Household appliance

• US 7,252,082 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Krenz, Horst, Meyer, Heiko, Herbolsheimer, Jochen, Bartmann, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Cocks; Josiah C.
• Application Number:
  US10/928,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20050023945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 126/190, 126/191, 126/197, 126/192, 126/194, 126/198, 126/19.R, 126/273.R, 312/323, 312/326, 312/319, 312/334.1, 312/109, 312/319.2, 312/322
• US Class Current: 126/191
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/582 with horizontal swinging axis E05D15/581 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1075 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1276 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/308 for ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/023 Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/026 stowing of door in open position

Abstract

A household appliance has a useful storage volume that can be closed by a door pivotally mounted around a horizontal articulation axis and also has a storage compartment. The door can be displaced in the storage compartment by a guiding system including at least one guiding element associated with the door, the guiding element being guided in a slide track associated with the appliance. To produce an ergonomically economical opening and closing movement of the door, the door is provided with at least one counterweight configuration that, during displacement of the door, exerts a balancing force on the door acting against the weight of the door.

Claims

1. A household appliance, comprising:

a housing defining a useful space, a door opening, and a storage space;

a horizontal hinge pin connected to said housing;

a slotted-guide track connected to said housing;

a door pivotally mounted about said hinge pin to pivot with respect to said housing and, thereby, selectively close off said door opening and said useful space;

a guide system having at least one guide element connected to said door, said guide system displacing said door into said storage space, said door being pivotable about said hinge pin between a close position in which said door closes off said door opening and a position of said door in a substantially horizontal plane when said slotted-guide track guides said door into said storage space; and

at least one weight-balancing configuration operatively connected to said door and, during the initial pivoting of said door about said hinge pin between said close position and said substantially horizontal position of said door, exerting a balancing force on said door with a cessation of said balancing force exerted on said door occurring before said door reaches said substantially horizontal position of said door, said balancing force acting counter to a weight of said door during said initial pivoting of said door about said hinge pin and said door being movable horizontally, during at least the completion of the displacement movement of said door into said storage space, without said balancing force being exerted thereagainst.

2. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said weight-balancing configuration is disengaged from said door during a horizontal movement of said door into or out of said storage space.

3. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said weight-balancing configuration operatively acts upon said guide element of said door to exert said balancing force.

4. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said weight-balancing configuration has a spring exerting a spring force as said balancing force on said door.

5. The household appliance according to claim 4, wherein:

said weight-balancing configuration has a pivoting lever;

said spring interacts with said pivoting lever; and

said pivoting lever exerts said spring force on said guide element.

6. The household appliance according to claim 5, wherein:

said slotted-guide track has a starting section guiding said door in a pivoting movement; and

said guide element operatively engages said pivoting lever while moving in said starting section.

7. The household appliance according to claim 6, wherein:

said door is disposed substantially vertically in a closed position and pivots away from said closed position into an open position; and

said weight-balancing configuration starts engaging said door after said door opens to a given extent in a direction of said open position.

8. The household appliance according to claim 7, wherein said given extent is a pivoting angle of approximately 20°

from said closed position.

9. The household appliance according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first end stop at said housing; and

said spring presses said pivoting lever against said first end stop when said door is between said closed position and said given extent.

10. The household appliance according to claim 7, wherein:

a distance traveled by said door between said closed position and said given extent defines a pivoting angle region; and

said slotted-guide track has a holding element pressing said guide element in a direction of said pivoting lever within said pivoting angle region.

11. The household appliance according to claim 9, wherein:

a distance traveled by said door between said closed position and said given extent defines a pivoting angle region; and

said slotted-guide track has a holding element pressing said guide element in a direction of said pivoting lever within said pivoting angle region.

12. The household appliance according to claim 6, wherein:

said slotted-guide track has a slide-in section merging into said starting section; and

said door is displaced within a substantially horizontal plane when said slotted-guide track guides said door in said slide-in section.

13. The household appliance according to claim 12, wherein said pivoting lever is disengaged from pressing against said guide element during a movement of said guide element in a region of said slide-in section.

14. The household appliance according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second end stop at said housing; and

said spring presses said pivoting lever against said second end stop during movement of said guide element in said region of said slide-in section.

15. The household appliance according to claim 14, wherein said pivoting lever has a driver returning said pivoting lever back into pressing engagement with said guide element during a displacement of said door from said slide-in section into said starting section of said slotted-guide track.

16. The household appliance door according to claim 1, wherein the household appliance door is a cooking appliance door.

17. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said slotted-guide track has a starting section guiding said door in a pivoting movement,

said weight-balancing configuration includes a balancing force application element for operatively acting upon said guide element of said door to exert said balancing force and a biasing component having one end secured to said housing and an opposite end secured to said balancing force application element, said guide element operatively engaging and moving said balancing force application element while said guide element moves along said starting section of said slotted track section with this movement of said balancing force application element by said guide element effecting extension of said biasing component with a resulting increase of a biasing force applied to said balancing force application element such that said balancing force application element corresponding yieldingly resists movement of said guide element as said guide element moves along said slotted track section, said biasing component extending to reach a maximum extension as said guide element continues moving along said slotted track section and said biasing component retracting from its maximum extension before said guide element completes its movement along said slotted track section.

18. The household appliance according to claim 17, wherein said biasing component is a spring exerting a spring force as said balancing force application element.

19. The household appliance according to claim 18, wherein said balancing force application element is a pivoting lever, said another end of said spring is secured to said pivoting lever and said pivoting lever exerts said spring force on said guide element.