Description

Door Hook Assembly and Washing Device Using the Same

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to a door hook assembly for a door assembly, and a washing machine using the door hook assembly.

Background Art

It is well known that, in washing devices currently used in households, such as washing machines (including wave wheel type washing machines, drum type washing machines and other types of washing machines) or dish washers, an opening is generally provided on the front panel of the machine body, allowing clothes to be washed and other items to be put into or washed items to be taken out from the washing devices, and the opening is opened or closed by a door assembly. One end of the door assembly is usually pivotally mounted in a position corresponding to the opening, and the other end of the door assembly is locked by a door hook into the opening at the corresponding position on the front panel, so as to close the door assembly; the door hook is pivotally assembled and is rotatable about a stationary axis under the effects of an external force. To facilitate a user's operation, a door handle is usually provided on the door assembly and the user opens the door assembly by turning the door handle to rotate the door hook so as to disengage the door hook from the opening on the front panel of the machine body. To prevent the separation of the door handle from the door hook, a protrusion is usually provided on the door hook, and a fitting hole matching the protrusion is provided on the door handle, so the door handle and the door hook are assembled together by inserting the protrusion into said fitting hole. To further ensure the synchronous motion of the door handle and the door hook, a spring structure is also provided on the pivot, to which the door hook is pivotally coupled, and the spring structure is usually a dual-twisting spring with the two spiral portions thereof being arranged at each side of the door hook and with a π-shape crossbeam in the middle to hoop said door hook, and the two ends of said spring are free ends in the same direction. However, when closing the door assembly, the door hook rotates outwards about the axis which is pivotally mounted against the resistance of the opening on the front panel to make the protrusion disengage from the fitting hole; since the spring hoops the door hook only with its π-shape crossbeam, the door handle disengages with the door hook at this time and is not subject to the effects of the

spring force of the spring, which may result in the loosening of the door handle; in addition, in case of a smaller size of the opening on the front panel, when the door assembly is in a closed state, the outward pressing force on the door hook by the opening on the front panel may make the door handle and the door hook disengage from each other to a certain degree, so as to result in the loosening of the door handle.

Summary of the utility model

In view of the above problems, an object of the present inventive utility model is to provide a door hook assembly which can prevent the loosening of the door handle.

To achieve the above inventive object, this utility model is realized in the following manner: a door hook assembly comprises a door hook, a spring structure and a pivot connecting said door hook and said spring structure, said door hook is rotatable about said pivot, said spring structure comprises a spiral portion, each of the two ends of said spiral portion has a leg portion extending tangentially from the circumference thereof, and there is a certain angle α formed between the projections of the extending directions of the two leg portions on a plane S perpendicular to said pivot; one of said leg portions is bent to form an arm portion extending therefrom, and there is a certain angle β formed on the plane S between the projection of the extending direction of said arm portion and the projection of the opposite direction of the extending direction of said leg portion. By way of this door hook assembly, when said spiral portion and the leg portions at its two ends have been deformed elastically about its axis O by an external force, the arm portion formed by bending one of said leg portions can still provide elastic deformation independently, so as to provide an extra elastic restoring force.

To achieve the above inventive object, this utility model can also be realized in the following manner: a door hook assembly comprises a door hook, a spring structure and a pivot connecting said door hook and said spring structure, said door hook is rotatable about said pivot, said spring structure comprises a first spiral portion, a second spiral portion spiralling in a sense opposite to that of said first spiral portion, and a π-shaped non-spiral portion connecting said first spiral portion and said second spiral portion, to be used to hoop said door hook, and each of the two ends of said first spiral portion and said second spiral portion has a leg portion extending tangentially from its circumference, and at least one of said leg portions is bent to form an arm portion extending therefrom, and there is a certain angle β formed between the projections of said arm portion and said leg portion on the plane S perpendicular to said pivot. Likewise, when said first and second spiral portions and the

leg portions at their two ends have been deformed elastically about their axis O by an external force, said non-spiral portion hoops said door hook so as to provide an extra elastic restoring force opposite to its rotational direction, and at the same time the arm portion formed by bending one of said leg portions can still provide elastic deformation independently, so as to provide an extra elastic restoring force.

As a specific embodiment of this utility model, a free end is formed on said arm portion, and the extending direction of said free end is substantially opposite to that of said arm portion, so as to allow a greater elastic deformation of said arm portion to provide sufficient elastic restoring force.

Moreover, preferably, a third spiral portion is formed between one of said leg portions and said arm portions so as to provide a greater elastic restoring force.

More preferably, there is a certain angle between the axis O' of said third spiral portion and said pivot. The non-parallel design of said two axes also enables said arm portion to provide greater elastic restoring force.

Another object of this inventive utility model is to provide a washing device which can prevent the loosening of the door handle.

To achieve this inventive object, this utility model is realized in the following manner: a washing device comprises: a hatch for introducing therethrough items to be washed and a door assembly allowing a user to open or close said hatch, said door assembly further comprises a door handle, a door hook assembly, a support and a door frame, said door hook assembly comprises a door hook, a spring structure and a pivot connecting said door hook and said spring structure, said door hook is rotatable about said pivot, said spring structure comprises a spiral portion, each of the two ends of said spiral portion has a leg portion extending tangentially from the circumference thereof, and there is a certain angle α formed between the projections of the extending directions of the two leg portions on a plane S perpendicular to said pivot; one of said leg portions is bent to form an arm portion extending therefrom, and there is a certain angle β formed between the projections of the extending direction of said arm portion and the opposite direction of the extending direction of said leg portion on the plane S; said door handle is assembled on said door frame for cooperating with said support through said door hook assembly, and said arm portion is set against the inside of said door handle to hold said door handle. When said door handle is turned by a user, said door handle carries said door hook to rotate about said pivot, so as to open said door assembly; when said door assembly is closed by the user, said door hook rotates outwards about said pivot under the effects of an external force, and at this time said door

hook disengages from said door handle. However, said arm portion still sets against said door handle to provide an extra elastic restoring force, so as to ensure that said door handle cannot fall off or loosen.

As a specific embodiment of the present utility model, said door handle comprises a cavity, and said door hook further comprises a tail portion on which a protruding part is provided, and when being assembled, said tail portion is accommodated in said cavity, and said protruding part is inserted into a hole provided at a corresponding position of said cavity.

Preferably, a free end is formed on said arm portion, and the extending direction of said free end is substantially opposite to that of said arm portion, and when being assembled, said arm portion or said free end is set against an upper wall inside said cavity, and said leg portion is set against said support.

More preferably, when being assembled, the other leg portion of said spiral portion is set against the tail portion of said door hook, so as to ensure that said door hook returns to the initial position.

To achieve this inventive object, the present utility model can also be realized in the following manner: a washing device comprises: a hatch for introducing therethrough items to be washed and a door assembly allowing a user to open or close said hatch, said door assembly further comprises a door handle, a door hook assembly, a support and a door frame, said door hook assembly comprises a door hook, a spring structure and a pivot connecting said door hook and said spring structure, said door hook is rotatable about said pivot, said spring structure comprises a first spiral portion, a second spiral portion spiralling in a sense opposite to that of said first spiral portion, and a π-shaped non-spiral portion connecting said first spiral portion and said second spiral portion, to be used to hoop said door hook, and each of the two ends of said first spiral portion and said second spiral portion has a leg portion extending tangentially from its circumference, at least one of said leg portions is bent to form an arm portion extending therefrom, and there is a certain angle β formed between the projections of said arm portion and said leg portion on the plane S perpendicular to said pivot; said door handle is assembled on said door frame for cooperating with said support through said door hook assembly, and said arm portion is set against the inside of said door handle to hold said door handle. Likewise, when said door handle is turned by a user, said door handle carries said door hook to rotate about said pivot, so as to open said door assembly; when said door assembly is closed by the user, said door hook rotates outwards about said pivot under the effects of an external force, and at this time said door hook disengages from said door handle. However, said arm portion still is set

against said door handle to provide an extra elastic restoring force, so as to ensure that said door handle cannot fall off or loosen.

As a specific embodiment of the present utility model, said door handle comprises a cavity, and said door hook further comprises a tail portion on which a protruding part is provided, when being assembled, said tail portion is accommodated in said cavity, and said protruding part is inserted into a hole provided at a corresponding position of said cavity.

Preferably, a free end is formed on said arm portion, and the extending direction of said free end is substantially opposite to that of said arm portion, when being assembled, said arm portion or said free end is set against an upper wall inside said cavity, and said leg portion is set against said support.

Description of the Drawings

The present utility model will be further described by way of embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to a specific embodiment of the present utility model;

Fig.2 is an enlarged local view of the part C of the washing machine shown in Fig.1 ;

Fig. 3 is a schematically perspective view of a first specific embodiment of the spring structure of the door hook assembly according to the present utility model;

Fig.4 is a schematically perspective view of a second specific embodiment of the spring structure of the door hook assembly according to the present utility model; and

Fig.5 is a schematically assembled view of a door hook assembly according to a specific embodiment of the present utility model, in combination with the spring structure as shown in Fig.4.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Referring to Fig.1 , which is a perspective view of a washing device 13 according to a specific embodiment of the present utility model, shown by way of example as a washing machine, said washing device 13 generally comprises a closed space formed by a base 24, a container body 25, and a top cover body 26; an outer drum, an inner drum and other mechanisms (not shown in the figure) of the washing machine are provided inside said

container body 25. A control panel 27 is provided on the upper portion of the container body 25 for controlling said washing machine and displaying information, and below said control panel 27, an entry opening 14 is provided on the front panel of said container body 25 for introducing clothes to be washed, and a door assembly 15 is pivotally mounted on one end of said entry opening 14, and said door assembly 15 is rotatable under the effects of an external force about the axis, onto which it is pivotally mounted, so as to open or close said entry opening 14. Said door assembly 15 is provided with a door hook 2 at the side facing said entry opening 14, and at the other end of said entry opening 14 on the front panel of said container body 25 there is further provided an opening 28 for receiving said door hook 2; so that when said door assembly 15 is closed, said door hook 2 is locked into said opening 28. To facilitate a user opening said door assembly 15, said door assembly 15 is further provided with a door handle 16, and the user can open said door assembly 15 by turning said door handle 16.

With reference to Fig. 2, which is an enlarged local view at part C of the washing machine of the specific embodiment according to the present utility model as shown in Fig. 1 ; for the sake of a clear illustration of the structure inside, an inner door frame for sealing said door assembly 15 is omitted, and the structure that said door handle 16 is assembled to a door frame 18 of said door assembly 15 via a door hook assembly 1 and a support 17 is shown clearly in the figure. As shown in this figure, a cavity 19 is provided on the inner side of said door handle 16, and a substantially square shaped hole 22 is provided in the upper wall of said cavity 19. Said door hook assembly 1 comprises a door hook 2, a spring structure 3, and a pivot 4 connecting said door hook 2 and said spring structure 4. Said door hook 2 is provided at one end thereof with a hook portion 29, at the other end with a tail portion 20, and said hook portion 29 and said tail portion 20 are connected by a base portion 30 in between. Said base portion 30 is provided with a throughhole 31 , and when being assembled, a pivot 4 is passed through the throughhole 31 , so that said door hook 2 is rotatable about said pivot 4. Said tail portion 20 is further provided with a protruding part 21 at the upper end thereof, and when being assembled, said tail portion 20 is accommodated in the cavity 19 of said door handle 16, while said protruding part 21 is inserted into a hole 22 provided in said cavity 19, so that at the same time as ensuring the exact positioning between said door handle 16 and said door hook 2, it also allows the user to rotate said door hook 2 about said pivot 4 by turning said door handle 16. With reference to Fig. 3, which is a schematic view of a first specific embodiment of the spring structure of the door hook assembly according to the present utility model, it is shown in the figure that said spring structure 3 comprises a spiral portion 5, each of the two ends of said spiral portion 5 has a

leg portion 6, 7 extending tangentially from its circumference, and there is a certain angle α between projections 6' and T of the two leg portions 6, 7 in their respective extending directions on a plane S perpendicular to the axis of said pivot 4, that is, the two projections 6' and T are neither parallel to each other nor in a line, and obviously, said leg portions 6, 7 and an arm portion 8 can extend outwards in a straight line or in any other shape, for example, extending outwards in a S shape or a Z shape. The spring structure 3 is assembled on said pivot 4 at one side of said door hook 2, wherein one leg portion 6 is set against said support 17, and the other leg portion 7 is set against said door hook 2, thus, when said door hook 2 is rotated about said pivot 4 by the effects of an external force, that is to say, when there is an elastic deformation happening, an elastic restoring force is provided to said door hook 2 by virtue of the elastic deformation of said spring structure 3 itself; meanwhile, said leg portion 6 is bent to form the arm portion 8, and there is a certain angle β between the projections 8' and 6' formed along the extending direction of said arm portion 8 and the direction opposite to the extending direction of said leg portion 6 on the plane S, that is, the two projections 8' and 6' are neither parallel to each other nor in a line, and likewise, said arm portion 8 can extend in a straight line or in any other shape. Accordingly, said arm portion 8 is set against the upper wall within the cavity 19 of said door handle 16 to provide an independent elastic restoring force. Therefore, even if the protruding part 21 of said door hook 2 disengages from the hole 22 provided in said cavity 19 of said door handle 16, by the virtue of said arm portion 8 it still ensures that said door handle 16 will not disengage, so that when said door assembly 15 is closed by the user, the disadvantage of the falling-off or loosening of said door handle 16, caused when said door hook 2 is rotated outwards about said pivot 4 to disengage from said door handle 16 or when there exists a certain tolerance between said protruding part 21 and said hole 22 provided in said cavity 19 of said door handle 16, is avoided effectively.

Fig. 4 shows a second specific embodiment of the spring structure of the door hook assembly according to the present utility model. As shown in the figure, said spring structure 3 comprises a first spiral portion 5', a second spiral portion 9 spiralling in an opposite sense from that of the first spiral portion 5', and a π-shape non-spiral portion 10 connecting said first spiral portion 5' and said second spiral portion 9 to hoop said door hook 2, and a leg portions 6, 7 extending respectively from the two ends of said first spiral portion 5' and second spiral portion 9 tangentially from their respective circumferences. When being assembled, said leg portions 6, 7 are both set against said support 17, and said π-shaped non-spiral portion 10 is hooped onto a tail portion 20 of said door hook 2. When said door hook 2 is rotated about said pivot 4 by the effects of an external force, that is, when an

elastic deformation has happened, an elastic restoring force is provided to said door hook 2 via said non-spiral portion 10 by the virtue of the elastic deformation of said spring structure 3 itself, wherein by way of said π-shaped non-spiral portion 10, said elastic restoring force thereof is distributed more uniformly; and at the same time, one of said leg portions 6 is bent to form an arm portion 8, and there is a certain angle β between the projections 8' and 6' of said arm portion 8 and said leg portion 6 on a plane S perpendicular to said pivot 4, that is, the two projections 8' and 6' are neither parallel to each other nor in a line, thus, said arm portion 8 is set against the upper wall within the cavity 19 of said door handle 16 to provide an independent elastic restoring force. Likewise, even if the protruding part 21 of said door hook 2 disengages from the hole 22 provided in said cavity 19 of said door handle 16, by the virtue of said arm portion 8 it still ensures that said door handle 16 does not disengage, so that when said door assembly 15 is closed by the user, the disadvantage of the falling-off or loosening of said door handle 16, caused when said door hook 2 is rotated outwards about said pivot 4 to disengage from said door handle 16 or when there exists a certain tolerance between said protruding part 21 and said hole 22 provided in said cavity 19 of said door handle 16, is avoided effectively. Obviously, in this embodiment, said two leg portions 6, 7 can also each extend outwards to form an arm portion 8, which in turn results in a more uniform distribution of the force on said door handle 16, so as to ensure more reliably that said door handle 16 will not get loose.

Preferably, to provide a greater elastic restoring force, a free end 1 1 extends out from said arm portion 8, and the extending direction of said free end 11 is in a substantially opposite direction to that of said arm portion 8, that is to say, a certain angle is allowed to exist therebetween. At the same time, to improve the strength of said arm portion 8, a third spiral portion 12 is formed between said arm portion 8 and said leg portion 6 from which it extends, and more preferably, there is a certain angle between an axis O' of said third spiral portion 12 and the axis that said pivot 4 lies in, that is to say, the two of them are not parallel to each other, which in turn provides a greater elastic restoring force.

Fig.5 shows an assembled structure of the door hook assembly 1 according to the present utility model, in combination with the spring structure 3 as shown in Fig.4; when being assembled, firstly an end of said pivot 4 is inserted into the hole in one side of said support 17; then said spring structure 3 is put in the middle of said support 17; and thereafter said pivot 4 is pushed into the spiral hole formed by the spiral portion 5' or 9 at one end of said spring structure 3; then said door hook 2 is put into said support 17; and followed by said pivot 4 being pushed through the hole provided in the other end of said support 17. In this way, the assembling operation of the whole door hook assembly 1 is completed.

The spring structure 3 of the door hook assembly 1 according to the present utility model improves the conventional spring structure, so that the door handle can still be subject to the effects of the elastic force from the spring when it is rotated outwards by force, therefore, it ensures that the door handle does not get loose during closure and after the door assembly has been closed.

It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the door hook assembly according to specific embodiments of the present utility model can be applied to other similar washing devices (e.g., a dishwasher) without additional inventive efforts; therefore, only a washing machine is taken by way of example in the specific embodiments of the present utility model.

In summary, within the scope of the general technical concept of the present utility model, any modifications to the present utility model made by those skilled in the art in relation to that disclosed by the present utility model will fall into the protective scope of the present utility model patent application.