EP1172061A1 - Anti-tip assembly for a domestic appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a bracket (10) to hold the appliance (20), this bracket having a control unit (17), such as a permanent magnet, adapted to cooperate with the cut-out (26) unit which interrupts electric supply to the appliance, thus basically ensuring the electricity feed to the circuit of the appliance only if the appliance is fixed to the wall by the bracket.

Description

The present invention relates to an anti-tilt device for appliance.

It also relates to a household appliance adapted to cooperate with such an anti-tilt device.

Many household appliances are subject to failover. In particular, dishwashers, fitted with a front door foldable, may tip over or be shaken when opened from this door.

This tilting or shaking of the household appliance is all the more annoying when this household appliance is equipped, in its plan upper, a hob.

The tilting of the household appliance can then cause overflows in containers when cooking on the table or even the falling objects.

We know various systems used to date to maintain a home appliance, including a dishwasher, against the wall.

In particular, it is common to use a square screwed into the wall, this bracket being built into the back of the dishwasher, for example above the tank.

However, this type of attachment is never made compulsory for the operation of the device and it is common to observe an installation incomplete, which does not guarantee the fixing of the device to the wall.

The object of the present invention is to provide an anti-tilt device which makes it possible to resolve the aforementioned drawbacks and to guarantee safe operation of the appliance.

To this end, the anti-tilt device targeted by the invention includes means for holding a household appliance adapted to hold the device against a wall.

According to the invention, the holding means are associated with a control member adapted to cooperate with means of power supply to the device mounted on an electrical circuit the appliance so as to authorize the operation of the appliance only if the appliance is held against a wall by the means of support.

Thus, thanks to the presence of a control member associated with the holding means, it is possible to prohibit the operation of the device household appliances as long as the holding means are not installed properly in the appliance.

The correct installation of the anti-tip device becomes therefore compulsory since otherwise the means of cutout control the cutoff of the power supply of the device. We forbid by consequently operation of the apparatus as long as the cut-off means do not not cooperate with the control member of the anti-tilt device.

According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the control is adapted to cooperate with the breaking means so as to authorize the operation of the device only if the holding means are attached to the wall.

This provision ensures that the operation of the household appliance can only be obtained when it is correctly positioned in relation to the anti-tip device and when this anti-tip device is itself correctly fixed to the wall.

This arrangement allows you to thwart any deceptive installation which would only consist in correctly placing the means of maintenance by compared to the household appliance without fixing the retaining means to the wall.

The fixing of the anti-tip device on the wall is therefore essential to be able to use the household appliance.

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the control member is a magnet adapted to cooperate with a switch mounted in series on the electrical circuit of the household appliance.

Thanks to the distant or close positioning of the magnet by relative to the switch, you can easily authorize the operation or not the appliance, by closing or opening the electrical circuit.

In a particularly practical manner, the holding means comprise in one embodiment of the invention, a finger adapted to enter a housing provided on the back of the appliance.

This anti-tip device is particularly simple to put on and prohibits any tilting of the household appliance with respect to on the finger fixed to the wall.

According to another aspect of the invention, a household appliance, and in particular a dishwasher fitted with a hob, includes as accessory an anti-tip device conforming to this invention.

The operation of such a household appliance is not authorized only when the anti-tip device is correctly fixed to the wall and positioned relative to the appliance.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent again in the description below.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un dispositif anti-basculement conforme à un mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective du dispositif anti-basculement de la figure 1 avec une partie arrachée ;
• la figure 3 illustre un lave-vaisselle équipé d'un dispositif anti-basculement tel qu'illustré aux figures 1 et 2 ; et
• la figure 4 est une vue agrandie du détail A du lave-vaisselle de la figure 3.

In the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of an anti-tilt device according to an embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the anti-tilt device of Figure 1 with a part broken away;
• FIG. 3 illustrates a dishwasher fitted with an anti-tilt device as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2; and
• FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of detail A of the dishwasher of FIG. 3.

We will describe, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, an anti-tilt device according to an embodiment of the invention.

This anti-tip device is designed to allow stable attachment of a household appliance, for example a dishwasher equipped with a hob as described later with reference to the figure 3.

Of course, this anti-tilt device can be adapted to equip any type of household appliance subject to tilting.

The anti-tip device illustrated in Figure 1 includes holding means 10 for holding the device against a wall. These means of retaining 10 firstly include a fixing plate 11 which allows secure the anti-tip device on a wall.

Of course, this anti-tip device can be attached to any type of wall surface, against which the appliance can be mounted stably.

The fixing plate 11 has several orifices 12 allowing fixing the anti-tip device for example by means of screws.

A finger 13 is provided projecting from this fixing plate 11.

This finger 13 keeps the device in position appliances and avoid it tipping around this finger.

The fixing of this finger 13 on the fixing plate 11 can be conventionally reinforced by the presence of reinforcing wings 14, here two in number, forming a square between finger 13 and the plate fixing 11.

This finger 13 has a substantially parallelepiped shape, extending perpendicular to the fixing plate 11.

The free end 13a of the finger 13 has a pyramidal shape with a truncated end.

A slot 15 extends longitudinally in the axis of the finger 13 to from its free end 13a.

This slot 15 opens onto both an upper face and lower of the finger 13 and at its free end 13a.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, inside the finger 13, a spring 16 is housed in the finger 13 between the fixing plate 11 and the end free 13a of finger 13.

This spring 16, here a conventional helical spring, extends substantially in line with the slot 15, in the extension of the portion of slot 15 opening at the free end 13a of the finger 13.

Finally, a magnet 17 is housed in the finger 13.

This magnet 17 is preferably placed near the end free 13a of the finger 13, opposite a side wall of the finger 13.

As will be better explained with reference to operation of this anti-tilt device, this magnet 17 forms a control member capable of cooperating with a Reed bulb switch, in order to close or open an electrical circuit in the dishwasher.

A Reed bulb switch consists of two blades hoses separated at rest. Under the effect of a magnetic field created by magnet 17, the two blades attract each other and thus establish electrical contact.

We will now describe, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a household appliance, in particular a dishwasher 20, adapted to cooperate with the anti-tilt device as described above.

In this example, and in no way limiting, the device appliance is a dishwasher 20 having a hinged front door 21 and equipped in its upper part with a hob 22.

In order to cooperate with the anti-tip device, and more particularly to allow the placement of the finger 13, the dishwasher 20 comprises, in a rear face 23, a housing 24 into which can penetrate finger 13.

Preferably, this housing 24 is located in the lower part 23a from the back of the dishwasher 20.

By placing this housing 24 in the basement 23a, at the bottom and the back of the dishwasher, finger 13 in place in the housing 24 prohibited any peeling of the floor from the back of the dishwasher.

As best illustrated in Figure 4, the dishwasher 20 has inside the housing 24 a projecting element 25 adapted to penetrate into the opening formed by the slot 15 of the finger 13.

In this example, the projecting element 25 is formed by a blade of plastic extending substantially vertically in the housing 24 and at center of it.

This plastic blade 25 is adapted to fit into the slot 15, against the expulsion force exerted by the spring 16 intended to expel the plastic blade 25 out of the slot 15 of the finger 13.

A switch 26 is also attached to the back of the dishwasher 20 near the housing 24, such as a Reed bulb switch.

This switch 26 is intended to come close to the magnet 17 when the finger 13 is correctly engaged in the opening 24.

Here, the switch 26 is mounted in series on the electrical circuit of the dishwasher, for example in series with a cycle start command of washing.

It is therefore impossible to start a wash cycle if the switch is open.

We will now describe the operation of the anti-tilt device and of the dishwasher 20 comprising this device as accessory.

First, the anti-tip device is fixed to the wall, at using screws passing through the fixing plate 11.

If necessary, a cardboard template allows precise adjustment the height of the finger 13 relative to the height of the housing 24 provided in the dishwasher, to facilitate drilling and mounting of the anti-tip device on the wall.

The dishwasher is then pressed against the wall so that that the finger 13 of the anti-tilt device penetrates inside the housing 24, the plastic blade 25 fitting into the slot 15.

The pyramidal shape of the end 13a of the finger 13 facilitates the penetration of finger 13 into housing 24.

Thanks to the presence of the spring 16 exerting an expulsion force on this plastic blade 25, the free fitting of the finger 13 in the rear housing 24 is impossible if the anti-tip device is not fixed to the wall.

Indeed, the force exerted by the spring 16 on the plastic blade 25 has the effect of ejecting the finger 13 out of the housing 24.

Attaching finger 13 to the wall is therefore essential for ability to use dishwasher.

When finger 13 is correctly positioned in the housing 24, the magnet 17 comes close to the Reed bulb switch 26 of so as to close this switch and thus authorize the operation of the dishwasher power supply 20.

It can be seen that, thanks to the invention, it is impossible to operate the dishwasher as long as the anti-tip device is not fixed to the wall and that the finger 13 of the holding means 10 is not correctly housed in the housing 24 provided at the rear of the dishwasher 20.

The correct installation of the anti-tip device associated with the dishwasher therefore becomes mandatory since the dishwasher does not not work without this one.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the example described above, and many modifications can be made to this example without departing from the scope of the invention.

Thus, the use of one or more anti-tip devices on the same appliance is possible, and possibly different anti-tip devices.

In particular the interlocking system with the finger 13 can be replaced by any other holding means such as double-sided adhesive, tapes Velcro etc.

Such an anti-tip device can also be used to any household appliance powered by electricity, gas, water or any other energy, which is subject to tilting and whose instability could generate a any risk.

In addition, the switches authorizing or not the operation of the electrical circuit of the device can be different (inductive, capacitive, photoelectric, electromechanical etc ...).

In addition, the supply circuit of the household appliance whose operation is authorized by a device control member anti-tip may be different.

Instead of controlling the starting circuit of a cycle of washing, this switch can command a general cut of the power supply to the appliance, a cut in the heating systems or a general electronic cut-off.

We can possibly consider cutting means that would cut off the power and the filling the dishwasher with water, or even activating a solenoid valve allowing to cut or not the gas supply of a hob fitted to the upper part of the dishwasher.

Claims (10)

Anti-tilt device for household appliance (20) comprising holding means (10) adapted to hold the household appliance (20) against a wall, characterized in that the holding means (10) are associated with a control member (17) adapted to cooperate with cut-off means (26) of a supply mounted on an electrical circuit of the household appliance (20) so as to authorize the operation of the appliance only if the household appliance (20) is held against a wall by the holding means (10). Anti-tilt device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control member (17) is adapted to cooperate with the cut-off means (26) so as to authorize the operation of the device only if the holding means (10) are fixed to the wall. Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the control member is a magnet (17) adapted to cooperate with a switch (26) mounted in series on the electrical circuit of the device household appliances (20). Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the holding means (10) comprise a finger (13) adapted to penetrate into a housing (24) provided at the rear (23) of the household appliance (20). Anti-tilt device according to claim 4, characterized in that the finger (13) has an opening (15) and the household appliance (20) has a projecting element (25) adapted to penetrate into the opening (15 ), and in that a spring (16) is adapted to exert an expulsion force on the protruding element (25) out of the opening (15) of the finger (13). Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the control member (17) is housed in the finger (13). Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the holding means (10) comprise portions of self-gripping material adapted to be fixed on complementary portions of self-gripping material fixed on the appliance (20). Household appliance, and in particular a dishwasher equipped with a hob (20), characterized in that it includes, as an accessory, an anti-tilt device according to one of Claims 1 to 7. Household appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a housing (24) in the lower part (23a) adapted to accommodate a finger (13) forming means for holding the anti-tilt device (10). Domestic appliance subject to tilting, characterized in that it includes, as an accessory, an anti-tilting device according to one of Claims 1 to 7.

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