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EP-4474717-B1 - APPARATUS WITH A CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING A HANDLE MEMBER

EP4474717B1EP 4474717 B1EP4474717 B1EP 4474717B1EP-4474717-B1

Inventors

  • RENDER, JOACHIM
  • Breitkreutz, Niklas

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240229

Claims (13)

  1. Appliance (1), preferably a domestic appliance (1), particularly preferably a kitchen appliance (1), most preferably a cooking appliance (1), comprising an interior with an access opening, and comprising a closure element (12) designed to be moved by a user by means of a handle element (13) in order to close and release the access opening to the interior, the handle element (13) having at least one inner part (14) fixedly connected to the closure element (12) and at least one outer part (15) fixedly connected to the inner part (14) of the handle element (13), the outer part (15) having an outer surface of which the surface extent in the closed state of the closure element (12) is oriented substantially parallel to the access opening to the interior, characterised in that the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) has at least one holding element (15a) extending in a straight line in a joining direction and the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) has at least one corresponding interlocking retainer (14a) extending obliquely away from the outer part (15) in the joining direction, the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) being force-fittingly connected to the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) by means of the interlocking of the interlocking retainer (14a) of the inner part (14) of the handle element (13), or vice versa, the joining direction being inclined relative to the surface extent of the outer surface of the outer part (15).
  2. Appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) is force-fittingly connected to the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) by means of a plurality of holding elements (15a) extending in a straight line in the joining direction, by means of the interlocking of a plurality of interlocking retainers (14a) of the inner part (14) of the handle element (13).
  3. Appliance (1) according to claim 2, wherein the pairs consisting of holding elements (15a) of the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) and interlocking retainers (14a) of the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) are uniformly spaced apart.
  4. Appliance (1) according to either of the two preceding claims, wherein at least one of the holding elements (15a) of the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) is T-shaped and/or wherein at least one of the holding elements (15a) of the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) is C-shaped.
  5. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner part (14) of the handle element (13), preferably in each case, has a narrowed opening (14b) extending in a straight line in the joining direction and making the, preferably each, interlocking retainer (14a) of the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) accessible to the outer part (15) of the handle element (13), wherein, preferably in each case, a holding element rib (15b) of the outer part (15) of the handle element (13), which rib connects the, preferably each, holding element (15a) to the outer part (15), extends within the narrowed opening (14b) of the inner part (14) of the handle element (13).
  6. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the interlocking retainer (14a) of the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) is cylindrical.
  7. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the closure element (12) is configured and designed to be moved about an axis of rotation in order to close and release the access opening to the interior, wherein preferably the axis of rotation is oriented parallel to the in particular horizontal transverse axis (Y).
  8. Appliance (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the surface extent of the outer surface of the outer part (15) is oriented parallel to the axis of rotation.
  9. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) projects beyond the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) at least along the transverse axis (Y), preferably also along the longitudinal axis (X).
  10. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) is an outwardly visible decorative element (15) of the handle element (13).
  11. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the outer part (15) of the handle element (13) and the inner part (14) of the handle element (13) form a defined joint (16) therebetween.
  12. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle element (13) is arcuate so that it can be gripped from behind by the user with at least one finger, preferably with all fingers, at least in portions, preferably completely and continuously.
  13. Appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle element (13), in particular in the closed state of the closure element (12), is oriented substantially parallel to the transverse axis (Y) and/or the longitudinal axis (x), and is preferably aligned parallel to the horizontal (X, Y).

Description

The invention relates to a device with a locking element and a handle element. In many technical fields, devices or equipment are known that have an interior space or similar, the opening of which can be opened and closed by a movable locking element. Such a locking element can be a door, a flap, or the like. The movement between the opened and closed states can be rotational, achieved by pivoting or folding the locking element around an axis of rotation, for example, by means of hinges or the like, or translational, by pulling or pushing along an axis. Combined movements using appropriate mechanisms are also possible. In any case, it is known and customary that this movement of the locking element is performed by a person as the user. For this purpose, a handle is usually arranged on the front of the locking element, facing the user, and can be gripped by the user with their hand or at least with their fingers to move the locking element. Such handles can be designed as grips or handgrips, specifically to be grasped by the user from behind, which allows for a secure grip and hold of the handle and thus enables or facilitates safe and controlled guidance of the locking element during movement. Besides their technical function of being gripped and moved by the user, such handle elements should also be visually appealing or unobtrusive, since, as components or attachments of the locking mechanism, they face the user and are typically positioned in a visually prominent location. The handle elements can therefore significantly influence the external appearance of the locking mechanism. This is particularly true for kitchen appliances, and especially for built-in kitchen appliances, where the locking mechanism usually forms or even completely occupies the front. Furthermore, built-in kitchen appliances can be raised above the floor and thus positioned closer to the user's eye level, which can further increase the user's attention to the appliance's appearance. The handle element of a locking element can therefore be of great visual or aesthetic importance. A device with a locking element and handle element is, for example, from the printed text DE 10 2010 043 340 A1 known. For example, in cooking appliances, it is known to design the handle element of the locking mechanism in multiple parts, so that an inner part can be designed and fixedly mounted to the locking mechanism as a support element for the handle, in order to transmit the forces of the user's movement. The inner part of the locking mechanism can then be at least partially enclosed and concealed by an outer part, which serves as a decorative element of the handle, so that only the outer part is essentially or completely visible to the user and can be designed accordingly to be attractive, high-quality, and aesthetically pleasing. This allows both objectives or functions of a handle element of the locking mechanism to be combined. Two-part handle elements are described in the printed materials. DE 10 2016 206352 A1 , US 231 4 522 A and US 611 9 309 A revealed. The challenge here, however, is that the connection between the inner and outer parts of the handle of the locking mechanism must be both secure and visually appealing, or at least unobtrusive, to achieve both objectives and ensure proper function. This creates a gap at the contact points or surfaces between the inner and outer parts of the handle, which should therefore also be visually appealing and inconspicuous. Furthermore, visible screws between the inner and outer parts of the handle should be avoided, as these could be perceived as visually distracting by the user. A screw connection between the inner and outer parts of the handle element of the locking element using a setscrew, especially along the vertical axis from below, could make the screw connection visually disappear, but would involve increased manufacturing and assembly effort, which would lead to increased production costs. Accordingly, at least in the case of cooking appliances, gluing and locking are known methods for attaching the outer part to the inner part of the handle element of the locking element. A disadvantage of bonding the outer part to the inner part of the handle element of the locking mechanism is that significant process variations can occur during the bonding process, resulting in an uneven gap. Furthermore, the gap or joint can widen under the application of the subsequent load if the adhesive does not withstand the stresses, at least in the long term. This could negatively affect the user's perception of the product. A disadvantage of the locking or snap-fit connection between the outer part and the inner part of the handle element of the locking mechanism is that it does not reliably prevent the joined components from shifting relative to each other. Furthermore, due to play in the connected parts, locked components tend to produce noises such as rubbing and clicking sounds during subsequent handling, whi