Patent ID: 7114219

Claim:
An automobile hinge for pivotably mounting a pivotable panel component to a vehicle body, said automobile hinge comprising: a panel attachment plate adapted to be secured to a pivotable panel of a vehicle, said panel attachment plate comprising a stamped metallic plate; a body attachment plate adapted to be secured to a vehicle body, said body attachment plate comprising a stamped metallic plate; an intermediate member pivotably attached to said body attachment plate, said panel attachment plate being pivotably attached to said intermediate member, said intermediate member comprising a stamped metallic member having first and second portions arranged at an angle relative to one another, each of said first and second portions of said intermediate member having a generally U-shaped cross section along substantially an entire length thereof and each of said first and second portions comprising opposite sidewalls and a center flange extending between said opposite sidewalls, said intermediate member being pivotably attached to said body attachment plate at a junction of said first and second portions, said junction having opposite sidewalls that pivotally attach to said body attachment plate, said sidewalls of said first portion engaging said body attachment plate with said center flange of said first portion being spaced from said body attachment plate when said intermediate member is pivoted toward a first position where said first portion of said intermediate member is positioned generally along said body attachment plate, said intermediate member being securable in said first position relative to said body attachment plate; and wherein said body attachment plate comprises a generally planar plate portion and a pair of raised flanges along an edge region of said plate portion, said body attachment plate having a hinge portion, said hinge portion comprising a pair of opposed flanges extending generally transverse to said raised flanges, said raised flanges and said opposed flanges extending generally vertically when said plate portion is generally horizontal.