EP2655721B1

EP2655721B1 - Electrical household appliance with a rotatable panel

Info

Publication number: EP2655721B1
Application number: EP11810678.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pier Andrea Pracchi; Egle Armonaviciute; Alessia Negromanti; Maurizio Baldini; Silvio Pagliaro
Original assignee: Indesit Co SpA
Current assignee: Whirlpool EMEA SpA
Priority date: 2010-12-21
Filing date: 2011-12-20
Publication date: 2014-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 2031-12-20
Also published as: RU2013133176A; RU2606704C2; ITRN20100078A1; EP2655721A2; WO2012085843A2; WO2012085827A3; RU2016104171A; PL2655721T3; WO2012085827A2; WO2012085843A3; EP2655723B1; EP2655723A2; ES2530020T3; RU2016104171A3

Description

Technical Field

This invention relates to an electrical household appliance for washing laundry, typically a laundry washing machine or a washer-dryer.

Background Art

Known in the prior art is a laundry washing machine which comprises:

a washing compartment;
means for delivering detergent to the washing compartment and comprising a first zone for receiving the detergent introduced from outside the electrical household appliance and a second zone, adjacent the first and interposed along the delivery means between the washing compartment and the first zone. The first and second zones are made in an extractable drawer for holding the detergent.

To enable liquid detergents to be used, a separator panel is provided to prevent the detergent from flowing freely from the first zone to the second. This allows the liquid detergent to be held back and released into the tank in predetermined time windows during the washing cycle, thereby optimizing the action of the detergent. This feature also allows the user to visually check how much detergent there is in the drawer. The separator panel stops the detergent from flowing out of the drawer and the user can thus measure the amount of detergent using references provided in the drawer -the references may even be very approximate: for example, the distance between the surface of the detergent and the upper edge of a containment wall-. When the detergent must be made to flow out, a dispensing device allows washing water into the first zone and the liquid detergent mixed with the washing water overflows from the first zone to the second zone. Also, since the separator panel is not hermetically sealed (there are small channels at the bottom of the separator panel) the liquid in the first zone very slowly seeps out of the first zone and eventually finds it way into the second zone and from there into the washing tank.
In one prior art solution, the separator panel is movable between:

a first position where it lies vertically between the first zone and the second in such a way as to hold back the liquid detergent;
a second, substantially horizontal position where it lies above the channel defined by the first and second zones.

To allow this movement, the drawer comprises means for sliding the separator panel; these sliding means comprise guides extending along the second zone; by pushing the upper portion of the separator panel (in the first position) towards the second zone, these guides allow the separator panel to be tipped over, more specifically, the upper portion of the separator panel is made to surmount the second zone, whilst the rest of the separator panel surmounts the first zone.
This solution is not free of disadvantages due to the fact that the guide means are very thin and may break during the passage between the first position and the second.
Another drawback of this solution is that the water nozzle must be placed further forward (that is, closer to the drawer faceplate) in order to prevent the jet of water from striking the separator panel when the latter is in the second, horizontal position. Obviously, this further constructional constraint is certainly inconvenient for designers because it means that a large number of components need to be squeezed into a relatively small space.
Document EP1350882A2 discloses a washing machine comprising a detachable partition member arranged in the detergent chamber which either partitions the chamber into a secondary detergent storing section to perform preliminary washing and a main detergent storing section to perform the subsequent main washing, or provides the entire chamber as the main detergent storing section to perform washing without preliminary washing.

Disclosure of the Invention

In this context, the technical purpose which forms the basis of this invention is to propose an electrical household appliance that overcomes the above mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.
In particular, this invention has for an aim to provide an electrical household appliance capable of optimizing component layout.
Another aim of the invention is to provide an electrical household appliance which improves the structural solidity of its components.
The technical purpose indicated and the aims specified are substantially achieved by an electrical household appliance comprising the technical features described in claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention are more apparent in the non-limiting description which follows of a preferred non-limiting embodiment of an electrical household appliance illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of an electrical household appliance according to this invention;
Figures 2 and 3 show top views of a detergent drawer of the electrical household appliance of Figure 1, the drawer being in two distinct operating conditions;
Figures 4 and 5 show perspective views of the detergent drawer of Figures 2 and 3 in two distinct operating conditions;
Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a detergent drawer for an electrical household appliance according to this invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

In the description below, reference is made to Figures 1 to 6. In these figures, the reference numeral 1 denotes an electrical household appliance for washing laundry. The electrical household appliance 1 comprises:

a washing compartment 2 (which typically accommodates a rotary drum for the laundry to be washed);
means 3 for delivering detergent to the washing compartment 2. Conveniently, the means 3 for delivering detergent to the washing compartment 2 do not contain a siphon.

The means 3 for delivering detergent comprise:

a first zone 31 for receiving the detergent introduced from outside the electrical household appliance 1;
a second zone 32, adjacent the first zone 31 and interposed along the delivery means 3 between the washing compartment 2 and the first zone 31.

The electrical household appliance 1 comprises a panel 4 interposed between the first and the second zone 31, 32. The panel 4 is movable between a first and a second configuration. In the second configuration the panel 4 occludes a section 40 for the passage between the first and the second zone 31, 32 which is larger than in the first configuration. Conveniently, in the second configuration, too, the panel 4 is not hermetically sealed. More specifically, it allows liquid to flow over the top of the panel 4, and/or under the panel and/or laterally.
The panel 4 is movable rotatably about an axis of rotation 41 oriented substantially according to the physical vertical. The physical vertical coincides with the plumb-line direction. The panel 4 advantageously extends mainly in a vertical direction.
In the second configuration, the panel 4 extends substantially transversely (preferably at right angles, see embodiment illustrated) to a detergent outflow direction in the first and second zones 31, 32. In the first configuration, the panel 4 is rotated by an angle between 65° and 115° relative to the second configuration (preferably, in the first configuration, the panel 4 is rotated by an angle of approximately 90° relative to the second configuration).
Conveniently, the panel 4 is a butterfly valve 42. Conveniently, the butterfly valve 42 comprises:

a fulcrum 421 through which the axis of rotation 41 passes;
two wings 422 which extend away from the fulcrum 421, preferably in two opposite directions.

Conveniently, the wings 422 extend vertically. The upper edge of the two wings forms a concavity 425 facing upwards. The concavity 425 facilitates overflowing of the water and detergent mixture from the first zone 31 to the second 32 when the panel 4 is in the second configuration.
The electrical household appliance 1 comprises a drawer 60 for holding a detergent. The drawer 60 defines a tray 30 integrating the first and second zones 31, 32. The drawer 60 is movable between a first position where it is inside a housing 6 of the electrical household appliance 1 and a second position where it is at least partly outside the housing 6 to allow the detergent to be placed in the first zone 31. The tray 30 is integrated as a single part in the drawer 60 (more specifically, in the main body 61 of the drawer, as described in more detail below). Conveniently, the drawer 60 is extractable along a first direction. Conveniently, the axis of rotation 41 of the panel 4 is vertical and at right angles to the first direction. Conveniently, downstream of the drawer 60, the means 3 for delivering the detergent comprise a hopper 301 which contributes to channelling the liquid from the drawer 60 towards the washing compartment 2. Conveniently, the panel 4 is made of plastic material. Conveniently, the drawer 60 is also made of plastic material.
When the tray 30 is in the second position, the wings 422 of the butterfly valve 42 are directly accessible to a user, allowing the valve 42 to be turned about the axis of rotation 41. More specifically, in the second position, the wings 422 of the butterfly valve 42 are directly accessible to a user. More specifically, in the second position, the wings 422 of the butterfly valve 42 are directly accessible to a user from above (for example, moving from the top down - following the gravity acceleration vector - along a straight line coinciding with the axis of rotation 41).
Conveniently, the electrical household appliance 1 comprises a washing water dispensing device. When the drawer 60 is in the first position, the first zone 31 is under the dispensing device, along the physical vertical.
Conveniently, the first and second zones 31, 32 define a channel 36 of the means 3 for delivering the detergent, the channel 36 comprising a bottom surface 34 and two lateral surfaces 35 which extend upwards away from the bottom surface 34.
The drawer 60 comprises a main body 61. Added to the main body 61, there may be additional accessories such as, for example, a removable tray which can be placed in an additional detergent channel 5 (for example, for a fabric conditioner). The bottom surface 34 and the two lateral surfaces 35 are made as a single part with the main body 61. Conveniently, the main body 61 is made by moulding together with the bottom surface 34 and the two lateral surfaces 35. Advantageously, an upper section of the lateral surfaces 35 is located further away from the bottom surface compared to a portion of an upper edge of the panel 4, thus allowing overflowing from the first zone 31 to the second zone 32. This avoids overflowing of the liquid into unwanted zones of the drawer 60. The fulcrum 421 is pivotally constrained to a support 424 located on the bottom surface 34. Conveniently, the fulcrum 421 comprises a cavity, whilst the support 424 comprises a protrusion 423 which projects from the bottom surface 34. The protrusion 423 engages in the cavity of the fulcrum 421. Conveniently, the cavity and the support 424 are coupled by helical threading formed on an outside surface of the support 424 and on an inside surface defining the cavity.
The panel 4 comprises at least one perimeter edge 43 which extends principally along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation 41, the edge 43 being rounded so as to offer a more hydrodynamic shape when the panel 4 is in the first configuration. This reduces build-up of powder detergent (or mush consisting of powder detergent and water) at the edge 43. Conveniently, the panel 4 comprises two edges 43 which extend principally along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation 42, both of the edges 43 being rounded. That means a rounded edge is offered to the zone 31 independently of the direction the butterfly valve 42 is turned in to move the panel 4 from the second configuration to the first.
Advantageously, as it moves between the first configuration and the second, the panel 4 follows a helical lift/lower motion.
The movement of the panel 4 from the first configuration to the second is accompanied by a lifting movement of the panel 4 relative to the rest of the tray 30. This allows the space between the lower portion of the panel 4 and the tray 30 to be increased, thereby reducing the risk of build-up of residues (for example, water and powder detergent) under the panel 4.
The means 3 for delivering the detergent and/or the panel 4 comprise/comprises graphic symbols illustrating the possibility of moving the panel 4 between the first configuration and the second. These graphic symbols comprise stylized icons which suggest to/remind the user how to use the panel 4 at each wash. Advantageously, the graphic symbols are made by moulding directly on the panel 4 either on the bottom surface 34 or on at least one of the lateral surfaces 35.
Conveniently, to use this invention, the user performs at least the following steps:

at least partly extracting the drawer 60 comprising the tray 30 from its housing;
positioning the panel 4 in the first or second configuration depending on whether powder or liquid detergent is to be used;
placing the detergent in the first zone 31;
starting the washing cycle.

During the washing cycle, the washing water is fed into the first zone 31. If the panel 4 is in the first configuration, the space occupied by the panel 4 transversely to the direction of outflow from the first zone 31 to the second 32 is minimal and the washing water carries the powder detergent with it along the means 3 for delivering the detergent to the washing compartment 2.
If the panel is in the second configuration, the space occupied by the panel 4 is such that the level of the liquid in the first zone 31 increases. Since the panel 4 is not hermetically sealed, liquid leaks through the panel 4 (typically between the edges 43 of the panel 4 and the lateral surfaces 35). When the liquid level exceeds the height of the panel 4, the liquid overflows into the second zone 32 and from there into the washing compartment 2.
Conveniently, the electrical household appliance comprises means for locking the panel 4 in the first and the second configuration. More specifically, the locking means are of a mechanical type. For example, they might be determined by a mechanical interaction between the fulcrum 421 and the protrusion 423. In one non-limiting example embodiment, the fulcrum 421 might have on it an elastically deformable element which, when the panel 4 is turned, snaps into a first or a second socket of the protrusion 423 (with the panel 4 in the first or second configuration, respectively). The element might, on the other hand, be formed on the protrusion 423 and the first and second sockets on the fulcrum 421.
Advantageously, the panel 4 is removable from the rest of the electrical household appliance 1, in particular from the tray 30. This is advantageous because it allows the panel 4 to be cleaned or lets the user use the electrical household appliance 1 without the panel 4 (the latter situation being particularly advantageous when the appliance is used almost exclusively with powder detergent).
The invention as described herein brings numerous advantages.
In particular, it provides a detergent delivery device which is at once robust and relatively inexpensive to produce. Another major advantage is linked to the optimized layout of the components.
It shall be understood that the invention described above may be modified and adapted in several ways without departing from the scope of claim 1.

Claims

An electrical household appliance for washing laundry, comprising:
- a washing compartment (2);

- means (3) for delivering detergent to the washing compartment (2) and comprising a first zone (31) for receiving the detergent introduced from outside the electrical household appliance (1) and a second zone (32), adjacent the first (31) and interposed along the delivery means (3) between the washing compartment (2) and the first zone (31);

- a panel (4) interposed between the first and the second zone (31, 32), the panel (4) being movable between a first and a second configuration and, in the second configuration, occluding a section (40) for the passage between the first and the second zone (31, 32) which is larger than in the first configuration; the first and second configurations of the panel (4) being suitable for delivering to the washing compartment (2) a powder detergent and a liquid detergent, respectively;
characterized in that the panel (4) is movable rotatably about an axis of rotation (41) oriented substantially according to the physical vertical.