HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE WITH A SAFETY DEVICE TO PREVENT THE EXIT OF CLOTHS AND RELATED SAFETY DEVICE

• US 20190309462A1
• Filed: 07/13/2017
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bitron SPA (Bitron Industrie SPA)
• Original Assignee: Bitron SPA (Bitron Industrie SPA)
• Inventors: Promutico, Fabrizio
• Granted Patent: US 11,293,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/42 Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/14 Doors or covers; Securing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/004 Lost motion connections
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/04 Spring arrangements in locks E05B3/065, E05B15/101, E05B15/143, E05C19/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 63/0017 Locks with sliding bolt without provision for latching
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/06 for swing doors or windows, i.e. opening inwards and outwards
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/50 having a single operating member
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/006 Switches operated by mechanical overload condition, e.g. transmitted force or torque becoming too high

Abstract

The present invention concerns a household appliance (1), such as a washing machine and the like, comprising a chassis (11), a drum (12), for containing clothes (P), said drum (12) being contained in said chassis (11) and accessible through an opening (13), and a door (2), hinged to said chassis (11), for closing said opening (13), characterized in that it comprises a safety device (3) arranged to interact with said door (2) and configured to interrupt the operation of said household appliance (1) in case of said clothes (P) contained in said drum (12) exert a stress on said door (2) exceeding a safety threshold. The present invention also relates to a safety device (3) to prevent the exit of clothes (P) from a household appliance (1).

Claims

1. Household appliance comprising:

a chassis,

a drum, for containing clothes, said drum being contained in said chassis and accessible through an opening,

a door, hinged to said chassis, for closing said opening, and

a safety device arranged to interact with said door and configured to interrupt the operation of said household appliance with said clothes contained in said drum exerting a stress on said door exceeding a safety threshold.

2. Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said safety device comprises:

a switch, directly or indirectly inserted in the power supply circuit of said household appliance, so that, with said switch in a first state, said household appliance can normally operate, and with said switch in a second state, said household appliance is not powered,

a safety member, movable between a rest position, in which the safety member is disengaged from said door, and an operating position, in which the safety member is engaged with said door, said safety member being configured to cause the passage of said switch from said first state to said second state,

a return member comprising a spring, the return member fixed between said chassis and said slider,

said safety member being configured such that, with the safety member in said operating position;

with the stress of said clothes on said door being less than said safety threshold, said door is configured to stress said slider, which is configured to be held in position by said return member; and

with the stress of said clothes on said door being greater than said safety threshold, said door is configured to stress said slider, which, overcoming the resistance of said return member, due to the passage of said switch from said first state to said second state, is configured to interrupt the power supply of said household appliance.

3. Household appliance (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that wherein said safety member comprises a slider (3).

4. Household appliance according to claim 3, wherein said slider, with the slider stressed by said door with the door stressed by said clothes, is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to that the slider moves with the slider passing from said rest position to said operating position and vice versa.

5. Household appliance according to claim 2, wherein with said switch in said first state, the switch is closed, and with said switch in said second state, the switch is open.

6. Household appliance according to claim 5, wherein said switch comprises a diverter coupled with said safety member, so as to pass said switch from said first to said second state in case of a movement of said slider, as a result of the stress of said door by said clothes.

7. Household appliance according to claim 1,

further comprising a control logic unit, and

wherein said safety device comprises an actuator operatively connected to said control logic unit, said actuator being adapted to move said safety member from said rest position to said operating position and vice versa, due to a control of said control logic unit.

8. Household appliance according to claim 7, wherein said control logic unit is programmed such that, with said safety device interrupting the operation of said household appliance, the safety device does not allow the reactivation of the same, unless a user manually carries out the activation.

9. Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said door comprises a recess, in which said safety member inserts in said operating position.

10. Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said chassis presents a housing in which said safety device is housed, in correspondence of a portion of the perimeter of said opening.

14. Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the household appliance comprises a washing machine.

11. Safety device to prevent the exit of clothes from a household appliance said household appliance comprising:

a door,

a switch, directly or indirectly insertable in the power supply circuit of said household appliance,

a safety member, movable between a rest position, in which the safety member is disengaged from said door, and an operating position, in which the safety member is engaged with said door, said safety member being configured to cause the passage of said switch from said first state to said second state, and

a return member comprising a spring, the return member fixed between the chassis of said household appliance and said slider.

12. Device according to claim 11, wherein said safety member comprises a slider.

13. Device according to claim 11, wherein the household appliance comprises a washing machine.