Water server

Abstract

To provide a water server in which an installation layout of the water server has a high degree of freedom.SOLUTION: The water server comprises: a housing 1; a cold water tank 6 installed inside the housing 1; and a cold water release passage 20 that releases cold water inside the cold water tank 6 out of the housing 1. A raw water bottle 15 that contains water for replenishing the cold water tank 6 is stored inside the housing 1. A front opening 30 for putting in / taking out the raw water bottle 15 and a front door 31 for opening / closing the front opening 30 are provided on a front side of the housing 1. The front door 31 is configured to enable opening / closing from either a right or a left side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a water server.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, water servers have mainly been used in offices, hospitals, etc. However, in recent years, due to the increasing concern about water safety and health, water servers are becoming popular in ordinary households as well (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] The water servers of Patent Documents 1 to 3 have a housing, a cold water tank provided inside the housing, and a cold water outlet passage for discharging the cold water in the cold water tank to the outside of the housing. By opening the cold water outlet valve provided in the cold water outlet passage, delicious cold water can be used immediately at any time.

[0004] In addition, inside the housing of the water servers of Patent Documents 1 to 3, a raw water bottle filled with water for replenishing the cold water tank is stored. On the front side of the housing, a front opening for taking in and out the raw water bottle and a front door for opening and closing the front opening are provided.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the water servers of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the front door of the housing is attached so as to open and close from the right side with a hinge shaft provided at the left edge of the front opening of the housing as the rotation center. On the other hand, in the water server of Patent Document 3, the front door of the housing is attached so as to open and close from the left side with a hinge shaft provided at the right edge of the front opening of the housing as the rotation center.

[0007] When installing these water servers in a kitchen, living room, etc., for the water servers of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the installation location is restricted so that the front door opened from the right side does not interfere with surrounding household appliances and furniture. For the water server of Patent Document 3, the installation location is restricted so that the front door opened from the left side does not interfere with surrounding household appliances and furniture. Therefore, the water servers of Patent Documents 1 to 3 had low degrees of freedom in installation layout.

[0008] Therefore, in order to increase the degree of freedom in the installation layout of the water server, a method is considered in which water servers of both types, a left hinge type in which the hinge shaft of the front door is arranged on the left side so that the front door opens from the right side, and a right hinge type in which the hinge shaft of the front door is arranged on the right side so that the front door opens from the left side, are manufactured and each user is allowed to select which type of water server to use. However, in this method, the manufacturing cost and management cost of the water server will increase.

[0009] The problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a water server with a high degree of freedom in the installation layout of the water server.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0010] To solve the above problems, this invention provides a water server having the following configuration. [Configuration 1] A housing, A cold water tank provided inside the housing, A cold water outlet passage for discharging the cold water in the cold water tank to the outside of the housing, and Inside the housing, a raw water container filled with water for replenishing the cold water tank is stored. In a water server provided with a front opening for taking in and out the raw water container and a front door for opening and closing the front opening on the front side of the housing, The water server is characterized in that the front door is configured to be openable and closable from either the right side or the left side.

[0011] When this configuration is adopted, since the front door can be opened and closed from either the left side or the right side, when opening the front door to take in and out the raw water container from the housing, if the front door opened from the left side interferes with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc., by opening the front door from the right side, it is possible to prevent the front door from interfering with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc. On the other hand, when the front door opened from the right side interferes with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc., by opening the front door from the left side, it is possible to prevent the front door from interfering with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc. Therefore, there are few restrictions on the installation location when installing the water server in the kitchen, living room, etc., and the degree of freedom of the installation layout is high.

[0012] [Configuration 2] At the left end of the front door, a left convex portion having a left hinge hole that serves as a rotation center when the front door is opened from the right side is provided. At the left edge of the front opening, a left concave portion for accommodating the left convex portion, a left hinge pin provided to be movable in the vertical direction between an insertion position inserted into the left hinge hole and a non-insertion position where it exits from the left hinge hole, a left hinge pin biasing member for biasing the left hinge pin from the non-insertion position toward the insertion position, and a left hinge pin operation portion for manually moving the left hinge pin from the insertion position to the non-insertion position against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member are provided. At the right end of the front door, a right convex portion having a right hinge hole that serves as a rotation center when the front door is opened from the left side is provided. On the right edge of the front opening, there are a right concave portion for accommodating the right convex portion, a right hinge pin provided to be vertically movable between an insertion position inserted into the right hinge hole and a non-insertion position where it exits from the right hinge hole, a right hinge pin biasing member for biasing the right hinge pin from the non-insertion position toward the insertion position, and a right hinge pin operation portion for manually moving the right hinge pin from the insertion position to the non-insertion position against the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member. The water server according to Configuration 1 described above.

[0013] When this configuration is adopted, in the state where the front door closes the front opening of the housing, the tip of the left hinge pin provided at the left edge of the front opening of the housing is inserted into the left hinge hole provided at the left edge of the front opening of the housing, so that the left end of the front door is locked so as not to move. At the same time, the tip of the right hinge pin provided at the right edge of the front opening of the housing is inserted into the right hinge hole provided at the right edge of the front opening of the housing, so that the right end of the front door is also locked so as not to move. As a result, the entire front door is securely held in the state of closing the front opening of the housing.

[0014] When opening the front door from the left side, by operating the left hinge pin operation portion provided at the left edge of the front opening of the housing, the tip of the left hinge pin is pulled out of the left hinge hole against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member. As a result, the lock on the left end of the front door is released, and the front door can be opened from the left side with the right hinge pin inserted into the right hinge hole as the rotation axis.

[0015] On the other hand, when opening the front door from the right side, by operating the right hinge pin operation portion provided at the right edge of the front opening of the housing, the tip of the right hinge pin is pulled out of the right hinge hole against the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member. As a result, the lock on the right end of the front door is released, and the front door can be opened from the right side with the left hinge pin inserted into the left hinge hole as the rotation axis.

[0016] [Configuration 3] The left hinge hole is provided so as to penetrate the left convex portion vertically. The left hinge hole incorporates a second left hinge pin that is movably supported between a protruding position that protrudes from the side opposite to the side where the left hinge pin is inserted into the left hinge hole and a non-protruding position that is recessed into the left hinge hole. A second left hinge hole is formed at the left edge of the front opening, into which the protruding portion of the second left hinge pin from the left hinge hole is inserted when the second left hinge pin moves from the non-protruding position to the protruding position. The right hinge hole is provided so as to penetrate the right convex portion vertically. The right hinge hole incorporates a second right hinge pin that is movably supported between a protruding position that protrudes from the side opposite to the side where the right hinge pin is inserted into the right hinge hole and a non-protruding position that is recessed into the right hinge hole. The water server according to Configuration 2, wherein a second right hinge hole is formed at the right edge of the front opening, into which the protruding portion of the second right hinge pin from the right hinge hole is inserted when the second right hinge pin moves from the non-protruding position to the protruding position.

[0017] Adopting this configuration makes the opening and closing operation of the front door particularly stable.

[0018] That is, when the tip of the left hinge pin is inserted into the left hinge hole, the second left hinge pin incorporated in the left hinge hole is pressed by the tip of the left hinge pin and protrudes from the left hinge hole, and the protruding portion of the second left hinge pin from the left hinge hole is inserted into the second left hinge hole provided at the left edge of the front opening of the housing. That is, when the front door opens and closes from the right with the left hinge pin inserted into the left hinge hole as the rotation axis, both the left hinge pin inserted into the left hinge hole and the second left hinge pin inserted into the second left hinge hole function as the rotation axis on the left side of the front door. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the front door when opening and closing the front door from the right is particularly stable.

[0019] Similarly, when the tip of the right hinge pin is inserted into the right hinge hole, the second right hinge pin incorporated in the right hinge hole is pressed against the tip of the right hinge pin and protrudes from the right hinge hole, and the protruding portion of the second right hinge pin from the right hinge hole is inserted into the second right hinge hole provided at the right edge of the front opening of the housing. That is, when the front door is opened and closed from the left with the right hinge pin inserted into the right hinge hole as the rotation axis, both the right hinge pin inserted into the right hinge hole and the second right hinge pin inserted into the second right hinge hole function as the rotation axis on the right side of the front door. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the front door when opening and closing the front door from the left becomes particularly stable.

[0020] [Configuration 4] The left convex portions are provided in a pair, one above the other, at the left end of the front door, The left concave portions are also provided in a pair, one above the other, at the left edge of the front opening corresponding to the left convex portions, The left hinge pin operation portion is disposed between the pair of upper and lower left concave portions, The left hinge pins are provided above and below the left hinge pin operation portion, respectively, The left hinge pin operation portion is configured to be connected to both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins so that both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins can be simultaneously moved from the insertion position to the non-insertion position, The right convex portions are provided in a pair, one above the other, at the right end of the front door, The right concave portions are also provided in a pair, one above the other, at the right edge of the front opening corresponding to the right convex portions, The right hinge pin operation portion is disposed between the pair of upper and lower right concave portions, The right hinge pins are provided above and below the right hinge pin operation portion, respectively, The right hinge pin operating portion is connected to both of the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins so as to be able to move both of the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins from the insertion position to the non-insertion position at the same time, and is the water server according to Configuration 2 or 3 described above.

[0021] When this configuration is adopted, since the left hinge pins are provided in a pair of upper and lower ones, when the front door is opened and closed from the right side with the left hinge pins as the rotation axes, the opening and closing operation of the front door becomes particularly stable. Further, since the left hinge pin operating portion is connected to both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins, when the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins are pulled out from the pair of upper and lower left hinge holes, by operating only one left hinge pin operating portion, both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins can be pulled out at the same time, and the operation of unlocking the left end portion of the front door is easy.

[0022] Similarly, since the right hinge pins are provided in a pair of upper and lower ones, when the front door is opened and closed from the left side with the right hinge pins as the rotation axes, the opening and closing operation of the front door becomes particularly stable. Further, since the right hinge pin operating portion is connected to both of the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins, when the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins are pulled out from the pair of upper and lower right hinge holes, by operating only one right hinge pin operating portion, both of the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins can be pulled out at the same time, and the operation of unlocking the right end portion of the front door is easy.

[0023] [Configuration 5] The left hinge pin operating portion has a left button hole that opens on the left side surface of the housing and a left push button that is horizontally slidably incorporated in the left button hole. On the left push button, when the left push button is pushed in, an inclined cam surface having a vertically symmetric shape that pushes and moves the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins closer to each other is formed. The right hinge pin operation part has a right button hole that opens on the right side surface of the housing and a right push button slidably incorporated horizontally into the right button hole. The right push button is formed with an inclined cam surface of a vertically symmetric shape that, when the right push button is pushed in, pushes and moves the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins closer to each other. The water server according to Configuration 4.

[0024] When this configuration is adopted, by simply pushing in the left push button provided on the left side surface of the housing, the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins can be pulled out from the left hinge hole to unlock the left end of the front door, and the operability of unlocking the left end of the front door is excellent. Similarly, by simply pushing in the right push button provided on the right side surface of the housing, the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins can be pulled out from the right hinge hole to unlock the right end of the front door, and the operability of unlocking the right end of the front door is excellent.

[0025] [Configuration 6] The left hinge pin operation part is provided with a left door pressing pin that, when an operation is performed to move the left hinge pin from the insertion position to the non-insertion position, pushes and moves the left end of the front door forward in conjunction with that operation. The right hinge pin operation part is provided with a right door pressing pin that, when an operation is performed to move the right hinge pin from the insertion position to the non-insertion position, pushes and moves the right end of the front door forward in conjunction with that operation. The water server according to any one of Configurations 2 to 5.

[0026] When this configuration is adopted, in order to open the front door from the left side, when the left hinge pin operation part is operated to pull out the left hinge pin from the left hinge hole, the left end of the front door is pushed forward by the left door pressing pin, and the positions of the left hinge pin and the left hinge hole are displaced back and forth. Therefore, when the hand is released from the left hinge pin operation part, it is possible to avoid the tip of the left hinge pin returning to the left hinge hole again by the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member, and it is possible to prevent the situation where the left end of the front door is locked again before the front door is opened.

[0027] Similarly, in order to open the front door from the right side, when the right hinge pin operation part is operated to pull out the right hinge pin from the right hinge hole, the right end of the front door is pushed forward by the right door pressing pin, and the positions of the right hinge pin and the right hinge hole are displaced back and forth. Therefore, when the hand is released from the right hinge pin operation part, it is possible to avoid the tip of the right hinge pin returning to the right hinge hole again by the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member, and it is possible to prevent the situation where the right end of the front door is locked again before the front door is opened.

[0028] [Configuration 7] On the left convex portion, when the front door closes with the right hinge pin as the rotation axis, a left hinge pin guide surface is formed that contacts the tip of the left hinge pin and inclines to push the left hinge pin back against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member. The water server according to any one of Configurations 2 to 6, wherein on the right convex portion, when the front door closes with the left hinge pin as the rotation axis, a right hinge pin guide surface is formed that contacts the tip of the right hinge pin and inclines to push the right hinge pin back against the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member.

[0029] When this configuration is adopted, when closing the front door, it becomes possible to perform the closing operation smoothly.

[0030] That is, when the front door is opened from the left side, the left hinge pin moves under the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member, and the tip of the left hinge pin protrudes. Then, when the front door is closed, the left convex portion provided at the left end of the front door may interfere with the tip of the left hinge pin, which may prevent the closing operation of the front door. At this time, however, the left hinge pin guide surface formed on the left convex portion contacts the tip of the left hinge pin and pushes the left hinge pin back against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member, so that interference at the tip of the left hinge pin is prevented and the front door can be smoothly closed.

[0031] Similarly, when the front door is opened from the right side, the right hinge pin moves under the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member, and the tip of the right hinge pin protrudes. Then, when the front door is closed, the right convex portion provided at the right end of the front door may interfere with the tip of the right hinge pin, which may prevent the closing operation of the front door. At this time, however, the right hinge pin guide surface formed on the right convex portion contacts the tip of the right hinge pin and pushes the right hinge pin back against the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member, so that interference at the tip of the right hinge pin is prevented and the front door can be smoothly closed.

Advantages of the Invention

[0032] The water server of this invention can open and close the front door from either the left side or the right side. Therefore, when opening the front door to take the raw water container in and out of the housing, if the front door opened from the left side interferes with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc., opening the front door from the right side can prevent the front door from interfering with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc. On the other hand, if the front door opened from the right side interferes with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc., opening the front door from the left side can prevent the front door from interfering with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc. Therefore, there are few restrictions on the installation location when installing the water server in the kitchen, living room, etc., and the degree of freedom of the installation layout is high.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0033]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0034] Figure 1 shows a water server according to an embodiment of the present invention. This water server includes a housing 1 placed on a floor surface F, a cold water outlet 2 and a hot water outlet 3 arranged on the front side of the housing 1, a cold water outlet operation unit 4 operated by a user to discharge cold water, and a hot water outlet operation unit 5 operated by a user to discharge hot water.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, inside the housing 1, a cold water tank 6 and a hot water tank 7 are provided. The cold water tank 6 and the hot water tank 7 are fixed to a tank fixing plate 8 horizontally provided so as to partition the inside of the housing 1 vertically.

[0036] The housing 1 includes a pair of side plates 9 facing each other left and right, a top plate 10 fixed to the upper ends of the pair of side plates 9, a bottom plate 11 fixed to the lower ends of the pair of side plates 9, a front panel 12 connecting the front ends of the upper parts of the pair of side plates 9 to each other, a back panel 13 connecting the rear ends of the upper parts of the pair of side plates 9 to each other, and a pair of door attachment members 14a, 14b respectively fixed to the lower front ends of the pair of side plates 9. The tank fixing plate 8 is fixed to the pair of side plates 9. The cold water outlet operation unit 4 and the hot water outlet operation unit 5 (see Figure 1) are arranged on the front panel 12.

[0037] Inside the housing 1, a replaceable raw water bottle 15 containing drinking water for replenishing the cold water tank 6 is accommodated. Also, inside the housing 1, a bottle placement portion 16 for placing the raw water bottle 15 and an electric pump 17 for pumping up drinking water from the raw water bottle 15 placed on the bottle placement portion 16 are provided.

[0038] The raw water bottle 15 is filled with a predetermined amount of drinking water preset in the range of 8 to 18 liters in an unused full state. The electric pump 17 is provided in the middle of a water supply pipe 18 connecting the raw water bottle 15 and the cold water tank 6, and by operating this electric pump 17, drinking water can be supplied from the raw water bottle 15 to the cold water tank 6 through the water supply pipe 18.

[0039] The cold water tank 6 is equipped with a cooling device 19 for cooling the drinking water in the cold water tank 6. The drinking water in the cold water tank 6 is maintained at a predetermined low temperature (for example, 10 °C or lower) by the cooling device 19. A cold water outlet passage 20 that communicates between the cold water tank 6 and the cold water outlet 2 is connected to the bottom surface of the cold water tank 6. A cold water on-off valve 21 is provided in the middle of the cold water outlet passage 20. By operating the cold water outlet operation unit 4, the cold water on-off valve 21 opens, and it becomes possible to discharge cold water (low-temperature drinking water) from the cold water tank 6 to the outside of the housing 1.

[0040] The hot water tank 7 and the cold water tank 6 are connected via a tank connection passage 22, and drinking water is introduced from the cold water tank 6 to the hot water tank 7 through the tank connection passage 22. The hot water tank 7 is equipped with a heating device 23 for heating the drinking water in the hot water tank 7. The drinking water in the hot water tank 7 is maintained at a predetermined high temperature (for example, 80 °C or higher) by the heating device 23. A hot water outlet passage 24 that communicates between the hot water tank 7 and the hot water outlet 3 (see FIG. 1) is connected to the upper surface of the hot water tank 7. A hot water on-off valve 25 (see FIG. 1) is provided in the middle of the hot water outlet passage 24. By operating the hot water outlet operation unit 5 (see FIG. 1), the hot water on-off valve 25 opens, and it becomes possible to discharge hot water (high-temperature drinking water) from the hot water tank 7 to the outside of the housing 1.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, on the front side of the housing 1, a front opening 30 for inserting and removing the raw water bottle 15 and a front door 31 for opening and closing the front opening 30 are provided. The front opening 30 is a rectangular opening surrounded by the lower end of the front panel 12, the left and right door attachment members 14a, 14b, and the front end of the bottom plate 11. Of the left and right door attachment members 14a, 14b, the left door attachment member 14a constitutes the left edge of the front opening 30, and the right door attachment member 14b constitutes the right edge of the front opening 30.

[0042] On the left door attachment member 14a, a pair of upper and lower left concave portions 32a and a left hinge pin operation portion 33a located between the pair of upper and lower left concave portions 32a are provided. At the left end of the front door 31, a pair of upper and lower left convex portions 34a are provided at positions corresponding to the pair of upper and lower left concave portions 32a.

[0043] Similarly, on the right door attachment member 14b, a pair of upper and lower right concave portions 32b and a right hinge pin operation portion 33b located between the pair of upper and lower right concave portions 32b are provided. At the right end of the front door 31, a pair of upper and lower right convex portions 34b are provided at positions corresponding to the pair of upper and lower right concave portions 32b.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, the left convex portion 34a is formed to protrude rearward (upward in the figure) from the left end of the front door 31. Each left concave portion 32a is formed to open on the front surface and the left side surface of the left door attachment member 14a, and the left convex portion 34a is accommodated in each left concave portion 32a.

[0045] Similarly, the right convex portion 34b is formed to protrude rearward (upward in the figure) from the right end of the front door 31. Each right concave portion 32b is formed to open on the front surface and the right side surface of the right door attachment member 14b, and the right convex portion 34b is accommodated in each right concave portion 32b.

[0046] Here, the left door attachment member 14a and the right door attachment member 14b shown in FIG. 1 have the same symmetrical configuration, and the front door 31 is also symmetrically configured. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration of the left end of the front door 31 and the configuration of the left door attachment member 14a (the left edge of the front opening 30) will be described. For the configuration of the right end of the front door 31 and the configuration of the right door attachment member 14b (the right edge of the front opening 30), the same reference numerals or reference numerals with the last alphabet a replaced by b will be given to the corresponding parts, and the description will be omitted.

[0047] Furthermore, the upper left convex portion 34a among the pair of upper and lower left convex portions 34a, the upper left concave portion 32a among the pair of upper and lower left concave portions 32a, and the configuration in their vicinity are of the same configuration that is vertically symmetric to the lower left convex portion 34a, the lower left concave portion 32a, and the configuration in their vicinity. Therefore, the configuration of the upper left convex portion 34a, the upper left concave portion 32a, and the vicinity thereof will be described below, and for the configuration of the lower left convex portion 34a, the lower left concave portion 32a, and the vicinity thereof, the same reference numerals will be given to the corresponding parts and the description will be omitted.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the left convex portion 34a is provided with a left hinge hole 35a that serves as the rotation center when the front door 31 is opened. The left hinge hole 35a penetrates the left convex portion 34a vertically so as to open to both the upper and lower surfaces of the left convex portion 34a.

[0049] The left door mounting member 14a is formed with a left hinge pin receiving hole 36a that opens to a surface (the upward inner surface of the left concave portion 32a) that faces the lower surface of the left convex portion 34a vertically. The left hinge pin 37a is accommodated in the left hinge pin receiving hole 36a so as to be movable vertically between an insertion position (the position shown in FIG. 3) where it is inserted into the upper left hinge hole 35a and a non-insertion position (the position shown in FIG. 8) where it exits from the upper left hinge hole 35a. A stepped portion 38 for restricting the upward movement range of the left hinge pin 37a is provided on the inner surface of the left hinge pin receiving hole 36a.

[0050] The left door mounting member 14a incorporates a left hinge pin biasing member 39a that biases the left hinge pin 37a from the non-insertion position (the position shown in FIG. 8) toward the insertion position (the position shown in FIG. 3). The left hinge pin biasing member 39a is a compression coil spring incorporated below the left hinge pin 37a in a vertically compressed state, and its upper end presses the left hinge pin 37a upward.

[0051] The left hinge hole 35a incorporates a second left hinge pin 40a having the same length as the vertical dimension of the left convex portion 34a. The second left hinge pin 40a is supported so as to be movable vertically between a protruding position (the position shown in FIG. 3) protruding from the left hinge hole 35a on the side opposite to the side into which the left hinge pin 37a is inserted (the upper side in the figure), and a non-protruding position (the position shown in FIG. 8) where it is immersed in the left hinge hole 35a.

[0052] Also, the left hinge hole 35a incorporates a second left hinge pin biasing member 41a that biases the second left hinge pin 40a from the protruding position toward the non-protruding position. The second left hinge pin biasing member 41a is a compression coil spring incorporated in a vertically compressed state between a flange portion 42 provided on the outer periphery of the second left hinge pin 40a and a stepped portion 43 provided on the inner periphery of the upper end of the left hinge hole 35a, and presses the second left hinge pin 40a downward at its lower end. A stepped portion 44 that restricts the downward movement range of the second left hinge pin 40a is provided on the inner periphery of the lower end of the left hinge hole 35a. The biasing force of the second left hinge pin biasing member 41a is set to be smaller than the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member 39a.

[0053] The left door attachment member 14a is formed with a second left hinge hole 45a that opens to a surface (the downward inner surface of the left concave portion 32a) that faces the upper surface of the left convex portion 34a vertically. When the second left hinge pin 40a moves from the non-protruding position (the position shown in FIG. 8) to the protruding position (the position shown in FIG. 3), the protruding portion of the second left hinge pin 40a from the left hinge hole 35a is inserted into the second left hinge hole 45a. As shown in FIG. 8, when the second left hinge pin 40a is in the non-protruding position, the tip of the second left hinge pin 40a is immersed in the left hinge hole 35a.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 11, at the corner where the rear surface and the lower surface of the left convex portion 34a intersect, when the front door 31 is closed, it contacts the tip of the left hinge pin 37a and presses the left hinge pin 37a downward against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member 39a (see FIG. 3). A left hinge pin guide surface 46a that is inclined is formed.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the left hinge pin operation portion 33a includes a left button hole 47a that opens on the left side (right side in the figure) of the housing 1, and a left push button 48a that is horizontally slidably incorporated in the left button hole 47a. The left push button 48a is formed with an inclined cam surface 49 having a vertically symmetric V shape.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 12, a guide piece 50 that moves up and down integrally with the left hinge pin 37a is fixedly provided on the upper left hinge pin 37a. Similarly, a guide piece 50 that moves up and down integrally with the left hinge pin 37a is also fixedly provided on the lower left hinge pin 37a. In the figure, the guide piece 50 fixed to the left hinge pin 37a is shown as being formed integrally with the left hinge pin 37a, but a separately formed guide piece 50 may be connected and fixed to the left hinge pin 37a.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4, the inclined cam surface 49 of the left push button 48a is in contact with the guide pieces 50 of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the user manually presses the left push button 48a, the inclined cam surface 49 of the left push button 48a presses the guide pieces 50 of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a respectively. As shown in FIG. 8, the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a are pushed and moved so that the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a approach each other. As a result, the tip of the left hinge pin 37a is moved to a non-insertion position where it comes out of the left hinge hole 35a, and the second left hinge pin 40a is also moved to a non-protrusion position where the tip of the second left hinge pin 40a sinks into the left hinge hole 35a by the biasing force of the second left hinge pin biasing member 41a. In this way, the left hinge pin operation portion 33a is configured to be connected to both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a so that both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a can be simultaneously moved from the insertion position to the non-insertion position.

[0058] Here, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to arrange the left push button 48a at a position as high as possible, the length of the upper left hinge pin 37a shown in FIG. 3 is set shorter than the length of the lower left hinge pin 37a. It is also possible to set the length of the upper left hinge pin 37a and the length of the lower left hinge pin 37a to be the same.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7, a door pressing pin housing hole 51 that opens to the front end surface of the left door attachment member 14a (the surface facing the front and back of the rear surface of the left end of the front door 31) is formed in the left hinge pin operation portion 33a, and the left door pressing pin 52a is housed in the door pressing pin housing hole 51. As shown in FIG. 10, the left door pressing pin 52a is a pin that operates to push the left end of the front door 31 forward in conjunction with the operation when the user presses the left push button 48a.

[0060] The left door pressing pin 52a is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction between a door pressing position (the position shown in FIG. 10) where the tip of the left door pressing pin 52a pushes the rear surface of the left end of the front door 31 forward and a door non-pressing position (the position shown in FIG. 7) where the tip of the left door pressing pin 52a is immersed in the door pressing pin housing hole 51. As shown in FIG. 10, the left door pressing pin 52a is provided with a cam protrusion 54 that slidably contacts a tapered cam surface 53 formed on the left push button 48a. When the left push button 48a is pushed in by a manual operation of the user, the tapered cam surface 53 of the left push button 48a presses the cam protrusion 54 of the left door pressing pin 52a, causing the left door pressing pin 52a to move forward and push the left end of the front door 31 forward.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the front door 31 closes the front opening 30 of the housing 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the tip of the left hinge pin 37a provided on the left door mounting member 14a is inserted into the left hinge hole 35a provided at the left end of the front door 31, locking the left end of the front door 31 so that it does not move. At the same time, the tip of the right hinge pin 37b provided on the right door mounting member 14b is inserted into the right hinge hole 35b provided at the right end of the front door 31 shown in FIG. 13, locking the right end of the front door 31 so that it does not move. As a result, the entire front door 31 is securely held in a state where it closes the front opening 30 of the housing 1.

[0062] Then, as shown in FIG. 13, when opening the front door 31 from the left, by operating to push in the left push button 48a provided on the left door mounting member 14a, the tip of the left hinge pin 37a is pulled out from the left hinge hole 35a against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member 39a (see FIG. 8). As a result, the lock on the left end of the front door 31 is released, and the front door 31 can be opened from the left with the right hinge pin 37b inserted into the right hinge hole 35b as the rotation axis.

[0063] On the one hand, as shown in Fig. 14, when opening the front door 31 from the right side, by operating to push in the right push button 48b provided on the right door attachment member 14b, the tip of the right hinge pin 37b is pulled out from the right hinge hole 35b against the biasing force of a right hinge pin biasing member (not shown). As a result, the lock at the right end of the front door 31 is released, and the front door 31 can be opened from the right side with the left hinge pin 37a inserted into the left hinge hole 35a as the rotation axis.

[0064] In this way, since this water server can open and close the front door 31 from either the left side or the right side, when opening the front door 31 shown in Fig. 1 to take in and out the raw water bottle 15 from the housing 1, if the front door 31 opened from the left side interferes with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc., by opening the front door 31 from the right side, it is possible to prevent the front door 31 from interfering with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc. On the other hand, when the front door 31 opened from the right side interferes with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc., by opening the front door 31 from the left side, it is possible to prevent the front door 31 from interfering with surrounding household appliances, furniture, etc. Therefore, there are few restrictions on the installation location when installing the water server in the kitchen, living room, etc., and the degree of freedom of the installation layout is high.

[0065] Also, as shown in Fig. 3, when the tip of the left hinge pin 37a is inserted into the left hinge hole 35a, the second left hinge pin 40a incorporated in the left hinge hole 35a is pressed by the tip of the left hinge pin 37a and protrudes from the left hinge hole 35a, and the protruding portion of the second left hinge pin 40a from the left hinge hole 35a is inserted into the second left hinge hole 45a provided on the left door attachment member 14a. That is, as shown in Fig. 14, when the front door 31 is opened and closed from the right side with the left hinge pin 37a inserted into the left hinge hole 35a as the rotation axis, both the left hinge pin 37a in the state of being inserted into the left hinge hole 35a shown in Fig. 3 and the second left hinge pin 40a in the state of being inserted into the second left hinge hole 45a function as the rotation axis on the left side of the front door 31. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the front door 31 when opening and closing the front door 31 from the right side is stable.

[0066] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13, when the front door 31 opens and closes from the left side with the right hinge pin 37b inserted into the right hinge hole 35b as a rotation axis, both the right hinge pin 37b and a second right hinge pin (not shown) function as the rotation axis on the right side of the front door 31. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the front door 31 when opening and closing the front door 31 from the left side is stable.

[0067] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, since the left hinge pins 37a of this water server are provided in a pair vertically, as shown in FIG. 14, when the front door 31 opens and closes from the right side with the left hinge pin 37a as a rotation axis, the opening and closing operation of the front door 31 is stable. Similarly, since the right hinge pins 37b are also provided in a pair vertically, as shown in FIG. 13, when the front door 31 opens and closes from the left side with the right hinge pin 37b as a rotation axis, the opening and closing operation of the front door 31 is stable.

[0068] Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, since the left hinge pin operation part 33a is connected to both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a, when pulling out the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a from the pair of upper and lower left hinge holes 35a, by operating only one left hinge pin operation part 33a at one location, both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a can be pulled out simultaneously, and the operation of unlocking the left end part of the front door 31 is easy. Similarly, the operation of unlocking the right end part of the front door 31 is also easy.

[0069] In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, for this water server, by simply pushing in the left push button 48a provided on the left side surface of the housing 1, the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins 37a shown in FIG. 3 can be pulled out from the left hinge holes 35a, and the lock of the left end part of the front door 31 can be released, and the operability of unlocking the left end part of the front door 31 is excellent. Similarly, the operability of unlocking the right end part of the front door 31 is also excellent.

[0070] Also, as shown in FIG. 13, when this water server opens the front door 31 from the left side, by pushing the left push button 48a to extract the left hinge pin 37a from the left hinge hole 35a, as shown in FIG. 8, the left end of the front door 31 is pushed forward by the left door pressing pin 52a, and the positions of the left hinge pin 37a and the left hinge hole 35a are displaced back and forth. Therefore, when the hand is released from the left push button 48a, it is possible to avoid the tip of the left hinge pin 37a returning to the left hinge hole 35a again by the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member 39a, and it is possible to prevent the situation where the left end of the front door 31 is locked again before the front door 31 is opened. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 14, when opening the front door 31 from the right side, by pushing the right push button 48b to extract the right hinge pin 37b from the right hinge hole 35b, it is possible to prevent the situation where the right end of the front door 31 is locked again before the front door 31 is opened.

[0071] Also, as shown in FIG. 13, when this water server opens the front door 31 from the left side, the left hinge pin 37a shown in FIG. 8 moves by the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member 39a, so as shown in FIG. 11, the tip of the left hinge pin 37a protrudes. Then, when closing the front door 31, the left convex portion 34a provided at the left end of the front door 31 may interfere with the tip of the left hinge pin 37a and prevent the closing operation of the front door 31. At this time, however, the left hinge pin guide surface 46a formed on the left convex portion 34a contacts the tip of the left hinge pin 37a and pushes the left hinge pin 37a back against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member 39a, so interference at the tip of the left hinge pin 37a is prevented and the front door 31 can be smoothly closed. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 14, after opening the front door 31 from the right side and then closing the front door 31, interference at the tip of the right hinge pin 37b is also prevented and the front door 31 can be smoothly closed.

[0072] In addition, this water server can remove the front door 31 from the housing 1 by pressing both the left push button 48a and the right push button 48b. Therefore, it is excellent in convenience when maintaining the water server.

[0073] In the above embodiment, a water server of a type using a raw water bottle 15 (a replaceable container for storing natural water or the like) as a raw water container for replenishing the cold water tank 6 has been described as an example. However, in this invention, instead of the raw water bottle 15, a raw water tank for storing tap water in a household is used, and the water in the raw water tank is filtered by a water purification cartridge, and the filtered purified water is supplied to the cold water tank 6. The present invention can be similarly applied to a water purification type water server having a configuration in which a raw water tank is housed in the housing 1 of the water server, and a front opening 30 for taking in and out the raw water tank and a front door 31 for opening and closing the front opening 30 are provided on the front side of the housing 1.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0074] 1 Housing 6 Cold water tank 14a Left door attachment member (left edge of the front opening) 14b Right door attachment member (right edge of the front opening) 15 Raw water bottle (raw water container) 20 Cold water outlet passage 30 Front opening 31 Front door 32a Left recess 32b Right recess 33a Left hinge pin operation part 33b Right hinge pin operation part 34a Left convex part 34b Right convex part 35a Left hinge hole 35b Right hinge hole 37a Left hinge pin 37b Right hinge pin 39a Left hinge pin biasing member 40a Second left hinge pin 40b Second right hinge pin 45a Second left hinge hole 46a Left hinge pin guide surface 47a Left button hole 47b Right button hole 48a Left push button 48b Right push button 49 Tilt cam surface 52a Left door pressing pin 52b Right door pressing pin

Claims

1. A housing (1), A cold water tank (6) provided inside the housing (1), And a cold water outlet passage (20) for discharging the cold water in the cold water tank (6) to the outside of the housing (1). Inside the housing (1), a raw water container (15) filled with water for replenishing the cold water tank (6) is accommodated. In a water server provided with a front opening (30) for taking in and out the raw water container (15) and a front door (31) for opening and closing the front opening (30) on the front side of the housing (1), The water server is characterized in that the front door (31) is configured to be openable and closable from either the right side or the left side.

2. At the left end of the front door (31), a left convex portion (34a) having a left hinge hole (35a) serving as a rotation center when the front door (31) opens from the right side is provided. At the left edge of the front opening (30), a left concave portion (32a) for accommodating the left convex portion (34a), a left hinge pin (37a) movably provided in the vertical direction between an insertion position inserted into the left hinge hole (35a) and a non-insertion position where it comes out of the left hinge hole (35a), a left hinge pin biasing member (39a) for biasing the left hinge pin (37a) from the non-insertion position toward the insertion position, and a left hinge pin operation portion (33a) for manually moving the left hinge pin (37a) from the insertion position to the non-insertion position against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member (39a) are provided. At the right end of the front door (31), a right convex portion (34b) having a right hinge hole (35b) serving as a rotation center when the front door (31) opens from the left side is provided. On the right edge of the front opening (30), there are provided a right concave portion (32b) for accommodating the right convex portion (34b), a right hinge pin (37b) movably provided in the vertical direction between an insertion position where it is inserted into the right hinge hole (35b) and a non-insertion position where it exits from the right hinge hole (35b), a right hinge pin biasing member for biasing the right hinge pin (37b) from the non-insertion position toward the insertion position, and a right hinge pin operating portion (33b) for manually moving the right hinge pin (37b) from the insertion position to the non-insertion position against the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member. The water server according to claim 1.

3. The left hinge hole (35a) is provided so as to vertically penetrate the left convex portion (34a). In the left hinge hole (35a), a second left hinge pin (40a) movably supported between a protruding position protruding to the side opposite to the side where the left hinge pin (37a) is inserted from the left hinge hole (35a) and a non-protruding position where it is immersed in the left hinge hole (35a) is incorporated. On the left edge of the front opening (30), when the second left hinge pin (40a) moves from the non-protruding position to the protruding position, a second left hinge hole (45a) into which the protruding portion of the second left hinge pin (40a) from the left hinge hole (35a) is inserted is formed. The right hinge hole (35b) is provided so as to vertically penetrate the right convex portion (34b). In the right hinge hole (35b), a second right hinge pin (40b) movably supported between a protruding position protruding to the side opposite to the side where the right hinge pin (37b) is inserted from the right hinge hole (35b) and a non-protruding position where it is immersed in the right hinge hole (35b) is incorporated. On the right edge of the front opening (30), when the second right hinge pin (40b) moves from the non-protruding position to the protruding position, a second right hinge hole into which the protruding portion of the second right hinge pin (40b) from the right hinge hole (35b) is inserted is formed. The water server according to claim 2.

4. The left convex portions (34a) are provided in a pair, one above the other, at the left end of the front door (31). The left concave portions (32a) are also provided in a pair, one above the other, at the left edge of the front opening (30) corresponding to the left convex portions (34a). The left hinge pin operating portion (33a) is disposed between the pair of upper and lower left concave portions (32a). The left hinge pins (37a) are provided respectively above and below the left hinge pin operating portion (33a). The left hinge pin operating portion (33a) is configured to be connected to both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins (37a) so that both of the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins (37a) can be simultaneously moved from the insertion position to the non-insertion position. The right convex portions (34b) are provided in a pair, one above the other, at the right end of the front door (31). The right concave portions (32b) are also provided in a pair, one above the other, at the right edge of the front opening (30) corresponding to the right convex portions (34b). The right hinge pin operating portion (33b) is disposed between the pair of upper and lower right concave portions (32b). The right hinge pins (37b) are provided respectively above and below the right hinge pin operating portion (33b). The right hinge pin operating portion (33b) is configured to be connected to both of the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins (37b) so that both of the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins (37b) can be simultaneously moved from the insertion position to the non-insertion position. The water server according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The left hinge pin operating portion (33a) has a left button hole (47a) that opens to the left side surface of the housing (1), and a left push button (48a) that is horizontally slidably incorporated into the left button hole (47a). The left push button (48a) is formed with an inclined cam surface (49) having an upper and lower symmetric shape that pushes and moves the pair of upper and lower left hinge pins (37a) closer to each other when the left push button (48a) is pushed in. The right hinge pin operation part (33b) has a right button hole (47b) that opens on the right side surface of the housing (1), and a right push button (48b) that is horizontally slidably incorporated into the right button hole (47b). On the right push button (48b), when the right push button (48b) is pushed in, an inclined cam surface (49) with an up-and-down symmetric shape is formed to push and move the pair of upper and lower right hinge pins (37b) closer to each other. The water server according to claim 4.

6. In the left hinge pin operation part (33a), when an operation is performed to move the left hinge pin (37a) from the insertion position to the non-insertion position, a left door pressing pin (52a) is provided to push and move the left end of the front door (31) forward in conjunction with the operation. In the right hinge pin operation part (33b), when an operation is performed to move the right hinge pin (37b) from the insertion position to the non-insertion position, a right door pressing pin (52b) is provided to push and move the right end of the front door (31) forward in conjunction with the operation. The water server according to claim 2 or 3.

7. In the left convex part (34a), when the front door (31) closes with the right hinge pin (37b) as the rotation axis, a left hinge pin guide surface (46a) is formed to contact the tip of the left hinge pin (37a) and push it back against the biasing force of the left hinge pin biasing member (39a). In the right convex part (34b), when the front door (31) closes with the left hinge pin (37a) as the rotation axis, a right hinge pin guide surface is formed to contact the tip of the right hinge pin (37b) and push it back against the biasing force of the right hinge pin biasing member. The water server according to claim 2 or 3.

Images