Household appliance, in particular beverage bottle storage cabinet with specific bottle illumination

Abstract

A household appliance, in particular a beverage bottle storage cabinet, has a beverage bottle receiving space, which is delimited by an upper wall. An illuminating device illuminates the beverage bottle receiving space. The upper wall has at least one light transmission opening through which light of a light module of the illuminating device can be radiated into the beverage bottle receiving space. A distance adapter adjoins the light transmission opening. The distance adapter spaces the light module from an underside of the upper wall that delimits the beverage bottle receiving space outside the beverage bottle receiving space. The distance adapter allows light from the light module to be directed to the light transmission opening.

Claims

1. A household appliance, comprising: a body containing a beverage bottle receiving space; an upper wall delimiting said beverage bottle receiving space; an illuminating device for illuminating said beverage bottle receiving space, said illuminating device having a light module; said upper wall being formed with at least one light transmission opening configured to enable light of said light module of said illuminating device to be radiated into said beverage bottle receiving space; a distance adapter adjoining said light transmission opening, said distance adapter carrying said light module outside said beverage bottle receiving space and spacing said light module from an underside of said upper wall delimiting the beverage bottle receiving space, said distance adapter enabling light from said light module to be directed to said light transmission opening; said distance adapter having a bottom facing away from said beverage bottle receiving space, said bottom being formed with a continuous hole that is delimited by a circumferential abutment flange on which said light module is disposed; and said distance adapter being formed with said abutment flange and a front flange facing toward said upper wall, and said abutment flange defining a plane that is inclined relative to a plane of said front flange.

2. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein an inner side of said distance adapter opens out from said light module towards said light transmission opening in the form of a funnel.

3. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said distance adapter is a separate component fastened to said upper wall.

4. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said distance adapter is made of plastic.

5. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said light module is positioned to emit light diagonally forward towards a front and downwards into said beverage bottle receiving space.

6. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said plane defined by said abutment flange is inclined at an angle of between 30° and 70° relative to the plane of said front flange.

7. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said light module is arranged such that a main radiation direction of light emitted by said light module is perpendicular to said plane of said abutment flange.

8. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said light module is mounted to said abutment flange by way of latches.

9. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said distance adapter has a stepped inner side.

10. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said upper wall is a shelf that separates said beverage bottle receiving space from a further receiving space formed above said beverage bottle receiving space.

11. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein said light module and said distance adapter are arranged to fit entirely within said upper wall.

12. The household appliance according to claim 1, configured as a beverage bottle storage cabinet.

13. A household appliance, comprising: a body containing a beverage bottle receiving space; an upper wall delimiting said beverage bottle receiving space, said illuminating device having a light module; said upper wall being formed with at least one light transmission opening configured to enable light of said light module of said illuminating device to be radiated into said beverage bottle receiving space; a distance adapter adjoining said light transmission opening, said distance adapter carrying said light module outside said beverage bottle receiving space and spacing said light module from an underside of said upper wall delimiting the beverage bottle receiving space, said distance adapter enabling light from said light module to be directed to said light transmission opening; wherein said distance adapter has a bottom facing away from said beverage bottle receiving space, said bottom being formed with a continuous hole that is delimited by a circumferential abutment flange on which said light module is disposed; wherein said distance adaptor has a front flange facing said upper wall; and wherein said distance adapter is arranged such that viewed in a depth direction of the household appliance an intersecting line of a plane of said abutment flange and a plane of said front flange is closer to a front edge of said wall than free edges of said planes.

14. A household appliance, comprising: a body containing a beverage bottle receiving space; an upper wall delimiting said beverage bottle receiving space; an illuminating device for illuminating said beverage bottle receiving space, said illuminating device having a light module; said upper wall being formed with at least one light transmission opening configured to enable light of said light module of said illuminating device to be radiated into said beverage bottle receiving space; a distance adapter adjoining said light transmission opening, said distance adapter carrying said light module outside said beverage bottle receiving space and spacing said light module from an underside of said upper wall delimiting the beverage bottle receiving space, said distance adapter enabling light from said light module to be directed to said light transmission opening; and wherein said upper wall is a shelf that separates said beverage bottle receiving space from a further receiving space formed above said beverage bottle receiving space.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a vertical section taken through an embodiment of a household appliance according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a front view of a partial area of the household appliance according to FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper wall of the household appliance according to FIG. 1 which delimits a beverage bottle receiving space;

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a module with a distance adapter and a light module as it is installed in the household appliance according to FIG. 1; and

(5) FIG. 5 is a side view of the device of FIG. 4.

(6) In the figures identical or functionally equivalent elements are identified with the same reference numerals throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a household appliance 1, which may be a domestic cooling appliance for storing foodstuffs. However, the household appliance 1 can also be formed as a beverage bottle storage cabinet, for example a wine bottle storage cabinet, which is configured to only store beverage bottles.

(8) In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the household appliance 1 is configured to store further foodstuffs in addition to the storage of beverage bottles. The household appliance 1 comprises a body or corpus 2, which is a housing. In the body 2 a whole interior 3 is formed which is delimited by walls and in which foodstuffs in the form of beverages and food can be stored. In this context the household appliance 1 comprises as a partial volume of the whole interior 3 a beverage bottle receiving space 4, which is specifically and exclusively configured to store beverage bottles. In this embodiment it is provided that in a vertical direction of the household appliance 1 above the beverage bottle receiving space 4 a further partial volume 5 is formed separate therefrom, in which for example food can be stored.

(9) The beverage bottle receiving space 4 is delimited downwards by a bottom 6 and upwards by an upper wall 7. The upper wall 7 can be a fixed wall which cannot be removed; however, it can also be a removable shelf. Preferably, the upper wall 7 is a fixed wall which thus completely separates the beverage bottle receiving space 4 from the further partial volume 5 formed on top of it. To the rear, the entire receiving space 4 is delimited by a rear wall 8. At the front a charging aperture 9 of the beverage bottle receiving space 4 is formed, wherein this charging aperture 9 is closable by a door 10, which in the embodiment illustrated is shown in the closed state. In this context it is provided that the remaining partial volume 5 can also be closed by a front door 11, which can be operated separately from and independently of the door 10.

(10) Preferably, the door 10 is transparent so that to an eye 12 of an observer outside the beverage bottle receiving space 4 visibility of the beverage bottles 13 (FIG. 2) stored therein is enabled through the closed door 10.

(11) Besides, the household appliance 1 further comprises an illuminating device 14, which is configured and arranged to illuminate the beverage bottle receiving space 4. To this end it is provided that the upper wall 7 has at least one light transmission opening 15, through which light of a light module 16 of the illuminating device 14 can be irradiated into the beverage bottle receiving space 4. Adjacent to the light transmission opening 15 a distance adapter 17 is arranged which is formed as a separate component. The light module 16 is arranged on this distance adapter 17 such that it is spaced from an underside 7a of the wall 7 with an upward offset and thus faces away from the beverage bottle receiving space 4. Moreover, by means of this distance adapter 17 the light emitted by the light module 16 can be directed to the light transmission opening 15 and from there into the beverage bottle receiving space 4 in a targeted manner. As can be seen from the illustration of FIG. 1, the upper wall 7 is formed such that the light module 16 and also the distance adapter 17 are arranged to fit entirely within this wall 7 and thus the wall 7 as regards its thickness which extends in a vertical direction (y direction) of the household appliance 1 does not extend beyond these thickness dimensions. Thus, the light module 16 and the distance adapter 17 are arranged and embedded entirely within this wall 7.

(12) As can be seen, rays of light 18 of the light module 16 are emitted diagonally downwards and rearwards into the beverage bottle receiving space 4 and thus so as to face away from the door 10.

(13) In FIG. 2 a front view and thus a view in the x-direction is shown and thus a view of the stored beverage bottles 13 perceived by the eye 12 as shown in FIG. 1. It can be seen that by means of the two vicinal and separate light modules 16 in the upper wall 7 a particularly homogenous illumination of the beverage bottle receiving space 4 and thus of the stored beverage bottles can be achieved. This is especially so if the bottles are stacked on top of one another as shown in FIG. 2.

(14) By way of the recessed placement of the light module 16 also a blinding of the eye 12 is prevented and, also, when the beverage bottle receiving space 4 is inspected in accordance with the position of the eye 12 the light module 16 cannot be directly seen.

(15) As it is shown in FIG. 2 the light module 16 is inclined to a horizontal plane, especially the wall 7. Therefore the light of said light module 16 is emitted diagonally towards the front and downwards into the beverage bottle receiving space 4. The main radiation direction of the light emitted by the light module 16 is inclined, especially at an angle between 30° and 70°, to said horizontal plane.

(16) In FIG. 3 the upper wall 7 is shown in a perspective view. The view is directed to the underside 7a so that the light modules 16 and the distance adapters 17 can be seen. As is additionally shown, viewed in a depth direction and thus in the x direction of the household appliance 1, these two light modules 16 are formed in a front third of the extension of this wall 7 in this direction. They are thus in vicinal arrangement and closer to a front edge 7b, which is closer to the door 10, than a rear edge 7c of this wall 7 which is closer to the rear wall 8.

(17) In FIG. 4 in a perspective view an embodiment of a module comprising the light module 16 arranged on the distance adapter 17 is shown. Here the distance adapter 17 is asymmetrical, which means that a plane E1 (FIG. 5) is not parallel to a plane E2 but arranged at an angle α which is between 30° and 70°, preferably between 30° and 50°. The plane E1 is oriented such that it holds the abutment flange 19 (FIG. 4); in other words the abutment flange 19 extends in this plane E1. The abutment flange 19 defines a continuous opening or hole 20 of a bottom 21 of the distance adapter 17. In a mounted state the light module 16 extends through this hole 20. The bottom 21 faces away from the beverage bottle receiving space 4 and a front side 22 of the distance adapter 17 faces the beverage bottle receiving space 4 and is therefore nearer to the beverage bottle receiving space 4. This front side 22 comprises a front flange 23 of the distance adapter 17, wherein said front flange 23 extends in the plane E2. Besides, the distance adapter 17 is formed to be conical or funnel-like with at least one inner side 24. This means that it opens out from its side which faces the light module 16 and thus from the bottom 21 towards the front side 22.

(18) The distance adapter 17 is made of plastic and formed in one piece. In one embodiment it is envisaged that the inner side 24 (FIG. 3) can be stepped. This means in particular that steps are formed at least partially circumferential around a longitudinal axis A of the distance adapter 17.

(19) However, it is also possible to form the inner side 24 is stepless and thus with flat walls.

(20) Advantageously it can be gathered from FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 that the planes E1 and E2 intersect in a straight line 25 which is closer to the front edge 7b than the free ends 26 and 27 of the planes E1 and E2 opposite the straight line 25. This means that the planes E1, E2 are oriented and arranged such that the wedge-shaped volume space (cf. side view of FIG. 5) formed by the arrangement of the planes E1 and E2 is oriented as it were diagonally backwards in the direction of the rear wall 8, as can also clearly be seen in FIG. 1.

(21) As can further be gathered from FIG. 4, the light module 16 comprises latching elements 28 formed in one piece to a housing 29 of the light module 16. These latching elements 28 abut on an upper side or outer side of the abutment flange 19 so that the light module 16 is latched or snapped onto the distance adapter 17. The housing 29 further comprises a front flange (not recognizable in FIG. 4) which is preferably circumferential and abuts on the abutment flange 19 on the inner side. Thus the abutment flange 19 is in contact with the housing 29 on both sides, on the one hand via said front flange of the housing 29 and on the other via the latching elements 28.

(22) To prevent incorrect mounting of the light module on the distance adapter 17, an assembly coding is provided. For this purpose, in the abutment flange 19 recesses 30 are formed into which engaging elements 31 which are formed on the housing 29 engage or through which they extend.

(23) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 1 household appliance 2 corpus, body 3 interior 4 beverage bottle receiving space 5 partial volume 6 bottom 7 wall 7a underside 7b edge 7c wall 8 rear wall 9 charging aperture 10, 11 door 12 eye 13 beverage bottles 14 illuminating device 15 light transmission opening 16 light module 17 distance adapter 18 rays of light 19 abutment flange 20 hole 21 bottom 22 front side 23 front flange 24 inner side 25 straight line 26, 27 end 28 latching elements 29 housing 30 recesses 31 engaging elements E1 plane E2 plane