Abstract:
A glass door hinge is provided which is self-centering and clamps a glass door between two opposed clamps. The hinge includes a mount, a pair of clamps, a hinge block, a spindle, and a biasing member for engaging the spindle to return the clamps and the door to a centered position. Each of the clamps is preferably provided with a lipped gasket which isolates the door from the metal hinge components. One of the clamps has a pair of set screws for holding the spindle in position relative to the clamps, and a pair of locking screws for inhibiting movement of the set screws. The set screws and locking screws are concealed from view by being received entirely within the clamp.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is broadly concerned with hinges for glass doors. More particularly, it is concerned with a hinge having improved stability and isolation of the glass from the hinge element. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Hinges of various types for permitting doors to swing about an axis are well known. One particular application for such hinges is on glass doors of the types used for bath and shower stalls and the like. Such applications place particular demands on the hinge due to the weight of the door and the generally brittle character of glass. Moreover, the use of glass necessitates the provision of an attractive hinge, and must be moisture resistant in light of the often moist and humid environment in which it may often be required to operate. 
     On particular hinge device which has been developed for use on a glass door or panel is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,869. This type of hinge uses pressure on a main pivot roller by a sub pin roller in order to return the swinging door to a desired orientation. However, the hinge shown in this design is subject to fatigue from repeated cycling of use, whereby the hinge may loosen. Moreover, while gaskets are designed to be positioned between the glass and the metal in order to avoid damage to the glass, the glass may nevertheless contact the metal hinge components after repeated use or during installation. 
     Thus, a need for an improved glass door hinge which overcomes these and other problems has developed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses these problems by improving the ability of the hinge to maintain correct alignment over a large number of cycles of use, and by facilitating the task of the installer in regard to isolating the glass door from the metal components of the hinge. The glass door hinge hereof particularly addresses these needs while providing an attractive appearance by the use of locking screws to hold set screws which engage complementally shaped countersunk indentations in the spindle to resist slippage of the spindle relative to the hinge block in which it is received, by providing a lipped gasket to maintain isolation of the glass from the metal clamp for the door or panel, by providing a groove in the spindle for receiving and retaining lubricant over a large number of cycles. 
     Broadly speaking, the glass door hinge hereof includes a pair of opposed clamps which receive therebetween a glass door. A pair of specially configured lipped gaskets of flexible elastomeric material are placed between the glass door and the clamps to isolate the glass door from the clamps. The clamps also receive therebetween a spindle which is maintained stationary relative to the clamps by a first pair of set screws which are in turn locked into place by a pair of backing screws. The clamps and the spindle thus pivot with the door relative to a hinge block. The hinge block is coupled by fasteners to a hinge mount to maintain a fixed relationship thereto, whereby the spindle pivots relative to the block and defines the door pivot axis. The hinge block includes at least one centering member biased by a spring against a face of the spindle. The spring is held between the mount and the centering member in order to exert a force against the spindle face which serves to urge the door to a desired initial orientation relative to the mount. The mount may be a wall mount or, alternative, a second set of glass clamps and lipped gaskets to couple the glass door hinge to a panel, such as a glass panel. 
     The glass door hinge hereof greatly facilitates installation of the door to a wall or adjacent panel. The lipped gaskets may be positioned on the clamps to prevent contact between the metal clamps including around the boss during assembly and adjustment of the positioning of the door during installation. Once installed, the locking screws and the set screws are completely concealed from view, the set screws engaging the spindle at countersunk indentations, but together inhibit movement of the spindle relative to the clamps notwithstanding repeated cycles of usage. 
    
    
     These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and description which follow. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a right front perspective view of a glass door hinge in accordance with the present invention showing a door in broken lines with the opposed clamps receiving the door therebetween and the mount coupled by threaded fasteners to a supporting wall; 
     FIG. 2 is a right front perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing one of the opposed clamps removed to show one of the two lipped gaskets in position to isolate the door from the metal hinge clamps, hinge block and fasteners holding the clamps together; 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the door clamp opposite the clamp shown in FIG. 2, showing the configuration of the clamp and the lipped gasket lying normally adjacent thereto; 
     FIG. 4 is a vertical view of glass door hinge hereof shown in a horizontal orientation in partial cross section through the part of the spindle, hinge block, one of the door clamps, mount and one of the centering members, the hinge being in the centered position; 
     FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the hinge hereof, showing the positioning of the lipped gaskets isolating the door from the door clamps and the door in a centered position; 
     FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing the door and hinge pivoted about the spindle from the centered position; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the spindle; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the hinge hereof wherein the mount is provided for clamping to a panel; and 
     FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the embodiment of the glass door hinge shown in FIG. 8, showing the mount with additional lipped gaskets in clamping relationship to an upright vertical panel. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, the descriptions of which refer to a door mounted for pivoting about a generally vertical axis, a glass door hinge  10  in accordance with the present invention is adapted for pivotally mounting a door  12 , and in particular a glass door, to a supporting structure such as wall  14 . The hinge  10  as shown in FIG. 1 broadly includes a pair of opposed first and second clamps  16  and  18 , a respective pair of lipped gaskets  20  and  22  for receipt between the clamps and the door  12 , a hinge block  24 , and a mount  26 . As shown in FIG. 4, the hinge  10  further includes a spindle  28 , a pair of centering members  30  and  32  biased by respective springs  34  and  36 , clamp screws  38  and  40  (shown in FIG.  1 ), set screws  42  and  44 , locking screws  46  and  48 , and mount screws  50  and  52  for coupling the mount to the hinge block  24 . 
     In greater detail, first clamp  16  is seen in FIG.  2  and includes a substantially U-shaped plate  54  with a recess for receiving therein lipped gasket  20 . The plate  54  further includes a raised and inwardly projecting boss  56  positioned in spaced relationship to the upper margin  58 , lower margin  60  and remote margin  62  of the plate  54 . The boss  56  has an upper notch  64  and a lower notch  66  in vertical registry therewith to receive respective ears  68  and  70  of spindle  28  therein. The boss  56  is substantially U shaped, being open proximately and thus toward a proximate margin  80  of the plate  54 . The boss  56  has an upwardly facing edge  71  oriented toward the upper margin  58 , a lower facing edge  73  oriented toward the lower margin  60 , and a remotely facing edge  75  oriented toward the remote margin  62 . The boss  56  also includes lobes providing a pair of internally threaded clamp screw receivers  72  and  74  at the corners of the U shaped portion so as to be positioned relatively remotely (away from the mount  26 ) from the notches  64  and  66  which receive therein clamp screws  38  and  40 , respectively. The boss  56  further includes two parallel, spaced-apart, internally threaded holes  114  and  116  extending from the proximate margin  80  of the plate toward the notches  64  and  66 , respectively for receiving therein the set screws and locking screws. Clamp  18  includes a plate  82  which has an outer margin  84  which is a mirror image of the margin of the clamp  16 , and includes a recess  86  for receiving lipped gasket  22  and a boss  88  which is opposed to, mates against and substantially mirrors the boss  56 , but unlike boss  56 , is not raised relative to the outer margin  84  to thereby project toward the opposite clamp to have any greater relief than the margin  84  as may be seen from FIG.  3 . Two clamp screw passages  90  and  92  are provided for permitting clamp screws  38  and  40  to pass through the clamp  18  and thread into the receivers  72  and  74  which are aligned therewith. The clamps are typically machined of metal such as brass, and may receive thereon a plating of other metal or alloy such as chromium or stainless steel, if desired. 
     The lipped gaskets  20  and  22  are best seen in FIGS. 3,  4 ,  5  and  6 , each being unitary and of a flexible, elastomeric material such as polyurethane or synthetic rubber to absorb any shock or force concentrations which would otherwise be transmitted to the glass door  12  by the clamps  16  and  18 , or the spindle  28 . The lipped gaskets  20  and  22  are substantially mirror images of one another, each including a flat section  94  configured complementary with the clamps  16  and  18  so as to be received in the recess  80  of the clamps and abut the boss  56  or boss  88 , and a lip  96 , extending around the lobes of the receivers  72  and  74 . The lip  96  is configured with upper and lower walls  98  and  100  which are spaced apart and located in substantially parallel planes to one another, a substantially flat outer wall  102  oriented substantially perpendicular to the walls  98  and  100 , and arcuate corner sections  102  and  104  configured to wrap around the receivers  72  and  74 . The lips  96  of each of the gaskets  20  and  22  are sized to extend about half way between the plates  54  and  82  and therefore meet around the outer edge  106  of the boss  56 . 
     The hinge block  24  is machined of a single piece of metal, such as brass, and like the plates, may receive a plating of other metal or alloy. The hinge block  24  as illustrated is substantially rectangular having a vertical bore  108  for receiving the spindle  28  therein. Further, it includes two parallel, spaced-apart horizontal bores  110  and  112  oriented perpendicular to the vertical bore  102  for receiving the centering members  30  and  32  and their respective springs  34  and  36 . Internally threaded chambers  114  and  116  are positioned above and below the horizontal bores  110  and  112  to receive the mount screws  50  and  52 . 
     The spindle  28  is elongated and preferably made of a relatively wear-resistant metal such as steel and has ears  68  and  70  at each respective end, circular shoulders  118  and  120  inwardly of the ears, and a pair of substantially flat centering surfaces  122  and  124 . One of the centering surfaces, such as surface  122 , is preferably parallel to the plane of the faces of the ears  68  and  70  so that the door  12  will be centered substantially perpendicular to the mount  26 . The surfaces  122  and  124  are preferably not parallel to one another, but rather lie along intersecting planes at an angle to one another to permit the spindle to be reversed and thereby provide two different angular orientations for the centered position of the door  12  relative to the mount. The angle may be any desired angle up to about 90°, but in practice an angle of 5° to about 45° is most useful. Rounded bearing surfaces  126  and  128  separate the centering surfaces  122  and  124  and engage both the hinge block  24  and the centering members  30  and  32  when the door  12  is pivoted. Arcuate lubricant grooves  130  and  132  are positioned relatively below and above the shoulders  118  and  120  and in the bearing surfaces  126  and  128  adjacent the centering surfaces for receiving therein a quantity of lubricant, such as lithium grease or the like. The lubricant grooves act as a reservoir to retain the lubricant adjacent the shoulders  118  and  120  and the bearing surfaces, each of which which bear against the hinge block  24 . Plastic washers  134  and  136  are preferably placed as shown in FIG. 4 to inhibit the entry of dirt and moisture into the bore  108 . 
     The centering members  30  and  32  are preferably small metal buttons preferably of stainless steel which have a head  138  with rounded edges and sized to be received in the horizontal bores  110  and  112 , and a shank  140  to receive the springs  34  and  36  therearound. The springs  34  and  36  are preferably steel die springs having flattened surfaces which meet when compressed to permit greater spring strength in a limited space. 
     The set screws  42  and  44  each have conical tips  142  to facilitate location and retention in complemental conical indentations  144  and  146  in the face of the ears  68  and  70 . Furthermore, the set screws  42  and  44  include hexagonal shaped recesses in their back ends  148  opposite the tips  142  to receive an allen wrench therein. Further, the hexagonal recesses facilitate entry of conical points  150  of the locking screws  46  and  48 , which also include hexagonal shaped recesses in their back ends  152  for receiving an allen wrench. The set screws are initially tightened by the allen wrench against the ears of the spindle  28 , and then the locking screws are tightened against the set screws also by an allen wrench, such that both the set screws and the locking screws are completely hidden as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The mount  24  as shown in FIGS. 1 through 7 is a simple wall mount plate  154  having two center countersunk holes  156  and  158  for receiving therethrough mount screws  50  and  52 , and four outer countersunk holes  160  for receiving wall mounting screws for attachment to a stud or other sturdy structural member. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, mount  24  may be provided for coupling to an adjacent flat panel  162 , such as one made of glass, by clamps  164  and  166 . The clamp  164  is configured similarly to clamp  16 , but instead of boss  56  has a solid central block portion  168  without notches, and the countersunk holes are of substantially greater length to accommodate the central block portion and the mount screws are of greater length to pass therethrough and thread into the hinge block  24 . The clamp  166  is the same configuration as clamp  18 . Lipped gaskets  20  and  22  are placed between the clamps  164  and  166  and the glass, and clamp screws  38  and  40  hold the panel  162  between the clamps  164  and  166 . 
     The glass door  12 , as well as panel  162  if employed, are provided with at least a pair of cutouts  170  complementally configured to receive the hinge  10  hereof so that the lipped gaskets  20  and  22  are positioned between the clamps  16  and  18  or  164  and  166 . The configuration of the cutout  170  is generally shown by the broken line in FIG.  2 . 
     When the hinge  10  hereof is assembled, lubrication is placed in the lubricant grooves  130  and  132  and the spindle  28  is placed in the vertical bore  108  of the hinge block  24 , after which the plastic washers  134  and  136  are fitted over the ears and help to hold the spindle in place. The centering members  30  and  32  and their associated springs  34  and  36  are placed in the horizontal bores  110  and  112 , and the springs are compressed when the plate  154  is attached to the hinge block  24  by threading the mount screws  50  and  52  into the chambers  114  and  116 . The spindle is then oriented in the desired position and the clamp  16  attached to the spindle so that the flat surfaces of the ears  68  and  78  are held by the notches  64  and  66 . The notches  64  and  66  are sized to prevent turning of the spindle relative to the clamps  16  and  18  when coupled together. The set screws are then turned inside their holes  76  and  78  and tightened against the ears  68  and  70  of the spindle to prevent misalignment of the spindle  28  relative to the hinge block  24 . Further, the locking screws  46  and  48  are tightened against the set screws  42  and  44  to prevent the set screws from loosening during repeated cycles of use, the locking screws being positioned entirely within their holes  76  and  78 . The great weight and corresponding moment caused by the cantilevered mounting of the glass door  12  on the hinge would otherwise loosen the set screws and cause the spindle to loosen because of the self-closing design. As noted above, the spindle  28  may be oriented to position either centering surface  122  or  124  toward the centering members  30  and  32  so that the door  12  may have an initial, centered position either perpendicular to the plane within which wall plate  154  lies, or at another, different angle with respect thereto determined by the angular relationship of the surface  124  relative to the ears  68  and  70 . 
     The hinge  10  is normally provided preassembled to the installer. Holes are drilled in the stud or other structural member of the wall if the wall mount plate  154  is employed, using the holes  160  to mark their location. The lipped gaskets  20  and  22  are preferably provided glued in place on their respective clamps  16  and  18 . The clamp screws  38  and  40  are temporarily removed to temporarily separate clamp  18  from the clamp  16 . Thereafter, the lipped gasket  20  may be inserted into the cutout  170  of the glass door. The use of the lipped gasket  20  greatly facilitates the task of the installer by providing positive separation between the metal hinge clamps and the glass and aiding alignment. Once properly aligned, the other clamp  18  with its corresponding lipped gasket may be placed on the opposite side of the glass door and attached by passing the clamp screws  38  and  40  through the passages  90  and  92  and threading them into the receivers  72  and  74 . The plate  154  may then be mounted to the wall by wall mount screws as shown in FIG.  1 . Alternatively, the plate  154  of each hinge  10  may be mounted to the wall  14  prior to attachment of the glass door  12 , and then the glass door  12  placed around the lipped gasket  20  and the second clamp  18  and lipped gasket  22  attached as described above. When mounting the hinge  10  to a panel  162  by clamps  164  and  166 , the hinge block  24  is attached to the clamp  164  as described with reference to the plate  154  above, and then either the door  12  or panel  162  attached to the hinge as described with reference to the glass panel  12  as set forth above, followed by attachment to the other of the glass door or panel  162 , being careful to ensure the placement of the lipped gaskets between the glass and the clamps. 
     Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
     The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.