EP0208334A2 - Housing for a laundry washing machine - Google Patents

Housing for a laundry washing machine Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0208334A2
EP0208334A2 EP86109497A EP86109497A EP0208334A2 EP 0208334 A2 EP0208334 A2 EP 0208334A2 EP 86109497 A EP86109497 A EP 86109497A EP 86109497 A EP86109497 A EP 86109497A EP 0208334 A2 EP0208334 A2 EP 0208334A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
housing
carrying structure
washing machine
laundry washing
assembly
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP86109497A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0208334B1 (en
EP0208334A3 (en
Inventor
Franco Del Frate
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Industrie Zanussi SpA
Original Assignee
Industrie Zanussi SpA
Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Industrie Zanussi SpA, Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA filed Critical Industrie Zanussi SpA
Priority to AT86109497T priority Critical patent/ATE50606T1/en
Publication of EP0208334A2 publication Critical patent/EP0208334A2/en
Publication of EP0208334A3 publication Critical patent/EP0208334A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0208334B1 publication Critical patent/EP0208334B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00 
    • D06F39/12—Casings; Tubs

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a housing for a laundry washing machine particularly of the domestic top-loading type.
  • a laundry washing machine particularly of the domestic top-loading type.
  • There are known laundry washing machines having a housing including a carrying structure assembly adapted to be disassembled for giving access to the various oper­ating components of the machine.
  • French Patent No. 2,082,075 for instance describes a laundry washing machine with a housing comprising a base frame and a pair of rear corner posts secured thereto for carrying a cantilevered tom panel corresponding to the base frame; the laundering assembly is mounted on the base frame and is enclosed between a front panel and two side panels secured respectively to the top panel, to the base frame and to the corner posts.
  • a structure of this type does not offer sufficient rigid thoughity and requires complicated, time-consuming and thus expensive assembly operations, in particular, it appears rather impractical and inconvenient that the laundering assembly is only supported on the base frame during assembly and maintenance operations.
  • the Italian utility model application No. 34037/84 filed in the name of the present applicant, describes a laundry washing machine having a housing composed of two mutually connectable and exchangeable half-shells and a pair of cross members adapted to be secured to top portions of the half-shells and to support the laundering assembly; the housing is completed by a base frame and a top panel.
  • a housing comprising a carrying structure for supporting the laundering assembly with the respective operating components, the housing being adapted to be closed by substantially planar panels and characterized in that the carrying structure is formed by a box element made of a sheet material cut to measure and bent to an L configuration so as to comprise in a single piece the bottom and a vertical wall of the housing, the carrying structure being completed by a panel disposed opposite the vertical wall and connected thereto by two upper rails.
  • the housing shown in figs. 1-3 comprises a box element 5 forming a bottom 6 and a rear wall 7 in a single piece.
  • element 5 may of course also form the bottom and anyone of the vertical walls of the housing.
  • Element 5 is formed of a planar sheet material which is cut to size and subsequently bent to an L configuration having upright edge portions 8 and 9, respectively, along the lateral borders of the bottom and rear wall panels.
  • edge portions 8 and 9 are preferivelyably formed with reinforcing flutes 10 and 11, respectively.
  • the rear end portions of edge portions 8 are then secured as by means of rivets 12 to the lower end portions of edge portions 9 so as to impart the necessary rigidity and structural stability to element 5.
  • the carrying structure of the housing is completed by two rails 13, 14 and a front panel 15. Rails 13 and 14 inter­connect the lateral top portions of element 5 and front panel 15, the latter being additionally secured to bottom 6. All of these connections are preferably established by riveting.
  • the laundering assembly (not shown) is then mounted within the thus obtained carrying structure by suspending it by means of springs 16 from edge portions 9 of rear wall 7 and rails 13 and 14 as indicated in fig. 1, and by securing it to bottom 6 by conventional means (not shown).
  • the housing is finally closed by lateral panels 17, 18 secured to the above descriebd structure by means of thread-cutting screws, and by a (not shown) top panel made and secured in any known manner.
  • the lateral borders of front panel 15 and the forward borders of lateral panels 17, 18 are profiled in a manner to form respective hinges 20 after being mounted (fig. 3).
  • lateral panels 17, 18 have their forward borders secured to the carrying structure by these hinges, so that thread-cutting screws are only required for securing them to rear wall 7. Lateral panels 17 and 18 thus assume also a structural function in this construction.
  • the housing according to the invention permits rapid and unobstructed access to the laundering assembly for any required maintenance operations after the lateral panels have been dismounted in a sufficiently simple manner, the laundering assembly remaining supported by the carrying structure formed of element 5, front panel 15 and rails 13 and 14 (fig. 2).
  • a further advantage offered by the proposed solution resides in the possibility of providing housings of different widths by simply varying the cutting and bending dimensions of the sheet material for forming element 5 in a manner solely resulting in different heights of upstanding edge portions 8 and 9.
  • This modification obviously entails substitution of the front panel 15, which has to correspond to the required width and may be of varying appearance to conform to that of other components of a kitchen combination or the like.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Main Body Construction Of Washing Machines And Laundry Dryers (AREA)
  • Centrifugal Separators (AREA)
  • Grinding-Machine Dressing And Accessory Apparatuses (AREA)
  • Iron Core Of Rotating Electric Machines (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Accessory Of Washing/Drying Machine, Commercial Washing/Drying Machine, Other Washing/Drying Machine (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a housing for a laundry washing machine particularly of the domestic top-loading type, comprising a carrying structure for supporting the laundering assembly with its operating components, and closed by substantially planar panels. According to the invention, the carrying structure is formed by a box element (5) made of a sheet material out to measure and bent to an L configuration so as to comprise in a single piece the bottom (6) and a vertical wall (7) of the housing, the carrying structure being completed by a panel (15) disposed opposite said vertical wall and connected thereto by two upper rails (13,14). Dismounting the enclosing planar panels gives ready access to the laundering assembly and its operating com­ponents while continuing to be supported by the carrying structure.

Description

  • The present invention relates to a housing for a laundry washing machine particularly of the domestic top-loading type.There are known laundry washing machines having a housing including a carrying structure assembly adapted to be disassembled for giving access to the various oper­ating components of the machine.
  • French Patent No. 2,082,075 for instance describes a laundry washing machine with a housing comprising a base frame and a pair of rear corner posts secured thereto for carrying a cantilevered tom panel corresponding to the base frame; the laundering assembly is mounted on the base frame and is enclosed between a front panel and two side panels secured respectively to the top panel, to the base frame and to the corner posts.
  • A structure of this type does not offer sufficient rigid­ity and requires complicated, time-consuming and thus expensive assembly operations, in particular, it appears rather impractical and inconvenient that the laundering assembly is only supported on the base frame during assembly and maintenance operations.
  • The Italian utility model application No. 34037/84, filed in the name of the present applicant, describes a laundry washing machine having a housing composed of two mutually connectable and exchangeable half-shells and a pair of cross members adapted to be secured to top portions of the half-shells and to support the laundering assembly; the housing is completed by a base frame and a top panel.
  • This solution reduces the number of components and assembly operations, but does not yet provide for a desirable production flexibility in that the assembly of different model versions of the housing requires the substitution of the half-shells by others of different shapes and dimensions.
  • It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a housing for a laundry washing machine having an extremely simplified structure formed of a minimum number of compon­ents to thereby facilitate the operations of mounting and assembly as well as modifications of the housing, and the storage of its components.
  • In addition, the proposed solution considerably facilitates the eventually necessary operations for the maintenance of the laundering assembly.
  • The stated object is attained by a housing comprising a carrying structure for supporting the laundering assembly with the respective operating components, the housing being adapted to be closed by substantially planar panels and characterized in that the carrying structure is formed by a box element made of a sheet material cut to measure and bent to an L configuration so as to comprise in a single piece the bottom and a vertical wall of the housing, the carrying structure being completed by a panel disposed opposite the vertical wall and connected thereto by two upper rails.
  • Further objects and characteristics of the invention will become more clearly evident from the following description, given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
    • fig. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a housing according to the invention,
    • fig. 2 shows the housing of fig. 1 in a partially assembled state, and
    • fig. 3 shows a sectional view of a detail of the housing shown in fig. 2
  • The housing shown in figs. 1-3 comprises a box element 5 forming a bottom 6 and a rear wall 7 in a single piece.
  • Alternatively element 5 may of course also form the bottom and anyone of the vertical walls of the housing. Element 5 is formed of a planar sheet material which is cut to size and subsequently bent to an L configuration having upright edge portions 8 and 9, respectively, along the lateral borders of the bottom and rear wall panels.
  • At the same time upright edge portions 8 and 9 are prefer­ably formed with reinforcing flutes 10 and 11, respectively. The rear end portions of edge portions 8 are then secured as by means of rivets 12 to the lower end portions of edge portions 9 so as to impart the necessary rigidity and structural stability to element 5.
  • The carrying structure of the housing is completed by two rails 13, 14 and a front panel 15. Rails 13 and 14 inter­connect the lateral top portions of element 5 and front panel 15, the latter being additionally secured to bottom 6. All of these connections are preferably established by riveting.
  • The laundering assembly (not shown) is then mounted within the thus obtained carrying structure by suspending it by means of springs 16 from edge portions 9 of rear wall 7 and rails 13 and 14 as indicated in fig. 1, and by securing it to bottom 6 by conventional means (not shown).
  • The housing is finally closed by lateral panels 17, 18 secured to the above descriebd structure by means of thread-cutting screws, and by a (not shown) top panel made and secured in any known manner.
  • For obtaining improved structural continuity of the hous­ing assembly, the lateral borders of front panel 15 and the forward borders of lateral panels 17, 18 are profiled in a manner to form respective hinges 20 after being mounted (fig. 3).
  • In this manner, when the components of the housing and the carrying structure are assembled, lateral panels 17, 18 have their forward borders secured to the carrying structure by these hinges, so that thread-cutting screws are only required for securing them to rear wall 7. Lateral panels 17 and 18 thus assume also a structural function in this construction.
  • The housing according to the invention permits rapid and unobstructed access to the laundering assembly for any required maintenance operations after the lateral panels have been dismounted in a sufficiently simple manner, the laundering assembly remaining supported by the carrying structure formed of element 5, front panel 15 and rails 13 and 14 (fig. 2).
  • A further advantage offered by the proposed solution resides in the possibility of providing housings of different widths by simply varying the cutting and bending dimensions of the sheet material for forming element 5 in a manner solely resulting in different heights of upstanding edge portions 8 and 9. This modification obviously entails substitution of the front panel 15, which has to correspond to the required width and may be of varying appearance to conform to that of other components of a kitchen combination or the like.
  • The employ finally of riveted connections permits the employ of precoated sheet material and highly automatized assembly methods to thereby reduce the number of inter­vening production steps for obtaining the finished housing.

Claims (4)

1. A housing for a laundry washing machine, particularly of the domestic top-loading type, comprising a carrying structure for supporting the laundering assembly with the respective operating components, said housing being adapted to be closed by substantially planar panels, and character­ized in that said carrying structure is formed by a box element (5) made of a sheet material cut to measure and bent to an L configuration so as to comprise in a single piece the bottom (6) and a vertical wall (7) of said hous­ing, said carrying structure being completed by a panel (15) disposed opposite said vertical wall and connected thereto by two upper rails (13, 14).
2. A housing for a laundry washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said box element is provided with angularly bent edge portions (8, 9) formed with reinforcing flutes (10, 11).
3. A housing for a laundry washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said box element comprises the bottom (6) and the rear wall (7) of the housing.
4. A housing for a laundry washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two of said closing panels (15, 17, 18) are provided with profiled edge portions adapted to form a hinge (20) after being mounted in position relative to one another.
EP86109497A 1985-07-11 1986-07-11 Housing for a laundry washing machine Expired - Lifetime EP0208334B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT86109497T ATE50606T1 (en) 1985-07-11 1986-07-11 HOUSING FOR A WASHING MACHINE.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT3404585U 1985-07-11
IT8534045U IT209162Z2 (en) 1985-07-11 1985-07-11 MOBILE FOR WASHING MACHINE.

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0208334A2 true EP0208334A2 (en) 1987-01-14
EP0208334A3 EP0208334A3 (en) 1987-08-12
EP0208334B1 EP0208334B1 (en) 1990-02-28

Family

ID=11238998

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP86109497A Expired - Lifetime EP0208334B1 (en) 1985-07-11 1986-07-11 Housing for a laundry washing machine

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0208334B1 (en)
AT (1) ATE50606T1 (en)
DE (1) DE3669180D1 (en)
ES (1) ES295199Y (en)
IT (1) IT209162Z2 (en)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0265704A1 (en) * 1986-10-30 1988-05-04 Domar S.A. Improvements to clothes washing machines
EP0588100A1 (en) * 1992-08-21 1994-03-23 Miele & Cie. GmbH & Co. Laundry treatment machine
CN1069362C (en) * 1994-08-18 2001-08-08 日本建铁株式会社 Outer frame structure of washing machine
WO2002022937A1 (en) * 2000-09-16 2002-03-21 Dyson Limited A method of manufacturing a laundry appliance
EP2202345A1 (en) 2008-12-24 2010-06-30 Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. Manufacturing process of an appliance cabinet and cabinet so manufactured
CN113584815A (en) * 2020-04-30 2021-11-02 松下家电(中国)有限公司 Conveniently-assembled clothes treatment equipment

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1255372A (en) * 1960-01-20 1961-03-10 Esswein & Cie Soc Body chassis more particularly for washing machine
FR1520703A (en) * 1967-03-01 1968-04-12 Chalectro Cie Des Machiens A L Cage frame washing machine
FR2082075A5 (en) * 1970-03-03 1971-12-10 Chalectro
GB2071706B (en) * 1980-03-19 1983-07-13 Hotpoint Ltd Washing machines and clothes dryers

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0265704A1 (en) * 1986-10-30 1988-05-04 Domar S.A. Improvements to clothes washing machines
EP0588100A1 (en) * 1992-08-21 1994-03-23 Miele & Cie. GmbH & Co. Laundry treatment machine
CN1069362C (en) * 1994-08-18 2001-08-08 日本建铁株式会社 Outer frame structure of washing machine
WO2002022937A1 (en) * 2000-09-16 2002-03-21 Dyson Limited A method of manufacturing a laundry appliance
US6920676B2 (en) 2000-09-16 2005-07-26 Dyson Limited Method of manufacturing a laundry appliance
EP2202345A1 (en) 2008-12-24 2010-06-30 Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. Manufacturing process of an appliance cabinet and cabinet so manufactured
CN113584815A (en) * 2020-04-30 2021-11-02 松下家电(中国)有限公司 Conveniently-assembled clothes treatment equipment

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES295199Y (en) 1987-07-16
IT209162Z2 (en) 1988-09-16
EP0208334B1 (en) 1990-02-28
EP0208334A3 (en) 1987-08-12
DE3669180D1 (en) 1990-04-05
ES295199U (en) 1986-11-01
IT8534045V0 (en) 1985-07-11
ATE50606T1 (en) 1990-03-15

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