A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE

[0001] The present invention relates to a household appliance comprising a door that opens by rotating forward.

[0002] In household appliances, doors are used for allowing access to the outside from the spaces containing the stored items thereby enabling loading and unloading. Some of these doors open forward by rotating around a horizontal axis. For example, the doors of ovens and dishwashers and the door-in-door of cooling devices open about a horizontal axis by tilting forward.

[0003] Various embodiments relating to the assembly and movement of doors opening by rotating around a horizontal axis are developed in the technique.

[0004] However, in these embodiments known in the technique, the problem of uncontrollably falling faster than intended in the forward opening doors by rotating in the horizontal axis is encountered, due to the effect of their weight and gravity. This uncontrollable motion can cause adversaries such as the breaking of doors, damaging of the impacted surfaces and impairing of the hinges.

[0005] For the solution of this problem, in the state of the art Japanese patent application no JP3134475, gears arranged in the hinge unit of a forward opening door are described which are used in slowing down the opening of the door. This hinge unit is disposed between the arms that secure the door to the wall.

[0006] In another state of the art embodiment, the German patent no

DE10146238, a storage container opens by tilting forward on two guide pegs, one on the side wall thereof and the other on the base of the compartment wherein it is emplaced.

[0007] In the state of the art International Patent document no WO2006137039, a dishwasher is described which comprises a hinge made up of gears and springs for preventing opening of the door in a hard way by its own weight.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to realize a household appliance comprising a door that opens controllably in the horizontal axis. [0009] The household appliance designed to fulfill the object of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a hinge that provides a door rotatably openable in the horizontal axis to be movably joined to the body, a shaft each on the side walls of the door, a pin each in the hinge whereto the shafts are close fitted, a gear where through the pin passes, a toothed rack which the gear pushes forward or backward while rotating and a damper disposed on the end of the toothed rack that slows down the motion of the door during opening.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance comprises a movable wall on the side of the toothed rack facing the damper. In the doors that are openable by rotating forward, the wall compresses the damper situated on the opposite side of the opening direction of the door.. The wall furthermore prevents the door from falling due to its weight by transferring the amortizeing force of the damper to the toothed rack.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, a box filled with a fluid, for example oil, is used as the damper in the household appliance. One wall of the box is the movable wall that is pushed by the toothed rack.

[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, the damper is configured resiliently. The resilient structure becomes deformed, slowing down the pushing motion as the toothed rack pushes the wall towards the damper, and resumes the previous state by slacking off when the toothed rack retreats.

[0013] In another embodiment of the present invention, the damper is configured as a spring. The wall compresses the spring in the falling direction of the door. The spring, in turn, pushes the wall hence the gears for returning to its free state and prevents the door from falling abruptly.

[0014] By means of the hinge used in the household appliance of the present invention, the door moves controllably while tilting around the horizontal axis and thereby provides a safe and convenient mode of utilization.

[0015] A household appliance designed to fulfill the object of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[0016] Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a household appliance comprising a door-in-door that opens forward by rotating around the horizontal axis. [0017] Figure 2 - is the front view of a hinge and a door in an embodiment of the present invention. [0018] Figure 3 - is the sideways schematic view of the hinge in an embodiment of the present invention. [0019] Figure 4 - is the front schematic view of the hinge in an embodiment of the present invention. [0020] Figure 5 - is the perspective schematic view of the hinge in an embodiment of the present invention. [0021] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Household appliance

2. Body

3. Opening

4. Door

5. Hinge

6. Shaft

7. Pin

8. Gear

9. Toothed rack

10. Damper

11. Wall

[0022] The household appliance (1) comprises a body (2), an opening (3) arranged on the body (2), allowing access to the interior of the body (2), a door (4) that covers the opening (3) when closed and enables access to the interior from the opening (3) when opened forward by rotating around the horizontal axis and a hinge (5) on the body (2) for securing the door (4) movably to the body (2) (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

[0023] The household appliance (1) furthermore comprises

- one shaft (6) each on the side walls of the door (4),

- a pin (7) disposed inside the hinge (5), fixed close-fittingly by the shaft (6),

- a gear (8) situated inside the hinge (5), fitted over the pin (7) and rotating together with the pin (7) while the door (4) rotates around the shaft (6),

- a toothed rack (9) disposed inside the hinge (5), that converts the circular motion of the gear (8) into rectilinear motion while the door (4) rotates and

- a damper (10) inside the hinge (5) situated at one end of the toothed rack (9) and which amortizes the motion of the toothed rack (9) while the door (4) opens.

[0024] The shaft (6) which is disposed on the door (4) enables the door (4) to be opened softly and transfers the opening movement directly to the hinge (5) whereas the pin (7) is inside the hinge (5). The shaft (6) rotates together with the door (4) while the door (4) rotatingly opens forward. The shaft (6) transfers this rotational motion to the gear (8) by means of the pin (7) wherein it is inserted.

[0025] However, the toothed rack (9) moves difficultly by means of the damper

(10) at its end and this slows down the rotational motion of the gear (8) and prevents the door (4) from falling down abruptly. In doors (4) opening by tilting downward, the damper (10) is disposed only on the end of the toothed rack (9) that moves opposite to the opening direction of the door (4) and slows down the movement in this direction.

[0026] In an embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance (1) comprises a box-like damper (10) containing a fluid (A), having a wall (11) movable in the direction the toothed rack (9) moves while the door (4) opens. While the fluid (A) in the damper (10) shows resistance to the wall

(11) pushed by the toothed rack (9), the air is compressed and allows the wall (11) to enter into the box a little. Accordingly, the door (4) is slowed down thus prevented from falling abruptly due to the effect of its weight.

[0027] In a derivative of the said embodiment of the present invention, oil and some amount of air are used in the damper (10) as the fluid (A).

[0028] In another embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance (1) comprises a resiliently configured damper (10) and a movable wall (11). This resiliently structured damper (10) functions as a cushion pad for the wall (11) that is pushed by the toothed rack (9) and slows down the motion of the door (4) by preventing both the toothed rack (9) and the gear (8) from moving rapidly.

[0029] In another embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance (1) comprises a spring shaped damper (10). One end of the damper (10) bears against the toothed rack (9) and the other end to the wall of the hinge (5). The spring which is compressed and deformed in the forward motion of the door (4), amortizes the forward movement of the toothed rack (9) toward itself. In the upward motion of the door (4), the spring is decompressed and allows the door (4) to be closed easily.

[0030] In another embodiment of the present invention, in the doors (4) that open by rotating upward, the damper (10) is disposed opposite the closing direction of the door (4) thus preventing the door (4) from falling due to its weight. Accordingly, the door (4) is prevented from falling abruptly while closing.

[0031] By means of the present invention, the door (4) that opens by rotating around the horizontal axis is prevented from falling uncontrollably due to its weight and damaging the items placed therein, thereby enabling the door (4) to move controllably and softly.

[0032] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed above and an expert in the technique can easily introduce different embodiments of the present invention. These should be considered within the scope of the protection postulated by the claims of the present invention.