GB2245017A

GB2245017A - Anti-tamper hinge

Info

Publication number: GB2245017A
Application number: GB9012989A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Constant Lucien Dubois
Original assignee: LYDNEY CONTAINERS Ltd
Current assignee: LYDNEY CONTAINERS Ltd
Priority date: 1990-06-11
Filing date: 1990-06-11
Publication date: 1991-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 2010-06-11
Also published as: GB2245017B; GB9012989D0

Abstract

An anti-tamper door hinge system mounting a door (4) to a frame upright (2) includes a door mounting portion (18), a frame mounting portion (12) and a hinge pivot portion (9/11/17a) pivotably connecting the one to the other. The hinge pivot portion is mounted to the outside of the frame upright, spaced apart therefrom. The margin of the door is mounted to the outside of the hinge pivot portion. Anti-tamper shield means (24) extends relative to the margin of the door to lie beside the hinge pivot portion when the door is closed and so as to move into and out of the space between the door frame upright and the hinge pivot portion on opening and closing the door. <IMAGE>

Description

ANTI-TAMPER HINGE The present invention relates to an anti-tamper hinge system.

Metal storage and transportation containers are conventionally provided with a pair of hinged doors at one or both ends, but the known hinges have been found to be vulnerable to cutting or other tampering by a thief or vandal when the doors are closed.

The invention aims to provide an anti-tamper hinge system suitable particularly (but not exclusively) for such containers. The hinge generally comprises a door mounting portion, a frame mounting portion and a pivot portion pivotably connecting the one to the other.

The invention therefore provides an anti-tamper door hinge system in which the hinge pivot portion is mounted in front of the door frame and spaced apart therefrom and the margin of the door is mounted in front of the pivot portion, anti-tamper shield means being provided extending rearwardly of the margin of the door to lie beside the pivot portion when the door is closed and movable into and out of the space between the door frame and the pivot portion on opening and closing the door.

The shield means may conveniently be a metal plate, which may suitably be integral with the door, e.g. a metal door of a metal storage or transportation container.

The frame may conveniently be provided with forward projections near the margin of the door to restrict access to the shield means as a supplementary anti-tamper measure.

For further understanding of the present invention an embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a door hinge system, from in front of the door, with some parts separated and others omitted for clarity; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the frame upright of the system of Fig. 1, with parts separated for clarity; Fig. 3 shows a top view of the assembled system of Fig. 1 with the door closed; Fig. 4 show a partial sectional view of the system of Fig. 3 taken along the line A-A in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 shows the system of Fig. 3 prior to fitting the door; Fig. 6 shows top views of component parts of the system in more detail; and Fig. 7 shows a front elevation view (partially cut away) of doors mounted in a metal container using the system of Fig. 1.

Referring to the Figures, the door hinge system 1 is one of three such hinges mounted between a door frame upright 2, formed by a wall of a steel storage or transportation container 3, and a sheet steel door 4 for the container, the door being one of a pair as shown in Fig. 7. The following describes the construction of the hinge in terms of a method by which it may be assembled from component parts and methods for making such parts. In this regard, it must be noted that although the system will be described as if it is vertical (i.e. in use in the finished container), assembly will normally, for convenience, take place with the frame horizontal.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, the frame upright 2 defines a channel 5 open to the front (outside) of the container, the channel wall 6 adjacent the door aperture extending forwards somewhat less than the opposite channel wall 7 and provided with an elongate shallow notch 8 at each hinge location.

A hinge boss 9 is mounted to the frame 2 in the region of the notch 8 in the following manner.

Firstly, a boss mounting 10 is prepared, as shown schematically in Figs. 6(a) and (b), in the form of a sandwich comprising the boss 9, a packer plate 11 and a right-angle plate 12. To assemble the sandwich, the boss 9 and packer 11 are initially welded together with welds 13 on a jig 14, and subsequently the packer is welded to the angle plate 12 with welds 15 in conventional manner.

The complete boss mounting 10 is then offered laterally to the frame side 6 so that part of the packer 11 is received in the notch 8, and the whole is welded to the frame 2 around the accessible periphery of the angle plate 12, as shown at 16.

The spacing between the boss and the distant arm of the angle plate is suitably about 16mm. The boss suitably has an external diameter of about 28mm, a length of about 75mm, and an internal diameter sufficient to receive a pivot pin 17 and bush 17a (the pivot pin is indicated only in Fig. 4, for clarity).

The arms of the right-angle plate 12 are suitably each about 40mm long and the longitudinal extent of the angle plate is suitably about 150mm. Notch 8 is suitably about 90mm long and 15mm deep.

The packer is suitably about 75mm x 20mm x mm, i.e. of the same length as the boss and the bush. The packer is most conveniently welded to the boss with the central axis of the packer slightly offset (e.g. about 3mm) from the plane of the central axis of the boss, the packer lying normal to said plane. This is conveniently achieved by arranging for the boss to be mounted to the j ig 14 about 7mm nearer the jig base than the packer (i.e. line B in Fig. 6(a) is about 7mm shorter than line C).

Prior to mounting the door 4 to the hinge, the bush 17a is inserted into place, a steel door mounting plate 18 carrying a pair of brackets 19, 20 welded thereto via welds 21 is offered to the boss 9 and a ring 22 inserted to support the top bracket 19 above the boss (see Fig. 4). The pivot pin 17 is then inserted, but without welding the pin as yet.

The door mounting plate 18 suitably measures about 110mm (in the vertical direction) x lOOmm x 3mm, the ring 22 suitably being about 25mm in external diameter and about 8mm thick. The internal diameter of the ring must be sufficient to receive the pivot pin 17.

The brackets 19, 20 are suitably of 4mm steel and 29mm square, with 9mm of one side and 8mm of an adjacent side cut away in a triangle across the intermediate corner. The brackets 19, 20 each have a through hole 23 of sufficient diameter to receive the pivot pin 17, and the hole 23 is slightly off-set from the centre of the bracket (e.g. so that the centre of the hole is about 17mm from each of the two long sides of the bracket).

The brackets 19, 20 are positioned on the door mounting plate 18 so that they extend about 4mm beyond the margin of the plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 particularly.

The door 4 is formed of steel and includes a portion 24 bent round in a right angle so as to extend rearwardly of the plane of the door to lie alongside the hinge assembly and shield the assembly from tampering. The wall 7 of the frame is positioned to further restrict tampering from that side of the hinge, while allowing the hinge to pivot open as required.

After mounting the door mounting plate 18 to the boss assembly, the door 4 is lowered onto the mounting plate so that the shield portion 24 lies adjacent the brackets 19, 20, and the mounting plate is tack-welded to the inside face of the door. The door 4 is then opened and the door mounting plate 18 and brackets 19, 20 fully welded to the door. The bottom end of the pivot pin 17 is then welded in position in lower bracket 20 by means of welds 25.

As can be seen, particularly with reference to Fig. 3, the hinge boss 9 has behind it in the assembled system a space in front of the frame wall 2, the space being arranged to receive the shield portion 24 of the door on opening of the door (in the direction of arrow D).

The hinge system of the present invention provides substantial advantages, particularly where hinge security is of prime importance.

Claims

1. An anti-tamper door hinge system mounting a door to a frame, the system including a door mounting portion, a frame mounting portion and a hinge pivot portion pivotably connecting the one to the other, the hinge pivot portion being mounted to the outside of the door frame and spaced apart therefrom and the margin of the door being mounted to the outside of the hinge pivot portion, anti tamper shield means being provided extending relative to the margin of the door to lie beside the hinge pivot portion when the door is closed and so as to move into and out of the space between the door frame and the hinge pivot portion on opening and closing the door.

2. A door hinge system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame projects near the margin of the door to restrict access to said shield means.

3. A door hinge system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frame defines a channel and the hinge pivot portion comprises (a) a boss welded to a packer plate welded to an angle plate welded to the outside of the web and one wall of said channel so that the boss is disposed between the two walls of the channel, and (b) a pivot pin supported in said boss and supporting the door; the other wall of said channel being where the frame projects near the margin of the door to restrict access to said shield means.

4. A door hinge system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the packer plate is received in a notch in said one wall of said channel.

5. A door hinge system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said shield means is a plate that is integral with the door.

6. A door hinge system as claimed in claims 3, 4 and 5, wherein said plate forming said shield means is a portion of the door that is of right angle formation so as to project into said channel between the hinge pivot portion and the other wall of the channel, there being clearance between the web of the channel and the hinge pivot portion for receiving that part of this plate that projects into the channel on opening of the door.

7. A door hinge system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pivot pin supports the door in brackets through which the pin passes, these brackets being welded to a door mounting plate that is welded to the door.

8. A door hinge system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said pivot pin is welded to one of said brackets.

9. An anti-tamper door hinge system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.