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US4177540A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Self-closing concealed hinge

Assignee: AJAX HARDWARE CORP
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Filing: 1978-02-10
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Granted: 1979-12-11
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Expires: 1998-02-10
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Abstract

Abstract Concealed self-closing door hinge has pressure element operating in a slender box-like housing comprising parallel ears which closely juxtapose the sidewalls of the slot in which the hinge operates. This gives additional support to the door. Various means for restricting the lateral movement of the pressure element are disclosed.

Inventors

  • 👤 Howard B. Gorton

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 13:58
CPC Classifications
E; E05; E05D; E05D11/00; E05D11/10; E05D11/1014; E05D11/1028; E05D11/105; E05D11/1064; E05Y; E05Y2900/00; E05Y2900/20

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim 210 words
A compact hinge assembly comprising door and frame wings mountable on said door and said frame, respectively, one of the wings having a housing including a pair of closely spaced parallel ear plates joined by a connecting bight and adapted to be concealed in a narrow elongate recess in the door, the ear plates having laterally extending securing plates, the other of the wings having a knuckle having an engageable ridge and disposed inbetween the ear plates and an arm connected to the knuckle at one end and having second securing plates at the opposite end, the arm fitting between the ear plates, a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said knuckle and ear plates for relative swinging of said wings about a fixed axis defined by the axis of said hinge pin, a pressure element disposed in snug sliding relation between the ear plates, spring means biasing the pressure element substantially radially toward said hinge pin in all positions of said wings, and retaining means on the housing and engaging the remote side of the pressure element from the connecting bight to hold the pressure element against the connecting bight, whereby adjacent the closed position of the door the pressure element engages the ridge to urge the door to closed position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 210 words
A compact hinge assembly comprising door and frame wings mountable on said door and said frame, respectively, one of the wings having a housing including a pair of closely spaced parallel ear plates joined by a connecting bight and adapted to be concealed in a narrow elongate recess in the door, the ear plates having laterally extending securing plates, the other of the wings having a knuckle having an engageable ridge and disposed inbetween the ear plates and an arm connected to the knuckle at one end and having second securing plates at the opposite end, the arm fitting between the ear plates, a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said knuckle and ear plates for relative swinging of said wings about a fixed axis defined by the axis of said hinge pin, a pressure element disposed in snug sliding relation between the ear plates, spring means biasing the pressure element substantially radially toward said hinge pin in all positions of said wings, and retaining means on the housing and engaging the remote side of the pressure element from the connecting bight to hold the pressure element against the connecting bight, whereby adjacent the closed position of the door the pressure element engages the ridge to urge the door to closed position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 56 words
A hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pressure element is a rectangular solid having at one end an axial bore extending from one end part way through the element and said spring means is a spiral spring disposed in compression between the inner end of the bore and a portion of the housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 48 words
A hinge assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the other end of the pressure element is formed with a portion adapted to engage the knuckle and a projection adjacent the portion, the projection extending alongside and beyond the pin to provide an end surface adjacent the knuckle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 30 words
A hinge assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the other end of the pressure element has a reduced portion the end of which is adapted to engage the knuckle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 21 words
A hinge assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the retaining means comprises an elongate element bridging between the ear plates.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 25 words
A hinge assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the retaining means are portions of the respective ear plates bent inward over the pressure element.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 48 words
A hinge as claimed in claim 4 wherein the reduced portion is slotted therethrough longitudinally from its side adjacent the connecting bight to its remote side and the retaining means extends up from the connecting bight through the slot and has a terminal portion engaging said opposite side.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 321 words
A compact hinge assembly comprising door and frame wings mountable on said door and said frame, respectively, one of the wings having a housing including a pair of closely spaced parallel ear plates joined by a connecting bight and adapted to be concealed in a narrow elongate recess in a door, the ear plates having laterally extending securing plates disposed in a plane perpendicular to the ear plates for mounting on the inside face of a door frame, the other of the wings having a knuckle disposed inbetween the ear plates and an arm connected to the knuckle at one end and having second securing plates at the opposite end, the arm fitting between the ear plates, a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said knuckle and ear plates for relative swinging of said wings about a fixed axis defined by the axis of said hinge pin, a pressure element disposed in snug sliding relation between the ear plates, the pressure element having longitudinal grooves and the ear plates having tongue means interfitting with the grooves to guide and retain the element, the pressure element being a rectangular solid having at one end a bore extending from said one end part way through the element, and spiral spring means disposed in the bore in compression between the inner end of the bore and a portion of the housing and biasing the pressure element substantially radially toward said hinge pin in all positions of said wings, the knuckle having a ridge engageable by the pressure element to urge the door to closed disposition, the other end of the pressure element being formed with a portion adapted to engage the knuckle and having a projection adjacent the portion, the projection extending alongside and beyond the pin to provide an end surface adjacent the knuckle, the tongue means and grooves being offset from the knuckle and the grooves extending beyond the knuckle and into the projection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 321 words
A compact hinge assembly comprising door and frame wings mountable on said door and said frame, respectively, one of the wings having a housing including a pair of closely spaced parallel ear plates joined by a connecting bight and adapted to be concealed in a narrow elongate recess in a door, the ear plates having laterally extending securing plates disposed in a plane perpendicular to the ear plates for mounting on the inside face of a door frame, the other of the wings having a knuckle disposed inbetween the ear plates and an arm connected to the knuckle at one end and having second securing plates at the opposite end, the arm fitting between the ear plates, a hinge pin pivotally interconnecting said knuckle and ear plates for relative swinging of said wings about a fixed axis defined by the axis of said hinge pin, a pressure element disposed in snug sliding relation between the ear plates, the pressure element having longitudinal grooves and the ear plates having tongue means interfitting with the grooves to guide and retain the element, the pressure element being a rectangular solid having at one end a bore extending from said one end part way through the element, and spiral spring means disposed in the bore in compression between the inner end of the bore and a portion of the housing and biasing the pressure element substantially radially toward said hinge pin in all positions of said wings, the knuckle having a ridge engageable by the pressure element to urge the door to closed disposition, the other end of the pressure element being formed with a portion adapted to engage the knuckle and having a projection adjacent the portion, the projection extending alongside and beyond the pin to provide an end surface adjacent the knuckle, the tongue means and grooves being offset from the knuckle and the grooves extending beyond the knuckle and into the projection.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US2133663A Cited
US2948015A Cited
US3381332A Cited
US3602942A Cited
US3835585A Cited
US3851354A Cited
US3950818A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1982-12-10 1983-06-11 1983-12-11 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1986-12-10 1987-06-11 1987-12-11 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1990-12-10 1991-06-11 1991-12-11 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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