Hinge

Abstract

A double action concealed pivot or hinge for use in connection with a door. The opening of the door causes a bracket on the door to rotate a stud connected to follower in a housing secured to the frame. The follower rotates and moves laterally a predetermined amount so as to move the vertical edge of the door from the frame a predetermined amount as the door is opened. The housing includes the follower which is in contact with a cam, and means for biasing the follower against the cam.

Description

This invention relates to an improved hinge, and in particular, to a hidden hinge or double action concealed pivot for doors which are mounted in substantially abutting relation to a door frame or to a cabinet wall or to each other. Such doors are sometimes mounted in flush relation with the door frame.

With doors so mounted, there is a problem in providing clearance between the hinge edge of the door and the door frame or cabinet wall when the door is opened. Unless some special provision is made, the hinge edge of the door will strike the supporting frame when the door is opened. In the past, this has been avoided either by rounding the hinge edge of the door so that it clears the frame or by using hinges which extend outwardly from the door so that the pivoting axis of the hinge is away from the frame or by using hinges which extend slightly forwardly of the door and which require the top and bottom of the door to be cut out. In each case, whether the door is rounded or the hinge is exposed to view, it detracts from the appearance of the door.

The present invention is an improvement upon the hinge shown in the Peterson U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,428 granted July 30, 1969, which shows a hinge or a single action door wherein the door is free to pivot only in one direction through an arc of about 90.degree..

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a hidden or concealed door hinge for door frames or cabinets and the like, which hinge is substantially hidden from view. Another object is to provide an improved concealed hinge which is mounted closely adjacent to the supporting frame, which enables the door to move outwardly away from the frame as it pivots to an open position in either direction. Another object is to provide a hinge which tends to return the door to its closed position.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a hinge for substantially hidden use in pivoting a door, said hinge including a housing adapted to be secured to a frame in which the door is mounted, said housing having an opening therein with a wall covering said opening, said wall having an elongated opening for receiving a stud therethrough, said stud being connected to a follower in said housing, said follower being biased into contacting relation with a cam in said housing, said door having a bracket thereon for receiving said stud, the opening of the door causing the bracket on the door to rotate the stud which moves the follower laterally so as to move the door from the frame a predetermined amount as the door is being opened.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and wherein like numerals and symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are fragmentary side elevational views, partly in cross-section, of a hinge embodying one form of the present invention, the hinge shown at the top and at the bottom of a door, respectively,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the frame mounting member shown at the bottom of the door,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the parts within the frame mounting member with the cover plate removed when the door is in its closed position, as indicated by the dotted lines,

FIG. 5 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the parts as they are when the door is partially open in one direction,

FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the parts as they are when the door is partially open in a direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 5,

FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are a top plan view, a side elevational view, and a front elevational view respectively of the follower,

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the cover plate which closes the housing of the frame mounting member,

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the top bracket, and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the bottom bracket.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated comprises a hinge H having a door mounting member D and a frame mounting member F. The members D and F are countersunk into the door 1 and frame 2, although such is not necessary for the bottom member D.

The main portion of the hinge H is the frame mounting member F which comprises a housing 3 having a central opening 4 which is enclosed by two side walls 5 and two end walls 6 which extend perpendicularly from a flat horizontal wall 7. Each side wall 5 has a thin wall portion 8 and a thick wall portion 9. The housing 3 has a circular cut-out 10 adjacent to one end wall 6 with a shaft 11 in the center of said cut-out 10. Each end wall 6 has a pin 12 thereon and two holes 13 therethrough, which are located on each side of the pin 12 or at the four corners of the housing 3.

A horizontal plate wall or cover plate 14 (FIG. 10) closes the central opening 4 in the housing 3 and is parallel to said flat horizontal wall 7. The cover plate 14 has an elongated opening 15 therein and an opening 15a for receiving the shaft 11. The ends of the cover plate 14 (FIG. 10) have holes 16 for receiving the pins 12 and holes 17 which register with the holes 13 and through which screws 18 are adapted to be inserted and screwed into position to secure the cover plate 14 to the housing 3 and the entire member F within the door frame 2, or within the lower frame or threshold if the hinge is used at the bottom of a door.

In the form of the invention shown, the shaft 11 in the central opening 4 receives a bearing or cam 19. The bearing 19 has an inner portion which is connected to the shaft 11 by a press fit and an outer portion with ball bearings therebetween so that said outer portion may rotate freely about the inner portion and the shaft 11. The bearing 19 contacts the wall 7 and is free to rotate about the shaft 11, if desired, to reduce friction. A cam or follower 20 contacts the bearing 19 and is adapted to move laterally with respect to the thin wall portions 8 of the side walls 5. A guide or slide 21 having a spring guide 22 thereon slides between the thick wall portions 9 of the side walls 5 and is biased toward the follower 20 by means of a spring 23. The spring 23 circumscribes the spring guide 22 connected to the slide 21 and abuts against the end wall 6 of the housing 3. The slide 21 may be made from nylon or other plastic material or from metal if desired. The slide 21 has a curved surface 21a for holding the follower 20 in spaced relation from each of the thin wall surfaces 8.

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the follower 20 has a base portion 24 with a circular outer surface 25 which has a cut-out portion 26 adjacent to its lower surface 27. Line A and line B are vertical lines at the edges of the cut-out portion 26 and its intersection with the outer surface 25. The lines A and B are connected by the arcuate surface C, which is curved sufficiently to receive a portion of the cam 19 when the door is in its door-closed position (FIG. 4). The vertical lines A and B are spaced apart about 90.degree. on the outer surface 25 of the follower 20. A boss 28 is mounted at the top of the cam 15 and has a pin or stud 29 thereon. The stud 29 extends outwardly from the elongated opening 15 in the cover plate 14 and into a top bracket 30 mounted directly on the door 1.

The top bracket 30 (FIG. 11) is secured in a cut-out portion 31 in the top edge of the door 1. The top bracket 30 has an elongated opening 32, two holes 33, and an opening 34 which receives the stud 29 on the follower 20. The opening 32 receives a screw therethrough which permits lateral movement so that the top bracket 30 may be adjusted. When in proper position, screws 35 are inserted through the holes 33 to secure the top bracket 30 to the top of the door 1. The inner end 36 of the top bracket 30 is provided with the opening 34, which is positioned in line with the stud 29 when the door is closed (FIG. 4).

A bottom bracket 37 (FIG. 12) is secured to the vertical edge of the door 1 near the bottom thereof so that its foot portion 38 is spaced from the bottom edge of the door about three-fourths of an inch. This permits the door 1 to clear the floor or any rug thereon as the door 1 is opened. The vertical or securing portion 39 of the bottom bracket 37 has two elongated openings 40 therein for receiving screws, which permit the bottom bracket 37 to be adjusted vertically within limits. When in proper position, a screw is inserted through a hole 41 to secure the bottom bracket 37 to the door 1. The foot portion 38 has a non-circular or elongated opening 42 therein which registers or mates with the stud 29 from the member F.

In practice, the stud 29 and its cooperating openings 34 and 42 in the top and bottom brackets 30 and 37, respectively, may be of any cooperating non-circular shape, and the particular elongated shape shown herein is for illustration purposes only. The top bracket 30 and the lower bracket 37 may be referred to as door mounting members D. As shown in FIG. 1, the stud 29 extends downwardly into the top bracket 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the stud 29 extends upwardly into the bottom bracket 37. In some instances, the stud might be connected to the top and bottom brackets and be received with an opening in the follower 20 for pivoting said follower 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the spring 23 biases the slide 21 leftwardly against the follower 20 when the door 1 is in closed position and maintains the follower 20 in slightly spaced relation to the thin wall portions 8. This is further shown in FIG. 1 wherein the stud 29 extends downwardly into the top bracket 30, and in FIG. 2 wherein the stud 29 extends upwardly into the bottom or lower bracket 37. The lower bracket 37 is spaced about three-fourths of an inch from the bottom edge of the door because most doors are mounted slightly above the threshold so as to provide a clearance to prevent the door from scraping on the floor or rug as it is being opened. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the door 1 is pivoted in one direction or another, the brackets 30 and 37 cause each stud 29 to pivot, which causes each follower 20 to pivot between the thin wall portions 8 of the side walls 5. During this opening and the initial pivoting of follower 20, the line A at the edge of the cut-out portion 26 moves along the surface of the cam 19 from its position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5. In so doing, the follower 20 moves rightwardly as shown but remains in contact with the bearing or cam 19, thereby moving the slide 21 rightwardly between the thick wall portions 9 of the side walls 5, thereby compressing the spring 23. The force or energy stored within the spring 23 tends to move the slide 21 and follower 20 leftwardly when the door 1 is released from such a position, thereby returning the door 1 to its closed position as shown in FIG. 4. If the door 1 is simply released from a lesser open position than shown in FIGS. 5 or 6 the momentum of the door will cause it to pass its closed position and to move between diminishing partially open positions in pendulum fashion until the door 1 finally comes to rest in its closed position (FIG. 4). However, if the door 1 is opened to a greater degree than shown, which is about 45.degree., the follower 20 will not move further laterally between the thin wall portions 8, or rightwardly as shown, but will simply be rotated or pivoted on its own axis in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. After the door 1 has been opened 45.degree., the edge of the door has been moved laterally sufficiently far so that no additional lateral movement is needed.

During the opening of the door, the follower 20 pivots because the bearing 19 forces the follower 20 to pivot so that the lines A or B at the edges of the cut-out portion 26 slide on the bearing 19 as the follower 20 pivots and moves laterally because of the movement of the brackets 30 and 37 secured to the door 1. The purpose of the lateral or sidewise movement of the follower 20 is to shift the door 1 laterally away from the vertical portion 43 of the frame 2 so as to permit the vertical edge 44 of the door 1 to clear the frame 2 and to cause the door edge 44 to be closely adjacent to said vertical frame portion 43 when the door 1 is closed.

In all forms of the invention, as the door 1 is opened, the studs 29, which are connected to the brackets 30 and 37, pivot with the door 1. This pivots the cam or follower 20 which causes it to move laterally within the frame mounting member F. As used herein, the word door applies to doors of various types, to panels, to cabinet doors, and to windows and the like, wherein a hidden double acting hinge or pivot is desired.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a double acting hinge for substantially hidden use in pivoting a door, the improvement wherein said hinge comprises a housing adapted to be secured to a non-vertical portion of a frame in which the door is mounted, said housing having a central opening defined by side walls, end walls, a flat horizontal wall, and a horizontal plate wall closing said central opening, one of said horizontal walls having a longitudinal slot therein, movable means mounted within said central opening adapted to pivot and move laterally therein, said movable means adapted to receive cooperative movable means mounted on said door and extending through said longitudinal slot in one of said horizontal walls in said housing, said movable means within said housing adapted to pivot and move laterally when said door is opened in either direction, said movable means comprises a follower which pivots within said central opening and moves laterally therein a predetermined distance as it pivots initially upon opening of the door.

2. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said central opening contains a cam and said movable means mounted in said central opening includes a follower which pivots within said central opening and remains in contact with said cam during said movement.

3. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower moves laterally a predetermined distance as it pivots initially upon opening of the door.

4. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein the follower has a cut-out portion therein and an outer circular surface, and wherein said housing has means therein for biasing said follower into contacting relation with said cam at all times.

5. The improvement set forth in claim 5 wherein the cut-out portion of said follower extends less than 90.degree. around the surface of said follower, and wherein one of the edges of said cut-out portion of said follower remains in contacting relation with said cam as said door is opened partially and wherein said outer circular surface of said follower contacts said cam as said door is opened further.

6. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower is biased into contacting relation with said cam at all times by means of a guide mounted in said housing in sliding relation with respect to said side walls and a spring positioned between said guide and the end wall adjacent thereto.

7. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said guide has a curved surface which receives said follower in sliding relation and maintains said follower in a position spaced from said housing side walls as said follower pivots and moves laterally a predetermined amount caused by the door pivoting said follower.

8. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said follower pivots and moves laterally between said thin wall portions of the side walls of said housing when said door is being opened and wherein said guide slides between the thick wall portions of the side walls of said housing and biases said follower toward said cam as said follower moves laterally within said housing as said door is being opened.

9. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said horizontal plate wall has the longitudinal slot therein and said movable means mounted within the central opening includes a follower having a stud which extends through said longitudinal slot in said horizontal plate wall and into said movable means on said door.

10. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said hinge is adapted to bias a door to a closed position only when the door is closed and when the door is opened in either direction at an angle less than about 45.degree. and is not adapted to bias the door to a closed position after the door has been opened more fully in either direction.