US3221803A

US3221803A - Hinged doors for wall-cupboards and the like

Info

Publication number: US3221803A
Application number: US233720A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lambert Marc Henri Jacques
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-10-28
Filing date: 1962-10-29
Publication date: 1965-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-07

Description

Dec. 7, 1965 M. H. J. LAMBERT 3,221,303

HINGED DOORS FOR WALL-CUPBOARDS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1962 Ja um lamlei m M E V m #w Mfl MM C H M V: .B

Dec. 7, 1965 3,221,803

HINGED DOORS FOR WALL-CUPBOARDS AND THE LIKE M. H. J. LAMBERT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 29. 1962 ZNVENTDP. MA ec, HENRI. 740911155 LAMBERT By Mai mad Mix United States Patent 3,221,803 HINGED DOORS FOR WALL-CUPBOARDS AND THE LIKE Marc Henri Jacques Lambert, Sevres, France, assignor of fifty percent to Bernard Louis Jean Liegeon, Champagnole, France Filed Oct. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 233,720 Claims priority, application France, Oct. 28, 1961, 877,350 Claims. (Cl. 160206) The present invention relates to doors in general and refers more particularly to doors for wall-cupboards which are of the type comprising two panels hingedly interconnected along their adjacent edges and adapted, in their open position, to be folded back completely and parallel to each other near one of the inner walls of the wall-cupboard, the first panel of the pair, that is the one nearest to the wall against which the panels are stowed, comprising along each one of its vertical edges a first guiding device co-acting with guide tracks formed in or carried by the corresponding parallel walls of the wall-cupboard, and a second guiding device movable in relation to a fixed point of said walls.

A door of this type has already been disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,075,819 in the name of Messrs. Bernard Louis Jean Liegeon and Marc Henri Jacques Lambert for Hinged Doors for Wall-Cupboards and the Like.

The invention relates to an improvement in such doors and more particularly to a return and balance device for assisting the door opening movement. This return and balance device is characterized in that it comprises one and preferably two arms pivotally mounted at one end on said door, on the lower portion thereof, and at the other end about fixed points of said cupboard, said arms being biased in rotation and urging the panels towards their opening position against the force of gravity.

The aforesaid arm or arms are solid in rotation with a shaft journalled in bearings provided on the walls of said cupboard parallel to the plane of the cupboard open ings. Said shaft is preferably a torsion bar attached at selected locations upon one of the walls of said cupboard.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical form of embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 illustrates in cross sectional view a wallcupboard or like structure equipped with a door constructed according to the teachings of this invention and shown in its semi open condition.

FIGURE 2 is a cross section similar to FIGURE 1 showing the door in its open condition.

FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 6 show diagrammatically different embodiments of the return and balance device according to the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a partially broken away view of the wall cupboard, showing the location of the torsion bar illustrated in FIGURE 4.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a parallepipedic wall-cupboard comprising a bottom 2, a top or ceiling 3, a bottom or floor 4, and side walls 5.

This wall-cupboard is closed by a door 7 comprising two panels 8, 9 hingedly interconnected along their adjacent edges by one or more hinges 10.

The first panel 8 comprises in the vicinity of the hinge 10 a guiding device 11 which comprises in the example illustrated, two pinions or shoes each mounted on a common shaft 14 journalled in bearings carried by the panel 8.

These pinions project from each side of the panel 8 and engage guide-tracks 18 formed in the corresponding walls 5 of the cupboard.

3,221,803 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 The panel 8 is also provided along its edges 16 with another guiding device consisting of two slideways or grooves 23, adapted to slide about pins 24, secured on each wall 5, of the wall-cupboard at the intersection of the two planes occupied by the panel 8 in the closed and open positions, respectively.

The return and balance means comprise an arm 90 pivoted at 100 on panel 9 at the lower end thereof and at 101 on the bottom 2 of the cupboard or (if desired) on the lateral wall 5. In FIGURE 1, there is shown only one arm 90 but the return and balance means generally comprise two symmetrically disposed arms provided on panel 9 in the vicinity of each lateral side thereof. These two arms are solid with a common shaft and are solicited in rotation by biasing means urging them towards their upward position corresponding to the open condition of the door.

FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 6 show different embodiments of the return and balance means.

In FIGURE 3 the arms 90 are secured on the ends of a shaft 40 journalled in

bearings

41, 42 provided on the lateral walls of the cupboard. Two helical springs 42 coiled in reverse directions about the shaft 40 are secured by one of their ends on the bottom wall 2 of the cupboard, at 44; their opposite ends 45 engaging or being solid with the arms 90.

It is evident for any person conversant with the art, that when the arms 90 are in their downward position (corresponding to the closed condition of the door), the two springs 43 are under tension to urge the arms 99 towards their upward position (corresponding to the open condition of the door, see FIGURE 2).

In the example of FIGURE 4, the shaft connecting the arms 90 is a torsion bar 50, journalled at both ends in

bearings

51, 52 provided on the lateral walls 5 of the cupboard. The torsion bar 50 is solid at 53 with the bottom wall 2 of the cupboard, so that this bar 50 acts as a return means urging the arms 90 towards their upward position.

The example of FIGURE 5, differs from the one shown in FIGURE 4 in that the arms 90 consist of a portion of a torsion bar 60. The torsion bar 60, which is pivotally mounted in bearings 61, 62, is solid at 63 with the bottom wall 2. The torsion bar is bent at 64, 65 and its free ends constitute the above mentioned arms 90.

In the example of FIGURE 6, according to a modified embodiment, two

torsion bars

70, 71 are used; each of these bars is bent at one of its ends, respectively at 74 and 77.

These two torsion bars are symmetrically located at each lateral side of the cupboard. By its end 72, bar is secured in a wall of the cupboard and said bar 70 is pivotally mounted in a bearing 73 near its bent portion 74. The end 75 of bar 71 is secured on a wall of the cupboard and said bar 71 is pivotally mounted in a bearing 76 near the bent portion 77 thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A cupboard comprising two lateral parallel walls, an upper wall and a lower wall, a door for closing said cupboard, said door being formed of two panels hingedly interconnected along their adjacent edges and adapted, in their open position, to be folded back parallel to and against each other along said upper wall of said cupboard, the first of said panels, that is the one nearest to said upper wall against which it is to be stowed, comprising on each of its lateral edges perpendicular to said hinge means a first guiding device, said first guiding device co-acting with plain guide tracks provided on said lateral parallel walls, said first panel comprising also a second guiding device movable in relation to a fixed point on said parallel walls, said second panel comprising also a guiding, balancing and lifting device consisting of a torsion bar means fixedly secured by at least one point thereof to said cupboard, substantially parallel to the plane of the door opening, and having a pair of ends rotatably journalled in bearings provided at both lateral sides of said cupboard, and a pair of substantially symmetrically disposed arms pivotally mounted at one end on the lower part of said second panel and rigidly secured at their other end to said torsion bar means.

2. A cupboard as claimed in claim '1, wherein said torsion bar means consists of one single torsion bar secured by one point thereof to said cupboard.

3. A cupboard as claimed in claim 2, wherein said arms are respectively built and fixedly secured to said torsion bar.

4. A cupboard as claimed in claim 2, wherein said tor sion bar is formed at each end with a bent portion forming one of said arms.

5. A cupboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said torsion bar means consist of two torsion bars substantially parallel to each other, rigidly secured at one of their ends to said cupboard and bent at their opposite ends to form an arm-like portion, the two arm-like portions constituting said pair of arms.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,012,834 12/1911 Fasselman 160-190 2,138,219 11/1938 Tabb 160--45 2,592,027 4/1952 I-Iagerup 160--191 3,075,819 1/1963 Liegeon et al 312-271 3,085,622 4/ 1963 Burgin 160-191 FOREIGN PATENTS 899,461 12/ 1953 Germany.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

Claims

1. A CUPBOARD COMPRISING TWO LATERAL PARALLEL WALLS, AN UPPER WALL AND A LOWER WALL, A DOOR FOR CLOSING SAID CUPBOARD, SAID DOOR BEING FORMED OF TWO PANELS HINGEDLY INTERCONNECTED ALONG THEIR ADJACENT EDGES AND ADAPTED, IN THEIR OPEN POSITION, TO BE FOLDED BACK PARALLEL TO AND AGAINST EACH OTHER ALONG SAID UPPER WALL OF SAID CUPBOARD, THE FIRST OF SAID PANELS, THAT IS THE ONE NEAREST TO SAID UPPER WALL AGAINST WHICH IT IS TO BE STOWED, COMPRISIGN ON EACH OF ITS LATERAL EDGES PERPENDICULAR TO SAID HINGE MEANS A FIRST GUIDING DEVICE, SAID FIRST GUIDING DEVICE CO-ACTING WITH PLAIN GUIDE TRACKS PROVIDING ON SAID LATERAL PARALLEL WALLS, SAID FIRST PANEL COMPRISING ALSO A SECOND GUIDING DEVICE MOVABLE IN RELATION TO A FIXED POINT ON SAID PARALLEL WALLS, SAID SECOND PANEL COMPRISING ALSO A GUIDING, BALANCING AND LIFTING DEVICE CONSISTING OF A TORSION BAR MEANS FIXEDLY SECURED BY AT LEAST ONE POINT THEREOF TO SAID CUPBOARD, SUBSTANTIALLY PARLLEL TO THE PLANE OF THE DOOR OPENING, AND HAVING A PAIR OF ENDS ROTATABLY JOURNALLED IN BEARINGS PROVIDED AT BOTH LATERAL SIDES OF SAID CUPBOARD, AND A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END ON THE LOWER PART OF SAID SECOND PANEL AND RIGIDLY SECURED AT THEIR OTHER END TO SAID TORSION BAR MEANS.