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(11) | EP 1 050 651 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Door hinge for furniture, in particular for office use and the like |
| (57) The invention relates to a hinge for office furniture, in which a lever arm (5) pivoting
relative to a fixed pin (9) is locked in a cage (10) fitted to the door (2) of the
item of furniture, by means of a snap-engagement system. More specifically, this system comprises a spring (23) made from a steel piano wire mounted on a coupling body (20) having a flattened form which, in turn, is secured to the lever arm. Advantageously, the spring engages with a coupling tooth (19) present on the cage (10), bending in a plane parallel to the coupling body: thus, a hinge is obtained which is easy to assemble and disassemble and which has a reduced thickness. |
[0001] The invention relates to hinges for furniture, specially office furniture, wherein a lever arm pivoting about an axis of rotation fixed relative to a wall of the item of furniture, is connected to a base support which is to be fitted to the door by means of a coupling joint with a locking body.
[0002] As is known, such hinges are used above all for opening doors of furniture to 180° because they are configured in such a manner that they fit well to the shape of the doors and of the sides coupled thereto, so as to occupy a limited space unlike conventional hinges with articulated levers which, specially when the doors are opened to 180°, are rather bulky and take up rather a large amount of space.
[0003] Therefore, the hinges hereby considered are often used in office furniture (cupboards and the like) where it is necessary to open doors easily in order to have access to files or drawers without the hinges obstructing the movements of the personnel involved.
[0004] It should also be pointed out that in furniture intended for working uses, like in the case of office furniture, the hinges of the type to which the invention relates are to be preferred also owing to the existence of rather strict technical standards which are intended to prevent accidents.
[0005] As stated above, these hinges have a lever arm which can rotate about a pin solid with the side of the item of furniture and which is coupled to the base support (also known as "cage") secured to the door with screws.
[0006] In practice, it may be stated that the above-mentioned lever arm constitutes the element of the hinge which, by its rotation, permits the opening and closing movements of the door.
[0007] The pin relative to which these pivoting movements take place, is usually supported by a fork which projects from the wall of the item of furniture and which is formed integrally with a securing plate fitted to the wall by screws.
[0008] More specifically, when an item of furniture is assembled, the doors are prepared with the cages already secured thereto, while the plates with the fork and the lever arm are located on the walls; the lever arm is then joined to the cage by a coupling joint secured with screws, when the door is brought close to the corresponding wall or side of the item of furniture.
[0009] A limit which distinguishes hinges nowadays commercially widespread, resides in the fact that they are generally produced in such a manner that the coupling between the lever arm and the cage is difficult to assemble and/or remove, above all if it is considered that these operations take place under conditions which are not always easy for an operator. Indeed, it should be borne in mind that a person carries out the above-mentioned coupling while at the same time be must also support the weight of the door.
[0010] It should also be pointed out that such a state of the art is in part due to the technical standards referred to before, because they require specific levels of safety against those stresses which could cause the separation of hinge components and thus the manufacturers are obliged to find solutions having good reliability and strength.
[0011] The current state of the art thus does not simplify operations for assembling and disassembling furniture, given that, in order to carry them out, it is necessary to assemble and remove the coupling between the arm and the associated support of the hinges: it is therefore for that reason that persons skilled in the art are aware of the need to overcome the limits associated with the use of known hinges.
[0012] In other words, it may be said that there is a need today for hinges specifically aimed at office furniture, suitable for being assembled and disassembled in a simple and rapid manner on the pattern of what already occurs for ordinary hinges with articulated levers.
[0013] There are, however, substantial difficulties in finding satisfactory solutions owing both to the differences between ordinary hinges and office hinges, and to the various requirements which they have to satisfy and sometimes make them incompatible with one another.
[0014] The present invention proposes to overcome this state of the art: that is to say, it aims at providing a hinge of the type considered at the beginning of this specification, which has structural and functional features such as to permit rapid and simple assembling and disassembling operations.
[0016] The invention will be better understood in the light of the description given hereinafter, relating to two illustrative and non-exclusive embodiments thereof, shown in the appended drawings wherein:
- Figure 1 is an axonometric view of part of an item of furniture in which the first embodiment of hinge according to the invention is incorporated;
- Figure 2 is an exploded axonometric view of the hinge of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is an axonometric bottom view of a component of the previous hinge;
- Figure 4 is an axonometric view of a second embodiment of hinge according to the invention;
- Figure 5 is an exploded axonometric view of the hinge of Figure 4;
- Figure 6 is a view along the line VI-VI of Figure 7;
- Figure 7 is a top view of the hinge of Figures 4 and 5;
- Figure 8 is a sectional view along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 9;
- Figure 9 is a partially sectional top view of a component of the hinge of Figures 4 and 5;
- Figure 10 is an exploded view of a detail of Figure 9.
[0017] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, which show the first embodiment of the invention, it is possible to see a hinge 1 for mounting a door 2 on a wall 3 of an item of furniture; the hinge 1 is constituted by two parts which are secured by screws 4 to the door and to the wall, respectively, and which are connected to one another by means of a lever arm 5 configured substantially in the form of a right-angled element.
[0018] In more detail, the first part comprises a fork 7 formed integrally with a plate 8 mounted on the wall 3 by screws 4; the fork 7 is provided with two prongs 7a, 7b supporting a pin 9 on which the lever arm 5 is rotatably mounted.
[0019] The other part of the hinge is formed by the cage or base support 10, which comprises a seat 11 and is delimited at the outside by a circular wall 12; the cage 10 also has two securing wings 13 and 14 in which holes 15 and 16 for screws 4 are present.
[0020] The seat 11 is open on the side facing the fork 7 and extends from there predominantly in a longitudinal direction relative to the cage 10, that is to say, parallel with a median reference axis L along which the arm 5 is coupled to the cage, as will be seen more clearly hereinafter; this axis is also perpendicular to the direction along which the pin 9 lies.
[0021] In the vicinity of the upper edge of the seat 11 and on opposite sides with respect to the axis L, there are two abutment protrusions 17 and 18 which, together with a coupling tooth 19 arranged in an axial position and on the inner side of the two wings 13 and 14, delimit a recess wherein a body 20 for locking the hinge is positioned.
[0022] The locking body 20 is constituted by a plate, the upper face thereof is smooth and in which a slot 21 for an adjusting screw 22 is located centrally, while the lower face (see Figure 3) is machined in such a manner as to enable a linear spring 23 to be mounted.
[0023] More specifically, the spring 23 is made from a steel piano wire (having a round, quadrilateral or other cross-section) extending along the curvilinear lateral wall 24a of a recess 24 formed in the underside of the body 20; the spring 23 has a first end wedged in a slot 25 defined between the lateral wall 24a of the recess and a projecting foot 26, while the other end is supported by an appendage 27 slightly raised relative to the base surface 24b of the recess.
[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the appendage 27 projects also from the lower face of the body 20, so that it can be inserted in an opening 28 which is located in the cage 10 between the seat 11 and the coupling tooth 19.
[0025] Finally, on the lower side of the body 20, there are also two recesses 29 and 30 having shape matching that of the protrusions 17 and 18 on the cage 10, with which they are coupled when the hinge is assembled.
[0026] To complete the description given hitherto, it should be added that two pegs 51 and 52 are arranged laterally with respect to the lever arm 5 and, when the lever is coupled to the cage 10, they engage in respective grooves 31 and 32 arranged on the flanks of the seat 11 at the entrance of its open side in order to lock the arm axially, while permitting however slight rotation thereof relative to the pegs; to that end, a lead-in surface 33 on the base of the above-mentioned seat 11 is also present between the two grooves.
[0027] A threaded hole 53, adjacent to which there is a step 54 located transversely to the arm, is then arranged on the tip of the lever arm 5, that is to say, on its end remote from the end connected to the pin 9.
[0028] Finally, as shown in the drawings, the lever arm 5 has at its centre an empty region 55 which accommodates in a manner known per se a rocker 56 of the type conventionally used in this type of hinge and which is intended to ensure the door shutting.
[0030] The door 2 and the wall 3 of the item of furniture are prearranged with the respective hinge parts already secured thereto, while the latter are still in the separated state; consequently, at this stage, the part constituted by the plate 8, the lever arm 5 and the body 20 (which is secured rigidly to the lever by the screw 22) is fixedly attached to the wall 3, while the cage 10 is secured to the door 2.
[0031] In order to assemble the hinge, the door 2 and the wall 3 of the furniture item are moved towards one another so that the pegs 51, 52 of the arm 5 engage in the grooves 31, 32 on the sides of the cavity 11.
[0032] In this state, the arm 5 is able to rotate slightly relative to the pegs 51 and 52, owing to the presence of the lead-in surface 33 which is inclined relative to the base of the seat 11; making use of this possibility to rotate, the locking body 20 is moved (together with the lever, of course) towards the cage 10 so that the projecting end of the spring 23 snap-engages with the coupling tooth 19.
[0033] In other words, when the door of the item of furniture is mounted, it is necessary only to cause the arm 5 to enter with the pegs 51 and 52 into the grooves 31 and 32, whereupon slight pressure is exerted on the locking body 20 so that the spring 23 snap-engages with the coupling tooth 19, being slipped under the latter in such a manner that the hinge parts can no longer become detached from one another by external stresses.
[0034] It will be appreciated in this connection that the arm 5 is connected to the cage 10, apart from the spring 23, which prevents it from being lifted, also by the protrusions 17 and 18 coupled to the recesses 29 and 30, which prevent reciprocal displacement between these two pieces along the axis L.
[0035] In order to remove the door, it is necessary only to disengage the spring 23 from the coupling tooth 19 by acting on its projecting end (see Figure 1); this operation can be carried out simply with a finger by pushing the projecting end of the spring in a direction parallel to the surface of the door 2.
[0036] It will therefore be appreciated from the explanations given above that the hinge according to the invention achieves the object set out at the beginning.
[0037] Indeed, as it has been shown, the hinge is assembled rapidly and securely owing to the snap-engagement of the spring 23; this engagement enables the arm 5 to be maintained permanently coupled to the cage 10, thanks to the locking body 20 secured thereto by the screw 22.
[0038] In other words, it may be stated that the possibility of having a snap-engagement enables an operator to assemble and disassemble the hinge using one hand only, contrarily to what usually occurs in the art.
[0039] It is then important to emphasise that all of this is achieved without any increase in the space requirement of the hinge, which is thus capable of fully satisfying the strict standards already discussed above.
[0040] This important result can be attributed to the fact that the resilient means bringing about the snap-engagement, in this case the spring 23 in cooperation with the tooth 19, operate in the plane of the locking body 20.
[0041] More generally, it may be stated that these means act in a plane which is transverse to that where the rotations of the door take place and which is also the plane perpendicular to the pin 9 passing through the axis Y: consequently, they do not perform movements which could cause them to project from the locking body when they are operated.
[0042] The hinge as a whole thus has the typical flat appearance of office hinges, together with the novel advantages deriving from the possibility of snap-engagement.
[0043] Naturally, it is possible to provide variants of the invention relative to the example described above.
[0044] By way of indication, it is be possible for the form of the spring 23 and thus also for the form of the locking body 20, to differ from those shown in the drawings; it will also be possible to fit on the projecting end of the spring a handle or some other means capable of facilitating the handling thereof by a user.
[0045] Nor should the possibility of producing a hinge in which the positions of the spring 23 and of the coupling tooth 19 are reversed, be excluded; that is to say, the first could be placed on the cage and the second on the locking body. It will be appreciated that, in this last-mentioned case, the coupling means would nevertheless operate in a plane transverse to that of the rotations of the door and which passes through the axis Y, similarly to the situation seen initially.
[0046] Passing now to the second embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 4 to 10, the elements thereof that correspond structurally or functionally to those already seen before, are indicated with the same numerals and reference should be made to the foregoing for more detailed explanations.
[0047] From the drawings it can thus be seen that this second embodiment differs from the first one basically for the presence of an insert 60 which is introduced into the locking body 20 from the front side thereof, that is to say, the side which with reference to the Figures is located along the axis L in the position furthest away from the wall 3 of the item of furniture.
[0048] The insert consists of by a curved plate having a raised edge 61 which, when the insert 60 is inserted in the locking body 20, flanks the coupling tooth 19.
[0049] The locking body 20 thus has on its inside a cavity 64 which receives the insert 60 and which also accommodates a helicoidal spring 65 compressed between the insert 60 and the base of the above-mentioned cavity; in more detail, the spring 65 acts on the insert 60 at the location of a notch 66.
[0050] It just has to be mentioned that the adjusting screw 22 and the slot 21 are in this example positioned in the body 20 in a slightly off centre manner, so that they are located to the side of the insert 60 and do not interfere therewith.
[0051] In order to hold the insert 60 in the body 20 against the action of the spring 65, in this example of hinge use is made of a peg 67 which is inserted in a hole 68 and passes into the cavity 64; the peg is used to block the return of the insert 60 pushed by the spring, acting at the location of an indentation 69 therein.
[0052] In practice, the insert 60 is accommodated in the cavity 64 in such a manner that it can undergo slight backward and forward movements, against the action of the spring 65, of a size equal to the length L of the indentation 69.
[0053] Finally, it should be pointed out that recesses 29 and 30, matching the protrusions 17 and 18 of the cage 10, are also arranged laterally on the locking body 20.
[0054] This second embodiment of the invention is assembled in a manner similar to that already seen for the first case.
[0055] Consequently, the lever arm 5 with the locking body 20 secured thereto by the screw 22 is coupled to the cage 10 of the hinge, in such a manner that the pegs 51 and 52 are inserted in the grooves 31 and 32 on the flanks of the cavity 11. At the same time, the recesses 29 and 30 abut the protrusions 17 and 18.
[0056] The insert 60 thus snap-engages with the coupling tooth 19 so that the arm 5 is fully secured to the cage 10.
[0057] As can be seen, in this case too the assembly of the hinge is easy and quick to perform owing to the presence of the snap-engagement means constituted in this case by the insert 60 pushed resiliently by the spring 65 towards the tooth 19.
[0058] In order to remove the arm 5 from the cage 10, the procedure is reversed; consequently, the insert 60 is first disengaged from the coupling tooth 19 by pushing it towards the base of the cavity 64 to overcome the opposing force of the spring 65.
[0059] In order to do that, it is necessary only to act with one finger on the raised edge 61 of the insert, whereupon the lever arm 5 is caused to rotate relative to the pegs 51 and 52 in the opposite direction to that used for assembling the hinge.
[0060] Finally, it will be appreciated that in this embodiment of the invention, for pushing the insert 60 it is also possible to use the tip of a screwdriver or of another tool, applying it on a projecting edge 71 formed in the vicinity of the coupling tooth 19.
[0061] It will be appreciated that also this embodiment is concerned by the considerations expressed above concerning the results achieved by the invention, to which reference is therefore made.
[0062] It is, however, worth pointing out again that the resilient means of snap-engagement, that is to say, the insert 60 pushed by the spring 65, operate in the plane of the locking body 20 and thus, in this case too, their movements do not entail the risk of projecting relative therefrom.
[0063] Nor should variants of this second embodiment of the invention be excluded; for example, it would be possible to change the position of the insert 60 and of the spring 65 by fitting them to the cage 10 instead of to the locking body 20 and the coupling tooth 19 could be fitted to the locking body 20 instead of to the cage 10.
1. A hinge for doors of furniture, comprising a fork (7) that supports a pin (9) about
which the opening and closing rotations of the door (2) take place, a lever arm (5)
pivoting relative to the pin (9) and supported by the fork, a cage (10) to be secured
to the door of the item of furniture and provided with a seat (11) where the lever
arm is accommodated, a locking body (20) secured in an adjustable manner to the lever
arm, means (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 60, 61, 64, 65) for locking the arm in the
above-mentioned seat, characterised in that the locking means are of the snap-engagement
type and operate principally in a plane transverse to that in which the rotations
of the door take place.
2. A hinge according to claim 1, wherein the snap-engagement means comprise a spring
(23, 65) accommodated in the locking body (20).
3. A hinge according to claim 2, wherein the locking body (20) is substantially plate-shaped
and wherein the snap-engagement means comprise a spring (23) constituted by a wire
accommodated in a recess (24) formed in the locking body (20), which spring is capable
of engaging with a coupling tooth (19) present on the cage (10), performing movements
substantially parallel to the locking body.
4. A hinge according to claim 3, wherein one end of the wire constituting the spring
(23) projects relative to the locking body (20) from the side thereof that faces the
cage (10).
5. A hinge according to claim 4, wherein a handle is associated with the projecting end
of the wire (23).
6. A hinge according to claim 2, wherein the locking body (20) is substantially plate-shaped
and wherein the snap-engagement means comprise an insert (60) and an opposing spring
(65) which are accommodated in a cavity (64) formed in the locking body, so that the
insert engages resiliently with a coupling tooth (19) present on the cage (10), performing
movements substantially parallel to the locking body.
7. A hinge according to claim 6, wherein the movements of the insert (60) take place
along an axial direction (Y) relative to the hinge.
8. A hinge according to either claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the insert (60) has a configuration
bent substantially in a "U" shape which surrounds the spring (65).
9. A hinge according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the insert (60) has a raised
edge (61) which projects relative to the locking body (20) from the side thereof that
faces the cage (10).
10. A hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking body has
recesses (29, 30) that are to be coupled to matching protrusions (17, 18) formed on
the cage (10) at the location of the flanks of the cavity (11) thereof.