A dishwasher for embedding with an electro-mechanical programmer operated from the front

Abstract: A dishwasher for embedding has an electro-mechanical programmer (7) fitted in the loading door (1) and a disc-shaped knob (9) for operating the programmer (7) housed inside the door (1) and accessible for manual operation through a hole (10) formed in the front wall of the door (1) and exposing a sector of a circular peripheral ring of the knob, a cylindrical rim (12) associated with the knob (9) and having programme indicators being partially visible through a window (13) in the upper edge of the door when the door is half open.

Description: The present invention relates to a dishwasher for built-in use preferably but not necessarily of the type known as the combined type because it is associated with an oven disposed above it. In dishwashers for built-in use, which have to be housed in modular kitchen units of similar appearance beneath a work surface disposed at a height of the order of 80-85 cm from the floor, there is a need to allow for easy and ergonomic presetting of the operating programme of the machine together with visual checking of the presetting selected. At the same time, it is necessary to minimize the visibility of control and display members on the front of the machine since it is difficult to make these compatible with the modular appearance of the units in which the machine has to be fitted. To satisfy this requirement, dishwashers have been proposed in which the control panel is "hidden" when the door of the machine, which is hinged at a lower edge, is closed. At least partial opening of the door affords access to the control panel, which is advantageously disposed on the upper edge of the door, in order to carry out the necessary presetting operations. A knurled knob keyed to the shaft of a conventional electro-mechanical programmer oriented perpendicular to the front of the machine can be operated through a window in the upper edge of the door. The cylindrical peripheral surface of the knob which is accessible for programming carries reference numerals or symbols which display the presetting selected. GB-A-2,269,002 shows an example of the above mentioned type of dishwasher the features of which are recited in the introductory portion of claim 1. However, this solution is not very practical since the display of the angular position of the knob is obstructed by the operator's hand during the setting operation. Moreover, although the upper edge of the door is protected by the projection of the work surface disposed above it when the door is closed, liquid or solid materials may infiltrate into the window for the operation of the programming knob when the door is partially open, possibly damaging the device. To allow for the presetting of a programming device jointly with the display of the operations carried out, the mechanical coupling of a programming knob operable from the front, with positive transmission, to a display disc disposed adjacent the knob and visible through a window has also been proposed and described in the document DE3834618, clearly with structural complications and to the detriment of the aesthetic requirements of the machine. Moreover, the problem that an indicator which opens in the front wall in a very low position is difficult to see is solved only partially. The object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher for built-in use, possibly of the combined type, having a basic control panel of stylish appearance which is particularly simple, reliable and convenient in use. According to the invention, this object is achieved in a dishwasher for built-in use, as defined by the appended claim 1. The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description and the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic, perspective view of a dishwasher according to the present invention with a partially open loading door, Figure 2 is a front view of a portion of the control panel of the dishwasher of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a partially sectioned plan view of the panel portion of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a section through the control panel taken on the line I-I of Figure 1. With reference to the drawings, the dishwasher comprises a front loading door 1 hinged at the bottom to a body 2 which is fitted beneath a work surface 3 or another domestic appliance, for example, an electric and/or microwave oven. The overlying work surface or, where applicable, domestic appliance, projects relative to the body by a distance at least equal to the thickness of the front door. When the loading door is closed, the upper edge of the door is hidden and protected by the work surface. The upper edge of the door is formed by a profiled escutcheon 4 having a handle 5, (possibly extending throughout the width of the door) and connected to the front wall and to the side edges of the door. The front portion of the door is covered by a plastics laminate with a design of a colour and finish coordinated with those of the embedded units. The door 3 is closed at the rear by an inner door 6 which connects sealingly with the edges of the loading opening of the machine. An electro-mechanical programmer 7 is housed between the front wall of the door and the inner door with its shaft 8 perpendicular to the front wall. A disc-shaped programming knob 9 is keyed to the shaft 8 immediately behind the front panel of the door. An opening 10 in the front of the profiled escutcheon 4 exposes a sector of the outermost circular ring of the disc-shaped knob 9. Advantageously, this is knurled with projecting radial ribs 11 to ensure suitable mechanical friction and to permit the manual application of a torque through the opening 10. The knurling may contain regions 16 in which numerical, alphabetical or symbolic programme indicators are formed by printing, by the application of adhesive labels, by engraving, or in relief. The periphery of the disc-shaped knob 9 has a cylindrical rim 12 on which similar numerical or symbolic programme indicators are formed by any of the methods already indicated. A sector of the cylindrical rim 12 faces an elongate slot-like window 13 which opens in the upper edge of the door formed by the escutcheon. The window 13 is closed by a transparent protective screen 14 which is snap-engaged in the window 13 by means of retaining teeth 17, 18 and through which the programme numerals applied to the cylindrical rim are visible. Clearly, when the door is partially open, the operator can simultaneously operate the knob 9 through the window 10 and observe the position adopted by the knob through the window 13. Since the window 13 opens upwardly, observation is particularly easy since it takes place from an observation point located essentially above the window 13, the opening plane of which is oriented perpendicular to the line of observation. The escutcheon 4, which forms the upper edge of the door, conveniently has an internal plate 15 extending parallel to the front wall of the door and acting as a support for the programming device 7 and possibly for other control or display devices. Although not illustrated, other control and display devices may in fact be present on the upper edge of the door. Naturally, the foregoing description relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention and many variations may be applied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the knurling of the knob may be replaced by suitable corrugations of another type, such as cup-shaped recesses or even holes similar to those in a telephone dial, which increase roughness, ensure a high coefficient of friction or in some way enable the knob to be rotated manually. A high coefficient of friction can also be achieved by connecting a circular ring of material having an intrinsically high coefficient of friction, such as rubber, to the knob.

Claims: A dishwasher for built-in use, comprising a front loading door (1) hinged at a lower edge and having a control panel on an upper edge (4), and comprising an electromechanical programmer (7) housed in the front door (1) with its shaft (8) arranged perpendicular to the front wall of the door (1), the programmer (7) being operable by means of a generally disc-shaped knob (9) keyed to its shaft (8) and housed inside the door (1) between the programmer (7) and the front wall, wherein the periphery of the disc-shaped knob (9) has a cylindrical ring (12) bearing imprinted alphabetical, numerical or symbolic indications, and the upper edge of the door has a window (13) for displaying a sector of the cylindrical rim (12) when the door (1) is partially open characterized in that the front wall has an opening (10) for access to a sector of a circular peripheral ring of the knob (9) for the rotation thereof, so that the knob (9) can be rotated manually through the access opening (10) with the simultaneous display of its angular position through the display window (13). A dishwasher according to Claim 1, in which the circular peripheral ring of the knob (9) has a surface with a high coefficient of friction, formed by knurling, by corrugation, by the formation of cup-shaped recesses or by the application of resilient material. A dishwasher according to Claims 1 and 2, in which the circular peripheral ring also comprises regions (16) containing alphabetical, numerical or symbolic programme indications. A dishwasher according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, in which the display window (13) is closed by a transparent screen (14). A dishwasher according to Claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, in which the access opening (10) and the display window (13) are formed in a profiled escutcheon (4) forming the upper edge and a portion of the front wall.

Inventors: FUMAGALLI SILVANO, FUMAGALLI, SILVANO
Applicants: CANDY SPA, CANDY S.P.A.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A47L15
IPC codes: A47L15