Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Resiliently biased hinge
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-13
2001-06-12
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Resiliently biased hinge
C016S293000, C016S366000, C016S334000, C016S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243918
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns an improved snap hinge for furniture, that is, a hinge that articulates, on the body of the piece of furniture, for example, doors and panels. The furniture may be made of wood, metal or other materials. The hinge is of the type that allows a snap opening and closing of the door or panel of the piece of furniture, the opening angle being of about 90°.
The related art includes a non-recessed snap hinge, disclosed in the patent IT-A-953903, filed on Oct. 8, 1973, in the name of the same applicant. In such prior document a hinge is disclosed which is of the double articulated quadrilateral type, allowing snap opening and closing of the doors, with the opening angle being of approximately 90°, in fact slightly more than 90°.
In this known, non-recessed type of hinge, shown in the enclosed
FIGS. 1
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3
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7
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9
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11
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, the lever, loaded by a snap spring inserted in a telescopic capsule having a base plate with a bottom recess, consists mainly of a pair of side elements with an elongated shape, which are interconnected by bridging elements. The side elements are shaped so as to define two opposite sides, a ventral and a dorsal one, with the bridging elements located on the dorsal side.
A ventral pin made of hardened steel, on which the bottom recess, with semi-circular cross-section, of the base plate is designed to fit, constitutes a further and separate component of the lever. The telescopic capsule also includes a telescopic cover, enclosing the snap spring that bears with an end on the base plate to provide, in combination with said lever, the snap opening and closing of said hinge.
Moreover, such a pin, whilst being functionally adequate, has to be manufactured, including the necessary hardening and protection treatments, separately from the structure of the lever. The latter, on the other hand, is entirely made in a single die, during a single passage of the blank strip. Eventually, the pin has to be riveted to the lever for final assembly.
The separate manufacture of the pin and the additional riveting operation entail significant manufacturing costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The described prior art may be considerably improved by eliminating the above mentioned drawbacks and notably reducing manufacturing costs.
From the foregoing the need emerges to solve the technical problem of producing a simplified, less expensive lever for a snap hinge, on which a snap spring may effectively act to determine the snap opening and closing.
The present invention solves said technical problem by providing, in a snap hinge for furniture, a rotational coupling element suitable to operate between the base plate of the telescopic capsule and the lever. The coupling element comprises a bridging element, united so as to form a single piece with the side elements of the very lever, and located on the ventral side of the lever, i.e. on the opposite side with respect to the known dorsal bridging elements.
The lever structure is advantageously strengthen by a single, second ventral bridging element.
A smooth fitting of the bridging element acting as a pin, according to the present invention, into the recess of the base plate of the telescopic capsule, is provided by shaping the coupling surface of said bridging element so as to have a substantially rounded configuration. Such a configuration is obtained, advantageously, through an upsetting operation during which the edges of the bridging element are suitably chamfered.
The advantages of the present invention derive from the fact that, for providing a snap hinge with a coupling joint between a lever and the base plate of the telescopic capsule which has the same efficiency as the one of the conventional pin joint, simpler and fewer manufacturing operations are required, with consequent considerable cost reductions.
A cost reduction is first of all obtained by replacing the treated, coated and riveted conventional pin with a ventral bridging element, connecting the pair of side elements forming the lever, and made from the same blank piece and during the same operation as the side elements.
A further advantage is that of eliminating the dorsal bridging elements of the known lever, which are replaced, in the hinge according to the present invention, with one, single complementary ventral bridging element. All the manufacturing operations are still advantageously performed in a single die, chamfering included.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4236272 (1980-12-01), Gronbach et al.
patent: 4596062 (1986-06-01), Rock
patent: 4837894 (1989-06-01), Lin
patent: 5035026 (1991-07-01), Carlo et al.
patent: 5058238 (1991-10-01), Lautenschlager
patent: 5444985 (1995-08-01), Salice
Hughes S. Thomas
Jimenez Marc
Josif Albert
Modiano Guido
O'Byrne Daniel
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