Patent Application
20140090204
The present application relates to hinges. Particularly, the present application relates to an adjustable friction hinge.
Friction hinges are commonly used to rotatably couple two objects together, such as a door or hatch to a base. The hinge is movable between an open and closed position and can maintain its position due to friction in the barrel of the hinge. For example, a laptop computer typically includes a friction hinge that couples the computer screen to the base of the computer. A user can therefore adjust their computer screen to the angle of their liking, and the friction hinge will hold the computer screen in place.
Conventional friction hinges wear over time and become loose. After a certain number of rotations, the friction hinge will fail to hold its position due to the frictional components of the hinge having worn against one another. Without the required friction between these components, the hinge freely moves between the open and closed positions without maintaining any stability at the desired angle. For example, after years of use, a laptop friction hinge can wear such that the computer screen is unable to maintain its desired angle and, instead, the user is required to hold the screen during use.
Adjustable friction hinges are known in the art for various applications. Such friction hinges include a fastener at one end and a nut at the other end. The fastener can be rotated and secured into the nut until a sufficient amount of friction is established.
Adjustable friction hinges typically include a complex structure requiring a fastener and nut to engage one another, and several intermediary components to facilitate the required friction. The fastener is weakly situated and unable to withstand a large load. Further, the fastener loosens over time and bends due to its small radial midsection compared to the overall thickness of the hinge.
The present application discloses an adjustable friction hinge that implements a sex bolt in the barrel of the hinge and an indent that prevents loosening of the hinge over time. One or more washers can be concentrically arranged about the sex bolt and can interact with portions of the leaves of the hinge to create the necessary friction and maintain a desired hinge position. The sex bolt acts as a more stable structural backbone as compared to the prior art adjustable hinge, and the washer(s) engage one another, or the portions of the leaves, such that little or no friction is lost over time due to wear. The sex bolt includes a receiving portion where a common tool can be used to reduce or increase the amount of friction in the hinge.
In particular, the present application discloses an adjustable friction hinge including a first leaf, a second leaf hingedly coupled to the first leaf, a sex bolt coupling the first leaf to the second leaf, and at least one washer concentrically arranged about the sex bolt and adapted to frictionally engage at least one of the first and second leaves to create friction and maintain a hinge position.
Also disclosed is a method of adjusting a friction hinge including providing an adjustable friction hinge including a first leaf, a second leaf hingedly coupled to the first leaf, a sex bolt coupling the first leaf to the second leaf, the sex bolt having a receiving portion, and at least one washer concentrically arranged about the sex bolt and adapted to frictionally engage at least one of the first and second leaves to create friction and maintain a hinge position, inserting a tool into the receiving portion; and rotating the tool to thereby adjust the resistance in the adjustable friction hinge.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
It should be understood that the comments included in the notes as well as the materials, dimensions and tolerances discussed therein are simply proposals such that one skilled in the art would be able to modify the proposals within the scope of the present application.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated.
The present application discloses an adjustable friction hinge that implements a sex bolt in the barrel of the hinge and one or more washers concentrically arranged about the sex bolt. The sex bolt can be pressed with a tool to create a dent that prevents loosening of the sex bolt over time. The sex bolt acts as a more stable structural backbone and the one or more washers can interact with portions of the leaves of the hinge to create the necessary friction to maintain a desired position. Accordingly, the friction hinge of the present application exhibits little to no wear characteristics and can be adjusted by a common tool if the friction of the hinge is more or less than desired.
As shown,
As shown in
The sex bolt 117 can be pressed with a tool to form an indent 145, as shown in
The washers 135 of the present application can provide advantageous properties relative to conventional friction hinges. For example, the washers 135 may be made from phosphorus bronze, beryllium copper, brass, stainless steel and 17-4 PH hardened stainless steel, for example. The inventors of the present application discovered that the above materials are advantageous when used in washers for a friction hinge configuration like that shown in the figures. For example, the inventors discovered that a three washer configuration including a first washer made of phosphor bronze, a second washer made of stainless steel, and a third washer made of phosphor bronze, frictionally coupled together with advantageous wear properties. That is, the three washer configuration discussed above provides sufficient friction to ensure the desired angular position of the hinge 100 even after many rotations. Likewise, the inventors discovered that washers 135 made of beryllium copper, brass, 17-4 PH hardened stainless steel or any combination of the above materials, are advantageous for wear properties.
As shown in
To adjust the friction hinge 100, a user can attach the hinge 100 to the two components in which the hinge 100 should be pivotally coupled, and insert a tool into the receiving portion 130. The user can then rotate the tool clockwise to tighten the friction hinge 100, or rotate the tool counterclockwise to loosen the friction hinge.
As shown in the figures, the hinge 100 can be a top mount or flush mount hinge, however, any form of hinge can be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. For example, without limitation, the hinge 100 can be a top mount, flush mount, swaged, offset or any other form of barrel hinge.
The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
