GB2094556A

GB2094556A - An electrical domestic appliance provided with a lockable door and an electrical switch

Info

Publication number: GB2094556A
Application number: GB8206291A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 1981-03-06
Filing date: 1982-03-03
Publication date: 1982-09-15
Also published as: IT8219942A0; IT1150238B; DE3207342A1; ES510136A0; GB2094556B; FR2501250B1; FR2501250A1; ES8303572A1

Abstract

An electrical domestic appliance (e.g. washing machine) is provided with a door 1 that can be locked and an electrical switch 5. The door-lock (14, 15, fig 1A, not shown) and the switch 5 are separately operable, the lock being latched in the locked position when the switch is "on" while the door is closed and the switch being locked in the "off" position when the lock is disengaged. The lock has a transmission element 10 against which a lock releasing button 7 pushes, said transmission element 10 being moved out of the actuating path of the button 7 by the switch 5 when the switch is in its "on" position as shown in fig 4. When the switch is in its "off" position (fig. 3) the button 7 may engage the transmission element 10 to release the lock at the same time moving the abutment 17 opposite a housing part 18 and thereby preventing operation of the switch 5 by a latching effect due to a tab 21 of a slide 19. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An electrical domestic appliance provided with a lockable door The invention relates to an electrical domestic appliance provided with a lockable door, a lock for the door, and a power switch having "on" and "off" positions, the lock and the switch being separately operable so that the lock is latched in its locked position when the switch is in its "on" position when the door is closed and that the switch is locked in its "off" position when the lock permits the door to be opened.

Such a construction is known and provides a varying degree of safety. An example of it is given in French Patent Specification No. 1,518,280.

The mechanism disclosed in French Patent Specification 1,518,280 does not provide complete safety, the door being closed by a hook engaging in a hole in a latching bar. The door can be opened normally by pressing on the latching bar only when the switch is depressed (off).

However, after this first operation, the bar can be actuated again, thereby allowing the switch to be closed while the door is still open. It is therefore possible to put the washing machine described into operation while its door is open, which presents several risks. Moreover. the fact that the bar cannot be actuated when the switch is pulled out depends on the mechanical strength of parts which engage with each other. It suffices to exert a very high pressure on the bear to break or deform said parts and thereby unlatch the door by force.

French Patent Specification No 2,450,931 also describes a system of latching the door lock of a washing machine. For this purpose a blocking member engages in an opening in a transmission element. In this case it is also possible to break the safety device by force in order to open the door.

It is an object of the invention to provide an appliance in which the door cannot be opened regardless of the force exerted on the lock by the user. The invention accordingly provides an electrical domestic appliance provided with a lockable door, a lock for the door, and a power switch having "on" and "off" positions, the lock and the switch being separately operable so that the lock is latched in its locked position when the switch is in its "on" position when the door is closed and that the switch is locked in its "off" position when the lock permits the door to be opened, wherein the lock comprises a transmission element arranged to engage with a button which is actuable to release the lock, which transmission element is moved out of the actuating path of the button when the switch is in its "on" position.Thus, the lock is not rendered inoperative by applying a reaction force to oppose it, but by the absence of a transmission for its displacement.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Figures 1 A and 1 B represent a door of a washing machine iri the closed position and the locking device of said door, Figures 2A and 2B show the door of Figure 1 in the open position, Figure 3 is a sectional view of the coupling of the transmission lever of the locking device to an electrical switch and to the unlatching push button in the machine of Figures 1 and 2, the switch being shown in the closed position, Figure 4 shows the coupling arrangement of Figure 3, the switch being in the open position, and Figure 5 is a plan view of said coupling arrangement.

Figure 1A is a sectional view of the upper part of a washing-machine whose top-loading door 1 is pivoted to the housing 2 near the console 3, which console accommodates control elements of the machine. An electro-mechanical programmer is located in said console, its control knob 5 being located on the outside of the machine. The programmer 4 is actuated by rotating the knob 5.

The electric power switch of the washing machine is actuated by an axial movement of the spindle 6 of the programmer, which is visible only in Figures 4 and 5 (push-pull system): The spindle is pulled out for closing the power-supply circuit (switching on) and is depressed for interrupting said circuit (switching off the machine). Thus the knob 5 also serves for actuating the switch. The console 3 of the machine also carries a push-button 7 for unlatching the door, which is urged outward in the passive position by one or a plurality of springs 8.

Via a butt 9 said push-button 7 can engage with a lever 10, substantially having the shape of an angled bracket in the present example. The lever 10 has a pivot 1 1 and its end which, relative to the pivot, is remote from the actuating path of the button 7, is constituted by a nose 12 which engages the end of a control rod 1 3 of the locking device of the door 1. The closing device, on the other side of the rod 13, is similar to that described in French Patent Application No.

2,450,931. The rod 13 cooperates with a pivotal catch 14 which receives a hook 1 5 attached to the door 1. The catch 14 can pivot between a closed position (Figure 1 B) and an open position (Figure 2B) under the influence of a spring 16 which is attached to the rod 13 and tends to move said rod so as to latch the catch. When the rod 13 is pushed against the action of the spring 16 (arrow F), the catch 14 is unlatched, and is subsequently pivoted by said spring 16 until its open position is reached.

For the sake of simplicity Figure 2A does not show the programmer 4 and its knob 5. Said Figure shows the unlatching button 7 depressed, its butt 9 pressing aginst the lever 1 0, which lever in turn pushes with its nose 12 against the rod 13 (arrow F), in order to unlatch the closing device (Figure 2B). The unlatching lever 10 comprises a projecting position 17 which is disposed opposite a shoulder 18 which forms a fixed abutment on the console 3, when the button 7 exerts pressure on the lever 10 (Figure 2A, Figure 3, broken lines).

Figures 3 and 4 show a sectional view of the console substantially normal to that shown in Figures 1A and 2A. The lever 10 is pivoted about a screw 1 1 on a strip belonging to a slide 19, for example formed of steel sheet. The slide 19 can slide on the fixed plate 20 parallel to the pivot 1 which plate supports the programmer 4 inside the console.

At its end which is remote from the lever 10 the slide 19 comprises an inclined tab 21, for example disposed at 45 , which is arranged to cooperate with the conical surface, of a corresponding 45O angle, of a ring 22 fixed on the spindle 6 of the programmer. A spring 23 tends to keep the slide 19 positioned against the ring 22 (with its tab 21).

Since the lever 1 0 follows the movement of the slide 19, its nose 12 can move paralell to the axis of the pivot 1 The rod 13 (Figures 1 A, 2A) which receives said nose is perpendicular to said axis of the pivot 11 and its end which engages with the nose 12 is formed with an elongate hole 27 which extends in the direction of movement of said nose.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the slide 19. Relative to the plate 20 the slide is retained by angular portions 24 of the plate. The spring 23 is attached to a strip 25 of the slide and a lug 26 of the plate which projects through an axial slot in the slide.

Figure 5 shows the fixation of the ring 22 to the spindle 6 of the programmer in sectional view.

The device shown operates as follows. When the door 1 is closed (Figures 1 A, 1 B) the rod 13 latches the catch 14 under the influence of its spring 16 and the lever 10 occupies the position represented by solid lines in Figure 1A and Figures 3 and 4. The user can freely push the knob 1 5 (Figure 3) in order to switch off the washing machine or, conversely, pull out said knob to switch it on. During pulling the cone 22 moves away from the plate 20 and push against the tab 21 of the slide 19 (Figure 4), as a result of which said slide is moved and brings the lever 1 0 out of range of the butt 9 of the button for unlatching the door 7. Thus, when the machine is energized, depression of the push button 7 by the user has no effect on the door lock, because said button does not engage the lever 10. It is therefore impossible to open the door under this condition.

When the knob 5 of the programmer is pushed in order to switch off the machine (Figure 3), the slide, which is resiliently moved towards the spindle 6 of the programmer, moves the lever 10 opposite the butt 9 of the unlatching button 7. The user can then open door 1 by exerting pressure on said button. The lever then occupies the position shown in Figures 2A and 3 (broken lines). In the present example the button 7 is not integral with the lever 12 and therefore returns when it is released by the user. However, the lever 12 has unlatched the catch 14 (Figure 2B), which keeps the rod 13 in the direction F when the door hook 15 does not re-engage the catch. The lever 12 therefore remains in the position shown in Figures 2A and 3 (broken lines) when the door is open.

The projecting portion 1 7 of said lever then faces the fixed abutment 18. In this position the user cannot pull out the knob 5, because the lever 10-1 7 blocks the movement of the slide 1 9. He therefore cannot switch on the machine when the door is open.

Claims

1. An electrical domestic appliance provided with a lockable door, a lock for the door, and a power switch having "on" and "off" positions, the lock and the switch being separately operable so that the lock is latched in its locked position when the switch is in its "on" position when the door is closed and that the switch is locked in its "off" position when the lock permits the door to be opened, wherein the lock comprises a transmission element arranged to engage with a button which is actuable to release the lock, which transmission element is moved out of the actuating path of the button when the switch is in its "on" position.

2. An appliance as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the transmission element is a lever which is pivotably movable by the actuating button, the said lever is pivoted to a slide which is movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis of mavement of the button, said slide is movable by means of the switch between a position in which the lever is disposed opposite the button when the switch is "off" and a position in which the lever is disposed out of the actuating range of said button when the switch is "on", and a fixed abutment arranged in the path of movement of the lever preventing said movement of the lever towards its position out of the actuating range of the button and the corresponding movement of the slide so that the switch is locked in its "off" position when the door is not closed.

3. An electrical domestic appliance provided with a lockable door, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.