TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a door lock device for an electric household appliance having the door provided with a movable latch, typically rotating about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the door, such as for example a dryer.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known that in these particular applications, the door lock device should not only ensure the door closing in use, but also allow the door opening in case of emergency, due to a push of predetermined extent exerted thereon from the inside of the door itself, e.g. by a child remaining accidentally closed inside the drum of the electric household appliance.

Such a function was achieved in the prior art by means of costly and/or large-sized door lock devices, in all cases of complex construction and not always reliable in operation.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a door lock device of simple, reliable construction, not very large in size and relatively cost-effective.

The present invention thus relates to a door lock device for an electric household appliance, as defined in claim 1.

In particular, the door lock device of the invention is made for an electric household appliance with movable latch, in particular a dryer, in which the latch is carried by the door of the electric household appliance rotating on a plane, normally perpendicular to a door rotation axis.

The door lock device comprises a frame carried in use by the casing of the electric household appliance and provided with striker means for the latch; according to an aspect of the invention, the striker means are obtained on a pair of opposite jaws carried by the frame adjacent to each other and movable against the bias of elastic means; the frame is further provided with guiding means for the jaws adapted to cause the jaws to be driven apart from each other in response to a traction exerted in use on the latch when this engages the striker means.

In particular, the aforesaid elastic and guiding means are arranged so that the movement of the jaws occurs on a plane arranged perpendicular in use to the rotation plane of the latch and so as to release the striker means from the latch.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the striker means consist in a respective tooth for each jaw which extends to protrude from the jaw on a plane perpendicular to the rotation plane of the latch; each tooth being adapted to engage only a part of a corresponding fastening tooth of the latch.

Thereby, when normally operated, the door lock device of the invention behaves as a traditional device without emergency release mechanism; by means of its rotation usually contrasted by a spring, the latch snappingly engages the striker means in response to the door closing, the latch being introduced into a receiving seat of the frame in which the striker means are arranged. By pushing against the door, a child closed inside the electric household appliance exerts a traction on the latch in the direction of introducing the latch into the receiving seat. The jaws are then splayed against the bias of the elastic means, partially protruding from the receiving seat with their T-shaped ends provided with teeth forming the striker means, thus releasing the latch; the door may thus be opened.

The jaws are advantageously shaped at right angles and are carried by at least one of a second pair of walls of the frame which are spaced apart by a greater distance than a first pair of walls of the same, perpendicularly thereto, which are spaced apart by a predetermined distance .

Thereby, the receiving seat for the latch and the housing seats for the elastic means may be obtained between the walls of the second pair, while the walls of the first pair may be spaced apart by the same distance L as a door lock device not serving the function of emergency opening, with a great advantage in terms of small dimensions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, merely provided by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figures 1, 2 and 3 show diagrammatic, horizontal section views of a door lock device for a door with movable latch without emergency opening function, according to the prior art, in three different operating positions; figures 4 and 5 show diagrammatic, vertical section views of a door lock device provided according to the invention; figure 6 shows the device in figures 4 and 5 in the same view and configuration as the known device in figure 3; figure 7 is a side view of the device in figures 4 and 5 with parts removed for simplicity; and figure 8 is a longitudinal section of an axonometric view, according to the same vertical section plane as figures 4 and 5, of the door lock device of the invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to figures from 1 to 3, numeral 1' indicates a frame of a traditional door lock device, without emergency release; frame 1' , which is constrainable in use to the casing of the electric household appliance, has a width L (figure 2) and is integrally provided with a tooth 11', forming striker means for a latch 2 carried by the door of the electric household appliance (not shown) ; latch 2 rotates about a pin 21 having the axis parallel to the door hinging axis and is provided with a tooth 22; the door closing pushes the latch 2 to cooperate with the tooth 11' thus rotating it in direction B (figure 2), usually against the bias of a contrast spring (not shown) , and once the tooth 11' has been passed, latch 2 then rotates again but in direction A (figure 2) under the bias of the aforesaid spring, snappingly engaging the tooth 11' by means of the tooth 22. Under these conditions, the door is locked until the latch 2 is rotated again in direction B, e.g. by means of an appropriate handle (not shown) . With reference to figures from 4 to 8 instead, numeral 100 indicates as a whole a door lock device for an electric household appliance 101 (figure 6) , in particular a dryer, of which part of a casing 103 and a door 104 rotating in use about an axis A are shown by means of a dashed line; the electric household appliance 101 is provided with a movable latch 2 which is identical to the one used for the door lock device of the prior art, carried by the door 104 rotating about a pin 21 parallel to axis A, and therefore rotating about a plane normally perpendicular to axis A (sheet plane in figure 6) -

The device 100 comprises a frame 1 carried in use by the casing 103 of the electric household appliance 101 and provided with striker means 31,41 (figure β) for the tooth 22 of latch 2; according to an aspect of the invention, the striker means 31,41 instead of consisting of a tooth integral with the frame, as in the case of the prior art device, are obtained on a pair of opposite jaws 3,4 carried by the frame 1 adjacent to each other and movable against the bias of elastic means 5,6; frame 1 is further provided with guiding means 110 for the jaws 3,4 adapted to cause the jaws to be driven apart from each other, as will be explained, in response to a traction D (figure 5) exerted in use on the latch 2 when this engages the striker means 31,41.

Furthermore, the elastic means 5,6 and the guiding means 110 are arranged so that the movement of the jaws 3,4 occurs on a plane (sheet plane in figures 4 and 5) arranged perpendicular in use to the rotation plane of latch 2 (sheet plane in figure 6) so as to release the striker means 31,41 from the latch 2.

In particular, the striker means consist of a respective tooth 31 for jaw 3 and a respective tooth 41 for jaw 4 which extend to protrude from the jaws 3,4 on a plane perpendicular to the rotation plane of latch 2; each tooth 31,41 is further shaped so as to be adapted to engage in use only part of the corresponding fastening tooth 22 of latch 2, so that between the teeth 31,41, which are in use opposite to each other with respect to the latch 2 like the jaws 3,4 also are, there remains in all cases a clearance X with door 104 in locked conditions (figure 4) .

Frame 1 is delimitated between a first pair of walls 111 and a second pair of walls 112, reciprocally parallel in pairs; the first pair of walls 111, arranged in use perpendicularly to the rotation plane of latch 2, are arranged at a predetermined reciprocal distance L identical to the width of the known devices and shorter than that at which the second pair of walls 112 are arranged, so that a receiving seat 120 for the latch 2 may be obtained between walls 112, having an axis B parallel to a direction of introducing the latch 2 into frame 1, as well as respective housing seats 121 for the elastic means 5,6 may be obtained on both sides of the receiving seat 120.

Each jaw 3,4 is carried by at least one of the walls 111 (in this illustrated case, by both) and on a plane parallel to the laying plane thereof, is shaped at right angles and has (figure 8) a first arm 130 provided with a substantially conical appendix 131 arranged by the side of the seat 120, and a second arm 132 arranged at least partially within the seat 120, on one side thereof, and provided at its free end with a T-shaped head 134 provided with a tooth 3 for the jaw 3 and a tooth 41 for the jaw 4, both protruding towards the middle of the seat 120.

The appendixes 131 of the arms 130 of both jaws 3,4 are each fitted into a respective helical spring 5,6 forming the mentioned elastic means; the springs 5,6 are accommodated within the seats 121, each sandwiched between the arm 130 of the corresponding jaw 3,4 and a bottom wall 135 of the corresponding housing seat 121, the bottom wall 135 facing the side of an inlet opening 136 of the receiving seat 120 of latch 2.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the guiding means 110 comprise a pair of slots 12,13 obtained through the wall 111 carrying the jaws 3,4, in the illustrated case on both walls 111, although only one is shown; each slot 12,13 has a rectilinear segment 200 (figure 7) and, towards the receiving seat 120 for the latch 2, an oblique segment 202, these oblique segments 202 of the two slots 12,13 moving away from each other towards the inlet opening 136 of the same receiving seat 120.

The guiding means 110 further comprise a pair of pins 32,33 for jaw 3 and 42,43 for jaw 4, respectively engaged in the corresponding slots 12 and 13; the first pins 32,42 are obtained at the joint between the first and second arms 130 and 132 of each jaw 3,4 shaped at right angles, and the second pins 33,43 are instead obtained on the second arm 132 of each jaw 3,4, towards the T-shaped head 134 thereof.

Thereby, by virtue of the described arrangement of pins 32,33 and 42,43 and of the shape of slots 12,13, the jaws 3,4 are adapted to take a first operating position

(figure 4), in which the T-shaped heads 134 are housed within the seat 120 abutting against the respective side walls thereof so as to prevent in use the release of latch 2 from the teeth 31,41 in fastening position

(figure 6) . For the same reason, jaws 3,4 are further adapted to take a second operating position (figures 5 and 8) against the bias of the elastic means 5,6, in which the jaws 3,4 are splayed with the T-shaped heads 134 out of the seat 120; in such a configuration, the distance or clearance between the opposite teeth 31,41 is X' (figure 5) , much greater than the starting clearance and even greater than the corresponding dimension of latch 2, whereby the emergency release of latch 2 from the striker means (teeth 31,41) is allowed.

In essence, the springs 5,6 normally keep the jaws 3,4 in the first operating position, in which the teeth 31,41 serve the same function as the tooth 11' of the known device in figures 1-3.

If a child exerts a push D on the door 104 from the inside of the electric household appliance 101 capable of overcoming the load of the springs 5, 6, these are compressed and the jaws 3,4 start to rotate and to translate at the same time, under the combined bias of pins 32,33 and 42,43 and slots 12,13, thus splaying and exiting from the seat 120, thereby disengaging the teeth 31,41 from the tooth 22 laterally with respect to the plane in figure 6; the device 100 is thus unlocked without the latch 2 needs to rotate, thus releasing the door 104.