Opening device, particularly for a recessed electrical household appliance

Abstract

 An opening device (1), particularly for an electrical household appliance (2) that is recessed between two sides (3a,3b) of a piece of furniture (4), comprising a door wing (5) which is associated, at its lower edge (7), with means, jointly connected to the furniture sides (3a,3b), which are adapted to impose a combined rotation and translation on the door wing (5) during its opening.
The door wing (5) is associated, in proximity to its upper edge, with a pair of guides (11a, 11b) which are slidingly associated with a slider (14) which is rotatably associated with a pivot (18) which is jointly connected at one end to a side wall (20) of a frame (21) associated with the door (6) of the electrical household appliance (2).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening device, particularly for a recessed electrical household appliance.

[0002] Nowadays associating electrical household appliances with a piece of furniture, by recessing the appliance in the furniture, is known; the electrical appliance is arranged between two sides of the piece of furniture so that the door of the appliance, such as a dishwasher, remains in view so as to allow the user to grasp the handle thereof and open the door in order to access the interior of the electrical appliance.

[0003] This known solution requires that the door of the electrical appliance remains in view, and this can be a drawback if there is a different finish on the door of the piece of furniture.

[0004] A partial solution to this drawback is known and consists in associating a door wing to the front of the door of the electrical appliance, which door wing imitates the finish of the furniture; however, this solution also has drawbacks: what is actually required is to make a door wing that has to have, in addition to the dimensions of the household appliance, the height and width of the space created in the piece of furniture in which the appliance is installed, so that it can be opened and closed without interference.

[0005] In addition, the handle of the electrical household appliance still remains visible along with any controls for its activation, which can also constitute an undesired element of divergence from the piece of furniture.

[0006] The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks in the cited known art, by providing a device that makes it possible to recess an electrical household appliance in a piece of furniture while obtaining a finish that is homogeneous and uniform with that piece of furniture.

[0007] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a device that makes it possible to recess an electrical household appliance in a piece of furniture while at the same time allowing quick and easy use of the appliance itself.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a device which makes it possible to recess an electrical household appliance in a piece of furniture while at the same time allowing quick and easy use of the appliance itself irrespective of the dimensions of the door of the appliance.

[0009] A further object is to obtain a device that is structurally simple, can be manufactured at low cost and can be made with the usual known systems.

[0010] This aim and these and other objects which will become more evident hereinafter are achieved by an opening device, particularly for an electrical household appliance recessed between two sides of a piece of furniture, characterized in that it is constituted by a door wing which is associated, at its lower edge, with means, jointly connected to said sides, that are adapted to impose a combined rotation and translation to said door wing during its opening, a pair of guides being associated with said door wing proximate to the upper edge, a slider being slidingly associated with said guides, a pivot being rotatably associated with said slider, said pivot being jointly connected, at one end, to a side wall of a frame which is associated with the door of said electrical household appliance.

[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a particular, but not exclusive, embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the piece of furniture inside which the electrical household appliance is recessed;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are, respectively, a side view, a front view and a top view of the device according to the invention shown in the preceding figure;

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the door wing, the frame and the door of the electrical household appliance in a half-open condition;

Figure 6 is a view of the door wing associated with the sides of the piece of furniture in the open condition;

Figures 7 and 8 are detail views showing the means adapted to impose the combined rotation and translation on the door wing;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a guide;

Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of the slider, the pivot and the frame;

Figures from 11 to 15 show, in a schematic view, the condition that can be assumed by the slider in the various steps of opening the door wing;

Figures from 16 to 20 show the door wing which is associated with the sides and with which the frame is associated, in the various deployments that they assume during opening.

[0012] In the embodiments that follow, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be interchanged with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

[0013] Moreover, it should be noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

[0014] With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 indicates an opening device, particularly for an electrical household appliance 2, such as a dishwasher, recessed between two sides 3a, 3b of a piece of furniture 4.

[0015] The device comprises a door wing 5 of a width equal to approximately the distance that lies between the two sides 3a, 3b and therefore a width that is greater than that of the door 6 of the electrical household appliance 2.

[0016] The door wing 5 also has a height that is greater than that of the door 6, so as to conceal it from view.

[0017] Means are associated, at one end thereof, with the inner surface 8 of the door wing 5 itself, at the lower edge 7 of the door wing 5, such means being made integral at the other end thereof with the inner lateral surfaces 9a, 9b of the sides 3a,3b; such means are adapted to impose a combined rotation and translation to the door wing 5 when it is opened with respect to the piece of furniture 4 and therefore such means decouple the rotation of the door 6 of the electrical household appliance 2 from that of the door wing 5.

[0018] These means comprise a hinge 10, of known type, and a pair of guides 11a, 11b, each of which is constituted by a dovetail sliding block, preferably made of plastics, which is coupled, preferably by means of first screws 12, to the inner lateral surface 8 of the door wing 5 proximate to its upper edge 13.

[0019] A slider 14 cooperates with each of the guides 11a, 11b and is slidingly associated with them by means of a pair of wings 15a, 15b that enclose the sliding block; the slider has a tab 16 on which, transversely to the pair of wings 15a, 15b, there is a seat 17 for a pivot 18, which is rotatably associated with the tab 16 and is coupled, at the end, with a recess 19 provided on a side wall 20 of a frame 21, which in turn is associated with the door 6 of the electrical household appliance 2 by means of second screws 25.

[0020] In the fully open condition, shown in Figure 15, the slider 14 finds a stroke limit on an abutment 22 provided at the base of the sliding block.

[0021] In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the above-mentioned aim and objects, a device being obtained that makes it possible to recess an electrical household appliance in a piece of furniture while obtaining a finish that is homogeneous and uniform with that piece of furniture irrespectively of the finish of the door of the electrical household appliance.

[0022] The device makes it possible to recess an electrical household appliance in a piece of furniture while at the same time allowing quick and easy use of the appliance itself, where it is sufficient to open the door wing to directly access the compartment of the electrical household appliance.

[0023] The device moreover makes it possible to disregard the dimensions of the door of the electrical household appliance, since the door wing is integral with the sides of the piece of furniture.

[0024] Obviously the materials used as well as the dimensions constituting the individual components of the invention can be more relevant according to specific requirements.

[0025] The different means for effecting certain different functions shall not in any way coexist only in the illustrated embodiment, but may be present in many embodiments per se, even if they are not illustrated.

[0026] The characteristics indicated as advantageous, advisable or the like may also be lacking or substituted by equivalent characteristics.

[0027] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TV2010A000061 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0028] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. An opening device, particularly for an electrical household appliance (2) recessed between two sides (3a, 3b) of a piece of furniture (4), characterized in that it is constituted by a door wing (5) which is associated, at its lower edge (7), with means, jointly connected to said sides (3a, 3b), that are adapted to impose a combined rotation and translation to said door wing (5) during its opening, a pair of guides (11a, 11b) being associated with said door wing (5) proximate to the upper edge (13), a slider (14) being slidingly associated with said guides (11a, 11b), a pivot (18) being rotatably associated with said slider (14), said pivot (18) being jointly connected, at one end, to a side wall (20) of a frame (21) which is associated with the door (6) of said electrical household appliance (2).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said door wing (5) is substantially as wide as the distance between said sides (3a, 3b) and is higher than said door (6).

3. The device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that means are associated at the inner surface (8) that is adjacent to the lower edge (7) of said door wing (5) and are jointly connected also to the inner lateral surfaces (9a, 9b) of said sides (3a, 3b), said means being adapted to impose to said door wing (5) a combined rotation and translation during its opening with respect to said piece of furniture (4) and to disengage the rotation of said door (6) of said electrical household appliance (2) with respect to the rotation of said door wing (5).

4. The device according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said means comprise a hinge (10) and a pair of guides ( 11a, 11b), each one of said guides being constituted by a dovetail sliding block, which is coupled, by means of first screws (12), to said inner lateral surface (8) of said door wing (5) proximate to its upper edge (13).

5. The device according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that a slider (14) cooperates with each one of said guides (11a, 11b) and is slidingly associated with them by means of a pair of wings (15a, 15b) that enclose said sliding block, said slider having a tab (16) on which, transversely to said pair of wings (15a, 15b), there is a seat (17) for a pivot (18), which is rotatably associated with said tab (16) and is coupled, at the end, at a recess (19) provided on a side wall (20) of a frame (21), which in turn is associated with said door (6) of said electrical household appliance (2) by means of second screws (25).

6. The device according to claims 1 and 5, characterized in that in the completely open condition said slider (14) finds a stroke limit on an abutment (22) provided at the base of said sliding block.

Drawing