Patent Publication Number: US-10329819-B1

Title: Adjustable spring hinge and gate

Description:
CROSS RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to the filing date of U.S. provisional application No. 62/382,431, which was filed on Sep. 1, 2016, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The field relates to gate hardware, especially hinges for gates. 
     BACKGROUND 
     U.S. Pat. No. D443,196 discloses an adjustable gate hinge having an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between a gate bracket and a post bracket. However, this bracket causes the line of the fence and gate to be interrupted due to the nature of the hinge adjustment mechanism. US Pat. Publ. 20050241106 shows a different mechanism for making the same adjustment. None of the known adjustment mechanisms are both simple to adjust and easy to manufacture, without interrupting the line of the fence post and gate. 
     SUMMARY 
     A gate comprises a gate bracket, a post bracket and an adjustable spring hinge comprising an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the gate bracket and the post bracket. The adjustment mechanism may comprise an L-shaped member attached at a first end to an adjustable spring assembly for adjusting the tension applied to a spring contained in a cylindrical housing, for example. In one example, the cylindrical housing is welded to the first end of the L-shaped member. A second end, distal to the first end of the L-shaped member is disposed transversely to the first end by a bend in the member and may have a bolt retainer having a hole through which a bolt passes. The bolt has a bolt head that is retained by the bolt retainer while allowing the bolt to rotate freely. The bolt may have an angular adjustment mechanism, such as a nut fixed onto the bolt by one or more weldments, which may be engaged by a wrench for rotating the bolt in either angular direction of rotation. 
     The spring hinge further comprises a sleeve extending from an inner surface of the gate bracket. The gate comprises a bore hole extending into a portion of an edge of the gate opposite of the post to which the post bracket is attached, such that the sleeve extending from the gate bracket extends into the bore hole in the edge of the gate. A threaded end of the bolt, opposite of the bolt head, threadingly engages an internally tapped portion of the sleeve. By rotating the bolt in a first angular direction, the bolt threadingly engages the sleeve and shortens the distance between the post bracket and the gate bracket. By rotating the bolt in a second angular direction, opposite of the first angular direction, the rotation of the bolt increases the distance between the post bracket and the gate bracket. 
     In one example, a gate comprises: a first bracket having at least one mounting flange extending from a surface of the first bracket; a second bracket having a sleeve extending through a surface of the second bracket and arranged such that the sleeve extends into a hole in either the gate or a post disposed adjacent to the gate, when the second bracket is mounted to either the gate or a post disposed adjacent to the gate; and an adjustable spring hinge comprising an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the first bracket and the second bracket, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises an L-shaped member attached at a first end to an adjustable spring assembly for adjusting the tension applied to a spring contained in a cylindrical housing, the cylindrical housing being coupled to the at least one mounting flange of the first bracket, and the L-shaped member has a second end, distal to the first end and disposed transversely to the first end by a bend in the L-shaped member, the second end comprising a bolt retainer, and an adjustable bolt comprises a bolt head retained by the bolt retainer and a threaded shaft disposed through the bolt retainer such that the threaded shaft extends transversely to the second end and is threadingly engaged in the sleeve of the second bracket, whereby the second bracket is adjustably coupled to the first bracket by the bolt and a gap width between the first bracket and the second bracket is adjustable via rotation of the bolt within the bolt retainer and sleeve. For example, the cylindrical housing is welded to the first end of the L-shaped member. The bolt may further comprise an angular adjustment mechanism. The angular adjustment mechanism may comprise a nut fixed onto the threaded shaft of the bolt. For example, the nut is fixed by one or more weldments between the nut and the shaft of the bolt. The gap width may be adjustable using a wrench to turn the nut. The second bracket may be mounted to the gate such that the sleeve extends into the hole in the gate and the sleeve is not visible, when the second bracket is coupled to the first bracket by the bolt. For example, the shaft of the bolt threadingly engages an internally tapped, threaded portion of the sleeve. 
     In one example, a method of adjusting the distance between the first bracket and the second bracket of claim  1 , the method comprises rotating the bolt in a first angular direction to increase the gap width; and rotating the bolt in a second angular direction, opposite of the first angular direction, to decrease the gap width. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following drawings are illustrative examples and do not further limit any claims that may eventually issue. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an example of an adjustable spring hinge. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates another perspective view of the example in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of the example in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an end view from the gate bracket end of the example in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom, detail view of an example of an adjustment mechanism. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the example in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a top, detail view of a gate bracket. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a top view of the gate bracket of  FIG. 7  as mounted on a gate. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an example of a gate. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a partial cutaway, detail view of an example of an adjustment mechanism. 
     
    
    
     When the same reference characters are used, these labels refer to similar parts in the examples illustrated in the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The illustrations in  FIGS. 1-3  illustrate various views of an example of an adjustable spring hinge.  FIG. 3  shows a distance L that is adjustable by the adjustable spring hinge  1 . The sleeve  52 , as best visualized in the partial cutaway view of  FIG. 10 , is an annular cylinder with a through hole and a tapped portion for threadingly engaging a threaded portion of a bolt  42 . The bolt  42  is retained in an L-shaped member  44  by a bolt retainer  32 . For example, the bolt retainer  32  comprises a recessed portion in which a rounded bolt head  48  is rotatably retained and a hole through which the threaded portion of the bolt  42  passes. In this example, the bolt retainer  32  is welded to the L-shaped member  44  by a weldment  43 . Alternatively, other attachment mechanisms may be used for attaching the bolt retainer  32  in or onto the L-shaped member  44 , such as threads, adhesives or mechanical fasteners, such as nuts or retaining rings. One advantage of the bot retainer  32  illustrated in  FIG. 10  is that nothing extends beyond the inner surface of the L-shaped member  32 . As best seen in  FIG. 3 , this means that the L-shaped member  44  may be disposed very near the surface of an outer surface of the post bracket  10 . Two tabs  25  may be formed by machining and bending portions of post bracket  10 . A spring hinge mechanism  15  is shown schematically in the drawings and may comprise a helical coil spring with adjustable tension mechanism, for example. One end of the spring may extend into a hole or slot in the top portion of the spring mechanism  15 , as is known in the art. An opposite end of the spring may be disposed in a slot  49  in one end of a spring housing  150  that is attached to the L-shaped member  44 , as best shown in the drawings of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , for example. For example, a weldment  47  may be used to join the housing  150  to the L-shaped member  44 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a gap G may be defined between a nut  41  welded to the bolt  42  by one or more weldments  45 , allowing the nut  41  and bolt  42  to rotate freely in a first angular direction and a second angular direction opposite of the first angular direction. As shown in  FIG. 10 , rotation of the nut  41  and bolt  42 , such as by using a wrench (not shown), threadingly engages a tapped inner surface  55  of the sleeve, moving the sleeve  52  away from or toward the L-shaped member  44 , depending on the angular direction of rotation of the nut  41  and bolt  42 . As shown in the end view of  FIG. 4 , the bolt  42  attaches the L-shaped member to the gate bracket by way of the sleeve  52 . 
     Holes extending completely through the brackets  10 ,  51 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , for example, may be used to attach the brackets to a post  91  and an edge of a gate  90 , as best shown in the detail view of  FIG. 8 , for example.  FIG. 7  details how the gate bracket  51  is formed from a metal sheet having a first end  511  and a second end  512  extending away from a connecting portion  513 . As can be seen in this example, the second end  512  is longer than the first end  511 . Thus, even when the holes  14  are disposed at a midline of the first and second ends  511 ,  512 , fasteners, such as nails or screws won&#39;t impinge one on the other, even if long enough to overlap each other.  FIG. 9  illustrates an example of a gate  90  with the dashed lines  91  illustrating hidden lines of holes formed or bored into the edge of the gate  90 . Thus, in this example, three gate brackets  50  each comprising a sleeve  52  attached to a mounting bracket  51  may be attached by inserting each sleeve  52  into each of the three holes  91  and fastening the mounting brackets  51  to the gate  90  using fasteners extending through the holes  14 . As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the post corner bracket  10  may be mounted, likewise, to a post  91  by fasteners. In one example, a prefabricated gate comprises preinstalled brackets  50 . Three corner brackets  10  may be installed on a gate post  91  of a fence at a set spacing by measurement or using a template to position the corner brackets  10  at the correct locations. The gate  90  may be installed on the gate post  91  by lining up the bolts  42  in the sleeves  52  and rotating the nuts  41  to engage the threaded inner portion  55  of the sleeves  52  for each of the gate brackets  50 . By adjusting the distance L between the two brackets, the gate  90  may be appropriately leveled, even if the post is not perfectly plumbed and the ground is not perfectly level below the gate  90 . As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the gate  90  may be disposed flush with an exterior surface of a fence post  91  by disposing the bolt retainer  32  at a position in the L-shaped member  44  that makes the surface of the gate bracket  50  flush with the gate post bracket  10 . 
     This detailed description provides examples including features and elements of the claims for the purpose of enabling a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventions recited in the claims. However, these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the claims, directly. Instead, the examples provide features and elements of the claims that, having been disclosed in these descriptions, claims and drawings, may be altered and combined in ways that are known in the art.