Oven hinge

• US 4,269,165 A
• Filed: 06/11/1979
• Issued: 05/26/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitchell Wing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mitchell Wing Incorporated
• Inventors: McIntosh, James D., Wrotny, Walter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US06/047,207
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 126/194, 126/191, 16/128, 126/192
• US Class Current: 126/191
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/416 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/308 for ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/023 Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing

Abstract

Composite oven door and hinge which is fixedly but detachably mounted on a stove. The door is pivotal between closed, broil and open positions and the hinge provides for counterbalancing in moving between broil and open positions.

Claims

1. In a hinge to be secured to an oven door;

a housing to be fixedly secured to the oven door;

arm means for demountably securing the door to the oven;

main pivot means securing said arm to said housing and providing for pivoting of the door as between closed, broil, and open positions;

a compression spring;

first means connected between one end of said spring and said arm including mechanism to condition the first means to accomodate said pivoting of the door;

second means connected between the opposite end of said spring and said main pivot including mechanism to accomodate said pivoting of the door, the spring being compressed between the first and second means;

means forming a closed position detent and a broil position detent;

roller means connected to said second means for engaging said detents to establish the closed and broil positions;

said first and second means being operative as a function of the pivotal position of the door;

(a) to place said roller against one of said detents and compress the spring and transmit force of the same to cause the roller to tightly engage the detent and establish the closed or broil position;

(b) to compress or de-compress said spring and transfer the force of same to said door in opposition to the force developed by the weight of the door and thereby provide for counter-balancing.

2. In a hinge to be secured to an oven door;

a housing to be fixedly secured to the door;

arm means for demountably securing the door to the oven;

main pivot means securing said arm to said housing and providing for pivoting of the door as between closed, broil and open positions;

an elongated shaft, the axis of which is spaced from said main pivot means,

mechanism on one end of said shaft mounting the shaft in said housing and permitting axial shifting of the shaft;

a retainer on the opposite end of said shaft;

a compression spring compressed between said retainer and said mechanism;

first means connected between said mechanism and said arm;

second means connected between said mechanism and said main pivot; and

said first and second means being operative as a function of the pivotal position of the door to axially shift said shaft whereby to control the amount of compression of said spring and thereby provide a force to counter-balance the force of the weight of the door.

3. The hinge of claim 2 wherein:

said shaft is comprised of an upper part and a lower part and one each of each part having a flat, axially extending mounting surface with the surfaces engaging one another, said structure providing that the shaft can be lengthened or shortened by a longer or shorter upper part; and

aligned apertures formed on said ends and means in said apertures securing the surfaces together.

4. A counterbalancing hinge for mounting a door on an oven compressing;

a housing to be fixedly secured to an oven door;

arm means for demountably securing the door to the oven;

main pivot means securing said arm to said housing to provide for pivoting of the door as between closed, broil and open positions.

an elongated shaft, the axis of the shaft being placed from said main pivot;

mechanism mounting the shaft in said the housing and permitting axial shifting of the shaft;

a first link pivotally connected between the end of said shaft and said arm, the pivot connection with said arm being located on the opposite side of the shaft axis as the main pivot means;

a retainer on the shaft;

a second link connected between said mechanism and said main pivot means including a sliding connection to provide for the second link to engage the main pivot means;

roller means on said link;

means on said arm forming a closed position detent and a broil position detent to be engaged by said roller;

a compression spring surrounding said shaft and compressed between said mechanism and retainer, the spring by acting on said retainer urging the shaft in a direction away from said first link and being restrained by the first link and the spring by acting on said mechanism urging the mechanism and said second link in the opposite direction, the mechanism and second link being restrained either by the second link engaging the main pivot or by the roller engaging a detent as a function of the pivoted position of the door; and

said first link being effective to cause the shaft to shift axially as a function of the pivotal position of the housing to space said retainer and said mechanism closer or farther apart and compress or decompress the spring to increase or decrease the force developed thereby and the pulling force of the spring and said mechanism being transferred to said door to cause the door to pivot toward the closed position and thereby provide said counter balancing force.

5. In a stove having an oven opening and a door for the opening, a pair of hinges to detachably mount the door on the stove and being operative when so mounted to provide for the door to pivot as between closed, broil and open positions and provide for counter-balancing the door between broil and open positions each hinge comprising:

an elongated housing to be inserted into retaining means on the oven door and means providing for securing the hinge in position;

an arm having an inboard section and an outboard section, the inboard section being adapted to be inserted in a retaining socket on the stove and to be rigidly but releasably held therein for mounting the hinge and door on the stove;

main pivot means connecting said housing and said outboard section and providing for the housing to pivot relative to the outboard section to permit said door to pivot as between said closed, broil and open positions;

a collar slidably mounted in said housing for axial shifting along same and substantially confined against lateral shifting and formed with an axially extending aperture, the collar partaking of said pivoting motion of the housing;

an elongated shaft mounted in said collar aperture and extending in one direction into said housing and extending in the opposite direction away from the housing, the shaft partaking of said pivoting motion of the housing and the axis of the shaft being inboard of said main pivot;

a shaft control member;

mechanism pivotally connecting one end of the shaft control member to the position of shaft extending into said housing and pivotally connecting the other end of the shaft control member to said outboard section, the latter connection being inboard of the axis of the shaft, said mechanism partaking of said pivoting motion of the housing and transmitting spring reaction to the housing to provide a force on the door to counter-balance the force developed by the weight of the door;

an elongated collar control member carrying roller means;

means on said arm outboard section forming a closed-position detent and a broil-position detent to be engaged by said roller;

one end of said collar control member being connected to said collar for axially shifting therewith and the opposite end being engageable and disengageable with said main pivot means, the shifting and engagement and disengagement being provided by a sliding connection;

a retainer mounted on said end of the shaft extending away from the collar;

a compression spring surrounding said shaft and compressed between said collar and said retainer, the spring by acting on the retainer urging the shaft in a direction away from said shaft control member and being restrained by the shaft control member and the spring by acting on the collar urging the collar and collar control member in the opposite direction, the collar and collar control member being restrained either by the roller engaging one said detents or the end of the collar control member engaging said main pivot as a function of the pivotal position of the door;

said mechanism and said shaft control member causing the shaft to shift axially as a function of the pivotal position of the housing to space the retainer and collar closer or farther apart and compress or decompress the spring to increase or decrease the force developed thereby;

the structure of said components providing that;

(a) in the closed position, the collar control member being disengaged from said main pivot and said roller means being engaged with the closed-position detent and held against same by the force of said spring whereby to establish the closed position of said door;

(b) in the broil position, the collar control member being engaged with said main pivot and said roller means engaged with said broil position detent and being held against same by the force of said spring whereby to establish the broil-position of said door;

(c) and in all other positions the roller being disengaged from said detents and said collar control means being engaged with said main pivot and being held agaist same by the force of said spring whereby said spring exerts a pulling force on said mechanism and pushes the same against said housing in a direction to cause the housing to pivot toward the closed position and thereby provide said counter-balancing force;

and the movement of the roller between said detents, and the engaging and disengaging of the collar control member with said main pivot being accomodated by said axial shifting of the collar and the collar control member.

6. The hinge of claim 5 wherein said mechanism comprises:

first pivot means pivotally connecting one end of the shaft control member to said outboard section, the first pivot means being located inboard of the axis of said shaft;

second pivot means pivotally connecting the opposite end of the shaft control member to the portion of the shaft extending into said housing;

means on said second pivot means making a sliding fit with interior of the housing whereby to confine the end of the shaft against lateral displacement, to transmit spring reaction to the housing to provide a force on the door to counter-balance the force developed by the weight of the door and to cause said shaft control member to pivot about the first pivot means when the housing pivots;

7. The hinge of claim 5 wherein said housing is U-shaped in cross section and has a pair of sides, a back provided with a slot to accomodate passage of said shaft control member and said inboard section and an open front section provided with a pair of flanges retaining said collar and said sides each having a pivot bracket forming in part of said pivot means.

8. The hinge of claim 5 wherein said main pivot means further includes:

a pivot pin mounted on said pivot brackets and first and second spacer means mounted on said pin and each engaging said housing, said inboard section being mounted on said pin and positioned thereon by said spacers.

9. The hinge of claim 8 wherein said sliding connection comprises a slot formed on an end of said collar control member, the second spacer having a shoulder disposed in said slot and making a sliding fit therewith;

10. The hinge of claim 9 wherein said collar has:

a first pair of slider sections respectively engaging said back and sides of the housing;

a second pair of slider sections respectively engaging the flanges and sides of the housing;

a retaining slot receiving one end of said collar control member; and

a socket mounting one end of said compression spring;

11. The hinge of claim 5 wherein:

said shaft is comprised of an upper part and lower part one end of each part having a flat, axially extending mounting surface with the surfaces engaging one another, said structure providing that the shaft can be lengthened or shortened by a longer or shorter upper part; and

aligned apertures formed on said ends and means in said apertures securing the surfaces together.

12. The hinge of claim 5 wherein the end of the upper part of the shaft has a plurality of axially spaced pin apertures and said retainer comprises:

a sleeve having a first pair of oppositely disposed slots extending axially from one edge and a second pair of oppositely disposed slots extending axially from said one edge, the first pair extending an axial distance greater the second pair and a pin disposed in one of said pin apertures and in one pair of said slots whereby to maintain the retainer on the shaft against the force of said spring, said pin apertures and slots providing a means to adjust the distance between the collar and the retainer whereby to adjust the amount of spring compression;

13. The hinge of claim 12 wherein the shaft is ribbed.

14. In a hinge to be secured to an oven door;

a housing to be fixedly secured to the door;

arm means for demountably securing the door to the oven;

main pivot means securing said arm to said housing and providing for pivoting of the door as between closed, broil and open positions;

an elongated shaft, the axis of which is spaced from said main pivot means,

mechanism mounting the shaft in said housing and permitting axial shifting of the shaft;

a retainer on said shaft;

a compression spring compressed between said retainer and said mechanism;

first means connected between said mechanism and said arm;

second means connected between said mechanism and said main pivot;

said first and second means being operative as a function of the pivotal position of the door to axially shift said shaft whereby to control the amount of compression of said spring and thereby provide a force to counter-balance the force of the weight of the door;

the end of the upper part of said shaft having a plurality of axially spaced pin apertures; and

said retainer comprising a sleeve having a first pair of oppositely disposed slots extending axially from one edge and a second pair of oppositely disposed slots extending axially from said one edge, the first pair extending an axial distance greater than the second pair and a pin disposed in one of said pin apertures and in one pair of said slots whereby to maintain the retainer on the shaft against the force of said spring, said pin apertures and slots providing a means to adjust the distance between said end and said mechanism to adjust the amount of spring compression.