APPLIANCE WITH HANDLE INTERFACE

• US 20120111366A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: CORDILL, REXFORD W., BALDWIN, MARK W., CHENNUPATI, BALAKRISHNA, NAIK, SUJIT SURESH
• Application Number:
  US12/940,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20120111366A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4259 Arrangements of locking or security/safety devices for doors, e.g. door latches, switch to stop operation when door is open
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4293 Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels; Indication of the selected programme, programme progress or other parameters of the programme, e.g. by using display panels

Abstract

An appliance having a handle for grasping and moving a movable element of the appliance, with a user interface mounted to the handle.

Claims

1. A method of operating an appliance having a treating chamber selectively accessible by a moveable door having a pivoting handle, where an article may be received in the treating chamber for treatment according to a cycle of operation stored in a controller and which is selectable by a user via a user interface coupled to the controller, the method comprising:

providing the user interface on the handle, with the user interface defining a normal plane; and

pivoting the handle relative to the door such that the normal plane of the user interface is oriented at an angle relative to the door.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the angle is an acute angle.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the pivoting comprises pivoting the handle from a stored position, where the normal plane of the user interface is substantially parallel with a face of the door, to a use position, where the normal plane of the user interface is oriented at an acute angle relative to the face of the door.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating at least some inputs on the user interface in response to its pivoting.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least some inputs comprise at least one of:

a cycle selector, option selector, and cycle start selector.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising activating only cycle ceasing inputs of the user interface prior to pivoting.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the cycle ceasing inputs comprise at least one of:

a cycle cancel selector and cycle pause selector.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing power to the user interface in response to the pivoting of the handle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the cycle of operation via the user interface only after the pivoting.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the selecting the cycle of operation comprises selecting a dishwashing cycle of operation.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the pivoting the handle comprises pivoting the handle at least to a position necessary to unlatch the door.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the pivoting of the handle beyond the position necessary to unlatch the door, to a position of enhanced viewability, does not further move the door.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising activating at least some inputs on the user interface in response to pivoting the handle at least to a position necessary to unlatch the door.

14. A dishwasher comprising:

a chassis defining an interior;

an open-faced tub located within the chassis;

a door movably mounted to the chassis for movement between opened and closed positions to selectively open and close the open face of the tub and having an exterior face;

a latch assembly mounted to the door and comprising;

a handle pivotally movable relative to the door between a latched position, where the handle is substantially parallel to the exterior of the door, and an unlatched position, where the handle forms an angle relative to the exterior face of the door; and

a user interface mounted to the handle and having an enhanced viewability by a user when the handle is in the unlatched position.

15. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the latch assembly further comprises a controller operably coupled to the user interface.

16. The dishwasher of claim 15, further comprising a position sensor operably coupled to the controller for communicating at least one position of the handle to the controller.

17. The dishwasher of claim 15 wherein the controller is mounted to an obverse side of the handle from the user interface.

18. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the user interface is flush with the exterior face of the door.

19. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the latch assembly further comprises at least one push rod, which a portion of the handle contacts and advances into contact with the tub when the handle is pivoted to the unlatched position.

20. The dishwasher of claim 19 wherein the latch assembly further comprises at least one arm coupled to the handle that abuts the at least one push rod to advance it into contact with the tub when the handle is pivoted to the unlatched position to move the door to the opened position.

21. The dishwasher of claim 20 wherein the latch assembly further comprises a rotation reducer coupling the arm to the handle such that the arm is rotated a lesser amount than the handle.

22. The dishwasher of claim 21 wherein the rotation reducer rotationally couples the arm and the handle such that the arm rotates with the handle until the arm advances the push rod, after which further rotation of the handle does not rotate the arm.

23. The dishwasher of claim 21 wherein the rotation reducer comprises a multi-pivot linkage providing at least two axes of rotation for the arm relative to the handle.

24. The dishwasher of claim 23 wherein the multi-pivot linkage comprises a four bar linkage forming at least three axes of rotation providing for relative rotation of the handle and the arm.

25. The dishwasher of claim 24 wherein the arm comprises one of the bars of the four bar linkage and two of the axes of rotation lie on the arm.

26. The dishwasher of claim 23 wherein the multi-pivot linkage comprises a two-state linkage forming at least two axes of rotation providing for relative rotation of the handle and the arm.

27. The dishwasher of claim 26, wherein the latch assembly further comprises a stop that limits the relative rotation of the arm, while the handle is free to rotate further.

28. The dishwasher of claim 14, wherein the handle is further pivotally movable beyond the unlatched position to a use position, wherein the handle forms a larger angle relative to the exterior face of the door and the user interface has enhanced viewability by a user.

29. The dishwasher of claim 28, further comprising an over-center device that biases the handle toward the use position when the handle is located anywhere between the unlatched position and the use position.

30. The dishwasher of claim 29, wherein the over-center device biases the handle toward the latched position when the handle is located anywhere between the unlatched position and latched position.

31. A dishwasher comprising:

a chassis defining an interior;

an open-faced tub located within the chassis;

a door movably mounted to the chassis to selectively open and close the open face of the tub and having an exterior face; and

a user interface pivotally mounted to the door for movement between a stored position, where the user interface is substantially parallel to the exterior of the door, and a use position, where the user interface forms an angle relative to the exterior face of the door.

32. The dishwasher of claim 31, further comprising a controller operably coupled to the user interface.

33. The dishwasher of claim 32, further comprising a position sensor operably coupled to the controller for communicating at least one position of the user interface to the controller.

34. The dishwasher of claim 33 wherein the user interface is flush with the exterior face of the door in its stored position.