EP2979048A1

EP2979048A1 - A household appliance having a reservoir fed with a liquid

Info

Publication number: EP2979048A1
Application number: EP14711742.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Özkan DAGCI; Caner Kara; YALCIN Özsoy
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2013-03-29
Filing date: 2014-03-20
Publication date: 2016-02-03
Also published as: WO2014154554A1

Abstract

The present invention is a household appliance (1) comprising a reservoir (10) and an inlet (341) provided on a wall (20) of the reservoir (10) for allowing a liquid to be fed into the reservoir (10); wherein the inlet (341) is positioned in a recess (30) on the reservoir wall (20) extending from the reservoir wall (20) towards the interior of the reservoir (10), and in the proximity of the base of the recess wherein each individual wall (300) of the recess (30) has an angle (40) with respect to the wall (20) of the reservoir such that entire liquid contacting a wall of the recess (30) is directed towards the interior of the reservoir (10) regardless of the flow rate of the liquid.

Description

DESCRIPTION

A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE HAVING A RESERVOIR FED WITH A LIQUID Technical Field

The present invention relates to a household appliance having a reservoir fed with a liquid. The present invention particularly relates to a household appliance having a dispenser providing water and similar drinks. Prior Art

A household appliance as a cooling device generally consists of several sections including cooling and/or freezing compartments. A cooling device may have features for providing additional functionalities apart from its main functions. Short or long chambers in the form of a rack or container, may be mounted vertically or horizontally on the inner side of a cooler's door. Additionally, there exists cooling devices having a dispenser which deliver water, beverages or iced water without requiring opening the door of the appliance. The dispenser is generally mounted onto the inner wall of the door so that it remains inside the cooling appliance. In this way, cooling of the water or beverages is provided by keeping the dispenser within a thermally isolated housing of the appliance.

An opening is required for filling the dispenser. The opening is closed by means of a cover. The cover usually forms the whole upper wall of the reservoir. The cover is to be completely removed for filling the reservoir.

In some embodiments, the cover is provided with a smaller opening for feeding a liquid through the opening. Also a lid is used for covering the opening. The lid makes available a liquid inlet sufficiently wide for feeding a liquid without removing the cover. In some embodiments, the liquid inlet opening has walls reaching into the reservoir around its periphery.

The present invention provides an additional improvement, advantage or alternative to the present techniques described above. Object of the Invention

The main object of the present invention is to provide a household appliance having an inlet which ensures that entire amount of a liquid fed into the inlet is directed into the reservoir.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a household appliance comprising a reservoir and an inlet which is provided on a wall of the reservoir for allowing a liquid to be fed into the reservoir; wherein the inlet is provided in a recess on the reservoir wall extending from the reservoir wall towards the interior of the reservoir, and in the proximity of the base of the recess; and wherein each individual wall of the recess has an angle with respect to the wall of the reservoir such that entire liquid contacting a wall of the recess is directed towards the interior of the reservoir regardless of the flow rate of the liquid. In this way, liquid exceeding a certain flow rate can be prevented from flowing outwards the recess. Due to the contacting angle on the recess wall, the liquid fed into the recess is entirely directed into the reservoir and not outwards the opening. Any incidental aesthetical or technical problem associated with spilling of water outside the reservoir can thus be prevented. Additionally, since the reservoir may be filled regardless of the liquid flow rate, the filling process can be completed in shortest time by feeding the liquid with a high flow rate.

The household appliance may be a liquid dispenser or a cooling device, and particularly a household refrigerator. The liquid fed into the reservoir may specifically be water. Apart from this, it may be another liquid or drink which can be delivered through a dispenser.

The reservoir wall may be a wall of the reservoir convenient for filling with a liquid. In a possible embodiment, the reservoir wall is the upper wall of the reservoir. The upper wall may be integrated with other walls of the reservoir, or it may be an external cover provided in an upper portion of the reservoir. In case it is a cover, the reservoir wall having a recess may be separated from the reservoir and then forwarded for maintenance. The maintenance may be a repair or cleaning.

The recess is defined with walls extending from the recess periphery towards the interior of the reservoir. The recess walls can be defined as front, rear and side walls. Here, the front wall may be defined as the wall proximal to the direction through which the liquid approaches the recess. The rear wall may be defined the wall distal to the direction through which the liquid approaches the recess. According to the present invention, the angle between the recess wall and the reservoir wall may about be 100 degrees or less than 100 degrees. Particularly, it may be between about 90 degrees and about 70 degrees. In this way, a liquid entering the recess is directed towards the inlet of the recess either by following the recess wall itself or by being deflected from the wall. Moreover, since there is no surface between the liquid and the gravitational force applied to the liquid, the liquid is directed towards the inlet of the recess. Furthermore, manufacturing costs can be minimized as the angle being 90 degrees or about 90 degrees avoids using a complex molding process for forming the recess.

The recess can be covered with a lid. Thus, the recess is closed and any unwanted objects can be prevented from entering the reservoir. The lid can be opened by pivoting the same around an axis or by totally removing the same from the cover. The lid may be in the form of a panel. Alternatively, it may be a pipe in form of a funnel having an inlet and an outlet for directing the liquid directly into the recess. By means of a funnel-like structure, the liquid to be filled into the reservoir can entirely be fed into the recess. Furthermore, use of a lid opened by moving away from the reservoir (e.g. by pivoting around a shaft) would ensure that a liquid can be fed into the recess even if an obstacle exists in the proximity of the reservoir wall. In case that the reservoir is located in a refrigerator, the aforementioned obstacle may be a door rack placed on top of the reservoir. The lid and/or recess can be formed such that an outer face of the lid and an outer face of the reservoir wall are in alignment when the lid is closed on the recess. Thus, the risk of any presumable physical collision causing the reservoir leaving its place or being damaged is minimized. The lid can be embodied such that it can entirely fit into the recess when closed.

The liquid inlet can be located on or in the proximity of the base of the recess provided on the reservoir wall. The base may be parallel with the reservoir wall or may be inclined towards the inlet such that the liquid is directed towards the inlet. The inlet of the recess may comprise a bridge extending in between opposite/facing edges which define the circumference of the recess. Thus, deformation due to bending of the recess inlet can be rendered difficult and the inlet can be reinforced. The cross-sectional area of the inlet is relatively less than the inner cross-sectional area of the recess. In this way, the risk of liquid spill out of the inlet resulting from a movement, a shake etc. is minimized. Besides, if a funnel like lid is used, the cross-sectional area of the recess inlet can be at least equal to or greater the cross-sectional area of the exit of the funnel like lid. Liquid provided to the lid can thus be completely transferred into the reservoir without accumulating in the recess.

In a possible embodiment, the recess and/or the lid can comprise a fixing means for fixing the position of the lid when the lid is closed onto the recess. The lid can thus remain in the recess even after sudden movements or shakes. The fixing means may be provided on a wall of the recess, on a wall of the lid or on both. The wall provided with the fixing means can be a side wall of the recess and/or a side wall of the lid or both of the same. The fixing means may be a fixing protrusion provided on the wall. Additionally, a fixing groove into which a fixing protrusion can fit may be used as a fixing cavity. In a possible embodiment, a fixing protrusion can be provided on a side wall of the recess. Accordingly, a fixing cavity can be provided on a wall of the lid facing with the side wall of the recess such that the fixing cavity corresponds with the fixing protrusion on the side wall when the lid is closed.

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 represents a rear view of a possible reservoir.

Figure 2 shows the A-A cross-sectional view of Fig. 1 . The cross-section is viewed from right side. The lid is open.

Figure 3 is an isometric top view of the reservoir. The cover is closed but the lid is in its open position.

Figure 4 is an isometric front view of a household refrigerator as a possible household appliance at which the door is depicted in its open position. The reservoir is positioned on the inner wall of the door.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The directions such as front, upper and lower mentioned in this document are used with reference to the view of the reservoir (10) in Figure 1 as "rear" view; and the cross- sectional view in Figure 2 as cross-section from the "right" side. One or several possible embodiments are exemplified below in detail. Figure 1 shows a liquid dispenser removably positioned on an inner wall (3) of a door (2) of a household appliance (1 ), particularly the reservoir (10) and its elements of a liquid dispenser. The reservoir (10) is seen from behind in the figure. A valve (17) and a mounting means (12) of the reservoir (10) are thus visible. The reservoir (10) is filled from the wall (20) at the upper part of the reservoir (10). Therefore, the wall (20) with the recess (30) is the upper wall of the reservoir (10). However, the recess (30) is not visible on the figure, since the reservoir (10) is shown from behind. A removable cover (21 ) covering an opening (1 1 ) of the reservoir (10) is used as the wall (20) of the reservoir (10). On the figure, the lid (50) covering the recess (30) is in its open position by being pivoted around a shaft. The open position is, at the same time, the liquid feeding position.

Figure 2 shows the A-A cross-sectional view marked in Figure 1. The cross-section is viewed from the right side of the reservoir (10). An inner reservoir (15) inside the reservoir (10), a filter (16) positioned in the inner reservoir (15), a valve (17), a recess (30) and a lid (50) are visible on the figure.

The recess (30) consists of side walls (310) extending from the periphery of an opening for the recess (30) on the cover (21 ) towards the interior of the reservoir (10), a front wall (330), a rear wall (320) and a base (340) between these. The liquid inlet (341 ) is on the base (340). However, the inlet (341 ) is not visible on the figure. The reason is that a bridge (343) extending between opposite edges (342) defining the borders of the inlet (341 ) is existing at the inlet (341 ). The cross-section of the bridge (343) is also shown as the bridge (343) is located in between the front and rear edges (342) and in the middle of the inlet (341 ). The bridge (341 ) and the base (340) are integral to each other. In other terms, they are monolithic.

The base (340) has an inclined form starting from the recess (30) walls (300) towards the inlet (341 ) in order to direct liquids flow towards the inlet (341 ).

The side walls (310) and the rear wall (320) of the recess (30) are separated from the cover (21 ), which is a wall (20) of the reservoir (10), with an angle (40) of around 90 degrees. The front wall (330), however, extends with an angle (40) slightly more than 90 degrees. In a possible embodiment of the invention, the liquid contacts the front wall (330) in a negligibly small amount.

The lid (50) is a tube in the form of a funnel, having a liquid inlet (52) and a liquid outlet (53). The lid (50) is configured such that it is pivotable around a pivot axis provided in the proximity of the liquid outlet (53) of the lid (50) and of the front edge of the recess (30). Thus, in case of a household appliance (1 ) having an obstruction such as a door rack (4), feeding of a liquid is rendered possible even from a very short distance from the upper side of the reservoir (10) as shown in Figure 4. The liquid fed into the recess (30) through the lid (50) contacts directly and mainly to the rear wall (320) of the recess (30), because of the position of the pivot axis and the structure of the lid (50).

A fixing means (31 1 ) supporting the closed position of the lid (50) is located on one or both of the side walls (310) of the recess (30). The fixing means (31 1 ) may be a protrusion in the form of a hemisphere. Accordingly, a fixing means (55) in the form of a hemispherical groove may be located on the side wall (54) of the lid (50) corresponding to the side wall (310) of the recess (30) having the fixing means (31 1 ). The protrusion and groove align each other when the lid (50) is in its closed position. Hence, the protrusion can fix the position of the lid (50) when seated in the groove.

Figure 3 shows an isometric upper view of the reservoir (10) and its cover (21 ). As exemplified in the figure, the inlet (341 ) is on the base (340) of the recess (30). Its central section is provided with a bridge (343) for enhancing strength of the inlet (341 ). Figure 4 shows refrigerator as a possible embodiment of the present invention and a water dispenser reservoir (10) located on the inner wall (3) of its door (2). The lid (50) is depicted in its closed position in the figure. The lid (50) is dimensioned to fit completely into the recess (30) in its closed position. When the lid (50) is in closed condition within the recess (30), its outer face (51 ) is flush with the outer face (210) of the cover (21 ). A grip (56) is available on the outer face (51 ) of the lid (50) solely for the purpose of opening the lid (50). Notwithstanding the existence of a door rack (4) just above the reservoir (10), a liquid may be fed into the reservoir (10) by opening the lid (50). List of Reference Numerals

1. Household appliance 40. Angle

2. Door

3. Inner wall 50. Lid

4. Door rack 51. Outer face

52. Inlet

10. Reservoir 53. Outlet

1 1. Opening 54. Side wall

12. Mounting means 55. Fixing means

15. Inner reservoir 56. Grip

16. Filter

17. Valve

20. Wall

21 . Cover

210. Outer face

30. Recess

300. Wall

310. Side wall

31 1 . Fixing means

320. Rear wall

330. Front wall

340. Base

341 . Inlet

342. Edge

343. Bridge

Claims

1. A household appliance (1 ) comprising a reservoir (10) and an inlet (341 ) provided on a wall (20) of the reservoir (10) for allowing a liquid to be fed into the reservoir (10); wherein the inlet (341 ) is provided in a recess (30) on the reservoir wall (20) extending from the reservoir wall (20) towards the interior of the reservoir (10), and in the proximity of the base of the recess; characterized in that each individual wall (300) of the recess (30) has an angle (40) with respect to the wall (20) of the reservoir such that entire liquid contacting a wall of the recess (30) is directed towards the interior of the reservoir (10) regardless of the flow rate of the liquid.

2. The household appliance (1 ) according to the Claim 1 wherein the household appliance (1 ) further comprises a lid (50) covering the recess (30).

3. The household appliance (1 ) according to the claim 2 wherein the recess (30) is configured such that an outer face (51 ) of the lid (50) is flush with an outer face (210) of the reservoir wall (20) when the lid (50) is closed on the recess (30).

4. The household appliance (1 ) according to the claim 2 or 3, wherein the lid (50) is configured such that an outer face (51 ) of the lid (50) is flush with an outer face (210) of the reservoir wall (20) when the lid (50) is closed on the recess (30).

5. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the claims 2 to 4, wherein the lid (50) is configured in the form of a funnel-like pipe having an inlet (52) and an outlet (53).

6. The household appliance according to the claim 5, wherein area of the inlet (341 ) of the recess (30) is equal to or greater than area of the outlet (53) of the lid (50).

7. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the recess (30) comprises a fixing means (31 1 ) fixing the position of the lid (50) when the lid (50) is closed on the recess (30).

8. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the lid (50) comprises a fixing means fixing the position of the lid (50) when the lid (50) is closed on the recess (30).

9. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the reservoir wall (20) is a cover (21 ) covering an opening (1 1 ) of the reservoir (10).

10. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the liquid is a drink, particularly water.

11. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the angle is about 100 degrees or smaller, particularly in between about 90 degrees and about 70 degrees.

12. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the recess (30) inlet (341 ) comprises a bridge (343) extending in between opposite edges (342) defining its periphery.

13. The household appliance (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance (1 ) is a cooling device, particularly a household refrigerator.