Patent ID: 7805811
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: E05D,E05Y,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A vehicle hinge assembly for hinging a vehicle door on a vehicle body, the assembly comprising a first hinge leaf hingedly connected to a second hinge leaf by a pivot pin, the pivot pin being immovably mounted in a first blind bore in one hinge leaf and being rotatably mounted in, and being axially withdrawable from, a second blind bore in the other hinge leaf, and hinge pin retention means associated with said other hinge leaf for preventing axial withdrawal of the hinge pin therefrom, the hinge pin retention means having hinge pin engagement means movably mounted on said other hinge leaf for movement between first and second positions, the engagement means including a spherical surface of a given radius seated in an annular groove of a curved section, the curved section having a radius of curvature the same as said given radius so as to permit rotation of the hinge pin but prevent any axial movement of the hinge pin relative to said other hinge leaf, and in its second position being spaced from the hinge pin to permit its axial withdrawal from said other hinge leaf, wherein said hinge pin engagement means is a ball bearing located in an externally threaded housing which is movably mounted in a threaded bore formed in said other hinge leaf for movement between said first and second positions, said housing when in said first position maintaining said ball bearing in engagement with said annular groove wherein the housing is screw threadedly mounted in said bore so as to be movable therealong by a screw action.