APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING THE HEIGHT OF A COUNTER WHICH IS GUIDED IN A HOUSEHOLD DEVICE BY WAY OF AT LEAST ONE PULL-OUT GUIDE

• US 20120074080A1
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH & Company KG (Halemeier GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH & Company KG (Halemeier GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Garcia, Oscar, Arriaga, Eqaut, Lopetegi, IIker, Azkue, Mikel
• Granted Patent: US 9,004,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 211/41.9
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 46/005 by displacement in a vertical plane; by rotating about a horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/506 Arrangements for lifting racks for loading or unloading purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/507 Arrangements for extracting racks, e.g. roller supports
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/168 with telescopic rail systems

Abstract

An apparatus for adjusting the height of at least one counter, the at least one counter being guided in a household device by at least one pull-out guide. The apparatus includes at least one sliding rail on which the at least one counter is guidable and configured to be pulled out in a pull-out direction. Also included is a height adjustment mechanism configured to be fixed to opposing side walls of the household device. The height adjustment mechanism includes two arms which are rotatably fixed to each of the side walls. Further included are two guide rails fixable to respective second ends of the arms in a rotatable manner parallel to the plane of the side walls and an energy storage device is fixed to at least one of the opposing side walls of the household device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adjusting the height of at least one counter, the at least one counter guided in a household device by at least one pull-out guide, the apparatus comprising:

at least one sliding rail on which the at least one counter is guidable and configured to be pulled out in a pull-out direction;

a height adjustment mechanism configured to be fixed to opposing side walls of the household device;

the height adjustment mechanism including two arms which are rotatably fixed to each of the side walls with first ends of the arms being parallel to a plane of the side walls and arranged to be spaced parallel with respect to each other;

two guide rails being fixable to respective second ends of the arms in a rotatable manner parallel to the plane of the side walls in such a way that the guide rails are configured to be lifted from a bottom position in the household device to an upper position; and

an energy storage device fixed to at least one of the opposing side walls of the household device, which energy storage device is in operative connection with one of the arms fixed to the at least one opposing side wall in such a way that one of a lifting and lowering of the guide rails is supportable by energy stored in the energy storage device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a side wall fixture configured to be fixed to at least one of the opposing side walls of the household appliance, and to which side wall fixture the arms and the energy storage device of the height adjustment mechanism are fixed.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a tension spring.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the side wall fixture is configured as a holding plate.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a guide located on a side of the side wall fixture which faces away from a respective one of the side walls of the household device, and in which guide a guide element is included and configured to be guided and which guide element protrudes from a head element of one of the arms.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the guide is arranged as a guide groove shaped in the manner of a circular arc and the head element is fixed to the side wall fixture at a position of a center of a circle of the guide groove shaped in the manner of a circular arc.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a locking element is provided in at least one end region of the guide, with which the arm and thereby the entire height adjustment mechanism is configured to be locked in an end position.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arms, which are arranged on the opposing side walls and to which the energy storage device is configured to be fixed, are connected with each other by a cross member.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second ends of each of the arms fixed to the side walls of the height adjustment mechanism are rotatably fixed to a rail fixture, and a respective one of the rail fixtures is fastened to a respective one of the guide rails.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a support member which connects the two arms with each other and is rotatably fixed to the arms in a plane parallel to the plane of the side walls, and which arms are arranged to be spaced from one another in parallel.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is configured to be fixed in a horizontally adjustable manner to the side walls of the household device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the holding plate includes a groove in which the energy storage device is configured to be locked in a horizontally adjustable way.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cross member configured to synchronize movement of the arms on a left and a right side of the height adjustment mechanism.