Patent ID: 7021199

Claim:
A household electrical appliance comprising a support and a waffle-iron which comprises: a top panel and a bottom panel hinged to each other by a hinge to move between an open position and a closed position, the waffle-iron being pivotally mounted on the support about a pivot axis to move between at least a working angular position in which an axis of the hinge is oriented horizontally, the top panel being above the bottom panel, and an upside-down angular position in which the axis of the hinge is oriented horizontally, the top panel being beneath the bottom panel, the appliance further comprising a releasable locking device acting on the relative movement between the top and bottom panels to allow the top panel to move freely relative to the bottom panel when the device is in its working angular position, and to lock the top panel in its closed position relative to the bottom panel when the device is in its upside-down angular position, wherein the locking device comprises a locking element secured to the top panel, a pivot secured to the bottom panel extending along the pivot axis remotely from the hinge, a housing adapted to receive the locking element when the two panels are in the closed position, and a bearing carried by the support in which the pivot is pivotally mounted, said bearing being shaped as to prevent the panels from opening when the waffle-iron is in the upside-down angular position and including an opening which is disposed as to allow the locking element to pass in order to allow the waffle-iron to open and close when the waffle-iron is in its working angular position, and wherein the bearing has a clamping tongue projecting from the bearing along the pivot axis away from the device, and disposed beneath the pivot.