Hinge mechanism for a home appliance providing door motion in a non-circular path
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A home appliance comprising:
- a housing forming a food handling compartment,a door positioned at the front of the housing, the door being configured to rotate about a vertical axis,a hinge pin secured to the door, the hinge pin being configured to rotate with the door about the vertical axis,a crank arm extending from a first end to a second end, the first end being secured to the hinge pin,a first slider pivotably coupled to the crank arm at the second end, the first slider being constrained to move along a first horizontal axis, anda second slider pivotably coupled to the crank arm between the first end and the second end, the second slider being constrained to move along a second horizontal axis extending perpendicular to the first horizontal axis,wherein as the door rotates about the vertical axis, the crank arm acts on the first slider and the second slider to move the first slider along the first horizontal axis and the second slider along the second horizontal axis such that the vertical axis travels along an elliptical path.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cooking appliance includes a housing forming a food handling compartment, a door positioned at the front of the housing that is configured to rotate about a vertical axis, and a hinge assembly secured to the door. The hinge assembly includes a hinge pin extending along the vertical axis and a double slider-crank mechanism that is coupled to the hinge pin. As the door rotates about the vertical axis, the hinge assembly moves the vertical axis along an elliptical path.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A home appliance comprising:
-
a housing forming a food handling compartment, a door positioned at the front of the housing, the door being configured to rotate about a vertical axis, a hinge pin secured to the door, the hinge pin being configured to rotate with the door about the vertical axis, a crank arm extending from a first end to a second end, the first end being secured to the hinge pin, a first slider pivotably coupled to the crank arm at the second end, the first slider being constrained to move along a first horizontal axis, and a second slider pivotably coupled to the crank arm between the first end and the second end, the second slider being constrained to move along a second horizontal axis extending perpendicular to the first horizontal axis, wherein as the door rotates about the vertical axis, the crank arm acts on the first slider and the second slider to move the first slider along the first horizontal axis and the second slider along the second horizontal axis such that the vertical axis travels along an elliptical path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A cooking appliance comprising:
-
a housing having a food handling compartment, a door positioned at the front of the housing, the door being configured to rotate about an axis, and a hinge assembly secured to the door, the hinge assembly comprising; a crank arm extending from a first end to a second end, the first end being secured to the door, a first slider pivotably coupled to the crank arm at the second end, and a second slider pivotably coupled to the crank arm between the first end and the second end, wherein as the door rotates about the axis, the crank arm acts on the first slider and the second slider such that the axis travels along an eccentric path. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A cooking appliance comprising:
-
a housing forming a food handling compartment, a door positioned at the front of the housing, the door being configured to rotate about a vertical axis, and a hinge assembly secured to the door, the hinge assembly including a hinge pin extending along the vertical axis and a double slider-crank mechanism coupled to the hinge pin, wherein as the door rotates about the vertical axis, the hinge assembly moves the vertical axis along an eccentric path. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
-
Specification