This application is related to a hinge between a spa and a spa cover, and more particularly, to a hinge that allows a spa cover to be stowed in an upright position when the spa is open.
Commercially available spas typically have a spa cover to prevent dirt or dust from entering therein. To open the spa, a spa cover is typically folded in half, hingedly lifted off the top of the spa, and lowered vertically behind the spa so as to reduce its obstruction of view to a person using the spa. However, such lowering and stowage of the spa cover typically requires an area behind the spa that may be larger than available in a small backyard.
To accommodate those without sufficient room to stow the spa cover behind the spa, some spa covers are kept in an upright position when the spa is fully open. This way, less room is typically required behind the spa. However, spa covers in an upright position are more susceptible to a gust of wind that blows against it from the rear or other forces that tend to close the spa cover when an occupant is in the spa.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0050003 filed by Perry (“Perry I”) discloses a gas spring lock for engaging and locking a gas spring in the extended position so that covers of spas, hot tubs and other similar apparatus that employ gas springs can be safely locked into an open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,071 issued to Fettes (“Fettes I”) discloses an apparatus for aiding removal and replacement of a spa cover. Fettes I discloses a lifting system for exerting a lifting force on an arm attached to the spa cover, tending to lift the arm as the arm moves from the covering position toward the uncovering position, and for exerting a resistance force on the arm tending to resist movement of the arm from the uncovering position toward the covering position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,252 issued to Fettes (“Fettes II”) discloses a device for aiding in the removal and replacement of a spa cover atop a spa tub.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,841 issued to Black et al. (“Black et al.”) discloses a spa cover lifting apparatus which can be adjusted to accommodate spa covers of different sizes. The lifting action of the apparatus is assisted by a telescoping gas strut.
In each of the above publication and patents, a gas spring forms an angle that is more than 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in a fully open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,332 issued to Perry (“Perry II”) discloses a spa cover removal apparatus. As seen in
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,420 issued to Bye et al. (“Bye et al.”) discloses a hinge system for a large or heavy cover member hinged to a container member. A container hinge plate is secured to a side wall of the container member. A cover hinge plate is secured to a side wall of the cover member and rotatably connected to the first hinge means at a hinge pivot means. Bye et al. also discloses a gas strut that appears to form an angle that is less than 45 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. The cover member pivots with respect to the container member about the same axis as the axis of rotation between the container hinge plate and the cover hinge plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,811 issued to Dragovic (“Dragovic”) discloses a spa cover mounting method and apparatus. Dragovic discloses that a foam spa cover member is attached to a cover lifter apparatus using a plurality of brackets.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,010,833 entitled “Slide Hinge for Spa Cover” issued on Mar. 14, 2006 to Duarte et al. (“Duarte”), the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a slide type hinge for a spa cover.
In an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, a hinge assembly for coupling a spa cover to a spa, is provided. The spa cover is movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position. The hinge assembly includes a mounting bracket adapted to be installed near a top of the spa, and adapted to be coupled to a first end of a spring member; and a support arm pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, adapted to be attached on an outside surface of the spa cover, and adapted to be coupled to a second end of the spring member. At least one of the mounting bracket or the support arm has a plurality of openings for selectively coupling the first end or the second end of the spring member, so as to adjust a coupling location between the spring member and the at least one of the mounting bracket or the support arm.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, a spa system including a spa and a foldable spa cover having at least two sections, is provided. The spa cover is movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position. A hinge assembly couples the spa cover to the spa, and includes: a mounting bracket installed near a top of the spa; a support arm pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and attached on an outside surface of the spa cover; and a gas spring having a first end coupled to the mounting bracket and a second end coupled to the support arm. At least one of the mounting bracket or the support arm has a plurality of openings for selectively coupling the first end or the second end of the gas spring, so as to adjust a coupling location between the spring member and the at least one of the mounting bracket or the support arm.
These and other aspects of the invention will be more readily comprehended in view of the discussion herein and accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements.
In
The hinge assembly 106 is mounted near the rear edge and on the outer wooden frame 101 of the spa when viewed from the left side of the spa. There is provided another hinge assembly on the right side of the spa 100, which is hidden from view in
With reference also to
The spring member 110 is pivotably coupled to a pivot 118 on an end (i.e., the end away from the rear edge of the spa) of the mounting bracket 112 and a pivot 120 on the support arm 108. In the exemplary embodiment, the location of the pivot 120 on the support arm 108 is fixed. The resistance provided by the spring member 110 can be adjusted, for example, by replacing it with stronger or weaker spring members (e.g., gas springs).
The angle the spring member 110 forms with respect to the top of the spa when the spa is fully open is fixed at approximately 15 degrees in the described exemplary embodiment. In other exemplary embodiments, however, the angle between the spring member 110 and the top of the spa may be different. For example, the angle the spring member 110 forms with respect to the top of the spa when the spa is fully open may be approximately 45 degrees, less than 40 degrees, less than 30 degrees, less than 20 degrees or less than 15 degrees in various different embodiments. In alternate embodiments, the location of the pivot 120 may be adjusted on the support arm 108 so as to change the resistance provided by the spring member.
The support arm 108 has an elongated arm section 130, a short arm section 134 and a connecting member 132 disposed between the elongated arm section 130 and the short arm section 134. The connecting member 132 forms an angle with respect to the elongated arm section and also with respect to the short arm section. This way, the spa cover 102 attached to the elongated arm section 130 can be lifted up slightly and away from the spa as the support arm 108 is rotated with respect to the mounting bracket 112 about the pivot 122 to place the spa cover in a fully open position. In other words, the support arm 108 is shaped to enable the spa cover to be lifted up from the top of the spa and not aligned with an axis of rotation as the support arm is pivotably rotated with respect to the mounting bracket 112 to place the spa cover in a fully open position. Otherwise, the spa cover 102 may jamb against the top of the spa during the opening process.
The elongated arm section 130 has two holes formed thereon at the end away from the connecting member 132. These holes may be used to attach the elongated arm section 130 to the spa cover as will be described later. The elongated arm section 130 also has two holes formed thereon about two-thirds of the way between the end having two holes and the connecting member 132. These holes may also be used to attach the elongated arm section 130 to the spa cover as will be described later.
The short arm section 134 has formed thereon a hole for coupling the spring member thereto to form the pivot 120. In alternate embodiments, the location of the pivot 120 and therefore the hole for the same may be moved to adjust the resistance provided by the spring member against closing of the spa cover as described above. Each of the arm sections and the connecting member has a substantially rectangular cross-section in the exemplary embodiment.
The support arm 108 may have other configurations in other embodiments. For example, the arm sections and the connecting member may have cross-sections that are different from a rectangular cross-section. Further, in an alternate embodiment as depicted in
Returning now to
The lip 138 has formed thereon semi-elliptical protrusions 142 and 144, respectively, on its ends. The semi-elliptical protrusion 142 has formed thereon a hole for forming the pivot 118 between the spring member 110 and the mounting bracket 112. The other lip 140 has formed thereon only one semi-elliptical protrusion 146 that faces the semi-elliptical protrusion 144 on the lip 138. The protrusion 146 has formed thereon a hole for forming the pivot 122 between the mounting bracket 112 and the support arm 108, and the protrusion 144 also has formed thereon a hole (not shown) for forming the pivot 122 together with the hole on the protrusion 146.
The web 136 of the mounting bracket 112 is mounted on top of and attached to the side mount support bracket 114. The side mount support bracket 114 is L-shaped having a substantially rectangular horizontal member 148 and a substantially rectangular vertical member 150. The horizontal member 148 may have formed thereon one or more holes for mounting the mounting bracket 112 on the horizontal member 148. The mounting bracket 112 may also have holes that match the holes on the horizontal member 148. The vertical member 150 may have formed thereon one or more holes for fastening the side mount support bracket on the side of the outer wooden frame 101 near the rear edge and close to the top of the spa.
The installation of the side mount support bracket 114 and the mounting bracket 112 on the outer wooden frame 101 may best be described in reference to
As can be seen in
Returning now to
In other embodiments as illustrated, for example, in
The protrusions 145 and 147 also have formed thereon, respectively, two holes 125 and 127 for installing a safety lock pin 155. The safety lock pin 155 has formed thereon a locking ball for holding the pin 155 in place once it is installed through the holes 125, 127, and a chain 159 for attaching it to a stationary object so that the safety lock pin does not get lost. When the support arm 111 is in an open position and the safety lock pin 155 is installed (i.e., the locking mechanism has been engaged), the support arm 111 does not rotate with respect to the mounting bracket 112 because the safety lock pin 155 engages an end of the support arm, and physically prevents it from rotating towards a closed position.
Returning now to
To support the attachment of the support arm 108 to the spa cover 102 at two attachment locations, two metal plates 104 and 105 are first mounted on the spa cover 102. In
The metal plates 104 and 105 have a width that is substantially the same as the width of the support arm 108. In other embodiments, the width of the metal plates may be more or less than the width of the support arm 108. Further, a different size and/or number of metal plates (e.g., one long metal plate that runs along the length of one of the sections of the spa cover 102) may be used. A detailed description of installation and operation of the metal plates 104 and 105 is provided below in reference to
The metal plate 104 may be formed from aluminum and may have a rectangular shape and size varying, for example, between approximately 1″×41″ (2.54 cm×10.16 cm) and approximately 1.75″×2″ (4.445 cm×5.08 cm). The metal plate may have other dimensions in other embodiments. Further, the metal plate may have any other suitable shape such as angle, channel and the like.
The double sided tape 172 may cover one side of the metal plate 104 completely, and is affixed to the metal plate. The adhesive on the side away from the metal plate should remain covered until the metal plate (and the double sided tape) is ready to be affixed to a spa cover. The double sided tape 172 may, for example, be a 0.030 heavy duty doubled sided tape.
The screw 170, for example, may be a flat head Phillips drive drywall screw or any other suitable screw. The screw 170 may, for example, have a length of approximately 6″ (15.24 cm), and may be coarsely threaded.
The anchor 174 is formed from an elongated metal strip that is approximately 2.5″ (6.35 cm) in length. The anchor 174 is bent about its middle to form an elongated “U” shape. The anchor 174 has a hole about its middle that can be used to engage the thread on the screw 170. Hence, the anchor 174 may be described as an U-shaped member having a base with hole and two elongated wings. The anchor 174 has a pointed tip at both ends 176 and 178 (e.g., of the two wings), so that the wings can penetrate the material into which the anchor is embedded. The anchor may have other suitable shapes in other embodiments. The anchor 174 is deformable so that it can at least partly be unbent during the installation process.
During installation, the sticky portion not affixed to the metal plate of the double sided tape 172 should first be exposed so that the double sided tape 172, and therefore the metal plate 104, can be affixed on the cover 160. Then, the screw 170 is nailed (i.e., pounded in and not screwed) through a hole on the metal plate 104 and the cover 160 into the core 162 without removing the cover 160. This way, the steps of removing the cover and then reinserting the core into the cover may be avoided. In other embodiments, however, the cover may be removed to install the metal plates directly on the core. Since the anchor 174 engages the thread of the screw 170, the anchor is inserted into the core 162 together with the screw 170.
The metal plate may be affixed to the cover 160 via the double sided tape 172 at any time before, during or after nailing the screw 170 into the core 162. The adhesive on the double sided tape 172 may form a seal around the opening on the cover 160 formed by driving in the screw 170 so as to prevent moisture from entering inside the cover 160.
With the metal plate and the screw (and the anchor) in place, the screw is rotated to attach it firmly to the core 162. That is, at the time of inserting the screw into the core 162, the anchor 174 has an outline and relative location similar to that of a dotted outline 174a. As the screw is rotated, the anchor 174 travels towards the head of the screw 170 since the hole at the center of the anchor is engaging the thread of the screw 170. Moving towards the screw head, the anchor 174 is deformed since its movement is resisted by the core 162, which may be a solid block of foam material. Hence, during the process, the anchor has an outline and relative position 174b, for example, where the anchor has partially unbent wings due to the resistance provided by the core 162. As can be imagined, it would be harder and harder to turn the screw 170 since the resistance provided by the core 162 increases. Finally, the anchor may have an outline and relative position 174c when the screw is finally firmly anchored within the core 162, and the wings of the anchor 174 are further spread out.
The spring member 110 (e.g., a gas spring) is in a fully extended position when the spa is fully open. It can be seen that the spring member forms an angle of approximately 15 degrees with respect to the top of the spa so that the spring member 110 provides a resistance against the gust of wind blowing from behind the spa cover or other forces that tend to close the spa cover in the upright position. In alternate embodiments, by adjusting the location of the pivot 120 on the short arm section 134, the resistance in the horizontal direction provided by the spring member 110 may be adjusted.
The support arm 108 is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket 112 at a pivot 122. As can be seen from
The operation of the hinge assembly 106 is substantially the same as that of the hinge assembly of
It can also be seen in
FIGS. 11A-D, 12, 13, 14A-B and 15 illustrate a hinge assembly 300 in another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention.
While
As can be seen in
The hinge assembly also includes a support arm 302 hingedly (or pivotally) coupled to a pivot point 305 at one end (e.g., rear end) of the mounting bracket 304. The mounting bracket 304 at the rear end includes a protruding or raised portion 307 on which the pivot point 305 is located. The support arm 302 has a plurality of holes or openings 303 formed thereon for attaching the support arm 302 to a side surface of a spa cover (e.g., the spa cover 102 of
The support arm can be fixedly attached to the spa cover, for example, using bolts or screws installed through the holes 303 on the support arm 302 or using any other suitable fasteners. To aid with opening of the spa (i.e., removing of the spa cover from the spa) and/or to help maintain the spa cover in an upright position, a gas spring 318 (shown in
As can be seen in
A plate 310 is attached to the side of the support arm 302 about the bent portion thereof. The plate 310 may be formed of material that is identical to the material used for the support arm. The material used may be stainless steel, aluminum, any other suitable metal or any other material suitable for a spa hinge assembly. In one embodiment, the material used is Galvannealed A60/A653, which has pre-finish that offers protection against rust and provides an excellent base for painting. Such material may be zinc-plated cold rolled steel (CRS) or CRS having a zinc-based protective coating, and may be referred to as pre-plated CRS.
The plate is attached to the support arm 302 via any suitable method (e.g., welding or spot welding) known to those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, the plate 310 may be formed as an integrated whole with the support arm 302, thereby not necessitating any welding or any other attachment step between the two during manufacturing.
The hinge assembly 300 and the hinge assembly in other embodiments are provided as an upright hinge because there is little or no space behind the spa, for example, when the spa is in a gazebo or when the back of the spa is against the wall, to stow away the spa cover. Hence, one function of the gas spring 318 (e.g., see
The plate 310 has a plurality of openings (or holes) 312 formed (or defined) thereon. These holes are used to adjust the attachment location of the gas spring 318 with respect to the support arm 302. By way of example, further the attachment location is toward the rear of the spa, easier it is to close the spa cover because less force (or torque) would be needed to compress the gas spring 318. It would also be easier to remove the spa cover from the top of the spa. A drawback of this, however, the spa cover would tend to close easier in response to an applied force. Further, the spa cover has a tendency of becoming heavier as moisture accumulated therein. Therefore, as the time elapses, it may be desirable to change the attachment location so as to make it easier to open the spa cover.
The protruding or raised portion 307 also includes an opening (or hole) 323 formed thereon. The opening 323 can be used to insert a lock pin, such as the lock pin 155 of
The mounting bracket 304 also includes a protrusion or raised portion 315 toward the front of the spa. The raised portion 315 also includes a plurality of openings or holes 316 formed thereon. These holes are used to adjust the attachment location of the other end (e.g., a second end) of the gas spring 318 for the reason that is substantially the same as the reason for adjusting the attachment location of one end (e.g., a first end) of the gas spring 318 on the openings 312.
Referring now to
The bracket attachment part 319 has formed on its surface a plurality of openings 321 for attaching the mounting bracket 304 thereto. The mounting bracket 304, as shown in
It can be seen in
The attachment of the gas spring 318 to the hinge assembly 300 is also illustrated in
The mounting bracket 304 is installed on the mount support bracket 306 near the top of the spa, and is coupled to a first end of the gas spring 318. The mount support bracket 306 is fixed to the outer wooden frame 101 of the spa using openings 314. Any suitable fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) known to those skilled in the art can be used to fasten the mount support bracket 306 to the outer wooden frame 101.
A second end of the gas spring 318 is coupled to the support arm 302, which is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket 304 about an axis of rotation. The support arm 302 is attached to the outside surface of the lower portion of the spa cover 102 using openings 303 and any suitable fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.). The support arm 302 includes an elongated portion attached to the spa cover 102, a short portion coupled to the mounting bracket 304 at the pivot point (i.e., axis of rotation) 305 on the protruding portion 307 of the mounting bracket 304, and a curved portion connecting the elongated portion to the short portion. The support arm 302 has a plate 310 attached to its curved portion. In other exemplary embodiments, the portions of the support arm 302 and/or the plate 310 may be formed as a single integrated piece.
The mounting bracket has the raised portion 315, on which a plurality of openings are formed. The first end of the gas spring 318 can be selectively coupled (e.g., pivotally coupled) to one of these openings so that the angle that the gas spring 318 forms with the mounting bracket 304 can be adjusted. While only 3 openings or holes are shown in
The gas spring 318 is extended and inclined upward in a direction toward a rear end of the spa 100 from the first end coupled to the mounting bracket 304 to the second end coupled to the support arm 302, as the spa cover is moved toward the fully open position. On the other hand, the gas spring is compressed as the spa cover is moved toward the fully closed position. Here, the gas spring resists movement of the spa cover from the fully open position toward the fully closed position.
It can be seen in
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof. The present invention is therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/436,410, filed May 17, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/622,213, filed Jul. 18, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,213 on Jul. 11, 2006. This application also claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/812,295 filed on Jun. 9, 2006. The entire content of each of the above-referenced U.S. application Ser. Nos. 11/436,410, 10/622,213 and 60/812,295 is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60812295 | Jun 2006 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10622213 | Jul 2003 | US |
Child | 11436410 | May 2006 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11436410 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 11761334 | Jun 2007 | US |