Furniture with anti-tipping support hinge
Support hinge for a piece of furniture includes a mounting plate attachable to an underside of a bottom drawer of the piece of furniture, and a support plate hingedly connected to the mounting plate to enable the support plate to open rearward to an angle of greater than 90 degrees relative to the mounting plate. The support plate is biased into the open state and includes a drawer support portion that preferably contacts the underside of the bottom drawer when the support plate is in the open state. When the bottom drawer is open, the support plate is just above the floor below the piece of furniture and when a weight-derived force is exerted against the bottom drawer, the support plate is moved against the floor and in such a position, acts as a post to prevent forward tipping of the furniture beyond a nominal amount.
1. A support hinge for a piece of furniture, comprising:
a mounting plate including a hinge retaining portion at one side having cylindrical protrusions each with a channel therethrough;
attachment means for attaching said mounting plate to an underside of a bottom drawer of the piece of furniture;
a support plate hingedly connected to said mounting plate to enable said support plate to open rearward to an angle of greater than 90 degrees relative to said mounting plate and being biased into an open state, said support plate including:
a drawer support portion configured to contact the underside of the bottom drawer when said support plate is in the open state, and
a hinge retaining portion having cylindrical protrusions each with a channel therethrough, said drawer support portion extending to a position laterally beyond said cylindrical protrusions of said hinge retaining portion of said support plate; and
a hinge mechanism that hingedly connects said support plate and said mounting plate, said hinge mechanism including a cylinder that passes through said channels in said cylindrical protrusions in said hinge retaining portion of said mounting plate and said hinge retaining portion of said support plate.
2. The support hinge of claim 1 , wherein said hinge mechanism is configured to enable said support plate to open to an angle of about 100 degrees relative to said mounting plate.
3. The support hinge of claim 1 , wherein said cylinder is partly retained by each of said mounting plate and said support plate and said hinge mechanism further comprises at least one spring having a coiled part around said cylinder and a pair of legs, one of said legs exerting pressure against said mounting plate and the other of said legs exerting pressure against said support plate.
4. The support hinge of claim 3 , wherein said at least one spring comprises two springs spaced apart from one another.
5. The support hinge of claim 1 , wherein said attachment means comprise an adhesive layer, said drawer support portion extending to align with an upper surface of said adhesive layer.
6. A piece of furniture with an integral anti-tipping mechanism, comprising:
a frame, said bottom drawer being movable into and out of said frame; and
the support hinge of claim 1 , said mounting plate being attached to the underside of said bottom drawer in a position in which the support hinge is inside said frame when said bottom drawer is in a closed state.
7. The piece of furniture of claim 6 , wherein said bottom drawer includes a front panel and a front edge of said mounting plate is against a rear side of said front panel.
8. A support hinge for a piece of furniture, comprising:
a mounting plate;
attachment means for attaching said mounting plate to an underside of a bottom drawer of the piece of furniture;
a support plate hingedly connected to said mounting plate to enable said support plate to open rearward to an angle of greater than 90 degrees relative to said mounting plate and being biased into an open state, said support plate including a drawer support portion configured to contact the underside of the bottom drawer when said support plate is in the open state; and
a hinge mechanism that hingedly connects said support plate and said mounting plate, said hinge mechanism comprising a cylinder partly retained by each of said mounting plate and said support plate and at least one spring having a coiled part around said cylinder and a pair of legs, one of said legs exerting pressure against said mounting plate and the other of said legs exerting pressure against said support plate.
9. The support hinge of claim 8 , wherein said hinge mechanism is configured to enable said support plate to open to an angle of about 100 degrees relative to said mounting plate.
10. The support hinge of claim 8 , wherein said mounting plate includes a hinge retaining portion at one side having cylindrical protrusions each with a channel therethrough, and said support plate includes a hinge retaining portion having cylindrical protrusions each with a channel therethrough, said cylinder passing through said channels in said cylindrical protrusions in said hinge retaining portion of said mounting plate and said hinge retaining portion of said support plate.
11. The support hinge of claim 8 , wherein said at least one spring comprises two springs spaced apart from one another.
12. The support hinge of claim 8 , wherein said attachment means comprise an adhesive layer, said drawer support portion extending to align with an upper surface of said adhesive layer.
13. A piece of furniture with an integral anti-tipping mechanism, comprising:
a frame, said bottom drawer being movable into and out of said frame; and
the support hinge of claim 8 , said mounting plate being attached to the underside of said bottom drawer in a position in which the support hinge is inside said frame when said bottom drawer is in a closed state.
14. The piece of furniture of claim 13 , wherein said bottom drawer includes a front panel and a front edge of said mounting plate is against a rear side of said front panel.
15. A support hinge for a piece of furniture, comprising:
a mounting plate;
attachment means for attaching said mounting plate to an underside of a bottom drawer of the piece of furniture, said attachment means comprising an adhesive layer;
a support plate hingedly connected to said mounting plate to enable said support plate to open rearward to an angle of greater than 90 degrees relative to said mounting plate and being biased into an open state, said support plate including a drawer support portion configured to contact the underside of the bottom drawer when said support plate is in the open state, said drawer support portion extending to align with an upper surface of said adhesive layer.
16. The support hinge of claim 15 , further comprising a hinge mechanism that hingedly connects said support plate and said mounting plate.
17. The support hinge of claim 16 , wherein said hinge mechanism is configured to enable said support plate to open to an angle of about 100 degrees relative to said mounting plate.
18. The support hinge of claim 16 , wherein said mounting plate includes a hinge retaining portion at one side having cylindrical protrusions each with a channel therethrough, and said support plate includes a hinge retaining portion having cylindrical protrusions each with a channel therethrough, said hinge mechanism including a cylinder that passes through said channels in said cylindrical protrusions in said hinge retaining portion of said mounting plate and said hinge retaining portion of said support plate.
19. The support hinge of claim 16 , wherein said hinge mechanism comprise a cylinder partly retained by each of said mounting plate and said support plate and at least one spring having a coiled part around said cylinder and a pair of legs, one of said legs exerting pressure against said mounting plate and the other of said legs exerting pressure against said support plate, said at least one spring comprising two springs spaced apart from one another.
20. A piece of furniture with an integral anti-tipping mechanism, comprising:
a frame, said bottom drawer being movable into and out of said frame; and
the support hinge of claim 15 , said mounting plate being attached to the underside of said bottom drawer in a position in which the support hinge is inside said frame when said bottom drawer is in a closed state.