CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
This application contain subject matter related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/080,818, filed on Feb. 22, 2002, to be issued on Mar. 11, 2008, as U.S. Pat. No. 7,340,800, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to hinges, and more particularly, to barrel hinges.
Barrel hinges are widely used in applications that require hingeably attaching heavy structures together, such as ingress and egress ramps for horse trailers, ramps for earth-moving equipment trailers, doors for ocean shipping containers, and the like.
In order to provide for lubrication of barrel hinges, grease fittings can be included in the hinge designs by being attached to ends of a shaft, with a grease channel provided through the shaft so that grease can be released between the pin and the sleeve. However, for long barrel hinges, it can be costly and difficult to bore a grease channel through the pin for delivery of grease between the pin and the sleeve of the barrel hinge.
Prior art barrel hinges having three sleeve sections have been made by providing three separate sleeves made of seamless tubing and an elongate rod which is retained within bores of the sleeves. Once assembled, the two end sleeves are welded at their ends to the ends of the rod, leaving the intermediate sleeve to freely rotate. These welds require additional labor and are more prone to corrosion than the unwelded portions. These prior designs do not lend themselves to lubrication by use of the grease fitting and therefore requires manual frequent lubrication, or more typically, remain unlubricated. Furthermore, seamless tubing is more costly than seamed tubing.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved barrel hinge that is easier to manufacture and maintain, is less prone to rust, has better lubrication properties, and has more consistent quality.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a prior art four-piece barrel hinge design.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the assembled prior art barrel hinge of FIG. 1, attached to two parts that are hinged together.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the assembled three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 4 through view lines 5-5.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a male portion of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an end view of the male portion of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 6 along view lines 7-7.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing the female portions of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIGS. 3-5.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge of the invention.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the assembled three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a partially exposed side view of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a partially exposed side view of the male portions of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIGS. 9-11.
FIG. 13 is an end view of the male portion of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 12 shown along view lines 13-13.
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a further exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge of the invention.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the assembled three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a partially exposed side view of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 15.
FIG. 17 is a partially exposed side view of the male portions of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIGS. 14-16
FIG. 18 is an end view of the male portion of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 6 along view lines 7-7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded view of a prior art four-piece barrel hinge design, having three tube sections 4a, 4b and 4c, and a central pin 6 which is sized to be received within axial openings 5a, 5b, and 5c of the sleeves 4a, 4b and 4c.
FIG. 2 shows pin 6 placed through axial openings 5a, 5b and 5c of sleeves 4a, 4b and 4c, with sleeves 4a and 4c being welded at their ends 8 to pin 6 to secure same together, and with barrel hinge 2 being welded to a first portion to be hinged together (e.g., a trailer (T)) and a second portion to be hinged together (e.g., a ramp thereof (R)). Pin 6 can be welded to sleeves 4a and 4c prior to attachment of the barrel hinge to the trailer and ramp, or another application. The welds 8 not only require additional assembly time, but also are more prone to rust and corrosion than unwelded areas. Furthermore, the prior art four-piece barrel hinge require that the sleeves 4a, 4b, and 4c be made from seamless tubing, which is more costly than seamed tubing, or utilize seamed tubing that has been machined on an inside surface thereof to remove the weld line (which can weaken the tubing). In order to provide for lubrication, a grease fitting can optionally be provided in an end of pin 6 with the grease hole formed therethrough which egresses at one or more points in the vicinity of the interface between sleeve 4b and the surface of pin 6 (not shown). However, this requires formation of a long channel through the center of rod which can weaken the rod and requires additional manufacturing steps. If typical grease fittings are threaded into a sidewall of the sleeve, they jut beyond the inner surface of the axial opening in the sleeve and impinge on the pin. It is therefore problematic to use grease fittings in the prior art designs. Furthermore, there is no grease reservoir provided in the prior art design since the most grease that can be retained is limited by the volume available between pin 6 and inner walls of sleeve 4b, which for close fitting pins and sleeves, is very small.
Turning to FIG. 3, there is shown an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge of the invention 10, which includes a female barrel 12, and two male barrels 14a and 14b. Female barrel 12 has a cylindrical and axially located bore 16 formed therethrough from end to end (24a through 24b). Female barrel 12 has an outer surface 18. Female barrel 12's bore 16 has a predetermined interior diameter. Male barrels 14a and 14b have cylindrical pin extension 26a and 26b having front faces 28a (Shown in FIG. 5) and 28b, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than that of the interior diameter of opening 16. Male barrels 14a and 14b have opposite ends 30a and 30b, and have exterior surfaces 32a and 32b which were available for welding. Male barrels 14a and 14b are preferably identical. Outer surface 18 of female barrel 12 is likewise available for welding to another structure. The male barrels 14a and 14b preferably have a threaded orifice 24 formed therein for receiving a grease fitting 22 therein. The threaded orifice communicates with a channel 50 formed through the axis of the male barrels. Intersecting and in communication with the channel 50 are side channels 52 that are formed to open into the sidewall of the cylindrical pin extension 26a and 26b.
Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view showing the three-piece barrel of the invention with pin extensions male barrels 14a and 14b inserted into the opening of female barrel 12 and with grease fittings 22 engaged with threaded opening 24 of male barrel portions 14a and 14b.
Turning to FIG. 5, there is shown a partial cross-sectional view through view lines 5-5 of FIG. 4, showing the assembled three-piece barrel hinge, with the female barrel 12 and male barrels 14a and 14b exposed. As can be seen, ends 28a and 28b of pin extensions 26a and 26b, respectively, are spaced apart from each other and define a cavity 36 therebetween within female barrel 12. This cavity 36 may act as a grease reservoir. The channels 50 can be drilled through end faces 28a and 28b and blocked with plugs 54, if desired. The side channels 52 can be dilled through the side walls of the pin extensions 26a and 26b to intersect the channels 50. Thus, grease inserted through the grease fittings 22 will be forced though channels 50 and side channels 52 to lubricate the region between the pin extensions and the inside wall 38 of the female portion 12. Excess grease or other lubricant will tend to move to cavity 36, which will become available for lubrication. If the grease fittings 22 and/or bores 24 become damaged, the grease fittings 22 can be replaced and/or hole 24 can be rethreaded without requiring removal of the barrel hinge from the trailer to which it is welded.
Turning to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is shown a cross-sections view and end view of the male barrels 14a and 14b. At an interface of outer surface 32a and 32b and pin extension 26a and 26b, edges thereof 40 are preferably slightly beveled to provide a paint retention surface such that when the three piece barrel hinge is fully assembled as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, contact between female barrel 12 and male barrels 14a and 14b will not cause paint to excessively chip off along edges 40, thereby improving the appearance of the painted hinge installed. Ends 30a and 30b can also preferably be beveled 42. The grease fitting 22, threaded opening 24, channel 50, side channels 52, and plug 54 are shown. While the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4-7 show the grease fittings 22 as being on the outer surface of the generally cylindrical main body portions 32a and 32b, they can be located on the end walls 30a and 30b, as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 14-18, if desired.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing the female portion 12 of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIGS. 3-5. Its outer surface 18, ends 24a, b, inner-diameter 16, and wall 38 are shown. It has bevels 44 at its ends, which together with the bevels 40 of the male portions 14a, b (shown in FIG. 5) function as described above. The outer edges 44 of female barrel 12 are also preferably beveled slightly so that when female barrel 12 is assembled with male barrels 14a and 14b, there is less likelihood of paint chipping along edges 40 and 42, which will provide for an improved paint longevity of the device.
FIGS. 9-13 are views of another exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge 60 of the invention. It is similar to the three-piece barrel hinge 10 of FIGS. 3-8, and similar reference numerals are used, except as otherwise noted, and instead of having the lubricant pass from the main channels 50 to side channels 52, grease will pass directly from the main channel 50 to a grease reservoir 36 that will be defined by the space in the female portion 62 and ends 28a and 28b of two male barrels 64a and 64b, respectively.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the three-piece barrel hinge 60 of the invention. Female barrel has a cylindrical and axially located bore 16 formed therethrough from end to end (24a through 24b). Female barrel has an outer surface 18. Female barrel 62's bore 16 has a predetermined interior diameter. Male barrels 64a and 64b have cylindrical pin extension 26a and 26b having front faces 28a (shown in FIG. 13) and 28b, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than that of the interior diameter of opening 16. Male barrels 64a and 64b have opposite ends 30a and 30b, and have exterior surfaces 32a and 32b which are available for welding. Male barrels 64a and 64b are preferably identical. Outer surface 18 of female barrel 62 is likewise available for welding to another structure. The male barrels 64a and 64b preferably have a threaded opening (not shown) formed therein for receiving a grease fitting 22 therein. The threaded orifice communicates with a channel 50 formed through the axis of the male barrels.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the assembled three-piece barrel hinge 60 of FIG. 9, with the pin extensions male barrels 64a and 64b inserted into the opening of female barrel 62 and with grease fittings 22 engaged with threaded opening 24 of male barrel portions 64a and 64b.
FIG. 11 is a partially exposed side view of the three-piece barrel hinge 60 of FIG. 10, showing the assembled three-piece barrel hinge 60, with the female barrel 62 and male barrels 64a and 64b exposed. As can be seen, ends 28a and 28b of pin extensions 26a and 26b, respectively, are spaced apart from each other and define a cavity 36 therebetween within female barrel 62. This cavity 36 may act as a grease reservoir. The channels 50 can be drilled through end faces 28a, 28b. Thus, grease inserted though the grease fittings 22 will be forced though channels 50 and into the central grease reservoir 36 to lubricate the region between the pin extensions and the inside wall 38 of the female portion. If the grease fittings 22 and/or bores 24 become damaged, the grease fittings 22 can be replaced and/or hole 24 can be rethreaded without requiring removal of the barrel hinge from the trailer to which it is welded.
FIG. 12 is a partially exposed side view of the male portions of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIGS. 9-11. Turning to FIGS. 12 and 13, there is shown a cross-sectional view and an end view of the male barrels 64a and 64b. At an interface of outer surface 32a and 32b and pin extension 26a and 26b, edges thereof 40 are preferably slightly beveled to provide a paint retention surface such that when the three piece barrel is fully assembled as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, contact between female barrel 62 and male barrels 64a and 64b will not cause paint to excessively chip off along edges 40, thereby improving the appearance of the painted hinge installed. Ends 30a and 30b can also preferably be beveled 42. The grease fitting 22, threaded opening 24, and channel 50 are shown. While the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 9-13 show the grease fittings as being on the outer surface of the generally cylindrical main body portions, they can be located on the end walls, as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 14-18, if desired.
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a third exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge 80 of the invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view, FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional side view of the assembled three-piece barrel hinge 80, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view of the male portions of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIGS. 14-16, and FIG. 18 is an end view of the male portion of the three-piece barrel hinge of FIG. 16 along view lines 18-18. The third exemplary embodiment of a three-piece barrel hinge 80 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-13, but instead of locating a grease fitting on a side wall of the male barrel portions 84a, 84b, a single grease fitting 86 can be engaged (e.g. threaded, press fit, etc.) with an aperture 88 on an end wall 90 of one of the male barrel portion 84a, with a channel 92 extending longitudinally down the male barrel portion 84a and exiting at its end 94. The female barrel portion 82 with a central opening 92 is shown. Bevels 40 are formed on the male barrel portions 96 in the transition area between the pin extension portions 26a,b and outer surface 32a,b thereof. Bevels 42 are also found on the wider end of the male barrel portions 84a. The female barrel portion 82 is as described with reference to the prior embodiments. While a single grease fitting is shown on one of the two male barrel portions, both male barrel portions could be fitted with grease fittings.
In the design of the invention, since there will be better lubrication at the points of motion, the tolerances between the pin extensions and the interior diameter of the female barrel can be made closer, thereby providing a more precise and smooth operating hinge.
While in practice there may be grease fittings available that do not have any portions which extend downwardly beyond inside wall 16 of female barrel, the provision of a cavity 36 is highly beneficial as a grease reservoir.
The three-piece barrel hinge design of the invention provides further advantages. For example, unlike prior art designs, only the female barrel need be assembled from seamless tubing which is less expensive than seamed tubing.
Male barrels can be simply machined from round stock and the diameter of pin extensions can be machined to be within whatever tolerances are desired of the interior diameter of female barrels. Furthermore, there is no welding required of a central pin which would otherwise be required to go through all three barrels of the prior art barrel hinge. This means that there is no welding required prior to attachment of the three piece barrel hinge to a trailer or other structure.
In addition to forming the male barrel portions from bar stocks, the male barrel portions can alternately be formed with thick walled tubing, with the pin extensions being machine downed to fit within the axial bore, and with plugs or caps preferably inserted into the bases of the pin extensions.
Having thus described the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiment is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.
Patent Grant
7730581
