Abstract:
A hinge for use in, e.g., folding tables, folding chairs, or folding shelves that can be locked in at least one position. According to an aspect of the invention, the hinge is locked in the position that would correspond to the open or deployed state of the piece of furniture of which it is a part.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/015,016, filed on Dec. 19, 2007, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention is directed generally to a hinge used in folding chairs, tables, furniture in general, and the like, especially one that is capable of locking in the “open” or deployed position. In particular, the invention is directed to a locking hinge where the locking mechanism is an integral part of the hinge itself. 
         [0004]    2. Related Art 
         [0005]    Collapsible furniture, such as, e.g., folding tables, folding chairs, and folding shelves, makes use of hinges and frequently must be locked in an “open” position when the furniture is in its expanded or deployed state. Typically, this is done with a leg lock that props the sections attached to the hinge apart and prevents them from folding in towards each other. While it is generally effective, the lock adds an extra part to the design of the furniture. Thus, it adds to overall weight and assembly time and offers another point in the assembly process at which the user may make a mistake. Moreover, such lock structures are unattractive structures that extend obstructively under the furniture. These obtrusive locks may be easily damaged by users due to their position and may also be obtrusive to users during setup and/or use. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need for a hinge that provides its own integral locking mechanism, is attractive, and/or is not obtrusive. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The invention meets the foregoing need and provides a hinge with an integral locking mechanism that is easy to operate and that furthermore includes other advantages apparent from the discussion herein. 
         [0008]    Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  shows one aspect of the invention with the hinge in the “open” and locked position; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C show the hinge from  FIG. 1  at various intermediate stages between the open and closed positions, all of which are unlocked; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  shows the hinge in the unlocked and closed position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows the hinge in the open position attached to a piece of furniture structure, e.g., a table leg; and 
           [0014]      FIGS. 5A ,  5 B,  5 C,  5 D show another aspect of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. 
         [0016]    In an aspect of the invention, a hinge  100  may be fashioned from three separate parts: an arm  110 , a body  120 , and a top  130 . The top  130  and the body  120  may be fixedly held together by any known fastener or construction, e.g. rivets or welding. They may also be integrally formed. The body  130  and the arm  110  may be joined at a rotating joint  114 . The rotating joint  114  may be any known construction, including, e.g., pivots, pins and so on. The top  130  may be generally at a right angle to the body  120  and arm  110  but may have a lower portion  132  that lies in the same plane as the arm  110 . The body  120  may occupy a plane parallel to that of the arm  110  and lower portion  132  except for a locking arm  122 , which, in its resting position, is angled such that it terminates in the plane of the arm  110 . In particular, locking arm  122  may be formed such that it elastically moves to the plane of the arm  110 . This elastic movement may be achieved by any means known to one skilled in the art, such as, e.g., an external spring (not shown), the forged shape of body  120 , or the like. Other configurations of the arm  110 , body  120 , and top  130  are contemplated. 
         [0017]    In the open and locked position (see  FIG. 1 ), shoulder  112  contacts the lower portion  132  of top  130 , preventing further rotation in a first direction. Shoulder  116  is in contact with the end of the locking arm  122 , which is in its resting position with an end in the plane of the arm  110 . Contact with the locking arm  122  prevents rotation of the arm  110  in a second direction. Thus the arm  110  is rotationally locked in position relative to the body  120  and top  130 . 
         [0018]    By moving the end of locking arm  122  substantially into the plane of the body  120 , the arm  110  may be unlocked and able to move in the second direction (as indicated by arrow A in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C) until shoulder  116  contacts the lower portion  132  of top  130 , preventing further rotation. This is the closed or “unlocked” position. Since, in this embodiment, there is no mechanism to lock the arm  110  in the closed position, the arm  110  may rotate in the first direction until shoulder  112  contacts top  130  and the locking arm  122  moves back to its resting position and locks the arm  110  in the open position. 
         [0019]    Body  120  may also have another locking arm portion (not shown) that may engage the arm  110  when in the closed position to provide a locked closed arrangement as well. This locking arm portion may be configured similarly to the arrangement of locking arm  122  and shoulder  116 , although other configurations are contemplated and within the scope of the invention. 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  shows the hinge  100  in conjunction with a furniture leg  402 . In particular, the arm  110  may be attached to the leg  402 , e.g., with wood screws, locking cams, bolts, or any other known fasteners or construction through various holes (not numbered) in arm  110 . The top  130  may, e.g., be attached to a table top (not shown) as part of the assembly of a piece of furniture with at least one folding leg. The top  130  may be attached to the table top with wood screws, locking cams, bolts, or any other known fasteners or construction through various holes (not numbered) in top  130 . Of course, the hinge  100  may be used with any type of furniture or apparatus. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 5A ,  5 B,  5 C,  5 D show another aspect of the invention. In this aspect, the top may be comprised of two pieces  130  and  130 ′, either one or both of which may be connected to the arm  110  at a rotating joint  114 . The two-piece construction may provide a stronger arrangement. Moreover, the top  130 ,  130 ′ may include one or more bent portions that further increase rigidity. 
         [0022]    The locking arm  122  may have a circular construction and may be a component of the top  130 . The body  120 , which may be sandwiched between the top pieces  130  and  130 ′, provides the contact point for the shoulder  112 . A shoulder  116  may be formed in arm  110  having a circular surface shape that is complementary to the circular shape of locking arm  122 . 
         [0023]    While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.