INVISIBLE HINGE FOR FURNITURE WITH SWING DOORS
20250347160 ยท 2025-11-13
Inventors
Cpc classification
E05D11/1021
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E05D7/0407
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
International classification
Abstract
A hinge is described for the opening and closing of swing doors of furniture, including a fixed part shaped to be housed in a seat obtained in a horizontal plane of the furniture structure, such as a base or a top, and a movable part configured to be completely inserted into a seat obtained in a furniture door, the hinge being provided with a movement mechanism having a pair of levers or connecting rods connecting two pivot points provided on the fixed body of the hinge to two pivot points provided on the movable part to actuate the door in opening and closing, wherein lateral adjustment mechanisms are housed in the movable part of the hinge, the mechanisms being configured to perform, when the hinge is mounted, a translation of the door with respect to the furniture structure along a direction parallel to the front surface of the furniture.
Claims
1. A hinge for opening and closing swing doors of furniture, comprising a fixed part shaped to be housed in a seat obtained in a horizontal plane of the structure of a piece of furniture, such as a base or a top, and a movable part configured to be inserted in a seat obtained in a door of the piece of furniture, said hinge being provided with a movement mechanism comprising a pair of levers or connecting rods connecting two pivot points provided on said fixed part of the hinge to two pivot points provided on the movable part for operating the door in opening and closing, wherein said movable part houses means for vertical adjustment of the position of the door with respect to the furniture, the actuation of which causes a translation of the movable part with respect to the fixed part along a vertical direction, wherein said movable part comprises a first body, in which said vertical adjustment means of the door are housed, and to which the ends of the connecting rods connecting the fixed part and the movable part are hinged, and a second body intended to be fixed to said seat obtained in the furniture door, between said first and second body being arranged means for lateral adjustment of the position of the door, the operation of which causes a sliding of said second body with respect to said first body and therefore a horizontal translation of the door with respect to the furniture structure along a direction parallel to the front surface of the furniture.
2. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein said lateral adjusting means comprise an eccentric body, disposed between said first and second bodies of said movable part, the rotation of which causes said second body to slide with respect to said first body.
3. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein said first body of the movable part has a substantially box-like or hollow parallelepiped structure and said second body has also a box-like or hollow parallelepiped structure with an opening such that it can accommodate the first body, on which it can slide.
4. Hinge according to claim 3, wherein said first body has a flange at the end opposite to that in which it is pivoted to the connecting rods, provided with a hole, and said second body has, at the corresponding end, a housing provided with a hole or window such that, in use after the coupling between the first body and the second body has taken place, the hole on the flange is located behind the window, through which the stem of the eccentric body passes, to engage the hole.
5. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein said fixed part houses means for front adjustment of the position of the door with respect to the furniture body, the actuation of which causes a translation of the movable part with respect to the fixed part along a directrix perpendicular to said front surface of the furniture.
6. Hinge according to claim 1, further comprising elastic means housed in a seat obtained in the fixed part and operatively connected to one of the connecting rods designed to exert a closing thrust on the door.
7. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein said fixed part has a seat, arranged between the pivot point and a lateral edge of the fixed part, for housing a deceleration device designed to dampen part of the closing movement of the hinge, wherein, in use, said deceleration device protrudes, with an extension, or with an additional element from the fixed part and is actuated directly by one of the two connecting rods, preferably by means of a nose section of the connecting rod acting directly on said extension or additional element of the deceleration device.
8. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein the fixed part has a seat arranged between the pivot point and a lateral edge thereof for housing a deceleration device designed to dampen at least part of the closing movement of the door, which, when the hinge is open, is partly housed in said seat and partly protrudes from the fixed part in order to be operated in closing directly by the movable part of the hinge.
9. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein said fixed part has a flattened shape with a rounded lateral edge such as to couple with a corresponding edge of a seat formed in the thickness of a top or a base of a piece of furniture, and the opposite lateral edge having an external groove such as to create with a corresponding edge of said seat a substantially circular space, suitable for receiving a fixing screw.
10. Hinge according to claim 1, wherein said fixed part has a flattened shape with a rounded lateral edge so as to couple with a corresponding edge of a tray housed in a seat obtained in the thickness of a top or of a base of a piece of furniture, and the opposite lateral edge having an external groove such as to determine with a corresponding edge of said tray a substantially circular space, apt to accommodate a fixing screw.
11. Hinge according to claim 10, wherein said tray has on the inner surface of said lateral edge a protrusion or indentation substantially complementary to a groove provided on the corresponding edge of the fixed part of the hinge, for securely locking the hinge in the tray.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0039] Further features of the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description, referring to purely exemplary and therefore non-limiting embodiments thereof, illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0066] With particular reference to
[0067] The fixed part 11 is generally made of two enclosures or half-shells, a lower one, indicated by the reference numeral 20 in
[0068] The hinge 10 is of the so-called four-pin type 14, 15, 16 and 17, better shown in the cross-sectional view of
[0069] As will be understood, the hinges illustrated in the figures are all of the fully concealed or completely invisible type, in that they have a flat fixed part so as to be fully insertable into the thickness of the base or top of a piece of furniture and the connecting rods extend along a plane perpendicular to the articulation axes.
[0070] The hinge shown in the figures is designed to be mounted in the upper left corner or in the lower right corner of a piece of furniture. Clearly, by specularly varying the arrangement of the components, the same hinge is adapted to be mounted in the other two corners of the piece of furniture.
[0071] With reference to the plan views of
[0072] The ends of the connecting rod 18, which we shall also call inner connecting rod, are articulated respectively to a pivot point 15 provided in the movable part 12 of the hinge and to a pivot point 14 in the fixed part 11.
[0073] The connecting rod 19, which we shall also call outer connecting rod, is instead articulated to the pivot pin 17 carried by the movable part 12 of the hinge at one of its ends and to the pin 16 of the fixed part 11 to be inserted in the body of the piece of furniture at an intermediate point thereof.
[0074] Conventionally, one of the two connecting rods can be operatively connected to elastic means provided to guide the door during closing movement. In the figures, a hinge 10 is shown in which one end of the outer connecting rod 19 is under the action of a compression spring (not shown) provided in a seat 28 formed in the fixed body 11. This arrangement is purely indicative, being the provision of elastic means operatively connected to one of the connecting rods well known to one skilled in the art.
[0075] In a still conventional manner, in order to prevent the door from slamming against the fixed structure of the piece of furniture during closure, due to the force exerted by the spring, at least one deceleration device 50 can be provided in the hinge 10, which is configured to soften the closing movement of the door.
[0076] In particular, in the embodiment shown in the figures, without any limitation, the deceleration device 50 is represented as a damper comprising a cylinder-piston assembly, constrained to slide linearly in a seat 40 formed between the two plates 22a, 22b, and is actuated by a nose 53 of the inner connecting rod 18, which acts against a suitably shaped extension 58 of the damper cylinder.
[0077] Again, the presence of a decelerating device in hinges of the type described herein is an aspect known to the person skilled in the art, and various other configurations can be provided without limiting the scope of the invention.
[0078] The hinge 10 comprises, in a fully integrated manner, means for adjusting the position of the door with respect to the structure of the cabinet along the three Cardinal axes X, Y, Z, shown in
[0079] The front adjustment means, which allow to modify the position of the door along the axis Z, conventionally comprise a screw-and-nut system provided in the fixed body 12. In particular, a nut body 24 completely housed in the fixed part 12 is constrained to the plates 22a, 22b and a screw 26 is inserted therein, accessible from the outside for adjustment by the user by means of a tool 91 as shown in
[0080]
[0081] The means for adjusting the door with respect to the structure of the piece of furniture along the vertical axis, which are to be considered substantially known in themselves, are best evident with reference to
[0082] As shown in the figures, the movable part of the hinge 10 has a slotted opening 33 for the access of a tool 92 for vertical adjustment, which allows the threaded pin 31 to be rotated. Screwing the threaded pin 31 into the threaded ring 39, which is arranged in a fixed position between the flanges 36, causes a vertical translation of the moving part 12, obtaining, in a standard way, a vertical adjustment of the door.
[0083] In a completely innovative way with respect to the known hinges, the hinge 10 has means for adjusting the lateral position also provided in the movable part 12 and no longer in the fixed part.
[0084] For this purpose, the movable part 12 of the hinge is advantageously formed by joining a first body 12 and a second body 12, as better shown in
[0085] The first body 12 has a substantially elongated box-like shape and a first end thereof is intended to receive the flanges 36 to which the connecting rods 18, 19 are pivoted.
[0086] The second body 12 also has a hollow box-like shape such that it accommodates and wraps around the first body 12 and generally has a classic L-shaped configuration for being fixed by means of screws in a seat formed in a door.
[0087] The first body 12 has a protruding flange 13 at the end opposite to that intended to receive the connecting rods 18, 19 in which a hole 25 is provided for the insertion of an eccentric body 25, which will be better illustrated shortly.
[0088] The conformations of the two bodies 12, 12 are such that the coupling takes place with lateral sliding, as is clearer from the representation of
[0089] The second body 12 in turn has at the end of the hollow space a housing 23 provided with a hole or window 25 such that, after the sliding coupling between the first body 12 and the second body 12 has occurred, the hole 25 on the flange 13 is located behind the window 25, through which the eccentric body 25 is mounted to engage the hole 25.
[0090] With this arrangement, by acting on the eccentric body 25 it is possible to obtain a sliding of the second body 12 with respect to the first body 12.
[0091] For example, by rotating the eccentric body 180 starting from the position shown in
[0092] Recalling that the second body 12 is fixed to the door and the first body 12 is integral with the body of the piece of furniture (by means of the connecting rods 18, 19 that articulate the movable part 12 of the hinge and the fixed part 11, which is installed in the piece of furniture), the movement illustrated above results in a horizontal movement of the door relative to the piece of furniture. This movement, when the piece of furniture is closed, is equivalent to obtaining a lateral adjustment of the door, i.e. the closed door moves along the direction X shown in
[0093] The hinge according to the present invention, therefore, is able to achieve the intended objects, allowing to carry out an efficient adjustment of the door along the three Cartesian axes, even without lateral adjustment means arranged in the fixed part. The transferal of such means in the movable part of the hinge allows space previously substantially unused in the movable part to be exploited, so that the space previously intended for lateral adjustment in the fixed part can be reduced or destined for other use.
[0094] This space can be used, for example, for the provision of a seat for a second decelerator, according to another aspect of the invention.
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[0096] The hinge 110 generally features a structure and components similar to the hinge 10, which will therefore not be described in detail. In addition, the hinge 110 provides a decelerator 155 which, when the door is open, projects substantially from the fixed body 111.
[0097] The configuration of the decelerator 155 is best shown in
[0098] As shown in these figures, the decelerator 155 is housed in a vertical seat 145 provided between the pivot point 116 of the connecting rod 119 and a front adjustment screw 126 of the hinge, similar to the screw 26 described above.
[0099] The decelerator 155 is actuated during closing phase directly by the movable part 112, with the contact which preferably occurs at a groove 156 formed at the access point to an eccentric body provided for lateral adjustment as described with reference to the hinge 10.
[0100] Advantageously, the hinge 110 also maintains the arrangement for using a partially protruding damper 150 to be applied to a seat 140, which is entirely similar to the damper 40 described with reference to the hinge 10, as shown in the sections of
[0101] With such a configuration, the hinge 110 can alternatively provide a first damper 150 housed in a first seat 140 provided at one end of the fixed body and operable by means of a nose 153 of the connecting rod 118 and a second damper 155 housed in a second seat 145 provided beyond the pivot point 116 of the connecting rod 119 and operable directly from the movable part 112 through the motion of the door.
[0102] This dual arrangement for the decelerator allows to have a single product which can adapt to the most various applications, depending on the required damping performance and customer preferences, simply by installing the decelerator in one seat or in the other.
[0103] Moreover, while a protruding damper 155 might present an aesthetic disadvantage compared to the partially protruding damper 150, on the other side the customer would have the advantage of being able to replace only the damper in case of breakage thereof, or to replace it for a more or less powerful unit depending on the weight of the door.
[0104] In the cross-sectional views of
[0105] Advantageously, the hinge 110 can have all or some of the vertical, front and lateral adjustment means as described above with reference to the hinge 10. In particular, advantageously, the hinge 110 has lateral adjustment means provided in the movable part 112, preferably in the form of an eccentric body 125.
[0106] According to a further aspect of the invention, with particular reference to
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[0108] The hinge 110, as already discussed, has a fixed part 111 and a movable part 112 connected together by a pair of connecting rods 118, 119. Hinge 110 may include all the components of hinge 10 described above, to which reference is made for the similarities between the components provided.
[0109] In particular, as described above, the fixed body 111 of the hinge 110 is formed by two half-shells, a lower half-shell 120 and an upper half-shell or cover 120 which enclose and contain, at least partially, the components of the fixed part, and which can comprise, as already described, elastic means, deceleration devices, adjusting means, and so on.
[0110] The two half-shells 120, 120 have a substantially specular shape with respect to each other so that, once assembled, they give the fixed part 111 of the hinge the flat configuration shown in
[0111] The fixed part 111 of the hinge according to the present invention has a flattened shape such as that of the standard hinges, with a flattened cross section and a rounded lateral edge 173 so as to mate with the edge 133 of the seat 132. Unlike the standard hinges, however, the assembly of the two half-shells 120, 120 defines on the opposite lateral edge a sort of groove or recess 170, so that once the hinge has been inserted in the seat 132, a free space remains between the groove 170 of the fixed body 111 and the edge 134 of the seat 132.
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[0113] The space 160 is intended solely to receive a dedicated fixing screw 172 for mounting the hinge to the structure of the piece of furniture. In practice, the proposed solution allows to eliminate the conventional fastening method via holes and flanges protruding from the fixed part of the hinge, since the lateral edge 170 of the fixed part itself is used to ensure the fixing. In fact, the screw 172 is driven into the furniture material, pressing the hinge into the milled seat 132, thus ensuring a stable coupling between the furniture body and the hinge.
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[0115] From these figures, as well as from the section view 17B taken along the broken line B-B of
[0116] As mentioned, once the fixed body 111 has been inserted into the seat 132, a space 160 is created between the grooved edge 170 and the edge of the seat 134, suitable for the insertion of the fixing screw. By screwing the screw 172 into this space 170, the screw 172 is caused to engage with the groove 170 and the edge 134 of the seat. The pressure generated between these elements tends to push the fixed part of the hinge to the left, locking it in the seat 132, and is such as to ensure the fastening of the hinge to the piece of furniture.
[0117] A further variant of the fastening mode is shown in
[0118] The tray 180 is generally flattened as shown in
[0119] The tray 180 has a bottom or abutment surface 186 opposite the opening 181 on which a pair of holes is provided to allow the tray to be secured to seat 132 by means of a pair of screws 192, as shown in the axonometric section view of
[0120] Advantageously, moreover, the tray has on the inner surface of the lateral edge 183 a protrusion or indentation 185 substantially complementary to a dedicated fixing groove 127 provided on the edge 173 of the fixed part of the hinge, as shown in
[0121] The mounting of the hinge 110 in the seat by means of the tray 180 is further schematized in the plan views according to
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[0123] In this situation, since the longitudinal dimension of the opening 181 of the tray 180 is slightly greater than the length of the fixed part 111, the coupling between the fixed part and the tray is such as to allow a lateral sliding of the fixed part.
[0124] After insertion, the fixed part is laterally translated into the position shown in
[0125] In this condition, moreover, the groove 127 of the lateral edge 173 of the fixed body engages and couples with the indentation 185 provided on the edge of the tray, to which it is complementary.
[0126] The fixed part of the hinge is secured to the tray by screwing the screw 172 into the space 160 between the groove 170 and the edge 187.
[0127] A hinge fully coupled to the housing of the piece of furniture by means of a tray and a fixing screw is illustrated in the axonometric view of
[0128] From the above description, the advantages of a hinge for furniture with swing doors according to the invention, and its alternative embodiments, are evident.
[0129] In particular, a hinge with the lateral adjustment means in the movable part allows, on the one hand, to reduce the size of the fixed body, positively impacting the production thereof and the installation process, which is an extremely important aspect in this field, and on the other hand, to free up space for the provision of other components, such as the provision of an additional damper.
[0130] Not least, a hinge according to a further aspect of the invention has undoubted installation advantages, providing a fixed part that can be directly fixed to the milled seat in the thickness of the piece of furniture, thus eliminating the flange protruding from said fixed part and avoiding additional and unesthetic fixing holes.
[0131] Naturally, the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but numerous modifications and variations may be made by a person skilled in the art without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.