FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a pivoting device that can be applied on different structures, such as for example fixtures, doors, entrance doors, gates or other similar structures.

The present invention also concerns a structure provided with the pivoting device and the corresponding method for assembling it to the structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pintles are known for attaching structures, such as for example fixtures, doors, entrance doors, gates or suchlike to a wall, a frame or another desired surface.

In particular, pintles comprise a plate to attach the pintle to the wall, for example using screws or other similar systems, and a hinging body to connect the plate and part of the structure to be attached, for example an upright of an entrance door or gate.

To allow to attach the plate to the structure, the pintle also comprises an attachment element, surrounding the upright, attached to the hinging body for example by screws or pins.

In this way, the hinging body and the attachment element define, during use, a seating mating in shape with the upright of the structure in order to guarantee the housing thereof.

Depending on the shape of the upright, therefore, it will be necessary to use a hinging body and an attachment element designed for the specific case, in order to define the desired seating for the passage of the upright.

Pintles are known, for example, suitable for uprights that have a substantially circular or similar section, in which the rotation movement of the structure with respect to the pintle is defined with reference to a vertical axis, passing through the center of the seating.

Pintles are also known that are suitable for uprights with a substantially square or rectangular section, in which the rotation movement of the structure with respect to the pintle takes place around a vertical axis, passing through a connection pin between the hinging body and the attachment element. One disadvantage of these known solutions concerns the complexity and difficulty in assembling structures provided with such pintles, especially if they are heavy.

In fact, to attach the structure it has to be lifted and the hinging body and attachment element have to be connected, disposing it around the upright, to solidly associate the pintle to the structure.

Another solution suitable for hinging heavy structures can provide that a pintle is associated with the upright of the structure to be hinged and is attached to the wall as described above, and a pivoting element, for example a vertical pin, is fixed to the floor and the upright to be hinged is inserted on it.

The vertical pin not only allows a rotation of the upright, but also allows to support the heavy structure. However, this solution cannot be applied to any type of structure to be hinged and for example cannot provide a hinging thereof suspended above the ground.

The assembly operations therefore require considerable efforts and the presence of many operators in order to lift the structure, assemble it in correspondence with the desired wall and connect it to the support element.

Another disadvantage of known pintles is that it is necessary to modify the characteristics of the hinging body and of the attachment element depending on sizes, section and/or thickness of the upright.

Consequently, this makes known pintles not very versatile, as they cannot be applied to different types of structures, and are limited only to some.

Pintles are also known which need a welding process to guarantee their association with the upright.

In particular, such pintles can be provided with specific elements that can be welded to the upright of the structure, either surrounding it, as in the case of a metal band, or only at some points of its surface, as in the case of metal fins.

One disadvantage of pintles that have to be welded concerns the greater complexity and difficulty in performing assembly operations, which can also entail damage to the parts of the structure itself.

Another disadvantage of pintles requiring welding is that it is impossible to replace or change such pintles once they have been assembled on the structure without damaging it. One purpose of the present invention is to obtain a pivoting device that is easy to assemble to a structure.

Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a pivoting device that can also allow adjustment at the moment of assembly, so that it can adapt to different shapes, sizes and/or thicknesses of the uprights of the structure.

Another purpose of the present invention is to supply a structure provided with at least one such pivoting device, in order to facilitate the assembly operations thereof.

Another purpose of the present invention is to perfect a method for assembling a structure provided with at least one such pivoting device, which is quick and easy to perform, at the same time avoiding considerable efforts for the operators responsible for assembly.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purposes, the present invention concerns a pivoting device for a structure including a plate to attach to a fixed wall.

The pivoting device comprises a first pivoting body connected to the plate, a second pivoting body pivoted to the first pivoting body along a first pivoting axis, and an attachment element, defining a seating to house part of the structure, pivoted to the second pivoting body along a second pivoting axis.

In accordance with possible forms of embodiment, the first pivoting body and the second pivoting body are provided with first through holes. Moreover, the pivoting device comprises a pin inserted into the first through holes to allow the rotation of the first pivoting body and the second pivoting body around the first pivoting axis.

In accordance with possible forms of embodiment, the attachment element and the second pivoting body are provided with second through holes. The pivoting device also comprises a screw inserted into the second through holes to allow the rotation of the attachment element and the second pivoting body around the second pivoting axis.

It is therefore possible to make a pivoting device that has the advantage of allowing an easy assembly on the structure, without requiring considerable efforts.

The second pivoting body comprises, as a variant, a plurality of second through holes configured to allow to adjust the shape and/or size of the seating.

The pivoting device has the advantage that it allows an adjustment at the moment of assembly, in order to adapt to different shapes, sizes and/or thicknesses of the section bars of the structure.

The present invention also concerns a structure comprising at least one such pivoting device.

The structure also comprises a section bar having a cross section shape substantially identical to the shape of the seating, to prevent the rotation of the attachment element and the second pivoting body around the second pivoting axis.

In this way, it is advantageously possible to guarantee the rotation of the structure with respect to the first pivoting axis alone.

The present invention also concerns a method to assemble a pivoting element to a structure, including a plate to attach to a fixed wall.

In accordance with possible forms of embodiment, the method provides to connect a first pivoting body to the plate, to pivot a second pivoting body to the first pivoting body along a first pivoting axis, and to pivot an attachment element to the second pivoting body along a second pivoting axis, during the pivoting of the attachment element the housing of part of the structure is provided in a seating defined between the attachment element and the second pivoting body.

The assembly method allows to assemble the pivoting device to the structure quickly and easily, at the same time avoiding considerable efforts for the operators responsible for assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TFIE DRAWINGS These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some forms of embodiment, given as a non- restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 shows a possible application of a pivoting device in accordance with the present invention;

- fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pivoting device in fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

- fig. 3 is a lateral view in section of the pivoting device in fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

- fig. 4 is a view from above in section of the pivoting device in fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

- fig. 5 is a lateral view in section of a variant of the pivoting device in fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one form of embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other forms of embodiment without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME FORMS OF EMBODIMENT

We shall now refer in detail to the various forms of embodiment of the present invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawing.

Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. For example, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they are part of one form of embodiment can be adopted on, or in association with, other forms of embodiment to produce another form of embodiment. It is understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and variants.

With reference to fig. 1, a pivoting device 10 according to the present invention is shown mounted to connect a structure 1 1 with respect to a wall 13, such as for example, but not restrictively, a surface of a wall, a frame or another wall 13 similar and fixed. In forms of embodiment described here, the structure 11 can be, for example, but not restrictively, a door, an entrance door, a gate, a fixture or a similar heavy structure 1 1.

With reference to fig. 2, the pivoting device 10 comprises a plate 14, functioning as the pintle of the pivoting device 10 with respect to the wall 13, not shown, and a first pivoting body 15, connected to the plate 14.

The plate 14 is configured to rigidly connect the first pivoting body 15 to the wall 13, for example by means of a plurality of screws or other similar and suitable attachment means, depending on the specific characteristics of the wall 13.

To make the connection between the first pivoting body 15 and the plate 14, the pivoting body 15 can comprise a screw 16 with an oblong development along an axis of screwing W (figs. 3-5).

The screw 16 is configured to allow a selective adjustment of the distance and inclination of the pivoting device 10 with respect to the wall 13.

The pivoting device 10 also comprises a second pivoting body 19, pivoted to the first pivoting body 15 along a first pivoting axis X, passing through the first pivoting body 15 and substantially orthogonal to the axis of screwing W.

With reference to figs. 3 and 5, the first pivoting body 15 and the second pivoting body 19 are provided with mating first through holes 20, so as to be able to insert therein a pin 21 to allow the rotation of the first pivoting body 15 and the second pivoting body 19 around the first pivoting axis X.

In variant forms of embodiment, the connection between the first pivoting body 15 and the second pivoting body 19 can be obtained by other connection means, provided that these are able to allow a coupling of the rotary type, with respect to the axis of rotation X, between the first pivoting body 15 and the second pivoting body 19.

The pivoting device 10 also comprises an attachment element 22, configured to be pivoted, during use, to the second pivoting body 19 along a second pivoting axis Y, surrounding the external surface of a section bar 12 of the structure 1 1.

In forms of embodiment described here, the first pivoting axis X and the second pivoting axis Y are substantially orthogonal to each other. The attachment element 22 and the second pivoting body 19 thus define a seating 24 to house part of the structure 1 1 , such as for example the section bar 12.

The seating 24 develops along a housing axis Z located substantially parallel to the first pivoting axis X.

The rotation of the attachment element 22 around the second pivoting axis Y can also allow to compensate possible non alignments of the section bar 12 with respect to the vertical direction, or possible irregularities of the surface of the section bar 12.

With reference to fig. 4, the attachment element 22 and the second pivoting body 19 are provided with second mating through holes 26, so that a screw 23 can be inserted therein so as to allow the rotation of the attachment element 22 and of the second pivoting body 19 around the second pivoting axis Y.

In variant forms of embodiment, this connection can be obtained by means of other attachment means, able to determine the rotation of the attachment element 22 and of the second pivoting body 19 around the second pivoting axis Y.

With this configuration, it is possible to make a pivoting device 10 with double articulation, which can be applied to different types of structures 1 1 , for example structures 1 1 with uprights of different section, such as circular, square or rectangular.

In possible implementations, advantageously if the structure 1 1 has a considerable weight, it can be attached to the wall 13 by means of the pivoting device 10 and to the ground by means of a support element, not shown in the attached drawings, such as a pin or a support plate.

In variant forms of embodiment of the present invention described with reference to fig. 5, the second pivoting body 19 comprises a plurality of second through holes 26, in this case two second through holes 26, disposed reciprocally distanced in the direction defined by the axis of screwing W.

The second through holes 26 are configured to allow to adjust the shape and/or size of the seating 24 in order to prevent the rotation of the attachment element

22 and of the second pivoting body 19 around the second pivoting axis Y.

It is therefore possible to select the second through hole 26 of the second pivoting body 19 on which to fix the attachment element 22, defining a seating 24 that is more or less ample depending on the specific characteristics of the section bar 12 of the structure 1 1 , such as for example its shape, its section or its thickness.

With this configuration it is possible to adapt the pivoting device 10 at the moment of assembly, depending on the specific characteristics of the structure 1 1 to be attached to the wall 13.

Consequently, it is possible to use the pivoting device 10 for different types of sections, shapes and/or thicknesses of the upright of the structure 1 1, thus increasing its versatility.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the pivoting device 10 and the corresponding structure 1 1 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of pivoting device 10 and corresponding structure 1 1 , having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.