Self-locking Hinge

Abstract

A self-supporting self-locking hinge unit is described comprising two or more elongated plastic hinge elements all pivotally joined in end-to-end relation to be hingeable between a side-by-side closed position and a substantially in-line open position. Each adjacent pair of elements are provided with integral projecting tongues which are interengageable with an over-centre action to releasably lock said adjacent elements in their said open position. A plurality of multi-element such hinge units are associated with flexible sheet material and interconnected at the outermost elements of each unit to provide self-supporting screen structure; such structure being exemplified herein by a collapsible portable shower unit.

Description

This invention relates to a self-locking hinge unit capable of supporting limited loading in a locked-open position, and the invention also relates to the combination of such a hinge unit with flexible sheet material whereby such material may be supported in an outstretched condition by the hinge unit when it is in its locked-open position. More specifically, the invention relates to a portable shower unit of the type intended for use by campers being comprised of a plurality of subject hinge units supporting a screen and the whole assembly being erectable and collapsible by appropriate opening and closing respectively of the hinge units.

Self-locking hinge units are well known in the prior art being of the type which are lockable in an open position and collapsible to a closed position. One extremely well known type of such self-locking hinge unit used for a multiplicity of different purposes has comprised a hinge proper including a pivot pin or pins and a spring loaded metal strip on one of the members which one of the hinge elements is mounted co-operating with means on another member on which the other hinge element is mounted; said strip and means generally comprising a detent and detent engaging means permitting an over-centre snap action locking of the two members whereby the hinge elements are releasably locked in an open position.

In many of such prior art hinge units, the actual hinge locking means has been separate from the hinge proper, the locking means having been mounted on the members which the hinge proper connects together, and it is one object of the present invention to provide a hinge unit capable of being locked in an open position by locking means constituting an integral part of the hinge unit.

It is another object of the invention to provide a twin-element hinge unit which, in its locked-open position, is capable of being closed by the application of pressure axially of the two hinge elements constituting the unit. That is to say, in its locked-open position, the hinge elements comprising the hinge unit are slightly displaced from a true in-line orientation at less than 180.degree. from one another whereby the hinge unit is collapsible and closable as aforesaid.

It is a yet further object to provide a multi-element hinge unit of elongated elements all joined in end to end relation to one another wherein the whole unit is self-supporting when the elements thereof are in their locked-open position; the whole unit being collapsible to bring the elements into stacked relation upon one another upon the application of a pivoting force to the unit in the outermost two elements thereof.

A yet further object of the invention is the provision of a combination of flexible sheet material attached at least to the end hinge elements in a hinge unit, preferably of the multi-element type aforedescribed, whereby the material may be supported in an outstretched manner by the hinge unit when the hinge elements thereof are in their locked-open positions.

It is a yet further object to provide a combination as aforesaid, wherein a plurality of such hinge units are connected by rigid means at the other ends of their end hinge elements whereby the said flexible sheet material may be supported in the form of a screen between said units and said interconnecting means. A more specific object of the invention is the provision of such a combination in the form of a portable shower device collapsible for storage into a rigid container comprising means interconnecting the base hinge elements of a plurality of hinge units; the top elements of such units being interconnected by means of a peripheral frame. Conveniently, such a portable shower device is of the same general form as that described and claimed in Canadian Patent No. 868,652 issued on Apr. 20, 1971 and entitled Portable Shower Unit.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a self-locking hinge unit comprising a pair of hinge elements joined together about a pivot axis and including co-operating resilient locking means integral with said elements for maintaining them releasably locked in an end-to-end substantially in line open position. Such locking means are operably interengageable with one another as the hinge elements are pivoted from their said closed position towards their said open position and at least part of said means are progressively deformable during such pivoting, resisting such pivoting, until the means pass an over centre relation with one another immediately prior to the hinge elements assuming their said open position; said means remaining in engagement with one another in said open position of said elements retaining them against accidental closing.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is provided a multi-element hinge unit comprising a plurality of hinge elements joined in end to end relation with one another and including co-operating resilient locking means integral with the elements and acting between each adjacent pair of hinge elements in the unit in the manner described in the preceding paragraph. In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a hinge unit of the type previously set forth in combination with sheet of flexible material attached thereto whereby the sheet material may be displaced from a collapsed configuration when the hinge elements of the hinge unit are closed relative to one another to an outstretched condition when the hinge elements are in their said open position and such a combination of a plurality of hinge units together with flexible sheet material may constitute a portable shower device of the same general type as that described and claimed in the above mentioned Canadian Patent No. 868,652.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the hereinafter following description of the parts, principles and elements of the invention given herein solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a subject twin-element hinge unit in its locked-open position;

FIG. 2 is a similar side perspective view of the hinge unit showing the two elements thereof collapsed towards their closed position;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the hinge unit in the locked-open position of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the inter-engagement of the integral locking means of the unit as the elements thereof are moved relative to one another; the fully closed position of the unit being shown in dotted line;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portable shower unit embodying four multi-element hinge units interconnected together at each of four corners of the shower unit; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a detail of the base and top hinge element interconnecting means and one of the hinge units shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view showing the shower unit in its fully collapsed condition.

Referring first of all to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a subject hinge unit 10 comprised of a pair of elongated hinge elements 12 and 14 pivotally connected together by means of coaxial pivot pins 16 whereby the hinge elements may be swung about said pins between a locked-open position (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) and a collapsed fully closed position (as shown by dotted line in FIG. 4). In accordance with the invention, the two elements 12 and 14 of the hinge unit include integral mutually co-operating locking means 18 and 20 interengageable with one another as the elements are swung towards their fully open position and acting to retain and releasably lock the elements in their open position in a substantially in-line 180.degree. relationship with one another.

Referring now in more detail to FIGS. 1 to 4, it will be observed that the hinge unit is comprised of an upper elongated planar hinge element 12 and a lower elongated planar hinge element 14, each of which is conveniently formed of a relatively rigid yet slightly flexible plastic material, such as, for example, nylon. As illustrated, each hinge element 12 and 14 is conveniently reinforced along its respective longitudinal edges 22 and 24 by means of material of thicker cross-section than the median web portion 26 and 28 respectively of each element 12 and 14; the ends of the respective edges 22 and 24 of each element being formed with integral bushings 30 and 32 offset from the plane of the web portions 26 and 28 and co-operably orientated relative to one another to receive the aforesaid pivot pins 16 permitting the two elements 12 and 14 of the unit to be folded to a fully closed position in which the elements are superposed one upon the other (as shown in dotted line in FIG. 4) and a fully open position (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) in which the elements are substantially in line with one another. It should however be noted that the lower hinge element 14 is provided with abutment means 34 at the ends of its side edges 24 extending axially outwardly beyond the ends thereof whereby, in the fully open position of the unit, said abutments 34 are in contact with the co-operating lower ends of the upper hinge element edges 22 and the two elements are maintained in an orientation slightly displaced from a true in-line 180.degree. relationship for a purpose which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the hinge unit 10 includes integral mutually co-operating resilient locking means 18 and 20, said means being provided in two parts, one part of such means is integral with each one of the two hinge elements 12 and 14 of the unit. As will become apparent, the resilient locking means 18 on the hinge element 12 is slidably engageable with the other resilient locking means 20 on the other hinge element 14 as the hinge elements are pivoted from a closed position towards their open in-line relation and at least one of the resilient locking means is progressively deformable during such pivoting, resisting the pivoting, until the resilient locking means 18 and 20 pass beyond an over centre relation with one another at which time they act to urge the hinge elements further towards their fully open position. After said fully open position is attained, said co-operating means 18-20 act with a resilient bias to retain the elements in said open position prohibiting accidental collapse of the hinge elements of the unit towards their closed position.

Resilient locking means 20 integral with the lower hinge element 14 comprises a slightly deformable tongue displaced out of the plane of the web portion 28 of the hinge element 14 and lying parallel thereto and also extending beyond the end of said hinge element. Also resilient locking means 18 integral with the upper hinge element 12 comprises a deformable tongue but which is in the plane of the web portion 26 of the upper hinge element 12 and which also projects beyond the end thereof for a distance substantially equal to the distance of projection of the tongue 20 on the lower hinge element 14. It will be observed from the drawings that the end of the lower hinge element 14 is relieved in its web portion 28 at that location at whch the tongue 20 is provided whereby, in the fully open position of the hinge elements as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper tongue 18 may lie substantially coplanar with the web 28 of the lower hinge element 14 and contiguous with the lower tongue 20.

It may further be noted that the upper tongue 18 is provided with a transverse rib 36 adjacent its projecting end engageable, in the fully open position of FIGS. 1 and 3, within a co-operating transverse recess 38 in the tongue 20 in the lower hinge element 14. As mentioned hereinbefore, the two hinge elements 12 and 14 are prevented from reaching a precise in-line 180.degree.relationship with one another by means of the projecting end abutments 34 on the lower hinge element whereby, as will be clearly seen from FIG. 3, the upper tongue 18 is prevented from reaching a precise coplanar relationship with the lower hinge element 14; the orientation at which the lower element abutments 34 contact the upper element edges 22 being designed to be correlated to the entry of the rib 36 on the upper tongue 18 within the co-operating recess 38 on the lower tongue 20. The provision of the rib 36 on the upper tongue 18 facilitates the riding of said tongue 18 along the surface of the lower tongue 20 when the two tongues are in engagement with one another as the two elements 12 and 14 are swung into and out of their locked-open relationship.

Thus, starting from the locked-open relation of FIGS. 1 and 3, it will be appreciated that pressure on the hinge elements 12 and 14 applied substantially along their longitudinal axes will cause them to pivot about their pivot pins 16 and cause the rib 36 on the upper tongue 18 to ride out of its co-operating recess 38 on the lower tongue 20 and along the surface of said tongue deforming it further outwardly of the lower hinge element 14, as shown in FIG. 4. The pressure applied must be large enough to cause the deformation of the tongues. There will, of course, be no possibility of the hinge elements 12 and 14 tending to pivot in the opposite direction to that illustrated upon the application of axial pressure thereto since the end abutments 34 maintain the hinge elements 12 and 14 at a slightly less than 180.degree. relationship to one another in their locked-open position. Subsequent pivotal movement of the hinge elements 12 and 14 will disengage the upper tongue 18 from the lower tongue 20 permitting it to return to its undeformed position parallel to the web 28 of the lower hinge element 14 (as shown in FIG. 2) following which the elements may be completely collapsed into their side-by-side fully closed position in a juxtaposed relation, as shown in dotted line in FIG. 4.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of hinge elements of the type described and illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be joined in end-to-end relation and, for such purpose, each of the elements may be identical. Thus, the upper end (not shown) of the upper hinge element 12 of FIG. 1 may constitute a displaced deformable tongue of the type shown by tongue 20 at the upper end of the lower hinge element 14 in FIG. 1. Likewise, the lower end of the lower hinge element 14 of FIG. 1 may constitute a tongue of the type shown by tongue 18 at the lower end of the upper hinge element 12 of FIG. 1. A plurality of such hinge elements connected in end-to-end relation will, of course, be self-supporting in the locked-open position of the elements of the unit and the relative abutments 34 between adjacent hinge elements thereof may be arranged in such manner that axial pressure upon the endmost elements of such a multi-element hinge unit will permit successive collapse of each pair of adjacent elements in the unit until all of the elements thereof may be brought into stacked relation one upon the other. Such a multi-element unit is shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings wherein four hinge elements 12, 14, 12a and 14a are connected in an end-to-end relation to form a self-supporting structure for flexible sheet material.

In FIG. 5 of the drawings, there is shown a combination of multi-element hinge units together with flexible sheet material 40 in the form of an enclosure constituting part of a portable shower unit. However, it will be appreciated that a hinge unit of the type hereindescribed (twin element or multielement) may be provided in combination with flexible sheet material to provide self-supporting structure therefor. For example, a plurality of subject hinge units may be located in a spaced parallel relation along a rectangular piece of flexible sheet material to provide a readily collapsible and extensible portable screen, it being understood, of course, that the lowermost elements of the hinge units will be interconnected by some suitable rigid means in such an application.

In the specific embodiment of shower unit illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, four such multi-element hinge units are retained within corner pockets 42 of flexible, lightweight sheet material 40 to provide a lightweight portable shower unit. The end elements 12 and 14a respectively of each hinge unit are interconnected; the lowermost elements 14abeing interconnected by a rigid container 44 whilst the upper elements 12 of the units are interconnected by means of a lightweight peripheral frame 46. The lowermost elements 14a are pivotally mounted by their lower pivot pins to suitable corner lugs 48 on container 44 whilst the uppermost elements 12 are pivotally mounted by their upper pivot pins to corner brackets 50 constituting supports for frame 46. When all of the elements of the four corner units are in their extended locked-open relation, the sheet material constitutes an enclosure or shower cubicle which may be of the general type fully described in the above mentioned Canadian Pat. No. 868,652. Flour hinge units are brought into diametrically opposed relation within the confines of the box 44 (see FIG. 7). A suitable lid (not illustrated) is also provided to the portable shower unit whereby all of the parts thereof may conveniently be encased and retained within the box 44.

Claims

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a self-locking hinge unit and a sheet of flexible material attached thereto, said hinge unit comprising at least two elongated hinge elements joined together about a pivot axis and said sheet material being attached at least to the outer ends of the two outermost hinge elements of the hinge unit, adjacent hinge elements in said unit being pivotable from a side-by-side closed position through about 180.degree. to an end-to-end substantially in-line open position, cooperating resilient means including two interlockable members each integral with one of said adjacent hinge elements for maintaining said adjacent hinge elements releasably locked in said open position, said members being interengageable with one another as said adjacent hinge elements are pivoted from said closed position towards their said open position and at least part of said members being progressively deformable during such pivoting to juxtapose one another in an interlocked engagement, immediately prior to said adjacent hinge elements assuming their said open position; said members remaining in said interlocked engagement with one another to retain said adjacent hinge elements in their said open position and to prevent said hinge elements from closing unless a sufficient pivotal force is applied to said hinge elements to disengage said members from said interlocked engagement, whereby the sheet material may be moved from a collapsed configuration when said hinge elements are closed relative to one another in an outstretched condition when the hinge elements are in their said open position.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said hinge units are provided in spaced relation along said sheet material, the outer ends of the outermost elements of the units being respectively rigidly interconnected whereby the sheet material is supportable in outstretched rectangular configuration by said units when the elements thereof are in their said open position.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein said hinge units are arranged in two opposed pairs at opposite corners of rigid upper and lower peripheral interconnections, the sheet material being outstretchable into a box-like enclosure when all of said elements in said hinge units are in their said open positions.

4. The hinge unit is as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interlockable members comprise a pair of tongues extending from the adjacent ends of said hinge elements; the end of one said tongue engaging the surface of the other said tongue and deforming said other tongue during their period of interengagement and the two tongues being located in contiguous relation with one another in the said open position of the hinge unit.

5. The hinge unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said hinge elements comprises an elongated planar member and said interlockable members comprise a pair of tongues extending from the adjacent ends of said planar members; one said tongue being disposed in the plane of one said planar member and the other said tongue being displaced out of and parallel to the plane of the other said planar member, the end of said one tongue engaging the surface of the other said tongue and deforming it during their period of interengagement and the two tongues being located in contiguous relation with one another in the open position of the hinge unit with said one tongue coplanar with said other planar member.

6. The hinge unit as set forth in claim 5 wherein one of said hinge elements at least has abutment means thereon engageable with the other said hinge element in said open position of the hinge unit, said abutment means being dimensioned to prohibit the hinge elements from attaining a complete 180.degree.relation with one another in said open position thereof.

7. The hinge unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interlockable members comprise a pair of tongues extending from the adjacent ends of said hinge elements; the end of one tongue engaging the surface of the other said tongue and deforming said other tongue during their period of interengagement and the two tongues being located in contiguous relation with one another in the said open position of the hinge unit; co-operating rib and recess configurations being provided on said tongues facilitating their interengaged movement relative to one another and achieving a releasable latching engagement with one another in said open position of the hinge unit.

8. The hinge unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said hinge elements is of elongated form and includes integral means at each end thereof facilitating its hinge connection and releasable locking engagement with another similar hinge element whereby a plurality of such hinge elements may be joined together into a multi-element hinge unit.