Thrust bearing assembly for hinge structure
First Claim
1. A thrust bearing assembly for a hinge structure including two geared hinge members and a clamp member, the geared hinged members being in intermeshing relation when the hinge structure is assembled and are longitudinally movable relative to each other with the clamp member maintaining the geared hinge members in mesh as they rotate, said thrust bearing assembly comprising:
- a pair of interengaging inserts removably disposed in adjacent longitudinal co-extensive recesses defined along adjacent longitudinal edges of each hinge member and extending laterally across the hinge members to inhibit their longitudinal movement relative to each other, said inserts being configured to inhibit longitudinal movements relative to each other when disposed in the recesses of the hinge members while permitting said inserts to be rotationally moved relative to each other to facilitate removal of the thrust bearing assembly without requiring disassembly of the hinge members of the hinge structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thrust bearing assembly for a hinge structure having two geared hinge members and a clamp member. The geared hinge members are maintained in rotatable, intermeshing relation along their adjacent longitudinally extending edges by the clamp members to permit smooth and uniform movement of the hinge structure. The thrust bearing assembly of the present invention includes a pair of non-metallic interconnected inserts arranged in side-by-side order to extend laterally across and inhibit relative longitudinal movements between the hinge members. The interconnected inserts are configured to facilitate their insertion in and removal from the hinge structure while maintaining the hinge members in mesh.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A thrust bearing assembly for a hinge structure including two geared hinge members and a clamp member, the geared hinged members being in intermeshing relation when the hinge structure is assembled and are longitudinally movable relative to each other with the clamp member maintaining the geared hinge members in mesh as they rotate, said thrust bearing assembly comprising:
a pair of interengaging inserts removably disposed in adjacent longitudinal co-extensive recesses defined along adjacent longitudinal edges of each hinge member and extending laterally across the hinge members to inhibit their longitudinal movement relative to each other, said inserts being configured to inhibit longitudinal movements relative to each other when disposed in the recesses of the hinge members while permitting said inserts to be rotationally moved relative to each other to facilitate removal of the thrust bearing assembly without requiring disassembly of the hinge members of the hinge structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A thrust bearing assembly for a pinless hinge structure including two rotatable hinge members and a clamp member, said hinge members being longitudinally movable relative to each other and are rotatably joined along adjacent longitudinal edges by intermeshing gear segments forming part of and which allow said hinge members to longitudinally move relative to each other with said clamp member maintaining the gear segments in mesh, said thrust bearing assembly comprising:
at least two inserts disposed in side-by-side relation in adjacent longitudinally co-extensive recesses defined along adjacent longitudinal edges of each hinge member and extending laterally across the hinge members to inhibit relative longitudinal movements therebetween, said inserts being joined to each other by a tongue-and-groove configuration defined along adjacent longitudinal edges of the inserts and which inhibits longitudinal movement therebetween and permits the inserts to be rotationally moved relative to each other to facilitate insertion and removal of the thrust bearing assembly into and from the hinge structure while maintaining the hinge members in mesh with each other. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
Specification