IP Library Granted Patent US 8,162,418
Granted Patent B2
US 8,162,418 · App. 12/086,203 · Granted Apr 24, 2012

Door for closing a washing machine or a tumble dryer

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,162,418
App. No.
12/086,203
Granted
Apr 24, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A door for closing a washing machine which can be loaded from the front or a tumble dryer of this type is connected to the housing by means of a hinge in such a way that the door can be pivoted over a great opening angle and terminates flushly or approximately flushly to the outside with the front face of the housing. To this end, the door-side hinge part is installed and fastened in a recessed receptacle between the frame parts and of the door. The hinge parts and each have a crescent-shaped base plate and which extends along the door frame and reaches beyond the lateral apertures and the bearing blocks which are provided in the frame.

Claims (51)

1. An apparatus for closing a front-side loading opening in a housing of a washing machine or tumble dryer comprising:

a door, a housing, and a hinge; the housing having a front wall and a front wall recess; the door including a front-side door shell and a housing-side door shell; the housing-side door shell having edge slots;

the door being connected to the housing by the hinge in such a way that the door can be pivoted through an opening angle of at least approximately 180° and in a closed position is countersunk in the front wall recess of the housing in such a way that it terminates substantially flush with a front surface of the housing; and

wherein the hinge is a single-axis hinge; the hinge including a door-side hinge part and a housing-side hinge part; the housing-side hinge part having hinge arms; the door-side hinge part being held between the front-side door shell and the housing-side door shell in a receptacle structure; the door-side hinge part having two apertures corresponding to the edge slots in the housing-side door shell and having associated bearing blocks; the apertures receiving the hinge arms and projecting forward from the front wall recess.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing-side hinge part is formed as a pressure die cast part.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the door-side hinge part is made from reinforced plastic.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further including slots recessed in the front-side door shell in the edge facing the housing when the door is in the closed position; the slots corresponding in position to the apertures of the housing-side hinge part and to the edge slots of the housing-side door shell and receive the hinge arms when the door is in the open position.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the door-side hinge part forms an interference fit with the receptacle structure, whereby the door-side hinge part is held on the housing-side door shell.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the door-side hinge part forms an interference fit with the receptacle structure, whereby the door-side hinge part is held on the front-side door shell.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing-side door shell includes screw bosses; the door-side hinge part being screwed to the housing-side door shell via the screw bosses.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein at least one screw boss is recessed on both sides of the edge slots of the housing-side door shell.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the screw bosses are positioning aids for screw connections.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including spindles; the hinge arms being rotatably mounted against the bearing blocks about the spindles.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the spindles are metal; the hinge arms being rotatably connected to the bearing blocks via one metal spindle for each hinge arm.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the door-side hinge part includes a crescent-shaped base plate; the apertures being at edges of an outside curve of the base plate; the bearing blocks rising up toward a front of the apertures.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing-side hinge part includes a crescent-shaped base plate; the two hinge arms corresponding to the apertures of the door-side hinge part extend toward a front-side of the base plate.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the crescent-shaped base plate includes a structure containing hollow chambers and separating webs.

15. The apparatus as claim in claim 13 , wherein the crescent-shaped base plate includes a structure containing hollow chambers and separating webs.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing-side door shell includes the receptacle structure, and

wherein the door-side hinge part forms an interference fit with the receptacle structure.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the receptacle structure is coupled to the housing-side door shell via screw connections.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the door-side hinge part includes a first crescent-shaped base plate,

wherein edges of an outside curve of the crescent-shaped base plate include the apertures, and

wherein the bearing blocks extend in a direction away from the housing-side door shell and toward the front-side door shell.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the front-side door shell includes the receptacle structure, and

wherein the door-side hinge part forms an interference fit with the receptacle structure.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the receptacle structure is coupled to the front-side door shell via screw connections.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the door-side hinge part includes a first crescent-shaped base plate,

wherein edges of an outside curve of the crescent-shaped base plate include the apertures, and

wherein the bearing blocks extend in a direction away from the housing-side door shell and toward the front-side door shell.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the housing-side hinge part includes a second crescent-shaped base plate,

wherein the hinge arms extend from the second crescent-shaped base plate in a direction away from the housing-side door shell and toward the front-side door shell.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing-side hinge part is a pressure die cast housing-side hinge part.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the door-side hinge part is a reinforced plastic door-side hinge part.

25. A household appliance comprising:

a housing having a front-side loading opening, the housing including a front wall and a front wall recess,

a door for closing the front-side loading opening, the door including a front-side door shell and a housing-side door shell; and

a two-part hinge that couples the door to the housing such that the door is pivotable through an opening angle of at least approximately 180° and in a closed position is countersunk in the front wall recess of the housing and terminates substantially flush with the front wall of the housing,

the housing-side door shell having edge slots,

the two-part hinge being a single-axis hinge,

the two-part hinge including a door-side hinge part and a housing-side hinge part,

the housing-side hinge part having hinge arms,

one of the front-side door shell and the housing-side door shell including a receptacle structure, wherein the door-side hinge part is held between the front-side door shell and the housing-side door shell in the receptacle structure,

the door-side hinge part having two apertures corresponding to the edge slots in the housing-side door shell, the door-side hinge part having associated bearing blocks, and

the apertures receiving the hinge arms and projecting forward from the front wall recess.

26. The domestic appliance of claim 25 , wherein the receptacle structure is coupled to the one of the housing-side door shell and the front-side door shell via screw connections.

27. The domestic appliance of claim 25 , wherein the door-side hinge part includes a first crescent-shaped base plate,

wherein edges of an outside curve of the crescent-shaped base plate include the apertures, and

wherein the bearing blocks extend in a direction away from the housing-side door shell and toward the front-side door shell.

28. The domestic appliance of claim 27 , wherein the housing-side hinge part includes a second crescent-shaped base plate,

wherein the hinge arms extend from the second crescent-shaped base plate in a direction away from the housing-side door shell and toward the front-side door shell.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO REMOVE USSN 14373413; 29120436 AND 29429277 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 035624 FRAME: 0784. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Jun 19, 2015
From: BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERÄTE GMBH
To: BSH HAUSGERÄTE GMBH
Reel/Frame 036000/0848 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 11, 2015
From: BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERÄTE GMBH
To: BSH HAUSGERÄTE GMBH
Reel/Frame 035624/0784 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2009
From: KOCAK, AHMET; LANGE, ANDREAS
To: BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERAETE GMBH
Reel/Frame 022216/0788 →