US3605173A

US3605173A - Hinge with quadrilateral swing joint and mounting plate therefor

Info

Publication number: US3605173A
Application number: US806156A
Authority: US
Inventors: Karl Lautenschlager Jr
Original assignee: Karl Lautenschlaeger GmbH and Co KG Moebelbeschlafabrik
Current assignee: Karl Lautenschlaeger GmbH and Co KG Moebelbeschlafabrik
Priority date: 1968-03-18
Filing date: 1969-03-11
Publication date: 1971-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 1988-09-20
Also published as: FR2004107A1; IL31630A0; CH499713A; GB1258137A; BE728768A; SE350298B; AT288194B; DK120835B; IL31630A

Abstract

A HINGE OF THE TYPE HAVING A PAIR OF PIVOT MEMBERS FORMING A QUADRILATERAL SWING JOINT. OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF THE PIVOT MEMBERS ARE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A HOLDER MOUNTED UPON A DOOR AND A CARRIER ARM REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN A MOUNTING MEMBER FASTENED TO A CARRIER WALL. AN INNERMOST ONE OF THE PIVOT MEMBERS IS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE CARRIER ARM AT A POINT OVERLYING A FASTENING MEMBER SECURING THE MOUNTING PLATE TO THE CARRIER WALL. ADJUSTMENT MEANS PASS THROUGH THE CARRIER ARM IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE PIVOT POINT OF THE INNERMOST PIVOT MEMBER AND ENGAGES AGAINST THE MOUNTING PLATE. THE CARRIER ARM IS FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CROSS SECTION FORMING A BASE PORTION INTERMEDIATE A PAIR OF SPACED LEG PORTIONS AND HAS A LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED SLOT FORMED IN THE BASE PORTION FOR RECEIVING AN ATTACHMENT MEMBER COOPERATING WITH THE SLOT TO SPREAD THE LEGS INTO FIRM ENGAGEMENT WITH OPPOSED, CONFRONTING WALL PORTIONS OF THE MOUNTING PLATE.

Description

K. LAUTENSCHLAGER. JR HINGE WITH QUADRILATERAL SWING JOINT AND MOUNTING Sept. 20, 1971 PLATE THEREFOR Filed March 11. 1969 l nreman- A ar/ lawenscfi/a'yeq W flttl a.

United States Patent 3,605,173 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 3,605,173 HINGE WITH QUADRILATERAL SWING JOINT AND MOUNTING PLATE THEREFOR Karl Lautenschliiger, Jr., Wersau, Odenwald, Germany,

assignor to Karl Lautenschltiger KG., Reinheim, Oden- Wald, Germany Filed Mar. 11, 1969, Ser. No. 806,156 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 18, 1968, P 17 08 248.3 Int. Cl. Ed 3/06 US. Cl. 16-163 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hinge of the type having a pair of pivot members forming a quadrilateral swing joint. Opposite end portions of the pivot members are pivotally connected to a holder mounted upon a door and a carrier arm removably mounted in a mounting member fastened to a carrier wall. An irmermost one of the pivot members is pivotally connected to the carrier arm at a point overlying a fastening member securing the mounting plate to the carrier wall. Adjustment means pass through the carrier arm immediately adjacent the pivot point of the innermost pivot member and engages against the mounting plate. The carrier arm is further characterized by a substan tially U-shaped cross section forming a base portion intermediate a pair of spaced leg portions and has a longitudinally elongated slot formed in the base portion for receiving an attachment-member cooperating with the slot to spread the legs into firm engagement with opposed, confronting wall portions of the mounting plate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention generally relates to hinges wherein an articulated connection between impacting parts includes a pair of pivot members forming a quadrilateral swing joint.

Description of the prior art Hinges having quadrilateral swing joints have been proposed heretofore, but prior art devices have some disadvantageous features. Hinges of this type are oftentimes utilized for mounting doors on various types of furniture.

To prevent damage and to facilitate shipping, furniture may be shipped in a knocked-down condition and assembled at a point of destination. Also, to assure proper fitting of the doors it has been found to be advantageous to fit the various pieces of hardware, such as hinges, during manufacture of the furniture and subsequently disassemble the hardware prior to shipping. Prior art hinges of the quadrilateral swing joint type generally have not been designed to facilitate the fitting and subsequent disassembly of the furniture.

Quadrilateral swing joint hinges generally include a holder secured to the door, a carrier arm mounted on a carrier wall and a pair of pivot members having op posite end portions pivotally connected to the holder and the carrier arm. To assure stable fastening, the carrier arm should be sufficiently long to provide spaced pivot points for the pivot arms, and also, the mounting base of the pivot arm must be sufficiently large to accommodate spaced apart fastening means securing the carrier arm to the carrier wall. To satisfy both of those requirements and provide a stable hinge of the quadrilateral swing joint prior art devices have been relatively bulky.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A hinge constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention generally includes a holder secured to a door, a carrier arm detachably mounted within a mounting plate, which in turn is securely fastened to a carrier wall, and a pair of pivot arms or members having opposite end portions pivotally connected to the holder and the carrier arm. The pivot arms or members are disposed in a stacked arrangement providing an inner pivot arm and an outer pivot arm arranged to provide a quadrilateral swing motion.

The carrier arm of the present invention is characterized by a generally U-shaped cross section providing a medial or base portion and a pair of outwardly extending leg portions spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive the pivot arms. The mounting plate comprises an elongated member having a substantially channel shape in cross section providing a pair of confronting wall portions. A pair of flat-head wood screws passing through countersunk apertures in the mounting plate and engaging into the carrier wall, thereby to secure the mounting plate to the carrier wall and provide a flush bottom wall surface for the mounting plate. The carrier arm is fitted into the channel portion of the mounting plate with portions of the legs abutting the confronting wall portions of the mounting plate.

' Also, the carrier arm has an elongated slot formed in the base portion and having longitudinal sidewalls cooperating with a frusto-conical surface formed on an attachment member to urge the leg portions of the carrier arm into firm engagement with the mounting plate. With the carrier arm detachably mounted to a separate mounting plate it is possible to form the mounting plate with one of the apertures receiving the fastening screws immediately subjacent a pivot pin pivotally connecting the inner pivot to the carrier arm. Thus, the present invention provides a mounting means sufiiciently long to provide a pair of spaced "apart fastening points without being excessively bulky.

An aperture is formed in the base. portion of the carrier arm and receives an adjustment screw which engages against the mounting plate, thereby providing adjustment of the carrier arm relative to the carrier wall. The aperture receiving the adjustment screw may be formed immediately adjacent a pivot pin pivotally mounting the inner pivot arm or lever to the carrier arm.

To enhance the appearance of the hinge and to compensate for variations in the mounting plate, a plastic shroud member having a substantially channel shape in transverse cross section encloses the mounting plate and has portions extending intermediate the mounting plate and the carrier wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section illustrating a hinge embodying the features of the present invention and shown in an open position; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken approximately along line II--II of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, a hinge constructed in accordance with the present invention generally includes a holder or pot 3 mounted on a door 1, a carrier arm 4 detachably mounted to a carrier wall 2, and a pair of pivot members or levers disposed in a stacked arrangement providing an outer member 6 and an inner member 7 each having opposite end portions pivotally connected to the holder 3 and the carrier arm 4. The

pivot members

6 and 7 are pivotally connected and arranged in a manner to provide a quadrilateral swing joint.

The holder or pot 3 has a cup-like configuration and is secured within a depression or recess 8 formed in the door 1. A pair of

pivot pins

12 and 13 having opposite end portions mounted in opposed walls of the holder 3 ivot- .ally connect one end portion of each of the

pivot members

6 and 7 to the holder. To provide the proper swing motion, the

pivot pins

12 and 13 are arranged along a line A tilted upwardly at an angle alpha from an inner surface 14 of the door 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the carrier arm 4 has a generally U-shaped cross section providing a base or medial portion 17 and a pair of spaced-apart, outwardly extending

leg portions

18, 18. The

pivot members

6 and 7 are received intermediate the

leg portions

18, 18 and the leg portions may be laterally bulged as at 19 to permit the outer pivot member 6 to be formed with a greater width than that of the inter pivot member 7.

To pivotally connect the pivot members or levers 6 and 7 to the carrier arm 4, a pair of pivot pins 21 and 22 are provided and extend between the

leg portions

18, 18 of the carrier arm. The pivot pins 21 and 22 are disposed along a line B tilted upwardly at an angle beta from an inner surface 23 of the carrier wall 2, thereby to mount the

pivot arms

6 and 7 in the proper arrangement to provide the desired quardilateral swing motion. Also, each end portion of the

pivot members

6 and 7 is formed in a reverse bend as at 24 forming a substantially cylindrical bearing surface pivotally engaging the

pivot pins

12 and 13 of the holder 3 and the pivot pins 21 and 22 of the carrier arm 4.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a mounting plate 16 is securely fastened to the carrier wall 2 and arranged to detachably mount the carrier arm 4, thereby permitting the hinge to be fitted during manufacture and subsequently disassembled for shipping without disturbing the fitted relationship between the door 1 and the carrier wall 2 when the hinge is later assembled at a point of destination. The mounting plate 16 has a generally channel-shaped configuration in transverse cross section and includes a pair of confronting wall surfaces 25, 25 interconnected by a bottom wall 26 and spaced apart a distance to fittingly receive the carrier arm 4. Means detachably mounting the carrier arm 4 to the mounting plate 16 include an elongated slot 27 formed centrally within the base portion 17 of the carrier arm and characterized by outwardly flared, longitudinal sidewalls as at 28 forming a pain of tapered wall portions as as 29, and an attachment screw 31 received within the elongated slot 27 and engaged into a threaded aperture 33 formed in the mounting plate 16. The attachment screw has a frusto-conical head portion 32 and the tapered wall surfaces 29 are formed complementary to the frusta-conical head portion. Thus, as the attachment screw 31 is threaded in firm engagement with the slot 27, the frustoconical head portion 32, laterally urges the leg portions 18 of the carrier arm 4 in opposite directions and into firm clamping engagement with the confronting wall surfaces 26 of the mounting plate 16, thereby enabling secure attachment of the carrier arm to the mounting plate with only a single attachment bolt.

To provide proper stability for the hinge, the mounting plate 16 is fastened to the carrier wall 2 by a pair of spaced apart fasteners, such as

wood screws

33 and 34. To obtain the maximum stability in a limited space, the fasteners are spaced as far apart as the available space will permit. Also, the total length of the mounting plate 16, and the carrier arm 4 should be maintained at a minimum to provide a compact hinge consuming a minimum of space within a cabinet.

With the arrangement of the present invention including the mounting plates 16 and the detachably mounted carrier arm 4, the forwardmost fastener 33 may be disposed immediately subjacent the pivot pin 22 supporting one end portion of the inner pivot lever 7. To maintain the bottom wall 25 flush or planar, the

fasteners

33 and 34 desirably include flat-head wood screws received within countersunk apertures as at 36 formed in the bottom wall of the mounting plate 16. The

fasteners

33 and 34 are threaded into the carrier wall 2 in a manner to securely hold the mounting plate in position.

If desired, the placement of the fastening screws permits the mounting plate 16 to be positioned flush with a marginal end edge of the carrier wall 2. Also, the mounting plate 16 may be of symmetrical design, thereby enabling the carrier arm 4 to be mounted from either direction.

To compensate for manufacturing variations in both the carrier wall 2 and the mounting plate 16 and to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the mounting plate, a plastic shroud member 36 encircles the mounting plate 16. The shroud member 36 has a generally channel shape in transverse cross section and includes outwardly projecting sidewalls 37 extending along opposite edges of the mounting plate and characterized by offset portions as at 38 engaging around outer corners of the mounting plate, thereby securing the shroud member in a desired position. A recess as at 39 is formed around a perimeter of a lower edge of the mounting plate 16 to receive bottom wall portions as at 41 of the shroud member 36. The bottom wall portions 41 form a longitudinally elongated slot 42 along the shroud member 36 to receive a central projection 40 of the mounting plate 16 formed by the recesses 39. As the

fasteners

33 and 34 are threaded into the carrier wall 2, the bottom wall portions 41 of the shroud member 36 are squeezed between the mounting plate 16 and the carrier wall 2, thereby providing a resilient washer or gasket enabling the wood screws 33 and 34 to be firmly tightened in a manner preventing loosening of these screws due to vibrations.

Furthermore, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, an adjustment screw 43 is provided for adjusting the position of the carrier arm 4 inwardly and outwardly of the carrier wall 2. The compactness of the hinge of the present invention is maintained by positioning the adjustment screw 43 immediately adjacent the pivot pin 22 pivotally mounting the inner pivot member 7. The adjustment screw 43 threadedly engages an aperture 44 formed in the base or medial portion 17 of the carrier arm 33 and abuts against a portion of the bottom wall 25 of the mounting plate 16. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a lower end portion of the adjustment screw 43 abuts against an upper surface of the fiat-head wood screw 33, which forms a portion of the flush bottom Wall 25 of the mounting plate 16.

To assure the proper quadrilateral swing motion of the hinge, distances between the four points of articulation as defined by the pivot pins 12, 13, 21 and 22 and their angular relationship must be maintained at an appropriately selected ratio and angles. Hinges of various sizes may be provided by proportionally increasing or decreasing the distances between the articulation points as long as the proper ratio is maintained.

In one example of the present invention the following dimensions were provided:

(1) Effective length of the pivot lever 6, i.e. distance between articulation points defined by the pivot pins 12 and 21: 17.1 mm.

(2) Effective length of the pivot lever 7, i.e. distance between articulation points defined by pivot pins 13 and 22: 17.9 mm.

(3) Distance between articulation points within the hinge holder, i.e. distance between pins 12 and 13: 8.1 mm.

(4) Distance between articulation points in the carrier arm, i.e. distance between pivot pins 21 and 22: 15.3 mm.

Thus, the effective length of the inner pivot lever 7 has a relation to that of the outer pivot lever 6, to the distance between the articulation points within the carrier arm, and to the distance between the articulation points within the holder or hinge pot approximately of 18: 17: 15: 8. Furthermore, if the pivoting pins or

shafts

22 and 13 are positioned to lie in a plane approximately parallel with the plane of the door and that of the carrier wall when the hinge is in an open position, the above-mentioned dimensional relationship results in the angle alpha being equal to approximately 38 and the angle beta being approximately 32.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hinge of the quadrilateral swing joint type for mounting a door to a carrier wall comprising:

a holder secured to a door;

a mounting plate fastened to a carrier wall for said door;

a carrier arm detachably carried by said mounting plate and having an outwardly opened, generally U-shaped transverse cross section forming a base portion abutting said mounting plate and a pair of leg portions extending outwardly of said base portion;

a first pair of spaced apart pivot pins secured within said holder;

a second pair of spaced apart pivot pins secured within said carrier arm and extending between said leg portions with a lower one of said pivot pins being disposed above said carrier base portion;

a pair of pivot levers interconnecting said holder and said carrier arm and having bearing surfaces formed at opposite end portions thereof and pivotally engaging said pairs of pivot pins in a manner to form a quadrilateral swing joint; and

means fastening said mounting plate to a carrier wall and including at least a pair of spaced apart fastening members disposed on a common line extending inwardly from an edge of the carrier wall and with the one of said members disposed nearer the carrier wall edge being positioned immediately subjacent said lower one of said second pair of pivot pins.

2. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by:

shroud means encircling said mounting plate and including an elongated member composed of resilient material and having a substantially U-shaped transverse cross section forming a pair of side portions extending along side surfaces of said mounting plate; and

said mounting plate having a recess formed around a perimeter of a wall surface thereof formed adjacent a carrier wall for receiving bottom wall portions of said shroud means in a manner to form a resilient gasket intermediate said mounting plate and the carrier wall.

3. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by said side wall portions of said shroud means having inwardly offset portions formed along: an upper marginal edge thereof and extending along an upper surface of said mounting plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,224,035 12/1965 Heinze 16-163 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,496,413 10/1967 France.

441,036 1/ 1968 Switzerland. 248,280 6/ 1966 Austria.

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 16-164