Patent Publication Number: US-2022235594-A1

Title: Hinge

Description:
FIELD 
     The invention relates to a hinge, in particular but not exclusively, a frameless glass fencing hinge for a self-closing gate or door such as a frameless glass fencing swimming pool gate. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Swimming pool barriers are designed such that young children are unable to climb over them and most countries have strict laws governing what constitutes an acceptable pool barrier. In Australia, for example, all swimming pool barrier fencing must comply with the Australian Standard for Swimming Pool Fencing (AS1926). Some of the stipulations in that standard require that pool fencing be at least 1,200 mm high and that gates be built in such a way that they swing away from the pool and have a child safety lock. It is also a requirement that swimming pool gates be self-closing and self-latching. 
     It has become fashionable to provide swimming pool barriers in the form of frameless glass fences. Not only is glass durable to the moist environment of a swimming pool, it also provides an aesthetic appealing appearance which is in vogue in contemporary architectural design. A typical frameless glass fence for a pool includes a plurality of individual tempered glass panels which are supported by spaced apart mini-posts, referred to as spigots. Typically, two spigots are evenly spaced across the bottom edge of the glass panel and will clamp onto the panel and support it. To ensure personal safety, the gate of a frameless glass swimming pool fence is required to include a self-closing hinge and a self-closing latch. 
     It is desirable that self-closing hinges include a soft-close assembly to ensure the long-term reliability of such hinges. This is particularly desirable in frameless glass fencing installations as such hinges will lower impact forces when the gate is closed to avoid damage to glass panels. Existing hinges with an inbuilt soft-close assembly, however, suffer from various drawbacks which often result in premature failure. For example, self-close hinge assemblies which employ a spring mechanism often fail due to corrosion or fatigue. Hydraulically actuated self-close hinges, in turn, are prone to failure resulting from hydraulic fluid leakage. Other self-close assemblies are prone to failure as a result of continued exposure to environmental factors such as sunshine and rain. 
     OBJECT 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative frameless glass fencing hinge for use in frameless glass fencing installations which addresses or at least ameliorates the above drawbacks associated with existing self-close hinges or which provides a useful alternative. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed herein a frameless glass fencing hinge for a frameless glass fencing installation, the frameless glass fencing hinge including: 
     a first leaf assembly for operative attachment to a first glass panel or building structure; 
     a second leaf assembly for operative attachment to a second glass panel, the second leaf assembly operatively adapted to undergo pivotal movement about a hinge axis so as to move the second glass panel between a closed position an open position, and 
     wherein the first leaf assembly and the second leaf assembly define a cam formation operatively adapted to cause the second leaf assembly to undergo axial movement along the hinge axis between a rest position and a biased position when the second leaf assembly undergoes pivotal movement about the hinge axis. 
     Preferably (i) the first leaf assembly includes a first knuckle body having a first cam surface, and (ii) the second leaf assembly includes a second knuckle body having a second cam surface operatively adapted for contact with the first cam surface, the first and second cam surfaces being configured such that movement of the second cam surface along the first cam surface causes the second leaf assembly to move axially along the hinge axis. 
     Preferably the first and second cam surfaces are operatively adapted such that movement of the second cam surface along the first cam surface causes the second leaf assembly to be displaced vertically when the second leaf assembly undergoes axial movement along the hinge axis. 
     Preferably the first and second cam surfaces are adapted to permit the second leaf assembly to move from the biased position to the rest position under the influence of gravity. 
     Preferably the frameless glass fencing hinge includes a damping assembly operatively adapted to arrest movement of the second leaf assembly between the biased position and the rest position. 
     In a preferred embodiment the damping assembly includes (i) a piston secured to the first knuckle body, and (ii) a damping chamber defined by an internal surface of the second knuckle body and a face of the piston, wherein movement of the second leaf assembly relative to the first leave assembly causes the volume in the damping chamber to be increased and decreased respectively. 
     Preferably the piston includes a seal to deter the escape of air from the damping chamber when the volume of the damping chamber is decreased. 
     Preferably the second knuckle body includes an air-bleed hole in fluid communication with the damping chamber to release air from the damping chamber. 
     In another preferred embodiment the damping assembly includes an air-bleed control assembly, the air air-bleed control assembly including an adjustor body having a protruding member shaped for location within a complemental cavity defined by the second knuckle body, the cavity being in fluid communication with the damping chamber. 
     Preferably the location of the protruding member within the cavity of the second knuckle body is adjustable. 
     In a preferred embodiment the damping assembly includes (i) a damping chamber secured to the first knuckle body, the damping chamber enclosing a resilient damper body, and (ii) a piston secure to the second knuckle body, the piston operatively associated with the resilient damper body such that movement of the second leave assembly from the biased position to the rest position causes movement of the piston so as to bias the resilient damper body. 
     In another preferred embodiment the damping assembly includes (i) a damping chamber enclosed by the first and second knuckle body, and (ii) a one-way valve within the first knuckle body to control release of air from the damping chamber when the second leaf assembly undergoes axial movement between the biased position and the rest position. 
     Preferably the first and second leaf assembly each includes a pair of opposing leaf members operatively adapted to hold a glass panel. 
     Preferably at least a portion of the frameless glass fencing hinge is produced from steel, aluminium or an engineering plastic. 
     Preferably the first leaf assembly and the second leaf assembly are produced from steel, aluminium or an engineering plastic. 
     Preferably the steel is mild steel, stainless steel or an alloy steel. 
     Preferably the engineering plastic is covered with a coating. 
     Preferably the engineering plastic includes a base material. 
     Preferably the engineering plastic includes a base material and a reinforcing filler. 
     Preferably the reinforcing filler includes glass fibre. 
     Preferably the reinforcing filler includes carbon fibre. 
     Preferably the engineering plastic is a polyarylamide. 
     Preferably the polyarylamide includes glass fibre reinforcement wherein the concentration of the glass fibre reinforcement is between 50% to 60% by volume. 
     Preferably the engineering plastic is an epoxy vinyl ester resin. 
     Preferably the epoxy vinyl ester resin includes glass fibre reinforcement wherein the concentration of the glass fibre reinforcement is between 50% to 70% by volume. 
     Preferably the base material includes a polyamide. 
     Preferably the polyamide includes nylon. 
     Preferably the base material includes polyphenylene sulphide (PPS). 
     Preferably the base material includes styrene. 
     Preferably the damping assembly includes at least one damper operatively adapted to apply a force to the first and second cam surfaces so as to generate friction between the first and second cam surfaces when the second leaf assembly undergoes pivotal movement relative to the first leaf assembly. 
     According to a further aspect of the present invention there is disclosed herein a hinge including: 
     a first leaf assembly for operative attachment to a first body; 
     a second leaf assembly for operative attachment to a second body, the second leaf assembly operatively adapted to undergo pivotal movement about a hinge axis so as to move the second body between a closed position an open position, and 
     wherein the first leaf assembly and the second leaf assembly define a cam formation operatively adapted to cause the second leaf assembly to undergo axial movement along the hinge axis between a rest position and a biased position when the second leaf assembly undergoes pivotal movement about the hinge axis. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 1  in an open position; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in  FIG. 3  with the frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in  FIG. 3  with the frameless glass fencing hinge in an open position; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 6  in an open position; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 8  in an open position; 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of a fourth embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view at the line A-A in  FIG. 11  with the frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view at the line A-A in  FIG. 11  with the frameless glass fencing hinge in an open position; 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 11  rotated through 30 degrees; 
         FIG. 15  is a rear view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a partially exploded perspective view of the frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a side view of a fifth embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view at the line A-A in  FIG. 16  with the frameless glass fencing hinge in a closed position; and 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional view at the line A-A in  FIG. 16  with the frameless glass fencing hinge in an open position. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 to 5  show a first embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge, generally indicated with the reference numeral  10 , for use in a non-illustrated frameless glass fencing installation. The frameless glass fencing hinge  10  includes a first leaf assembly  12  for operative attachment to a non-illustrated first glass panel. The frameless glass fencing hinge  12  further includes a second leaf assembly  14  for operative attachment to a non-illustrated second glass panel. In this embodiment each of the first and second leaf assemblies  12 ,  14  includes a pair of opposing leaf members  15  operatively adapted respectively to hold a non-illustrated glass panel between them. 
     The second leaf assembly  14  is operatively adapted to undergo pivotal movement about a hinge axis  16  so as to move the second glass panel between a closed position, shown in FIG.  1 , and an open position, shown in  FIG. 2 . The first leaf assembly  12  and the second leaf assembly  14  are adapted to co-operate to define a cam formation, generally indicated with the reference numeral  18 . The cam formation  18  is operatively adapted to cause the second leaf assembly  14  to undergo axial movement along the hinge axis  16  between a rest position, shown in  FIG. 1 , and a biased position, shown in  FIG. 2 , when the second leaf assembly  14  undergoes pivotal movement about the hinge axis  16 . 
     The first leaf assembly  12  includes a first knuckle body  20  having a first cam surface  22 , shown in  FIG. 3 . The second leaf assembly  14  includes a second knuckle body  24  having a second cam surface  26 , also shown in  FIG. 3 . The second cam surface  26  is operatively adapted for contact with the first cam surface  22 . The first and second cam surfaces  22 ,  26  are configured in such a manner that movement of the second cam surface  26  along the first cam surface  22  causes the second leaf assembly  14  to move axially along the hinge axis  16 . In use the frameless glass fencing hinge  10  will be installed upright with the second cam surface  26  located on top of the first cam surface  22 . The effect of this is that movement of the second cam surface  26  along the first cam surface  22  causes the second leaf assembly  14  to be displaced vertically upwards as the second leaf assembly  14  undergoes axial movement along the hinge axis  16 . 
     The first and second cam surfaces  22 ,  26  are adapted to permit the second leaf assembly  14  to move from the biased position, shown in  FIG. 2 , to the rest position, shown in  FIG. 1  under the influence of gravity. To arrest movement of the second leaf assembly  14  between the biased position and the rest position a damping assembly  28 , shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , is provided. 
     The embodiment damping assembly  28  includes (i) a piston  30  secured to the first knuckle body  20 , and (ii) a damping chamber  32  defined by (a) an internal surface  34 , shown in  FIG. 5 , of the second knuckle body  24  and (b) a face  36  of the piston  30 . Movement of the second leaf assembly  14  relative to the first leave assembly  12  causes the volume of the damping chamber  32  to be increased, as shown in  FIG. 5 , and decreased, as show in  FIG. 4 . When the volume of the damping chamber  32  is decreased the pressure of air in the damping chamber  32  will increase. It is the increase in the air pressure that will serve to arrest downward movement of the second leaf assembly  14  enabling operative soft closure of the embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge  10 . 
       FIG. 4  shows that the piston  30  includes a seal  38  to deter the escape of air from the damping chamber  32  when the volume of the damping chamber  32  is decreased. The seal  38  is shaped to provide a high-pressure seal when the volume of the damping chamber  32  is reduced, but allows air to pass easily into the damping chamber  32  as its volume increases. The first knuckle body  20  is threadingly coupled to a base member  40  having an inlet hole  42  to permit air to enter the frameless glass fencing hinge  10  and to be fed to the damping chamber  32  past the seal  38 . 
     In use, when the volume of the damping chamber  32  is reduced, resistance provided by air being compressed within the damping chamber  32  will increase at a rate that exceeds a linear rate. This feature provides a preferred soft-closing action. However, a completely sealed damping chamber  32  may deter full closure as the compressive force of the air within the damping chamber  32  may exceed gravitational force working on the second leaf assembly  14 . To address this possible occurrence the damping assembly  28  includes an air-bleed control assembly  44 . 
     The air air-bleed control assembly  44  includes an adjustor body  46  which threadingly engages the second knuckle body  24 . The adjustor body  46  includes an elongate, tapering member  48  shaped for location within a complementally shaped tapering cavity  50  defined by the second knuckle body  20 . The cavity  50  is in fluid communication with the damping chamber  32 . In this embodiment both the elongate member  48  and the cavity  50  are conically shaped. By adjusting the amount of axial movement of the adjustor body  46  relative to the second knuckle body  24 , the position of the elongate member  48  within the cavity  50  is adjusted. This feature enables the damping assembly  28  to be adjusted to cater for different applications resulting from doors of varying weight or dimensional configurations. In particular, by adjusting the position of the elongate member  48  within the cavity  50  a finely controlled space  52  between opposing mating surfaces of the adjustor body  46  and the second knuckle body  24  can be created to facilitate the controlled egress of air from the damping chamber  32 . 
     In this embodiment the adjustor body  46  includes one or more non-illustrated stops which extend into the space  52  to provide pre-set adjustable increments. 
     The effect of the above described embodiment is that a glass panel held by the second leaf assembly  14  will constitute a gate of a frameless glass fencing barrier. Once a person has opened such gate and released their hold on the gate, the gate will close under the influence of gravity to provide self-closure. The damping assembly  28 , in turn, will then operate to arrest movement of the gate during closing to enable soft closure. 
     In a non-illustrated embodiment the second knuckle body  24  is not coupled to the adjustor body  46  of the first embodiment. Rather, the second knuckle body  24  threadingly engages a base member which is identical in configuration to the base member  40  of the first embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge  10 . The base member of the second knuckle  24  includes an air-bleed hole in fluid communication with the damping chamber  32  to release air from the damping chamber  32  for the purposes discussed above. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show a second embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge  60  having a first and second leaf assembly  62  and  64 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  60  operates in the manner described above in that the first leaf assembly  62  and the second leaf assembly  64  co-operate to define a cam formation  66 . The cam formation  66  is operatively adapted to cause the second leaf assembly  64  to undergo axial movement along a hinge axis between a rest position, shown in  FIG. 6 , and a biased position, shown in  FIG. 7 , when the second leaf assembly  64  undergoes pivotal movement about the hinge axis. In this embodiment a damping assembly  68  is provided which includes a damping chamber  70  secured to a first knuckle body  72  of the first leaf assembly  62 . The damping chamber  70  encloses a resilient damper body  74 , here a helical spring. The damping assembly  68  further includes a piston  76  secured to a second knuckle body  78  of the second leaf assembly  64 . The piston  76  is operatively associated with the resilient damper body  74  such that movement of the second leave assembly  76  from its biased position to its rest position causes translational movement of the piston  76 , thereby impacting on the resilient damper body  74  causing it to become biased/loaded. Movement of the piston  76 , and as a result movement of the second leaf assembly  14  under the influence of gravity, will be arrested by the damper body  74  as it becomes biased. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show a third illustrated embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge  80  having a first and second leaf assembly  82  and  84 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  80  operates in the manner described above in that the first leaf assembly  82  and the second leaf assembly  84  co-operate to define a cam formation  86 . The cam formation  86  is operatively adapted to cause the second leaf assembly  84  to undergo axial movement along a hinge axis between a rest position, shown in  FIG. 8 , and a biased position, shown in  FIG. 9 , when the second leaf assembly  84  undergoes pivotal movement about the hinge axis. In this embodiment a damping assembly  88  includes a damping chamber  90  enclosed by first and second knuckle bodies  92 ,  94 . 
     The damping assembly  88  further includes a one-way valve  96  within the first knuckle body  94  to control release of air from the damping chamber  90  when the second leaf assembly  84  undergoes axial movement between its biased and rest positions. The one-way valve  96  is located proximate an inlet hole  98  of a base member  100 . The inlet hole  98  has a tapering mouth  102  operatively adapted to be closed-off by a suitably sized spherical valve member  104 . The valve member  104  is biased to an open condition with a resilient valve component, here a helical spring  106 . In use the one-way valve  96  is adapted to allow the controlled release of air from the damping chamber  90 . 
       FIGS. 10 to 16  show a fourth embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge  100  having a first and second leaf assembly  112  and  114 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  100  operates in the manner described above for the frameless glass fencing hinge  10  in that the first leaf assembly  112  and the second leaf assembly  114  co-operate to define a cam formation  118 . The cam formation  118  is operatively adapted to cause the second leaf assembly  114  to undergo operative upward axial movement along a hinge axis between a rest position, shown in  FIG. 12 , and a biased position, shown in  FIG. 13 , when the second leaf assembly  114  undergoes pivotal movement about the hinge axis. 
     The first leaf assembly  112  includes a first knuckle body  120  having a first cam surface  122 . The second leaf assembly  114  includes a second knuckle body  124  having a second cam surface  126 . The first and second cam surfaces  122 ,  126  provide the cam formation  118 . In this embodiment a damping assembly  128  is provided by a piston  130 , secured to the first knuckle body  120 , which compresses air inside a damping chamber  132  to facilitate soft closing as discussed above. The damping assembly  128  further includes at least one spring biased damper  133 , here there are two, held within damper slots  135  provided in the piston  130 . The dampers  133  are configured to exert operative upward pressure/force on a contact position between the cam surfaces  122 ,  126  so as to create friction between the cam surfaces  122 ,  126  when the first and second leaf assembly  112 ,  114  undergo relative pivotal movement. The contact position is indicated with the reference numeral  131  in  FIG. 15 . When a gate employing the frameless glass fencing hinge  100  undergoes relative slow movement or is near to close, the dampers  133  are configured such that the pressure exerted by the dampers  133  will no longer cause friction between the cam surfaces  122 ,  126 , thus allowing the gate to close completely. Having the dampers  133  held within the damper slots  135  will shield them from environmental factors such as moisture and sunlight. It is envisaged that a vent hole may be provided for certain applications which will allow heat to escape the damping chamber  132 . 
       FIG. 15  shows by-pass detail  137  to release air when the frameless glass fencing hinge  100  is located in the closed position.  FIG. 15  also illustrates a stop formation  139  to ensure the first and second leaf assemblies  112 ,  114  do not separate during installation. The stop formation  139  is adapted to swivel into a non-illustrated release condition if it is required to separate the first and second leaf assemblies  112 ,  114 . A snap lock assembly  141  is provided for securing the piston  130  to the first knuckle body  120 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  100  further includes a number of rotating bushes  143  to counteract “sag” caused by the weight of a gate and component tolerances. 
       FIG. 16  shows a partial exploded view of the frameless glass fencing hinge  100  comprising the first knuckle body  120 , the second knuckle body  124 , the piston  130 , dampers  133  and rotating bushes  143 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  100  further includes a side gasket  150 , side cover  152 , clamping plate  154 , clamping plate cover  156 , clamping plate gasket  158 , clamping washer  160 , joiner  162  and clamp fastener  164 . 
       FIGS. 17 to 19  show a fifth embodiment frameless glass fencing hinge  200 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  200  operates in the same manner as the frameless glass fencing hinge  100 . The frameless glass fencing hinge  200  differs from the glass fencing hinge  100  in that it includes an O-ring  202 , shown in the open position at  204  in  FIG. 18 , and the closed position  206  in  FIG. 19 . The O-ring  202  forms part of the damping assembly of the frameless glass fencing hinge  200  wherein in the close position  204  compressed air will provide friction to facilitate additional gate slowing properties. A small by-pass passage  206  is provided for releasing air in the closed position  206 . 
     The embodiment frameless glass fencing hinges described above are vertically installed. In one exemplary non-illustrated installation method the first leaf assembly is attached to an in situ installed hinge panel. The second leaf assembly, in turn, is attached to a gate panel. An installer holds the gate panel at 90 degrees relative to the hinge panel. The gate panel is hereafter lifted so that it is slightly above and aligned with the hinge panel. The gate panel is now lowered so that the first and second leaf assemblies can engage and become joined. Once the gate panel is swung away from the 90-degree position it is no longer possible to separate the leaf assemblies and thus the gate panel and hinge panel are connected for operation. To remove the gate the reverse operation is followed in that the gate panel is orientated at 90 degrees whereafter it can be lifted and separated from the hinge panel. 
     The above discussed first and second leaf assemblies can be produced from steel, aluminium or an engineering plastic. In preferred embodiments the steel is mild steel, stainless steel or an alloy steel. 
     If an engineering plastic is employed the engineering plastic is generally covered with a coating. 
     Further, when employing an engineering plastic, such engineering plastic will generally include a base material having a reinforcing filler. Examples of reinforcing filler include glass fibre and/or carbon fibre. 
     Examples of engineering plastic include a polyarylamide, preferably polyarylamide including glass fibre reinforcement. Typically, the concentration of glass fibre reinforcement is between 50% to 60% by volume. 
     In an alternative embodiment the engineering plastic is an epoxy vinyl ester resin, preferably epoxy vinyl ester resin including glass fibre reinforcement. Typically, the concentration of glass fibre reinforcement is between 50% to 70% by volume. 
     In another embodiment the base material includes a polyamide such as nylon. The base material could also include polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) or a styrene. 
     Conventional frameless glass fencing components are produced from stainless steel or anodised aluminium. Drawbacks of employing such materials include relative high weight and costs. Further drawbacks associated with stainless steel products include that they tend to stain and corrode over a short or prolonged period of time if they are not sufficiently coated. In preferred embodiments of the present disclosure those problems are addressed by doing away with stainless steel/aluminium and providing a hinge produced from an engineering plastic. Also, as plastic generally does not conduct electricity, this feature will provide enhanced safety in a moist environment, such as a swimming pool. In particular the preferred engineering plastic will meet the requirements of AS3000:2007 for earth bonding where frameless glass fencing hinges are within arm&#39;s reach or up to 1.25 m from the water&#39;s edge of a swimming pool. 
     Although the above description has focused on a hinge for a frameless glass fencing installation it will be appreciated that it could be employed in a range of other hinge applications unrelated to frameless glass fencing installations. For example, a hinge for a solid metal or timber entrance door hinged within a metal or timber door frame, a self-closing hinge for an aluminium or steel framed metal swimming pool gate with vertical bars, which gate is hinged from and attached to a metal post and the gate closing and latching to another metal post. The hinges may be used for a side gate or a hinge for entrance gates, paddock gates or any external gates including security or privacy gates. The hinges may also support an entrance door to a building which door may be of frameless glass or framed glass, or a solid door. Similarly, the hinge may be used for the closure of frameless glass shower doors. 
     Although the invention is described above in relation to preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is not limited to those embodiments, but may be embodied in many other forms.