US2369148A - Hinge - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1945. H. c. LANKGHoRsT 2,369,148

HINGE Filed Aug- 10, 194s FIG. 4

Patented Feb. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'Y j 2,369,148 a t HINGE Howard C. Langhorst, Dayton, Ohio Application August 10, 1943, Serial No. 498,051

` 4 claims. (o1. 11i- 176) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be arrianu-V factured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates toreleasable hinges and more particularly to point bearing, self-aligning and instant parting hinges.

An object of the invention is to provide a readily releasable hinge of the character employed lfor emergency doors and which is peculiarly adaptable to use on airplane doors, cock-pit inclosures, bomb bays, wing sections, tail pieces and parts which may require instant release or change. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge which is automatically adjustable to maintain uniform bearing relationship between journal points and their bearings and manually adjustable to and from frictional locking relationship.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hinge to which a door or other swinging member may be universally connected in order that such door orA member may automatically align itself during moments or conditions which would otherwise subject the same to twisting, warping and other distortions, and whereby a door or other swinging member may be relieved of binding, torsional and other stresses which may be transmitted to the frame upon which the door or swinging member is mounted.

A still further object of the invention is to pro-l vide a hinge whereby a door or other swingingv member may be readily released under ,conditions rendering the same or its mounting frame permanently distorted. Y,

With the foregoing and other objects and aims in view, my invention resides in the combination' of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter set forth in the following specification and appended claims, certain embodiments thereof having the characteristics of my invention and by which the same may be practiced being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken through the separated hinge members on a plane substantially parallel with the faces of the leaves; Fig. 2, a View similar to that of Fig. 1, except that the hinge members are shown journaled;

Fig. 3, a cross-sectional view taken as at" line 3-3 of the Fig. 2 assemblage; and Fig. 4, a view similar to that of Fig. 2but illustrative of a modiiied embodiment of the journnal members of the hinge.

The improved hinge includes male and female members I0 and II intended to be secured to eooperating hinge leaves I2 and I3 or, in the absence of leaves, to be secured one directly to a door, swinging member or panel and the other to a frame or other member on which the former is to be mounted. l

The female member I I is provided with a pair of opposed bearings I4 and I5 adapted to be cooperatively engaged by journal members IB and Il carried by the male member I0 in a manner whereby the journal members may be retracted for insertion into the female members and expanded along a predetermined axis into cooperative, pivotal, rotatable or frictional relationship within the female member.

Thefemale member I I of the hinge may consist of ani anchored reclining-U-shaped member I8, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in which the bearings I4 and I5 consist of well-like recesses symmetrically disposed in the inner opposed surfaces of the member, or as shown in Fig. 4, the female portion of the hinge may consist of a pair of anchored plate-like members Ia and |819, mounted upon the opposed surfaces of `a reclining-U- shapednotch I9 in the edge of a door or frame. The male member I0 of the embodiment illustrated in Figs, 1 through 3 includes a journal box 2D in which the journals I B and I1 are mounted in contiguous relationship, but movable in opposite directions along a predetermined axis, within a journal box bearing 2|, by a manually adjustable wedge 22 which may be forced between adjacent ends of the journals, as by a screw 23 to move the journals I6 and I'I into the bearings I4 and I5.

In the embodiment of Figs. l through 3, the body portions of the journals are cylindrical `and their projected ends are shaped as the irustum v of a cone and the bearings I4 and I5 of this embodiment are of a reverse shape as an inverted truncated cone in orderthat the journal points may have a greater degree of adjustment, i. e.,

56 members in xed angular relationship. Such locking is frequently desired to hold the flaps or tail members of an airplane model in xed angular position for wind tunnel testing, for holding the wings of a portable screen in fixed angular relationship to the panel thereof, for holding a door ajar, etc. l.

e In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, the male member includes ay pair ofball journals l5 and I1 automatically separable along a predetermined axis by a wedge r22 controlled by a spring 2'1 as distinguished from the manually operable screw 23 of Fig. 1. In this embodiment the bearings of the plate-like members lBa and |817, forming the female member of the hinge, are unlike in that but one thereof'is provided with a welll-ike bearing, whereas the other isprovidedwitha planar surface upon which one of the ball bear,-

ing journals engages surcially and is free to' travel thereon, limited onlyY by such angular po sitions of the journal box with respect to the sur--L faces of the plate-like members 18a andrlb as will bring about a binding relationship between the sidesof the journal box and the surfaces of f journal box with the surfaces` of the bearing plates. The respective male and female' members are,'of course, of such size as Will allow angular adjustment, the former within the latter, to a degree insuflicient to allow the ball journal I6 to be pivoted from its bearing I4. In this embodiment the spring controlled wedge 22 is provided in a shaft 28 whereby the wedge may be retracted manually against theforce of the spring2'l to allow rthe ball journals to move toward one another in order to retract the male member of lthe hinge for separation thereof.

The members forming the hinge may be secured to leaves'or doors and frames by any suitable means, such, for example, as illustrated in the' accompanying drawing.

vIn operation, ,screw 23 is retracted as in Fig. 1, orvthe plunger of the Fig. 4 embodiment withdrawn sufficiently to permit the journals to be passed into the female memberV of the hinge and the journals thence separated into seating relationship with the bearings by a tightening of screw 23 or release of plunger 28. The freedom with which itis desired to have the hinge members work, yof the Fig. 1 embodiment, may be governed by the depth to which screw 23 is drive en which' may be to a point bringing abouta frictional gripping between the journals and bearings for locking purposes.

Having described my invention and illustrated embodiments by which the same maybe prac-` ticed', what I claim is: l

v1. Means for securing one member angularly adjustable to another comprising a journal box adapted to be secured'to one of said members,

a pair of journals carried by'said journal box,

and a pair of .bearings adapted to be secured to the other of said members in spaced axial alignment, one of said bearings being so formed as to receive one of said journals-for universal movement therein, the other of said vbearings having a planar surface adapted to be suriicially engaged by the other of said journals, whereby said journal box may berotatedcoaxially of said-journals and pivoted universally about the bearing point of one of said journals.

2. Means for securing one member angularly adjustable to another comprising a journal box l adapted to be secured to one of said members,

a pair. of journals carried by said journal box,

a pair of bearings adapted to be secured to the other of said members in spaced axial alignment, one of saidbearings being so formed as to receive' one of said journals for universal movement therein,.the other of said bearings having a.V planar` surfaceadapted rto be surcially engaged by the other of said journals, whereby said journal box may be rotated coaxially of' said.v journals and pivoted universallyabout the bear-j ing point of one of said journals, and means limiting the universal tilt of said journal box to prevent unintentional disengagement lof said journals and bearings.

3. Means for securing one member angular'ljrvv Yadjustable to another comprising a journal box adapted to be secured to one of said members,

pairv of bearings adapted to be secured to the other of said members in spaced axial alignment automatically operable means associated withfv said journals for wedgingly holding said journals in cooperative relationship with said bearings, saidv automatically operable means beingv manu-A ally releasable to free 'said cooperative relation-' ship, one of said bearings being so formed. as to.` receive one of said journals therein, the other of said bearings having a planar surface adapted to be suriicially engaged by the other of said journals, whereby said journal box may be ro tated coaxially of said journals and pivoted universally about the bearing point `of one of said' journals, and means limiting the universal' ,tilt

of said journal box to prevent unintentional. disengagement of said journals and bearings. 4. Means to secure one member angularly ad` justable to another comprising a journal box adapted to be secured to one of said members, a pair of journals carried by said journal box, wedge means associated with said journals. to move the journals away from each oth'eralong a predetermined axis, a recessed lbearing and a planar bearing secured to the other of said`mem-- bers in spaced axial alignment to each. other to cooperatively engage said journals, said bearingsallowing rotation of said. journal box coaxially of said journals and allowing a limited universall pivoting of said journal' box about theY journalA engaging the recessed bearing.

HOWARD C. 'LANGHORSIL

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