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EP-4739832-A1 - WASHING MACHINE AND/OR TUMBLE DRYER

EP4739832A1EP 4739832 A1EP4739832 A1EP 4739832A1EP-4739832-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a washing machine and/or tumble dryer having - a housing with a front wall (10); - a closure element (11), which in a closed position is arranged beneath the front wall (10), or in the front wall (10), and in an open position is swung out from the front wall (10); - a flexible operating element (1), which is fastened on the closure element (11) and is designed so that, when operated, it causes the closure element (11) to pivot out of the closed position into the open position, wherein the flexible operating element (1) is fixed in terms of its shape and orientation in relation to the closure element (11).

Inventors

  • Schröder, Beate
  • RADUSIN, DARKO
  • Götze, Jonas

Assignees

  • Miele & Cie. KG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240606

Claims (11)

  1. 1. Washing machine and/or dryer, comprising a housing with a front wall (10); a closure element (11) which is arranged in a closed position below the front wall (10) or in the front wall (10) and in an open position is folded out from the front plane of the front wall (10); a flexible operating element (1) which is fastened to the closure element (11) and is designed to cause the closure element (11) to pivot from the closed position to the open position when operated, the flexible operating element (1) being fixed in its shape and its orientation in relation to the closure element (11).
  2. 2. Washing machine and/or dryer, wherein the closure element (11) is a base flap or a door for closing a filling opening.
  3. 3. Washing machine and/or dryer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flexible operating element (1) is made of a thermoplastically deformable material and/or fibers.
  4. 4. Washing machine and/or dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that the flexible operating element (1) is fixed in its shape and orientation by means of a heating element by applying heat and/or pressure over a predetermined period of time.
  5. 5. Washing machine and/or dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible operating element (1) is provided with a rigid insert (5) which is designed and arranged on the flexible operating element (1) in such a way that it fixes the latter in its shape and orientation.
  6. 6. Washing machine and/or dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that the flexible operating element (1) has two flexible layers, between which the rigid insert (5) is arranged, and/or that the rigid insert (5) is arranged on an outer side of the flexible operating element (1).
  7. 7. Washing machine and/or dryer according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the rigid insert (5) is connected to the flexible operating element (1) in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting and/or material-fitting manner.
  8. 8. Washing machine and/or dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closure element (11) has a shaping geometry which fixes the flexible operating element (1) in its shape and orientation.
  9. 9. Washing machine and/or dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flexible operating element (1) is arranged on an inner side of the closure element (11) which faces towards an interior of the washing machine and/or dryer.
  10. 10. Washing machine and/or dryer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base flap (11) has housing components (2, 4) and the flexible operating element (1) is fastened between the housing components (2, 4) of the base flap (11).
  11. 11. Washing machine and/or dryer according to claim 10, characterized in that the housing components (2, 4) form a group of components which are attached to a further housing component forming the base flap (11).

Description

Description washing machine and/or dryer The invention relates to a washing machine and/or dryer. In particular, the invention relates to a washing machine and/or dryer that has a housing with a front wall and a base flap that is arranged below the front wall in a closed position and is folded out from the front wall in an open position. Such a base flap is usually provided as a service flap in the washing machine for a lint filter and possibly a dosing device or in the dryer for removing a depth filter. It is usually designed as a flat plate that lies in a plane with a plate that forms the front wall of the washing machine and/or dryer. It is known that the base flap can be operated, spring-loaded and unlocked or electromechanically opened using push-pull elements, swivel plugs or recessed grips. This results in disadvantages such as visual impairments such as large, sometimes wedge-shaped joints for operating the push-pull mechanism, disruptive shapes for recessed grips, joints in multi-part implementations, etc., increased complexity in component/assembly tool development and correspondingly high costs. There is also a conflict between having as little influence as possible on the visual appearance of the washing machine and/or dryer and making the base flap as obvious and user-friendly as possible to operate. There is therefore a need for a washing machine and/or dryer with a control element that overcomes the described disadvantages, in particular with a visually appealing, obvious and easy-to-use control element for operating the base flap. The invention therefore addresses the problem of providing a washing machine and/or dryer with a visually appealing, self-explanatory and easy-to-use control element for operating the base flap. According to the invention, this problem is solved by a washing machine and/or dryer having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the following subclaims. The advantages achievable with the invention are, in addition to the provision of a visually appealing, obvious and easy-to-use control element for the The advantage of the base flap is that it enables an improved user experience, overcomes the disadvantages described above and allows the flexible control element to be provided with lettering. The alignment of the flexible control element relative to the front wall can be implemented in the orientation desired by the manufacturer. This ensures an attractive appearance, good legibility of the lettering and optimal usability. The flexible control element and its alignment are clearly defined so that it extends from the front wall with a predefined direction. The invention relates to a washing machine and/or a drying machine, comprising a housing with a front wall; a closure element which is arranged in a closed position below the front wall or in the front wall and is folded out from the front wall in an open position; a flexible operating element which is fastened to the closure element and is designed to cause the closure element to pivot from the closed position to the open position when operated, the flexible operating element being fixed in its shape and orientation in relation to the closure element. The closure element can be arranged as a base flap below the front wall or in the lower area of the front wall. In another design, the closure element can be a door to close the loading opening. The loading opening is used to access the treatment room, i.e. the washing drum or the dryer drum. Preferably, the flexible operating element is designed as a textile operating element. More preferably, the flexible operating element is designed as a textile tab. There are several ways to achieve the flexible control element orientation desired by the manufacturer. Three of the options are described in more detail below. A first possibility for achieving the fixed shape and orientation is by means of thermal forming during the manufacture of the flexible control element. By applying heat and pressure over a certain period of time using a heating element, the orientation of the flexible control element made of thermoplastic materials or (synthetic) fibers can be changed and fixed. In a preferred In one embodiment, the flexible operating element is made of a thermoplastically deformable material and/or fibers such as synthetic fibers. These are easily deformable at a predetermined temperature range. Preferably, the flexible operating element is fixed in its shape and orientation by applying heat and/or pressure over a predetermined period of time using a heating element. For example, the flexible operating element is picked up in a suitable device and ironed to create a defined bend with a predetermined angle of projection. A textile tab is well suited as an operating element for this purpose. A second possibility for achieving the fixed shape and orientation is the use of an insert component or an insert. In