Hinge for cover lid on chests

Abstract

Abstract A simple, non-adjustable, inexpensive outside hinge for the cover lid of a freezer cabinet or the like has a spring housing which is secured to the outside of a wall of a cabinet. A mounting bracket, which is secured to a side of the cover lid for the cabinet, is pivoted to the spring housing by a pivot pin. On a portion of the mounting bracket radially offset from the pivot pin is a spring follower pin. A spring follower or spring guide member has a bearing portion urged against the spring follower pin by a coiled compression spring reacting between an abutment in the spring housing and a shoulder on the spring guide member. As the mounting bracket is swung from closed to open position, the spring follower pin will travel in an arc about the pivot pin to compress the compression spring with variable moments of force until a dead-center position is reached and thereafter to allow the compression spring to expand under its own force with resulting variable moments of force. This construction allows the use of a single size spring housing and mounting bracket to be used with a number of different sized springs for different sized lids. The compression spring has no tensioning adjustment means and the moment of force executed by the spring on the mounting bracket is minimal from the closed position to the dead-center position. Hence, the cover lid can be easily opened by a child or small person accidentally caught inside the cabinet with the cover lid closed. Thus the hinge is inexpensive to manufacutre and is also safer than the hinge now in use.

Inventors

• 👤 Henry A Schnuell

Bibliographic Details