WO2019129423A1

WO2019129423A1 - A door for a washer/dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2019129423A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/081760
Authority: WO
Inventors: Onur MUHIDDIN; Isik Ozyaka; Levent Cinar; Ersin BEDIR
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2017-12-25
Filing date: 2018-11-19
Publication date: 2019-07-04
Also published as: TR201721669A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a door (1) enabling closing the loading opening of a washer/dryer appliance such as a washing machine and/or a dryer, wherein fiber collection between the glass (3) and the frame (2) is prevented. The door (1) of the invention is characterized by at least one tie piece (4) extending towards the grouping direction of the glass (3) and towards the center direction of the frame (2), and contacting the glass (3) in a grouped state of the glass (3).

Description

A DOOR FOR A WASHER/DRYER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a door for a washing machine and/or a dryer.

Prior Art

In washing machines and dryers, the laundry items are placed into a drum rotatable about an axis. While rotating, the drum rotates the laundry items, thereby enabling a smooth washing and/or drying of all of the laundry items therein. Openings are provided in these machines, enabling the laundry items to be placed into and removed from the drum. These openings can be closed by means of a door. Thus, the user can open the door when he/she desires to access into the drum, and then can close the door thereafter. At least a portion of the doors of these machines are made of a light transmitting material such as glass to enable visibility into the drum. Said glass is surrounded by a frame which is generally made of plastics. In the state of the art, water leakage from the assembly gaps between the glass and the frame is inhibited by means of a gasket or by performing applications such as glueing or overmolding. In cases when sealing is desired to be provided by means of a gasket or glueing, an assembly gap should be provided between the inner portion of the door and the glass. The fibers of the laundry items may collect in said gap during spinning of the laundry items. It is very difficult to clean said fibers and moreover in some cases it is not even possible to clean these fibers.

State of the art European patent document no. EP1899524 mentions a door structure in which sealing between the glass and the frame is provided by means of a gasket.

None of the state of the art documents include a solution such as the one in the present invention.

Brief Description of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to realize a door enabling closing the loading opening of a washer/dryer appliance such as a washing machine and/or a dryer.

Another aim of the present invention is to realize a door in which fiber collection between the glass and the frame is prevented.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The door realized to achieve the aims of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1: is a sectional view of the door.
Figure 2: is a detail view of the door.

The elements in the figures are numbered individually and the correspondence of these numbers are given hereinafter.

Door
Frame
Glass
Tie piece

The door (1) enabling closing the loading opening of an appliance such as a washer/dryer, comprises in its most basic form,

at least one frame (2) shaped to cover a loading opening, connected to the appliance at least one portion, and rotatable about a rotational axis formed by at least one section of said portion connected to the appliance,
at least one glass (3) grouped to the frame (2) so as to extend from the frame (2) towards the internal volume of the appliance in a closed state of the frame (2), and
at least one tie piece (4) extending in a closed state of the frame (2) from the region of the frame (2) closer to the interior of the appliance, towards the grouping direction of the glass (3) and towards the center direction of the frame (2), contacting the glass (3) in a grouped state of the glass (3).

The door (1) enabling closing the loading opening of an appliance such as a washer/dryer, comprises in its most basic form, at least one frame (2) shaped to cover a loading opening. For example, if the loading opening of the appliance is shaped almost as a circle, than the frame (2) may be shaped as a circle with a larger diameter. The essence here is that the frame (2) is larger than the opening, thereby covering thereof. The frame (2) is connected to the appliance at least a portion thereof. This connection region also forms a rotational axis for the frame (2). The frame (2) can be opened and closed by rotating about this rotational axis. The closed position of the frame (2) is the position in which the door (1) closes the loading opening, restricting access to the interior of the appliance. At least one glass (3) is grouped to the frame (2) so as to extend from the frame (2) towards the internal volume of the appliance in a closed state of the frame (2). The glass (3) has at least one annular cross-section. The diameter of the annular cross-section of the glass (3) preferably tapers from the exterior of the appliance towards its interior, in the closed position of the door (1). With the door (1) closed, at least one tie piece (4) extends from the region of the frame (2) closer to the interior of the appliance towards the grouping direction of the glass (3). For sake of clarity, it can be assumed that the frame (2) has an annular structure having an inner diameter and an outer diameter. At least the outer diameter of said frame (2) is larger than the diameter of the loading opening of the appliance. The tie piece (4) extends outwards from the surface of said annular structure and towards the center, in a position close to the interior of said annular structure. A circle with a different diameter forms at the portion where the tie piece (4) ends. The diameter of this circle is smaller than the inner diameter of the frame (2), smaller then the diameter of the larger circular cross-section of the glass (3), and larger than the smaller cross-section of the glass (3). The glass (3) thus begins contacting the tie piece (4) as it advances while being grouped to the frame (2).

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tie piece (4) has a flexible structure. Upon the glass (3) contacting the tie piece (4), when the glass (3) is continued to be advanced within the frame (2), the regions of the glass (3) with increasingly larger diameters contact the tie piece (4). The tie piece (4) allows the glass (3) to advance thanks to its flexible structure. As the diameter of the region of the glass (3) contacting the tie piece (4) increases, the tie piece (4) flexes further towards into the appliance in the closed state of the door (1). The tie piece (4) covers the gaps likely remaining between the glass (3) and the frame (2) thanks to said structure. Fiber collection in said gaps is thus prevented.

Thanks to its flexible structure, the tie piece (4) fulfills its function even when frames (2) and glasses (3) with varying diameters are used.

For sake of clarity, the structures of the frame (2), glass (3) and the tie piece (4) is disclosed as being annular, but it is apparent that these structures may also have elliptical or polygonal shapes. For example, if the frame (2) has a rectangular structure, then at least a portion of the glass (3) may have a rectangular cross-section and the tie piece (4) may extend from the smaller rectangular portion of the frame (2), outwards and towards the center of the frame (2). Therefore, different shapes of the frame (2), glass (3) and the tie piece (4) should also be considered as being in the scope of the invention.

Claims

A door (1) enabling closing the loading opening of an appliance such as a washer/dryer, comprising

- at least one frame (2) shaped to cover a loading opening, connected to the appliance at least one portion, and rotatable about a rotational axis formed by at least one section of said portion connected to the appliance, and

- at least one glass (3) grouped to the frame (2) so as to extend from the frame (2) towards the internal volume of the appliance in a closed state of the frame (2), characterized by

- at least one tie piece (4) extending in a closed state of the frame (2), from the region of the frame (2) closer to the interior of the appliance, towards the grouping direction of the glass (3) and towards the center direction of the frame (2), contacting the glass (3) in a grouped state of the glass (3).
A door (1) according to claim 1, comprising a glass (3) having at least one annular cross-section.
A door (1) according to claim 2, comprising a glass (3) wherein the diameter of the annular cross-section of the glass tapers from the exterior of the appliance towards its interior, in the closed position of the door (1).
A door (1) according to claim 1, comprising the frame (2) with an almost annular structure having an inner diameter and an outer diameter.
A door (1) according to claim 4, comprising the frame (2) wherein at least the outer diameter of the frame is larger than the diameter of the loading opening of the appliance.
A door (1) according to claim 4, comprising the tie piece (4), wherein the diameter of the circle formed by the tie piece where it ends, is smaller than the inner diameter of the frame (2), smaller then the diameter of the larger circular cross-section of the glass (3), and larger than the smaller cross-section of the glass (3).
A door (1) according to claim 1, comprising the tie piece (4) with a flexible structure.
A door (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the tie piece (4) covering the gaps likely remaining between the glass (3) and the frame (2).