Shower door hinge assembly

• US 10,337,223 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kohler Company
• Original Assignee: Kohler Company
• Inventors: Murphy, Roger W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mah, Chuck Y
• Application Number:
  US15/807,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20180142507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/36 Articulated screens
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/02 Lubricating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/06 Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 2005/0253 the panels having conical or stepped recesses
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 7/00 Hinges or pivots of special construction used for special suspension arrangements E05D15/00; so as to be self-closing E05F1/06, E05F1/12; with means for raising wings before being turned E05F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1284 with a leaf or similar spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/614 operated by meshing gear wheels, one of which being mounted at the wing pivot axis; operated by a motor acting directly on the wing pivot axis
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/20 in hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/02 specially for preventing the slamming of swinging wings during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/08 with springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/212 Buffers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/224 Stops
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/114 for showers

Abstract

A shower door hinge assembly includes a mount, an upper member, a lower member, a body, a plurality of gears, and a stop member. The mount is configured to be coupled to a fixed structure. The upper member is coupled to an upper portion of the mount, and the lower member is coupled to a lower portion of the mount. The body is rotatably coupled to the mount and is configured to be coupled to a pivotable shower door, wherein the body includes an inner wall having a plurality of splines defining a ring gear. The plurality of gears are disposed in the body and are configured to permit relative rotational movement between the body and the upper and lower members. The stop member is removably coupled between the inner wall of the body and one or more gears of the plurality of gears, and is configured to be selectively removed from, and repositioned within, the body to set a rotational endpoint for a pivotable shower door.

Claims

1. A shower door hinge assembly, comprising:

an upper member

a lower member

a body rotatably coupled to the upper and lower members and configured to be coupled to a pivotable shower door, wherein the body includes an inner wall having a plurality of splines defining a ring gear;

a center gear disposed in the body, wherein the center gear is fixed relative to the upper and lower members;

a plurality of planetary gears rotatably coupled between the body and the center gear, wherein the body is configured to rotate relative to the upper and lower members by the plurality of planetary gears; and

a stop member removably coupled to the body, wherein the stop member is configured to be selectively removed from, and repositioned within, the body to set a rotational endpoint for the pivotable shower door.

2. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of planetary gears has a generally elongated cylindrical shape.

3. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of planetary gears are each coupled to an upper carrier at an upper portion thereof and a lower carrier at a lower portion thereof, wherein the upper and lower carriers define separate axes of rotation for each of the plurality of planetary gears.

4. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the stop member is removably coupled to the inner wall of the body and is configured to engage at least one of the plurality of planetary gears during rotation of the pivotable shower door.

5. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 4, wherein the stop member is a spring.

6. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 1, further comprising a damper removably coupled to the inner wall of the body, wherein the damper is configured to elastically deform in response to contacting at least one of the plurality of planetary gears during rotation of the pivotable shower door so as to provide a particular tactile response for a user.

7. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the body includes a cylindrical portion that defines the inner wall and a pair of flanges extending outwardly away from the cylindrical portion, wherein the pair of flanges are configured to couple the pivotable shower door to the body.

8. A shower door hinge assembly, comprising:

a mounting plate configured to be coupled to a fixed structure;

an upper member coupled to an upper portion of the mounting plate;

a lower member coupled to a lower portion of the mounting plate;

a body rotatably coupled to the upper and lower members and configured to be coupled to a pivotable shower door, wherein the body includes an inner wall having a plurality of splines defining a ring gear;

a center gear disposed in the body, wherein the center gear is fixed relative to the upper and lower members;

a plurality of planetary gears rotatably coupled between the body and the center gear, wherein the body is configured to rotate relative to the upper and lower members by the plurality of planetary gears; and

a damper removably coupled to the body, wherein the damper is configured to elastically deform in response to contacting at least one of the plurality of planetary gears during rotation of the pivotable shower door.

9. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of planetary gears has a generally elongated cylindrical shape.

10. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the plurality of planetary gears are each coupled to an upper carrier at an upper portion thereof and a lower carrier at a lower portion thereof, wherein the upper and lower carriers define separate axes of rotation for each of the plurality of planetary gears.

11. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the damper is removably coupled to the inner wall of the body and is configured to engage at least one of the plurality of planetary gears during rotation of the pivotable shower door.

12. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 11, wherein the damper is a flat spring.

13. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 8, further comprising a stop member removably coupled between the inner wall of the body and a planetary gear of the plurality of planetary gears, wherein the stop member is configured to be selectively removed from, and repositioned within, the body to set a rotational endpoint for the pivotable shower door.

14. The shower door hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the body includes a cylindrical portion that defines the inner wall and a pair of flanges extending outwardly away from the cylindrical portion, wherein the pair of flanges are configured to couple the pivotable shower door to the body.

15. A shower door assembly, comprising:

a pivotable shower door; and

a hinge assembly for pivotably coupling the pivotable shower door to a fixed structure, wherein the hinge assembly comprises;

a mounting plate configured to be coupled to the fixed structure;

an upper member extending from an upper portion of the mounting plate;

a lower member extending from a lower portion of the mounting plate;

a body coupled to the pivotable shower door and rotatably coupled to the upper and lower members, wherein the body includes an inner wall having a plurality of splines defining a ring gear;

a center gear disposed in the body, wherein the center gear is fixed relative to the upper and lower members;

a plurality of planetary gears rotatably coupled between the body and the center gear, wherein the body is configured to rotate relative to the upper and lower members by the plurality of planetary gears; and

a stop member removably coupled to the body;

wherein the stop member is configured to be selectively removed from, and repositioned within, the body to set a rotational endpoint for the pivotable shower door.

16. The shower door assembly of claim 15, further comprising a damper removably coupled to the inner wall of the body, wherein the damper is configured to elastically deform in response to contacting at least one of the plurality of planetary gears during rotation of the pivotable shower door so as to provide a particular tactile response for a user.

17. The shower door assembly of claim 15, wherein the body includes a cylindrical portion that defines the inner wall and a pair of flanges extending outwardly away from the cylindrical portion, wherein the pair of flanges couple the pivotable shower door to the body.