Door for built-in household electrical appliances

Abstract: A door for built-in household electrical appliances to which a panel (8) is to be connected by means which enable the panel to be adjusted in height, laterally and in depth, said means comprising an assembly piece (10), the door being of moulded polymer material and presenting on vertical sides (V) undercuts (3, 4, 5) accessible from the outside, through which the panel (8) is screwed to the assembly piece (10) cooperating with said adjustment means.

Description: The present invention relates to a door for built-in household electrical appliances to which a panel is to be connected by means which enable the panel to be adjusted in height, laterally and in depth so that it harmoniously blends into the adjacent parts of the housings that accompany and/or receive the appliance. In known doors, two examples of which are described in EP 0 168 672 B1 and EP 0 873 704 A1, three screw elements are incorporated into or located in the door. These elements serve respectively for vertically adjusting the panel in the manner of a cam, for adjusting the distance between the panel and the door, and for finally locking the adjustments. For this purpose these means cooperate with a suitably shaped so-called assembly piece which is fixed to the panel by screws. In particular, as the second of the aforesaid EPs shows, two groups of three screws with relative assembly pieces are provided in the upper part of the door, whereas in the lower part one screw means is provided for merely adjusting the distance between the panel and the door. Fixing the assembly piece to the panel by screws involves a series of operations which require time and a certain operational skill. In this respect, from the description of EP 0 169 672 it will be seen that the panel has to be applied manually to the door, then struck with a series of light blows to mark it, after which the panel is removed and, using a template, pattern or sight, the assembly piece is correctly positioned on the panel and fixed thereto by screws. The panel equipped in this manner is then reapplied manually to the aforestated adjustment and fixing screw means. The other of the cited EPs represents a certain improvement over the preceding solution, but requires the use not only of a removable spacer on which the assembly piece is mounted but also of a double-sided adhesive tape, the purpose of which is to stick the assembly piece to the panel by pressing this latter against the assembly piece maintained in position on the door by the said spacer; after this, the panel carrying with it the assembly piece is removed from the door, the assembly piece is screwed to the panel and the panel is then reapplied to the door to enable the screw means to make the aforesaid necessary adjustment. EP-A-647821 discloses a door for a built-in household appliance, the door being covered by a decorative panel. The door has cut-out portions for housing adjusting mechanism of the panel. The object of the present invention is to substantially simplify the operations involved in screw-fixing the assembly piece to the panel. The said simplification problem is solved by moulding the door of plastic material such that it presents undercuts, accessible from the outside, through which the screws fixing the assembly piece to the panel can be screwed down without this latter having to be applied, removed and reapplied to the door. The invention will be more apparent from the ensuing detailed description of some preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a door according to the invention; Figures 2A and 2B are respectively a partial perspective and partial sectional view showing schematically in greater detail a lower adjustment means for the distance between the panel and the door; and Figure 3 is a section through a different lower adjustment means. In the figures, the reference numeral 1 indicates the door of a built-in household electrical appliance, for example a refrigerator. The door is constructed by injecting a polymer material, preferably polystyrene, into a mould. As this example concerns a refrigerator door, it presents upper and lower left and right groups of holes 2 for applying conventional hinges. In addition, according to an important aspect of the invention, lateral undercuts are provided along the vertical sides V of the doors produced. Two undercuts 3, 4 are provided in the upper part of these sides V and, in the example of Figure 1, a single undercut 5 in the lower part. Considering the relatively low mechanical strength of the polymer material used (polystyrene), reinforcement elements are co-moulded at the corners. These reinforcement elements, constructed of engineering polymer, are indicated schematically by dashed lines, the upper of which are indicated by the reference numeral 6 and the lower by 7. These reinforcement elements must not only enable the hinges to be screwed down but must also present the seats housing the known means for adjusting the position of a door cover panel 8 (see Figure 3), which has to match, not only by appearance and dimensions but also by position, the furniture units surrounding the recess into which the household electrical appliance is built. These known means are of the screw and cam type and, as initially indicated when describing the state of the art, they are three in number, one of which serves for vertically adjusting the panel 8 and for this purpose comprises a cam 9 cooperating with the lower edge of a known assembly piece 10 to be fixed to the panel 8 by screws. The second of these screw means, by pressing with its end head 11 in one direction on the panel 8, and in the other direction on the assembly piece 10, enables the distance between the panel 8 and door 1 to be adjusted, and finally the third of these screw means, not visible, but well known for example from the said state of the art, serves for locking after the adjustment has been made. In this example the assembly piece 10 presents two pads 12, 13 provided both with double-sided adhesive tape and with holes to enable it to be fixed to the panel 8 by screws. At least two of these holes, indicated by 12A and 13A, are used for this fixing, the arrangement of the entire assembly being such that said holes are aligned with the undercuts 3 and 4, so enabling the operations involved in mounting and adjusting the panel 8 to be considerably simplified, as described hereinafter. The panel adjustment means also comprise two so-called lower adjusters, one per side, indicated by 15 (in the embodiment of Figures 1, 2A and 2B) and by 16 (in the embodiment of Figure 3). These lower adjusters 15 and 16 are used to adjust only the distance between the panel and the door 1. The adjusters 15 comprise a plate 15A, with holes, only one of which is used to screw the plate 15A to the panel 8. It is indicated by 15B and is aligned with the undercut 5 to enable comfortable and rapid screwing without having to effect the various manoeuvres already described in relation to the state of the art. The plate 15A comprises anti-rotation appendices 15C bearing against the door edge. In the corner reinforcement 7 a threaded hole is present in which a screw 15D is mounted connected to the plate 15A (see detail of Figure 28) so that it can rotate about it but not be moved axially; by rotating the screw 15D with a screwdriver, the plate 15A and hence the panel 8 are moved relative to the door. Alternatively the screw 15D and the plate 15A can be rigidly joined together, in which case the adjustment can be made in discrete steps (every half turn of the screw 15D). In the variant of the lower adjuster shown in Figure 3, and indicated by 16, the reinforcement 7 presents a hole. Into a part of this latter there is screwed an axially bored setscrew 16A provided with a notch enabling it to be screwed into a suitable threaded seat. The threaded setscrew acts against the panel 8 so that by rotating the setscrew the distance between the panel and door is adjusted. Having adjusted the position of the panel, this latter is fixed by a screw 16B screwed into the panel (Figure 3). As can be also seen from Figure 1, the door 1 lowerly presents a longitudinally limited channel 20, the base wall of which extends beyond the lower side of the door by means of a tang 20A presenting an axially holed perpendicular protuberance 20B. The outer face of the tang is knurled, toothed or roughened at 20C. The guide 20 is intended to receive a bracket-shaped support 20D, longitudinally slotted at 20E and roughened, toothed or the like on its rear face to cooperate with the roughened region 20C of the tang 20A. A screw with its shank passing through the slot 20E and screwed into the hole in the protuberance 20B enables the support 20D to be locked in the desired position. The purpose of the bracket-shaped support 20D is to support the panel 8 during its mounting on the door and to delimit, during the mounting operation, the position of the lower side of the panel (which, once mounted, can extend beyond the lower side of the door, as is well known). Mounting the panel 8 (this term also including its adjustment) on the door does not require, contrary to the initially considered state of the art, the use of templates, reference markings or the application, removal and re-application of the panel to and from the door. In this respect, the panel 8 is firstly rested with is lower side on the support 20D previously adjusted to the required height, and then applied against the assembly pieces 10 provided with double-sided adhesive tape and against the lower adjusters 15, after which its frontal position is approximately adjusted manually. The panel 8 is screwed, while always remaining in this position, to the assembly pieces 10 by means of screws inserted through the undercuts 3 and 4. Then by acting on the adjustment cams 9 (operating on the assembly pieces 10) the height of the panel is then adjusted, and then its distance from the door by means of the head 11. By means of screws passing through the undercuts 5 and the aligned hole in the lower adjusters 15, the panel 8 is fixed to their plate 15A and the distance between the panel and door in this region is also adjusted. When the adjustments have been made the said third screw means is used to lock the adjustments made. The corner reinforcements 6, 7 can be of polyamide (nylon) filled with glass fibre, these being set in their positions and then made rigid with the door material by known co-moulding, gluing or bonding (for example ultrasonic) methods. Alternatively, the corner reinforcements can be co-injected to reduce the number of operations involved in pre-assembling the door in the factory.

Claims: A door for a built-in household electrical appliance to which door a panel (8) can be connected by means which enable the panel to be adjusted in height, laterally and in depth, said means comprising an assembly piece (10), characterised in that the door is of moulded polymer material and when placed on the appliance presents on vertical sides (V) undercuts (3, 4, 5) accessible from the outside, through which the panel (8) can be screwed to the assembly piece (10) of said adjustment means. A door as claimed in claim 1, comprising corner reinforcements (6, 7). A door as claimed in claim 1 or claims 1 and 2, wherein the corner reinforcements are co-injected. A door as claimed in at least one of claims 1 or 1 and 2, wherein the corner reinforcements are applied. A door as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the corner reinforcements are of glass-reinforced polyamide. A door as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the corner reinforcements (6, 7) carry screw means for adjusting and locking the panel (8). A door as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the assembly piece (10) is holed, at least one pair (12A, 13A) of the holes being aligned with a pair of undercuts (3, 4). A door as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein its constituent polymer material is polystyrene. A door as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein a guide (20) for a removable and adjustable support (20D) is provided, said guide terminating with a projecting tang (20A) provided with a hole for fixing the support.

Inventors: ANSALDO ANDREA, GIUDICI GIORGIO, PELIZZARI ARMANDO, RENI MATTEO, ANSALDO, ANDREA, GIUDICI, GIORGIO, PELIZZARI, ARMANDO, RENI, MATTEO, Ansaldo, Andrea c/oWhirlpool Europe s.r.l., Giudici, Giorgio, c/o Whirlpool Europe s.r.l, Pelizzari, Armando c/oWhirlpool Europe s.r.l., Reni, Matteo, c/o Whirlpool Europe s.r.l
Applicants: WHIRLPOOL CO, WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Application year: 2001
Main classification: A47L15
IPC codes: E05F15, A47L15