Movable or removable closures – Mounted for optional movements – On alternative axes
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-25
2004-10-12
Strimbu, Gregory J. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Mounted for optional movements
On alternative axes
C049S278000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06802155
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing a door of, for example, a refrigerator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventionally known door opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing a door of a refrigerator or the like is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-73367.
FIGS. 79 and 80
are respectively a sectional view as seen on a horizontal plane and a sectional view as seen from the side of this door opening/closing mechanism. As shown in these figures, a door
301
permits an opening formed in a cabinet
304
to be opened and closed by being pressed against and released from the rim of the opening. The door opening/closing mechanism
300
is fitted on the door
301
. On the inner surface of the door
301
, a gasket
302
is fitted around the edges thereof. The gasket
302
incorporates a magnet
303
, which permits the gasket
302
to be kept in position around the rim of the opening.
The door opening/closing mechanism
300
has an inner handle
310
and an outer handle
311
, which are fitted at one side of the door
301
so as to be held by the user. To the inner and outer handles
310
and
311
, a grip member
302
is hinge-coupled so as to be rotatable about the axis of a hinge projection
321
. At the open end of the grip member
320
, a pressing projection
322
is provided. Moreover, on the outer handle
311
, a rotary cam
330
is supported so as to be rotatable about a hinge pin
331
when a pressing force is applied to the grip member
320
.
On the circumferencial surface of the rotary cam
330
, a first and a second contact projection surface
332
and
333
are provided. As the rotary cam
330
rotates, the second contact projection surface
333
makes contact with a slide bar
340
and causes it to slide. The slide bar
340
has, at the tip end thereof, a contact surface
341
having a large area. As the slide bar
340
slides, the contact surface
341
breaks the contact between the gasket
302
and the cabinet
304
that is maintained by the magnetic force of the magnet
303
. The slide bar
340
is loaded by a spring
350
with a force that returns the slide bar
340
to its original position when the grip member
320
is released from the pressing force applied thereto.
When the user, with the intention of opening the door
301
, holds the inner and outer handles
310
and
311
and presses the grip member
320
, the grip member
320
rotates about the hinge projection
321
. This causes the pressing projection
322
to move in the direction indicated by arrow B and press the first contact projection surface
332
. As a result, the rotary cam
330
rotates counter-clockwise as seen in
FIG. 80
, and accordingly the slide bar
340
, pressed by the second contact projection surface
333
, slides.
As a result of the contact surface
341
pressing the front surface of the cabinet
304
, the door
301
is opened with a predetermined distance H secured between the cabinet
304
and the gasket
302
. At this time, the spring
350
strikes a spring stopper projection
342
provided at the root end of the slide bar
340
, and is thereby compressed.
In this state, when the user pulls the inner and outer handles
310
and
311
that the user is holding, the door
301
can be opened without the influence of the magnetic force of the magnet
303
and thus with a comparatively, weak force.
Another conventionally known door opening/closing mechanism that permits a door to be opened and closed at either side (i.e. either at the right-hand or left-hand side) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-303942. In this door opening/closing mechanism, two cam mechanisms for engaging and disengaging a door and a cabinet with and from each other are provided one at either side of the door.
FIGS. 81A
,
81
B, and
81
C show the principal portion of one cam mechanism of this door opening/closing mechanism.
The cam mechanism at either side has a lock cam member
402
, which is fitted on the cabinet, and a slide cam member
401
, which is fitted on the door. On the lock cam member
402
, a hinge pin
414
is provided. In the slide cam member
401
, a first and a second groove cam
403
and
404
are formed that can move while remaining engaged with the hinge pin
414
. When the door is closed, the cam mechanisms at both sides are in a first lock position as shown in FIG.
81
A. In this first lock position, the first groove cam
403
lies inclined, and therefore the hinge pin
414
remains engaged with the first groove cam
403
at both sides of the door. Thus, the door is kept closed.
In this state, when the user pulls the door at one side (at the side not illustrated in the figures), in one cam mechanism, the first groove cam
403
moves while remaining engaged with the hinge pin
414
until disengaged therefrom. In the other cam mechanism, as shown in
FIG. 81B
, the second cam groove
404
moves while remaining engaged with the hinge pin
414
up to a second lock position. At this time, the slide cam member
401
is, at a circular portion
404
a
of the second groove cam
404
, supported by the hinge pin
414
. Thus, the door is rotatably locked.
On the lock cam member
402
, lock outer cams
411
and.
412
are provided integrally therewith. On the slide cam member
401
, slide outer cams
409
and
410
are provided integrally therewith. The lock outer cams
411
and
412
and the slide outer cams
409
and
410
are so arranged as to face each other respectively. These outer cams have pairs of two common cylindrical surfaces (for example,
410
a
and
412
a
form one pair, and
410
b
and
412
b
another) whose center axis coincides, in the second lock position, with that of the hinge pin,
414
at either side of the door.
When the door rotates about the hinge pin
414
, as shown in
FIG. 81C
, the lock outer cam
412
and the slide outer cam
410
start engaging with and sliding along each other. Thus, the slide outer cam
410
is guided along the cylindrical surface
412
a
, and, at the side not illustrated in the figures, the slide outer cam
410
is guided along the cylindrical surface
412
b.
Moreover, as the door rotates, a first cam projection
405
provided so as to be concentric with the circular portion
404
a
slides along and is thereby guided along a second cam projection
406
provided so as to be concentric with the hinge pin
414
. This prevents the second groove cam
404
and the hinge pin
414
from being disengaged from each other and thereby permits the door to rotate. In this way, the door can be opened apparently in the same manner as a door having an ordinary one-side opening/closing mechanism. The same Japanese Patent Application discloses also a structure in which the lock outer cams
411
and
412
and the slide outer cams
409
and
410
are abolished and the door is permitted to rotate simply as a result of the first cam projection
405
being guided along the second cam projection
406
.
The door opening/closing mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-73367 mentioned above requires the user to exert a strong grip when the door
301
is opened at first until the predetermined distance H is secured. Thus, this mechanism is difficult for a person with a weak grip to operate. Even if the grip member
320
is pulled by using the user's body weight, a considerably strong grip is required at the fingertips. Thus, it is difficult to open the door
301
even by using the user's body weight.
The force required to operate the mechanism can be reduced by increasing the distance between the first contact projection surface
332
of the rotary cam
330
and the hinge
331
. However, this requires the rotary cam
330
as a whole to be made larger and thus gives the mechanism an unsightly design. Moreover, the grip member
320
needs to be moved through a longer distance, which spoils ease of operation. Furthermore, the very structure of this door opening/closin
Kawabata Masuo
Yoshikawa Takashi
Yoshimura Hiroshi
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Strimbu Gregory J.
LandOfFree
Door opening and closing mechanism with dual pivot axis for... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Door opening and closing mechanism with dual pivot axis for..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Door opening and closing mechanism with dual pivot axis for... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3286069