Method for an emergency opening of a door locking device of a laundry washing and/or drying appliance

Abstract

A method is provided for an emergency opening of a door locking device (1) of a door (4) of a laundry washing and/or drying appliance (100). The method includes, inserting a tool (40; 50) in the cabinet (3) of the appliance until the tool (40; 50) interacts with a safety member (53) moving the latter into a retracted position; operating a moveable handle (5) of the door and keeping it operated in such a way as to try to move a hook member (21) to an opening position, so that the hook member does not prevent a retaining member (54) from moving towards a rest position; removing the interaction between the tool (40; 50) and the safety member (53); and removing the hook member (21) from the opening (22).

Claims

1. A method for an emergency opening of a door locking device of a door of a laundry washing and/or drying appliance provided with a cabinet containing an operative chamber in which laundry can be loaded/unloaded, said operative chamber being accessible via an access opening provided in said cabinet and closable by said door, said door locking device comprising: a. a support housing provided internally to said cabinet and comprising an opening, accessible from outside said cabinet, for the introduction of a pivotable hook member connected to the door, said door comprising a movable handle adapted for operating said hook member in such a way to move it from a closing position, in which, when introduced in said opening, the hook member is engaged with an edge of said support housing for keeping said door closed, to an opening position in which said hook member, when introduced in said opening, is not engaged with the edge of said support housing, so as to allow the opening of the door; b. a retaining member mounted to move with respect to the support housing between a rest position in which it enables the hook member to be introduced into and extracted from said opening, and an operating position in which it retains the hook member, when introduced into said opening, in said closing position, so that it cannot be extracted from said opening; c. a safety member that can move along a first axis in the support housing between a retracted position, in which it enables the retaining member to move from the operating position to the rest position, and an extended position, in which it prevents the retaining member from moving from the operating position to the rest position; and d. a control device that can be electrically actuated and is adapted to control the position of said safety member; the method including, starting from a condition in which said hook member is introduced in said opening, said retaining member is in said operating position, and said safety member is in said extended position, the following steps: inserting a tool in said cabinet along a second axis until said tool interacts with said safety member moving the safety member along the first axis into said retracted position, wherein the second axis is different than and intersects the first axis; operating said handle and keeping it operated to move said hook member in said opening position while the tool is inserted into said cabinet and interacting with said safety member, so that said hook member does not prevent said retaining member from moving towards said rest position; removing the interaction between said tool and said safety member; and removing said hook member from said opening.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of operating the handle of said door in such a way to try to move said hook member in said opening position, so that said hook member does not prevent said retaining member from moving towards said rest position, includes partially superimposing said retaining member to said safety member.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of partially superimposing said retaining member to said safety member includes the step of keeping said safety member in said retracted position by means of said retaining member also in absence of said tool.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of operating a handle in such a way to try to move said hook member in said opening position, so that said hook member does not prevent said retaining member from moving towards said rest position includes the step of partly shifting said retaining member towards said rest position, a further shift being blocked by said tool.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of removing the interaction between said tool and said safety member includes the step of extracting said tool from said cabinet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of inserting a tool in said cabinet until said tool interacts with said safety member moving the safety member into said retracted position includes the step of pushing said safety member by said tool so that it retracts into said retracted position.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said handle is mechanically connected to said hook member so as to tilt the same, wherein said retaining member includes a window for the insertion of said hook member, said window facing said opening of said support housing in said rest position and partly closing said opening in said operating position.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of inserting a tool in said cabinet until said tool interacts with said safety member moving the safety member into said retracted position includes the step of guiding said tool until it reaches said safety member.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of guiding said tool until it reaches said safety member includes the step of inserting said tool in one or more guiding elements formed in said door locking device directing said tool towards said safety member.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the safety member is moved along the first axis into the retracted position by a tapered end of the tool.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) With reference to the attached drawings, further features and advantages of the present invention will be shown by means of the following detailed description of some of its preferred embodiments. According to the above description, the several features of each embodiment can be unrestrictedly and independently combined with each other in order to achieve the advantages specifically deriving from a certain combination of the same.

(2) In the said drawings,

(3) FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a laundry washing machine in accordance with the present invention, with a portion of the cabinet removed, with the door in a closed condition;

(4) FIG. 1b is a perspective view of a part of the laundry washing machine of FIG. 1a, with the door in an opened condition;

(5) FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b are two perspective views of a door locking device according to the invention in a first and a second configuration, respectively;

(6) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the door locking device of FIGS. 2a and 2b and of a detail of the washing machine of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 4 is a perspective enlarged view of the handle and the hook member of the laundry washing machine of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b are two perspective views of the door locking device of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2a-2b with a first kind of tool inserted therein, in a first and a second phase of the method of the invention, respectively;

(9) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the laundry washing machine and of the door locking device of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2a-2b with a second tool inserted therein, respectively, in a phase of the method of the invention;

(10) FIG. 7a and FIG. 7b are two perspective views from above and from below of the door locking device of FIGS. 2a and 2b in the phase of the method of the invention of FIG. 6;

(11) FIG. 8a is a top view of the door locking device of FIGS. 1 and 2a-2b, in an additional phase of the method of the invention;

(12) FIG. 8b is a cross section taken along to plane VIII-VIII of FIG. 8a; and

(13) FIG. 9a and FIG. 9b are a side and a perspective view of an emergency-opening tool respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

(14) In FIG. 1a a laundry washing or drying appliance according to the present invention is globally indicated with 100. The appliance is in this non limitative example a top loading washing machine, however the present invention is applicable to generic washing machines, dryers and washer-dryers as well, regardless whether they are top loading or front loading.

(15) The machine 100 advantageously includes a washing tub 2a, containing a rotatable drum 2, where laundry can be loaded and unloaded. Tub 2a and drum 2 are contained in a cabinet 3 having a loading/unloading cabinet opening 200 closed by a door 4 movably connected, e.g. hinged in the advantageous embodiment of attached figures, to the cabinet 3. Cabinet 3 is for example but not necessarily parallelepiped-shaped and includes a front wall 3a. Door 4 can be opened and possibly closed by means of a handle 5.

(16) Handle 5 can be for example of the pivoting type, i.e. it can be operated by rotating it with respect to the door 4, or it can be advantageously of the pushing type, i.e. it can be operated by pushing it in such a way to slide it with respect to the door 4; in the embodiment illustrated in attached figures, handle 5 is of the pushing type, so it can be operated by pushing it in the direction illustrated by arrow P in FIGS. 1a and 4. Washing tub 2a is advantageously connected or connectable to water mains, by means of a water inlet (not shown in the figures). In case of a dryer, both the washing tub and such a connection are not present.

(17) The washing machine 100 advantageously includes a control panel 10 apt to be used by a user for example to set parameters of operating programs (e.g. temperature, number of rinsing cycles, speed of spinning, etc.) and/or to select an operating program from a given list, through suitable push buttons 11 or knobs. Moreover, control panel 10 includes preferably a display 13 and one or more light elements 14. In case of a top loading washing machine, the control panel 10 is preferably located at the top of the appliance 100, however any other location is encompassed in the present invention.

(18) The washing machine 100 is preferably programmed to function according to the one or more operating (washing in the case of a washing machine) programs. These programs include for example a wool program, a cotton program, a quick program, etc.

(19) The cabinet door 4 is provided with a hook member 21, visible for example in FIGS. 3 and 4, adapted to engage with a door locking device 1 installed inside the cabinet 3 so as to be accessible from outside the same 3.

(20) The door locking device 1 comprises a support housing 23 provided with an opening 22 for the introduction of the hook member 21. The housing opening 22 is accessible from outside the cabinet 3.

(21) The handle 5 is adapted for operating the hook member 21 in such a way to move it from a closing position (in which the hook member 21 is advantageously pushed by a resilient device, such as a spring 8) to an opening position. In the advantageous embodiment illustrated in attached drawings 2a, 2b and 3, by pushing the handle 5 in the direction indicated by arrow P in FIGS. 1a and 4, the hook member 21, which is normally pressed by resilient device 8 in its closing position, is moved in the direction indicated by arrow C in FIG. 4, until it reaches its opening position.

(22) The door locking device 1, with now reference to FIGS. 2a, 2b and 3, comprises a retaining member 54 mounted to move with respect to the support housing 23 between a rest position (depicted in FIG. 2a) in which it enables the hook member 21 to be introduced into and extracted from the housing opening 22 and an operating position (depicted in FIG. 2b) in which it retains the hook member 21 in a closing position, when the hook member 21 is introduced into the housing opening 22.

(23) Advantageously, the retaining member 54 is operatively connected to a spring 300 (shown only in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 8a), interposed between the retaining member 54 and the support housing 23 and arranged in such a way to exert a force, schematically illustrated in FIG. 8a with arrow G, which tends to push the retaining member 54 towards its rest position.

(24) The retaining member 54 comprises a slider 55 provided with a window 56. When the retaining member 54 is in its rest position, the window 56 is substantially aligned with the housing opening 22, as shown in FIG. 2a in which boundary 56a of window 56 and boundary of housing opening 22 are substantially coinciding, thereby allowing the hook member 21 to be introduced into and extracted from the housing opening 22. In the operating position, boundary of window 56 and of opening 22 are not superimposed any more, blocking the hook inserted in the housing 23 from exiting the opening 22.

(25) Preferably, the movement of the retaining member 54 from the rest position to the operating position is a sliding movement along a sliding direction indicated with X in the drawings.

(26) In the closing position, the hook member 21 introduced into the housing opening 22 matches the edge of the support housing 23 defining the housing opening 22. In this way the door is kept closed 4.

(27) In the opening position, the hook member 21 introduced in the housing opening 22, does not match the edge of the housing 23, allowing the extraction of the hook member from the housing opening 22 and thus the opening of the door 4.

(28) The door locking device 1 further comprises a safety member 53 that can move along a moving direction (shown in FIG. 8b with axis M) in the housing 23 between a retracted position, in which it enables the retaining member 54 to move from the operating position to the rest position, and an extended position, in which it prevents the retaining member 54 from moving from the operating position to the rest position.

(29) Preferably, the movement of the safety member 53 from a retracted to an extended position is an axial movement along a direction substantially perpendicular to the sliding direction of the retaining member. In this way, when the safety member is in the extended position, and the retaining member 54 is in its operating position, the retaining member 54 is blocked in its sliding and it remains in the operating position.

(30) The door locking device 1 also comprises an electrically powered control element or control device 20 (schematically depicted in FIG. 1a) housed inside the housing 23 and adapted to control the position of the safety member 53.

(31) The door locking device 1 shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b further comprise a plurality of guiding elements adapted to guide an emergency-opening tool 40,50 to a safety member location 53a, namely to the position from which the safety member 53 extends from the housing 23 when it is in its extended position.

(32) Emergency opening tool 40,50 is in the following named service tool 40 in case a tool generally operated by a professional service of the appliance is meant, and user tool when the tool is supposed to be used by a user of the appliance. However, these names are not limiting and the service tool could be operated by the user and the user tool by the service as well. In both cases, user tool 50 and service tool 40 are used for an emergency opening of the door locking device 1.

(33) Although in the following the emergency opening of the door locking device is described with reference to both the user and the service tool 40, 50, it is to be understood that also only one of these tools can be present in an embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the door opening device 1 can be opened in an emergency opening by the service tool 40, by the user tool 50 or by both, depending on the specific embodiment chosen.

(34) Accordingly, the guiding elements present in the door opening device 1 can vary in number and/or position depending on the tool which is supposed to open the device 1 in an emergency opening. In the following, both a first and a second guiding element will be described, however one of these, or both, can be present in the appliance of the invention.

(35) The guiding elements include a first guiding element 24,26 which comprises a couple of walls 24a,24b which project from the support housing 23 substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the safety member 53. The two walls 24a,24b also extend substantially parallel to each other for a portion, so as to define a linear guiding channel.

(36) At a first end distal to the safety member location 53a, the two walls diverge from each other so as to define a guide access portion in the shape of a funnel, thereby simplifying the entrance of a first tool 40 shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, e.g. a service tool, inside the channel when an emergency opening needs to be performed, as detailed below.

(37) At a second end proximal to the safety member location 53a, one first 24a of the two walls 24a,24b has a bended portion which defines a stop element 25 limiting a sliding movement of the service tool 40 within the first guiding element 24,26, when such a tool 40 is inserted in the guiding element 24,26. The stop element 25 identifies the arrival of the service tool 40 at the safety member location 53a, i.e. when the service tool 40 hits the bended portion 25 of the first wall 24a the user understands that the service tool 40 has reached the safety member location 53a and that the sliding run of the service tool 40 has ended. The service tool 40 can thus be operated in order to act on the safety member 53.

(38) At the first end distal to the safety member location 53a, the guiding element 24,26 comprises a support element 26 which is provided with an elongated recess 26a defining a sliding support guide for the service tool 40. The service tool 40 engages in the sliding support guide 26a by shape coupling. Upon engagement, the services tool 40 is retained inside the recess 26a but is free to slide in a shaft direction A described below.

(39) The service tool 40 has a substantially elongated shape. It comprises a shaft 41 extending along a shaft axis A with a first end portion 42 shaped so as to be able to cooperate with the safety member 53 in order to move it from its extended to its retracted position. Preferably the service tool 40 comprises a second end portion 43, preferably provided with a handle 44. The handle 44 of the service tool 40 is preferably defined by a ring curved end portion 43 of the shaft 41. At the first end portion 42, the shaft 41 is bended so that the end portion 42 extends substantially orthogonally to the shaft axis A.

(40) The service tool 40 is initially coupled to the support element 26 by inserting it into the elongated recess 26a. The service tool 40 is then rotated about its shaft axis A, for example operating its handle 43, in order for the bended end portion 42 to substantially point upwards. Then, the service tool 40 is axially moved along the shaft direction A until it hits the bended portion 25 of the first wall 24a which signalizes that the safety member location 53a is reached (this condition is shown in FIG. 5a). At this point, the service tool 40 is rotated about its shaft axis A in order for the bended end portion 42 to push the safety member 53 towards the inside of the support housing 23 (this condition is shown in FIG. 5b).

(41) A second guiding element comprises at least one through opening 52b in a housing wall 52 which extends substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the safety member 53. The at least one through opening 52b, preferably together with an emergency hole 51 provided in the cabinet front wall 3a, defines a linear guide for a second emergency-opening tool 50, e.g. a user tool. Preferably, the opening 52b faces the safety member location 53a.

(42) Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2b, second guiding element comprises a plurality of through openings 52b distributed between the emergency hole 51 provided on the cabinet 3 and the safety member location 53a provided on the door locking device 1.

(43) Preferably, the emergency hole 51 provided in the cabinet wall 3a is hidden behind a removable lid 60.

(44) The user tool 50 preferably comprises a shaft 57 which extends along a shaft axis B and, at a first end portion 58, it has preferably a shape substantially matching the shape of an upper surface of the safety member 53 in order to exert an axial force in the direction of movement of the safety member 53 when the emergency tool 50 is axially moved along the shaft axis B. For instance, the first end portion 58 of the tool can be tapered and the upper surface of the safety member 53 can be flat or vice versa.

(45) At a second end portion, the user tool is preferably provided with a handle 59. The user tool 50 can be inserted through the holes 51,52b in order to reach the safety member location 53a.

(46) In a further, not shown, advantageous embodiment of the guiding elements, the support housing 23 comprises one or more elongated grooves defining guiding channels into which the tools 40,50 slide. The grooves are preferably provided in an outer surface of the support housing 23 of the door locking device 1.

(47) In case of a sudden power failure, the door locking device 1 remains in the locked configuration, where the hook 21 of door 4 is trapped in the opening 22 of support housing 23. The actuator (not visible in the appended drawings) cannot receive an electronic signal from the control unit 20 in order to move the safety member 53 from the extended to the retracted position; in this condition the retaining member 54 can't be moved to its rest position, and therefore it keeps the hook 21 in its closing position, and the door 4 can't be opened by operating the handle 5. Indeed, operation of handle 5 simply applies, via hook 21, a force onto the retaining member 54, which cannot slide due to the safety member presence along the sliding direction of retaining member 54 to the rest position.

(48) In order to open the door 4 of the appliance 100, the following method having a double security is advantageously used according to the invention.

(49) After removing removable lid 60, if present, user tool 50 is inserted into emergency hole 51 provided on the front panel 3a of cabinet 3. Suitable guides 52,52b guide tool 50 to the location 53a of the free end of the safety member 53. Guides 52, 52b have been described in connection to the door locking device 1 in the description made above. The tool 50 therefore, substantially upon insertion, reaches the safety member 53 without any trial and error search of the safety member's position. The length of tool 50 is suitably chosen so that reaching the safety member 53 location is possible. This step is depicted in FIG. 6.

(50) The inserted tool 50 pushes the free end of the safety member 53, having a pin shape, so that it moves from the extended to the retracted configuration, as shown in greater details in FIG. 7a. In this embodiment, tool 50 pushes safety member 53 downwards.

(51) Due to the presence of the tool 50, retaining member 54 cannot slide back to the rest position although safety member 53 is now not present any more in the sliding direction X of the retaining member 54.

(52) Therefore, in order to open door 4, a further step of the method of the invention is performed. Handle 5 is operated in order to move hook member 21. The operation of handle 5 rotates hook 21 as depicted in FIG. 4 in the direction indicated by arrow numbered C in FIG. 4. Hook 21 and handle 5 are mechanically connected in such a way that, upon operation of the handle, the hook pivots and rotates. In such a rotation, the hook member 21 moves in a direction (indicated by arrow F in FIG. 7b) opposite to the border of the support housing it was matching and allows the retaining member 54 to move in the same direction, pushed by spring 300, towards its rest position along the X axis.

(53) The slider 55 of retaining member 54, due to the action of spring 300, partially shifts along the X axis towards the rest position, but in its sliding it is stopped by the presence of tool 50 that prevents further sliding, apart from a possible slight initial movement.

(54) However the slider 55, at least for a certain length, superimposes the safety member 53, so that a portion of the safety member 53 is covered by slider 55. As visible in FIGS. 8a and 8b, the reciprocal shape of safety member 53, and in particular of its free end, and the slider 55 facilitates the superposition of the latter onto the free end for a small portion of the same, while the tool 50 is still inserted and pressing the free end of the safety member 53.

(55) As soon as a portion of the free end of the safety member 53 is covered by slider 55, the tool 50 can be removed from its interaction with the safety member 53. However, during the extraction of the tool 50 from the support housing 23 and the emergency hole 51, the handle 5 has still to be operated so that the hook member 21 is kept in its opening position and it does not prevent the retaining member 54 from moving towards its rest position, pushed by the spring 300; if the handle were not operated during the removal of the emergency tool 50, the retaining member 54 would be moved back to its operating position by the hook member 21 and the safety member 53 would return to the extended configuration, impeding again the opening of the door. As soon as the tool 50 is removed, and the handle 5 still kept operated, the sliding of the retaining member 54 is not hindered any more, the safety member 53 becomes completely covered by slider 55 and thus blocked into the retracted position. In this condition the hook 21 can be removed from the support housing 23, and the door opened.