Door and Hinge for a Laundry Machine

Abstract

A door (1) for a laundry machine includes an outer cover (2) (1), an inner cover (6), a frame element (4) arranged between the outer and inner cover (2, 6) and adapted to support the outer and inner cover, and a hinge (8) adapted to pivotable support the door (1) on a laundry machine. The hinge (8) has a body-side bearing element (10) adapted to be mounted at a body of a laundry machine, at least one door-side bearing element (40, 92) and at least one pivot element (12) pivotably connecting the body-side bearing element (10) and the at least one door-side bearing element (40, 94). A hinge reinforcement element (42) is mounted on the frame element (4) and includes at least one of the door-side bearing elements (40).

Description

CROSS REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to European Application No. 10192146.8, filed Nov. 23, 2010.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a door having a sandwiched construction formed by an outer shell, an inner shell and a frame interleaved therebetween, wherein the door has a hinge for pivotable or pivotably mounting the door to a body of a laundry machine, in particular to a washing machine, a dryer or a wash dryer.

EP 2 147 996 A1 discloses a door for a dryer, the door being formed of a sandwiched construction having an outer cover, an inner cover and sandwiched therebetween a ring-shaped frame. The frame provides mechanical stability for the thin walls of the outer and inner cover. The inner frame and the outer cover can be selectively be mounted in a 180 degree turn arrangement so that the door can be pivotably mounted to the body of the dryer at the left or right side of the loading opening. The hinge is formed by a body-side hinge part to be mounted at a frame of the loading opening, and a door-side hinge part, wherein the body-side hinge part and the door-side hinge part are pivotably connected together by a common pivot pin. The body-side hinge part has two cantilevers arranged spaced at a plate of the body-side hinge part. Each cantilever has a bearing for the pin at the free standing end of the cantilever. The door-side hinge part comprises two pivot members for receiving the pin which are integrally formed at the periphery of the ring-shaped frame.

A double-pivoted door hinge for a washing machine is known from US 2004/0107741A1, in which the door-side pivoting axis for a swing arm is provided at the inner side of an outer shell of the door. The door is sandwiched by an outer ring shell and an inner ring shell, wherein the section at the door-side hinge of the inner ring is formed by a separate ring section facilitating maintenance and mounting of the door hinge construction.

SUMMARY OF SELECTED INVENTIVE ASPECTS

It is an object of the invention to provide a door having a door hinge with improved mechanical stability; and to provide a laundry machine having such a door.

In an aspect, the invention provides a door for a laundry machine comprising:

an outer cover of the door,
an inner cover of the door,
a frame element arranged between the outer and inner cover and adapted to support the outer and inner cover, and
a hinge adapted to pivotably support the door on a laundry machine,
wherein the hinge comprises:
a body-side bearing element adapted to be mounted or mounted at a body of a laundry machine,
at least one door-side bearing element, and
at least one pivot element pivotably connecting the body-side bearing element and the at least one door-side bearing element;
wherein a hinge reinforcement element is mounted on the frame element and comprises at least one of said door-side bearing elements.

In another aspect, the invention provides a door for a laundry machine, which is formed with a sandwiched construction wherein a frame element is sandwiched between an outer cover and an inner cover of the door. The door comprises a hinge for pivotably supporting the door on a laundry machine, in particular on a frame at a laundry loading opening of the laundry machine. The hinge comprises a body-side bearing element, at least one door-side bearing element and at least one pivot element which is pivotably connected to the body-side bearing element and the at least one door-side bearing element. The body-side bearing element is adapted to be mounted at a body of a laundry machine. Preferably, the body-side bearing element is an individual element that can be mounted and released (for example for service) from the body of a laundry machine. Alternatively, the body-side bearing element is an element mounted at the body of a laundry machine and protruding therefrom such that the hinge connection between the body and the door is established when mounting the door at the body of a laundry machine. Preferably, the hinge (and thus the hinge connection to the laundry machine) is a single-axis hinge having only one pivoting axis.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a hinge reinforcement element is provided as a separate or individual element which is mounted on the frame element and which comprises at least one of said door-side bearing elements. By providing the hinge reinforcement element as a separate or individual element (before mounting it on the frame element), the manufacturing design and mechanical design of the hinge reinforcement element can be optimized for pivoting and mechanical purposes, independent of the manufacturing and mechanical design of the outer cover, the inner cover and the frame element. For example different and independent material selection can be made for the hinge reinforcement element as compared to the outer and inner covers and the frame element. Further, the manufacturing processes can be optimized for the hinge reinforcement element, independent of that relating to the outer cover, inner cover and frame element. For example mounting costs can be reduced when the molding or casting tools for the outer cover, the inner cover and the frame element are only two molding elements that are applied perpendicular to the plane of the elements to be molded. In contrast thereto, the pivot hole formed through the door-side bearing element(s) runs in a plane parallel to a plane of the outer cover, inner cover or frame element. Thus, the pivot hole requires an additional molding or casting tool that is applied in a plane parallel to the main plane such that an additional and costly mounting tool would be required.

As a further advantage, the small sized hinge reinforcement element can be manufactured from a higher value material as compared to the materials of the outer cover, inner cover or frame element. Small sized relates here to the smaller dimensions of the hinge reinforcement element as compared to the dimensions of the outer cover, inner cover and frame element, which is a factor of about 5 or 10.

According to a preferred embodiment, the frame element is made of a first material and said hinge reinforcement element is made of a second material, wherein the second material and the first material are different. In particular, the second material may be a material that is mechanically more stable than the first material. “Mechanically more stable” in this context means that the hinge reinforcement element is made of the second material having for example a higher carrying capacity and/or rupture strength as compared to the respective values of the first material. In a preferred embodiment the first material is plastic, in particular (injection) molded plastic, while the second material is a metal, in particular iron, steel or galvanized iron.

Preferably the hinge reinforcement element comprises at least one door-side bearing element as a single-piece or monolithic component.

According to a preferred embodiment, the hinge reinforcement element comprises at least one arm extending or protruding from the hinge reinforcement element and each of said arms comprises at its free standing end region one of said door-side bearing elements. In this way the pivoting point and the mounting point of the hinge reinforcement element are spatially separated such that the location of mechanically coupling the hinge reinforcement element to the frame element is remote from the pivoting point. Hence, the mechanical load is distributed over a wider area of the frame element. In particular, when in addition to the hinge reinforcement element the frame element comprises or is provided with at least one door-side bearing element, the locations of transmitting the mechanical load from the hinge to the frame element is distributed over a wider area of the frame element.

In an embodiment, when the hinge reinforcement element has two arms and is forming a U- or C-shape by the two arms and the connection therebetween, the axially spaced door-side bearing elements at the arms provide high torsional moment resistance for the hinge and at the same time distribute the load force over the distributed form of the U- or C-shape to remote locations where the hinge reinforcement element is coupled to the frame element.

According to an embodiment, the frame element comprises an outer frame member forming the periphery of the frame element, wherein in the section (in particular in the angular or arc section) of the frame member where the hinge reinforcement element is mounted to the outer frame member, the extension of the outer frame member towards the center of the frame element is greater than in the remaining (angular or arc) section where the hinge reinforcement element is not mounted to the outer frame member. In other words, it can be said that the radial distance between the center of the frame element and the inner periphery of the outer frame member is less in the angular section where the hinge reinforcement element is mounted (or is to be mounted) as compared to the radial distance to the inner periphery of the outer frame member in those (angular or arc) sections where the hinge connection is not mounted. This provides the advantage that the mechanical strength of the frame element is at least the same in the section or is even increased in the section of the hinge for mounting the hinge reinforcement element (hinge mounting base). This particularly applies when the outer frame member comprises a recess or cut-out in the section of the hinge connection such as to provide a clearance for pivoting the body-side bearing element (the arms thereof) through the cut-out or recess in the outer frame member.

Preferably, at least a portion of the hinge reinforcement element overlaps and/or is mounted to the (inner) region of the outer frame member which is extending inwardly in the section of the hinge connection.

Preferably, the hinge reinforcement element comprises a base plate or a base block for fixing the hinge reinforcement element to the frame element, wherein the base plate or base block is mounted adjacent a region of the frame element that is recessed with respect to the outer periphery of the frame element (recess or cut-out as mentioned before). In this embodiment at least one arm or cantilever is extending outward from the base plate or base block towards the periphery of the frame element (when the hinge reinforcement element is fixed to the frame element). The arm or cantilever has a pivot receiving member (e.g. door side bearing element) at its freestanding end for receiving the pivot or pin of the hinge. Preferably exclusively or essentially only the arm(s) or cantilever(s) of the hinge reinforcement element are extending outward from the base plate or base block. In such an arrangement the mechanical coupling section between the hinge reinforcement element and the frame element is shifted toward the center of the frame element with respect to the location of the pivoting axis, such that the mechanical stability of the hinge connection is improved. In particular when the frame element also comprises door-side bearing elements having a receptacle for receiving the pivot or pin of the hinge axis, the mechanical load from the hinge connection is distributed to the periphery of the frame element as well as to the frame element section located radially inward from the frame element periphery.

In case the hinge reinforcement element additionally comprises at least one stop element for limiting a pivoting range of the hinge, the stop element may also participate in the improved mechanical load distribution onto the frame element by the hinge reinforcement element. By providing the stop element, the mechanical load caused at the maximum opening angle of the door (when mounted at the laundry machine) is not directly acting on the frame element, the outer cover or the inner cover of the door. Preferably, at least one of said stop elements is arranged at an arm of said hinge reinforcement element at which one of said door-side bearing elements is arranged and/or at least one of said stop elements is acting on an arm of the body-side bearing element to restrict the angular movement of the body-side bearing element at a predefined opening angle.

According to an embodiment, a sleeve is inserted in a pivot hole of at least one of said at least one body-side bearing elements and/or at least one of said door-side bearing elements. The sleeve is adapted to receive the or one of the at least one pivot elements (e.g. pivot or pin) free of clearance and/or in a locking or friction fit manner. In this way, when the door is mounted at a laundry machine, there is no play or a significantly reduced play between the door and the laundry machine. And/or when the pivot or pin is inserted into the body-side bearing element(s) and/or door-side bearing element(s) due to the sleeve, the pivot element is axially secured and cannot slip out of the bearing element after being inserted during the mounting process. Preferably no additional fixing or locking means is required to prevent an axial shift or slide-out of the pivot element that may eventually result in a disconnection of the hinge connection.

According to a preferred embodiment at least one of said door-side bearing elements is provided at the frame element and at least one of said door-side bearing elements is provided at said hinge reinforcement element. As mentioned above, the multiple door-side bearing of the pivot connection provides a wide-area distribution of mechanical load from the hinge connection to the frame element directly and indirectly via the hinge reinforcement element.

Preferably the hinge reinforcement element is a metal element formed of a metal plate by planking or cutting. The hinge reinforcement element has at least one bent arm or cantilever, each bent arm or cantilever forming or comprising one of said door-side bearing elements. In this way a mechanically highly stable hinge reinforcement element can be formed by simple and cost saving manufacturing steps. This effect is further exploited in that also at least one of said stop elements is formed by the metal plate, for example as a bent protrusion extending from said metal plate, in particular extending from the bent arm of the metal plate.

In a further embodiment, the frame element comprises an outer frame member and an inner frame member. When the outer and/or inner cover is mounted on the frame element, the periphery of the inner and/or outer cover is supported by the outer frame member and an inner region of the outer and/or inner cover is supported by the inner frame member. Preferably the outer frame member and/or the inner frame member are formed as ring-shaped elements or essentially ring-shaped elements. In an additional or alternative embodiment the outer frame member and the inner frame member are connected to each other by at least one spoke. Preferably the inner frame member is at least locally abutting at an inner region of the inner side of the outer and/or inner cover.

Preferably, at least a portion of the frame element is a hollow structure comprising a plurality of ribs running in different directions. In particular, the frame element may have an outer frame member which is formed of a rib construction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is made in detail to preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the following figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of a door for a dryer,

FIG. 2 is a different perspective, exploded view of the dryer door shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective detail view showing a portion of the door frame having a hinge mounted thereto.

FIGS. 4a-c are different perspective views of a hinge reinforcement element shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective, exploded view of another embodiment of a dryer door according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective detail view showing a mounting of the door hinge to a frame of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a front-loading laundry treating machine, generically depicting a mount of a door and hinge according to an aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a dryer door 1 according to a first embodiment. The loading door 1 is formed in a sandwiched construction by an inner frame 4, that is covered on the outside by an outer cover or outer shell 2 and that is covered on the inner side by an inner cover or inner shell 6 (with respect to the mounted state when the door is mounted at a loading opening of a dryer). The loading door 1 may be pivotably mounted to a body of a dryer (e.g., as generically depicted in FIG. 7) by a hinge 8. In a similar way as in EP 2 147 996 A1, with respect to a loading opening of the dryer, the hinge 8 can interchangeably be provided on the left or right side of the loading opening and thus on the left or right side of the door 1. The figures show providing it on the right side (as seen facing the front of the appliance). For changing the door suspension between the left and right side (or vice versa), the orientation of the inner shell 6 is maintained, while the hinge, the outer shell 2 and the frame 4 are rotated by 180 degree when looking from the outside to the front face of the door 1. As can be seen, the inner shell 6 has mirror symmetry with respect to the vertical axis—seen when the door is in the mounted state at the dryer.

The hinge 8 is formed by a body bearing 10, a pivot 12, two bushings 14, two bearing blocks 40 arranged at the periphery of the frame 4 and a reinforcement plate 42 mounted or to be mounted on the peripheral area of the frame 4.

The outer shell 2 has a grip recess 16 or grip depression with an opening 18 through which a pivotable grip part is inserted in the mounted state (not shown). At the opposite side with respect to the grip recess 16, two passages 20 are formed at the periphery of outer shell 2. When pivoting the door 1 in a mounted state, i.e. when body bearing 10 is fixed to the loading opening frame of the dryer, then the hinge arms 76 (see FIG. 3) of the body bearing 10 can freely swing back and forth through the passages 20.

The inner shell 6 has an inclined dome 22 which in the mounted and closed state of the loading door 1 bends out towards the loading opening and deflects the laundry rotated in the drum towards the inner side of the drum. At the periphery the inclined dome 22 is surrounded by a mounting flange 24 used to fix the components 2, 4 and 6 of the sandwiched door 1 together. Along the mounting flange 24 spatially distributed holes 26 each with a reinforcement structure are provided. When mounting the door parts together, the outer shell 2 is snap-fitted onto the frame 4. For mounting the inner shell 6 to the frame 4, screws are inserted from the front face of the inner shell (the side facing towards the inner drum when mounted) through the holes 26 and into blind bores 48 provided at periphery of the frame 4 at locations mating with the positions of holes 26. The screws are screwed into the blind bores 48 to fix the inner shell 6 to the frame 4. Mirror-symmetrically on both outer sides, the inner shell 6 has cut outs 28 which are provided for the hinge arms 76 of the body bearing 10 such that they can freely swing when the hinge connection between the door 1 and body of the dryer is established.

Between the cut-outs 28 an aperture 30 is provided through which a locking bolt (not shown) pivotably passes, wherein the locking bolt is connected to the pivotable grip such that the door 1 can be locked or unlocked at the loading opening frame of a dryer. In the mounted state, the locking bolt passes through the left aperture, while the hinge arm swings through the cut outs 28 on the right side—or vice versa depending on the hinged side.

The frame 4 is formed of an outer ring 50 and an inner ring 52, wherein the outer and inner ring are connected by a plurality of spokes 54 that run radially in this embodiment. The outer ring 50 is formed of a ribbed construction which enables a mechanically stable but light weight construction. As best seen in FIG. 2, at the hinge side the frame has a reinforcement structure 56 which means that the radial extension of the outer ring 50 is wider in the hinge mounting section as compared to the other sections of the outer ring 50. In particular, the inner face of the outer ring 50 is closer to the center of the frame 4 in the angular section of the reinforcement structure 56. In the mounting region of hinge 8, the frame 4 has a reinforced U-frame 60 wherein the open side of the U-frame 60 is pointing radially outward. The side brackets of the U-frame 60 are formed by the bearing blocks 40 wherein each of the bearing blocks 40 has a tangentially running hole 41 for receiving the pivot pin 12. The bearing blocks 40 as well as the bottom bracket (portion between the bearing blocks) of the U-frame 60 is formed of material having a greater wall thickness than the other rib structure of the outer ring 50. Thus, by the U-frame 60 a mechanically stable construction is provided for receiving the torque moment, push and pull forces transmitted by the hinge connection under load or if a stroke is exerted (e.g. onto the door).

Referring to FIG. 3, the hinge 8 is shown in more detail. The body bearing 10 comprises a base plate 70 by which it is mounted to the loading door frame of a dryer (compare FIG. 3 in EP 2 147 996 A1). At the longitudinal ends of the base plate 70 torque claws 72 are arranged. The torque claws 72 grip into openings at the frame of the loading door opening and provide mechanical stability against torsion moments and vertical or lateral displacements. For aligning the base plate 70 and thus the door 1 during mounting the door to the body of the dryer, alignment pins 74 are provided on the rear face of base plate 70. The pins 74 extend from the plate 70 and engage with holes provided at the frame of the loading opening.

The hinge arms 76 are based at and extend from the front face of base plate 70 (compare FIG. 1) and have rolled sleeves 78 at the extending ends of the hinge arms 76. A bar 80 is running between the rolled sleeves 78 and provides additional mechanical stability against relative movements of the tool hinge arms 76 relative to each other. The base plate 70 and its elements are formed from a single metal sheet by cutting, bending, buckling and rolling. As mentioned before, during pivoting the hinge arms 76 move in the clearances provided by the cutouts 28 in the inner shell 6, the open side of U-frame 60 formed in frame 4 and the passages 20 formed in the outer cover 2.

As further shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcement plate 42 is fixed by screws 44 to the frame 4 by screwing the screws 44 into threaded holes 46 provided close to the U-frame 60 but radially shifted towards the center of the frame. The screws 44 are passed through the screw holes 90 provided in the reinforcement plate 42. “Threaded holes” in this context may comprise through holes or blind bores that are ‘threaded’ by screwing in a thread-cutting screw.

As shown in FIGS. 4a-c, cantilevers 92 are provided at longitudinal ends of the reinforcement plate 42, wherein—similar to U-frame 60—the cantilevers 92 together with the reinforcement plate 42 form a U- or C-shape. At its freestanding end, each cantilever 92 has a pin hole 94, wherein the axis of the pin hole 94 runs in a tangential direction relative to the frame 4 after mounting the reinforcement plate 42 to the frame. At the outer end of each cantilever 92 a stop claw 96 is provided which is bent to extend in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcement plate 42. At a predetermined opening angle of the door 1 relative to the body bearing 10, the stop claws 96 laterally abut against the inner side of the hinge arm 76 provided at the body bearing 10. FIG. 3 shows the relative position of the body bearing 10 to the reinforcement plate 42 (and thus frame 4) in which the claw 96 abuts against the inner side of hinge arm 76 (best seen at the upper hinge connection). Thereby, the opening range of the door in the mounted state is limited to the maximum opening angle to avoid damage to the door's outer shell 2.

The hinge connection is provided as follows. Referring to the arrangement as shown in FIG. 3, the first one of the bushings 14 is inserted into rolled sleeve 78 from the upper side, such that the collar of the bushing 14 abuts at the upper side to the upper side of the upper rolled sleeve 78. The second bushing is inserted into the lower rolled sleeve 78 from below such that the collar of the second bushing 14 abuts from below at the lower edge of the lower rolled sleeve 78. The reinforcement plate 42 is screwed by the two screws 44 onto the lateral side of frame 4 which is facing the inner face of the outer shell 2. The rear face of reinforcement plate 42 at least partially covers the side face of the U-frame 60. When the reinforcement plate 42 is fixed to the frame, the pin hole 94 of the upper cantilever 92 is concentrically aligned to the tangential hole 41 of the upper bearing block 40, while the pin hole 94 of the lower cantilever 92 is concentrically aligned with the tangential hole 41 of the lower bearing block 40. Then the bushings 14 inserted into rolled sleeves 78 of the body bearing 10 are concentrically aligned to the holes 41 in the bearing blocks 40 and the pivot or pin 12 is inserted from above or below. For example, when inserting pivot pin 12 from above, it first passes the hole 41 of the upper bearing block 40, the pin hole 94 of the upper cantilever 92, the hole of the bushing 14 in the upper rolled sleeve 78, the bushing in the lower rolled sleeve 78, the pin hole 94 of the lower cantilever 92 and finally the hole 41 in the lower bearing block 40. In an embodiment, the inner diameter of the bushings 14 is undersized as compared to the outer diameter of the pivot 12 (i.e. the inner diameter of the bushings 14 is smaller than the outer diameter of the pivot 12), and thus the pivot pin 12 has to be inserted against compression forces through the bushings 14. After inserting the pivot pin 12 up to the final position, the final position of the pivot pin 12 is maintained by friction suspension and friction lock which the bushings 14 exert on the outer surface of the pivot pin 12.

By this hinge connection, the suspension area of the hinge suspension is distributed over a wider area of the frame 4. Thus, the hinge connection can withstand higher push, pull or torque forces acting on the door when the user is opening or closing the door or unintentionally hits the door. On the other hand, by using the reinforcement plate 42 as an additional bearing, the mechanical requirements for the material selection for the frame 4 are lower. For example less expensive material may be used when injection molding the frame 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment for providing the door-side suspension for the hinge connection. Like elements are indicated by the same reference numerals and for details reference is made to the first embodiment. The difference between the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and the second embodiment is that in the second embodiment no bearing blocks 40 are provided at the frame 4. Instead, the frame 4′ of the second embodiment has a wider hinge cut-out and provides at the frame-side periphery of the hinge cut-out a frame fit 100. The frame fit 100 provides a mating receptacle for receiving a U-block 102 which represents a frame reinforcement element. The form of the U-block 102 is essentially or approximately C- or U-shaped. The U-block 102 has holes 104 through which screws can be inserted. The screws inserted through the holes 104 are screwed in to mating holes 101 formed at the front face of the frame 4 such that the U-block 102 is fixed in the frame fit 100 of the frame 4.

The U- or C-shaped U-block 102 is formed by the brackets formed of upper and lower bearing blocks 108 and the bottom bracket formed of U-bracket 106. The bearing blocks 108 have tangential holes for receiving the pivot or pin 12 (tangential with respect to the frame 2 when being mounted thereon). Mounting the hinge to the frame 4 is essentially the same when using the U-block 102 as if using the reinforcement plate 42 of the first embodiment. The difference is that the bearing blocks 108 provided at the U-block 102 replace the bearing blocks 40 of the frame 4 and the cantilever 92 with the pin holes 94 of the reinforcement plate.

Preferably, the U-block 102 is a single cast or the monolithic block formed of a material that has a higher load capability, rupture strength and/or damage resistance than the material of the frame 4. Preferably, the frame 4 as well as the U-block 102 are formed of molded plastics, wherein the plastic material of the U-block 102 is different than that of the frame 4 and provides the higher mechanical resistance. As more plastic material is required for the frame than for block 102, the material for the frame can be selected to be less a stable material which is less expensive as compared with the material required for the U-block 102.

FIG. 7 generically depicts a front load laundry treating machine 110 provided with a door 1, 1′ and hinge 8, 8′ according to the aspects of the invention previously described. A door and hinge according to the invention may be applied to any one of a tumble dryer, washing machine, wash dryer or dryer cabinet.

The present invention has been described in terms of preferred and exemplary embodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of this disclosure.

Reference Numeral List:
1     loading door
2     outer cover/outer shell
4, 4′ frame
6     inner cover/inner shell
8, 8′ hinge
10    body bearing
12    pivot
14    bushing
16    grip recess
18    opening
20    passage
22    inclined dome
24    mounting flange
26    screw hole with reinforcement
28    cut-out
30    aperture
40    bearing block
41    hole
42    reinforcement plate
44    screw
45    hole
46    threaded hole
48    blind bore
50    outer ring
51    rib
52    inner ring
54    spoke
56    reinforcement structure
60    U-frame
70    base plate
71    hole
72    torque claw
74    alignment pin
76    hinge arm
78    rolled sleeve
80    bar
90    screw hole
92    cantilever
94    pin hole
96    stop claw
100   frame fit
101   threaded hole
102   U-block
104   hole
106   U-bracket
108   bearing block
110   laundry treatment machine

Claims

1. A door for a laundry machine, comprising:

an outer cover of the door,

an inner cover of the door,

a frame element arranged between the outer and inner cover and adapted to support the outer and inner cover, and

a hinge adapted to pivotable support the door on a laundry machine,

wherein the hinge comprises:

a body-side bearing element adapted to be mounted at a body of a laundry machine,

at least one door-side bearing element, and

at least one pivot element pivotably connecting the body-side bearing element and the at least one door-side bearing element;

wherein, a hinge reinforcement element is mounted on the frame element and comprises at least one of said door-side bearing elements.

2. A door according to claim 1, wherein said frame element is made of a first material and said hinge reinforcement element is made of a second material, wherein the second material is mechanically more stable than the first material.

3. A door according to claim 2, wherein the first material is plastic and the second material is metal.

4. A door according to claim 2, wherein the first and second materials are plastic and the second plastic is more stable than the first plastic.

5. A door according to claim 1, wherein each one of said door-side bearing elements provided at the hinge reinforcement element is provided at an arm extending from said hinge reinforcement element.

6. A door according to claim 5, wherein said hinge reinforcement element is U- or C-shaped having two of said arms as C- or U-brackets.

7. A door according to claim 5, wherein said at least one arm extends substantially perpendicularly relative to the pivot axis of the hinge.

8. A door according to claim 1, wherein the frame element comprises an outer frame member and the radial extension of the outer frame member towards the center of the frame element is greater in a hinge mounting section of the frame element than the radial extension of the outer frame member in other sections thereof.

9. A door according to claim 1, wherein the hinge reinforcement element comprises a base plate or base block for fixing the hinge reinforcement element to the frame element, wherein the base plate or base block extends radially inward toward the frame element center with respect to a pivot axis of the hinge.

10. A door according to 9, wherein the base plate or base block has a substantial portion arranged offset to the pivoting axis of the hinge towards the center of the frame element.

11. A door according to claim 1, wherein at least one stop element is provided at said hinge reinforcement element and is adapted to limit a pivoting range of the hinge at a predetermined opening angle.

12. A door according to claim 11, wherein at least one of said stop elements is arranged at an arm of said hinge reinforcement element.

13. A door hinge according to claim 12, wherein at least one of said stop elements is formed integrally or monolithically with the hinge reinforcement element.

14. A door according to claim 1, wherein a sleeve is inserted into a pivot hole of at least one of said at least one door-side bearing elements and/or into at least one pivot element receiver provided at said body-side bearing element, wherein preferably said sleeve is adapted to receive a corresponding one of said pivot elements free of clearance and/or in a locking manner and/or in a friction fit manner.

15. A door according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said door-side bearing elements is provided by the frame element and wherein at least one of said door-side bearing elements is provided by said hinge reinforcement element.

16. A door according to claim 1, wherein the hinge reinforcement element and/or the frame element has at least two of said door-side bearing elements arranged in an axially spaced relationship with respect to the pivoting axis of the hinge.

17. A door according to claim 15, wherein the at least one door-side bearing elements provided by the hinge reinforcement element is arranged axially aligned and in close proximity to the at least one of said door-side bearing elements provided by the frame element.

18. A door according to claim 1, wherein the hinge reinforcement element is formed of a metal plate having at least one bent arm each forming or comprising one of said door-side bearing elements.

19. A door according to claim 18, wherein said stop element is arranged at said bent arm, said stop element being formed of a bent protrusion extending from said bent arm.

20. A door according to claim 19, wherein said stop element is arranged close to said door-side bearing element.

21. A door according to claim 1, wherein the body-side bearing element comprises at least two bearing members arranged coaxial to each other and axially spaced from each other, said bearing members being connected by a rib or bar.

22. A laundry treating machine having a door according to claim 1, wherein the body-side bearing element is mounted at a loading opening frame of the laundry machine.

23. A laundry treating machine having a door according to claim 22, wherein the door is a front loading door of the laundry machine.