Lift method for storage bin door
AssigneeSteelcase Development Corporation
InventorsKurt R. Heidmann, Thomas B. Eich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for opening a door on a storage bin is provided, where the storage bin includes a door pivoted to the storage bin for movement between open and closed positions, and a biasing device operably connected to the storage bin and the door for biasing the door as the door nears the open and closed positions. The biasing device includes a spring and a T-shaped shifting anchor connected to the spring that translates and changes a torque arm of a linear spring as the door is moved so that the spring creates a force sufficient to close the door during a last portion of door closure movement and so that the spring creates a force sufficient to open the door during a last portion of door opening movement.
Claims15
A method of biasing a cover member of a furniture unit;
- said method comprising steps of:
- attaching a biasing element to the cover member at a first attachment point;
- attaching said biasing element to an anchorage member at a second attachment point, the anchorage member being operably coupled to the furniture unit;
- and
- translatingly moving one of said first and second attachment points from a first position to a second position as said cover member is moved from an open position to a closed position and translatingly moving said one attachment point from said second position to said first position as said cover member is moved from the closed position to the open position, the step of translatingly moving from the first position to the second position and also from the second position to the first position being relatively sudden and having the effect of changing an effective length of a torque arm defined by the biasing element, said biasing element biasing said cover member with a first biasing force when said one attachment point is in the second position to positively close the cover member, and said biasing element biasing said cover member with a second biasing force when said one attachment point is in the first position to positively open the cover member.
A method comprising steps of:
- providing a biasing element operably attached between a binder bin and a cover member, with the biasing element providing a continuous counter-balancing force to the cover member both when opening and closing the cover member on a front of the binder bin, the biasing element including an anchorage member;
- opening the cover member, with the biasing element providing the counter-balancing force;
- suddenly shifting the anchor member as the cover member reaches a near-open position so that the counter-balancing force changes substantially to more positively move the cover member from the near-open position to a full-open position;
- closing the cover member, with the biasing element providing the counter-balancing force;
- and
- suddenly shifting the anchor member as the cover member reaches a near-closed position so that the balancing force changes substantially to more positively move the cover member from the near-closed position to a full-closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.