Adapter for attaching utilitarian articles to a door hinge
View Patent ↗An adapter for securing a utilitarian article to a door hinge includes a housing formed of a front panel removably fastened to a rear panel. Positioned between the front and rear panels is a central plate having a distal end and a proximal end. At the distal end of the plate is a flared flange having two or more hinge knuckles thereon that mesh and align with hinge barrels on an existing door and associated frame when the hinge pin is removed. Any one of multiple utilitarian articles, such as a seat, a tie rack or a mirror can be secured to the opposing end of the central plate.
1. An adapter for securing a utilitarian article to a door hinge comprising: a housing having a proximal end and a distal end;
means for attaching the proximal end of said housing to a door hinge;
a seat;
means for attaching the seat to the distal end of said housing.
2. The adapter according to claim 1 wherein said housing is formed of a front panel removably fastened to a rear panel with a central plate positioned therebetween.
3. The adapter according to claim 1 wherein said means for attaching the proximal end of said housing to a door hinge comprises:
a flange at an end of said plate, said flange having a pair of spaced hinge knuckles at an end thereof, said hinge knuckles meshing and aligning with hinge barrels on an existing door and associated door frame;
a hinge pin received within said hinge knuckles and said hinge barrels.
4. The adapter according to claim 1 wherein said seat includes a disc hingedly attached to said housing.
5. The adapter according to claim 4 wherein said seat is attached to said housing so that a rear edge of the seat automatically folds downwardly when released to prevent interference with door operation.
6. The adapter according to claim 4 wherein said seat includes reinforcement ribs radially extending from a center to enhance the structural integrity of the disc.
7. The adapter according to claim 1 further comprising a tie rack attachable to the distal end of said housing.
8. The adapter according to claim 7 wherein said tie rack includes a telescoping support shaft having a header with a plurality of posts at an end thereof for suspending a tie.
9. The adapter according to claim 8 wherein said header is coupled with the shaft using a swivel connector that allows the header to be rotated between a vertical and a horizontal position.
10. The adapter according to claim 1 further comprising a foot support bar attachable to the distal end of said housing.
11. The adapter according to claim 3 further comprising an adjustable magnifying mirror attachable to the distal end of said housing.