Patent Description:
In the furniture sector, in order to support the doors of items of furniture in an oscillating manner, use is conventionally made of hinges that comprise a fixed part which can be connected to the body of the item of furniture and a moveable part, constituted by a box, which can be connected to the door, the parts of which are articulated to each other in an oscillating manner by way of an articulation system that comprises two connecting rockers and four articulation axes.

In general the hinges comprise similarly adapted elastic means, for example a V-shaped leaf spring which is loaded to push the arm of the fixed part, or the articulation system, in the direction of closure of the hinge in order to bring the door to the closed position and keep it there.

However, in some cases, for example when inside the item of furniture there are drawers mounted flush with the door, as an alternative or in addition to the action of the elastic means adapted to keep the door in the closed position, it would be desirable to have an elastic action adapted to keep the door in the fully open position, so as to guard against the risk that the drawers, when they are opened, could collide with the door while it is not fully open, thus causing damage thereto.

The <CIT> or the <CIT> disclose hinges for furniture with elastic means to bring the door in the opening position.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a hinge for doors of furniture or the like which has elastic means that are configured to bring the door to the fully open position and keep it there.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a hinge for doors of furniture or the like that is highly reliable, easily and practically implemented and of low cost.

This aim and this and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a hinge for furniture or the like according to claim <NUM>.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention are further defined in the subsequent claims.

The characteristics and the advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following description of a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the hinge for furniture, which is illustrated for the purposes of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:.

The hinge according to the present invention, generally designated in the accompanying figures by the reference numeral <NUM>, in general comprises a hinge arm <NUM> that is configured to be fixed to a fixed part or body of the item of furniture, not shown, for example by way of a fixing base <NUM> on which the arm <NUM> can be snap-fastened.

The hinge <NUM> also comprises a hinge box <NUM> that is configured to be fixed to a door of the item of furniture and is connected, so that it can oscillate, to the hinge arm <NUM> by an articulation system in order to be movable between an open position and a closed position of the hinge.

The articulation system comprises a first, inner rocker <NUM> which is connected, so that it can oscillate, with the hinge arm <NUM> and with the hinge box <NUM> respectively by a first <NUM> and a second <NUM> articulation axis and a second, outer rocker <NUM> which is connected, so that it can oscillate, with the hinge arm <NUM> and with the hinge box <NUM> respectively by a third <NUM> and a fourth <NUM> articulation axis.

The hinge <NUM> further comprises elastic means <NUM> for opening and/or closing the hinge, which are arranged in the hinge arm <NUM> and which, according to the present invention, are configured and stressed in such a way as to exert an elastic action that acts beginning from a certain opening angle, in order to bring the door to the fully open position and keep that door in that position.

If necessary, as a function of the type of application and use of the hinge, such elastic means can also be configured and stressed to exert a further elastic action that acts beginning from a certain opening angle in order to bring the door to the closed position and keep it there.

In order to achieve the foregoing, according to the present invention, the hinge <NUM> comprises a stressing lever <NUM> for stressing the elastic opening and/or closing means <NUM>; such stressing lever <NUM> is supported so that it can oscillate by the third articulation axis <NUM> of the second outer rocker <NUM> and functionally connected to that second rocker <NUM> in order to stress the elastic means <NUM> at least in a neighborhood of the open position of the hinge, so as to achieve the aforementioned elastic action that acts beginning from a certain opening angle in order to bring the door to the fully open position and to keep the door in that position.

Preferably the stressing lever <NUM> comprises a pressing portion <NUM>' for the elastic means <NUM>, from which two spaced-apart side arms <NUM>" protrude which have coaxial holes <NUM>‴ for the articulated connection of the lever <NUM> to the articulation axis <NUM> or <NUM>.

For the purposes of the aforementioned functional connection between the stressing lever <NUM> and the second <NUM> rocker, the stressing lever <NUM> and/or the rocker <NUM> preferably comprise connecting means <NUM> which are shaped to functionally connect the stressing lever <NUM> and the corresponding rocker <NUM> with each other at least in the aforementioned neighborhood of the open position of the hinge.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, in which the stressing lever <NUM> is supported so that it can oscillate by the third articulation axis <NUM> of the second outer rocker <NUM> and is connected to the second rocker <NUM>, such connecting means <NUM> can for example be in the form of at least one protrusion <NUM> extending from at least one of the arms <NUM>" of the lever <NUM> in a direction substantially radial to the holes <NUM>‴, so as to come into contact with a thrust surface <NUM>' of the rocker <NUM>, which is arranged substantially radial to the articulation axis <NUM> and is spaced apart from that axis <NUM>.

The possibility is not ruled out that the connecting means can be of a different type, for example in the form of a geared transmission, or cam means, or a lever mechanism.

Preferably the elastic means <NUM> are in the form of a leaf spring or a metal wire spring having a first <NUM>' and a second <NUM>" V-shaped elastic arm, which is fixed in the hinge arm <NUM> by way of one of the articulation axes or by way of another fixing element.

In the embodiment shown, the V-shaped spring <NUM> is inserted astride and fixed on the third articulation axis <NUM>; in this case the pressing portion <NUM>' of the stressing lever <NUM> is preferably interposed between a wall <NUM>' of the hinge arm <NUM> and the first arm <NUM>' of the spring, while the second arm <NUM>" of the spring lies against an abutment element <NUM> which is connected to the hinge arm <NUM>.

Preferably the abutment element <NUM> is in the form of a cam which is integral with the first rocker <NUM> and fixed at the first articulation axis <NUM> in such a way as to be able to move in an oscillating manner about that axis.

The cam <NUM> has a resting surface <NUM>' for the second arm <NUM>" of the spring <NUM>; in the embodiment shown, this surface <NUM>' is concentric to the articulation axis <NUM> so that the second arm <NUM>" of the spring will not be stressed but will simply remain resting on the cam <NUM>; in such case the spring <NUM> is therefore stressed only by the lever <NUM>.

The possibility is not ruled out however that the resting surface <NUM>' could conveniently be contoured so as to stress the second arm <NUM>" of the spring <NUM> in order to obtain a further, additional elastic action, for example the aforementioned elastic action that acts beginning from a certain opening angle in order to bring the door to the closed position and keep it there.

Operation of the hinge according to the invention is evident from <FIG>.

In particular at the closed position and up to a certain opening angle of the hinge, for example comprised between <NUM>° and <NUM>°, the stressing lever <NUM> is not functionally connected with the rocker <NUM> and therefore the spring <NUM> does not exert any elastic action; this is evident for example from <FIG>, where the hinge is in an open position comprised in the above mentioned angular range, in which the spring <NUM> is not stressed and is not capable of exerting any elastic action on the rocker <NUM> because the protrusion <NUM> that protrudes from at least one of the arms of the stressing lever <NUM> is not in contact with the thrust surface <NUM>' of that rocker <NUM>.

On continuing to open the door, for example at an opening angle of the hinge comprised between <NUM>° and <NUM>°, as illustrated in <FIG>, the protrusion <NUM> of the stressing lever <NUM> comes into contact with the thrust surface <NUM>' of the rocker <NUM> and then the spring <NUM> begins to be stressed by the stressing lever <NUM>.

Starting from such opening angle, and continuing the movement of opening the door up until an opening angle for example comprised between <NUM>° and <NUM>° is reached, the thrust surface <NUM>' of the rocker <NUM>, acting against the protrusion <NUM>, causes the rotation of the stressing lever <NUM> which in turn compresses the spring <NUM> until the latter is brought to the condition of maximum stress shown in <FIG>.

Starting from this opening angle comprised between <NUM>° and <NUM>°, by virtue of the configuration of the articulation system of an articulated quadrilateral formed by the rockers <NUM>, <NUM> and by the four articulation axes <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the rocker <NUM> inverts its direction of rotation, causing a progressive release of the spring <NUM> which is such as to generate the aforementioned elastic action that acts in order to bring the door to the fully open position and to keep the door in that position.

Such condition is shown in <FIG>, where the hinge is in the fully open position, in which the spring <NUM> has been at least partially released in order to keep that hinge in such open position.

The solution according to the present invention can be applied to hinges of conventional type or even to hinges fitted with devices for the deceleration or damping of the closing and/or opening movement.

Furthermore on each door one or more hinges according to the present invention can be applied, optionally associating them with hinges that have elastic means that are configured and stressed in a different manner, for example hinges fitted with means for closing, so as to enable control of the movement of the door when opening and/or when closing as a function of the requirements and of the type of application in the item of furniture.

From the foregoing it is evident that the hinge according to the invention has elastic means that are configured and stressed so as to effectively exert an elastic action that acts beginning from a certain opening angle in order to bring the door to the fully open position and to keep the door in that position.

This is achieved in a simple and economic manner by providing for the mounting of the stressing lever according to the invention in a hinge of substantially conventional type.

The hinge according to the invention is susceptible of modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, all the details of construction may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, and the contingent shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Claim 1:
A hinge (<NUM>) for furniture or the like, which comprises:
- a hinge arm (<NUM>) that is configured to be fixed to a fixed part of the item of furniture;
- a hinge box (<NUM>) that is configured to be fixed to a door of the item of furniture and is connected, so that it can oscillate, to said hinge arm (<NUM>) by an articulation system in order to be movable between an open position and a closed position of the hinge, the articulation system comprising a first, inner rocker (<NUM>) which is connected, so that it can oscillate, with the hinge arm (<NUM>) and with the hinge box (<NUM>) by a first (<NUM>) and a second (<NUM>) articulation axis respectively and a second outer rocker (<NUM>) which is connected, so that it can oscillate, with the hinge arm (<NUM>) and with the hinge box (<NUM>) by a third (<NUM>) and a fourth (<NUM>) articulation axis respectively; and
- elastic means (<NUM>) for opening and/or closing the hinge (<NUM>) in said <NUM> hinge arm (<NUM>);
wherein it comprises a stressing lever (<NUM>) for stressing said elastic opening and/or closing means (<NUM>);
wherein the stressing lever (<NUM>) is supported so that it can oscillate by said third articulation axis (<NUM>) of the second rocker (<NUM>),
wherein said elastic means (<NUM>) are in the form of a leaf spring or a metal wire spring having a first (<NUM>') and a second (<NUM>") V-shaped elastic arm; said spring (<NUM>) being fixed in the hinge arm (<NUM>) by either the third articulation axis (<NUM>) or by another fixing element;
characterized in that
the stressing lever (<NUM>) and/or the second rocker (<NUM>) comprise connecting means (<NUM>) which are shaped to functionally connect the stressing lever (<NUM>) and the rocker (<NUM>) with each other starting from a certain opening angle, in order to stress the elastic means (<NUM>) at least in said neighborhood of the open position of the hinge;
and said spring (<NUM>) is configured and stressed in such a way as to exert an elastic action that acts beginning from a certain opening angle, in order to bring the door to the fully open position and keep that door in that position.