EP1172061B1 - Anti-tip assembly for a domestic appliance - Google Patents

Description

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

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

Many appliances are subject to failover. In particular, dishwashers, equipped with a folding front door, are likely to rock or be shaken when opening this door.

This switching or shaking of the appliance is even more troublesome when this appliance is equipped, in its upper plane, a hob.

The tilting of the appliance may then cause overflows in the containers during cooking on the table or even falling objects.

Various systems are known to date used to maintain an appliance, including a dishwasher, against the wall.

In particular, it is common to use a bracket screwed into the wall, this bracket coming to be embedded in the back of the dishwasher, for example above the tank. US-A-5,076,525 also describes a cooking appliance with a bracket coming to fit at the rear, at the bottom of the appliance.

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

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

For this purpose, the anti-tilt device of the invention comprises 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 for switching off a power supply of the apparatus mounted on an electric circuit of the appliance in order to allow the operation of the appliance. the apparatus only if the appliance is held against a wall by the holding means.

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

The correct installation of the anti-tilt device therefore becomes mandatory if, in the opposite case, the cut-off means control the cut-off of the supply of the device. Therefore the operation of the apparatus is prohibited as long as the breaking means do not cooperate with the control member of the anti-tilt device.

According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the control member is adapted to cooperate with the cutoff means so as to allow the operation of the apparatus only if the holding means are fixed to the wall.

This arrangement makes it possible to ensure that the operation of the appliance can be obtained only when it is correctly positioned relative to the anti-tilt device and when the anti-tilt device is itself properly fixed to the wall.

This provision makes it possible to thwart any deceptive installation that would consist only in correctly placing the holding means with respect to the appliance without fixing the means for holding the wall.

Fixing the anti-tilt device on the wall is essential to use the 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 appliance.

Thanks to the remote or close positioning of the magnet relative to the switch, it is easy to allow the operation or not of the device, 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 penetrate into a housing provided at the rear of the appliance.

This anti-tilt device is particularly simple to implement and prohibits any tilting of the appliance relative to the finger attached to the wall.

According to another aspect of the invention, an appliance, and in particular a dishwasher equipped with a hob, comprises as an accessory an anti-tilt device according to the present invention.

The operation of such an appliance is only allowed when the anti-tilt device is properly fixed to the wall and positioned relative to the appliance.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent 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 accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of an anti-tip device according to one embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the anti-tilt device of Figure 1 with a broken part;
• Figure 3 illustrates a dishwasher equipped with an anti-tilt device as shown in Figures 1 and 2; and
• Figure 4 is an enlarged view of detail A of the dishwasher of Figure 3.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an anti-tilt device according to one embodiment of the invention will be described.

This anti-tilt device is provided to allow a stable attachment of a household appliance, for example a dishwasher equipped with a hob as described later with reference to Figure 3.

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

The anti-tip device illustrated in Figure 1 comprises holding means 10 for holding the device against a wall. These holding means 10 comprise first of all a fixing plate 11 which makes it possible to secure the anti-tilt device on a wall.

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

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

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

This finger 13 keeps the appliance in position and prevent the tilting thereof around this finger.

Fixing this finger 13 on the fixing plate 11 can be reinforced in a conventional manner by the presence of reinforcement wings 14, here two in number, forming a bracket between the finger 13 and the fixing plate 11.

This finger 13 has a substantially parallelepipedal shape, extending perpendicularly 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 from its free end 13a.

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

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

This spring 16, here a conventional helical spring, extends substantially to the right of the slot 15, in the extension of the slot portion 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 arranged near the free end 13a of the finger 13, facing a side wall of the finger 13.

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

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

We will now describe, with reference to Figures 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 appliance is a dishwasher 20 having a front folding door 21 and equipped in its upper part with a hob 22.

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

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

By placing this housing 24 in the underbase 23a, bottom and back of the dishwasher, the finger 13 in place in the housing 24 prevents any separation of the soil from the back of the dishwasher.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the dishwasher 20 comprises 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 of a plastic blade extending substantially vertically in the housing 24 and in the center thereof.

This plastic blade 25 is adapted to fit into the slot 15, against the expulsion force exerted by the spring 16 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 electric circuit of the dishwasher, for example in series with a start command of a wash cycle.

It is thus impossible to start a washing cycle if the switch is open.

The operation of the anti-tilt device and the dishwasher 20 comprising this device as an accessory will now be described.

The anti-tilt device is first fixed to the wall by means of screws passing through the fixing plate 11.

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

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

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

Due to the presence of the spring 16 exerting an expelling force on the plastic blade 25, the free engagement of the finger 13 in the rear housing 24 is impossible if the anti-tilt 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 from the housing 24.

Fixing the finger 13 on the wall is therefore essential to use the dishwasher.

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

It can be seen that, thanks to the invention, it is impossible to control the operation of the dishwasher until the anti-tilt 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.

Proper installation of the anti-tip device associated with the dishwasher therefore becomes mandatory since the dishwasher does not work without it.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment 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-tilt devices on the same household appliance is possible, and possibly different anti-tilt devices.

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

Such an anti-tilt device can also be used for any domestic appliance supplied with electricity, gas, water or any other energy, which is subject to tipping and whose instability could generate any risk.

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

Moreover, the power supply circuit of the household appliance whose operation is authorized by a control member of the anti-tilt device may be different.

Instead of controlling the starting electrical circuit of a wash cycle, this switch can control a general power cut of the device, a shutdown of the heating systems or a general electronic shutdown.

It may be possible to envisage different cut-off means which would make it possible to cut off via a solenoid valve the supply and the water filling of the dishwasher, or to actuate a solenoid valve enabling the gas supply of a plate to be cut off or not. cooking equipment on the top of the dishwasher.

Claims (10)

1. Anti-tilt device for a domestic electrical appliance (20) comprising holding means (10) adapted to hold the domestic electrical appliance (20) against a wall, characterised in that the holding means (10) are associated with a control member (17) adapted to cooperate with means (26) of cutting off a power supply mounted on an electrical circuit of the domestic electrical appliance (20) so as to allow the functioning of the appliance only if the domestic electrical appliance (20) is held against a wall by the holding means (10).
2. Anti-tilt device according to claim 1, characterised in that the control member (17) is adapted to cooperate with the cutoff means (26) so as to allow the functioning of the appliance only if the holding means (10) are fixed to the wall.
3. Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the control member is a magnet (17) adapted to cooperate with a switch (26) connected in series with the electrical circuit of the domestic electrical appliance (20).
4. Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the holding means (10) comprise a finger (13) adapted to enter a housing (24) provided at the rear (23) of the domestic electrical appliance (20).
5. Anti-tilt device according to claim 4, characterised in that the finger (13) comprises an opening (15) and the domestic electrical appliance (20) comprises a projecting element (25) adapted to enter the opening (15), and in that a spring (16) is adapted to exert an expulsion force on the projecting element (25) out of the opening (15) in the finger (13).
6. Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterised in that the control member (17) is housed in the finger (13).
7. Anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the holding means (10) comprise portions of self-gripping material adapted to be fixed to complementary portions of self-gripping material fixed to the domestic electrical appliance (20).
8. Domestic electrical appliance, and in particular a dishwasher equipped with a hob (20), characterised in that it comprises as an accessory an anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 to 7.
9. Domestic electrical appliance according to claim 8, characterised in that it comprises a housing (24) at the bottom part (23a) adapted to house a finger (13) forming means of holding the anti-tilt device (10).
10. Domestic appliance subject to tilting, characterised in that it comprises as an accessory an anti-tilt device according to one of claims 1 to 7.

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