Cooking appliance comprising a lowerable door, which has a specific retaining spring for a bearing bush

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a housing having a cooking chamber and a storage space, which is separate from the cooking chamber. A door is movably arranged on the housing for closing the cooking chamber and for lowering into the storage space in an opened state of the door. A handle is arranged in a fixed location on the door. Movably supported on the door is a guide element which is connected directly to a first end of a retaining spring on the door so as to maintain a coupling position of the guide element on the door. A guide track is mounted in the storage space for guiding the guide element on the door.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance, comprising: housing having a cooking chamber and a storage space, which is separate from the cooking chamber; a door movably arranged on the housing for closing the cooking chamber and for lowering into the storage space in an opened state of the door; a retaining spring mounted to the door; a guide element movably supported on the door and connected directly to a first end of the retaining spring on the door so as to maintain a coupling position of the guide element on the door; a guide track mounted in the storage space for guiding the guide element on the door; and a handle arranged in a fixed location on the door, wherein the guide element has a radial web formed with a passage, said first end of the retaining spring being configured as a hook and engaging in the passage of the radial web of the guide element.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a retaining bracket mounted to the door for accepting a door panel of the door, said retaining spring having a second end which is connected directly to the retaining bracket.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the passage has a keyhole geometry.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a damping element arranged on a boundary wall of the passage for damping friction noise from the retaining spring.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a tube-like sleeve configured to enclose the retaining spring.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the guide element is a bearing bush.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the guide element has an integrated adjusting pin configured to release a mounted state of the door on the guide track when actuated.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein the adjusting pin is configured in the manner of a bar and defines a longitudinal axis which extends at an angle between 10° and 40° to a vertical axis of the door in the coupling position.

9. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising an upper cover strip placed upon the door.

10. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the door has a door panel in the form of a front panel, said door panel configured to cover a front of the cover strip.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the door has a reinforcing part arranged on the cover strip to reinforce the cover strip.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a stop arranged in the storage space to limit an insertion depth of the door in such a manner that the handle is arranged at a distance from a front face of the housing when the door assumes a maximum insertion position.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a stop arranged in the storage space to limit an insertion depth of the door in such a manner that an upper edge of the door is arranged at a distance of between 80 mm and 90 mm from a front face of the housing when the door assumes a maximum insertion position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to schematic drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive cooking appliance;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the door;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a diagram of subcomponents of the cooking appliance according to FIG. 1 with the door partially opened;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a diagram of the components according to FIG. 3 with the door fully opened and inserted into a storage space;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a side view of the diagram according to FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the door according to FIG. 2 in the assembled state;

(8) FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of a partial detail of the door according to FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a partial view of a side region of the door according to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a guide element of the door configured as a bearing bush;

(11) FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a sub region of the door;

(12) FIG. 11 shows a side view of the bearing bush according to FIG. 9; and

(13) FIG. 12 shows a perspective view with the bearing bush and further components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(14) Identical elements or those of identical function are shown with the same reference characters in the figures.

(15) FIG. 1 shows a cooking appliance 1, which can be for example an oven or a microwave cooking appliance or a steam cooking appliance or a combination of the cited appliances. The cooking appliance 1 has a housing 2, in which a cooking chamber 3 for cooking food is configured. The cooking appliance 1 also has a door 4, which is configured to close the cooking chamber 3 at the front. The door 4 has a door leaf 5, which is configured as a plate-like part. A handle 6 is arranged on the front of the door leaf 5, therefore facing away from the cooking chamber 3. Said handle 6 is arranged, in particular screwed, in a fixed location and therefore unmovably on the door leaf 5. The door 4 is shown in the closed state in FIG. 1. In this design the door leaf 5 is oriented in a vertical plane, specifically the x-y plane.

(16) The cooking appliance 1 also has a storage space 7, which is configured separately from the cooking chamber 3 and is configured below the cooking chamber 3 in the housing 2 in the heightwise direction (y-direction). In the opened state the door 4 can be inserted or lowered into said storage space 7. The position of the handle 6 on the door leaf 5 does not change relative to the door leaf 5, even when the door 4 is moved.

(17) In the exemplary embodiment the cooking appliance 1 also has an operating panel 8, on which an operating and/or display apparatus 9 is preferably configured.

(18) The storage space 7 is delimited by walls, with two opposing side walls in particular each having a guide track 10 and 11, in which guide elements of the door 4 are guided.

(19) FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the door 4. Provision is made for the plate-like door leaf 5 to have a set of panels 12, the set of panels 12 having a front panel 13, an inner panel 14 and here in particular also an intermediate panel 15. These three panels 13 to 15 are in particular arranged parallel and at a distance from one another. The door 4 also has a cover strip 16, which is configured as a hood or top facing positioned on top. Said cover strip 16 is preferably configured as a single piece and is in particular made of plastic. It covers the door leaf 5 from above.

(20) The door 4 also has a frame 17, which is configured here from multiple parts, the set of panels 12 being held thereon.

(21) The door 4 also has the abovementioned guide elements, configured here as bearing bushes 18, 19. The two bearing bushes in the present exemplary embodiment are positioned at opposing ends in the widthwise direction of the door, preferably being connected by a connecting rod 20. The narrow sides of the bearing bushes 18 and 19 are pushed onto said connecting rod 20. One of the bearing bushes 18 and 19 respectively is then arranged so that it engages in the guide tracks 10, 11 so that the lowering movement or outward movement of the door 4 into or out of the storage space 7 is guided and therefore particularly smooth and impact-free.

(22) The bearing bushes 18 and 19 are also held by holes 21 and 22, which are configured in frame parts or frame profiles of the frame 17.

(23) It is also shown that a plurality of retaining brackets 23 or adhesive brackets are arranged on an inner face 13a of the front panel 13.

(24) It is also shown that two passages 24 and 25 are configured here as screw holes in the front panel 13, it being possible for screws to be passed through them to fasten the handle 6 in particular in a fixed location on the front panel 13.

(25) As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the front panel 13 is of such a height (extension in y-direction) that the cover strip 16 is covered, in particular completely covered, by said front panel 13 when the door 4 is viewed from the front.

(26) FIG. 3 shows subcomponents of the cooking appliance 1, the door 4 here being shown in the partially opened state, in which it has not yet been moved into the storage space 7.

(27) FIG. 4 shows a diagram, in which said door 4 is fully opened and lowered into the storage space 7.

(28) As shown already in FIG. 4, the door 4 and in particular the door leaf 5 however project forward out of the storage space 7 by a specific length in this maximum insertion position. The maximum insertion depth of the door 4 and in particular of the door leaf 5 in this end position is such that there is a distance a between 80 mm and 90 mm, in particular 85 mm, between a front face 26 of the housing 2 and an upper edge 27 of the door 4, in particular of the door leaf 5. This maximum insertion depth and therefore the distance a are selected in such a manner that the handle 6 is positioned at a distance from the front face 26 in said depthwise direction so that it can be grasped from behind by a hand, as shown in FIG. 5. It is also shown in FIG. 5 that a stop 28 is arranged in the storage space 7 to limit said maximum insertion depth of the door 4.

(29) FIG. 6 shows the door 4 in the assembled state. The door 4 is shown here looking toward the inner panel 14.

(30) The bearing bushes 18 and 19 are arranged movably on the door 4, so that they can rotate about the axis which is oriented in the widthwise direction (x-direction) and defined in particular by the connecting rod 20. A movement relative to the door leaf 5 is therefore possible here.

(31) When a specific coupling position, or mounting position, of the bearing bushes 18 and 19 has been set, the door 4 can be mounted on the housing 2. This coupling position of the bearing bushes 18, 19, which is a specific rotation position about said rotation axis, must however be set first and specifically maintained.

(32) To this end the door 4, as shown more clearly in an enlarged view in FIG. 7, has a retaining spring 29. The enlarged region I of FIG. 6 shown in FIG. 7 shows that a first end 29a of said retaining spring 29, which is bent in the manner of a hook, is connected directly to the bearing bush 19.

(33) In the embodiment shown here the bearing bush 19 has a radial web 30, which has a passage 31 in the form of a hole, through which said first end 29a is passed and suspended. Said radial web 30 also delimits a channel 32. The channel 32 is also delimited by a further radial web 33. Said channel 32 defines a coupling to a guide runner of the guide track 11, said guide runner engaging in the channel 32.

(34) A second end 29b, opposite the opposing first end 29a, of the retaining spring 29, which is in particular a spiral spring, is suspended directly from a retaining bracket 23, which is provided to hold the front panel 13 and bonded to said front panel 13.

(35) The door 4 also has a tube-like sleeve 34, which encloses the retaining spring 29. Said sleeve 34 has a length in the axial direction, which corresponds to the region of the retaining spring 29 with the spiral windings, when the retaining spring 29 is in the detensioned state. FIG. 7 in contrast shows the tensioned state, in which said windings are pulled apart. As a result only a sub region of said spiral windings is enclosed by said tube-like sleeve 34. The tube-like sleeve 34 is a noise-reducing element. It can be made of an elastic material, for example elastomer.

(36) The retaining spring 29 holds the coupling position, as mentioned above, of the guide element 29 in position. Said retaining spring 29 also allows said coupling position to be reset automatically after the door 4 has been removed from the housing 2 when the bearing bush 19 is pivoted out of said coupling position in the mounted state.

(37) In a further embodiment according to FIG. 7 provision can also be made for said sleeve 34 not to be configured of stable length but of variable length and to be a bellows for example. With such a design said sleeve 34 can then undergo the change of length of the spiral region of the retaining spring 29 at the same time, so that the spiral winding region is in particular also completely enclosed by the sleeve 34 when the retaining spring 29 is in the tensioned state.

(38) The door 4 is preferably configured correspondingly on the opposing side in the bearing bush 18.

(39) FIG. 8 shows an enlarged side view of the door 4, looking here at an outer end of the bearing bush 19. As shown here, said bearing bush 19 has an integrated adjusting pin 35, which is configured in the manner of a bar and oriented to overhang freely or laterally freely. The door leaf 5 has a vertical axis H, which is oriented in the heightwise direction when the door 4 is in the closed state. In contrast said bar-like adjusting pin 35 is arranged with a longitudinal axis K at an angle, possibly at an angle α between 10° and 40°, in particular between 10° and 30°, thereto. FIG. 8 shows the coupling position of the bearing bush 19 and therefore also of the adjusting pin 35, as mentioned above.

(40) FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of an exemplary embodiment of the bearing bush 19. It can also be seen here that the passage 31 has the shape of a keyhole or the nature of a keyhole geometry. As shown here, a region 31a facing the longitudinal axis L of said bearing bush 19 is widened to allow easy insertion of the end 29a. A further region 31b of said passage 31, which is at a radial distance therefrom and therefore further out from the longitudinal axis L is tapered in contrast. In the finally mounted state the hook-shaped end 29a is supported in this tapered region 31b. Provision can be made for boundary walls of said passage 31 to be covered with a noise-reduced material, for example a sealing element or a corresponding coating. Said suspension loop for example can also be sheathed in plastic or a sealing ring can be arranged on said boundary wall.

(41) FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a further detail of the door 4, an upper corner region being shown with the cover strip 16 here. A separate reinforcing element 36 can be arranged on, in particular attached to, said cover strip 16. This reinforcing part 36 can be made of metal. It serves in particular, when the cooking appliance 1 is in self-cleaning mode, to reinforce the cover strip 16 made of plastic, so that this is not deformed in an unwanted manner, particularly when it is pulled. Said reinforcing part 36 is preferably screwed to the front panel 13, a passage 37 being provided here for a screw. The passage 37 is then in particular congruent with the passage 25, so that the same screw connection as for the handle 6 is also provided for said reinforcing part 36. The reinforcing part 36 can also serve as a locking element for locking the door 4 in self-cleaning mode.

(42) FIG. 11 shows a side view of the bearing bush 19. The geometry of the passage 31 is shown in more detail here. Also wing-type stops 38, 39 are formed in this example, being arranged with an axial orientation and radially at a distance from a base pipe of the bearing bush 19. Said stops 38, 39 prevent a securing spring 40, which secures the position of the bearing bush 19 on the connecting rod 20, from popping out. The securing spring 40 is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 12. A stirrup region of the securing spring 40 configured as a wire spring engages in an opening 41 in the base pipe of the bearing bush 19. Said stirrup region engages through the wall of the base pipe to couple mechanically to the connecting rod 20 and secure the position.