WO2003018945A1

WO2003018945A1 - A hinge

Info

Publication number: WO2003018945A1
Application number: PCT/TR2002/000042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emre ÖZYÜKSEL; Sunay Mutlu
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2001-08-22
Filing date: 2002-08-15
Publication date: 2003-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 2004-02-22
Also published as: TR200400123T1

Abstract

In household appliances, preferably in refrigerators, opening/closing of the door (8) attached to the body (11) is provided by means of a hinge (1). The hinge (1) according to the present invention makes it possible to change the opening direction of the door (8) as well as to prevent the door (8) from being opened at an angle greater than that is determined.

Description

A HINGE

The present invention relates to a hinge used in household appliances.

There may be cases when the opening direction of the doors of the household appliances, particularly in refrigerators with one or more compartments, are required to be changed according to the location they are situated or according to the preference of the user.

In the state of art, the hinges and the hinge cases are manu&ctured separately as left and right hinges and hinge cases, so that when the opening direction of the refrigerator door is desired to be changed upon the preference of the user, the old hinge is removed and a new hinge that is suitable to operate in another direction is fixed. In this case, the number and cost of parts increase, in addition to the loss of time.

The object of the present invention is to realize a type of hinge that provides the opening/closing of the doors of domestic appliances, preferably of refrigerators, in different directions and at different angles as defined by its structure.

The hinge realized in order to attain the object of the present invention has been illustrated in attached drawings, wherein;

Figure 1, is the perspective view of a household appliance with mounted hinges. Figure 2, is the exploded view of the hinge.

Figure 3, is a three-dimensional view of the fixing member

Figure 4, is the exploded view of the fixing member

Figure 5, is the perspective view of the hinge placed at the left hand side of a refrigerator as seen by the user, when the refrigerator door is closed. Figure 6, is the perspective view of the hinge placed at the left hand side of a refrigerator as seen by the user, when the refrigerator door is opened. Figure 7 is the perspective view of the hinge placed at the right hand side of the refrigerator as seen by the user, when the refrigerator door is open.

The components shown in the drawings have been enumerated individually as listed below:

1. Hinge

2. Fixing member

3. Stopper 4. Lock

5. Protrusion

6. Stopper guide

7. Reversing hinge slot

8. Door 9. Holder

10. Lock bolt

11. Body

12. Bearing

13. Locking space 14. Pin

The household appliances, preferably the refrigerators with one or more compartments, comprise a body (11) wherein food, beverages, and the like are placed, and a door (8) to place and/or take said food and beverages inout of the said body (11). The user opens/closes the door (8) by means of a hinge (1).

The hinge (1) according to the present invention allows easily altering the opening direction of the door (8) by adjustably displacing said hinge (1). The hinge (1) comprises a fixing member (2) and a holder (9). In a preferred embodiment, the holder (9) is attached to the body (11) whereas the fixing member (2) is attached to the door (8).

The fixing member (2) that provides main body of the hinge (1), comprises a lock (4) and a stopper (3). The fixing member (2) is placed into a recess with comblike projections and recesses formed on the upper door panel of the refrigerator and then is fixed on the door (8) by using a fastening element such as a screw, and the like. By virtue of the comb-like structure the load applied on the hinge is transferred onto the door (8). The fixing member (2) has preferably a rectangular shape, with a symmetrical structure along its longitudinal axis, so that it will allow the opening/closing in two directions and has a protrusion (5) that enables to being centered and attached onto the door (8) at one end of the said fixing member (2) by placing perpendicular to the base of the said fixing member (2). A bearing (12) is provided at the center of the protrusion (5). A stopper guide (6) to contain the stopper (3) is provided at the end of the fixing member (2) where the protrusion (5) is situated. On both lateral sides of the fixing member (2) a reversing hinge slot (7) to contain the lock (4) is provided.

The metallic stopper (3) in preferably a reverse-U shape is disposed into the stopper guide (6) and fastened by a screw or a similar fastening element. The side of the stopper (3) that faces the protrusion (5) has a smooth surface.

The lock (4) has a hook-like structure and is placed in the reversing hinge slot (7) on the lateral faces of the fixing member (2) in the direction which the hinge (1) is intended to operate and is fixed into the fixing member (2) and on the door (8), by using the fastening element used to attach said fixing member (2). A locking space (13) is defined between the lock (4) and the fixing member (2) into which said lock (4) is placed.

The holder (9) is provided with a lock bolt (10) that enables the closing of the door (8) by itself after a certain angle, and has two cylindrical pins (14) that attach said holder (9) to the body (11) and to the fixing member (2) by centering, due to their coaxial positions in opposite directions. There are smooth lateral surfaces on the lateral sides of the holder (9) where the pin (14) on the holder (9) is present that correspond to the smooth lateral surfaces of the stopper (3). In this case, said stopper (3) prevents the door (8) from opening at an angle value greater than that which is intended.

In order to mount the door (8) to the body (11), first the protrusion (5) on the fixing member (2) is placed as facing its recess on the door (8) and the comb-like projections and recesses, as facing their corresponding matches on the door (8) and the lock (4) is attached to the fixing member (2) which is in turn fixed on the door (8) by means of fastening elements. Whereas the holder (9), after fitting one of the pins (14) into its recess on the body (11) is fixed to the body (11) by means of fastening elements. When if the door (8) is requested to mounted on the body (11) the other pin (14) is placed in the bearing (12) present on the fixing member (2), in order to couple the assembly work.. At the same time, the lock bolt (10) on the holder (9) enters the locking space (13) defined between the fixing member (2) and the end of the lock (4). The lateral surface of the lock bolt (10) that has entered the locking space (13) is in contact with the lateral surface of the lock (4) parallel to it, in order to provide the closing of the door (8). When the user pulls the door (8) by means of its handle towards him, the lock (4) is released from the lock bolt (10) and the door is opened. The door opens by pivoting around the pin (14) as long as the stopper (3) does not get in contact with the lateral surfaces of the holder (9) and it reaches to a maximum angle it can be opened, when it meets another smooth surface such as that of the stopper (3). To close the door (8), the user pushes it towards the body (11). When the lock (4) moving together with the door (8) meets the lock bolt (10), it is pushed by said lock bolt (10) to enter the locking space (13), thereby enabling the closing of the door. In a preferred embodiment, the opening of the door is limited between the range of angles less than 10 degrees and more than 135 degrees. Furthermore, the lock bolt (10) also prevents the opening of the door due to the inner procedures occurring in compartments connected to each other by air ducts. Particularly in the cooling and freezer compartments that are connected to each other by air ducts, opening of the door of one compartment due to the inner pressure built-up because of closing the other door violently, is prevented by virtue of the lateral surfaces of the lock bolt (10). Said pressure occurred in the compartment, cannot generate the force required to release the lock (4) from the lock bolt (10) and thus the opening of the door (8) is prevented. Due to this aspect, if the force applied by the user on the door (8), is interrupted before the lock (4) is released from the lock bolt (10), the door (8) does not open.

In order to change the opening direction of the door (8), the fastening elements are unscrewed and the hinge (1) is detached from the side where it is fixed to the body (11). The fixing member (2) is pivoted 180 degrees about its longitudinal axis, the protrusion (5) is placed in its socket and the lock (4) on the fixing member (2) is removed from the reversing hinge slot (7) provided on the lateral surface and after placing it on the extension of the reversing hinge slot (7) provided on the other lateral surface, so that its upper section is now placed as the lower section and is mounted on the other side of the door (8) by using fastening elements. At the same time the holder (9) is placed at the other side of the body (11) upside down, the pin (14) is fitted in its recess on the body (11) and mounted by means of the fastening elements. In this case the used hinge (1) need not be discarded, it can be employed in both directions.

Claims

1. A hinge (1) to be used in the household appliances with a body (11) and a door (8) to close the body (11), particularly in refrigerators, comprising a holder (9) fixed on the body (11), with a symmetrical structure that enables it to work at various mounting positions and directions; a lock bolt

(10) on said holder (9); a fixing member (2) fixed onto the door (8), having a symmetrical structure that enables it to work at various mounting positions and directions by being attached to the holder (9); a reversing hinge slot (7) that joins its lateral surfaces in line with the symmetrical structure of the fixing member (2); a lock (4) having a hook-like structure and providing locking in the assembly direction being produced as a separate part from the fixing member (2), which can removably be attached to said reversing hinge slot (7) and one end of which is placed and fixed into said reversing hinge slot (7) whereas the other end of which prevents the opening of the door (8) by itself.

2. A hinge (1) as defined in Claim 1, characterized with a protrusion (5) on the fixing member, a bearing (12) at the center of the protrusion (5), and one or more pins (14) on the holder (9) providing its centering, to body

(11) and the fixing member (2) and attaching it to the bearing, due to their coaxial positions in reverse directions.

3. A hinge (1) as defined in Claim 1, characterized with a stopper guide (6) on the fixing member (2) at the end where the protrusion (5) is situated and a stopper (3) placed in the stopper guide (6), which prevents the door (8) from being opened at an angle greater than that is determined, by virtue of its matching to the lateral surfaces of the holder (9).