US 12,031,264 B2
Hinge assembly for an appliance lid and installation method therefor
James Jeffery, St. Joseph, MI (US); Paula Lobaccaro, St. Joseph, MI (US); Nicholas C. Schooley, Coloma, MI (US); and David Walter, St. Joseph, MI (US)
Assigned to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed by WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed on Sep. 2, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/902,225.
Application 17/902,225 is a division of application No. 16/730,313, filed on Dec. 30, 2019, granted, now 11,466,395.
Prior Publication US 2022/0411987 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. D06F 39/14 (2006.01); E05D 3/02 (2006.01); E05D 7/10 (2006.01)
CPC D06F 39/14 (2013.01) [E05D 3/02 (2013.01); E05D 7/1011 (2013.01); E05D 2007/1027 (2013.01); E05D 2007/1094 (2013.01); E05Y 2201/214 (2013.01); E05Y 2600/50 (2013.01); E05Y 2900/312 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A laundry appliance comprising:
a cabinet having a top panel that defines an aperture for selectively accessing a treatment chamber defined within the cabinet;
a lid that is rotationally operable relative to the aperture of the top panel between open and closed positions, the lid including opposing hinge cavities that are accessible only via opposing edge surfaces of the lid; and
hinge assemblies disposed within the opposing hinge cavities, respectively, that extend between the lid and the top panel, the hinge assemblies comprising:
a first hinge assembly;
a second hinge assembly that is selectively retractable into a respective hinge cavity of the opposing hinge cavities of the lid to a retracted position; and
a biasing member that biases the second hinge assembly out to an extended position, wherein at least the second hinge assembly is operable to the retracted position to bypass a portion of the top panel to define an installed position where the first and second hinge assemblies are engaged with respective hinge receptacles of the top panel, and wherein the second hinge assembly is accessible only within a space defined between an edge surface of the opposing edge surfaces and the top panel, wherein the second hinge assembly includes a maintenance portion positioned at the edge surface of the lid, wherein the maintenance portion is incorporated within one of a pin and a hinge member of the second hinge assembly, and wherein when the lid is in the installed position, the maintenance portion is operable to bias the second hinge assembly to the retracted position, wherein the lid is separable from the top panel when the second hinge assembly is in the retracted position.