Abstract:
The invention disclosed provides a hinge capable of a vertical and overlay adjustment, comprised of a recessed hinge cup and a hinge arm connected to an attachment plate and an abutment plate which are further connected by a deformable hinge section. An overlay adjustment is provided by bending the deformable hinge section through use of an overlay adjustment screw fitted between the attachment plate and the abutment plate. The novel hinge provided is also adjustable vertically via an adjustment screw accessed by a portal in the attachment plate. The design is less complicated and therefore is lighter and less expensive than previous overlay adjustable hinges and allows delicate and semi-permanent adjustments to be made by a single installer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/705,488, filed Feb. 12, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/471,195, filed Jun. 20, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,300. Each patent application identified above is incorporated here by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to adjustable hinges. In particular, the invention relates to adjustable hinges having a hinge arm capable of a vertical adjustment and an overlay adjustment. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Cabinet doors for cabinets generally must be individually adjusted to compensate for manufacturing tolerances. Adjustment is generally required in more than one dimension. If the door has two or more hinges, as is usually the case, adjustment must be carried out on each hinge with respect to the other hinges. A “vertical adjustment” is required when the door does not seat properly with respect to the top and bottom of the cabinet frame. An “overlay adjustment” is a horizontal adjustment required when the door does not properly align with the sides of the cabinet frame. 
         [0004]    Prior art hinges suffer from various disadvantages including difficulty in installation, difficulty of adjustment, instability of the adjustments made, complicated construction and high manufacturing costs. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,591 to Domenig et al. discloses a low profile, partial door overlay hinge having a hinge cup, an intermediate base hinge and top hinge arm segments. In order to accomplish an overlay adjustment, this device requires a complicated assembly necessitating several assembly connection points. Further, cam screws and eccentric screws are required to effectuate the adjustments. All of the above increases the manufacturing complexity and cost of the device. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,567 to Domenig et al. discloses an overlay hinge having a hinge cup, a base hinge arm segment and an L-shaped hinge arm segment. This device requires multiple plate hinge arm segments to achieve the overlay adjustment capability. The device of the &#39;567 patent also requires multiple intricate and expensive pieces requiring complex assembly steps and hardware to function as an adjustable hinge. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,493 to Youngdale discloses a “pocket” hinge assembly including a cup mounted within a pocket formed in a cabinet door and an arcuate shaped, flexible base attached to the cabinet frame that allows two perpendicular adjustments. The horizontal adjustments are made by tightening or loosening a mounting screw which flattens or releases the arcuate shaped base. The Youngdale device requires the overlay adjustment to be actuated by a wood screw also used for mounting the hinge arm to the cabinet frame. Repeated adjustment of the wood screw results in an unstable mounting. The dual functionality of the wood screw also requires that the wood screw be larger than would otherwise be required, thereby limiting its use to cabinets having sufficient dimensions to support the larger screw sizes. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. Re 34,995 to Domenig discloses an adjustable recessed door hinge having a hinge cup in a bore in a door member and a hinge arm securable to a cabinet member. The hinge cup has two slotted holes for receiving attaching screws that guide displacement of the hinge cup for a side-to-side adjustment. The invention of the &#39;995 patent requires the adjustment of at least two mounting screws per hinge used to mount the hinge cup in order to effectuate an overlay adjustment. After repeated adjustment as is required to secure and adjust a door, the fit of newly inserted screws becomes unstable which ultimately results in an insecure mounting of the door on the cabinet. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention addresses the need for a simply designed and adjustable hinge, particularly one including an overlay adjustment and a vertical adjustment with a minimum number of components that can be easily and economically manufactured and installed. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an adjustable hinge that includes a hinge cup adapted to be mounted in a cabinet door, a hinge arm biased by a hinge spring in one of an opened or closed positions, a pair of connected plates adjustable in two dimensions affixed to a cabinet frame, a single adjustment screw operable to make an overlay adjustment and a second screw or set of screws operable to make a vertical adjustment. The hinge arm includes a pivotable connection to the hinge cup leading to an attachment plate and an abutment plate. The abutment plate is positioned parallel with and nearly adjacent to the attachment plate by a semi-cylindrical deformable hinge section. The abutment plate includes an elongated hole. The elongated hole provides for attachment of the hinge to the cabinet frame and for vertical adjustment of the hinge. The attachment plate includes an access aperture that allows access to the mounting screw that secures the abutment plate to the cabinet frame and allows for vertical adjustment of the door. The attachment plate includes the adjustment screw that performs an overlay adjustment by biasing the attachment plate with respect to the abutment plate by bending the deformable hinge section. 
         [0011]    Those skilled in the art will further appreciate the above-mentioned features and advantages of the invention together with other important aspects upon reading the detailed description that follows in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    In the detailed description of the preferred embodiments presented below, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a hinge cup of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an elevation view of a hinge cup of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is an elevation view of a hinge arm, attachment plate and abutment plate of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of a hinge arm, attachment plate and abutment plate of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a topside plan view from above a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is an underside plan view from below a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is an elevation view of an overlay adjustment screw and seat of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is an elevation view of an overlay adjustment screw and seat of an additional preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is an elevation view of an overlay adjustment screw and seat of an additional preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is an elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in use. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is an elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing an overlay adjustment in use. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]    In the descriptions that follow, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same numerals, respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and certain figures may be shown in exaggerated or generalized form in the interest of clarity and conciseness. 
         [0026]    Hinge cup  106  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Hinge cup  106  has a semicircular shaped brim  162  opposite ledge  168  encompassing a generally rectangular shaped indention or cup. Ledge  168  connects flange  109  and flange  119 . Flange  109  defines a circular flange hole  108  and flange  119  defines a circular flange hole  118 . The indention or cup of hinge cup  106  includes two different horizontal surfaces, cup floor  102  and cup shelf  104 . Cup floor  102  forms the base of the cup shape and includes a generally rectangular shaped aperture floor hole  158 . Cup shelf  104  is generally a “horseshoe shaped” horizontal surface located approximately halfway between cup floor  102  and ledge  168 . Between cup floor  102  and cup shelf  104  is semicircular wall  103 . Between ledge  168  and cup shelf  104  is semicircular wall  155 . Between brim  162  and cup floor  102  is cup wall  159 . At the tips of the horseshoe shape of cup shelf  104  are spring holes  141  and  142 . Spring holes  141  and  142  are generally rectangular shaped apertures in semicircular wall  155 . Hinge cup indentions  143  and  144  define the horseshoe shape of cup shelf  104 . Additionally, spring hub hole  164  and spring hub hole  165  are located in semicircular wall  103 . Arm hub hole  166  and arm hub hole  167  are located in cup wall  159 . Spring hub hole  164  is the same diameter as and is concentrically aligned with spring hub hole  165  and is located on the opposite side of hinge cup  106 . Further, arm hub hole  166  is the same diameter as and is concentrically aligned with arm hub hole  167 . Tab  148  is a small flange located on semicircular wall  103  underneath cup shelf  104 . 
         [0027]    Hinge arm  120  is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Hinge arm  120  is comprised of arm hook  150 , arm section  121 , adjustment plate  122 , hinge section  130 , and abutment plate  124 . Arm hook  150  is located at one end of hinge arm  120  and defines a hollow tubular channel shown as pivot hole  154 . Cam surfaces  173  and  174  are tabs extending from arm hook  150 . Arm hook  150  extends into arm section  121 . Arm section  121  leads to adjustment plate  122 . Adjustment plate  122  and abutment plate  124  are connected to each other by hinge section  130 . Hinge section  130  is a semi-cylindrical deformable plate with an approximate interior radius of 0.75 millimeters. Hinge section  130  is connected along first longitudinal axis  135  to adjustment plate  122 . Hinge section  130  is also connected along second longitudinal axis  133  to abutment plate  124 . In one preferred embodiment, the hinge section is integrally formed with the adjustment plate and the abutment plate. Adjustment plate  122  is generally parallel to and nearly adjacent to abutment plate  124  separated at one end by the interior diameter of hinge section  130 . Adjustment plate  122  includes a generally rectangular shaped access hole  125  located generally in the center of adjustment plate  122 . In the preferred embodiment, the major axis of the rectangular shaped aperture is approximately 16 mm and the minor axis of the rectangular shaped aperture is approximately 7 mm. Adjustment plate  122  also includes overlay adjustment screw hole  152 . Abutment plate  124  includes elongated positioning slot  126 . Positioning slot  126  is axially aligned with access hole  125  of adjustment plate  122  and with the axis of pivot hole  154 . In the preferred embodiment, positioning slot  126  is approximately 14 millimeters in length. Abutment plate  124  further includes gripper  131  and gripper  132  located on one end of abutment plate  124  and flanking hinge section  130 . Gripper  131  and gripper  132  are small flanges extending from abutment plate  124  at approximately 50 degrees. Also included on abutment plate  124  and located on the opposite end from gripper  131  and gripper  132  are guides  137  and  138 . The distance between guide  137  and gripper  131  is equal to the distance between guide  138  and gripper  132 . In the preferred embodiment, this distance is approximately 20 millimeters. This distance can be increased or decreased in order to adapt to the width of the cabinet frame support member to which the hinge is to be attached. Guides  137  and  138  are small tabs extending generally perpendicularly from abutment plate  124 . Also included on abutment plate  124  is seat  151 . Seat  151  is a generally rectangular shaped protrusion extending from abutment plate  124  towards adjustment plate  122 . Cavity  153  resides directly below seat  151  and forms a generally rectangular indention. Seat  151  defines seat hole  156 . Seat hole  156  is an unthreaded circular aperture with a diameter slightly less than that of overlay adjustment screw hole  152 . In certain embodiments seat hole  156  is not present, but is replaced by a mating surface on the abutment plate surface. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7 , a preferred embodiment of adjustable hinge  100  having a hinge arm having multiple sections capable of an overly adjustment is shown. Adjustable hinge  100  serves for pivotally connecting a piece of furniture to a door. Adjustable hinge  100 , when assembled, generally includes hinge cup  106 , pin  139 , coil spring  140 , and hinge arm  120 . Pin  139  is a solid shaft formed into a generally three sided rectangular shape. Pin  139  is shaped to accommodate the semicircular shape of brim  162 . In the preferred embodiment, the diameter of pin  139  is approximately 3 millimeters. Pin  139  is comprised of four sections, spring hub  134 , arm hub  136  and connector sections  189  and  191 . Arm hub  136  provides an axle for pivotally connecting hinge arm  120  to hinge cup  106 . Spring hub  134  provides an axle for pivotally supporting coil spring  140  with respect to hinge cup  106 . Spring hub  134  and arm hub  136  simultaneously fit through and are seated in spring hub holes  164  and  165  and arm hub holes  166  and  167  respectively. Of course those skilled in the art will recognize that spring hub  134  and arm hub  136  can be replaced by separate keeper pins. Wood screws  110  and  111  are shown in flange holes  108  and  118  and are ultimately seated in anchors  146  and  147  respectively. Adjustment overlay screw  128  is seated in overlay adjustment screw hole  152  of adjustment plate  122  directly above seat  151 . 
         [0029]    Coil spring  140  wraps around the exterior of semicircular hinge wall  103  and rests on tab  148 . Coil spring  140  follows the exterior of hinge cup  106  to where spring hub  134  extends out of hinge cup  106  on both sides. Coil spring  140  is wound around spring hub  134  and then extends into the interior of hinge cup  106  through both spring holes  141  and  142 . Ends  159  and  161  of coil spring  140  rest simultaneously on cam surfaces  173  and  174 . 
         [0030]    Adjustable hinge  100  is constructed such that its overall longitudinal length is minimized In a preferred embodiment, hinge cup  106  and hinge arm  120  each have a longitudinal length of approximately 36 millimeters and an overall length of approximately 65 millimeters when assembled. However, other lengths are acceptable as well within the scope of the invention. It is of course to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the identified connecting components and that other connecting components may be used. For example, it is known in the art to use a 4 bar linkage system comprised of multiple hinge arm elements connected to the hinge plate. The adjustment plate, deformable hinge plate and abutment plate can be adapted to this configuration. 
         [0031]    In the preferred embodiment, hinge cup  106  and hinge arm  120  are typically constructed of metal such as cast aluminum or steel alloy plate stock and formed from casting or stamping but can also be made of injection molded plastic or nylon. In the preferred embodiment, the material used to construct hinge cup  106  is approximately 0.8 millimeters thick and the material used to construct hinge arm  120  is approximately 1.5 millimeters thick. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 8 ,  9 , and  10  show alternate embodiments of overlay adjustment screw  128 . Overlay adjustment screw  128  is threaded through overlay adjustment screw hole  152  of adjustment plate  122  and contacts seat  151  of abutment plate  124 . This embodiment of overlay adjustment screw  128  has bevel  178 . Bevel  178  is a portion of overlay adjustment screw  128  where the screw&#39;s diameter is lessened to a diameter smaller than the diameter of seat hole  156 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 8  shows bevel  178  of overlay adjustment screw  128  contacting seat  151  and seat hole  156  into cavity  153 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 9  shows overlay adjustment screw  128  passing completely through seat hole  156 . In this embodiment, the end of overlay adjustment screw  128  includes cap shaft  175  and cap  176 . Cap shaft  175  has a diameter less than the diameter of seat hole  156 . Cap shaft  175  passes through seat hole  156  and leads to cap  176 . Cap  176  resides in cavity  153  and is large enough to prevent it from passing through seat hole  156 . In the preferred embodiment, cap  176  is formed on the end of cap shaft  175  of overlay adjustment screw  128  by deforming the end of cap shaft  175  after it has passed through seat hole  156  with the aid of a punch or hammer. Deforming the end of overlay adjustment screw  128  prevents it from passing through seat hole  156  yet still allows rotation of overlay adjustment screw  128 . In another similar embodiment, cap  176  is a separate hemispherical button welded or attached to cap shaft  175  with a suitable epoxy adhesive. 
         [0035]      FIG. 10  shows overlay adjustment screw  128  including bolt  180  and washer  182 . Bolt  180  is threaded into threaded hole  179  tapped into the end of overlay adjustment screw  128 . Washer  182  resides around bolt  180  between bolt head  183  and seat  151 . Washer  182  allows overlay adjustment screw  128  and bolt  180  to rotate with respect to seat  151 . Washer  182  and bolt head  183  reside in cavity  153  and are large enough to prevent them from passing through seat hole  156 . 
         [0036]      FIGS. 11 and 12  show adjustable hinge  100  mounted to door member  202  and cabinet member frame  204 . Hinge cup  106  is typically mounted in a semicircular bore in the door member of a conventional door and cabinet application with wood screws  110  and  111 . The screws are inserted through flange holes  108  and  118  of flanges  109  and  119  respectively and are held secure with anchors  146  and  147  embedded into predrilled holes in the door member. The screws are tightened until ledge  168 , brim  162 , and flanges  109  and  119  abut the inside surface of door member  202 . 
         [0037]    The self-closing function of adjustable hinge  100  is accomplished by coil spring  140  biasing the hinge in one of an open or closed position. As hinge arm  120  pivots, ends  159  and  161  of coil spring  140  moves over cam surfaces  173  and  174  forcing adjustable hinge  100  to tend to rest on one side or the other of the cam surfaces in either the fully open position or the fully closed position. 
         [0038]    Hinge arm  120  is pivotally connected at one end in hinge cup  106  via pin  139  and rotates about the concentric axes of arm hub  136  and pivot hole  154 . Abutment plate  124  is attached to cabinet member frame  204  with wood screw  210  through positioning slot  126 . The elongated shape of positioning slot  126  allows for vertical adjustments of the door member with respect to the cabinet frame. Door member  202  may be vertically adjusted to the proper height of an adjacent door member or adjoining cabinet member by loosening wood screw  210  inserted through positioning slot  126  and repositioning door member  202  to the desired height and retightening the wood screw. Access hole  125  in adjustment plate  122  is positioned to permit access to the screw regardless of the screw&#39;s location in positioning slot  126 . For additional connection strength additional wood screws can be used in the positioning slot to attach the abutment plate to the cabinet frame. 
         [0039]    As can be seen in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , abutment plate  124  is mounted adjacent to cabinet member frame  204 . Guides  137  and  138  are placed in contact with one corner of the cabinet frame to ensure that abutment plate  124  is squarely aligned with cabinet member face  206  by slightly protruding around the corner of cabinet member face  206  and the inside door opening of cabinet member frame  204 . Gripper  131  and gripper  132  are placed in contact with the opposite corner of the cabinet frame to further secure abutment plate  124  to the cabinet frame. 
         [0040]    Hinge arm  120  of adjustable hinge  100  includes an overlay adjustment capability. An overlay adjustment moves the cabinet door horizontally with respect to the cabinet frame. An overlay adjustment also serves to align the edges of the door with the edges of other doors or drawers positioned on the cabinet frame. In most applications, more than one adjustable hinge  100  is used to mount a door member. Providing different overlay adjustments on two different hinges provides an angular adjustment to the cabinet door with respect to the cabinet frame. An overlay adjustment also contributes to proper closure of the door thereby prolonging cabinet and hinge useful life or providing adequate clearance for latching hardware. 
         [0041]      FIG. 11  shows adjustable hinge  100  before an overlay adjustment.  FIG. 12  shows adjustable hinge  100  after an overlay adjustment. 
         [0042]    In operation, turning overlay adjustment screw  128  clockwise advances it through overlay adjustment screw hole  152  and causes the screw to abut seat  151 . Bevel  178  of overlay adjustment screw  128  freely rotates in and is guided by seat hole  156 . Further clockwise rotation of overlay adjustment screw  128  results in adjustment plate  122  rotating about the longitudinal axis of hinge section  130  with respect to abutment plate  124  by bending the hinge section. Rotation of the overlay adjustment screw increases the distance between the attachment plate and the cabinet frame at the location of the overlay adjustment screw. Further, those skilled in the art will realize that the invention provides a stable long term adjustment because the hinge section  130  is semi-permanently deformed by advancement of the adjustment screw and will hold an adjustment virtually indefinitely thereby eliminating the need for periodic readjustment. 
         [0043]    A preferred embodiment where overlay adjustment screw  128  includes cap shaft  175  and cap  176  is shown in  FIG. 9 . Referring then to  FIGS. 9 ,  11  and  12 , advancing the overlay adjustment screw in a clockwise direction results in the same horizontal movement of the cabinet door with respect to the cabinet frame as described above. However, retraction of the overlay adjustment screw results when it is rotated in a counterclockwise direction. When rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the overlay adjustment screw withdraws cap  176  so that cap  176  abuts seat  151  and thus moves adjustment plate  122  towards abutment plate  124  resulting in movement of the cabinet door horizontally with respect to the cabinet frame but in the opposite direction. 
         [0044]    Another preferred embodiment which allows overlay adjustments to be made in two directions is shown in  FIG. 10 . Referring then to  FIGS. 10 ,  11  and  12 , threaded bolt  180  resides in threaded bore  179  in the end of overlay adjustment screw  128 . Washer  182  allows overlay adjustment screw  128  to rotate. As the overlay adjustment screw is rotated counterclockwise, washer  182  abuts seat  151  and moves adjustment plate  122  towards abutment plate  124  resulting in movement of the cabinet door horizontally in the opposite direction. 
         [0045]    The vertical adjustments via positioning slot  126  and the overlay adjustments via overlay adjustment screw  128  are easily performed by one person assembling the door member with the cabinet frame member. No special tools are required. Use of an easily obtainable screwdriver or spanner head wrench in all that is required. The adjustments can be minor and precise. 
         [0046]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.