Patent Application
20230374833
This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application 102022000010418 filed May 19, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a hinge, in particular a hinge for removable panels equipped with a locking element.
Hinges for panels are extremely well known, and feature different possible forms, in most cases defined by specific functional requirements.
A hinge, in general, is composed of two opposite wing-like elements, equipped with mutual engagement means, typically composed of loops for the insertion of pins, or of a combination of a projecting loop appendix and a projecting appendix internally equipped with a pin suitable for insertion into said loop.
Normally, one of the two wings engages with the surface of a fixed wall, while the other is fastened to a moveable wall, such as a door. Nevertheless, it is possible to envisage hinges that keep in mutual engagement two moveable walls, such as two doors, or two panels, as it has been increasingly often observed in recent times, after the wide request for transparent plastic protection barriers to ensure social distancing and face protection.
Nevertheless, the development of walls even of a considerable length—and consequently weight—has entailed the need to achieve specific solutions capable of making the practice of such tools stable and safe, also ensuring the correct angle in order not to compromise the mechanical performances of the hinge.
Additionally, in some cases it is necessary to be reasonably sure, on one hand, that the panels are arranged in the desired position, with minimal margins of error, and on the other that they can be quickly released, in order to ensure the correct cleaning of the area and the immediate release of certain movement constraints of people and air and the quick creation of new paths.
It is also required that the mutual engagement of the panels is stable in any position they are arranged, that is the engagement is not exclusively bound to a vertical arrangement of the panels.
Eventually, there is a need to obtain a hinge that is able to axially lock the two sides of the hinge one to the other, preventing the accidental lifting and slipping out of the moveable door.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to achieve a hinge for connecting panels, which allows to maintain a fixed and stable position, and at the same time to feature immediate free release of one panel from another.
Said object is achieved by a hinge for the mutual engagement of panels composed of two opposite wing-like elements, each of them comprising a basic body provided with through-holes housing screws for fastening to the panel and with engagement means with a wing-like element complementary therewith provided at one lateral end of said basic body, at the end of the mutual engagement area, locking means of one wing with respect to the other being provided, characterized in that
Some particularly preferred features that make the described solution even more valuable in the eyes of the users are reported in the secondary claims.
The finding is now described with reference to the attached drawings, aimed at representing in a merely illustrative and not limiting way a preferred embodiment of the hinge according to the invention, wherein:
The hinge according to the invention is composed of two opposed wing-like elements 1, 2, each of them comprising a basic body with an essentially rectangular profile, provided with through-holes for housing fixing screws to a panel and with engagement means with the complementary wing-like element 1, 2 provided at a lateral end of said basic body. At the end of the mutual engagement area between these two wings a locking element 3 is additionally provided.
On the mutual engagement surface of each of the two wings a reference frieze 4 is provided, to promote the correct mutual positioning during the assembly step, the alignment of the grooves 4 defining the perfect alignment of the angle of one wing with respect to the other.
In order to allow a correct movement of the locking element 3 an engagement and manoeuvring area is provided on the top of it, typically comprising an element of ergonomic gripping 5, or other analogous means. For example, a recess for the insertion of a manoeuvring key can be simply provided.
The locking element 3 comprising a disc-shaped body carrying the engagement and manoeuvring element 5, on the surface facing outwards and a carousel element 7 on the opposite surface; inside said carousel body a central, cylindrical, internally hollow body 8 is arranged.
Said carousel element 7 comprising a shaped perimeter frame 9, provided with lightening cut-outs 10, ending on the free end with an annular band 11, along the external lateral profile of which an engagement tooth 12 extends, projecting with respect to the frame 9. The annular band 11, in correspondence with four columns 13 placed essentially under thin notches 14, internally displays weakening grooves of equal size to said columns. Further, three of said columns 13 have identical dimensions and one having a larger width than the others. In correspondence with the columns, tooth 12 projecting from said annular band 11 is made of a flexible material, in order to increase—as it will be explained below—the engagement of said locking element 3 with the hinge body.
The first of said wing-like means 1 comprising a basic body 15, having a rectangular trapezium profile, the end opposite to the vertical side of which being rounded so as to house a cavity 16 having a rounded profile therein, internally shaped in such a way that two invitation grooves 17 and 18 are present, the groove 17 having a larger width than groove 18. As it can be observed from
Said cavity 16 of said basic body 15 provides a thickening 19 halfway through its height starting from the area of contact and engagement with the other wing, which determines the making up of a chamber 20 for housing the engagement surface of said locking element 3. On the surface of said thickening 19 identifying said chamber 20 opposing slits 21 are provided, for housing the engagement tooth 12 made of a flexible material provided on said locking element 3.
The latter of said wing-like means 2, in turn, is composed of a basic body 22, having a partially polygonal and partially rounded profile at one end, that is the engagement end with the other wing. The basic polygon comprising a trapezoidal prism 23 from which a cylindrical body laterally extends, which about halfway through its height tapers to form a pin 24. In correspondence with the tapering, the prism 23 takes the profile of an irregular pentagon, concave on one of the minor sides, namely the one closest to the pin 24.
Pin 24 comprising an internally hollow cylinder provided at one end of two opposed engagement teeth 25, 26, of different sizes, suitable to slide—complementary with them—inside the invitation grooves 17, 18.
The mounting of the hinge is relatively simple: after fastening one wing on the door side and one wing on the frame side with screws, the user inserts the pin of the hinge of the shutter side in the corresponding site of the frame side, taking care to align them using the frieze identifying the alignment line, obtaining then the coplanarity of the door and frame planes.
The pin of the hinge is inserted in the cylindrical cavity of the complementary wing, the protruding teeth being inserted in suitable grooves provided along the internal walls of said cylindrical cavity, and finding housing in a recess of larger diameter provided on the top of said cylindrical cavity. In said recess, the pin is free to rotate and is able to exit its site only in case of a precise alignment of the teeth with their corresponding grooves.
Once the matching phase is concluded, the user insists on the engagement and manoeuvring body, using optional required tools, causing a 45° rotation of it, and in such a way achieving the locking of the panel with respect to the frame. In particular, the 45° run of the locking element is determined by the engagement of the teeth 25, 26 at the top of pin 24 with the annular band 11, although it does not define its certain positioning.
Similarly, for the disengagement of the panel with respect to the frame, it is enough to unlock, with the optionally required tool, the engagement and manoeuvring area and subsequently to lift the door, to be able then to proceed with other related activities.
Since the rotation of the hinge might determine a shift of the locking element 3, a projecting and flexible tooth 12 is further provided. Such tooth 12 engages with the matching part of the locking body 1 in the two positions 0-45°, preventing its rotation. Then, the user brings the two sides of the hinge into engagement and rotates the locking element 3. Teeth 25 and 26 enter their seats 17 and 18, as it is well seen in
The so obtained structure, with the particular two-wing shape, with the mutual engagement areas composed of a trapezoidal prism and a cylinder, allows a particularly wide rotation angle of one wing with respect to the other, comprised between −15° and 180°.
As it is clear, a similar solution allows operating on the panel in a short time and with both hands completely free to manage it, without the risk of falls of the tools used for the unlock, or of the panel itself.
It is also clear that the so-obtained hinge is able to axially lock the two sides of the hinge one to the other, preventing the door to lift or slip unintentionally.
As it appears completely clear also to an average experienced user that had to deal with this kind of product, the solution now described appears particularly useful for horizontal hatches, for which the gravity effect is obviously much more limited and the free sliding of the hatch with respect to the frame appears to be a not neglectable problem.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102022000010418 | May 2022 | IT | national |
