Hinge device for opening and closing cover of office equipment

• US 9,803,409 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nifco Korea Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nifco Korea Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Dae Won
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US15/120,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20170058586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 16286, 16289, 16223, 16277, 16 71, 16 72, 16 82, 16 85, 399380
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1064 with a coil spring perpendicular to the pivot axis
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/02 with one pin
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1261 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/638 Cams; Ramps
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/608 for machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00554 Latches or hinges therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00557 Connection or assembly of components or elements H04N1/00538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00559 Mounting or support of components or elements H04N1/00538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hinge device for opening and closing a cover of office equipment, and more particularly to a hinge device disposed at a cover which is rotatably opened and closed and having a multi-layered cam and a slider, so that a free stop section and a slow down section are performed in closing the cover, thereby reducing a noise in closing the cover and improving a sensibility of product.

The hinge device for opening and closing a cover of office equipment of the present invention comprises:

• • a housing (10) which is disposed at a main body (110) of an office equipment and having a pair of hinge holes (11) on the upper portion thereof;
  • a rotational lever (20) which is fixedly disposed at a cover (120) and having hinge holes (21) at the rear thereof and being provided with a hinge connection part (22) inserted into the upper portion inside the housing (10) at the lower portion of the rear thereof;
  • a hinge shaft (30) being inserted into the hinge holes (11) of the housing (10) and the hinge holes (21) of the rotational lever (20) and combined with them and supporting rotation of the rotational lever (20) and the cover (120);
  • a compression coil spring (40) being disposed inside the housing (10); and
  • a slider (50) being disposed on the upper portion inside the housing (10) and being elastically supported by the compression coil spring (40), and the upper end portion of which contacts with the lower end surface of the hinge connection part (22) of the rotational lever (20); wherein
  • the hinge connection part (22) of the rotational lever (20) is located at the front of hinge holes (21), so that a multi-layered cam (23) is provided to the lower end surface of the hinge connection part (22) and a supporting surface (51) is formed on the upper end surface of the slider (50),
  • the multi-layered cam (23) of the rotational lever (20) has a stop cam (23a) in the center and at both sides thereof, down cams (23b) which locate at the rear than the surface of the stop cam (23a) and are lower than the stop cam (23a),
  • the supporting surface (51) of the slider (50) has an inclined plane that is getting higher toward the front, at the center of the front end, a stop surface (51a) which contacts with the stop cam (23a) of the rotational lever (20) and down surfaces (51b) which is protruded from both sides of the stop surface (51a) and contact with the down cams (23b) are provided.

Claims

1. A hinge device for opening and closing a cover of office equipment having a main body (110), comprising:

a housing (10) disposed at the main body (110) and having a pair of hinge holes (11) on an upper portion thereof;

a rotational lever (20) fixedly disposed at the cover (120) and having hinge holes (21) at a rear thereof and a hinge connection part (22) inserted into the upper portion inside the housing (10) at a lower portion of the rear thereof;

a hinge shaft (30) inserted into the hinge holes (11) of the housing (10) and the hinge holes (21) of the rotational lever (20) thereby supporting rotation of the rotational lever (20) and the cover (120);

a compression coil spring (40) disposed inside the housing (10); and

a slider (50) disposed on the upper portion inside the housing (10) and elastically supported by the compression coil spring (40), and having an upper end portion contacts with a lower end surface of the hinge connection part (22) of the rotational lever (20);

wherein the hinge connection part (22) of the rotational lever (20) is located in front of the hinge holes (21), a multi-layered cam (23) is provided at the lower end surface of the hinge connection part (22), and a supporting surface (51) is formed on the upper end portion of the slider (50);

wherein the multi-layered cam (23) of the rotational lever (20) has a stop cam (23a) in a center of the multi-layered cam (23) and down cams (23b) at both sides of the stop cam (23a), the down cams (23b) each have a maximum height area rear of a maximum height area of the stop cam (23a), and the maximum height areas of the down cams (23b) are lower than the maximum height area of the stop cam (23a);

wherein the supporting surface (51) of the slider (50) has an inclined plane sloping upward toward a front end thereof, a stop surface (51a) at a center of the front end which contacts the stop cam (23a) of the rotational lever (20), and down surfaces (51b) which protrude from both sides of the stop surface (51a) and which contact the down cams (23b).

2. The hinge device for opening and closing the cover of office equipment according to claim 1, wherein the stop cam (23a) of the multi-layered cam (23) is supported in contact with the stop surface (51a) of the supporting surface (51) and the down cams (23b) are supported in contact with the down surfaces (51b) of the support surface (51), so that the cover (120) fixedly connected to the rotational lever (20) is supported in an opened state.

3. The hinge device for opening and closing the cover of office equipment according to claim 2, wherein if the cover (120) is pressed to be in a closed state, a free stop section (A) is arranged where the stop cam (23a) presses the stop surface (51a) and moves the slider (50) toward the lower portion.

4. The hinge device for opening and closing the cover of office equipment according to claim 3, wherein when the stop cam (23a) of the multi-layered cam (23) passes through the stop surface (51a) of the supporting surface (51), a slow down section (B) is arranged where the down cams (23b) positioned at both sides of the stop cam (23a) press the down surfaces (51b) positioned at both sides of the supporting surface (51) and further move the slider (50) toward the lower portion.