US2541377A - One hundred and eighty degree hinge - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1951 G. w. NEELY 2,541,377

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DEGREE HINGE Filed June 16, 1945 GLEN W. NEELY INVENTOR.

Attorneys Patented Feb. 13, 1951 ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DEGREE HIN G Glen W. Neely, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to The Richardson Company, Lockland, Ohio, a, corporation of Ohio Application June 16, 1945, Serial No. 599,821

8 Claims.

My invention relates to hinge structure for small containers of the type which snap by spring action into open and closed position and wherein the maximum stress on the spring control lies in between the two extremes of position of the hinge.

The particular problem for which my present invention is advanced as a solution is to provide such a. snap hinge which will take open and closed positions which are 130 degrees apart, or any fractions thereof with slight modification, and which is suitable for use with plastic materials, as for example, such as are used in small boxes for jewelry and the like.

Among additional objects are the making of a hinge which is self-contained with no parts engaging the portions to be hinged together but the straps of the hinge device, which will preferably be of piano hinge type.

As an exemplary structure illustrating the novel features of my invention, I show in the drawings, and will describe a jewelry case and a hinge construction for use therewith. The novelty inherent therein will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a box.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the two hinge pieces.

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the hinge.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the hinge in full open position.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the hinge closed.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a less than 180 opening.

Figure 7 is a perspective of the hinge showing a modified form for dropping 'into place.

Figure 8 is a detail of a box flange to accommodate the hinge of Figure 7.

I have shown the invention as applied to a box having a container portion I and a lid portion 2. The wall surrounding the container portion is indicated at Ia and the wall surrounding the lid portion is illustrated at 2a. Normally the inside of the structure will be closed with a suitable fabric lining which extends loosely across the joint between the two parts and encloses and conceals all hinge construction. There is enough play in the cloth to permit of such limited projection as takes place of the hinge spring of my device when the box is closed. When the box is open there is practically no projection of the spring, as will be noted. I

The two hinge portions shown havebody portions 3 and 4 respectively, which havepiano hinge portions 3a and 4a respectively through which apintle pin 5 is thrust. The two ends of each hinge portion are extended to formattachin leaves 6, 6, for thehingeportion 3 and I, I, for the hinge portion 4. Intermediate the ends, the leaf of each hinge is bent at right angles to form projectingtongues 6a and la.

The walls of the container portion and lid are recessed or cut away so as to permit of the attachingleaves 6, 6, to be mounted on the rising portion of the container portion wall, with a portion of the container wall lying between the attached walls recessed or cut away to provide thespace 8, as can be seen in Figure 1. The space 9 in the depending wall of the lid portion is also formed by cutting'away a portion of the wall between the mounting point for the two leaves I, I, of the hinge portion 4.

A sprin is provided which has a special shape. It has a pair of hooked ends II], II], which hook over the free edges of the twotongue portions 6a and la. From the hook portions there are the straight portions I I, I I, which will lie parallel to the two tongue portions (see Figure '7) so that this portion of the spring can lie againstthe face of the two tongue portions when the hinge is open. The spring is then bent into two loops I2, I2, and

the outer portions of the loops are extended toward each other in a length I3. The central portion of the length I3 is bowed outwardly at I4 for the purpose of conforming to the shape of thehinge portions 3a, 4110f the two hinge halves.

If we now take the relation when the hinge is open at 180 and start to close the lid of the box, this is opposed by the two loops and the connecting portion until the lid had moved past a position, at which position the spring will have been extended to its utmost position. Further movement of the lid will be assisted by the spring which will tend to return to its normal shape, thus by contracting forcing the two tongue portions of the hinge to a position in the same plane, with the two attaching leaves in contact with each other.

' This relation is shown in Figure 5. When the box is opened the spring will be caused to expand until the box lid passes the 90 position whereupon it will snap to full open position. Since each hinge leaf moves through 90 the box lid will move through 180 (Figure 4).

If it is desired to limit the opening of the box to less than 180, but greater than 90, the section I3 and the connecting bowed portion are changed as shown in Figure 6. In such a case when the lid has been forced by the spring to for example, the bowed portion I4 wil contact with the hinge pintle retaining portions of the hinge and 3 having bottomed will therefore hold the box lid in a partially open position under stress of the spring.

It may be noted that the sole mounting means are a pair of screws which can be inserted into a piece of plastic material without much difficultya l ot er r s he in e structure supports the parts, and the spring does not engage any plastic wall or socket. However, if desired, the mounting of the hinge may be accomplished as shown in Figures"? and 3.

In this instance the two hinge leaves havebody portions 3 and 4, as in the first example andpintle mounting loops 3a and 4d. The intermediate leaf portions are turned at right angles to form projectingtongues 6a and la, as in the first instance. However, the ter r rginal attachingportions 6 and 1 of the first example are modified. Instead of projecting from thebody leaf portions 3 and 4, the mounting portions are bent as at and 2:1, and return about so as to be pushed into mounting slots in the box flanges and remain there by friction.

Thus as shown in Figure 8, the box wall orflange 22 is formed with the recessed portion alike to the recess '8, but also twonarrow recesses 24 and '25 are formed in the wall or flange. Into theserecesses 24 and 25 the mountingportions 2a and .2! are inserted.

Of course a like construction Will "be .used in mounting the other leaf of the hinge to the .lid. Figure '7 shows the hinge -in open position as in Figure 4.

The device can "be made in very small sizes, :if desired for delicate work, and the assembly is simple, since the hinge may be mounted on the parts Joy screws and the hinge then pushed into place, or alternatively the spring may be --frictionally set in place as last above described. The lining fabric may then be cemented down and the hinging .of the box is complete.

The particular shape of the spring may be modified within the range .of equivalents. In the structure described, it has the general shape of an .end elevation of the hinge in its full open position. The important feature is that the major stress on the spring should be at a point intermediate the closed and .open positionof the hinge.

Having thus described my mvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure ;by Letters Patent is:

'1. In combination a box having flan es on its .body portion and lid portion, said flanges ;cut away to leave matching spaces'at the hinging point, and a hinge comprising two leaves hinged together, each leaf having terminal portions secured to the flanges of the body nd 'lid adjacent the spaces, and "having intermediate leaf portions extending at right angles to the .hody portions .of said leaf, said intermediate portions located in the said spaces, and a leaf spring secured to the free edges of the said intermediate portions and surrounding the hinge intermediate said terminal portions, said sprin being so shaped ,as to be under the major stress when the hinge is in position intermediate its open and closed relation.

The combination of claim 1 in which the securin of the leaf sp ng to the iree ed es 4 of the intermediate portions is by means of hooks on the ends of the said spring.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the terminal portions of each leaf are turned parallel to the intermediate portions thereof, with the ends of said turned portions reversely bent, and in which said box flanges have slots for frictionally engaging said terminal portions at the ends of the cut-away portions of the fianges.

.4. The combination of claim 1 in which the termi al portions extend in the plane of the hody portions of the hinge leaves, and are provided with holes for reception of mounting means on the "box flanges;

5. hsnap hinge construction comprising a pair of leaves pivoted to-each other at adjacent edges, saidleaves movab-le about said pivot in a forward direction from an open position in which the leaves lie at an angle to each other to another position in which they are in substantial face-toface relationship, said leaves having rigid extensions extending in a rearward direction, and a leaf spring engaging said extensions and passing around said pivot vforwardly, said extensions Positioned so that a straight line joining said extensions will lie on one side of said pivot when said leaves are open and on he other sid -Wh said leaves are in face-to-face relationship.

6. A 180* opening, snap hinge comprising a pair of leaves pivoted to each other at adjacent edges, said leaves movable about said pivot in a forward direction from a posit on in wh ch h are plana o an the p sition in whic ey are in face-to-face relationship, said leaves hav- {mg rigid extensions which when said leaves are coplanar extend in a rearward direction, and a leaf spring engaging said extensions and passing around said 'pivotforwardly, said extensions positioned so that a straight line joining said extensions will lie on one side of said pivot whensaid leaves are coplanar and on the other side when said leaves are in face-to-face relationship.

{7. The structure of claim '5 wherein the opening of the hinge is limited to less than 180 but greater than by means of the spring, said spring being configured so that an intermediate portion thereof will contact the hinge at its .pivot prior-to the full opening of the hinge and hence retain it in less than fully open position.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the spring element is shaped so as to substantially penform to the contour of the hinge when the hinge is in open position.

GLEN W. NEELY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

U rrn STATES PATENTS lfipmber Name Date -7'- p 3: 1- r- 2,126,0 19 Sh-iffman et al. Sept. 26, 1936 2,231,909 Hempel Feb. 18, 1941 2,243,065 Barrett May 27, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 409,978 France Ma 9 .0

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