Patent Publication Number: US-11384578-B2

Title: Oven door hinge

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 371, of PCT International Application No.: PCT/KR2018/015824, filed on Dec. 13, 2018, which claims foreign priority to Korean Patent Application No.: 10-2018-0004677, filed on Jan. 12, 2018, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a door hinge, and, more specifically, a door hinge for an oven that can positioned lower than an interior floor of the oven when the door hinge is completely opened forward. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     In general, there are two different types of door hinges, one type is the door can be opened and closed hinged by one side and the other type is the door is opened and closed upper and lower side hinged by an upper side, i.e., a side closing type door and a top closing type door. 
     In the meantime, the latter is used for the door of a gas oven range or a microwave oven for home appliance. It shows in  FIG. 1  in which the conventional composition of the door hinge is attached. 
     As it is well known, a door hinge is a device designed to allow the door to perform opening and closing from the door frame. These door hinges can be divided into a left-right opening and closing method wherein the door hinge is attached to the left or right side of the door frame and a top-bottom opening and closing method wherein the door hinge is attached to the top or bottom side of the door frame. 
     On the other hand, the top-bottom opening and closing door hinge is used in electronic appliances such as gas oven or microwave oven and a related art, Korean Patent Office Registration Patent Publication No. 10-1480240 (hereinafter related art). 
     The related art discloses a door hinge that can be lowered when the door is open to the front. 
     However, when implementing the door hinge structure of the related art to an oven stove, it is clear that this is a useful design that prevents interference between the door and the door frame by allowing the door to open through a hinged door, and the opening operation is performed at a certain distance, in the prior art, after the door is completely laid forward and the opening operation is completed, the inner side surface of the door must be higher than the bottom surface of the cooking space of the oven range. In the process of taking out cooked food from the cooking space, there is a frequent occurrence of a safety accident, such as spilling of food by hitting the a container for the food on the door 
     Moreover, the door hinge of the related art has a structure in which the speed is gradually increased while an opening of the door is in progress, so unless a separate speed attenuating means is provided, the door is opened too rapidly to cause a noise and damage due to impact. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Therefore, object(s) of the present invention for solving the above problems is to provide a door hinge for an oven that is laid forward and that a position of an inner side surface of the door is lower than the bottom of the interior space of the oven, when opening operation is finished. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     A door hinge for opening and closing a door, the door hinge comprising: 
     a fixing member fixed to the door frame of the oven range; an operating frame that is rotatably connected to the fixing member and is fixed to the door to open and close the door; a plate bolted in close contact with the lower inner side of the operating frame; and a hinge bracket configured to rotatably connecting the operating frame to the fixing member, wherein the hinge bracket comprises a plate that is bolted in close contact with the inside of the lower end of the operating frame and a gap holding member composed of a hinge shaft at the bottom of the fixing member in a state in which the space is formed in the center in a shape of a “U” cross-section, the front end is configured to be coupled to the lower end of the plate, and its end is exposed to the outside of the lower end of the operating frame. 
     According to aspect(s) of the present invention, a link is provided, which may include a link rod a link rod having an end coupled to the fixing member with a first pin; and a link slide, which is coupled to an end of the link rod and moves along the guide length groove according to the rotational movement of the operating frame while being fitted in an elongate guide groove formed inside the operating frame. 
     It is preferable that the protrusion is formed at a upper side of the link slider, and a stumbling protrusion colliding with the protrusion is formed at the inner upper side of the operating frame according to the rotational movement of the operating frame. 
     Effects of Invention 
     According to aspect(s) of the present invention, when the operating frame installed in a door is connected to a fixing member installed on a door frame of the door with a hinge shaft, by connecting a hinge bracket as a medium, the door may be laid forward so that an inner side surface of the door, when the opening operation is completed, is lower than a bottom surface of an interior space of the oven range. It has the effect of being safely removed. 
     By laying forward and allowing the inner side surface of the door, which has been opened to open, to be located lower than the bottom surface of the interior space of the oven, it has the effect of safely removing it without hitting the door in the process of removing the container for food from the oven. 
     The inner side surface of the door can be positioned lower than the bottom surface of the interior space of the oven if the opening operation is completed by being laid down forward due to a thickness of the door. 
     By doing so, it has an effect of safely removing without bumping into the door in the process of removing the the container for food from the oven stove. 
     In addition, by attenuating the closing speed of the door at any point where the closing operation of the door is made, it has an effect of preventing the door from colliding with the door frame of the oven stove and causing damage or severe noise. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Example embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent by describing example embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a view showing the configuration of a door hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional excerpt of the main configuration of the door hinge of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a view showing a state in which the closing of the door according to an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a view showing a state in which the door opening operation using the door hinge according to an aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION 
     While the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative embodiments, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described. However, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the present invention to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the present invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items 
     It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to another element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms and used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
     Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in detail. For better understanding of the present invention, same reference numerals are used to refer to the same elements through the description of the figures, and the description of the same elements will be omitted. 
       FIG. 1  is a view showing the configuration of a door hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention and  FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional excerpt of the main configuration of the door hinge of  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the door hinge according to aspect(s) of the present invention is to be installed in various home appliances (oven range) that allows the door  200  to be opened and closed in a top and bottom opening and closing method hinged by a bottom side (that is, a way to be opened and closed at the front). 
     A door hinge may include a fixed member  10  mounted on the door frame  100 , an operating frame  20  mounted on the door  200  and configured to be connected to the fixed member  10  and the hinge bracket  40  and the fixed member  10 , a linker  30  for connecting the operating frame  20  and guiding the rotational operation of the operating frame  20  to be stably performed. 
     The operating frame  20  is configured to be connected to the fixing member  10  and the hinge bracket  40  in a state mounted on the door  200 , and connects the hinge bracket  40  and the fixing member  10 . The operating frame  20  is an apparatus for opening the door  200  by rotating about a hinge shaft  48 , which connects the hinge bracket  40  and the fixing member  10 . 
     In other word, the fixing plate  12  formed on the both lower side of the fixing member  10 . The hinge bracket  40  is connected to the fixing member through the fixing plate  12  using the hinge shaft  48 . 
     The linker  30  is a member that guides the rotation operation of the operating frame  20  according to the opening of the door  200  to be stably performed. 
     The linker  30  may include a link rod  32  which has a first end and the second end thereof. The first end of the link rod  32  is coupled to the fixing member  10  with a pin  34 , 
     The link slider  36 , which is coupled to the second end of the link rod  32  by a pin  38 , which guides the rotation of the operating frame  20  while moving on an elongate guide groove  22 , and is inserted into the elongate guide groove  22  formed inside the operating frame  20  according to the rotational movement of the operating frame  20 . 
     A protrusion  37  is formed at an upper end of the link slider  36 , and a stumbling protrusion  24  formed on the inner upper end of the operating frame  20  hits the protrusion  37  and attenuates the closing speed of the door  200  so that the door  200  is not closed suddenly. 
     That is, when the door  200  is lifted to close the door  200 , which is opened, the operating frame  20  rotates in an opposite direction to the opening of the door  200  and causes the door  200  to be closed. At this time, when the rotation of the operating frame  20  reaches approximately 70° from the opening of the door  200 , as the stumbling protrusion  24  formed on the inner upper end of the operating frame  20  bumps into the protrusion  37  of the link slider  36 , the closing speed of the door  200  is attenuated to prevent the door  200  from colliding with the door frame  100  of the oven stove  400  or being damaged or generating severe noise. 
     One end of a main spring (not shown) is fixed to the operating frame  20  and the other end of the main spring (not shown) is configured to be connected to the link slider  36  to elastically support the rotational movement of the operating frame  20 . 
     A hinge bracket  40  is a member that rotatably connects the operating frame  20  to the fixing member  10 . 
     The hinge bracket  40  may include: a plate  42  that is bolted in close contact with the inside of the lower end of the operating frame  20 , and a gap holding member  46  has a space  44  is formed in a center in a “U” cross-sectional shape, a front end, is configured to be coupled to the lower end of the plate  42 , and a rear end thereof is coupled to, while being exposed outside the lower end of the operating frame  20 , the fixing plate  12  formed on both sides of the lower end of the fixing member  10 . 
     However, a gap holding member may be not only “U” shape but also “C” or different shape as long as a shape having a space in the center thereof. the gap holding member  46  enables the hinge shaft  48  to be coupled to the bottom of the fixing member  10  as much as possible at a distance of the space  44  formed in the center thereof. 
     That is, while rotating the operating frame  20  around the hinge shaft  48 , the door  200  is completely laid forward in a process of opening the door  200 , at the time when the opening operation is completed, an inner side surface of the door  200  is positioned to be lower than the bottom surface  410  of the cooking space of the oven  400 . 
     Thus, in a process of pulling out the container for food  420  supporting the food being cooked in the cooking space to the outside, it is possible to prevent a safety accident risk such as spilling food due to the container for food  420  hitting the door  200 . 
     That is, for an example, if an lower end of the operating frame  20  is directly coupled to the fixing member  10  by a hinge shaft  48 , even if an opening operation of the door  200  is completed, an inner side surface of the door  200  must be higher than a bottom surface  410  of the cooking vessel of the oven stove  400  due to a thickness of the door  200 . 
     Thus, in this case, in the process of taking out the food supporter  420  from the oven stove  400  to the outside, there is a risk that the food supporter  420  may hit the door  200  and may cause to spill the food. 
     However, according to aspect(s) of the present invention, when the gap holding member  46  of the hinge bracket  40  is interposed between the operating frame  20  and the fixing member  10 , the operating frame  20  is combined to the fixing member  10  by the hinge shaft  48 , since the hinge shaft  48  can be coupled to the bottom of the fixing member  10  as much as the distance of the space  44  of the gap holding member  46 . 
     Thus, regardless of the thickness of the door  200 , an inner side surface of the door  200  can be positioned lower than the bottom surface  410  of the cooking space of the oven  400  if the opening operation is completed, thereby preventing the support  420  from colliding with the door  200  according to aspect(s) of the present invention. 
     While the example embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may be made herein without departing 
     from the scope of the present invention. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 [EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS] 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 10: fixing member 
                 20: operating frame 
               
               
                   
                 30: linker 
                 32: link rod 
               
               
                   
                 36: link slider 
                 40: hinge bracket 
               
               
                   
                 42: plate 
                 44: space 
               
               
                   
                 46: gap holding member 
                 48: hinge shaft 
               
               
                   
                 100: door frame 
                 200: door 
               
               
                   
                 400: oven range 
                 410: bottom surface