Furniture Hinge with Integrated Spring for Handle-Free Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
American style furniture with cornice requires external force to open doors due to lack of visible handles or grasping elements, necessitating complex or separate spring devices for opening assistance.
Innovation Solution
A hinge with a single pivot pin and an integrated flat or steel wire spring that exerts a pushing force on a cam or projection, allowing door opening without handles, featuring a simple construction and versatile application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spring device is added to produce opening force, then door opening becomes possible without handles, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the spring device, cam mechanism, and hinge into a single integrated assembly. The spring is positioned to act directly on the cam which is part of the hinge arm, eliminating the need for separate opening devices and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the ability to open doors without handles.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly performs multiple functions: it provides the opening force through the spring, controls the door movement through the cam mechanism, and maintains the door in open or closed positions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate handles or grasping elements, simplifying the overall door opening system.
2Ease of operation
If a separate spring device is used for opening force, then door opening is enabled, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the spring device within the hinge assembly rather than using a separate mechanism, the patent reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled. This integration lowers production costs while maintaining the door opening function.
3Ease of operation
If visible handles or grasping elements are added, then door opening becomes easier, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded cam mechanism automatically provides the force needed to open the door without requiring external handles or grasping elements. The mechanism serves itself by using the spring's stored energy to initiate door opening, maintaining aesthetic appearance while enabling easy operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables door opening without external handles by providing a pushing force during the initial 15-20° opening, reducing production costs and complexity while maintaining versatility and durability.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic element or spring, of the flat or steel wire type, fixed in a box or furniture element integral with the door, capable of exerting a pushing force on a cam or projection
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a hinge for furniture units with cornice, provided inside with a spring device suitable to produce a pushing force on the door in the opening direction, in such a way as to be coupled with a holding device, for example of the ratchet type, and avoid the use of handles or other grasping elements. This hinge, with a single pivot pin, has an elastic element or spring, of the flat or steel wire type, fixed in a box or furniture element integral with the door, capable of exerting a pushing force on a cam or projection analogous to the fixing arm of the hinge and disposed so as to obtain a moment in the opening direction. Advantageous variants include a cam constituted by a separate plastic element fixed to the arm of the hinge or by one or more tabs produced on the arm. Advantageously, the spring can exert the pushing force during opening directly on the box, on the back of the fixing arm or on the lateral ribs of the arm.