GB2154441A - Closure - Google Patents

Abstract

A closure, especially for a cooker oven, comprises a door (1), a door handle (2, 3) and detent means (5, 7) to produce a detent connection of the handle to the door. In a rest setting, the handle is recessed into the door front, and in an operative setting, when the door is open, is mechanically coupled to the door by a latching element (5) of the detent means. When the door is closed, this detent connection, being unlatched by way of a control mechanism (13, 14, 17), is overcomable by manual loading of the handle in engagement direction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Closure The present invention relates to a closure, particularly for the oven opening of a cooker, for example a built-in cooker.

It is known, particularly in connection with built-in baking ovens, to provide a door handle which extends usually over the entire width of the oven door and in the rest setting, i.e. when the oven door is closed, can be moved into a recess in the door front so that a substantially planar door front results. To enable operation of the oven door, the door handle must be pivoted or pushed out of the door front so that it can be gripped. This is usualiy effected by way of a spring mechanism. The handle is latchable in both the rest setting and the operative setting. Mechanically locking detent connections between handle and door are, in that case, unlatchable by hand by way of appropriate actuating elements.

In order to improve the ease of use of door handles, additional elements to be actuated should, as far as possible, be dispensed with. For this reason, coulisse arrangements are used, through which the detent connection in the rest setting is unlatchable through brief pressing-in of the handle.

In would thus be of advantage to provide a detent connection which enables opening a ciosing of the associated door in a problem-free manner and which is resettable into a rest setting in a simple manner.

According to the present invention there is provided a closure comprising a door, a handle movable between an inoperative position in which it is recessed in the door and an operative setting in which it is proud of the door, detent means to produce a detent connection for substantially rigid mechanical coupling of the handle to the door in the operative position of the handle when, in use, the door is in an open setting, and release means to cause the handle to be released from such mechanical coupling when, in use, the door is in a closed setting, the detent connection being overcome in the closed setting of the door by manual loading of the handle in engagement direction.

In a preferred embodiment, the detent connection for the handle in the operative setting in case of the open door setting is secured substantially formlockingly by a latching element and in the case of the closed door setting, being unlatched by way of a control mechanism, is overcomable by manual loading of the handle in engagement direction. The handle when pivoted into the operative setting in the case of the closed door setting is not or is hardly secured against movement into a recess in the door front and the securing comes into effect the moment the door is opened a small amount. With the door opened, this can be pivoted by way of the handle in a problem-free manner in both directions without the handle being alterable from its operative position. The handle is movable into the recess in the door front merely when the door is closed.In this position of the door, movement of the door in this direction of movement of the handle is, of course, no longer possible. Thereagainst, the door can, in the case of an abutment limiting the withdrawal of the handle from the door, be opened free of problems until the detent connection between thehandle and door comes into being in the opposite direction.

Preferably the detent means comprises a detent element which produces the detent connection between handle and door in the operative setting and is disengageable by a locally fixed abutment, for example of an appliance housing. The latching mechanism between door and handle in the closed setting is unlatchable indirectly or directly by this abutment. Preferably, a travel translation mechanism is functionally arranged in the door between the detent element and the abutment. This enables compensation for constructionai tolerance and a more favourable relation between door setting and unlatching setting. A pivot lever is preferably used as the travel translation mechanism.

For preference, the detent element comprises a detent pin which is mounted in the door and formlockingly engages into a detent slot of at least one handle arm mounted in the door. The pin is preferably mounted at one end portion in the door and is pivotable out of the slot by the pivot lever against spring force. The detent slot can be made without additional effort in the case of a handle arm manufactured as stamped part and the pin can be made from rod material.

In addition to the detent connection which is cancelled in the closed door setting, a resiliently overcomable detent connection can be arranged between the door and handle. Through this measure, a pressure point is provided which, when the door is closed, ensures that the handle can be displaced out of its operative setting back into the rest setting only on overcoming a certain initial force. This further detent connection is preferably produced in the region of one of two handle arms and the first-mentioned detent connection, which is cancelled in dependence on the closed door setting.

Is produced in the region of the other arm. In that case it is advantageous from the viewpoint of production if detent slots of like kind are provided in the two arms and if a detent pin for the further detent connection is of increased diameter so that it is prevented from fully dropping into the associated slot.

The provision of both kinds of detent connection in the two handle arms is particularly advantageous in connection with manufacture and installation.

Tolerances in manufacture and installation can then be readily taken into account.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. lisa sectional end elevation of a closure embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a partly sectional front elevation of the closure of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail in the reqion of a detent connection of the closure, additionally showing a further such detent connection.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a baking oven door 1 provided with a handle which comprises a gripping member 2 connected at both ends thereof by respective arms 3 to the door to be pivotable by pivot axles 4. In Fig. 1, the handle is illustrated in the operative setting, i.e. in a setting in which it is pivoted out from the door. In order that the handle maintains this operative setting in 3 reliable mannerwhin the door is open, the handle arm 3 is form-lockingly detented by way of a detent pin 5 which, under the influence of a tension spring 6, engages in a detent slot 7 in the arm 3.The pin 5 is mounted with play, i.e. pivotably, buy a spigot 10 at one end thereof in a bore 9 in a bearing plate 8 of the door and is pivotably guided at its opposite end portion in a slot-shaped guide 11 oriented in the same direction as the slot 7. Thereby, a detent connection between the bearing plate and the door 1 is secured by the detent pin 5 relative to the arm 3 and thus the member 3.

This detent connection shall be cancelled, i.e.

overcomable, when the door 1 is closed. For this purpose there is provided a lever 13 which is pivotable by an axle 12 in the plate 8 of the door 1.

The arm 14 of the lever 13 is pressed, when the door 1 is closed, against an abutment surface of the oven housing wall 15 (shown in chain-dotted lines). The lever 13 in that case is pivoted in direction of the arrow 16 and the detent pin 5 is pivoted, by way of a further arm 17 of the lever 13, about the pivot point formed by the bore 9 and the spigot 10 and against the force of the tension spring 6 so theat the pin 5 lifts out of the slot 7. The detent connection is thereby undone and the handle can be pivoted at the pivot axles 4 into a recess 18. A substantially flat door front thereby results. Measures for retaining the handle in this rest setting are not explained, as they can be obtained from the known state of the art.

When the handle is brought back into its operative setting and the door 1 opened, then the detent connection is again produced by way of the tension spring 6.

Fig. 3 shows a detail of the detent connection, in which the pin 5 has dropped into the slot 7 in the arm 3. It is evident that the width b of the slot 7 is matched to the diameter dl of the pin 5 in such a manner that this can drop into the slot for production of a mechanical coupling.

Fig. 3 also shows a further detent pin 19, which cooperates with a detent slot 7 in the second arm 3 of the handle. The diameter d2 of the pin 19 is such that it cannot drop completely into the associated slot 7, but merely enters its opening region. The resulting detent connection is substantially formlocking and forms a pressure point which can be overcome through force action on the handle.

The ramp surface 20 of the arm 3 serves as a control coulisse for the pin 5 or 19 during pivoting of the handle out of the door recess and ito the operative setting.

Claims (13)

1. A closure comprising a door, a handle movable between an inoperative position in which it is recessed in the door and an operative setting in which it is proud of the door, detent means to produce a detent connection for substantially rigid mechanical coupling of the handle to the door in the operative position of the handle when, in use, the door is in an open setting, and release means to cause the handle to be released from such mechanical coupling when, in use, the door is in a closed setting, the detent connection being overcome in the closed setting of the door by manual loading of the handle in engagement direction.

2. A closure as claimed in claim 1, the release means comprising a fixed abutment.

3. A closure as claimed in claim 2, the release means comprising movement translating means cooperable with the abutment means to translate closing movement of the door into actuation of the detent means.

4. A closure as claimed in claim 3, the translating means comprising a pivotable lever.

5. A closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the detent means comprising a detent pin mounted in the door and engageable in a slot in the handle.

6. a closure as claimed in claim 5 when appended to claim 4, wherein the pin is mounted at one end portion thereof in the door and is pivotable by the lever out of the slot against a resilient bias.

7. A closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising further detent means to provided a further detent connection of the door and handle, the further detent connection being maintained by an overridable resilient bias.

8. A closure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the handle comprises a grip member and two arms movably connecting the member to the door, each of the detent means being associated with a respective one of the arms.

9. A closure as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the arms is provided with a respective slot for engagement therein of a detent pin of the associated detent means, the slots being of equal width and the diameter of the pin of the further detent means being greater than such width.

10. A closure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A closure as claimed in claim 10 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A househoid appliance comprising a housing provided with an opening, and a closure as claimed in any one of the the preceding claims mounted on the housing to close the opening.

13. An appliance as claimed in claim 12, the appliance being a cooker and the opening being the opening to an oven of the cooker.