Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Having means to facilitate assembly and disassembly of hinge...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-25
2004-11-02
Sandy, Robert J. (Department: 3677)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Having means to facilitate assembly and disassembly of hinge...
C016S260000, C016S262000, C312S249700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06810562
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a hinge connection particularly but not exclusively suited for forming a hinge connection between a frame of an electrical cabinet and a removable door panel thereof.
Electrical cabinets generally comprise a frame for receiving sub-racks of electrical and electronic components, and other items such as cooling fans. The frame is clad in side panels and an operable door panel. These panels are usually removable in order to facilitate the fitting of the components to the frame during initial manufacture, and also to facilitate in-use servicing of the components. The cabinet can be quite tall (typically 2 meters) and therefore the removable door panel can be quite bulky and also quite heavy, and is accordingly sometimes difficult for a person to position accurately when trying to fit the door panel onto the frame by aligning the hinge pins of the frame with hinge holes formed in the door panel.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hinge connection comprising:
a hinge arm at the end of which is a hinge pin; and
a hinge recess having a corner for guiding the hinge arm to a first position at which the hinge arm is seated in the corner and from which the hinge arm is slidable relative to the hinge recess along the corner to a second position to insert the hinge pin into a hinge hole of the recess whilst unseating the hinge arm from the corner, the end of the pin being chambered such that, during the movement from the first position to the second position, the chamfer guides the hinge arm out of seated engagement with the corner of the recess.
Because the corner of the hinge recess guides the hinge arm to the first position, it becomes easier to fit a door panel incorporating the hinge recess onto a cabinet frame incorporating the hinge arm. Usually, the operator needs only to achieve general approximate alignment of the hinge arm with the hinge recess, before pressing the door panel with the hinge recess onto the hinge arm to achieve the necessary correct alignment represented by the first position. The operator may then release the weight of the door panel and the weight of the door panel will cause it to drop downwards, producing movement from the first position to the second position at which the hinge pin is correctly received in the hinge hole. During this movement, the hinge arm that was previously seated in the corner is unseated therefrom, so that during use of the hinge there will be no unwanted frictional rubbing of the hinge arm on the corner of the hinge recess. Thus, the seating function of the hinge arm in the recess is provided only when it is needed (during assembly of the hinge connection) and is dispensed with when it is no longer needed (during subsequent use of the hinge connection).
The degree of the chambering of the pin can be matched to the amount of unseating of the hinge arm from the corner that is required.
Whilst in some embodiments the hinge pin itself may be the component of the co hinge arm which seats in the corner of the hinge recess, it is preferred that the hinge arm has a spacing member which:
protrudes radially beyond the hinge pin;
in the first position is in seated engagement with the corner of the recess whilst spacing the hinge pin away from the corner; and
in the second position is no longer in seated engagement with the corner.
In many embodiments, the spacing member has a cylindrically curved surface. This surface may be only partially annular, but in many embodiments it may be a complete annulus such that the spacing member has a spacing surface which is circumferentially a complete cylinder.
In some embodiments, the hinge pin will be freely rotatable in a main arm portion of the hinge arm. In other embodiments, the spacing member is integral with the hinge pin and these components are rotatably mounted at the end of a main arm portion of the hinge arm.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an electrical cabinet for electronic and electrical components, comprising a hinge connection as described above and a frame having a frame member at the end of which is the hinge arm and a removable door panel including the hinge recess.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1186637 (1916-06-01), Williams
patent: 2058341 (1936-10-01), Mink
patent: 3017217 (1962-01-01), Keating
patent: 3564978 (1971-02-01), Flitz
patent: 4827568 (1989-05-01), Ramsauer
patent: 4937916 (1990-07-01), Redman
patent: 4942271 (1990-07-01), Corsi et al.
patent: 5561886 (1996-10-01), Flamme
patent: 5588182 (1996-12-01), Brownlie et al.
patent: 5826305 (1998-10-01), Domenig et al.
patent: 6158087 (2000-12-01), Cheung
patent: 6314616 (2001-11-01), King
patent: 6336675 (2002-01-01), Bruckner
patent: 6430778 (2002-08-01), King
patent: 23 22 258 (1973-11-01), None
patent: 3605434 (1987-08-01), None
patent: 197 08 061 (1997-10-01), None
patent: 0 197 755 (1986-10-01), None
patent: 2259946 (1993-03-01), None
Horne David
Schnabel John David
APW Electronics Ltd.
Jackson Andre′ L.
Sandy Robert J.
LandOfFree
Hinge connection does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Hinge connection, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hinge connection will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3287515