Hinge with a pair of parallel pivots

March 26, 1968 r. _l. horstman 3,374,499

HINGE WITH A FAIR OF PARALLEL PIVOTS

Filed Sept. 12, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3374499A_D0001.tif" />

INVENTOR.

ZFOSENT L. HO/tSTM/W

BY

PtTFONMEVS.

March 26, 1968 r. l. horstman 3,374,499

HINGE WITH A PAIR OF PARALLEL PIVOTS

Filed Sept. 12, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3374499A_D0002.tif" />

United States Patent Office

3,374,499

Patented Mar. 26, 1968 sliding downwardly by fastening to its upper end a clip 11 that will engage the top of the pivot bar 7.

To support hinge leaf 2 and also prevent the pivot bar from sliding down, the barrel segments are notched to provide them with at least one pair of opposed gaps 13. For best results, there are two or more pairs of these gaps spaced along the length of the hinge. Filling each pair of gaps is a bearing block 14 that fits snugly around the pivot pins as shown in FIG. 5. The barrel segment joined to hinge leaf 2 rests on these bearing blocks and turns on them. The bearing blocks may be made of a suitable bearing material, preferably a synthetic plastic such as nylon or Teflon which has some flexibility and can be formed to tightly grip the pivot bar to support it from the barrel segment of hinge leaf 1. Each bearing block has parallel side faces engaging the crests of the channel teeth for a purpose that will be explained below.

The various parts of this hinge can be assembled by first placing the hinge leaves beside each other with barrel gaps 13 opening upwardly. The bearings 14 are then placed in the gaps and the pivot bar is inserted in the barrel segments from one end and then pushed lengthwise of them until it extends through all of the bearings and from end to end of the barrels. The channel then is slid ' lengthwise of the barrel segments with its innermost teeth meshing with the barrel teeth.

It will be seen that when the door that is supported by this hinge is swung open, the barrel segment attached to the door will rotate around the adjoining pivot pin and the teeth on that barrel will roll outwardly along the adjoining flange of the channel. This will cause the opposite flange to. swing around the other barrel segment so that by the time the door has been opened about 180° as shown in FIG. 3, the channel teeth at the outer edges of tne cnannel flanges will be engaging the barrel teeth. The channel will have turned about 90° from its original position and the pivot bar will be near the open side of the channel. As the door is opened, the web of channel t> will move away from the hinge barrels. During this movement the channel flanges will slide along the opposite sides or the bearing blocks 14, which will maintain the body of pivot bar 7 parallel to the channel web.

It IS desirable to provide the inner side of the pivot ^Μ “^te8^ra’^cen!^{ral rib 16} extending lengthwise Oi the bar. „ach side of the rib is concentric with the adjacent pivot pin to form an arcuate slot for receiving e inner end portion of the adjacent barrel segment when the hinge leaves are swung apart. Entrance of the segments into the slots prevents any tendency of the segments to be sprung away from the pivot pins if the door is opened too vigorously.

S° ?^{e provisions} °f patent statutes, I nimir r ^PJ^aine,^d}^he °f my invention and have sent 7 κ ^d®^s=^{nbed what} I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specincally illustrated and described.