DE102022208711A1 - Household appliance with a cover that is at least partially transparent or translucent - Google Patents

Abstract

A household appliance (1) with an at least partially transparent or translucent outer cover (8) for covering operating and/or display devices, the cover (8) having a single or multiple angled shape, is designed in such a way that the outer Aperture (8) has at least one material, dimensionally stable and angled outer region, which forms at least one outer surface (8b) facing the user from the household appliance (1).

Description

The present invention relates to a household appliance with at least one cover that covers operating and/or display elements, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The electrical and/or electronic components present on a household appliance must be concealed (disguised) or protected from the end customer for functional, visual and possibly safety reasons. This applies in particular to the display elements and/or control elements that are located in the visible range of the household appliance for selection and indication and thus for the interaction of the end customer with the household appliance.

The arrangement of the electrical elements such as display elements and/or operating units can be assigned to different surfaces, for example a front and/or a top of a fixed or movable structural unit such as a door. The cover can cover the display or control elements towards the customer. Particularly in the case of display elements, window areas of an outer panel covering the electrical and/or electronic elements remain transparent, other areas can be translucent, or opaque or opaque.

To produce such outer panels, it is known to first print thin, flexible films (e.g. a few micrometers thick) and use a so-called “In Mold Decoration” process (IMD) or an “In Mold Labeling” process ( IML) to be back-injected with a molded plastic part in order to obtain a dimensionally stable unit with an external film. The film is exposed to the risk of tearing or wrinkling during printing and also during back-injection; In addition, the process is multi-stage and complex. Printing on the back of the film also leaves no depth effect.

It is desirable to obtain a process for producing such an external panel that covers operating and/or display devices and/or other electrical and/or electronic elements, which is more reliable and faster than the IMD and/or IML process, and which also has optical properties offers improvements.

The invention is based on the problem of providing an improvement in external panels of the type mentioned and a simplification of their production.

The invention solves this problem by a household appliance with the features of claim 1 and by a method with the features of claim 17. With regard to advantageous refinements and developments of the invention, reference is made to claims 2 to 16 and 18 to 26.

Within the scope of the invention, location and/or directional information such as outside, inside, top, bottom, etc. are to be understood in particular from a position that a user normally assumes when operating and/or using the household appliance as intended while standing in front of it.

Due to the fact that, according to the invention, the outer cover, i.e. outer cover or cladding, has a uniform material and dimensionally stable as well as one or more angled area, which forms at least one outer surface facing the user from the household appliance, it is at no time the Manufacturing process requires a thin, flexible film to be clamped into a tool as in the “IMD” or “IML” process, but rather a flat or flat, dimensionally stable or dimensionally stable semi-finished product can be processed, which significantly simplifies work during production . No deep-drawing steps need to be carried out, nor are shape-specific injection molding tools required. In particular, expensive deep-drawing films are completely unnecessary. This results in inexpensive and very reliable production.

In particular, the outer panel forms a pressure- and dimensionally stable base body with a thickness of at least 1.0 millimeters, so that handling and durability are improved and there is no possibility of causing damage to the outer panel through finger pressure. The thickness of the base body can be particularly advantageous between 1.5 mm and 4.5 mm (millimeters).

Particularly advantageously, the at least one bend, in particular fold, of the outer cover has a transparent or translucent, material-coherent, outer area, which forms at least one outer surface facing the user from the household appliance. A transition area, in particular an edge, on which, in particular on the, partial surfaces or flat partial structures of the household appliance that are angled or transverse to one another - such as the upper, horizontal cheek or the upper, horizontal edge of the front door which can be pivoted about a lower, horizontal axis of rotation a household dishwasher and a front area that adjoins it vertically downwards (viewed with the front door closed) a preferably cuboid receiving structure or a panel support of a display and/or control panel, in which and/or on which one or more display and/or control elements and/or other electrical and/or electronic elements are accommodated, - meet each other then at least on the outside covered with the same material, which visually appears particularly uniform and flawless. A disturbing joint that is visible from the outside, where several panels or similar butt up against each other, is then avoided.

In order to facilitate the forming, a joint area can conveniently adjoin the outward-facing material-related area of the outer panel towards the inside, which can form a thinning line during the production of the outer panel and can therefore facilitate bending, in particular folding, with a narrow radius . In particular, a seamless transition is formed in the bend.

If the joint area has flanks of the panel facing each other and these flanks of the joint area are mitered opposite each other, folding in the area of softening of the material can result in a very clean edge with a miter closed on the back, so that only one of the joint area A narrow line facing away from the user remains.

The flanks of the joint area can be held together by welding, gluing and/or by welding.

Optically very advantageous, the outer panel has an angle of 20° to 90°, in particular over its entire width, preferably of at least almost 90°, or several angles in total of 40° to 90, in particular over its entire width °, on. During the operation of the household appliance, depending on the arrangement, it can have, on the one hand, a surface pointing upwards or towards a transverse side and, on the other hand, a surface pointing forward, which are connected to one another on the outside via the bend. For example, operation can take place on the top edge of the door, which is hidden during operation, while the displays are then on the front edge of the door, which remain visible during operation.

If the outer panel is designed to be material-related, at least on all of its outward-facing surfaces, there will be no disruptive irregularities on its outside, such as a sharp edge or joint, but rather its outside is smooth and uniform, which means that the outer panel looks very good when viewed from the outside appears high quality.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the dimensionally stable base body is uniformly formed from a transparent or translucent, inherently dimensionally stable or dimensionally stable plastic material such as PMMA (polymethyl metaacrylate) or polycarbonate. It is possible to print this base body on the front and/or back. When printing on the front, the printing can also be tactile, which is advantageous for use by visually impaired people, for example. Printing on the back creates a special depth effect, in particular of at least 1 mm, preferably between 1.5 mm and 4.5 mm, of the transparent or translucent, dimensionally stable base body of the outer cover, which would not be achievable with a thin film.

To produce the one or more bends of the base body, a transparent or translucent, flat, dimensionally stable or dimensionally stable semi-finished product, in particular plastic semi-finished product, preferably PMMA or polycarbonate semi-finished product, is expediently brought to the softening temperature in the area of the desired bend point by means of a heating device and then formed the desired angle. Breaking of the dimensionally stable or dimensionally stable base body when producing the respective bend is thus reliably avoided.

It is particularly advantageous if the base body of the outer cover is laminated on the back at least in some areas in a translucent or opaque or opaque manner, in particular by flat printing with at least one layer of color.

In particular, the base body can be laminated on the back outside of transparent window areas so that it is opaque in some areas, in particular by printing with at least one layer of color, in order to prevent electrical or electronic components from being visible.

A particular advantage can be achieved if one or more inner surfaces, in particular pointing backwards and/or downwards, of the lamination, in particular printing on the back, with at least one layer of color or adhesive on the back after the single or multiple bending, in particular folding, and preferably on the back an opaque film, formed angle piece by means of a liquid and / or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, are glued flat to one or more counter surfaces of the household appliance. This type of bonding is different than, for example, Use of a double-sided adhesive tape - after the outer panel has been applied, the position and alignment of the base body of the outer panel can be corrected for a short time before the adhesive hardens. This makes the manufacture of the household appliance much easier. It can be particularly advantageous if the liquid and/or hot-melt adhesive is designed in such a way that after the liquid and/or hot-melt adhesive has been applied, the angle piece is on the respective inner surface of the angle piece and/or on the mating surface of the household appliance assigned to it a predetermined minimum time window, in particular between 2 seconds and 10 seconds, can be positioned and pressed until it hardens.

Visually and favorably for the handle height, the panel can be arranged in the upper edge area of a movable door, in particular a front door. The household appliance can preferably be a household dishwasher.

When producing such an outer cover, it is important that it has a base body which is made of an at least essentially flat semi-finished product, in particular a semi-finished plastic product, preferably a PMMA or polycarbonate semi-finished product, during its production or afterwards by forming at least one linear thinning line and then bending it , especially folding, to form this thinning line. The semi-finished product is expediently brought to the softening temperature of its material, in particular transparent or translucent plastic material, in the area of the desired unwinding point by means of a heating device, so that it can be bent without any visible changes in the impression of the material (particularly when viewed from the outside). In particular, by heating to the softening temperature, a so-called “visible white edge”, which could arise when a plastic semi-finished product is “cold” when it has not been heated to the softening temperature, can be reliably avoided. Heating the material, in particular plastic material, of the semi-finished product to the softening temperature ensures that the respective bend can be produced without breaking the semi-finished product.
Even if the thinning line is omitted, the semi-finished product can be angled perfectly.

In particular, the semi-finished product brought to the softening temperature in the area of a desired bending area can also be formed into an arc shape. In particular, it is therefore also possible to produce a bend whose outer contour is not angular, but is rounded or curved with a predetermined bending radius.

The flat semi-finished product can first be printed on the front and/or back, in particular with at least one layer of color, and only subsequently formed. The pressure then takes place on the flat, dimensionally stable plate. This makes the printing process much easier and opens up the possibility of printing right up to the bend, especially the edge, that will later be formed.

If the thinning line is formed or injected during the production of the flat semi-finished product or is formed by milling or notching after the production of the flat semi-finished product and after bending, in particular bending, lies on the inside of the bend, in particular bending, by a swivel-bending system and In this way, a material-related area remains on the outside, especially towards the front and top, a complete visual uniformity is maintained on the outside, unlike, for example, a butt edge of two plates in contact with one another, or a miter that runs through to the outside.

Very conveniently, the thinning line takes up one third to two thirds of the material thickness of the semi-finished product, so that forming is already possible with only a slight onset of material softening of the semi-finished product due to the action of heat using a heating device.

If the thinning line has a V-shaped shape with an opening angle of 91° to 93°, a high level of tolerance insensitivity is achieved.

The bend, especially the bend, around the milled line can reach an exact angle of 90°.

If an adhesion promoter is introduced into the milled line, the flanks can be glued together.

The inner surfaces of the angle piece formed after the single or multiple bending, in particular folding, in particular pointing backwards and/or downwards, can be made using a liquid and/or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot melt adhesive, preferably foam hot glue, with one or more counter surfaces of the household appliance are glued, which means the above. brings advantages.

In particular, the liquid and/or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, is applied to the respective inner surface of the angle piece formed and/or the mating surface of the household appliance assigned to it and can harden during the pressing on of the angle piece after a short open window in which corrections of the position and alignment are still possible.

The contra-angle piece is very conveniently opaque on the back in some areas. The liquid and/or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, is then only applied below and/or behind these opaque areas.

The advantageous developments and further developments of the invention explained above and/or reproduced in the subclaims can - except, for example, in cases of clear dependencies or incompatible alternatives - be used individually or in any combination with one another.

The invention and its advantageous training and further developments as well as their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to drawings.

• 1 eine schematische perspektivische Ansicht von schräg vorne einer Ausführungsform einer hier beispielhaft dargestellten Haushaltsgeschirrspülmaschine mit einer nach unten aufschwenkbaren Fronttür und einer ersten vorteilhaften Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäß abgewinkelten, äußeren Blende im oberen und vorderen Bereich der Fronttür,
• 2 schematische perspektivische Ansichten des abgewinkelten Grundkörpers der äußeren Blende von 1 als Einzelheit und zwar einmal von vorne und einmal von hinten betrachtet,
• 3 die äußere Blende der 1, 2 im montierten Zustand an der Oberkante der Tür der Haushaltsgeschirrspülmaschine von 1,
• 4 eine stirnseitige Ansicht eines Halbzeugs zur Herstellung der äußeren Blende der 1 - 3 vor deren Abwinkeln, insbesondere Abkanten,
• 5 von der Seite her betrachtet stirnseitige Ansichten zweier verschiedener Herstellungsvarianten der äußeren Blende vor der Montage,
• 6 schematisch im Querschnitt von der Seite her betrachtet eine äußere Blende mit einer etwa 90°- Abwinklung, welche als Winkelauflage auf einem Blendenträger - wie z.B. dem der Fronttür von 1 - aufgeklebt ist,
• 7 schematisch im Querschnitt von der Seite her betrachtet eine äußere Blende mit einer etwa 45°- Abwinklung, welche als Winkelauflage auf einem Blendenträger aufgeklebt ist, und
• 8 schematisch im Querschnitt von der Seite her betrachtet eine äußere Blende mit zwei Abwinklungen von jeweils etwa 45°, welche als Mehrfach- Winkelauflage auf einem Blendenträger aufgeklebt ist.

Show it, each in a schematic principle sketch:

• 1 a schematic perspective view from diagonally at the front of an embodiment of a household dishwasher shown here as an example with a front door that can be swiveled downwards and a first advantageous embodiment of an outer panel angled according to the invention in the upper and front area of the front door,
• 2 Schematic perspective views of the angled base body of the outer panel from 1 as a detail, viewed once from the front and once from behind,
• 3 the outer cover of the 1 , 2 When installed, on the upper edge of the door of the household dishwasher 1 ,
• 4 a front view of a semi-finished product for producing the outer cover 1-3 before bending, especially folding,
• 5 viewed from the side, frontal views of two different manufacturing variants of the outer cover before assembly,
• 6 schematically viewed in cross section from the side, an outer panel with an approximately 90° angle, which acts as an angle support on a panel support - such as that of the front door of 1 - is glued,
• 7 schematically viewed in cross section from the side, an outer panel with an approximately 45° angle, which is glued to a panel support as an angle support, and
• 8th schematically viewed in cross section from the side, an outer panel with two angles of approximately 45° each, which is glued onto a panel support as a multiple angle support.

This in 1 The household appliance shown schematically here is a dishwasher 1, namely a household dishwasher. Other household appliances can also generally be considered for a design according to the invention, for example a washing machine, a dryer, an oven, microwave oven, refrigeration appliance, in particular a refrigerator, refrigerator/freezer combination, freezer, or similar.

The household dishwasher 1 described below 1 has, as part of a device body 5 that is partially open or closed to the outside, a washing container 2 for holding items to be washed such as dishes, pots, cutlery, glasses, cooking utensils and the like. The items to be washed can, for example, be held in dish racks 11 and/or a cutlery drawer 10 and can be acted upon by so-called washing liquor. The term rinsing liquor is understood to mean fresh water or, in particular, water that circulates during operation, with or without cleaning agents and/or rinsing agents and/or drying agents. In particular, the rinsing liquor has passed through an ion exchanger or another softening system for softening. The rinsing liquor can also contain more or less contamination from ongoing operations. The washing container 2 can have an at least essentially rectangular floor plan with a front side V facing a user in the operating position. This front V can form part of a kitchen front made of kitchen furniture standing next to one another or, in the case of a stand-alone device, can also be unrelated to other furniture.

The washing container 2 can be closed in particular on this front side V by a front door or flap 3. This front door 3 is in 1 shown in a partially opened position and then at an angle to the vertical. In its closed position, however, it stands upright and, according to the drawing, can be swung open to its opening about a lower horizontal axis forward and downward in the direction of arrow 4, so that it lies at least almost horizontally in the fully open position. Other movements are also possible, including via a parallelogram or another multi-joint arrangement.

On the outer and front side V, which is vertical in the closed position and faces the user of the dishwasher 1, the door 3 can be provided with a decorative plate 6 in order to experience a visual and/or tactile upgrade and/or an adaptation to surrounding kitchen furniture.

The dishwasher is designed here as a stand-alone or as a so-called partially integrated one. In the lower area of the dishwasher there can be a base 12 for accommodating functional elements in particular, such as a pump for circulating the washing liquid.

In the exemplary embodiment according to the drawing, the movable door 3 is assigned in its upper area an outer panel 8 which extends in the transverse direction Q of the dishwasher and which can cover both displays and controls and then also serves as a control panel. Below the panel 8 there is an access opening 7 accessible from the front V for manually opening and / or closing the door 3. This engagement opening 7 extends here, for example, over the entire width in the transverse direction Q, for example 50 to 60 centimeters, but this is not mandatory. An engagement opening that only extends in the transverse central area is also possible.

According to a modified embodiment variant, a side-hinged door can also be provided. The panel can then also stand upright, for example.

In the transverse direction Q, the dishwasher often has an extension of 45, 50 or 60 centimeters. In the depth direction T from the front V to the back, the extension is often around 60 centimeters. The values are not mandatory. The dishwasher 1 also does not have to stand directly on a floor B, but can also be installed higher than the floor B within a piece of kitchen furniture. The lower edge of the dishwasher 1 is then approximately 70 to 110 centimeters above the floor B in the installed position.

The washing container 2 is circumferentially bordered by a total of three fixed vertical walls 13 and two horizontal walls 13 when the door or flap 3 is closed, one of which forms a ceiling (top) and another forms a floor (bottom) of the washing container 2. A left upright side wall 13 adjoins the front side V facing the user in the transverse direction Q to the left and a right upright side wall 13 to the right, which extend at least almost over the vertical height H of the dishwasher 1.

As in 1 is further visible, the outer cover 8 has a single or multi-angled shape, here a simple one. This means that it fits, for example, on an upper edge region 3a of the door 3 facing away from the lower hinge in such a way that it preferably completely covers its thickness. According to the drawing, the bend 14 is 90° between an upper surface 8a (viewed with the door 3 closed in its vertical closing position) and a front surface 8b of the outer panel 8. Another bend or a multiple bend with, among other things, one at an angle during operation standing surface, is possible depending on device 1. The assignment to a door 3 is also not mandatory. A door-independent assignment of the panel 8 to a fixed housing part can also be provided, for example at the upper edge of a washing machine or a dryer.

As in 1 is also indicated, the outer panel 8 has a uniform material and dimensionally stable and angled outer region 9, which includes at least one outer surface 8b pointing from the household appliance 1 towards the user and is coherent.

This dimensionally stable outer region 9 thus forms a pressure- and dimensionally stable base body which has a thickness in the depth direction, in particular of at least 1.0 mm (millimeters).

The base body can preferably have a thickness between 1.5 mm and 4.5 mm for high pressure stability and thus resistance to deformation.

Even with such a pressure-stable base body, it is still possible to operate the household appliance 1 through the cover 8, for example by changing the dielectric constant or another electromagnetic parameter of a control element when a finger approaches. It is not necessary to exert mechanical pressure on a switch.

The outer cover 8 forms, as shown in 2 can be seen, a total of an angled body, wherein the at least one bend 14 has a transparent, material-related area, which forms at least one outer surface 8a and 8b pointing from the household appliance 1 towards the user.

The material-related area can extend continuously over the entire depth (thickness) of the base body or only occupy a partial area of the depth, in which case a joint area 15 (see 5 ) can connect. Depending on the material thickness, for example, precise bending at a softening temperature of the cover material can be possible even without a joint area 15, so that the introduction of a recess for the joint is then unnecessary. It is therefore also possible to produce a bend whose outer contour is rounded or curved with a larger bending radius (compared to the bend with an inside joint that does not extend to the outside). For this purpose, a thin layer thickness of the base body, such as between 1 and 2 mm, is advisable.

If a joint area 15 is provided, it can have flanks 16, 17 of the panel 8 facing one another. These flanks 16, 17 are mitred opposite each other, as in 4 becomes clear.

The folding is carried out in the vicinity of the softening temperature of the material, in particular plastic material such as PMMA, of the base body of the outer cover 8. An exact angle of z. B. 90 ° for the angle in the bend 14 can be provided, which can have a very narrow radius that remains constant over the length due to the bending at the softening temperature and possibly with the rear joint 15.

This makes it possible for the outer panel 8 to have an angle of 90° over its entire width in the transverse direction Q and, during operation of the household appliance, to have, on the one hand, a surface 8b pointing upwards 8a or to a transverse side and, on the other hand, a surface 8b pointing forward are connected to one another on the outside through the bend 14. This means that the outer cover 8 is material-coherent at least on its entire outward-facing surfaces 8a, 8b and in the bend 14 and is therefore also optically uniform.

A preferably transparent, inherently dimensionally stable or dimensionally stable material, in particular plastic material such as PMMA, is suitable for the uniform base body used. If necessary, the base body made of uniform material can also be made translucent by adding color particles to its transparent plastic material such as PMMA. The base body can be printed on the front and/or back in one or more layers before the bend 14 is created, so that printing is very simple. In particular, the printing on the back of the base body creates a high depth effect (viewed from the front) due to its material thickness.

Before or after the bending is carried out, the base body can expediently be laminated opaque in areas on the back, so that transparent or translucent windows only remain in areas for viewing display elements. The opaque lamination can be produced in particular by printing with one or more layers of color. Additionally or independently of this, an opaque film can be applied, in particular glued, to the back of the base body at least in areas where no transparent or translucent windows are provided for viewing display elements.

In areas lying behind the lamination - and therefore invisible from the outside - the inner surfaces of the angle piece formed after the bending, in particular folding, and lamination, in particular pointing backwards and / or downwards, are by means of a liquid and / or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue , preferably foam hot glue, glued flat to one or more counter surfaces of the household appliance 1. In particular, a so-called hot-melt adhesive is used for this purpose, which initially allows the position and alignment of the aperture 8 to be corrected for a few seconds and only then hardens.

The household appliance 1 is, for example, a household dishwasher in the drawing, in which case the panel 8 can be arranged in the upper edge region of a movable door 3. This can also be possible if the door of a household appliance is hinged on the side. An arrangement directly on a body 5 of a household appliance is also possible.

Overall, a very simple production of the panel 8 is possible by first printing an extruded plate as a flat semi-finished product from the front and/or back in a first step. Subsequently or during extrusion, a release is made on the inside for the material to be displaced during the bending, in particular folding, before the extruded plate is finally bent into an angle piece with a predetermined angle.

For the production of this at least partially transparent or translucent, single or multi-angled outer cover 8, a flat semi-finished product with a thickness of 1.0 mm or more millimeters is first formed, for example extruded or produced by plastic injection molding. This can also be done as panel material, with the panels then being sawn to size. The plate material can be printed before or after cutting to size, in particular with one or more layers of color, so that the print can extend into the later bent edge without causing collision problems with the printing tool during production. The printing can be done on the front and/or back of the panel material. Especially when printing on the back, there is a great visual depth effect (viewed from the front).

Either during the production of the plate material, for example extrusion or plastic injection molding, or subsequently, for example by milling or notching, at least one linear thinning line 18 can be introduced on the side of the plate material that corresponds to the inside of the outer cover in the finished base body, around which the bend 14 can be made, for example by folding around this thinning line 18. This does not completely penetrate the material of the semi-finished product, so that on the outside or in an outer region 9 of the bend 14, the base body of the panel 8 is material-related and therefore remains visually uniform.

The thinning line 18 can take up about a third to two thirds of the material thickness of the initially flat semi-finished product. After introducing the thinning line 18, which can show an opening angle of approximately 91° to 93° (see 5 ), the folding takes place in a swivel-bending system, so that an angle of very precisely 90 ° can result around the milled line 18 and the flanks 16 and 17 come into contact with one another.

In order to promote their adhesion to one another, an adhesion promoter can be introduced into the dilution line 18 in advance. Alternatively, by working in the temperature range of material softening, welding or welding of the flanks 16, 17 to one another is also possible.

This then creates a dimensionally stable, angled semi-finished product, the rear-facing inner surface 19 and/or downward-facing inner surface 20 of the angle piece formed after the bending, in particular folding, is initially outside the viewing window, in particular by single or multi-layer printing or stickering laminated with an opaque film. In this way, the angle piece is partially opaque on the back and can then be glued to one or more counter surfaces of the household appliance using a liquid and/or hot-melt adhesive, in particular hot-melt adhesive, preferably foam adhesive, particularly preferably hot-foam adhesive. The foam hot glue is preferably only applied underneath and/or behind these opaque areas. For this purpose, such a liquid and/or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, is used, which is applied on one side (i.e. on the angle piece or on the device body 5) and is initially corrected in a short phase before its final hardening Position and orientation of the attached contra-angle piece is permitted, which is a great advantage. Only then does the full pressure apply to this; while the angle piece forming the panel 8 is pressed on, the adhesive hardens.

Overall, a very simple and inexpensive manufacturing process is achieved, which leads to an optically uniform product that is insensitive to damage or aging.

In the 6 the upper area of the front door 3 is shown in detail in a schematic cross-sectional view viewed from the side. There, on the outside of the inner door 31 of the front door 3, a panel support 23 is attached, which accommodates display and/or control elements or other electrical and/or electronic elements. In particular, the panel support 23 can be box-shaped. Here in the exemplary embodiment of 6 its outline has, in particular, a cuboid shape. It preferably extends over the entire width or transverse extent of the front door 3. Its top 231 extends essentially horizontally. This closes here in the exemplary embodiment of 6 preferably flush with the upper edge of the inner door 31. The front surface 232 of the panel support 23 extends away from the front end of the horizontal top or upper edge surface 231 of the panel support 23 at a right angle, 90 ° vertically downwards. At least the upper part of the front surface 232 and the upper edge surface 231 of the panel support 23 are shared by the front front surface 8b and the upper edge surface 8a of the uniform material and dimensionally stable outer panel 8, in particular the outer plastic panel, which is partially or completely transparent or translucent. and has a 90° bend 14 on its upper, front end edge. The outer cover 8 is glued to the upper edge surface 231 and the front surface 232 of the cover support 23 by means of an adhesive layer 21 of a liquid and/or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue. Here in the exemplary embodiment of 6 Preferably, only the back or inner surface of the outer panel 8 is printed with one or more color layers 22. The outer cover 8 is printed in particular with symbols, characters, numbers, graphics, and/or other characters, which are covered or covered from behind with at least one printed cover layer. This causes the symbols, characters, numbers, Graphics and/or other characters viewed from the front with a depth effect for the respective user, which improves their readability.

The 7 shows a section of the upper, front edge area of one opposite 6 modified panel support 23 ', which is mounted on the inner door of the front door 3, viewed schematically in cross section from the side. The panel support 23 'has a surface 233' which runs obliquely upwards and backwards towards the user at an angle of 45 ° compared to its vertical front surface 232 ', which, after a further 45 ° bend from the vertical, turns into a horizontal upper edge surface 231 ' transforms. The 45° inclined surface 233' running obliquely upwards, which faces the user and is also visible to the user in the vertical closed end position of the front door 3, as well as the upper, horizontal edge surface 231' of the panel support 23 adjoining this 45° inclined surface 'are shared by the uniform material and dimensionally stable outer panel 8', in particular the outer plastic panel, which is partially or completely transparent or translucent and has a 45° bend 14' on its upper, front end edge, through its 45° inclined surface 8c' and its upper edge surface 8a' are completely covered. The outer cover 8' is glued to the upper edge surface 231' and the front 45° inclined surface 233' of the cover support 23' by means of an adhesive layer 21 of a liquid and/or hot melt adhesive, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue. Here too, the angled, outer panel 8 'is printed in particular with symbols, characters, numbers, graphics, and / or other characters, which are preferably covered or covered from behind with at least one printed cover layer. Due to the printing on the back of the base body of the panel 8', the symbols, characters, numbers, graphics, and/or other characters appear with a depth effect for the respective user when viewed from the front, which improves their readability. The back printing of the modified outer panel 8 'by one or more layers of color is identified by the reference number 22. Starting from the panel support 23' 7 show the 8th schematically viewed in cross section from the side, an outer panel 8", which is opposite the outer panel 8' of 7 modified again. In contrast to the outer panel 8' of 7 The outer panel 8" now includes, starting from the 45° inclined surface 8c', angled at 45°, a front surface 8b" pointing vertically downwards, which at least partially covers the vertical front surface 232' of the panel support 23'. The 45° angle between the vertically downward-running front surface 8b" and the inclined surface 8c' is marked with the reference number 14". The outer cover 8" thus has two 45° bends 14' and 14", that is to say a total total bend of 90 °. The double-angled outer cover 8'' is in the exemplary embodiment of 8th like the aperture 8' of 7 printed on the back with one or more color layers 22 and by means of the liquid and / or hot melt adhesive 21, in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, onto the associated partial surfaces, namely the upper edge surface 231 ', the inclined surface 233 ', and the vertical front surface 232' , of the panel support 23 'glued.

Reference symbol list

1

household appliance,

2

rinsing container,

3

Door,

3a

upper edge area of the door,

4

swivel direction,

5

device body,

6

decorative panel,

7

access opening,

8, 8', 8''

outer cover,

8a, 8a'

upper surface of the outer panel,

8b, 8b''

front surface of the outer panel,

8c'

sloping surface of the outer panel

9

outer area of the aperture,

10

cutlery drawer,

11

dish rack,

12

Base,

13

walls of the washing container,

14, 14', 14''

bend,

15

joint area,

16

flank,

17

flank,

18

dilution line,

19

Inner surface,

20

Inner surface,

21

Liquid and/or hot melt adhesive

22

one or more printing layers

23, 23'

Bezel holder

231', 232', 233'

Partial surfaces of the panel support

v

Front,

Q

transverse direction,

b

Floor,

H

vertical height

Claims (26)

Household appliance (1) with an at least partially transparent or translucent outer cover (8), in particular a plastic cover, for covering operating and/or display devices, the cover (8) having a single or multiple angled shape, characterized in that the outer cover (8) has a uniform material, dimensionally stable and one or more angled outer area, which forms at least one outer surface (8b) facing the user from the household appliance (1). household appliance (1). Claim 1 , characterized in that this outer area forms a pressure- and dimensionally stable base body with a thickness of at least 1.0 mm (millimeters). household appliance Claim 2 , characterized in that the base body has a thickness between 1.5 mm and 4.5 mm (millimeters). Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that the at least one bend (14) has a transparent or translucent, material-related area which forms at least one outer surface (8a, 8b) facing the user from the household appliance (1). household appliance (1). Claim 4 , characterized in that a joint area (15) adjoins the material-related area towards the inside. household appliance (1). Claim 5 , characterized in that the joint area (15) has mutually facing flanks (16,17) of the panel (8) and that these flanks (16,17) of the joint area (15) are mitred opposite one another. Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 5 or 6 , characterized in that the flanks (16,17) of the joint area (15) are held together by welding, gluing and/or by welding. Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 7 , characterized in that the outer panel (8) has a single bend (14) of 20° to 90°, preferably of at least almost 90°, in particular extending over its entire width, or several, in particular extending over its entire width, Bends (141, 142) in total of 40° to 90°, and during operation of the household appliance (1) on the one hand an upward-pointing surface (8a) and/or a surface facing a transverse side and on the other hand a forward-facing surface (8b) has pointing surface, which are connected to one another on the outside via the bend (14). Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 8th , characterized in that the outer panel (8) is designed to be material-related at least on its entire outward-facing surfaces. Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 9 , characterized in that the base body of the outer cover (8) is made of a uniform material from a transparent or translucent, dimensionally stable plastic material, in particular PMMA (polymethyl metaacrylate) or polycarbonate. household appliance (1). Claim 10 , characterized in that the base body is printed on the front and/or back. Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 11 , characterized in that the base body of the outer cover (8) is laminated on the back at least in some areas in a translucent or opaque manner, in particular by flat printing with at least one layer of color. Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 12 , characterized in that one or more inner surfaces (19, 20), in particular pointing backwards and/or downwards, of the inner surfaces (19, 20) formed after the single or multiple bending, in particular folding, and preferably back lamination, in particular back printing with at least one color layer Angle piece by means of a liquid and / or hot melt adhesive (21), in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, are glued flat to one or more counter surfaces of the household appliance (1). household appliance (1). Claim 13 , characterized in that the liquid and/or the hot-melt adhesive (21) is designed in such a way that the angle piece, after the liquid and/or hot-melt adhesive (21) has been applied to the respective inner surface (19, 20) of the angle piece and/or to the mating surface of the household appliance assigned to it, during a predetermined period Minimum time window, in particular between 2 seconds and 10 seconds, can be positioned and pressed until it hardens. Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 14 , characterized in that the panel (8) is arranged in the upper edge area of a movable door, in particular a front door (3). Household appliance (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 15 characterized in that this is a household dishwasher. Method for producing an at least partially transparent or translucent outer cover (8) for covering operating and/or display devices of a household appliance (1), the cover having a single or multiple folded shape, which in particular according to at least one of the preceding claims is designed, characterized in that the outer cover (8) has a base body which consists of an at least essentially flat semi-finished product, in particular semi-finished plastic product, preferably PMMA or polycarbonate semi-finished product, during its production or afterwards by forming at least one linear thinning line (18 ) and subsequent angling, in particular folding, around this thinning line (18) is formed. Procedure according to Claim 17 , characterized in that the flat semi-finished product is first printed on the front and/or back, in particular with at least one color layer (21), and is only subsequently formed. Procedure according to Claim 17 or 18 , characterized in that the thinning line (18) is formed during the production of the flat semi-finished product, or is formed by milling after the production of the flat semi-finished product and after bending, in particular bending, lies on the inside in the bend (14) and that on the outside, in particular towards the front (8b) and top (8a), a material-related area remains. Method according to claim one of Claims 17 until 19 , characterized in that the thinning line (18) takes up one third to two thirds of the material thickness of the semi-finished product. Procedure according to one of the Claims 17 until 20 , characterized in that the thinning line (18) has a V-shaped shape with an opening angle of 91° to 93°. Procedure according to one of the Claims 17 until 21 , characterized in that the bend (14), in particular bend, around the thinning line (18) reaches an angle of 20° to 90°, in particular of at least almost 90°, or that several bends, in particular bends, around the one or more thinning lines (18) can reach a total angle between 40° and 90°. Procedure according to one of the Claims 17 until 22 , characterized in that an adhesion promoter is introduced into the respective dilution line (18). Procedure according to one of the Claims 17 until 23 , characterized in that the inner surfaces (19, 20), in particular pointing backwards and/or downwards, of the angle piece formed after one or more bends (14), in particular bending, are formed by means of a liquid and/or hot-melt adhesive (21), in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, are glued to one or more counter surfaces of the household appliance. Procedure according to Claim 24 , characterized in that the liquid and/or hot melt adhesive (21), in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, is applied to the respective inner surface (19, 20) of the angle piece and/or the mating surface of the household appliance (1) assigned to it , the angle piece is placed on the one or more counter surfaces and, if necessary, aligned, and the liquid and / or hot melt adhesive (21), in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, hardens while the angle piece is pressed on. Procedure according to Claim 25 , characterized in that the angle piece is opaque on the back in some areas and the liquid and/or hot melt adhesive (21), in particular hot glue, preferably foam hot glue, is only applied underneath and/or behind these opaque areas.

Images