Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to an improved hinge
hav~ng two hinge plates which are relatively pivotable
about a pivot pin, and more particularly to an improved
hinge of the "snap-in" variety used for windows and doors.
Numerous hinges for hanging doors and windows
are known in the art and are generally provided with two
hinge plates each having a hinge curl through which a
pivot pin may be inserted. In the mass production of
doors and windows for use, particularly, on large scale
const^uction pro~ects, one of the requirements is that
the door panels must be provided with (a) ready milled
cutouts for the hinge plates and (b) hinge plates which
must be such that the doors may be hung left or right
merely by turning the door around, the hinges being
symmetrically positioned on the door panel. In order to
achieve this the hinges must be provided with loose hinge
pins which are relatively easily lost with the result that
costly time delays are often incurred awaiting new pins.
Further the projecting hinge curls make it very difficult
to stack a pile of doors without damaging adjacent doors
in the stack.
In order to overcome these problems there has
been suggested, in Canadian Patent 925,26~ issued May 1,
1973 to A/S Grorud Jernvarefabrik, a snap-in hinge
construction comprising a locking plate to be mounted on a
door and a cooperating hinge plate member having a CO}l-
ventional hinge pin and second hinge plate. The locking
plate is mounted on a door having a conventional cut-out
so as to provide, in cooperation with the cut-out, a space
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thereunder to receive -the eng~gement s-tructure of the
hinye plate member. The locking plate, generally a
thermoplastics material, is provided with a resilient
locklng member and a locking tab which extends from the
underside of the inner portion of the locking member to
engage in a cut-out provided as the engagement structure
of the hinge plate member. In such a structure the lock-
ing plate may be mounted on the door at the factory and
as there are no projecting parts from the plane of the
door, the risk of damage during stacking and storage is
minimized. The hinge plate member and its associated
se.cond member and pin may be stored separately and the
pin may be captive, thereby minimizing the loss problems.
Problems do, however, still remain. When the rela-tively
sharp squared end of the hinge plate member is inserted
into the space under the locking plate it exerts a planing
action on the relatively soft thermoplastic depending
locking member and in some cases actually completely
shears it ofE. Even if the locking member is not sheared
off, it is relatively difficult to see whether or not it
has properly engaged in the slo-t in the hinge member as it
is totally obscured from view from above.
It is, therefore, an object of the present
invention to provide an improved "snap-in" hinge which
avoids the difflculties and disadvantages of the prior
art.
Thus, by one aspect of this lnvention there is
provided a hinge construction for use on doors and the
like t comprising, in combination:
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(a) a locking plate adapted for mounting in a cut-
out at the mounting edge of a door so as to provide, ~n
cooperation with said cut~out, a space extending under
-the locking plate and an elonqated opening thereto; and
(b) a cooperating hinge plate member having means
along one edge for receiving a hinge pin and having engage-
ment means projecting from the plane of said plate member
for releasable, cooperating engagement with said locking
plate; said plate member being adapted for insertion
into said elongated opening and said space under sai.d
locking plate;
said locking plate including slot means in the plane -thereof
adapted to receive and releasably retain said engagement
means on said plate member.
The invention will be described in more detail
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which:-
Figure 1 is a side view of thermoplastic locking
plate accorcling to the prior art;
Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the lockinq
plate of Figure 1 mounted onto a door panel;
Figure 3 is a side view of the hinge member
according to the prior art;
Figure 4 is a side vi.ew of a thermoplastic
locking plate according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
Figure 5 is a side view of the hinge member
according to one embodiment of the present invention
Figure ~ is a cross sectional view of the iocking
plate of Fi.gure 4 mounted on a door panel, having inserted
therein a hinge member of ~i.gure 5; and
Figure 7 is a sketch showing how a door panel
is set in place in a door frame.
Turning firstly to Figures l, 2 and 3 which are
illus-trative of the prior art, there is provided a locking
member 1, generally moulded from a thermoplastics material
having a central. resilient tongue 2 and screw holes 3 for
mounting the member l in a milled cut-out of a door 4
(Figure 2) in such a manner that the door has plane side
surfaces and edges 6. The hinge member 7 has a curled edge
8 for receiving the hinge pin (not shown) and securing -the
second hinge plate (not shown) thereto in conventional
fashion and is provided with a slot 9. Hinge rnember 7 is
inserted into the space 5 formed between the locking member
l and door 4 as shown in Figure 2, in the direction of
arrow 12 and is held in locking engagement with member 1
by means of a locking lug ll on the underside of tongue 2
which is resiliently urged into slot 9. It will be
appreciated, however, that hinge member 7 is normally
stamped from strip material and that the leading edge lO
thereof is frequently extremely sharp. As edge 10 contacts
lug ll, upon insertion of the member 7 into space 5, a
planing action on the relatively softer plastic material
occurs and can result in the complete removal of lug ll.
In the event that only a portion of lug ll is removed the
detritus may be carried forward towards face 13 and
prevent the complete seating of member 7, and also
prevent lug ll from completely engaging slot 9. It is,
however, relatively difficult to see whether or not
complete engagement has occured because tongue 2 completely
obscures slot 9 from view~
Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate one embodiment of
the present invention. In Figure 4 there is shown a door
engaging plate 41, generally moulded from a substantially
rigid ~ut resilient thermoplastics material such as Nylon,
provided with screw holes 42 fGr securing it-to a milled cut-
out of a door 4 in such a manner that the door has plane
side surfaces and edges 6, as in the pxior art. Plate 41
is shaped so as to provide a space 5 between the underside
thereof and the milled surface of the door, when plate 41
is secured to door 4 (as seen mos-t clearly in Figure 6).
Plate 41 is also provided with a relatively narrow
substantially C shaped slot 43 having legs extending from
each end thereof, and a substantially rectangular slot ~4
spaced slightly from slot 43, so as to provide a slightly
resilient tongue 45. ~dge 46 of tongue 45 is generally
chamfered as seen in Figure 6 so as -to prov.ide a lifting
lip under which a screw driver or coin may be inserted to
raise tongue 45 out of -the plane of door 4, as e~xplained
in more detail hereina.Eter. H:inge plate 51, whi.ch is
generally stamped from steel strip and shown in Figure 5, has
a curled edge 52 for receiving the hinge pin (not shown3
and securing the seconci hinge plate (not shown) thereto in
conventional manner. Plate 51 is provided with rounded
corners and is complimentarily shaped to be recei.ved in
space 5 under plate 41. ~ tongue 53 is lanced in -the
centre so that, when plate 51 is inserted into space 5,
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the end 54 -thereof engages with face 55 of slo-t 44 and so
locks plate 51 into place. It will be appreciated -that as
square face 54 projects away from the direction of
insertion of plate 51 under plate 41 and only a sloped or
ramp surface is presented, there is no ~anger of planlng
the relatively softer material of plate 41, and furthermore
tongue 53 is entirely visible through slot 44 so that a
visual check of the completeness of location is straight-
forward.
Should it be necessary to withdraw the hinge
plate 51, it is merely necessary to insert a screwdriver
blade or the edge of a coin under lip 46 and lever upwardly.
Tongue 45 is sufficiently resilient to move upwards so as
to release edge 55 from engagement with tongue 53.
Figure 7 illustrates the manner in which the
hinge of the present invention may be employed to hang a
door or the like. It will, of course, be appreciated -that
hinges of the present invention may equally well be
employed to hang windows, shutters and the like and in
furniture construction. Second hinge plates 71 are secured
to a door frame in conventional manner. The plates 51 are
hingedly ~ounted on respective plates 71 by means of hinye
pins 72 which may be of the loose or captive variety. The
door bearing plates 41 is -then lifted into position and
located so that plates 41 may be inserted into respective
spaces 5. A sharp push is all that is required to snap
the hlnges into the fully locked position, without the use
of tools.
