Hinge assembly for an appliance door

An appliance, comprising:

• a housing defining a cooking cavity with an open front portion;
• a door pivotally coupled to the housing along a vertical rotational axis, wherein the door is operable between open and closed positions relative to the open front portion of the cooking cavity to selectively provide access to the cooking cavity;
• a hinge assembly interconnecting the door and the housing, wherein the hinge assembly includes a first hinge element having a hinge pin with upper and lower portions and an engagement portion disposed therebetween with a lower surface having at least one abutment surface that is vertically disposed, wherein the hinge assembly further includes a second hinge element having a body portion surrounding a hollow interior portion which slidably receives the lower portion of the hinge pin of the first hinge element, wherein the second hinge element further includes a contoured upper rim having at least one abutment surface that is vertically disposed, the second hinge element further includes a base portion extending outwardly around the body portion of the second hinge element and having a flat portion, wherein the contoured upper rim of the second hinge element is engaged with the lower surface of the first hinge element, and further wherein the first hinge element rotates relative to the second hinge element between a first position, wherein the at least one abutment surface of the first hinge element abuts the at least one abutment surface of the second hinge element, and a second position, wherein the at least one abutment surface of the first hinge element is horizontally and vertically spaced-apart from the at least one abutment surface of the second hinge element;
• a mounting plate operably coupled between the door and the first hinge element, the mounting plate having upper and lower apertures disposed at opposed ends of the mounting plate and opening into upper and lower hollow interior portions of the mounting plate, respectively, wherein the upper portion of the hinge pin is received in the lower hollow interior portion of the mounting plate at the lower aperture thereof;
• and
• a hinge bracket having a receiving aperture, wherein the receiving aperture includes a round outer perimeter with a flat portion, wherein the base portion of the second hinge element is received in the receiving aperture of the hinge bracket, such that the flat portion of the receiving aperture of the hinge bracket aligns with the flat portion of the base portion of the second hinge element.