Double Action Hinges
A double action hinge unit is disclosed which comprises a first base element, a second base element and at least two connection elements. Each base element has at least two upward extensions. Each connection element is hingedly connected with an extension of the first base element and an extension of the second base element. The double action hinge unit is changeable among at least three combination states. When the double action hinge unit is in a second combination state, the at least two connection elements are arranged side by side, such that the double action hinge unit is rotatable about a rotational axis at one side into a first combination state and is also rotatable about a rotational axis at the other side into a third combination state.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/991,587, filed on Jan. 8, 2016 which claims priority to and benefit of Chinese Patent Application 201510012960.4, filed on Jan. 9, 2015. The contents of each application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe invention relates to hinges, more specifically, relates to double action hinges suitable for industrial applications.
BACKGROUNDU.S. Pat. No. 2,245,875 discloses a toy formed by a plurality of foldable hinge unit connected in series. With reference to
In order to avoid obstructing the rotational movements, the two plates in U.S. Pat. No. 2,245,875 are connected by ribbons having a negligible thickness. As a result, the disclosed structure may not be able to meet the requirements of industrial applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe objective of the present invention is to provide a double action hinge unit, which not only keeps the features of the prior design, but also allows connection using elements having a larger thickness so that the new hinge unit is easy to assemble and has a improved structural strength suitable for various applications.
The present invention provides a double action hinge unit, comprising: a first base element, comprising a first extension and a second extension both extending upward from said first base element; a second base element, comprising a fourth extension and a fifth extension both extending upward from said second base element; a first connection element that is hingedly connected with said first extension about a first rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said fourth extension about a second rotational axis; a second connection element that is hingedly connected with said second extension about a third rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said fifth extension about a fourth rotational axis. When said double action hinge unit is in a first combination state, said second and third rotational axes are co-axial, and said first and fourth rotational axes are not co-axial. Upon rotating said first base element with respect to said second base element about said second and third rotational axes by a certain angle, said double action hinge unit is changed from said first combination state into a second combination state; when said double action hinge unit is in said second combination state, said second and third rotational axes are co-axial, and said first and fourth rotational axes are also co-axial. Upon rotating said first base element about said second base element about said first and fourth rotational axes by a certain angle, said double action hinge unit is changed from said second combination state into a third combination state, when said double action hinge unit is in said third combination state, said second and third rotational axes are not co-axial, and said first and fourth rotational axes are co-axial.
Preferably, said first base element comprises a first projected portion at a first end and a first recessed portion at a second end, and said second base element comprises a second projected portion at a first end and a second recessed portion at a second end. Said second projected portion is received in the space of said first recessed portion when said double action hinge unit is in said first combination state, and said first projected portion is received in the space of said second recessed portion when said double action hinge unit is in said third combination state. Preferably, said first base element further comprises a third extension extending upward therefrom, and said second base element further comprises a sixth extension extending upward therefrom. Said double action hinge unit further comprises a third connection element that is hingedly connected with said third extension about a fifth rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said sixth extension about a sixth rotational axis. When said double action hinge unit is in said first and second combination states, said second, third and fifth rotational axes are co-axial, when said double action hinge unit is in said second and third combination states, said first, fourth and sixth rotational axes are co-axial.
Preferably, said first extension extends upward from said first projected portion. Said second and third extensions respectively extend upward from shoulders on two sides of said first recessed portion. Said fourth extension extends upward from said second projected portion. Said fifth and sixth extensions respectively extend upward from shoulders on two sides of said second recessed portion.
Preferably, said first base element consists of a first body and a first and a second auxiliary parts hingedly connected to said first body, with said first and second auxiliary parts respectively forming said first and second extensions. Said second base element consists of a second body and a fourth and a fifth auxiliary parts hingedly connected to said second body, with said fourth and fifth auxiliary parts respectively forming said fourth and fifth extensions.
Preferably, said first base element further comprises a seventh extension extending downward from said first projected portion, and an eighth and a ninth extensions extending downward from the shoulders on two sides of said first recessed portion. Said double action hinge unit further comprises: a third base element, comprising a third projected portion at a first end, a third recessed portion at a second end, a tenth extension extending downward from said third projected portion, and an eleventh and a twelfth extensions extending downward from shoulders on two sides of said third recessed portion; a fourth connection element that is hingedly connected with said tenth extension about a seventh rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said seventh extension about an eighth rotational axis; a fifth connection element that is hingedly connected with said eleventh extension about a ninth rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said eighth extension about a tenth rotational axis; a sixth connection element that is hingedly connected with said twelfth extension about an eleventh rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said ninth extension about a twelfth rotational axis. When said double action hinge unit is in the first combination state, said eighth, ninth and eleventh rotational axes are co-axial. Upon rotating said third base element about said first base element around said eighth, ninth and eleventh rotational axes by a certain angle, said double action hinge unit is changed from said first combination state into a fourth combination state; when said double action hinge unit is in said fourth combination state, said eighth, ninth and eleventh rotational axes are co-axial, and said seventh, tenth and twelfth rotational axes are also co-axial.
The invention is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
For the purpose of understanding the technical features, objectives and effects of the application clearly, specific embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the drawings.
The features of hinges according to the embodiments of the present invention will be detailedly discussed below. The same element, similar elements or elements having similar functions are indicated by the same or similar reference numerals in the drawings.
It should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships described by terms “front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower”, “upward”, “downward”, “above”, “below” facilitate the understanding of the present description. These terms shall not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms “first”, “second”, “third” are used for descriptive purpose only and shall not be construed as being indicative of level of importance.
The first base element 11 has a projected portion 111 at its first end and a recessed portion 112 at its second end. The second base element 12 has a projected portion 121 at its first end and a recessed portion 122 at its second end. There may be only one projected portion and only one recessed portion on each base element. Alternatively, multiple projected and recessed portions having different shapes and/or sizes can be formed on each base element.
The first base element 11 has three connecting portions 113, 114, 115 extending upward therefrom. Connecting portions 113 is located at a first end of the first base element 11. Connecting portions 114, 115 are located at a second end of the first base element 11. Connecting portions 114, 115 can be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically with respect to an axis in the middle. Connecting portions 113 can be located on or offset from the middle axis. Likewise, the second base element 12 has three connecting portions 123, 124, 125 extending upward therefrom. The shapes of the three connection elements 21, 22, 23 can be identical or different. The first connection element 21 has a connecting portion 211 at a first end and a connecting portion 212 at a second end. The second connection element 22 has a connecting portion 221 at a first end and a connecting portion 222 at a second end. The third connection element 23 has a connecting portion 231 at a first end and a connecting portion 232 at a second end.
The three connection elements 21, 22, 23 connect the two base elements 11, 12. Specifically, connecting portion 211 at the first end of the first connection element 21 and connection portion 113 of the first base element 11 form a first hinged connection about a first rotational axis 301. Connecting portion 212 at the second end of the first connection element 21 and connection portion 123 of the second base element 12 form a second hinged connection about a second rotational axis 302. Connecting portion 221 at the first end of the second connection element 22 and connecting portion 114 of the first base element 11 form a third hinged connection about a third rotational axis 303. Connecting portion 222 at the second end of the second connection element 22 and connecting portion 124 of the second base element 12 form a fourth hinged connection about a fourth rotational axis 304. Connecting portion 231 at the first end of the third connection element 23 and connecting portion 115 of the first base element 11 form a fifth hinged connection about a fifth rotational axis 305. Connecting portion 232 at the second end of the third connection element 23 and connecting portion 125 of the second base element 12 form a sixth hinged connection about a sixth rotational axis 306. All hinged connections can be either detachable or non-detachable.
The hinge according to the present invention has at least three different combination states. In this embodiment, when the hinge is in the first combination state, as shown in
When the hinge is in the first combination state, rotational axes 302, 303, 305 of the second, third and fifth hinged connections are co-axial. The hinge is brought into a second combination state after a 180-degree clockwise rotation of the first base element 11 about the rotational axis 302 of the second hinged connection. When the hinge is in the second combination state, as shown in
The hinged connections between connection elements 21, 22, 23 and base elements 11, 12 can be achieved by pin-and-hole fittings. As shown in
In the second combination state as shown in
The configuration of the hinge in the third combination state is generally the same as that in the first combination state, with the exception that locations of the first and second base elements 11, 12 have been exchanged. Specifically, when the hinge is in the first combination state shown in
The movement of the hinge according to the present invention is restricted. When the hinge is in the first combination state, rotation of the hinge is enabled since the three rotational axes 302, 303, 305 in the middle are co-axial. However, the hinge cannot rotate about the rotational axes 301, 304, 306 at two ends. When the hinge is in the second combination state, the rotational axes 301, 304, 306 become co-axial, thus allowing rotation. In other words, the requirement of a rotational movement is that relevant rotational axes must be co-axial.
In this embodiment, the projected portion 111 mates with the recessed portion 122, and the projected portion 112 mates with the recessed portion 121. In another embodiment, the projected portion 111 and the recessed portion 122 are moved to one side, and the projected portion 121 and the recessed portion 112 are moved to the other side. The shapes of the projected portion and the recessed portion of the same base element can be identical or different. The mating between the projected and recesses portions means that the space in the recessed portion can accommodate the projected portion. A perfect match is not required.
Although three connection elements are used in the first embodiment to establish a stable connection between the two base elements, two connection elements can achieve similar effects. In a hinge unit having two connection elements (e.g. connection elements 21, 22), the connecting portions 115, 125 on the first and second base elements 11, 12 can be eliminated.
With reference to
The second embodiment can be considered as a combination of two hinges of the first embodiment. An upper part of the first base element 11 in
When the hinge is in the first combination state, as shown in
By rotating the second base element 12 180 degrees anticlockwise and rotating the third base element 13 180 degrees anticlockwise, the state of the hinge can be changed from
As a further variant of the second embodiment, the second base element 12 and/or the third base element 13 may also be configured to include both upward and downward extending portions, which allow connection with additional base elements. A ring-shaped hinge can be formed by connecting multiple base elements together in an end-to-end manner.
Although a 180-degree rotation is required to change the state of the hinge in the first and second embodiments, the angle of rotation is not limited to 180 degrees for other hinge designs (e.g. the embodiment shown in
If a hinge has only two connection elements 21, 22, the third auxiliary part 104 of the first base element 11 and the sixth auxiliary part 108 of the second base element 12 can be omitted.
As shown in
In the fifth embodiment, parts 202, 203 function as the connection elements of the hinge in
The body extensions shown in
The hinge in
The hinge in
The embodiment in
The hinged connections formed between the connection elements and the base elements in the above-described embodiments can be detachable or non-detachable. That is, all detachable hinged connections in the embodiments can be replaced by non-detachable hinged connections. The detachable hinged connection can be formed by a ball and socket fitting or by adding a rotational axis. The number of rotational axis can be one or more. These axes can be fixed, movable or extendable.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A double action hinge unit, comprising: wherein when said double action hinge unit is in a first combination state, said second and third rotational axes are co-axial, and said first and fourth rotational axes are out of co-axial alignment, upon rotating said first base element with respect to said second base element about said second and third rotational axes by a certain angle, said double action hinge unit is changed from said first combination state into a second combination state; when said double action hinge unit is in said second combination state, said second and third rotational axes are co-axial, and said first and fourth rotational axes are also co-axial, upon rotating said first base element about said second base element about said first and fourth rotational axes by a certain angle, said double action hinge unit is changed from said second combination state into a third combination state, when said double action hinge unit is in said third combination state, said second and third rotational axes are out of co-axial alignment, and said first and fourth rotational axes are co-axial, wherein when said double action hinge unit is in said second combination state, said second and third rotational axes are at an angle with respect to said first and fourth rotational axes.
- a first base element, comprising a first extension and a second extension both extending upward from said first base element;
- a second base element, comprising a fourth extension and a fifth extension both extending upward from said second base element;
- a first connection element that is hingedly connected with said first extension about a first rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said fourth extension about a second rotational axis;
- a second connection element that is hingedly connected with said second extension about a third rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said fifth extension about a fourth rotational axis,
2. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein when said double action hinge unit is in said first combination state, said first base element is at an angle with respect to said second base element.
3. The double action hinge unit according to claim 2, wherein the angle of rotation required to change the said double action hinge unit from the first state to the second state is greater than 180 degrees.
4. The double action hinge unit according to claim 3, wherein the angle of rotation required to change the said double action hinge unit from the first state to the second state is 360 degrees.
5. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, said first base element comprises a first projected portion at a first end and a first recessed portion at a second end, said second base element comprises a second projected portion at a first end and a second recessed portion at a second end; said second projected portion is received in the space of said first recessed portion when said double action hinge unit is in said first combination state, and said first projected portion is received in the space of said second recessed portion when said double action hinge unit is in said third combination state.
6. The double action hinge unit according to claim 5, wherein, said first base element further comprises a third extension extending upward therefrom, said second base element further comprises a sixth extension extending upward therefrom; said double action hinge unit further comprises a third connection element that is hingedly connected with said third extension about a fifth rotational axis and is hingedly connected with said sixth extension about a sixth rotational axis,
- wherein when said double action hinge unit is in said first and second combination states, said second, third and fifth rotational axes are co-axial, when said double action hinge unit is in said second and third combination states, said first, fourth and sixth rotational axes are co-axial.
7. The double action hinge unit according to claim 6, wherein, said first extension extends upward from said first projected portion, said second and third extensions respectively extend upward from shoulders on two sides of said first recessed portion, said fourth extension extends upward from said second projected portion, said fifth and sixth extensions respectively extend upward from shoulders on two sides of said second recessed portion.
8. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, said first base element consists of a first body and a first and a second auxiliary parts hingedly connected to said first body, with said first and second auxiliary parts respectively forming said first and second extensions; said second base element consists of a second body and a fourth and a fifth auxiliary parts hingedly connected to said second body, with said fourth and fifth auxiliary parts respectively forming said fourth and fifth extensions.
9. The double action hinge unit according to claim 6, wherein, said first base element consists of a first body and a first, a second and a third auxiliary parts hingedly connected to said first body, with said first, second and third auxiliary parts respectively forming said first, second and third extensions; said second base element consists of a second body and a fourth, a fifth and a sixth auxiliary parts hingedly connected to said second body, with said fourth, fifth and sixth auxiliary parts respectively forming said fourth, fifth and sixth extensions.
10. The double action hinge unit according to claim 9, wherein, one ends of said first, second and third auxiliary parts are hingedly connected to said first body, the other ends of said first, second and third auxiliary parts are respectively hingedly connected to one ends of said first, second and third connection elements; one ends of said fourth, fifth and sixth auxiliary parts are hingedly connected to said second body, the other ends of said fourth, fifth and sixth auxiliary parts are respectively hingedly connected to the other ends of said first, second and third connection elements.
11. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, the base elements or connection elements are extended by body extension members.
12. The double action hinge unit according to claim 11, wherein, the base elements or connection elements are configured to have multiple layers, and the multiple layers are together extended by said body extension member.
13. The double action hinge unit according to claim 12, wherein, articles being displayed are held between the multiple layers.
14. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, the connection element is a link or a cross-shaped link.
15. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, each connection element is connected to the base elements at a location other than the ends of the connection element.
16. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, each base element is connected to the connection elements at a location other than the ends of the base element.
17. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, said first base element is one of a door and a door frame, and said second base element is the other of a door and a door frame.
18. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, said first connection element is configured as a hollow box-shaped member.
19. The double action hinge unit according to claim 8, wherein, said first body or said second body are configured as a hollow box-shaped member.
20. The double action hinge unit according to claim 1, wherein, the double action hinge unit comprises two or more second base elements each connecting to said first base element by means of a set of connection elements.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 8, 2018
Publication Date: May 10, 2018
Inventor: Chi Yin Mak (Wanchai)
Application Number: 15/864,592