Lid mounting hinge and counterbalance mechanism

• US 3,906,587 A
• Filed: 09/16/1974
• Issued: 09/23/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl H. Little
• Original Assignee: Carl H. Little
• Inventors: Little, Carl H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Krizmanich, George H.
• Application Number:
  US05/505,491
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 16/182,190,71,85,146
• US Class Current: 16/289
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1261 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/638 Cams; Ramps
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furnitures, e.g. cabinets

Abstract

A combination hinge and counterbalance mechanism for hingedly mounting a lid or cover upon a cabinet for vertical swinging movement between counterbalanced horizontally disposed closed and vertically disposed fully open positions; the mechanism establishing a stable intermediate or lid-substantially open position. The construction of the mechanism permits balancing effects on either side of the intermediate position to be independently controlled.

Claims

1. A cover mounting combination hinge and counterbalance mechanism for mounting a lid upon a cabinet for vertical swinging movement between essentially horizontally disposed fully closed and essentially vertically disposed fully open positions, said mechanism including:

first and second bracket means adapted to be attached one to each of said lid and said cabinet;

hinge pin means pivotally interconnecting said first and second bracket means;

a hanger member;

first and second pivot pins carried by one of said hanger member and said first bracket means;

bearing opening means defined by the other of said hanger member and said first bracket means, said first pivot pin being arranged for bearing engagement with said opening means during movement of said lid between said fully closed position and an intermediate position, said second pivot pin being arranged for bearing engagement with said opening means during movement of said lid between said intermediate position and said fully open position;

And means interconnecting said hanger member and said second bracket means including spring means for exerting forces on said first bracket means through said hanger member and said first pivot pin for establishing a torque opposing movement of said lid from said intermediate position towards said fully closed position and for exerting forces on said first bracket means through said hanger member and said second pivot pin for establishing a torque opposing movement of said lid from said intermediate position towards said fully open position.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said opening means defines a pair of bearing edge portions spaced apart a distance corresponding to the space between said first and second pivot pins and arranged for bearing engagement with an associated one of said first and second pivot pins during movements of said lid between said fully closed and fully open positions, said first and second pivot pins cooperating with said bearing edge portions to define said intermediate position wherein both said first and second pivot pins are arranged in bearing engagement with associated ones of said bearing edge portions.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said pivot pins are carried for movement with said first bracket means, and said first bracket means is adapted to be attached to said lid.

4. A mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said second pivot pin and second bracket means define cooperating abutments for defining said fully open position.

5. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said spring means is a compression spring.

6. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said spring means is a tension spring.

7. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said means interconnecting said hanger member and said second bracket means includes a plate having an opening therethrough and supported by said second bracket means for rocking movements about an axis essentially parallel to a hinge axis defined by said hinge pin means, a member, and a tie rod extending through said plate opening and having its opposite ends fixed to said member and said hanger member, and said spring means includes a compression spring surrounding said tie rod with its opposite ends bearing on said plate and said member.

8. A mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said spring means includes another compression spring surrounding said tie rod, a friction device slideably receiving said tie rod, and said other compression spring has its opposite ends bearing on said member and said friction device thereby to bias the latter against said plate, said friction device serving to friction brake movements of said tie rod as a function of other spring compression variations incident to movements of said lid between said fully closed and open positions.

9. In a cover mounting combination hinge and counterbalance mechanism for hingedly mounting a lid upon an open top cabinet for vertical swinging movement between essentially horizontally disposed fully closed and essentially vertically disposed fully open positions, said mechanism including first and second bracket means adapted to be attached one to each of said lid and said cabinet;

a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said bracket means;

a hanger member having an apertured portion;

hanger pin means for movably connecting said hanger member to said first bracket means for movement relative to said second bracket means during swinging movements of said lid;

compression spring means bearing at one end thereof upon said apertured portion and bearing at an opposite end thereof against an other member; and

a tie rod fixed at one end thereof to a plate and slideably extending through said apertured portion and said spring means and fixed at an opposite end thereof to said other member whereby to hold the latter in a constant distance relation with said plate, said plate being constrained from movement by engagement with said second bracket means, whereby said spring means exerts forces acting tHrough said hanger member and said hanger pin means for counterbalancing the torque effects of gravity on said lid throughout at least a substantial portion of the range of its swinging movements, the improvement wherein said hanger pin means comprises;

first and second pivot pins carried by one of said hanger member and said first bracket means and bearing opening means defined by the other of said hanger member and said first bracket means, said first pivot pin being arranged for bearing engagement with said opening means during movement of said lid between said fully closed position and an intermediate lid position for establishing a torque opposing movement of said lid from intermediate position towards said fully closed position, and said second pivot pin being arranged for bearing engagement with said opening means during movement of said lid between said intermediate position and said fully open position for establishing a torque opposing movement of said lid from said intermediate position towards said fully open position.

10. In a cover mounting combination hinge and counterbalance mechanism for hingedly mounting a lid upon an open top cabinet for vertical swinging movement between essentially horizontally disposed fully closed and essentially vertically disposed fully open positions, said mechanism including first and second bracket means adapted to be attached one to each of said lid and said cabinet;

a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said bracket means;

a hanger member having an apertured portion;

hanger pin means for movably connecting said hanger member to said first bracket means for movement relative to said second bracket means during swinging movements of said lid;

compression spring means bearing one end thereof upon said apertured portion and bearing at an opposite end thereof against an other member; and

a tie rod fixed at one end thereof to a plate and slideably extending through said apertured portion and said spring means and fixed at an opposite end thereof to said other member whereby to hold the latter in a constant distance relationship with said plate, said plate being constrained from movement by engagement with said second bracket means, whereby said spring means exerts forces acting through said hanger member and said hanger pin means for counterbalancing the torque effects of gravity on said lid throughout at least a substantial portion of the range of its swinging movements, the improvement wherein said hanger pin means comprises;

a pair of pivot pins carried by one of said hanger member and said first bracket means and bearing opening means defined by the other of said hanger member and said first bracket means, said bearing opening means defining a pair of bearing edge portions spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacing of said pivot pins and arranged for bearing engagement with an associated one of said pivot pins during movements of said lid between said fully closed and fully open positions, said pivot pins cooperating with said bearing edge portions to define an intermediate-open position of said lid arranged intermediate said fully closed and fully open positions, wherein both said pivot pins are arranged in bearing engagement with an associated one of said bearing edge portions, a first of said pivot pins cooperating with its associated bearing edge portion for establishing a first torque tending to bias said lid for movement from said fully closed position into said intermediate position and a second of said pivot pins cooperating with its associated bearing edge portion for establishing a second torque opposite to said first torque tending to bias said lid for movement from said fully open position into said intermediate position.

11. The improvement according to claim 10, wherein said pivot pins are carried by said first bracket means and said first bracket means is fixed to said lid.

12. The improvement according to claim 11, wherein said second pivot pin and said second bracket means define coopeRating abutments for defining said fully open position of said lid.

13. A cover mounting combination hinge and counterbalance mechanism for hingedly mounting a lid upon an open top cabinet for vertical swinging movement between an essentially horizontally disposed fully closed position and an essentially vertically disposed fully open position through an intermediate-open position, said mechanism including first and second bracket means adapted to be attached to said lid and to said cabinet, respectively;

a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said bracket means;

a hanger member having an apertured bottom portion;

hanger pin means for movably connecting said hanger member to said first bracket means for movement relative to said second bracket means during swinging movements of said lid;

a compression spring device;

an upper member;

a friction braking sleeve device; and

a tie rod fixed at its bottom end to a bottom plate and slideably extending through said bottom portion and said friction sleeve device and spring device and fixed at its upper end to said upper member whereby to hold the latter in a constant distance relation with said bottom plate, said bottom plate being constrained from movement by engagement with said second bracket means, said spring device bearing at its upper end upon said upper member and bearing at its lower end against said friction sleeve device whereby to bias said apertured bottom portion in a direction downwardly towards said bottom plate whereby said spring device exerts forces acting through said hanger member and said hanger pin means for counterbalancing torque effects of the gravity of said lid, said hanger pin means includes a first portion defined by a pair of parallel pivot pins carried by one of said hanger member and said first bracket means and a second portion including a bearing opening defined by the other of said hanger member and said first bracket means and including a pair of bearing portions spaced apart through a distance corresponding to the distance between said pivot pins, that portion of said hanger pin means carried by said first bracket means being movable thereby along an arcuate path about said hinge pin from a position corresponding to said fully closed position wherein only a first of said pivot pins is in bearing engagement with a first of said bearing portions and through an intermediate position corresponding to said intermediate-open position wherein said first pivot pin is in bearing engagement with said first bearing portion and a second of said pivot pins is in bearing engagement with a second of said bearing portions and into a position corresponding to said fully open position wherein only said second pivot pin is in bearing engagement with said second bearing portion, said first pivot pin being arranged on one side of said hinge pin while in bearing engagement with said first bearing portion and said second pivot pin being arranged on an opposite side of said hinge pin while in bearing engagement with said second bearing portion.

14. A mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said upper member is unconstrained by said hanger member, whereby said hanger member is free to tilt relative to both said second bracket means and said tie rod during swinging movements of said lid.

15. A mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said pivot pins are carried by said first bracket means.

16. A mechanism according to claim 15, wherein said second pivot pin and said second bracket means define cooperating abutments for defining said fully open position of said lid.

17. A cover mounting combustion hinge and counterbalance mechanism for hingedly mounting a lid upon an open top cabinet for vertical swinging movement between essentially horizontally disposed fully closed position and an essentially vertically disposed fully open position wherein the weight of said lid develops bi-directional lid torque characteristics having a zero value at an intermediate-open position of said lid, said lid torque tending to oppose mOvement of said lid from both said fully closed and fully open positions towards said intermediate-open position, said mechanism including in combination:

first and second bracket means adapted to be attached to said lid and to said cabinet, respectively;

a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said bracket means;

a hanger member having an apertured bottom portion;

hanger pin means for movably connecting said hanger member to said first bracket means for movement relative to said second bracket means during swinging movements of said lid, said hanger pin means including a first portion defined by a pair of parallel pivot pins carried by one of said hanger member and said first bracket means and a second portion including a bearing opening defined by the other of said hanger member and said first bracket means, said bearing opening including a pair of bearing portions spaced apart to a distance corresponding to the distance between said pivot pins, that portion of said hanger pin means carried by said first bracket means being movable thereby along an arcuate path about said hinge pin from a position corresponding to said fully closed position wherein only a first of said pivot means is in bearing engagement with a first of said bearing portions and through an intermediate position corresponding to said intermediate-open position wherein said first pivot pin is in bearing engagement with said first bearing portion and a second of said pivot pin is in bearing engagement with a second of said bearing portions and into a position corresponding to said fully open position wherein only said second pivot pin is in bearing engagement with said second bearing portion, said first pivot pin being arranged on one side of said hinge pin while in bearing engagement with said first bearing portion and said second pivot pin being arranged on an opposite side of said hinge pin while in bearing engagement with said second bearing portion;

a compression spring device;

an upper member;

a friction braking device; and

a tie rod fixed at its bottom end to a bottom plate and slideably extending through said apertured bottom portion and said friction device and said spring device and fixed at its upper end to said upper member whereby to hold the latter in a constant relationship with said bottom plate, said bottom plate being constrained from movement by engagement with said second bracket means, said spring device bearing at its upper end upon said upper member and bearing at its lower end against said friction device whereby to bias said friction device into engagement with said bottom portion and thereby bias said bottom portion downwardly towards said bottom plate, said friction device serving to friction brake movements of said hanger member relative to said tie rod as a function of spring device compression variations whereby to establish friction torques directed opposite to the direction of movement of said lid, said spring device exerting forces acting through said first pivot pin and first bearing portion when in engagement for establishing a first spring torque about said hinge pin tending to bias said lid from said fully closed position towards said intermediate open position and forces acting through said second pivot pin and second bearing portion when in engagement for establishing a second spring torque about said hinge pin opposite to said first spring pin torque and tending to bias said lid from said fully open position towards said intermediate open position, said spring torques and said friction torques cooperating to define balancing envelopes effective for counterbalancing lid torque throughout substantially the whole of the range of lid swinging movements, said first and second spring torques substantially exceeding said lid torque adjacent said intermediate-open position whereby to create a stable intermediate-open position for said lid.

18. A mechanism according to claim 17, wherein said pivot pins are carried by said first bracket mEans, said first bracket means is fixed to said lid, and said second pivot pin and said second bracket means define cooperating abutments for defining said fully open position of said lid.

19. A cover mounting combination hinge and counterbalance mechanism substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.