A floating hinge is a hinge that, while able to behave as a normal hinge, enables one of the objects to move away from the other - hence "float". In effect, the hinge allows for two parallel axes of rotation – one for each object joined by the hinge – and each axis can be moved relative to the position of the other.[1]
Floating hinges are used in flatbed scanners designed to scan thick objects such as books. If a regular sheet of paper is placed on the glass and the cover is lowered over it, the glass, the paper, and the sheet are very close together. If a thicker object is placed on the glass, an ordinary hinge would leave the cover at an angle to the glass; a floating hinge raises the hinged edge of the cover to the level of the book so that the cover remains parallel to the glass, but raised above it.[2]
Floating hinges are also used in two-plate electric cooking grills, as they allow for even heating of both sides of a thick piece of food without crushing it.[3]
