EP2311347B1 - Closing element for closing a gap between built-in appliance and surrounding furniture - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a closure element for closing a gap between a first wall, in particular a wall of a household appliance, and a second wall, in particular a wall of a furniture body.

In this case, a gap is a gap with at least one open side between boundary walls, such as side walls, for example, a household appliance and a furniture body, which surrounds the household appliance either partially or adjacent to this is arranged. In addition, a gap denotes a space between boundary walls of a first and a second furniture body or between household appliance or a furniture body and a wall of a room.

The closing of a gap comprises at least partially closing or covering a gap opening, either directly between at least two end edges of the first and second walls delimiting the gap opening, or at a position within the gap.

It is known to install household appliances in the form of built-in appliances or sub-appliances in a furniture body. Since, for structural reasons, the outer dimensions of such a built-in appliance or base unit are smaller than the available installation space in the furniture body, a gap between the outer sides of the built-in appliance or sub-unit and the insides of the furniture body remains. Depending on the device model or depending on the width of the lateral furniture wall, this gap can be of different width, for example. The width of a gap is the distance of the gap defining walls from each other. For example, the thickness of the wall of the furniture body between 15 and 20 mm or between 16 and 19 mm, so that there may be a variation of the gap width. Other thicknesses of the gap limiting furniture walls are possible.

A corresponding gap between household appliance and a furniture body can be closed, for example, with the aid of an edge-reinforced closure element, for example a PVC piping, or another covering element. In this case, a magnetic strip can be integrated in the cover, with which it adheres to a metallic sheet metal wall of the corresponding household appliance. The assembly effort and the quality of the adhesion may be different, for example, due to a caused by the transport ripple of the cover or the magnetic properties of the device wall panel, which may depend for example on the thickness of the device wall panel.

DE 3 424 872 A1 describes a piping, which is insertable in a gap between a refrigerator and a furniture remodeling. This purpose is a hollow profile, while a soft lip covers the gap.

The invention is therefore based on the object to provide a closure element available that can close a gap between a household appliance and a furniture body by simple installation.

This object is solved by the features of the independent claims.

Advantageous embodiments and modifications of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

A household appliance is a device that is used for household management. Such a household appliance may be in the form of a built-in appliance or a base unit that can be installed in a furniture body or furniture conversion, such as a washing machine, a tumble dryer, a dishwasher, a cooking appliance, a coffee machine or a refrigerator. Under refrigeration device is in particular a household refrigeration appliance understood, such as a refrigerator, a freezer or a Kühlgefrierkombination.

A closure element for closing a gap between a first wall, in particular a wall of a household appliance, and a second wall, in particular a wall of a furniture body, according to the invention comprises a wall, which has a first end and a second end. The closure element comprises at least one latching device for latching the first and second end of the wall to form a spring force-applying hollow body. The hollow body can be introduced into the gap. The spring force generates a force acting on the first and the second wall, which contributes to a fixation of the hollow body in the gap. In this way it is possible to fix the hollow body in the gap, without having to take into account the properties, in particular the magnetic properties, of the boundary walls.

A spring force applying hollow body, so a resilient hollow body comprises a wall around a hollow space which has a basic shape in a relaxed state, which can be changed by the action of an external force, wherein a spring force generated by the wall of this external force counteracts to move the wall back to its original shape. Thus, the resilient hollow body of the closure element according to the invention can be brought, for example by manual force during assembly in such a shape that it has a cross-section in a width which is less than the width of the gap, d. H. the distance of the first from the second wall, so that the hollow body can be easily inserted into the gap. If then the manual force of the mechanic, presses the spring force of the hollow body whose wall at least partially against the first and the second wall of the household appliance and the furniture body. The resilient hollow body is chosen so that it has a corresponding cross-section in the relaxed ground state outside the gap, which is greater than the width of the gap, so that the resilient hollow body after insertion into the gap can not fully relax, but a force exercises the first and the second wall. The closure element consists for example of the resilient hollow body. It is also possible for the closure element to comprise a further component which at least partially closes the gap, and that the resilient hollow body primarily serves for fixing the closure element in the gap. In any case, the requirements on the nature of the gap-defining walls are low, which only need to be able to withstand the force exerted by the spring force of the hollow body on the walls force.

Preferably, the resilient hollow body can be fixed in the gap solely by the spring force applied by it. Although supportive other fasteners, such as For example, adhesive, screws, nails or magnetic strips possible, an advantage of the disclosed closure element according to the invention, however, is that further fastening means are not needed. Otherwise, possibly required holes, for example, for screws or nails, for example, in the furniture carcass omitted. Likewise, for example, damage to the boundary walls are avoided by otherwise possibly to be used adhesive. In addition, a subsequent introduction after final assembly of household appliances in or adjacent to the furniture carcass would be difficult, whereas an assembly of the closure element according to the invention is easily possible only after the final assembly of household appliance and furniture carcass.

Furthermore, the resilient hollow body is preferably in one piece. On the one hand, the resilient hollow body can be produced in a simple manner, for example, from a plastic in a mass production. Although a corresponding hollow body has a circumferential wall, but need not be closed on all sides. If, for example, it has the shape of a hollow rod, for example of a length suitable for closing a gap of its height, the height of the gap being the extension perpendicular to the width of the gap parallel to the gap opening, then the hollow body can engage two ends open, allowing for easy manufacture, for example as an endless body, which can be cut to the desired length for transport or final assembly. On the other hand, for example, it is particularly easy for a customer to carry out the assembly of the closure element itself. In addition, it can easily be checked by a customer or fitter, for example, as to whether all the closing elements required for assembly are included in the scope of delivery. In addition, this allows a manufacturer of household appliances, the invention provides closure elements with devices, a simple check for completeness of the scope of delivery in the goods issue control.

A resilient hollow body according to the invention may have different shapes, including different basic shapes, for example those of a quadrangle, for example a trapezoid, ie that of a quadrangle with at least one pair of parallel sides, provided that it is suitable for making the spring force required for fixing in the gap available , Preferred is an embodiment of the invention, wherein the resilient Hollow body has a parallelogram-shaped cross-section. A parallelogram as a lower form of a trapezoid has two mutually parallel opposite sides.

In the context of this invention, a quadrangle is to be understood as a substantially quadrangular shape having substantially straight sides, wherein the term side refers to an outer side of the wall delimiting the hollow body. The cross-section is substantially quadrangular, even if it is deformed for example because of the forces acting on it, for example during assembly forces or has connecting elements and contours of the sides, which cause a deviation from this exact quadrangular shape, for example, due to the manufacturing process or to produce the desired spring action ,

Due to the parallelogram shape, the resilient hollow body in this embodiment has two parallel sides, which are as optimal as possible after introduction into the gap caused by the spring force on the at least in conventional form and arrangement of household appliance and furniture body also substantially parallel first and second boundary wall transferred the gap. Due to the requirement that the resilient hollow body should exert a force on the boundary walls of the gap after introduction into the gap, the relevant cross-sectional shape of the parallelogram in this state is generally not a rectangle. Therefore, a positional difference of the leading edges of the boundary walls of the gap can be completely or at least partially compensated by the optionally visible crevice-forming side of the hollow body with parallelogrammförmigem cross-section in a visually pleasing to a viewer manner.

A resilient hollow body with a parallelogram cross-section also allows a particularly easy exact manual deformation during assembly of the closure element in the gap. Furthermore, the assembly is easy because a fitter does not have to pay attention to which of the two sides, which are not parallel to the boundary walls of the gap facing the viewer should be introduced into the gap, as long as the optics are designed similarly. In addition, either one or the other pair of parallel sides can be introduced parallel to the boundary walls in the gap, which for example to a Rationalization in the production of the closure elements can be used, which can be used for so under circumstances significantly different gap widths, for example, in the delivery of different sized home appliance types, but the same size of an enclosing furniture body.
It is advantageous if the resilient hollow body comprises at least one hinge, in particular at least one film hinge. A hinge is a connecting joint that connects, for example, two sides of the wall of the hollow body here. Although a hollow body with a suitable choice of material under certain circumstances can also deform without hinge, but to allow a controlled, reversible deformation, it is advantageous, the hollow body with at least one or more hinges, for example in a parallelogram-shaped cross-section, in particular optionally in the corners to provide. Other positions are possible, for example when choosing a different cross-sectional shape. In particular, the use of film hinges may be advantageous if the hollow body is made of a plastic. Film hinges are integrally formed with the elements to be connected and consist essentially of a more or less thin-walled connection, which allows by their flexibility limited rotational movement of the connected parts. The choice of the thickness of the compound allows it to influence the spring action of the hollow body during manufacture. A hinge extending, for example, over the entire height of the hollow body, wherein the height of the hollow body whose extension is parallel to the gap opening, may also be interrupted, ie consist of a plurality of subordinate hinges lying on a line.

According to the invention, the resilient hollow body comprises at least one latching device for latching two ends of the wall of the hollow body. Locking devices are robust, easy to use, can also be mounted by a customer and can also be designed so that they can act simultaneously as a hinge in the locked state. Furthermore, the at least allows a locking device to store or transport the wall before assembly as a hollow body in one or more parts, without storage space must be unnecessarily consumed for the cavity enclosed by the wall. In particular, the use of a single locking device allows space-saving storage and transport and at the same time a one-piece production of the wall. A latching device may, for example, extend over the entire height of the hollow body and, for example, may also be interrupted, that is, consist of a plurality of subordinate latching devices lying on a line.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the resilient hollow body comprises exactly one locking device and exactly four hinges, in particular exactly four film hinges. In particular, if the cross section of the hollow body is quadrangular, the hinges can be mounted along the edges, at each of which two of the four sides of a hollow body are merged, in which the fifth and the sixth side are open. Thus, for example, in the production of the wall of a plastic, the entire wall can be made in one piece, for example with a continuous casting profile with a suitable contour as a continuous strand, from which then the wall is separated in the desired size. The use of other manufacturing methods, such as block casting, is also possible.

Furthermore, it is preferred that the wall can be rolled up in the unlatched state. This allows a space-saving transport. Since a household appliance, such as a refrigerator, has a substantially empty interior, this can be used for the storage of the wall, which can close the entire gap, although the outer height of the household appliance and thus usually the gap to be closed usually is greater than the height, width or depth of the inner space.

In this case, a preferred embodiment provides that the wall in the unlocked state transversely, d. H. perpendicular, can be rolled up to a main direction of the resilient hollow body, wherein the main direction is defined by an extension of leading edges of the gap to be closed. The main direction of the resilient hollow body thus denotes the longitudinal extent, d. H. the direction of the line along which the hollow body expands after assembly in the gap. In the case of a lateral gap, this is for example along the height of the hollow body. For example, a typical folding direction of hinges of the hollow body is transverse to the rolling direction, whereby any existing deformations that could have been caused by the rolling of the wall, are completely or at least partially eliminated by locking to a hollow body.

Preferably, the wall of the resilient hollow body comprises a contour which generates the spring force at least partially. For this purpose, for example, the inside, ie, the cavity facing side of the wall have elevations and / or the Be concave inside to create a tension of the inner sides. The contour can be, for example, a start-up contour. Other feathering contours are possible.

A preferred embodiment provides that the spring force is at least partially generated by the fact that the wall has one or more areas that comprise a different material component than the rest of the wall. This area or these areas can also influence the spring force, for example, by their contour. Another material component may be, for example, another material, but also the same material, wherein its physical properties have been changed during the manufacturing process, for example, to create stresses in the wall.

The installation system according to the invention with a household appliance in a furniture body and at least one gap between a first wall of the household appliance and a second wall of the furniture body builds on the generic state of the art in that the at least one gap is closed by at least one inventive closure element. Again, closing a gap is to be understood as meaning the complete or at least partial closing or covering of the gap.

In this way, the described advantages and special features of the closure element according to the invention are also implemented within the framework of a built-in system.

In addition, the invention comprises the use of a closure element according to the invention for closing a gap between a first wall of a household appliance and a second wall of a furniture body, whereby the described advantageous features of the closure element according to the invention in particular when used for closing the gap between a household appliance and a furniture body be implemented.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiment.

Figur 1

eine schematische perspektivische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Verschlusselements in einem Spalt aus zwei verschiedenen Blickrichtungen;

Figur 2

eine schematische Draufsicht auf ein erfindungsgemäßes Verschlusselement;

Figur 3

eine erste schematische Draufsicht auf ein erfindungsgemäßes Verschlusselement in einem Spalt;

Figur 4

eine zweite schematische Draufsicht auf ein erfindungsgemäßes Verschlusselement in einem Spalt;

Figur 5

eine schematische Seitenansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Verschlusselements in einem nicht montierten Zustand;

Figur 6

eine schematische perspektivische Darstellung eines Teils einer Wandung eines erfindungsgemäßen Verschlusselements im nicht verrasteten Zustand mit angedeuteter Rollrichtung.

Show it:

FIG. 1

a schematic perspective view of a closure element according to the invention in a gap from two different directions of view;

FIG. 2

a schematic plan view of an inventive closure element;

FIG. 3

a first schematic plan view of an inventive closure element in a gap;

FIG. 4

a second schematic plan view of an inventive closure element in a gap;

FIG. 5

a schematic side view of a closure element according to the invention in a non-assembled state;

FIG. 6

a schematic perspective view of a portion of a wall of a closure element according to the invention in the non-latched state with indicated rolling direction.

In the following description of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar components.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a closure element according to the invention in a gap from two different directions of view. The resilient hollow body 10 is located in a gap 12 between a first wall 14, for example, a household appliance, and a second wall 16, for example, a furniture body. The closure element shown presses on the first wall 14 and on the second wall 16, so that it is fixed in the gap 12 without any further fastening means and closes it, wherein the closure relates to the front gap opening facing the viewer.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view of an inventive closure element. The closure element consists of a resilient hollow body 10 with a parallelogram-shaped cross-section. A surface pressure 18 due to the spring force generated by the closure element is indicated by arrows. The corner regions of the wall 30, at which touch the four sides of the parallelogram are formed as hinges 20, 22, 24, 26, for example as film hinges. The wall 30 also has a locking device 28, with which the two ends of the folded, integrally manufactured, for example, as an endless profile wall 30 are locked. The wall 30 has on its inside over contours 32, for example starting contours, which help to produce the spring action of the hollow body.

FIG. 3 shows a first schematic plan view of an inventive closure element in a gap. The closure element is formed by a resilient hollow body 10, which is inserted into a gap 12 between a first wall 14 and a second wall 16, for example, a household appliance such as a built-in refrigerator and freezer, and a furniture body for built-in appliances wherein the first wall 14 has a leading edge 34 and the second wall has a leading edge 36. The wall 30 of the resilient hollow body 10 with four hinges 20, 22, 24, 26 and a latching device 28 terminates flush with the front edge 34 of the first wall 14. Thus, the entire width 38 of the gap is closed, wherein the parallelogram-shaped hollow body 10 protrudes by a distance 40 relative to the front edge 34 of the first wall 14 and thus at least partially visually compensates for the difference from the further leading edge 36 of the second wall 16, wherein the closure element has been introduced into the gap 12 along the insertion direction 42 indicated by arrows. At a thickness of the second wall 16, which may be a furniture wall, for example, 19 mm, the gap width 38, for example, 12 mm and the distance 40, for example, 11 mm. For example, in a non-illustrated embodiment, the closure member may also be dimensioned to be flush with both the leading edge 34 of the first wall 14 and the leading edge 36 of the second wall 16. FIG. 4 shows a second schematic plan view of an inventive closure element in a gap. Only the differences to the in FIG. 3 illustrated first plan view explained. If FIG. 3 the gap between one Household appliance and a right side adjacent wall of a furniture body shows, shows FIG. 4 a gap between a wall of a household appliance and a left side adjacent wall of a furniture body. In the example shown, the size ratios differ. The width 38 of the gap 12 is slightly larger, for example 15 mm instead of 12 mm. Due to the flexible shape of the resilient hollow body 10 and this gap 12 is closed by the hollow body. The distance 40 of the wall 30 from the front edge 34 of the first wall 14, which may belong to a household appliance, is therefore for example only 6 mm. The second wall 16 could, for example, be 16 mm thick.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view of a closure element according to the invention in a non-assembled state. In this case, the latching device 28 is not yet locked and the wall 30 is not yet folded on the hinges 20, 22, 24, 26 to form a hollow body. Significantly, the contour 32 can be seen, which helps to produce a spring action. In this state, the closure element can be cut from a continuous strand and rolled.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic perspective view of a portion of a wall 30 of a closure element according to the invention in non-latched state with indicated rolling direction. Locking device 28, hinges 20, 22, 24, 26, which are not yet folded and the later lying on the inside of the wall 30 contour 32 for influencing the spring force of the hollow body are in their main orientation transverse to the direction indicated by arrows rolling direction 44th

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

hollow body

12

gap

14

first wall

16

second wall

18

surface pressure

20

hinge

22

hinge

24

hinge

26

hinge

28

locking device

30

Wall of the hollow body

32

contour

34

Leading edge of the first wall

36

Leading edge of the second wall

38

Width of the gap

40

Distance from the first leading edge

42

insertion direction

44

rolling direction

Claims (12)

1. Closure member for closing a gap (12) between a first wall (14), in particular a wall (14) of a domestic appliance, and a second wall (16), in particular a wall (16) of a furniture carcase, comprising
   a wall (30) which has a first end and a second end,
   and
   at least one latching device (28) for latching the first end and the second end of the wall (30) in order to form a hollow body (10) creating a spring force,
   wherein the hollow body (10) can be introduced into the gap (12),
   wherein the spring force generates a force acting on the first wall (14) and the second wall (16), said force contributing to fixing the hollow body (10) in the gap (12).
2. Closure member according to claim 1, characterised in that the hollow body (10) can only be fixed in the gap (12) by the spring force created by said hollow body (10).
3. Closure member according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the hollow body (10) is formed in one piece.
4. Closure member according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the hollow body (10) has a parallelogram-shaped cross-section.
5. Closure member according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the hollow body (10) comprises at least one hinge (20, 22, 24, 26), in particular a living hinge.
6. Closure member according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the hollow body (10) comprises exactly one latch device (28) and exactly four hinges (20, 22, 24, 26), in particular exactly four living hinges.
7. Closure member according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that in the unlatched state the wall (30) can be rolled up.
8. Closure member according to claim 7, characterised in that in the unlatched state the wall (30) can be rolled up transversely to a main direction of the hollow body (10), wherein the main direction is defined by an extension of front edges (34, 36) of the gap (12) to be closed.
9. Closure member according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall (30) comprises a contour (32) which at least in part generates the spring force.
10. Closure member according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the spring force is generated at least in part in that the wall (30) has one or more regions which comprises a material component different from the rest of the wall.
11. Mounting system having a domestic appliance and a furniture carcase and at least one gap (12) between a first wall (14) of the domestic appliance and a second wall (16) of the furniture carcase, characterised in that the at least one gap (12) is closed by at least one closure member according to one of the preceding claims.
12. Use of a closure member according to one of claims 1 to 10 for closing a gap (12) between a first wall (14) of the domestic appliance and a second wall (16) of a furniture carcase.

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