Glass door with a handle assembly

Abstract

A glass door for a refrigerating unit and to such refrigerating unit, wherein the glass door includes a glass pane, a handle assembly including a transparent base part bonded at an adhesion surface to an outer glass surface of the glass pane, and a handle part made in a transparent material, preferably Polymethylmethacrylat (PMMA). The handle assembly further includes a mounting connection for mounting the handle part to the base part, wherein the mounting connection is provided by the one or more protrusions of the handle part and by one or more recess(es) in the base part or one or more recess(es) provided between the base part and the outer glass surface.

Claims

1. A glass door for a refrigerating unit comprising: a glass pane; a handle assembly comprising: a transparent base part made of glass material and bonded at an adhesion surface to an outer glass surface of the glass pane; a handle part made in a transparent material; and a mounting connection for mounting the handle part to the transparent base part, wherein the mounting connection is provided by one or more protrusions of the handle part and by one or more recesses in the transparent base part or one or more recesses provided between the transparent base part and the outer glass surface, and wherein the handle assembly is configured to provide a detachment of the handle part from the transparent base part upon physical impact to the handle part by an external force being above a first limit value without causing a detachment of the transparent base part from the outer glass surface.

2. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the mounting connection is arranged to prevent transverse movement of the handle part relative to the transparent base part, wherein transverse movement is defined along a first direction being parallel to the outer glass surface of the glass pane, the mounting connection is further arranged to prevent outward movement of the handle part relative to the transparent base part, wherein outward movement is defined in a direction comprising a directional component perpendicular to the outer glass surface of the glass pane.

3. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the mounting connection is arranged to prevent transverse movement of the handle part relative to the transparent base part in any direction along the outer glass surface of the glass pane.

4. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the mounting connection comprises one or more dove-tail joints.

5. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the mounting connection is provided by a snap-joint.

6. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the glass door comprises the one or more recesses provided between the outer glass surface and the transparent base part, and wherein the handle part comprises the one or more protrusions for insertion in the one or more recesses provided between the outer glass surface and the transparent base part.

7. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the one or more recesses of the transparent base part are arranged at least at a first rim and at an opposing second rim of the transparent base part.

8. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion surface has a bonding area between 10-80 cm.sup.2.

9. Glass door according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion surface is bonded to the outer glass surface by adhesive or a light-cured adhesive.

10. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the handle part is made of Polymethylmethacrylat (PMMA).

11. The glass door according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion surface is bonded to the outer glass surface by ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) adhesive or a light-cured adhesive.

12. A refrigerating unit for storing and displaying goods, wherein the refrigerating unit comprises: a storage unit; a glass door attached to the storage unit by a hinge, wherein the glass door comprises: a glass pane; a handle assembly comprising: a transparent base part made of glass material and bonded at an adhesion surface to an outer glass surface of the glass pane; a handle part made in a transparent material; and a mounting connection for mounting the handle part to the transparent base part, wherein the mounting connection is provided by one or more protrusions of the handle part and by one or more recesses in the transparent base part or one or more recesses provided between the transparent base part and the outer glass surface, and wherein the handle assembly is configured to provide a detachment of the handle part from the transparent base part upon physical impact to the handle part by an external force being above a first limit value without causing a detachment of the transparent base part from the outer glass surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Aspects of the present disclosure will be described in the following with reference to the figures in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a glass door with a base part adhered thereto according to the invention, as seen in perspective.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a part of the glass door of FIG. 1 with a handle assembly according to the invention, seen in perspective.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view and an exploded view of the glass door with a handle assembly according to the invention as shown in FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 shows cut-out of the glass door with a handle assembly of FIG. 2, seen in perspective and an exploded view of the cut-out.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a refrigerating unit comprising a glass door according to the present invention with an exploded view of a part of the refrigerating unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) FIGS. 1-5 shows examples of the glass door 1 according to embodiments of the invention. In FIG. 1, the handle part 10 has been omitted in order to show the base part 5 bonded to the glass pane 2 on its own. FIGS. 2-5 shows the handle assembly 4 bonded to a glass pane 2 from different views. The glass pane 2 is transparent and may be of any type of glass typically used for glass doors, such as soda lime glass. The glass pane 2 typically has an outer surface to be arranged towards the user, when the glass pane 2 is used in a refrigerating unit and an inner surface arranged towards the goods in the refrigerating unit. The inner and outer surfaces are joined by a glass pane edge, typically much smaller in extent than the width and length of the glass pane 2.

(8) FIG. 1 shows a glass door 1 with a base part 5 of the handle assembly 4 according to embodiments of the invention, as seen in perspective. The base part 5 is of an elongated plate shape, having a mounting surface 8b as an uppermost surface substantially planar and substantially parallel to the lowermost surface of the base part 5, wherein the lowermost surface is the adhesion surface 8a. Connecting the mounting surface 8b and adhesion surface 8a of the base part 5 is a rim including two end rims 7 arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the base part 5 and two side rims 6 arranged along the longitudinal extent of the base part 5.

(9) In one or more embodiments, the base part 5 may have a transverse cross-sectional shape, which allows for a recess to be provided between the glass pane 2 and the base part 5. The base part 5 may include a trapezoid transverse cross-sectional shape, wherein the transverse cross-section has a short side at the adhesion surface 8b, a long side at the mounting surface 8b and two tapering sides, at the side rims 6 extending from the adhesion surface 8a to the mounting surface 8b.

(10) In the present examples, the adhesion surface 8a is bonded to the glass pane 2 by means of an EVA film. The base part 5 is made of a transparent glass material, preferably the same glass material as the glass pane. In the present examples, the base part 5 provides a transverse extent of the adhesion surface of about 20 mm and a longitudinal extent of the adhesion surface of about 170 mm. The base part 5 may extend approximately 6 mm in thickness measured perpendicular to the outer surface of the glass pane 3. A first and second recess are provided between the tapering side rims 6 and the glass pane 2. In one or more embodiments, the degree of tapering of the side rims 6 may be the same or they may be different. In one or more examples, one or more of the corners of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the base part 5 may be chamfered.

(11) In one or more examples and as shown in FIG. 1-4, the base part 5 provides two elongated recesses 9, each extending adjacent to a side rim 6, from the an end rim 7 to and opposite end rim 7 of the base part 5.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a part of the glass door 1 of FIG. 1 with the addition of a handle part 10, which has been attached to the base part 5 of FIG. 1 so as to form a handle assembly 4 of the glass door 1 according to embodiments of the invention. The handle part 10 is shown arranged to cover at least a part of a mounting surface 8b of the base part 5 as shown in FIG. 1. In one or more examples, the handle part 10 may extend at least transversely across the mounting surface 8b of the base part 5, from a first recess 9 to a second recess 9 of the base part 5.

(13) The handle part 10 shown in FIGS. 2-5 includes a gripping part for gripping the handle part 10 by a hand of the user. The gripping part is shown at a proximal end extending outwards in a direction away from the outer glass surface 3 and thereafter extending sideways, substantially along said outer glass surface 3, so as to form a substantially L-shaped gripping part. At a distal end of the gripping part, it may curve inwards towards the outer surface of the glass pane. The gripping part may be of any shape allowing for a sufficiently firm grip of the handle assembly 4 when moving the glass door 1.

(14) In one or more examples shown in FIGS. 2-5, the mounting connection is arranged to prevent at least transverse movement and outward movement of the handle part 10 relative to the base part 5, wherein transverse movement is defined along the transverse extent of the base part 5, i.e. along the short extent of the base part 5 parallel to the outer glass surface 3 and perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the base part 5, measured along the long extent of the base part 5. The outwards movement is defined in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the outer glass surface 3 of the glass pane 2.

(15) In one or more examples shown in FIGS. 2-5, the mounting connection is arranged to prevent longitudinal movement of the handle part 10 relative to the base part 5, wherein the longitudinal movement is defined along the longitudinal extent of the base part 5. The longitudinal movement may prevented in one or both directions.

(16) In FIGS. 2-4 the longitudinal movement is prevented in both directions, e.g., up and down, or back and forth. The handle assembly 4 is seen including a retainer-connection at both ends of the longitudinal extent of the base part 5 of the handle assembly 4. One or both retainer-connections may be included in the handle part 10, i.e., contiguous with the handle part 10 and/or one or both retainer-connections may be a separate end-piece 14 of the handle assembly 4, which is attached to either the base part 5 or the handle part 10 by suitable connection, such as a snap-joint. The end piece 14 may have a transverse cross-sectional shape similar or the same as the transverse cross-sectional shape of the handle part 10 at the connecting interfaces. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the handle part 10 may be so rigidly attached to said base part 5 by the mounting connection, that no additional retainer-connection is needed.

(17) FIG. 3 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the handle assembly 4 of FIG. 2. Here it is shown how the handle part 10 extends around from the first recess 9 between the base part 5 and the glass pane 2 at a first side rim 6 over the mounting surface 8b and into the second recess 9 arranged opposite the first recess 9. Two protrusions 11 of the handle part are seen extending into the recesses 9 in FIG. 3, such that the protrusions 11 are positioned between the outer surface of the glass pane 3 and the base part 5, here the side rims 6 of the base part 5. Effectively, the handle part 10 is retained in the recesses 9 and is prevented from transverse movement as well as outwards movements of the handle part 10 in a direction perpendicular to the glass pane 2 due to the interaction between the protrusions 11 and the recesses 9.

(18) As shown in FIG. 3 the handle part 10 includes a mounting cavity 13 having an inner surface of the mounting cavity 13 and with a mounting opening provided to the cavity 13. The mounting cavity 13 may be of a substantially curved transverse cross-section, such as a C-shaped, rectangular, circular cross-section or a transverse cross-section of a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the transverse mounting surface shape of the base part 5. As shown in FIG. 3 the handle part 10 of the present example includes a mounting cavity 13 of a substantially rectangular shape, having an inner surface of the mounting cavity and with a mounting opening provided along one side of the rectangular shape. Two protrusions 11 are additionally seen in FIG. 3, the protrusions 11 are arranged on the handle part 10 so as to decrease the transverse extent of the mounting opening relative to the transverse extent of the mounting cavity 13. The protrusions 11 are in the present example arranged on the inner surface of the mounting cavity 13 and protruding into the mounting cavity 13.

(19) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a cutout of the glass door 1 shown in FIGS. 2-3, seen in perspective. The mounting cavity 13 of the handle part 10 is of a size, which can accommodate the base part 5. In one or more examples, the handle part 10 does not provide a through-going cavity large enough to accommodate the base part 5 along the entire longitudinal extent of the handle part 10, but instead the mounting cavity 13 terminates at a distance from an end of the handle part 10. Hereafter, between the terminating point of the mounting cavity 13 and the end of the handle part 10, the handle part 10 provides an end-piece 14 preventing further relative movement of the base part 5 beyond the mounting cavity 13. In one or more examples, the end-piece 14 may be of any shape or form suitable for preventing the base part 5 from protruding beyond the end of the handle part 10. In the present examples, the end-piece 14 is seen extending towards the outer surface of the glass pane 3 and providing a terminating end surface of the mounting cavity 13.

(20) The handle part 10 as shown in FIGS. 2-5 may be mounted on the base part 5 shown on FIG. 1 by sliding mounting cavity 13 of the handle part 10 into engagement with mounting surface 8b and/or side rims 6 of the base part 5 in a direction along the longitudinal extent of the handle part 10 and the base part 5. When the handle part 10 has been placed in the right position relative to the base part 5, e.g. such that it covers the base part 5, the handle may be ready to use or it may be further secured to the base part 5 by providing one or more end-pieces 14 covering the end rims 7 of the base part 5 and the end of the handle part 10, e.g. by snap joint connection.

(21) Alternatively or additionally, the handle part 10 may be arranged to be mounted by first inserting a first protrusion 11 into a first recess 9 at a first side rim 6, thereafter pivoting the handle part 10, such that the mounting cavity 13 moves towards the mounting surface 8b, applying a force on to said handle part 10 so as to force the second protrusion 11 into engagement with the second recess 9 arranged at an opposite side rim 6 of the first recess 9. Hereafter, the handle assembly 4 may be ready for use. Additionally, the handle assembly 4 may be further secured by one or more end-pieces 14 covering the end rims 7 of the base part 5 and the end of the handle part 10, e.g. by a snap joint connection.

(22) In one or more examples, two end-pieces 14 are provided; a first end-piece contiguously integrated as a part of the handle part 10 at a first end of the handle part 10 and a second end-piece 14 connected to a second end of the handle part 10. The handle part 10 is configured to be installed on the base part 5 by first engaging the second end of the handle part 10 with the base part 5, sliding the handle part 10 along base part 5 until the handle part 10 is in the right position and so that each protrusion 11 come into engagement with a recess 9 of the base part 5. At the second end of the handle part 10, a snap joint connection is provided. The snap joint-connection is configured to be displaced by a biasing force so as to provide an opening large enough to allow the insertion of the base part 5 into the mounting cavity 13 of the handle part 10. E.g. the snap joint connection may be forced in a direction perpendicular to the outer glass surface 3 when the second end of the handle part 10 is pressed onto the base part 5. Upon release of the biasing force the snap joint connection is arranged to restore its equilibrium position. After placement of the handle part 10 in the installed position on the base part 5, at least a part of the snap-joint connection extends beyond the end rim of the base part 7 allowing for the snap-joint connection to at least partially restore its equilibrium position, whereby the snap joint connection is arranged to extends along at least a part of the end rim of the base part 7, thereby effectively reducing the size of the mounting cavity 13 at this position, and preventing a further sliding movement of the handle part 10 relative to the base part 5. At the second end of the handle part 10, the handle part 10 is preferably devoid of any protrusions, thereby allowing space for the snap-joint connection to operate within. In the final installed state of the handle assembly 4, the snap-joint connection may provide an outer surface of the second end of the handle part 10, which is preferably flush with neighbouring outer surfaces of the handle part 10. In one or more examples, both end-pieces 14 may be contiguously integrated as a part of the handle part 10.

(23) FIG. 5 shows a glass door 1 according to examples and/or embodiments of the invention installed as a vertical door of a storage unit 20 of a refrigerating unit. Due to the transparency of the handle assembly 4, the handle of the glass door 1 is less noticeable and more pleasing to the eye compared to an opaque handle. In the present example, the vertical glass door 1 is operated by pulling or pushing the door 1 via the handle part 10, such that the glass door 1 pivots about hinges of the refrigerating unit.

(24) The handle assembly of one or more of the present examples, may be arranged to allow a detachment of the handle part from the base part upon physical impact to the handle part by an external force being above a first limit value without causing a detachment of the base part from the outer glass surface, which function may e.g. be provided by the snap joint connection provided between the base part and the handle part.

(25) Additionally or alternatively, at least one or more areas of the handle part, e.g. along the mounting cavity, such as at the root of the protrusion(s), may be more elastically or plastically deformable or brittle than the base part and in some cases more than the gripping part of the handle part, so as to allow a partial or full dislocation and/or breakage of the handle part from the base part upon impact. Additionally or alternatively, the structural interaction between protrusions and recesses may be designed to allow such sacrifice of the handle part upon impact, e.g. by establishing a suitably sized overhang depth between the protrusion and the recess.

REFERENCES

(26) 1 Glass door 2 Glass pane 3 Outer glass surface of the glass pane 4 Handle assembly 5 Base part 6 Side rim of base part 7 End rim of base part 8a Adhesion surface 8b Mounting surface 9 Recess 10 Handle part 11 Protrusion 12 Gripping part 13 Mounting cavity 14 End-piece