Patent Publication Number: US-5253390-A

Title: Furniture hinge

Description:
The invention relates to a furniture hinge having a hinge arm which is adjustably situated on a mounting plate and, at two bearing locations spaced along its length, is held on the mounting plate either directly or indirectly via an intermediate part. The hinge arm or intermediate part can be engaged with the mounting plate in a formfitting manner at one bearing location and is held by resilient arresting connection at a the other bearing location. 
     A furniture hinge of this type is known (German Gebrauchsmuster 89 07 480). To obtain an arresting connection between the intermediate part and the mounting plate, the longitudinal sides of the intermediate part, which part is U-shaped in cross section, are provided with arresting tongues integral with the intermediate part and extending to the rear end of the hinge arm. The resilient tongues are U-shaped in this region and an inner leg of each projects through a slit-like opening in a front plate of the intermediate part. The free legs of the tongues project into an interior compartment of the intermediate part and, upon being placed on the mounting plate, are guided inwards and into an undercut arresting recess of the mounting plate by cooperation with inclined surfaces of the mounting plate. To release the locking mechanism, the tongues are pressed together manually and removed from the region of the undercut surfaces. 
     This construction of the furniture hinge is expensive to manufacture since the tongues which act as arresting means, and the operating portions of the mounting plate cooperating therewith, must be produced to close tolerances. 
     It is an object of the invention to design a furniture hinge of the type mentioned at the outset in such a manner that it is structurally simple, economical to manufacture and has little susceptibility to trouble during operation. 
     In the hinge of the invention, only one resilient tongue is provided and is arranged at the end of the hinge arm facing away from the hinge axis. This tongue can be swung into a released position by pressing two lateral operating bars inwards. Close tolerances are not required during production of the lateral operating bars. In the hinge of the invention, the overall structure is simpler. 
    
    
     An exemplary embodiment of the furniture hinge according to the invention is illustrated in the drawings and is described below. In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a hinge arm with an intermediate part secured thereto, an associated mounting plate, also being illustrated, 
     FIG. 2 shows the components of FIG. 1 in assembled condition, 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the intermediate part shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, 
     FIG. 4 is a view in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 3, 
     FIG. 5 is a section along the line V--V of FIG. 4. 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 of a second embodiment of the hinge arm, and 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 of the second embodiment of the hinge arm. 
    
    
     The hinge arm 1 is connected, via lateral hinge bars 2,3, with a non-illustrated hinge component which is attached to a lid, a door or the like. 
     In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the hinge arm 1 is connected with an intermediate part 6 by means of a fastening screw 4 and an adjusting screw 5. The intermediate part 6 has a bolt 7 at the side facing the hinge axis of the hinge. The bolt 7 is fixed in the lateral legs 8 of the intermediate part which is U-shaped in cross section. 
     The mounting plate 9, which is fixed to a furniture wall 11 via fastening screws 10, has a bearing recess 12 at the side facing the hinge axis of the furniture hinge. As seen from FIG. 2, the bolt 7 is engaged in the bearing recess 12 in a formfitting manner so that the bearing recess 12 and the bolt 7 define a first bearing location 
     At the front side facing away from the hinge axis of the furniture hinge, the intermediate part 6 is equipped with a resilient tongue 13 which, in the exemplary embodiment, is integral with the intermediate part 6 and has an arresting groove 14. An arresting ledge 15 of the mounting plate 9 catches in the arresting groove 14 in the course of the movement undergone by the intermediate part, or the hinge arm equipped with the intermediate part, during assembly. The arresting groove 14 an arresting ledge 15 constitute cooperating coupling portions for releasably connecting the intermediate part 6, or the assembly of the intermediate part 6 and the hinge arm 1, to the mounting plate 9. 
     To connect the hinge arm 1 and the intermediate part with the mounting plate 9, the bolt 7 of the unit illustrated in FIG. 1 and consisting of the hinge arm 1 and the intermediate part 6 is first engaged in the bearing recess 12 of the mounting plate 9. The unit consisting of the hinge arm and the intermediate part is then pivoted clockwise about this bearing until the arresting groove 14 receives the arresting ledge 15 of the mounting plate 9. 
     In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, lateral operating bars 16 engaging the tongue 13 from the side and connected with the intermediate part 6 are associated with the tongue 13. These lateral operating bars are formed from the lateral legs 8 of the intermediate part 6, and each has a narrow arm 17 which leads to a wide gripping portion 18. 
     An arm actuating portion 19 extends inwards from this gripping portion to the tongue 13. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, the tongue 13 is provided with rearwardly inclined end portions 20, and the arms 19 of the lateral operating bars 16 cooperate with the bounding surfaces 21 of the rearwardly inclined end portions 20 facing the hinge axis. As seen from FIG. 4, the arms 19 are inwardly arc-shaped. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, the arresting groove 14 is bounded by two indentations 22,23 which are arranged at a spacing one above the other. 
     The arresting connection between the tongue 13 and the mounting plate 9 can be broken by pressing the lateral operating bars inwards. The resilient tongue 13 is then elastically deformed, and is brought into a released position, by the arms 19 which cooperate with this tongue. The arms 17, gripping portions 18 and arms 19 thus constitute a means for disengaging the intermediate part 6, or the assembly of the intermediate part 6 and the hinge arm 1, from the mounting plate 9. 
     Subsequently, the hinge arm, together with the intermediate part, can be pivoted counterclockwise about the bolt 7. The hinge arm, together with the intermediate part, can then be separated from the mounting plate. 
     The tongue 13 equipped with arresting means defines a second bearing location together with the arresting ledge 15 of the mounting plate 9. 
     In the illustrated and described exemplary embodiment, the tongue 13 is integral with the intermediate part. 
     In a modified arrangement of this construction, it is also possible to provide the tongue on the hinge arm 1 and to form the lateral operating bars, which are associated with the tongue, from the lateral legs 24 of the hinge arm 1. This is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.