U.S. patent application number 10/072311 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-12 for hinge assembly for a door of kimchi storage device.
Invention is credited to Lee, Young-Gil.
Application Number | 20020124738 10/072311 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27350401 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020124738 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee, Young-Gil |
September 12, 2002 |
HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A DOOR OF KIMCHI STORAGE DEVICE
Abstract
The present invention relates to a hinge assembly for a door of
a kimchi storage device which mounts a door opening and closing a
storage chamber of the kimehi storage device on the upper surface
of a body. There is provided an integral hinge assembly for a door
of a kimchi storage device which can prevent the impact during door
opening and closing operations and can prevent the damage of the
door by interconnecting: a cover plate fixed to a body; a hinge
housing in which there are inserted an elastic means, a support
plate backing up the elastic means, a control plate controlling a
springback force and a support member connected to the elastic
means and supporting a force between the elastic means and a press
member; a turn member connected with the press member and fixed to
the door.
Inventors: |
Lee, Young-Gil; (Asan-shi,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FRANK R. OCCHIUTI
Fish & Richardson P.C.
225 Franklin Street
Boston
MA
02110-2804
US
|
Family ID: |
27350401 |
Appl. No.: |
10/072311 |
Filed: |
February 8, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/468 ;
99/473 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 3/001 20130101;
E05D 11/1064 20130101; F25D 2400/10 20130101; E05F 1/1261 20130101;
E05Y 2800/21 20130101; F25D 23/028 20130101; F25D 2323/024
20130101; E05Y 2900/306 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
99/468 ;
99/473 |
International
Class: |
A01J 011/04; A23B
004/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 9, 2001 |
KR |
2001-6477 |
Feb 9, 2001 |
KR |
2001-6478 |
Feb 9, 2001 |
KR |
2001-6479 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A kimchi storage device having a body formed with at least one
storage chamber, an upper door rotatably disposed at the upper
portion of the body through a hinge assembly and opening and
closing the storage chamber and a cooling machine and heating
machine for maturing and cooling kimchi in the storage chamber, the
hinge assembly for a door, the hinge assembly comprising: a hinge
housing fixed to one side of the body through a cover plate coupled
to cover a compartment of which one side is open; a turn member
fixed to the rear surface of the door and at the same time
rotatably coupled to the upper end of the hinge housing by
inserting a hinge axis into one end of said turn member; a
roller-shaped press member rotatably disposed at the upper end of
the turn member through a roller axis; a support member slidably
contacted to the press member through a polygonal sloping contact
surface, disposed in the compartment of the hinge housing and
formed with a spring insertion hole at the other side of the
sloping contact surface; a pair of spring members inserted into the
spring insertion hole of the support member in order to press the
support member with respect to the press member; and a control
plate operationally coupled to an adjusting screw penetratingly
disposed outwardly of the hinge housing in order to control the
springback force of the spring member while supporting the lower
portion of the elastic means.
2. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the turn member is fixed
to the rear surface of the door through a door support flange
extended to both sides, one end of the turn member at which the
hinge axis and the press member are assembled being inserted into
the compartment of the hinge housing, the hinge housing having an
axial hole for coupling the hinge axis at one edge portion of
lateral sides of the compartment and a plurality of engaging ribs
for engaging the cover plate that are extruded integrally along
both front sections of the compartment.
3. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the sloping contact
surface of the supp ort member consists of first and second contact
surfaces, the first and second contact surfaces being formed
integrally as a continuous, screw-type sloping surface.
4. A kimchi storage having a body formed with at least one storage
chamber and an upper open/shut type door rotatably opening and
closing the storage chamber, wherein the body and the door being
hinge-coupled, the hinge assembly comprising: a hinge housing fixed
to one side of the body through a cover plate coupled to cover a
compartment of which one side is open; a rotary member fixed to the
rear surface of the door, rotatably coupled to the hinge housing by
the medium of a hinge axis and having a compartment of which one
side is open; a roller-shaped press member rotatably disposed at
one free end portion of the rotary member; a support member having
a sloping contact surface for enabling a sliding motion by
maintaining a rolling contact with the press member in the
compartment of the hinge housing and having a spring insertion hole
at the opposite side of the sloping contact surface; an elastic
means consisting of a pair of first spring members inserted into
the spring insertion hole of the support member and a pair of
second spring members connected to the first spring members in
series by the medium of a connection plate; and a control panel
operationally coupled to an adjusting screw penetratingly disposed
outwardly of the hinge housing in order to control the springback
force of the elastic means while supporting the lower portion of
the elastic means.
5. The hinge assembly of claim 4, wherein the spring constant of
the first spring member is smaller than that of the second spring
member.
6. The hinge assembly of claim 4, wherein the rotary member is
fixed to the rear surface of the door through a door support flange
extended to both sides, one free end portion of the rotary member
at which the hinge axis and the press member are assembled being
inserted into the compartment of the hinge housing, the hinge
housing having an axial hole for coupling the hinge axis at one
edge portion of lateral sides of the compartment and a plurality of
engaging ribs for engaging the cover plate that are extruded
integrally along both front sections of the compartment.
7. The hinge assembly of claim 4, wherein the sloping contact
surface of the support member consists of first and second contact
surfaces, the first and second contact surfaces being formed
integrally as a continuous, screw-type sloping surface.
8. A kimchi storage having a body formed with at least one storage
chamber and an upper open/shut type door rotatably opening and
closing the storage chamber, wherein the body and the door being
hinge-coupled, the hinge assembly comprising: a hinge housing fixed
to one side of the body through a cover plate coupled to cover a
compartment of which one side is open; a rotary member fixed to the
rear surface of the door, rotatably coupled to the hinge housing by
the medium of a hinge axis and having a compartment of which one
side is open; a roller-shaped press member rotatably disposed at
one free end portion of the rotary member; a support member having
a sloping contact surface for enabling a sliding motion by
maintaining a rolling contact with the press member in the
compartment of the hinge housing and having a spring insertion hole
at the opposite side of the sloping contact surface; an elastic
means formed in a dual structure in which a pair of third spring
members inserted into the spring insertion hole of the support
member are inserted into a pair of fourth spring members with a
smaller length and a larger diameter than the third spring member;
and a control panel operationally coupled to an adjusting screw
penetratingly disposed outwardly of the hinge housing in order to
control the springback force of the elastic means while supporting
the lower portion of the elastic means.
9. The hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the spring constant of
the third spring member is smaller than that of the fourth spring
member.
10. The hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the rotary member is
fixed to the rear surface of the door through a door support flange
extended to both sides, one free end portion of the rotary member
at which the hinge axis and the press member are assembled being
inserted into the compartment of the hinge housing, the hinge
housing having an axial hole for coupling the hinge axis at one
edge portion of lateral sides of the compartment and a plurality of
engaging ribs for engaging the cover plate that are extruded
integrally along both front sections of the compartment.
11. The hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the sloping contact
surface of the support member consists of first and second contact
surfaces, the first and second contact surfaces being formed
integrally as a continuous, screw-type sloping surface.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a hinge assembly for a door
of a kimchi storage device, and more particularly, to a hinge
assembly for a door of a kimchi storage device which prevents
opening and closing impact of a door and enables stable opening and
closing by alleviating an opening and closing speed of the door by
a springback force of an elastic means when mounting the door at an
upper surface of the body of the kimchi storage device having a
storage chamber and opening and closing the same, the door being
rotated in one direction and opening and closing the storage
chamber.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] As is generally known, in recent times, kimchi storage
devices for exclusive use for kimchi, which can mature and preserve
kimchi optimally by using the principles of a refrigerator are
being commonly used.
[0005] The kimchi storage device is constituted in such a manner
that it can mature kimchi adequately according to a seasonal
variation and a user's taste and then preserve the taste of the
well-matured kimchi for a long time at a proper temperature.
[0006] While a general refrigerator is constituted to open and shut
a door laterally, it is common that such a kimchi storage device is
provided with an upper open/shut type door having a small overall
size which is hingeably fixed to the upper surface of the body and
is moved longitudinally to and away from the open position.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional kimchi
storage device; FIG. 2 is an extended perspective view of the
dissembled state of a hinge joint of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view
of the hinge joint in the door-shut state; and FIG. 4 is a side
view of the hinge joint in the door-open state.
[0008] As illustrated therein, two separate kimchi storage chambers
3 are provided in the body 6 of the kimchi storage device which
forms the appearance. Two doors 5 are hinged to the upper end of
the rear surface of the body 6 in order to open and shut these two
kimchi storage chambers 3 by lifting them upwardly.
[0009] The control of all operations of the kimchi storage is
performed in a control panel 7 provided at the front surface of the
body 6.
[0010] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a body hinge portion 20
rotatably supporting the door 5 is prepared at the upper end of the
rear surface of the body 6. A door hinge portion 30 rotatably
connected to the body hinge portion 20 is prepared at the back
region of the door 5.
[0011] The body hinge portion 20 has a hinge bracket 21 of a
predetermined length fixed to a top cover 15 and a hinge cover 25
blocking the back region of the hinge bracket 21. The hinge bracket
21 is disposed so that its upper end portion is protruded upwardly
of the top cover 15. At both sides in the hinge axial direction of
the hinge bracket 21, an axial coupling hole 28 for coupling a
hinge axis 40 is formed. The hinge cover 25 is connected to the
hinge bracket 21 in order to block the back region of the hinge
bracket 21.
[0012] The door hinge portion 30 has a hinge containing portion 33
formed as a certain containing space in the back region and
partially containing the upper region of the body hinge portion 20
and an axis connection portion 31 prepared as a certain space at
both sides of the hinge containing portion 33 for connecting the
hinge axis 40. The hinge containing portion 33 and the axial
connection portion 31 are segregated from each other by both side
walls of the hinge containing portion 33. At both side walls of the
hinge containing portion 33, a turn axis hole 38 for communicating
the hinge containing portion 33 and the axis connection portion 31
is formed so that it corresponds to the axial coupling hole 28 of
the hinge bracket 21.
[0013] The hinge axis 40 is coupled to the axial coupling hole 28
formed at the hinge bracket 21 of the body hinge portion 20 from
the axis connection portion 31 of the door hinge portion 30 via the
turn axis hole 38.
[0014] By such a constitution, the door hinge portion 30 is
rotatably connected to the body hinge portion 20 prepared at the
upper end of the rear surface of the body 6, and thusly the door 5
is connected to the body 6 to rotatably open and shut the storage
chambers 3.
[0015] However, in the conventional kimchi storage device, there is
a problem that a bilateral movement of the door 5 occurs since an
upper region of the body hinge portion 20 is contained in the hinge
containing portion 33 of the door hinge portion 30 and both sides
of the body hinge portion 20 are connected to rotatably support
both inner side walls of the hinge containing portion 33 of the
door 5.
[0016] In addition, since the hinge containing portion 33
containing the body hinge portion 20 is formed as a certain
containing space at the back region of the door 5, the back region
of an upper wall of the hinge containing portion 33 is contacted to
the rear surface of the body hinge portion 20, that is, to the
outer surface of the hinge cover 25 when the door 5 is opened. At
this time, if the load of the door 5 is transferred to the contact
portion to thus open the door 5 by force, the back region of the
door 5 is damaged.
[0017] Furthermore, according to a hinge structure according to the
conventional construction, since there is no particular structure
for fixing and holding the door 5 when opening the door 5, the door
5 is brought to a fully shut position or to a fully open position.
If the door 5 is not held on the way, the door 5 is rapidly shut by
the self-weight of the door 5 for thereby giving an impact to the
entire kimchi storage device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to
provide a hinge assembly for a door of a kimchi storage device
which eliminates the need to prepare a hinge joint when forming a
body or door by manufacturing a hinge assembly and assembling it
between the body and the door instead of preparing a body hinge
portion and a door hinge portion and interconnecting them in the
conventional art, improves the production efficiency by simplifying
a process, and prevents the opening and closing impact of the door
to thus enable stable opening and closing operations by preventing
the lateral movement of the door and alleviating the opening and
closing speed of the door by the springback force of a spring
member.
[0019] To achieve the above object, there is provided a kimchi
storage device having a body formed with at least one storage
chamber, an upper door rotatably disposed at the upper portion of
the body through a hinge assembly and opening and closing the
storage chamber and a cooling machine and heating machine for
maturing and cooling kimchi in the storage chamber, the hinge
assembly for a door, the hinge assembly comprising: a hinge housing
fixed to one side of the body through a cover plate coupled to
cover a compartment of which one side is open; a turn member fixed
to the rear surface of the door and at the same time rotatably
coupled to the upper end of the hinge housing by inserting a hinge
axis into one end of said turn member; a roller-shaped press member
rotatably disposed at the upper end of the turn member through a
roller axis; a support member slidably contacted to the press
member through a polygonal sloping contact surface, disposed in the
compartment of the hinge housing and formed with a spring insertion
hole at the other side of the sloping contact surface; an elastic
means inserted into the spring insertion hole of the support member
in order to press the support member with respect to the press
member; and a control plate operationally coupled to an adjusting
screw penetratingly disposed outwardly of the hinge housing in
order to control the springback force of the spring member while
supporting the lower portion of the elastic means.
[0020] The elastic means is a pair of spring members.
[0021] In addition, the elastic means consists of a pair of first
spring members inserted into the spring insertion hole of the
support member and a pair of second spring members connected to
these first spring members in series by the medium of a connection
plate.
[0022] In addition, the elastic means is formed in a dual structure
in which a pair of first spring members inserted into the spring
insertion hole of the support member are inserted into one pair of
second spring members with a length smaller than that of the first
spring member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The above objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional kimchi
storage device;
[0025] FIG. 2 is an expanded perspective view of the dissembled
state of a hinge joint of the conventional kimchi;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a side view of the hinge joint in the door-shut
position of FIG. 2;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a side view of the hinge joint in the door-open
position of FIG. 2;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a perspective assembly view of a hinge assembly
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIGS. 6 and 7 are plane partial cutaway views of the storage
employing a hinge assembly according to the first embodiment of the
present invention;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a perspective assembly view of a hinge assembly
according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIGS. 9 and 10 are plane partial cutaway views of the
storage employing a hinge assembly according to the second
embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 11 is a perspective assembly view of a hinge assembly
according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and
[0033] FIGS. 12 and 13 are partial cutaway plane views of the
storage employing a hinge assembly according to the second
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0034] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition,
the following embodiments do not limit the scope of rights of the
present invention, but are suggested as an example. In the
following description, same drawing reference numerals as the
conventional art are used for the same elements.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a perspective assembly view of a hinge assembly
according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] As illustrated therein, the hinge assembly according to the
present invention includes a turn member 50 fixed to the door side,
a hinge housing 70 forming a compartment 70a in a case shape, a
roller-shaped press member 65 disposed at the turn member 50, a
hexahedral support member 90 and a pair of spring members 80, said
support member and spring members being placed in the compartment
70a of the hinge housing 70, a support plate 86, a control plate
84, and a cover plate 100 fixed to the body.
[0037] The turn member 50 fixed to the door side has a turn member
body 51 with a door support flange 52 extending from the both ends
of the turn member body 51 in a direction approximately
perpendicular to opposite ends of the body 51 in spaced parallel
relation. At the door support flange 52, first and second screw
holes 53 for screwing fastening screw(s) are formed. At the portion
horizontally extended and connected from the turn member body 51 to
the door support flange 52 at a right angle, first and second
reinforcing ribs 55 are formed to increase strength.
[0038] At lateral sides of the turn member body 51, first and
second axial coupling holes 56 for coupling the hinge axis
rotatable with the hinge housing 70 are formed. At the front end of
the lateral sides, first and second pin holes 57 for rotatably
coupling the roller-shaped press member 65 are formed.
[0039] The hinge housing 70 has a shape of an approximately cut
case in which lateral sides 71 and a lower side 72 form a right
angle, of which one side being open for hinge coupling with the
turn member 50 and being formed with a projection that is curved
and has an axial hole 74 at the edge of the lateral side 71. Along
the front section of the lateral side 71, a plurality of engagement
ribs 75 for engaging with the cover plate 100 are extruded
integrally at predetermined intervals. At the lower side 72 of the
hinge housing 70, an adjusting screw hole is formed in order to
insert an adjusting screw 120.
[0040] The opened portion of the hinge housing 70 contains the
portion having the axial coupling hole 56 of the turn member body
51. The hinge axis 60 passes through the turn member 50 via the
axial coupling hole 56 of the turn member body 51 from the axial
hole 74 of the hinge housing and then is coupled to the axial
coupling hole 56 of the other side via the other axial hole 74 of
the hinge housing 70. At this time, a washer is inserted between
those bodies through which the hinge axis passes in consideration
of friction and axial directional movement.
[0041] The thusly assembled hinge axis 60 serves as a turn axis of
a door.
[0042] According to the above structure, by coupling the turn
member 50 and the hinge housing 70 by the hinge axis 60, the turn
member 50 becomes rotatable within a predetermined angle. Once the
turn member 50 is moved toward the open position at an angle of up
to 90 degrees and is rotated, it is rotated no more as outer
surfaces of the turn member body 51 and hinge housing 70 are
contacted with one another.
[0043] In addition, the roller-shaped press member 65 is rotatably
coupled by an engaging pin between the pin holes 57 formed at the
front end of the lateral sides of the turn member 50, that is, at
the front end spaced at a predetermined distance from the axial
coupling hole 56 assembled with the hinge axis 60. The width
between the lateral sides of the turn member 50 to which the press
member 65 is coupled must be smaller than the width of the
compartment 70a formed between the lateral sides of the hinge
housing 70.
[0044] Moreover, the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70 is
provided with a pair of spring members 80 having a springback
force, a hexagonal support member 90 having a spring insertion hole
92 for insert-coupling one end of the spring member 80 while
containing it and having a sloping contact surface curved at
multiple angles, a support plate 86 for backing up the other free
end of the spring member 80 and a control plate 84 for controlling
the force of the spring member 80.
[0045] The sloping contact surface of the support member 90 becomes
higher as it goes toward a second contact surface 90b at the back
from a first contact surface 90a of the front when viewed from the
front side, thereby forming a sloping shape, and it is contacted
with the roller-shaped press member 65 connected to the front end
of the turn member 50. At the rotation of the turn member 50, the
press member 65 is slidably moved along the sloping contact surface
of the support member 90 while maintaining a rolling contact and
applies a force to the support member 90 supported by the spring
member 80 due to the shape of the sloping contact surface.
[0046] At this time, it is preferable that the press member 65 and
the support member 90 are manufactured by using resin material with
excellent durability so that a frictional force can be minimized
and a sliding motion can be easily performed.
[0047] The springback force of the spring member 80 can be
controlled by the control plate 84 by clamping or unclamping the
adjusting screw. When clamping the adjusting screw 120 coupled to
the adjusting screw hole formed at the support plate 86 and the
lower side 72 of the hinge housing 70, the control plate 84 is
pushed upwardly to apply a force to the spring member 80 and
compress it, for thereby increasing the springback force of the
spring member 80.
[0048] The surfaces of the hinge housing 70 containing the spring
member 80, the support member 90 and the like in the compartment
70a is covered by the cover plate 100.
[0049] At this time, the cover plate 100 serves to cover an open
inner region of the hinge housing 70 and at the same time fix the
hinge housing 70 to the body of the kimchi storage device, and it
is provided with an engagement groove 107 for insertingly engaging
a plurality of engaging ribs 75 extruded integrally along the front
section of the lateral sides 71 of the hinge housing 70 and a body
support flange 102 having a plurality of screw holes 105 for a
screw assembly with the body of the kimchi storage device.
[0050] At this time, it is preferred that a buffer member 110 made
of sponge material is inserted between the spring member 80 in the
hinge housing 70 and the cover plate 100 in order to prevent a
contact friction between the spring member 80 of which motion is
relatively frequently changed and the inner surface of the cover
plate 100 during the opening and closing of the door.
[0051] Furthermore, after the engagement groove 107 of the cover
plate 100 is insertingly engaged to the engaging rib 75 of the
hinge housing 70, the engaging rib 75 portion extruded to the outer
surface of the cover plate 100 is pressed so that it can be
contacted with the outer surface of the cover plate 100 in
parallel, thereby increasing the robustness of the engagement and
making the engaging rib 75 easily fixed and mounted to the flat
rear surface of the body of the kimchi storage device.
[0052] FIGS. 6 and 7 are views illustrating the state that the
hinge assembly is fixed to the storage according to the first
embodiment of the present invention. Referring to this, the
assembling state and operational effect of the present invention
will now be described.
[0053] The turn member 50 is fixed and mounted to the back region
of the door 5 through the door support flange 52 by a screw
assembly. The cover plate 100 covering an open surface of the hinge
housing 70 by engagement is fixed and mounted to the upper end of
the rear surface of the body 6 through the body support flange 102
by a screw assembly.
[0054] In this way, in the state that the turn member 50 and hinge
housing 70 of the hinge assembly are assembled, the turn member 50
fixed to the door 5 side is moved backwardly toward the fully open
position when opening the door 5. When the door 5 is fully open,
the turn member 50 is moved backwardly at an angle of up to 90
degrees with respect to the upper end of the body 6, and then is
rotated no more by the contact between the outer surface of the
turn member body 51 and the outer surface of the hinge housing
70.
[0055] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in the case of
closing the door 5, the turn member 50 is moved forwardly toward
the fully closed position and then the press member 65 is slidably
moved in the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70 while
maintaining a rolling contact with the sloping contact surface of
the support member 90.
[0056] At this time, the press member 65, which is contacted on the
first contact surface 90a of the sloping contact surface when the
door 5 is brought to the fully open position, is gradually slided
on the second contact surface 90b as the door 5 is closed. Due to
the sloping shape of the sloping contact surface, resultantly, the
press member 65 presses the support member 90 downwardly and thus
the spring member 80 connected with the support member 90 receives
a compression force.
[0057] As the door 5 comes to the closed position closer, the
compression force applied to the spring member 80 through the
support member 90 becomes larger and accordingly the springback
force of the spring member 80 also becomes larger.
[0058] In addition, since the sloping contact surface of the
support member 90 is curved at multiple angles, it is prevented
that the press member 65 returns to the first contact surface 90a
from the second contact surface 90b without an external force even
if the external force was removed during the closing operation of
the door 5.
[0059] Therefore, it is possible to maintain a gas tight and thus
prevent the leakage of cold air, when the door 5 is in the fully
open position. If the movement of the door 5 is stopped during
opening and closing operations, stable opening and closing
operations of the door 5 are achieved by the springback force of
the spring member 80.
[0060] Moreover, as the door 5 is closed, the resistance by the
springback force of the spring member 80 is increased for thereby
decreasing the closing speed of the door 5. Hence, by the time the
door 5 is contacted to the body 6, the closing speed of the door 5
is drastically reduced to thus alleviate an impact.
[0061] In the case that the springback force of the spring member
80 is weak and thus the force supporting the door 5 is also weak,
the springback force of the spring member 80 can be controlled by
clamping the adjusting screw 120.
[0062] Next, FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective assembly view of a
hinge assembly according to a second embodiment of the present
invention.
[0063] As illustrated therein, the hinge assembly according to the
present invention includes a turn member 50 fixed to the door side,
a hinge housing 70 forming a compartment 70a in a case shape, a
roller-shaped press member 65 disposed at the turn member 50, a
hexahedral support member 90 and an elastic means with first and
second spring members 81 and 82 interconnected by the medium of a
connection plate 83, said support member 90 and elastic means being
placed in the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70, a support
plate 86, a control plate 84, and a cover plate 100 fixed to the
body.
[0064] That is to say, the constitution of the second embodiment is
identical to that of the first embodiment excepting the elastic
means.
[0065] The turn member 50 fixed to the door side has a turn member
body 51 with a door support flange 52 extending from the both ends
of the turn member body 51 in a direction approximately
perpendicular to opposite ends of the body 51 in spaced parallel
relation. At the door support flange 52, first and second screw
holes 53 for screwing fastening screw(s) are formed. At the portion
horizontally extended and connected from the turn member body 51 to
the door support flange 52 at a right angle, first and second
reinforcing ribs 55 are formed to increase strength.
[0066] At lateral sides of the turn member body 51, first and
second axial coupling holes 56 for coupling the hinge axis
rotatable with the hinge housing 70 are formed. At the front end of
the lateral sides, first and second pin holes 57 for rotatably
coupling the roller-shaped press member 65 are formed.
[0067] The hinge housing 70 has a shape of an approximately cut
case in which lateral sides 71 and a lower side 72 form a right
angle, of which one side being open for hinge coupling with the
turn member 50 and being formed with a projection that is curved
and has an axial hole 74 at the edge of the lateral side 71. Along
the front section of the lateral side 71, a plurality of engagement
ribs 75 for engaging with the cover plate 100 are extruded
integrally at predetermined intervals. At the lower side 72 of the
hinge housing 70, an adjusting screw hole is formed in order to
insert an adjusting screw 120.
[0068] The opened portion of the hinge housing 70 contains the
portion having the axial coupling hole 56 of the turn member body
51. The hinge axis 60 passes through the turn member 50 via the
axial coupling hole 56 of the turn member body 51 from the axial
hole 74 of the hinge housing and then is coupled to the axial
coupling hole 56 of the other side via the other axial hole 74 of
the hinge housing 70. At this time, a washer is inserted between
those bodies through which the hinge axis passes in consideration
of friction and axial directional movement.
[0069] The thusly assembled hinge axis 60 serves as a turn axis of
a door.
[0070] According to the above structure, by coupling the turn
member 50 and the hinge housing 70 by the hinge axis 60, the turn
member 50 becomes rotatable within a predetermined angle. Once the
turn member 50 is moved toward the open position at an angle of up
to 90 degrees and is rotated, it is rotated no more as outer
surfaces of the turn member body 51 and hinge housing 70 are
contacted with one another.
[0071] In addition, the roller-shaped press member 65 is rotatably
coupled by an engaging pin between the pin holes 57 formed at the
front end of the lateral sides of the turn member 50, that is, at
the front end spaced at a predetermined distance from the axial
coupling hole 56 assembled with the hinge axis 60. The width
between the lateral sides of the turn member 50 to which the press
member 65 is coupled must be smaller than the width of the
compartment 70a formed between the lateral sides of the hinge
housing 70.
[0072] Moreover, the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70 is
provided with a two-stage elastic means in which first and second
spring members 81 and 82 with a springback force are serially
connected by the medium of a connection plate 83, a hexagonal
support member 90 having a spring insertion hole 92 for
insert-coupling one end of the first spring member 81 while
containing it and having a sloping contact surface curved at
multiple angles, a support plate 86 for backing up the other free
end of the second spring member 82 and a control plate 84 for
controlling the force of the elastic means.
[0073] The elastic means consists of one pair of first spring
members 81 and the other pair of second spring members 82. At this
time, the spring constant of the first spring member 81 is
different from that of the second spring member 82. The spring
members each are formed in a serial structure with the connection
plate 83 therebetween.
[0074] At this time, as viewed from the connection plate 83, the
spring constant of the first spring member 81 connected to the
spring insertion hole 92 of the support member 90 is smaller than
that of the second spring member 82 connected to the control plate
84.
[0075] The sloping contact surface of the support member 90 becomes
sloped as the height of a second contact surface 90b at the back
becomes larger than that of a first contact surface 90a of the
front when viewed from the front side, and it is contacted with the
roller-shaped press member 65 connected to the front end of the
turn member 50. At the rotation of the turn member 50, the press
member 65 is slidably moved along the sloping contact surface of
the support member 90 while maintaining a rolling contact and
applies a force to the support member 90 supported by the first
spring member 81 of the elastic means due to the shape of the
sloping contact surface.
[0076] At this time, it is preferable that the press member 65 and
the support member 90 are manufactured by using resin material with
excellent durability so that a frictional force can be minimized
and a sliding motion can be easily performed.
[0077] The springback force of the elastic means can be controlled
by the control plate 84 by clamping or unclamping the adjusting
screw. When clamping the adjusting screw 120 coupled to the
adjusting screw hole formed at the support plate 86 and the lower
side 72 of the hinge housing 70, the control plate 84 is pushed
upwardly to apply a force to the elastic means and compress it, for
thereby increasing the springback force of the elastic means.
[0078] The surfaces of the hinge housing 70 containing the elastic
means, the support member 90 and the like in the compartment 70a
are covered by the cover plate 100.
[0079] At this time, the cover plate 100 serves to cover an open
inner region of the hinge housing 70 and at the same time fix the
hinge housing 70 to the body of the kimchi storage device, and it
is provided with an engagement groove 107 for insertingly engaging
a plurality of engaging ribs 75 extruded integrally along the front
section of the lateral sides 71 of the hinge housing 70 and a body
support flange 102 having a plurality of screw holes 105 for a
screw assembly with the body of the kimchi storage device.
[0080] At this time, it is preferred that a buffer member 110 made
of sponge material is inserted between the elastic means in the
hinge housing 70 and the cover plate 100 in order to prevent a
contact friction between the elastic means of which motion is
relatively frequently changed and the inner surface of the cover
plate 100 during the opening and closing of the door.
[0081] Furthermore, after the engagement groove 107 of the cover
plate 100 is insertingly engaged to the engaging rib 75 of the
hinge housing 70, the engaging rib 75 portion extruded to the outer
surface of the cover plate 100 is pressed so that it can be
contacted with the outer surface of the cover plate 100 in
parallel, thereby increasing the robustness of the engagement and
making the engaging rib 75 easily fixed and mounted to the flat
rear surface of the body of the kimchi storage device.
[0082] FIGS. 9 and 10 are views illustrating the state that the
hinge assembly is fixed to the storage according to the second
embodiment of the present invention. Referring to this, the
assembling state and operational effect of the present invention
will now be described.
[0083] The turn member 50 is fixed and mounted to the back region
of the door 5 through the door support flange 52 by a screw
assembly. The cover plate 100 covering an open surface of the hinge
housing 70 by engagement is fixed and mounted to the upper end of
the rear surface of the body 6 through the body support flange 102
by a screw assembly.
[0084] In this way, in the state that the turn member 50 and hinge
housing 70 of the hinge assembly are assembled, the turn member 50
fixed to the door 5 side is moved backwardly toward the fully open
position when opening the door 5. When the door 5 is fully open,
the turn member 50 is moved backwardly at an angle of up to 90
degrees with respect to the upper end of the body 6, and then is
rotated no more by the contact between the outer surface of the
turn member body 51 and the outer surface of the hinge housing
70.
[0085] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 10, in the case of
closing the door 5, the turn member 50 is moved forwardly toward
the fully closed position and then the press member 65 is slidably
moved in the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70 while
maintaining a rolling contact with the sloping contact surface of
the support member 90.
[0086] At this time, the press member 65, which is contacted on the
first contact surface 90a when the door 5 is brought to the fully
open position, is gradually slided on the second contact surface
90b as the door 5 is closed. Due to the sloping shape of the
sloping contact surface, resultantly, the press member 65 presses
the support member 90 downwardly and thus the elastic means
connected with the support member 90 receives a compression
force.
[0087] As the door 5 comes to the closed position closer, the
compression force applied to the elastic means through the support
member 90 becomes larger and accordingly the springback force of
the elastic means also becomes larger.
[0088] In addition, since the sloping contact surface of the
support member 90 is curved at multiple angles, it is prevented
that the press member 65 returns to the first contact surface 90a
from the second contact surface 90b without an external force even
if the external force was removed during the closing operation of
the door 5.
[0089] Therefore, it is possible to maintain a gas tight and thus
prevent the leakage of cold air, when the door 5 is in the fully
open position. If the movement of the door 5 is stopped during
opening and closing operations, stable opening and closing
operations of the door 5 are achieved by the springback force of
the elastic means.
[0090] Moreover, as the door 5 is closed, the resistance by the
springback force of the elastic means is increased for thereby
decreasing the closing speed of the door 5. Hence, by the time the
door 5 is contacted to the body 6, the closing speed of the door 5
is drastically reduced to thus alleviate an impact.
[0091] Therefore, the larger the spring constant of the elastic
means becomes, the larger the resistance by the springback force of
the elastic means becomes to thus alleviate an impact much more
during the door closing operation. On the contrary, during the door
opening operation, the door 5 is opened by the force as large as
the resistance for thereby increasing an opening impact.
[0092] Thus, the spring members with different spring constants are
formed in two stages by connecting them in series.
[0093] In other words, in the case of closing the door 5, as the
first spring member 81 with a smaller spring constant connected to
the support member 90 is firstly compressed to receive a force. As
the door 5 become closer and closer to the closed position, the
second spring member 82 with a larger spring constant connected by
the medium of the connection plate 83 is compressed after the first
spring member 81 is sufficiently compressed.
[0094] Hence, at the time the door 5 is contacted to the body 6,
the resistance by the springback force of the second spring member
82 with a larger spring constant is applied to thus alleviate the
closing speed of the door 5 much more, thereby making the door
closed stably and without giving an impact.
[0095] On the other hand, in the case of opening the door 5, the
resistance of the second spring member 82 with a larger spring
constant is applied to thus open the door by a larger force.
However, as the opening operation proceeds and the latter half of
the operation comes, the resistance of the first spring member 81
with a smaller spring constant is applied to thus alleviate the
opening speed during the fully opening operation of the door 5.
[0096] The e above-mentioned elastic means formed in two stages
with a serial structure is constituted to be stable and to
alleviate the impact during both door opening and closing
operations.
[0097] In the case that the springback force of the elastic means
is weak and thus the force supporting the door 5 is also weak, the
springback force of the elastic means can be controlled by clamping
the adjusting screw 120.
[0098] Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention
will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0099] FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective assembly view of a hinge
assembly according to the third embodiment of the present
invention.
[0100] As illustrated therein, the hinge assembly according to the
present invention includes a turn member 50 fixed to the door side,
a hinge housing 70 fonning a compartment 70a in a case shape, a
roller-shaped press member 65 disposed at the turn member 50, a
hexahedral support member 90 and an elastic means with a dual
structure consisting of third and fourth spring members 87 and 88
interconnected by the medium of a connection plate 83, said support
member 90 and elastic means being placed in the compartment 70a of
the hinge housing 70, a support plate 86, a control plate 84, and a
cover plate 100 fixed to the body.
[0101] That is to say, the constitution of the second embodiment is
identical to that of the first embodiment excepting the elastic
means.
[0102] The turn member 50 fixed to the door side has a turn member
body 51 with a door support flange 52 extending from the both ends
of the turn member body 51 in a direction approximately
perpendicular to opposite ends of the body 51 in spaced parallel
relation. At the door support flange 52, first and second screw
holes 53 for screwing fastening screw(s) are formed. At the portion
horizontally extended and connected from the turn member body 51 to
the door support flange 52 at a right angle, first and second
reinforcing ribs 55 are formed to increase strength.
[0103] At lateral sides of the turn member body 51, first and
second axial coupling holes 56 for coupling the hinge axis
rotatable with the hinge housing 70 are formed. At the front end of
the lateral sides, first and second pin holes 57 for rotatably
coupling the roller-shaped press member 65 are formed.
[0104] The hinge housing 70 has a shape of an approximately cut
case in which lateral sides 71 and a lower side 72 form a right
angle, of which one side being open for hinge coupling with the
turn member 50 and being formed with a projection that is curved
and has an axial hole 74 at the edge of the lateral side 71. Along
the front section of the lateral side 71, a plurality of engagement
ribs 75 for engaging with the cover plate 100 are extruded
integrally at predetermined intervals.
[0105] At the lower side 72 of the hinge housing 70, an adjusting
screw hole is formed in order to insert an adjusting screw 120.
[0106] The opened portion of the hinge housing 70 contains the
portion having the axial coupling hole 56 of the turn member body
51. The hinge axis 60 passes through the turn member 50 via the
axial coupling hole 56 of the turn member body 51 from the axial
hole 74 of the hinge housing and then is coupled to the axial
coupling hole 56 of the other side via the other axial hole 74 of
the hinge housing 70.
[0107] At this time, a washer is inserted between those bodies
through which the hinge axis passes in consideration of friction
and axial directional movement.
[0108] The thusly assembled hinge axis 60 serves as a turn axis of
a door.
[0109] According to the above structure, by coupling the turn
member 50 and the hinge housing 70 by the hinge axis 60, the turn
member 50 becomes rotatable within a predetermined angle. Once the
turn member 50 is moved toward the open position at an angle of up
to 90 degrees and is rotated, it is rotated no more as outer
surfaces of the turn member body 51 and hinge housing 70 are
contacted with one another.
[0110] In addition, the roller-shaped press member 65 is rotatably
coupled by an engaging pin between the pin holes 57 formed at the
front end of the lateral sides of the turn member 50, that is, at
the front end spaced at a predetermined distance from the axial
coupling hole 56 assembled with the hinge axis 60.
[0111] The width between the lateral sides of the turn member 50 to
which the press member 65 is coupled must be smaller than the width
of the compartment 70a formed between the lateral sides of the
hinge housing 70.
[0112] Moreover, the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70 is
provided with a elastic means with a dual structure consisting of
third and fourth spring members 87 and 88 with a springback force
are serially connected by the medium of a connection plate 83, a
hexagonal support member 90 having a spring insertion hole 92 for
insert-coupling one end of the elastic means while containing it
and having a sloping contact surface curved at multiple angles, a
support plate 86 for backing up the other free end of the second
spring member 82 and a control plate 84 for controlling the force
of the elastic means.
[0113] The elastic means consists of two pairs of spring members
with different spring constants, and it is constituted in such a
manner that one pair of first spring members 81 with a smaller
spring constant, a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter
of a second spring member 82 and a larger length are inserted into
one pair of second spring members 82 with a larger outer diameter,
a larger spring constant and a smaller length.
[0114] The sloping contact surface of the support member 90 becomes
higher as it goes toward a second contact surface 90b at the back
from a first contact surface 90a of the front when viewed from the
front side, thereby forming a sloping, continuous screw shape, and
it is contacted with the roller-shaped press member 65 connected to
the front end of the turn member 50. At the rotation of the turn
member 50, the press member 65 is slidably moved along the sloping
contact surface of the support member 90 while maintaining a
rolling contact and applies a force to the support member 90
supported by the elastic means due to the shape of the sloping
contact surface.
[0115] At this time, it is preferable that the press member 65 and
the support member 90 are manufactured by using resin material with
excellent durability so that a frictional force can be minimized
and a sliding motion can be easily performed.
[0116] The springback force of the elastic means can be controlled
by the control plate 84 by clamping or unclamping the adjusting
screw. When clamping the adjusting screw 120 coupled to the
adjusting screw hole formed at the support plate 86 and the lower
side 72 of the hinge housing 70, the control plate 84 is pushed
upwardly to apply a force to the elastic means and compress it, for
thereby increasing the springback force of the elastic means.
[0117] The surfaces of the hinge housing 70 containing the elastic
means, the support member 90 and the like in the compartment 70a
are covered by the cover plate 100.
[0118] At this time, the cover plate 100 serves to cover an open
inner region of the hinge housing 70 and at the same time fix the
hinge housing 70 to the body of the kimchi storage device, and it
is provided with an engagement groove 107 for insertingly engaging
a plurality of engaging ribs 75 extruded integrally along the front
section of the lateral sides 71 of the hinge housing 70 and a body
support flange 102 having a plurality of screw holes 105 for a
screw assembly with the body of the kimchi storage device.
[0119] At this time, it is preferred that a buffer member 110 made
of sponge material is inserted between the elastic means in the
hinge housing 70 and the cover plate 100 in order to prevent a
contact friction between the elastic means of which motion is
relatively frequently changed and the inner surface of the cover
plate 100 during the opening and closing of the door.
[0120] Furthermore, after the engagement groove 107 of the cover
plate 100 is insertingly engaged to the engaging rib 75 of the
hinge housing 70, the engaging rib 75 portion extruded to the outer
surface of the cover plate 100 is pressed so that it can be
contacted with the outer surface of the cover plate 100 in
parallel, thereby increasing the robustness of the engagement and
making the engaging rib 75 easily fixed and mounted to the flat
rear surface of the body of the kimchi storage device.
[0121] FIGS. 12 and 13 are views illustrating the state that the
hinge assembly is fixed to the storage according to the third
embodiment of the present invention. Referring to this, the
assembling state and operational effect of the present invention
will now be described.
[0122] The turn member 50 is fixed and mounted to the back region
of the door 5 through the door support flange 52 by a screw
assembly. The cover plate 100 covering an open surface of the hinge
housing 70 by engagement is fixed and mounted to the upper end of
the rear surface of the body 6 through the body support flange 102
by a screw assembly.
[0123] In this way, in the state that the turn member 50 and hinge
housing 70 of the hinge assembly are assembled, the turn member 50
fixed to the door 5 side is moved backwardly toward the fully open
position when opening the door 5. When the door 5 is fully open,
the turn member 50 is moved backwardly at an angle of up to 90
degrees with respect to the upper end of the body 6, and then is
rotated no more by the contact between the outer surface of the
turn member body 51 and the outer surface of the hinge housing
70.
[0124] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 13, in the case of
closing the door 5, the turn member 50 is moved forwardly toward
the fully closed position and then the press member 65 is slidably
moved in the compartment 70a of the hinge housing 70 while
maintaining a rolling contact with the sloping contact surface of
the support member 90.
[0125] At this time, the press member 65, which is contacted on the
first contact surface 90a when the door 5 is brought to the fully
open position, is gradually slided on the second contact surface
90b as the door 5 is closed. Due to the sloping shape of the
sloping contact surface, resultantly, the press member 65 presses
the support member 90 downwardly and thus the elastic means
connected with the support member 90 receives a compression
force.
[0126] As the door 5 comes to the closed position closer, the
compression force applied to the elastic means through the support
member 90 becomes larger and accordingly the springback force of
the elastic means also becomes larger.
[0127] In addition, since the sloping contact surface of the
support member 90 is curved at multiple angles, it is prevented
that the press member 65 returns to the first contact surface 90a
from the second contact surface 90b without an external force even
if the external force was removed during the closing operation of
the door 5.
[0128] Therefore, it is possible to maintain a gas tight and thus
prevent the leakage of cold air, when the door 5 is in the fully
open position. If the movement of the door 5 is stopped during
opening and closing operations, stable opening and closing
operations of the door 5 are achieved by the springback force of
the elastic means.
[0129] Moreover, as the door 5 is closed, the resistance by the
springback force of the elastic means is increased for thereby
decreasing the closing speed of the door 5. Hence, by the time the
door 5 is contacted to the body 6, the closing speed of the door 5
is drastically reduced to thus alleviate an impact.
[0130] Therefore, the larger the spring constant of the elastic
means becomes, the larger the resistance by the springback force of
the elastic means becomes to thus alleviate an impact much more
during the door closing operation. On the contrary, during the door
opening operation, the door 5 is opened by the force as large as
the resistance for thereby increasing an opening impact.
[0131] Thus, the third and fourth spring members 87 and 88 with
different spring constants are formed in a dual structure.
[0132] In other words, in the case of closing the door 5, as the
third spring member 87 with a smaller spring constant and a large
strength that is extruded to be connected to the support member 90
is firstly compressed to receive a force. As the door 5 become
closer and closer to the closed position, the support member 90 is
contacted to the fourth spring member 88 with a larger spring
constant to thus be compressed after the third spring member 87 is
sufficiently compressed.
[0133] Hence, at the time the door 5 is contacted to the body 6,
the resistance by the springback force of the fourth spring member
88 with a larger spring constant is applied to thus alleviate the
closing speed of the door 5 much more, thereby making the door
closed stably and without giving an impact.
[0134] On the other hand, in the case of opening the door 5, the
resistance of the fourth spring member 88 with a larger spring
constant is applied to thus open the door by a larger force.
However, as the opening operation proceeds and the latter half of
the operation comes, the resistance of the third spring member 87
with a smaller spring constant is applied to thus alleviate the
opening speed during the fully opening operation of the door 5.
[0135] The above-described elastic means formed in a dual structure
is constituted to be stable and to alleviate the impact during both
door opening and closing operations.
[0136] In the case that the springback force of the elastic means
is weak and thus the force supporting the door 5 is also weak, the
springback force of the elastic means can be controlled by clamping
the adjusting screw 120.
[0137] As describe above, according to the hinge assembly for
hinge-coupling a door rotated in one direction and opening and
closing a storage chamber to the upper surface of the body of the
kimchi storage device according to the present invention, there is
no need to prepare a hinge joint when forming the body or the door
and the body and the door can be hinge-coupled by simply assembling
and mounting the hinge assembly to the body of the kimchi storage
device without adding any outer case and elements. Thus, the
production efficiency can be improved by a process simpler than the
conventional production process, and the opening and closing impact
of the door can be prevented to thus enable stable opening and
closing operations by preventing the lateral movement of the door
and alleviating the opening and closing speed of the door by the
springback force of the spring member.
* * * * *