Gutter mounted deck lid hinge
AssigneeM & C Corporation
InventorMichael Duffy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A link assembly forming a 6 bar linkage is integrally combined with a spring having a laterally coiled strand to form a hinge that is particularly well adapted to be installed in a small footprint. Such a unit is well adapted for installation within a peripheral channel of a vehicle body opening and to prop the closure in its open position. The present invention also provides a method for reducing packaging footprint of a vehicle closure hinge by integrating the 6 bar linkage with the laterally coiled strand, and selecting a strand shaping to reduce radial dimension of the coil and the coil cross-section while maximizing the radial dimension of material in the strand.
Claims7
A method for reducing the packaging footprint of a vehicle closure hinge comprising:
- integrating a scissors link assembly with a laterally coiled strand biasing spring, and
- selecting a strand shaping to reduce the radial dimension of said coils.
The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said vehicle closure covers a vehicle opening peripherally defined by a channel, and wherein reducing further comprises:
- positioning said integrated link assembly and biasing spring as a unit in said channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.