GB2189136A

GB2189136A - Dishwashing machine door

Info

Publication number: GB2189136A
Application number: GB08703871A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Walter Menzel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-04-15
Filing date: 1987-02-19
Publication date: 1987-10-21
Also published as: IT1204511B; GB8703871D0; DE3612683C1; IT8721379V0; IT8720064A0; GB2189136B

Abstract

A door for a domestic appliance e.g. a dishwashing machine comprises an outer door member 5 and an inner door member 6 interconnected by means of projections 13 on the outer door member, which are engageable in recesses 14 in the inner door member, the arrangement being such that after inter- engagement of projection in recess fastening is effected by relative sliding movement of the members. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Door for a domestic appliance The present invention relates to a door for a domestic appliance, especially a dishwashing machine which is loadable from the front side.

Known dishwashing machines are equipped with a two-part door formed from an outside metal door plate and an inside door plate.

Control devices, metering equipment, a door latch and so forth are arranged in the interior door space. For the connection of the two door parts, numerous screw locations are provided in the region of the encircling door rim.

These cause increased assembly effort and often lead to local distortion of the inside door part, which impairs the appearance of the dishwashing machine when the drawer is open.

It would thus be desirable to provide a door in which these disadvantages are avoided and the appliance is at the same time more amenable to repair.

According to the present invention there is provided a door for a domestic appliance, comprising an outer door member and an inner door member which are interconnected by a plurality of detent devices disposed in the region of two mutually opposite edges of the door circumference at a side of the door intended in use to face towards the appliance, each detent device comprising a detent recess and a detent projection which are disposed one on each of an encircling rim portion of the outer door member and which are brought into mechanical interengagement by placement of the members together and relative sliding movement of the members.

Such a door can result in an almost screwless connection of the inner and outer door members and is advantageously employable particularly in a dishwashing machine with inside door of synthetic material. By reason of the mechanical interengagement between the door members, unsightly screw locations which are expensive in assembly can be dispensed with. For securing the interengagement, at least one pin or securing screw can be provided at, for example, oppositely disposed lateral door rims.

In a preferred embodiment, the inner door member is provided with pocket-shaped recesses, into which corresponding hooks of the outer door member fit when the outer door member is placed on the inner door member.

Through subsequent displacement of the outer member relative to the inner member, the hooks of the outer member engage behind detent slots or the like of the inner member so that the members are mechanically connected together. In this position, the outer member is held relative to the inner member through a respective securing element, for example a screw, a pin or the like, mounted on each side of the door. Through the omission of the other screw locations, the outer rim, which hitherto has often become wavy due to the screws, remains straight so as to provide an improved appearance when the door is open.

A firm interconnection of the door members results from such hooks and lateral springing open of the door member is prevented. For repairs it is merely necessary to remove the securing element or elements and detach the outer door member.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dishwashing machine with frontal door which embodies the invention and carries a control unit, wherein the door is shown in dashed lines in the open position; Figure 2 is a view of an inner door member of the door of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a view of an outer door member of the door of Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a perspective exploded view of rim portions of the inner and outer door members; Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line V-V of Fig. 4; Figure 6 is a cross-section on the line VI-VI of Fig. 4; Figure 7 is a sectional view of a door member rim portion in a first modification; Figure 8 is a perspective view of the rim portion of Fig. 7; and Figure 9 shows, in sectional view and perspective view, a door member rim portion in a second modification.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a dishwashing machine 1 which is provided at its front side with a door 2 which closes an access opening of a crockery chamber of the machine and which at its upper end portion carries a control unit 3 with operating and indicating elements 4. The door 2 consists of an outside metal door plate 5 and an inside door plate 6 of plastics material.

For simple, distortion-free interconnection of the door parts 5 and 6, the part 6 in the illustrated embodiment carries pocket-shaped recesses 14 on rim portions 9 which are bent over at the long sides 7 of the encircling rim 8. The plate 5, at rim portions 12 at the long sides 10 of its encircling rim 11, has hooks 13 or the like fitting into the recesses 14 of the part 6. The plate 5 can be set onto the part 6 so that the hooks 13 engage through the recesses 14 and the door parts 5 and 6 can be brought into mechanical interengagement through lateral displacement.

When the control unit 3 is provided at the upper rim of the door 2, then a screw 15 locating the unit at the door can at the same time form the securing element for the securing of the door parts 5 and 6. The screw is in that case arranged at the side part 16 of the unit 3 and screwed through the encircling rims of the plates 5 and the part 6. A respective such screw 15 is preferably provided at each long side of the door. In a dishwashing machine without a control unit, the door parts 5 and 6 can simply be secured by, for example, a respective screw or a pin at the long sides of the door.

The connecting elements for the interconnection of the door parts 5 and 6 are not restricted to hooks 13 on the plate 5 and detent slots 19 associated with the pocketshaped recesses 14 of the part 6. The plate 5 could, for example, carry bent-over tongues 17 or loops 18 which are detentable with grooves or corrugations (not shown) of the part 6.

A door rim of particularly clear appearance is achieved if an encircling edge portion 21 of the rim of the plate 5 is bent over towards the interior door space 20 and rests on an encircling support rim 22 of the part 6.

Claims

1. A door for a domestic appliance, comprising an outer door member and an inner door member which are interconnected by a plurality of detent devices disposed in the region of two mutually opposite edges of the door circumference at a side of the door intended in use to face towards the appliance, each detent device comprising a detent recess and a detent projection which are disposed one on each of an encircling rim portion of the inner door member and an encircling rim portion of the outer door member and which are brought into mechanical interengagement by placement of the members together and relative sliding movement of the members.

2. A door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detent projection of each detent device is arranged at the outer door member and the detent recess at the inner door member.

3. A door as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the detent projection of each detent device comprises a hook and the associated detent recess includes a pocket-shaped entry portion.

4. A door as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the detent projection of each detent device comprises a hook, a tongue or a loop and the associated detent recess comprises a slot, corrugation or a groove.

5. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the door members are secured by at least one securing device against relative sliding movement tending to disengage the detent projections from the detent recesses.

6. A door as claimed in claim 5, wherein the door is provided at an edge region thereof intended to be uppermost with a control panel unit secured at side wall means thereof to circumferential edge wall means of both the inner and the outer door members by the at least one securing device.

7. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the free edge portion of said encircling rim portion of the outer door member extends inwardly of a space between the door members and rests on said encircling rim portion of the inner door member.

8. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer door member is of metallic material and the inner door member is of plastics material.

9. A door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A door as claimed in claim 9 and modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A door as claimed in claim 9 and modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A door as claimed in claim 9 and modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 9 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A domestic appliance comprising a door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

14. An appliance as claimed in claim 13, the appliance being a front-loading washing machine.