Domestic appliance with a button holder

Abstract

 The present invention describes a domestic appliance which comprises a front panel (1), at least one button (8) located on said front panel (1) in order to control various parameters, and at least one button holder element (9) for the purpose of fixing said button (8) onto said panel (1). Said domestic appliance includes at least one panel flap (13) folded from the front panel (1), and a connection face (10) for attachment of a button holder element (9) to this panel flap (13). Also, said connection face (10) includes at least one fixing hole (9a) which can coincide with at least one panel attachment hole (11) on said panel flap (13).

Description

[0001] The present invention concerns a button holder element to retain buttons positioned on the front panel of domestic appliances such as gas cookers in order to control certain parameters.

[0002] Domestic appliances are equipped with one or more buttons which control various operating parameters. Push-buttons are used for the purpose of ignition in cookers, especially gas ovens. Cookers equipped with this type of button have a button holding component which is attached to the panel and serves as a fixing. Said button holder components, as well as holding the buttons on the cooker, also attach the valves to which the button is connected, usually by a twist-type connection.

[0003] Cooking appliances which operate by gas provide a flow from the gas valve to the burners where the combustion process takes place and the cooking appliance may contain within it an ignition system for lighting the gas ring. The burner rings ignited by push-buttons are usually ignited by the user pushing the button. The push-buttons used on most cookers and ovens also have a field of application in domestic appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers. The assembly of the holder components used in order to retain this type of button in the panel requires delicate workmanship and increases the assembly cost.

[0004] An example of the current state of the art in German patent certificate number DE 10 2005 035 464 describes button holder components to protect said buttons, and a panel in which the buttons on the cooker are located. The button holder component includes projections which coincide with a suitable receptacle in the rear surface of the panel. In said document, a second plate in addition to the front panel is required for the fixing of the button holder component in the panel.

[0005] Meanwhile, especially in cooker appliances, there is an internal plate in the section facing the interior of the front panel and double sided adhesive tape is used to carry out the connection of said internal plate to the front panel and for the attachment of said buttons.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is the provision of a button holder component for domestic appliances as described in claim 1 in order to resolve problems in the current state of the art by minimizing labor procedures during assembly and by reducing assembly costs.

[0007] Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a holder element in which materials and assembly labor costs are reduced by eliminating components such as double sided adhesive tape and an internal plate.

[0008] Another purpose of the present invention, in addition to the reduction of labor and costs, is to provide a holder element which provides assembly time savings, and to provide a domestic appliance equipped with such holder elements by ensuring ease of assembly in a practical fashion.

[0009] The present invention concerns a domestic appliance which comprises a front panel, at least one button located on said front panel in order to control various parameters, and at least one button holder element for the purpose of fixing said button onto said front panel. Said domestic appliance includes at least one panel folded to form a panel flap and a front panel with a connection face which permits attachment of the button holder element with this panel flap. Also, said front panel includes at least one fixing hole which permits the connection face to coincide with at least one panel connection hole on the panel flap.

[0010] The front panel on the domestic appliance which is the subject of the invention may have a large number of apertures to accommodate a large number of buttons. The same front panel may include one or more brackets attached to its lateral surfaces. The panel flap is set at an angle to the vertical axis of the domestic appliance. It may be equipped with a button washer which will be located between a button used in the domestic appliance and the front panel. On the connection face of the button holder element, there may be one or more claws which coincide with the panel flap. Said button holder element may comprise at least two components which can be disassembled. Similarly, the button holder element may be cylindrical in form and may include a foot extending perpendicularly from the cylindrical form.

[0011] The button holder element which is the subject of the present invention has been shown in the attached figures in order that it may be better understood, but said figures are attached to provide better explanation of the invention only, and shall not be restrictive of the invention. On this basis, in the attached figures:

Figure 1 presents an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of the button holder according to the present invention within a cooker assembly.

Figure 2 presents an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of a button holder component within a cooker according to the current state of the art.

Figure 3 presents a perspective view together with the panel in which the button holder component according to the present invention will be installed.

[0012] The present invention proposes the construction of a button holder element (9) for use in domestic appliances, especially cookers. It includes one or more buttons for controlling various parameters on said domestic appliances, and especially on gas-operated ovens.

[0013] Figure 2 shows a button holder component (2) used in cookers as an example of the current state of the art. In cookers, when said button holder components (2) are installed on the front panel (1) of the cooker, the panel internal plate (3) is attached to the front panel (1) by means of double sided adhesive tape (4). At a subsequent stage, the button washers (5) are loosely positioned in front of the button holder components (2), and the button holder components (2) which have a washer (5) placed at the front can be locked between the front panel (1) and the internal plate (3) by the mechanism on the front section. The element to prevent rotation (6) on the front panel prevents the present holder component (2) from turning on its own axis. The button holder component (2) thus locked serves to protect and retain push-buttons (8) within the panel. A shaft (7a) which coincides with the push-button within the panel is located so that it lies behind the button holder component (2). Said shaft (7a) can be used within a switch (14) for use in an ignition system on cookers.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a button holder element (9) developed to replace the button holder component (2) in the current state of the art. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the panel internal plate (3) known in the current state of the art, and also the double sided adhesive tape (4) used to fix said internal plate (3) to the front panel (1) are eliminated by the proposed button holder element (9). Thus, in place of said eliminated components, the newly designed holder element (9) is located, together with the button washer (5), behind the button apertures on the front panel (1).

[0015] The button holder element (9) has an external body which is cylindrical in form, and includes feet (15) in the form of a projection extending outward in a perpendicular fashion from this external body, as well as a connection face (10) in the form of a flat projection which unites said feet (15). The connection face (10) includes at least one fixing hole (9a). Said fixing holes (9a) are attached by means of suitable connection elements to at least one panel attachment hole (11) located on the panel flap (13). Said panel flap is folded, preferably to form an angle of 80-100° to the vertical axis of the panel flap (13). In this way, the internal plate (3) is eliminated. In order to fix said front panel (1) to the frame of the cooker, it has usually been carried on lateral faces by means of brackets (12) behind the front panel (1). Said bracket (12) can be attached to the lateral faces of the front panel (1) by a spot welding process.

[0016] Push-buttons (8) used in cookers usually coincide with a shaft on the end of the switches used in the ignition system. The button holder element (9) has an aperture in its base face in order to permit said shaft (7a) to pass through it. As a result of the high pressing forces applied by the user on the push-button over the course of time, said button holder element may in some cases be damaged and become unable to perform its function. In order to prevent this, said button holder element (9) is fixed through the underside, where the connection face (10) is located, and a certain degree of angle is provided to said panel flap (13). The degree of such an angle is preferably set between 0° and 15°.

[0017] Various methods can be used in order to fix said holder element (9) to the front panel (1). For this purpose, instead of locating said holder element (9) on the panel flap (13) and screwing through the fixing holes (9a) to the panel flap (13), said holder element (9) can be fixed to the front panel (1) through the lateral faces and/or through an upper surface. In addition to this, instead of using a connection element which passes through the fixing holes (9a) of the holder element (9), a claw-like structure can be added to the connection face (10), or the number of pins in the base can be increased to provide attachment of the holder element (9) to the front panel (1). Also, said pin holes (9a) can be expanded or reduced according to the diameter.

[0018] The button holder element (9) can be used in one-piece form or can be used in the form of two separate components which can be fitted to each other later. A two-part system can also readily be used, fitted to the lower body of the protective cylindrical receptacle into which the buttons (8) are inserted.

[0019] In order to reduce the effects on the holder component of the pressure applied by the user on the button (8), supporting feet may also be added to the holder element (9). Also the design of the component can be adapted in order to fix the button holder element (9) to the front panel (1) by means of double sided adhesive tape (4) and in this manner the strength of the component may be increased.

Reference Number

[0020] 

1

Front panel

2

Button holder component

3

Panel internal plate

4

Adhesive tape

5

Button washer

6

Element to prevent rotation

7a

Shaft

8

Button

9

Button holder element

9a

Fixing hole

10

Connection face

11

Panel attachment hole

12

Bracket

13

Panel flap

14

Switch

15

Foot

Claims

1. A domestic appliance which comprises a front panel (1), at least one button (8) located on said front panel (1) in order to control various parameters, and at least one button holder element (9) for the purpose of fixing this button (8) onto said front panel (1), characterized in that it comprises a panel flap (13) of the front panel (1) which is folded with regard to the front surface of the panel, a connection face (10) for attachment of a button holder element (9) to the panel flap (13), and at least one fixing hole (9a) to permit the connection face (10) to coincide with at least one panel connection hole (11) in the panel flap (13).

2. The domestic appliance as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said front panel (1) has a number of apertures for said buttons (8).

3. The domestic appliance as claimed in either one of the previous claims, characterized in that it includes at least one bracket (12) attached to the lateral surfaces of said front panel (1).

4. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it includes a button washer (5) positioned between said button (8) and said front panel (1).

5. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it includes a shaft (7a) attached to said button within the button holder element (9) of said domestic appliance.

6. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said panel flap (13) is set at an angle to the vertical axis of the domestic appliance.

7. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it includes at least one claw on the connection face (10) of said button holder element (9) which coincides with said panel flap (13).

8. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said button holder element (9) may comprise at least two components which can be disassembled.

9. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said button (8) is a push-button.

10. The domestic appliance as claimed in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said button holder element (9) is cylindrical in form, and includes at least one foot (15) extending in a direction perpendicular to said cylindrical form.

11. A gas oven as claimed in any one of the previous claims.

Drawing