Hinge cover

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6637073
  • Patent Number
    6,637,073
  • Date Filed
    Monday, July 16, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 28, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Knight; Anthony
    • Hutton; Doug
    Agents
    • Brown; Glenn C.
Abstract
A cover for temporarily covering a hinge, the hinge having a first portion for mounting on a fixed surface and a second portion for mounting on a door, the second portion hingedly attached to the first portion, the hinge having a first position wherein the first and second portions are perpendicular to one another, and a second position wherein the first and second portions are parallel to one another. The hinge cover includes a first member having a raised central channel, first left and right flanges, and a first vertical flange for resiliently engaging at least one vertical surface of the first hinge portion. A second member includes a raised channel, second left and right flanges, and a second vertical flange for resiliently engaging at least one vertical surface of the second hinge portion, the second body portion raised channel adapted for receiving a portion of the first member raised central channel.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




This invention is related to the finishing of cabinetry and fine furniture, and more particularly to an improved device for masking hinges used in attaching doors to cabinets.




Cabinet making is an old and highly refined art. When building a new home or remodeling an old home, cabinets in the kitchen, dining room, living room and elsewhere are among the most expensive components of the home. In addition they are among the most visible and contribute a great deal to the overall appearance to the finished home. Cabinets are not merely ornamental. Kitchen cabinets in particular are used many times each day by members of the family. As a result, customers expect and demand very high levels of workmanship in the finished cabinets. These high levels of workmanship are expected in the fit of the cabinets, and in the finish of the cabinet. A highly visible indicator of quality in a finished cabinet, and therefore customer satisfaction, is the lack of overspray of the finish. It is essential that stain and or clear finish materials be applied properly to the appropriate surfaces, and that there be no overspray of either stain or clear finishing material on unintended parts or areas of the cabinet. In order to avoid overspray, before a finish is applied the cabinetmaker takes great pains to mask areas or components which are not to be finished. The masking of those components and areas of the cabinet not to be finished represents a significant expenditure of labor in the cabinet making process. Before the final finishing of the cabinet, the hinge is mounted to the door and the door is mounted in position on the cabinet. The door is then opened, the hinge is masked, and the interior of the cabinet is sprayed with a finish material. The masking of the hinge before spraying on the finish material is somewhat troublesome. Masking tape and paper must be applied carefully to the hinge to precisely cover it to its edges without extending onto the surface of the cabinet. The masking is complicated by the fact that the hinge does permit the door to move which can both make the masking more difficult, and disturb the masking material on the hinge, exposing parts of the hinge to finish overspray.




An alternative method is to apply the finish coating to the cabinet and door before assembly. This method necessarily results in additional handling of the components, reducing efficiency in the manufacturing process. In particular, applying finish to the door is particularly troublesome since only one side of the door can be finished at a time, or else the door must be mounted on a temporary jig. Attaching the hardware to the finished pieces can also mar the finished surface. A need remains therefore a way of quickly and effectively masking the hinges during the finishing of the cabinet.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a hinge cover according to the invention showing the first and second members in position over the hinge.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of a hinge cover shown in

FIG. 1

showing the first and second members in position on the hinge.





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a hinge cover according to the invention incorporating an alternative reinforcing member.





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of the hinge cover shown in FIG.


3


.





FIG. 5

is a cross-sectional view along line


5





5


of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional view along line


5





5


of

FIG. 4

showing an adhesive inserted between the hinge and the hinge cover.





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention, wherein the reinforcing members are rounded to facilitate release from a mold.





FIG. 8

is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the invention.





FIG. 9

is an exploded top view of the embodiment shown in FIG.


8


.





FIG. 10

is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG.


8


.





FIG. 11

is a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG.


8


.





FIG. 12

is a rear elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG.


8


.





FIG. 13

is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 8

, and showing the hinge cover in place on a door that is partially opened.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Turning now to

FIGS. 1-3

, the invention is embodied in a hinge cover


10


having a first member


12


and a second member


14


. The first member


12


is provided to cover that portion


11


of the hinge that is mounted in the door. Member


12


includes a top surface


16


and a downwardly extending flange


18


. Top surface


16


is shaped and sized to closely cover the hinge portion


11


. Flange


18


projects downwardly from surface


16


and is sized to terminate at the lower edge of the hinge sidewall


21


. In one preferred embodiment, flange


18


includes a rounded portion


19


to cover and protect the rounded portion of hinge portion


11


. Flange


18


is preferably formed of a resilient thermoplastic material, which is angled slightly inwardly so that when the hinge cover is applied, flange


18


exerts a gripping force on the hinge portion


11


to hold the cover in place. This aspect of the invention is of particular value since the cover will resist being lifted off of the hinge by the pressurized spray of stain or other finish applied to the cabinet. Member


12


can also be retained on hinge portion


11


by an adhesive, such as a double-sided adhesive tape


36


, as shown in FIG.


6


. Member


12


is reinforced by a raised T-shaped reinforcing portion


23


on top surface


16


. In an alternative embodiment shown in

FIG. 3

, the reinforcing member is generally triangular. In another embodiment shown in

FIG. 7

, the reinforcing member


23


is more rounded to facilitate release of the finished hinge cover from the mold during manufacture. In each of the embodiments shown, reinforcing portion


23


resists longitudinal and lateral bending of the hinge cover, while allowing the hinge cover to be economically manufactured with relatively thin walls.




Referring again to FIG.


1


and

FIG. 2

, the second member


14


of the hinge cover is shaped to cover the portion


13


of the hinge that mounts on the face or sidewall of the cabinet. Member


14


includes a top wall


20


that is shaped and sized to closely conform to the shape of hinge portion


13


that is mounted on the wall of the cabinet. Flange


22


extends downwardly from top wall


20


to cover the sidewalls of the hinge adjacent to the surface of the cabinet. Flange


22


is preferably formed of a resilient material and is angled slightly inwardly so that when installed on the hinge, flange


22


exerts a gripping force to hold the cover in place. (

FIG. 5

) As with member


12


, this aspect of the invention is of particular value since the cover will resist being lifted off of the hinge by the pressurized spray of stain or other finish applied to the cabinet. Member


14


is reinforced by a raised lateral reinforcing members


24


and


26


that connect top surface


20


to lateral flange covers


30


and


32


respectively. In the embodiment shown in

FIG. 7

, reinforcing members


24


and


26


are rounded to facilitate release of the finished hinge cover from the mold during manufacture.




The hinge cover just described alleviates most problems associated with the masking of hinges during the finishing of the cabinets. The cover as described, however, has an additional feature or benefit that alleviates another source of overspray during the finishing process. Recall that in the prior art masking techniques, the hinge is covered, but is still free to move. The moving of the hinge can sometimes expose portions of the hinge to overspray by causing the masking material to pull away from the hinge surface. In the hinge cover of the present invention, cover


10


includes a portion


25


that is sized to closely fit over the end portion


20




a


of top surface


20


of member


14


. At the same time, portion


25


will pivot relative to the end portion


20




a


of top surface


20


to permit the door to be moved to some extent during finishing without lifting the hinge cover from either portion of the hinge itself. In this way, the hinge cover according to this invention solves a major shortcoming of the prior art, and represents a significant step forward.




Referring to

FIGS. 8-13

, a second preferred embodiment is shown, and differs primarily in the manner in which the two portions of the hinge cover interconnect. The second embodiment of the invention is shown at


100


, which includes first and second members


112


and


114


. The first portion


112


is provided to cover that portion


11


of the hinge that is mounted in the door. Member


112


includes a top surface


116


and a downwardly extending flange


118


. Top surface


116


is shaped and sized to closely cover the hinge portion


11


. Flange


118


projects downwardly from top surface


11


, and is sized to terminate at the lower edge of the hinge sidewall


21


. In one preferred embodiment, flange


118


includes a rounded portion


119


to cover and protect the rounded portion of hinge portion


11


. Flange


118


is preferably formed of a resilient thermoplastic material, which is angled slightly inwardly so that when the hinge cover is applied, flange


118


exerts a gripping force on the hinge portion


11


to hold the cover in place. This aspect of the invention is of particular value since the cover will resist being lifted off of the hinge by the pressurized spray of stain or other finish applied to the cabinet. Member


112


can also be retained on hinge portion


11


by an adhesive, such as a double-sided adhesive tape


36


, as shown in FIG.


6


.




As in the first embodiment, the second portion


114


of the hinge cover is shaped to cover the portion of the hinge that mounts on the face or sidewall of the cabinet. Flange


122


extends downwardly from top wall


120


to cover the sidewalls of the hinge adjacent to the surface of the cabinet. Flange


122


is preferably formed of a resilient material and is angled slightly inwardly so that when installed on the hinge, flange


122


exerts a gripping force to hold the cover in place. (

FIG. 5

) As with member


112


, this aspect of the invention is of particular value since the cover will resist being lifted off of the hinge by the pressurized spray of stain or other finish applied to the cabinet. Member


114


is reinforced by a raised lateral reinforcing members


124


and


126


that connect top surface


120


to lateral flange covers


130


and


132


respectively. Portion


112


includes a recess


123


in top wall


120


that is shaped and sized to closely receive a protruding portion


125


of portion


114


. As best seen in

FIG. 10

, the opening


123


in member


112


is filled with protruding portion


125


of member


114


when both portions are in place on the respective hinge portions, and when the door is in the open position. In this position, the entire underlying hinge is covered and protected. Referring to

FIG. 11

, this embodiment of the invention includes the additional advantage of permitting the door


130


to be positioned in a partially closed position (for drying for example). After spraying, member


112


is removed, and the protruding portion


125


of member


114


is inserted into the recess of hinge portion


11


, that is mounted on the cabinet door. Protruding portion


125


engages the limiting the travel of the hinge, and supporting the hinge in the partially opened position. This feature of the invention permits the interior of the cabinet to dry.




A hinge cover according to the invention is preferably made of a formable thermoplastic material. A hinge cover can be formed by any suitable technique, including vacuum forming or injection molding and the like. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous changes in detail and arrangement can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A hinge cover for covering a hinge, the hinge having a first portion for mounting on a fixed surface and a second portion for mounting on a door, the second portion hingedly attached to the first portion, the hinge having a first position wherein the first and second portions are perpendicular to one another, and a second position wherein the first and second portions are parallel to one another, the hinge cover comprising:a first member having a raised channel with a protruding tongue portion, first left and right flanges, and at least one first vertical engaging surface for resiliently engaging at least one first vertical surface of the first hinge portion and sealingly engaging the at least one first vertical surface at a distal edge thereof; a second member having a second raised channel, second left and right flanges, and at least one second vertical engaging surface for resiliently engaging at least one second vertical surface of the second hinge portion and sealingly engaging the at least one second vertical surface at a distal edge thereof; and the second raised channel including surfaces defining a recess for slidingly receiving the tongue of the first member.
  • 2. A hinge cover according to claim 1 wherein the second member further comprises left and right reinforcing portions connecting the raised channel and the respective second left and right flanges.
  • 3. A hinge cover according to claim 1 that further comprises at least one reinforcing member connected to at least one of the respective first left and right flanges.
  • 4. A hinge cover according to claim 1 that is formed of a thermoplastic material.
  • 5. A hinge cover according to claim 1 that is formed by vacuum forming.
  • 6. A hinge cover according to claim 1 that is formed by injection molding.
  • 7. A hinge cover according to claim 1 further comprising the reinforcing member having an upper surface that is generally T-shaped.
  • 8. A hinge cover according to claim 1 further comprising the reinforcing member having an upper surface that is generally triangular.
  • 9. A hinge cover according to claim 1 wherein the tongue engages the recess in a position to position the first and second members at an angle relative to one another that is between 0 and 90 degrees.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/745,596, filed on Dec. 21, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,210. The priority of the prior application is expressly claimed and its disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

US Referenced Citations (17)
Number Name Date Kind
4195590 Herrington Apr 1980 A
4570291 Smith et al. Feb 1986 A
4656058 Stark Apr 1987 A
4691409 Torgerson et al. Sep 1987 A
4750238 Rock et al. Jun 1988 A
4796330 Ziegler Jan 1989 A
4802259 Geslewitz Feb 1989 A
5056191 Love Oct 1991 A
5056192 Grass Oct 1991 A
5224240 Smith et al. Jul 1993 A
5432298 Thompson Jul 1995 A
D361021 Harper Aug 1995 S
D362602 Kusler Sep 1995 S
6007172 Shufelt et al. Dec 1999 A
6165269 Kathe Dec 2000 A
6248173 Dixon Jun 2001 B1
6317925 Pietryga et al. Nov 2001 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
WO 9015912 Dec 1990 WO
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/745596 Dec 2000 US
Child 09/909167 US