Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00 
  • D06F39/12—Casings; Tubs
  • D06F39/14—Doors or covers; Securing means therefor

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field front-loading washing machine doors that have a door frame, a concave element with an edge connected to the door frame, and a lenticular element that closes the concavity formed by the concave element forming a hollow in the door, and to the field of front-loading washing machines that are closed with doors according to the invention.
• Document WO 2009/1 1251 1 A1 describes a front-loading washer door that has a door frame, a glass concave element with an edge connected to the door frame, and a lenticular element that closes the concavity formed by the concave element forming a hollow in the door.
• Document ES 223520 Y describes a door for front-loading washing machines formed as a single piece of one kind of transparent material.
• the door has an annular portion located on the outside of the machine chassis and a concave zone that projects toward the inside of the machine. Once the door has been manufactured, the annular zone undergoes surface etching on one or both sides of said zone to conceal the mechanical parts that support and lock the circular door.
• the case of said model also mentions the possibility of leaving the assembly transparent so that technical components are visible from the outside, thereby achieving a certain "mechanical" effect that could be esthetically pleasing. Therefore, we see this door, like the one proposed by the search term, as having neither a frame nor a molding, and optionally completely transparent.
• the door is formed integrally with the closure element and the element for fastening the hinge.
• a door for washers of simplified construction similar to the previous one is the one described in document GB 941 134 A.
• Said door is made from a single piece of transparent plastic and afterward the outer ring undergoes a treatment that makes it opaque so that only the central circle remains transparent.
• both the hinge and the handle are molded integrally with the door in the fabrication process.
• Document ES 1015460 U describes a door for washers and dryers in which the frame is omitted with the door consisting solely of a transparent cupped element, which can be of glass or plastic, and a molding (referred to in the case as a decorative frame) of a plastic material that encircles the edge of the cupped element along its entire perimeter.
• This element can be molded directly straddling the edge of the cup-shaped element, or be molded separately and subsequently fastened to the edge. It is noted that said molding would be comparable to anti-shock molding to avoid sharp edges and protect the glass.
• Nothing is mentioned in ES 1015460 U about the type of connection of said window to the hinge and catch elements.
• the object of the invention is to provide a door for front-loading washing machines with the characteristics of improved energy efficiency, simple manufacture, and reduced costs, and a front-loading washing machine with a door having said characteristics.
• a front-loading washing machine door comprises a door frame, a concave element with an edge connected to the door frame, and a lenticular element that closes the concavity formed by the concave element forming a hollow in the door, wherein the door frame, the concave element, and the lenticular element are formed as one piece of plastic injected by means of a gas injection process.
• a door of this type offers an improved configuration with respect to the energy efficiency since the chamber formed by the hollow serves as thermal insulation during high-temperature washing processes.
• the gas-assisted plastic injection especially with nitrogen, the gas is injected into the molten polymer mass at high pressure, hollows out the central part of the piece and presses the molten material against the mold surface. After the material solidifies, the nitrogen is evacuated from the mold cavity.
• the result is a door with better characteristics than those of a solid door.
• the door is lighter with practically the same strength, plastic material is conserved, production cycles are shorter due to faster cooling, the resulting door does not contain any marks due to shrinkage cavities in the locations where material accumulates, and greater precision in the door dimensions is obtained.
• the door may have inserts of another material that are embedded in the plastic of the door.
• the inserts are preferably metal or ceramic and made so that the elements requiring them in order to function will fit thereon.
• a recess may likewise be formed in the rear face in which, for example, a hinge element of a hinge assembly can be inserted.
• One way to fasten the hinge assembly comprises locating the centerline of the hinge (the part corresponding to the knuckles) within the door frame and covering it afterward with a small cap. The rest of the hinge may be connected to the front panel of the washer.
• another way to mount the hinge is by means of a hinge on both sides comprising a movable hinge leaf and a fixed hinge leaf connected by means of a hinge pin.
• the movable hinge leaf could be mounted on the door and the fixed one on the panel.
• a vertical hinge pin would be the connecting element, and at the same time the axis of rotation of the hinge assembly.
• the hollow defined by the concave element and the lenticular element can also extend through at least part of the interior of the door frame, making it much lighter.
• the handle is made integrally with the door during the same injection process, for which a catch or an insert formed as a catch is provided, embedded in and projecting from the rear face of the door frame. In this manner, the manufacture of the door is greatly simplified.
• the door can be made from a transparent plastic to make the inside of the washer drum visible.
• a transparent plastic to make the inside of the washer drum visible.
• the protecting element can be formed as an ABS plastic ring that is glued, clipped, or welded to the front face of the door frame.
• a principal advantage of the invention is the integration of several components into one. In this way, decreased door assembly complexity is achieved. Said decreased complexity leads to reduced material costs and, particularly, assembly costs. Consequently, the overall cost of the assembly is lower.
• An additional advantage is the decrease in both the total investment and in the time and tooling required for molding. Moreover, the energy consumption in the process is much lower.
• Figure 1 a cross-section of a front-loading washer door
• Figure 2 a schematic section of a handle set for a washer door.
• Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a door 1 , which closes the loading door opening of a front-loading washer, formed from a piece of plastic with an interior hollow 5 enclosed by a concave element 3, a lenticular element and a door frame 2.
• the concave element 3 With the door 1 in the closed position within the machine (not shown), the concave element 3 is introduced through the loading door opening of the machine seating against a rubber gasket of the loading door opening to seal it.
• the door frame 2 remains on the outside of the washing machine chassis.
• the door 1 features a handle 61 on a front face 21 of the door frame 2 and an insert
• the other side of the door 1 features a hinge element 7 fastened by screws to the door frame 2 through its rear face 22.
• the front face 21 of the door frame 2 is covered by an opaque protecting element 8 that conceals the mechanical elements of the door 1 and at the same time protects it from scratches and chemical attack from, for example, cleaning products used during the washing machine washing process.
• Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-section of the door frame 2 covered with a protecting element 8 of a door 1 of the invention.
• a front recess 24 On the front face 21 of the door frame 2 is formed a front recess 24 in which a handle set 6 is assembled.
• the handle set 6 has a handle 61 that projects from the perimeter of the door, and a catch hook 63 that projects through an opening in the rear face 22 of the door frame 2.
• the handle set 6 can rotate on a shaft connected to some tube-shaped inserts (not shown) embedded in the plastic of the door frame 2 in which it can rotate.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Main Body Construction Of Washing Machines And Laundry Dryers (AREA)
• Securing Of Glass Panes Or The Like (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=44513011

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2010
  • 2010-07-22 ES ES201031136A patent/ES2397888B1/es not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2011
  • 2011-07-06 EA EA201390103A patent/EA022017B1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2011-07-06 WO PCT/IB2011/052992 patent/WO2012011007A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2011-07-06 EP EP11743637.8A patent/EP2596160B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2011-07-06 PL PL11743637T patent/PL2596160T3/pl unknown
  • 2011-07-06 CN CN201180035553.5A patent/CN103025947B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (6)

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