TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to the control knobs, particularly to multi-component rotary control knobs for cooking appliances.

PRIOR ART

Rotary control knobs used in cooking appliances generally include a hollow cylindrical body and an indicator formed thereon. The indicator visually accessible from the outside of the body expose the current position of the rotary control knobs which is mounted to the shaft of a switch or gas cock from a retaining part extending from the body. The indicator can be formed by serigraphy on the body by printing. The indicator can be indistinctive over the time due to the heat and wear.

W02020TR050340 discloses a rotary control knob for an oven, comprising a hollow cover having an upper wall and a skirt part that extends downward from the circumferential edge of the upper wall to form a flat orifice at its lower end. The rotary control knob comprises a hub projecting from the upper wall; a retaining part located at least partially circumferentially around the hub so as to directly hold on thereto; and an indicator element having an indicator extension that extends from the shoulder part of the retaining part toward the orifice in the skirt part with being bended. Such knobs achieve the indicator with outward extension by being bent from the body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a simple rotary control knob for cooking appliances with an indicator disposed on the cover.

In order to achieve abovementioned objects, the invention comprises a rotary control knob for a cooking appliance, comprising a hollow body which is having an orifice surrounded by a lateral wall and a front wall in the opposite direction to the orifice; a sleeve extending from the rear part of the front wall towards the orifice; and an adapter element provided over the front wall of the body; a cap arranged to cover a top side of the adapter element. The control element also comprises at least one tab integrated into the cap, which is directly engaged to the body by passing through a longitudinal intermediate slot in the adapter element to support the adapter element from the front, and an indicator pin which extends at the top side, at least partially filling a longitudinal upper opening on the cover to be visually accessible when the tab is engaged with the body. The adapter element is disposed on the body of the control element, respectively, and the cover is pushed over the adapter element and the adapter element between the body and the control element is fixed to the body with the cover. The adapter element is preferably made of a different color or shade of material than the cover. Thus, the visual accessibility of the indicator pin on the adapter element along the upper opening boundaries in the cover is increased. In order to achieve this, in a preferred embodiment, the adapter element is produced as a single piece by injection with plastic raw material in a different color or shade than the cover.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, adapter element and the cover are in a circular disc like form that concentrically engage with each other in a superimposed manner. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a compact rotary control knob. The disc structure can be arranged in a flat or curved structure.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adapter element is extended on the body to cover the front wall. Further, this extension is preferably arranged to project from the front wall. Thus, the adapter element is made accessible from the outside from its outer periphery in the form of a ring on the body. In this case, the adapter element forms a handle projecting from the front wall of the body.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adapter element and the corresponding cover are in the form of a convex dome that engage with each other in a matching manner. Thus, the extension distance of the tab from the back of the cover towards the body is increased and the assembly of the cover, which is brought to the visible point, is facilitated. Also, the surface area on the cover is increased compared to a flat cover, and a large indicator pin area facilitating the visual accessibility is obtained.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it includes a lower slot provided on the front wall and through which the tab passes, and a retaining projection extending under the lower slot and in which the tab is inserted from the one end thereof. The tab extends into the body by passing over the front wall of the body and retains the body together with the cover towards the adapter part in a supporting manner by being engaged to the retaining projection from the end part. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower slot is aligned with the intermediate slot to form a channel together. In this case, by placing the adapter part onto the body, the channel through which the tab will pass is easily visible from the front, and the cover is simply pushed to the adapter part from the front, allowing the tab to reach the body in a guided manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it includes a lower ring that is provided at an outer periphery of the adapter part and in which the body on the one side fits into a corresponding mounting channel, and an outer channel in which the cover on the other side is inserted from the lower edge thereof. The outer periphery of the adapter part ensures that the cover and body are radially aligned. When the adapter part is disposed in the mounting channel with the lower ring, it forms a housing from the top side, through the outer channel, into which the cover will be disposed. Thereby, it is possible to radially guide the adapter part on the body and the cover thereon, respectively, during assembly.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the indicator pin and the corresponding upper opening have a triangular-like form, the outer end of which is adjacent to a skirt part of the cover. In this case, a triangular indicator is provided on the outer wall of the cover extending radially outward from one corner. The user can easily adjust the radial position of the control knob by seeing which symbols or characters the outer end of the triangle points to a control panel where the rotary control element is disposed.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sleeve is aligned concentrically with the cover on an extension axis on the body. In this case, when the cover is mounted onto an adjustment shaft, if the cover is rotated, there is no radial deviation with respect to the position thereof and it rotates around the extension axis.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover and the tab are arranged parallel to each other and extend in the opposite direction at right angles to the cover. This simplifies the assembly of the control knob.

In order to achieve abovementioned object, the invention includes a cooking device comprising a control knob according to any of the above described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective assembly illustration of a representative embodiment of the rotary control knob of the invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the rotary control knob before assembly with the cover and ring being separated.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional illustration of the embodiment of the rotary control knob given in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional illustration of the embodiment of the rotary control knob given in Figure 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed description, the development of the invention has been described without any limitation and only with reference to the examples for a better explanation of the subject.

In Figure 1 , there is shown a perspective view of the rotary control knob in mounted condition, which is pulled into the rod of a control switch in a control panel (not shown) of the oven.

The rotary control knob comprises a cylindrical hollow body (30) surrounded by a lateral wall (32) in the form of an open orifice (37) on its lower part, an adapter part (20) on its top side, and a circular cap (10). On the circular cap (10), there is an upper opening (16) having the form of a hole in the form of a triangle. An indicator pin (22) fills the upper opening (16). The indicator pin (22) is in the form of an isosceles triangle with an outer end (221 ) adjacent to a skirt part (11 ) of the cap (10) and an opposite inner edge (223) facing inward and forming the base edge. The skirt part (11 ) of the cap (10) is adjacent to an outwardly curved outer periphery (27) of the adapter part (20).

In Figure 2, the rotary control knob is shown in disassembled condition. The cap (10) is produced in one piece by injection from plastic material and has an outer wall (12) in the form of an outwardly curved dome. The skirt part (11) descends straight down from the peripheral edge of the outer wall (12). In the inner part of the outer wall (12), a tab (14) and two auxiliary tabs (15) extend straight out from a lower edge (13) of the skirt part (11 ). The adapter part (20) is in circular form and has a convex top side (26) whose top side (26) matches with the inner part of the outer wall (12) of the cap (10). The adapter part (20) is also produced in a single piece with plastic injection. An indicator pin (22) extends upwards from the top side (26) of the adapter part (20). The height of the indicator pin (22) is equal to the section thickness of the cap (10) so that it completely fills the upper opening (16). Thus, when the indicator pin (22) is disposed in the upper opening (16), its upper edge and the outer wall (12) are aligned with each other. A central hole (24) located in the center of the circle in the top side (26) and intermediate slots (25) adjacent thereto are provided so as to be aligned with the tabs (14) and the auxiliary tabs (15). The outer periphery (27) gradually forms a wide flange structure in the radial direction from the top side (26). In the lower part of the outer periphery (27), a circular lower ring (28) is provided. The lower ring (28) is adjacent to a stepped support wall (29).

The body (30) includes a front wall (39) provided on the top side of the cylindrical lateral wall (32) and at its top side having an outwardly extending dome structure with an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the lower ring (28). In the center of the front wall (39) there is a hub (38) in the form of a cylindrical projection. A lower slot (35) is provided in the front wall (39) that opens from one side to the other. The lower slot (35) is sized so that the tab (14) can pass and is the same size as the intermediate slot (25). A retaining projection (36) in the wedge structure that expands down from one side of the lower slot (35) is integrally formed with the body (30). The retaining projection (36) expands downwards, gradually narrowing the adjacent lower slot (35). An outer frame (31) extends upwards from the upper corner of the lateral wall

(32). The outer frame (31) delimits an opening that expands in diameter upwards. A sleeve

(33) extends from the lower edge of the lateral wall (32) to the outside of the orifice (37) that it encloses.

In Figure 3, the same configuration of the rotary control knob is shown in cross-section in the disassembled condition. The tab (14) has a wedge-like end part (142) integrally formed in a flat flexible arm (141). The length of the arm (141) is adjusted such that it places the retaining part of the end part (142) through the channel consisting of the intermediate slot (25) and the lower slot (35) to the body (30) from the inner part thereof. Both the outer end (221) and the inner edge (223) of the indicator pin (22) extend upwards from the top side (26) perpendicular to the radial expansion plane in accordance with the flat section of the upper opening (16).

A recess (17) is formed centrally on the inner periphery of the outer wall (12) of the cap (10). The diameter of the recess (17) corresponds to the outer diameter of the hub (38). The outer periphery (27) of the adapter element (20) is in a form suitable for placing on the lower edge (13) of the cap (10), in line with the outer channel (21 ) from the top side and opposite to the lower ring (28) from the lower part, and placing in the mounting channel (34) delimited by the outer frame (31) of the body (30).

In Figure 4, the control knob is shown in cross-section in assembly. The lower ring (28) of the adapter element (20) is located circumferentially in a mounting channel (34) in a suitable form. Meanwhile, the support wall (29) is disposed on the adjacent wall of the mounting channel (34) that faces inward. The outer periphery (27) is joined at its corners in a convex ring structure such that it will provide a continuous passage between the outer wall (12) and the outer frame (31). The hub (38) is disposed in the central hole (24) in a circumferential manner, so as to ensure centering. The cap (10) is mounted on the adapter element (20) by pushing it from its top side (26). Meanwhile, the tabs (14, 15) are aligned with the corresponding intermediate slot (25). Thus, the end part (142) is inserted into the retaining projection (36) by snap-fit by means of the corresponding arms (141) of the tabs (14, 15) extending from the intermediate slot (25) and the lower slot (35), respectively. The length of the tab (14) is arranged so that the lower edge (13) of the outer channel (21) abuts from the inside when the end part (142) passes into the retaining projection (36). In this case, the outer periphery (27) encloses the skirt (11 ) from the top and abuts against the outer frame (31) from the below. Thus, while the cap (10) is directly attached to the body (30), the adapter part (20) is mounted coaxially on an extension axis (y) with the cap (10) on the one side and the body (30) on the other side. The sleeve (33) has an internal cavity extending into the hub (38). Thus, it can flexibly engage into the shaft (not shown) of a control element. Thereby, the hub (38) that passes through the central hole (24) in assembly is fully inserted into the recess (17). Each of the cap (10) and the adapter part (20) are produced with plastic raw materials in different color shades as a single piece by plastic injection. Thus, during assembly, the adapter part (20) visually facilitates access to the outer periphery (27) and the indicator pin (22) such that they can be distinguished from the cap (10) and the body (30) and the position of the rotary control knob is formed on the cap (10) with the indicator pin (22) in an easily visible manner. The outer periphery (27) facilitates the recognition and access of the functional part by the user by exposing the contour of the lateral wall (32) forming the retaining part.

REFERANCE NUMBERS

10 Cover 26 Top side

11 Skirt part 27 Outer periphery

12 Outer wall 28 Lower ring

13 Lower edge 29 Support wall

14 Tab 30 Body Arm 31 Outer frame End part 32 Lateral wall Auxiliary tab 33 Sleeve Upper opening 34 Mounting channel Recess 35 Lower slot Adapter element 36 Retaining projection Outer channel 37 Orifice indicator projection 38 Hub Outer end 39 Front wall Inner edge y Extension axis Central hole Intermediate slot