Hinge plate assembly and method of mounting door

Abstract

 A door for a cupboard is mounted by means of a hinge plate (1, 2) comprising an "L" section plate fixed to an adjacent cupboard carcass (10) and the door. The door is conveniently secured to the hinge by means of face frame hinges.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of mounting a door, such as a door for a cupboard. The invention also relates to a hinge plate assembly which is particularly useful in the method of the invention.

[0002] The method of the invention has been particularly developed for use in mounting cupboard doors to conceal domestic appliances in modern fitted kitchens such as washing machines, tumble dryers, fridges, freezers and dish washers.

[0003] In modern kitchens, it is usual to have a number of cupboards, all mounted on a plinth and with matching doors. Most kitchens also contain a number of appliances and it is often desired to cover the space before such an appliance with a door which matches other doors in the fitted kitchen, thereby achieving a uniform appearance throughout the kitchen. In order to achieve such a uniform appearance, the door in front of an appliance must contain a portion resembling the plinth beneath the carcasses of the cupboards bearing similar doors. It is also important that the appliance door should be of a similar width to cupboards in the same kitchen.

[0004] Hitherto this uniform appearance has usually been achieved by appliance manufacturers providing appliances which are designed to match particular kitchen cupboards. However, this limits the choice available to the appliance buyer to those particular appliances which are available with those matching doors.

[0005] International patent application PCT/GB92/01896 discloses a method of providing an appliance with a door of chosen design in which an angled plate is provided with powerful magnets to attach it to an edge of the appliance. A forwardly projecting ridge carries fixing points for a door hinge. The hinge plate assembly disclosed in this document suffers from some disadvantages. For example, since the apparent plinth will come very nearly into contact with the floor of the kitchen, the plate must be set and maintained at a very exact height, and this is not always possible given that there is only magnetic fixing. Also, since the hinge plate projects into the space occupied by the appliance, it is not always possible to have full width appliances and special narrow ones may be needed.

[0006] The present invention was developed with a view to enabling a standard cupboard door to be mounted in front of a appliance thereby effectively hiding the appliance. However, the invention will have other applications. It should be borne in mind that it is not generally possible simply to slide an appliance into an existing cupboard space provided with a door because the standard sizes of the appliances and the cupboards do not usually allow enough space for the cumbersome hinges which are used to mount doors m modem fitted kitchens. To enable doors, and hence cupboards, to be situated very close to each other, they are provided with special hinges which enable the door to pivot about an axis passing through the door itself. These hinges typically comprise a first portion which is mounted on the cupboard carcass and a second portion which is mounted in a recess in the door. The portion mounted to the cupboard carcass is relatively thick and cannot always be accommodated between an appliance and a carcass of standard size.

[0007] The present invention provides a method of mounting a door to a fixed support comprising attaching at least two hinges to one or more support plates, fixing the hinges with attached plate(s) at spaced locations along an edge of the door and attaching the plate(s) to the fixed support.

[0008] It will be immediately appreciated that the plate which is attached to the fixed support will require much less space than a conventional hinge and therefore it can readily be accommodated between an appliance and a cupboard carcass.

[0009] It should be noted that the steps of the method can be carried out in any order. In particular, it may be more convenient to attach the plate(s) to the support and then add the door.

[0010] A separate plate may be provided for each hinge which is required to secure the door. However, for the purpose of securing a door which has already been provided with recesses for receiving hinges, it is particularly convenient to mount the hinges on the plate at locations which match the spacing of the recesses in the door.

[0011] The plate or plates preferably comprise a first portion which extends parallel to the major surface of the door in use and a second portion extending perpendicularly to the first for attachment to the support.

[0012] By using the method of the invention it is not necessary to provide a separate cupboard carcass to accommodate an appliance. With one or more suitably sized support plates, the door can be mounted to the carcass of an adjacent cupboard and there is no need to provide a further upright member on which to mount the door. Nevertheless, using suitable hinges, the door can be mounted close to an adjacent door, with a clearance less than the thickness of the door itself. Furthermore, with a plate portion extending parallel to the major surface of the door it is possible to use a so-called "face frame" hinge. Such a hinge includes two portions which are intended to rest parallel to each other when the door is closed.

[0013] The plate(s) may be attached to the fixed support by means of screws. The perpendicularly extending portion(s) may have elongated slots for receiving the screws so as to allow for minor adjustments of position.

[0014] A second aspect of the invention provides a hinge plate assembly comprising a plate to which at least one hinge is attached and means for attaching the plate to a fixed support. Preferably, the attachment means comprises a portion of the plate extending perpendicular to the portion to which the or each hinge is attached. A hinge plate assembly according to the invention may have two or more hinges attached to it. The hinge(s) may be face frame hinges, preferably designed to pivot the door about an axis passing through the door.

[0015] An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a hinge plate assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section along the line AA of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hinge plate;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of a door having recesses for receiving face frame hinges;

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of a door having a plinth portion attached thereto;

Fig. 6 is an alternative isometric view of a hinge plate with the hinge removed; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the hinge plate mounted on a cupboard carcass.

[0016] Referring now to the drawings, the hinge plate comprises a length of angled metal having a side portion 1 and, at right angles thereto, a front portion 2.

[0017] The side portion 1 is provided adjacent each end with a plurality of holes, namely a circular hole 5 and two additional holes extended to form orthogonally directed slits 3 and 4. These allow fine adjustment of the hinge plate when attached to a fixed support, as will be discussed below. The front portion 2 is cut away at its ends to allow access to the fixing holes 3, 4 and 5.

[0018] The front portion 2 is provided with holes 7 by means of which spring face frame hinges are attached. One such hinge, indicated by reference numeral 6, is indicated in Figure 1.

[0019] Figure 7 shows a hinge plate 1, 2 attached to the outside of a carcass 10 of a unit adjacent an area 11 to be covered by a door 12. The provision of the three fixing holes 3, 4 and 5 at each end of the plate enable it to be set exactly with 6 degrees of freedom. Hence, if the door has an attached plinth element 13 as indicated in Figure 4, this can be set to clear the kitchen floor. Since the carcass of the adjoining unit is fixed, the setting of a door will not change as the door of the appliance is opened or closed.

[0020] Furthermore, since the hinge plate is attached to an adjoining carcass, the full width of the space is available to accommodate the appliance.

[0021] The hinges 6 are preferably attached to the hinge plate 1, 2 before the hinge plate is attached to the carcass 10. The hinges 6 have a cylindrical portion which is received in one of the cylindrical recesses 15 provided along the edge of the door 12.

[0022] For an appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer, a connector may be provided between the door 12 and the door of the appliance so that they may be opened together. Since the appliance door will reach the floor, it is desirable to provide the door 12 with a plinth portion 13 matching the plinth of the adjoining carcass 10. A spacer member 16 may be necessary to ensure that the doors and plinth are aligned. For appliances such as washing machines and tumble dryers which have circular doors, it is preferable for the plinth to be continuous with the adjoining carcass 10. Then access to the appliance will be gained by first opening the door 12 and then opening the circular door of the appliance.

Claims

1. A method of mounting a door to a fixed support comprising attaching at least two hinges to one or more support plates, fixing the hinges with attached plate(s) at spaced locations along an edge of the door and attaching the plate(s) to the fixed support.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which a separate plate is provided for each hinge.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the hinges enable the door to pivot about an axis passing through the door.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 in which the edge of the door is mounted adjacent a surface with a clearance less than the thickness of the door.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 or 4 in which the hinges are inserted in recesses provided in the door.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the or each plate includes a first portion extending parallel to the major surfaces of the door in use and a second portion extending perpendicularly to the first for attachment to the support.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 in which the hinges each have two portions which extend parallel to each other when the door is closed

8. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the or each plate is attached to the fixed support by means of screws.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 in which the extending portion of the or each plate has elongated slots for receiving the screws to allow for adjustment.

10. A hinge plate assembly comprising a plate to which at least one hinge is attached and means for attaching the plate to a fixed support.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10 in which the hinge comprises first and second members which are pivotable with respect to each other, the first member being attached to the hinge member, wherein the pivot axis passes through the second member.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 10 or 11 in which a plurality of hinges are attached to a single plate.

13. An assembly as claimed in claim 10, 11 or 12, in which the attachment means comprises a perpendicularly extending portion.

14. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13 in which each hinge has two portions which extend parallel to each other when the hinge is closed.

15. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawing