Cover for an inspection glass of a washer and/or dryer door, washer and/or dryer door comprising a cover for an inspection glass, and washer and/or dryer comprising a door that has a cover for an inspection glass

A door of a washer and/or a dryer, the door including a frame to hinge the door to a machine housing of the washer and/or dryer, an inspection glass, and a cover for the inspection glass, wherein the cover has two essentially opposite main sides and an outer circumferential zone. Smooth conical surfaces of the cover and of the frame are in contact with one another to hold the cover in the frame, and the circumferential zone tapers in an area of a contact surface towards the frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to washer and/or dryer door, having a frame by way of which said door can be hinged to a machine housing of the washer and/or dryer, and having an inspection glass and a cover for the inspection glass, whereby smooth surfaces of the cover and of the frame are in contact with one another in order to hold the cover in the frame, and whereby the cover has two main sides and an outer circumferential zone, whereby the main sides are essentially situated opposite one another, and a washer and/or dryer door having a machine housing and such door.

Such a door and such a washer and/or dryer are disclosed in DE 195 15 040 A1.

Washers and/or dryers have a door having a porthole or inspection glass. The door is normally hinged to the machine housing by way of a frame, whereby the frame has the inspection glass. The inspection glass is provided with a cover preventing access because the inspection glass can heat up during operation to temperatures in excess of 60° Celsius. The cover is normally arranged between the components of the frame and is screwed, riveted, stuck or the like to the frame. By this means, the cover is held securely in the frame or clamped between the components thereof. A disadvantage in this situation is the fact that an exchange or replacement of the cover is made difficult or impossible.

DE 195 15 040 C2 discloses a porthole door for a front loading drum washing machine having an inspection glass. The inspection glass is inserted in a frame, which is hinged on the housing, from the inside of the drum and drawn in a pot-shaped fashion in the direction of the drum interior. The inspection glass is provided with a cover preventing access to the inspection glass approximately in the plane of an outer diaphragm ring of the frame. The frame encompasses the edge of the cover at the side and on the front outside. The edge of the cover is secured between the diaphragm ring and the inspection glass in the frame. The frame has a holding ring which surrounds the edge of the cover with a small degree of clearance.

EP 1 334 228 B1 discloses a porthole door for a front loading drum washing machine. A frame comprising a support ring and holding ring is hinged on the washing machine housing. The door furthermore has an inspection glass which is drawn in pot-shaped fashion in the direction of the drum interior and is protected by a cover preventing access approximately in the plane of outer holding ring of the frame. The edge of the cover is secured on the frame. The cover is enclosed on its narrow shell side by the holding ring. The cover consists of a piece of flat glass cooled over a molding die.

EP 1 762 650 A2 discloses a porthole door for a front loading laundry treatment machine, which door comprises an inspection glass having a frame and an essentially transparent viewing glass. The frame which carries the inspection glass contains a diaphragm ring and an inner ring. The viewing glass is connected to the diaphragm ring, by which means a one-piece part is provided, whereby the viewing glass covers the diaphragm ring on the front side.

A washing machine door having a conventional mounting structure for a cover is shown inFIG. 3andFIG. 4.

FIG. 3shows a part of a sectional representation of a door10of a washer and/or dryer according to the prior art. The door10can be hinged in a known manner at the side at a loading opening. The door10has an inspection glass12and a frame14. The inspection glass12is designed to be essentially pot-shaped and is designed with a flange-shaped edge16. The frame14has a diaphragm ring18with a holding ring20, and a mounting ring22. The flange-shaped edge16of the inspection glass12is arranged between the holding ring20and the mounting ring22such that the inspection glass12is clamped in the region of the edge16between the diaphragm ring18and the mounting ring22by way of the holding ring20.

Furthermore, a gap24which essentially extends in a radial direction of the inspection glass12is provided between the holding ring20and the diaphragm ring8. A cover26can be inserted into the gap24, as can be seen fromFIG. 1. The cover26can be made of silicate glass or a plastic, whereby it can be transparent, clear or tinted, or completely opaque. The cover26serves primarily as protection for operating persons to prevent access to the inspection glass12which can heat up unpleasantly or dangerously during operation of the washer and/or dryer with temperatures in excess of 60° Celsius. The cover26is moreover suitable as a decorative object which can be configured according to requirements for example by designers.

FIG. 4essentially corresponds to the illustration inFIG. 3, whereby the cover26is removed. As can be seen from the illustration, the gap24is exposed. This means that objects such as for example dirt and dust can accumulate in the gap24. Since the cover26is relatively thin, the gap24is accordingly dimensioned to be spatially restricted. Fingers of a human hand can normally not reach or be inserted into the gap24. The gap24is therefore almost inaccessible for cleaning purposes. When the cover26is removed, this gap24is also unacceptable from an aesthetic perspective because such a gap24is generally regarded as visually disturbing by the consumer.

The aforementioned doors cannot be used or are not used without the cover because they would otherwise exhibit a gap or slot between the frame and the inspection glass. Such a gap or slot is unacceptable from an aesthetic perspective. Furthermore dirt, such as dust for example, can accumulate there, which on account of an inadequate access capability can only be removed with difficulty or cannot be removed at all.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is therefore to set down a door having a cover for an inspection glass, whereby the cover can be simply, in other words with as few work steps as possible, mounted on the door as a separate component and the door should be designed such when used without the cover that no dirt or similar can accumulate at the location at which the cover were to be mounted.

A washer and/or dryer having a machine housing and such a door is also to be specified.

This object is achieved by a door of a washer and/or dryer and a washer and/or dryer in accordance with the respective independent claim.

The invention is based on the idea of designing a cover for an inspection glass as an optional component for a door of a washer and/or dryer and the corresponding door of a washer and/or dryer such that, if the cover is not mounted, no gap or similar free space is formed in or on the frame, in which dirt or the like can accumulate and is disadvantageous from an aesthetic perspective, with the result that the same frame can always be used. In particular, the cover is designed in such a manner that on account of the special shaping it is held operatively connected to a correspondingly designed area or section of a frame of the door. This is achieved by the fact that smooth surfaces of an area of the cover and of the frame are brought into contact with one another which are designed to be sloping relative to a main plane of the cover or of the frame and thus form a conical or tapering contact surface. This means that the cover can only be introduced from one side, in other words in a predefined direction of introduction, and is held from this main side by a component such that it cannot come loose. At the same time, no grooves or undercuts into which the cover is inserted are required.

According to the invention the cover has two main sides, or main surfaces, and an outer circumferential zone. The outer circumferential zone tapers in an area of a contact surface. The cover is designed so as to be held against the frame or the door when the contact surface makes contact with a complementarily, in other words correspondingly oppositely tapering, designed area of a frame of the door.

By preference, the main sides are essentially situated opposite one another and an angle is formed between one of the main sides and the outer circumferential zone which is less than 90°, in other words imaginary extension lines or surfaces of the main sides and of the circumferential zone intersect at an angle which is less than 90°, with the result that the circumferential zone tapers overall in a direction which when the cover is in a mounted state extends away from the inspection glass.

By preference, the outer circumferential zone has a chamfer, such that the cover when mounted on a frame of a door of a washer and/or dryer can be held particularly well solely on the basis of its particular shape if the frame has a correspondingly complementary shape.

By preference, the outer circumferential zone is designed to project with respect to at least one of the main sides, by which means an area on which the cover can be held by a frame of a door of a washer and/or dryer is enlarged.

By preference, the main sides are designed to be circular, with the result that the circumferential zone is conical, or rectangular.

By preference, the cover is made of silicate glass or plastic, clear or tinted or opaque, by which means a wide variety of design options is given for the cover.

By preference, a door of a washer and/or dryer has an inspection glass and a frame, whereby the frame has an area which is designed such that the frame is shaped so as to hold the cover through contact of a contact surface of one of the aforementioned covers with the area of the frame.

By preference, the frame has a diaphragm ring and a mounting ring, between which the inspection glass is mounted, by which means the inspection glass is held securely.

By preference, the diaphragm ring is designed to be complementary to the contact surface of the cover at an inner circumferential zone, by which means the cover can be easily mounted and is held on the frame only by the particular shapes of the contact surfaces.

By preference, the inner circumferential zone has a chamfer which is adapted to hold the cover in contact with the inspection glass, by which means a gap is prevented from forming between the diaphragm ring and the inspection glass when the cover is removed.

By preference, the chamfer of the diaphragm ring tapers in a direction which is opposite to the inspection glass, by which means the cover can be held particularly well.

By preference, the inspection glass is mounted such between the diaphragm ring and the mounting ring that only an area of one edge of the inspection glass is provided for making contact with the cover, by which means only a small area is formed on which dirt can accumulate when the cover is removed.

By preference, a washer and/or dryer has a door having an inspection glass which can be covered by an aforementioned cover.

Advantageous embodiments of the cover according to the invention, of the door and of the washer and/or dryer are the subject matter of the respectively associated dependent claims which are supported in the following description and the drawings.

FIG. 1shows a part of a sectional representation of a door10of a washer and/or dryer according to the invention. It should be noted that components which correspond to those of the door according to the prior art described in the introduction in conjunction withFIG. 3andFIG. 4are denoted by the same reference characters. The door10according to the invention has a frame14and a pot-shaped inspection glass12. The inspection glass12has an edge16with a flange-shaped design. The frame14has a diaphragm ring18and a mounting ring22. The flange-shaped edge16of the inspection glass12is clamped between the diaphragm ring18and the mounting ring22, whereby the diaphragm ring18rests against the edge16.

In its inner circumferential zone28viewed in the radial direction the diaphragm ring18has a chamfer30. The chamfer30is designed such that it tapers in a direction which is opposite to the pot-shaped depression of the inspection glass12.

A cover26is also provided with regard to the door10according to the invention. The cover26has two main sides26a,26bsituated essentially parallel opposite each another. Their outer circumferential zone32tapers in an area of a contact surface34. In a state in which the cover26is mounted on the frame14, the cover26rests with the contact surface34against the inner circumferential zone28or the chamfer30of the diaphragm ring18and against a relatively small inner circumferential zone36of the edge16of the inspection glass12, as illustrated inFIG. 1. More precisely, the outer circumferential zone32is inclined with respect to the main sides26a,26b, in other words the circumferential zone32is not perpendicular with respect to the main sides26a,26b. In particular, the outer circumferential zone32has a chamfer38which is designed to be complementary to the chamfer30. An angle which is formed between the outer circumferential zone32or the chamfer38and the main side26bis therefore less than 90° and the outer circumferential zone32tapers overall in an area of the contact surface34in a direction which extends away from the inspection glass12. Overall, the cover26thereby generally exhibits the shape of a truncated cone.

In order to mount the cover26on the door10the cover26is simply pushed into the diaphragm ring18, with the result that a type of press fit is formed between the diaphragm ring18and the cover26. The cover26is held by the shape of the chamfer30of the diaphragm ring18without fixing means, such as screws, rivets, adhesive or the like.

FIG. 2corresponds essentially to the representation shown inFIG. 1, whereby the cover26is removed. As can be seen from the illustration, only the relatively small inner circumferential zone36of the edge16of the inspection glass12projects beyond the diaphragm ring18, against which the cover26would otherwise rest. A gap such as is present in the case of the above door according to the prior art is however no longer given by the arrangement according to the invention. This means that this small inner circumferential zone36of the edge16is accessible for cleaning purposes, with the result that possible deposits of dust or the like can be easily removed. Furthermore, thanks to the special design, the possibility exists to exchange the cover26. To this end a tool may be required which is inserted between the two chamfers and the cover26is then pushed out by means of a lever movement.

Thanks to the special shaping of the frame and of the cover it is for example possible to use or manufacture doors always having one and the same frame for a washer and/or dryer, regardless of whether a cover is to be mounted, without having to accept decorative or aesthetic and cleaning related disadvantages.

In this situation, the form of the chamfer is not restricted to a type of linear rim, as can be seen in the figures. The form can be chosen as required. In particular, a form rounded, curved, waved, provided with grooves or dimples is conceivable. The outer circumferential zone can be formed by at least one of the main sides projecting. Generally, when viewed from above, the cover can be circular or disk-shaped, square, rectangular trapezoidal or convex.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS