Furniture hinge with automatic opening control mechanism

• US 7,065,833 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Grass GmbH (Thyssenkrupp AG)
• Original Assignee: Grass GmbH (Thyssenkrupp AG)
• Inventors: Kropf, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Mah, Chuck Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/890,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 162/86, 162/87, 162/88, 163/03, 163/04, 162/91, 162/96, 162/97, 162/94
• US Class Current: 16/286
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/142 with at least one of the hinge parts having a cup-shaped fixing part, e.g. for attachment to cabinets or furniture E05D11/1021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 7/125 the hinge having two or more pins
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/006 for hinges having a cup-shaped fixing part, e.g. for attachment to cabinets or furniture
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/22 Locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/232 by automatically acting means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/256 with pistons or vanes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/264 linear
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/638 Cams; Ramps
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/46 in or on the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/11 Manual wing operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furnitures, e.g. cabinets

Abstract

The invention concerns a cabinet hinge with an automatic opening device, especially for cabinet doors with a hinge cup, which is connected with a hinge to a hinge arm, which is, being adjustable and lockable, connected to a base plate, which is connected to a cabinet body; whereby, the hinge includes an inner and outer joint lever, which are fastened to the hinge cup, as well as the hinge arm, with each one pivoting joint pin, which causes a kind of parallelogram-joint to be formed between the hinge cup and the hinge arm, by which means the cabinet door relative to the cabinet body can be swung out; whereby, at least one elastic resilient spring element directly affects at least one joint pin of outer and/or inner joint lever and causes a torque for opening of the cabinet door from the closed position through a defined opening-angle area, and; whereby, the resilient spring element is fastened to the hinge cup, whereby, at least one resilient spring element affects through a sliding wedge directly or indirectly at least one join pin of the outer and/or inner joint lever. Specifically, the spring element is contained totally inside the hinge cup and includes at least one one-step piston rod-cylinder unit, which allows a relative movement of the sliding wedge towards the hinge cup and its top part during the opening process of the door by means of a spring and during the closing process by means of the strength of the user. The advantage of the spring element position on or in the hinge cup is that considerably more room is available for a heavy spring and heavy doors can be equipped with the automatic opening device, according to the invention.

Claims

1. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device for a cabinet door, comprising:

a hinge cup mountable on to a cabinet door and connected by a hinge joint to a hinge arm, the hinge arm being adjustably and securably connected to a base plate mountable on a cabinet;

wherein the hinge joint further comprises an inside joint lever and an outside joint lever, each being pivotally attached by a joint pin on the hinge cup, as well as the hinge arm;

wherein the inside joint lever and the outside joint lever together define a parallelogram-like joint between the hinge cup and the hinge arm, by which the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door can be swung relative to the hinge arm connected to the base plate mountable to the cabinet between open and closed positions of the cabinet door relative to the cabinet;

at least one elastic spring-loaded spring element fastened to the hinge cup and urging a spring force that is transmitted via a sliding wedge to the joint pin of at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever, causing a torque for swinging the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door from the closed position through a pre-defined opening angle area to the open position;

wherein the hinge cup has a cover part and the spring element further comprises at least one piston rod-cylinder unit moving the sliding wedge relative to the hinge cup and the cover part of the hinge cup during an opening phase of swinging the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door from the closed position to the open position;

wherein the spring of the spring element is pre-tensioned with a stored potential energy when the door is in the closed position and releases the stored potential energy over the pre-defined opening angle area when the door is swinging toward the open position, and has no tension after the door swings through a pre-determined maximum opening angle (φ

); and

wherein the opening angle area is between approximately minus 3°

to 0° and

the maximum opening angle is approximately 20°

.

2. Cabinet hinge with an automatic opening device, according to claim 1, wherein the spring element is placed at least partially in an inner area of the hinge cup.

3. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 1, wherein the spring element further comprises a cup-like unit in which a piston rod is contained, and which is inserted within an inside area of a shaft of the sliding wedge, and a spring located between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge that allows axial relative movement between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge.

4. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 1, wherein the spring element further comprises a cup-like unit, which contains a hollow cylinder that has a piston rod of the sliding wedge inserted in an inside area of a hollow cylinder of the sliding wedge, and a spring located between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge that allows axial relative movement between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge.

5. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 1, wherein the spring element further comprises a cup-like unit with a piston rod of the sliding wedge inserted in an inside area of the sliding wedge, and a spring located between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge that allows axial relative movement between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge.

6. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 1 wherein the sliding wedge further comprises a shaft formed in an end area of the sliding wedge and a wedge head formed in an opposite end area of the sliding wedge, which forms a wedge-shaped support surface for contacting a support surface of one of at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever.

7. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 6, wherein the support surface of the sliding wedge conforms to the support surface of the at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever.

8. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 7, wherein the support surface of the at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever further comprises two planar surface areas, which are connected to each other by a curved surface area, and the support surface of the wedge head of the sliding wedge is slideable on the support surface of the at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever.

9. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 1, wherein the spring of the spring element produces a torque sufficient to swing the door through the opening angle area of between about minus 3°

to 0°

through an opening angle of approximately 8°

of the door opening, without producing sufficient torque to swing the door opening between the opening angle of approximately 8° and

the maximum opening angle of 20°

.

10. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 9, wherein the spring of the spring element has no tension after an opening angle of approximately 20°

toward the open position of the door opening.

11. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device, according to claim 10, wherein the spring of the spring element is one of a cylindrical coil compression spring made of one of steel and plastic, and an elastomer spring made of plastic.

12. A cabinet with automatic opening device for a cabinet door, comprising:

a hinge cup mountable on to a cabinet door and connected by a hinge joint to a hinge arm, the hinge arm being adjustably and securably connected to a base plate mountable on a cabinet;

wherein the hinge joint further comprises an inside joint lever and an outside joint lever, each being pivotally attached by a joint pin on the hinge cup, as well as the hinge arm;

wherein the inside joint lever and the outside joint lever together define a parallelogram-like joint between the hinge cup and the hinge arm, by which the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door can be swung relative to the hinge arm connected to the base plate mountable to the cabinet between open and closed positions of the cabinet door relative to the cabinet;

at least one elastic spring-loaded spring element fastened to the hinge cup and urging a spring force that is transmitted via a sliding wedge to the joint pin of at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever, causing a torque for swinging the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door from the closed position through a pre-defined opening angle area to the open position;

wherein the hinge cup has a cover part and the spring element further comprises at least one piston rod-cylinder unit moving the sliding wedge relative to the hinge cup and the cover part of the hinge cup during an opening phase of swinging the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door from the closed position to the open position; and

wherein the spring element further comprises a cup-like unit in which a piston rod is contained, and which is inserted within an inside area of a shaft of the sliding wedge, and a spring located between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge that allows axial relative movement between the cup-like unit and the sliding wedge.

13. Cabinet hinge with automatic opening device for a cabinet door, comprising:

a hinge cup mountable on to a cabinet door and connected by a hinge joint to a hinge arm, the hinge arm being adjustably and securably connected to a base plate mountable on a cabinet;

wherein the hinge joint further comprises an inside joint lever and an outside joint lever, each being pivotally attached by a joint pin on the hinge cup, as well as the hinge arm;

wherein the inside joint lever and the outside joint lever together define a parallelogram-like joint between the hinge cup and the hinge arm, by which the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door can be swung relative to the hinge arm connected to the base plate mountable to the cabinet between open and closed positions of the cabinet door relative to the cabinet;

at least one elastic spring-loaded spring element fastened to the hinge cup and urging a spring force that is transmitted via a sliding wedge to the joint pin of at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever, causing a torque for swinging the hinge cup mountable on the cabinet door from the closed position through a pre-defined opening angle area to the open position;

wherein the sliding wedge further comprises a shaft formed in an end area of the sliding wedge and a wedge head formed in on opposite end area of the sliding wedge, which forms a wedge-shaped support surface for contacting a support surface of one of at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever;

wherein the support surface of the sliding wedge conforms to the support surface of the at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever; and

wherein the support surface of the at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever further comprises two planar surface areas, which are connected to each other by a curved surface area, and the support surface of the wedge head of the sliding wedge is slideable on the support surface of the at least one of the outer joint lever and the inner joint lever.