Self opening hinges

Abstract

A self opening hinge comprises a tubular member with a set of circumferentially spaced blades extending longitudinally between opposite end portions. It can be folded by bending the blades to bring the end portions together and when released will naturally return to the straight condition under the spring action of the blades. The blade which will be located on the inside of the fold when the member is in its folded condition is configured with a convex circumferential curvature as viewed from the axis of the member when in its unfolded condition, namely reversed in curvature as compared with the other blades. In this way the stress on the inside blade when the member is folded is reduced as compared with a conventional hinge where all the blades follow a circular tube profile and are concave as viewed from the central axis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.