Patent Publication Number: US-7213300-B1

Title: Full overlay hinge with three-dimensional mechanical adjustment and side pins

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to hinge devices for mounting a door on a furniture article, and more particularly to adjustable hinge devices for hanging doors on cabinets or the like so that the doors can be adjusted relative to the supporting frame they are attached to. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various types of hinges for mounting a door on a furniture article such as a desk or cabinet have been used in the furniture and cabinetry industry for many years. An example of one such device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,622. Many of such devices include multiple adjustment components making them bulky, difficult to adjust, quick to wear, and unstable. Typically, one or more screws must be loosened, an adjustment made manually, and then one or more screws must be re-tightened to secure the adjustment. Accordingly, many adjustable hinges may require more than one person to accomplish the adjustment. Examples of such hinges include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,282, 5,392,493, and 5,511,287. Improvements to these hinges have been made, such as those depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,599, so that adjustments can be made quickly and easily by one person. However, further improvements are still needed so that hinges can be adjusted with greater efficiency and more precise reliability. To do this, it has been determined that more refined design engineering is required, and the present invention addresses this need and interest. 
     Three-dimensionally adjustable hinges of the prior art generally encompass one of two forms. In one such prior art design, the height adjustment of the door is accomplished by loosening the mounting screw or screws which extend into the wood furniture frame, adjusting the hinge vertically, then tightening the wood screws to secure the hinge in position. This is a cumbersome method of adjusting the hinge and often leads to deterioration of the wood and eventual failure of the hinge to support the weight of the door. In another prior art hinge design, a series of adjustment screws are provided; however, they are not capable of independent interaction. The adjustment of one screw necessarily requires adjustment of a second screw. This is due, primarily, to simplify the design of such a hinge. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a hinge with three-dimensional mechanical adjustment means which are independent of one another and do not require adjustment of the mounting screw. 
     The mechanics of adjustable hinge components require various hinge plates to slide upon one another. The hinge components require small tolerances between them so as to minimize play between the components and to securely retain a furniture door in place. Further, the hinge components must support the weight of the door and the stresses associated with opening and closing during operation. As the door moves between an open and a closed position, the forces acting on the various components of the hinge mounting assembly can change dramatically. This has the potential to adversely affect the components and cause excess wear or damage. The additional components required for three dimensional adjustment must be precisely designed so as to tolerate these stresses, but not interfere with the mechanics of the hinge. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first aspect of the present invention, a hinge assembly for mounting a door on a furniture frame for movement of the door between open and closed positions of the door relative to the furniture frame is provided comprising a mounting plate adapted to be affixed to a furniture frame member, an intermediate plate disposed atop of and slideably engaged to said mounting plate, a top plate disposed atop of and slideably engaged to said intermediate plate and said mounting plate, a hinge arm slideably connected to said top plate, and a pin extending through a portion of said top plate, slideably extending through a portion of said intermediate plate such that said intermediate plate is slideable in a first direction along the axis of the pin, and slideably extending through a portion of said mounting plate such that said pin is slideable in a second direction perpendicular to the axis of the pin relative to the mounting plate. Further, the hinge assembly is adjustable such that the hinge arm can be adjusted in three dimensions relative to the mounting plate. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting plate comprises a body portion having an elongated mounting aperture, a front end, a rear end and two side ends, and said side ends each have a side member extending at a right angle from said body portion, the side members each comprising an elongated aperture for receiving said pin. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the mounting plate further comprises a leg depending from said front end and said rear end in a direction opposite said side members, said legs positioned and aligned to engage and secure said mounting plate to said furniture frame. 
     In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate plate comprises a body portion having two side flanges extending from either side thereof, said side flanges extending vertically from said body portion and each having a horizontally extending portion, said vertically extending portion having an aperture therein for receiving said pin. In a still additional embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate plate further comprises a hook member extending from said body portion for slideably engaging said pin between the two side flanges. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the top plate comprises a body portion, a front face extending downward from said body portion, and two side members extending from either side of said body portion, said side members each having an aperture for receiving said pin, and said front face adapted to slideably engage said hinge arm. 
     In a further embodiment of the present invention, the hinge assembly further comprises a second pin extending through a second aperture in said side members of the top plate, a second elongated aperture in said mounting plate side members, and a second aperture in said intermediate plate side flange, wherein said first pin is positioned proximate to the front of said hinge assembly and said second pin is positioned proximate to the rear of said hinge assembly. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the hinge assembly further comprising a hinge cup member adapted to be affixed to a door and pivotably connected to the hinge arm. Additionally, a front cam screw is provided extending through an elongated aperture on said hinge arm segment, and a circular aperture on the front face of said top plate, such that by rotating the front cam screw, the hinge arm slides up and down on the face of the L-shaped hinge arm segment thereby moving the hinge cup and furniture door from side to side relative to said furniture frame. 
     An additional embodiment of the present invention further comprises a side cam screw positioned proximate to one side of the top surface of the top plate and extending through an elongated aperture in said top surface, and through a circular aperture in the horizontally extending portion of the intermediate plate, such that by rotating the side cam screw the L-shaped hinge arm segment slides from side to side relative to the intermediate plate and the mounting plate, said pin moving with said top plate, thereby moving said furniture door up and down relative to said furniture frame. 
     Yet another embodiment of the present invention further comprises a rear cam screw positioned proximate a rear portion of the hinge assembly and extending through an elongated aperture in said rear portion of the intermediate plate and into a circular aperture in said rear portion of said mounting plate, such that by rotating the rear cam screw, the intermediate plate slides front to rear relative to the base plate, said pin and said top plate moving with said intermediate plate, thereby causing the furniture door to move in and out relative to the furniture frame. 
     It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a hinge with three-dimensional mechanical adjustment means which are independent of one another and do not require adjustment of the mounting screw. 
     Features of a hinge assembly of the present invention may be accomplished singularly, or in combination, in one or more of the embodiments of the present invention. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the present invention has wide utility in a number of applications as illustrated by the variety of features and advantages discussed below. 
     As will be realized by those of skill in the art, many different embodiments of a hinge assembly according to the present invention are possible. Additional uses, objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention are set forth in the detailed description that follows and will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or by practice of the invention. 
     Thus, there has been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, obviously, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining several embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details and construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. 
     It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology herein are for the purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the concepts upon which this disclosure is based and that it may readily be utilized as the basis for designating other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     So that the manner in which the above-recited features, advantages and objects of the invention, as well as others which will become more apparent, are obtained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention briefly summarized above may be had by reference to the embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the appended drawings, which drawings form a part of the specification and wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, as the invention may admit to additional equally effective embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a hinge assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective exploded view of a hinge assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of a hinge assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the invention, reference will now be made to some preferred embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in  FIGS. 1–3 , and specific language used to describe the same. Numerous specific details are set forth below in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. Therefore, it should be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is hereby intended. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of description, not limitation. Any modifications or variations in the depicted hinges, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, as would normally occur to one skilled in the art, are considered to be within the spirit of this invention. 
     During the description of the many embodiments of the present invention, directional orientation will be used to distinguish among the three degrees of adjustment of the hinge assembly. For the purposes of this discussion, reference will be made to a hinge prior to installation wherein “front” refers to the portion of the hinge assembly closest to the hinge cup, which when installed, will be closest to the furniture door, with “rear” referring to the portion of the hinge assembly farthest from the hinge cup and that which will be facing the rear of the furniture cabinet when installed. The “bottom” of the hinge assembly is that which will be closest to the furniture frame when installed, with “top” being the opposite direction. These parameters are meant to be used for descriptive purposes only and as one skilled in the art will recognize, the hinge assembly may be mounted in an article of furniture in any orientation. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1–3 , there is shown various views of one embodiment of a three-dimensionally mechanically adjustable hinge assembly of the present invention wherein the three mechanical adjustment means are independent of one another. Hinges of the present invention may be used to hang a door  2  to the frame  4  of a furniture article, such as a cabinet.  FIG. 1  shows a top perspective view of a hinge assembly in an open position (as it would appear when the cabinet door is open) with the door  2  and the furniture frame  4  illustrated in broken lines.  FIG. 2  shows a top perspective exploded view of a hinge assembly in an embodiment of the present invention so that all the individual parts of hinge assembly can be more readily seen and understood.  FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of the hinge assembly. 
     In a first aspect of the present invention, the hinge assembly is based on a five-part hinge assembly comprising a hinge cup  10 , pivotably connected to a hinge arm segment  50  which is in turn slideably connected to an L-shaped top hinge plate  40 , which in turn is slideably engaged to an intermediate plate  30 , the combination of which is slideably engaged to a mounting plate  20 . The mounting plate  20  is secured to a furniture frame member and the hinge cup  10  is secured to a furniture door  2 . 
     The hinge cup  10  is mountable flush in a bore hole in the back of a door  2  with fastening screws  12  in a known manner, and includes a spring  14  so as to facilitate automatic closing of a door once the hinge has been partially closed. The hinge cup  10  is pivotably connected to the hinge arm  50  with a pin  16  which extends through apertures in the rear of the hinge cup  10  and provides a rotational surface for the end of the hinge arm to engage as is known in the art. Other hinge arm designs may also be used with the present invention, for example the hinge arm  50  may be incorporated into and form a part of the top plate  40 , though this limits the adjustability of the hinge arm relative to said top plate. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distal end of the hinge arm  50  comprises an aperture  72  for receiving a cam screw  70  and abuts a front face of the top plate  40 . A circular aperture  74  is provided in the front face  44  of top plate  40  for receiving the off center rod of the cam screw  70 . As the screw is rotated, the off center rod spins within the circular aperture  74  causing the top of the cam screw  70  to spin on an eccentric axis within the elongated aperture  72 , which in turn causes the hinge arm  50  to move up and down with respect to the stationary top plate  40 . In this manner, the hinge arm  50 , hinge cup  10 , and furniture door  2  may be adjusted in and out relative to the furniture frame. 
     Mounted to the furniture frame member  4  are the mounting plate  20 , intermediate plate  30 , and top plate  40 . The mounting plate  20  comprises a substantially flat body portion  22  having a front end, a rear end, and two sides. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting plate is provided with a mounting aperture  23  for accepting a mounting screw which secures the mounting plate  20  to the furniture frame member  4 . In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting aperture  23  is positioned proximate to the center of the body portion  22  and is elongated in a direction parallel to the front and rear ends to allow adjustment of the mounting plate relative to the furniture frame member. 
     The two sides of the mounting plate  20  are provided with side members  24  extending vertically toward the top of the hinge assembly from the body portion  22 . The side members each comprise at least one elongated aperture  25  for receiving a guide pin  60 . The aperture  25  is elongated in a direction parallel to the length of the side member  24 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side members  24  are each provided with two elongated apertures  25  for receiving two side pins  60 . In this embodiment of the present invention, one set of elongated apertures is positioned proximate to the front end of the mounting plate, and the other pair of elongated apertures is positioned proximate to the rear end of the mounting plate  20 . 
     In a further embodiment of the present invention, the body portion  22  is further provided with a circular aperture  94  for receiving the off center rod of a cam screw. This circular aperture  94  is preferably located toward the rear of the body portion  22  and central to the two side members  24 . In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting plate further comprises legs  26  depending from the body portion  22  along a front end and a rear end. The legs  26  engage the sides of the furniture frame member  4  and assist in retaining the hinge assembly in position with respect to the frame member  4 . In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, one leg  26  is provided extending across substantially each of the front and the rear of the body portion  22  of the mounting plate  20 . 
     The intermediate plate  30  is slideably engaged to the mounting plate  20  such that it is free to move front to rear relative to the fixed mounting plate  20 . The intermediate plate  30  comprises a substantially flat body portion  32  having two side flanges  34  on either side thereof and a front end and a rear end. A central aperture  38  is preferably provided to allow access, through the intermediate plate  30 , to the mounting screw engaging the mounting plate  20 . The side flanges  34  extend vertically from the body portion  32 , then extend horizontally such that each flange comprises a vertically extending portion  33  and a horizontally extending portion  36 . Apertures  35  are provided on the vertically extending portion  33  and are aligned with the elongated apertures  25  in the mounting plate  20  for receiving the guide pin (or pins)  60 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apertures  35  in the intermediate plate are circular. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side flanges  34  of the intermediate plate  30  are preferably spaced closer to each other than the side members  24  of the mounting plate  20 . In this manner, the intermediate hinge plate  30  fits within and is retained in a lateral direction by the side members  24  of the mounting plate  20 . 
     When engaged to the mounting plate  20  with the pins  60 , the intermediate plate  30  is free to slide from front to rear relative to the mounting plate  20  by sliding, along with the pins, through the range of motion provided by the elongated apertures  25  in the side members  24  of the mounting plate  20 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate plate  30  is provided with a hook member  37  which extends from the body portion  32  of the intermediate plate  30  and wraps around the pin  60 , thereby providing additional support and contact between the front pin  60  and the intermediate plate  30 . 
     In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the apertures for receiving the side guide pin  60  on the mounting plate  20  and intermediate plate  30  are reversed. In this embodiment, the apertures  25  on the side member  24  of the mounting plate  20  are circular, and similarly, the apertures  35  on the side flanges  34  of the intermediate plate  30  and the apertures  45  on the side members  46  of the top plate are elongated. This configuration, though opposite of that found in the preferred embodiment, will still provide a slideable connection between the mounting plate  20  and the intermediate plate  30  to allow the intermediate plate  30  to slide from front to rear relative to the mounting plate  20 . However, this embodiment will not allow the pins to slide with the intermediate plate  30  and top plate  40 , rather the pins  60  will remain stationary along with the mounting plate  20 . Further, this embodiment is not compatible with the hook members  37  provided on the intermediate plate  30 , and as such is not preferred for use with the hook members  37 . 
     The top plate  40  is positioned over and encompasses the intermediate plate  30  and mounting plate  20 . The top plate  40  comprises a body portion  42  having a front end, a rear end, and two sides. The body portion  42  further comprises a central aperture  49  aligned with the central aperture  38  of the intermediate plate  30  to allow access to the mounting screw engaged to the mounting plate  20 . The body portion  42  is further provided with an elongated aperture  82  for receiving a cam screw  80  positioned off center proximate to one side of the body portion  42 . 
     Depending from the front end of the body portion  42  is a front face  44  which extends downward to cover the intermediate plate  30  and mounting plate  20  and further provides a surface for slideably engaging the hinge arm  50 . The front face  44  is further provided with a circular aperture  74  for receiving the cam screw  70 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circular aperture  74  is flanked by two slots  48 . The slots receive the legs  112  of a clip  110  which is employed to slideably retain the hinge arm  50 . The clip  110  is positioned through the rear of the front face  44  and the legs  112  protrude through the slots  48  and engage the hinge arm  50 . The legs  112  are designed with slight hooks on their distal end to grasp and engage the hinge arm  50 . The hinge arm is then slideably engaged to the front face  44  as is know in the art. 
     Depending from the sides of the body portion  42  are side members  46 . The side members are provided with circular apertures  45  for receiving the guide pin or pins  60 . The side members  46  are spaced farther apart than the side members  24  of the mounting plate  20  such that the side members  46  of the top plate fit over and encompass the side members  24  of the mounting plate  20 . 
     To illustrate the position of the various plates and pins in the assembled hinge assembly,  FIG. 3  shows the underside of the hinge assembly. The pin  60  extends through a circular aperture  45  in one side member  46  of the L-shaped hinge arm segment  40 , then through an elongated aperture  25  in one side member  24  of the mounting plate  20 , then through one circular aperture  35  in the vertically extending portion  33  of the intermediate plate  30 , across the intermediate plate through the hook member  37 , then through the opposite circular aperture  35  in the intermediate plate  30 , through the second elongated aperture  25  in the second side member  26  of the mounting plate  20 , and finally through the second circular aperture  45  on the second side member  46  of the L-shaped hinge arm segment  40 . 
     This configuration connects and engages the three plates such that they are slideable and adjustable relative to one another. The adjusting of the plates is accomplished through the cam screws  80  and  90 . The side cam screw  80  extends through the elongated aperture  82  in the body portion  42  of the top plate  40 . The elongated aperture is preferably located proximate to one side of the body portion and elongated in a direction parallel to the side. The off center rod of the cam screw  80  extends through the elongated aperture  82  and engages a circular aperture  84  provided in a horizontally extending portion  36  of the corresponding side flange  34  of the intermediate plate  30 . The off center rod rotates within the circular aperture  84  causing the top of the cam screw to spin on an eccentric axis within the elongated aperture  82  which in turn causes the top plate  40  to move side to side relative to the intermediate plate  30 . 
     Throughout this motion, the intermediate plate  30  remains stationary and engaged to the mounting plate  20 . As the top plate moves from side to side, the hinge arm  50 , hinge cup  10  and furniture door  2  are adjusted up and down relative to the furniture frame member  4 . In this manner the position of the furniture door relative to the floor and furniture frame member may be adjusted by rotating the side cam screw  80 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pins  60  will move along with the top plate  40  through the motion of the adjustment. The pins  60  will in turn slide from side to side relative to the intermediate plate  30  and the mounting plate  20 . 
     The rear cam screw  90  extends through the elongated aperture  92  in the body portion  32  of the intermediate plate  30 . The elongated aperture  92  is preferably located proximate to the rear of the body portion  32  and elongated in a direction parallel to the rear end. The off center rod of the cam screw  90  extends through the elongated aperture  92  and engages a circular aperture  94  provided toward the rear of the body portion  22  of the mounting plate  20 . The off center rod rotates within the circular aperture  94  causing the top of the cam screw to spin on an eccentric axis within the elongated aperture  92  which in turn causes the intermediate plate  30  to move from front to rear relative to the mounting plate  20 . 
     Throughout this motion, the top plate  40  remains stationary relative to the intermediate plate  30  and moves with the intermediate plate  30  relative to the mounting plate  20 . The pins  60  engaged to the intermediate plate  30  and top plate  40  move with those plates from front to rear through the range of motion provided by the elongated apertures  25  in the side members  24  of the mounting plate  20 . The pins  60  slide from the front to the rear of the elongated apertures  24  in the mounting plate  20 , while remaining stationary in the circular apertures  35 ,  45  of the intermediate plate  30  and top plate  40 , respectively. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it should be recognized that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the apparatus and methods of the present invention may be constructed and implemented in other ways and embodiments. Accordingly, the description herein should not be read as limiting the present invention, as other embodiments also fall within the scope of the present invention.