GB2251452A

GB2251452A - Closure device for a container door

Info

Publication number: GB2251452A
Application number: GB9125969A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Franz Herrmann; Theo Haftlmeier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-12-19
Filing date: 1991-12-06
Publication date: 1992-07-08
Anticipated expiration: 2011-12-06
Also published as: FR2670821B1; ES2048076A2; ES2048076B1; ITMI912935A1; IT1251714B; GB2251452B; FR2670821A1; ITMI912935A0; ES2048076R; GB9125969D0; DE9017146U1

Abstract

A closure device for a door (12) of a box-like container, such as a freezer compartment door for a refrigerator comprises a spring-loaded closure latch (13) which is arranged near the front edge of the door and which in the closed state notches behind a catch (16) at the frame of the container. For opening, the latch is unlocked through actuation of a handle arranged near the door front edge. The device includes a visual indicator (19) indicating the properly closed state of the door. The indicator comprises a coloured 'flag' which may or may not be visible through a small window in the latch operating handle (14). <IMAGE>

Description

CLOSURE DEVICE FOR A CONTAINER DOOR The invention relates to a container and has particular reference to a closure device for a door of a box-like container, especially a freezer compartment door in a refrigerator or the like.

In the case of known closure devices, there is the risk that on closing of the door a closure latch does not notch in orderly manner behind a catch on the body of the container, so that, although hardly noticeable from outside, the door remains open slightly. Sofar as a freezer compartment foor for a refrigerator. is concerned, this is especially disadvantageous as on the one hand it is too warm in the freezer compartment while on the other hand in the normal cooling compartment the temperature can fall below the zero and lead to freezing of cooled foodstuffs therein and consequently to ruining of such fqodstuffs.

There is therefore a need for a simple construction by which it may be possible to reliably signal to a user whether the door of, for example, a freezer compartment of a refrigerator is closed as it should be or only apparently.

According to the present invention there is provided a container with an access opening closable by a door which is lockable and unlockable by a closure device arranged in the region of a free edge of the door, the device comprising a resiliently biassed latch cooperable with a catch on the body of the container, a handle operable to actuate the latch for unlocking of the door, and an indicator to provide a visual indication of the locked state of the door.

In a preferred embodiment the device comprises a spring-loaded closure latch which is seated near the front edge of the door and which in the closed state notches in behind a closure hook at the frame of the container and for opening is unlocked through actuation of the handle arranged near the front door edge. The door is equipped with a visual indicator indicating the closed state thereof.

Preferably, the visual indicator indicating the closed state of the door is arranged covered behind a limb, which extends over the front side of the door and is provided with a window, of the handle, which is constructed as an angle member and the other limb of which engages over the front edge of the door.

For preference, the indicator is controlled by a double-armed lever arranged on the inner side of the handle and disposed under a bias, one arm of the lever being co-operable with the closure hook and the other arm being arranged to actuate the indicator. In that case the lever, standing under spring bias, can urge, in the unloaded state, the indicator into a position in which it signals the open setting of the latch.

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. 1 is a detail view of the upper portion of a household refrigerator, with a box-like freezer compartment having a door with a closure device incorpprating a visual indicator indicating the closed state thereof, Fig. 2 is a view to a larger scale, of a front portion of the door with the closure device at its front edge; Fig. 3 is a view, from behind, of the indicator; which is mounted on the rear side of a handle of the closure device; and Fig. 4 a partly sectional view, to enlarged scale compared with the preceding figures , of the handle, the indicator and an actuating lever for the indicator.

Re-ferring now to the drawings there is shown an upper portion of a housing 10 of a household refrigerator, the housing having a box-like freezer compartment 11 which is closable by a door 12. The door 12 is mounted at the frame of the freezer compartment 11 in the housing to be pivotable about a vertical axis and at its front or free edge opposite the fastening edge has a closure device with a spring-loaded closure latch 13 and a pivotable handle 14 serving for actuation thereof. This is constructed as unequal-sided, profiled angle member, the longer limb of which extends over a grip trough 15 in the front face of the door, while the shorter limb lying in front of the front face of the door 14 partly covers the latch 13.

This in turn co-operates, in a manner which is not discussed in detail, with a closure catch 16 at the door frame of the freezer compartment 11, behind the claw of which catch the latch notches when the door 12 is closed. The latch can be unlocked through actuation of the handle 14 to allow opening of the door.

Disposed in the longer limb, extending over the grip trough 15, of the handle 14 is a window 18 which is provided with an inserted magnifying lens 17 and behind which is pivotably mounted a visual indicator 19 indicating the open state of the door 11, the indicator having substantially the form of a segment of a circle and in the form of a circular sectorlike disc 19. The indicator 19, which is provided at its side facing the window 18 with two differently coloured fields, is mounted at the inner side of the handle 14 by a pin 20, about which it can be pivoted between end positions shown in Fig. 3 respectively by solid lines and dot-dashed lines.

Serving for pivoting of the indicator 19 is a double-armed lever 21, which is pivotably mounted on the inner side of the handle 14 on a pin 23 between two bearing lugs 22 in such a manner that one arm of the lever co-operates with the catch at the housing 10 and its other arm engages, by way of a pin 24, in a recess 25 in the indicator 19.

The lever 21 is disposed under the influence of the force of a hairpin-like spring 26, by means of which it is urged, when the door is open, into its end position illustrated in Fig. 4 by solid lines.

In that case an abutment 27 on the lever 21 bears against the inner side of the shorter limb of the handle. Thus the indicator 19 arranged on the inner side of the handle assumes the end position illustrated by solid lines in Fig. 3, which is determined by an abutment 28 on the inner side of the handle. In this end position, which corresponds to the open setting of the door 12, of the indicator a red field signaling the open setting of the door is visible through the window 18.

When the door 12 is closed, the latch 13 is notched in behind the claw 18 of the catch 16. Thus, the free end of the double-armed lever 21 is disposed in contact with the inclined surface of the claw at the catch, whereby the lever 21 is pivoted rearwardly into the position illustrated by dot-dashed lines in Fig. 4. The end of the lever provided with the pin 23 thus rotates the indicator 19 into the position outlined in Fig. 3 by dot-dashed lines, so that a field of another colour, for example white, which indicates the correct closing setting of the closure device, appears behind the window 18.

Claims

1. A container with an access opening closable by a door which is lockable and unlockable by a closure device arranged in the region of a free edge of the door, the device comprising a resiliently biassed latch co-operable with a catch on the body of the container, a handle operable to actuate the latch for unlocking of the door, and an indicator to provide a visual indication of the locked state of the door.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle comprises an angle member having a first limb which extends at the free edge of the door and a second limb which extends at a front face of the door and is provided with a window, the indicator being arranged behind the second limb with respect to the exterior of the door.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the indicator is controlled by a resiliently biassed double-armed lever arranged on the inner side of the handle with respect to the exterior of the door, one of the arms of the lever being co-operable with the catch and the other arm of the lever being arranged to actuate the indicator.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lever is arranged to cause, in the unlocked state of the door, the indicator to be disposed in a position in which it indicates that the latch is in an open setting.

5. A container as claimed in any one of the claims 2 to 4, wherein the indicator comprises an element pivotably mounted on the second limb of the angle member and movable behind the window.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein the element comprises a portion shaped in the manner of a segment of a circle.

7. A container as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, comprising an optical lens arranged in the window.

8. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the container being part of cooling apparatus.

9. A container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the door is arranged to close a freezer compartment of the apparatus.

10. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A container with an access opening closable by a door which is lockable and unlockable by a closure device arranged in the region of a free edge of the door, the device comprising a resiliently biassed latch co-operable with a catch on the body of the container, a handle operable to actuate the latch for unlocking of the door, and an indicator arranged in the region of a viewing window in the handle to provide a visual indication of the correctly locked state of the door.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator is carried by the handle and at least partly covered by the handle.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the handle comprises an angle member having a first limb which extends at the free edge of the door and a second limb which extends at a front face of the door and is provided with the window, the indicator being arranged behind the second limb with respect to the exterior of the door.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the indicator is controlled by a resiliently biassed double-armed lever arranged on the inner side of the handle with respect to the exterior of the door, one of the arms of the lever being co-operable with the catch and the other arm of the lever being arranged to actuate the indicator.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the lever is arranged to cause, in the unlocked state of the door, the indicator to be disposed in a position in which it indicates that the latch is in an open setting.

6. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the indicator comprises an element pivotably mounted on the second limb of the angle member and movable behind the window.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the element comprises a portion shaped in the manner of a segment of a circle.

8. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising an optical lens arranged in the window.

9. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the container being part of cooling apparatus.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein the door is arranged to close a freezer compartment of the apparatus.

11. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.