Hinges and cabinets containing hinges

Abstract

A hinge includes a front-to-back adjustment bracket, a lateral adjustment bracket, and a vertical adjustment bracket, each including a front-to-back adjustment opening, a lateral adjustment opening, and a vertical adjustment opening, respectively. The hinge further includes an upper housing member coupled to the front-to-back adjustment bracket, and a lower housing member coupled to the lateral adjustment bracket and the vertical adjustment bracket. The hinge also includes a hinge pin received in a hinge pin opening defined by the upper housing member and the lower housing member, a pair of guide pins received in a pair of arcuate channels in the lower housing, and front-to-back adjustment eccentric fasteners, lateral adjustment eccentric fasteners, and vertical adjustment eccentric fasteners, respectively configured to extend into the front-to-back adjustment opening, the lateral adjustment opening, and the vertical adjustment opening.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference with related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and interest in U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 384,733, filed November 22, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to hinges and cabinets that include hinges. Background Technology

[0004] Description of related technologies

[0005] There are many different types of hinges, including scissor hinges, butthings, ball-bearing hinges, barrel hinges, concealed hinges, knife hinges, piano hinges, pivot hinges, strap hinges, offset hinges, overlay hinges, and cylinder hinges. However, these traditional hinges do not offer sufficient adjustability, damping, and swing retention. Furthermore, some of these traditional hinges are bulky and unsightly, especially when installed to secure doors to cabinets. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure relates to various embodiments of hinges and cabinets including hinges. In one embodiment, the hinge includes a front-to-back adjustment bracket, a lateral adjustment bracket, and a vertical adjustment bracket, each including a front-to-back adjustment opening, a lateral adjustment opening, and a vertical adjustment opening, respectively. The hinge also includes an upper housing member coupled to the front-to-back adjustment bracket, and a lower housing member coupled to the lateral adjustment bracket and the vertical adjustment bracket. The hinge further includes a hinge pin received in a hinge pin opening defined by the upper housing member and the lower housing member, a pair of guide pins received in a pair of arcuate channels in the lower housing, and front-to-back adjustment eccentric fasteners, lateral adjustment eccentric fasteners, and vertical adjustment eccentric fasteners, respectively, configured to extend into the front-to-back adjustment opening, the lateral adjustment opening, and the vertical adjustment opening.

[0007] The hinge may also include an upper cover plate configured to cover a portion of the upper housing connected to the front and rear adjustment brackets.

[0008] The hinge may also include a rear cover plate.

[0009] The hinge may include a guide plate located between the lateral adjustment bracket and the rear cover. The guide plate may include a back plate and a support rail on the front surface of the back plate, the back plate including a pair of openings for receiving the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener and the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener. The support rail supports the lateral adjustment bracket and the vertical adjustment bracket.

[0010] Each of the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener, the lateral adjusting eccentric fastener, and the vertical adjusting eccentric fastener may include a head, a rod connected to the head, and a cam connected to one end of the rod, wherein the rod is axially offset from the centerline of the head.

[0011] The upper housing may include a cylindrical portion, an extension portion extending rearward from the cylindrical portion, and a pair of front-to-back adjusting guide pins extending upward from the extension portion.

[0012] The front-to-back adjustment bracket may include a pair of front-to-back guide openings extending in the front-to-back direction, and the pair of front-to-back adjustment guide pins may be slidable in the pair of front-to-back guide openings.

[0013] The lateral adjustment bracket may include a pair of vertical adjustment guide pins.

[0014] The vertical adjustment bracket may include a pair of vertical guide openings extending in the vertical direction, and the pair of vertical adjustment guide pins may be slidable in the pair of vertical guide openings.

[0015] The guide bracket may include a pair of lateral adjustment guide pins.

[0016] The lateral adjustment bracket may include a pair of lateral guide openings extending in the lateral direction, and the pair of lateral adjustment guide pins may be slidable in the pair of lateral guide openings.

[0017] The lateral adjustment bracket may include a through hole, and the rod of the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener may extend through the through hole.

[0018] This summary is provided to introduce the selection of features and concepts of embodiments of this disclosure, which will be further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. One or more of the stated features may be combined with one or more other stated features to provide feasible hinges and / or cabinets incorporating hinges.

[0019] Brief description of the attached figures

[0020] The features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent when considered in conjunction with the following accompanying drawings and with reference to the following detailed description. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used throughout to refer to the same features and components. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0021] Figure 1A-1B These are front and rear perspective views of the cabinet, including the hinges.

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A-1B An exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge shown; and

[0023] Figures 3A-3H It is illustrated Figure 1A-1B The front and rear perspective views of the embodiment of the hinge shown are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0024] This disclosure relates to various embodiments of hinges and cabinets including hinges. Hinges according to various embodiments of this disclosure are adjustable in the front-to-back (i.e., front and back) direction, the lateral (i.e., left to right) direction, and the vertical (i.e., up and down) direction. Furthermore, hinges according to various embodiments of this disclosure include swing retention features (i.e., the hinge causes the cabinet door to remain in place at one or more angles without unintentionally closing) and soft-close features (i.e., the hinge prevents or at least mitigates the cabinet door from slamming shut).

[0025] Now for reference Figure 1A-1B According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a cabinet assembly 100 includes a cabinet 200 having a frame 201 and a cabinet door 202, and a hinge 300 that hinges the cabinet door 202 to a side wall 203 of the frame 201. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the frame 201 of the cabinet 200 includes a recess or recess 204 in an inner surface 205 of an upper wall 206 and a recess or recess 207 in a rear surface 208 of the cabinet door 202, the recess or recess 204 being configured to receive a portion of the hinge 300, and the recess or recess 207 being configured to receive another portion of the hinge 300. The recess 204 in the inner surface 205 of the upper wall 206 extends rearward from the front surface 209 of the upper wall 206, and the recess 207 in the cabinet door 202 extends inward from the outer surface 210 of the cabinet door 202.

[0026] Now for reference Figure 2 and 3AIn the embodiment shown in -3H, the hinge 300 includes a front-to-back adjustment bracket 301, a lateral adjustment bracket 302, a vertical adjustment bracket 303, an upper housing 304 connected to the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301, and a lower housing member 305 connected to the lateral adjustment bracket 302 and the vertical adjustment bracket 303. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge 300 also includes a front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306, a lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307, and a vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308. The front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306 is configured to adjust the front-to-back position of the hinge 300 on the cabinet 200 when the front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306 is rotated. The lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is configured to adjust the lateral position of the hinge 300 on the cabinet 200 when the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is rotated. The vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 is configured to adjust the vertical position of the hinge 300 on the cabinet 200 when the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 is rotated.

[0027] In the illustrated embodiments, each eccentric fastener 306, 307, 308 includes a head 309 having a tool engagement 310 (e.g., a hexagonal head recess), a rod 311 extending from the head 309, and a cam 312 located on the end of the rod 311 opposite to the head 309. In the illustrated embodiments, the longitudinal centerline of the rod 311 is radially offset from the centerline of the head 309 (i.e., the rod 311 and the head 309 are not coaxial). Although the cam 312 is a circular plate in the illustrated embodiments, in one or more embodiments, the cam 312 may have any other suitable shape, such as an ellipse.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 is a flat plate (e.g., a flat rectangular plate) having a front-to-back adjustment opening 313 (e.g., a hole) and a pair of front-to-back guide openings 314, 315, each of which extends in the front-to-back direction (e.g., a pair of holes extending in the front-to-back direction). The front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 also includes a plurality of openings 316 configured to receive fasteners 317 (e.g., screws) for securing the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 to the upper wall 206 of the cabinet 200.

[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, the upper housing 304 includes a cylindrical portion 318 and an extension portion 319 extending rearward from the cylindrical portion 318. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the extension portion 319 of the upper housing 304 includes a plurality of openings 320, 321 and a pair of front and rear guide pins 322, 323 extending upward from the upper surface of the extension portion 319. The front and rear guide pins 322, 323 extend upward into front and rear guide openings 314, 315 on the front and rear adjustment bracket 301. In the illustrated embodiment, each front and rear guide pin 322, 323 includes a rod 324 and an enlarged head 325 at the upper end of the rod 324; however, in one or more embodiments, the front and rear guide pins 322, 323 may have any other suitable shape. An opening 320 in an extension 319 of the upper housing 304 is configured to receive a portion of the front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306 (e.g., the head 309 of the front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306), and other openings 321 on the extension 319 are configured to provide access to fasteners 317 that secure the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 to the upper wall 206 of the cabinet 200.

[0030] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 318 of the upper housing 304 includes a central opening 326 and a pair of peripheral openings 328, 329 surrounding the central opening 326. The central opening 326 is configured to receive the upper portion of the hinge pin 327, and the peripheral openings 328 and 329 are configured to receive the upper portions of a pair of rotary guide pins 330, 331.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the lower housing 305 includes a cylindrical portion 332 having a central opening 333 on its upper surface and a pair of arcuate channels 334, 335 surrounding the central opening 333. The central opening 333 of the lower housing 305 is configured to receive the lower portion of a hinge pin 327, and the arcuate channels 334, 335 are configured to receive the lower portions of a pair of rotary guide pins 330, 331.

[0032] In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical adjustment bracket 303 is a flat plate (e.g., a vertically oriented flat rectangular plate) that includes a vertical adjustment opening 336 and a pair of vertical guide openings 337, 338, each of which extends in the vertical direction (e.g., a pair of holes extending in the up-down direction). In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical guide openings 337, 338 are located on opposite sides of the vertical adjustment opening 336.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, the lateral adjustment bracket 302 is a flat plate (e.g., a vertically oriented flat rectangular plate) including a lateral adjustment opening 339 and a pair of lateral guide openings 340, 341, each extending in the lateral direction (e.g., a pair of holes extending in the left-right direction). The lateral adjustment bracket 302 also includes a through hole 342 and a pair of vertical adjustment guide pins 343, 344 extending forward from the front surface of the lateral adjustment bracket 302. In the illustrated embodiment, each vertical adjustment guide pin 343, 344 includes a rod 345 and an enlarged head 346 at the front end of the rod 345; however, in one or more embodiments, the vertical adjustment guide pins 343, 344 may have any other suitable shape.

[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, hinge 300 further includes guide bracket 347. In the illustrated embodiment, guide bracket 347 includes a flat backplate 348 (e.g., a vertically oriented flat rectangular plate) and a guide rail 349 extending forward from the front surface of the backplate 348. In the illustrated embodiment, guide rail 349 is a flat flange or rib extending horizontally (or substantially horizontally) along at least a portion of the front surface of the backplate 348. The guide rail 349 of guide bracket 347 supports lateral adjustment bracket 302 and vertical adjustment bracket 303. Therefore, in one or more embodiments, the depth of guide rail 349 may be equal to (or substantially equal to) or greater than the combined thickness of lateral adjustment bracket 302 and vertical adjustment bracket 303.

[0035] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the guide bracket 347 includes a pair of openings 350, 351 (e.g., holes), a pair of lateral guide pins 352, 353 extending forward from the front surface of the back panel 348, and a plurality of openings 354 (e.g., holes). The openings 350, 351 are configured to receive portions of the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 and the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307, respectively. The openings 354 are configured to receive fasteners 355 (e.g., screws) that secure the guide bracket 347 to the cabinet door 202. In the illustrated embodiment, each lateral guide pin 352, 353 includes a rod 356 and an enlarged head 357 at the front end of the rod 356; however, in one or more embodiments, the lateral guide pins 352, 353 may have any other suitable shape.

[0036] In the illustrated embodiment, hinge 300 also includes a rear cover 358 configured to cover (i.e., conceal) guide bracket 347, lateral adjustment bracket 302, and vertical adjustment bracket 303. In the illustrated embodiment, rear cover 358 includes a back plate 359, an upper lip 360 extending forward from the upper edge of the back plate 359, and a side lip 361 extending forward from the side edges of the back plate 359. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, hinge 300 includes an upper cover 362 configured to cover (i.e., conceal) the extension 319 of the upper housing 304.

[0037] When the hinge 300 is assembled, the upper part of the hinge pin 327 extends into the central opening 326 of the upper housing 304, the lower part of the hinge pin 327 extends into the central opening 333 of the lower housing 305, the upper parts of the rotary guide pins 330 and 331 extend into the peripheral openings 328 and 329 of the upper housing 304, and the lower parts of the rotary guide pins 330 and 331 extend into the arcuate channels 334 and 335 of the lower housing 305.

[0038] When the hinge 300 is mounted on the cabinet 200, the extension 319 of the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 and the upper housing 304 is received in the recess 204 (e.g., recessed therein) in the inner surface 205 of the upper wall 206 of the cabinet 200, and the fastener 317 extends through the opening 316 in the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 and secures the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301 to the upper wall 206 of the cabinet 200. Furthermore, when the hinge 300 is mounted on the cabinet 200, the front and rear guide pins 322, 323 of the upper housing 304 extend into a pair of front and rear guide openings 314, 315 in the front-to-back adjustment bracket 301, the head 309 of the front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306 is received in one of the openings 320 in the upper housing 304, and the cam 312 of the front-to-back adjustment eccentric fastener 306 is located in the front-to-back adjustment opening 313.

[0039] Furthermore, when the hinge 300 is mounted on the cabinet 200, the lateral adjustment bracket 302, the vertical adjustment bracket 303, and the guide bracket 347 are accommodated in the recess 207 (e.g., recessed therein) in the rear surface 208 of the cabinet door 202. The fastener 355 extends through the opening 354 in the guide bracket 347 and secures the guide bracket 347 to the cabinet door 202. The lateral adjustment bracket 302 and the vertical adjustment bracket 303 are supported on the guide rail 349 of the guide bracket 347. Additionally, the lateral guide pins 352 and 353 of the guide bracket 347 extend into the lateral guide openings 340 and 341 of the lateral adjustment bracket 302. The head 309 of the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is accommodated in an opening in the guide bracket 347, and the cam 312 of the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is located in the lateral adjustment opening 339 of the lateral adjustment bracket 302.

[0040] Furthermore, when the hinge 300 is installed on the cabinet 200, the vertical adjustment guide pins 343 and 344 of the lateral adjustment bracket 302 extend into the vertical guide openings 337 and 338 of the vertical adjustment bracket 303, the head 309 of the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 is accommodated in another opening of the guide bracket 347, the rod 311 of the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 passes through the through hole 342 of the lateral adjustment bracket 302, and the cam 312 of the vertical adjustment centrifugal fastener 308 is located in the vertical adjustment opening 336 in the vertical adjustment bracket 303.

[0041] To adjust the position of hinge 300 on the cabinet, the lateral adjusting eccentric fastener 307, the vertical adjusting eccentric fastener 308, and / or the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener 306 can be rotated. For example, the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener 306 can be rotated to adjust the front-to-back (i.e., back-to-back) position of hinge 300 on the cabinet. As the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener 306 is rotated, the engagement between the cam 312 of the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener 306 and the front-to-back adjusting opening 313 in the front-to-back adjusting bracket 301 causes the upper housing to slide backward / rearward (if the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener is rotated clockwise) or forward (if the front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener is rotated counterclockwise). When adjusting the front-to-back position of hinge 300, the front-to-back guide pin of the upper housing slides within the front-to-back guide openings 314, 315 of the front-to-back adjusting bracket 301.

[0042] The lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 can be rotated to adjust the lateral (i.e., left-right) position of the hinge 300 on the cabinet 200. As the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is rotated, the engagement between the cam 312 of the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 and the lateral adjustment opening 339 in the lateral adjustment bracket 302 causes the lateral adjustment bracket 302 and the vertical adjustment bracket 303 to slide to the right (if the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is rotated clockwise) or to the left (if the lateral adjustment eccentric fastener 307 is rotated counterclockwise). When the lateral position of the hinge 300 is adjusted, the lateral guide pins 352, 353 of the guide bracket 347 slide within the lateral guide openings 340, 341 of the lateral adjustment bracket 302.

[0043] The vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 can be rotated to adjust the vertical (i.e., up-down) position of the hinge 300 on the cabinet 200. As the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 is rotated, the engagement between the cam 312 of the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 and the vertical adjustment opening 336 in the vertical adjustment bracket 303 causes the lateral adjustment bracket 302 and the vertical adjustment bracket 303 to slide upwards (if the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 is rotated clockwise) or downwards (if the vertical adjustment eccentric fastener 308 is rotated counterclockwise). When the vertical position of the hinge 300 is adjusted, the vertical adjustment guide pins 343, 344 of the lateral adjustment bracket 302 slide within the vertical guide openings 337, 338 of the vertical adjustment bracket 303.

[0044] During operation, when the cabinet door 202 is grasped and moved from the closed position to the open position, the lower housing 305 of the hinge 300 (and the lateral adjustment bracket 302, vertical adjustment bracket 303, guide bracket 347 and rear cover plate 358 connected to the lower housing 305) rotates about the hinge pin 327 in the central openings 326 and 333 extending into the upper housing 304 and the lower housing 305, and the rotation guide pins 330 and 331 slide within the arcuate channels 334 and 335 in the lower housing 305.

[0045] While the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the exemplary embodiments described herein are not intended to be exhaustive, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the invention to the exact forms disclosed. Furthermore, although the hinges described herein are for cabinets, those skilled in the art will understand that these features can be applied to other hinge components. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will understand that changes and modifications can be made to the described structures, as set forth in the following claims, without explicitly departing from the principles, spirit, and scope of the invention. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “substantially” and similar terms are used as approximations rather than terms of degree and are intended to account for inherent biases in measured or calculated values ​​that will be recognized by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, as used herein, when a component is referred to as being “on” another component, it may be directly on the other component, or the component may also exist therein. Furthermore, when a component is referred to as being “attached” to another component, it may be directly attached to the other component, or an intermediate component may exist therein.

Claims

1. A hinge comprising: A front-to-back adjustable bracket, which includes at least one front-to-back adjustment opening; A lateral adjustment bracket, which includes at least one lateral adjustment opening; A vertical adjustment bracket, comprising at least one vertical adjustment opening; The upper housing component is connected to the front and rear adjustment brackets; The lower housing component is connected to the lateral adjustment bracket and the vertical adjustment bracket; A hinge pin located in a hinge pin opening defined by the upper housing member and the lower housing member; A pair of guide pins located in a pair of arcuate channels defined by the lower housing member; At least one front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener is configured to extend into at least one front-to-back adjusting opening in the front-to-back adjusting bracket; At least one lateral adjustment eccentric fastener is configured to extend into at least one lateral adjustment opening in the lateral adjustment bracket; as well as At least one vertical adjustment eccentric fastener is configured to extend into at least one vertical adjustment opening in the vertical adjustment bracket.

2. The hinge of claim 1, further comprising a top cover plate configured to cover a portion of the upper housing connected to the front and rear adjustment brackets.

3. The hinge according to claim 2, further comprising a rear cover plate.

4. The hinge according to claim 3, further comprising a guide bracket located between the lateral adjustment bracket and the rear cover plate, the guide bracket comprising: A backplate comprising a pair of openings accommodating the at least one lateral adjusting eccentric fastener and the at least one vertical adjusting eccentric fastener; and A support rail is located on the front surface of the back plate, and the support rail supports the lateral adjustment bracket and the vertical adjustment bracket.

5. The hinge of claim 4, wherein each of the at least one front-to-back adjusting eccentric fastener, the at least one lateral adjusting eccentric fastener, and the at least one vertical adjusting eccentric fastener comprises: head; A rod, which is connected to the head; and A cam is attached to one end of the rod, wherein the rod is axially offset from the centerline of the head.

6. The hinge of claim 5, wherein the upper housing comprises: Cylindrical section; An extension portion that extends rearward from the cylindrical portion; and A pair of front and rear adjusting guide pins that extend upward from the extension portion.

7. The hinge of claim 6, wherein the front-to-back adjustment bracket includes a pair of front-to-back guide openings extending in the front-to-back direction, and wherein the pair of front-to-back adjustment guide pins are slidable in the pair of front-to-back guide openings.

8. The hinge of claim 7, wherein the lateral adjustment bracket comprises a pair of vertical adjustment guide pins.

9. The hinge of claim 8, wherein the vertical adjustment bracket includes a pair of vertically extending guide openings, and wherein the pair of vertical adjustment guide pins are slidable in the pair of vertical guide openings.

10. The hinge of claim 9, wherein the guide bracket comprises a pair of lateral adjustment guide pins.

11. The hinge of claim 10, wherein the lateral adjustment bracket further comprises a pair of lateral guide openings extending in the lateral direction, and wherein the pair of lateral adjustment guide pins are slidable in the pair of lateral guide openings.

12. The hinge of claim 11, wherein the lateral adjustment bracket further includes a through hole, and wherein the rod of the at least one vertical adjustment eccentric fastener extends through the through hole.

13. A cabinet comprising: frame; Cabinet doors; and The hinge according to claim 1 hinges the cabinet door to the frame.

14. The cabinet according to claim 13, wherein: The inner surface of the upper wall of the frame includes a first recess for accommodating the front and rear adjusting brackets; and The inner surface of the cabinet door includes a second recess for accommodating the vertical adjustment bracket.

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