US3613152A

US3613152A - Self-closing 180 degree opening,concealed hinge

Info

Publication number: US3613152A
Application number: US777792A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph L Spurlin
Original assignee: Hughes Aircraft Co
Current assignee: Raytheon Co
Priority date: 1968-11-21
Filing date: 1968-11-21
Publication date: 1971-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-19

Abstract

A CABINET HINGE SYSTEM WHEREIN A SWINGABLE CABINET CLOSURE MEMBER IS HINGED TO A STATIONARY CABINET MEMBER FOR OUTWARD SWINGING SUBSTANTIALLY 180* BETWEEN CLOSED POSITION UNIPLANAR WITH THE STATIONARY MEMBER TO FULLY OPEN POSITION FACING THE STATIONARY MEMBER. INDIVIDUAL FLAT HINGE LEAVES ARE RESPECTIVELY SURFACE MOUNTED TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE MEMBERS AND HINGED TO A COMMON LINKING CHANNEL MEMBER ALONG PARALLEL SPACED HINGE AXES FLANKING THE CHANNEL MEMBER. UNEQUAL ELASTIC MEANS, SUCH AS HELICAL SPRINGS OR RESILIENT FLEX HINGE JOUNTS, ACTING ALONG EACH HINGE AXIS COACT TO CAUSE SEQUENTIAL SWINGING ABOUT ONE AND THEN THE OTHER HINGE AXIS DURING MOVEMENT OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER AND TO URGE THE CLOSURE MEMBER TO CLOSED POSITION.

Description

Oct. 19, 1971 J. SPURLIN 3,513,152

SELF-CLOSING 180 OPENING CONCEALED HINGE Filed Nov. 21. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheot 1 Fig. 1.

Joseph L. Spurlin, Fig INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

J. L. SPURLIN 3,613,152

SELF-CLOSING, 180 OPENING, CONCEALED HINGE Oct. 19, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 21, 1968 United States Patent Oflice Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3,613,152 SELF-CLOSING 180 OPENING, CONCEALED HINGE Joseph L. Spurlin, Oceanside, Calif., assignor to Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, Calif. Filed Nov. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 777,792 Int. Cl. Ef 1/12 US. Cl. 16-189 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cabinet hinge system wherein a swingable cabinet closure member is hinged to a stationary cabinet member for outward swinging substantially 180 between closed position uniplanar with the stationary member to fully open position facing the stationary member. Individual flat hinge leaves are respectively surface mounted to the interior surface of the members and hinged to a common linking channel member along parallel spaced hinge axes flanking the channel member. Unequal elastic means, such as helical springs or resilient flex hinge joints, acting along each hinge axis coact to cause sequential swinging about one and then the other hinge axis during movement of the closure member and to urge the closure member to closed position.

This invention relates to self-closing concealed hinges and more particularly to a cabinet hainge system employing such hinges.

The prior art discloses various concealed hinges which in use are mortised into abutting edges of a cabinet door and cabinet wall, are mounted within a cabinet interior but are incapable of full 180 opening or are incapable of self-closing, or lack various other attributes of hinge and hinge systems in accordance with the present invention.

Briefly described the present invention provides se1fclosing, surface-mountable, concealed hinges affording 180 opening and closing of a cabinet closure member or door. More particularly, the present invention provides a cabinet hinge system for hinging a swingable cabinet closure member to a supporting stationary cabinet member wherein the closure member is outwardly swingable substantially 180 between closed position uniplanar with the stationary member and fully open position facing the stationary member. A first hinge leaf mounted flat on the interior face of the stationary member and a second hinge leaf mounted flat on the interior face of the closure member are each hinged to a common linking channel member in parallel spaced relation flanking the meeting edges of the members. The hinge axis between the stationary member and the channel member is stationary, and the closure member and channel member swing thereabout in unison for 90 of opening movement to partially open position. The marginal area adjacent the meeting edge of the cabinet member restrains the channel member against further swinging about the stationary axis while the closure member swings an additional 90 about the hinge axis between the closure member and the channel member to fully open position. The noted dual swinging motion of the closure member is assured by providing unequal elastic means along each hinge axis, in the form of helical springs or resilient flex hinges, coacting to urge the movable member to closed position and having unequal resistance to turning of the hinge leaves about the respective hinge axes.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a concealed hinge affording 180 movement between a pair of hinged members.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selfclosing concealed hinge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge system wherein a concealed, surface-mounted hinge accommodates substantially 180 opening and closing of a swingable door relative to an adjacent stationary wall.

Other object and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed specification, and upon examining the accompanying drawings which set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a cabinet wherein a cabinet door is hinged to an adjacent wall of the cabinet.

FIG. 2 shows a fragment of a hinge in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3 thru 5 are fragmentary views illustrating the manner in which the cabinet door, shown in FIG. 1, may be swung between open and closed positions.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a six-sided box cabinet 10 is shown which consists of top, bottom, back, front, and side walls. Each wall may be a sheet metal panel having a thickness of .090" for example. Cabinet 10 may be 19" high, 9 wide, and 20 deep. Side panel 12 may extend downward 9" from top panel 14 with its side marginal areas secured to the front panel 16 and the back panel (not shown). Door panel 18 is hinged to side panel 12 by interiorily mounted concealed hinge 20 and extends downward 10" to the bottom panel of cabinet 10. The abutting bottommost edge of side panel 12 and topmost edge of door panel 18 are slanted, as can be better seen in FIGS. 3-5, to facilitate opening and closing of door panel 18.

'Referring now to FIG. 2, hinge 20 comprises a pair of piano hinges and may have a lengthwise dimension of 18" and a vertical dimension of 2 /2. Flat hinge leaves 22 and 24 flank respective L-

shaped hinge leaves

26 and 28. Hinge

leaves

26 and 28 are spot welded together to define a U-shaped transverse configuration.

Hinge leaves

22 and 26 are hinged toegther along hinge axis 30 by a hinge pin 32 inserted through complementarily interdigitated, coaxially aligned, loop-shaped ears or knuckles 34 formed on the intersecting lateral edges of

leaves

22 and 26. Hinge

leaves

24 and 28 are hinged together about hinge pin 36 along hinge axis 38 in a similar fashion.

Helical torsion spring 39 mounted coaxially between a pair of spaced knuckles 34 on hinge pin 32 has free or unanchored radial terminal portions resting in transverse dimples on

hinge leaves

22 and 26. Helical spring 39 is preloaded so that its terminal portions

urge hinge leaves

22 and 26 toward overlapping folded relation as indicated by arrows 40. Similarly,

helical springs

42 and 44 are each mounted coaxially of hinge pin 36 and are each preloaded so that their respective radial terminal portions

urge hinge leaves

28 and 24 toward overlapping folded relation as indicated by arrows 46.

Springs

42 and 44 each have a torque-angular deflection characteristic comparable to that of spring 39 so that the torque or spring force exerted on

hinge leaves

28 and 24 is substantially double the torque or spring force exerted on

hinge leaves

22 and 26. Springs 39, 42, and 44 may be of spring steel or music wire. Stop member 48, secured to hinge leaf 24, maintains hinge leaf 24 at a angle relative to the adjacent leg of hinge leaf 28 against the spring force exerted by

springs

42 and 44 while the spring force exerted by spring 39 is unopposed so that hinge leaf 22 normally is folded onto the adjacent leg of hinge leaf 26. Stop member 48 shown near one end of hinge 20 may be positioned elsewhere as for example midway between the hinge ends. If desired, a stop member may be provided to maintain hinge leaf 22 at a 90 angle relative to the adjacent leg of hinge leaf 26.

FIGS. 3-5 considered with FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the manner in which access to the interior of cabinet 10 is achieved. In FIG. 3 door panel 18 is shown in closed position.

Hinge leaf 22 is suitably secured, as for example by spot welding, to side panel 12 and binge leaf 24 is suitably secured to door panel 18 with one terminal portion of each spring captured between associated

hinge leaf

22 or 24 and

panel

12 or 18 and the other terminal portion of each spring extending into the space within the channel and freely engaging the adjacent leg of associated L-

shaped hinge leaf

26 or 28.

To open door panel 18, the door panel is pulled outwardly upward, initially swinging door panel 18 through an arc of 90 about axis 30 to the FIG. 4 or partially open position. During this initial swinging movement of door panel 18 the spring force of spring 39 is overcome and the spring unwinds. In the FIG. 4 position hinge leaf 26 abuts the marginal area of side panel 12 whereby subsequent swinging of door panel 18 through an additional 90 to the FIG. or fully open position occurs about hinge axis 38. During this subsequent swinging movement of door panel 18 the spring force of

springs

42 and 44 is overcome and springs 42 and 44 unwind. It is noted that because the spring force exerted by

springs

42 and 44 is substantially greater than that exerted by spring 39, unwinding of

springs

42 and 44 occurs only after spring 39 has been unwound. By this arrangement, door panel 18 is caused to sequentially swing about

hinge axes

30 and 38 in the manner indicated by FIGS. 3-5. A single torsion spring having a spring force substantially double that of spring 39 may be substituted for

springs

42 and 44 as a matter of design choice to achieve the same results.

During the movement of door panel 18 from the FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 position, torsioning of

springs

39, 42 and 44 occurs so that upon release of the door panel the springs rewind and cooperate to return door panel 18 to the FIG. 3 position in a dual swinging motion about first hinge axis 38 and then about hinge axis 30.

Insofar as no stop member has been provided between

hinge leaves

22 and 26, the preload on spring 39 will urge these leaves to overlapping folded relation, as previously indicated, but Will be unable to do so as the edges of the front, back, and bottom panels of cabinet 10, when door panel 18 is in closed position, serve as a stop which maintains hinge leaf 22 at a 90 angle relative to the adjacent leg of hinge leaf 26 against the spring force exerted by spring 39.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a hinge 70 consisting of a single elongated strip of plastic material such as polyethylene which has been molded into a predetermined configuration. Central portion 72 has been molded into a channel configuration consisting of a rearward base portion 74 and a pair of

opposed leg portions

76 and 78. Lateral

marginal portions

80 and 82 flank the central portion 72 and are contiguous to respective

longitudinal portions

84 and 86 which in turn are contiguous to

leg portions

76 and 78.

Hinge portions

72, 80, and 82 are sufliciently thick to be relatively stiff and non-flexible whereas connecting

portions

84 and 86 are of reduced thickness and are sufficiently thin so as to be capable of resilient flexing about

longitudinal axes

88 and 90. Hinge 70 is shown with connecting

portions

84 and 86 subjected to flexure so that

marginal portions

80 and 82 are in parallel coplanar relation and each at right angles to the adjacent respective one of

channel legs

76 and 78. Connecting

portions

84 and 86 are naturally resilient so that in the absence of fiexure

marginal portions

80 and 82 will be rotated thereby about the respective hinge axes 88 and 90 in the directions indicated by the arrows to assume an acute angle with respect to the associated

hinge leg

76 or 78. Flex joint 84 possesses a thickness (T) about 4 half that of flex joint 86 (2T) so that the opposition to flexing of flex joint 84 is about half that of flex joint 86. It will be appreciated that the FIG. 6 hinge may be utilized in lieu of the FIG. 2 hinge in the cabinet hinge system shown in FIG. 1.

While preferred embodiments have been described hereinabove, it is to be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that all modifications, constructions, and arrangements within the scope and spirit of the appended claims fall within the ambit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-closing hinge comprising:

first and second hinge members,

a third hinge member having a channel configuration between laterally opposed edges,

each of said first and second members having aligned spaced formations along an edge thereof,

said third member having spaced aligned formations along each edge thereof,

the formations on the first member and one edge of said third member being coaxially interfitted and maintained in coaxial alignment by a first hinge pin extending through the formations to define a first swing axis,

the formations on the second member and the other edge of said third member being coaxially interfitted and maintained in coaxial alignment by a second hinge pin extending through these formations to define a second swing axis,

a first helical spring disposed concentrically of said first hinge pin having terminal portions urging said first member in a first direction of swing about the first swing axis so that said first and third members are normally in folded relation, and

second and third helical springs disposed concentrically of said second hinge pin having terminal portions urging said second member in a first direction of swing about the second swing axis so that said third and second members are normally in folded relation.

2. A self-closing door hinge system comprising:

a door member in registration with a doorway adjacent a wall member and coplanar therewith,

a hinge construction mounting said door member permitting swinging movements of said door member about first and second hinge axes,

said hinge construction including a pair of hinge segments respectively mounted on a first side of said door member and said well member, 7

a channel segment having its base portion in spaced relation to the aforementioned first sides and having opposed leg portions extending from opposite edges of said base portion toward said first sides, to said pair of hinge segments being respectively hinged about the aforesaid axes, and

unequal torsion means arranged about the respective hinge axes each setting up respective torsion forces for opposing swinging movements of said door member in one direction, and for aiding swinging movement of said door member in the opposite direction, the torsion force of the torsion spring means associated with the door mounted hinge segment being greater than the torsion force of the other torsion means so that upon swinging movement of said door member in a first direction of the door will first turn about said first axis and then about said second axis.

3. In a hinge system for hinging a door in a doorway adjacent a lateral edge of a wall, wherein the door in closed position is in registry With the doorway and coplanar with the wall, the combination of:

respective wall-mounted and door-mounted hinge leaves,

a hinge leaf of channel configuration having a base otfset inwardly of the door and the wall and having laterally spaced legs extending perpendicularly from the base each terminating in a hinged connection to the respective wall-mounted and door-mounted hinge leaves,

first torsion means arranged along a first hinge axis defined by the hinged connection between the wallmounted hinge leaf and the associated channel leg,

second torsion means arranged along a second hinge axis defined by the hinge connection between the door-mounted hinge leaf and the associated channel leg,

said torsion means cooperating to bias said door to closed position, and the arrangement being such that the door may be swung outwardly about the hinged connections into facing relation with the wall in a swinging movement about ,the first and then the second hinge axis and may be returned to closed position by the torsion forces exerted by the torsion means acting upon the hinge leaves.

4. A hinge comprising in combination:

a first hinge leaf and a second hinge leaf,

2. channel link pivotally attached to each said hinge leaf at respective first and second spaced hinge axes so that each said hinge leaf is swingable with respect to the other hinge leaf and with respect to the channel link,

first means for opposing swinging of said second hinge leaf relative to said channel link during swinging of the channel link in a first direction about said first hinge axis,

second means for opposing swinging of said channel link relative to said first hinge leaf during subsequent further swinging in the same direction of the said second hinge leaf about said second hinge axis, and

said first and second means each comprising torsion means each setting up respective torsion forces upon swinging of said second hinge leaf in the first direction operative to return said second hinge leaf in a direction opposite to the first direction in the absence of a mechanical load urging said second hinge leaf in said first direction.

5. A hinge comprising in combination:

a first hinge leaf and a second hinge leaf,

a channel link pivotally attached to each said hinge leaf at respective first and second spaced hinge axes so that each said hinge leaf is swingable with respect to the other hinge leaf and with respect to the channel link,

said first and second means each comprising elastic means each setting up respective elastic forces upon swinging of said second hinge leaf in'the first direction operative to return said second hinge leaf in a direction opposite to the first direction in the absence of a mechanical load urging said second hinge leaf in said first direction.

6. The hinge of claim wherein:

said first hinge leaf, said second hinge leaf, and said channel link are defined by respective relatively stiff body portions of a single sheet of plastic material and wherein said first means and said second means each comprise respective sheet areas of reduced thickness serving as respective resiliently flexible interconnections respectively pivotally attaching said channel link to said first hinge leaf and said second hinge leaf as aforesaid to each offer different degrees of resistance to flexing during swinging of said 5 hinge segment.

7. The hinge of claim 5 wherein: said first hinge leaf, said second hinge leaf, and said channel link are composed of respective sections of a single sheet of relatively stiff material having a plurality of laterally spaced bends extending across the sheet and serving to define in part the configuration of said channel link and further having at least two other resiliently flexible bends each extending across said sheet with said at least two other resiliently flexible bends flanking said plurality of bends to respectively constitute said first means and said second means and serving to define the configuration of said first hinge leaf and said second hinge leaf.

8. The hinge of claim 5 wherein:

said first hinge leaf, said second hinge leaf, said channel link, said first means, and said second means are formed in a single sheet having a pair of longitudinally extending bends in parallel spaced relation to define an intermediate portion thereof having a pair of laterally opposed side panels connected by a bridge panel which taken together form said channel link; the single sheet further having a pair of mounting panels each extending from corresponding terminal edges of said side panels and respectively forming said first hinge leaf and said second hinge leaf; said mounting, side, and bridge panels being relatively stiff; said mounting panels being respectively pivotally attached to said side panels by resiliently flexible portions of said sheet each having different torsion characteristics and each being a respective one of said first means and said second means.

9. The hinge of claim 5 wherein:

said first hinge leaf, said second hinge leaf, and said channel link comprise respective portions of a single sheet of plastic material having a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal edges wherein said sheet includes a pair of respective marginal body portions flanking an intermediate body portion, said body portions each being of sufficient thickness to be relatively stiff, said intermediate body portion being molded to define and constitute said channel link, said respective marginal body portions respectively being said first hinge leaf and said second hinge leaf, each respective marginal body portion having a respective area thereof which is of reduced thickness, the respective areas of said respective marginal body portions being unequal in thickness with the thinner area of said respective areas offering less resistance to flexing than the thicker area of said respective areas, said respective areas of said respective marginal body portions being respectively adjacent said intermediate body portion and respectively serving as a resiliently flexible interconnection between such respective marginal body portion and said intermediate body portion so as to respectively constitute said first means and said second means.

10. The hinge set forth in claim 5 further comprising:

stop means arranged between said channel link and said second hinge leaf for limiting the range through which said second hinge leaf may be swung about said second axis during swinging of said second hinge leaf about said second axis in a direction opposite to said same direction.

11. In a door hinge system for hinging a door in a doorway adjacent a lateral edge of a wall wherein the door in closed position is in registry with the doorway 75 and coplanar with said wall the combination of:

a wall-mounted hinge leaf and a door-mounted hinge leaf on the same side of said wall and said door;

a hinge leaf member of channel configuration having a base oifset inwardly of the aforementioned same side and having laterally spaced legs extending perpendicularly from the base each terminating in a hinged connection to a respective hinge leaf;

a first torsion spring arranged along a first one of said hinged connections and a second torsion spring arranged along a second one of said hinged connections,

said torsion springs cooperating to normally bias said door to closed position,

the arrangement being such that the door may be swung outwardly about its pivotal edge into facing relation with the Wall in a dual swinging movement about the hinge axes and may be returned to closed position under the influence of spring forces produced by torsioning of the torsion sprngs during outward swinging of the door to open position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bommer 16183 Katzenberger 16-183 Covi 16-128.1

Hansen 16-163 Hall 16128.1

Aspin 16163 Schuyler 16-144 Hedstrom 16163 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner P. A. ASCHENBRENNER, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.