Furniture hinge

• US 8,387,213 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Brunnmayr, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): O BRIEN, JEFFREY D
• Application Number:
  US13/205,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20110291538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 163/19, 163/21, 163/23, 163/27, 163/32, 163/50, 163/52, 163/62, 163/64, 16/82, 16/83, 16/84, 16/85, 16/50, 16/54
• US Class Current: 16/327
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/08 Friction devices between relatively-movable hinge parts E05D7/086 takes precedence
• 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 2600/46 in or on the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furniture, e.g. cabinets

Abstract

A furniture hinge, comprising a fitting part, a hinge cup that is articulated thereto for fastening to furniture parts, and a cushioning apparatus for cushioning a relative movement between the fitting part and the hinge cup, wherein the cushioning apparatus is disposed in or on the hinge cup, wherein the cushioning apparatus comprises a housing having first fastening means, and second fastening means are disposed on the hinge cup, wherein the housing of the cushioning apparatus can be inserted from above into the hinge cup and in the installed position is disposed substantially completely inside the hinge cup, wherein the housing of the cushioning apparatus and the hinge cup can be connected to each other in said installed position by the first and second fastening means.

Claims

1. A furniture hinge comprising:

a fitment portion to be fixed to a furniture part, said fitment portion having a hinge arm;

a hinge cup pivotally connected relative to said fitment portion, said hinge cup having an opening at one end of said hinge cup, an opposite end of said hinge cup in a depth direction of said hinge cup being closed by a bottom surface of said hinge cup, and said hinge cup having an interior which extends from said opening of said hinge cup to said bottom surface of said hinge cup in the depth direction of said hinge cup; and

a damping device for damping a relative movement between said hinge cup and said fitment portion,

wherein said damping device has a housing and first fixing means, and a side wall of said hinge cup has second fixing means,

wherein said hinge arm of said fitment portion is hingedly connected to said hinge cup by way of at least one hinge lever,

wherein said housing of said damping device is arranged substantially completely within said hinge cup and is releasably fixed to said hinge cup by releasable engagement of said first fixing means of said housing and said second fixing means of said hinge cup so as to be removable from and insertable into said hinge cup through said opening of said hinge cup in a direction perpendicular to said bottom surface of said hinge cup,

and wherein said damping device is a fluid damper,

wherein said first or second fixing means include at least one movable or mobile arresting element, by which said housing of said damping device is releasably fixed relative to said hinge cup,

wherein the other of said first and second fixing means comprises an opening portion or a latching edge, and

wherein said arresting element is of a resilient nature, and wherein the engagement between said first and second fixing means is releasable by pressure against the resilient action of said arresting element.

2. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said housing is insertable into said hinge cup without a tool.

3. The furniture hinge according to claim 2, wherein said first and second fixing means jointly provide a self-latching connection.

4. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said first fixing means comprises said arresting element, said arresting element being arranged on said housing of said damping device, and said second fixing means comprises said opening portion or said latching edge of said hinge cup.

5. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said second fixing means comprises said arresting element and said first fixing means comprises said opening or said latching edge arranged on said housing of said damping device.

6. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a peripheral surface, at least a portion of said peripheral surface having a shape which corresponds to an inner shape of said hinge cup.

7. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said damping device has a first and a second fluid chamber which are filled with damping fluid and which are connected together by way of a passage.

8. The furniture hinge according to claim 7, further comprising a piston which is engageable in said first fluid chamber so as to change a volume of said first fluid chamber, and wherein arranged in said second fluid chamber is a device which is deformable or movable by a flow of damping fluid into and out of said second fluid chamber for changing a volume of said second fluid chamber.

9. The furniture hinge according to claim 8, wherein said device has a deformable material portion arranged in said second fluid chamber or a piston displaceable in said second fluid chamber.

10. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said damping device has a first piston with a linear damping stroke and at least one second piston with a linear damping stroke, wherein a direction of the linear damping stroke of said first piston extends substantially parallel or transversely relative to a direction of the linear damping stroke of said second piston.

11. The furniture hinge according to claim 10, wherein the direction of the linear damping stroke of said first piston relative to the direction of the linear damping stroke of said second piston includes an angle, wherein the angle is between 70°

and 110°

.

12. The furniture hinge according to claim 10, wherein the direction of the linear damping stroke of said first piston relative to the linear damping stroke of said second piston extends at a fight angle.

13. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said damping device has an actuating element which is arranged so as to be acted upon by said fitment portion or by said hinge lever during the hinge movement, said hinge lever being mounted movably between said fitment portion and said hinge cup.

14. The furniture hinge according to claim 13, wherein at least one piston is integrally connected to said actuating element.

15. The furniture hinge according to claim 13, wherein said actuating element of said damping device has a slider which is linearly displaceable relative to said housing of said damping device.

16. The furniture hinge according to claim 15, wherein said slider has an inclined surface which is arranged so as to be acted upon by said fitment portion or said hinge lever in a damping stroke whereby said slider is movable relative to said hinge cup.

17. The furniture hinge according to claim 15, wherein said slider has a slot, by which said slider is displaceable relative to a fixing projection arranged on said hinge cup.

18. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said housing of said damping device has at least one shoulder-shaped abutment which additionally bears against an inside wall of said hinge cup.

19. An article of furniture having at least one movable furniture part supported movably by way of at least one furniture hinge according to claim 1.

20. The furniture hinge according to claim 1, wherein said housing is removable from said hinge cup without a tool.