Upright hinge for spa cover

Abstract

A hinge assembly for coupling a spa cover to a spa includes a mounting bracket disposed near a top of the spa, a support arm which is pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and a spring member disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm. The spa cover is movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position. The support arm is attached on an outside surface of the spa cover at a vertical offset from the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the fully closed position. The spring member, which may be a gas spring, forms an angle of less than approximately 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in the fully open position. A metal plate may be affixed using a double sided tape on an outside surface of the spa cover, and then anchored to the spa cover. The metal plate may be used to attach the support arm to the spa cover.

1 . (canceled)  
   
   
       2 . A hinge assembly for coupling a foldable spa cover to a spa, said spa cover having an upper section and a lower section that are coupled to each other at a hinge joint and being movable between a horizontal position and an upright position, said hinge assembly comprising: 
 a mounting bracket adapted to be installed near a top of the spa;    a support arm pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and adapted to be attached to the lower section of the spa cover, wherein the support arm is bent such that an attachment location between the support arm and the lower section of the spa is higher than the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the horizontal position; and    a gas spring disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm, wherein the gas spring is adapted to extend toward a rear end of the spa with respect to the axis of rotation as the spa cover is rotated about the axis of rotation from the horizontal position toward the upright position.    
   
   
       3 . The hinge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the gas spring is adapted to form an angle of between approximately 10 degrees and approximately 45 degrees with respect to the top of the spa when the spa cover is in the upright position.  
   
   
       4 . The hinge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the mounting bracket is mounted on a support bracket, which is adapted to be attached to a side of the spa.  
   
   
       5 . The hinge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the mounting bracket is mounted on a deck adjacent to the spa.  
   
   
       6 . The hinge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein an attachment location between the gas spring and the support arm can be adjusted.  
   
   
       7 . The hinge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the support arm is adapted to be attached to the spa cover via a metal plate disposed on the outside surface of the spa cover.  
   
   
       8 . The hinge assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the metal plate is affixed to the spa cover via a double sided tape.  
   
   
       9 . The hinge assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the metal plate has a hole formed thereon, wherein a screw can be inserted through the hole into the spa cover, and wherein the screw is adapted to be anchored in the spa cover by rotating the screw.  
   
   
       10 . The hinge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the support arm is adapted to be fixedly attached to a side surface of the lower section of the spa cover at the attachment location away from the hinge joint between the upper section and the lower section.  
   
   
       11 . A spa system comprising: 
 a spa;    a foldable spa cover having at least two sections including an upper section and a lower section that are coupled to each other at a hinge joint, said spa cover being movable between a horizontal position and an upright position;    a hinge assembly for coupling the spa cover to the spa, said hinge assembly comprising: 
 a mounting bracket disposed near a top of the spa;  
 a support arm pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket about an axis of rotation, and attached to the lower section of the spa cover, wherein the support arm is bent such that an attachment location between the support arm and the lower section of the spa cover is higher than the axis of rotation when the spa cover is in the fully closed position; and  
 a gas spring disposed between the mounting bracket and the support arm, wherein the gas spring is adapted to extend toward a rear end of the spa with respect to the axis of rotation as the spa cover is rotated about the axis of rotation from the horizontal position toward the upright position.  
   
   
   
       12 . The spa system of  claim 11 , further comprising a metal plate used to attach the support arm to the spa cover, wherein the spa cover comprises a core and a cover, and wherein the metal plate is mounted on an outer surface of the cover.  
   
   
       13 . The spa system of  claim 11 , wherein the spa cover in the upright position has not been moved downward behind the spa.  
   
   
       14 . The spa system of  claim 11 , wherein the spa cover in the upright position is completely removed from the top of the spa without moving downward.  
   
   
       15 . The spa system of  claim 11 , wherein the support arm is fixedly attached to a side surface of the lower section of the spa cover at the attachment location away from the hinge joint between the upper section and the lower section.