US530729A - Strap-hinge - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUISHH. SHOLD-ER, 0F CLEVELAND, onto.

STRAP- HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,729, dated December 11,1894. A lication filed January 29, 1894. serial No.498-422- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. SHOLDEB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Strap-Hinges; and I dohereficiency, all as hereinafter fully described and v particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form'of hinge constructed after the manner of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plain elevation of another form of the invention, and Fig. 3 is a plain elevation of still another form. Fig. 4 shows a modification with the ends at the pintle. Four several forms of the invention are thus shown, but, obviously, theinvention may take on any one of a numberof other and different forms and still retain the same principle of construction, the idea in any and all cases'being to produce a hinge having a minimum of metal and weight and a maximum amount of strength.

Hitherto in the construction of strap hinges having a relatively wide hinge connection, it has been customary to cut the hinge sections or parts from sheets of metal, and the full width of the hinge has been used, that is to say, if, for example, a hinge using a pintle three inches long were made, each part or section would be about three inches wide at its base, although, of course, only a half of that Width, or thereabout, of each part would engage the pintle. The real strength of the hinge is the strength of its weakest place, and so it occurred that although straps three inches wide were used, they had only the strength of about one-third that width. There was, therefore, much waste of metal and unnecessary weight in those hinges as well as waste in scrap in the sheets from which they were produced.

My invention has among its objects the overcoming of these objections, and by its novel-tyof construction not only producing as strong a-hinge as formerly with materially less weight and quantity-of metal, and thereby working economy in this way, but also saving very materially in the freight charges, especially in the long hauls to remote western points. Indeed,'the savings in freight in a car load of hinges from Cleveland 'to San Francisco alone would amount toa very fair profit on the goods, while the hinge itself would have superior strength and value as compared with'the corresponding hinge made the old way.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that each part or section of the hinge, A and B, is made out of a single piece orstrip of inetal cut to the required length.

It is my practice to take suitable strap iron having the desired width, and after cutting it to length according to the style of hinge to be made, bending the same to the form preferred. Thus in Fig. 1, I show. two hinge sections exactly alike" and which, after being bent back upon their middle semi-circular part 2 are turned over flatwise upon the body part of the section. Before doing this, however, I insert links 3-"which connect thehinge at its two bearing points and serve as pintles for the hinge. This gives two parallel bearingsfor the hinge, but usually I prefer to lock the link in one'of the hinge sections so that the bearing will be only on one side instead of two ofthe links. By this con struction I utilize every particle of metal in the hinge and have no surplus or waste to carry about to the real'detriment of the hinge. Assuming that-the depth of the hinge from points at and 5- is'three inches, I have a hinge that is considerably stronger and more durable than the old fashioned flat hinge which is solid between its edges, and with one-third-to one-half less weight and all of the hinge is in action. The bend or semicircle 2 serves as a connection and brace between the upper and the lower bearings on links 3-, and to most advantageously place the screws to secure the hinge firmly in place. Thus, the space between the bearings 4 and 5- is vacant, but the hinge has atleast all the strength of the old fashioned hinge of equal width with this space filled, and manifestly is lighter.

In Fig. 2 the same principle of construction obtains, but here the hinge section 0 has two semi-circular bends -6 and three bearings, 7--, -8 and 9, instead of two, as above. This hinge belongs to what is known as the T form. The middle bearing is made by bending the metal back upon itself midway of the hinge, and the end bearings by bending the ends back upon the stock and putting the fastening screw through both. A common pintle -10 unites the sections A and G. A peculiar and very strong bracing of section (3 is effected by this construction.

In Fig. 3 the two hinge sections have their bearings 11- and 12 turned quarter way round and punched through, and a common pintle here also serves the purpose. This form resembles Fig. 1 except that the bearings are quarter turned and a pintle instead of links is used to connect the sections.

It will be noticed by the foregoing construetions that in each and all cases the metal of both sections of the hinge is bent to form two Another advantage of this construction is I its durability. I use the same number of screws as formerly in hinges of the different sizes or styles, but it will be noticed that the screws pass down through a double thickness of metal and engage the overlapping and bent parts of the hinge so that to break the hinge connections the bearing must be torn out or the screws literally pulled out. In the old or common style of hinge in which the eye was simply bent around the pintle and had no means of fastening the bent part, it was not unusual for the eye to be sprung loose and drawn out and the hinge thus impaired or ruined. This hinge furthermore reduces the friction to the minimum and makes a heavy door swing more easily than other styles of hinges.

In Fig. 4 there is still another modification which reverses the idea brought out in Figs. 1 and 3, in that we here have the ends of the strap at the pintle. This formation is somewhat peculiar but altogether practical and makes a very strong hinge. Thus in each section we find the strap bent edgewise to form the semi-circular part -13, and the end thereof, 14--, given a quarter turn and perforated for the pintle. This bend -14- is diagonal to the line of curvature and at right angles to the side of the strap. The reverse bend --15, forming the middle part of the upper and lower hearings in each section corresponds to the full bearings in Fig. 1. Then midway of the length of each section the strap is bent back upon itself as seen at 16-, and the other end thereof is curved inward edgewise at 17- and then bent up at right angles like -14.--. It will be noticed that both ends of each strap come back to the same bearing; that is the ends of one section to the upper bearing and the ends of the other section to the lower bearing. I also show in this view a short pintle for each bearing, but a long one may be used.

By bending the strap at -16, substantially as shown, I avoid having the free ends shown in Fig. 1, and this is advantageous commercially and in handling the hinge before it is placed in position on a door.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a strap hinge, a leaf formed from a single piece of strap metal of predetermined length and width having a double bend, one of said bends being edgewise of the strap and the other flatwise thereof and the edgewise bent portion being thus turned back upon the face of the flat portion, whereby pintle bearings are formed atthe junction of said bends, and the edgewise bent portion forms a brace between said bearings, substantially as set forth.

2. A hinge leaf constructed substantially as described, comprising a plurality of arms for attachment to one of the hinged parts, a semi-circular brace connecting the inner ends of two of said arms and pintle bearing cars at the extremities of said brace and at right angles thereto and to said arms, substantially as set forth.

3. A hinge section consisting of strap metal having a plurality of bearings and a portion thereof bent edgewise and forming a brace between said bearings and the portion formingsaid bearings bent at right angles to said edgewise portion, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification.

LOUIS H. SHOLDER.

Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, GEORGIA SOHAEFFER.

IIO

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