Household appliance

Abstract

A household appliance includes a processing chamber having a front loading opening, a door, and hinges to join the door to a remaining structure of the household appliance and to enable the door to horizontally pivot for closing the loading opening. At least one of the hinges is floatingly joined to the remaining structure of the household appliance.

Claims

1. A household appliance, comprising: a processing chamber having a loading opening in a front face of the household appliance; a door; and a plurality of hinges configured to join the door to a remaining structure of the household appliance and to enable the door to horizontally pivot on a first axis to close the loading opening; wherein each hinge of the plurality of hinges includes a respective hinge casing coupled to the remaining structure of the household appliance by a fixing element passing through an opening in the hinge casing, such that the hinge casing is configured to pivot about a second axis orthogonal to the first axis; and wherein at least one of the hinges is supported on the remaining structure of the household appliance by only the respective fixing element.

2. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein all of the hinges are pivotably suspended on the remaining structure of the household appliance by respective fixing elements each passing through the opening of the respective hinge casing, and wherein all of the hinge casings are fixed to the remaining structure of the household appliance by only the respective fixing elements.

3. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein each hinge casing includes an underside having a slot configured to receive an edge portion of the remaining structure of the household appliance, such that the slot is configured to prevent the underside of the hinge casing from moving toward and away from the front face of the household appliance.

4. The household appliance of claim 3, further comprising a front panel including the edge portion of the remaining structure of the household appliance.

5. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising a frame, wherein the hinges are joined to the frame.

6. The household appliance of claim 5, wherein each of the fixing elements comprises a respective fixing screw fixed to the frame, and each of the hinges is freely suspended on the respective fixing screw.

7. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the opening of at least one of the hinge casings comprises a horizontal oblong hole, such that the opening is configured to allow lateral displacement of the hinge relative to the remaining structure of the household appliance.

8. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the opening of a first one of the hinge casings comprises a horizontal oblong hole, and the opening of a second one of the hinge casings comprises a round hole, such that the opening of the first hinge casing is configured to allow lateral displacement of the first hinge relative to the remaining structure of the household appliance, and the opening of the second hinge casing is configured to limit lateral displacement of the second hinge relative to the remaining structure of the household appliance.

9. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the opening of one of the hinge casings comprises a round hole, such that the opening is configured to limit lateral displacement of the hinge relative to the remaining structure of the household appliance.

10. The household appliance of claim 1, constructed in the form of a cooking appliance, with the processing chamber being a cooking chamber and the door being a cooking chamber door.

11. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein each hinge casing includes a tab extending vertically from the hinge casing, and the opening of the hinge casing is through the tab.

12. The household appliance of claim 3, wherein the slot is configured such that a gap is formed between the underside of the hinge casing and the edge portion within the slot.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention and the manner in which these are achieved will now be described more clearly and intelligibly with an exemplary embodiment, illustrated in the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which will be described in detail making reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a sectional view obliquely from behind of components of an oven with an open oven door;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a side view of a hinge fitted in the oven;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a view obliquely from the front of the hinge in isolation;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a view from behind of a right-hand hinge inserted into a frame of the oven; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a view from behind of a left-hand hinge inserted into a frame of the oven.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows a sectional view obliquely from behind of components of a household appliance in the form of an oven 1 with an open oven door 2. The oven door 2 can be pivoted by means of a hinge 3 about a horizontal first axis of rotation D1 extending laterally. To this end the hinge 3 has a hinge casing 4 made of sheet steel, in which a connection element (called a deflection bracket 5 below without restriction of generality) is inserted that can be displaced rotationally and/or longitudinally. The hinge casing 4 has a casing groove 6 to guide the deflection bracket 5. The deflection bracket 5 is rotatably joined by a hinge arm 7 via a second axis of rotation D2 to a subregion projecting from the front of the hinge casing 4. The hinge arm 7 is inserted into a door leaf 8 for connection to the oven door 2 and is rotatably joined to the hinge casing 4 at the first axis of rotation D1. The oven door 2 can close a front loading opening 9 of an oven chamber 10 serving as a processing chamber. FIG. 2 shows a side view of a hinge 3 fitted in the oven 1.

(8) To join the oven door 2 to the remaining oven 1 the hinges 3 are fixed to a frame section, arranged at the front, of a frame 11 of the oven 1. The two frame sections of the frame 11 are arranged to the left and right of the loading opening 9. The rear of the hinge 3 rests on the frame 11, wherein the subregion of the deflection bracket 5 which is joined to the hinge arm 7 and a part 12, protruding on the front, of the hinge casing 4, through which the axis of rotation D1 also runs, project through a vertical longitudinal opening (not shown) in the frame 11 on the front in front of the frame 11.

(9) The hinges 3 are freely rotatably joined to the frame 11 via tabs 13 on the front bent upward from a top of the respective hinge casing 4, here by means of screws 14 in each case. The hinges 3 do not rest on their underside, so that they are freely floatingly suspended on the frame 11. To this end the hinges 3 are slotted on their underside or have a slot 16 there and are fitted in a front metal sheet 15 there without support. The slot 16 on the underside is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The absence of support means, now again in reference to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, that the hinges 3 can at least swing back and forth or rotate about a vertical screw axis A (which is perpendicular to the axes of rotation D1 or D2) established by the screws 14.

(10) To enable the screws 14 to be led through, the tab 13 has a round hole 17 and, arranged underneath this, a horizontally oriented oblong hole 18. A respective hinge 3 can optionally be fixed through one of the holes 17 or 18, to which end the frame 11 has two suitable screw holes 19 one above the other (see FIG. 2).

(11) FIG. 4 shows a view from behind of a right-hand, e.g. when viewed from the front, hinge 3 inserted into the frame 11 of the oven 1. The right-hand hinge 3 is freely floatingly suspended on the frame 11 of the oven 1 by means of a screw 14 guided through its round hole 17. As a result it can, as indicated by the double arrow, freely oscillate or swing about the screw axis A of the round hole 17.

(12) FIG. 5 shows a view from behind of an e.g. left-hand hinge 3 inserted into a frame of the oven. The left-hand hinge 3 is freely floatingly suspended on the frame 11 of the oven 1 by means of a screw 14 guided through its horizontal oblong hole 18. As a result it can, as indicated by the curved double arrow, freely oscillate about the screw axis A of the round hole 17. Furthermore the left-hand hinge 3 can be laterally horizontally displaced, as indicated by the straight double arrow.

(13) Naturally, the present invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment disclosed.

(14) In general, a, an, etc. can be understood as singular or plural, in particular in the sense of at least one or one or more, etc., provided this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression exactly one, etc.

(15) A numerical value can also include the given value as a typical tolerance range, provided this is not explicitly excluded.