WO2004080263A1

WO2004080263A1 - A household appliance with one push and turn control knob

Info

Publication number: WO2004080263A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/050246
Authority: WO
Inventors: Levent Cinar; Can Sar; Gokce Kayalar; Murat Goktas
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2003-03-14
Filing date: 2004-03-12
Publication date: 2004-09-23

Abstract

This invention relates to a household appliance (1) comprising a knob (4), which can turn on/off and/or adjust the level.

Description

A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE WITH ONE PUSH AND TURN CONTROL KNOB

Technical Field

[001] This invention relates to a household appliance comprising a knob used for turning on/off and adjusting the level.

Background Art [002] In household appliance, particularly in vacuum cleaners, the vacuum cleaner should be turned on/off for cleaning and the suction power should be increased or decreased according to the environment to be cleaned. [003] In state of art, United States Patent US 3842328 discloses a speed control device comprising a speed control circuit having on/off contacts and variable resistance. [004] United States Patent US 4357729 defines a vacuum cleaner, which can control speed and current by means of an on/off knob. [005] United States Patent US 5455886 describes a control mechanism having an on/off knob and a variable speed control circuit. [006] United Stated Patent US 6008608 defines a knob and a speed control group for the wet/dry vacuum cleaners. [007] The object of this invention is to provide a household appliance comprising a knob, which can both function for turning on/off and controlling the level, and having fewer components with the same functionality.

Brief Description of the Drawings [008] The household appliance realized in order to attain abovementioned objects of the present invention has been illustrated in the attached drawings, wherein; [009] Figure 1 - is a three-dimensional view of a household appliance.

[010] Figure 2 - is a three-dimensional view of a panel on which a knob is fixed.

[011] Figure 3 - is an A A cross sectional top side perspective view of a body on which a knob, a spring, a control card, a switch and a panel are fixed. [012] Figure 4 - is a cross sectional bottom side perspective view of a knob placed in knob housing. [013] Figure 5 - is a top exploded view of a body on which a knob, a spring, a control card, a switch and a panel are fixed. [014] Figure 6 - is a bottom exploded view of a body on which a knob, a spring, a control card, a switch and a panel are fixed. [015] Figure 7 - is a top perspective view of a panel.

[016] Figure 8 - is a bottom perspective view of a panel.

[017] Figure 9 - is a top perspective view of a knob. [018] Fig ure 10 - is a bottom perspective view of a knob.

[019] Figure 11 - is a bottom perspective view of a knob and a spring.

[020] The components shown in the figures have been enumerated as below;

1 Household appliance

2 Panel

3 Knob

4 Spring

5 Control card

6 Switch

7 Body

8 Knob housing

9 Notch

1 3. Knob hole

1 1. Barrier projection

1 2. Thumb recess

1 3. Pointing projection

1 4. Triggering shaft

1 5. Fastening claws

1 5. Potentiometer

1 7. Cooling plate

1 8. Spring level

1 9. Printing surface

2 1 Compression extension

2 1. Centering extension

2 2. Leveling claw

2 3. Terminating Barrier

2' 4. Spring extension

2 Protector

2 5. Panel bearing extension

2^' 7. Panel fastening claw

2 _. Switch insert

2 3. Cooling housing

31 3. Card holder

3 1. Fixing hole

3: 2. Card fixing extension

3: 3. Passage opening

3^ X. Knob barrier Mode for the Invention

[021] The household appliances (1) preferably the electrical vacuum cleaners comprise a panel (3) for easy use, a knob (4) on the panel (3) which is rotated to help the user determine the preferences like turning on/off, adjusting the suction power and etc., a spring (5) for rotating the knob (4), a control card (6) for the control of the vacuum cleaner (1), a switch (7) connected to the power supply for which provides the knob to turn on/off, a potentiometer (17) for determining the working steps at the required power supply and a body (8).

[022] The control card (6), comprises resistance, capacity, etc and one or more electronic components for the control of the vacuum cleaner (1), a passage opening (34) having the suitable form and position for the housing on for controlling the potentiometer (17), one or more fixing holes (32) for fixing and a cooling plate (18) for cooling. In a preferred embodiment, the potentiometer (17) is mounted in the control card (6) facing the passage opening (34) for easy use and low cost.

[023] The panel (3) comprises a knob housing (9) in which a knob (4) is placed on its upper part, a knob hole (11) in the middle of the knob housing (9), one or more notches (10) on the sides of the knob hole (11) which is placed in equal spaces in the same direction preferably with the knob (4) which is used along the working stroke of the knob and to provide the user with the detection of the steps of the potentiometer (17), a barrier projection (12) at the bottom of the knob housing (9) preventing the working limits of the potentiometer from being exceeded, a spring level (19) around the knob hole (11) on which the spring is placed, a printing surface (20) on which signs, symbols, texts and etc., related to the operation of the household appliance (1) are printed by means of screen-print technique and etc., one or more bearing extensions (27) at the lower part for easy mounting, one or more panel fastening claws (28) for the fixation of the household appliance (1), one or more protectors (26) on the sides of the knob housing (9) for the protection of the user from possible electric leakage and one or more compression extensions (21) at the bottom of the knob housing (9) for compressing the control card (6).

[024] The knob (4) comprises one or more thumb recesses (13) for providing the user with easy use of the thumb, a sign extension (14) for determining the position of the knob (4) by indicating the sign, symbol or text on the print surface (20), a triggering shaft (15) which triggers the switch by rotating on the axis by its end and controls the level of the potentiometer (17) by rotating around its axis by its body having a suitable form for the control opening on the potentiometer (17), one or more centering extensions (22) at the lower part of the triggering shaft (15) providing the movement of the knob (4) in the knob housing (11) in one axis, one or more fastening claws (16) which fixes the knob (4) by fastening to the claws at the edge part and the bottom side of the knob hole (11), a leveling claw (23) on the upper part of the fastening claw (16) which snaps in the notches and produces noise for the user that the level is passed when the knob (4) is rotated around the triggering shaft (15 ), one or more terminating barrier (24) at the lower part of the fastening claw (16) which provides strength for the spring, and determination of the movement stroke limits of the knob (4) and strengthen the knob, and a knob barrier (35) moving in the knob housing (9) which contacts with the sides of the barrier projection (12) and limits the movements of the knob.

[025] Spring (5) comprises a spring extension (25) having a different form from its helical shape, which stands on the terminating projections (24) and prevents the movement of the spring from thereof.

[026] The body (8) comprises a switch insert (29) which holds the switch (7) by the claws, a cooling housing (30) which holds and places the control card (6) in the cooling flow, one or more card holders (31) onto which the control card is fixed and card fixing extensions (33) of the same number with the fixing holes which fixes the control card (6) by fitting into the fixing hole (32) on the control card on the card holder (31).

[027] The household appliance, which is the subject of this invention is attached to the switch by means of the cables and preferably plugs. The switch (7) is pushed into the switch insert (29) and^' fixed by the opening and closing of the claws at each side. After the cooling plate (18) is mounted in to the cooling housing (30) on the switch (7) fixed, the fixing holes (32) of the control card (6) are fixed onto the card-fixing extensions (33). Following the fixation of the control card (6) the panel (3) is placed on the body (8) by means of the panel bearing claws (27) and snapped by means of the panel fastening claws (28). As the panel (3) is fixed, the spring (5) is placed into the knob housing (9) with fastening claws (16) around though the triggering shaft (15), knob hole (11) and potentiometer (17) hole. When the knob (4) is pushed towards the body (8), the fastening claws (16) facilitate the fastening of the knob (4) by holding the rear part of the knob hole (11).

[028] When the user wants to operate the household appliance (1), he/she presses the knob and pushes the switch (7) of the triggering shaft (15) together with the knob (4) and thereby the household appliance (1) is turned on/off. When the user wants to adjust the suction power by using the knob (5), he/she rotates the pointing projection (14) towards a direction according to the symbols on the printing surface (20). Meanwhile, the triggering shaft (15) that rotates together with the knob (4) brings the potentiometer to the desired position and applies the required suction power by adjusting the number of cycles of the motor.

[029] The household appliance, which is the subject of this invention, provides more than one function with less number of components by reducing significant production parameters like installation period and expenditures. Furthermore it ensures service guarantee when it is needed.

Claims

[001] A household appliance (1) comprising a knob (4) which helps the user select his/ her preferences like turning on/off, adjusting the suction power and etc., a switch (7) connected to the power supply which provides the knob (4) perform its function of turning on/off and a potentiometer (17) which provides operation at required levels characterized with a knob (4) having a triggering shaft (15) which triggers the switch (7) by rotating around its axis and makes the potentiometer (17) control the level by rotating its body which has suitable form and position with the potentiometer (17) around the axis

[002] A household appliance (1) as defined in Claim 1 characterized with a panel (3) on which a knob (4) is mounted, a spring (5) which helps the movement of the knob (4), a control card (6) which provides the control of the household appliance (1) and a body (8) which fixes the said household appliance (1).

[003] A household appliance (1) as defined in Claim 2 characterized with a control card (6) comprising more than one electronic component like resistance, capacity and etc for the control of the appliance, a passage opening (34) having suitable form and position with the housing on the potentiometer (17) and providing the control of the potentiometer (17), one or more fixing holes (32) for fastening and a cooling plate (18) for cooling.

[004] A household appliance (1) as defined in Claim 2 characterized with a panel (3) comprising a knob housing (9) in which the knob (4) is inserted, a knob hole (11) in the middle of the knob housing (9), one or more notches (10) on the sides of the knob hole (11) which is placed in equal spaces in the same direction preferably with the knob (4) and provides the user with the perception of the levels of the potentiometer (17), a barrier projection (12) at the bottom of the knob housing (9) which prevents the operation limits of the potentiometer (17) from being exceeded, a spring level (19) onto which the spring (5) is fixed around the knob hole (11) and a printing surface (20) on which signs, symbols, texts and etc., related to the operation of the household appliance (1) are printed by means of screen-print technique and etc.

[005] A household appliance (1) as defined in Claim 4 characterized with a panel (3) comprising one or more bedding extensions (27) at the bottom for easy mounting, one or more panel fastening claws (28) for fixing, one or more protectors (26) on the sides of the knob housing (9) for protecting the user from any possible electric leakage and one or more compression extensions (21) for compressing the control card (6).

[006] A household appliance as defined in Claim 4 characterized with a knob (4) comprising one or more thumb recesses (13) for the user to use his/her thumb easily, a pointing projection (14) for pointing the position of the knob (4) by means of the symbols and/or texts on the printing surface (20), one or more centering extensions (22) at the bottom of the triggering shaft (15) helping the movement of the knob at an axis in the knob hole (11), one or more fastening claws (16) holding the claws at the end and the bottom part of the knob hole (11) and providing the fixation of the knob (4), a leveling claw (23) on the upper part of the fastening claw (16) which snaps in the notches and produces noise for the user that the level is passed when the knob (4) is rotated around the triggering shaft (15) and one or more terminating barriers (24) at the lower part of the fastening claw (16) which provides strength for the spring, and determination of the movement stroke limits of the knob (4) and strengthen the knob.

[007] A household appliance (1) as defined in Claim 6 characterized with a spring (5) comprising a spring extension (25) having a different form from its helical shape, which stands on the terminating projections (24) and prevents the movement of the spring from thereof.

[008] A household appliance (1) as defined in Claim 3 characterized with a body (8) comprising a switch insert (29) which holds the switch (7) by the claws on the sides, a cooling housing (30) which holds and places the control card (6) in the cooling flow, one or more card holders (31) onto which the control card is fixed and card fixing extensions (33) of the same number with the fixing holes which fixes the control card (6) by fitting into the fixing hole (32) on the control card on the card holder (31).