Free-wheeling hinge assembly
View Patent ↗A free-wheeling hinge assembly includes a base element, a cap element, and an internal pivot assembly allowing the cap element to pivot 360 degrees transversely to a hinge assembly central axis and in relation to the base element. Geometric ends of the hinge assembly allow insertion into any two component corresponding geometric recesses to be so pivoted and repositioned.
1. A free-wheeling hinge assembly comprising, in combination:
a) a base element comprising: a solid cast geometric end comprising geometric shapes selected from the group consisting of ovals, oblongs, triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, and other multi-sided polygons capable of securely holding the free-wheeling hinge assembly between corresponding external member component geometric recesses and transferring directional forces applied to the external member components to the free-wheeling hinge assembly; a cylindrical length comprising an external side and an internal side; a central longitudinal axis; an open end; and an annular groove around the cylindrical length internal side, the groove defining a plane transverse to the central longitudinal axis;
b) a cap element comprising: a solid cast geometric end comprising geometric shapes selected from the group consisting of ovals, oblongs, triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, and other multi-sided polygons capable of securely holding the free-wheeling hinge assembly between corresponding external member component geometric recesses and transferring directional forces applied to the external member components to the free-wheeling hinge assembly; a cylindrical length comprising an external side and an internal side; a central longitudinal axis; a cylindrical recess defined by the cylindrical length internal side; an open end sized to be received by and interference fitted into base open end; and an annular groove around the cap cylindrical length external side, the annular groove defining a plane transverse to the base central longitudinal axis; and
c) an O-ring sized to be received within (i) the annular groove around the base cylindrical length internal side, and (ii) the annular groove around the cap cylindrical length external side, the O-ring serving to provide a pivot surface between the base element and the cap element;
wherein the free-wheeling hinge assembly provides a 360 degree pivot feature around the O-ring between the cap element and the base element, the pivot action being along a plane transverse to the central longitudinal axis and about the central longitudinal axis.
2. A free-wheeling hinge assembly comprising, in combination:
a) a housing comprising (i) two geometric ends, each housing geometric end sized to be press-fitted into and held by separate component geometric recesses to provide a pivot point between the separate components along a housing central longitudinal axis, each housing end comprising open cylindrical ends comprising internal and external surfaces, with a first housing open cylindrical end comprising an annular groove orthogonal to the housing central longitudinal axis on a first housing open cylindrical end external surface, the first housing open end sized to be received by and interference fitted into a second housing open cylindrical end comprising an annular groove orthogonal to the housing central longitudinal axis in the second housing internal surface, and each housing end further comprising materials selected from the group consisting of brushed aluminum, high strength carbon-composites, steel, stainless steel, and any similar light weight, high strength metal alloys; (ii) a second housing end cylindrical length between the conjoined housing ends, the second housing end cylindrical length comprising an external surface, whereby the external surface defines a space between the separate components once the housing has been press-fitted to and held by the separate component geometric recesses; and (iii) a housing channel defined by communicating annular grooves in the respective housing end internal and external surfaces; and
b) an O-ring housed with the housing channel to rotate one housing end 360 degrees about the opposite housing end along a plane orthogonal to the housing central longitudinal axis;
whereby pressure applied to either separate component provides 360 degrees of rotation of the separate component attached to one housing end along a plane orthogonal to the housing central longitudinal axis about the separate component attached to the opposite housing end.
3. The free-wheeling hinge assembly of claim 2 further comprising an O-ring lubricant to maintain the ease of motion for the O-ring housed with the housing channel to rotate one housing end 360 degrees about the opposite housing end along a plane orthogonal to the housing central longitudinal axis.
4. The free-wheeling hinge assembly of claim 2 , wherein the housing ends and separate component geometric recesses comprise corresponding geometric shapes selected from the group consisting of ovals, oblongs, triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, and other multi-sided polygons capable of securely holding the free-wheeling hinge assembly between corresponding external member components and transferring directional forces applied to the external member components to the free-wheeling hinge assembly.