Snap hinge for supporting closure panel-like elements

Abstract: A snap hinge for supporting closure sheet-like elements, comprising a first articulated quadrilateral and a second articulated quadrilateral which have a first lever and a second lever in common, at least two elastic springs in parallel being further provided.

Description: The present invention relates to a snap hinge for supporting closure plate-like or sheet-like elements, i.e. a hinge which is adapted to produce the snap closure and opening of doors and leaves, particularly in pieces of furniture, in caravan cabinets, in bins and in applications in general in which in order to pass from the open position to the closed position the sheet-like elements rotate about a substantially horizontal or optionally inclined hinge axis. Hinges for pieces of furniture and the like are known which have a twin articulated quadrilateral and an enclosed soring which is optionally provided with a monolithic pusher lever, as in WO-A-9618792 (Italian patent no. 1,269,279 filed on 16 December 1994 in the name of the same Applicant), producing snap opening and closure over an extent approximately equal to a right angle. These hinges are not free from drawbacks, including the fact that they do not allow stable opening and closure and do not support the door sufficiently when it moves from the vertical position to a horizontal position in which the weight of the door itself acts particularly intensely on the hinges. Accordingly, one obtains a smaller-than-expected degree of opening and/or an excessively weak closure, to the point of causing, for example in the case of application to caravans, accidental opening of the cabinet door on bends, causing the consequent escape of the contents of the cabinet. Hinges adapted for recessed mounting, of the type with an articulated quadrilateral and a spring, are also known; they are applied so that one of the base plates is fixed in a recess formed within the thickness of the door so as to slightly increase the movement arm. However, even these hinges do not ensure good stability of the doors, require molds or machining in order to obtain said recess, leading to a considerable production cost increase, and tend to make the door slam violently against the piece of furniture or cabinet during closure. US-A-5 058 238 discloses a crosslink hinge having a combination of features as set forth in the pre-characterizing portion of the appended claim 1. The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above-described drawbacks of conventional hinges by providing a snap hinge for supporting closure sheet-like elements which allows to stably support the sheet-like element between the vertical position and the horizontal position, to provide stable closure and opening, to support very intense loads, to prevent the door from violently slamming against the piece of furniture or cabinet during closure, and to perform simple and straightforward assembly without having to form recesses and without resorting to molded doors provided with a recess. Within the scope of this technical aim, an object of the present invention is to achieve the above-cited aim with a structure which is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation and relatively low in cost. This aim, object and others are both achieved by the present snap hinge for supporting closure sheet-like elements as defined in the appended claims. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a snap hinge for supporting closure sheet-like or plate-like elements, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a snap hinge according to the invention, applied to two sheet-like elements, with the lower element in the horizontal open position; Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the hinge of Figure 1, but in the closed position; Figure 3 is a side view of the hinge according to the invention; Figure 4 is a top view of the hinge of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a bottom view of the hinge of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a plan view of a coupling plate of the hinge according to the invention; Figure 7 is a side view of the plate of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a front view of the plate of Figure 6; Figure 9 is a top view of a support of the hinge according to the invention; Figure 10 is a side view of Figure 9; Figure 11 is a top view of Figure 10; Figure 12 is a side view of the first lever of the hinge according to the invention; Figure 13 is a front view of the lever of Figure 12; Figure 14 is a plan view of the lever of Figure 12; Figure 15 is a side view of the second lever of the hinge according to the invention; Figure 16 is a plan view of the lever of Figure 15. With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a snap hinge for supporting closure sheet-like elements according to the invention. The hinge 1 comprises two articulated quadrilaterals having a first lever 2 and a second lever 3 in common, and two elastic means 4 which are constituted by two mutually opposite elements 5 and 6 for guiding and supporting two mutually parallel springs 7. In the embodiment shown in the various figures, the elastic means 4 are springs of the cylindrical helical type: these springs are guided and supported by the mutually opposite elements 5 and 6, which are in turn anchored to a coupling plate 8. One end of the first lever 2 extends towards the plate 8 with two lugs 9 and receives the thrust applied by the elastic means 4 anchored to the plate. The plate 8 comprises a body provided with two bases 10 which are connected by respective side faces 11 which are in turn connected by a connecting bridge 12. The side faces 11 are provided with two pairs of holes 13 in a position which corresponds to the position of the connecting bridge 12 for the articulated connection of the plate 8 to the first lever 2 and to the arm 14 of the first articulated quadrilateral. The first lever 2 comprises two side faces 15 which are provided with respective arms 16 located on the opposite side with respect to the lugs 9 and are perforated in their intermediate part for the insertion of a pivot 17 for rotary connection to the second lever 3. Each side face 15 is provided with at least three holes: a first hole 18, which is formed in the lug 9; a second intermediate hole 19; and a third hole 20, provided towards the end of the arm 16. The first lever 2 is associated, towards the coupling plate 8, with a support 21 which can be locked in place at the end of first lever 2 and is adapted to receive the thrust of the elastic means 4. The side faces 11 of the coupling plate 8 are further provided with a third pair of holes 22 in a position which is substantially opposite to the position of the connecting bridge 12. The support 21 is constituted by two sides 23 connected by a bridge 24 which extends with a tab 25 separated from the pair of sides 23 by means of two notches 26 inserted and locked in place the end of the first lever 2 that is directed towards the coupling plate 8. Each side 23 is provided with a first hole 27 for the insertion of the pivot 28 for supporting the end of the guiding and supporting element 5, while the end of the guiding and supporting element 6 rests against the pivot 29 inserted in the third pair of holes 22 of the sides faces 11 of the coupling plate 8. Each side 23 is also provided with a second hole 30 for the insertion therein of a pivot 31 for connecting the side faces 11 of the coupling plate 8, the side and the tab 9 of the first lever 2. The elements composing the two quadrilaterals of the hinge 1 are constituted as follows: the first one is constituted by the conventional coupling plate 32, by the arm 33 and by the two levers 2 and 3, which are articulated in the pivots 34, 35, 36 and 17; the second one is constituted by the bridge-like coupling plate 8, by the arm 14 and by the levers 2 and 3, which are articulated to the pivot 31, 37, 17 and 38. Advantageously, the second lever 3 is provided with two holes 39 for the insertion of a pivot 40: it is therefore possible to provide a third spring, not shown, which applies the thrust to the pivot 40 and is rotationally locked onto the pivot and on the pivot 35. The second lever 3 further comprises a set of three dorsal bridges 41 for connecting the side faces 42, as an alternative, the lever 3 can also have a prism-like cross-section. The coupling plate 8 is generally fixed in an upper vertical position and its bridge 12 is staggered and protrudes, joining in a downward region the two side faces 11 of the bases 10, having fixing holes 43. Accordingly, the actions applied by the two springs 7 develop on the first lever 2, with the result of keeping the hinge 1 stable in the two extreme open and closed positions, being able in particular to bear the weight of the plate-like element 44 horizontally with respect to the sheet-like element 45, which is fixed vertically. In an alternative embodiment, it is possible to provide a first so-called monolithic lever which is provided with at least four pairs of holes as a replacement for the lever 2 and the support 21 which are mutually interlock-connected. In practice, it has been observed that the above-described invention achieves the intended aim and object. In practice, the materials employed, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the protective scope of the appended claims. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims: A snap hinge (1) for supporting closure sheet-like elements (44,45), comprising a first articulated quadrilateral (2,3,32,33) and a second articulated quadrilateral (2,3,8,14) which have a first lever (2) and a second lever (3) in common, further provided with at least two elastic means (4,5,6,) in parallel, said at least two elastic means comprise two mutually opposite elements (5,6) for guiding and supporting two springs (4) which are mutually parallel, one end of said first lever (2) extending with two lugs (9) toward a coupling plate (8) and being adapted to receive the thrust of said elastic means (4), said coupling plate (8) comprising a body provided with two bases (10) which are interconnected by side faces (11) which are in turn interconnected by a connecting bridge (12), said side faces (11) being provided with two pairs of holes (13) in a position which corresponds to the position of said connecting bridge (12) for the articulated connection of said coupling plate (8) to said first lever (2) and to an arm (14) of said second quadrilateral, characterized in that the side faces (11) of said coupling plate comprise a third pair of holes (22) in a position which is substantially opposite to the position of the connecting bridge (12), said first lever (2) is associated, towards said coupling plate (8), with a support (21) which is adapted to receive the thrust of said elastic means (4), said support (21 being constituted by two sides (23) which are connected by a bridge (24), each side (23) being provided with a first hole (27) for the insertion of a supporting pivot (28) of the end of one of said guiding and supporting elements (5), the end of the second guiding and supporting element (6) resting against a pivot (29) inserted in said third pair of holes (22) of the sides (11) of the coupling plate (8). The hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that said springs (4) are of the cylindrical helical type. The hinge according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said elastic means (4) are anchored to said coupling plate (8). The hinge according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first lever (2) comprises a body provided with two side faces (15) which have respective arms (16) on the opposite side with respect to the lugs (9) and are perforated in their intermediate part for the insertion of a pivot (17) for rotary connection to the second common lever (3) of said articulated quadrilaterals. The hinge according to claim 4, characterized in that each side face (15) of said first lever (2) is provided with at least three holes (18,19,20), a first hole (18) being provided in said first lug (9), a second hole (19) being intermediate and a third hole (20) being located towards the end of said arm (16). The hinge according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support (21) can be fitted and locked in place at the end of said first lever (4). The hinge second one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said bridge (24) extends with a tab (25) which is separated from said two sides (23) by way of a pair of notches (26). The hinge according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support (21) is provided, on each side (23), with a second hole (30) for the insertion therein of a pivot (31) for connecting the side faces (11) of said coupling plate (8), the sides (23) of said support (21) and the tabs (9) of said first lever (2). The hinge according to claim 7, characterized in that said notches (26) are locked by way of an interlocking coupling in the end of said first lever (2) that is directed towards said coupling plate (8).

Inventors: ZETTI DANIELE, ZETTI, DANIELE
Applicants: TGN SPA, T.G.N. S.P.A.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: E05D3
IPC codes: E05D3, E05F1