CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 62/073,336, filed on October 31, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The principles disclosed herein relate to hinges, such as hinges for closures having a hinged cover to permit access to an interior of the closure at selected times. Such hinges may be used to access equipment in the interior of the closure.

BACKGROUND

Various closures are known which include hinges to allow one part to hinge relative to another part. In the case of telecommunications closures, a cover is selectively mounted to a base to provide an enclosed interior. The cover may be hingedly mounted to the base so as to allow convenient access to an interior of the closure for access by a technician to equipment located in the interior.

Improvements are desired in the area of the hinges, including hinges associated with telecommunications closures.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a hinge assembly which snaps together and which then pivotally connects one member or portion to another member or portion. In one example, the hinge assembly pivotally connects a cover to a base of a telecommunications closure.

The hinge assembly includes at least one pin member and at least one socket member. The socket member has an open end defining an opening that is adapted to selectively receive the pin member. A retention member is adapted to retain the pin member in the opening of the socket member. The retention member is a resilient member having a first end portion and an oppositely disposed distal second end portion. The second end portion is adapted to block at least a portion of the opening to retain the pin member in the opening.

The retention member includes an angled tab and an angled surface to receive the pin member during assembly of the closure. The angled tab and the angled surface moves the retention member when the pin member is pressed into the retention member when the pin member is pressed into the retention member such that the pin member is received by the opening in the socket member. A stop surface retains the pin member in the opening.

Plural socket members are provided in one example to engage the pin member.

Plural retention members are provided to hold a longer one or more pin members of the hinge in more than location.

In one example, the retention member extends from a socket member with a distal end portion extending in the same direction as the opening.

In one example, the opening extends outward from a side wall of a first portion of a device, and the pin member extends from an end wall of a second portion of the device to hinge the first and second portions together.

In the case of a telecommunications closure, the closure can include a variety of interior telecommunications equipment. The closure can include a plurality of fiber optic adapters which include an inner port positioned inside the interior and an outer port positioned at an outer surface of the enclosure. The closure can include ports for one or more cables to pass through to the interior.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a telecommunications closure with a cover hingedly mounted to a base in the closed position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the telecommunications closure of Figure 1, with the cover mounted to the base in the open position;

Figure 3 is an end view of a hinge assembly in the open position used to join the cover to the base, wherein only a portion of the cover and the base are shown;

Figure 4 is a side view of the hinge assembly in the closed position; Figure 5 is an exploded view of the hinge assembly in the closed position; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the view of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the pin member of the hinge assembly attached to the cover;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the socket member and the retention member of the hinge assembly attached to the base;

Figure 9 is a top view of the socket member and the retention member of the hinge assembly attached to the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to Figures 1-9, a hinge assembly, generally designated 104, pivotally mounts a base 202 to a cover 204. Figures 3-9 show hinge assembly 104 in greater detail. Figures 1 and 2 show a generic hinge. The hinge assembly 104 includes a pin member 106 and a socket member 108. A retention member 120 is a resilient member that retains the pin member 106 with the socket member 108.

Hinge assembly 104 pivotally mounts base 202 to cover 204 as shown in the telecommunications closure 200. In the case of telecommunications closure 200, the closure can include a variety of interior telecommunications equipment 210 and internal cabling 212, a plurality of cable ports 214 for cables 215, and/or a plurality of fiber optic adapters 216 which include an inner port positioned inside the interior region and an outer port positioned at an outer surface of the closure 200. The hinge assembly 104 can be used elsewhere besides telecommunications closures 200.

In one example, the openings 118 of each socket member 108 extend outward from a side wall 222 of a first portion of a device, and the pin member 106 extends from an end wall 224 of a second portion of the device to hinge the first and second portions together. Alternatively, the openings 118 can extend outward from an end wall of a first portion of a device, and the pin member 106 can extend from a side wall of a second portion of the device to hinge the first and second portions together. The openings can be U-shaped, or include a small taper to allow a snap fit of the pin member 106.

The hinge assembly 104 includes multiple pin members 106 integrally formed as one pin or separated segments and all co-axially aligned, and multiple socket members 108 all co-axially aligned. In one embodiment, the pin members 106 are disposed on one of the sides of the base 202 and extend longitudinally along the side of the base 202 while the socket members 108 are disposed on one of the sides of the cover 204.

The pin members 106 are generally cylindrical members to allow rotation in the openings 118. The pin members 106 extend between adjacent supports 110. The supports 110 generally support the pin members 106 and are intermittently disposed along the length of the end of the base 202. The supports 110 are generally disposed such that the supports 110 extend outwardly from the end of the base 202. The pin members 106 are disposed on the base 202 such that there is a space disposed between the end of the base 202 and the pin members 106. This space is adapted to receive a portion of the socket members 108 during installation and/or pivotal movement of the base 202 and the cover 204.

Each of the socket members 108 includes a base end 112 and an opposite open end 114. The base ends 112 of the socket members 108 are mounted (e.g., fixed, bonded, fastened, molded, etc.) to one of the sides of the base 202. The open ends 114 include hook portions 116 having openings 118 that are adapted to receive the pin members 106 of the base 202. With the pin members 106 disposed in the openings 118 of the hook portions 116 of the socket members 108, the cover can pivot between an open position and a closed position with respect to the base 202. See arrow A.

The base 202 includes a retention member 120 that is adapted to retain the pin members 106 in the opening 118 of the hook portion 116 of the socket members 108. Retention member 120 is adapted to prevent or reduce the risk of inadvertent disengagement of the pin members 106 and the socket members 108. The cover 204 preferably includes multiple retention members 120 intermittently disposed along hinge assembly 104.

The retention member 120 is a resilient member that includes a body 122 having a first end portion 124 and a second end portion 126. The first end portion 124 is mounted on one of the socket members 108 on the cover. The second end portion 126 includes a tab 127 that extends at an angle toward the side of the base 202 such that the tab 127 is generally aligned opposite to a passage defined by the openings 118 of the socket members 108. The tab extends at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the pin members 106. With the first end portion 124 of the retention member 120 mounted to one of the sides of the cover 204 and the second end portion 126 generally aligned with the opening 118 of the socket members 108, the tab 127 is disposed at an angle relative to the side of the cover 204. The retention member 120 includes an angled end surface 128 to receive the pin member 106 during assembly in the direction of arrow B. The angled end surface 128 and the angled tab 127 moves the retention member 120 in the direction of arrow C such that the pin member 106 is received by the opening 118 in the socket portions. The retention member 120 flexes back into the retaining position of Figure 9.

The insertion of the pin members 106 into the socket members 108 of the hinge assembly 104 will be described herein. With the pin members 106 vertically aligned with the openings 118 of the hook portions 116, the pin members 106 are inserted into the openings 118. As the pin members 106 are inserted, the pin members 106 contact the angled end surface 128 and angled tab of each of the retention members 120. As the pin members 106 are pushed into the openings 118, the retention members 120 flex outwardly relative to the cover 204 to a flexed position. With the pin members 106 are engaged in the openings 118, the retention members 120 flex back to a retention position such that the second end portions 126 of the retention members 120 block at least a portion of the openings 118 with an angled stop surface 140 and retain the pin members 106 in the openings 118. In the subject embodiment, stop surface 140 of the second end portion 126 abuts the pin members 106 to retain the pin members 106 in the openings 118.

In one example, the retention member 120 extends from the socket members 108 with the distal second end portion 126 extending in the same direction as the openings 118.

In order to disengage the hinge assembly 104, the retention members 120 are flexed away from the side of the base 202. With the retention members 120 flexed away from the base 202, the pin members 106 can be removed from the openings 118.

As shown, retention member 120 includes an angled tab 127, with an angled stop surface 140, as shown in Figure 9, and an angled end surface 128, as shown in Figure 4. Parts List

104 hinge assembly

106 pin member

108 socket member

110 support

112 base end

114 open end

116 hook portion

118 opening

120 retention member

122 body

124 first end portion

126 second end portion

127 tab

128 angled outer surface

140 stop surface

150 space

200 closure

202 base

204 cover

210 telecommunications equipment

212 internal cabling

214 cable ports

215 cable

216 fiber optic adapters

218 tray slack

222 side wall

224 end wall