest position.

By a minor obvious modification of the support member 131, the support bracket 132 thereof can be fabricated like the support bracket 52 (FIGURE 3) so that the support plate 133 is held in a position substantially perpendicular to the hinge axis 153 (FIGURE 9). Under such circumstances, particularly where a relatively light door is involved, it might be advantageous to tilt the hinge pins 113 and 116 so that they are coaxial with the hinge axis 153, as in the case of the hinge construction disclosed in FIGURE 3. It will be seen that the hinge construction in FIGURE 9 can be mounted to support an existing door in an existing door jamb without any material modication in either part except for the notch in the upper edge of the door 111.

The upper hinge (FIGURE 9) and the upper hinge 10 (FIGURE 3) require no lubrication due to the material used in the

rollers

138, 139 and 46, 47, respectively. Lubrication of the lower hinges 112 and 11, should the need become apparent, can be eliminated by providing a nylon bearing in the guide member 146 around the hinge pin 116.

The alternate hinge construction, which is disclosed in FIGURES 12 and 13 is adapted to support partition doors outside of the door opening so that the entire opening can be unobstructed. This construction includes an upper hinge (FIGURES 13, 14 and 16), which is connected to the upper end of the door 161, and a lower hinge 162 (FIGURES l2 and 17), which is connected to the lower end of said door 161. Broadly speaking, the upper and

lower hinges

160 and 162 are similar in construction and operation to the upper and

lower hinges

110 and 112, respectively, which are shown in FIGURE 9.

More specifically, the upper hinge 160 (FIGURES 12 and 16) includes an L-shaped, upper pin bracket 164 which supports a downwardly extending hinge pin 163 and which is mounted upon the surface of the wall 165 near one end of the upper jamb 166 by screws 167. The upper jamb 166 (FIGURE l1), side jambs 168 and 168e and threshold 169 combine to define a door opening 172 adjacent to which the door 161 is swingably supported in an at rest position by the

hinges

160 and 162 preferably for movement through an angle of at least 90 in either direction away from said at rest position. The upper hinge 16) also includes a U-shaped support bracket 173 which may be substantially identical to the support bracket 132 shown in FIGURE 10. A pair of L-shaped brackets 175 and 176 (FIGURES 12 and 16) are rigidly secured, as by welding, to the lower surface of the web 177 of the U-shaped support bracket 173 so that the spaced,

parallel anges

178 and 179 of said

brackets

175 and 176 extend downwardly from said web.

The door 161 (FIGURE 12), in this particular embodiment, includes a substantially planar, main panel 182 and a sidewardly extending end wall 183. As shown in FIGURES 12 and 13, the wall 183 is comprised of a pair of L-shaped,

elongated angle members

184 and 185 whose

anges

187 and 188 are tightly held against the inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of the main panel 182 adjacent one edge thereof. The

anges

191 and 192 of the

members

134 and 185 are interconnected by a web 193 integral with the corresponding edges thereof. The

anges

191 and 192 are preferably substantially perpendicular to the plane of the main panel 182 and project therefrom a distance preferably somewhat greater than the width of the U-shaped bracket 173.

The upper ends of the

flanges

191 and 192 are snugly disposed between and against the inner opposing surfaces of the anges 17S and 179 on the

brackets

175 and 176, to which they are secured, as by means of screws 194.

The upper hinge 160 also includes an elongated support plate 196 which may be in general similar to the support plate 133 (FIGURE 10). The opposite ends of the support plate 196 are preferably disposed beneath the inwardly extending

flanges

197 and 198 on the U-shaped support bracket 173 where they are held by any suitable means, such as screws 199, which are received through the

openings

201 and 202 in the support plate 196 and flange 198, respectively.

The lower hinge 162 (FIGURE 12) is comprised of an L-shaped guide plate 203 which is secured, as by screws 204, to the flange 191 near the lower end thereof and which has a pin opening 206 through its horizontal ange 207. A substantially L-shaped pin supporting bracket 208, upon which the upstanding pin 209 is rigidly secured, may be mounted upon the adjacent surface of said wall 165 so that said pin 209 is received through the pin opening 206 in the horizontal flange 207. As shown in FIGURES 14 and 17, the

axes

212 and 213 of the

pins

163 and 209, respectively, are arranged so that the pivotal axis 214 (FIGURE 1l) of the door 161 tilts toward the 9 meeting edge 216 of the main panel 182. Accordingly, pivotal movement of the door 161 away from its at rest position of FIGURE 11 toward either the solid line or broken line position shown in FIGURE 15, will cause said door to swing slightly upwardly around the pivotal axis 214.

The support plate 196 (FIGURE 12) has a downwardly opening, transverse and substantially V-shaped groove 217 with a central opening 218 therein through which the pin 163 extends. A pair of

rollers

221 and 222 are rotatably supported upon an axle 223 which extends through and is supported upon the upper hinge pin 163 in substantially the same manner and for substantially the same purpose as discussed above with respect to the rollers 46 and 47 (FIGURE 4).

During the initial pivotal movement of the door 161 away from its at rest position in either direction, the relative movement of the

rollers

221 and 222 out of the groove 217 will effect a camming action whereby the door 161 is lifted a distance about equal to the depth of the groove.

Gasket strips 224 and 225 (FIGURE 12) may be mounted upon the meeting edge 216 and bottom edge 227, respectively, of the main panel 182, particularly where the door is intended for use between rooms having substantial differential temperatures. Likewise, a gasket strip 228 may be mounted upon the outer surface of the end wall 183, for example, so that it projects inwardly therefrom for engagement with a gasket strip 229 (FIG- URE 13) which is mounted upon the adjacent surface of the wall 165 when the door 161 is in its at rest position.

Another door 230 (FIGURE 11), which is preferably a mirror image of the door 161, may be mounted within the door opening 172 for cooperation with the door 161 in a manner similar to that discussed above with respect to the doors 12 and 16 (FIGURE l). The door 236 is supported by an upper hinge 232, which may be identical with the upper hinge 160, and a hinge 233, which may be a mirror image of the lower hinge 162. These hinges may be assembled in a manner substantially as set forth above with respect to the upper hinge 160 and lower hinge 162. Practically all of the parts of the hinges 160 and 1962, except for the pin bracket 208, can be made interchangeable between a lefthand door and a righthand door, so that they can be used to produce a door 231.

A substantially fiat canopy 234 may be mounted upon the horizontal flanges of the two L-shaped

support brackets

173 and 236 of the upper hinges 160 and 232, respectively, as appearing in FIGURE 11. Thus, the canopy completes the closure structure including the doors 161 and 231.

The general operation of the doors 161 and 231 may be substantially as set forth above with respect to the operation of the

doors

12 and 16, for example. That is, if a force is applied to the door 161, for example, when it is in the at rest position and in either direction away from said at rest position, which force is slightly greater than enough to overcome the slight, initial resistance produced by the camming action between the

rollers

221 and 222 and the groove 217, said force will cause the door to swing into a substantially completely open position with a relatively slow movement. The return movement of the door into the closed position will also be slow. The pivot axis 214 is arranged so that when the door 161 is moved so that it swings through the opening 172, the panel 182 will move against the side jamb 168 and thereby provide a minimum of obstruction to the opening. However, when the door 161 is swung in the opposite direction, or away from the door opening 172, it can assume an open position, as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 15, wherein the opening 172 is completely unobstructed by said door.

As shown in FIGURE 18, a hinge 260 which somewhat resembles the hinge 11() (FIGURE 9) may be mounted upon the lower portion of a d'oor 261 to effect substantially the same purposes achieved by mounting said hinge at the top of the door 111. More specically, the hinge 260 includes a support bracket 262 which is substantially rectangular in shape and is received into a notch 263 in the lower corner of the door 261 adjacent the side jamb 264. Said bracket 262 includes a pair of substantially

parallel flanges

266 and 267 which are spaced from but extend toward each other, preferably substantially adjacent the lower edge of the door 261. A support plate 268, which may be substantially identical with the support plate 63 (FIGURE 3), has its opposite ends disposed beneath and held against the

flanges

266 and 267 by means such as the bolts and nuts 269.

Said support plate 268 (FIGURE 18) has a downwardly facing, transverse groove 272 into which the rollers, which are mounted on opposite sides of the pivot pin 273, are receivable. One of these rollers is shown at 274 in FIGURE 18. Said pivot pin 273 extends through an appropriate opening through the groove 272 in substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to the hinge 110 (FIGURE 9). However, said pivot pin 273 is, in this particular embodiment, supported at its lower end upon the horizontal flange 276 of the L-shaped bracket 277, the other flange of which is secured to side jamb 264 by screws 278.

The operation of hinge 260 is, in general, similar to the operation of the hinge 110. Moreover, said hinge 260 can be made so that the support plate 268 is sloped downwardly away from the side jamb 264 to better accommodate same to a hinge axis which diverges upwardly with respect to the sid'e jamb 264, in a manner previously discussed in detail.

It will be recognized by reference to the several modications of the hinge constructions disclosed in this application and in said application Serial No. 256,848, that the desired results can be affected with hinge constructions which differ from the specific upper and lower hinge assemblies described herein.

Accordingly, although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which come within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

The embodiments of the invention in which an eX- clusive property or privilege is claimed are dened as follows:

1. A hinge structure for supporting a door adjacent an opening in a wall structure for movement around a hinge axis substantially parallel with the plane of said door, said axis being at a small acute angle to the vertical centerline of the door, comprising:

a support mechanism connected between adjacent edge portions of said door and said wall structure adjacent said opening, said support mechanism comprising pin means substantially parallel and substantially concentric with said axis, said axis being offset sidewardly from said door, a pair of support elements mounted upon substantially opposite sides of said pin means, and a support plate substantially perpendicular to said pin means, said plate having a pin opening through which said pin means extends and substantially V-shaped recess means into which said support elements are substantially simultaneously receivable on substantially opposite sides of said pin opening, whereby said door is substantially supported by said support mechanism for pivotal movement around said axis, said door being urged by gravity into a position wherein it obstructs said opening and both support elements are disposed in said recess means and thereby oppose pivotal movement of said door; and

guide means connected between other adjacent edge portions of said door and said wall structure adjacent said opening and spaced substantially from said support mechanism, said guide means being located along said axis to guide the pivotal movement of said other adjacent portion of said door, whereby said l l door can be pivoted from said rst-mentioned position into :a second position wherein said opening is unobstructed by said door.

2. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein the lengthwise axis of said pin means is parallel with the vertical centerline of the door and, accordingly, at a small acute angle to said hinge axis; and

wherein said support plate is perpendicular to said lengthwise axis of said pin means and, accordingly, at a large acute angle to said hinge axis.

3. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said pin means is secured to said wall structure and the lengthwise axis of said pin means is parallel with the vertical centerline of the door and, accordingly, is at a small acute angle to said hinge axis; and

wherein said support plate is secured to said door and is perpendicular to said pin means, said recess means opening downwardly.

4. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said guide means includes a guide pin secured to said wall structure near the lower end of said door and extending upwardly parallel with the vertical centerline of the door, and a guide member on said door dening an opening into which said guide pin is loosely and slideably received.

5. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said guide means is located near the top of said door and the support mechanism is located near the bottom of said door, said pin means being mounted upon said wall structure and said support plate being mounted upon said door so that the lengthwise axis of said pin means is parallel with the vertical centerline of the door, perpendicular to said support plate and at a small acute angle to the hinge axis, said recess means opening downwardly.

6. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said pin means is mounted upon said wall structure, said support plate is mounted upon said door and said recess means opens downwardly; and

including canopy means mounted upon said wall structure and covering a substantial portion of said support mechanism.

7. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said support elements comprise a pair of rollers and shaft means extending from opposite sides of said pin means and supporting said rollers for rotation around substantially horizontal axes substantially perpendicular to said plane of said door when said door is in said first-mentioned position.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein said pin means and part of said guide means are rigidly secured to said door near one upright edge thereof;

wherein said support plate and another part of said guide means are secured to said wall structure; and wherein said recess means opens upwardly.

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein said pin means is rigidly secured to said wall structure;

wherein said support plate and part of said guide means are rigidly secured to said door; and

wherein said recess means opens downwardly.

10. A hinge structure for supporting a door upon a wall structure adjacent to and on one side of an opening therein for movement around a hinge axis substantially parallel with said door, said axis being near one upright edge of said door and diverging upwardly at a relatively small, acute angle to a vertical line adjacent said edge of said door, comprising:

pivot pin means rigidly secured to said wall structure near the upper edge of said opening and near a substantially vertical edge of said opening, said pivot pin means extending downwardly substantially vertically;

a pair of similar rollers and means supporting same upon substantially opposite sides of the pivot pin means for rotation around substantially horizontal axes substantially perpendicular to said wall structure;

a mounting plate secured to the door adjacent an upper edge portion thereof and near said upright edge thereof, said mounting plate being substantially perpendicular to said pivot pin means and having a central opening through which said pivot pin means is loosely received and having a downwardly opening, substantially V-shaped groove extending across said opening and substantially perpendicularly to the plane of said door, said rollers being disposed within said groove when the door is in a position substantially parallel with said wall structure and spaced laterally therefrom; and

lower pivot means connected between the lower edge portion of said door and said wall structure to guide the movement of said door around said hinge axis, the hinge axis extending through said pivot pin means and said pivot means, whereby said door is pivotally supported for substantially horizontal movement in both directions away from said position, wherein said door is urged by gravity.

11. A hinge structure according to claim 10 wherein the axes of said pivot pin means and said lower pivot means are parallel and spaced transversely from each other so that they are both at a small acute angle to said hinge axis, whereby movement of said door away from said position within said plane causes said door to be supported primarily by engagement of one of said rollers with said support plate.

12. A hinge structure according to claim 10, wherein said door is L-shaped transversely of said upright edge thereof to provide a relatively large closure panel which is disposed within said position when said rollers are within said groove, and a relatively short edge panel substantially perpendicular to said closure panel adjacent said upright edge, said mounting plate being secured to the upper end of said edge panel, and said lower pivot means being connected to the lower end of said edge panel, said edge panel being disposed between said closure panel and said wall structure when said door is in said position.

13. A hinge structure for supporting a door having panel means adjacent an opening in a wall structure for movement around a hinge axis substantially parallel with the plane of said door, said axis being at a small acute angle to the vertical centerline of the door, comprising:

a support mechanism connected between adjacent edge portions of said door and said wall structure adjacent said opening, said support mechanism comprising piu means substantially parallel and substantially concentric with said axis, said axis being offset sidewardly from said panel means, support means mounted upon said pin means, and a support plate substantially perpendicular to said pin means, said plate having a pin opening through which said pin means extends and substantially V-shaped recess means into which said support means is receivable near said pin opening, whereby said door is substantially supported by said support mechanism for pivotal movement around said axis, said door being urged by gravity into a position wherein it obstructs said opening and said support means is disposed in said recess means and thereby opposes pivotal movement of said door; and

guide means connected between other adjacent edge portions of said door and said wall structure adjacent said opening and spaced substantially from said support mechanism, said guide means being located along said axis to guide the pivotal movement of said other adjacent portion of said door, whereby said door can be pivoted from said first-mentioned position into a second position wherein said opening is unobstructed by said door.

14. A hinge structure according to claim 13, wherein the lengthwise axis of said pin means is upright, parallel with the vertical centerline of the door and at a small acute angle to said hinge axis; and

wherein said support plate is perpendicular to said 13 14 lengthwise axis of said pin means and at a large acute 2,351,800 6/ 1944 Baum et al. 16-154 angle to said hinge axis.

FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited by the Examinen 19,165 9 /1399 Great Britain UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1 563 154 11/1925 B 1 20 16 EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

rager eta .3 1,787,468 1/1931 Biftorf et a1. 16-103 JOSEPH D' SEERS Examme' 2,220,335 11/1940 Hubbs 16--154 X D. GRIFFIN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

13. A HINGE STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A DOOR HAVING PANEL MEANS ADJACENT AN OPENING IN A WALL STRUCTURE FOR MOVEMENT AROUND A HINGE AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE PLANE OF SAID DOOR, SAID AXIS BEING AT A SMALL ACUTE ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL CENTERLINE OF THE DOOR, COMPRISING A SUPPORT MECHANISM CONNECTED BETWEEN ADJACENT EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID DOOR AND SAID WALL STRUCTURE ADJACENT SAID OPENING, SAID SUPPORT MECHANISM COMPRISING PIN MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID AXIS, SAID AXIS BEING OFFSET SIDEWARDLY FROM SAID PANEL MEANS, SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED UPON SAID PIN MEANS, AND A SUPPORT PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PIN MEANS, SAID PLATE HAVING A PIN OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID PIN MEANS EXTENDS SAID SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED RECESS MEANS INTO WHICH SAID SUPPORT MEANS IS RECEIVABLE NEAR SAID PIN OPENING,