Upright hinge for spa cover
First Claim
1. A hinge assembly for coupling a spa cover to a spa, said spa cover being movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position, said hinge assembly comprising:
- a mounting bracket disposed near a top of the spa;
a support arm which is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and attached on an outside surface of the spa cover at a vertical offset from the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the fully closed position; and
a spring member disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm, wherein the spring member forms an angle of less than approximately 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in the fully open position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hinge assembly for coupling a spa cover to a spa includes a mounting bracket disposed near a top of the spa, a support arm which is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and a spring member disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm. The spa cover is movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position. The support arm is attached on an outside surface of the spa cover at a vertical offset from the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the fully closed position. The spring member, which may be a gas spring, forms an angle of less than approximately 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in the fully open position. A metal plate may be affixed using a double sided tape on an outside surface of the spa cover, and then anchored to the spa cover. The metal plate may be used to attach the support arm to the spa cover.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A hinge assembly for coupling a spa cover to a spa, said spa cover being movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position, said hinge assembly comprising:
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a mounting bracket disposed near a top of the spa;
a support arm which is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and attached on an outside surface of the spa cover at a vertical offset from the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the fully closed position; and
a spring member disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm, wherein the spring member forms an angle of less than approximately 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in the fully open position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A spa system comprising:
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a spa;
a foldable spa cover having at least two sections, said spa cover being movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position;
a hinge assembly for coupling the spa cover to the spa, said hinge assembly comprising;
a mounting bracket disposed near a top of the spa;
a support arm which is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and attached on an outside surface of the spa cover at a vertical offset from the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the fully closed position; and
a spring member disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm, wherein the spring member forms an angle of less than approximately 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in the fully open position. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of mounting a hinge mechanism between a spa and a spa cover having a core and a cover, said method comprising:
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affixing at least one metal plate on an outside surface of the spa cover using an adhesive, said at least one metal plate having a hole; and
inserting a screw and an anchor engaging the screw through the hole on said at least one metal plate into the spa cover, wherein said adhesive provides sealing to the cover. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification