Hinge mechanism

• US 3,103,693 A
• Filed: 04/27/1960
• Issued: 09/17/1963
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Howard J. Tenniswood, Lowell W. Dunbar
• Original Assignee: Howard J. Tenniswood, Lowell W. Dunbar
• Inventors: Tenniswood, Howard J., Dunbar, Lowell W.
• Application Number:
  US04/025,012
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• US Class Current: 16/289
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1276 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/306 for freezers

Claims

1. IN A DEVICE FOR HINGING A DOOR ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS TO A TOP OPENING CABINET, IN COMBINATION, AN UPPER HINGE ELEMENT HAVING PARALLEL SIDES, A SLOPING TOP CONNECTING SAID PARALLEL SIDES, EARS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID PARALLEL SIDES AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE VERTICAL REAR EDGE OF A DOOR, RAILS EXTENDING ALONG SAID PARALLEL SIDES, A TROUGH-LIKE HINGE ELEMENT, A PINTLE PIVOTING SAID UPPER HINGE ELEMENTS TO SAID TROUGH-LIKE HINGE ELEMENT FLANGES EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID TROUGH-LIKE HINGE ELEMENT AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE VERTICAL REAR SIDE OF A CABINET, A RETRACTILE SPRING, AN ANCHOR FOR SAID RETRACTILE SPRING ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF SAID TROUGH-LIKE ELEMENT, A ROLLER ROLLABLE UPON SAID RAILS, THE UPPER END OF SAID RETRACTILE SPRING BEING CONNECTED TO SAID ROLLER, SAID RAILS HAVING A FIRST LIMIT OF TRAVEL FOR SAID ROLLER ADJACENT SAID PINTLE, A SECOND LIMIT OF TRAVEL FOR SAID ROLLER MORE REMOTE FROM SAID PINTLE THAN SAID FIRST LIMIT AND BEING DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, THE DIRECTION OF PULL OF SAID SPRING BEING SUCH THAT SAID ROLLER IS AUTOMATICALLY LOCATED AT SAID FIRST LIMIT WHEN SAID DOOR IS CLOSED AND IS AUTOMATICALLY MOVED AWAY FROM SAID PINTLE TO SAID SECOND LIMIT WHEN SAID RAILS ARE TILTED DOWNWARDLY UPON SLIGHT OPENING OF THE DOOR, SAID SPRING BEING DISTORTED ESSENTIALLY THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT TO IMPOSE AN ESSENTIALLY MAXIMUM FORCE ON SAID ROLLER AND SAID ROLLER BEING AT SAID FIRST LIMIT TO PROVIDE A RELATIVELY SHORT MOMENT ARM ABOUT SAID PINTLE TO GENERATE A MOMENT OPPOSING AND LESS THAN THE GRAVITY MOMENT OF THE DOOR ABOUT SAID PINTLE WHEN THE DOOR IS FULLY CLOSED, SAID SPRING BEING DISTORTED ESSENTIALLY SAID MAXIMUM TO IMPOSE ON SAID ROLLER A FORCE OF THE SAME MAGNITUDE AS SAID ESSENTIALLY MAXIMUM FORCE AND SAID ROLLER BEING AT SAID SECOND LIMIT TO PROVIDE A RELATIVELY LONG MOMENT ARM ABOUT SAID PINTLE TO GENERATE A MAXIMUM MOMENT OPPOSING AND FULLY COUNTERBALANCING THE GRAVITY MOMENT OF THE DOOR WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN TO A POSITION DISPLACED SLIGHTLY FROM FULLY CLOSED, AND SAID ROLLER WHILE AT SAID SECOND LIMIT PROGRESSIVELY MOVING THE LINE ALONG WHICH SAID SPRING FORCE IS IMPOSED TOWARD SAID PINTLE TO PROGRESSIVELY REDUCE THE MOMENT ARM ABOUT SAID PINTLE AND SAID SPRING DISTORTION BEING PROGRESSIVELY REDUCED TO PROGRESSIVELY REDUCE THE MOMENT ABOUT SAID PINTLE OPPOSING THE GRAVITY MOMENT OF THE DOOR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID GRAVITY MOMENT FULLY COUNTERBALANCED WHEN SAID DOOR IS DISPLACED IN AN OPENING DIRECTION FROM SAID SLIGHTLY OPEN POSITION.