EP2330050A1 - Bauteil eines Haushaltsgeräts und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung - Google Patents

Bauteil eines Haushaltsgeräts und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2330050A1
EP2330050A1 EP20090015117 EP09015117A EP2330050A1 EP 2330050 A1 EP2330050 A1 EP 2330050A1 EP 20090015117 EP20090015117 EP 20090015117 EP 09015117 A EP09015117 A EP 09015117A EP 2330050 A1 EP2330050 A1 EP 2330050A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
marking
component
sealing
body portion
shape
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP20090015117
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Claudio Paschini
Richard Schadt
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.)
Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Original Assignee
Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
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 Electrolux Home Products Corp NV filed Critical Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Priority to EP20090015117 priority Critical patent/EP2330050A1/de
Publication of EP2330050A1 publication Critical patent/EP2330050A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D51/24—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes
    • B65D51/245—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes provided with decoration, information or contents indicating devices, labels
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
    • A47L15/42—Details
    • A47L15/4229—Water softening arrangements
    • A47L15/4231—Constructional details of the salt container or the ion exchanger
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
    • A47L15/42—Details
    • A47L15/44—Devices for adding cleaning agents; Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants
    • A47L15/4409—Devices for adding cleaning agents; Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants by tipping containers or opening their lids, e.g. with the help of a programmer
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
    • B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
    • B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
    • B65D41/0435—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with separate sealing elements
    • B65D41/0442—Collars or rings

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to components of a domestic appliance, such as washing machines, dish washers and the like, as well as to a method of producing the same.
  • Domestic appliances comprise several parts which are to be provided with a sealing and with a marking, such as for example the cap of a salt container or of a detergent container of a dish washer.
  • a sealing to provide for a water-tight closure of the salt or detergent container
  • a marking such as text or symbols so as to provide for indications of use of the component.
  • the component is made of a molded plastic material
  • markings are formed directly into the component during the molding process, so that the marking comprises an integral part of the component which protrudes from the component or comprises an embossing in the component.
  • An example of such a component of a domestic appliance in which a marking is applied as an embossing during the molding process is shown in DE 101 41 634 A1 .
  • the markings can be formed at relatively low costs, since no individual manufacturing step is required to produce the marking, an inherent disadvantage of such integral markings is that they necessarily have the same color as the component and therefore often are only poorly visible. While in such embossed or recessed markings, the visibility can be improved by enlarging the thickness or the recessing of the marking, this at the same time results in problems in terms of handling and soiling, because due to the larger height or depth of the marking, the probability increases that soil particles adhere to the marking.
  • An alternative method of providing for a marking is to apply a separate marking onto the component such as by printing or by attaching preformed markings onto the component. While in this manner markings can be produced which have a different colour than the component on which the marking is applied, so that visibility or legibility of the marking is improved, the complexity and hence the costs of the manufacturing process are significantly increased. Furthermore, when the marking is printed onto a component which is to be used in a harsh environment, such as in a dish washer where the component comes into contact not only with the humidity within the washing chamber but further with chemicals such as detergents, rinse aids, water softening agents and the like and all the more is exposed to a wide temperature range, these printed markings often are not very durable but are washed off after a certain time of use.
  • the above object is solved in accordance with the present invention, in that the body portion comprises a molded plastic part, and both the sealing and the marking are made of an elastic material that is molded to the body portion.
  • a sealing of a component of a domestic appliance is a sealing facility that seals a contact area of said component against another component of said domestic appliance, preferably in an essentially liquid-tight and/or essentially air or moisture-tight manner.
  • a marking of a component of a domestic appliance is a marking facility of said component that is visually and/or tactile perceptible by a user of the domestic appliance as a visible and/or tactile indication.
  • the marking can provide visible and/or tactile information to the user.
  • the information provided by the marking relates directly or indirectly to the component that comprises the marking.
  • the marking comprises a pictogram. Said pictogram preferably provides visible information relating to the component that comprises the marking.
  • the marking thus is formed from the same elastic material which is used to form the sealing.
  • the marking can be provided in the same manner as or concurrently with providing the sealing onto the component. That is, not only can the same manufacturing tools be used to provide the sealing and the marking, but further is the marking made of a material, the suitability of which for the specific conditions of use of the component already have been approved, since the marking is made of the same material as it is used for the sealing.
  • the marking can either be made of a material which already has been proved to be suitable as a molded sealing, or, if a new material is to be used for the sealing and the marking, no separate evaluation on suitability has to be made for the sealing and the marking.
  • the sealing and the marking can be made of a thermocurable polymer composition or an elastomeric rubber material, such as ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM).
  • EPDM ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber
  • the sealing and the marking can be formed on the same or on different sides of the body portion, the marking and correspondingly also the sealing can be provided in a recess or a through hole which is provided in the body portion.
  • a through hole can be provided in the body portion, so that the sealing and the marking can be formed in a single molding step in which the elastic material is injected into the mold from a single side.
  • a recess or through hole can be formed in the component, the shape of which recess or through hole corresponds to the shape of the marking. Applying the marking into such a recess or through hole not only allows to provide for markings that do not or not substantially protrude from the surface in which they are formed, so that the marking is not prone to spoiling, but also can increase the stability with which the marking is applied to the component.
  • the elastic material is visually discriminable from the body portion such as by having a different brightness and/or a different color than the body portion.
  • the elastic material preferably is a material which provides for a large contrast to the plastic material of which the body portion is made.
  • the concept suggested herein can be applied to any component of a domestic appliance which is to be provided with a sealing and a marking, as it applies to any domestic appliances in which the component during its use is exposed to liquids or to humidity, such as washing machines, dish washers, refrigerators, cooking utensils and the like, the present concept is considered to be of particular advantage when applied to components of a water-bearing domestic appliance, such as a laundry washing machine or dish washer, such as the cover of a container for chemical additives such as detergent containers, rinse agent containers, or containers for a water softening agent such as regenerative salt.
  • a water-bearing domestic appliance such as a laundry washing machine or dish washer
  • a container for chemical additives such as detergent containers, rinse agent containers, or containers for a water softening agent such as regenerative salt.
  • the above object is solved by a method for producing a component of a domestic appliance, which component comprises a body portion, a sealing and a marking, wherein the method comprises forming both said sealing and said marking by injection molding an elastic material onto the body portion.
  • the method generally can be implemented either as an over-molding process, that is as a process in which the body portion is prefabricated in a first molding process and then, is placed into an injection molding apparatus in which the said elastic material is injected on the body portion so as to form the sealing and the marking.
  • the method of the present invention also can be implemented as a co-injection process, that is as a two-component molding process in which in a first process step a thermocurable material is injected so as to form the body portion and in a second step an elastic material is injected so as to mold the sealing and the marking.
  • thermocurable material for the body portion is injected and then the softer elastic material is injected of which the sealing and the marking are formed.
  • thermocurable material for the body portion is injected and then the softer elastic material is injected of which the sealing and the marking are formed.
  • Such two-component molding process can be implemented in any conventional manner, such as by using a molding apparatus wherein access to the individual mold cavities for the body portion, the sealing and the marking is provided for example by means of gates, rotary tables, shifting plates and the like.
  • FIG. 1 shows a cover 10 for the salt container of a dish washer (not shown), as it is usually provided in the bottom of the tub of a dish washer.
  • Cap 10 comprises threads 12 by means of which the cover can be screwed onto the fill opening of the salt container.
  • cover 10 is provided with a sealing member 14 which is molded onto the bottom side of cover 10 about the circumference of cover 10 where it contacts the upper rim of the salt container.
  • cover member 10 is provided at its upper side with a marking 14 which designates that cover 10 is the cover of the salt container: While the sealing 14 and the marking 16 could be molded onto cover 10 from different sides of cover 10, i.e. by using a first mold cavity into which the elastic material for the sealing is injected and using a second mold cavity into which the sealing material for the marking 16 is injected, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , marking 16 is formed by providing correspondingly shaped through holes within the cover member 10, the shape of which through holes correspond to the shape of the marking 16, and which through holes, during the molding process, are filled with elastic material from the bottom side of the cover member 10.
  • a molding apparatus can be used which comprises a single mold cavity both for the sealing and the marking. While in such an embodiment the finished product may comprise some elastic material in a region 18 connecting the sealing 14 and the marking 16, which connection region 18 neither serves sealing nor marking purposes, the additional material costs of such connecting portion 18 are by far compensated by the savings in tooling that can be achieved by being able to inject the material for the sealing and the marking via a single injection nozzle.
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 there is shown a further example of a component made in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 show the cover member of a detergent container and a rinse aid container, which either may be manufactured as a single part or which are designed as separate components.
  • cover member for the detergent container and the rinse aid container is designed as a single part 20 comprising a first lid 22 and a second lid 24 which both are hingedly connected to cover member 20.
  • lid 22 constitutes the lid of a detergent container into which detergent in powder of tablet form is filled.
  • Lid 24 comprises the lid of a rinse aid container into which a liquid rinse aid is filled.
  • lid 22 is automatically opened during each washing process so as to release at a certain time during the washing process the detergent contained in the detergent container, lid 24 only is opened for refilling purposes, whereas the addition of the rinse aid to the washing liquid is effected via automatic release means (not shown).
  • lid 22 comprises at its lower side a sealing portion 26 which is molded onto the lid 22 and which seals the opening of the detergent container when the lid 22 is closed.
  • Lid 22 is provided with a marking 30 which indicates to a user of a dish washer that lid 22 is the cover of the detergent container.
  • Marking 30 can be a symbol, as shown in FIG. 3 , but also could be letters, numbers or the like. Marking 30 is formed by providing corresponding through holes within lid 22 which through holes, during the manufacturing process, are filled with the elastic material of which the sealing portion 26 is made.
  • the mold cavity for the elastic material comprises a connecting portion which connects sealing portion 26 with the central portion where marking 30 is to be formed, so that the finished product comprises a connecting portion 28, as shown in FIG. 4 .
  • the sealing and the marking may also be formed as a continuous single piece of elastic material, as it is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for lid 24 of the rinse aid container.
  • lid 22 also rinse aid lid 24 is provided with a plurality of through holes in the shape of a marking 32 which provide for a visual indication that lid 24 is the cover of the rinse aid container.
  • the lower or rear side of lid 24 is provided with a sealing portion the shape of which corresponds to that of a fill opening 34 of the rinse aid container.
  • sealing portion 36 for the rinse aid container is not an annular rim of elastic material, but rather is part of a continuous area which is molded onto the bottom or rear side of lid 24 and which covers both the sealing portion 36 and the central portion where the marking 32 is to be formed.
  • the plastic material of the body portion and the elastic material of which the sealing and the marking are formed should be selected to have a high contrast so as to provide for a good visibility of the marking.
  • a light color such as white or light grey could be used for the cover member
  • a dark elastic material preferably a black elastic material, such as thermocurable polymer compositions or elastomeric rubber materials could be used for forming the sealing and the marking.
  • components of domestic appliances can be manufactured in a cost-effective manner, wherein no individual manufacturing steps are required to attach the sealing and to apply a marking, and wherein by using for the marking the same material as is used for the sealings, particularly durable markings can be formed which can be clearly distinguished from the components on which these markings are formed and which do not lose their visibility even after extended use of the component.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP20090015117 2009-12-07 2009-12-07 Bauteil eines Haushaltsgeräts und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung Withdrawn EP2330050A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20090015117 EP2330050A1 (de) 2009-12-07 2009-12-07 Bauteil eines Haushaltsgeräts und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20090015117 EP2330050A1 (de) 2009-12-07 2009-12-07 Bauteil eines Haushaltsgeräts und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2330050A1 true EP2330050A1 (de) 2011-06-08

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EP20090015117 Withdrawn EP2330050A1 (de) 2009-12-07 2009-12-07 Bauteil eines Haushaltsgeräts und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102011080842A1 (de) * 2011-08-11 2013-02-14 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Geschirrspülmaschine mit mindestens einer mit Anordnungshinweisen versehenen Spülgut-Aufnahmestruktur

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4444329A (en) * 1982-09-29 1984-04-24 Vollers Gary L Container cap and seal formation of indicia
FR2775959A1 (fr) * 1998-03-13 1999-09-17 Plastiques De France Ind Bouchon filete inviolable bi-matiere pour bouteilles et son procede de fabrication
WO2002069779A1 (en) * 2001-03-02 2002-09-12 Eltek S.P.A. Washing agents dispenser device for a dishwashing machine
US20080197530A1 (en) * 2007-02-16 2008-08-21 Ming-Yuan Wu Method for fabricating a three dimensional emblem
US20080223417A1 (en) * 2004-11-08 2008-09-18 Eltek S.P.A. Washing Agent Dispenser for a Household Washing Machine, in Particular a Dishwasher, and Process for Manufacturing Said Dispenser

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4444329A (en) * 1982-09-29 1984-04-24 Vollers Gary L Container cap and seal formation of indicia
FR2775959A1 (fr) * 1998-03-13 1999-09-17 Plastiques De France Ind Bouchon filete inviolable bi-matiere pour bouteilles et son procede de fabrication
WO2002069779A1 (en) * 2001-03-02 2002-09-12 Eltek S.P.A. Washing agents dispenser device for a dishwashing machine
US20080223417A1 (en) * 2004-11-08 2008-09-18 Eltek S.P.A. Washing Agent Dispenser for a Household Washing Machine, in Particular a Dishwasher, and Process for Manufacturing Said Dispenser
US20080197530A1 (en) * 2007-02-16 2008-08-21 Ming-Yuan Wu Method for fabricating a three dimensional emblem

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102011080842A1 (de) * 2011-08-11 2013-02-14 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Geschirrspülmaschine mit mindestens einer mit Anordnungshinweisen versehenen Spülgut-Aufnahmestruktur
DE102011080842B4 (de) * 2011-08-11 2016-06-23 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Geschirrspülmaschine mit mindestens einer mit Anordnungshinweisen versehenen Spülgut-Aufnahmestruktur
US9510729B2 (en) 2011-08-11 2016-12-06 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Dishwasher with at least one receiving structure for items to be washed that is provided with arrangement directions

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