Patent Description:
The present invention also concerns a hinge comprising a plurality of said hinging elements and a window or door frame comprising one or more of said hinges.

It is known that there are various types of hinging elements, used in particular to articulate a mobile structure, such as a wing of a door, a window or other, to a frame installed in a wall. <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> disclose examples of such hinging elements.

Such hinging elements can comprise, for example, pins able to be inserted into cylindrical seatings which define the axis of rotation of the window or door frame, typically a vertical or horizontal axis.

In the case, for example, of a hinge formed by three hinging elements aligned along the axis of rotation, a pair of lateral hinging elements are normally attached to a first structure of the window or door frame, and a central hinging element is attached to a second structure to be articulated to the first structure. The hinging elements are connected to the structures to be articulated by means of corresponding attachment elements, such as screws, pins or suchlike.

A disadvantage of such hinging elements is that, especially when the window or door frame is in the maximum opening position, they can leave terminal or intermediate portions of the attachment elements, as well as portions of the mobile or fixed wing surrounding the position of the hinges, exposed. These exposed portions may be unsightly due to smudging, marks, scratches, leakages or other.

Another disadvantage, caused by slack or play of the attachment elements can cause a slight failure or "drop" of the window or door frame.

The infiltration of dirt, dust, moisture or other in the connection zone between the pins and the holes can also make the operation of the hinges at least partly non-fluid, creating friction and resistance.

The structural solidity and strength of these hinging elements can also be improved, especially in the zone where the connection of the attachment elements in corresponding seatings created in the structures to be articulated is provided.

There is therefore the need to perfect a hinging element for window or door frames, or suchlike, that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.

In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a hinging element for window or door frames, or suchlike, that is structurally resistant and that has attachment elements that remain hidden from view and protected whatever the degree of opening of the window or door frame, therefore even with the window or door frame completely open.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a hinging element that allows to substantially hide from view any defects present around the attachment seating of the structure where it is positioned, making the entire area of connection between the wings and the frame of the window or door frame structurally solid and aesthetically pleasing.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a hinging element that is effective, simple to make and compact.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a hinge that is resistant, formed by a plurality of hinging elements and complies with the strict reference standards of the sector.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a window or door frame comprising one or more hinges for opening and closing a mobile structure with respect to a fixed structure.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a compact, resistant, sag-free window or door frame.

In accordance with the above purposes, a hinging element according to the present invention for window or door frames, or suchlike, comprises, in a conventional manner, a cylindrical body, for example a bushing or suchlike, directed along a hinging axis and a plurality of attachment elements for connection with a structure of a window or door frame.

According to a characteristic aspect of the invention, the hinging element comprises a box-shaped housing of the female type configured to be positioned, during use, in a seating of the structure and at least partly accommodate the attachment elements. The hinging element also comprises a box-shaped element of the male type integral with the cylindrical body and configured to at least partly cover the attachment elements and to be inserted in the box-shaped housing.

Thanks to the female-type box-shaped housing, in which, once assembly has been completed, the box-shaped element is almost completely inserted, it is possible to obtain a structurally resistant hinging element suitable to entirely cover the area around the attachment zone with the structure of the window or door frame, where in particular the attachment elements are positioned.

The box-shaped housing also allows to hide any defects present in the positioning seating of the hinging element.

According to another aspect of the invention, the male-type box-shaped element has a shape corresponding with that of the female-type box-shaped housing.

According to another aspect of the invention, the box-shaped housing is recessed in the seating, therefore inserted to measure therein.

According to another aspect of the invention, the box-shaped housing has a prismatic, or suchlike, internal section.

According to another aspect of the invention, the box-shaped housing comprises a base provided with through holes which the attachment elements pass through.

According to another aspect of the invention, the box-shaped housing comprises a base provided with through holes which attachment elements, which attach the box-shaped housing in the seating, pass through.

According to another aspect of the invention, the box-shaped housing comprises a protruding edge which, during use, rests on the surface of the structure around the seating.

According to another aspect of the invention, the hinging element comprises a protection and embellishment cap able to be positioned around the cylindrical body.

According to another aspect of the invention, the box-shaped housing and/or the box-shaped element are made with a material chosen from a group comprising zinc alloys, steel, tempered steel, carbonitrided steel, acetal resin, ABS, or suchlike.

The invention also concerns a hinge for door or window frames, comprising a plurality of hinging elements aligned along the hinging axis.

The invention also concerns a window or door frame, comprising at least a first structure and at least a second structure which are reciprocally articulated by means of one or more hinges.

With reference to <FIG> of the attached drawings, a hinging element 10a, 10b, 10c for window or door frames, or suchlike, comprises a cylindrical body 11a, 11b, 11c, for example a bushing or suchlike directed along a hinging axis Y, and a plurality of attachment elements <NUM>, <NUM> for connection with a structure 15a, 15b of a window or door frame <NUM>.

The hinging element 10a, 10b, 10c is provided with a box-shaped housing <NUM> of the female type, configured to be positioned, during use, in a seating <NUM> of the structure 15a, 15b and at least partly accommodate the attachment elements <NUM>, <NUM>.

The hinging element 10a, 10b, 10c is also provided with a box-shaped element <NUM> of the male type, in particular having holes for insertion on the attachment elements <NUM>, <NUM> and therefore mounted on and made integral with the cylindrical body 11a, 11b, 11c. The box-shaped element <NUM> is configured to at least partly cover the attachment elements <NUM>, <NUM> and to be inserted, almost completely, into the box-shaped housing <NUM>.

The box-shaped element <NUM> is mating in shape with the box-shaped housing <NUM>, therefore, when assembling the hinge, it is inserted to size in the box-shaped housing <NUM> through an open front side <NUM> thereof. This guarantees a higher stability to the hinging element 10a, 10b, 10c, since the pins are connected to each other, together with a same element that strengthens their structural strength, limiting the tendency to flex that results from the weight of the wing to which they are connected. Once assembly is finalized, the insertion of the box-shaped element <NUM> into the box-shaped housing <NUM> can be complete, or a segment of the box-shaped element <NUM> can protrude from the box-shaped housing <NUM>, see for example <FIG>.

When the box-shaped element <NUM> is inserted for a relevant part thereof inside the box-shaped housing <NUM>, the two elements cooperate together to further increase the structural strength of the hinging element 10a, 10b, 10c, forming a compact block that strongly reduces the tendency of the attachment elements to lower over time.

The box-shaped housing <NUM> is recessed in the seating <NUM>, therefore inserted to measure therein, and can have a prismatic or similar internal shape, for example quadrangular. The box-shaped housing <NUM>, in particular, has an external shape corresponding to that of the seating <NUM>. The external shape of the box-shaped housing <NUM> can be rounded or prismatic, in particular depending on the shape of the seating <NUM>.

Externally, the box-shaped element <NUM> has a prismatic shape, for example parallelepiped, mating with that of the internal section of the box-shaped housing <NUM>.

The box-shaped housing <NUM> also comprises a protruding edge <NUM> which, once assembly is competed, rests on the surface <NUM> of the structure 15a, 15b around the seating <NUM>. The edge <NUM> is preferably annular, therefore it develops along the entire perimeter of the box-shaped housing <NUM>.

The box-shaped housing <NUM> is attached to the seating <NUM> by means of attachment elements <NUM>, such as screws or suchlike. In the case of a wooden structure 15a, 15b, the screws can be self-tapping.

The box-shaped housing <NUM>, see in particular <FIG>, comprises a base <NUM> in which a plurality of through holes <NUM>, <NUM> are created, which the attachment elements <NUM>, <NUM> of the hinging element 10a, 10b and 10c to the structure 15a, 15b pass through. The base <NUM>, preferably, rests on the bottom of the seating <NUM>.

The base <NUM> comprises through holes <NUM> which the attachment elements <NUM> of the box-shaped housing <NUM> in the seating <NUM> pass through.

The attachment element <NUM> is a threaded stem that is positioned centrally in the cylindrical body 10a, 10b, 10c and passes through the central through hole <NUM> of the box-shaped housing <NUM>. The through hole <NUM> can be threaded. The attachment element <NUM> can be screwed into or unscrewed from the seating <NUM> to allow a lateral adjustment of the hinging element 10a, 10b, 10c. The attachment element <NUM>, see <FIG>, comprises an adjustment head <NUM> positioned in a hole <NUM> created in the cylindrical body 11a, 11b, 11c.

The attachment elements <NUM> are two stems, located on the sides of the box-shaped element <NUM> and able to pass through the through holes <NUM> of the base <NUM>.

The cylindrical bodies 11a, 11b, 11c of the hinging elements 10a, 10b, 10c are aligned along the hinging axis Y to form a hinge <NUM>, see <FIG> and <FIG>. The hinge <NUM> in this case comprises three hinging elements 10a, 10b, 10c, that is, two lateral hinging elements 10a, 10c and a central hinging element 10b. If the hinging axis Y is vertical, the hinging elements 10a and 10c represent the upper hinging element and the lower hinging element, respectively, of the hinge <NUM>. The hinge <NUM> can also be formed by a different number of aligned hinging elements, for example two or more than three.

The lateral hinging element 10a comprises a pin 29a mobile inside the cylindrical body 11a and exiting from the lower end thereof. The pin 29a is directed along the hinging axis Y and its position can be adjusted by means of a grub screw 31a or headless screw.

The central hinging element 10a comprises a pin 29b mobile inside the cylindrical body 11b and exiting from the lower end thereof. The pin 29b is directed along the hinging axis Y and its position can be adjusted by means of a grub screw 31b. The cylindrical body 11b comprises, at the opposite end with respect to the pin 29b, a seating 32b into which the pin 29a of the hinging element 10a is inserted.

The lateral hinging element 10c does not provide pins, but the cylindrical body 11c is provided with a seating 32c in which the pin 29b of the hinging element 10b is inserted.

The hinging element 11a, 10b, 10c is equipped with a protection and embellishment cap 33a, 33b, 33c which can be inserted, once assembly is completed, see in particular <FIG> and <FIG>, around the respective cylindrical body 10a, 10b, 10c. The caps 33b and 33c of the hinging elements 10b and 10c have lateral notches <NUM>, so as to be able to be slightly opened and positioned correctly on the corresponding cylindrical body 11b and 11c.

The hinge <NUM> can be used to join two structures 15a and 15b of the window or door frame <NUM>, see in particular <FIG>.

The structure 15a can be fixed, for example the frame of the window or door frame <NUM>, while the structure 15b can be mobile, for example the wing of the door or window frame <NUM>, which rotates with respect to the frame around the hinging axis Y. Preferably, the lateral hinging elements 10a and 10c are attached to the fixed structure 15a, while the hinging element 10b is attached to the mobile structure 15b. The window or door frame <NUM> can comprise a plurality of hinges <NUM>, depending on its size and weight, for example.

The box-shaped housing <NUM> and/or the box-shaped element <NUM> can be made with a material chosen from a group comprising zinc alloys, steel, tempered steel, carbonitrided steel, acetal resin, ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene), or suchlike.

The cylindrical bodies 11a, 11b, 11c are preferably made of metal material, preferably galvanized.

The caps 33a, 33b, 33c are preferably made of ABS and painted.

Below is a load test with a pair of hinges <NUM> applied to a door, according to UNI EN <NUM> standard.

The test according to EN <NUM> was performed by loading all the weight on the upper hinge only, while the purpose of the lower hinge was only one of lateral guidance.

The standard also provides for a static load test with a door weighing twice as much as the test door (in this case <NUM>) after which the door has to fall within the displacement parameters provided, that is, vertical drop and lateral drop, and an overload test equal to three times the weight of the test door.

In addition to the test performed according to EN <NUM>, on the basis of which the hinge grade was defined, that is, the maximum grade as reported above, the following were also performed:.

In both of these last two cases the hinges were adjusted so that both supported the weight of the door. Also in these cases, the result was positive, and the hinges confirmed their structural strength.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the hinging element, to the hinge and to the window or door frame as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art will be able to achieve other equivalent forms of hinging element, hinge and window or door frame, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claim 1:
Hinging element (10a, 10b, 10c) for window or door frames, or suchlike, comprising a cylindrical body (11a, 11b, 11c) directed along a hinging axis (Y) and a plurality of attachment elements (<NUM>, <NUM>) for connection with a structure (15a, 15b) of a window or door frame (<NUM>), characterized in that it comprises a box-shaped housing (<NUM>) of the female type configured to be positioned, during use, in a seating (<NUM>) of said structure (15a, 15b) and at least partly accommodate said attachment elements (<NUM>, <NUM>), and a box-shaped element (<NUM>) of the male type integral with said cylindrical body (11a, 11b, 11c) and configured to at least partly cover said attachment elements (<NUM>, <NUM>) and to be inserted in said box-shaped housing (<NUM>).