US3805323A - Invisible hinge and frame to be used for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to an invisible hinge which is very easy to mount in a mortise and more particularly to a frame for invisible hinges formed so as to reduce the manufacturing cost and to simplify installation in mortises.

Description

United States Patent 1191 [111 3,805,323 Fukui Apr. 23, 1974 [5 INVISIBLE HINGE AND FRAME TO BE 1,693,004 11/1928 Soss 16/164 USED FOR THE SAME 3,209,390 10/1965 Bassan 16/164 l,682,860 9/1928 Soss l6/l64 [76] Inventor: Kamenosuke Fukui, 30,3-chome 3,611,474 10 1971 Meyer 16/164 Midorigaoka, Yao, Japan [22] Filed: June 20, 1972 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay [21] Appl' 26466l Assistant Examiner-Kenneth J. Dorner Attorney, Agent, or FirmMarkva & Smith [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 31, 1972 Japan 47-32373 Mar. 31, 1972 Japan 47-38055 Mar. 31, 1972 Japan 47-38056 57 A T C [52] US. Cl. 16/128 R, 16/164 51 1111.121 E05d 9/00 Thls memo" relates to mvlslble s Much Is 58 Field of Search 16/164, 157, 159, 163, very easy to mount in a mortise and more Particularly 16/165 166, 128 29/1 1 to a frame for invisible hinges formed so as to reduce the manufacturing cost and to simplify installation in [56] References Cited momses- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,668,137 5/1928 Anderson 16/128 R 5 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures KATENTEWFR 23 m7:

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FIG. 9..

INVISIBLE HINGE AND FRAME TO BE USED FOR THE SAME This invention relates to invisible hinges in building hardware and more particularly to a frame for such in- V visible hinges.

' The conventional invisible hinge has been considered difficult to mount. It is an object of the present invention to provide an invisible hinge which is simple and easy to mount.

The frame for prior art invisible hinges is made by cutting a brass bar material drawn to be of a convex cross-section. Therefore, not only the step is complicated but also the production of waste chips during cutting is so great that the yield from the material is about 60 percent which has increased the cost of manufacture.

Further, particularly in the structure of a small invisible hinge, laminated rib plates are set between frames made by bending metal plates, fitting plates are projected on the frames and fitting holes are made on these fitting plates. However, the required mortises have been difficult to make.

A link hinge described in Japanese utility model application publication No. 16811/1966 is designed to eliminate such problems. But this hinge is so complicated to make as to be expensive. Further, as it is to be fixed only by expanding a part of a cylindrical body, there has been a problem in the mounting strength.

As in the above, there have been many problems with invisible hinges.

A main object of the present invention is to provide an invisible hinge wherein the conventional fitting by means of fitting plates projecting out of frames is eliminated, a disk-shaped bottom is formed in the frame and fitting holes are made in this bottom so that the hinge may be simply fitted by merely making a circular hole of the same diameter as of the disk-shaped bottom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frame for an invisible hinge wherein a metal or plastic substance is molded to be of a channel-shaped crosssection, the outside of each of both side plates is made a flat surface or curved surface, a proper number of wood screw fitting holes are made on the bottom plate from the side of the concave part of the frame and no projecting part for making fitting holes is provided at all on the outer periphery of the frame so that the material may be saved, the manufacturing cost may be greatly reduced and the timed required for fitting may be reduced.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a frame for an invisible hinge wherein the fitting of an invisible hinge is made simple and easy and the fitting strength is increased.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of an invisible hinge according to the present invention;

FIG. 2.is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a developed view of a frame for invisible hinges according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an assembled view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6a is an elevation of a frame according to the present invention;

FIG. 6b is a side view of FIG. 6a;

FIG. 60 is a sectioned view on line Vlc-VI c in FIG. 6a;

FIG. 7a is an elevation of a frame according to another embodiment;

FIG. 7b is a side view of FIG. 7a; FIG. 7cis a sectioned view on line VIIc-VIIc in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a frame of a further embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a frame of a further embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an elevation of an invisible hinge having a frame according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side view of FIG. 1.0;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a frame;

FIG. 14 is a partly sectioned perspective view of a bottomed cylinder to be used for the frame of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a circular mortisefor the invisible hinge of the present invention.

. In an invisible hinge according to the present invention, a frame 1 is formed integrally of two side plates 2, a back plate 3 and a bottom plate 4. The side plate 2 is provided with a projecting tip 5. to secure the side and bottom plates to each other. The bottom plate 4 is provided with a fitting hole 6 in a position deviated or eccentric from its center 7.

Further, each of the side plates 2 is provided with a concave groove 8 into which a sliding pin 13 is inserted and separately with a fixed pin 12. The fixed pin 12 and sliding pin 13 are connected respectively through rib plates 9 through a center shaft 10.

In FIG. 4 the bottom plate 4 continuously projects out of one end of the back plate 3. The size of the bottom plate 4 is so determined that the frame I as mounted .on the bottom plate 4 may not protrude over the edge of the bottom plate 4. The diameter of the bottom plate 1 is determined to be the same as the diameter of an augur bit used to drill the mortise 16.

The fitting hole 6 is made in a position deviated or eccentric from the center 7 of the bottom plate 4. If it is made as deviated to the outside with respect to the center shaft 10 of the rib plates 9 as illustrated, it will be easy to screw in a mounting screw 17.

Further, either by soldering or electric welding the tips 5 of the side plates 2 are secured to the bottom plate 4 or the tips 5 may be passed through the bottom plate 4 and may be bent and fixed on the back surface of the bottom plate 4.

It is not different at all from any conventional invisible hinge that, in the invisible hinge of the present invention, the rib plates .9 laminated in the form of an X have the fixed pin 12, sliding pin 13 and center shaft 10 as respective fulcra so that the frame 1 may hinge to open and close.

In fitting the conventional invisible hinge, a hole to receive the frame 1 and a very shallow groove to receive the fitting plate must be made respectively to accept the shapes of the elements to be received. There fore, the fitting of such an invisible hinge has been considered to require time and skill.

Now, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the frame 21 of the invisible hinge is formed integrally of two side plates 22 and a bottom plate 24 so that a cavity 27 may be provided between the side plates. A fitting hole 26 passing through its wall is made in said bottom plate 24. A concave groove 28 is made on the inside of each side plate.

Also as mentioned above, if the frame fitting hole 26 is made as deviated outward from the center line of the frame 21, it will be easy to screw in a fitting screw 28.

Further, in case the outside of each side plate is to be made a curved surface, it may be made a semicylindrical surface of the same diameter as of the rotary blade of an auger or router bit. The frame 21 is made by casting a metallic material, injection-molding a plastic material or pressing a metal plate. As required, it may be made by making both side plates 22 and the bottom plate 24 separately and assembling them as shown in FIG. 8.

The concave groove 28 may be opened in only one direction as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 or may be opened above and below as shown at 38 in FIG. 9.

The frame of a conventional invisible hinge has been made by cutting a material. In the process of making a frame of the material, the waste portion caused by cutting and drilling reaches 36 percent by weight of the material and has been a substantial expense.

Further, in relation to FIGS. 1 to 5, the improvement of the frame for the invisible hinge according to the present invention shall be detailed in FIGS. to 15.

In this embodiment, the frame 41 shown in FIG. 13

is fitted into a cavity 59 of a cylinder 52 closed at one end. The cavity 59 of the closed cylinder 22 is made to be of the same shape and size as of the frame 41 so that the frame 41 may snugly fit in the cylindrical cavity 59. Further, the positions of both fitting hole 46 and through hole 20 are so determined that they correctly coincide with each other. The fitting hole 46 in the bottom plate 44 is countersunk but the through hole 50 made in the cylinder bottom 51 need not be countersunk.

The frame 41 may be fitted removably or secured with a binder in the cylindrical cavity 59 or the closed cylinder 52 may be molded by jetting a plastic substance around the frame 41.

In fitting this hinge, a circular mortise 56 is made, for example, in a door 53 with an auger bit, the frame 41 is fitted into the cylindrical cavity 59 of the cylinder 52, said cylinder is inserted into the circular mortise 56 and a fitting screw 58 is merely screwed in thorugh the fitting hole 46 in the bottom plate 44 of the frame 41 and the through hole 50 in the 51 bottom 59 of the cylinder 52 to complete the fitting of the hinge. Therefore, the operation is very simple. Further, as the frame 41 of the present invention is screwed to the door 53 with the fitting screw 58, its fitting strength is higher than of the already described link hinge.

As the invisible hinge of FIGS. 1-5 is of such structure as is mentioned above, in hinging the door 15, a mortise 16 is made with an auger bit having the same diameter as of the bottom plate 4 in each of the door and jamb 14, the frame 1 is inserted into the mortises 16 and the fitting screw 17 is only screwed in through the fitting hole 6 in the bottom plate 4. Therefore, the fitting of the hinge is very simple and there is an advantage that a difficult mortise need not be made.

Further, as the bottom plate 4 is fitted in thecircular mortise 16 but the fitting hole 6 is in a position deviated outward from the center 7 of the bottom plate 4, the bottom plate 4 will not rotate in the mortise 16 and will be able to be fixed more positively than in case the fitting hole 6 is made in the center 7 of the bottom plate 4.

Moreover, if the frame for the invisible hinge of the present invention is used, the rectangular mortise may only be made and therefore no trouble is required in fitting. If a curved surface is made on the outside of each side plate as shown in FIG. 6, the mortise will be able to be simply made by only cutting with a chisel the two circular holes made with an auger bit.

Thus the invisible hinge using the frame 1 of the present invention is lower in manufacturing cost and simpler and easier to fit than any conventional invisible hinge.

As mentioned above, in the conventional invisible hinge, a convex mortise has had to be made and the fitting has been difficult but, if the outside diameter of the cylinder 52 is made the same as the standard diameter of the blade of such tool for making circular holes as an auger or router bit in the present invention, the fitb. a back plate bent'substantially perpendicular to said bottom plate along said straight portion of the periphery of the bottom plate,

0. a pair of side plates bent substantially perpendicular to said back plate along opposite substantially parallel edges of said back plate whereby said side plates are substantially parallel and said bottom plate is substantially perpendicular to said side plates,

d. means securing the edge of each of said side plates to a surface of said bottom plate forming a chamber enclosed on three sides by said side plates and bottom plate for securing and receiving said plurality of contiguous rib plates, and

e. an aperture in said bottom plate eccentrically located with respect to the circular periphery thereof for receiving a screw,

f. whereby the hinge butt may be secured by a single screw against rotation in a cylindrical mortise having substantially the same diameter as the circular periphery of said bottom plate.

2. The invisible hinge butt of claim 1 wherein each of said side plates includes an aperture for securing one end of a fixed pivot pin extending from a portion of said plurality of rib plates and channel means for slidably engaging and guiding movement of a further pin extending from the remaining portion of said plurality of rib plates, said apertures and channel means being in alignment.

3. The invisible hinge butt of claim 2 further comprising a housing including a cylindrical wall with an end wall closing one end thereof, the inside diameter of said cylindrical wall being substantially the same as the diameter of the circular periphery of said bottom wall, said bottom, back and side plates being contained within said housing with said bottom plate contiguous with the interior surface of said end wall, said end wall including an aperture aligned with the aperture in said back plate.

4. An invisible hinge comprising:

a. a plurality of rib plates,

b. means pivotally securing said plates in contiguous relationship intermediate their ends, and

c. a pair of hinge butts each formed from a single piece of sheet metal and adapted to be secured in a cylindrical mortise,

d. each of said hinge butts comprising e. a bottom plate, a major portion of the periphery of which is substantially circular and a minor portion of the periphery of which is substantially straight,

f. a back plate bent substantially perpendicular to said bottom plate along said straight portion of the periphery of the bottom plate,

g. a pair of side plates bent substantially perpendicular to said back plate along opposite substantially parallel edges of said back plate, whereby said side plates are substantially parallel and said bottom plate is substantially perpendicular to said side plates,

h. means securing the edge of each of said side plates to a surface of said bottom plate forming a chamber enclosed on three sides by said side plates and bottom plate for securing and receiving said plurality of contiguous rib plates,

pivot means extending between said side plates for securing a part of said plurality of rib plates, channel means in each of said side plates and means slidably guided by said channel means extending from the remaining portion of said plurality of rib plates, and j. an aperture in said bottom plate eccentrically located with respect to the circular periphery thereof for receiving a screw,

k. whereby each of said hinge butts may be secured by a single screw against rotation in a cylindrical mortise having substantially the same diameter as the circular periphery of said bottom plate.

5. The invisible hinge of claim 4 wherein each of said butts further comprises a housing including a cylindrical wall with an end wall closing one end thereof, the inside diameter of said cylindrical wall being substantially the same as the diameter of the circular periphery of said bottom wall, said bottom, back and side plates being contained within said housing with said bottom plate contiguous with the interior surface of said end wall, said end wall including an aperture aligned with the aperture in said back plate.

Claims (5)

1. An invisible hinge butt for use with a plurality of contiguous rib plates in a hinge construction and adapted to be secured in a cylindrical mortise, said butt being formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising: a. a bottom plate, a major portion of the periphery of which is substantially circular and a minor portion of the periphery of which is subStantially straight, b. a back plate bent substantially perpendicular to said bottom plate along said straight portion of the periphery of the bottom plate, c. a pair of side plates bent substantially perpendicular to said back plate along opposite substantially parallel edges of said back plate whereby said side plates are substantially parallel and said bottom plate is substantially perpendicular to said side plates, d. means securing the edge of each of said side plates to a surface of said bottom plate forming a chamber enclosed on three sides by said side plates and bottom plate for securing and receiving said plurality of contiguous rib plates, and e. an aperture in said bottom plate eccentrically located with respect to the circular periphery thereof for receiving a screw, f. whereby the hinge butt may be secured by a single screw against rotation in a cylindrical mortise having substantially the same diameter as the circular periphery of said bottom plate.

2. The invisible hinge butt of claim 1 wherein each of said side plates includes an aperture for securing one end of a fixed pivot pin extending from a portion of said plurality of rib plates and channel means for slidably engaging and guiding movement of a further pin extending from the remaining portion of said plurality of rib plates, said apertures and channel means being in alignment.

3. The invisible hinge butt of claim 2 further comprising a housing including a cylindrical wall with an end wall closing one end thereof, the inside diameter of said cylindrical wall being substantially the same as the diameter of the circular periphery of said bottom wall, said bottom, back and side plates being contained within said housing with said bottom plate contiguous with the interior surface of said end wall, said end wall including an aperture aligned with the aperture in said back plate.

4. An invisible hinge comprising: a. a plurality of rib plates, b. means pivotally securing said plates in contiguous relationship intermediate their ends, and c. a pair of hinge butts each formed from a single piece of sheet metal and adapted to be secured in a cylindrical mortise, d. each of said hinge butts comprising e. a bottom plate, a major portion of the periphery of which is substantially circular and a minor portion of the periphery of which is substantially straight, f. a back plate bent substantially perpendicular to said bottom plate along said straight portion of the periphery of the bottom plate, g. a pair of side plates bent substantially perpendicular to said back plate along opposite substantially parallel edges of said back plate, whereby said side plates are substantially parallel and said bottom plate is substantially perpendicular to said side plates, h. means securing the edge of each of said side plates to a surface of said bottom plate forming a chamber enclosed on three sides by said side plates and bottom plate for securing and receiving said plurality of contiguous rib plates, i. pivot means extending between said side plates for securing a part of said plurality of rib plates, channel means in each of said side plates and means slidably guided by said channel means extending from the remaining portion of said plurality of rib plates, and j. an aperture in said bottom plate eccentrically located with respect to the circular periphery thereof for receiving a screw, k. whereby each of said hinge butts may be secured by a single screw against rotation in a cylindrical mortise having substantially the same diameter as the circular periphery of said bottom plate.

5. The invisible hinge of claim 4 wherein each of said butts further comprises a housing including a cylindrical wall with an end wall closing one end thereof, the inside diameter of said cylindrical wall being substantially the same as the diameter of the circular perIphery of said bottom wall, said bottom, back and side plates being contained within said housing with said bottom plate contiguous with the interior surface of said end wall, said end wall including an aperture aligned with the aperture in said back plate.

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