DE202011105466U1 - Household appliance with deformable component - Google Patents

Abstract

Electric household appliance (10) with a deformable component (30), characterized in that a 3D element (20) for generating a three-dimensional illusion is arranged on the deformable component (30).

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a household electrical appliance with a deformable component.

Background of the invention

For example, from the Scriptures US 3,950,814 A a canister vacuum cleaner is known on which an outer cover layer is attached to prevent damage to furniture, floors and other surfaces. As an alternative to the cover layer damage can be prevented by a removable protective cover.

Next is in the European patent application EP 1 445 124 A2 discloses a decorative surface material having a lenticular sheet for producing a decorative alternating image and / or animation effect. The lenticular film has on a surface side are a variety of superficially embossed lenses.

Also known from the prior art are so-called Linseraster images in which a three-dimensional impression is produced by means of a plastic coating with tiny optical lenses or prisms. Such pictures are z. B. under the name "4D Magic" by Rathgeber GmbH & Co. KG, D-82041 Oberhaching offered.

The problem underlying the invention

The invention has for its object to provide a comparison with the prior art improved household appliance. In particular, an optically attractive home appliance should be able to be provided. Furthermore, deformation of the deformable component should be more visible to a user.

Inventive solution

The reference numbers in all claims have no limiting effect, but are only intended to improve their readability.

The solution of the problem is achieved by an electric household appliance with the features of claim 1.

A household electrical appliance is understood to mean a household appliance that is powered by electrical energy. For example, a household electric appliance may be used for cooking, baking, washing, drying, rinsing, cooling, freezing, floor care, water heating or coffee preparation. The household appliance can z. As a washing machine, a dishwasher, a stove, an oven, a refrigerator or a vacuum cleaner. The 3D element according to the invention is offered, for example, under the name "4D-Magic" by Rathgeber GmbH & Co. KG, D-82041 Oberhaching.

Due to the deformable component forces that act on the electrical household appliance, at least partially absorbed, wherein deform the deformable component elastically, z. B. can be compressed. The deformable component can protect the household appliance against damage by bumping against objects and this z. B. be designed as a shock absorber or buffer. The deformable component can also be arranged on a handle or be designed as a handle itself to allow a comfortable grip. Namely, the deformable component can give way when gripping around, which can be perceived as pleasant by a user.

The invention advantageously exploits that a depth effect can be achieved by the three-dimensional illusion in order to make the deformation of the deformable component appear larger than it actually is when a force is applied. In this case, the spring travel necessary for damping force can appear larger and thus the damping function of the deformable component for the user can be clearly visible. Advantageously, the user can thus easily recognize whether the deformable component works properly and can be deformed as intended. According to a surprising finding of the inventors, a user perceives the function of the deformable component as more effective and effective due to the three-dimensional illusion even if he recognizes the illusion as such. Surprisingly, this has the consequence that the user uses the home appliance more frequently and uses it more effectively. Namely, by the 3D element, the user can recognize where the household electrical appliance is protected against shocks by the deformable component and take this into account during use of the household appliance.

Another advantage of the 3D element may be that the achievable depth effect, the appearance of the household appliance visually perceived by the user can be changed without actually having to change the household appliance, apart from the attachment of the 3D element. For example, a reduction in the appearance of the household appliance or a portion of the household appliance can be achieved without actually having to downsize this. A reduction of the household appliance can, for. Legs require elaborate modification of the construction or even technically unrealizable.

In addition to the depth effect can of course by the 3D element also other three-dimensional illusions, such. B. an alternating effect or a scroll effect can be generated. Thus, the 3D element can advantageously also be used to represent materials with special properties. It is also conceivable to use the 3D element for displaying product functions. For example, internal components or functional mechanisms can be displayed. Next can sensor surfaces z. B., are identified by the 3D element as such. According to a surprising finding of the inventors, special visual stimuli such as the illusion of the invention can arouse the interest in a product functionality or functional mechanisms in a customer who otherwise is only interested in the visual appearance, so that easier marketing and / or increased sales figures can be made possible.

It is a further achievable advantage of the 3D element according to the invention that the household electrical appliance can be made more attractive and / or more aesthetic and thus better sold. The inventors have surprisingly found that the buying decision of a prospective buyer often depends on the perceived appearance and not on the actual shape of the household appliance. According to another surprising finding of the inventors, prospective buyers decide even for the more attractive designed by the three-dimensional illusion home appliance when they recognize the illusion created by the 3D element as such. Further, the user may advantageously be animated by a more attractively designed home appliance to more frequent use of the household appliance. Namely, the user can surprisingly be so impressed with the appearance that he feels more joy in using the household appliance even when he recognizes the three-dimensional illusion as such.

Preferred embodiment of the invention

Advantageous embodiments and developments, which can be used individually or in combination with each other, are the subject of the dependent claims.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the deformable component is designed as a profile part. In a profile part, the shape of a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the profile part at all points of the profile part is similar in the geometric sense. Exceptions to this may be areas or sections of the deformable component, which serve to attach the deformable component to the household appliance. The profile part can, for. B. be a molded part or an extrusion part. Particularly preferably, the 3D element is arranged on an outer surface of the deformable component. In the case of a profile part which has an internal volume, the 3D element can be arranged inside the profile part in the internal volume in order to be able to be viewed through the deformable component. In this embodiment, the deformable component preferably has a transparent area, through which the 3D element can be viewed. For the purposes of the present invention, "transparent" means that it is possible to look through the transparent area in order to identify As the 3D element or a graphic to recognize. The transparent area may be transparent, cloudy, tinted or even milky.

In a further preferred embodiment, the deformable component is transparent at least in the region in which the 3D element is arranged. The deformable component is then transparent if it is possible to look through the deformable component in order to be able to recognize what is behind it. The deformable component can, for. B. transparent, clouded, tinted or even milky. Particularly preferably, in this embodiment, the 3D element is transparent at least in a partial area, so that a surface of the household appliance, on which the deformable component rests, can be viewed through the 3D element. This area can be provided with a graphic in the area of the 3D element.

The invention further development is preferably provided that the 3D element is integrally formed on the deformable component. "Integrally molded" means that the deformable component and the 3D element made of a single material and form a common component, so are in one piece. As a result, the deformable component and the 3D element can be manufactured in a manufacturing step, so that the production of the household appliance can be simplified. Namely, the 3D element need not be applied separately in a special manufacturing step, e.g. B. glued on. Next, the deformable component with the 3D element in the common processes, eg. B. by injection molding, easy to be produced. For this purpose, a thin flexible ceramic layer may be attached to an injection molding tool to mold the lenses of the lens layer during injection molding. This ceramic layer may be baked into the injection molding tool to be more mechanically stable to the injection molding tool. By such a ceramic layer, for example, up to 5 mm raised lenses to the surface of the deformable component be formed. An advantage of the thin flexible ceramic layer may be that the lenses may also be formed on curved surfaces of the deformable component. Thus, even in one embodiment of the invention, the lenses may be molded to the entire outer and / or inner surface of the deformable member. Another advantage of the integrally molded 3D element may be a more reliable attachment of the 3D element to the household electrical appliance. In fact, the inventors have found that, for example, stickers may become detached from a household appliance after a certain time due to soiling. Another advantage of the one-piece design can be that the optical impression can be improved by avoiding joining and supporting surfaces.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the 3D element is composed of layers. For example, a layer of the 3D element can be a flexible layer, by means of which the feel of the 3D element can be improved. The 3D element can, for. B. be designed as a film or foil laminate. The 3D element can be a hologram and make a design or image appear three-dimensional. Preferably, the 3D element is attached by gluing, clamping or sewing on the household appliance. The 3D element can thus z. B. be a 3D sticker.

The constructed of layers 3D element can be made thin; a preferred 3D element is thinner than 5 mm, e.g. B. it is 1 to 2 mm thick. A thin 3D element can advantageously be easily attached to the deformable component, in particular because a thin 3D element itself may be more easily deformable. An advantage of a thin, easily deformable 3D element can also be that the deformable component can be deformed despite the 3D element and thereby absorb forces. A preferred 3D element appears thicker than it actually is because of the three-dimensional illusion. A preferred 3D element appears to be more than twice as thick as it is actually due to the optical illusion, more preferably more than five times as thick, more preferably more than ten times as thick, e.g. B. about 2 cm thick. Such a 3D film can, for. B. 1 to 2 mm thin and appear, for example, by the optical illusion about 2 cm thick.

In a further preferred embodiment, the 3D element has a lens layer. This lens layer has optical lenses for viewing the three-dimensional illusion when viewing the 3D element, e.g. B. to create a depth effect, an alternating effect or a scroll effect. A lens is an optically active component with at least one refractive surface, by means of which a light beam can be deflected differently depending on the angle of incidence. Usually, such refractive surfaces are concave or convex. For this purpose, the lens layer is usually made transparent. The lens layer is transparent, when viewed through it, to look behind it, e.g. B. to recognize a graphic. The lens layer may in this case be transparent, cloudy, tinted or even milky. Particularly preferably, they are arranged in a grid optical lenses. The optical lenses in a preferred embodiment of the invention are convex, concave or planar on each side of the lens layer, being convex or concave on at least one side of the lens layer. For example, the lens layer may be flat on one side and on the other side as a spherical segment or as a cylinder segment executed lenses. Such lenses may also be referred to as plano-convex. The lenses may therefore be spherical lenses or cylindrical lenses.

The diameter of the spherical or cylindrical lenses is preferably less than 5 mm, particularly preferably less than 1 mm. He can z. B. are about 0.1 mm; such lenses are also referred to as miniature lenses; in the case of cylindrical lenses, the diameter means the extent perpendicular to the longitudinal extent. The lens layer which is planar on one side may also have cup-shaped lenses on the other side, which may be referred to as plano-concave lenses. Preferably, the lens layer is outwardly directed to create the three-dimensional illusion. Of course, the lens layer can also be covered by another layer, for example to protect the lens layer from damage. Of course, the 3D element can also be a hologram and make a design or image appear three-dimensional.

Further developing the invention, it is preferably provided that at least one graphic layer is arranged on the 3D element. The graphic layer can z. B. be a graphically designed surface and be attached by pressure, hot stamping or Inmoldfolien technique. The graphic layer may also be an adhesive film to adhere to the 3D element or the household appliance. The three-dimensional illusion can arise from the fact that the graphics layer by the 3D element, for. B. through the lens layer is considered. The graphic elements of the graphics layer which appear during the viewing can change by changing the viewing angle. For example, different subjects may appear in the area of the 3D element depending on the viewing angle. Such an effect is also referred to as an alternating effect.

Particularly preferably, at least two graphic layers are arranged on the 3D element, wherein the graphics layers can be attached to the 3D element in such a way that one graphic layer is viewed through the lens layer and the other graphic layer directly, ie not through the 3D element. In this way, it can be achieved that when the viewing angle changes, a relative movement of the graphic elements of one graphic layer to the graphic elements of the other graphic layer can be observed, which is usually referred to as a scroll effect. In order to enable a viewing of the graphic layer through the lens layer, the graphic elements of the graphic layer to be viewed directly particularly preferably have distances, ie are transparent, e.g. B. transparent areas separated from each other. The graphic elements of the graphics layer to be viewed directly are particularly preferably designed in such a way that the graphic elements of a graphic layer located behind them can be recognized through them. Such graphic elements can z. Line drawings or tinted surfaces to allow viewing through them. In an embodiment having two or more graphics layers, one graphics layer may be attached to a bottom surface and the other graphics layer may be attached to an upper surface of the 3D element. With the lower surface, the 3D element z. B. attached to the deformable component. The top surface can be viewed by the user to perceive the optical illusion of the 3D element. It is also conceivable that a graphics layer is mounted on the deformable component in order to be able to be viewed through the 3D element.

According to the invention, it is preferably provided that the 3D element extends over at least part of a surface of the deformable component. In this case, however, at least the lens layer of the 3D element preferably extends over part of a surface of the deformable component. Particularly preferably, a part of the outer surface of the deformable component is formed by the 3D element. For example, a 3D sticker may be glued to the deformable component.

The present invention makes it possible to provide an optically attractive household appliance with simple structural and cost-effective means. In particular, a household appliance can be provided with a deformable component whose deformation can be clearly visualized during the absorption of shocks by the 3D element to the user.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantageous embodiments are described below with reference to two embodiments illustrated in the drawings, to which the invention is not limited, described in more detail.

They show schematically:

1 an electric household appliance with a deformable component;

2 a section through the deformable component;

3 a detail of the deformable component according to detail A from 2 ;
and finally

4 a second embodiment of a deformable component.

Detailed description based on two embodiments

In the following description of two preferred embodiments of the present invention, like reference characters designate like or similar components.

The first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG 1 to 3 explained. 1 shows one as a household electrical appliance 10 executed vacuum cleaner. On the case 11 is on the right and the left side each an elastically deformable component 30 attached, which acts as a shock absorber to the household appliance 10 Protect against damage from side impacts on objects. The elastically deformable component 30 is as a profile part with an inner cavity 31 educated. A section through the deformable component 30 whose sectional area is perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the deformable component 30 is, is in 2 shown. The in 2 illustrated cross section is over the longitudinal extent of the deformable component 30 constant. 2 also shows the side wall 13 of the housing 11 of the household electrical appliance 10 at which the deformable component 30 is appropriate. Because the deformable component 30 made of an elastic plastic and the cavity 31 it may be deformed in a lateral abutment against objects to at least partially absorb the forces occurring. If the household appliance 10 laterally abuts an object, the deformable component 30 So deformed by a travel and compressed.

Along the longitudinal extension is at the deformable components 30 one 3D element each 20 arranged to produce a three-dimensional illusion, that is, at least over a part of a surface of the deformable component 30 extends. The 3D element 20 is designed as a lenticular image and z. B. under the name "4D Magic" by Rathgeber GmbH & Co. KG, D-82041 Oberhaching offered. That on the deformable component 30 arranged 3d element 20 is made up of layers, with one layer as a lens layer 21 is designed to produce the three-dimensional effect. The structure of the 3D element 20 is out 3 visible, the detail A off 2 shows. The lens layer 21 has a variety of lenses 23 on, which are arranged in a grid. One side of the lens layer 21 is designed plan. On the opposite side are the lenses 23 Each formed as a spherical segment with a diameter of about 0.1 mm and directed outwards, whereby they can be felt by the user. The lenses 23 can also be called plano-convex. Besides, the lenses are 23 directed outwards, whereby they can be felt by the user. Through the lens layer 21 the viewer takes the 3D element 20 thicker than this actually is. This also leads to the fact that the viewer of the spring travel of the deformable component 30 appears larger than it actually is. As a result, the spring action of the deformable component 30 visually supports and amplifies, allowing the user the action of the deformable component 30 can perceive better. To achieve an improved feel, the 3D elements 20 next to the lens layer 21 one flexible layer each 22 on, which gives something when you touch.

Besides, there are 3D elements 20 two graphic layers each 29 arranged, with a graphic layer 29 on a lower surface 27 and the other graphic layer 29 on an upper surface 25 of the 3D element 20 is appropriate. With the lower surface 27 is the 3D element 20 to the deformable component 30 glued. The lens layer 21 is located between the two graphic layers 29 so that the graphics layer 29 on the lower surface 27 through the lens layer 21 through and the graphics layer 29 the upper surface 25 can be viewed directly, so without through the lens layer 21 to look through. The graphic layer 29 on the lower surface 27 is clearly visible because the lens layer 21 and the flexible layer 22 made of transparent plastic. The lens layer 21 causes a change in the angle of view, a relative movement of the graphic elements of a graphic layer 29 to the graphic elements of the other graphic layer 29 can be observed. Without the lens layer 21 could the relative movement of the graphic elements to each other due to the small distance of the two graphic layers 29 not be observed.

In a second embodiment, shown in FIG 4 which otherwise does not differ from the first embodiment is the deformable component 30 a transparent shock absorber, via a suction nozzle of the running as a vacuum cleaner household electrical appliance 10 can be put on. The deformable component 30 is made of transparent plastic, so that by the deformable component 30 can be looked through. When abutting objects, the deformable component 30 when it is slipped on the suction nozzle, due to the ribs 33 be deformed and thereby the vacuum cleaner nozzle of the household appliance 10 protect. 4 shows a perspective sectional view of the deformable component 30 , At the outer surface 35 of the deformable component 30 are a variety of 3D elements 20 integrally formed, with the 3D elements 20 and the deformable component 30 form a common component. For illustration purposes are in 4 only two 3D elements 20 shown. The deformable component 30 So is in the area where the 3D elements 20 are arranged, transparent and therefore transparent in the context of the present invention. The lenses 23 the lens layer 21 of the 3D elements 20 were during the production of the deformable component 30 by injection molding on the outside of the deformable component 30 educated. The graphic layers 29 of the 3D elements 20 were after injection molding of the deformable component 30 on the outer surface 35 as well as on the inner surface 37 of the deformable component 30 imprinted, so that when viewing the deformable component 30 a depth effect as well as a scroll effect are generated. Due to the depth effect of the spring travel when abutting objects appears greater than this is actually. The scroll effect moves the graphic elements of the two graphic layers 29 in changing the angle of view relative to each other.

The present invention makes it possible to provide an optically attractive household appliance with simple structural and cost-effective means. In particular, a household appliance can be provided with a deformable component whose deformation can be clearly visualized during the absorption of shocks by the 3D element to the user.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, the claims and the drawings may be of importance both individually and in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various forms.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

Electric household appliance

11

casing

13

wall

20

3D element

21

lens layer

22

flexible layer

23

lens

25

upper surface

27

lower surface

29

graphics layer

30

deformable component

31

cavity

33

ribs

35

outer surface

37

inner surface

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 3,950,814 A [0002]
• EP 1445124 A2 [0003]

Claims (9)

Electric household appliance ( 10 ) with a deformable component ( 30 ), characterized in that on the deformable component ( 30 ) a 3D element ( 20 ) is arranged to produce a three-dimensional illusion. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the deformable component ( 30 ) is designed as a profile part. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the deformable component ( 30 ) at least in the area in which the 3D element ( 20 ) is transparent. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the 3D element ( 20 ) to the deformable component ( 30 ) is integrally formed. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the 3D element ( 20 ) is built up from layers. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the 3D element ( 20 ) is less than 5 millimeters thick. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the 3D element ( 20 ) a lens layer ( 21 ) having. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that on the 3D element ( 20 ) at least one graphics layer ( 29 ) is arranged. Electric household appliance ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the 3D element ( 20 ) over at least part of a surface of the deformable component ( 30 ).

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