Drawer for laundry appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing frontal snap-fit coupling arrangement for connecting a handle to a storage drawer body in laundry appliances is inefficient, as it can be too loose with fewer tooth elements, leading to accidental detachment or breakage, and laborious with more tooth elements, making it difficult to detach and attach the handle efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A coupling arrangement featuring drawer body sliding means and drawer handle sliding means that allow lateral movement, combined with a blocking device using a detent element and resilient member, enabling easy and secure attachment and detachment of the handle by sliding along a direction perpendicular to the extraction/insertion direction, and an actuator for manual switching of the blocking device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a frontal snap-fit coupling arrangement with tooth elements is used to connect the handle to the drawer body, then the connection provides some stability, but it becomes too loose with fewer tooth elements leading to accidental detachment or breakage, and laborious with more tooth elements making it difficult to detach and attach the handle efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a frontal coupling arrangement (along the extraction/insertion direction) to a lateral coupling arrangement. The handle coupling means and drawer body coupling means extend along a lateral direction perpendicular to the extraction/insertion direction, allowing the handle to be attached and detached by lateral movement rather than frontal force, thereby improving both connection stability and operational ease
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling arrangement incorporates a blocking device with a detent element that can be selectively engaged or disengaged. This dynamic mechanism allows the handle to be securely locked during normal use (providing stability) while enabling easy detachment when the blocking device is actuated (improving ease of operation)
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a stable, robust, and efficient connection that prevents accidental detachment or breakage while allowing easy handling, ensuring the handle can be detached and reattached quickly and comfortably, even with heavy storage drawers.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member arranged on the drawer handle and adapted to exert a resilient force pushing the detent element against the drawer body
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry appliance having a cabinet accommodating a laundry treatment chamber and a storage drawer adapted to slide into the cabinet along a first direction. The storage drawer comprises a drawer body and a drawer handle. The drawer handle is connectable with the drawer body in a releasable way through a coupling arrangement. The coupling arrangement comprises drawer body sliding means arranged on the drawer body, and drawer handle sliding means arranged on the drawer handle and adapted to slidingly engage with the drawer body sliding means for allowing the drawer handle to move with respect to the drawer body. The drawer body and drawer handle sliding means extend along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to a top surface of the cabinet so as to allow the drawer handle to be detached from the drawer body by a lateral movement along said second direction.