Cabinet for household electric appliances, particularly for washing machine

Abstract: Present invention refers to a cabinet for household appliances, particularly for washing machines; the main characteristics of the invention consists in that the main part of the cabinet is obtained putting together two substantially equal vertical L shaped elements (1, 2). A second important characteristic of the cabinet according to the invention consists in that it comprises a basement made out of plastic material, which has structural and aesthetical functions.

Description: Present invention refers to a cabinet for household appliances, particularly for washing machines. Known household appliances, particularly washing machines, have an usually box-shaped cabinet, made out of enamelled metal sheet; for instance it may be obtained bending the sheet like an U, so to realize three vertical walls (one at the front and two on the sides); the rear wall may be made out of metal sheet too, or out of a different material, and fastened later to the other walls by means of screws; the cabinet has also a top platform, acting as a support base, which, in the case of top loading washing machines, opens as a lid in order to allow the access to the inside of the machine. The designer of household appliance cabinets, particularly of washing machines, has many problems to face, in order to conciliate functional and aestethical needs as well as the manufacturing cost, which of course shall be the lowest possible. Among functional problems there is the necessity to allow the appliance to be installed in different positions, still allowing to get out supply and drain pipes at the most convenient side, which may change from case to case, due to different environment particularities; in any case the rear side of the machine must leave a gap towards the room wall in order to allow the pipes to pass; among aesthetical problems there is the necessity to match the eights of the machine and the adjoining cabinets (or other appliances), as well as the eights of relevant basements, and the problem to avoid assembling screws to be seen; among cost problems there is the necessity to reduce the costs of tools, sharing it on the highest possible number of pieces and to reduce the storage cost of the component to be assembled later. From GB-A-2.109.824 it is known a washing apparatus having a basement to which two or more vertical legs are fixed, said legs being used for fixing the tubs of the machine and two external frames of the cabinet. From GB-A-1.181.917 it is known a washing machine, movable between a working position and a resting position, in which the vertical walls of the cabinet are obtained by joining two identical vertical elements. From DE-U-87.04.404 it is also known a washing machine whose rear wall presents vertical and horizontal grooves, for guiding the water and electric connectors, for connecting purposes, on the left or the right of the cabinet. These known solutions, however, cannot be considered as satisfactory in view of the optimization the aesthetical, functional and cost problems. It is an object of the present invention to indicate a cabinet for household appliances, particularly for washing machines, which permits to optimize the above said often conflicting necessities, functional, aesthetical, and of cost. To obtain said object, the subject of the present invention is a cabinet for household appliances, particularly for washing machines, comprising a basement for supporting internal elements of the appliance which presents an aperture for the drainage pipe and four vertical walls, onto said walls being arranged a top platform, said vertical walls being obtained by placing together at least two vertical elements, characterized in that said basement, which is in particular of plastic material, presents apertures which allow supply and drainage pipes of the appliance to exit from three sides of the cabinet, depending on the instalment requirements, in that said basement is recessed in respect of said vertical walls in order to allow the passage of said pipes between the household appliance and the walls of the room and/or the adjoining cabinets, and in that, in order to avoid visible screws on said vertical walls, said vertical elements are fixed in their lower edges to said basement, in particular by means of screws screwed from below and through said basement. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be clear from the detailed description not limiting example, wherein: figure 1 shows a view of the two equal L shaped elements for the cabinets according to the invention; figure 2 shows a view of the assembled cabinet according to the invention; figure 3 shows a view of the basement of the cabinet according to the invention. In figure 1, which shows a view of the two equal L shaped elements for the cabinets according to the invention, reference number 1 indicates one of the two L shaped elements, made out of metal sheet (for instance 0.7 mm thick), by profiling or forming it; reference number 2 indicates the second L shaped element, equal to the first one; the two elements are then assembled together thanks to the bending of their vertical edges, which is clearly shown in the particulars indicated by reference numbers 6a, 7a, 6b, 7b. As it can be seen bendings 6a and 6b are equal one to the other, and are of female type; while bendings 7a and 7b, which are each other equal too, are of the male type; bending 6a hooks to bending 7b, which enters in it; in the same way bending 6b hooks to bending 7a, which enters in it. In this way an easy and screwless assembly is obtained, and the same tool can make both elements, which are equal one to the other; with only one tool, if suitably made, it is possible to manufacture also elements having different heights and/or widths, to be used for machines of different sizes. In figure 2, which shows a view of the assembled cabinet according to the invention, reference number 2 indicates the same L shaped element, which bears the same reference number in figure 1. The other element, namely element 1, is not shown. Reference number 4 indicates a supporting basement made out of plastic material (for instance fiberglass weighted polypropylene), having both structural and aestethical functions. L sheped elements are screwed to basement 4 (two screws can be seen in fig. 3, having reference number 5). In fig. 2 reference number 3 indicates the lid, in open position; indeed the described washing machine is of the top loading type. As it can be seen basement 4 is recessed in respect of the vertical sides of the cabinet, represented by elements 1 and 2; in this way the machine may aestetically match other household appliances in the room. Moreover between the machine and the wall there is a gap for the passage of the pipes; and frontally there is the so called skirting board. Basement 4 may be made to have different heights, so to allow an easy matching between the machine and other adjoining cabinets; moreover it is possible, thanks to the recessed shape of said basement 4, to direct the machine in the best way and let the loading and draining pipes to pass in the gaps between the basement 4 of the machine and the wall and/or the adjoining cabinets. To basement 4 are fastened the known interior elements of the machine (tank, drain pump, etc.); basement 4 nevertheless does not only fulfil a supporting function, but also a well defined functional and aestethical function, as already said. Element 2 may be taken down for test or repair, so to allow an easy access to the inside of the machine. In figure 3, which shows a view of the basement of the cabinet according to the invention, reference number 4 indicates the already described basement made out of plastic material, as said; reference number 5 indicates two of the fastening screws between element 2 and basement 4. From the figure it can be seen that the basement is internally hollow and shows on the bottom lightening holes; inside the basement other holes may be made for loading and draining pipes, in order to allow a choice depending from the environment situation; such holes if not used, may be closed in a known way by means of suitable plugs; one of such holes is shown at 6. Moreover basement 4 may provide for one or more inspection doors, for testing or cleaning of the drain pump and/or of a possible filter and additionally incorporates bearings for supporting feet or wheels, which may be fix or pivotting and capable of being raised. Characteristics of the described system are clear from the description given and from the attached drawings. Also clear are the advantages of the appliance cabinet according to the invention. Particularly they are represented by: easy assembly; reduced manufacturing cost, as the same tooling may be used for different models; reduced number of components to be stored; no visible screws on the vertical sides of the cabinet; possibility to match kitchen cabinets basements; possibility to get the pipes out on three sides, so to easy the instalment; easy testing and repairment.

Claims: Cabinet for household appliances, particularly for washing machines, comprising a basement (4) for supporting internal elements of the appliance which presents an aperture for the drainage pipe of the appliance and four vertical walls, onto said walls being arranged a top platform (3), said vertical walls being obtained by placing together at least two vertical elements (1, 2), characterized in that said basement (4), which is in particular of plastic material, presents apertures (6) which allow supply and drainage pipes of the appliance to exit from three sides of the cabinet, depending on the instalment requirements, in that said basement is recessed in respect of said vertical walls in order to allow the passage of said pipes between the household appliance and the walls of the room and/or the adjoining cabinets, and in that, in order to avoid visible screws on said vertical walls, said vertical elements (1, 2) are fixed in their lower edges to said basement (4), in particular by means of screws (5) screwed from below and through said basement (4). Cabinet for household appliances, according to claim 1, characterized in that said vertical walls are obtained by placing together two substantially equal vertical elements (1, 2), which are in particular L-shaped, reciprocally coupled by means of bendings (6a, 6b, 7a, 7c) realized on the vertical edges of said vertical elements (1, 2). Cabinet for household appliances, according to claim 1, characterized in that the apertures (6) of said basement (4) which are not used for the exiting of said pipes can be closed, in particular by means of plugs. Cabinet for household appliances, according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that said basement (4) also comprises an inspection door, in particular for controlling the drain pump and/or the eventual filter. Cabinet for household appliances, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said basement (4) is of the same height as that of the standard kitchen cabinets.

Inventors: DEZI ALBERTO, DEZI, ALBERTO
Applicants: MERLONI ELETTRODOMESTICI SPA, MERLONI ELETTRODOMESTICI S.P.A.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: D06F39
IPC codes: D06F39