Hinge assembly for a home appliance and method of assembling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11834877-B2
Application number	US-202117372040-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2021
Priority date	Jun 28, 2019
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A hinge assembly to couple a door with a cabinet, for movement between open and closed positions about a vertical axis, includes a first hinge plate coupled with the cabinet and a second hinge plate coupled with the door. The second hinge plate is moveable relative to the first hinge plate about a pivot pin that extends between the first and second hinge plates. One of the first and second hinge plates includes a step with a first surface vertically offset from a body of one of the first and second hinge plates and the other of the first and second hinge plates includes a second surface that engages the first surface when the door is in the closed position. When the door is moved into the open position, the second hinge plate travels downward relative to the first hinge plate such that the first surface becomes disengaged from the second surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hinge assembly for coupling a door with a cabinet for movement between open and closed positions about a vertical axis, wherein said hinge assembly comprises:
a first hinge plate configured to be coupled with said cabinet;
a second hinge plate configured to be coupled with said door and moveable relative to the first hinge plate about a pivot pin extending between the first and second hinge plates, wherein one of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate comprises a step including a linear wall portion and an arcuate socket portion and that together extend across a width of the first hinge plate, the step having a first surface vertically offset from a body of one of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate and the other of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate comprises a second surface that engages the first surface when said door is in the closed position, and wherein said hinge assembly is configured such that when said door is moved into the open position, the second hinge plate travels downward relative to the first hinge plate such that the first surface becomes disengaged from the second surface; and
a third hinge plate disposed between the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate, the third hinge plate including a projection extending from the third hinge plate in a direction co-planar with a planar extent of the third hinge plate.

2. The hinge assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a stop that limits an angle of rotation of the second hinge plate about the pivot pin relative to the first hinge plate to a maximum angle of rotation.

3. The hinge assembly of claim 2 , wherein the step is configured such that the second hinge plate travels downward relative to the first hinge plate when the angle of rotation of the second hinge plate satisfies the maximum angle of rotation.

4. The hinge assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first hinge plate is coupled with the cabinet by a first mounting bracket and the second hinge plate is coupled with the door by a second mounting bracket.

5. The hinge assembly of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first stop provided on at least one of the first hinge plate and the first mounting bracket; and
a second stop provided on at least one of the second hinge plate and the second mounting bracket.

6. The hinge assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first stop engages the second stop when the door is moved into the open position to limit an angle of rotation of the door relative to the cabinet.

7. The hinge assembly of claim 1 , wherein the step is coupled with the body by a wall extending at an angle of 90 degrees or less relative to a horizontal plane through the body.

8. The hinge assembly of claim 1 , wherein the step is coupled with the body by a wall extending at an angle of between 50 degrees and 70 degrees relative to a horizontal plane through the body.

9. The hinge assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first mounting bracket includes an aperture that receives a sleeve of the first hinge plate that receives and supports the pivot pin therein.

10. A hinge assembly, comprising:
a first hinge plate;
a second hinge plate moveable relative to the first hinge plate about a pivot pin, wherein one of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate comprises a step including a linear wall portion and a curved socket portion and having a first surface vertically offset from a body of one of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate and the other of the first and second hinge plate comprises a second surface that engages the first surface when said hinge assembly is in a closed position; and
a third hinge plate including a non-circular periphery and a projection extending from the non-circular periphery, wherein the second hinge plate travels downward relative to the first hinge plate during opening such that the first surface becomes disengaged from the second surface, and wherein the step is configured to inhibit movement to the closed position until a vertical force is applied to lift the second hinge plate relative to the first hinge plate to bring the first and second surfaces into engagement.

11. The hinge assembly of claim 10 , further comprising:
a stop that limits an angle of rotation of the second hinge plate about the pivot pin relative to the first hinge plate to a maximum angle of rotation.

12. The hinge assembly of claim 11 , wherein the step is configured such that the second hinge plate travels downward relative to the first hinge plate when the angle of rotation of the second hinge plate satisfies the maximum angle of rotation.

13. The hinge assembly of claim 10 , further comprising:
a first mounting bracket configured to couple the first hinge plate with a cabinet; and
a second mounting bracket configured to couple the second hinge plate with a door.

14. The hinge assembly of claim 10 , wherein the third hinge plate is rotatably mounted on the pivot pin between the first and second hinge plates and configured to be moved by the second hinge plate when the second hinge plate is moved relative to the first hinge plate.

15. The hinge assembly of claim 14 , wherein the second hinge plate includes a leg that engages the projection of the third hinge plate.

16. The hinge assembly of claim 10 , wherein the step is coupled with the body of one of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate by a wall extending at an angle of 90 degrees or less relative to a horizontal plane through the body.

17. The hinge assembly of claim 10 , wherein the step is vertically offset from the body of one of the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate by 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm.

18. The hinge assembly of claim 17 , wherein the step is coupled with the body by a wall extending at an angle of between 50 degrees and 70 degrees relative to a horizontal plane through the body.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Manara Paulo Henrique Alves
• Mascarello Ledimara
• Simm Vinicius

Classifications

• E05D11/105 Primary

  the maintaining means acting perpendicularly to the pivot axis · CPC title

• E05Y2900/308

  for ovens · CPC title

• F24B13/004

  Doors specially adapted for stoves or ranges (doors for open fires F24B1/192) · CPC title

• E05D11/10 Primary

  Devices for preventing movement between relatively-movable hinge parts · CPC title

• E05D11/1007 Primary

  with positive locking · CPC title