Replacement door hinges for aligning a door in relation to a door jamb

Abstract

A kit for use in realigning a door connected to a jamb includes a plurality of replacement hinges having different sized gaps formed between the leaves thereof when pivoted to extend in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, including gaps that are narrower and wider than a standard gap of the conventional hinges currently used to hang the door, prior to installation. A zero gap replacement hinge may have no gap between the leaves when in the closed position. The kit may include multiple reduced gap replacement hinges with varying sized gaps and multiple enlarged gap replacement hinges with varying sized gaps. To rehang a sagging door, the top conventional hinge may be replaced with a reduced gap replacement hinge and the bottom conventional hinge may be replaced with an enlarged gap replacement hinge. The reduced gaps and the enlarged gaps of the replacement hinges may be formed using a swaging technique.

Claims

1. A set of replacement hinges having different gap spacing from each other and being included together in a package as a kit for rehanging a door connected to a jamb by a plurality of hinges, the set of replacement hinges consisting of: at least three reduced gap replacement hinges having a pair of leaves with each leaf having a front surface and a rear surface that are both flat, planar and uniform surfaces along an entirety of said front and rear surfaces, connected via respective knuckles and a pin about which the pair of leaves are pivotable, and which when pivoted to a closed position in which the pair of leaves extend in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, prior to installation, have a fixed, non-adjustable, reduced dimension gap formed therebetween which is narrower than a gap formed between leaves of the plurality of hinges when in the closed position; and at least three enlarged gap replacement hinges having a pair of leaves with each leaf having a front surface and a rear surface that are both flat, planar and uniform surfaces along an entirety of said front and rear surfaces, connected via respective knuckles and a pin about which the pair of leaves are pivotable, and which when pivoted to a closed position in which the pair of leaves extend in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, prior to installation, have a fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap formed therebetween which is wider than the gap formed between leaves of the plurality of hinges when in the closed position, the replacement hinges being selectable to replace one or more of the plurality of hinges so as to adjust a width of a reveal between the door and the jamb such that, after installation of one or more of the replacement hinges, the door is realigned relative to the jamb and is able to open and close essentially without contacting the jamb.

2. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of hinges and the replacement hinges are 3.5 three screw hinges, and prior to installation, the gap of the plurality of hinges is 0.05 to 0.08 wide, the fixed, non-adjustable, reduced dimension gap of the at least three reduced gap replacement hinges is 0 to 0.03 wide, and the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the at least three enlarged gap replacement hinges is 0.15 to 0.3 wide.

3. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 2, wherein the at least three enlarged gap replacement hinges includes a first enlarged gap replacement hinge and a second enlarged gap replacement hinge, the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the first enlarged gap replacement hinge is 0.15 to 0.2 wide, and the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the second enlarged gap replacement hinge is 0.25 to 0.3 wide, one of the first enlarged gap replacement hinge and the second enlarged gap replacement hinge being selectable to replace one of the plurality of hinges depending on an amount of adjustment required to realign the door relative to the jamb and ensure that the door is able to open and close essentially without contacting the jamb.

4. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of hinges and the replacement hinges are 4 four screw hinges, and prior to installation, the gap of the plurality of hinges is 0.06 to 0.01 wide, the fixed, non-adjustable, reduced dimension gap of the at least three reduced gap replacement hinges is 0 to 0.04 wide, and the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the at least three enlarged gap replacement hinges is 0.15 to 0.3 wide.

5. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 4, wherein the at least three enlarged gap replacement hinges includes a first enlarged gap replacement hinge and a second enlarged gap replacement hinge, the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the first enlarged gap replacement hinge is 0.15 to 0.2 wide, and the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the second enlarged gap replacement hinge is 0.25 to 0.3 wide, one of the first enlarged gap replacement hinge and the second enlarged gap replacement hinge being selectable to replace one of the plurality of hinges depending on an amount of adjustment required to realign the door relative to the jamb and ensure that the door is able to open and close essentially without contacting the jamb.

6. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the replacement hinges are selectable to replace one or more of the plurality of hinges to enable a position or orientation of the door in relation to the jamb to be adjusted in different ways upon installation, depending on a type of adjustment required to realign the door relative to the jamb and ensure that the door is able to open and close essentially without contacting the jamb, including any of, replacing at least two of the plurality of hinges with at least two of the reduced gap replacement hinges to pull the door towards a hinge side of the jamb, replacing at least two of the plurality of hinges with at least two of the enlarged gap replacement hinges to push the door away from the hinge side of the jamb, replacing an uppermost hinge of the plurality of hinges with one of the reduced gap replacement hinges, and replacing a lowermost hinge of the plurality of hinges with one of the enlarged gap replacement hinges, to rotate the door in a clockwise direction relative to the jamb, and replacing the uppermost hinge of the plurality of hinges with one of the enlarged gap replacement hinges, and replacing the lowermost hinge of the plurality of hinges with one of the reduced gap replacement hinges, to rotate the door in a counterclockwise direction relative to the jamb.

7. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 6, the package including the replacement hinges further consisting of a set of installation instructions including detailed step-by-step instructions and illustrations for enabling a user to install the replacement hinges to adjust the position or orientation of the door in relation to the jamb in different ways upon installation depending on the type of adjustment required to realign the door relative to the jamb and ensure that the door is able to open and close essentially without contacting the jamb.

8. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the pair of leaves of the reduced gap replacement hinges and the pair of leaves of the enlarged gap replacement hinges each have a thickness and dimensions similar to each other, and similar to a thickness and dimensions of the leaves of the plurality of hinges, and installing the replacement hinges does not require any structural modification to the door or to the jamb.

9. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the fixed, non-adjustable, reduced dimension gap of the reduced gap replacement hinges and the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the enlarged gap replacement hinges are formed using a swaging technique, one leaf of the reduced gap replacement hinges are swaged to a greater degree than one leaf of the plurality of hinges, and one leaf of the enlarged gap replacement hinges are swaged to a lesser degree than one leaf of the plurality of hinges.

10. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the fixed, non-adjustable, reduced dimension gap of the reduced gap replacement hinges and the fixed, non-adjustable, enlarged dimension gap of the enlarged gap replacement hinges are formed using a swaging technique, both leaves of the reduced gap replacement hinges are swaged to a greater degree than both leaves of the plurality of hinges, and both leaves of the enlarged gap replacement hinges are swaged to a lesser degree than both leaves of the plurality of hinges.

11. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the leaves of the reduced gap replacement hinges are each swaged by equal amounts, and the leaves of the enlarged gap replacement hinges are each swaged by equal amounts.

12. The set of replacement hinges according to claim 1, wherein the leaves of the reduced gap replacement hinges are each swaged by different amounts, and the leaves of the enlarged gap replacement hinges are each swaged by different amounts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional hinge for connecting a door to a jamb.

(2) FIG. 2 is an end view of a conventional hinge in a closed position with the leaves of the conventional hinge extending in parallel spaced relation with a gap formed therebetween.

(3) FIG. 3 is an end view of a first replacement hinge which has been modified to reduce the size of the gap or eliminate the gap between the leaves of the first replacement hinge when extending in parallel spaced relation.

(4) FIG. 4 is an end view of a second replacement hinge which has been modified to increase the size of the gap between the leaves of the second replacement hinge when extending in parallel spaced relation.

(5) FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a door hung in a door frame with the door connected to a jamb by three conventional hinges and showing the door sagging relative to the door frame. The dimensions and position of the hinges relative to the jamb are not to scale and are exaggerated to facilitate explaining the method of rehanging a door in a door frame and describing the hinges used.

(6) FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the door shown in FIG. 5 with the upper conventional hinge replaced with the first replacement hinge and the lower conventional hinge replaced with the second replacement hinge. The dimensions and position of the hinges relative to the doorjamb are not to scale and are exaggerated to facilitate explaining the method of rehanging a door in a door frame and describing the hinges used.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a kit including three replacement hinges and an instruction sheet for using the replacement hinges bundled together in a plastic package, according to some example embodiments.

(8) FIG. 8 is flow chart illustrating a process for manufacturing the replacement hinges according to some example embodiments.

(9) FIG. 9 illustrates various examples of swaging one leaf or both leaves of the replacement hinges according to some example embodiments, as compared to the conventional hinges.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) As required, some detailed example embodiments of the present inventive concepts are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed example embodiments are non-limiting and the present inventive concepts may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present inventive concepts in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include example embodiments of the present inventive concepts and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

(11) Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, the words upwardly, downwardly, rightwardly, and leftwardly will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words inwardly and outwardly will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the example embodiments being described and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of a similar import.

(12) A conventional hinge 1 for pivotally connecting a door 2 to a jamb 3 of a door frame 4 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The conventional hinge 1 includes first and second leaves 7 and 8 each with a plurality of knuckles 10, which when aligned receive a hinge pin 12 therethrough about which the leaves 7 and 8 pivot. Fastener holes 14 are formed in each of the leaves 7 and 8 through which fasteners, such as wood screws, are driven to secure the leaves 7 and 8 to the door 2 or the jamb 3. The leaves 7 and 8 of the conventional hinge 1 project outward from their respective knuckles 10 such that, when the leaves are pivoted to a closed alignment with the leaves extending parallel and adjacent to one another, prior to installation, a gap 16 (also referred to as a standard gap) is formed between the leaves 7 and 8. The gap 16 generally corresponds in width to the desired width of the reveal between the door 2 and the jamb. The desired width of the reveal between the door 2 and the jamb 3 may be about inch, for example. The gap 16 formed between the leaves 7 and 8 of the conventional hinges 1, prior to installation, is may be about 1/16 (e.g., between 0.05 inch and 0.1 inch wide). For example, for a 3.5 three screw hinge, the gap 16 may be 0.05 to 0.08 wide, and for a 4 four screw hinge, the gap 16 may be 0.06 to 0.1 wide. However, these are merely non-limiting illustrative examples, and various different sized conventional hinges (e.g., 3, 4.5,5, and/or 6 hinges) with different numbers of screw holes are also contemplated. For standard eight foot doors 2, three conventional hinges 1 are typically used to connect the door 2 to the jamb 3, including a top hinge 1a, a middle hinge 1b, and a bottom hinge 1c. However, some example embodiments are not limited thereto, and different numbers of hinges may be applicable depending on the size (e.g., height, width, thickness) and weight of the door (e.g., two hinges for smaller or lighter weight doors, and/or four or five hinges for larger or heavier weight doors). After installation, the weight of the door 2 may generally cause the gap 16 of the top hinge 1a to expand and the gap 16 of the bottom hinge 1c to compress, as shown in FIG. 5, such that the reveal between the door 2 and the jamb 3 is not uniform. For example, due to the gravitational forces expanding the gap 16 of the top hinge 1a and compressing the gap 16 of the bottom hinge 1c, an upper left corner of the door 2 opposite the hinge 1a may contact the jamb 3. Although not illustrated, other factors may also result in a non-uniform reveal after installation of the door 2, including settling of the residence over time, or inaccurate measurements.

(13) Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a first replacement hinge or reduced gap replacement hinge 20 having first and second leaves 21 and 22 projecting outward from knuckles 25 and through which the hinge pin 28 extends. In some example embodiments, the radial position of at least one of the leaf 21 and the leaf 22 is adjusted relative to respective knuckles 25 so that when the leaves 21 and 22 are rotated to a closed position in which the leaves 21 and 22 extend in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, and prior to installation, a reduced gap 29 (e.g., a nominal gap, or no gap) is formed between the leaves 21 and 22. A reduced gap replacement hinge 20 with no gap between the leaves 21 and 22 in the closed position may be referred to as a zero gap replacement hinge 20. In the case where the reduced gap 29 is 0 wide (zero gap), the leaves 21 and 22 may be described as extending in abutting relationship. The reduced gap 29 formed between the leaves 21 and 22 of the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 is narrower than the gap 16 (standard gap) formed between the leaves 7 and 8 of the conventional hinge 1 prior to installation. For example, for a 3.5 three screw reduced gap replacement hinge 20, the reduced gap 29 may be 0.0 to 0.03 wide, and for a 4 four screw reduced gap replacement hinge 20, the reduced gap 29 may be 0.0 to 0.04 wide. However, example embodiments of the present inventive concepts are not limited thereto, and various different sized reduced gap replacement hinges 20 (e.g., 3, 4.5,5, and/or 6 hinges) with different numbers of screw holes are also contemplated. The adjustment of the radial position of one or both of the leaves 21 and/or 22 of the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 may be performed using a metal bending technique known as swaging, which will be described further below in connection with FIGS. 8 and 9.

(14) Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a second replacement hinge or enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 having first and second leaves 31 and 32 projecting outward from knuckles 35 and through which the hinge pin 38 extends. In some example embodiments, the radial position of at least one of the leaf 31 and the leaf 32 is adjusted relative to respective knuckles 35 so that when the leaves 31 and 32 are rotated to a closed position in which the leaves 31 and 32 extend in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, and prior to installation, an enlarged gap 39 is formed between the leaves 31 and 32. For example, the radial position of at least one of the leaf 31 and the leaf 32 is adjusted to extend generally tangentially to the knuckles 35 to which it is attached, although example embodiments are not limited thereto. The enlarged gap 39 formed between the leaves 31 and 32 of the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 is wider than the gap 16 (standard gap) formed between the leaves 7 and 8 of the conventional hinge 1 prior to installation. For example, for a 3.5 three screw enlarged gap replacement hinge 30, the enlarged gap 39 may be 0.15 to 0.3 wide, and for a 4 four screw enlarged gap replacement hinge 30, the enlarged gap 39 may be 0.15 to 0.3 wide. However, example embodiments of the present inventive concepts are not limited thereto, and various different sized enlarged gap replacement hinges 30 (e.g., 3, 4.5,5, and/or 6 hinges) with different numbers of screw holes are also contemplated. It is also foreseen that multiple enlarged gap replacement hinges 30 may be produced with variations in the width of the enlarged gap 39. For example, a first enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 may have an enlarged gap 39 that is 0.15 to 0.2 wide, and a second enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 may have an enlarged gap 39 that is 0.25 to 0.3 wide. Again, the adjustment of the radial position of one or both of the leaves 31 and/or 32 of the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 may be performed using the swaging technique described below in connection with FIGS. 8 and 9.

(15) In one non-limiting approach to rehanging a door 2 that has sagged, only the top hinge 1a might be replaced with a reduced gap replacement hinge 20. Replacing the top hinge 1a with the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 will pull the top hinge side corner of the door 2 closer to the upper portion of the jamb 3 on the hinge side and pull the opposite upper corner of the door 2 away from the jamb 3 opposite the reduced gap replacement hinge 20. This repair may be sufficient to correct the sagging of the door 2 by producing a more consistent reveal between the door 2 and the jamb 3 and eliminating (or reducing) the binding of the door 2 with the jamb 3.

(16) In case further adjustment in needed to realign the door 2 relative to the jamb 3, in addition to replacing the top hinge 1a with the reduced gap replacement hinge 20, the bottom hinge 1c may be replaced with an enlarged gap replacement hinge 30. Replacing the bottom hinge 1c with the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 will push the bottom hinge side corner of the door 2 away from the lower portion of the jamb 3 on the hinge side and push the opposite lower corner of the door 2 toward the jamb 3 opposite the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 to produce a more consistent reveal between the door 2 and jamb 3 and eliminate (or reduce) any binding between the door 2 and the jamb 3.

(17) Typically, the middle hinge 1b will not need to be replaced. However, in certain cases, the middle hinge 1b could also be replaced with a reduced gap replacement hinge 20 or an enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 according to some other example embodiments, depending on the amount and/or the type of adjustment needed.

(18) When replacing the hinges 1a and/or 1c with the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 and/or the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30, respectively, an installer may reuse the screws used to secure hinges 1a and 1c to the door 2 and jamb 3. Alternatively, the installer may select slightly longer screws if preferred. In some example embodiments, fastener receiving holes (screw holes) formed in the replacement hinges 20 and 30 may be sized and spaced to correspond to the fastener holes 14 of conventional hinges 1. In some other example embodiments, it is also foreseen that the location of the screw holes in the leaves 21 and 22 of reduced gap replacement hinge 20 and the screw holes in the leaves 31 and 32 of the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 may be modified relative to the fastener holes 14 in the leaves 7 and 8 of the conventional hinges 1, so that the fasteners (screws) used to connect the replacement hinges 20 and/or 30 to the door 2 and jamb 3 bore into different portions of the door 2 or jamb 3 (e.g., in case any existing screw holes drilled in the door 2 and/or the jamb 3 are worn or have been stripped).

(19) Referring to FIG. 7, a kit 50 consisting of a reduced gap replacement hinge 20, an enlarged gap replacement hinge 30, and one or more additional replacement hinge(s) 52 having gaps of a variety of widths, along with a set of installation instructions 60, may be distributed through selected channels such as retail hardware stores and/or architectural hardware manufacturers. In some example embodiments, the kit 50 shown in FIG. 7 includes a first reduced gap replacement hinge 20, a second reduced gap replacement hinge 52, and one enlarged gap replacement hinge 30. The first reduced gap replacement hinge 20 may be a zero gap replacement hinge, as shown in FIG. 3. The second reduced gap replacement hinge 52 may have a gap 54 formed between leaves 55 and 56 extending in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, prior to installation, that is dimensioned greater than zero but less than the dimension of the gap 16 (standard gap) of a conventional hinge 1. In one non-limiting illustrative example, if the gap 16 of the conventional hinge 1 is about 1/16, the gap 54 of the second reduced gap replacement hinge 52 may be about 1/32. The second reduced gap replacement hinge 52 (non-zero gap) might be used in lieu of the first reduced gap replacement hinge 20 (zero gap) if the degree to which the door has sagged is limited or for other reasons relating to fit or spacing (e.g., only a minor adjustment is needed to realign the door in the frame). In some other example embodiments, the kit 50 may include a reduced gap replacement hinge 20 (which may have a nominal gap or no gap), a first enlarged gap replacement hinge 52, and a second enlarged gap replacement hinge 30. The second enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 might be used in lieu of the first enlarged gap replacement hinge 52 if the degree to which the door has sagged is substantial or for other reasons relating to fit or spacing (e.g., a greater amount of adjustment is needed to realign the door in the frame). In yet some other example embodiments, the additional replacement hinge 52 may have a standard gap width (e.g., about 1/16) similar to the conventional hinges 1 and may be used to replace the middle hinge 1b if desired by the installer, for example (e.g., to ensure consistent size, shape, finish, etc. of all of the hinges used to rehang the door 2, in cases where the replacement hinges may not exactly match the conventional hinges being replaced). The installation instructions 60 may be packaged in a plastic shell type package 61 with the replacement hinges 20, 30, and 52, and may provide detailed step-by-step instructions and illustrations for enabling a user to install the replacement hinges in the manner described previously so as to obtain various amounts and/or types of adjustments, thereby obtaining the desired alignment, a more consistent reveal, and avoiding contact between the door 2 and the jamb 3 when opening and closing the door 2.

(20) Alternatively, it is foreseen that reduced gap replacement hinges 20 and enlarged gap replacement hinges 30 may be sold individually, and/or separately in packages of multiple of each (e.g., having reduced gaps or enlarged gaps of the same width or different widths), depending on the installer's needs. Reduced gap replacement hinges 20 and enlarged gap replacement hinges 30 of a variety of leaf shapes and finishes (e.g., whether standard or custom) may also be provided. For example, leaves 21 and 22 and leaves 31 and 32 may have square corners or rounded corners. The replacement hinges 20 and 30 may be manufactured with a variety of finishes, including brass or a silver finish, for example. In addition, the number of fastener holes (screw holes) formed in the leaves of the replacement hinges 20 and 30 may vary.

(21) Referring to FIG. 8, a flow chart illustrating a process 100 of manufacturing the replacement hinges (e.g., the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 and the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30) according to some example embodiments is described. The process 100 includes at least the following operations: cutting leaves (step 110), forming knuckles and swaging leaves (step 120), chamfering (step 130), polishing (step 140), and assembly (step 150). However, it should be noted that there may be additional well-known steps involved that are not disclosed, and that the order of some of the described operations may vary in some example embodiments.

(22) In step 110, leaves of a desired size may be cut out (or punched) from sheet metal (e.g., steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, etc.). For example, a cutting mold and a power press machine may be used for the cutting step, although example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the leaves may have the same height (or length) as leaves of the conventional hinges that the replacement hinges are designed to replace (e.g., 3.5 or 4.0 hinges, although example embodiments are not limited thereto and various other leaf heights or lengths are also possible, such as 3.0, 4.5, 5.0, or 6.0). The actual size of the leaves may depend on various factors such as the height, width, thickness, and/or weight of the door. When cutting the leaves, a number of tabs that will be used to form knuckles may also be cut. The number of tabs of a given leaf may depend on whether the leaf will be attached to the door or the jamb (e.g., among a pair of leaves, one leaf may have one, two, or three tabs and the other leaf may have two, three, or four tabs, although example embodiments are not limited thereto and other numbers of tabs are possible). The tabs of one leaf may align with respective cutouts of the other leaf, and vice versa. In some example embodiments, screw holes may also be cut out (or punched) from the sheet metal in step 110. The size, number, and/or position of the screw holes may depend on particular hinge specifications. In some other example embodiments, the screw holes may be cut (or drilled into the formed leaves) in step 130 below.

(23) In step 120, knuckles are formed by bending (rolling, curling) the tabs. For example, a bending die or mold and a press machine such as a punch press, a press brake, or a hydroforming press may be used for the knuckle forming step. However, example embodiments are not limited thereto, and various known metal bending machinery and/or tools may be suitable for forming the knuckles from the tabs. In some example embodiments, the knuckles may be formed in a single hit or stroke (e.g., using a specialized or custom-designed bending die or mold). In some other example embodiments, the knuckles may be formed progressively in multiple hits or strokes (e.g., using multiple bending dies or molds). As a non-limiting illustrative example, a punch press, two forming tools, and three hits or strokes may bend the tabs to form the knuckles. Using a first forming tool, a first hit or stroke of the punch press creates a first bend at the end of the tabs to produce a leading edge of the tabs. In some example embodiments, this initial bend is typically 0.2 or less from the end of the tab and may have a 0.125 radius with an angle of about 20 degrees to 40 degrees, although example embodiments are not limited thereto. The purpose of this is to help guide the tab in a second forming tool (the leading edge of the tab will slide around the interior of the second forming tool during a third hit or stroke of the punch press to form a complete circle). Using the first forming tool, a second hit or stroke of the punch press creates a second bend at or near the midpoint of the tabs and in the same direction as the first bend. In some example embodiments, this second bend may have a 0.125 radius with a designed angle of about 75 degrees to 88 degrees, although some other example embodiments are not limited thereto. Then, using a second forming tool (also referred to as a knuckle tool), a third hit or stroke of the punch press rolls or curls the knuckles. The knuckle tool may include a half circle facing downward toward the leaf. As the punch press lowers the second forming tool down to the leaf, the leading edge of the raised tab enters the second forming tool making contact near the front edge of the second forming tool. As the second forming tool continues to descend, the tab is forced to slide around the interior perimeter of the second forming tool, thereby rolling or curling the tab around into a complete circle to form a knuckle. In some example embodiments, all of the tabs may be rolled or curled to form the knuckles at the same time. In some other example embodiments, the third hit or stroke may be repeated for each tab until all of the knuckles are formed for each leaf. However, it should be noted that example embodiments are not limited thereto, and various different machinery and numbers of tools, dies/molds, and/or hits or strokes may be used to implement the knuckle forming process.

(24) In addition, one or both of the leaves may be swaged with respect to the knuckles (that is, with respect to the pin that will be inserted into the knuckles to attach the leaves together) in step 120. Swaging is a metal forming process in which the shape and/or dimensions of a work piece are altered using die(s) or mold(s) into which the work piece is forced. For example, swaging may be performed using a tool, die or stamp in a press (e.g., a punch press or a press brake machine). However, it should be noted that example embodiments are not limited thereto, and various different machinery and numbers of tools, dies/molds, and/or hits or strokes may be used to implement the swaging operation. A swaging operation includes forming (bending) one leaf or both of the leaves toward or beyond the center of the knuckles (that is, the centerline of the pin of an assembled hinge). Generally, swaging creates a slight inset of the leaf at or near the knuckles, which permits the leaves to come closer together when the hinge is in the closed position with the leaves extending in parallel. A leaf may be shifted with respect to the knuckles (pushed toward the pin). For example, the top side of a leaf may be moved to coincide with the plane of the centerline of the knuckles (or the pin). An amount of the swaging may be a function of an inner diameter of the knuckles (that is, the diameter of the pin). In some example embodiments, a swaging operation may be performed at the same time and using the same machinery and/or tools as the knuckle bending operation(s). In some other example embodiments, the swaging operation may be performed before or after the knuckle bending operation(s) and using different machinery and/or tools.

(25) Referring to FIG. 9, after the knuckles are formed for each of the leaves, and prior to the swaging operation, the leaves may be considered a plain or standard hinge assembly (also referred to as a flatback hinge). When in the open position, the leaves of a flatback hinge lay flat in the same plane. When in the closed position in which the leaves of the flatback hinge extend in parallel, juxtaposed alignment, there may be a gap of about 5/16 formed between the leaves prior to swaging. In some example embodiments, only one leaf is swaged. In some other example embodiments, both leaves may be swaged (e.g., by equal amounts or by different amounts). As is well-known in the related art, a conventional hinge 1 may be swaged and may have a gap 16 having a standard width of about 1/16 (also referred to as a minimum clearance) formed between the leaves. According to some example embodiments, a reduced gap replacement hinge 20 may be swaged to a greater degree (as compared to the conventional hinge 1 being replaced) and may have a reduced gap 29 having a reduced width (e.g., a nominal gap width such as 1/32, although example embodiments are not limited thereto) or no gap (e.g., 0) formed between the leaves, and an enlarged gap replacement hinge 30 may be swaged to a lesser degree (as compared to the conventional hinge 1 being replaced) and may have an enlarged gap 39 having an enlarged width (e.g., about , 3/16, or , although example embodiments are not limited thereto) formed between the leaves. The degree (e.g., the exact amount) of the swaging of a leaf or leaves of a replacement hinge may be determined (e.g., calculated) as a function of a number of variables, and may depend not only on the inner diameter of the knuckles (the diameter of the pin), but also on the thickness (or gauge) of the leaves, whether only one leaf or both leaves are to be swaged (and whether both leaves are to be swaged by equal amounts or by different amounts), and the desired gap spacing between the leaves (e.g., the reduced gap 29 of the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 and the enlarged gap 39 of the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30, as compared to the standard gap 16 of the conventional hinge 1).

(26) In step 130, a chamfering operation may be performed, which includes counter drilling the screw holes to form a recess to accommodate screw heads when installing the replacement hinges. In some example embodiments, in which the screw holes were not cut out (or punched) in step 110, the screw holes may be cut (or drilled) in step 130 prior to the chamfering operation. In step 140, the leaves may be polished. The polishing operation may also include cleaning, plating, and/or otherwise finishing surfaces of the replacement hinges according to particular hinge specifications. The polishing may be performed manually or semi-automatically with the assistance of polishing machinery. In step 150, the replacement hinges are assembled by aligning respective knuckles of a corresponding pair of leaves, and attaching the leaves together by inserting a pin into the aligned knuckles of the leaves. Again, the assembly may be performed manually or semi-automatically with the assistance of assembling machinery. Thus, the replacement hinges (e.g., the reduced gap replacement hinge 20 and the enlarged gap replacement hinge 30) are formed and ready for packaging.

(27) In some example embodiments of process 100, specialized or custom-designed machinery and/or tools may be used to form the replacement hinges. In some other example embodiments of process 100, standard or conventional machinery and/or tools may be used. Which machinery and/or tools will be used may depend on various factors such as availability, costs, speed, accuracy, number of steps, etc. In addition, the above-described measurements may be approximate (e.g., within manufacturing tolerances), and may also be subject to various modifications depending on the particular application of the replacement hinges and/or on measurements of the conventional hinges to be replaced.

(28) It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. As used in the claims, identification of an element with an indefinite article a or an or the phrase at least one is intended to cover any device assembly including one or more of the elements at issue. Similarly, references to first and second elements is not intended to limit the claims to such assemblies including only two of the elements, but rather is intended to cover two or more of the elements at issue. Only where limiting language such as a single or only one with reference to an element is the language intended to be limited to one of the elements specified, or any other similarly limited number of element(s).