Bi-directional door for an appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10731287-B2
Application number	US-201715815132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2017
Priority date	Nov 16, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance can include a chassis defining an interior, with a tub and a drum provided in the interior to define a treating chamber for treating articles according to a cycle of operation. A door can selectively open an access opening in the chassis for accessing the treating chamber. The door can include a hinge assembly having a first hinge arm and a second hinge arm coupled to an actuator arm. Operation of a handle assembly can actuate the actuator arm and can selectively couple the first hinge arm at a first hinge or the second hinge arm at a second hinge to open the door in a first or second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A household appliance comprising:
a chassis defining an interior having an access opening;
a door selectively closing the access opening;
a first hinge assembly comprising a first pair of hinge plates mounted to the chassis and door, respectively, and collectively forming a first knuckle, with a first hinge pin received within the first knuckle to define a first axis of rotation for the door;
a second hinge assembly comprising a second pair of hinge plates mounted to the chassis and door, respectively, and collectively forming a second knuckle, with a second hinge pin received within the second knuckle to define a second axis of rotation for the door, which is different from and spaced from the first axis of rotation; and
an actuator arm, pivotable about a pivot point between a first position and a second position, and coupled to both the first and second hinge pins and operable between a first fixed state, where the actuator arm is pivoted to the first position, the first hinge pin is received within the first knuckle and the second hinge pin is withdrawn from the second knuckle, and a second fixed state, where the actuator arm is pivoted to the second position, the second hinge pin is received within the second knuckle, and the first hinge pin is withdrawn from the first knuckle, wherein the actuator arm stays in one of the first and second positions throughout its operation until the other of the first and second fixed states is actuated.

2. The household appliance of claim 1 further comprising a first actuator and a second actuator coupled to the actuator arm.

3. The household appliance of claim 2 wherein actuation of the first actuator orients the actuator arm in the second fixed state.

4. The household appliance of claim 3 wherein actuation of the second actuator orients the actuator arm in the first fixed state.

5. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the first hinge assembly includes a first pin arm coupled to the actuator arm carrying the first hinge pin and the second hinge assembly includes a second pin arm coupled to the actuator arm carrying the second hinge pin.

6. The household appliance of claim 5 wherein the first pin arm and the second pin arm are operably coupled to the actuator arm.

7. The household appliance of claim 6 wherein the first pin arm is actuable to move the first hinge pin between the first fixed state and the second fixed state.

8. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation are parallel to one another.

9. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the door is pivotable about one of the first axis of rotation or the second axis of rotation to access the interior.

10. The household appliance of claim 1 further comprising a first retainer assembly coupled to the first hinge assembly and a second retainer assembly coupled to the second hinge assembly, wherein the first retainer assembly is configured to fix the actuator arm in the first fixed state and the second retainer assembly is configured to fix the actuator arm in the second fixed state.

11. The household appliance of claim 10 wherein the first retainer assembly comprises a first biasing assembly and the second retainer assembly comprises a second biasing assembly, with both of the first biasing assembly and the second biasing assembly each including a spring configured to bias either of the first hinge assembly or the second hinge assembly into the first fixed state or the second fixed state, respectively.

12. The household appliance of claim 11 wherein each of the first retainer assembly and the second retainer assembly further include a lock assembly to secure either the first hinge assembly and the second hinge assembly in the first fixed state or the second fixed state, respectively.

13. The household appliance of claim 12 wherein the lock assembly is unlocked when the door is positioned to close the access opening.

14. A door assembly for a household appliance having a chassis including an access opening, the door assembly comprising:
a first hinge assembly comprising a first pair of hinge plates forming a first knuckle, with a first hinge pin received within the first knuckle to define a first axis of rotation;
a second hinge assembly comprising a second pair of hinge plates forming a second knuckle, with a second hinge pin received within the second knuckle to define a second axis of rotation different from and spaced from the first axis of rotation; and
an actuator arm, pivotable between a first position and a second position, and operably coupled to the first hinge assembly and the second hinge assembly;
wherein the actuator arm is operable between a first fixed state, where the actuator arm positions the first hinge pin within the first knuckle defining the first axis of rotation and the second hinge pin is withdrawn from the second knuckle, and a second fixed state, where the actuator arm positions the second hinge pin within the second knuckle defining the second axis of rotation and the first hinge pin is withdrawn from the first knuckle, and the door assembly stays in one of the first fixed state and the second fixed state throughout its operation until the other of the first fixed state and the second fixed state is actuated.

15. The door assembly of claim 14 further comprising a first actuator and a second actuator operably coupled to the actuator arm configured to actuate the actuator arm between the first fixed state and the second fixed state.

16. The door assembly of claim 14 wherein the first hinge assembly includes a first pin arm carrying the first hinge pin and the second hinge assembly includes a second pin arm carrying the second hinge pin.

17. The door assembly of claim 16 wherein the actuator arm is actuable to actuate the first pin arm and the second pin arm between the first fixed state and the second fixed state.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Heater Timothy E
• Mawhorr Nicholas E
• Ridilla Jaroslav
• Zirbes Justin

Classifications

• D06F39/14 Primary

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• E05D15/505

  by radial separation of the hinge parts at the hinge axis · CPC title

• E05Y2900/312

  for washing machines or laundry dryers · CPC title

• E05Y2900/30

  for domestic appliances · CPC title

• E05D15/502

  by axial separation of the hinge parts at the hinge axis · CPC title