Patent Application
20250043609
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The disclosure relates to door hinge and more particularly pertains to a new door hinge for automatically closing a door during a fire. Closed doors, particularly bedroom doors in a home or other residence, can significantly slow the spread of a fire. Closed doors can also create isolated areas from the fire, increasing the chances for inhabitants to escape or be rescued. The extra time provided by a closed door can be particularly important when the fire starts while the inhabitants are asleep, because the inhabitants will take longer to realize the fire has started. However, many people prefer sleeping with their doors open, or simply do not remember to close all their doors before going to sleep.
The prior art relates to door hinges. The prior art also discloses fire rated doors for commercial settings, which are closed by an alarm system that sends a signal to a spring-loaded door held open by magnets. However, these systems are not designed for use in residential settings. They are typically difficult to install and too expensive for the general public's use in residential settings. Such prior art systems also require installation of an accompanying alarm system, which can drastically increase the cost and labor required before these systems can be used. Thus, there is a need in the prior art for a self-closing fire hinge that is designed for use in residential settings and that can be manufactured with minimal cost resulting in affordable protection in people's homes.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a fire-actuated release mechanism for a door hinge. Embodiments include a self-closing door hinge having a spring-actuated closure mechanism. The spring-actuated closure mechanism generally includes a spring that is pre-tensioned in an open position and a coating covering the spring. The coating is a solid material configured to retain the spring in the open position. The coating has a melting point that is less than a melting point of the spring, such that the spring may be released and the self-closing door hinge may transition to a closed position when the coating is heated past the coating's melting point. More specifically, once the coating is sufficiently heated, the coating becomes malleable, thereby allowing the spring to be released into the closed position. In exemplary embodiments, the coating comprises bismuth, but the coating may be formed from other materials that also have a lower melting point than the melting point of the spring. Some embodiments also include a spring assembly cap configured to cover the spring-actuated closure mechanism. For example, the spring assembly cap may be formed of copper.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
As shown in
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A hinge pin 30 is inserted into the cylindrical channel 28. In exemplary embodiments, the hinge pin 30 has a hinge pin length 32 ranging between 3 inches and 4 inches and a hinge pin diameter 34 ranging between ⅛ inch and ½ inch. The hinge pin 30 should fit snugly within the cylindrical channel 28 of a residential door hinge plate 20. For example, preferred embodiments may include a hinge pin 30 with a hinge pin length 32 of 3¼ inches and a hinge pin diameter 34 of ¼ inch.
A first hinge arm 40 is affixed to the hinge pin 30 above the hinge plate 20. The first hinge arm 40 contacts the jamb plate 24 and is immovably affixed to the hinge pin 30. The first hinge arm 40 is configured to maintain contact with the jamb plate 24 whether the hinge plate 20 is in the open position or the closed position. In exemplary embodiments, the first hinge arm 40 has a first hinge arm length 42 ranging between ½ inch and 1 inch and a first hinge arm width 44 ranging between ⅛ inch and ½ inch. In the embodiments depicted by
A second hinge arm 50 is rotatably attached to the hinge pin 30 above the first hinge arm 40. The second hinge arm 50 contacts the door plate 22 and is configured to rotate around the hinge pin 30 to exert a pushing force on the door plate 22 which causes the door plate 22 to transition between the open position and the closed position. The second hinge arm 50 has a second hinge arm length 52 ranging between ½ inch and 1 inch and a second hinge arm width 54 ranging between ⅛ inch and ½ inch. In the embodiments depicted by
A spring 60 with a distal end 62 opposite a proximal end 64 is wrapped around the hinge pin 30 above the second hinge arm 50. The distal end 62 of the spring 60 extends downward toward the first hinge arm 40 and the second hinge arm 50.
A first gear 70 is connected to the proximal end 64 of the spring 60. A second gear 80 is stacked on the first gear 70. The second gear 80 is opposite the first gear 70 from the spring 60. In other words, the first gear 70 is situated between the proximal end 64 of the spring 60 and the second gear 80. The first gear 70 and the second gear 80 are configured to rotate the proximal end 64, thereby twisting the spring 60 to a preloaded position. While in the preloaded position, the spring 60 is preloaded with a torsion sufficient to close the door. In embodiments, the torsion may have a range between 10 pounds and 15 pounds. For example, the spring 60 may be preloaded with 12 pounds of torsion, but alternative embodiments may include different torsion levels. The torsion should transfer sufficient mechanical energy from the spring 60 to the second hinge arm 50 to push the hinge plate 20 into the closed position, completely closing the door.
The first gear 70 and the second gear 80 include a plurality of pin slots 72 therein extending through the first gear 70 and the second gear 80. A gear pin 74 is removably inserted into the plurality of pin slots 72. The gear pin 74 is configured to retain the torsion.
A bismuth coating 90 encases the spring 60. While the bismuth coating 90 is in a solid phase, the bismuth coating 90 is configured to retain the spring 60 in the preloaded position. When the bismuth coating 90 is exposed to surrounding environmental temperatures meeting or exceeding approximately 520° F., the bismuth coating 90 melts, transitioning into a liquid phase. Once in the liquid phase, the bismuth coating 90 no longer holds the spring 60 in the preloaded position and the spring 60 is free to rotate, releasing the torsion. When the spring 60 rotates, the distal end 62 pushes the second hinge arm 50 around the hinge pin 30, thereby transferring the mechanical energy which was stored by the spring 60 into the second hinge arm 50 to the door plate 22 and pushing the hinge plate 20 into the closed position.
A spring assembly cap 100 with a generally cylindrical shape is formed by a wall 102 and a top surface 104. The spring assembly cap 100 covers the gear pin 74, the first gear 70, the second gear 80, and the spring 60. However, the distal end 62 of the spring 60 extends downward past the wall 102 opposite the top surface 104 to contact the second hinge arm 50. In some embodiments, the spring assembly cap 100 is formed of copper, which can efficiently transfer ambient heat to the bismuth coating 90, making the self-closing fire hinge 10 itself even more efficient.
In exemplary embodiments, the spring assembly cap 100 has a cap length 106 ranging between 1½ inch and 2 inches and a cap diameter 108 ranging between ½ inch and 1 inch. For example, the cap length 106 may be 1⅞ inch and the cap diameter may be ¾ inch. The dimensions of the spring assembly cap 100 should be determined by the combined, assembled dimensions of the gear pin 74, the first gear 70, the second gear 80, and the spring 60. The spring assembly cap 100 should fit snugly over those elements and can thereby improve the aesthetics of the self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10.
The self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10 and its elements may be designed to fit within any existing residential or commercial door hinge. Thus, the dimensions provided in this disclosure are merely intended for illustrative purposes and should not be construed to narrowly confine the disclosure to the dimensions or measurements provided. The self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10 may be manufactured in a wide range of sizes to accommodate a wide range of hinges and doors. In some embodiments, the self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10 may have a total length 12 ranging between 5 inches and 6 inches and a total weight (not shown) ranging between ⅛ pound and 1 pound.
In use, the self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10 may be installed in any door hinge by simply removing the previously installed hinge pin from the hinge plate 20 and inserting the hinge pin 30 of the self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10. In preferred embodiments, the hinge pin 30 will be placed within the top-most hinge plate 20 that is closest to the ceiling because heat travels upward and that position will optimize efficiency. For example, the top-most hinge plate 20 is likely to be surrounded by temperatures at or above 520° F. before the lower hinge plates 20. Once the bismuth coating 90 melts from around the spring 60, the energy stored in the spring 60 is released. The first hinge arm 40 and the second hinge arm 50 contact the jamb plate 24 and the door plate 22 respectively, resulting in closure of an unimpeded residential door. With no fire or extreme heat in the environment, the self-closing residential fire hinge apparatus 10 works just like a standard hinge pin, allowing for normal, unimpeded movement of the door.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
