Patent Publication Number: US-9903638-B2

Title: Hinge assembly for a refrigerator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     This application relates generally to a hinge assembly for mounting a door to a refrigerator cabinet, and more specifically, to a hinge assembly that can permit mounting of the door to either side of the cabinet. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Generally, a refrigerator is an electrical appliance that keeps food fresh in a storage compartment for a long time by maintaining an interior temperature thereof to be lower than an exterior temperature. The storage compartment is defined by a main body of the refrigerator. The refrigerator generates cool air as a refrigerant circulates a cooling cycle and supplies the cool air to the storage compartment to maintain the food in the storage compartment at a predetermined low temperature. 
     Often, a refrigerator will have multiple storage compartments. For example, a refrigerator may include both a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. The fresh food compartment is where food items such as fruits, vegetables, and beverages are stored and the freezer compartment is where food items that are to be kept in a frozen condition are stored. In some cases, the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment will be vertically aligned, with one compartment above the other. 
     Typically, a door is pivotally installed on the main body using hinges that are connected to a face of the cabinet and extend forwardly from a side of the cabinet to which the door opens. One hinge is provided above the door to secure a top portion of the door while another hinge is provided below the door to secure a bottom portion of the door. For refrigerators with multiple compartments that are vertically aligned, a top door may be pivotally installed for the top compartment and a bottom door may be installed for the bottom compartment using the hinges described above. Moreover, a middle hinge may be mounted between the top and bottom doors that secures both the top and bottom doors to the cabinet. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect, the subject application involves a hinge assembly for pivotally mounting a door on a refrigerator cabinet. The refrigerator cabinet comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of opposed side walls extending between the bottom and top wall, and a face that is normal to the top wall, bottom wall, and opposed side walls. The hinge assembly comprises a hinge bracket, hinge pin, and a door stop member. The hinge bracket is attachable to the cabinet and comprises a threaded aperture having a first end and a second end. The hinge pin defines an axis about which the door can rotate and is threadably insertable into either end of the threaded aperture. The door stop member is configured to rotate about the axis and prohibit rotation of the door beyond a certain position. 
     According to another aspect, the subject application involves a hinge assembly for mounting a door on a refrigerator cabinet. The hinge assembly comprises a hinge bracket, hinge pin, and a door stop member. The hinge bracket is attachable to the cabinet. The hinge pin defines an axis about which the door can rotate. The hinge pin comprises an upper portion extending from the hinge bracket in a first direction and a lower portion extending from the hinge bracket in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. The lower portion comprises a circumferential surface portion and a key portion. 
     According to yet another aspect, the subject invention involves a hinge assembly for mounting a door on a refrigerator cabinet. The refrigerator cabinet comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of opposed side walls extending between the bottom and top wall, and a face that is normal to the top wall, bottom wall, and opposed side walls. The hinge assembly comprises a hinge bracket, hinge pin, and door stop member. The hinge bracket is attachable to the cabinet. The hinge pin defines an axis about which the door can rotate. The hinge pin extends from the hinge bracket and is configured for insertion into a hole in the door. The door stop member is configured to prohibit rotation of the door beyond a certain position. The door stop member comprises a first aperture and a second aperture. The hinge pin extends through only one of the first and second apertures. 
     The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a refrigerator having a fresh food compartment and freezer compartment; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of a configuration for a hinge assembly comprising a hinge pin; 
         FIG. 3  shows an exploded of another configuration for the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of yet another configuration for the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 5  shows an exploded view of still another configuration for the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of a configuration for the hinge assembly, wherein the hinge assembly comprises an alternate hinge pin; 
         FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of a configuration for the hinge assembly, wherein the hinge assembly comprises a leg member; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a leg portion of the leg member; 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the leg portion shown in  FIG. 8 , taken from line  9 - 9 ; 
         FIG. 10  shows a side view of a hinge pin of the hinge assembly; 
         FIG. 11  shows an exploded view of a configuration for the hinge assembly, wherein a hinge bracket of the hinge assembly includes first and second cam surface portions; 
         FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of the hinge bracket in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  shows a partial side view of the hinge bracket in  FIG. 12 , taken from line  13 - 13 ; and 
         FIG. 14  shows a partial side view of the hinge bracket in  FIG. 12 , taken from line  14 - 14 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Relative language used herein is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which like numerals are used to identify like or similar items. Further, in the drawings, certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a refrigeration appliance in the form of a domestic refrigerator, indicated generally at  20 . The refrigerator  20  comprises a cabinet  22  having a top wall  24 , a bottom wall  26 , and a pair of opposed side walls  28 ,  30  extending normally from and between the bottom wall  26  and top wall  24 . The cabinet  22  further comprises a face  32  that is normal to the top wall  24 , bottom wall  26 , and the pair of opposed side walls  28 ,  30 . The refrigerator  20  includes a freezer compartment  34  vertically disposed below a fresh-food compartment  35 . Additionally, doors  36 ,  37  are provided to provide access to each compartment  34 ,  35 . Each door  36 ,  37  is pivotally installed on the cabinet  22  using hinges  38  that are attached to the cabinet  22  and configured so that each door  36 ,  37  opens towards a side of the cabinet  22 . The doors  36 ,  37  are arranged so that top surfaces  25 ,  27  and bottom surfaces  29 ,  31  of the doors  36 ,  37  are substantially parallel to the top wall  24  and bottom wall  26 . 
     Although  FIG. 1  shows a refrigerator  20  which includes a freezer compartment  34  vertically disposed below a fresh-food compartment  35 , the compartments  34 ,  35  may be arranged according to other configurations. For example, the fresh-food compartment  35  may be vertically disposed below the freezer compartment  34  or the two compartments  34 ,  35  may be side by side. Alternatively, the refrigerator  20  may only have a single compartment. The refrigerator  20  can have any desired configuration including a cabinet and a door without departing from the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of a hinge assembly  40  that may be used to attach the doors  36 ,  37  to the cabinet  22 . The hinge assembly  40  comprises a hinge bracket  42  that is attachable to the face  32  of the cabinet  22  using a mounting block  44 . The mounting block  44  may be attached to the face  32  using screws, bolts, or any other fastening means. The hinge bracket  42  includes a track  45  that mates with the mounting block  44  so that the hinge bracket  42  can slidably engage the mounting block  44 . Once the mounting block  44  is fastened to the cabinet  22 , the hinge bracket  42  can thus slide onto the mounting block  44 , securing the hinge bracket  42  to the cabinet  22  so that the hinge bracket extends normally from the face  32  of the cabinet  22 . Additionally, the hinge bracket  42  may be fastened to the cabinet  22  using a screw or other attachment means to prohibit the hinge bracket  42  from disengaging with the mounting block  44 . Although the hinge bracket  42  shown in the present embodiment is attached to the cabinet  22  using mounting block  44 , other structure may be used besides the mounting block  44  to attach the hinge bracket  42  to the cabinet  22 . Moreover, the hinge bracket  42  can be directly attached to the cabinet  22  in other embodiments without use of the mounting block  44  or alternative structure. Additionally, the hinge bracket  42  may be attached to other supportive portions of the cabinet  22  without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the hinge bracket  42  may be attached to the top wall  24 , bottom wall  26 , or either of the opposed side walls  28 ,  30 . Furthermore, although the hinge bracket  42  is arranged so that side  50  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward and side  51  faces downward, there may be other configurations of the hinge assembly  40  wherein the hinge bracket  42  has a different orientation. For example, in certain configurations, the side  51  may face upward while the side  50  faces downward. 
     In addition to the hinge bracket  42 , the hinge assembly  40  in the present embodiment comprises a hinge pin  46 . The hinge pin  46  may be integral with the hinge bracket  42  or it may be a separate component that is selectively attachable to the hinge bracket  42 . The hinge pin  46  in the present example is separate from the hinge bracket  42  and includes a threaded portion  47  at an end of the hinge pin  46  which allows the hinge pin  46  to be threadably attached to the hinge bracket  42 . More specifically, the hinge bracket  42  has a threaded aperture  48  that is configured to receive the threaded portion  47 . The threaded aperture  48  is threaded from both ends of the aperture so that the hinge pin  46  can be threadably inserted into either end of the threaded aperture  48 . Thus, the hinge pin  46  will extend from the hinge bracket  42  in one direction if threaded into one end of the threaded aperture  48 . Meanwhile, the hinge pin  46  will extend from the hinge bracket  42  in an opposite direction if threaded into the opposite end of the threaded aperture  48 . 
     The hinge pin  46  defines an axis X about which a refrigerator door can rotate. Additionally, the hinge pin  46  is configured for insertion into a hole in the door. Moreover, the hinge assembly  40  may comprise a spin bearing  53  that can be inserted into the hole to provide a bearing surface for the hinge pin  46  to engage. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the hinge pin  46  extends from the side  50  of the hinge bracket  42  and into a hole  49  in the bottom surface  29  of the door  36 . Additionally, the spin bearing  53  is inserted into the hole  49  to provide a bearing surface for the hinge pin  46  to engage. The hole  49  preferably has a non-circular geometry that matches the outer shape of the spin bearing  53  so that the spin bearing  53  is fixed within the hole  49  and does not rotate relative to the door  36 . Meanwhile, the inner surface  55  of the spin bearing  53  and the outer surface of portion  56  of the hinge pin  46  are preferably circular in cross-section so that the door  36  and the spin bearing  53  may freely rotate about the portion  56  of the hinge pin  46  when the hinge assembly  40  is assembled and mounted to the door  36 . 
     The hinge assembly  40  further comprises a door stop member  58  configured to prohibit rotation of the door beyond a certain position. The door stop member  58  comprises a plate  59  having a first aperture  60  and a second aperture  61  and a stop portion  62  that extends from the plate  59  towards the hinge bracket  42  when the hinge assembly  40  is assembled. The first aperture  60  and second aperture  61  are configured so that the hinge pin  46  extends through one of the apertures  60 ,  61  when assembled. Additionally, the hinge bracket  42  comprises a protrusion  64  configured to cooperate with the door stop member  58  to prohibit rotation of the door beyond the certain position. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the side  50  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward and the hinge pin  46  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the first aperture  60 , and into the hole  49  in the door  36 . The door stop member  58  can be fixed to the bottom surface  29  of the door  36  using a set of screws or other fastening means so that the door stop member  58  rotates with the door  36  about the axis X of the hinge pin  46 . Thus, as the door  36  is rotated open towards the side wall  28 , the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will eventually engage with the protrusion  64  on the mounted hinge bracket  42 , prohibiting any further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction. The location of the protrusion  64  on the hinge bracket  42  and the width of the stop portion  62  can be designed so that the door  36  will not open past a desired angle relative to the face  32  of the cabinet  22 . 
     The hinge bracket  42 , hinge pin  46 , and door stop member  58  of the hinge assembly  40  described above are configured to permit mounting of a door to a refrigerator cabinet with the hinge assembly  40  such that the hinge pin  46  may extend vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42  into a hole in a bottom surface of a door or vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  into a hole in a top surface of the door. Additionally, the hinge bracket  42 , hinge pin  46 , and door stop member  58  of are further configured to permit mounting of the door to the refrigerator cabinet with the hinge assembly  40  such that the door can pivot near either side wall of the refrigerator. Depending on which mounting configuration is desired, the vertical orientation and alignment of these elements may be altered so that the door will pivot near the desired side wall and the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage with the protrusion  64  of the hinge bracket  42  as the door opens to prohibit further rotation of the door in the opening direction. Thus, the same hinge assembly may be used to secure both top and bottom portions of the door to the cabinet so that the door can pivot near either side wall of the cabinet. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the hinge assembly  40  may be assembled and mounted below the door  36  so that the hinge pin  46  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the first aperture  60  in the door stop member  58 , and into the hole  49  in the bottom surface  29  of the door  36 . Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted above the door  36  so that the hinge pin  46  extends from the hinge bracket  42  into a hole  66  in the top surface  25  of the door  36 . The orientation and alignment of the hinge bracket  42 , hinge pin  46 , and door stop member  58  are altered from the configuration shown in  FIG. 2  so that the hinge pin  46  now extends vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  and through the second aperture  61  of the door stop member  58  into the hole  66 . As a result, the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage with the protrusion  64  of the hinge bracket  42  as the door  36  opens, prohibiting any further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction. Thus, the hinge assembly  40  may be configured as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  to secure both the top portion  71  and the bottom portion  72  of the door  36  such that the door  36  pivots near the side wall  28 . 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show configurations of the hinge assembly  40  that will permit mounting of the door  36  to the cabinet  22  such that the door  36  may pivot near the side wall  30 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the hinge pin  46  is threadably attached to the threaded aperture  48  so that it extends vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  into a hole  68  in the top surface  25  of the door  36 . The hinge bracket  42  is arranged so that the side  51  faces upward and the side  50  faces downward. Meanwhile, the hinge pin  46  is arranged so that it extends from the hinge bracket  42  and through the first aperture  60  of the door stop member  58  into the hole  68 . As a result, the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage the protrusion  64  of the hinge bracket  42  as the door  36  opens, prohibiting any further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction. Turning to  FIG. 5 , the hinge assembly  40  may be assembled and mounted below the door  36  so that the hinge pin  46  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42  into a hole  70  in the bottom surface  29  of the door  36 . The hinge bracket  42  remains oriented so that the side  51  faces upward and the side  50  faces downward. Meanwhile, the hinge pin  46  is arranged so that it extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42  and through the second aperture  61  of the door stop member  58  into the hole  70 . As a result, the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage the protrusion  64  of the hinge bracket  42  as the door  36  opens, prohibiting any further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction. Thus, when assembled and mounted according to the configurations shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the hinge assembly  40  can secure the top portion  71  and the bottom portion  72  of the door  36  to permit the door  36  to pivot near the side wall  30 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 6 , an embodiment of the hinge assembly  40  is shown wherein an alternative hinge pin  82  is used in place of the hinge pin  46 . The hinge pin  82  may be integral with the hinge bracket  42  or it may be a separate component that is selectively attachable to the hinge bracket  42 . The hinge pin  82  in the present embodiment is separate from the hinge bracket  42  and comprises an upper portion  84 , a lower portion  85 , and a threaded portion  86 . The threaded portion  86  is threadably attachable to the threaded aperture  48  of the hinge bracket  42  such that when attached, the upper portion  84  extends from the hinge bracket  42  in a first direction and the lower portion  85  extends from the hinge bracket  42  in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. Because the threaded aperture  48  is threaded from both ends of the aperture, the threaded portion  86  can be threadably received in either end of the threaded aperture  48 . Thus, regardless of which side  50 ,  51  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward, the hinge pin  82  can be attached to the hinge bracket  42  so that the upper portion  84  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42  and the lower portion  85  extends vertically downward. 
     The hinge pin  82  defines an axis Y about which a refrigerator door can rotate. The upper portion  84  is configured for insertion into a hole in a bottom surface of the door. Additionally, the upper portion  84  is configured to cooperate with the door stop member  58  and the spin bearing  53  in the same manner as described above regarding the hinge pin  46 . Meanwhile, the lower portion  85  is configured for insertion into a second hole in a top surface of a second door. Thus, use of the hinge pin  82  permits the hinge assembly  40  to simultaneously secure both the lower portion of a top door and the upper portion of a bottom door to a refrigerator cabinet. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the side  50  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward and the upper portion  84  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the first aperture  60  of the door stop member  58 , and into the hole  49  in the bottom surface  29  of the door  36 . Moreover, the lower portion  85  extends vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  and into a hole  88  in the top surface  27  of the door  37 . The lower portion  85  comprises a circumferential surface portion  90  that is circular in cross-section to provide a smooth, rounded surface for the door  37  to rotate about. Additionally, the hinge assembly  40  can comprise a second spin bearing  92  that is inserted into the hole  88  to provide a bearing surface for the circumferential surface portion  90  to engage. The hole  88  preferably has a non-circular geometry that matches the outer shape of the spin bearing  92  so that the spin bearing  92  is fixed within the hole  88  and does not rotate relative to the door  37 . Meanwhile, the inner surface of the spin bearing  92  is preferably cylindrical or slightly conical so that the door  37  and the spin bearing  92  may freely rotate about the circumferential surface portion  90  of the hinge pin  82 . 
     When configured as shown in  FIG. 6 , the hinge assembly  40  can secure the bottom portion  72  of the door  36  and a top portion  93  of the door  37  to the cabinet  22  so that the doors  36 ,  37  will pivot near the side wall  28 . Additionally, the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage with the protrusion  64  on the hinge bracket  42  as the door  36  opens, prohibiting any further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction. Moreover, due to the design of the hinge plate  42 , hinge pin  82 , and the door stop member  58 , the hinge assembly  40  may be reconfigured to secure both the doors  36 ,  37  to the cabinet  22  so that they will pivot near the left side wall  30 . To accomplish this alternate configuration, the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the side  51  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward and the upper portion  84  of the hinge pin  82  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the second aperture  61  of the door stop member  58 , and into a hole (such as hole  70 ) in the left side of the bottom surface  29 . The lower portion  85  will extend vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  and can be inserted into a hole in the left side of the top surface  27 . Such an arrangement will permit the hinge assembly to secure both the doors  36 ,  37  to the cabinet  22  so that they will pivot near the side wall  30 . Moreover, the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage with the protrusion  64  on the hinge bracket  42  as the door  36  opens to prohibit further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , the lower portion  85  of the hinge pin  82  is also selectively attachable to a leg member  96  configured to provide support for the hinge assembly  40 . When the hinge assembly  40  is mounted below a door to secure and support a lower portion of the door to a refrigerator cabinet, force from the weight of the door and its contents is applied to the hinge bracket  42 . This can create a significant amount of stress within the hinge bracket  42  if the hinge bracket  42  is cantilevered from the cabinet without any additional support below. The leg member  96  may be provided to extend between the hinge bracket  42  and the floor to provide support below the hinge bracket  42  and alleviate this stress. Additionally, when the door is rotated open (thus applying a tipping moment to the refrigerator cabinet  22 ), the leg member  96  can provide support below the door to reduce the moment and prevent the refrigerator from tipping forward. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the side  50  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward and the upper portion  84  of the hinge pin  82  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the first aperture  60  of the door stop member  58 , and into a hole  94  in a bottom surface  31  of the door  37 . Meanwhile, the lower portion  85  extends vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  and into a leg member  96 . The leg member  96  comprises a leg portion  97  which includes a bore  101  and a mating portion  102  that are configured to receive the lower portion  85  of the hinge pin  82 , as shown in  FIGS. 8 &amp; 9 . The bore  101  is substantially cylindrical to match the circumferential surface portion  90  of the lower portion  85 . Additionally, the mating portion  102  mates with and engages a key portion  103  of the lower portion  85 . Preferably, the key portion  103  and the mating portion  102  are non-circular in cross section so that when the key portion  103  mates with and engages the mating portion  102 , the leg portion  97  is prohibited from rotating relative to the hinge pin  82 . Additionally, the leg portion  97  can comprise one or more protrusions  105  and the lower portion  85  can comprise a recessed portion  106  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) configured to cooperate with the one or more protrusions  105 . When the lower portion  85  is inserted into the leg portion  97 , the one or more protrusions  105  will snap into the recessed portion  106 , thus attaching the lower portion  85  to the leg portion  97  and preventing the lower portion  85  from disengaging the leg portion  97 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 7 , the leg member  96  can comprise a foot portion  106  which is configured to contact the floor. The foot portion  106  may be integral with the leg portion  97  or it may be a separate component. If separate, the foot portion  106  can be attached to the leg portion  97  via threads. By providing threads on the leg portion  97  for attachment of the foot portion  106 , the overall length of the leg member  96  can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the foot portion  106  onto the leg portion  97 . Thus, the length of the leg member  96  may be adjusted to accommodate for various arrangements where the hinge bracket  42  may not be the same distance from the floor. Moreover, when the key portion  103  of the hinge pin  82  and the mating portion  102  of the leg portion  97  are engaged, the leg portion  97  will be fixed relative to the door  37  and will not rotate during adjustment of the foot portion  106 , allowing for easier adjustment of the foot portion  106 . 
     When configured as shown in  FIG. 7 , the hinge assembly  40  can secure a bottom portion  104  of the door  37  so that the door  37  will pivot near the side wall  28 . Additionally, the stop portion  62  of the door stop member  58  will properly engage with the protrusion  64  on the hinge bracket  42  as the door  37  opens to prohibit further rotation of the door  37  in the opening direction. Moreover, due to the design of the hinge plate  42 , hinge pin  82 , and the door stop member  58 , the hinge assembly  40  may be reconfigured to secure a bottom portion the door  37  so that the door  37  will pivot near the side wall  30 . To accomplish this alternate configuration, the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the side  51  of the hinge bracket  42  faces upward and the upper portion  84  of the hinge pin  82  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the second aperture  61  of the door stop member  58 , and into a hole in the left side of the bottom surface  31 . The lower portion  85  will extend vertically downward from the hinge bracket  42  and can be selectively attached to the leg member  96  to provide support for the hinge assembly  40 . Moreover, the door stop member  58  will properly engage with the protrusion  64  on the hinge bracket  42  as the door  37  opens to prohibit further rotation of the door  37  in the opening direction. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , an embodiment of the hinge assembly  40  is shown wherein the hinge bracket  42  comprises additional cam surface portions  110  and  112 . The cam surface portion  110  is provided on the side  50  of the hinge bracket  42  and the cam surface portion  112  is provided on the side  51  of the hinge bracket  42 . Additionally, a special spin bearing  114  is provided which comprises a cam surface portion  115  that is configured to cooperate with either of the cam surface portions  110  and  112  to prevent rotation of a door between a first and second position. The spin bearing  114  includes an inner bore portion configured to receive either one of the hinge pins  46 ,  82  of the hinge assembly  40 . Additionally, the spin bearing  114  may be inserted into a hole in a bottom or top surface of a door to provide a bearing surface for the hinge pin to engage as the door rotates about the hinge pin. Moreover, the spin bearing  114  comprises an attachment portion  116  configured so that the spin bearing  114  may be fixed to the door. For example, the spin bearing  114  may be fixed to the door by a screw or bolt that extends though an aperture  117  in the attachment portion  116  and threads into the door, thus securing the spin bearing  114  to the door. When fixed to the door, the spin bearing  114  will rotate with the door about the hinge pin and the cam surface portion  115  of the spin bearing  114  will cooperate with whichever cam surface portion  110 ,  112  of the hinge bracket  42  that is facing the spin bearing  114 . 
       FIG. 11  shows a configuration of the hinge assembly  40  wherein the spin bearing  114  is inserted into the hole  49  of the door  36  and receives the upper portion  84  of the hinge pin  82 . When the door  36  is in the closed position, engaging portion  119  of the cam surface portion  115  rests within lowered portion  120  of the cam surface portion  110 . As the door  36  is rotated open, the engaging portion  119  will rotate about the hinge pin  82  and engage raised portion  122  of the cam surface portion  110 . Further rotation of the door  36  in the opening direction will cause the spin bearing  114  (and the door  36  which is attached thereto) to rise and then fall as the engaging portion  119  travels over and past the apex of the raised portion  122  and into lowered portion  123  (shown in  FIGS. 12 &amp; 13 ). However, the weight of the door  36  and gravity will prevent the door  36  and the spin bearing  114  from rising unless sufficient force is applied to the door  36  during rotation to overcome the effects of gravity. Thus, in order to further rotate the door  36  in the opening direction, sufficient force must be applied to the door  36  so that the engaging portion  119  will travel over and past the apex of the raised portion  122 . As such, the door  36  is prevented from rotating from the closed position to a fully open position without such required force. However, once the engaging portion  119  travels past the apex of the raised portion  122  and begins to descend into the lowered portion  123 , the weight of the door  36  and the effect of gravity will force the door  36  to continue rotating open until the engaging portion  119  fully passes the raised portion  122  and the door is in a fully open position. 
     Once the door  36  is in the fully open position, engaging portion  119  of the cam surface portion  115  will rest within lowered portion  123 . As the door  36  is rotated back to the closed position, the engaging portion  119  will once again engage the raised portion  122  of the cam surface portion  110 . Further rotation of the door  36  in the closing direction will similarly cause the spin bearing  114  (and the door  36  which is attached thereto) to rise and then fall as the engaging portion  119  travels over and past the apex of the raised portion  122  and into lowered portion  120 . Thus, in order to further rotate the door  36  in the closing direction, sufficient force must be applied to the door  36  to overcome the effects of gravity so that the engaging portion  119  will travel over and past the apex of the raised portion  122 . As such, the door  36  is prevented from rotating from the fully open position to the closed position without such required force. However, once the engaging portion  119  travels past the apex of the raised portion  122  and begins to descend into the lowered portion  120 , the weight of the door  36  and the effect of gravity will force the door  36  to continue rotating in the closing direction until the engaging portion  119  fully passes the raised portion  122  and the door is in the closed position, thus ensuring that the door  36  properly closes against the cabinet  22 . 
     The cam surface portion  115  of the spin bearing  114  and the cam surface portions  110  and  112  of the hinge bracket  42  are designed so that they may similarly operate as described above for multiple configurations and orientations of the hinge assembly  40 .  FIG. 11  shows a configuration of the hinge assembly  40  wherein the doors  36  and  37  pivot near the right side wall  28  and the cam surface portion  115  is configured to cooperate with the cam surface portion  110  to prevent rotation of the door  36  between an open and closed position. However, the hinge assembly  40  may be configured such that the doors  36  and  37  pivot near the left side wall  30 . To accomplish this alternate configuration, the hinge assembly  40  can be assembled and mounted to the cabinet  22  such that the side  51  of the hinge bracket  42  and the cam surface portion  112  face upward and the upper portion  84  of the hinge pin  82  extends vertically upward from the hinge bracket  42 , through the second aperture  61  of the door stop member  58 , and into a hole (such as hole  70 ) in the left side of the bottom surface  29 . The spin bearing  114  can be inserted into the hole so that the cam surface portion  115  faces and engages with the cam surface portion  112 . The profile of the cam surface portion  112  mirrors the profile of the cam surface portion  110 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , portions  120 ′,  122 ′, and  123 ′ of the cam surface portion  112  are configured similar to portions  120 ,  122 , and  123  of the cam surface portion  110 . Thus, the cam surface portion  115  will similarly cooperate with the portions  120 ′,  122 ′, and  123 ′ of the cam surface portion  112  to prevent rotation of the door  36  between an open and closed position when pivoting near the left side wall  30 . Since the cam surface portion  115  of the spin bearing  114  is configured to cooperate with the hinge bracket  42  regardless of which side  50 ,  51  of the hinge bracket  42  faces the spin bearing  114 , the spin bearing  114  may be used in any of the hinge assembly  40  configurations discussed earlier above to prevent rotation of a door between a first and second position, provided the hinge bracket  42  additionally comprises the cooperating cam surface portions  110  and  112 . 
     It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present application and that numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims and equivalents thereof.