Component for stacking two household appliances and assembly comprising such component

Abstract

The invention relates to a component for vertically stacking two household appliances comprising a lower household appliance and an upper household appliance. At least the upper household appliance has at least three support legs, which are fastened to the upper household appliance at intervals by means of support pins and on which the upper household appliance can stand in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The lower household appliance has a cover with an inner region which can be oriented perpendicular to the vertical direction and closes the lower household appliance upward in the vertical direction. According to the invention, the component comprises a plate having a flat lower side, which is coated with an adhesive and can be adhered to the inner region by means of the adhesive, and an upper side on which a receptacle associated with the support leg is arranged, the upper household appliance can be substantially immovably fitted into the receptacle with the support foot relative to the component. The invention also relates to an assembly comprising such a component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a component for stacking two household appliances in a vertical direction, wherein the two household appliances comprise a lower household appliance and an upper household appliance, wherein at least the upper household appliance has at least three supporting feet, which are fixed to the upper household appliance by supporting pins at a distance from the upper household appliance, and the upper household appliance can be supported on these supporting feet in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, wherein the lower household appliance has a cover, which has an inner area, which can be oriented perpendicular to the vertical direction and closes the lower household appliance upward along the vertical direction.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a combination consisting of such a component, a lower domestic appliance and an upper domestic appliance. Background Art

[0003] Document DE102005026134B1 discloses a component for connecting two household appliances one above the other in a vertical direction in a non-tilting manner, wherein the two household appliances include a washing machine and a clothes dryer. The component includes a frame, which is fixed to the lower household appliance by screws and has a receiving shoe, to which the support foot of the upper household appliance can be fixed in a force-fitting manner by a force relative to the vertical level.

[0004] Both DE3827789A1 and DE3827790A1 disclose how to stack two household appliances vertically and fix the receiving boots for the supporting feet of the upper household appliance to the cover of the lower household appliance by screws and anchor the supporting feet of the upper household appliance in these receiving boots by horizontal insertion, thereby fixing the two household appliances together. In addition, a panel is provided, with which the intermediate space between the two stacked household appliances can be decoratively concealed.

[0005] In homes with limited space, where there is often limited space for large household appliances, it is often desirable to stack several household appliances, such as washing machines and clothes dryers, in particular to stack them. Such a stacked arrangement should have a pleasing appearance. In addition, such an arrangement should have a certain mechanical load-bearing capacity and stability, so that there is no danger of falling apart or even collapsing at any time, at least under normal operating loads.

[0006] In this case, it is known from the above-mentioned document that one or more components are provided by means of which the stacked household appliances can be more or less firmly connected to one another. However, these components are of very complex design, can only be manufactured at great expense, and also require a screw connection to the cover of the corresponding lower household appliance, which can cause corresponding damage to the cover and is difficult to repair. Summary of the invention

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a structure for stacking two household appliances, which is easy to manufacture and can be installed and removed without damaging any of the household appliances.

[0008] In order to solve this object, the present invention provides a component having preferred technical solution features.

[0009] In order to solve the problem, the present invention also provides a combination consisting of such a component, a lower household appliance and an upper household appliance.

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are listed in the optional technical solutions and the following description, and they can also be used in combination with each other as long as it is technically possible, even if it is not explicitly stated here. The preferred technical solutions of the components of the present invention correspond to the preferred technical solutions of the assemblies of the present invention, and vice versa, even if it is not explicitly stated here.

[0011] In order to achieve this object, a component is provided according to the invention for stacking two household appliances in a vertical direction, the two household appliances comprising a lower household appliance and an upper household appliance, wherein at least the upper household appliance has at least three supporting feet, which are fixed to the upper household appliance in a spaced-apart manner by means of supporting pins and the upper household appliance can stand or be supported on the supporting feet in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, wherein the lower household appliance has a cover, which has an inner area, which can be oriented perpendicular to the vertical direction and closes the lower household appliance upward along the vertical direction. The component comprises a plate, which has a flat lower side, which is coated with an adhesive and can be adhered to the inner area by means of the adhesive, and which has an upper side, on which receptacles assigned to the supporting feet are arranged, into which receptacles the upper household appliance can be engaged with the supporting feet in a substantially immovable manner relative to the component.

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention also provides a combination consisting of such a component, a lower household appliance and an upper household appliance, wherein the lower household appliance, the component and the upper household appliance are stacked together vertically, wherein the plate is bonded to the inner area by means of an adhesive and each supporting foot is engaged in one of the receiving parts.

[0013] In this context, “vertical” is understood to mean an axis parallel to the respective prevailing force of gravity.

[0014] According to the present invention, the connection of the component to the lower household appliance is achieved by adhesive rather than screws, so the lower household appliance and its parts no longer need to be damaged by the required stacking. In addition, no tools are required for connection. The support foot of the upper household appliance can be adjusted in a known manner, for example, by rotating the support pin screwed on the upper household appliance to adjust the height of the support foot. In the case of a circular support foot (which is a common practice in practice), the receiving portion can be a flat cylinder into which the support foot can be fitted. If necessary, a corresponding bushing made of metal or plastic can be inserted into the receiving portion to adjust this fit. This flat cylinder can contain a groove if necessary to facilitate access to the support foot and its support pin. In addition, it is also conceivable to provide a screw, particularly a countersunk screw, which can be screwed into the receiving portion in a horizontal direction so that it can be clamped after the support foot is installed, or fixed by the screw tip protruding into the receiving portion above the support foot to prevent it from detaching from the receiving portion.

[0015] The component itself can be considered and used as a design element in combination with the stacked household appliance, in particular by a corresponding external design and color. Thus, the gap remaining between the two household appliances, in which the component and the receiving part can be seen, is a visually appealing design element in the assembly. However, if necessary, the gap can also be covered by a panel of the upper household appliance or a correspondingly extended front wall.

[0016] In a preferred design of the present invention, four receiving portions are provided, corresponding to the four supporting feet of the upper household appliance.

[0017] In another preferred design of the present invention, the adhesive is a pressure-sensitive adhesive, i.e. an adhesive that maintains adhesion over a long period of time and can be removed from the surface to which it is attached without causing significant damage. This pressure-sensitive adhesive can be dissolved in a suitable solvent and then applied to the board, and the solvent is evaporated. It is also possible to apply a precursor of the pressure-sensitive adhesive to the board and then generate it through a suitable chemical reaction, in particular a curing reaction or a cross-linking reaction. This can also ensure that the adhesion of the pressure-sensitive adhesive on the board is stronger than the adhesion on the lower household appliance cover, so that the component can be removed from it without damaging the lower household appliance, so that the component can be reused.

[0018] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, each receiving portion has a depth into which the supporting foot can be inserted, wherein the depth is 1 cm to 5 cm, in particular 3 cm. This depth dimension ensures that the connection between the household appliances is sufficiently strong to withstand the operating loads of the household appliances stacked by means of the components.

[0019] In another preferred design of the present invention, the adhesive is covered by a tearable protective film. Thus, when transporting, storing and handling components, the adhesive is not affected by dust, moisture, etc., and can prevent the component from being poorly adhered to other parts.

[0020] In another preferred design of the present invention, the plate is approximately square perpendicular to the vertical direction and has related side lengths, each of which is between 45 cm and 60 cm.

[0021] In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the plate and the receiving part are integral and are made, in particular, of injection-molded plastic. In addition, a bushing may be provided in order to adapt the receiving part to supporting feet of different sizes, and a shield may be provided for hiding the component between the household appliances. Manufacturing the component by injection molding may also allow the use of suitable pigments, in particular injection-molded plastics, so that the color of the component can be selected to a large extent freely.

[0022] In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner area is surrounded by an edge which projects vertically beyond the inner area. Further preferably, the plate substantially completely covers the inner area. The edge helps to align the component exactly with the center of the underlying household appliance, thereby ensuring that the stacked row of household appliances is exactly aligned vertically. Since the entire inner area of ​​the cover is used for bonding to the component, the bonding effect is particularly strong and stable, thereby providing the row of household appliances with appropriate stability.

[0023] In another preferred design of the present invention, the lower household appliance is a washing machine and the upper household appliance is a clothes dryer.

[0024] For the present invention, the type of stacked household appliances is not important. Generally speaking, only those household appliances that can be reached from the front side of each other are stacked together, such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers. It is preferred to select the heavier of the two household appliances as the lower household appliance and the lighter one as the upper household appliance, while also considering whether one of the household appliances will exert mechanical forces on the surrounding environment during operation, such as a washing machine during dehydration. Therefore, in the combination of a washing machine and a clothes dryer, it is preferred that the washing machine is the lower household appliance and the clothes dryer is the upper household appliance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic side view showing the member and the supporting foot;

[0027] Figure 2A vertical schematic diagram showing the components; and

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic oblique view showing the components and the lower household appliance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic embodiment of a member 4 for stacking two household appliances 1, 2 in the vertical direction 3 is shown, comprising a lower household appliance 1 (e.g. Figure 3 Here, at least the upper household appliance 2 has at least three supporting feet 5 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), which are fixed to the upper household appliance 2 in a spaced-apart manner by means of support pins 6 and on which the upper household appliance 2 can stand in a plane perpendicular to the vertical 5. Figure 1 In the figure, the second household appliance 2 is represented by a support foot 5 and a support pin 6 having a thread 17 at the upper end of the support foot for being screwed into a corresponding threaded hole of the second household appliance 2. Figure 3 The lower household appliance 1 has a cover 7 which has an inner region 8 which can be oriented perpendicularly to the vertical direction 3 and which closes the lower household appliance 1 upwardly along the vertical direction 3 .

[0030] The component 4 comprises a plate 10 having a flat lower side 11, which is coated with an adhesive 12 and is adhered to the inner area 8 by the adhesive, and the plate has an upper side 13, on which a receiving portion 14 configured for the supporting foot 5 is arranged, and the upper household appliance 2 can be fitted into the receiving portion with the supporting foot 5 in a substantially immovable manner relative to the component 4. The receiving portions 14 are cup-shaped and can be made integrally with the component 4, for example, by injection molding with a suitable plastic material. They can also be made separately from the plate 10 and then connected to the plate 10 using a suitable connection process. It is also conceivable that the plate 10 can be made of metal and the receiving portion 14 can be made of plastic, and then they can be connected to each other, for example, with screws.

[0031] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the illustrated component 4, four receiving portions 14 are provided on the upper side 13, respectively arranged at the four corners of a rectangle that is approximately square, which is consistent with the common practice of arranging the supporting feet 5 in large household appliances 1, 2 (such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers or refrigerators). The dimensions of such household appliances 1, 2 are usually: the height measured in the vertical direction is about 80 cm; the width measured in the horizontal direction (i.e. perpendicular to the vertical direction 3) is about 60 cm; the depth measured in the horizontal direction is about 50 cm or 60 cm. Here, the width is the side of the household appliance facing the user, on which there are operating devices and access openings, in particular doors, for placing the items to be treated in the household appliance.

[0032] Each receiving portion 14 has a depth 15, within which the respective supporting foot 5 can be inserted into the receiving portion 14, wherein the depth 15 is 1 cm to 5 cm, in particular 3 cm. These dimensions are reasonable and practical when stacking two large household appliances, their dimensions comply with the provisions of the previous paragraph, and can ensure that the connection of the household appliances is sufficiently firm and stable.

[0033] The adhesive 12 is a pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 and is applied in a thin layer to the underside 11 of the plate 10 . Figure 1 The illustrations in are not drawn to scale and the thickness of the adhesive 12 layer is only for ease of identification. In practice, the thickness of the adhesive 12 layer is at most 1 mm and may even be less than this value. The pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 can maintain its adhesive ability for a long time and can be removed from the surface to which it is adhered without causing significant damage to itself or the surface. The pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 can be applied to the plate 10 in a manner dissolved in a suitable solvent, and the solvent is then evaporated, or a precursor of the pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 is applied to the plate 10 and first generated on the plate 10 by a suitable chemical reaction, in particular a curing reaction or a cross-linking reaction. In this way, the pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 has a stronger adhesion to the plate 10 than to the cover 7 of the lower household appliance 1, so that it can be removed from the lower household appliance 1 without damaging the component 4, while allowing the component 4 to be reused. The adhesive 12 is covered by a tearable protective film 16, the thickness of which is in the range of 200 to 300 Å. Figure 1 The actual thickness may be 1 mm or less. In this way, the transportation, storage and handling of the component 4 will not be adversely affected by dust, moisture, etc. on the adhesive 12, and accidental bonding of the component 4 with other parts is also avoided.

[0034] according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the plate 10 of the component 4 is approximately square perpendicular to the vertical direction 3 and has a relevant side length, each of which is between 45 cm and 60 cm. As a result, the bonding area of ​​the component 4 to the cover 7 is particularly large, which is conducive to increasing the bonding strength. The thickness of the plate 10 along the vertical direction 3 depends mainly on the strength of its material. A plate 10 made of metal may be only a few millimeters thick, a plate 10 made of plastic may be approximately 1 cm thick. In the component 4, the plate 10 and the receiving part 14 are implemented in one piece and are especially made of injection-molded plastic, as described above.

[0035] In accordance with Figure 1 and Figure 3In the intended use, the component 4 can be seen in an assembly consisting of a lower household appliance 1 and an upper household appliance 2, wherein the lower household appliance 1, the component 4 and the upper household appliance 2 are stacked together in the vertical direction 3, the plate 10 is adhered to the inner area 8 by means of an adhesive 12, and each supporting foot 5 is engaged in one of the receiving parts 14.

[0036] according to Figure 3 The inner area 8 of the cover 7 of the first household appliance 1 is surrounded by an edge 9, which protrudes outside the inner area 8 in the vertical direction 3. When the plate 10 is glued on, it basically completely covers the inner area 8, thereby forming a maximum area of ​​adhesion, thereby ensuring good stability of the assembly.

[0037] Figure 3 A bushing 18 is shown which can be inserted into the receiving part 14 in order to adapt the diameter of the receiving part to the diameter of the corresponding small supporting foot 5. It is also conceivable to provide horizontally screwed screws, in particular countersunk screws, in the receiving part 14 or the bushing 18, with which the mounted supporting foot is additionally clamped, or protrude into the receiving part above the supporting foot 5 in order to prevent the supporting foot 5 from being accidentally pulled out of the receiving part 14, thereby further increasing the stability of the assembly.

[0038] In the assembly, the lower household appliance 1 is a washing machine 1 and the upper household appliance 2 is a clothes dryer 2. Here, there is no excessive description of the types of household appliances 1 and 2 to be stacked. Generally speaking, the following household appliances 1 and 2 are stacked: they can all be reached from their respective front sides, such as washing machines 1, clothes dryers 2, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers. It is preferred to select the heavier of the two household appliances 1 and 2 as the lower household appliance and the lighter one as the upper household appliance, while considering whether one of the household appliances will exert mechanical forces on its surroundings during operation, such as the washing machine 1 during the dehydration process. Therefore, in the assembly consisting of a washing machine 1 and a clothes dryer 2, the washing machine 1 is preferably the lower household appliance 1 and the clothes dryer 2 is preferably the upper household appliance 2.

[0039] List of reference numerals:

[0040] 1Lower household equipment, washing machines

[0041] 2 Upper household appliances, clothes dryers

[0042] 3 Vertical

[0043] 4 Components

[0044] 5 Support feet

[0045] 6 Support pin

[0046] 7. Lid

[0047] 8Inner Area

[0048] 9 Edge

[0049] 10 boards

[0050] 11 Lower side

[0051] 12 Adhesive

[0052] 13 upper side

[0053] 14 Receiving Department

[0054] 15 Depth

[0055] 16 Protective film

[0056] 17 Thread

[0057] 18 Bushing.

Claims

1. A component (4) for stacking two household appliances (1, 2) in a vertical direction (3), the two household appliances comprising a lower household appliance (1) and an upper household appliance (2), wherein at least the upper household appliance (2) has at least three supporting feet (5), the supporting feet (5) being fixed to the upper household appliance (2) in a spaced-apart manner by means of supporting pins (6) and the upper household appliance (2) being able to stand on the supporting feet in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction (3), wherein the lower household appliance (1) has a cover (7) having an inner area (8) which can be oriented perpendicular to the vertical direction (3) and closes the lower household appliance (1) upwardly along the vertical direction (3), characterized in that The component (4) comprises a plate (10) having a flat lower side (11) which is coated with an adhesive (12) and can be adhered to the inner area (8) by means of the adhesive, and an upper side (13) on which a receptacle (14) configured for the supporting foot (5) is arranged, and into which the upper household appliance (2) can be engaged with the supporting foot (5) in a substantially immovable manner relative to the component (4).

2. A component (4) according to claim 1, wherein Four receiving parts (14) are provided.

3. A component (4) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein: The adhesive (12) is a pressure sensitive adhesive (12).

4. Component (4) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein Each receiving portion (14) has a depth (15) to which the supporting foot (5) can be inserted, wherein the depth (15) is 1 cm to 5 cm, in particular 3 cm.

5. Component (4) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein The adhesive (12) is covered by means of a removable protective film (16).

6. Component (4) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein The plate (10) is approximately square perpendicular to the vertical direction (3) and has related side lengths, each of which is between 45 cm and 60 cm in length.

7. Component (4) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein The plate (10) and the receiving part (14) are integral and consist, in particular, of injection-molded plastic.

8. An assembly consisting of a component (4) according to one of the preceding claims, a lower household appliance (1) and an upper household appliance (2), wherein: The lower household appliance (1), the component (4) and the upper household appliance (2) are stacked one on top of the other in the vertical direction (3), wherein the plate (10) is adhered to the inner area (8) by means of an adhesive (12) and each supporting foot (5) engages in one of the receptacles (14).

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The inner region (8) is surrounded by an edge (9) which projects beyond the inner region (8) in a vertical direction (3).

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein: The plate (10) covers the inner region (8) substantially completely.

11. A combination according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: The lower household appliance (1) is a washing machine (1) and the upper household appliance (2) is a clothes dryer (2).

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