Leveling system for domestic appliances

• US 7,597,294 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2003
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: A-Z Ausrustung und Zubehor GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: A-Z Ausrustung und Zubehor GmbH & Company
• Inventors: Lotz, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver; J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Epps; Todd M.
• Application Number:
  US10/545,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20070023590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,320 Days
• Field of Search: 248/188.3, 248/188.1, 248/188.2, 248/188.4, 248/188.8, 248/646, 248/649, 248/650, 248/446, 182/200, 182/202, 182/203, 312/255, 280/6.R
• US Class Current: 248/188.3
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/125 Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 7/00 Details of attaching or adjusting engine beds, frames, or supporting-legs on foundation or base; Attaching non-moving engine parts, e.g. cylinder blocks elastic or equivalent mounting for absorbing vibrations F16F, especially F16F15/04

Abstract

A leveling system for household appliances comprises appliance feet which are arranged at the underside of the household appliance and which are adjustable in height at least partly by an actuation member and therefore make it possible to adjust the height of the household appliance and/or to adapt to unevenness in floors. According to the invention, the actuation member is a traction element and the appliance feet which are adjustable in height by the traction element have, in each instance, a cylindrical housing which is fastened to the underside of the household appliance and in which there is arranged a piston which carries the appliance foot plate, and the piston has a receptacle for the height-adjustable arrangement of the shaft of an appliance foot plate.

Claims

1. A leveling system for household appliances comprising:

appliance feet adapted to be arranged at the underside of a household appliance and adjustable in height at least partly by a traction element so as to make it possible to adjust the height of the household appliance and/or to adapt to unevenness in floors;

wherein only two rear appliance feet have, in each instance, a cylindrical housing fastened to the underside of the household appliance;

in each cylindrical housing there being arranged a piston which carries an appliance foot plate;

said traction element joining the pistons of the appliance feet;

said pistons each having a receptacle for height-adjustable arrangement of a shaft of the appliance foot plate;

wherein the cylindrical housings are in a tractive connection with one another by a mechanical chain connection, belt connection or cable connection, the tractive connection having a force component in direction of a cylindrical housing axis; and

wherein the mechanical chain connection, belt connection or cable connection and/or the cylinder or cylindrical housing can have an inhibiting or damping device which inhibits the passage of the chain, belt or cable or the displacement of the piston in the cylinder, wherein the friction device is formed by friction rings which are carried in ring grooves in the circumferential surface of the piston or, in that, alternatively, the mechanical connection is influenced by a friction device.

2. The leveling system for household appliances according to claim 1 wherein the belt or the like is fastened to the piston and guided around a deflection arrangement that is formed or carried by the stationary cylindrical housing.

3. The leveling system for household appliances according to claim 1 wherein the belt or the like is fastened in the stationary cylindrical housing and guided around a deflection arrangement that is formed or carried out by the piston.

4. The leveling system for household appliances according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement comprising the cylinder and piston is made at least partially of plastic.

5. The leveling system for household appliances according to claim 1, wherein the piston supports a cross-pin or a roller which holds or deflects the belt or the like.

6. The leveling system for household appliances according to claim 5, wherein a bearing support or deflection device is arranged in the vicinity of the plane of the underside or bottom plate carrying the appliance feet.

7. The leveling system for household appliances according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical housing has a fastening device for fastening the cable, belt or chain.

8. The leveling system according to claim 1, wherein the housing for the piston forms stop devices for limiting the travel of the piston.

9. The leveling system according to claim 8, wherein the cylindrical housing is open at its free end, and in that the stop devices are formed by a cotter pin or bolt which extends through the cylinder walls.

10. The leveling system according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical housing has an opening in its lower area near the fastening through which the belt or the like is guided and deflected.

11. The leveling system according to claim 1, wherein the belt is a steel belt or an oriented or fiberglass-reinforced plastic belt.