Adjustable deck lid hinge pivot
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorDaniel W. Dear
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure relates to an adjustable hinge assembly for a vehicle closure or deck lid which can be readily, vertically adjusted to enable the deck lid to be positioned so as to be flush with adjacent quarter panels of the vehicle when in a closed position. This is achieved by providing a stationary hinge box with slotted sides and a horizontal slide with skewed slotted sides to effect vertical movement of a hinge pivot of a hinge strap to raise and lower a deck lid connected to the hinge strap.
Claims4
In an automotive vehicle having body structure including spaced side quarter panels and spaced supports extending transversely to said quarter panels which together define a compartment having a top opening, a closure, a pair of spaced hinge assemblies for swingably supporting said closure for movement between an open position to permit access to said compartment and a closed position in which said closure covers said compartment, each of said hinge assemblies comprising a hinge box having spaced vertical sides and with the hinge box being mounted to one of said transverse supports, a generally horizontal pivot means extending through aligned openings in the sides of said hinge box, a hinge strap having one end mounted to said closure and its other end pivotally connected to said pivot means, and adjustment means for vertically raising and lowering the pivot means and hence the closure so that its exterior surface will be flush with adjacent exterior body structure of the vehicle, the improvement being that the adjustment means for raising and lowering said closure comprises providing vertically extending slots in the sides of said hinge box and providing a slide having a pair of spaced sides, said slide being slidably guided and supported for horizontal movement in opposite directions;
- said sides of said slide having elongated slots which, overlie and are skewed with respect to the vertical slots in said hinge box, said pivot means extending through said slots in said slide, and an adjustable fastener means having one end rotatably connected to said hinge box and being threadably engaged with said slide for effecting horizontal shifting movement of said slide relative to said hinge box when rotated to cause said pivot means to be raised or lowered so that the closure can be raised and lowered at its end adjacent the hinge box to enable the closure to be vertically adjusted so that its exterior surface will be flush with the adjacent vehicle body structure.
In an automotive vehicle having body structure including spaced rear side quarter panels and spaced supports extending transversely to said quarter panels which together define a trunk compartment having a top opening, a deck lid, a pair of spaced hinge assemblies for swingably supporting said deck lid for movement between an open position to permit access to said compartment and a closed position in which said deck lid covers said compartment, each of said hinge assemblies comprising a hinge box having spaced vertical sides and with the hinge box being mounted to one of said transverse supports, a hinge pivot extending through aligned openings in the sides of said hinge box, a hinge strap having one end mounted to said deck lid and its other end pivotally connected to said hinge pivot, and adjustment means for vertically raising and lowering the deck lid so that its exterior surface will be flush with adjacent exterior surfaces of the quarter panels of said vehicle, the improvement being that the adjustment means for raising and lowering said deck lid so that when the deck lid is in its closed position its exterior surface will be flush with the adjacent exterior surfaces of the quarter panels of the vehicle comprises providing vertically extending linear slots in the sides of said hinge box and providing a U-shaped slide straddling said hinge box and having a pair of spaced sides and a bight at one end, first means on said hinge box for slidably and guidably supporting said slide for horizontal movement in opposite directions in which the bight of said slide moves toward and from an end wall on said hinge box, said sides of said slide having elongated linearly extending slots which overlie and are skewed with respect to the vertical slots in said sides of said hinge box, said hinge pivot extending through said slots in the sides of said slide, and an adjustable fastener means having a tool engaging head, a threaded shank threadably engaged with a threaded opening in said bight of said slide and a distal end rotatably connected to said end wall of said hinge box, said fastener means being rotatable to cause said slide to be horizontally moved relative to said hinge box and with side surfaces of said slide defining said skewed slots causing said hinge pivot to be moved vertically within the slots in the sides of the hinge box so that the deck lid can be raised and lowered at its end adjacent the hinge box to enable the deck lid to be vertically adjusted so that its exterior surface will be flush with the adjacent exterior body surfaces of the quarter panels of the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.