Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
HINGE
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to door hinges, and more particularly to
hinges
used for commercial refrigerator and freezer doors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Walk-in cold rooms, such as walk-in coolers, freezers, or other refrigerated
environments, are common in various industries, including supermarkets and
grocery
stores, commercial kitchens, and other food service facilities. The typically
have one or
more access doors for entry and exit.
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These doors are heavy and thus a common problem that may occur over time is
door sag, which may cause the door not to open freely as it drags against the
underlying
floor or be properly locked or sealed as it does not fully close. The sag is
caused by hinge
wear, structural shifting due to temperature cycling, impacts, abuse, poor
design of the
door and frame, or the hinges shifting on the mounting screws. Sag is
difficult to
overcome without extensive repair work, such as the removal and remounting of
the hinges
or the replacement of the door and frame. For the replacement, adjustment or
cleaning of
the hinge the NSF prefers that the hinge be a Alift-off@ type to allow the
door and the
enclosure to be cleaned by lifting it off the hinges and hosing down the door
assembly.
A problem associated with these Alift-off@ type hinges is that the hinge
spring is
designed to move the cam past the point of door closure to ensure a complete
closing of the
door, this may be referred to as an over-closure angle between the hinge strap
and hinge
flange. As a result of the over-closure of the cam when the door is taken off
the hinge, the
subsequent replacement of the door upon the hinge flange does not always
result in the
proper alignment of the hinge strap upon the hinge flange. This problem can
result in the
poor closure function of the hinge, the misalignment of the hinge components,
and/or
damage to the hinge.
Another problem associated with these hinges is that they are made of metal
which
when contacted with a cart or other loading equipment may become scratched,
scarred,
dented or otherwise damages both physically and aesthetically. Additionally,
this
accidental contact may result in causing damage to the cart or other loading
equipment.
Some hinges arc made of a combination of metal components with a hard plastic
covering,
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as shown in U.S. Patent No. 7,870,642. These hard plastic covers however may
crack or
break upon collision with a cart or the like.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a hinge that will allow for the
door to be
lifted off easily, which does not promote door sag, which allows small
adjustments to the
hinge, and which also reduces damage to the hinge or the contacting piece of
equipment
should an accidental contact or collision occur. It is to the provision of
such therefore
that the present invention is primarily directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred form of the invention a hinge comprises a mounting flange
assembly having at least one mounting flange assembly mounting hole, and a
strap
assembly pivotally coupled to the mounting flange assembly. The strap assembly
includes a strap having at least one strap mounting hole and a coupling end
pivotally
coupled to the mounting flange. The strap also has metal peripheral sidewalls
defining a
strap recess and a rubber bumper positioned at least partially within the
strap recess and
at least partially outside the strap recess.
In a broad aspect, the present invention pertains to a hinge adapted to be
mounted
to a door. The hinge comprises a mounting flange assembly having at least one
mounting
flange assembly mounting hole, and a strap assembly pivotally coupled to the
mounting
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flange assembly. The strap assembly includes a strap having at least one strap
mounting
hole and a coupled end pivotally coupled to the mounting flange. The strap has
a rear
surface facing the door and a front surface opposite the rear surface facing
away from the
door. The strap front surface includes a metal peripheral sidewall defining a
strap front
facing recess and a rubber bumper positioned at least partially within the
strap recess and
at least partially outside the strap recess along the front surface such that,
upon a
collision, the rubber bumper absorbs an initial impact and allows the sidewall
to further
absorb a larger impact.
In a further aspect, the present invention embodies a cold room hinge adapted
to
be mounted to a door, the cold room hinge comprising a mounting flange
assembly and a
strap assembly pivotally coupled to the mounting flange assembly. The strap
assembly
includes a strap having a peripheral sidewall and a resilient and compressible
bumper, a
rear facing surface facing the door, and a front facing surface facing away
from the door.
The front facing surface includes the resilient and compressible bumper and a
hard
peripheral edge of the peripheral sidewall surrounding the bumper such that,
upon a
collision, the resilient and compressible bumper absorbs an initial impact and
allows the
sidewall to further absorb a larger impact.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a front view of an anti-sag hinge embodying principles of the
invention
in a preferred form.
Fig. 2 is a top view of the anti-sag hinge of Fig. 1, shown in partial cross-
section.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the anti-sag hinge of Fig. 1.
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Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the anti-sag hinge of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a bushing of the anti-sag hinge of Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cam follower of the anti-sag hinge of Fig.
1.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the spacer of the anti-sag hinge of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference next to the drawings, there is shown a lift-off type anti-sag
hinge 10
according to the present invention. The hinge 10 includes a mounting flange
assembly 12
pivotally coupled to a strap assembly 15. It is to be appreciated that the
hinge 10 shown in
the drawings is configured for use with a walk-in refrigerator or freezer
door. The jamb
and doors are well-known in the art and need not be disclosed further herein.
It is to be
further appreciated that the hinge 10, either alone or in combination with
another hinge in
accordance with the present invention, support a door (not shown) in the usual
manner.
The mounting flange assembly 12 includes a metal mounting plate 16 having four
mounting holes 17 therethrough adapted to receiving unshown mounting bolts or
screws,
and a metal lower hinge flange 18 extending from the mounting plate 16. As
used
throughout the entire disclosure herein, the terms screw and bolt are used
interchangeably.
The lower hinge flange 18 includes a cam recess 19 configured to receive a cam
assembly
which has an internally mounted cam 20 and cam follower 40 which enables the
hinge to
be a riser type hinge, although this is merely an option of the present
invention. The cam
20 includes a dual sloped camming surface 21. The cam 20 and later described
cam
follower 40 are preferably made of a smooth, low-frictional plastic material
such as nylon.
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The lower hinge flange 18 also includes a shoulder bolt hole 22 therethrough
in which is
mounted a shoulder bolt or rod 25.
The strap assembly 15 includes a metal elongated strap 31 extending from a
cylinder portion 32. The term cylinder portion 32 is meant to describe the
enlarged casing
located at the end of the strap and the encased bearings, spring, and cam
described in more
detail hereinafter. The term cylinder portion is not intended to be limited to
a cylinder
shape, as this portion or parts of this portion may be of many known shapes
and are not
necessarily cylindrical in shape.
The cylindrical portion 32 includes a coupling end 34 with a vertically
extending
octagonal channel 35 therethrough. The octagonal channel 35 includes a
generally
vertically extending alignment ridge or tongue 36 extending longitudinally
along the
channel 35 and a centrally positioned, horizontally oriented, annular ridge 37
which
generally bisects the channel 35. A cap 38 is pressed into and seals the top
opening of the
channel 35. The cylindrical portion 32 also houses the elongated cam follower
40 having
a lower cam follower portion 41 and an upper cam follower portion 42. The
lower cam
follower portion 41 has an octagonal exterior surface 43 terminating at a
circumferential
ledge or shoulder 44 positioned to abut and bear against the centrally
positioned annular
ridge 37 of the coupling end 34. It should be noted that the coupling end
octagonal
channel 35 is longitudinally symmetric about the centrally positioned annular
ridge 37 so
that the cam follower 40 may be positioned in either end, thereby making it
reversible
(either left hand or right hand door configurable) so that the cam follower
may fit in the
octagonal channel 35 from either open end. The lower cam follower portion 41
also has
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an interior surface 46 with a cam following surface 47 configured to mesh or
mate with the
cam camming surface 21. The cam following surface 47 includes a low point or
low point
area 48 flanked on either side by symmetrical incline surfaces which terminate
at a
common dwell surface. The symmetry allows the cam follower to rise with
rotation in
either direction so that the hinge may be mounted to both right hand and left
hand opening
doors. The lower cam follower portion 41 also has a longitudinally extending
slot or
groove 53 configured to receive the coupling end alignment tongue 36. The
groove 53 has
a camber 54 in the ledge 44 (cambered entrance) at its top end which aids in
initially
guiding the tongue 36 into the groove as the strap assembly is coupled with
the mounting
flange assembly 12 with the cam follower being inserted into the mounting end
octagonal
channel 35. The groove 53 is aligned along the exterior surface directly
opposite the low
point 48, so that the groove 53 extends into or corresponds to the longest
portion of the
camming surface to allow for the greatest degree of strength or minimizing the
weakening
of component due to the absence of material created by the groove 53.
The upper cam follower portion 42 is generally cylindrical with a round
exterior
surface 55 and a round interior surface 56 defining an interior channel 57
commencing at
an interior floor 58. A bolt or rod hole 59 passes through the center of the
cam follower in
which resides the shoulder rod 25 so that the cam follower 40 may rotate or
pivot about the
shoulder rod and relative to the underlying cam 20.
The strap assembly 15 also includes a compression spring 62 positioned
concentrically about the shoulder rod 25 and within cam follower interior
channel 56. A
bushing 63 and washer 64, positioned on top of the bushing 63, are also
positioned
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concentrically about the shoulder rod 25 and within the cam follower interior
channel 56.
The bushing 63 has a peripheral flange 65 with an annular bottom recess 66
configured to
receive a topmost portion of the compression spring 62, which enables the
spring 62 to be
maintained tightly in position while still allowing lateral room for the
spring to expand
during spring compression under load, i.e., with the spring under no load
there is room
between the spring and the interior surface 56 which allows the spring to
laterally expand
when it is vertically compressed and therefore laterally expanded under a
load. The top of
the shoulder rod 25 is blunted or deformed to prevent the removal of the
washer 64 and
thereby the bushing 63 and spring 62. The compression of the spring 62 biases
the cam
follower 40 to its lowermost position, which will correlate with the closed
position of the
refrigerator door or an over-closure position past the closed position of the
refrigerator
door, and a such the hinge shown in the drawings is a self-closing type hinge.
The strap 31 includes a large interior well or recess 68 having four elongated
mounting holes 69, an adjustment screw flange, holder or boss 70 having a
screw hole or
passageway 71 therein, an upper guide 72 and a lower guide 73. A flexible,
rubber
bumper or cover 90 is configured to fit snugly into the top end of the strap
recess 68 to
protect and seal the interior of the strap assembly, the bumper may include
tabs which fit
within corresponding tab holes or grooves in the strap to make is easily
removable. The
recess 68 is defined by the peripheral sidewalls 74 of the strap 31 which
extend to the most
outboard portion of the hinge, i.e., the peripheral sidewalls 74 extends
outwardly from the
underlying door to a top or front edge so as to make contact with any
structure colliding
with or impacting upon the hinge should the rubber cover 90 be compressed to a
certain
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degree. As used, herein the term top or front edge is meant to refer to the
sidewall edge
farthest from or facing away from the door and is not intend to denote actual
orientation or
height in a vertical direction. Similarly, the rubber cover 90 extends above
the sidewall
edges, wherein above is intended to denote a farther extension from the door
and is not
intended to denote above in vertical orientation. The adjustment screw boss
passageway
71 preferably is U-shaped so as to have an open top configuration.
The strap 31 also includes a moveable adjustment bracket 77 mounted for
lateral
movement relative to the underlying strap 31. The vertical movement of the
adjustment
bracket 77 is limited by the upper guide 72 and lower guide 73. The adjustment
bracket
77 also includes an adjustment screw mounting flange 78 having a threaded
screw hole 79
therein in which is threadably mounted an adjustment screw 80. The adjustment
screw 80
has a head 81, a bearing flange 82, a neck 83 extending between the head 81
and bearing
flange 82, and an externally threaded shaft 84 which is threaded into mounting
flange
screw hole 79. A removable spacer 86 is removably mounted to the adjustment
screw 80.
The spacer 86 has a U-shaped gripping portion 87 which is snap fitted onto a
neck portion
of the threaded shaft 84 between the bearing flange 82 and the adjustment
bracket screw
flange 78. Lastly, the adjustment bracket 77 includes four mounting holes 88
extending
therethrough and generally in alignment with strap elongated mounting holes
69.
In use, the hinge 10 is mounted to the refrigerator or freezer door in the
conventional manner as is well known in the art. The mounting plate 16 is
secured to the
jamb by the use of screws (not shown) that extend through the mounting plate
mounting
holes 17 and into the jamb. A conventional walk-in refrigerator or freezer
door is
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similarly secured to the hinge 10 by four screws (not shown) that extend
through the four
mounting holes 88 of the strap assembly adjustment bracket 77 and through the
four
elongated mounting holes 69 of the strap 31. The removable spacer 86 is
initially
positioned so that the adjustment bracket mounting holes 88 are aligned with
the strap
mounting holes 69. Once the flange assembly mounting screws are secured and
the strap
assembly mounting screws are partially secured but not finally tightened,
final adjustment
of the adjustment bracket may occur to level the door.
To adjust the bracket, the removable spacer 86 is removed and the adjustment
screw 80 is rotatably threaded into the threaded hole 79 of the screw
adjustment flange 78
to cause relative movement between the adjustment bracket 77 and the
underlying strap 31.
This relative movement causes the movement of the door relative to the
stationary jamb, as
the elongated holes 69 allow relative movement of mounting screws and
adjustment
bracket. The movement of the door enables the door to be properly aligned. The
mounting screws are then fully tightened into the door to prevent further
movement of the
strap 31. Moreover, should the door sag over time, the mounting screws are
slightly
loosened and the adjustment screw is merely threaded to once again cause
movement of the
door to a properly aligned position, as previously described.
The rotation of the adjustment screw 80 in one direction (clockwise) causes
the
threaded screw 80 to be threaded further into the screw flange 78 of the
adjustment bracket
77, thereby causing the adjustment bracket 77 to move towards the boss 70. The
rotation
of the threaded screw 80 in this direction causes the screw head 81 to bear
against the boss
70 to force the lateral movement. The rotation of the adjustment screw 80 in
the other
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direction (counter-clockwise) causes the threaded screw 80 to be threaded
further out of the
adjustment bracket flange 78, thereby causing the adjustment bracket 77 to
move in a
direction away from the boss 70. The rotation of the threaded screw 80 in this
direction
causes the screw bearing flange 82 to bear against the boss 70 to force the
lateral movement
in a direction away from the boss 70. As such, the bolt is allowed to rotate
yet is prevented
from moving laterally along the longitudinal axis of the bolt by the contact
between the bolt
and the boss due to the bolt head and bearing flange bearing upon the boss.
The rubber cover 90 and peripheral sidewall front or top edges define a front
face or
surface of the strap 31 with the rubber cover comprising a majority of the
front face and the
peripheral sidewalls 74 completely surround the rubber cover 90. As such,
should a food
cart or other piece of equipment collide with the hinge 10 the rubber cover 90
will absorb
the shock of the impact without causing damage as its flexibility will prevent
cracking and
it will rebound to its initial configuration. If a larger or more forceful
impact occurs, the
equipment will first compress the rubber cover and then come into contact with
the hard
metal peripheral wall which is better suited to take on the greater forces
produced by a
larger collision without causing damage to the hinge. As such, the new hinge
provides for
a soft material to absorb the initial shock of a collision without causing a
permanent scratch
or scarring of the metal, yet may absorb a larger impact by allowing a portion
of a larger
strike to contact the stronger, hard metal peripheral sidewall 74 after it is
first partially
absorbed by the rubber bumper or cover 90.
It should be understood that the present invention is an improvement over the
prior
art shown in U.S. Patent No. 7,870,642 as the threaded portion in which the
adjustment
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screw is threaded into resides in the removable adjustment plate. This allows
the
manufacturing of the threads in the mounting hole to occur in a simple manner,
as oppose
to the prior art which required the threading process to occur on the large,
heavy flange of
the strap itself, thus complicating the manufacturing process of the hinge and
causing a
great deal of problems if the threads were not properly formed. Furthermore,
if the
threads become stripped or damaged only the adjustment bracket needs to be
replaced
rather than the entire hinge strap.
It should also be understood that the open channel or passageway 71 of the
boss
allows for the ease of positioning the adjustment bracket by simply dropping
the
adjustment screw neck 83 into the boss wherein the spacer is utilized to
maintain the
position of the adjustment screw.
It should be understood that the lower portion 41 of the cam follower is not
required
to be hexagonal in shape and may be of any shaped which aids in preventing
relative
rotation between the cam follower and its corresponding channel, i.e., it may
be oval, any
polygonal shape, or any other non-round shape. Preferably, the cam follower
has regular
polygon exterior configuration wherein all sides and angles are equal, such as
the
octagonal shape shown in the preferred embodiment.
It should be understood that the softer rubber cover or bumper 90 allows for
contact
without breaking, which may occur with the prior art devices that utilize a
hard plastic
cover over the metal hinge components. Also, the rubber cover or bumper is
soft so that
it extends beyond the sidewall front edges to absorb an impact force and
rebounds to its
initial configuration, which all metal hinges may be susceptible to damage
through
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bending, denting, scratching as a result of a collision. It should be
understood that the
term rubber or soft rubber as used herein is intended to denote a rubber or
similar polymer
based material which is resilient, compressible, and rebounds to its initial
configuration,
rather than a plastic material which is hard and is susceptible to cracking
rather than
compressing and rebounding with accidental contact.
It should be understood that the terms cam and cam follower may be used
interchangeably, as each simply includes a sloping surface configured to ride
upon the
others sloping surface.
While this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to
the
preferred embodiments thereof and the best mode of practicing same, it will be
understood
that variations and modifications can be effected within the scope of the
invention as
described herein above and as set forth in the appended claims.
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