EP3440254A1

EP3440254A1 - A household appliance with improved safety

Info

Publication number: EP3440254A1
Application number: EP17719191.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bugra CETINKAYA
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2016-04-08
Filing date: 2017-04-07
Publication date: 2019-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-07
Also published as: EP3440254B1; WO2017174771A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a household appliance (1) comprising a cabin (2); a door (3) providing access into the cabin (2); a hook (4) disposed on the door (3); a locking gap (5) arranged on the cabin (2) and wherein the hook (4) is seated when the door (3) is closed, and a safety member (6) that is detachably mounted onto the hook (4) and that inhibits the closing of the door (3) by preventing the hook (4) from being seated into the locking gap (5).

Description

A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE WITH IMPROVED SAFETY

The present invention relates to a household appliance comprising a door, in particular to a laundry washing and/or drying machine.
In household appliances such as laundry washing machine, laundry drying machine, dishwasher, etc., open or closed state of the door is checked by means of a control unit and due to safety reasons, the user is allowed to start an operation mode only after the door is closed. However, children can easily reach the control panel and the door so as to close the door and operate the household appliance. In these cases, in addition to problems of unnecessarily operating the household appliances, fatal home accidents may occur. In the state of the art, various child locks composed of key combinations or passwords are used so as to prevent the children from closing the door and activate an operational mode. However, since the door cannot be prevented from being closed with these embodiments, the accidents such as living things being locked in the cabin cannot be eliminated.
In the state of the art Korean Patent No. KR101128538, a stopping member is disclosed, that prevents the door from being closed by being engaged with a locking catch disposed on the door of the washing machine.
In the state of the art Korean patent application no. KR1020100081234, another stopping member is disclosed, that prevents the door of the washing machine from being closed. The stopping member comprises a lid-shaped portion that is engaged with the locking catch.
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a household appliance wherein the door thereof is prevented from being closed when not in use.
The household appliance realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the claims comprises a cabin; a door providing access into the cabin; a hook disposed on the door; a locking gap arranged on the cabin and wherein the hook enters when the door is closed, and a safety member that can be attached to/detached from the hook by the user and that prevents the hook from entering the locking gap. Thus, the door of the household appliance cannot be closed without removing the safety member from the hook and the household appliance is prevented from being operated without the control of the user.
In the household appliance of the present invention, the safety member comprises a body, an opening arranged on the body and wherein the hook is inserted, and a housing arranged in the body and wherein the end of the hook is inserted when the body is rotated around its own axis when the hook is in the opening. The safety member can be detached from the hook by rotating the body in the opposite direction so that the end of the hook dislodges from the housing so as to be re-inserted into the opening. Thus, by making the dismounting of the safety member difficult, the safety of the household appliance is improved.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the safety member has a support that is movably attached to the body so that at least one portion thereof remains between the body and the door, and a spring that is disposed between the support and the body. When the safety member is mounted onto the hook, the support bears against the door and the spring compresses and pushes the body away from the door. While the safety member is being detached from the hook, the body is pushed towards the door and the hook is freed from the housing. By means of the pushing force applied by the spring onto the body, the dismounting of the safety member by the children is made more difficult.
In an embodiment of the present invention, at least one claw is disposed on the body. The claw is borne in a groove that is arranged on the support and that extends parallel to the hook when the safety member is on the hook. Thus, the linear movement of the body is guided.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member has a plurality of claws with different widths. While the support is connected to the body, each claw is borne in a groove that has the suitable width for the said claw. Thus the support is prevented from being erroneously connected to the body.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a first wall is provided in the body, the first wall contacting the upper surface of the hook when the hook is inserted into the opening. While the safety member is disposed on the hook, the first wall bears against the hook from above, thus the body is enabled to be properly positioned on the hook.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a second wall is provided in the body, the second wall bearing against the hook from the side while the body is being rotated around the hook so as to prevent the body from being rotated more. Thus, the user is prevented from rotating the body excessively, thereby the hook is prevent from jumping over the housing.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the body facing the cabin when the safety member is mounted onto the hook is produced from soft material. Thus, the safety member is prevented from hitting and damaging the cabin wall when the door is tried to be closed.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a reference mark is provided on the body, that shows the correct position of the hook in the opening to the user. The safety member is disposed on the hook so that the end of the hook faces the reference mark. Thus, the safety member can be easily mounted on the hook.
By means of the present invention, the dismounting of the safety member is made difficult so as not to be solved by the children, thus increasing the safety of the household appliance.
The household appliance realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures where
Figure 1 – is the front perspective view of the household appliance related to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 - is the perspective view of the safety member related to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 – is the partial cross-sectional view of the safety member and the door related to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 – is the partial perspective view of the body related to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 – is the partial perspective view of the support related to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 - is the schematic view of cross-section of the safety member related to another embodiment of the present invention.
The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Household appliance
Cabin
Door
Hook
Locking gap
Safety member
Body
Opening
Housing
Support
Spring
Claw
Groove
First wall
Second wall
Reference mark

The household appliance (1) comprises a cabin (2); a door (3) providing access into the cabin (2); a hook (4) disposed on the door (3); a locking gap (5) arranged on the cabin (2) and wherein the hook (4) is seated when the door (3) is closed, and a safety member (6) that is detachably mounted onto the hook (4) and that inhibits the closing of the door (3) by preventing the hook (4) from being seated into the locking gap (5). The user mounts the safety member (6) onto the hook (4) when the household appliance (1) is not in use.
The household appliance (1) of the present invention comprises the safety member (6) that has a body (7), an opening (8) arranged on the body (7) and wherein the hook (4) is inserted, and a housing (9) arranged in the body (7) and wherein the hook (4) is seated when the body (7) is rotated around the hook (4) when the hook (4) is in the opening (8). The housing (9) is in the form of a recess arranged in the body (7). While the safety member (6) is mounted onto the hook (4), the hook (4) is inserted into the opening (8) and the body (7) is rotated around the hook (4) until the hook (4) is seated into the housing (9). While the safety member (6) is detached from the hook (4), the body (7) is rotated in the opposite direction until the hook (4) is freed from the housing (9) and the end of the hook (4) is re-inserted into the opening (8). Thus, by making the dismounting process difficult, the children are prevented from detaching the safety member (6) from the hook (4).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) comprises a support (10) that is movably connected onto the body (7), and a spring (11) that is disposed between the body (7) and the support (10) and that, when the safety member (6) is mounted onto the hook (4), is compressed so as to enable the support (10) to bear against the door (3) and the body (7) to be pushed away from the door (3). The support (10) is connected to the body (7) from below so that at least a portion of the support (10) remains between the door (3) and the body (7) when the safety member (6) is mounted onto the hook (4). When in the free position, the spring (11) pushes the support (10) away from the body (7) and enables the support (10) to bear against the door (3) when the safety member (6) is mounted onto the hook (4). While the hook (4) is fitted into the opening (8), the body (7) is pressed towards the door (3) and the spring (11) is compressed. Thus, the hook (4) is enabled to seat into the housing (9) by itself while the body (7) is rotated around the hook (4).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) comprises at least one claw (12) arranged on the body (7), and at least one groove (13) that is arranged on the support (10), wherein the claw (12) is borne and wherein the claw (12) moves during the movement of the body (7) in a direction perpendicular to the door (3). The grooves (13) are in the form of a cut-out extending in the movement direction of the spring (11). The support (10) is movably connected to the body (7) by fitting the claws (12) into the grooves (13). By means of the claws (12) moving in the grooves (13), the movement of the body (7) over the support (10) is guided.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) comprises a plurality of claws (12) with different widths and a plurality of grooves (13) with different widths in matching form with the claws (12). The support (10) is connected to the body (7) by fitting each claw (12) into a groove (13) with the matching width with the said claw (12). Thus, in case the support (10) has an asymmetrical structure, the errors that may arise from erroneously connecting the support (10) to the body (7) are eliminated.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) has a first wall (14) that is disposed in the body (7) and that contacts the hook (4) from above so as to stop the movement of the body (7) towards the door (3) while the hook (4) is being placed into the opening (8). The first wall (14) has an inclined form suitable for the end of the hook (4). Thus, in case the safety member (6) is tried to be erroneously seated onto the hook (4), the first wall (14) prevents the hook (4) from entering the opening (8).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) comprises a second wall (15) that is disposed in the body (7) and that contacts the hook (4) from the side while the body (7) is being rotated around the hook (4), thus stopping the rotational movement of the body (7). The second wall (15) is disposed in the body (7) so as to be adjacent to the housing (9). Thus, in the position where the housing (9) and the hook (4) face each other while the body (7) is being rotated around the hook (4), the hook (4) bears against the second wall (15) and the rotational movement of the body (7) is stopped. Thus, the hook (4) is easily seated into the housing (9).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) has the body (7) of which the surface contacts the cabin (2) wall so as to prevent the door (3) from being closed is produced from soft material. The upper side of the body (7) is produced from a soft material such as rubber, etc. Thus, the body (7) hitting the cabin (2) is prevented from getting abraded and broken.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the safety member (6) comprises a reference mark (16) that is disposed on the body (7) and that provides ease of assembly by showing to the user the mounting position where the safety member (6) is properly placed onto the hook (4). The reference mark (16) shows the direction the end of the hook (4) faces when the hook (4) is placed into the opening (8). Thereby, the user can easily and quickly mount the safety member (6).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance (1) is a laundry washing and/or drying machine.
By means of the present invention, a safety member (6) is realized, that can be dismounted only by adults. By means of the movable support (10), the safety member (6) can be mounted on hooks (4) in different sizes, thus can be used in household appliances (1) of different types and models. In case the door (3) is tried to be closed fast, the spring (11) disposed between the body (7) and the support (10) dampens the impact. Thus, the safety member (6) is prevented from damaging the cabin (2) wall.

Claims

A household appliance (1) comprising a cabin (2); a door (3) providing access into the cabin (2); a hook (4) disposed on the door (3); a locking gap (5) arranged on the cabin (2) and wherein the hook (4) is seated when the door (3) is closed, and a safety member (6) that is detachably mounted onto the hook (4) and that inhibits the closing of the door (3) by preventing the hook (4) from being seated into the locking gap (5), characterized by the safety member (6) that has a body (7), an opening (8) arranged on the body (7) and wherein the hook (4) is inserted, and a housing (9) arranged in the body (7) and wherein the hook (4) is seated when the body (7) is rotated around the hook (4) when the hook (4) is in the opening (8).
A household appliance (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by a support (10) that is movably connected onto the body (7), and a spring (11) that is disposed between the body (7) and the support (10) and that, when the safety member (6) is mounted onto the hook (4), is compressed so as to enable the support (10) to bear against the door (3) and the body (7) to be pushed away from the door (3).
A household appliance (1) as in Claim 2, characterized by at least one claw (12) arranged on the body (7), and at least one groove (13) that is arranged on the support (10), wherein the claw (12) is borne and wherein the claw (12) moves during the movement of the body (7) in a direction perpendicular to the door (3).
A household appliance (1) as in Claim 3, characterized by a plurality of claws (12) with different widths and a plurality of grooves (13) with different widths in matching form with the claws (12).
A household appliance (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a first wall (14) that is disposed in the body (7) and that contacts the hook (4) from above so as to stop the movement of the body (7) towards the door (3) while the hook (4) is being placed into the opening (8).
A household appliance (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a second wall (15) that is disposed in the body (7) and that contacts the hook (4) from the side while the body (7) is being rotated around the hook (4), thus stopping the rotational movement of the body (7).
A household appliance (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the body (7) of which the surface contacts the cabin (2) wall so as to prevent the door (3) from being closed is produced from soft material.
A household appliance (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a reference mark (16) that is disposed on the body (7) and that provides ease of assembly by showing to the user the mounting position where the safety member (6) is properly placed onto the hook (4).
A household appliance (1) as in any one of the above claims, which is a laundry washing and/or laundry drying machine.