GB2222428A

GB2222428A - Door for a household appliance

Info

Publication number: GB2222428A
Application number: GB8918382A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ernst Stickel; Hans Mailaender
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-08-30
Filing date: 1989-08-11
Publication date: 1990-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2009-08-11
Also published as: IT1230539B; IT8921599V0; DE8810959U1; FR2635661A1; GB8918382D0; FR2635661B1; IT8921473A0; GB2222428B

Abstract

A door (2) for a household appliance (1) comprises a lower door part (25), which is formed by a housing, arranged in an upper door part open at the underside. The lower part can be pushed into or drawn out of the upper part for adjustment of the depth of the door to permit alignment with adjoining household fixtures. A shortenable frame (20) encloses the outer edges of the door parts. The lower door part (25) is adjustable and fastenable only at longitudinal sides (12), by means of the frame (20) to an outer metal plate (10) of the upper door part. <IMAGE>

Description

DOOR FOR A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE The present invention relates to a door for a household a#ppliance.

In a known door (DE-OS 31 07 179), the entire door, consisting of an inner and outer metal door plate, is divided into an upper door part and a lower door part and the lower door part constructed as housing is arranged in the intermediate space between outer plate and inner plate. The lower door part can be pushed in or drawn out for adaptation to the pedestal height of items of kitchen furniture. The lower door part is connected with the two-part upper door part by means of screws. This arrangement is concealed on the front plate visible to the user by an appropriately shaped decorative panel which is fastened to the outer plate and the lower door part by a decorative frame. In the known door, recessed webs arranged in the lower door part are provided with elongate holes and correspondingly recessed fastening straps at the upper door part.Since this impairs the aesthetics of the front side of the outer plate, the door is not usable without decorative plate. The lower side of the door is secured by screws to the outer plate and the inner plate. The inner door of a household appliance which operates with water may be loaded by water pressure and must tightly close off a charging opening. A two-part inner door with a natural displacement due to the insertion of the housing makes sealing of the inner door relative to the opening more difficult and the bores for the screws for the fastening of the lower door part can lead to leakage.

There is therefore a need for a door that is, for example, adaptable to the height of the adjoining kitchen furniture pedestals even without use of a decorative plate. In the case of an appliance with a charging opening sealable by the door, sealing of the opening should not be prejudiced by any such adaptation According to the present invention there is provided a door for a household appliance, the door comprising an upper door member which is open at its underside and which comprises an outer metallic plate, a lower door member engaged in the upper member at its underside and movable into and out of the upper member for adjustment of the height of the lowermost edge of the door, and shortenable frame means enclosing edge portions of the door, the lower member being adjustable and locatable in position only at lateral edge walls of the plate.

Such a door may permit adaptation of the depth of the door to the pedestal height of associated kitchen fittings even without mounting of a decorative plate, since fastening means in the front plate are redundant. A fastening of the lower door part to an inner door plate and adjustment of the inner plate is not necessary, so that the inner plate can be formed from one piece and difficulties in the sealing of the charging opening of an appliance as well as leakages due to additional openings may be avoided.

Preferably, the lower door member is adjustable and locatable by means of the frame means only at the plate.

Expediently, the lateral edge walls adjoin a front face portion of the plate and are provided remote from that portion with flanges directed towards each other, the front face edge walls and flanges defining guide means for the lower door member.

For preference, the lower door member has dimensions matched with those of the guide means. The lower door member is preferably open at its upper end and is provided at its upper end with an encircling bevelled portion. It can also be provided in the region of its upper end with a reinforcing corrugation.

The lateral edge walls can be provided with rows of equidistantly spaced holes of equal diameter for reception of fastening means fastening the lower member to the plate.

Alternatively, slots can be provided in place of the rows of holes.

The holes or slots are preferably arranged in indentations in the lateral edge walls.

The door may also comprise a panel arranged at a front side of the lower door member and adaptable in depth to the depth of the lower member below the upper door member. The panel can be provided with grooves to guide cutting of the panel to a selected depth, and also with a slot receiving a lower edge portion of the plate and with an abutment co-operable with an abutment on the lower door member.

Expediently, a decorative panel is arranged at a front side of the upper door member and fastened to the plate by the frame means. The frame means can be provided with slots for reception of fastening means for fastening the frame means to the upper door member, the slots being arranged to permit adjustment of the frame means to accommodate the decorative panel between the frame means and the plate.

Embodiments of the invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic front elevation of a household appliance with a door embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a partly sectional side elevation of the appliance, showing a first embodiment of the door; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, to an enlarged scale, of the lower portion of the body of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a partly sectional elevation of the appliance, showing a second embodiment of the door; Fig. 5 is a cross-section, along the line A-A, of the door of Fig. 2 or Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a cross-section, along the line B-B, in Fig.

3, of the door of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a household appliance 1 with a pedestal recess 4 and with a door 2 which is pivotable about a horizontal axis 3 and consists of an inner metal door plate (not shown) and an outer metal door plate 10. A respective profile strip 7 is arranged at each side of the appliance and serves for adaptation to the dimensions of a built-in corner of kitchen furniture. A switch escutcheon box 5 is arranged at the upper end of the outer plate 10. At the lower end of the outer plate 10, the longitudinal sides 12 thereof, which are bent away from the front face portion 11 and have foldedover flanges 13 directed towards each other, form a guide 15 for a lower door part 25 inserted therein. The lower door part 25 is formed by an approximately rectangular, upwardly open, one-part housing and is matched in its dimensions to the guide 15.At its upwardly open end the part 25 has an encircling bevelled portion or an encircling ramp 26. A panel 30, which is adaptible by means of cutting grooves 31 to the length of the lower door part 25 projecting out from the outer plate 10, is mounted at the front of the part 25.

The panel 30 has a slot or groove 32 into which extends the lower free end of the front face portion 11 of the plate 10. That part of the upper end of the panel 30 which lies between lower door part 25 and the outer plate 10 forms an abutment 33, which co-operates with an abutment 27 of the part 25. The part 25 is equipped with a reinforcing rib 28 in the region of its open end (Fig. 3).

A bent-over frame 20, which in the illustrated embodiments is in two parts, surrounds the longitudinal sides 12 of the outer plate 10 and the lower door part 25 is fastened to the longitudinal sides 12 and the underside of the part 25 by screws 22. For this purpose, the longitudinal sides 12 are, according to one embodiment (Fig. 2), equipped with rows of holes 16 of equal diameter, the spacing a of which defines the adjustment steps of the lower door part 25. In a further embodiment (Fig. 4), slots or elongate holes 17 are arranged in the longitudinal sides 12 to extend parallelly to their side edge, whereby stepless adjustment of the part 25 is possible. It is common to both embodiments that the frame 20 is secured to the sides 12 and the lower door part 25 by means of slots 19 at the lower ends of the sides 12 (Fig. 6).

Its two longitudianl limbs enter at the upper end of the frame 20 into a recess 6 of the box 5. The slots 17, or the rows of holes 16, are arranged in indentations 18 (Fig. 5) to facilitate use of self-tapping screws 22.

The adaptation of the height of the pedestal of the appliance 1 to the pedestal height of adjoining items of kitchen furniture takes place through drawing-in or drawing-out of the lower door part 25, in which case the frame 20 can remain firmly secured to the part 25 while the lateral screws 22 are loosened and, after setti-ngof the desired pedestal height, retightened.

The door 2 of the appliance 1 is supplied by the appliance manufacturer with the largest dimensions, i.e with the lowest pedestal height H, which corresponds to the lowest usual kitchen furniture pedestal height. For greater heights, the lower door part 25 is pushed further into the guide 15, in which case shortening of the two side limbs of the frame 20 is necessary. The panel 30 is adapted by means of the cutting grooves 31 to the final length of the portion of the door part 25 projecting out of the outer plate 10.

If a matched decorative panel 35 is fastened at the front of the front face portion 11 by means of the frame 20, the panel 30 can be dispensed with or, as in the case of a door without such a decorative panel 35, is adapted by means of the grooves 31 to the length of the lower door part 25 projecting out of the plate 10.

The panel 35 enters at its upper end into the recess 6 of the box 5.

Possible cutting errors of the user are compensated for by the entry of the upper end of the frame 20 and of the panel 35 into the recess 6.

The frame 20 has slots or elongate holes 21 for the screws 22, the length of which is such that the reception of a decorative panel 35 of commercially usual thickness is possible between the front face portion 11 and the frame 20.

Claims

1. A door for a household appliance, the door comprising an upper door member which is open at its underside and which comprises an outer metallic plate, a lower door member engaged in the upper member at its underside and movable into and out of the upper member for adjustment of the height of the lowermost edge of the door, and shortenable frame means enclosing edge portions of the door, the lower member being adjustable and locatable in position only at lateral edge walls of the plate.

2. A door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower door member is adjustable and locatable by means of the frame means only at the plate.

3. A door as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lateral edge walls adjoin a front face portion of the plate and are provided remote from that portion with flanges directed towards each other, the front face edge walls and flanges defining guide means for the lower door member.

4. A door as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lower door member has dimensions matched with those of the guide means.

5. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower door member is open at its upper end and is provided at its upper end with an encircling bevelled portion.

6.. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower door member is provided in the region of its upper end with a reinforcing corrugation.

7. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lateral edge walls are provided with rows of equidistantly spaced holes of equal diameter for reception of fastening means fastening the lower member to the plate.

8. A door as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the lateral edge walls are provided with slots for reception of fastening means fastening the lower member to the plate.

9. A door as claimed in either claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the holes or slots, as the case may be, are arranged in indentations in the lateral edge walls.

10. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a panel arranged at a front side of the lower door member and adaptable in depth to the depth of the lower member below the upper door member.

11. A door as claimed in claim 10, wherein the panel is provided with grooves to guide cutting of the panel to a selected depth.

12. A door as claimed in either claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the panel is provided with a slot receiving a lower edge portion of the plate.

13. A door as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12,wherein the panel is provided with an abutment co-operable with an abutment on the lower door member.

14. A door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a decorative panel arranged at a front side of the upper door member and fastened to the plate by the frame means.

15. A door as claimed in claim 14, the frame means being provided with slots for reception of fastening means for fastening the frame means to the upper door member, the slots being arranged to permit adjustment of the frame means to accommodate the decorative panel between the frame means and the plate.

16. A door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 to 3 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

18. Ahousehold appliance comprising a door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

19. An appliance as claimed in claim 18, the door being as claimed in either claim 14 or claim 15 and the appliance further comprising a control box provided with a recess receiving at least one of the frame means and the decorative panel.

20. An appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 to 3 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.

21. An appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.