Two part snap hinge
OwnerMichael Joyceinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A biasing hinge is disclosed which is made up of a first hinge member and a second hinge member integrally hinged together along a curved line. The hinge members are shaped so that when one hinge member is swung relative to the other, the members are resiliently deformed or stressed and energy is stored in said hinge members. This stored energy will bias the hinge members to swing to an open or a closed position depending on which position is nearest said hinge member at a particular time. The hinge can be molded with the hinge members having the desired shape to provide the necessary stresses to provide the desired biasing. The hinge can also be molded as an integral part of a cap or closure.
Claims19
A hinge including a swingable portion, a reference portion, and a reduced connecting portion between said swingable portion and said reference portion, said reduced connecting portion being integral with said swingable portion and said reference portion and extending continuously between a first point and a second point in a manner such that said reduced connecting portion follows a path which is displaced from a straight line connecting said first and second points whereby upon swinging said swingable portion about said reduced connecting portion said swingable portion swings through an intermediate position such that on either side of said intermediate position said swingable portion is urged away from said intermediate position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.