Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Checks and closers – Liquid
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-14
2004-02-03
Mah, Chuck Y. (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Checks and closers
Liquid
C016S050000, C016S294000, C016S049000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684453
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hinge assembly, more particularly to a hinge assembly capable of damping door movement of a door panel or the like relative to a frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 1
to
3
, a conventional hinge assembly
1
is shown to be mounted between a door frame
21
and a door panel
22
to permit pivotal movement of the door panel
22
between open and closed positions relative to the door frame
21
. The hinge assembly
1
includes: a securing seat
11
mounted to an inner side of the door frame
21
; a housing
12
mounted in a recess formed in an inner side of the door panel
22
; a hinge member
13
having a first pivot end
131
mounted pivotally to the securing seat
11
via a first pivot pin
132
, and a second pivot end
130
mounted pivotally to the housing
12
via a second pivot pin
133
; a positioning member
14
having a first pivot end portion
141
mounted pivotally to the securing seat
11
via a third pivot pin
143
and disposed closer to the inner side of the door frame
21
than the first pivot pin
132
, a second pivot end portion
140
mounted pivotally to the housing
12
via a fourth pivot pin
144
, and a tab
142
projecting transversely from the first pivot end portion
141
; and a spring
15
sleeved on the first pivot pin
132
. The spring
15
has two distal ends abutting against an inner wall surface of the securing seat
11
, and a protruding intermediate portion abutting against the tab
142
. The second and fourth pivot pins
133
,
144
are integrally formed as a U-shaped pin. The second pivot pin
133
is disposed closer to a closed inner end of the housing
12
than the fourth pivot pin
144
. When the door panel
22
is in the closed position (FIG.
3
), the fourth pivot pin
144
is located inwardly of an imaginary line (L) passing through the second and third pivot pins
133
,
143
with respect to the first pivot pin
132
, and the first pivot pin
132
is located within the housing
12
.
When a force is exerted to push the door panel
22
from the closed position (
FIG. 3
) to the open position (FIG.
2
), the hinge member
13
and the positioning member
14
turn pivotally and angularly about the respective pivot pins
132
,
133
,
143
,
144
against the biasing action of the spring
15
, with the tab
142
abutting against and depressing the intermediate portion of the spring
15
. When the fourth pivot pin
144
is located between the first and second pivot pins
132
,
133
and outwardly of the line (L), the door panel
22
is maintained in the open position against the biasing force of the spring
15
, and a restoring force is stored in the spring
15
. Thereafter, when a force is exerted to push the door panel
22
to move from the open position back to the closed position, the positioning member
14
, as well as the hinge member
13
, turns pivotally in a reverse direction. When the fourth pivot pin
144
is located inwardly of the line (L), the intermediate portion of the spring
15
is relieved of the pressure exerted by the tab
142
on the first pivot end portion
141
of the positioning member
14
, and resumes its original position with a spring force that restores the positioning member
14
, and hence the hinge member
13
, to their original positions, thereby bringing the door panel
12
to the closed position.
The aforesaid conventional hinge assembly, however, suffers from the setback that the release of the restoring force in the spring
15
is abrupt so that the closing movement of the door panel
22
is likely to generate a banging sound, and may even hit the person using the door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a hinge assembly for interconnecting a door panel and a door frame, which can damp closing movement of the door panel relative to the door frame.
Accordingly, a hinge assembly of the present invention is adapted to interconnect a door frame and a door panel. The door panel has a proximate end disposed proximate to the door frame, and a recess formed in the proximate end. The hinge assembly includes:
a securing seat including a hollow seat body extending in a first direction, the seat body including vertically spaced-apart upper and lower side walls adapted to be connected to the door frame, an outer side wall interconnecting the upper and lower side walls and opposite to the door frame in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction, and a rear side wall, thereby confining a receiving space with an open front end and a closed rear end opposite to the open front end in the first direction;
a housing adapted to be disposed in the recess and having proximate and distal end walls opposite to each other in a third direction, and an open outer end and closed inner end opposite to each other in a fourth direction transverse to the third direction;
a hinge member having a first pivot end connected pivotally to the seat body at a first pivot point, and a second pivot end connected pivotally to the housing at a second pivot point;
a positioning member disposed between the seat body and the housing, the positioning member having a first pivot end portion pivoted to the seat body at a third pivot point, and a second pivot end portion pivoted to the housing at a fourth pivot point;
the first pivot point being disposed outwardly of the receiving space and proximate to the outer side wall of the seat body, the third pivot point being disposed in the receiving space and distal from the outer side wall of the seat body;
the second pivot end of the hinge memeber and the second pivot end portion of the positioning member extending into the housing via the open outer end, the second pivot point being disposed closer to the inner end of the housing than the fourth pivot point, the fourth pivot point being disposed closer to the proximate end wall of the housing than the second pivot point; and
a damping unit including a fluid cylinder disposed in the receiving space and having one end connected to the seat body, and a piston rod extending through the other end of the fluid cylinder, the piston rod having an actuating end mounted on the first pivot end portion of the positioning member at a fifth pivot point offset from the third pivot point such that, when the door panel is rotated relative to the door frame from a closed position to an open position, the piston rod is retracted into the fluid cylinder to damp opening movement of the door panel, and such that, when the door panel is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the piston rod is extended from the fluid cylinder to damp closing movement of the door panel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4075735 (1978-02-01), Rock et al.
patent: 4102004 (1978-07-01), Nagase
patent: 4251900 (1981-02-01), Lautenschlager
patent: 4449269 (1984-05-01), Sundermeier et al.
patent: 4669147 (1987-06-01), Suchanek
patent: 5012551 (1991-05-01), Beneke et al.
patent: 5016317 (1991-05-01), Hung
patent: 5437079 (1995-08-01), Park
patent: 5560079 (1996-10-01), Jeynes
patent: 5657511 (1997-08-01), Lan
patent: 2476624 (1981-08-01), None
patent: 6-193335 (1994-07-01), None
Fu Luong Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.
Mah Chuck Y.
Ohlandt Greeley Ruggiero & Perle L.L.P.
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