U.S. patent application number 12/730338 was filed with the patent office on 2010-09-30 for refrigeration unit with framed door.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH. Invention is credited to Karl-Friedrich Laible, Helmut Steichele.
Application Number | 20100244646 12/730338 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40794931 |
Filed Date | 2010-09-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100244646 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Laible; Karl-Friedrich ; et
al. |
September 30, 2010 |
REFRIGERATION UNIT WITH FRAMED DOOR
Abstract
An appliance having a carcass, a door hinged onto the carcass,
and a frame attached to the carcass surrounding edges of the door.
In an exemplary embodiment, on at least one hinge-side sidewall of
the carcass, the frame may form at least one sidewall of an open
slot, and a leaf-type anti-trap element may extend in an outward
direction from the door into the open slot.
Inventors: |
Laible; Karl-Friedrich;
(Langenau, DE) ; Steichele; Helmut; (Lauingen,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate
GmbH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
40794931 |
Appl. No.: |
12/730338 |
Filed: |
March 24, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05Y 2900/302 20130101;
E05D 11/0054 20130101; E05Y 2201/11 20130101; F25D 23/028 20130101;
F25D 2323/024 20130101; E05Y 2800/10 20130101; F25D 23/10 20130101;
E05Y 2900/31 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/405 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/02 20060101
F25D023/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 31, 2009 |
DE |
20 2009 004 494.7 |
Claims
1. An appliance comprising: a carcass; a door hinged onto the
carcass; a frame attached to the carcass surrounding edges of the
door, wherein on at least one hinge-side sidewall of the carcass,
the frame forms at least one sidewall of an open slot; and a
leaf-type anti-trap element extending in an outward direction from
the door into the open slot.
2. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second
sidewall of the slot formed in a front area by the at least one
hinge-side sidewall.
3. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second
sidewall of the slot formed completely by the at least one
hinge-side sidewall.
4. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second
sidewall of the slot formed in a rear area by a part of the
frame.
5. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein a web of the frame
projecting towards a rear area beyond a floor of the slot is
attached to the carcass.
6. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door comprises
a door leaf and a decor panel covering a front of the door leaf,
and wherein the anti-trap element engages into a gap between the
door leaf and the decor panel.
7. The appliance as claimed in claim 6, wherein the anti-trap
element is fixed in the gap.
8. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the anti-trap
element is structured to move into the open slot in a depth
direction.
9. The domestic appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door
and the carcass are connected by a multilink hinge.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a built-in refrigeration
appliance, the door of which is surrounded on a number of sides by
a fixed frame when the appliance is in its built-in state. These
types of refrigeration appliances in which the arms of the frame
are fastened in each case to sidewalls or to a roof of the carcass
of the refrigeration appliance and extend out to the front edges of
the walls of a recess in the furniture surrounding the
refrigeration appliance in order to cover a gap between the
refrigeration appliance and the walls of the recess are in
widespread use, especially in the American market.
[0002] The fixed frame surrounding the door restricts the freedom
of movement of the door so that in general, the use of multilink
hinges is necessary to guide an opening movement of the door away
from the frame without the door hitting the frame. If a gap occurs
between the door and the frame when the door is opened which is
wide enough to get a finger into, there is a danger of the finger
being injured when the door is closed.
[0003] To remove this danger of injury, it is proposed in the
German publication DE 10 2005 057 133 A1 that a flexible cover
element be fastened to the door which moves so as to penetrate into
a gap between side walls of the carcass and the furniture recess
lying opposite one another. When the door of the appliance is open,
this cover element blocks off the gap between the appliance door
and the adjacent furniture front and thus, removes the danger of
anything getting trapped in the door. However, the use of such a
cover element is precluded if a fixed frame is attached to the side
wall of the domestic appliance as described above, since the frame
occupies the space needed from the cover element disclosed in DE
2005 057 133 A1.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The object of the present invention is to create an
effective anti-trapping facility for a domestic appliance with a
framed door of the type described at the start.
[0005] The object is achieved, for a domestic appliance with a
carcass, a door hinged onto the carcass, and a frame attached to
the carcass surrounding edges of the door by the frame, at least on
a hinge-side sidewall of the carcass, forming at least one sidewall
of a slot open to the front and a leaf-type anti-trap element
extending out from the door into the slot. The anti-trap element
thus bridges a gap which is formed between its edge close to the
hinge and the carcass when the door is opened, so that there is no
space for anything to run the risk of becoming trapped in the
gap.
[0006] A second sidewall of the slot is preferably formed in a
front area by the hinge-side sidewall of the carcass.
[0007] In an especially space-saving development the second
sidewall is formed completely by the hinge-side sidewall.
[0008] To achieve good positional stability of the frame on the
carcass it is expedient for the second sidewall of the slot to be
formed at least in its rear area by the frame.
[0009] For attachment to the carcass, a web of the frame extending
backwards beyond a floor of the slot is preferably used.
[0010] If the door comprises a door leaf and a decor panel covering
the front of the door, the anti-trap element preferably penetrates
into a gap between door leaf and decor panel.
[0011] The anti-trap element can be fixed in the gap. By contrast
it is preferably able to be moved in the depth direction in the
slot to enable it to follow a movement of the door.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from
the subsequent description of exemplary embodiments which refer to
the enclosed figures. The figures show:
[0013] FIG. 1 depicts an exploded diagram of a refrigeration
appliance in accordance with the present invention and a furniture
recess accommodating it;
[0014] FIG. 2 depicts a part section through the housing of the
refrigeration appliance and the surrounding furniture parts with
the door closed;
[0015] FIG. 3 depicts a section similar to FIG. 2 with the door
opened;
[0016] FIG. 4 depicts a section similar to FIG. 2 in accordance
with a second embodiment; and
[0017] FIG. 5 depicts a section similar to FIG. 2 in accordance
with a third embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT
INVENTION
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a built-in refrigeration appliance in a
perspective view with a carcass 1 and a door 2 which is assembled
from a decor panel 3 and door leaf 4 largely hidden in the figure
behind the decor panel 3. The door leaf 4 is embodied in the known
manner as an essentially plate shaped hollow carcass filled with
foam as an insulating material, which in its closed position forms
an essentially airtight seal with the front side of the carcass 1
and together with said carcass delimits a refrigerated inner
space.
[0019] The door leaf 4 is connected to the carcass 1 by two
multilink hinges 5 which engage on one side on the front of the
carcass and on the other side on the upper or the lower narrow side
of the door leaf 4. The multilink hinges 5 are also essentially
hidden behind the decor panel so that only part of the upper
multilink hinge 5 is to be seen.
[0020] The decor panel 3 made of wood or from another normal
furniture material is matched to the outward appearance of the
fronts of kitchen furniture or other appliances not shown in the
diagram which surround a furniture recess 6 accommodating the
refrigeration appliance.
[0021] A frame 7 comprises three profile sections 8, 9, 10, for
example made of extruded aluminum profile, which are designed to be
installed on the sidewalls 11 or the roof 12 of the carcass 1
protruding a little way beyond the front side of the carcass, so
that a front area of the frame encloses the decor panel 3 at its
side and top edges and partly covers the front edges of sidewalls
18 of the furniture recess 6, whereas a rear area engages between
the carcass 1 and the walls of the furniture recess 6 surrounding
it. The profile sections 8, 10 are provided in this rear area with
a plurality of screw holes 13 which are used to attach them into
ready-made screw holes on the sidewalls 11 of the carcass 1. The
corresponding screw holes can also be provided on the top
horizontal profile section 9.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows the horizontal section through the front
right-hand corner of the refrigeration appliance and the sidewall
18 of the furniture recess 6 adjacent to it. Located on this
corner--above and below the sectional plane and not shown in the
figure--are the multilink hinges 5 which carry the door 2.
[0023] A base plate 14 of the profile section 8 lies flat against
the side wall 11. A rear section 22 of the base plate 14 behind the
web 16 features the screw holes 13 for attaching the profile
section 8 to the carcass 1. A front section 15 of the base plate 14
has a web 16 protruding from it and a web 19 parallel to the base
plate 14 delimit a slot 20 open to the front. A web 21 adjoins the
front edge of the web 19 at right angles which rests against the
front edge of the sidewall 18 and thus defines a stop in the depth
direction up to which the refrigeration appliance with the frame 7
mounted thereon can be pushed into the furniture recess 6. A
U-profile section 23 adjoining the web 21 to the outside protrudes
up to the edge of the decor panel 3 and forms a visual frame for
the latter.
[0024] A screw 28 holds a front area of the web 19 pressed against
the sidewall 18. Thus a slight deformation of the--originally
straight--web 19 of the profile section 10 (and where necessary the
profile section 8 embodied as a mirror image of this) can
compensate for deviations in width between the carcass 1 and the
furniture recess 6.
[0025] A flat flexible cover element 17, here in the form of an
angled profile made from a flexible polymer material, penetrates
displaceably in the depth direction into the slot 20 with one of
its two arms 24 25 connected by a film hinge 27. A front edge of
the section 15 of the base plate 14 is tapered in order to
facilitate the introduction of the arm 25 into the slot 20. The
second arm 24 is clamped between the decor panel 3 and an angled
section 26 connecting the decor panel to the door leaf 4.
[0026] In the open position of the door, as depicted in FIG. 3, the
decor panel 3 is moved forward out of the enclosure of the profile
sections 8, 10 surrounding it on the right and on the left, and a
gap formed thereby between the web 21 or the U-profile section 23
respectively on the one hand and the edge of the decor panel 3
facing towards this on the other hand is blocked off by the arm 25
of the cover element 17. The arm 25 is pushed forward in the slot
20 but its extension in the depth direction and the slot 20 are
dimensioned so that the arm 25 does not completely leave the slot
20 even if the door is opened right up to a stop. Thus no object
and no finger can get far enough into the gap to be able to be
trapped in the door when it is closed.
[0027] The embodiment of FIG. 4 differs from that depicted in FIG.
2 in the absence of the front section of the base plate 14. This is
reduced to its rear section 22 screwed to the sidewall 11 of the
carcass 1. This makes it possible, while retaining the same width
of slot 20 as shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, to reduce
the free space needed for installation of the profile section 10
between the walls 11 and 18 of the carcass and the furniture recess
by the thickness of the base plate 14. The effect of the profile
section 10 and of the cover element 17 penetrating into the slot 20
is the same as described above.
[0028] It is also possible, as shown in FIG. 5, to leave out the
screw on one of the two sidewalls 18 which fixes the profile
section 8 or 10 to the adjacent sidewall 18. This results in width
tolerances of the furniture recess 6 and the door 2 being
compensated for by a variable overlapping of the web 20 with the
front edge 29 of the sidewall 18.
[0029] While only certain features of the invention have been
illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes
will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be
understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such
modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the
invention.
* * * * *