GB2242125A

GB2242125A - Work top for domestic electrical appliances

Info

Publication number: GB2242125A
Application number: GB9105461A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Luigi Arreghini; Piero Durazzani
Original assignee: Industrie Zanussi SpA
Current assignee: Industrie Zanussi SpA
Priority date: 1990-03-19
Filing date: 1991-03-14
Publication date: 1991-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2011-03-14
Also published as: DE9103379U1; GB9105461D0; IT9034026V0; IT222238Z2; GB2242125B; IT9034026U1

Abstract

A work top for a domestic electrical appliance such as clothes washing machines, dishwashing machines, refrigerators or the like, is capable of being fitted by known fixing means preferably to the upper part of the associated casing of the appliance. The work top comprises a panel 6 of chipboard material or the like and a frame 7 enclosing the panel 6 and preferably shaped in a quadrangular form. The frame is provided with two flat portions 10, 11 which are respectively horizontal and vertical and which are disposed preferably orthogonally to each other, and a vertical peripheral wall 12 which is displaced with respect to said vertical flat portion 11 and which together with the horizontal flat portion 10 constitutes a seat for accommodating said panel. The vertical flat portion 11 is connected at its lower end to blocking means 14, 15 by means of a hinge 16, a protecting tooth 17, 18 being provided at the end of portion 14, and portions 14, 15 being perpendicular to each other, (see fig. 2). Upon rotation of portion 14 about hinge 16 to the position shown in Fig. 3, the projecting tooth 17, 18 engages the vertical peripheral wall 12, and portion 15 of the blocking means bears against the underside of panel 6. <IMAGE>

Description

WORK TOP FOR DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES The invention relates to a work top for domestic electrical appliances which is shaped in such a way that it can be fitted in position on such appliances in a simple and rapid fashion.

As is known, domestic electrical appliances such as clothes washing machines, dishwashing machines, refrigerators and the like are produced at the present time in predetermined modular dimensions such as to permit them to be installed both independently and in combination within kitchen units.

For that purpose they are provided at the top with a suitable horizontal work top capable of being aligned with the work top of the component kitchen, and being produced with an aesthetic consideration which can be adapted to the work top of the kitchen. The work top for the appliance substantially comprises a chipboard panel, a frame of metal or plastics material which is fitted to and fixed around the periphery of the panel and a series of metal transverse members for fixing the panel in position on the casing of the appliance.

The transverse members are provided with guides co-operating with suitable supports fixed on the upper part of the casing of the domestic electrical appliance in such a way that they are fitted to the work top by firstly inserting the supports into the guides and then fixing the transverse members themselves to the casing by means of screws or similar devices.

However, by virtue of being formed by different component parts which are separate and which can be assembled together, that work top involves various assembly operations and is therefore complicated from the structural point of view.

The aim of the present invention is to reduce or eliminate the above described disadvantages by producing the work top in question in such a way as to be of a simple construction which consequently makes the necessary assembly operations simple and convenient.

According to the present invention, there is provided a work top for a domestic electrical appliance which is capable of being fitted by means of fixing means to the associated casing of said appliance, the work top comprising a panel and a frame enclosing said panel, wherein said frame is provided with first and second flat portions which extend over the periphery of a major surface of the panel and skirt an edge of the panel, respectively and with a peripheral wall also skirting said edge of the panel which is displaced with respect to said second flat portion and which together with said first flat portion constitutes a seat for accommodating said panel, said second flat portion being connected at its end to blocking means co-operating with said peripheral wall to block said panel in its position of being inserted into the associated seat.

That work top is obtained with the structural characteristics substantially as described with particular reference to the accompanying claims of the present patent.

The invention will be more clearly apparent from the following description given solely by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the different component parts of an embodiment of the work top according to the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are a front view of the work top in figure 1 in section taken along line A-A and in two different phases of assembly thereof, and Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the application of the work top in figure 1 to the upper part of a domestic electrical appliance.

Referring to figure 1, shown therein is the work top 5 which is capable of being removably mounted on the upper part of a domestic electrical appliance such as a clothes washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator and the like. The work top is substantially formed by a panel 6 of per se known chipboard material and a shaped frame 7 which is produced in one piece from plastics material and which is to be fitted around the periphery of the panel 6. The frame 7 (see also figures 2 and 3) is formed by a peripheral edge 8 of quadrangular shape which is dimensioned in such a way that it can be fitted to the upper part of the associated casing 9 of any domestic electrical appliance and is bent orthogonally in such a way as to constitute a respective horizontal flat portion 10 and a respective downwardly directed vertical flat portion 11.The horizontal flat portion 10 in particular is provided on its inward surface with a downwardly directed vertical peripheral wall 12 which is spaced from and parallel to the oppositely disposed vertical flat portion 11, the peripheral wall 12 having an inclined lower free edge and being capable, together with the horizontal flat portion 10, of defining a seat for accommodating the chipboard panel 6.

The present shaped frame 7 further comprises a peripheral strip 13 which is disposed along each side thereof and thus over the entire length thereof, the strip being formed by two flat surface portions 14 and 15 which are bent orthogonally relative to each other and of which the surface portion 14 is integrally connected to the vertical flat portion 11, being extended vertically downwardly with respect thereto, by means of a thin flap 16 forming a pivot hinge and is connected with its free end to a short projecting tooth 17 provided with an inclined edge 18 while the surface portion 15 is directed outwardly with respect to the contour of the frame.

The way in which the work top in accordance with the invention is assembled will thus be apparent. In fact, as can be seen in particular from figure 2 showing the chipboard panel 6 during the insertion thereof into the associated seat of the frame 7, the peripheral surface of the panel is firstly disposed against the corresponding surfaces of the horizontal flat portion 10 and the vertical peripheral wall 12 and then the peripheral strip 13 is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow B (see figure 3), rotating it about the associated hinge 16, in which situation the inclined edge 18 of the tooth 17 slides over the corresponding inclined part 19 of the vertical peripheral wall 12 until the projecting tooth 17 has moved completely beyond the wall, coming into latching engagement therewith and thus preventing the peripheral strip 13 from returning to its initial position.In that condition therefore the flat surface portions 14 and 15 of the strip 13 are respectively disposed adjacent to and parallel to the vertical flat portion 11 of the frame 7 and also disposed against the underneath surface of the chipboard panel 6, thereby locking the latter in position.

It will be noted that the lower end face of the part of the portion 11 adjacent the hinge 16 is inclined so that its outer edge is below the point of attachment of the hinge 16 and this assists in concealing the hinge 16 in the figure 3 state from view.

Looking now finally at figure 4, shown therein is fitting of the work top assembled as described above to the upper part of the casing 9 of a domestic electrical appliance 20 such as for example a clothes washing machine.

For that purpose the frame 7 is first fitted on to the upper part of the casing 9 in such a way that the chipboard panel 6 is caused to bear against same and then the frame 7 is fixed laterally against the casing by means of self-tapping screws 21 or similar means which are inserted through corresponding through holes 22 in the vertical flat portion 11 of the frame.

The work top as described above is thus of a simple construction and can be assembled or possibly also dismantled easily and quickly with a small number of operations which therefore make it extremely manageable and convenient in use.

Claims

1. A work top for a domestic electrical appliance which is capable of being fitted by means of fixing means to the associated casing of said appliance, the work top comprising a panel and a frame enclosing said panel, wherein said frame is provided with first and second flat portions which extend over the periphery of a major surface of the panel and skirt an edge of the panel, respectively and with a peripheral wall also skirting said edge of the panel which is displaced with respect to said second flat portion and which together with said first flat portion constitutes a seat for accommodating said panel, said second flat portion being connected at its end to blocking means co-operating with said peripheral wall to block said panel in its position of being inserted into the associated seat.

2. A work top according to claim 1, wherein the first and second flat portions and the peripheral wall are provided at each edge of the panel.

3. A work top according to claim 2 wherein said blocking means comprise a peripheral strip provided along each side of said frame over substantially the entire length thereof and formed by a first flat surface portion which is connected with one end to said second flat portion by means of a hinge and provided with a projecting tooth at its other end, and formed by a second flat surface portion which is disposed preferably orthogonally with respect to said first flat surface portion and which is capable of bearing at the underside against said panel by rotating said first flat surface portion about said hinge and engaging said projecting tooth with said vertical peripheral wall.

4. A work top according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the panel is substantially quadrangular.

5. A work top according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second flat portions of the frame are substantially orthogonal to one another.

6. A work top according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the panel is made of a chipboard material.

7. A work top constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A domestic appliance having a casing fitted with a work top according to any one of the preceding claims