Dishwasher with door assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10772480-B2
Application number	US-201816111421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2018
Priority date	Aug 24, 2018
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A household appliance includes a cabinet defining a chamber with an access opening. A door assembly is movably mounted to the cabinet to selectively open and close the access opening. The door assembly includes a door panel defining a front surface and side surfaces. A door panel flange extends inwardly from a rear edge of the side surface. A single-piece console defines a top surface, a front surface, and a rear attachment surface, the top surface substantially perpendicular to the front surface. A rotatable spacer is positioned between the rear attachment surface of the single-piece console and the door panel flange.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A household appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chamber with an access opening; and
a door assembly movably mounted to the cabinet to selectively open/close the access opening, the door assembly comprising:
a door panel defining a door panel front surface and side surfaces, with a door panel flange extending inwardly from a rear edge of at least one of the side surfaces;
a single-piece console defining a top surface, a console front surface, and a rear attachment surface adjacent the door panel flange, the top surface substantially perpendicular to the console front surface; and
a rotatable spacer positioned between the rear attachment surface of the single-piece console and the door panel flange;
wherein the rotatable spacer is configured to rotate from a first initial installation position to a second, fully installed position during assembly of the door assembly.

2. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the single-piece console defines a barrel nut opening and the rotatable spacer prevents access to the barrel nut opening in the first initial installation position.

3. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the rotatable spacer defines a fastener opening and the door panel flange defines a flange fastener opening.

4. The household appliance of claim 3 wherein the fastener opening and the flange fastener opening are aligned in the second, fully installed position for insertion of a fastener.

5. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the single-piece console further defines a rib, the rib preventing further inward rotation of the rotatable spacer.

6. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the single-piece console further defines a spacing rib.

7. The household appliance of claim 6 wherein the rotatable spacer bears against the spacing rib in the second, fully installed position to prevent the rotatable spacer from rotating out of the second, fully installed position.

8. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the console front surface comprises at least one of a button, a printed graphic, a decorative insert, and a vent opening.

9. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the door panel front surface includes an opening and the single-piece console further comprises a U-shaped channel at a lower edge of the single-piece console that is configured to receive the opening of the door panel front surface within the U-shaped channel.

10. The household appliance of claim 9 wherein the single-piece console further comprises a protruding rib that is received within the opening and forms a snap-in attachment with the opening.

11. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the door panel front surface includes an opening, the console front surface at least partially received within the opening, and the single-piece console configured to receive a user interface at either the consu, front surface or the top surface.

12. A household appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chamber with an access opening; and
a door assembly movably mounted to the cabinet to selectively open/close the access opening, the door assembly comprising:
a door panel defining a door panel front surface and an opening within the door panel front surface; and
a single-piece console defining a top surface and a console front surface substantially perpendicular to the top surface, the console front surface at least partially received within the opening and having at least a portion of the console front surface that extends through the opening;
wherein the single-piece console further comprises a U-shaped channel at a lower edge of the single-piece console that is configured to receive the door panel front surface defining the opening within the U-shaped channel.

13. The household appliance of claim 12 wherein the single-piece console further comprises a protruding rib, the protruding rib received within the opening.

14. The household appliance of claim 13 wherein the protruding rib forms a snap-in attachment with the opening.

15. The household appliance of claim 12 wherein the door panel further defines side surfaces and the single-piece console further defines at least one centering rib for centering the single-piece console between the side surfaces.

16. A household appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chamber with an access opening;
a door assembly movably mounted to the cabinet to selectively open/close the access opening and having a front panel defining an opening; and
a single-piece console defining a console front surface and a top surface, the top surface substantially perpendicular to the console front surface, the console front surface at least partially received within the opening and having at least a portion of the console front surface that extends through the opening;
wherein the single-piece console is configured to receive a user interface at either the console front surface or the top surface.

17. The household appliance of claim 16 wherein the top surface of the single-piece console forms an upper surface of the door assembly.

18. The household appliance of claim 16 wherein the console front surface comprises a pocket portion, the pocket portion forming a pocket opening in the single-piece console into which a user can reach.

19. The household appliance of claim 18 wherein the pocket portion is coupled with a handle that a user can access through the pocket opening for moving the door assembly to selectively open/close the access opening.

20. The household appliance of claim 16 wherein the console front surface comprises at least one of a button, a printed graphic, a decorative insert, and a vent opening.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Ponkshe Mihir Suresh
• Gatt Michael E
• Pugh Jonathan David
• Borase Jayesh Prakash
• Behera Russikant
• Bodine Darryl C
• Kendall James W
• Ploszaj Krzysztof

Classifications

• A47L15/4257 Primary

  Details of the loading door · CPC title

• A47L15/4265

  Arrangements of door covering/decoration panels or plinths, e.g. for integrated dishwashers · CPC title

• A47L15/4293

  Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels; Indication of the selected programme, programme progress or other parameters of the programme, e.g. by using display panels · CPC title