Thermal assembly coupled with an appliance

• US 8,174,351 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Group Dekko Incorporated (Graham Holdings Company)
• Original Assignee: Group Dekko Incorporated (Graham Holdings Company)
• Inventors: Scheiber, Joseph J., Coverstone, Michael S., Lewis, Jeremiah
• Primary Examiner(s): Vortman, Anatoly
• Application Number:
  US12/121,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20080285253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 337/4, 337/6, 337/20, 337/35, 337/401, 337/186, 337/187, 337/414, 337/112, 337/327, 337/380, 337/398, 361/837
• US Class Current: 337/186
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/32 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/52 related to electric heating means, e.g. temperature or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/26 Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/26 Heating arrangements, e.g. gas heating equipment D06F58/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/74 Switches in which only the opening movement or only the closing movement of a contact is effected by heating or cooling

Abstract

An appliance assembly includes an appliance and an appliance member. The appliance includes a wall defining a plurality of holes. The appliance member is carried by the appliance. The appliance member includes a housing which includes a snap-fit arrangement coupled with the appliance. The snap-fit arrangement includes a first plurality of ears and a second plurality of ears, the first and second plurality of ears snap-fittingly engaging the plurality of holes.

Claims

1. An appliance assembly, comprising:

an appliance including a wall defining a plurality of holes; and

an appliance member carried by said appliance, said appliance member including a housing which includes a snap-fit arrangement coupled with said appliance, said snap-fit arrangement including a plurality of ears snap-fittingly engaging said plurality of holes, said plurality of ears including a first plurality of ears and a second plurality of ears, said first plurality of ears including a first plurality of platforms which are coplanar relative to one another, said second plurality of ears including a second plurality of platforms which are coplanar relative to one another, said first plurality of platforms being parallel relative to said second plurality of platforms.

2. The appliance assembly of claim 1, wherein said appliance member is a thermal assembly which includes a temperature sensing device and a thermal fuse, said temperature sensing device and said thermal fuse being electrically coupled with said appliance, said housing carrying said temperature sensing device and said thermal fuse, said first and second plurality of ears snap-fittingly engaging said plurality of holes.

3. The appliance assembly of claim 2, wherein said housing includes a cover with a peripheral edge, said snap-fit arrangement being formed on said peripheral edge and including a plurality of mounting walls, said plurality of mounting walls and said second plurality of ears extending laterally from said peripheral edge, said first plurality of ears being formed by said plurality of mounting walls.

4. The appliance assembly of claim 3, wherein said cover defines a first section and a second section opposite said first section, said first section including two of said first plurality of ears and one of said second plurality of ears therebetween, said second section including two of said first plurality of ears and one of said second plurality of ears therebetween.

5. The appliance assembly of claim 4, wherein said first plurality of ears lie in a first plane, said second plurality of ears lie in a second plane, and said first and second planes are offset from each other.

6. The appliance assembly of claim 2, wherein each said ear of said first and second plurality of ears includes a projection which engages a corresponding one of said plurality of holes, each of said projections of said first plurality of ears facing in a first direction and each of said projections of said second plurality of ears facing in a second direction, said first direction being opposite said second direction.

7. The appliance assembly of claim 1, wherein said appliance is a laundry dryer which includes a heater.

8. A thermal assembly, comprising:

a housing including a snap-fit arrangement configured for coupling with an appliance, said snap-fit arrangement including a plurality of ears configured for snap-fittingly engaging a plurality of holes defined by a wall of said appliance, said plurality of ears including a first plurality of ears and a second plurality of ears, said first plurality of ears including a first plurality of platforms which are coplanar relative to one another, said second plurality of ears including a second plurality of platforms which are coplanar relative to one another, said first plurality of platforms being parallel relative to said second plurality of platforms.

9. The thermal assembly of claim 8, further including:

a temperature sensing device configured for electrically coupling with said appliance; and

a thermal fuse configured for electrically coupling with said appliance, said housing carrying said temperature sensing device and said thermal fuse, said first and second plurality of ears configured for snap-fittingly engaging said plurality of holes.

10. The thermal assembly of claim 9, wherein said housing includes a cover with a peripheral edge, said snap-fit arrangement being formed on said peripheral edge and including a plurality of mounting walls, said plurality of mounting walls and said second plurality of ears extending laterally from said peripheral edge, said first plurality of ears being formed by said plurality of mounting walls.

11. The thermal assembly of claim 10, wherein said cover defines a first section and a second section opposite said first section, said first section including two of said first plurality of ears and one of said second plurality of ears therebetween, said second section including two of said first plurality of ears and one of said second plurality of ears therebetween.

12. The thermal assembly of claim 11, wherein said first plurality of ears lie in a first plane, said second plurality of ears lie in a second plane, and said first and second planes are offset from each other.

13. The thermal assembly of claim 9, wherein each said ear of said first and second plurality of ears includes a projection which is configured to engage a corresponding one of said plurality of holes, each of said projections of said first plurality of ears facing in a first direction and each of said projections of said second plurality of ears facing in a second direction, said first direction being opposite said second direction.

14. A method of coupling a thermal assembly with an appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

providing that the thermal assembly includes a housing including a snap-fit arrangement, said snap-fit arrangement including a plurality of ears, said plurality of ears including a first plurality of ears and a second plurality of ears, said first plurality of ears including a first plurality of platforms which are coplanar relative to one another, said second plurality of ears including a second plurality of platforms which are coplanar relative to one another, said first plurality of platforms being parallel relative to said second plurality of platforms;

carrying the thermal assembly by the appliance; and

snap-fittingly engaging said plurality of ears with a plurality of holes defined by a wall of the appliance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the thermal assembly includes a temperature sensing device and a thermal fuse, said temperature sensing device and said thermal fuse being electrically coupled with the appliance, said housing carrying said temperature sensing device and said thermal fuse, said first and second plurality of ears snap-fittingly engaging said plurality of holes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said housing includes a cover with a peripheral edge, said snap-fit arrangement being formed on said peripheral edge and including a plurality of mounting walls, said plurality of mounting walls and said second plurality of ears extending laterally from said peripheral edge, said first plurality of ears being formed by said plurality of mounting walls.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said cover defines a first section and a second section opposite said first section, said first section including two of said first plurality of ears and one of said second plurality of ears therebetween, said second section including two of said first plurality of ears and one of said second plurality of ears therebetween.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said first plurality of ears lie in a first plane, said second plurality of ears lie in a second plane, and said first and second planes are offset from each other.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein each said ear of said first and second plurality of ears includes a projection which engages a corresponding one of said plurality of holes, each of said projections of said first plurality of ears facing in a first direction and each of said projections of said second plurality of ears facing in a second direction, said first direction being opposite said second direction.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising rotating said thermal assembly until said first and second plurality of ears mate with said plurality of holes of said wall.