Granted Patent B2

US 10,012,014 · App. 15/066,530 · Granted Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Claims (60)

1. A hinge arrangement, comprising:

a first hinge plate assembly including a pivot housing thereon movable about a pivot axis, the pivot housing including a threaded adjustment pin extending in a direction transverse to the pivot axis away from the pivot housing;

a second hinge plate assembly including an adjustment housing thereon, the adjustment housing including a threaded portion;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin is threaded into the adjustment housing to connect the first hinge plate assembly to the second hinge plate assembly,

wherein relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the second hinge plate assembly to move along a length of the threaded adjustment pin thereby altering a spacing between a mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly and a mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly; and

wherein a portion of the threaded adjustment pin extending between the pivot housing and the adjustment housing is unthreaded and the adjustment housing substantially surrounds a threaded portion of the threaded adjustment pin to protect the threaded portion against weather related corrosion, wherein the adjustment housing includes a first unthreaded portion and a second unthreaded portion, wherein the threaded portion of the adjustment housing is disposed in a space between the first unthreaded portion and the second unthreaded portion.

2. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein the mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly is connected to a gate post and the mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly is connected to a gate.

3. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein an end of the threaded adjustment pin terminates within the second unthreaded portion the adjustment housing.

4. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein sufficient relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the first hinge plate assembly to detach from the second hinge plate assembly.

5. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein the threaded adjustment pin has an elongated axis about which the threaded adjustment pin does not rotate, the threaded portion of the adjustment housing is rotatable about the elongated axis for purpose of adjustment.

6. The hinge arrangement of claim 5 wherein the threaded portion of the adjustment housing comprises a nut of the adjustment housing.

7. The hinge arrangement of claim 6 wherein the first and second unthreaded portions of the adjustment housing are fixed.

8. The hinge arrangement of claim 7 wherein at least one of the first and second unthreaded portions of the adjustment housing includes a slot to enable viewing of the adjustment pin within the adjustment housing.

9. The hinge arrangement of claim 6 wherein the nut includes a tool interface feature to facilitate rotation.

10. The hinge arrangement of claim 6 wherein the nut includes a plurality of spaced apart slots disposed around a periphery of the nut for receiving a flat-head screwdriver to enable rotation of the nut.

11. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein the pivot housing includes upper and lower support structures that extend respectively along upper and lower portions of the adjustment housing.

12. The hinge arrangement of claim 11 wherein the upper and lower support structures define respective upper and lower flats that face the adjustment housing, and the upper and lower portions of the adjustment housing include respective corresponding flats that face the upper and lower flats.

13. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein a connection between the pivot housing and the first hinge plate assembly includes a gravity hinge feature.

14. The hinge arrangement of claim 13 wherein the gravity hinge feature comprises interacting cam surfaces of the pivot housing and the hinge plate assembly.

15. The hinge arrangement of claim 13 wherein the connection between the pivot housing and the first hinge plate assembly includes at least one gravity detent feature for holding the hinge in at least one open position.

16. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein a frictional interference is provided between the threads of the adjustment pin and the threads of the threaded portion of the adjustment housing.

17. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein the first hinge plate assembly includes at least one protruding feature for locating the first hinge plate assembly at a corner of a first structure, and the second hinge plate assembly includes at least one protruding feature for locating the second hinge plate assembly at a corner of a second structure.

18. The hinge arrangement of claim 1 wherein the second hinge plate assembly can rotate slightly relative to the first hinge plate assembly to permit a degree of tilt compensation.

19. A hinge arrangement, comprising:

a first hinge plate assembly including a pivot housing thereon movable about a pivot axis, the pivot housing including a threaded adjustment pin extending in a direction transverse to the pivot axis away from the pivot housing;

a second hinge plate assembly including an adjustment housing thereon, the adjustment housing including a threaded portion;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin is threaded into the adjustment housing to connect the first hinge plate assembly to the second hinge plate assembly,

wherein relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the second hinge plate assembly to move along a length of the threaded adjustment pin thereby altering a spacing between a mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly and a mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly;

wherein a portion of the threaded adjustment pin extending between the pivot housing and the adjustment housing is unthreaded and the adjustment housing substantially surrounds a threaded portion of the threaded adjustment pin to protect the threaded portion against weather related corrosion; and

wherein a connection between the pivot housing and the first hinge plate assembly includes a spring bias feature for urging the hinge arrangement into a closed position.

20. The hinge arrangement of claim 19 wherein the spring bias feature includes a spring and an associated bias adjustment mechanism.

21. A hinge arrangement, comprising:

a first hinge plate assembly including a pivot housing thereon movable about a pivot axis, the pivot housing including a threaded adjustment pin extending in a direction transverse to the pivot axis away from the pivot housing;

a second hinge plate assembly including an adjustment housing thereon, the adjustment housing including a threaded portion;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin is threaded into the adjustment housing to connect the first hinge plate assembly to the second hinge plate assembly,

wherein relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the second hinge plate assembly to move along a length of the threaded adjustment pin thereby altering a spacing between a mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly and a mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly;

wherein a portion of the threaded adjustment pin extending between the pivot housing and the adjustment housing is unthreaded and the adjustment housing substantially surrounds a threaded portion of the threaded adjustment pin to protect the threaded portion against weather related corrosion;

wherein the second hinge plate assembly can rotate slightly relative to the first hinge plate assembly to permit a degree of tilt compensation; and

wherein the pivot housing includes at least one support structure that extends alongside the adjustment housing, and the support structure interacts with the second hinge plate assembly to limit the degree of tilt compensation.

22. A hinge arrangement, comprising:

a first hinge plate assembly including a pivot housing thereon movable about a pivot axis, the pivot housing including a threaded adjustment pin extending in a direction transverse to the pivot axis away from the pivot housing;

a second hinge plate assembly including an adjustment housing thereon, the adjustment housing including a threaded portion;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin is threaded into the adjustment housing to connect the first hinge plate assembly to the second hinge plate assembly,

wherein relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the second hinge plate assembly to move along a length of the threaded adjustment pin thereby altering a spacing between a mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly and a mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly; and

wherein the pivot housing includes upper and lower support structures that extend respectively along upper and lower portions of the adjustment housing.

23. The hinge arrangement of claim 22 wherein the upper and lower support structures comprise respective stabilizing plates that define respective upper and lower flats that face the adjustment housing, and the upper and lower portions of the adjustment housing include respective corresponding flats that face the upper and lower flats.

24. The hinge arrangement of claim 23 wherein a connection between the pivot housing and the first hinge plate assembly includes a gravity hinge feature and at least one gravity detent feature for holding the hinge in at least one open position.

25. A hinge arrangement, comprising:

a first hinge plate assembly including a pivot housing thereon movable about a pivot axis, the pivot housing including a threaded adjustment pin extending in a direction transverse to the pivot axis away from the pivot housing;

a second hinge plate assembly including an adjustment housing thereon, the adjustment housing including a threaded portion;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin is threaded into the adjustment housing to connect the first hinge plate assembly to the second hinge plate assembly,

wherein relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the second hinge plate assembly to move along a length of the threaded adjustment pin thereby altering a spacing between a mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly and a mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin has an elongated axis about which the threaded adjustment pin does not rotate, the threaded portion of the adjustment housing is rotatable about the elongated axis for purpose of adjustment

wherein the threaded portion of the adjustment housing comprises a nut and wherein the nut includes a plurality of spaced apart slots disposed around a periphery of the nut for receiving a flat-head screwdriver to enable rotation of the nut.

26. A hinge arrangement, comprising:

a first hinge plate assembly including a pivot housing thereon movable about a pivot axis, the pivot housing including a threaded adjustment pin extending in a direction transverse to the pivot axis away from the pivot housing;

a second hinge plate assembly including an adjustment housing thereon, the adjustment housing including a threaded portion;

wherein the threaded adjustment pin is threaded into the adjustment housing to connect the first hinge plate assembly to the second hinge plate assembly,

wherein relative rotation between the threaded adjustment pin and the threaded portion of the adjustment housing causes the second hinge plate assembly to move along a length of the threaded adjustment pin thereby altering a spacing between a mount plate portion of the first hinge plate assembly and a mount plate portion of the second hinge plate assembly; and

wherein the first hinge plate assembly includes at least one protruding feature for locating the first hinge plate assembly at a corner of a first structure, and the second hinge plate assembly includes at least one protruding feature for locating the second hinge plate assembly at a corner of a second structure.

Assignments (6)