WO2010013217A1

WO2010013217A1 - Modular safety locking device for an electric household appliance with an hinged door

Info

Publication number: WO2010013217A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/053324
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alberto Bassi
Original assignee: Itw Industrial Components S.R.L. Con Unico Socio
Priority date: 2008-07-30
Filing date: 2009-07-30
Publication date: 2010-02-04
Also published as: ITTO20080594A1; IT1393986B1

Abstract

A device (1) installable on a carcass (4) of an electric household appliance at a side of a door (3) of the electric household appliance, parallel to a rotation axis (A) of the door, including a base plate (11) designed to be fixed, in use, to the carcass at an edge of a peripheral abutment (6) for the door parallel to the rotation axis (A) of the door, and a blocking plate (13) foldingly hinged to the base plate at a first side of the latter intended, in use, to be positioned parallel to the rotation axis of the door; one of the plates carrying a lock (16) adapted to engage, in a blocking position, the other plate, and the blocking plate being provided, on a side thereof parallel and opposite to the first side of the base plate, with a toe (20), which overhangingly extends towards the base plate and is shaped so as to be adapted, in use, when the blocking plate in said blocking position is arranged parallel to the base plate and against the same, to be inserted between the door and the peripheral abutment, in a position facing and adjacent to a peripheral seal (7) of the door, sandwiched in use between the door and the peripheral abutment.

Description

Title of Invention: MODULAR SAFETY LOCKING DEVICE FOR AN ELECTRIC HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE WITH AN HINGED

DOOR

TECHNICAL FIELD

[1] The present invention relates to a modular safety locking device for an electric household appliance with a hinged door, in particular usable on a refrigerator. BACKGROUND ART

[2] In some applications, the door of a refrigerator must be provided with a key-operated safety locking device in order to prevent non- authorized people from accessing the refrigerator interior. The typical application is in refrigerators intended to be installed in hotel rooms and communities. However, also in domestic use, preventing access to the refrigerator may be required, e.g. to children, or if the refrigerator is used to store drugs, such as in hospitals.

[3] In all these cases, refrigerators are either provided with special doors, equipped with an inner lock (an efficient but expensive solution) or a safety lock mechanism is installed on a refrigerator provided with a door simply openable by pulling it, the safety lock mechanism usually consisting of two plates riveted on the refrigerator and the door, and securable by means of a padlock (a simple but not aesthetically pleasant solution which is easily violable, because a padlock may be opened with the blow of a hammer). DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[4] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a safety locking device for an electric household appliance, in particular a refrigerator, installable on an electric household appliance even not provided for the purpose, which is aesthetically pleasant but not easily violable, which further has low production costs and high assembly ease, small dimensions and the possibility of being installed, in the case of refrigerators, either on the right side or on the left side of the door, according to the available spaces, and which allows, in the case of combined refrigerators having a freezer compartment provided with its own independent door, to safely lock both doors (the door of the refrigerator compartment and that of the freezer compartment) by means of a single device.

[5] According to the present invention, a safety locking device for an electric household appliance is thus provided as defined in claim 1.

[6] In particular, the device comprises a base plate designed to be fixed in use to the carcass of the electric household appliance at an edge of a peripheral abutment for the door of the electric household appliance, parallel to the rotation axis of the door; and a blocking plate foldingly hinged to the base plate at a first side of the latter intended in use to be positioned parallel to the rotation axis of the door; one of said blocking plates and base plate carrying a lock adapted to engage, in a blocking position, the other plate, and the blocking plate being provided, on a side thereof parallel and opposite to the first side of the base plate, with a toe which overhangingly extends towards the base plate and is shaped so as to be adapted, in use, when the blocking plate, in the blocking position, is arranged parallel to the base plate and against the same, to be inserted between the door and the peripheral abutment, in a position facing and adjacent to a peripheral seal of the door of the electric household appliance, sandwiched in use between the door and the peripheral abutment.

[7] Moreover, the device may also comprise at least one bracket provided with fastening means to an edge of the door, parallel and opposite to the rotation axis of the door and provided, on opposite side to the fastening means, with an U-shaped folded edge delimiting a channel- shaped duct adapted to receive the toe of the blocking plate therein.

[8] Finally, according to a feature of the invention, elastic means are included as interposed between the base plate and the blocking plate, which are also provided with mating snapping fastening means having, once coupled, a reciprocal preset clearance such as to allow the blocking plate to assume, with respect to the base plate, the blocking position in abutment against the base plate, and an opening position in which the mating snapping fastening means maintain, against the bias of the elastic means, the blocking plate arranged in an angular position with respect to the base plate, by an amount such as to prevent, in use, the toe from being inserted between the door and the peripheral abutment.

[9] Thereby, in the case of combined refrigerators, by installing the device at the adjacent edges of both doors of the two compartments (fridge and freezer), both doors may be locked with a single device. Furthermore, the same device may be installed both on the side of the door hinged to the carcass, because the simple insertion of the toe into the space between the door and its edge abutting on the carcass, left free by the seal, is sufficient to prevent the rotation of the door about the hinging axis and, thus, to open the door itself, both on the opposite side, in this case in conjunction with the bracket having the U-shaped folded edge, which also in this case is inserted into the space between the door and its abutting edge left free by the seal, thus offering a coupling point to the toe integral with the door and which, therefore, does not allow to open the door, because the same remains secured, through the toe, to the carcass.

[10] Finally, being configured in a closed position as a simple overlapping of two flat plates, the device is aesthetically pleasant and does not offer any holds or protrusions which a hammer or other breaking tool may grip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[11] Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of two preferred embodiments thereof, exclusively provided by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[12] - figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a combined refrigerator provided with a first embodiment of the safety device of the invention;

[13] - figure 2 shows on enlarged scale and more in detail the safety device in figure 1 in a blocking configuration;

[14] - figure 3 diagrammatically shows a top plan view of the operation of the device in figure 2;

[15] - figure 4 shows an axonometric view of a combined refrigerator provided with a second embodiment of the safety device of the invention;

[16] - figure 5 diagrammatically shows a top plan view of the operation of the device in figure 4;

[17] - figures 6 and 7 show an axonometric view on enlarged scale of the device in figure

3 in a opening and a locking configurations, respectively; and

[18] - figures 8 and 9 are two diagrammatic, cross-section views of the device in figures

1-3 which allow to appreciate the internal components thereof, also in common with the device in figure 4-7. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[19] With reference to figures from 1 to 3, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a safety locking device for an electric household appliance 2 having at least one hinged door 3, installable on a carcass 4 of the electric household appliance.

[20] In particular, the shown electric household appliance 2 is a vertical refrigerator of the combined type, having two doors 3b and 3c hinged in a known manner to the carcass 4 so as to both rotate about a common rotation axis A at the sides 5b, 5c thereof parallel and adjacent to the rotation axis A. The doors 3b, 3c, in a closing position shown in figures 1-3, cooperate against a peripheral abutment 6 of the carcass 4 which peripherally delimits the openings to access the internal compartments of the refrigerator (known and not shown for simplicity) with the interposition of a known peripheral seal 7 (figure 3), having thickness and shape so as to leave an empty space or clearance S peripherally outside the seal 7 between respective sides 8b, 8c of the doors 3b, 3c, parallel and opposite to the sides 5b, 5c, and the peripheral abutment 6.

[21] Although the following description of the invention will refer to a refrigerator 2, it is however apparent that the description may also apply to the door of a chest freezer, having a single door at the top thereof and rotating about a horizontal axis, instead of a vertical axis as axis A, or any other electric household appliance provided with a pivoting door.

[22] Device 1 comprises a book-shaped assembly 10b, comprising in turn a base plate 11, designed to be fixed in use to the carcass 4 at an edge 12 of the peripheral abutment 6 parallel to the axis A, and a blocking plate 13, foldingly hinged to the base plate 11 at a first side 14 of the latter intended in use to be positioned parallel to the rotation axis A.

[23] One of the plates 11 and 13 carries a lock 16 of any known type, adapted to engage the other plate, in a blocking position of the book-like assembly 10b, shown by a solid line in figures 1-3, and the blocking plate 13 is provided, on one side 18 thereof, parallel and opposite to the side 14 of the base plate 11, with a toe 20 which pro- trudingly extends towards the base plate 11 and is shaped so as to be adapted in use, when the blocking plate 13 is arranged parallel to the base plate 11 and against the same in the mentioned blocking position, to be inserted between the door (in this case between both the doors 3b, 3c, device 1 being fitted at the respective adjacent sides 22 of the doors 3b, 3c, which sides are perpendicular to the axis A) and the peripheral abutmentβ, in a position facing and adjacent to the peripheral seal 7 of each door 3b, 3c, in use sandwiched between each door and the peripheral abutment 6.

[24] Device 1 further comprises at least one bracket 25 (in this case shown, two brackets

25b and 25c, each of which is integrally fixed to a respective door 3b, 3c) provided with fastening means 26 for fastening to the edge 8 of each door 3b, 3c and, on opposite side to the fastening means 26, provided with a U-shaped folded edge 27 delimiting a channel-like duct 29 adapted to receive the toe 20 of the blocking plate 13 therein.

[25] As shown, the U-shaped folded edge 27 is dimensioned so that it is inserted in use between a respective door 3 (door 3b for bracket 25b and door 3c for bracket 25c) and the peripheral abutment 6, in a position facing and adjacent to the peripheral seal 7 of respective door 3, in the empty space or clearance S left free by the latter. It is however clear that if the space S is insufficient or even absent, seal 7 being highly deformable, as the latter is usually bellow- shaped, the edge 27 could however settle in the space between the doors 3 and the abutment 6, thus deforming the seal 7, without therefore making the sealing action of the latter fail.

[26] With reference to the figures from 4 to 7, numeral 100 indicates as a whole a device similar to the device 1, which shows a possible variant for the assembly on the same household appliance (combined refrigerator) 2, but on the door side adjacent to the rotation axis A instead of the opposite side, as in the case of device 1. Similar or equivalent details to those already described will be indicated with the same reference numbers for simplicity.

[27] In particular, device 100 is free from the brackets 25, which are not necessary, and consists only of a book-like assembly 10c, virtually identical to assembly 10b, from which it mainly differs for the shape and size of the toe 20, which has, in a direction parallel to a laying plane of the base plate 11, a thickness substantially equal to, or slightly smaller than, the clearance S existing in use between a respective door 3b, 3c and the peripheral abutment 6 of the carcass 4, when the doors 3 are closed. Furthermore, the toe 20 has a side guard 40, which extends from the same from the side opposite to the plate 13 of which it is an ideal extension, having the same laying plane thereof.

[28] In essence, the plate 13 of the assembly 10c, instead of cooperating in use with the side 8 of each door 3 cooperates, in a blocking position, where the plate 13 is parallel to the plate 12 and overlappingly abuts against the same, with the side 5 of each door 3, and the guard 40 is indeed shaped to abuttingly cooperate in such a blocking position of the plate 13, against the external part of the side 5 of each door 3, while the toe 20 occupies the space S; also in this case, if such a space S is either too small or absent, the toe 20 (as the edge 27 in device 1) would simply deform the seal 7 without any appreciable loss of sealing of the same.

[29] With reference now to figure 8, in both book-like assemblies 10b and 10c, the base plate 11 is provided with fastening means 42 to the carcass 4 of the electric household appliance 2, e.g. screws inserted into specific through holes of the plate 11; while, however, in the case of device 100, the plate 13 is shaped with respective apertures 43 (figure 6) at the fastening means 42, so as to allow in use the installation of the assembly 10c even if the plate 13 is arranged in the blocking position, in the case of the assembly 10b (device 1) the blocking plate 13 is shaped so as to cover, in use, the fastening means 42 of the base plate 11 at least in the blocking position (figures 2 and 8).

[30] In order to allow an easy assembly of the device 1, and a more effective operation thereof, the assembly 10b comprises elastic means 45 (figure 8) interposed between the base plate 11 and the blocking plate 13 and adapted to maintain the same in a reciprocally spread position, shown by a dashed line in figure 8; the same elastic means 45, also if in this case not strictly necessary, may also be present on the assembly 10c, the spread position of the plate 13 with respect to 10 also in this case being shown by a dashed line (figure 5).

[31] In both cases, when the elastic means 45 are present, the base plate 11 and the blocking plate 13 are provided with mating snapping fastening means 46 (figure 8) having, once coupled, a reciprocal preset clearance such as to allow the blocking plate 13 to assume, with respect to the base plate 11, the aforementioned blocking position, in which the blocking plate 13 is abuttingly arranged against the base plate 11 and parallel to the same, and an opening position in which the mating snapping fastening means 46 maintain, against the bias of the elastic means 45, the blocking plate 13 arranged in an angular position with respect to the base plate 11, by an angular amount such as to prevent, in use, the toe 20 from being inserted between each door 3 and the peripheral abutment 6 (figures 8 and 6).

[32] The mating snapping fastening means 46 may consist, for example, in respective elastic teeth 48, 49 of appropriate length, which perpendicularly and overhangingly extend from the plates 11, 13, from the faces thereof facing each other in use. Thereby, the plates 11 and 13 are assembled by being arranged so as to be coplanar, so that the assembly 10b or 10c is foldingly opened, the plate 11 is fixed to the carcass 4 and, finally, the plate 13 is rotated towards 11 so as to 'close' the assembly 10b, 10c and by compressing the elastic means 45, to make the tooth 48 snappingly being coupled with the tooth 49. At this point, the assembly 10b, 10c with the plate 13 secured to 11 against the bias of the elastic means 45 assumes only positions comprised between the locking position, which is rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the starting (opening) position of the assembly 10b, 10c, and the maximum spread position (position shown by a dashed line in figures 8 and 5) allowed by the clearance due to the length of the teeth 48,49 and in which the toe 20 is no longer inserted, in use, between a respective door 3 and the abutment 6.

[33] Finally, with further reference to figure 9, in both the assemblies 10b, 10c, the blocking plate 13 carries, on a face 50 thereof facing the side opposite to the base plate 11, reception means 51 for a key 52 and the lock 16 comprises a plug 53 rotationally carried by one of the plates 11,13, in this case shown in figure 9 by the base plate 11, and cooperating with the reception means 51 of the key 52 (which reception means in this illustrated case consist of a simple through neck obtained in the plate 13) to be rotated by means of the latter about an axis X perpendicular to the base plate 11.

[34] The lock 16 further comprises mating angular locking means 54, 55 carried by the plug 53 and by the one of plates 11,13 which does not carry the plug 53 itself; in this case, the plug 53 idly mounted through the base plate 11 is provided with a radial fin 54 adapted to be engaged in an undercut defined by a U-shaped appendix 55 integrally obtained in one piece with the plate 13 from the side opposite to the face 50 (i.e. towards the plate 11), only in at least one predetermined reciprocal angular position of fin 54 and appendix 55 (thus of plug 53), to withhold the blocking platel3 in the blocking position against the base plate 11, integrally with the latter.

[35] It is apparent that in such a position and configuration of plates 11, 13 and plug 53, the toe 20 is interposed between each door 3 and the abutment 6, thus occupying the existing space or clearance S; in the case of device 100, the latter being mounted on the door side corresponding to the rotation axis A, this is sufficient to prevent the doors 3 from rotating and thus blocking them in the closing position, thus preventing refrigerator 2 from being accessed. In the case of device 1, the toe 20 is engaged in the channel-like duct 29 defined by the edge 27 of the brackets 25, connected to the doors 3, thus practically obtaining the same result, because the attempted opening of a door 3 is prevented by the reciprocally mating between the toe 20, integral with the carcass 3 by making the plate 13 and the plate 11 integral by means of the lock 16, and the brackets 25.

[36] Finally, it is worth noting that the space S for accommodating the toe 20 between the doors 3 and the abutment 6 may not necessarily consist of the clearance normally existing due to the presence of the peripheral seal 7, but may be, if desired, obtained as a groove on side 5 and/or 8 of the doors 3, without therefore altering the operation of the device according to the invention.

Claims

[Claim 1] A safety locking device (1; 100) for an electric household appliance (2) with at least one hinged door (3), installable on a carcass (4) of the electric household appliance at a side (5; 8) of the door parallel to a rotation axis (A) of the door, characterised in that it comprises, in combination: a base plate (11) designed to be fixed in use to the carcass at an edge (12) of a peripheral abutment (6) for the door parallel to the rotation axis (A) of the door; and a blocking plate (13) foldingly hinged to the base plate (11) at a first side (14) of the latter designed to be positioned in use parallel to the door rotation axis (A); one of said blocking plates (13) and the base plate (11) carrying a lock (16) adapted to engage, in a blocking position, the other plate, and the blocking plate (13) being provided, on a side (18) thereof parallel and opposite to the first side (14) of the base plate, with a toe (20), which overhangingly extends towards the base plate (11) and is shaped so as to be adapted, in use, when the blocking plate, in said blocking position, is arranged parallel to the base plate and against the same, to be inserted between the door and the peripheral abutment, in position facing and adjacent to a peripheral seal (7) of the door, sandwiched in use between the door and the peripheral abutment.

[Claim 2] A device according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises at least one bracket (25b; 25c) provided with fastening means (26) to an edge (8b; 8c) of said at least one door, parallel and opposite to the door rotation axis (A); said at least one bracket being further provided, on opposite side to said fastening means, with an U-shaped folded edge (27) delimiting a channel- shaped duct (29) adapted to receive therein said toe (20) of said blocking plate.

[Claim 3] A device according to claim 2, characterised in that said U-shaped folded edge (27) is dimensioned so as to be inserted in use between the door and the peripheral abutment, in position facing and adjacent to said peripheral seal (7) of the door.

[Claim 4] A device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the base plate (11) is provided with fastening means (42) to the carcass (4) of the electric household appliance.

[Claim 5] A device according to claim 4, characterised in said blocking plate (13) is shaped so as to cover in use, at least in said blocking position, said fastening means (42) of the base plate.

[Claim 6] A device according to claim 5, characterised in that it further includes elastic means (45) arranged between the base plate (11) and the blocking plate (13) and adapted to maintain the same in a reciprocally spread position.

[Claim 7] A device according to claim 6, characterised in that the base plate and the blocking plate are provided with mating snapping fastening means (46) having, once coupled, a reciprocal clearance such as to allow the blocking plate (13) to assume with respect to the base plate (11) said blocking position, in which the blocking plate is abuttingly arranged against the base plate and parallel to the same, and an opening position in which said mating snapping fastening means (46) maintain against the bias of said elastic means (45) the blocking plate (13) arranged in angular position with respect to the base plate (11), by an amount such as to prevent, in use, said toe (20) from being inserted between the door and the peripheral abutment.

[Claim 8] A device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said toe (20) presents, in a direction parallel to a laying plate of the base plate (11), a thickness either essentially equal to, or slightly smaller than, a clearance (S) existing in use between said at least one door and the peripheral abutment of the carcass, when the door it closed.

[Claim 9] A device according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said blocking plate (13) carries, on a face thereof (50) facing the side opposite to the base plate, reception means (51) for a key (52); the lock (16) comprising a revolving plug (53) rotationally carried by one of said plates (11;13) and cooperating with the reception means of the key (52) to be turned by means of the latter about an axis (X) perpendicular to the base plate, and mating angular locking means (54, 55) carried by the revolving plug and by that of said plates (13) not carrying the revolving plug, adapted to reciprocally engage only in at least one predetermined reciprocal angular position for withholding the blocking plate (13) in the blocking position against the base plate (11), integrally with the latter.

[Claim 10] An electric household appliance (2) including a carcass (4) at least one closing door (3) secured to the carcass about a rotation axis (A) of the door (3) so as to determine the presence of a space or clearance (S) between said at least one door (3) and a peripheral abutment (6) for the same carried by the carcass, characterised in that it comprises a device according to any preceding claim, wherein the base plate (11) is secured to the carcass (4) and wherein the toe (20) is insertable in said space or clearance (S) when said blocking plate (13) is in said blocking position.