Hinge mechanism for outdoor lighting assembly

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6578233
  • Patent Number
    6,578,233
  • Date Filed
    Friday, September 22, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 17, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A hinge mechanism for a lighting assembly has a base with a slot, a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot, a shuttle coupled with the base and capable of sliding through the slot and shuttle guide between an up position and a down position, and a link rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle. An angle between the shuttle guide and the base is acute to allow the shuttle to easily slide into the shuttle guide. The base has a catch lip that extends from a back edge of the slot, wherein the catch lip is capable of deflecting the link slightly as the shuttle passes through the slot. Apertures in the shuttle and the shuttle guide align when the shuttle is in the up position. The link has a lip that inserts into the apertures in the shuttle and the shuttle guide to releasably hold the shuttle in the up position. The shuttle has tabs on an upper end of its back side to keep the shuttle from dislodging from the shuttle guide.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Light bulbs burn out and need to be replaced. For outdoor lighting assemblies, the user usually must climb up a ladder to change the bulb. Two hands are generally needed to close the lighting assembly, one to hold the door and the other to latch it in place. Having both hands occupied, while on top of a ladder, can be difficult. As a result, it is desired to have a hinge mechanism on the lighting assembly where the user need only use one hand to open and close the door. Further, the hinge on the back of the lighting assembly is exposed to the elements and will wear until replacement becomes necessary. As a result, it is desired to have a hinge inside the light assembly, so that the hinge can be protected from the elements and be operable for a longer period.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In the present invention, a hinge for a lighting assembly couples a door and a main section of the lighting assembly such that the user may easily access the light source using only one hand. The hinge is substantially encompassed within the lighting assembly. The lighting assembly has a closed position wherein the door covers the bottom of the main section. The door has a transparent or translucent material such there is illumination therethrough.




The hinge mechanism has a base with a slot surrounded by an indentation, a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot, a shuttle coupled to the base capable of sliding through the slot and shuttle guide, and a link having an end that forms a lip and is rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle. The base is coupled with the main section and encompassed there within, and the link is coupled with the door. An angle between the shuttle guide and the base is acute. The link rotates between a first stop position wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second stop position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle. The hinge further has a flange along one side of the base that extends from an edge of a bottom surface of the base in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base.




The lighting assembly has a semi-closed position wherein the shuttle is in a down position, and a front part of the door is coupled with a latch to the lighting assembly. In the closed position, the shuttle is in an up position, and the front part of the door is coupled with the latch.




The base has a catch lip that extends from a back edge of the slot, wherein the catch lip is capable of deflecting the link slightly as the shuttle passes through the slot. The catch lip bends at approximately a 45 degree angle away from the slot. The link bends from a first shape when contacting the catch lip, and returns to the first shape after passing through the slot such that the lip of the link engages and protrudes through an aperture in the shuttle.




The shuttle guide has an aperture in its back surface. The shuttle aperture and the shuttle guide aperture align when the door is in the closed position, and the shuttle is in the up position. The shuttle is capable of sliding through the shuttle guide and has tabs on an upper end of its back side to keep the shuttle from dislodging from the shuttle guide.











DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a cross-sectional side view of a hinge mechanism attached to a lighting assembly in an open position and a partially open position according to the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a cross-sectional side view of a lighting assembly in a semi-closed position according to the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional side view of the lighting assembly in a closed position according to the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of a hinge mechanism viewed from below with two shuttles where one is in an up position, and the other is in a down position;





FIG. 5

is a top view of the hinge mechanism of the present invention;





FIG. 6A

is a schematic view illustrating closing of a door (c) when a shuttle (b) is perpendicular to a bottom (a) of the lighting assembly;





FIG. 6B

is a schematic view illustrating closing of the door (c) when the shuttle (b) is at an acute angle relative to the bottom (a) of the lighting assembly; and





FIG. 6C

is a schematic view illustrating closing of the door (c) when the shuttle (b) is at an obtuse angle relative to the bottom (a) of the lighting assembly according to the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION





FIGS. 1

to


3


illustrate cross-sectional side views of a hinge mechanism


10


attached to a lighting assembly


1


in different positions.

FIG. 1

shows the hinge mechanism


10


attached to the lighting assembly


1


in an open position


11


and a partially open position


12


.

FIG. 2

shows the lighting assembly in a semi-closed position


13


.

FIG. 3

shows the lighting assembly in a closed position


14


. The hinge mechanism


10


couples the lighting assembly


1


to a door


15


and is substantially encompassed by the door and a main section


2


of the lighting assembly. The door


15


rotates with respect to the lighting assembly from the closed position


14


through the semi-closed position


13


to the partially open position


12


to the open position


11


shown in FIG.


1


.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, the hinge mechanism has an elongated mounting bracket


20


, which has two shuttles


21


sliding therethrough, and two links


32


respectively coupled to the two shuttles. Each shuttle


21


has a bottom end


25


with an edge


27


, and an upper end


26


opposite the bottom end


25


. The shuttles move between a down position


33


, and an up position


34


, each shown in FIG.


4


. Each link


32


is coupled to the bottom end


25


of one of the shuttles


21


. The two links


32


couple to the door


15


of the lighting assembly


1


, as described in more detail below.




As shown in

FIGS. 4 and 5

, the elongated mounting bracket


20


has a base


40


with rounded ends


41


. The rounded ends


41


each have a mounting hole


42


for attaching the hinge mechanism to the lighting assembly. As shown in

FIG. 2

, the base


40


has a top surface


43


and a bottom surface


44


. The bottom surface


44


is mounted to a surface


5


inside the lighting assembly


1


, the surface


5


being substantially horizontal. Connectors


6


couple the surface


5


inside the lighting assembly


1


to the mounting bracket through the mounting holes


42


.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, the mounting bracket


20


has a flange


45


along one side of the base


40


in between the rounded ends


41


. The flange


45


is coupled with and extends from an edge of the bottom surface


44


in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base


40


. The flange


45


provides stability in the hinge mechanism during operation.




As best shown in

FIG. 5

, the base


40


further has two slots


46


spaced from each other and in between the two mounting holes


42


. The slots


46


are substantially rectangular in shape and have a front edge


47


, a back edge


48


opposite the front edge


47


, and side edges


49


that couple the front and back edges, as shown in FIG.


5


.




As shown in

FIGS. 1

,


4


and


5


, the mounting bracket


20


has a shuttle guide


50


extending from the edges of each of the slots


46


, in a direction opposite the flange


45


. Each shuttle guide


50


is substantially C-shaped in cross-section thereby permitting the shuttles


21


to slide therethrough. The shuttle guides


50


each have a back surface


51


extending from the back edge


48


, a front surface


55


opposite the back surface extending from the front edge


47


, and side surfaces


56


that couple the front and back surfaces and extend from the side edges


49


. The back surface


51


has an aperture


52


and a U-shaped cut out section


53


from an upper edge of the back surface. The U-shaped cut out section


53


has a lower edge


54


. The angle between the front surface


55


of the shuttle guide


50


and the base


40


is acute, as shown in FIG.


1


. Accordingly, the shuttle guides


50


as well as the shuttles


21


are at a slight angle with respect to the base


40


, as described and explained in more detail below with regard to

FIGS. 6A

to


6


C.




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 4

, the base


40


further has a catch lip


58


that extends from the back edge


48


of each of the slots


46


, in a direction opposite the extension of the shuttle guides


50


from the slots


46


. The catch lips


58


bend at approximately a 45 degree angle away from the slot


46


. The catch lip


58


extends partially along the length of the back edge


48


of each of the slots


46


and is centrally positioned. The angled catch lip


58


deflects the link


32


slightly as the shuttle


21


passes through the shuttle guide


50


to the up position


34


, as explained in more detail below.




As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG.


1


and the plan view of

FIG. 5

, indentations


60


are punched out from the base


40


of the mounting bracket, and protrude from the bottom surface


44


. The indentations


60


, respectively, substantially surround each slot


46


on three sides: the front edge


47


and the two side edges


49


. The indentations


60


have an angle α with respect to the base


40


and are substantially perpendicular to the shuttle guides


50


, as shown in FIG.


2


.




In order to close the door


15


of the lighting assembly, a front part


8


of the door couples with a latch


9


on a front-bottom of the lighting assembly, as shown in FIG.


2


. When the front part


8


couples with the latch


9


initially, the lighting assembly is in a semi-closed position


13


of

FIG. 2

, where the door


15


is angled relative to the lighting assembly. In the semi-closed position, the shuttle is in the down position


33


, a back part


7


of the door is downwardly spaced from the lighting assembly, and the front part


8


of the door is latched to the lighting assembly.




The shuttles


21


and shuttle guides


50


are angled with respect to the base to effectively close the door


15


to the hinge assembly. Referring to

FIGS. 6A

to


6


C, a triangle represents the door, hinge mechanism and light combination. The door is represented by c, the shuttle of the hinge mechanism is represented by b, and a lighting assembly bottom is represented by a.




Because the door fits snugly over the bottom of the lighting assembly as shown in

FIG. 3

, the lighting assembly bottom a is approximately the same length as the door c. In this instance, if the shuttle were perpendicular to the mounting bracket as in

FIG. 6A

, the slot


46


through which the shuttle


21


slides would be a distance x wider than side edges of the shuttle. In many instances the wide slot would be undesirable because the shuttle could easily fall to the down position unintentionally.




If the angle between the lighting assembly bottom a and the shuttle b is acute as shown in

FIG. 6B

, the design is not optimal and the shuttle has an undesirable up position. When the shuttle b moves to the up position and enters the lighting assembly, the shuttle b pushes into the back of the lighting assembly. The hinge location is not as close to the back of the door as possible, and to accommodate the shuttle there is a more spacious inner back surface of the lighting assembly.




The triangle shown in

FIG. 6C

shows the preferred design, where shuttle b is at a slightly obtuse angle with respect to the lighting assembly bottom a. The angle of the shuttle allows the shuttle to be pushed up into the lighting assembly as the door is rotated closed and maintains a snug fit between the components upon reaching the closed position


14


. As the lighting assembly moves from the semi-closed position


13


to the closed position


14


, the door rotates about the latch


9


, and the shuttle b moves into the lighting assembly. In operation, the front part


8


of the door slides forward an amount past the lighting assembly as the door is closing so that the shuttle can maintain the angle of entry. The door


15


lines up flush with the bottom of the lighting assembly.




The back part


7


of the door can be pushed up to the lighting assembly while the door rotates about the latch


9


and the hinge mechanism rotates to the closed position


14


. The angle of the shuttle relative to the lighting assembly allows the shuttle to slide through the shuttle guide as the door rotates, because the location of the shuttle


21


with respect to the slot


46


in the mounting bracket does not change.




The shuttle guide


50


has flaps


62


that extend from the side surfaces


56


through the slots


46


. The flaps wrap around the side edges


49


of the slots and couple with the bottom surface


44


of the base


40


to secure the shuttle guide to the mounting bracket. The flaps


62


can be riveted, welded, or attached to the base by similar or known means.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, each link


32


has an in-line plate


64


, and a supporting plate


65


that is substantially perpendicular to the in-line plate


64


. As shown in

FIG. 2

, the in-line plate


64


has two holes


67


that receive connectors


68


which couple the link


32


with a back side


3


of the door


15


. Similarly, the supporting plate


65


has two holes


70


that receive connectors


71


which couple the link


32


with a door bottom


4


of the back portion of the door


15


.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, extending from the in-line plate


64


of the link


32


is a hooked latch


72


. The hooked latch


72


has a curved surface with a central oval-shaped recess


73


and a lip


76


. The lip


76


extends along an end of the hooked latch opposite the in-line plate


64


. The lip is capable of latching the hooked latch


72


into the shuttle aperture


80


, as described in more detail below. The hooked latch


72


extends out at least twice as long as a length of the in-line plate


64


. The curved surface of the hooked latch allows the lip


76


to be received into the shuttle aperture


80


and the shuttle guide aperture


52


such that the lip


76


is flush with the back surface


51


of the shuttle guide


50


, as shown in FIG.


3


. The hooked latch


72


acts as a spring when bending at an area coupling the hooked latch


72


with the in-line plate


64


, as described in more detail below.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, at the upper end


26


of each shuttle


21


is a U-shaped back side


23


with two punched out tabs


28


, wherein one tab is along each side of the U-shape. In an alternative embodiment, the back side


23


is a flat surface and the upper end


26


has the punched out tabs


28


along edges of the back side


23


. When the shuttle is in the down position


33


, the tabs


28


abut against the lower edge


54


of the shuttle guide


50


to limit the motion of the shuttle


21


and to keep the shuttle


21


from dislodging from the shuttle guide


50


. When the shuttle is in the down position


33


, the lighting assembly is in either the open position


11


, the partially open position


12


, or the semi-closed position


13


.




When the shuttle travels from the down position


33


to the up position


34


, and the front part


8


is coupled with the latch


9


, the catch lip


58


abuts either the hooked latch


72


or the in-line plate


64


to stop the shuttle from sliding further up. If the in-line plate


64


abuts the catch lip


58


, the door needs to first be rotated (towards the closed position) until the lip


76


enters the aperture


80


. The shuttle


21


is then able to move fully into the up position


34


until the hooked latch


72


abuts the catch lip


58


.




When the lighting assembly is in the open position


11


and the shuttle is in the down position


33


, the shuttle can not be pushed fully into the up position because the shuttle is stopped by the in-line plate of the link contacting the catch lip


58


. Preferably, from the open position


11


, the door swings through the partially open position


12


and latches to the latch


9


of the lighting assembly into the semi-closed position


13


. The lip


76


is now positioned into a first position where the lip protrudes into the shuttle aperture


80


, as shown in FIG.


2


. The user then is able to press the door up to the closed position.




As the shuttle slides from the down position to the up position, and from the semi-closed position to the closed position, the protruding lip


76


contacts and passes by the catch lip


58


. While passing through the slot


46


, the lip


76


is pushed flush with the back side


23


of the shuttle into a second position. The hooked latch bends near the area that couples the hooked latch with the in-line plate as the lip


76


is pushed flush with the back side


23


. After passing through the slot


46


, the lip


76


springs back to the first position to engage and protrude through the shuttle aperture


80


and the shuttle guide aperture


52


. The apertures


52


,


80


are now aligned in the shuttle up position. The door slightly rotates towards the back side of the shuttle. The shuttle does not slide down from this position as long as the latch


9


holds up the front part


8


of the door, as described in more detail below, due at least in part to the bottom of the lip


76


resting on bottom edges of the apertures


52


and


80


. Further, the angle of the hinge keeps tight tolerances, as well as keeps the hooked latch pressed against the upper end


26


of the shuttle. The advantage of this hinge mechanism is that the user need only use one hand to close and latch the door.




Hinge pins


82


pivotally attach the link


32


to the shuttle


21


so that the link


32


can rotate with respect to the shuttle


21


. When the shuttle is in the down position


33


, the link moves in a rotational direction to a first stop. At this first stop the lighting assembly is then in the open position


11


as shown in

FIG. 1

, and the door is in a substantially vertical position. The link


32


rotates until coming to the first stop wherein the in-line plate


64


of the link


32


abuts the edge


27


of the bottom end


25


of the shuttle


21


. The link then rotates approximately 90 degrees in an opposite rotational direction until the lip


76


is inserted into the shuttle aperture


80


and the curved surface of the hooked latch


72


abuts against the upper end


26


of the shuttle. The door is then in a substantially horizontal position, and the lighting assembly may then be in the semi-closed position, as shown in FIG.


2


. While the link is rotating between these two stops, the lighting assembly is in the partially open position


12


, as shown in FIG.


1


.




When the front part


8


of the door is not coupled with the latch


9


, the door may not be able to remain attached to the main section of the lighting assembly without additional support. Further, the link and hooked latch together have less range of motion when the shuttle is in the up position


34


, as compared to the range in the shuttle down position


33


. When the door is rotated to a substantially horizontal position, the curved surface of the hooked latch abuts against the upper end


26


of the shuttle. The shuttle is then moved into the up position where the lip


76


is in the aperture


80


. When the door is then rotated in the opposite direction, the door rotates for approximately 45 degrees before coming to a stop: the hooked latch


72


abuts the inside edge


47


of the slot


46


. The door is then somewhere in between the substantially vertical open position and the semi-closed position. To move the door from this configuration, the hooked latch is positioned in between the shuttle and slot edges, and the shuttle


21


may then slide out of the up position to the down position.




In order to service the elements, including the light bulbs, in the lighting assembly, the door to the assembly must be opened. Upon turning the latch


9


at the front of the lighting assembly, with the help of gravity, the link rotates slightly so that the shuttle


21


slides down, to permit the door to swing to the open position


11


shown in FIG.


1


. Only one hand is needed to turn the latch, and the door then opens by gravity. Alternatively, if the frictional resistance at the hinge pins is large enough, the lip


76


is pressed into and remains resting upon bottom edges of the apertures


52


,


80


. The door may remain closed until the door is pulled down to the semi-closed position and then pulled out to the open position. After servicing the lighting assembly, the door is closed again.




Alternatively, the user can close the door by pushing up the back of the door until the shuttle is in the up position and the door is in the closed position, and then turn the latch to secure the door. This alternative embodiment may require two hands to close the door.




When the lighting assembly is in the closed position, the lights in the lighting assembly are capable of illuminating the desired location. The door preferably comprises a transparent or translucent material such that illumination is possible.




It will be understood that the foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, and that various modifications such as a shuttle that can hold the lighting assembly in a closed position without a latch on the lighting assembly, can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.



Claims
  • 1. A hinge mechanism comprising:a base with a slot, a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot, wherein the shuttle guide has a back surface with an aperture, a shuttle coupled with the base and capable of sliding through the slot and shuttle guide, wherein the shuttle has a back side with an aperture, an up position and a down position, wherein when the shuttle is in the up position, the aperture of the shuttle guide substantially aligns with the aperture of the shuttle, and a link rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle, wherein the link has a first position wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle, wherein the link is rotatable between the first position and the second position.
  • 2. The hinge mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a flange along one side of the base, wherein the base has a bottom surface, wherein the flange is coupled with and extends from an edge of the bottom surface of the base in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base.
  • 3. The hinge mechanism of claim 1 wherein the link has an end with a lip that inserts into the aperture in the back side of the shuttle when the link is at the second stop position.
  • 4. The hinge mechanism of claim 1 wherein the link has an end with a lip that inserts into the aperture in the shuttle and the aperture in the shuttle guide when the shuttle is in the up position.
  • 5. A hinge mechanism comprising:a base with a slot, wherein the base has a bottom surface and a catch lip that extends from the bottom surface at a back edge of the slot; a shuttle coupled with the base and capable of sliding through the slot; and a link rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle, wherein the link has a first position wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle, wherein the link is rotatable between the first stop position and the second stop position, wherein the catch lip is capable of deflecting the link slightly as the shuttle passes through the slot.
  • 6. The hinge mechanism of claim 5 wherein the catch lip bends away from the slot at an angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to the bottom surface of the base.
  • 7. The hinge mechanism of claim 5 wherein the link has a first shape and a second shape and bends from the first shape to the second shape when contacting the catch lip, and the link springs back to the first shape after passing through the slot such that the link lip engages and protrudes through the shuttle aperture.
  • 8. A lighting assembly comprising:a main section enclosing a light source and having a bottom; a door hingedly coupled with the main section to cover the bottom of the main section; and a hinge mechanism coupling the door and the main section, the hinge mechanism having a base coupled with the main section and having a slot, a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot and having a back surface with an aperture, a shuttle coupled with the base and capable of sliding through the slot and shuttle guide, wherein the shuttle has a back side with an aperture, an up position and a down position, wherein when the shuttle is in the up position, the aperture of the shuttle guide substantially aligns with the aperture of the shuttle, and a link coupled with the door and rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle, wherein the link has a first position wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle, wherein the link is rotatable between the first position and the second position.
  • 9. The lighting assembly of claim 8 wherein the shuttle has an up position and a down position and is capable of moving between the up and down positions, wherein the door has a front part, the lighting assembly further comprising a latch that couples with the front part of the door and a semi-closed position wherein the shuttle is in the down position and the front part of the door is coupled with the latch, wherein when the lighting assembly is in the closed position, the shuttle is in the up position, and the front part of the door is coupled with the latch.
  • 10. The lighting assembly of claim 9 wherein the shuttle has a back side with an aperture, wherein the link has a first end that is coupled to the door and a second end that forms a lip, wherein the lip inserts into the shuttle aperture when the link is at the second stop position.
  • 11. The lighting assembly of claim 10 further comprising a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot and having a back surface with an aperture, wherein the shuttle is capable of sliding through the shuttle guide, wherein the shuttle aperture and the shuttle guide aperture align when the door is in the closed position, and the shuttle is in the up position.
  • 12. The lighting assembly of claim 11 wherein the link lip inserts through the shuttle aperture into the shuttle guide aperture when the shuttle is in the up position and the door is in the closed position.
  • 13. The lighting assembly of claim 8 wherein the door has at least one of a transparent and translucent material such there is illumination therethrough.
  • 14. A hinge mechanism comprising:a base with a slot; a shuttle slidably mounted in the slot of the base and having a generally open interior and a back side with an aperture extending therethrough; and a link rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle and having a lip extending from a end of the link, wherein the link is rotatable between a first stop wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle and the lip of the link extends through the aperture in the back side of the shuttle.
  • 15. The hinge mechanism of claim 14 further comprising a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot, wherein the shuttle is capable of sliding through the shuttle guide.
  • 16. The hinge mechanism of claim 15 wherein the shuttle has a back side and a tab on an upper end of the back side, wherein the link and the tab keep the shuttle from dislodging from the shuttle guide.
  • 17. The hinge mechanism of claim 14 further comprising an indentation with a main surface punched out from the base, wherein the indentation substantially surrounds the slot, and the main surface is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle.
  • 18. A lighting assembly comprising:a main section enclosing a light source and having a bottom; a door hingedly coupled with the main section to cover the bottom of the main section; and a hinge mechanism coupling the door and the main section, the hinge mechanism comprising: a base coupled to the main section and having a slot; a shuttle slidably mounted in the slot of the base and having a generally open interior and a back side with an aperture extending therethrough; and a link coupled to the door and rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle and having a lip extending from a end of the link, wherein the link is rotatable between a first stop wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle and the lip of the link extends through the aperture in the back side of the shuttle.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/155,694, filed Sep. 23, 1999.

US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
2639460 Schonitzer May 1953 A
2833081 Pottern May 1958 A
3185835 Muller et al. May 1965 A
3697743 Eargle Oct 1972 A
5193248 Taylor et al. Mar 1993 A
5474344 Lee Dec 1995 A
5812285 Lin et al. Sep 1998 A
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/155694 Sep 1999 US