Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Specific leaf structure
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-09
2001-02-06
Mah, Chuck Y. (Department: 3626)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Specific leaf structure
C016S386000, C016S368000, C016S272000, C016S265000, C403S119000, C403S164000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182331
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to hinges and techniques and devices for installing them in cases or boxes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Small cases or boxes for jewelry, stationary, cigars, fishing flies and the like have long used hinges for attaching case tops and bottoms. It is desirable for such hinges to be attractive, consistently functional, economical, and easy to install in small wooden cases with relatively little effort and cost.
Hinges for this purpose typically use a pair of dowel-like hinge members joined by a pin or rivet extending completely through the members to provide a hinge axis about which the members pivot. The two dowel-like members usually have different but complementary shapes that are secured by a fastener or rivet extending completely through an aperture in each hinge member. For example, the first hinge member may have a cylindrical head from which a rectangular section has been removed. The second hinge member would then have a rectangular head of substantially the same dimensions as the rectangular section removed from the first hinge member. The head of one member is received in the recessed portion of the second member, and a fastener extends through both members.
This hinge design has several disadvantages. It is expensive to manufacture because two different hinge members are needed. Because the hinge members are different, additional installation time is required to ensure proper and consistent orientation of adjacent hinges. Other problems arise where the fastener extends completely through the hinge members and remains visible. A visible fastener often detracts from the beauty of the hinge. A solution to this aesthetic problem has been to grind down the protruding fastener until it is flush with the hinge surface. This is unsatisfactory however, because in addition to the extra manufacturing cost, grinding down the fastener can mar the hinge member.
In a more recent example of the general dowel-like hinge design used for small wooden cases, a pair of identical hinge members are secured together by a fastener extending completely through an aperture in each hinge member. Similar disadvantages exist for this hinge design as well. Although only one type of hinge member needs to be manufactured, additional operations are required to fasten the two identical hinge members together. For instance, the aperture in one of the hinge members would need to be enlarged to properly secure the two hinge members with a fastener. The fastener also needs to be counter-sunk in hinge members. All of these machining operations increase the cost of manufacturing this type of hinge. In addition, the aesthetic problems previously described with respect to the fastener extending completely through the hinge body have not been addressed.
In the design and manufacturing of small wooden cases, it is desirable to drill blind holes or mortises in the case so the hinge members may be partially inserted into the case top and bottom to enable the lid to close tightly, as well as make the hinge installation attractive. This can be accomplished by marking the hinge location on the case top and case bottom and cutting or drilling a mortise at each location so the hinge member can be inserted into the case wall. This method is time consuming, requires substantial skill, and often results in hinge members that are mis-aligned, which causes case tops to open unsatisfactorily.
Another method has been to drill a hole nearly the entire vertical length of the case through the bottom of the case prior to separating the case into a top and bottom portion. Then the case is sawed in two at the case parting line separating the top from the bottom. Because of the length of the hole or mortise required by this method, the drill often wanders. When this occurs, the case wall is weakened or may even be pierced. In addition, two or more hinges installed in this manner may be mis-aligned.
For the reasons explained above, there is a need for a hinge that is attractive, economical, consistently functional, and that may be installed in small wooden cases with relatively little effort and cost. There is also a need for an apparatus for efficiently and accurately forming blind holes or mortises in cases for inserting hinge members.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a pin-type box hinge that satisfies the need for a functional, aesthetic, and economical hinge that may be installed in small wooden boxes and cases with relatively little effort and cost. The pin box hinge uses at least one pair of identical hinge members pivotably joined by a sequestered pin captured within a blind or stopped bore in each hinge member. The identical hinge members are cylindrical with semi-spherical radiused or domed ends from which one half of the dome has been removed to a depth equal to the diameter of the hinge member, dividing the dome along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, leaving a half-dome with a flat face. The blind bore is centered in that face. Each bore extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hinge member and normal to the flat surface of the remaining half dome. The box hinge captures one half of a pin in the bore of each hinge member such that the flat surfaces of both half domes or spherical quadrants are coplanar. Because the pivot pin is not secured to the hinge members, hinges may be separated and the box lid removed if the hinges have been installed so that hinge members in the lid face in the same direction.
In an alternative embodiment, the pin sequestration bores are coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the hinge members, which rotate about that longitudinal axis. This provides a functionally very similar, but visually somewhat different hinge.
Hinge mortising jigs align the case top and bottom for drilling to accept pin box hinge members. One jig is a rectangular top plate having two drill guides and three parallel, spaced plates depending perpendicularly from the top plate. The two outer plates each have a threaded hole for receiving a fastener screw to clamp box sides in the jig and a pin hole for receiving a pin marker punch. The center plate acts as a fence or guide against which the back walls of the box and lid are pressed to position them correctly relative to the drill guides. The two drill guides are located in the center of the top plate, so that each is positioned between the center and one of the outer depending plate.
An alternative embodiment of the jig facilitates drilling holes needed for installation screws that secure hinge members that rotate along their longitudinal axis. This jig can be formed from an extruded or machined length of bar stock an inner plate and an outer plate parallel to each other and separated by a generally perpendicular web. Thumb screws hold the jig in position on box members so that holes may be drilled at 45 degree (or other appropriate) angles through the box back and lid by guiding a drill through the jig.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a functional and attractive hinge for attaching lids to boxes and cases that may be installed with relatively little effort and cost.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a hinge with easily separated sides.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide hinge mortising and drilling jigs that decrease the time required to install hinges and increases the accuracy with which they may be installed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 193633 (1877-07-01), Beaudet
patent: 423247 (1890-03-01), Hastings
patent: 629185 (1899-07-01), Arnold
patent: 1528838 (1925-03-01), Mayr
patent: 1692785 (1928-11-01), Parsons
patent: 2085631 (1937-06-01), Burdick
patent: 2748420 (1956-06-01), Clover
patent: 3349427 (1967-10-01), Cairns et al.
patent: 4882809 (1989-11-01), Uppstrom
patent: 5167049 (1992-12-01), Gibbs
patent: 5172452 (1992-12-01), Brown
patent: 5217315 (1993-06-01), Rosane
patent: 5380113 (1995-01-01), Boehm
patent: 5412843 (1995-05-01), Krongauz et al.
Pp. 132-133 of Lee Valley 1996/97 Catalog.
Admitted prior art hinges made b
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Mah Chuck Y.
Pratt John S.
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