Patent Publication Number: US-8522400-B1

Title: Hinge assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to hinges and, more particularly, to a hinge assembly useful in stopping or preventing the movement of a structure carried by the hinge or with which the hinge is operationally affixed. The present invention finds useful application with gates that form a part of the enclosure for swimming pools or other potentially hazardous sites, where building codes often require the use of self closing gates to minimize the hazard to children. 
     It is known in the art that such self closing gates pose an inconvenience in circumstances where continuing ingress and egress from the enclosed area is desired. For example, when a pool or yard is being serviced, the service personnel often have a need to enter and leave the area while carrying equipment and service implements. At such times, it is much more convenient to maintain the gate in an open position, and various devices have been proposed for this purpose. However, these prior devices suffer from a variety of disadvantages, such as cost, complexity, difficulty of installation and undesirable aesthetics. Many such prior art locking devices require modifications to the adjoining structures or walkways and may create some obstruction to the passageway serviced by the gate. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a device which addresses the above mentioned need, to maintain a self closing gate in an open position, while overcoming the disadvantages of the known prior art. The invention is directed to a simple, inexpensive, easily installed and aesthetically pleasing device which allows a self closing gate to be easily held in one or more open positions thereby facilitating passage into and out of the area enclosed by the gate and its associated fencing. When not in use, the device is inconspicuous and occupies no space or location which might prove inconvenient. In addition, no modifications to the surroundings, such as holes in adjacent walkways, are required. 
     The present invention is directed to a hinge assembly movable between open and closed positions and capable of being held or locked in an open position. The hinge assembly comprises a first hinge member including a generally cylindrical first body portion and a second hinge member including a generally cylindrical second body portion. The first and second body portions have a common longitudinal axis so that the first and second hinge members are rotatable to move the hinge assembly between the open and closed positions. The first and second body portions also have aligned internal bores with non circular cross section. A lock bar is movable within the internal bores of the first and second hinge members and has a cross section configured to engage the internal bores and prevent rotation of the hinge members. The lock bar is movable longitudinally within the internal bores of the first and second body members between a first position and a second position, so that when the lock bar is in the first position the first and second hinge members cannot rotate relative to one another and when the lock bar is in the second position the first and second hinge members can rotate relative to one another. A magnetic latch member is mounted to one of the first or second hinge members to hold the lock bar in one of the first or second positions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features which are characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention&#39;s preferred embodiments, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention as used in a typical installation on a gate for a swimming pool enclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the invention showing the details of construction for various components of the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the locking pin used in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial cross sectional view illustrating the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  with the locking pin positioned to permit free rotation of the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 4A  is a cross sectional view taken along line  4 A- 4 A of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial cross sectional view similar to that of  FIG. 4  but showing the locking pin positioned to prevent rotation of the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 5A  is a cross sectional view taken along line  5 A- 5 A of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view in partial cross section illustrating certain internal design features of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are exploded views in partial cross section again illustrating various internal design features of certain components used in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1A and 2A , a hinge assembly  10 , made in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, is shown in a typical installation on a gate  12  forming part of an enclosure for a swimming pool. The gate  12  is mounted to a gate post  14  by hinge assembly  10  and self closing hinges  16 . The self closing hinges include a spring biasing mechanism so that when the gate is opened it will automatically return to the closed position. The hinge assembly  10  includes components that allow the gate  12  and hinges  16  to swing freely to and from a closed position, shown in  FIG. 1A , and an open position, shown in  FIG. 1B . In addition, hinge assembly  10  includes components that, when actuated as discussed further below, will hold the gate  12  in the open position against the biasing forces of hinges  16 . Of course, the invention may be used in other environments and with any structure where a need exists for maintaining the structure in a fixed rotational orientation. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 2-7B , the components used in the design of the preferred embodiments and their function will be explained. The hinge assembly  10  includes a first hinge member  20 , having a generally cylindrical first body portion  22 , and a second hinge member  24 , having a generally cylindrical second body portion  26 . In the illustrated embodiment, the second body portion  26  has spaced lower and upper segments positioned adjacent the bottom and top of the first body portion  22 . The first and second body portions,  22  and  26 , have a common longitudinal axis so that the first and second hinge members,  20  and  24 , can rotate relative to one another to move the hinge assembly between open and closed positions. The body portions  22  and  26  also have internal bores  30  and  32  with non circular cross sections. In the illustrated embodiments, the body portion  22  comprises an outer cylindrical wall  33 , a sleeve  34  and an insert  36 . The insert  36  is configured with a hexagonal internal bore  30 . The insert  36  is press fit into sleeve  34 , and a retaining pin  38  is positioned within holes  40  and  42 . As a result, the wall  33 , sleeve  34  and insert  36  all rotate together. Likewise, the lower segment of body portion  26  comprises a cylindrical wall  35 , a sleeve  44  and an insert  46 . The insert  46  is press fit within sleeve  44  and configured with a hexagonal internal bore  32 . A set screw  50  is located just below the insert  46  and fixes the position of sleeve  44  within wall  35 . As a result, the wall  35 , sleeve  44  and insert  46  all rotate together. In addition, the inside end of the set screw  50  extends into the internal bore  32  of insert  46 . Those of skill in the art will appreciate that body portions  22  and  24 , with non circular internal bores, may be fabricated in other ways, by molding or casting for example, and without need of separate sleeves and inserts. 
     A magnet  54  is housed within body portion  22  and held in place between pin  38  and insert  36 . The function of magnet  54  will be described below. 
     A lock bar or rod  60  is employed with the hinge assembly  10  and may be positioned to prevent movement of, or lock, the first and second hinge members  20  and  24 . The lock bar  60  is configured so that when inserted into the internal bores  30  and  32 , it cannot rotate within the hinge members. In the illustrated embodiment, the lock bar  60  has a hexagonal cross section matching the cross sections of bores  30  and  32 . In addition, lock bar  60  has a longitudinal guide groove  62  and one end  64  composed of a ferrous material. Lock bar  60  is positioned within insert  46  so that its guide groove  62  is aligned with set screw  50 . The inside end of set screw  50  extends into guide groove  62  and acts as a guide pin to limit the longitudinal movement of the lock bar. 
       FIGS. 4 ,  4 A,  5  and  5 A show the operation of the preferred embodiment. When oriented vertically, gravity will act to displace the lock bar  60  to its lower position. With the set screw  50  engaging the uppermost end of guide groove  62 , the lock bar  60  is held at this lower position. In this lower position, the lock bar  60  is completely disengaged from the internal bore  30  of the first body portion  22 . When so arranged, the first hinge member  20  and second hinge member  24  are free to rotate, and the gate  12  (or other structure with which the hinge assembly  10  is associated) may swing freely. When the lock bar  60  is pushed up into the internal bore  30  of the first body portion  22  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), the two hinge members are locked or prevented from rotating relative to one another and the gate  12  is held in an open position. The magnet  54  attracts the ferrous end  64  of the lock bar to hold the lock bar in this upper position, maintaining the hinge assembly in the locked position. However, the lock bar may be easily pulled down to overcome this magnetic attraction, and the hinge assembly will once again be free to rotate, thereby allowing the gate to close. Alternatively, the magnet may be affixed to the end  64  of lock bar  60  and the disc  54  may be a ferrous alloy material to thereby provide the magnetic latching function. 
     While the hinge assembly  10  may be fabricated from a variety of materials, it is desirable that its components be made from plastics or metal alloys, such as stainless steel, which limit or eliminate oxidation. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the magnetic latch member holds the lock bar in the hinge locking position, but the lock bar might also be held in the hinge free rotation position, with the lock bar being pushed down to engage the locking position. Likewise, other means will be apparent to those skilled in the art to retain the lock bar within the hinge assembly. One alternative would include a radially extending element, such as a collar or other protuberance, on the lock bar which would engage a stop affixed to one of the hinge members to thereby limit the lock bar&#39;s longitudinal movement. Also, the disclosed embodiments show the hinge assembly  10  in use with two self closing hinges  16 , and it is also apparent that the hinge  10  might be used with only one self closing hinge  16  or some other mechanism designed to bias the gate  12  toward the closed position. All such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the appended claims.