HANDLE FOR A DOOR OF A DOMESTIC APPLIANCE WITH SPECIFIC LIGHT GUIDANCE, AND DOOR AND DOMESTIC APPLIANCE

Abstract

A handle for a door of a household appliance includes an elongated front strip configured as a plate having at least one region which is transparent. A handle bracket is connected to the front strip for positioning the handle on the door. Arranged in the handle is a light source which includes a light-guiding element with which light from the light source can radiate from the front strip. The front strip covers a front side of the light-guiding element, with light radiated from the light-guiding element radiating at least through a light-permeable material region of the front strip.

Claims

1-15. (canceled).

16. A handle for a door of a household appliance, said handle comprising: an elongated front strip configured as a plate having at least one region which is transparent; a handle bracket connected to the front strip for positioning the handle on the door; and a light source arranged in the handle and including a light-guiding element with which light from the light source is able to radiate from the front strip, wherein the front strip covers a front side of the light-guiding element, with light radiated from the light-guiding element radiating at least through a light-permeable material region of the front strip.

17. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is embodied to be plate-shaped.

18. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is arranged between the front strip and the handle bracket.

19. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is embodied to be elastically deformable.

20. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is arranged as a compressible spacer element between the front strip and the handle bracket.

21. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is squeezed as a compressible spacer element between the front strip and the handle bracket.

22. The handle of claim 16, wherein the handle bracket has a base on a side facing the front strip, said light-guiding element resting on the base such as to be countersunk in the handle bracket at least in a region thereof.

23. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is countersunk such as to be completely surrounded on a peripheral side by the handle bracket.

24. The handle of claim 16, wherein the light-guiding element is configured to cover at least 50% of a surface area of the front strip.

25. The handle of claim 16, wherein the front strip has a rectangular configuration and/or is configured to completely cover the light-guiding element and the handle bracket in a front projected view of the handle.

26. The handle of claim 16, wherein the front strip is made in an integral manner from real glass.

27. The handle of claim 16, wherein the handle bracket has a channel-shaped configuration and has a funnel-shaped side which faces the front strip.

28. The handle of claim 16, wherein the handle bracket is hollow, said light source being arranged in the handle bracket.

29. The handle of claim 28, wherein the light source is arranged on a base of the handle bracket.

30. The handle of claim 16, wherein the front strip has an interior with a light-impermeable region.

31. The handle of claim 30, wherein the front strip includes a light-impermeable film or a light-impermeable coating to generate the light-impermeable region.

32. A door for a household appliance, comprising a handle, said handle comprising an elongated front strip configured as a plate having at least one region which is transparent, a handle bracket connected to the front strip for positioning the handle on the door, and a light source arranged in the handle and including a light-guiding element with which light from the light source is able to radiate from the front strip, wherein the front strip covers a front side of the light-guiding element, with light radiated from the light-guiding element radiating at least through a light-permeable material region of the front strip.

33. A household appliance, in particular for preparing food, said household appliance comprising: a door; and a handle comprising an elongated front strip configured as a plate having at least one region which is transparent, a handle bracket connected to the front strip for positioning the handle on the door, and a light source arranged in the handle and including a light-guiding element with which light from the light source is able to radiate from the front strip, wherein the front strip covers a front side of the light-guiding element, with light radiated from the light-guiding element radiating at least through a light-permeable material region of the front strip.

Description

[0040] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below on the basis of schematic drawings, in which:

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive household appliance with an exemplary embodiment of an inventive door;

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a sectional representation by means of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive handle;

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a further sectional representation by means of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive handle;

[0044] FIG. 4 shows an external view of the handle according to FIG. 3;

[0045] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged representation of a subregion of the handle according to FIG. 4;

[0046] FIG. 6 shows a sectional representation by means of a further exemplary embodiment of a handle;

[0047] FIG. 7 shows a representation of a further exemplary embodiment of a handle in a schematic sectional representation.

[0048] Identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference characters in the figures.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a household appliance 1. The household appliance 1 is embodied here to prepare food. It can be an oven. The household appliance 1 has a housing 2, in which a cooking compartment 3 is embodied. This cooking compartment 3 can be closed at the front by a door 4. A handle 6 is embodied on an exterior 5 of the door 4 facing away from the cooking compartment 3. The handle 6 is shown in FIG. 2 in an exemplary embodiment and is shown there in the cut representation. The handle 6 has a longitudinal axis A. It is placed on the exterior 5 and thus protrudes toward the front in relation to this exterior 5. In the exemplary embodiment shown the handle 6 has a front strip 7. Here the front strip 7 is a flat plate. It is embodied in particular in an integral manner. The front strip 7 is preferably formed from real glass. Furthermore, the handle 6 has a handle bracket 8 which is separate from the front strip 7. The handle bracket 8 here viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis A is embodied with an identical or essentially identical length to the front strip 7. The handle bracket 8 is in particular embodied in an integral manner, for instance from plastic or metal. In the embodiment shown here, the handle bracket 8, with which the handle 6 can be attached to the exterior 5, is embodied in the shape of a funnel. This means that it is expanded in the shape of a funnel on its side 9 facing the front strip 7, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0050] Provision can be made for the handle 6 to be fastened to the door 4 by means of fastening means, in particular screw connections 10, 11 and 12.

[0051] Provision is made in particular for these screw connections 10 to 12 also to embody a mechanically fixed connection between the front strip 7 and the handle bracket 8. The screw connections 10 to 12 can also additionally be embodied as feedthroughs, in order to be able to lay electrical lines into the handle 6 from outside of the handle 6.

[0052] In particular, the handle bracket 8 is embodied to be hollow at least in regions. In this respect it therefore has a channel shape, which is expanded upward.

[0053] The front strip 7 is dimensioned so that in a projected view, in which it is looked at in a direction at right angles to the front strip 7, it completely covers the handle bracket 8 arranged therebehind. In respect of its arrangement and its surface dimensions, the handle bracket 8 is therefore contained completely within this projection surface formed by the front strip 7.

[0054] Furthermore, the handle 6 also has at least one light-guiding element 13. The light-guiding element 13 is arranged between the handle bracket 8 and the front strip 7. A light-guiding element 13 is generally an element which conducts light in a defined manner in its interior so that light is routed in a defined manner from a coupling-in point of the light-guiding element 13 to an exit point of the light-guiding element 13.

[0055] As shown in the representation in FIG. 3, in which a sectional plane is shown at right angles to the longitudinal axis A, at least one light source 15 is arranged on a base 14 of the hollow handle bracket 8. The light source 15 is arranged at a distance from the light-guiding element 13 which is embodied in particular in an integral manner.

[0056] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the light-guiding element 13 is formed in a plate-type manner. In particular, it has a tub shape here. In this respect, the light-guiding element 13 has an in particular fully peripheral web 16. This web 16 can be referred to as a tub web. As shown here, the web 16 rests with a top side 16a onto a rear side 7a of the front strip 7. With a rear side 16b, the web 16 rests on an upper edge 8a of the handle bracket 8. In particular, in this embodiment the front strip 7 is arranged without contact in relation to the handle bracket 8. In this embodiment the light-guiding element 13 is therefore also embodied as a spacer element between the front strip 7 and the handle bracket 8. The light-guiding element 13 preferably extends substantially over the same surface dimensions as the front strip 7. It is however embodied and arranged so that it does not project laterally, upward, and downward in relation to the front strip 7.

[0057] Provision is advantageously made for the light-guiding element 13 to be elastically deformable, in particular compressible, at least in regions. With the embodiment in FIG. 3, this compressibility is embodied at right angles to the plane, in which the light-guiding element 13 extends. In particular, this compressibility is therefore oriented in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis A and in particular in a direction which is also oriented at right angles to a longitudinal axis of the handle bracket 8. The longitudinal axis of the handle bracket 8 is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis A.

[0058] The light-guiding element 13 can therefore also be arranged squeezed between the front strip 7 and the handle bracket 8. In particular, in this respect the web 16 can be compressed, in particular squeezed in this way. The squeezing is produced in particular when the screw connections 10 to 12 are screwed together.

[0059] Provision is made for light radiated from the light source 15 to be coupled into the light-guiding element 13 and to escape there in a defined manner at exit points and to be radiated through the front strip 7 on account of the arrangement and embodiment, wherein light L1 then escapes the front strip 7 at the front and appears as a light image within the surface of the front strip 7. In an advantageous embodiment, provision is made for the light-guiding element 13, as already mentioned above, to be exposed laterally and/or upwards and/or downwards. These directions are oriented in a plane which lies parallel to that plane in which this front strip 7 is stretched. This exposed light radiation is shown by L2 in FIG. 3. Light can therefore also in effect be radiated in two different spatial directions, namely by the light radiation L1 through the front strip 7 and also through the light radiation L2.

[0060] As furthermore apparent, the rear 7a of the front strip 7 is embodied to be light-impermeable at least in regions. In this respect, on this rear side 7a, this light-impermeable region 17 can be embodied by a printing or a film. Similarly, material which has this light impermeability can be introduced in the material of the front strip 7. Therefore in the exemplary embodiment that surface region, which extends between the lines identified with 18, is light-impermeable and the light L1 can therefore only be radiated through the front strip 7 at the edge zones of the front strip 7.

[0061] This is not restrictive, however, but only to be understood by way of example. Various other embodiments of the through-radiation of light through the front strip 7 can also be enabled.

[0062] FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of the handle 6 according to FIG. 3, but however with respect to a side view and not in a sectional representation. In this regard, the narrow, uninterruptible peripheral web 16 of the light-guiding element 13 is to be identified. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged representation of the subregion I in FIG. 4. It should be seen here that the web 16 ends slightly offset in relation to the dimensions of the front strip 7 in particular in relation to an edge 7b. Accordingly, it is embodied with the upper edge 8a of the handle bracket 8.

[0063] The handle bracket 8 can be embodied from a plastic. For instance, this can be a thermoplastic material. Similarly, this can be BMC (Bulk Molding Compound). An embodiment from metal, for instance a metal pressure casting component, can also be provided.

[0064] In particular, the light-guiding element 13 is embodied as a collection light guide, through which the injected light is collected. Provision can be made for the light-guiding element 13 to have an eroding structure on a side edge 13a, which is also then the side edge of the web 16.

[0065] Provision can be made for the edge 7b of the front strip to be embodied to be sanded, so that light can be better scattered.

[0066] The light-guiding element can be made from silicon, PVC (polyvinylchloride), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) or similar material. Provision can also be made for turbidity and/or scatter particles for homogenizing the light guide to be present in the material of the light-guiding element.

[0067] FIG. 6 shows a sectional representation at right angles to the longitudinal axis A of a further exemplary embodiment of a handle 6. With this embodiment the light-guiding element 13 is embodied to have a smaller area than in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the hollow handle bracket 8 has a base 20. Here the plate-shaped light-guiding element 13, which is embodied to be flat here, rests hereupon. As a result, the light-guiding element 13 is arranged countersunk in a cavity 19 of the handle bracket 8 at least in regions. In particular, a completely embedded arrangement is provided here.

[0068] In the embodiment in particular according to FIG. 6, provision can also be made for a shading film to be arranged on the rear side 7a. As a result, what is known as a black panel effect can also be produced. In the region the material of the front strip 7 can additionally or instead be embodied for instance as gray glass, which has a transmissivity of in particular less than 90 percent. This can also be thus embodied in other examples.

[0069] In this embodiment in FIG. 6, a seal between the front strip and the handle bracket can be produced for instance by way of a peripheral foam adhesive tape or an adhesive bead.

[0070] Furthermore, a further exemplary embodiment of a handle 6 is shown in FIG. 7 in a sectional representation at right angles to its longitudinal axis. In this embodiment, provision is made for the front strip 7, here made from metal, to be embodied for instance as an aluminum extrusion press profile or plastic extrusion press profile. A front cover can be embodied to be transparent. In this embodiment, no light source is available in the handle bracket 8, instead in the embodiment in FIG. 7 it is arranged in the front strip 7. In this embodiment the front cover of the front strip 7, which is embodied in multiple parts here, is convexly curved.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0071] 1 household appliance

[0072] 2 housing

[0073] 3 cooking compartment

[0074] 4 door

[0075] 5 exterior

[0076] 6 handle

[0077] 7 front strip

[0078] 7a rear side

[0079] 7b edge

[0080] 8 handle bracket

[0081] 8a upper edge

[0082] 9 side

[0083] 10 screw connection

[0084] 11 screw connection

[0085] 12 screw connection

[0086] 13 light-guiding element

[0087] 13a side edge

[0088] 14 base

[0089] 15 light source

[0090] 16 web

[0091] 16a top side

[0092] 16b rear side

[0093] 17 region

[0094] 18 lines

[0095] 19 cavity

[0096] 20 base

[0097] A longitudinal axis

[0098] L1 light radiation

[0099] L2 light radiation