A hinge for metal doors and windows

Abstract: A hinge for metal doors and windows envisages that each bushing (7,8) be formed of two separate elements (11, 12), engaged with each other by axial coupling means (14, 15) reversible when the bushing (7, 8) is not inside a relative axial hole (9), and free to turn relative to each other: the first element (11) forms a cylinder to contain a pin (6) the hollow for the pin being off centre with respect to a longitudinal axis (X) of the bushing (7, 8); the other element (12) forms a first collar larger in diameter than the corresponding axial hole (9) that contains the bushing (7, 8); adjusting means (13) are envisaged on the first element (11) to vary the position of the first element (11) relative to the second element (12) when an external force is applied to the hinge body (1, 2), properly installed and in use, to turn it between two or more stable positions defined by grooves (1s, 2s) made in the axial hole (9).

Description: The present invention relates to a hinge for metal doors and windows, especially for so-called security doors or windows which need to be stronger and are therefore heavier than standard windows or inside doors. The hinges used for these fixtures (that is, outside doors, gates and so on), which must provide a high degree of security against intrusion, differ from those for standard fixtures (that is, standard windows or inside doors) in that they are larger and stronger because they have to support the greater weight of the doors, gates or windows and because they are fixed using screws covered by anti-intrusion plates. These hinges consist of two sections, usually made of aluminium, attachable to the door or window and to the related frames, and a steel hinge pin, to be inserted into the corresponding through holes in the said hinge sections, the holes being lined with centring bushings (made of self-lubricating plastic). The middle of the hinge pin is wider than the ends of the pin, forming an integral collar larger in diameter than the corresponding through holes in the hinge sections so as to prevent the pin from being pulled out of the holes (see patent IT - 1.221.237 also by the present Applicant). The hinge sections are attached to the frame by segments and strong screws through the segments at right angles to the hinge pin, the screw heads being seated in counterbores made in the segments themselves. The parts of the segments outside the screw heads present opposing "L" guides that provide seats for security caps which slide in a direction parallel to the hinge pin. The caps entirely cover the screw heads and form a continuous surface with the cylindrical part of the hinge in which the hole for the bushing is made and from which the free ends of the segments with the cap guides protrude. The said bushings consist of a cylindrical element closed at one end and a collar round the open end. The hole in the bushing is off centre with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical element. The bushings also have a set of equidistant protrusions or teeth, made usually on the outside surface immediately under the collar where the latter comes into contact with the hinge sections, and designed to engage with corresponding holes made in the hinge sections. The said bushings are designed in such a way that when they are rotated about their axes, the axis of the hinge pins moves in a plane parallel to the plane of the door or window frame, thus adjusting the position of the door or window relative to its fixed frame. To do this, the door or window is raised so that the teeth come out of the holes in one or both hinge bushings, the bushings adjusted in the new position and then reinserted into the hinge sections while at the same time lowering the door or window into the new position. This operation however, is awkward and difficult to complete since the doors and windows concerned, as already mentioned, are considerably heavy and it is hard to adjust them properly the first time round. As a result, adjusting a door or window of this kind after installation may be a long and difficult task. A hinge for doors, windows and similar frames, according to the preamble of present claim 1, is known from EP-A- 0 387 207. The aim of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantage just mentioned by providing a hinge for security metal doors and windows that is quick and easy to adjust once the door or window has been installed without modifying the components of conventional hinges of this kind. The technical characteristics of the invention according to the abovementioned aim are laid out in the claims below and the advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and in which: Figure 1 is an exploded, perspective view of the hinge, disclosed by the present invention, for metal doors and windows; Figure 2 is an exploded, perspective view of another embodiment of the hinge shown in Fig.1; Figures 3 and 4 are front and side views, respectively, of the hinge shown in Fig. 1, with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others; Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the hinge shown in Fig. 1, showing a bushing forming part of the hinge in a large-scale exploded side view with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others; Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of the hinge shown in Fig. 2, showing a third bushing forming part of the hinge in a top plan view with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others; Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the connection between a door or window and its frame in a top plan view. With reference to the drawings listed above and in particular Fig. 1, the hinge disclosed is used for security doors and windows (not illustrated here because they do not fall within the scope of the present invention). This type of hinge consists of two hinge sections 1 and 2 which can be attached to a door or window IM and a door or window frame IF by respective segments 3 and 4 and corresponding screw means 5 (consisting of conventional fastening screws). The heads of these screws 5 are protected by caps 40 fitted by sliding them on corresponding guides 41 made on each segment 3 and 4 and secured by grub screws 40g. The two hinge sections 1 and 2 are joined by a pin 6 which is inserted into corresponding axial through holes 9 in the said hinge sections 1 and 2, the holes being lined with cylindrical, centring bushings 7 and 8. The pin 6 also has a dividing collar 20 which comes into contact with the opposite bushings 7 and 8. The surfaces inside the holes 9 have a plurality of longitudinal grooves ls and 2s used, as described in more detail below, to securely engage with the bushings 7 and 8, which have corresponding teeth 10 (in the embodiment illustrated, there are eight grooves ls and 2s in each axial hole 9, the reason for this being explained below). Looking in more detail at the illustrations, in particular Figs. 1 and 5, we can see that each of the bushings 7 and 8 consists of two separate elements 11 and 12 engaged with each other by axial coupling means 14 and 15 separable when the bushing 7, 8 is not inside its axial hole 9 and the said elements 11 and 12 being free to turn relative to each other about a longitudinal axis X: in practice, the first element 11 forms a cylinder to contain the pin 6, the hollow for the pin being off centre with respect to the longitudinal axis X, while the second element 12 forms a first collar larger in diameter than the corresponding axial hole 9 and is equipped with the abovementioned teeth 10. Looking in more detail (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5) we can see that the first element 11, which for convenience will hereafter be referred to simply as cylinder has an end portion lla that is smaller in diameter than the rest of the cylinder 11 and that is designed to engage with the second element 12, which for convenience will hereafter be referred to simply as first collar . At its free end, the portion 11a of the cylinder 11 has an enlarged tapered rim 14 that forms one half of the abovementioned axial coupling means. The first collar 12 has an upper cylindrical portion 15 whose outside diameter is equal to the diameter of the cylinder 11 and inside which there is a rim-like feature 16 forming the other half of the axial coupling means which, if pressed with sufficient force to overcome the tapered rim 14 of the cylinder 11 during preassembly of the bushing 7 and 8, axially engages the first collar 12 with the cylinder 11 but leaves them free to rotate relative to each other about the abovementioned axis X. In addition to this, the cylindrical portion 15 of the first collar 12 envisages a pair of weakening slits 15i (see Fig. 5 again) on its surface to allow bending of and, accordingly, an increase in the radius of, the two curved features formed on the cylindrical portion 15 by the weakening slits 15i. Bending not only facilitates the coupling of the cylinder 11 to the first collar 12 to form the bushing assemblies 7 and 8 but also provide a secure axial fastening between the two elements when the bushings are inserted into the corresponding axial holes 9. In other words, a single block is created inside each hole 9 which cannot be separated from the outside of the hinge sections 1 and 2 because any force exerted on the cylinder 11 and tending to pull the latter out of the hinge sections 1 and 2 is not accompanied by an increase in the dimensions of the cylindrical portion 15 sufficient to separate the two elements 11 and 12 since the latter is enclosed and held by the axial hole 9. As mentioned above, the outside surface of the cylindrical portion 15 of the first collar 12 envisages a plurality of the aforementioned teeth 10 used to securely engage the first collar 12 with the surface inside the axial hole 9. The free circular contact surface at the bottom of the first collar 12 is divided into two rings 18 and 19, differing in thickness along the axis X. When in use, the first, outer ring 18 comes into contact with the corresponding ring of the other first collar 12 opposite it, whilst the second ring 19, the inner ring with the smaller diameter, comes into contact with the abovementioned second collar 20 made on the hinge pin 6. The numeral 13 indicates means for adjusting the position of the cylinder 11 relative to the first collar 12. The said means are made on the cylinder itself and, when an external force is applied to the corresponding hinge section 1 and 2, properly installed and in use, enable the cylinder to rotate between two or more stable positions, depending on the number of grooves ls and 2s made in the axial hole 9 As can clearly be seen in Fig. 3, the adjusting means 13 consist of a reference tooth 21 which engages with a corresponding groove ls, 2s and which is arranged radially on the outer surface on a flexible curved feature 22 resulting from a first slot 23 made on the end of the cylinder 11 opposite the end that joins the first collar 12 in such a way as to form part of the edge of the cylinder end. On the end of the cylinder 11, there is a second slot 24 for a tool 25 (for example a screwdriver, the end of which is shown in a broken line in Fig. 5) to enable the cylinder to be turned so as to radially move the tooth 21 from one groove ls and 2s to the next or previous groove. This movement is possible thanks also to the bending of the curved feature 22 which, after completing the adjustment, can be closed by a cap 50 (see also Figs. 3 and 4). Fig. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the hinge comprising three hinge sections 1, 2 and 26. The two end sections 1 and 2 are identical and have their respective segments 3 and 4 extending in the same direction with respect to the cylindrical part of the hinge sections 1 and 2, while the third hinge section 26 is placed between the first two and has a segment 27 extending in the direction opposite that of the other two segments. In this embodiment, the bushings 7 and 8 of the hinge end sections 1 and 2 are the same as those described above, that is to say, each has the cylinder 11 and the first collar 12, whilst the third hinge section 26, that is, the middle one, has a bushing 28 consisting, at one end, of a single component comprising a cylindrical element 29 with a hole through it for the hinge pin 6, the said hole being off centre with respect to the axis X, and a second collar 30 that comes into contact with the first collar 12 of the upper end bushing 7, and, at the other end, another collar 12' similar to the others but forming a separate component in itself that is fitted securely in the axial hole 9 on the side opposite that engaged with the abovementioned second collar 30 and designed to come into contact with the first collar 12 forming part of the lower end bushing 8. To adjust the cylindrical element 29 of the third bushing 28 about the longitudinal axis X, there are envisaged means 42 for turning the cylindrical element itself. These means 42 (see Fig. 6) are substantially the same as the adjusting means 13, that is to say, they consist of a radial tooth 43 protruding from the cylindrical element 29 on the end of the latter opposite the second collar 30 and engaging with a corresponding groove 26s in the axial hole 9, and a pair of open, angled radial seats 44 on the second collar 30, which, with the third bushing 28 already seated, can be engaged with a manual tool 45 to turn the cylindrical element 29 about the longitudinal axis X in such a manner as to move the tooth 43 from one groove 26s to the next or previous groove, according to the adjustments of the other two bushings 7 and 8. The tooth 43 can come free of the groove 26s because the edge of the cylindrical element 29 bends. The hinge disclosed by the present invention is therefore quick and easy to adjust since the operator, after assembling the hinge and installing it on the door or window IM and the related frame IF, can act directly and solely on the cylinder 11 of the bushings 7, 8 or 28 without having to lift the door or window IM (in the closed position) to pull out the bushing in order to vary the axis of the hinge pin 6 (as was necessary with hinges known to prior art). Obviously, this adjustment capability does not alter the compactness of the finished assembly and the security that this provides. As already mentioned, the fact that the holes in the bushings 7, 8 and 28 are off centre, permits a substantial adjustment of the hinge pin axis with respect to the plane of the door or window frame. In other terms, the combination of positions defined by the bushings 7 and 8 makes it possible, as is known to experts in the trade, to adjust the "squareness" of the door or window, that is, to move it closer to or further away from the plane in which the door or window frame lies (see arrow C, Fig. 7) and the "clearance" between it and the fixed frame by moving it sideways (see arrow F, Fig. 7). The Applicant has found that appropriately combining the number of grooves with a well-defined angle made by the same with the plane defined by the door or window frame makes it possible to adjust squareness and clearance to a greater extent than in the past and thus to satisfy the most diverse installation requirements. The ideal number of teeth/grooves has been found to be eight and the initial positioning, that is, the configuration of the system, envisages a starting angle whereby the reference tooth resides in a groove that makes an angle α of 22°30' with the plane P defined by the fixed frame (see Fig. 4). This combination of the number of grooves and starting angle permits gradual adjustment of "clearance" without acting on "squareness", thus further facilitating adjustment operations. The invention described can be subject to modifications and variations without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all the details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

Claims: A hinge for metal security doors and windows of the type comprising at least two hinge sections (1, 2) attachable to a door or window and related frame by corresponding segments (3, 4) to seat screw means (5) and a hinge pin (6) to be inserted into corresponding axial through holes (9) in the said hinge sections (1, 2), lined with cylindrical centring bushings (7, 8) and extending along a longitudinal axis (X); the surfaces inside the holes (9) having a plurality of longitudinal grooves (1s, 2s) used to securely engage with the bushings (7, 8) which have corresponding teeth (10) on them; each of the said bushings (7, 8) consisting of two separate elements (11, 12) engaged with each other by axial coupling means (14, 15); one of the said elements (11) forming a cylinder to contain the pin (6), the hollow in the cylinder being off centre with respect to the said longitudinal axis (X) of the bushing (7, 8), and the other element (12) forming a first collar larger in diameter than the corresponding axial hole (9) and equipped with the said teeth (10); the said hinge being characterized in that said coupling means (14, 15) are separable when the bushing (7, 8) is not inside its axial hole (9) in the hinge section (1, 2), and the said elements (11, 12) are free to turn relative to each other about the said longitudinal axis (X) with the coupling means (14, 15) being engaged; a radially movable reference tooth (21) being provided on the cylinder (11), said tooth (21) engaging with a corresponding groove (1s, 2s), so that the cylinder (11) for adjusting its position relative to the second element (12) is rotatable between two or more stable positions, depending on the number of grooves (1s, 2s) made in the axial hole (9), when an external force is applied by means of a tool (25) to the cylinder (11), properly installed and in use, moving radially the tooth (21) from one groove (1s, 2s) to the next or previous groove. The hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that the said separable axial coupling means (14, 15) consist of an end portion (11a) of the cylinder (11) smaller in diameter than the rest of the same cylinder (11), the free end of the said portion (11a) having an enlarged tapered rim (14) and a cylindrical portion (15) at the top of the second element (12) and whose outside diameter is equal to the diameter of the cylinder (11) and inside which there is a rim-like feature (16) which, if pressed with sufficient force to overcome the tapered rim (14) of the cylinder (11), axially engages the first collar (12) with the cylinder (11) but leaves them free to rotate relative to each other when the said bushing (7, 8) is not inside the corresponding hole (9). The hinge according to claim 2 characterized in that the cylindrical portion (15) has at least one pair of weakening slits (15i) on its surface designed to allow elastic deformation of and, accordingly, an increase in the radius of, the two curved features formed on the cylindrical portion (15) when the collar (12) engages with the cylinder (11) and capable of providing a secure axial fastening between the two said elements when the bushings (7, 8) are inserted into the corresponding axial holes (9). The hinge according to claim 2 characterized in that the outside surface of the cylindrical portion (15) of the collar (12) envisages a plurality of the said teeth (10) used to securely engage the said second element (12) inside the axial hole (9); the free circular contact surface at the bottom of the collar (12) being divided into two rings (18, 19), differing in thickness, the outer ring (18), when in use, coming into contact with the corresponding ring of the other collar (12), and the inner ring (19), with the smaller diameter, coming into contact with a second collar 20 made on the hinge pin (6). The hinge according to claim 1 characterized in that said reference tooth (21) is arranged radially on the outer surface on the cylindrical end of the first element (11) opposite the end that joins the second element (12); on the said end there being also envisaged a second slot (24) for the tool (25) to enable the first element to be turned so as to radially move the tooth (21) from one groove (ls, 2s) to the next or previous groove. The hinge according to claim 5 characterized in that the tooth (21) is made on a flexible curved feature (22) capable of bending in order to permit the radial movement of the said tooth (21); the said arch (22) being formed by a first slot (23) made on the end of the said cylinder (11) in such a way as to form part of its edge. The hinge according to claim 1 characterized in that there are eight grooves (1s, 2s) in the said axial hole (9) and eight corresponding teeth (10) to engage with them on the second element (12). The hinge according to claim 1 characterized in that in an initial assembly position, the first element (11), with the said adjusting means (13), inside the axial hole (9) makes an angle (α) about the longitudinal axis (X) of 22°30' with respect to the horizontal plane (P) defined by the door or window frame. The hinge according to claim 1 in which there are three hinge sections (1, 2, 26), the two end sections (1, 2) being identical and having their respective segments (3, 4) extending horizontally in the same direction, and the third hinge section (26) being placed between the first two and having a segment (27) extending in the direction opposite that of the first two segments (3,4); the said hinge sections (1, 2, 26) having respective longitudinal grooves (1s, 2s, 26s) inside the corresponding axial hole (9); the said hinge being chracterized in that the bushings (7, 8) of the said hinge end sections (1, 2) are divided into the said first element or cylinder (11) and the said second element or collar (12), while the bushing (28) of the said middle hinge section (26) is divided into two separate parts, at one end a single component consisting of a cylindrical element (29) with a hole (9) through it for the hinge pin, the said hole being off centre with respect to the longitudinal axis X, and a second collar (30) that comes into contact with one of the collars (12) of one of the end bushings (7,8) and, at the other end, another similar collar (12') forming a separate component in itself that is fitted securely in the axial hole (9) on the side opposite that engaged with the abovementioned second collar (30) and designed to come into contact with the other collar (12) forming part of the other of the end bushing (7, 8); there being also envisaged on the cylindrical element (29) means (42) for adjusting the axial position of the said cylindrical element (29) by allowing it to be turned about the said axis (X). The hinge according to claim 9 characterized in that the said adjusting means (42) consist of a radial tooth (43) protruding from the cylindrical element (29) on the end of the latter opposite the second collar (30) and engaging with a corresponding groove (26s) in the axial hole (9), and a pair of open, angled, radial seats (44) on the second collar (30) designed to be engaged with a manual tool (45) in order to turn the cylindrical element (29) about the longitudinal axis (X) in such a manner as to move the tooth (43) from one groove (26s) to the next or previous groove.

Inventors: LAMBERTINI MARCO
Applicants: GIESSE SPA, GIESSE S.P.A.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: E05D7
IPC codes: E05D5, E05D7