WO2007108639A1

WO2007108639A1 - Hinge apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2007108639A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/001361
Authority: WO
Inventors: Han Sung Youm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-20
Filing date: 2007-03-20
Publication date: 2007-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-20

Abstract

A modular hinge apparatus is provided, which includes hinge plates which include a stopper which is fabricated by bending the left and right sides of a hinge plate into an 'L'-shaped form, respectively, and a number of holes or protrusions which are formed on one side of the upper portion of each stopper. Here, the hinge plates in the modular hinge apparatus can be combined with the receiving portion. Here, the hinge apparatus can be coupled with a receiving portion formed in an object or a hinge bracket which includes an internal receiving portion and is coupled in an object.

Description

HINGE APPARATUS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hinge apparatus, and more particularly, to a modular hinge apparatus which can couple and fix two objects.

Background Art

In an existing hinge apparatus for coupling and fixing two objects, nails or screws as connection elements and hammers or drivers as tools are being used beside the hinge apparatus which is necessary to couple and fix the two objects. The conventional hinge apparatus includes left and right hinge plates on which a number of screw holes are perforated, a pivot which is extended from the left hinge plate and cylindrically wound, a pivot which is extended from the right hinge plate and cylindrically wound, and a pivot unit which is inserted into the inner side of the cylindrically wound pivots and includes a pin which becomes a pivot center. Thus, in the case that even one among the nails or screws as connection elements and the hammers or drivers as tools lacks, it is very difficult to couple and fix two objects. Further, since nails or screws should be additionally used in order to couple and fix two objects in the case of the conventional hinge apparatus, the two objects need to have a certain thickness in order for the nails or screws to be driven into the two objects through the hinge apparatus .

Disclosure of the Invention

To overcome inconveniences of the conventional hinge apparatus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a modular hinge apparatus which can couple and fix two independent objects without nails or screws and other tools by modifying structure of a hinge plate and inserting the modified hinge apparatus, that is, the modular hinge apparatus into a receiving portion which can be provided in an object or a bracket in which a receiving portion is formed, so that the hinge plate can be combined with the receiving portion. It is another object of the present invention to provide a modular hinge apparatus of an insertable structure which can be applied to even thin objects which are difficult to be coupled with or fixed to each other with a conventional hinge apparatus if only a hinge plate bracket with a receiving portion, or a hinge apparatus receiving portion is formed in the objects.

To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided a modular hinge apparatus comprising hinge plates which comprises a stopper which is fabricated by bending the left and right sides of a hinge plate which is directly fixed to an object into an "L"-shaped form, respectively, and a number of holes or protrusions which are formed on one side of the upper portion of each stopper, in which a receiving portion having a connector, a guidance slant portion, and a guidance groove is formed or a hinge bracket having a receiving portion is formed in the two objects so that the hinge plate in the modular hinge apparatus can be combined with the receiving portion.

Brief Description of the Drawings. FIG. 1 is a disassembled perspective view illustrating a basic structure of a rectangular parallelepiped union assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus in which a connector is integrally formed with hinge plates; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a hinge bracket;

FIG.5 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus which is combined with a hinge bracket;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of two objects A and B in which a receiving portion is formed, respectively; FIG.7 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus which is combined with the receiving portions of the two objects A and B;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of two objects A and B in which a hinge bracket and a modular hinge apparatus are used; FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views of hinge plates according to other exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of rhombic hinge plates according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

Hereinbelow, a modular hinge apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals are assigned for like elements in the drawings.

A material used in a modular hinge apparatus according to the present invention is same as that of a hinge apparatus or an assembly. A modular hinge apparatus according to the present invention can be combined with only a structure which is used as an assembly, without using a third components such as elastic property materials or springs .

FIG. 1 is a disassembled perspective view illustrating a basic structure of a rectangular parallelepiped union assembly, in which a plate-shaped combination body 100 and a receiving body 200 are shown.

As shown in FIG.1, a stopper 101 which is fabricated by bending the left and right sides of a hinge plate 100 which is directly to fixed to an object into an "L"-shaped form, respectively. The receiving body 200 is of a hexahedron structure at one side of which an opened connector 202 is formed and the other side of which is opened so that the connector 202 is in succession to the upper portion and integrally extended and opened up to a rear opening portion. The relationship between the plate-shaped combination body 100 and the receiving body 200 is formed so that the plate-shaped combination body 100 is inserted into a receiving portion 201 of the receiving body 200. Here, only a part of the connector 202 which is a front-side opening portion of the receiving body 200 and the upper opening portion is opened, the plate-shaped combination body 100 combined with the receiving portion 201 of the receiving body 200 is combined by the stoppers 101. In this combined state, the plate-shaped combination body 100 is not seceded to any places except for the rear-side opening portion. As described above, one object is coupled with the front portion of the plate-shaped combination body 100 and another object is coupled with the rear portion of the receiving body 200. In this case, the two objects can be perfectly coupled with together. This is applied to a ring used for a car safety belt, a coupling loop of a knapsack bag, and so on. Meanwhile, even if the receiving body 200 is fixed and one object is coupled with the front portion of the plate-shaped combination body 100, the object can be perfectly coupled with the fixed receiving body 200.

The present invention uses the basic structure of the plate-shaped combination body 100 and the receiving body 200, and the coupling capability therebetween.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, a stopper 3 which is fabricated by bending the left and right sides of hinge plates 2 and 2' which is directly to fixed to an object into an "L"-shaped form, respectively. Accordingly, the stoppers 3 are formed of in the form of a convex structure. A number of holes 4 or protrusions (not shown) are formed on one side of each stopper 3. In the modular hinge apparatus 1, the positions where the holes 4 are formed is same as those of auxiliary holes 16 in a receiving portion 11 when the hinge plates 2 and 2' are combined with the receiving portion 11.

In other words, the modular hinge apparatus according to the present invention is fabricated by modifying the conventional hinge apparatus including left and right hinge plates 2 and 2¹ on which a number of screw holes 3 are perforated, a pivot 6 which is extended from the left hinge plate 2 and cylindrically wound, a pivot 7 which is extended from the right hinge plate 2 ' and cylindrically wound, and a pivot unit 8 which is inserted into the inner side of the cylindrically wound pivots 6 and 7 and includes a pin 5 which becomes a pivot center.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus in which a connector 9 is integrally formed with hinge plates. The connector 9 of FIG. 3 corresponds to the pivot unit 8 of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of two objects A and B in which a receiving portion 11 is formed, respectively, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus 1 which is combined with the receiving portions 11 of the two objects A and B. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the receiving portion 11 is formed in the two objects A and B, respectively, and then the modular hinge apparatus 1 is combined with the receiving portions 11.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rectangular parallelepiped hinge bracket 10. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modular hinge apparatus which is combined with a hinge bracket 10.

Referring to FIG. 4, a receiving portion 11 where a concave insertion groove is formed is formed in front of the upper portion of the rectangular parallelepiped hinge bracket 10. A rectangular guidance groove 13 which includes a rear-inner side of the receiving portion 11 is formed just behind the receiving portion 11. The opening of an externally communicating opened connector 12 which is formed in one front side of the receiving portion 11 is linked with the opening of the upper side of the receiving portion 11 and the opening of the guidance groove 13. Here, the size of the guidance groove 13 is bigger in width and length than that of the floor of the receiving portion 11 and is same in depth as that of the receiving portion 11. The point in place where the hinge receiving portion 11 and the guidance groove 13 meets and the upper portion of the receiving portion 11 at the point in place have a guidance slant portion 14, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a slant portion 6' is also formed in the lower portions of the hinge receiving portion 11 and the hinge plates 2 and 2', respectively. Even in the case that there is no bottom surface of the hinge bracket 10, the respective slant portions 6' are coupled to surround each other. Accordingly, even in the case that thickness of an object which can use a hinge apparatus 1 of FIG. 2 is same as that of the hinge apparatus 1, the hinge bracket 10 can be applied with the hinge apparatus 1. In addition, a number of fixing holes 15 are formed in the left and right edge portions of the rectangular parallelepiped hinge bracket 10, and a number of auxiliary holes 16 are perforated in a line in the upper and lower portions of the concave receiving portion 11. The hinge bracket 10 and the modular hinge apparatus 1 can be used as follows.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of two objects A and B in which a hinge bracket 10 and a modular hinge apparatus 1 are used.

First, referring to FIGS. 4 and 8, a groove of suitable depth is dug at the corner portions of the opposing positions in the objects A and B, respectively. Thereafter, a hinge bracket 10 is located in the groove and then screws or nails are driven into fixing holes 15 of the hinge bracket 10, respectively. However, depending upon quality of the materials of the two objects A and B and the hinge bracket 10, an adhesive can be used to couple and fix the two objects A and B and the hinge bracket 10. Then, the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' of the modular hinge apparatus 1 are inserted into the hinge receiving portions 11 of the in hinge brackets 10 which are fixed to the objects A and B, respectively, only to combine the former with the latter. However, the following method is structurally used to combine the hinge plates 2 and 2¹ with the hinge receiving portions 11.

First, an angle between the hinge plate 2 and the hinge plate 2' is made to form below 90 degrees around the pivot unit 8 or 9 of the modular hinge apparatus 1, and then the hinge plate 2 is pushed into the receiving portion 11 passing over the guidance slant portion 14 through the guidance groove 13. Here, since the external structure of the hinge plate 2 is of an identical structure to the internal structure of the receiving portion 11, the hinge plate 2 can be easily combined with the receiving portion 11. Since the connector 12 of the receiving portion 11 is used as the connector 12 in which only a part of the inner side of the connector 12 is opened to the outside, the stopper 3 of the hinge plate 2 plays a role of blocking the hinge plate 2 from moving forward any more in the receiving portion 11, and of passing the pivot unit 8 or 9 which is connected with the opposite hinge plate 2'.

The hinge plate 2 which is inserted into and combined with the receiving portion 11 with the above-described structure can be seceded toward only the guidance slant portion 14 or the guidance groove 13, and cannot be seceded in any other directions. As a result, except for only secession in the direction of the guidance slant portion 14, it may be said that a nearly perfect coupling between the hinge plate 2 or 2 ' and the receiving portion 11 is achieved.

However, it is hard to say that a nearly perfect coupling between the hinge plate 2 or 2 ' and the receiving portion 11 is achieved since there is a possibility of secession in the direction of the guidance slant portion 14.

However, such a problem can be solved by inserting and coupling the opposite hinge plate 2 ' of the modular hinge apparatus

1 into and with the other receiving portion 11 in the following process . In the case of the other hinge plate 2 ' which is not yet coupled with the receiving portion 11, an angle between the hinge plate

2 and the hinge plate 2 ' is made to form below 90 degrees around the pivot unit 8 or 9 of the modular hinge apparatus 1, in the same method as that of coupling the hinge plate 2 which is inserted into the receiving portion 11, and then the hinge plate 2' is pushed into and coupled with the receiving portion 11 passing over the guidance slant portion 14 through the guidance groove 13.

In the case of the modular hinge apparatus 10 combined with the receiving portion 11 in the hinge bracket 10 by the above-described process, secession of each hinge plate 2 or 2 ' is impossible in the hinge receiving portion 11 even in any cases at the state where the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' are unfolded in the range of 91~80 degrees around the pivot unit 8 or 9. However, secession of each hinge plate 2 or 2 ' is possible in the case that an angle between the hinge plates 2 and 2' is smaller than only 80 degrees or below.

Therefore, in the case that only one hinge plate 2 of the modular hinge apparatus 1 is coupled with the receiving portion 11, the hinge plate 2 may be seceded in the direction of the coupled path (that is, toward the connection slant portion 14 or the guidance groove 13) . However, in the case that an angle between the hinge plates 2 and 2' is unfolded in the range of 91~180 degrees around the pivot unit 8 or 9, at the state where both the hinge plates 2 and 2' are coupled in the hinge receiving portion 11, secession of the hinge plates 2 and 2' combined in the hinge receiving portion 11 is impossible in any cases. Accordingly, the modular hinge apparatus 1 can be used equally to the general hinge apparatuses in the case that the angle between the hinge plates 2 and 2' is in the range of 91~180 degrees. In this state, decomposition of the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' combined in the hinge receiving portion 11 may be simply performed.

In the same manner as that of combining the modular hinge apparatus 1 with the receiving portion 11, an angle between the hinge plates 2 and 2' is made to form below 90 degrees around the pivot unit 8 or 9 of the modular hinge apparatus 1, and then the hinge plates 2 can be easily decomposed only if the hinge plate

2 is pushed in the direction opposite to the direction of combining the modular hinge apparatus 1 with the receiving portion 11. The other hinge plate 2 ' can be decomposed using the same manner as that of the hinge plate 2.

The auxiliary holes 16 are used to fix the hinge plates 2 and

2¹ with screws or magnet rods of the same size of the holes 16 and 4, at the state the hinge plates 2 and 2' are combined with each other in the case that the fixing holes 4 are formed on the stoppers

3 of the hinge plates 2 and 2' . In the case that protrusions 4 are formed instead of the fixing holes 4 in the stopper 3, the quality of material of the hinge bracket 10 is a plastic material of slight elasticity, or the two objects A and B are a plastic material of slight elasticity, respectively. The receiving portion 11 formed in the hinge apparatus 1 is also of slight elasticity. Accordingly, even if a small number of protrusions 4 are formed in the stopper 3 , the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' can be coupled with the receiving portion 11 without unreasonable states . Once the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' have been coupled with the receiving portion 11, the protrusions 4 in the stopper 3 can be safely loaded or situated in auxiliary holes 16 toward the upper portion of the receiving portion 11.

In more detail, the modular hinge apparatus 1 according to the present invention is obtained by modifying the structure of the hinge plates in the conventional hinge apparatus. Therefore, the pivot unit 8 which is used in the conventional hinge apparatus may be modified according to a use place of the hinge apparatus. As an example, in the case of the hinge apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the structure of the pivot unit 9 is simplified, that is, becomes thin and flexible with the modular hinge apparatus 1 made of a plastic material connected with the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' . If only the structure of the hinge plate is modified into the above-described structure in the case of the hinge apparatus which is used for sink tables, doors, boxes, etc., the hinge apparatus can be used in any cases.

Hinge apparatuses according to other exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 9 through 11. FIGS. 9 through 11 illustrate a hinge apparatus having a structure of hinge plates 2 and 2 ' of a trapezoid style, a polyhedron style, and a diaper pattern, respectively. However, right and left stoppers 3 are equally bent in the form of "L"-shape.

Although the receiving portion 11 of the hinge bracket 10 should be modified according to transformation of the hinge plates 2 and 2 ' , the detailed description thereof and the relevant drawings will be omitted since they can be easily designed from the structure of external form of the hinge plates 2 and 2'.

In the present invention, a basic structure of an assembly or a hinge apparatus is designed into a natural union structure not a forced insertion structure by employing a convex and concave fitting structure. As a result, a coupling strength of the hinge apparatus according to the present invention is stronger than those of existing hinge apparatuses . Also, since there are no additional parts to combine two objects with the hinge apparatus, to thus provide a structure of less danger of damage, in particular, since the hinge apparatus 1 has only to be inserted into the receiving portion 11 to combine two objects with the hinge apparatus, as structure that is less, a working efficiency becomes excellent.

Also, although the conventional modular hinge apparatus 1 is very difficult to be used for the case that thicknesses of two objects are two thin, the modular hinge apparatus according to the present invention hard can be used regardless of thicknesses of objects since the hinge plates 2 and 2¹ has only to be put into the receiving portion 11 in the case of the hinge apparatus 1.

In particular, in the case of an object having two receiving portions 11 in the front and rear surfaces, the object can be connected successively back and forth. Accordingly, if the present invention is applied in a thin object such as plastic plates, it can be applied for books or albums.

As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to particularly preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is possible for one who has an ordinary skill in the art to make various modifications and variations, without departing off the spirit of the present invention. Thus, the protective scope of the present invention is not defined within the detailed description thereof but is defined by the claims to be described later and the technical spirit of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention provides a modular hinge apparatus which can couple and fix two independent objects without nails or screws and other tools by modifying structure of a hinge plate and inserting the modified hinge apparatus, that is, the modular hinge apparatus into a receiving portion which can be provided in an object or a bracket in which a receiving portion is formed, so that the hinge plate can be combined with the receiving portion.

The present invention provides a modular hinge apparatus of an insertable structure which can be applied to even thin objects which are difficult to be coupled with or fixed to each other with a conventional hinge apparatus if only a hinge plate bracket with a receiving portion, or a hinge apparatus receiving portion is formed in the objects.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A modular hinge apparatus comprising a structure of a stopper (101) which is fabricated by bending the left and right sides of a plate-shaped object (100) into an "L"-shaped form, respectively, and a receiving body (200) having a receiving portion

(201) which is formed in the inner side of a hexahedron structure at one side of which an opened connector (202) is formed and the other side of which is opened so that the connector (202) is in succession to the upper portion and integrally extended and opened up to a rear opening portion.

2. A modular hinge apparatus comprising: a stopper (3) which is fabricated by bending the left and right sides of hinge plates (2 and 2') into an "L"-shaped form, respectively, in which the stoppers (3) are formed of in the form of a convex structure; and a number of holes or protrusions (4) which are formed on one side of each stopper (3) , in which the positions where the holes or protrusions (4) are formed is same as those of auxiliary holes (16) in a receiving portion (11) when the hinge plates (2 and 2') are inserted into and combined with the receiving portion (11), wherein the receiving portion (11) where a concave insertion groove is formed is formed in front of the upper portion of a rectangular parallelepiped hinge bracket (10) , in which a rectangular guidance groove (13) which includes a rear-inner side of the receiving portion (11) is formed just behind the receiving portion (11) , and wherein the opening of an externally communicating opened connector (12) which is formed in one front side of the receiving portion (11) is linked with the opening of the upper side of the receiving portion (11) and the opening of the guidance groove (13) .

3. The modular hinge apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein auxiliary holes (16) are perforated in the upper and lower portions of the receiving portion (201 or 11), and holes (4) are perforated in one side of the stoppers (101 or 3) .

4. The modular hinge apparatus according to claim 3, wherein protrusions are formed at the same positions as those of the holes

(4) instead of the holes (4) .

5. The modular hinge apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receiving body (200), the receiving portion (201 or 11) which is formed in the receiving body (200), the hinge plates (2 and 2' ) are formed of a polyhedron shape such as a diaper pattern, a trapezoid etc. , other than a rectangular parallelepiped shape .