LIMITED LOAD HINGE FOR FREESTANDING APPLIANCE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A home appliance comprising:
- an oven,a door positioned at the front of the oven,a hinge housing secured to the door and pivotably coupled to the oven, the hinge housing being configured to move the door about a first axis,a rod pivotably coupled to the oven at a first end, the rod having a second end spaced apart from the first end,a shear pin securing a collar to the second end of the rod, anda helical spring compressed between the collar and the hinge housing, the helical spring being configured to exert a shear force on the collar and the shear pin,wherein (i) the shear force exerted by the helical spring is increased as the door is moved about the first axis, and (ii) the shear pin is configured to fracture when the door is moved to a predetermined position about the first axis.
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Abstract
A home appliance includes an oven and a door positioned at the front of the oven. A hinge assembly secured to the door is configured to move the door about an axis relative to the front of the oven. The hinge assembly includes a shear pin and a spring configured to exert a shear force. The shear force exerted by the helical spring increases as the door is moved about the first axis, and the shear pin is configured to fracture when the door is moved to a predetermined position about the axis.
34 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A home appliance comprising:
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an oven, a door positioned at the front of the oven, a hinge housing secured to the door and pivotably coupled to the oven, the hinge housing being configured to move the door about a first axis, a rod pivotably coupled to the oven at a first end, the rod having a second end spaced apart from the first end, a shear pin securing a collar to the second end of the rod, and a helical spring compressed between the collar and the hinge housing, the helical spring being configured to exert a shear force on the collar and the shear pin, wherein (i) the shear force exerted by the helical spring is increased as the door is moved about the first axis, and (ii) the shear pin is configured to fracture when the door is moved to a predetermined position about the first axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A home appliance comprising:
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an oven, a door positioned at the front of the oven, a hinge housing secured to the door at an upper end and pivotably coupled to the oven at a lower end, the hinge housing being configured to move the door about a first axis, a rod moveably coupled to the hinge housing, a shear pin securing a collar to the rod, the shear pin being configured to fracture when a predefined shear force is applied to the collar, and a helical spring extending between the collar and the upper end of the hinge housing, the helical spring being configured to exert a shear force on the collar and the shear pin, wherein when the door is moved to a predetermined position about the first axis the helical spring exerts the predefined shear force on the shear pin. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A home appliance comprising:
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a housing, an oven secured to the housing, a door positioned at the front of the oven, and a hinge assembly configured to move the door about an axis, the hinge assembly comprising; a hinge housing secured to the door and pivotably coupled to the housing, a rod pivotably coupled to the housing, the rod extending outwardly from an upper end of the hinge housing, a shear pin securing a collar to the rod, and a helical spring is positioned between the collar and the upper end of the hinge housing, the helical spring being configured to be compressed and exert a shear force on the collar and the shear pin as the door is moved about the axis, wherein when the door is moved to a position where the angle formed between the door and the front of the oven is greater than 90°
the shear pin is configured to fracture from the shear force exerted by the compression of the helical spring. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification