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US-12624584-B1 - Self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge

US12624584B1US 12624584 B1US12624584 B1US 12624584B1US-12624584-B1

Abstract

A self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person including a spring hinge disposed within a hinge housing and mounted between a bracket and mounting bracket by an upper bearing assembly and upper spring coupler, and a lower bearing assembly and lower spring coupler respectively.

Inventors

  • E. Erik Timothy

Assignees

  • E. Erik Timothy

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20220404

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person including a spring assembly including a tension spring disposed between an upper spring coupler and a lower spring coupler, said hinge housing having an interior wall and including an upper portion, a mid-portion and a lower portion rotatably mounted on a gate post or door jamb, by a bracket by an upper bearing assembly and an upper spring coupler to couple said tension spring to said upper bearing assembly, and a lower bearing assembly and a lower spring coupler to couple said tension spring to said lower bearing assembly said bracket comprises an upper mounting member and a lower mounting member connected by an interconnecting member to rotatably mount said self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge said self-closing adjustable spring hinge mounted to a gate post or door jamb by a rod extending through said spring assembly and said hinge housing disposed between an upper mounting member and a lower mounting member held in spaced relationship relative to each other by an interconnecting member wherein an upper bearing assembly is disposed between said upper mounting member and said upper portion of said hinge housing and a lower bearing assembly is disposed between said lower mounting member and said lower portion of said hinge housing, wherein said upper bearing assembly comprises an upper bearing at least partially disposed within said upper portion of a said hinge housing, said lower bearing assembly comprises a lower bearing at least partially disposed within said lower portion of said hinge housing and said spring assembly comprises said tension spring including an upper portion and a lower portion formed on opposite ends thereof disposed within said mid-portion of said hinge housing, an upper coupler pin formed on an upper portion of said tension spring and a lower coupler pin formed on a lower portion of said tension spring to couple said tension spring to said upper spring coupler and to said lower spring coupler respectively, said upper bearing comprises at least one stop to engage said upper mounting member of said bracket to prevent rotation of said upper bearing relative to said bracket, said upper bearing further includes an upper interlocking mechanism and said upper spring coupler further includes a lower interlocking mechanism disposed to engage said upper interlocking mechanism to prevent rotation of said upper spring coupler relative to said upper bearing assembly.
  2. 2 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 1 wherein said upper bearing includes a pair of upper protrusions and said upper spring coupler includes a pair of lower protrusions disposed to engage said upper protrusion to couple said upper bearing and said upper spring coupler together to prevent rotation therebetween.
  3. 3 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 2 wherein said upper bearing assembly further comprises an upper ball bearing including an outer surface disposed to engage said upper portion of said interior wall of said hinge housing and a hole formed therethrough disposed within said hinge housing and disposed to engage said pair of upper protrusions and said pair of lower protrusions.
  4. 4 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 1 further including a limit pin extending downwardly from said upper bearing and said hinge housing further includes a track having a stop formed on each end of said track to selectively engage of said limit pin to limit rotation of said hinge housing relative to said bracket.
  5. 5 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 1 wherein said upper bearing assembly further comprises an upper ball bearing including an outer surface disposed to engage said upper portion of said interior wall of said hinge housing and a hole formed therethrough disposed to receive a portion of said upper bearing therethrough and said lower bearing assembly further comprises a lower ball bearing including an outer surface disposed to engage said lower portion of said interior wall of said hinge housing and a hole formed therethrough disposed to receive a portion of said lower bearing to allow rotation of said hinge housing.
  6. 6 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 1 wherein said hinge housing is rotatably mounted on said upper mounting member and said lower mounting member by a pivot rod.
  7. 7 . A self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person including a spring assembly including a tension spring disposed within a hinge housing having an interior wall and including an upper portion, a mid-portion and a lower portion rotatably mounted on a gate post or door jamb by a bracket by an upper bearing assembly including an upper spring coupler and a lower bearing assembly including a lower spring coupler, said tension spring being coupled between said upper bearing assembly and said lower bearing assembly, said hinge housing includes an adjustment slot formed through said lower portion thereof and said lower spring coupler having at least one adjustment hole formed therein, said adjustment slot and said adjustment hole being disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane to selectively receive an adjustment tool through said adjustment slot and into said adjustment hole to rotate said lower spring coupler and said tension spring relative to said hinge housing and wherein said hinge housing further includes an anchor hole formed in said lower portion thereof and said lower spring coupler includes at least one anchoring hole formed therein disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane to selectively receive a set screw through said anchor hole formed in said hinge housing and into said anchoring hole of said lower spring coupler to adjust the closing force of said tension spring when said lower spring coupler and said tension spring are rotated by the adjustment tool to align said anchor hole formed in said hinge housing with said anchoring hole of said lower spring coupler.
  8. 8 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 7 wherein said upper bearing assembly further comprises an upper ball bearing including an outer surface disposed to engage said upper portion of said interior wall of said hinge housing and a hole formed therethrough disposed to receive a portion of said upper ball bearing therethrough and said lower bearing assembly further comprises a lower ball bearing including an outer surface disposed to engage said lower portion of said interior wall of said hinge housing and a hole formed therethrough disposed to receive a portion of said lower ball bearing to allow rotation of said hinge housing relative to said bracket.
  9. 9 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 7 wherein said lower spring coupler includes a plurality of said anchoring holes to provide a corresponding plurality of anchoring position.
  10. 10 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 9 wherein said lower spring coupler includes a plurality of adjustment holes to increase angular rotation of said lower spring coupler and tension spring through said adjustment slot.
  11. 11 . A self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person including a spring assembly including a tension spring disposed within a hinge housing having an interior wall and including an upper portion, a mid-portion and a lower portion rotatably mounted on a gate post or door jamb by a bracket by an upper bearing assembly and an upper spring coupler including an alignment member extending downwardly therefrom and extending into said tension spring, and a lower bearing assembly and a lower spring coupler, further including an internal spring support comprises a tube disposed within said tension spring and extending between said upper portion of said hinge housing and said lower portion of said hinge housing to engage said alignment member and said lower spring coupler to limit vertical movement of said upper bearing assembly to prevent said tension spring from collapsing when said self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge is secured to said bracket.
  12. 12 . A self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person including a spring assembly disposed within a hinge housing having an interior wall and including an upper portion, a mid-portion and a lower portion rotatably mounted on a gate post or door jamb by a bracket by an upper bearing assembly and a lower bearing, said bracket comprises an upper mounting member and a lower mounting member coupled by an interconnecting member to rotatably mount said self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge wherein said upper bearing assembly comprises an upper bearing at least partially disposed within said upper portion of said hinge housing, said lower bearing assembly comprises a lower bearing at least partially disposed within said lower portion thereof within said lower portion of said hinge housing and said spring assembly comprises a tension spring including an upper portion and a lower portion formed in opposite ends thereof disposed within said mid-portion of said hinge housing, an upper spring coupler pin is formed on the upper portion of said tension spring and a lower spring coupler pin is formed on the lower portion of said tension spring to couple said tension spring an upper spring coupler and a lower spring coupler wherein said upper bearing assembly further comprises a pair of legs extending downward to engage a pair of legs extending upward from said upper spring coupler to interlock said upper bearing assembly and said upper spring coupler.
  13. 13 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 12 further including a limit pin extending downwardly from said upper bearing and said hinge housing further includes a track having a stop formed on each end of said track to selectively engage of said limit pin to limit rotation of said hinge housing relative to said bracket.
  14. 14 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 13 wherein said tension spring comprises an upper coupler pin extending upwardly from said upper portion of said tension spring and a lower coupler pin extending downwardly from said lower portion of said tension spring to engage recesses formed in said upper spring coupler and said lower spring coupler respectively.
  15. 15 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 14 wherein said upper spring coupler comprises an upper substantially round enlarged coupling member and a substantially round reduced upper alignment member and extending downwardly from said upper substantially round enlarged coupler member being disposed within said upper end portion of said tension spring.
  16. 16 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 14 wherein said upper spring coupler further comprises an upper coupler member including an upper retainer hole to receive said upper coupler pin of said tension spring.
  17. 17 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 16 wherein said lower spring coupler comprises a lower member including an upper surface disposed within said lower portion of said hinge housing and a lower retainer hole is formed in said upper surface of said lower member to receive said lower coupler pin of said tension spring.
  18. 18 . A self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person including a spring assembly disposed within a hinge housing, said hinge housing having an interior wall and including an upper portion, a mid-portion and a lower portion rotatably mounted on a gate post or door jamb by a bracket by an upper bearing assembly and an upper spring coupler, and a lower bearing assembly and a lower spring coupler, said bracket comprises an upper mounting member and a lower mounting member coupled by an interconnecting member to rotatably mount said self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge wherein said upper bearing assembly comprises an upper bearing at least partially disposed within said upper portion of a said hinge housing, said lower bearing assembly comprises a lower bearing at least partially disposed within said lower portion of said hinge housing and said spring assembly comprises a tension spring including an upper portion and a lower portion formed on opposite ends thereof disposed within said mid-portion of said hinge housing, an upper coupler pin formed on an upper portion of said tension spring and a lower coupler pin are formed on a lower portion of said tension spring to couple said tension spring to said upper bearing and to said lower bearing respectively, said hinge housing includes an adjustment slot and an adjustment hole formed in said lower portion thereof and said lower spring coupler includes at least one anchoring hole formed therein disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane as said anchor hole to selectively receive a set screw through and at least one adjustment hole to receive an adjustment tool therein to rotate said lower spring coupler to adjust the closing force of said tension spring when said lower spring coupler is rotated by the adjustment tool to align said anchor hole with said anchoring hole.
  19. 19 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 18 wherein said lower spring coupler includes a plurality of said anchoring holes to provide a corresponding plurality of anchoring positions.
  20. 20 . The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge of claim 19 wherein said lower spring includes a plurality of adjustment holes to change the angular rotation of said lower spring coupler through said slot.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention A self-closing adjustable tension spring door/gate hinge. Description of the Prior Art Self-closing door hinges work are typically actuated or powered by an internal spring attached to a door and a door frame. Such hinges generally use spring tension to automatically close doors rather than relying on the user to manually close the door. The tension of spring hinges is often adjustable to preclude the door from closing too slowly, too fast or not completely close. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,810 discloses a self-closing hinge having a single unitary spring element to maintain the hinge in the open position and to move the hinge to the fully closed position after the hinge is partially closed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,956 relates to a self-closing hinge comprising a hinge arm fastened to a hinge cup and an elastic element coupled to the hinge arm and disposed outside the hinge cup. U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,641 describes a door hinge configured to urge a door to the closed position and to hold the door closed without the necessity of a latch mechanism. The hinge comprises a hinge member having an integral hinge pin portion formed thereon, a second hinge member having hinge portions rotatably mounted on the hinge pin, and a pressure member mounted on the second hinge member and reacting against the first hinge member to urge the door to a closed position wherein the pressure member operable retains the hinge members fully assembled. U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,151 teaches a hinge construction providing a self-closing mechanism comprising a cabinet hinge wing and a door hinge wing connected by a hinge pin. The cabinet hinge wing includes a housing to accommodate springs pressing on the door hinge wing. DE 36 01 682 A1 discloses a hinge construction comprising a hinge cup and a hinge arm attached thereto. Disposed inside the hinge cup is an elastic means touching the hinge arm. In order to fix the elastic means, a further holding means is necessary. While some of the prior art may contain some similarities relating to the present invention, none of them teach, suggested or include all of the advantages and unique features of the invention disclosed hereafter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge to close a gate or door without manual assistance from a person. The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge is rotatably mounted or attached to a fence post or door jamb by a bracket or yoke and secured to a gate or door by a mounting bracket or connecting member. The bracket or yoke comprises an upper mounting plate and a lower mounting plate coupled or connected by an interconnecting member to rotatably mount the self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge therebetween on a pivot rod or member. The self-closing adjustable tension spring hinge comprises an upper bearing assembly at least partially disposed within the upper portion of a hinge housing, a spring assembly disposed within the mid-portion of the hinge housing and a lower bearing assembly at least partially disposed within a lower portion of the hinge housing. The upper bearing assembly comprises an upper bearing and an upper ball bearing; while, the lower bearing assembly comprises a lower bearing and lower ball bearing. The spring assembly comprises an upper spring connector or coupler and a lower spring connector or coupler to connect or couple a tension spring to the upper bearing assembly and to the lower bearing assembly respectively. The upper bearing includes an upper interlocking mechanism that extends downwardly therefrom to engage a lower interlocking mechanism that extends upwardly from the upper spring connector or coupler to interlock the upper bearing and the upper spring connector or coupler together to prevent rotation therebetween. The outer surface of the upper ball bearing disposed within the hinge housing engages an upper portion of the interior wall of the hinge housing; while, the upper interlocking mechanism and the lower interlocking mechanism engage the inner surface of the upper ball bearing. A limit pin extends downwardly from the upper bearing and is disposed within a track formed in the upper surface of the hinge housing to limit rotation of the hinge housing relative to the bracket or yoke is limited by engagement of the limit pin with a stop or stop surface formed at each end of the track. The lower bearing includes a base having a post extending upwardly therefrom into a hole or aperture formed in the lower ball bearing disposed within the lower portion of the hinge housing to engage the inner surface of the lower ball bearing; while, the outer surface of the lower ball bearing engages the interior surface of the hinge housing. This facilitates rotation of the hinge housing on the mounting bracket when opening or closing the gate or door. The tension spring has an upper retainer extending upwardly from the upper portion thereof a