Built-in electrical household appliance and household appliance assembly and built-in furniture unit for a household appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10098456-B2
Application number	US-201113978317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2011
Priority date	Jan 5, 2011
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

This invention relates to a built-in electrical household appliance (1), suitable for being housed inside a built-in furniture unit (2), the furniture unit comprising a lateral wall defining a surface (4) and a unit door (6) attached to said lateral surface (4) by means of hinges (10a, 10b). The appliance (1) comprises: a main body (12) defining a space for housing foods or objects, the main body having a side (13) suitable for being placed facing the lateral surface (4) when the electrical household appliance is housed in the furniture unit; a door (11) for access to the space and hinged on one of its sides to the main body (12) in such a manner as to rotate between an open position and a closed position and in such a manner as to present, in the closed position, a lateral edge (25) thereof facing the lateral surface (4), and being provided with attachment elements (26) suitable for permitting coupling to the unit door (6), in such a way that it is possible to open and close the door by moving the unit door (6). The appliance furthermore shows a distance between said lateral edge (25) of the door (11) and a plane containing an outer surface of said side (13) of the main body (12) there is a distance, in a direction perpendicular to said plane, of at least 5 mm, such that when the electrical household appliance (1) is housed in the furniture unit (2) the side (13) can be arranged adjacent to the lateral surface (4) while the hinges (10a, 10b) can be accommodated in a space between the door (11) and said lateral surface (4) of said furniture unit, and the door (11) has, along the lateral edge (25), at least one vertical chamfer (22) to avoid interference with the hinges (10a, 10b) when the door is operated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical household appliance ( 1 ), suitable for being housed inside a furniture unit ( 2 ), said furniture unit ( 2 ) comprising a lateral wall defining a lateral surface ( 4 ) and a unit door ( 6 ) attached to said lateral surface ( 4 ) by means of hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ), said electrical household appliance ( 1 ) comprising:
a main body ( 12 ) defining a space for housing foods or objects, said main body having a side ( 13 );
an appliance door ( 11 ) for access to the space and hinged on a side of the appliance door ( 11 ) to the side ( 13 ) of the main body ( 12 ) in such a manner as to rotate between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position, a lateral edge ( 25 ) of the appliance door ( 11 ) faces a plane containing an outer surface of said side ( 13 ) of the main body ( 12 ), further wherein the appliance door ( 11 ) is provided with attachment elements ( 26 ),

wherein:
said lateral edge is spaced from said plane laterally inward from the outer surface of said side ( 13 ) of the main body ( 12 ),
between said lateral edge ( 25 ) of the appliance door ( 11 ) and said plane there is a distance, in a direction normal to said plane, of at least 5 mm, and
said appliance door ( 11 ), along said lateral edge ( 25 ), has at least one vertical chamfer ( 22 ).

2. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said distance is between 15 and 30 mm.

3. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a width of said main body ( 12 ) is greater than 540 mm.

4. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one chamfer ( 22 ) extends vertically for a full height of said appliance door ( 11 ).

5. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one chamfer ( 22 ) comprises at least two chamfers spaced apart from each other vertically and provided in a region of said hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ).

6. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said appliance door ( 11 ) has on an inside thereof a gasket ( 19 ) for closure on said main body ( 12 ), and in that a total thickness of the appliance door including the gasket is between 40 and 60 mm.

7. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein said total thickness is between 45 and 60 mm.

8. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one vertical chamfer ( 22 ) comprises a flat surface that is transverse and non-orthogonal to said plane.

9. The electrical household appliance ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one vertical chamfer ( 22 ) comprises a flat surface that is transverse and non-orthogonal to a front surface of the appliance door ( 11 ).

10. An assembly ( 30 ) comprising an electrical household appliance ( 1 ) and a furniture unit ( 2 ) for built-in electrical household appliances, in which said furniture unit ( 2 ) is provided with a housing ( 3 ) for said electrical household appliance ( 1 ), said housing ( 3 ) extending between a first and a second lateral surface ( 4 , 5 ) opposed to each other and between a unit door ( 6 ) attached to said first lateral surface ( 4 ) by means of unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) and a back surface ( 7 ) opposite said unit door ( 6 ), and wherein said electrical household appliance ( 1 ) comprises:
a body ( 12 ) provided with a first and a second lateral wall ( 13 , 14 ) respectively facing said first and said second lateral surface ( 4 , 5 ) of said housing ( 3 ), and
an appliance door ( 11 ) hinged to said body ( 12 ) so as to be rotatable between a closed position in which said appliance door ( 11 ) is alongside said body ( 12 ) along a line of closure ( 20 ) and an open position, said appliance door ( 11 ) being attached to said unit door ( 6 ) so as to be able to be pulled between said closed position and said open position, said appliance door ( 11 ) being hinged to said body ( 12 ) of said electrical household appliance ( 1 ) by means of appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) that are separate from said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ), wherein said body ( 12 ) occupies in said housing ( 3 ) a space directly between said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) and said back surface ( 7 ), and in that said appliance door ( 11 ) is configured in such a manner that between said appliance door and said first lateral surface ( 4 ) there is defined at least one empty space ( 21 ) for housing said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ).

11. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 10 , wherein a lateral edge ( 25 ) of said appliance door ( 11 ) facing towards said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) has a chamfer ( 22 ) in order to avoid interference between said appliance door and said hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) during rotation between said closed position and said open position.

12. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 11 , wherein said appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) comprises a pair of appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) placed at opposite ends of said lateral edge ( 25 ), said pair of appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) protruding with respect to said chamfer ( 22 ).

13. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 11 , wherein said chamfer ( 22 ) extends along said lateral edge ( 25 ) from one to the other of said pair of appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ).

14. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 10 , wherein said electrical household appliance ( 1 ) has a maximum width greater than 540 mm.

15. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 10 , wherein said appliance door ( 11 ) is hinged to said body ( 12 ) so as to be rotatable about a hinge axis (Y) and a distance between said hinge axis (Y) and said line of closure ( 20 ) is greater than 90% of an overall dimension of said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) along said first lateral surface ( 4 ).

16. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 15 , wherein said hinge axis (Y) is spaced apart from said line of closure ( 20 ) to such a degree as to prevent interference between said body ( 12 ) and said appliance door ( 11 ) during rotation between said closed position and said open position.

17. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 10 , wherein in the closed position, said appliance door ( 11 ) occupies a space directly between said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) and said second lateral surface ( 5 ).

18. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 10 , wherein said appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) comprises a pair of appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) placed at opposite sides of said appliance door ( 11 ), further wherein said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ) are located vertically between said pair of appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ).

19. The assembly ( 30 ) according to claim 10 , wherein said appliance hinges ( 24 a , 24 b ) are spaced from said unit hinges ( 10 a , 10 b ).

Assignees

• Beni Marco
• Buosi Augusto
• Velli Vittorio
• Meneghin Michele
• Electrolux Home Products Corp Nv

Inventors

• Beni Marco
• Buosi Augusto
• Velli Vittorio
• Meneghin Michele

Classifications

• A47B77/16

  by adaptation of compartments or drawers for receiving or holding foodstuffs; by provision of rotatable or extensible containers for foodstuffs · CPC title

• A47B77/08 Primary

  for incorporating apparatus operated by power, including water power; for incorporating apparatus for cooking, cooling, or laundry purposes · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/10

  Arrangements for mounting in particular locations, e.g. for built-in type, for corner type · CPC title

• F25D23/02 Primary

  Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) · CPC title