Hinge for furniture

[0002] This application is a Divisional Application of Ser. No. 09/504,867, filed Feb. 16, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,798.

[0003] The invention relates to a hinge including a hinge boss which may be set in a door and including a hinge arm which may be secured to a piece of furniture and which is connected to the hinge boss by at least one hinge pin. The hinge arm is mounted on the furniture frame by a base plate, and the base plate is fixed on the furniture frame by at least one fixing screw or dowel.

[0004] In modern furniture construction, so-called door frames are in increasingly widespread use, such frames being the stable part which bears the hinges for the door, and the actual side walls of the item of furniture are made of weaker material. This gives the advantage that either the total costs of the item of furniture can be reduced, since the side walls may be extremely thin, or materials of higher quality which are consequently more attractive in appearance can be selected for the side walls, without the furniture being more expensive than conventionally manufactured furniture.

[0005] Such a hinge, in which the base plate embraces a frame of an item of furniture in a U-shaped manner, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,796. U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,706 discloses a frame hinge including a base plate that embraces the frame in the form of a U, and has a fixed member at one side and a resilient tongue at the other side. The hinge arm is held on the base plate by means of holding flanges.

[0006] The object of the invention is to improve the hold of a hinge arm of a hinge on the base plate so that heavy doors can be mounted using the improved hinge.

[0007] The object of the invention is achieved by providing the base plate with at least one bridge. The hinge arm has a first end hinged to the hinge boss by a hinge pin and has a second end inserted between the bridge and a web of the base plate so that the bridge straddles the hinge arm.

[0008] In an embodiment of the invention, in order to prevent the hinge arm from slipping off the base plate, a catch is provided which prevents unintentional removal of the hinge arm from the base plate.

[0009] According to a further embodiment of the invention, a good hold of the hinge on the frame of the piece of furniture is achieved by the fact that the base plate has a fixing web which rests laterally against the frame and which has a hole, preferably an elongated hole, through which a fixing screw projects. In addition, the base plate has a bearing web which rests against the front of the frame and bears the hinge arm.

[0010] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the figures of the appended drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hinge according to the invention in the position, sections of the frame and of the door being shown;

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the hinge;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hinge;

[0014] FIGS. 4 and 5 are sections taken along line B—B of FIG. 3;

[0015] FIG. 4ais a detail of FIG. 4;

[0016] FIG. 5ais a detail of FIG. 5;

[0017] FIG. 6 is a side view of a hinge;

[0018] FIG. 7 is a partial section view taken along line A—A of FIG. 6;

[0019] FIG. 7ais a detail of FIG. 7;

[0020] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of a hinge according to a further embodiment of the invention;

[0021] FIGS. 9 and 10 are horizontal sections of a hinge in the mounted position;

[0022] FIG. 9ais a detail of FIG. 9;

[0023] FIG. 10ais a detail of FIG. 10;

[0024] FIG. 11 is a partial vertical section through a frame and a base plate of the hinge;

[0025] FIG. 11ais a detail of FIG. 11;

[0026] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a hinge according to a further embodiment of the invention in the mounted position, sections of the frame and the door being shown;

[0027] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the hinge;

[0028] FIG. 14 is a plan view of the hinge;

[0029] FIG. 15 a section taken along line B—B of FIG. 14;

[0030] FIG. 15ais a detail of FIG. 15;

[0031] FIG. 16 is side view of the hinge;

[0032] FIG. 17 is a partial section view taken along line A—A of FIG. 16;

[0033] FIG. 17ais a detail of FIG. 17;

[0034] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the hinge according to the invention in the mounted position, sections of the frame and the door being shown;

[0035] FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the hinge according to FIG. 18;

[0036] FIG. 20 is a plan view of a hinge according to FIGS. 18 and 19;

[0037] FIGS. 21 and 22 are sections taken along line B—B of FIG. 20;

[0038] FIG. 21ais a detail of FIG. 21;

[0039] FIG. 22ais a detail of FIG. 22;

[0040] FIG. 23 is a side view of hinge sections of the frame and of the door being shown;

[0041] FIG. 24 is a section taken along line A—A of FIG. 23 and

[0042] FIG. 24ais a detail of FIG. 24.

[0043] In the drawings, only pats of the door frame 1 and the door 2 are shown. The door 2 is mounted on the frame 1 by two or more hinges according to the invention.

[0044] A base plate 3 is fastened to the frame 1. In the embodiment shown, the base plate 3 is in the form of a U and straddles the frame 1. A hinge boss 8 is mounted in a bore in the door 2, and the hinge arm 4 is linked to the hinge boss 8 by means of an axle 9. In the embodiments shown, the hinge axle 9 is a leg of a shackle 10 protruding through the hinge boss 8. Springs 12 are mounted on the rear leg 11. The springs 12 press on bearing surfaces 13 of the hinge arm 4 thereby holding the hinge boss 8 and the door 2 in its closed position.

[0045] The base plate 3 is made out of sheet steel. A bridge 15 is stamped out on the web 14 of the base plate 3 abutting the front of the frame 1. The hinge arm 4 is inserted underneath this bridge 15 and thereby anchored on the base plate 3. Because the bridge 15 is made out of one piece (integral) with the base plate 3, and because the hinge arm 4 is held between the web 14 of the base plate 3 and the bridge 15, it is held securely on the base plate 3 even if the door 2 is very heavy.

[0046] The base plate 3 is provided with an elongated hole 16, a screw 17 projects through this elongated hole 16 and is screwed into the frame 1 thereby fastening the base plate 3 to the frame 1.

[0047] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 7, the bridge 15 is provided with a hole 18, and a clamping screw 6 protrudes through this hole 18. The hinge arm 4 is provided with an elongated hole 5 which is aligned perpendicular to the hinge axle 9.

[0048] In the opening 20 of the base plate 3 and the web 14 (which was formed by stamping out the bridge 15), a nut 7 is situated. The nut 7 is a square nut. The hinge arm 4 is held between the bridge 15 and the nut 7 by means of the clamping screw 6 and is clamped onto the bridge 15. When the clamping screw 6 is loosened, the hinge arm 4 can be displaced in a direction perpendicular to the hinge axle 9, that is in the direction shown by the double arrow of FIG. 1. This adjustment possibility is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The nut 7 is provided with a socket 7′ protruding into the elongated hole 5 of the hinge arm 4.

[0049] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 11athe clamping screw 6 is held in a female thread 19 of the hinge arm 4. The bridge 15 is provided with an elongated hole 21 through which the clamping screw 6 protrudes. The elongated hole 21 is arranged perpendicular to the hinge axle 9. Also in this embodiment, the hinge arm is held underneath the bridge 15 and on top of the web 14. The hinge arm 4 can be displaced over the length of the elongated hole 21. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the two final positions of the hinge arm 4 of this embodiment are shown. Also in this embodiment, lateral adjustment of the position of the door 2 is possible.

[0050] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 to 17, the hinge arm 4 is displaced by means of an eccentric 22. The hinge arm is again held between the web 14 and the bridge 15 and is straddled by the bridge 15. Thereby, it is secured to the base plate 3. Adjustment of the position of the hinge arm 4 in a lateral direction of the piece of furniture is achieved by the eccentric 22 which is mounted in a hole 24 of the hinge arm 4 by means of a pin 23. The bridge 15 is provided with an elongated hole 25. The cam 26 of the eccentric 22 is situated within the elongated hole 25 so that at least a portion of the surface of the cam 26 abuts the side walls (i.e., a corresponding surface) of this hole 25 (as seen in FIGS. 15aand 17a). The eccentric 22 is riveted to the hinge arm 4 by means of the pin 23 and is provided with a head 27 that abuts the bridge 15 on the side facing away from the hinge arm 4. Also in this embodiment, the hinge arm 4 is securely held on the base plate 3.

[0051] As can be seen in FIG. 17 and FIG. 17a, the centerline of pin 23 is slightly offset from the centerline of eccentric 22 (about which the eccentric rotates). Thus, as the eccentric 22 is rotated, the pin 23 which is connected to the hinge arm 4 will push the hinge arm so as to move the hinge arm 4 with respect to base plate 3.

[0052] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 18 to 24, the position of the hinge arm 4 is adjusted by a disc 30 with a spiral rib 29. This disc 30 is mounted in a bearing 28 in the bridge 15, and projections 31 on the hinge arm 4 abut (i.e., engage) the spiral rib 29. In the embodiment shown, the spiral rib 29 has two ends 29′, 29″ overlapping each other. The disc 30 is provided with a cylindrical socket 32 which is situated in a circular hole 33 of the bridge 15. The disc 30 can be turned by inserting a screw driver into the socket and turning the socket. By turning of the disc 30, the hinge arm 4 is moved within the bridge 15 in a lateral direction of the piece of furniture due to the engagement of the spiral rib 29 and the projections 31. A flap 34 is stamped out of the hinge arm 4, and the flap 34 protrudes into an opening 20 in the web 14. The flap 34 constitutes a catch which prevents unintentional removal of the hinge arm 4 from the bridge 15 and the base plate 3. In the final position of the hinge arm 4, the flap 34 abuts the edge of the opening 20 in the web 14.