Appliance lid hinge

An appliance lid hinge assembly comprising:

• a base;
• a cam arm pivotally connected to the base and adapted to be connected to an associate appliance lid;
• a cam arm control system comprising a spring rod engaged with the base and adapted to move relative to the base in a sliding reciprocal manner along a spring rod axis;
• a spring that exerts a biasing force on the spring rod that urges the spring rod toward an extended position, wherein said spring rod is movable against the biasing force from the extended position toward a retracted position;
• said cam arm operatively engaged with the spring rod through a cam follower such that:
• (i) pivoting movement of the cam arm in an opening direction corresponds with movement of the spring rod from the retracted position toward the extended position;
• and, (ii) pivoting movement of the cam arm in a closing direction opposite the opening direction corresponds with movement of the spring rod from the extended position toward the retracted position;
• said cam arm comprising:
• (i) a cam portion located adjacent the base and including a cam profile edge;
• and, (ii) an outer mounting portion that projects outwardly away from the base;
• said cam follower connected to an inner end of the spring rod and engaged with said cam profile edge such that pivoting movement of the cam arm in the opening direction and in the closing direction alters a contact location at which the cam follower contacts the cam profile edge to control movement of the spring rod between the extended and retracted positions;
• wherein a rod fastener connects said follower to said inner end of said spring rod and said rod fastener is slidably engaged with said base, said base comprising opposite spaced apart first and second side walls that comprise respective first and second elongated slots that are registered with each other, wherein said rod fastener is slidably engaged with both said first and second elongated slots;
• a damper connected to said base and adapted to be engaged by and exert a damping force on said cam arm control system when said cam arm moves in said closing direction.