Washer Door Prop Latch for Stable Venting and Strike Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Front load laundry washing machines face issues with mold and mildew growth due to inadequate air venting, and their doors often close unintentionally due to uneven installation or slight pushes, leading to unsanitary conditions and unpleasant smells, with existing solutions not being suitable for these specific applications.
Innovation Solution
A latch plate assembly with a pivotable arm and snap-clip mechanism that can be easily installed on existing appliances to maintain the door in an open position, allowing for reliable venting and accommodating misalignments between latch and strike components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the door is left open for venting, then mold and mildew growth is reduced, but the door may close unintentionally due to gravity or accidental pushes
Solution Approach 1:
A prop arm is introduced as an intermediary mechanical element between the door and the appliance body. The prop arm engages with a strike plate to physically support the door in an open position, preventing unintentional closure while maintaining the venting benefit. This mediator allows the door to remain open reliably without requiring active control systems.
2Reliability
If a complex door holding mechanism is added, then door position stability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The prop arm and strike plate are designed as simple, inexpensive mechanical components that can be easily manufactured and installed. Rather than using complex electronic sensors, motors, or sophisticated latch mechanisms, the invention employs basic mechanical elements that provide reliable door holding functionality at low cost and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The prop arm is designed to be manually engaged and disengaged by the user without requiring complex control systems. The mechanism serves itself through simple mechanical engagement with the strike plate, eliminating the need for motors, sensors, or electronic control circuits while maintaining reliable door position holding.
3Reliability
If precise alignment between latch and strike is required, then latch reliability is improved, but manufacturing and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strike plate is designed with a larger engagement surface and adjusted geometric parameters compared to a standard strike. This modified geometry provides a more tolerant engagement zone that accommodates dimensional variations and misalignments between the latch and strike, ensuring reliable engagement without requiring precision manufacturing or adjustment.
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
The solution effectively prevents door closure due to gravity or accidental pushes, ensuring consistent air venting and reducing mold growth, while being inexpensive, user-friendly, and non-intrusive to normal door operation, and corrects misalignments during closure.
Implementation Method 1
The door may swing about a nominally vertically arranged hinge axis. In the event that the appliance is installed on an uneven surface, the door may tend to swing to a closed position under force of gravity.
Data Source
AI summary
A latch plate and striker assembly serve also to prop open the door of a front load laundry washer or other washing or laundry appliance, so as to releasably maintain the door in an open, chamber venting position (regardless of whether the appliance installation is perfectly level). The latch plate also includes a ramped receptacle, and the strike structure includes a prong designed to be guided into the receptacle by the ramp, to align (as necessary) the door strike with the door latch/lock as the door is closed.