Abstract:
A control panel is retractably received within a recess in an appliance housing. The panel may be moved from an extended position wherein the control panel is exposed outside the cabinet to a retracted position wherein the control panel is enclosed within the recess. A spring urges the control panel to its extended position, and a latch is provided for releasably holding the control panel in its retracted position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a retractable appliance control and method for using same. The preferred use for the invention is in a dishwasher, but the invention may be utilized in other appliances as well.  
           [0002]    Disadvantage of prior control panels is that they are often contained within the door itself. The wires lead from the door to the other systems within the dishwasher. It is undesirable to route wires through a dishwasher door because the repeated flexing of wires at each opening and closing of the door results in wire fatigue and damage.  
           [0003]    Another difficulty with prior art control panels is that they are located at the upper edge of the door and are usually vertically oriented. They are often positioned below the countertop and are difficult to view. Attempts to improve viewing of the controls have been made by angling the control panel surface, but this is limited due to space availability and also due to the shading or blocking created by the countertop overhang.  
           [0004]    Another disadvantage of prior art control panels is that they are exposed at all times, and can be damaged by spills or dropped articles from the countertop.  
           [0005]    Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a retractable appliance control and method for using same.  
           [0006]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of an appliance control which can be retracted when not in use, and which can be extended outwardly for use when desired.  
           [0007]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a retractable appliance control that presents its controls in an upward direction that can be easily viewed by the operator.  
           [0008]    Another object of the present invention is the provision of a retractable appliance control that can be mounted either to the countertop or to the main cabinet of the appliance so that the control does not move with the door and wires do not need to be routed within the door.  
           [0009]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a retractable appliance control that minimizes the space used within the door.  
           [0010]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a control that can be mounted external to the door so that it can be located in the highest vertical position.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The foregoing objects may be achieved by an appliance control system which comprises in combination a control mounting frame having a control receiving recess therein. An electrical power system or interface is provided within the appliance for powering the functions of the appliance. The control system may be remote from the appliance or part of it. For example the control system could be retractably mounted below a cupboard.  
           [0012]    The appliance control system includes a control panel having a panel housing and a plurality of control members on the exterior surface of the panel. At least one electrical connector connects the control members to the electrical power system for controlling the appliance. A bracket assembly mounts the control panel within the control receiving recess for movement from a recessed position wherein the control members are substantially contained within the control receiving recess to an extended position wherein the control members are outside the control receiving recess.  
           [0013]    While the preferred appliance for this control system is a dishwasher, the control system may also be used in other appliances.  
           [0014]    According to another feature of the invention the combination includes a countertop having front and rear edges, the cabinet being mounted below the countertop and having an upstanding front cabinet panel and a remaining cabinet housing. The front cabinet panel is positioned below the front edge of the countertop and the control receiving recess extends into the upstanding front panel.  
           [0015]    According to a further feature of the invention the front cabinet panel is a door hinged for movement between an open and a closed position. The recess extends through the door into the remaining cabinet housing, and the bracket assembly connects the control panel to the remaining cabinet housing so that the control panel does not move with the door when the door moves between its open and closed positions.  
           [0016]    According to another feature of the present invention a latch mechanism retentively engages the control panel and holds the control panel within the recess. A spring yieldably urges the control panel from the recessed position to the extended position. The latch mechanism is releasable to permit the control panel to move from the recessed to the extended position.  
           [0017]    According to a further feature of the present invention a damping assembly is connected to the cabinet and to the control panel for resisting movement of the control panel from its recessed position to its extended position and from its extended position to its recessed position.  
           [0018]    According to a further feature of the invention the damping assembly comprises a first damping member mounted to the cabinet for movement with respect thereto and a second damping member frictionally engaging the first damping member and the cabinet. The first damping member is movable in response to movement of the control panel between the recessed and extended positions.  
           [0019]    According to a further feature of the invention a grease material is located between the first and second damping members and between the second damping member and the cabinet.  
           [0020]    The damping mechanism can take several forms. One embodiment utilizes a circular disc which rotates, but provides a damping resistance to extension and retraction of the control panel. Another embodiment utilizes a rotatable gear engaging an elongated rack to provide the damping force. Other types of damping mechanisms may be used.  
           [0021]    According to the method of the present invention the control panel is stored within a recess in, or separate from, the appliance cabinet. The control panel is then moved at least partially outside the recess so that the control members are exposed for manipulation to control the power system. After manipulation of the control members, the control panel can be moved back within the recess in the appliance cabinet. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a dishwasher mounted beneath a cabinet and employing the retractable appliance control of the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the retractable control panel of the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of FIG. 4.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the damping mechanism shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the damping mechanism in a different position.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6 is a partial top plan view of the latching mechanism for the present invention.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6A is a view similar to FIG. 6, but showing the latching mechanism in its latched position.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6B is an enlarged view taken along line  6 B- 6 B of FIG. 6A.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the relationship of the control panels to the systems for performing the appliance functions.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of the present invention.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8A is a front elevational view of the modification shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of another modified form of the present invention.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 9A is a front elevational view of the modification shown in FIG. 9.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of FIG. 10.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the damping assembly taken along line  12 - 12  of FIG. 10.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 12A is a view similar to FIG. 12, but showing the gear in a different position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0039]    Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral  10  generally designates a dishwasher. Dishwasher  10  includes a cabinet  12  having a front door  14  which is mounted at the front of a stationary cabinet housing  15  (FIG. 3).  
         [0040]    A slide out control panel  16  includes a plurality of control buttons  18  on the upper surface thereof, and is mounted for sliding movement into and out of recess  20 . In its retracted position the front edge  26  of control panel  16  is preferably flush with the front face of door  14 . The control panel  16  is shown in its extended position in FIG. 1.  
         [0041]    A countertop  22  includes a front edge  24  which is positioned above and adjacent the upper edge of the door  14 .  
         [0042]    Referring to FIG. 2, the slide out control panel  16 , in addition to front panel edge  26  includes opposite side panel edges  28 ,  30  and a rear panel edge  32 . Extending from the rear edge  32  is a control cable  34 .  
         [0043]    Control panel  16  is attached to a bracket assembly  36 . Bracket assembly  36  includes a spaced apart pair of side tracks  38  which are fixed to a base plate  64 . Base plate  64  may be part of the cabinet  15 , or it may be a separate plate which is attached to the counter top  22 , or any other part of the counter. Bracket assembly  36  could also be one centrally mounted slide with Z side guides for stiffening.  
         [0044]    Mounted for sliding movement within the spaced apart tracks  38  is a slide plate  40  having a corner cut out  42  forming an extended leg  44 . An oval aperture  46  extends through the leg  44 .  
         [0045]    Panel  16  is attached to the slide plate  40  by means of screws  52  which extend upwardly through front screw holes  48  and rear screw posts  50 .  
         [0046]    A damping assembly  54  includes a dish shaped disc  56  having an annular side wall  58  and a flat bottom wall  60  (see FIG. 3). A grease retainer  62  is mounted between the bottom wall  60  of disc  56  and the base plate  64 . A top plate  66  is positioned above the disc  56  and includes a radially extending top plate slot  68 . Beneath top plate  66  is a cone shaped spring  70 . A bolt  72  extends through top plate  66  and the bottom wall  60  of disc  56 , as well as the grease retainer  62 . The bolt  72  is threaded into base plate  64 , but there is a slight clearance between bolt  72  and the grease retainer  62 , the bottom wall  60  of disc  56 , and the top plate  66  so as to permit them to rotate relative to bolt  72 . The pressure that disc  56  applies to grease retainer  62  can be adjusted by rotating the bolt  72 , and this pressure is transferred to the disc  56  by means of the cone shaped spring  70 .  
         [0047]    The grease retainer  62  is preferably made of a fabric which can be impregnated with grease so that grease engages both the bottom wall  60  of disc  56  and the upper surface of plate  64 . The grease, in combination with the pressure between disc  56  and grease retainer  62  causes the disc  56  to yieldably resist rotation.  
         [0048]    An elongated rod  74  includes a beaded end  76  and an unbeaded end  78 . Rod  74  extends through a first aperture  80  (FIG. 3) which has a spring finger  82  that engages the beaded end  76  of rod  74 . Rod  74  extends through a second aperture  84  in the annular wall  58  of disc  56 , and then through the oval aperture  46  in the extended leg  44 . The aperture  46  has an oval shape so that leg  44  can move from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5 without any binding occurring between the rod  74  and the aperture  46 .  
         [0049]    A spring  86  has an anchor end  88  which is anchored to the base plate  64  by means of a screw  90 . Spring  86  includes a rod end  92  which is attached to the rod  74 . The spring  86  is in tension so that it yieldably urges the rod  74  and the disc  54  to the left as viewed in FIG. 2. This exerts a yieldable force on the slide plate  40  toward its extended position. FIG. 2 shows the slide plate  40  in a partially extended position, but the spring  86  is adapted to move the slide plate  40  to its fully extended position. In the extended position the control buttons  18  are exposed vertically upwardly and can be easily seen and manipulated by the operator.  
         [0050]    A latch member  94  is Y-shaped and is fixed to the upper surface of the base plate  64 . Latch member  94  includes a leg  96  and first and second Y-arms  98 ,  100 . Positioned within the Y formed by legs  98 ,  100  is a triangular member  120  having a first cam surface  122  spaced a short distance from leg  98  and a second cam surface  124  spaced a short distance from leg  100 .  
         [0051]    A latch spring  102  has one end fixed to the slide plate  40  by means of an anchor screw  104 . The opposite end of spring  102  includes a pawl  106 . Two protrusions  126 ,  127  engage the opposite sides of latch spring  102  to hold it in place.  
         [0052]    The latch spring  102  is shown disengaged from the latch member  94  in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 illustrates the relative positions of the latch member  94  and the spring  102 . As the slide plate  40  is pushed inwardly into the recess  20 , the pawl  106  cams against the right-hand surface of the Y-leg  96 . Upon reaching the upper end of leg  98  the pawl  106  springs to the left and engages surface  122  of triangular member  120 . The pawl  106  then moves to the fork of the legs  98 ,  100  while the slide  40  is at rest in its retracted position. FIG. 6A shows the slide plate  42  in its fully retracted position with the pawl  106  embraced between the two Y-legs  98 ,  100 . In this position the spring  102  is exerting a slight force to the left as viewed in FIG. 6A.  
         [0053]    When it is desired to move the control panel  16  to its extended position the control panel  16  is pushed inwardly and this permits the pawl  106  to spring to the left as viewed in FIG. 6A so that it rides around arm  100 . The spring  86  then causes the slide plate  42  to move to its extended position, and the pawl  106  cams along the left-hand surface of latch member  94 . When the pawl  106  moves out of engagement with the lower end of Y-leg  96 , it springs back to its original position shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0054]    The damping assembly  54  provides a resistance to the sliding movement of slide plate  40  both from its retracted position to its extended position and also from its extended position to its retracted position. Referring to FIG. 4, the position of the damping mechanism is shown with the slide plate  40  in its fully extended position. FIG. 5 illustrates the position of the damping assembly  54  when the slide plate  40  is in its fully retracted position. As can be seen by comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5, the disc  56  rotates from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5. This movement is resisted by the frictional engagement between the disc  56  and the base plate  64 . The grease retainer  62  lubricates the movement between these two components, but the pressure between the two causes a damping action upon the extension and retraction of the slide plate  40 .  
         [0055]    [0055]FIGS. 8 and 9 show modified forms of the present invention. A semicircular control panel  108  is adapted to pivot into a semicircular recess  109  about a pivot axis  110 . Conventional latching mechanisms and springs are well known in the art for controlling the movement of the control panel  108  between these two positions.  
         [0056]    [0056]FIGS. 9 and 9A show a similar arrangement for a quarter circle panel  112  which fits within a quarter circle recess  113  and which pivots about a pivotal axis  114 .  
         [0057]    Referring to FIG. 7, the control panel  16  is shown to be electrically connected to a microprocessor  116  which controls the various functions of the appliance systems as designated schematically in block  118 .  
         [0058]    Referring to FIGS.  10 - 12 A a modified form of the control assembly is indicated by the numeral  128 . Control assembly  128  includes a control panel  129  which is movable from an extended to a retracted position. It is mounted for sliding movement with respect to a bottom panel or frame  130 . Bottom panel or frame  130  is comprised of a bottom plate  132  having side rails  134  and having mounted therein a U-shaped slide track  136 . Also attached to bottom panel or frame  130  is an elongated rack  138  having gear teeth  140  extending along one side thereof. A latch pin  142  (FIG. 11) is attached to the panel or frame  130  and extends upwardly therefrom. Attached to and extending upwardly from the front edge of the bottom plate  130  is a spring post  144 .  
         [0059]    Control panel  129  includes an upwardly presented surface  146  having controls designated schematically by the numeral  148 , a front edge  150 , and side edges  152  adjacent the side rails  134  of bottom plate  132  for sliding movement with respect thereto. Attached to, and extending downwardly from the upper surface  146  is a spring post  154 . A spring  155  is attached at one end to the downwardly extending spring post  154  of control panel  129  and is connected at the other end to the upwardly extending spring post  144  of bottom panel or frame  130 . This spring biases the control panel  129  to its extended position shown in FIG. 11. In its retracted position with the rear edge  150  coinciding with the rear edge of the bottom panel  130 , the spring  155  is in tension and yieldably urges the control panel  129  toward its extended position. The sliding movement of control panel  129  with respect to bottom panel  130  is facilitated by a U-shaped slide track  156  attached to the panel assembly  129  and retentively slidingly engaging the U-shape slide track  136  of the bottom panel  130 .  
         [0060]    A latching mechanism is provided for latching the control panel  129  in its retracted position, and includes a rotatable latch tumbler  158  having a spring arm  160 , a button arm  162  and a latch pawl  164 . Pawl  164  includes a cam surface  166 . A spring  168  is connected to the spring arm  160  and is also connected to the control panel  129  so as to yieldably urge the latch tumbler  158  in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 11. A manually operable button  170  engages the button arm  162  of latch tumbler  158 , with a stop  171  in the housing limiting the rotational movement of latch tumbler  158  in a clockwise direction.  
         [0061]    When the control panel  129  is moved to its retracted position, the cam surface  166  of latch pawl  164  engages the upstanding latch pin  142  of bottom panel  130  and causes the latch tumbler to cam in a counterclockwise direction against the bias of spring  168 . This permits the pawl arm  164  to move around the latch pin  142  and then spring in a clockwise direction to latch and retentively engage the latch pin  142 .  
         [0062]    When it is desired to extend the control panel to its extended position the button  170  is pushed inwardly thereby releasing the pawl arm  164  from the latch pin  142  and permitting the control panel  129  to slide to its extended position in response to the bias provided by spring  155 .  
         [0063]    The numeral  172  refers to a damping device mounted to the bottom of top  146  and extending downwardly therefrom to engage the elongated rack  138 . The damping device  172  includes a gear mounting member  173  having a pair of oppositely extending wings  174  and a circular central portion  175 . Rotatably mounted to the central portion  175  is a rotating gear  176  which meshes with the gear teeth  140  of elongated rack  138 .  
         [0064]    Gear mounting member  173  is mounted for limited floating movement within a pocket formed by a pair of opposite end holders  178  and a pair of side holders  180 ,  182 . The holders  178  each have an internal wall  179 , and the holder  180  includes a pair of driving bosses  183 . The damping device  172  is a product which is available from Ace Controls Inc. having an address of 23435 Industrial Park Drive, Farmington, Mich. 48335, under the Series No. G2.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIGS. 12 and 12A illustrate the limited floating movement of the gear mounting member  173  within the pocket formed by end holders  178 , and side holders  180 ,  182 . FIG. 12 shows the gear mounting member in a first position and FIG. 12A shows it in a second position. In FIG. 12 the central portion  175  of gear mounting member engages the side holder  180 . In FIG. 12A the central portion  175  engages the opposite side holder  182 . The floating movement of this gear mounting member permits the gear mounting member to take up tolerances within the assembly. The movement of the central portion from the position in FIG. 12 to the position shown in FIG. 12A is approximately 0.04 inches.  
         [0066]    This permits the floating of the gear  176  so as to maintain the pitch circle of the gear  176  tangent to the pitch line of teeth  140  on rack  138  during both the retraction and the extension of the control panel  129 .  
         [0067]    The gear  176  has a limited amount of friction which imparts a damping action to the retraction and extension of the control panel  129 . This imparts a smooth continuous movement of the control panel during its extension and retraction.  
         [0068]    In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and the proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.