GB2271784A

GB2271784A - Washing machine casing in the form of inter-engaging half-shells

Info

Publication number: GB2271784A
Application number: GB9321128A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Piero Durazzani
Original assignee: Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Current assignee: Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Priority date: 1992-10-22
Filing date: 1993-10-13
Publication date: 1994-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 2013-10-13
Also published as: CN1051822C; FR2697268B1; CN1086561A; ITPN920032V0; GB2271784B; IT229053Y1; ITPN920032U1; DE9314942U1; JPH06190185A; GB9321128D0; FR2697268A1; ES1026009U; ES1026009Y

Abstract

A clothes washing machine, comprises a washing unit, an external casing (1) made up of front rear and side walls, a working surface and a support base (6). The casing is made from two rigid inter-engaged half-shell elements (2, 3) which are preferably formed by injection moulding from thermoplastic material and which are connected by inter-engagement. Preferably one of said half-shell elements (2) constitutes the front vertical portion, the front portion of the working surface and the two front side portions of the casing, and the other half-shell element (3) constitutes the back, the two rear side portions and the rear portion of the working surface. A transverse member 5 may be provided, engaged in cavities (8, figure 2) in the elements 2, 3, and may be used to support the washing unit. Preferably the connection region of the two shells has a convex curved portion 9 defining a cavity into which member 5 is fitted. <IMAGE>

Description

WASHING MACHINES WITH A CASING IN THE FORM OF INTER-ENGAGING HALF-SHELLS The invention concerns washing appliances, in particular for domestic use, which are provided with an improved casing of plastics material.

Washing machines are known, in particular of front loading type, whose casings which also have loadbearing functions for the washing unit contained therein are produced in various ways and are formed in substance by a rigid structure constituted by a front wall, a back wall, the two side walls and the upper support surface.

Those elements are associated with each other in various ways and are supported by a base or by suitable feet or legs which are fixed to the lower edges of the casing and which support the entire weight of the appliance since the casing also supports all the internal members of the machine.

The material which constitutes such casing is normally steel sheet which is more or less treated by means of chemical or electromechanical processes to improve the characteristics thereof in regard to resistance to oxidation, and finally painted or in particular cases enamelled.

The casings produced in that way are normally satisfactory in regard to the required characteristics and from the points of view of consumers, but the technology used for producing them, although very well tried and tested and continually improved in the course of decades, is still substantially the original technology involved in the manufacture of sheet, with the well-known technical and economic shortcomings thereof, such as the need for large, complicated and expensive installations for manufacture of the sheet, for shaping the casing and for surface treatment.

In addition that procedure for forming the casing always involves the construction of a separate working surface which can be formed from various materials, and that requires additional manufacturing operations both for producing the working surface and for fitting it in position.

It is also known that the continuous combined action of water, hot steam and detergent substances used will in time ruin or oxidise the metal casing of washing machines, however correctly they are protected and painted.

Recently however types of casings of plastics material for domestic washing machines have been disclosed, in particular on the part of Japanese manufacturers.

However those casings have been produced for top-loading washing machines and constitute just a version with the plastics casing of the conventional washing machines with the metal casing.

In addition those washing machines do not have particular structural characteristics such as to render the use or the construction thereof particularly advantageous.

It would therefore be desirable, and this is the aim of the present invention, to provide a clothes washing machine, in particular for domestic use, which is provided with a casing which eliminates the above-described structural complications and burdens and which is capable of normally carrying out the containing and supporting functions without involving structural complications and while using the technologies that are normally available.

According to the present invention, there is provided a clothes washing machine, comprising a washing unit, and an external casing composed of front, rear and side walls and a working surface, and a support base, said casing being formed by two rigid part-shell elements which are connected by inter-engagement.

The invention will be better appreciated from the following description given solely by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 1A respectively show a view in vertical cross-section of a clothes washing machine in accordance with the invention and a view of a detail on an enlarged scale; and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the same clothes washing machine.

Referring to the drawings, shown therein is a casing 1 which is formed by two separate rigid structures or half-shells 2,3 of which the structure 2 provides the front vertical part, the front portion of the working surface and the two front side portions of the casing, while the structure 3 provides the back, the two rear side portions and the rear portion of the working surface.

The connection between the two half-shells can be effected in various ways but it is suitably effected by shaping the profiles of said half-shells, where they fit together, in such a way that they can completely fit one within the other, forming a body which is closed on all sides, thus eliminating the production and fitment of other connecting components.

However the structure produced in that way could be rather weak in relation to the forces imposed by the weight of the machine and the vibrations of the washing unit.

To avoid that possible disadvantage, the profiles of the half-shells are shaped in relief mode, of a configuration such that when they are connected, they have a curved shape outwardly. That configuration produces a cavity which is substantially defined by the external profile of the convex curvature 9.

Suitably fitted into the cavity, which is produced by the convex curvature, at a position corresponding to the working surface, is a transverse member 5 which can be made from various materials having good characteristics in regard to mechanical strength.

To improve the structural characteristics involved, the transverse member 5 may have a plurality of limbs 7 which are engaged into corresponding secondary cavities 8 provided in the convex curvature.

The transverse member 5 can also be used to support the washing unit which is known to be rather heavy and for that purpose the transverse member may have support elements 10 for the hooking coupling members for the subjacent washing unit.

It will be appreciated that the convex curvature may be produced either on the outside or on the inside or by both the parts of the two half-shells, according to preference and depending on the mechanical properties which are to be imparted to the entire casing, even if it is preferable for the curvature to project outwardly, having regard to the greater facility with which the transverse member 5 can be inserted.

Advantageously the elements constituting the base 6 of the clothes washing machine can be produced integrally with the front half-shell and with the rear halfshell, in such a way as further to simplify construction of the machine.

In particular, for the purposes of permitting normal levelling of the machine, it can be fitted in the rear support region with the normal adjustable feet 11 while in its front support region the machine may have a front base formed by a front portion 6 included in the front halfshell and a rear portion 6' included in the rear half-shell.

In consideration of the level of complexity of the design configuration of the half-shells described and the curvature provided thereon, it is particularly advantageous that they are produced integrally from plastics material, preferably by an injection moulding procedure.

It will be appreciated that these casings may be of the most appropriate shape with regard to the restraints of space and the requirements in terms of volume thereof, and they can thus be made in different shapes from that shown without thereby departing from the scope of the protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clothes washing machine, comprising a washing unit, and an external casing composed of front, rear and side walls and a working surface, and a support base, said casing being formed by two rigid part-shell elements which are connected by inter-engagement.

2. A clothes washing machine according to claim 1 wherein one of said part-shell elements constitutes the front vertical portion, the front portion of the working surface and the two front side portion of the casing, and the other part-shell element constitutes the back, the two rear side portions and the rear portion of the working surface.

3. A clothes washing machine according to claim 2 wherein the connection region of said two shells externally has a convex curvature.

4. A clothes washing machine according to claim 3 wherein said convex curvature contains a transverse member.

5. A clothes washing machine according to claim 4 wherein said transverse member supports the hooking connecting elements of the washing unit.

6. A clothes washing machine according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein said transverse member has outwardly a plurality of limbs and that said convex curvature has inwardly a plurality of corresponding secondary cavities for inter-engaging connection with said limbs of said transverse member.

7. A clothes washing machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the support base of the machine is in one piece with said front and rear partshells.

8. A clothes washing machine according to claim 7 wherein the front support base is formed by a front portion included in the front part-shell and a rear portion included in the rear part-shell.

9. A clothes washing machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said part-shells comprising said convex curvature and said base portions are integrally produced by injection moulding.

10. A clothes washing machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the part-shells constitures approximately half of the casing.

11. A clothes washing machine constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.