Oven door hinge assembly

• US 4,665,892 A
• Filed: 06/24/1985
• Issued: 05/19/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stanley Works Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stanley Works Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spargo, Thomas W., Arute, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Application Number:
  US06/747,715
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 126/191, 126/194, 16/284, 16/286, 16/289, 49/386
• US Class Current: 126/194
• 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

A fully assembled hinge mechanism for a door of a major appliance which comprises an elongated guide member arranged to be attached to the appliance at spaced apart front edges thereof having a pivotal door hanger lever extending therefrom, and a hinge arm pivotally connected to the door hanger lever and movable on the guide member to permit opening of a door on the hanger lever where the hinge arm is spring biased into contact with the guide member and the spring counterbalances the weight of the door.

Claims

1. A pre-assembled hinge for a door on an appliance where the door is arranged to close the opening to an appliance cavity and the appliance includes spaced apart front panel surfaces extending along opposite side margins of the door cavity and to which a pair of said hinges are attached,

said hinge comprising an elongated vertical guide member having upper and lower ends and adapted to be fixedly secured to the front panel surface of the appliance, said guide member substantially defining the vertical length of the hinge,

a hinge pivot member secured to said guide member adjacent the lower end of said guide member and extending outwardly from said guide member adjacent its lower end in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said guide member and adapted to extend outwardly from and generally perpendicular to the front panel surface of the associated appliance,

a door hanger lever pivotally connected adjacent its lower end to the outwardly extending portion of said pivot member, said hanger lever being adapted to support the associated door thereon upon mounting of the lower end of the door thereon, said lever being pivotable between a door closing position extending generally parallel to said guide member and a door opening position extending generally perpendicularly thereto,

a generally L-shaped hinge arm having first and second legs, said first leg extending outwardly of said guide member and generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said guide member, said hinge arm being connected adjacent its free end to said hanger lever at a point spaced upwardly from the pivotal connection of said hanger lever to said pivot member, said second leg being spaced upwardly from said first leg carrying roller means adjacent its free end, said roller means being disposed against a vertically extending surface of said guide means,

a coil spring having one end connected to an upper portion of said guide member spaced above said second leg and its other end connected to said hinge arm intermediate its length, whereby said spring biases said roller means on said hinge arm against said guide member,

said hinge arm being rollable on said roller downwardly along said vertically extending surface of said guide member against the biasing pressure of said spring to said door opening position position wherein said hinge arm abuts movement limiting means when said door hanger lever is substantially perpendicular to said guide member, and

first stop means on said vertically extending surface of said guide member for limiting movement of said roller on said hinge arm intermediate the length of its path of movement on said guide member to hold said lever in a third position between said door opening and door closing positions and thereby function to hold the associated appliance door in a partially open position.

2. The hinge of claim 1 wherein said first stop means comprises an included ledge with a stop for said roller means therebehind, whereby said roller means may be rolled over said ledge and caught on said stop under the biasing pressure of said spring.

3. The hinge of claim 2 where said guide member is channel shaped, wherein said vertical surface on which said roller means rolls is the base of the channel, and wherein said ledge is formed by upsetting a portion of said channel.

4. The hinge of claim 1 wherein said guide member is in the form of a channel and said movement limiting means is a pin extending through the sidewalls of said channel, and an edge of said hinge arm.

5. A pre-assembled hinge for a door on an appliance where the door is arranged to close the opening to an appliance cavity and the appliance includes spaced apart front panel surfaces extending along opposite side margins of the door cavity and each adapted to mount one of said hinges,

said hinge comprising an elongated guide member defining a vertical guide channel and having upper and lower ends, said guide member being adapted to be secured to the front panel surface of the appliance, said guide channel having an inclined ledge therein intermediate its length providing a stop on the side opposite that defining said incline, said guide member substantially defining the vertical length of the hinge,

a hinge pivot member secured to said guide member adjacent the lower end of said guide member and extending outwardly from said guide member adjacent its lower end and adapted to extend outwardly from the front panel surface of the associated appliance,

a door hanger lever pivotally connected adjacent its lower end to the outwardly extending portion of said pivot member, said hanger lever being adapted to support the associated door thereon upon mounting of the lower end of the door thereon, said lever being pivotable between a door closing position extending generally parallel to said guide member and a door opening position extending generally perpendicularly thereto,

a generally L-shaped hinge arm having first and second legs, said first leg extending outwardly of said guide member and being connected to said first hanger lever at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of said hanger lever to said pivot member, said second leg carrying roller means adjacent its free end, said roller means being disposed against the vertical surface at the base of said guide channel

a coil spring having one end connected to an upper portion of said guide member and its other end connected to said hinge arm intermediate its length, whereby said spring biases said roller means on said hinge arm against said guide member,

said hinge arm being rollable on said roller along said surface of said guide member against the biasing pressure of said spring over said ledge to a position wherein said roller means is caught behind said stop and holds said door hanger lever and the associated door thereon in a partially open position, and

said hinge arm being further rollable on said guide member against the biasing pressure of said spring to a position wherein said door hanger lever is substantially perpendicular to said guide member, and

limit means on said guide member for limiting downward movement of said hinge arm on said guide member to limit the opening of the associated door to the horizontal position.