Door for a household appliance

Abstract

Door for a device, comprising: a front panel (2, 3) and a back panel (6) and edges (2, 4) extending between the front panel (2, 3) and the back panel (6) to create an interior space between the front panel (2, 3) and the back panel (6); a filling material (7) in the interior; an intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) between a back side of the front panel (2, 3) and the filling material (7), wherein the intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) or the front plate (2, 3) is designed to hold the front plate (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) by means of a magnetic field and is capable of releasing a portion of the front plate (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) upon localized deformation of the filling material (7).

Description

The invention relates to a door for a device, in particular a domestic appliance. More particularly, the invention relates to a refrigerator door.Household appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers have a door that provides access to an interior of the household appliance. Refrigerator door constructions typically include a front or outer panel with edges, a back or inner panel, an upper door cap and a lower door cap, and inner foam insulation mounted between the front and back panels. Domestic appliance doors traditionally have a convex front panel, wherein the convex curvature of the door front panel can be seen in a horizontal plane through the door. However, modern household appliances have a design with doors having a flat front panel. Such household appliances are typically premium products designed for the top of the market and may have flat doors with unlamped, light stainless steel finish or flat doors with clear lacquer or a coating offering a light or reflective stainless steel finish.Obtaining an acceptable flat door finish may be difficult. Even a slight depression or irregularity in shape in the bright or reflecting flat front plate can be visible to the eye. Such shape effects or irregularities are extremely undesirable.Shape defects may occur due to shrinkage of the inner insulation foam during production or sometimes even after production. During the foaming process during door production, the foam abuts the inside of the door front panel. Shrinkage of the foam may occur during cooling. Also, foam shrinkage may occur over time due to other causes, for example over a period of months after manufacture. Because the foam adheres to the door panel, the foam shrinkage can pull the front panel of the door inward. Irregularities in the amount of shrinkage may cause localized shape defects which become recognizable on the flat or bright or highly reflective surface of the door. The same shape defects may be present in a door with a matt finish. However, in less reflective doors, such as a door with a painted or embossed finish, shape defects are less visible or recognizable to the user. Also, a door with a curved front panel may contain shape defects caused by foam shrinkage, but the added sheet rigidity achieved by the curvature of the front panel may resist foam shrinkage, resulting in smaller and less visible front defects.A number of solutions have been proposed to avoid foam shrinkage caused defects. JP61-141690 A discloses a refrigerator door having an intermediate member between the inner foam and the door front panel. The intermediate material is not bonded to the front panel so that the foam shrink does not pull the front panel inward.According to EP1505359 A, the door of JP61-141690 has insufficient haptics due to a distance between the face plate and the foam caused by foam shrinkage. EP 1505359 A discloses a resin foam interlayer between the inner foam and the door outer panel. The shrinkage of the insulating foam is absorbed by expansion of the resin foam, so that the deformation of the outer panel is avoided.DE 10 2007 046 032 A1 discloses methods for attaching a decorative plate, such as glass, to the outer surface of a domestic appliance. The glass plate may be attached to the refrigerator door by adhesive or by magnets, for example. An intermediate layer such as an adhesive resin sheet may be provided between the door and the decoration panel. US 20070059498 A1 discloses similar methods for attaching decorative panels made of wood, plastic or steel, for example, to front surfaces of household appliances, for example, magnetically.Another method of handling shape defects in flat doors is to select a matt or less bright or less reflective surface finish for the door to hide or obscure the effect of shape defects.It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved appliance door which avoids shape defects of the front panel, for example due to foam shrinkage.To achieve the object, according to the invention, a door for a device is specified, comprising:a front panel and a rear panel and edges extending between the front panel and the rear panel to create an interior space between the front panel and the rear panel,a filler material in the interior space;an intermediate material between a rear side of the front plate and the filler material, whereinthe intermediate material or the front plate is configured to hold the front plate relative to the filling material by a magnetic field and is capable of releasing a portion of the front plate relative to the filling material upon localized deformation of the filling material.The intermediate material preferably has at least one permanent magnet which generates the magnetic field.The at least one permanent magnet is preferably a magnetic layer.Preferably, the magnetic layer is bonded or bonded to the filling material, wherein at least a portion of the front plate is held relative to the filling material by the magnetic field of the magnetic layer.Preferably, the front plate is magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer.Preferably, the intermediate material further comprises a second material, the second material being non-magnetic and being disposed between the magnetic layer and the back side of the front plate, thereby spacing the magnetic layer from the back side of the front plate by the thickness of the second material.Preferably, a first portion of the rear side of the front plate is covered by the second material and a second portion of the rear side of the front plate is not covered by the second material.Preferably, the second portion is an edge region of the front plate.Preferably, the thickness of the second material varies over at least a portion of the door.Preferably, the second material comprises at least two layers of material, a first layer covering a first region of the rear side of the front panel and a second layer covering a second region of the rear side of the front panel, the first and second regions being different to thereby change the thickness of the second material.Preferably, the second material is one or more paper layers.Preferably, the thickness of the second material is thinner in an edge region of the front plate.Preferably, the magnetic layer is bonded or bonded to the back surface of the face plate, and the intermediate material further comprises a second material bonded or bonded to the filler material, the second material being magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer, at least a portion of the face plate relative to the filler material being held by the magnetic field of the magnetic layer.Preferably, the second material is a second magnetic layer or metal layer.Preferably, the second material reinforces the filling material.Preferably, the magnetic layer is bonded or bonded to a second material, wherein the second material is bonded or bonded to the filling material, wherein at least a portion of the front plate relative to the filling material is held by the magnetic field of the magnetic layer.Preferably, the front plate is magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer.Preferably, the intermediate material further comprises a third material bonded or bonded to the back surface of the face plate, the third material being attracted to the magnetic layer.Preferably, the second material reinforces the filling material or the third material reinforces the door front panel or both.Preferably, the intermediate material comprises a second material bonded or bonded to the filler material, the second material being attracted to the magnetic layer.Preferably, the intermediate material further comprises a second material bonded or bonded to the back surface of the face plate, the second material being magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer.Preferably, grooves are formed in a side of the magnetic layer facing the rear side of the front plate.Preferably, a side of the magnetic layer facing the rear side of the front plate is textured.Preferably, the magnetic layer covers a first portion of the rear surface of the front panel and is absent from a second portion of the rear surface of the door front panel, wherein the fill material is permanently bonded to the front door panel where the magnetic layer is absent.Preferably, the magnetic layer is absent from the edge portion of the face plate.Preferably, the magnetic layer has a magnetic pole density with alternating magnetic poles occurring at a pitch of 0.5 mm to 5 mm.Preferably, the pitch varies over at least a portion of the magnetic layer.Preferably, the pitch is smaller in one edge region of the front plate than in another region of the front plate.Preferably, the magnet has a varying strength of magnetization across the layer, one portion of the layer having a higher strength of magnetization than another portion of the layer.Preferably, the magnetic layer has a region without magnetization.Preferably, the intermediate material comprises a plurality of permanent magnets spaced apart from each other over a portion of the front plate.Preferably, the intermediate material further comprises a second material disposed between the plurality of magnets and the back side of the front plate, wherein the fill material is bonded or bonded to the plurality of magnets and a back side of the second material.Preferably, the second material is a paper layer.Preferably, the second material is absent in some areas of the front panel, wherein the filling material is permanently connected to the front door in the areas.Preferably, the magnets are arranged in regions of variable density, some regions having a higher number of magnets than other regions.Preferably, the magnetic layer is formed of permanent magnet material integrally formed with a polymer layer.Preferably, the filler material is an insulating material.Preferably, the filling material is a foam material.Preferably, the door is a refrigerator door.According to a second aspect, the invention provides a door for a device, comprising:a front panel and a rear panel and edges extending between the front panel and the rear panel to create an interior space between the front panel and the rear panel,a filler material in the interior space;an intermediate material between a rear side of the front plate and the filler material, whereinthe intermediate layer allows a portion of the front plate to move away from the fill material a distance of separation, the intermediate layer providing a decreasing holding force between the front plate and the fill material as the distance of separation increases,wherein the intermediate material is capable of releasing a portion of the front plate relative to the filler material upon localized deformation of the filler material.The intermediate layer preferably has at least one permanent magnet.According to a third aspect, the invention provides a refrigerator door comprising:a front panel and a rear panel and edges extending between the front panel and the rear panel to create an interior space between the front panel and the rear panel,an insulating material in the interior space;an intermediate material between a rear side of the front plate and the insulating material, whereinthe intermediate material comprises at least one permanent magnet generating a magnetic field, wherein the intermediate material is configured to hold the front plate relative to the insulating material by the magnetic field and is capable of releasing a portion of the front plate relative to the insulating material upon localized deformation of the insulating material.According to a fourth aspect, the invention provides a household appliance which has a door as described above.The term "comprising" as used in this specification and claims means "consisting at least in part of.". In interpreting each statement in this specification and claims containing the term "comprising", other features than this or the term above may also be present. Related terms such as "comprise" and "comprises" are to be interpreted equally.The invention is explained below on the basis of exemplary embodiments on the basis of the appended drawings. Fig. 1 is a cross section of a conventional refrigerator door. FIGS. 2 to 4 are cross-sectional views of various embodiments of a home appliance door of the invention; FIG. 5 is a graph indicating the desired properties of an intermediate material between the insulation foam of a household appliance door and the door front panel, as well as the properties of two different intermediate materials; FIG. 6 is a schematic cross section of an interlayer material for use in constructing a home appliance door according to another embodiment of the invention; FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an interlayer material for use in constructing a home appliance door according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 8 to 12 are cross-sectional views of further embodiments of a home appliance door of the invention.Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional refrigerator door. The door may be attached to a household appliance cabinet via a hinge or hinges for pivoting about a hinge axis between an open and a closed position. Alternatively, the door can form the front of a drawer, wherein the front of the drawer closes the appliance box in the closed position. The door 1 comprises a door outer skin 2. the door outer skin 2 can be made of a flat material layer or sheet metal. The peripheral portions of a blank of the flat material such as stainless steel are bent at right angles to the plane of the front panel 3 of the door to produce edges 4 of the door. All four edge regions of the blank may be kinked to create four edges that extend the full perimeter of the door. The corners between two adjacent edges may be welded. Alternatively, a separate part such as a moulded plastics part may be attached to the corner of a door between two adjacent edges 4 of the door. Alternatively, vertical edges of the door 4 may be formed from the front door panel.The blanks may be kinked and the upper and lower edges of the door may be separate end caps (not shown) made for example of plastics materials fitted on the outer skin 2. The front panel of the door, which extends between the edges 4 of the door, is substantially flat. The radius between the front panel 3 and the edges 4 of the door may be relatively narrow; for example, on the order of less than 5 mm. The door skin 2 may further include flanges 5 for attachment to the door inner panel or skin 6. a filler material, for example insulation foam 7, is placed in an interior space of the door created between the door outer and inner skins 2 and 6. The insulating foam 7 can be added to the interior of the door outer skin 2 before the door inner skin 6 is placed on. Alternatively, the foam 7 may be applied to an inner surface of the door inner skin before the door outer skin is mounted on the door inner skin. In a further alternative construction method, the foam can be injected into the interior space through a hole in the door inner or outer skin.FIG. 2 is a cross-section through a refrigerator door 10 having an intermediate material layer 8 between the door outer skin 2 and the foam insulation 7. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the intermediate layer 8 is a magnetic material layer. Preferably, the magnetic material layer comprises a permanent magnet material which is formed integrally with a polymer layer. Such a magnetic layer material is widely available and is commonly used to removably attach advertisements to metal sheets, for example, the attachment of an indicia to an automobile. The permanent magnet material may be powdered ferrite, samarium cobalt, neodymium iron boron or another material suitable for use as a permanent magnet. The permanent magnet material is preferably integrally formed with a polymer such as PVC or CPE into a layer to form the magnetic layer material 8.Once the door skin is formed and ready for assembly with other door components, the magnetic layer 8 is placed on an inner surface of the front panel. The door is then manufactured as is known in the art. When the foam is applied to the interior of the door, the foam adheres to the magnetic layer material. The foam does not stick to the door front panel where the magnetic sheet material is present. During the foaming of the door interior, the foam temperature rises above the ambient temperature. As the foam cools, it may shrink. Also, the foam tends to shrink over a long period of time after production due to other causes. For example, shrinkage has been observed to occur over several months after manufacture. Foam shrinkage could be non-uniform across the door. In localized areas where very strong foam shrinkage occurs, the magnetic layer material 8 peels off the inner surface of the front panel 3 of the door, preventing deformation of the front panel 3 of the door.Very severe foam shrinkage would distort or distort the door front panel, which would be apparent to the eye of an observer. Such a deformation amount may be very small, for example a fraction of a millimeter.A door according to the present invention may further comprise a second intermediate material 9 interposed between the magnetic layer material 8 and the back surface of the door front panel 3 as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably, the second intermediate material 9 is a paper sheet. The second intermediate layer helps air to enter between the magnetic layer 8 and the face plate 3 to allow the face plate to separate from the magnetic layer. Without the second intermediate layer, suction adhesion between the face plate and the magnetic layer could prevent the face plate from coming off the magnetic layer. However, the second intermediate layer is not necessarily required to prevent this.Various embodiments of a magnetic layer for use as an intermediate layer without a secondary layer will be described below. Such embodiments may also be used with a secondary interlayer, but are also suitable without a secondary interlayer. Another factor for which a secondary material could be used is to space the magnetic layer from the front plate into the thickness of the second intermediate layer, thereby extending the magnetic force to the front plate 3. A reduced magnetic force allows the front plate to be more easily separated from the magnetic layer.The magnetic layer may have a series of grooves 11 in the surface of the magnetic layer which contact the back surface of the face plate as shown in Fig. 4. The grooves may extend to at least one edge of the magnetic layer to allow air to enter a shrink area to allow the front panel to disengage from the magnetic layer, with air available at the edge of the door. Alternatively, the grooves need not extend to an edge of the layer. For example, there could be a source of air created through a hole through the front panel of the door. Preferably, the grooves are spaced sufficiently closely to ensure that at least one groove reaches a localized area of shrinkage. Alternatively, the surface of the magnetic layer in contact with the back surface of the face plate may be textured to allow air to enter a shrink area. There need be no source of outside air to the door. The textured surface or grooves may provide enough air trapped between the magnetic layer and the back side of the faceplate to allow the magnetic layer to separate from the back side of the faceplate. Alternatively, the back side of the face plate may include grooves or a textured surface instead of the magnetic layer material.Preferably, the magnetic layer has a magnetic field which generates an attractive force between the magnetic layer and a magnetic material in contact with the magnetic layer of approximately 10 g / cm 2. The inventors have found that an attractive force of 7 g / cm 2 is suitable.Desired characteristics of an intermediate layer are indicated by the line "A" in Fig. 5. Ideally, the intermediate layer requires a relatively high force to pull it away from the front panel to a separation distance x 1. The force F1 is generally sufficient to securely hold the front panel. However, in localized shrink areas, force F1 is not sufficient to deform the front panel because the front panel can be pulled away from the intermediate material. For a separation distance greater than x 1 the desired characteristic of the intermediate layer is a relatively low force.The magnetic layer material can be made to have a particular magnetic strength characteristic well suited for the application of an intermediate layer in a household appliance door, as described above with reference to Figures 2 to 4. The magnetic strength characteristic can be varied by changing the magnetic pole density of the layer. High magnetic pole density in any area of the layer is achieved by often changing the magnetic polarity along a path across the area. For example, many separate poles of alternating polarity may be arranged side by side to achieve a high pole density. Alternatively, many polarity changes could be achieved with a single, convolutional magnetic pole surrounded by material of the opposite polarity. For example, a serpentine or spiral single magnetic pole surrounded by a material of opposite polarity could be used to achieve a high pole density; a path across the convolutional shape would have many changes in magnetic polarity. An area of the same size with low pole density would have a fewer number of changes in magnetic polarity along a path across that area.Referring to FIG. 5, line "B" denotes the characteristics of a first magnetic layer material (material B), and line "C" denotes the characteristics of a second magnetic layer material (material C). The material B has a lower pole density than the material C.A lower magnetic density is less desirable because the magnetic strength does not decrease as fast as the magnetic strength of a material having a higher magnetic pole density to increase the separation distance. A higher magnetic density results in a higher magnetic field strength at a narrow separation distance, and the magnetic strength decreases more rapidly. The characteristic of a magnetic layer having a high pole density approximates the characteristic of an ideal intermediate material and is therefore particularly preferred.Preferably, the magnetic layer has a magnetic pole density with magnetic pole changes occurring at a pitch of 0.5 mm - 5 mm. The pole pitch is particularly preferably approximately 1.5 mm. Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of a cross section through a portion of a magnetic layer where the magnetic polarity changes at a pitch 15.Another embodiment of the invention is an intermediate layer having a variable pole pitch. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the magnetic layer for use as an intermediate layer between the face plate and the insulation foam comprises a smaller pole pitch 14 in a periphery of the layer and a larger pole pitch 15 across a periphery of the layer. The transition between the smaller and larger pitch regions may be manual via a layer's stripping or may change step-like. The shorter pole pitch gives a range of higher or stronger magnetic force for the small separation distance, whereas the larger pole pitch gives a range of lower or weaker magnetic force for the same small separation distance.It is desirable to have a higher resistance to separation of the front plate from the insulating foam in edge regions of the front plate.The thermal expansion coefficient of the door skin 6 may be larger than the thermal expansion coefficient of the door skin material 2. For example, the inner skin may be made of ABS or HIPS plastic. During manufacture, the temperature of the door materials rises above room temperature. When the materials cool to room temperature after manufacture, the door skin 7 contracts more than the door skin 2. furthermore, during use of the refrigerator, the inside of the refrigerator is cold, resulting in additional contraction of the door skin 7. The additional contraction of the door skin as compared to the door skin may generate a bending moment at the edge positions between the front panel 3 and the edges 4 of the door skin, which bending moment is indicated by the arrows "M" in FIG. 3. The bending moment M causes the front plate 3 to flex outward. Therefore, a higher resistance to separation of the front door panel from the insulating foam in the edge region may be desired.A magnetic layer having a narrower pole pitch in the peripheral portion of the door front panel gives a higher magnetic force with a smaller separation distance to hold the peripheral portions of the front panel. Alternatively, the magnetic layer material does not extend all the way to the edges of the front panel, so that the insulation foam of the rear front panel is bonded in the edge regions of the front panel. For example, the interlayer material may be smaller than the front panel of the door to create a gap between the edge of the door panel and the edge of the magnetic layer of approximately 30 mm. In a preferred embodiment where a paper layer 9 is present between the magnetic layer 8 and the front plate, both the paper and the magnetic layer do not extend all the way to the edges of the front plate 3 so that the insulation foam 7 is attached or adheres to the back of the front plate in the edge regions 12 of the front plate, as shown in Figure 8.An alternative embodiment which allows prevention in the magnetic strength is to use a secondary intermediate material 9 of variable thickness between the magnetic layer material 8 and the door front panel 3. the thicker the secondary material, the greater the distance of the magnetic layer from the front panel and the weaker the magnetic force holding the panels. For example, the secondary intermediate material may have two paper layers as shown in Fig. 9. A first paper layer 9A extends over the entire area of the rear side of the door front panel. A second paper layer 9B does not extend completely to the edges of the door front panel, so that in the edge areas 12 there is a single paper layer between the magnetic layer 8 and the door front panel 3 and a double paper thickness over the rest of the central portion of the door front panel. The magnetic force generated at the edges of the door front panel is therefore greater in the edge regions of the door front panel. Alternatively, a single layer of the secondary materials may be provided which does not extend completely to the edges of the front panel so that the magnetic layer material will only contact the door front panel in the edge regions of the door.Further, the secondary sheet material could cover only some portions of the front panel as shown in Figure 10, so that the magnetic sheet material contacts the door front panel only in areas where the secondary material is absent. In this way, the magnetic strength acting on the door front panel through the magnetic layer can be tailored to overcome certain shape defects. For example, a refrigerator door could include a water dispensing device that includes a water conduit passing through a portion of the door. In the region of the water line, shape defects are to be expected. Therefore, in this area, a secondary material may be present between the door front panel and the magnetic layer to allow the door front panel to be more easily separated from the magnetic layer, whereas in other areas of the door, no such secondary layer is provided. Alternatively, a single layer of variable thickness secondary sheet material could be provided over the full surface of the door front panel.Alternatively, the distribution or strength of the magnetic poles of the sheet material may be tailored so that the magnetic force characteristics change across the sheet material. A method for achieving this has been described above, i.e. having different pole densities at different regions of the layer. An alternative method is to vary or alter the strength of magnetization across the layer material. For example, the pole pitch may be constant across the layer material, but one portion of the layer may be more magnetized than other portions of the layer. For example, one or more regions of the magnetic layer material may be fully magnetized while other regions of the magnetic layer may be partially magnetized. Alternatively, one or more regions of the layer may be unmagnetized. An unmagnetized region does not generate a magnetic field.Various embodiments of the invention have been described above. However, any combinations of any two or more of the described embodiments are also possible, although they are not detailed. Alternative arrangements are also conceivable within the scope of the claims. For example, the various embodiments described above require a door front panel formed of a material that is attracted to a permanent magnet. (Such materials have a relatively high magnetic permeability). For example, the door skin may be formed of a stainless steel ferrie sheet or other material having sufficient magnetic permeability to produce sufficient force between the permanent magnet and the door front panel to securely hold the door front panel. However, the present invention can be applied to any appliance or household appliance having a door with a door skin formed of a material which is not attracted by a permanent magnet, for example, martensitic stainless steel. Referring to Fig. 11, in this embodiment, the magnetic layer material 8 is bonded or bonded to a back surface of the face plate 3. A secondary intermediate material 13 which is attracted to the magnetic field of the magnetic layer material is provided between the magnetic layer material and the insulation foam. For example, the secondary intermediate material may be a second magnetic layer material, or a ferritic steel sheet. The foam 7 is connected or bonded to the secondary intermediate material 13. Shrinkage of the insulation foam causes the secondary intermediate material 13 to flex and separate from the magnetic layer material 8 bonded to the back surface of the door front panel 3 to prevent shape defects in the door front panel. The secondary intermediate material could be a reinforcing material which is to keep the foam 7 flat.Alternatively, the foam 7 could be bonded to a secondary intermediate material. The secondary intermediate material could reinforce the foam. The intermediate material layer could then be adhered to the secondary material. A third intermediate material which is magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer could be attached to the back of the face plate. When movement occurs due to deformation of the foam, the magnetic layer separates from the third intermediate material bonded to the back surface of the front panel.Another advantage of the secondary intermediate material 13 comprising a steel layer bonded to the foam is that the secondary intermediate layer helps to keep the outer surface of the insulation material flat. This in turn has a positive effect on the shape of the door front panel.Other variations of the door structure are also conceivable, for example a ferrietic steel sheet (or other material attracted to the magnet material) could be bonded or bonded to the magnetic layer to the back of the door front panel made of martensitic stainless steel (or other material not attracted to the magnet material), to an intermediate magnetic layer material between the ferrietic steel sheet and the insulation foam.In all of the embodiments of the invention described above, the door structure comprises at least one layer of magnetic material arranged between the door front panel and the insulating foam. A secondary intermediate material could also be present, depending on the particular embodiment. In an alternative door structure, the door includes a door front panel having magnetization. An intermediate material is provided between the filler material and the door front panel. The intermediate material is attached to the filler material and is attached to the magnetized door front panel. In localized areas where there is very high foam shrinkage, the intermediate material will separate from the inner surface of the front panel of the door, preventing deformation of the front panel of the door.Another alternative embodiment of the present invention may include a series or array of individual permanent magnets disposed between the door front panel and the insulation foam. The array of separate magnets is an alternative to the intermediate magnetic layer material. For example, separate magnets may be separate pieces of magnetic layer material, each piece spaced from adjacent pieces. Referring to FIG. 12, the foam is prevented from bonding to the back side of the door front panel 3 by an interlayer material 9. The interlayer material is preferably a paper layer. The permanent magnets 18 are arranged between the intermediate layer 9 and the foam 7. Preferably, during manufacture, the interlayer material 9 is placed against the skin back panel 3 and localized by placing permanent magnets 18 spaced apart in an array or row across the door front panel. Then, the permanent magnets are surrounded with the foam material to hold the magnets in place. The foam couples with the magnet and a back side of the intermediate layer 9. the magnets 18 securely hold the door front panel 3, each magnet 18 generating a magnetic force to the door front panel 3 through the intermediate layer 9. However, in areas of foam shrinkage, the door front panel releases from a magnet or magnets and the intermediate layer 9 to avoid shape defects of the door front panel.The separate permanent magnets may be uniformly disposed across the surface of the rear surface of the door front panel. Alternatively, the magnets may be arranged in areas of variable density. Some areas may have a higher number of magnets per door surface extension and other areas may have a lower number of magnets per door surface extension, the arrangement being conceptually similar to the previous embodiments having a variable magnetic field by using a magnetic layer with variable magnetic pole density or variable density of secondary sheet material between the magnetic sheet material and the front plate. Also, the size, thickness, thickness and pole arrangement of the magnets may be varied. Further, the intermediate layer 9 may be absent in some areas of the front panel, the foam being permanently bonded to the front panel in these areas.The various embodiments described herein provide a door having a front panel that remains touch-resistant, except in areas where very severe foam shrinkage causes the door front panel to separate from the magnetic material within the door. These areas may be relatively small and thus the touch feeling over most of the area of the front panel of the door is not impaired. Doors having an elastic material between the foam and the door front panel to avoid shape defects may have a soft touch over most of the surface of the door front panel. The magnetic layer or the separate magnets within the door hold the front panel firmly, preventing the door front panel from becoming loose, which can occur in such doors where the front panel is not bonded to a solid element within the door, such as the insulation foam.Various embodiments have been described with respect to shrinkage of the inner or insulating material of the device door. However, the present invention may help overcome problems of other deformation types of the door interior material. For example, compression of the foam insulation may occur by a force acting on the exterior surface of the door. Such a force may compress the foam, although it does not cause a permanent bulge on the outer skin of the door. In this case, the invention allows the front panel to be separated from the foam that does not transfer the compressed shape of the foam to the door skin.A door for a household appliance comprises a front panel and a rear panel and edges extending between the front panel and the rear panel to create an interior space between the front panel and the rear panel; a filling material in the interior space; an intermediate material between a rear side of the front panel and the filling material, wherein the intermediate material or the front panel is configured to hold the front panel relative to the filling material by a magnetic field and to release a portion of the front panel relative to the filling material when the filling material is excessively localized.LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS1 Door 2 Outer door skin 3 Front panel 4 Door edges 5 Flanges 6 Door skin 7 Insulating foam 8 Intermediate layer 9 Second intermediate layer 9A First paper layer 9B Second paper layer 11 Grooves 12 Edge regions of the front panel 13 Secondary intermediate material 14 Smaller pole pitch 15 Larger pole pitch 18 Permanent magnets

Claims

A door for a device, comprising: a front panel (2, 3) and a rear panel (6) and edges (2, 4) extending between the front panel (2, 3) and the rear panel (6) to create an interior space between the front panel (2, 3) and the rear panel (6); a filling material (7) in the interior space; an intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) between a rear side of the front panel (2, 3) and the filling material (7), wherein the intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) or the front panel (2, 3) is configured to hold the front panel (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) by a magnetic field and is capable of releasing a portion of the front panel (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) upon localized deformation of the filling material (7).A door according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate material comprises at least one permanent magnet (8, 18) generating the magnetic field.Door according to claim 2, wherein the at least one permanent magnet is a magnetic layer (8).A door according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic layer (8) is bonded or bonded to the filling material (7), at least a portion of the front panel (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) being held by the magnetic field of the magnetic layer (8).A door according to claim 3, wherein the front panel (2, 3) is magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer (8).The door of claim 5, wherein the intermediate material further comprises a second material (9), the second material (9) being non-magnetic and being disposed between the magnetic layer (8) and the back surface of the front panel (2, 3) to thereby space the magnetic layer (8) from the back surface of the front panel (2, 3) by the thickness of the second material (9).The door of claim 6, wherein a first portion of the rear side of the front panel (2, 3) is covered by the second material (9), and a second portion of the rear side of the front panel (2, 3) is not covered by the second material (9).A door according to claim 7, wherein the second portion is an edge portion of the front panel (2, 3).The door of claim 3, wherein the magnetic layer (8) is bonded to the back surface of the front panel (2, 3), and the intermediate material further comprises a second material (13) bonded to the filling material (7), the second material (13) being magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer (8), at least a portion of the front panel (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) being held by the magnetic field of the magnetic layer (8).A door according to claim 9, wherein the second material (13) is a second magnetic layer or metal layer.The door of claim 3, wherein the magnetic layer (8) is bonded to a second material (13), the second material (13) being bonded to the filling material (7), at least a portion of the front panel (2, 3) being held relative to the filling material (7) by the magnetic field of the magnetic layer (8).A door according to claim 11, wherein the front panel (2, 3) is magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer (8).The door of claim 11, wherein the intermediate material further comprises a third material (9A) bonded to the back surface of the front panel (2, 3), the third material (9A) being magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer.The door of claim 4, wherein the intermediate material further comprises a second material (9A) bonded to the back surface of the front panel (2, 3), the second material (9A) being magnetically attracted to the magnetic layer.The door of claim 3, wherein the magnetic layer (8) covers a first portion of the back side of the front panel (2, 3) and is absent from a second portion of the back side of the door front panel (2, 3), wherein the filling material (7) is permanently bonded to the front door panel (2, 3) where the magnetic layer (8) is absent.A door according to claim 15, wherein the magnetic layer (8) is absent from the peripheral portion of the front panel (2, 3).A door according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate material comprises a plurality of permanent magnets (18) spaced apart over a portion of the front panel (2, 3).A door according to claim 3, wherein said magnetic layer (8) is formed of permanent magnet material integrally formed with a polymer layer.The door of claim 1, wherein the filler material (7) is an insulating material.A door according to claim 1, wherein the filling material (7) is a foam material.A door according to any preceding claim, wherein the door is a refrigerator door.A door for a device, comprising: a front panel (2, 3) and a back panel (6); and edges (2, 4) extending between the front panel (2, 3) and the back panel (6) to create an interior space between the front panel (2, 3) and the back panel (6), a filler material (7) in the interior space; an intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) between a rear side of the front plate (2, 3) and the filling material (7), wherein the intermediate layer (8, 9, 13, 18) allows a portion of the front plate (2, 3) to move away from the filling material (7) by a separation distance, wherein the intermediate layer (8, 9, 13, 18) provides a decreasing holding force between the front plate (2, 3) and the filling material (7) as the separation distance increases, wherein the intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) is capable of releasing a portion of the front plate (2, 3) relative to the filling material (7) upon localized deformation of the filling material (7).Door according to claim 22, wherein the intermediate layer comprises at least one permanent magnet (8, 18).A door for a refrigerator, comprising: a front panel (2, 3) and a rear panel (6) and edges (2, 4) extending between the front panel (2, 3) and the rear panel (6) to create an interior space between the front panel (2, 3) and the rear panel (6), an insulating material (7) in the interior space; an intermediate material (8) between a back side of the front panel (2, 3) and the insulating material (7), wherein the intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) includes at least one permanent magnet (8, 18) that generates a magnetic field, wherein the intermediate material (8, 9, 13, 18) is configured to hold the front panel (2, 3) relative to the insulating material (7) by the magnetic field and is capable of releasing a portion of the front panel (2, 3) relative to the insulating material upon localized deformation of the insulating material (7).Household appliance with a door according to one of claims 1 to 24.

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