DE9204689U1 - Folding front door for household dishwashers - Google Patents

Description

EBHZ-90/74 03.04.1992 Ba/ub

L i c e t i a

Patent Management GmbH

Frankfurt am Main

Folding front door for household dishwashers

The innovation relates to a hinged front door for household dishwashers according to the preamble of claim 1. It relates in particular to a device for damping the movement of said doors.

Front doors of commercially available household dishwashers generally have, in addition to an adjustable weight balance, a device that dampens the door movement in both end positions; i.e., the front door in question falls softly into the lock or dampens into the hinge mounted horizontally on the floor.

For this purpose, a "device for balancing the weight of a folding door" is known from DE 39 11 555 A1 (corresponding to EP 0 392 588 A1), in particular for the loading opening of household dishwashers. The prior art describes an invention with the help of which the effective door weight can be balanced by an adjustable tension spring and the door movement is dampened. The tension spring and folding door are connected with the help of steel bands in such a way that the said steel band is deflected in an S-shape over curved plastic sliding surfaces.

This well-known weight balancing and damping device is located in the base area of the dishwasher and is therefore difficult to access in the event of a service call.

The innovation aims to create an inexpensive door damping device that requires little space, is easily accessible and can be easily installed.

This task according to the innovation is solved by the characterizing features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the

EBHZ-90/74 03.04.1992 Ba/ub

Innovations can be found in the subclaims.

The advantages that can be achieved with the innovation arise from the type of task, such as: low space requirements and ease of assembly. Another advantage is that the door movement is subjected to a damping effect that has different strengths when opening and closing. The parts required for the damping device are designed in such a way that they can be manufactured easily and inexpensively using injection molding technology.

An example of the innovation is shown in a perspective sketch and is explained in more detail below.

The sketch shows the basic arrangement of a tension spring-loaded damping device in conjunction with a partially shown door hinge.

The new damping device 1 consists of a fastening plate 2 that can be screwed to the housing frame of the dishwasher and to which a vertical, fixed bearing pin 3 is cast. A sleeve 4 with a molded collar 5 is pushed onto the bearing pin 3 of the fastening plate 2. The sleeve 4 is slotted several times in the axial direction and therefore consists of a corresponding number of springy segments or circular sections 6, which, together with the collar 5, can be rotated around the bearing pin 3 with sufficient play in the unloaded state, i.e. smoothly. A vertically arranged tension spring 7 serves to compensate for the weight of the door, the lower end of which is connected in a force-locking manner to a band or rope 8. Said rope 8 is made of tough-elastic plastic fibers and is in the following operative connection with the damping device 1 and the dishwasher front door 12, which is hinged horizontally at the bottom: The rope 8 wraps around the sleeve 4, or its circular sections 6, once or twice and is anchored in place with its free end 9 to the fastening bolt 10 of the hinge or articulation angle 11 of the indicated front door 12; the articulation angle 11 together with the front door 12, as previously indicated, is arranged so as to be vertically pivotable about the bearing point 13. When opened, the front door 12 is

EBHZ-90/74 03.04.1992 Ba/ub

its vertical closed position into a horizontal end position. Cable 8 and tension spring 7 are tensioned at the same time; and the more the front door 12 is brought into its horizontal end position. At the same time, the springy circular sections 6 of the sleeve 4 are increasingly compressed and generate an increasing frictional force on the circumference of the bearing pin 3; i.e. the front door 12 falls into the hinge or into the bearing point 13 with great damping. When the front door 12 is closed, however, the cable 8 and tension spring 7 are relieved, so that the frictional force between the bearing pin 3 and the sleeve 4, or their circular sections 6, decreases with increasing closing movement. The front door 12 falls into the lock with less damping. Such a mode of operation, in which the door movement is dampened to varying degrees in both directions, is particularly advantageous for very heavy front doors 12, for example those covered with solid wood decorative panels. When opening, the bearing points 13 are subjected to little mechanical stress, i.e. they are not knocked out, by the front door 12 falling softly into the hinge. When closing, it is made much easier for the user to swing up the front door 12, which is located near the floor.

The damping device 1 (mounting plate 2 including bearing pin 3, sleeve 4 or collar 5 with circular sections 6) is made of abrasion-resistant and impact-resistant thermoplastic and can be manufactured as a complete part in a single operation using the so-called "two-component process". This means that only an injection molding tool with a nest is required, from which both parts can be removed in the fully assembled state (and already able to rotate around each other).

Claims (3)

EBHZ-90/74 03.04.1992 Ba/ub L i c e &eegr; t i a Patent-Verwaltungs-GmbH Frankfurt/Main Protection claims 1. Folding front door for household dishwashers with an adjustable tension spring and with a force-locking band or rope connection between the hinged articulation angle of the front door and the tension spring, characterized in that the rope (8) of the force-locking connection between the tension spring (7) and the articulation angle (11) of the front door (12) is looped around resilient circular sections (6) of a longitudinally slotted sleeve (4) with a collar (5) and that the sleeve (4) is rotatably mounted around a bearing pin (3) of a fastening plate (2). 2. Folding front door according to claim 1, characterized in that the sleeve (4) can be rotated easily or with little axial play around the bearing pin (3) when the tension spring (7) and the cable (8) are in the relaxed state. 3. Folding front door according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the bearing pin (3) together with the fastening plate (2) and the sleeve (4) together with the collar (5) and circular sections (6) can be produced by injection molding in a two-component process.