Door closing connection

Abstract

A door lock for frontally loading a washing machine, a drier or similar devices, which is mounted on the machine front wall, wherein said door lock comprises a stop knob and a locking segment provided with an undercut, the front wall comprises an aperture and a stop opening, the locking segment, in the operating position thereof, is connected by behind to the opposite edges of the aperture and the undercut, and the stop knob is inserted into the stop opening. The peripheral contour of the undercut is at least partially rounded, thereby enabling the locking segment to be rotatable in the aperture.

Description

The invention relates to an arrangement of a door lock of a front loading door of a washing machine, a drier or the like on a front panel of the machine, the door lock comprising at least one stop knob and a locking portion with a catch opening for a hook on the loading door and with an undercut, and the front panel having an aperture and a stop opening, the locking portion, in its operating position penetrating the aperture, gripping opposing edges of the aperture from behind with the undercut and the stop knob fitting into the stop opening. The invention also comprises a corresponding assembly method.

An arrangement of this type is known from EP 1 418 266 A2. It comprises a fastening portion which likewise has an opening for receiving a hook in the loading door. A salient rectangular frame encloses the opening. At the transition of the frame to the fastening portion, the frame has two grooves lying opposite to one another and running parallel which can engage two edges, likewise lying opposite to one another, of an opening in a front panel of the washing machine. In addition, the fastening portion has two elastically arranged pins which project from the fastening portion in the same direction as the salient frame. When the device is assembled, they engage in corresponding holes in the front panel. Finally, elastic spring means are arranged on the fastening portion which are designed to compensate for play between the grooves and the edges of the opening in the front panel with which they engage when the device is assembled. To assemble the device, the rectangular frame is inserted, with a first edge initially inclined, into the opening in the front panel such that an edge of the opening engages with one of the two grooves. This makes it possible for the salient frame to drop fully into the opening such that the fastening portion lies parallel with the front panel. The fastening portion is now just pushed back in the plane thereof such that the opposite edge of the opening engages with the other of the two grooves. In this position, in which the fastening portion is held by the locking of the elastic pins into the holes in the front panel, the salient frame thus grips the back of the opening along two of its edges. In order to assemble the fastening portion, it is therefore necessary for the distance from the bottom of the one groove to the edge of the salient frame opposite to it not to exceed the distance between the opposing edges of the opening that are designed to engage with the grooves. In the lateral direction running orthogonally thereto, in which the salient frame has no grooves, the distance between its edges corresponds to the distance between the edges of the opening. When the device is assembled, they respectively come to rest against one another. Since the salient frame does not overlap these edges, visible gaps can arise here for the user.

The object of the present invention is to indicate an improved arrangement of a door lock which provides secure assembly and ease of production.

According to the invention, the undercut of the arrangement specified in the introduction has to this end an at least partially rounded peripheral contour that enables rotation of the locking portion in the aperture. The door lock is thus initially assembled precisely as in the prior art. However, in order to lock the stop knob, the door lock is rotated about, for example, 90°. The rotation of the locking portion provides a secure undercut during the assembly of the door lock.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a single stop knob can be arranged for fixing the operating position of the door lock. The production cost in respect of the door lock can be reduced by managing without a second and further stop knobs.

The mutually interacting outlines of the aperture on the one hand and of the locking portion on the other can assume almost any geometric shape. The proportions firstly in respect of a square aperture interacting with a rectangular locking portion are presented as a first option below and then in respect of a rectangular aperture interacting with a rectangular locking portion as a second option. The features reproduced here can also be applied and transferred by analogy to other geometric shapes for the respective outlines, for example to a circular or elliptical aperture that interacts with an elliptical locking portion.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the inventive arrangement, it may have a square aperture, the length of a lateral edge of which corresponds to the largest dimension of the undercut shape defined by the peripheral contour. The undercut shape is by this means fixed in a first direction when fully assembled inside the aperture, and in the second direction running orthogonally thereto, in which the undercut shape has initially to be displaceable for assembly purposes, its position is determined by the stop knob.

In a square aperture, a peripheral contour consisting essentially of curvatures is suitable. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the peripheral contour may therefore be composed of a semicircular arc on the one hand and of the flatter portion of a semielliptical arc on the other. Such an undercut shape has as its largest dimension a diameter with a length of twice the radius. The shortest diameter of the undercut shape, which enables movement of the undercut shape inside the square aperture during assembly, runs in the lateral direction, orthogonal thereto.

According to a second design option, a rectangular aperture with longer and shorter lateral edges and a rectangular or square locking portion can interact. A rectangular locking portion with longer and shorter lateral edges is preferably used because it offers more favorable geometric proportions. According to such an embodiment of the invention, the length of the longer lateral edges of the aperture can correspond to the length of the shorter lateral edges of the locking portion. The aperture consequently encloses a smaller area than the locking portion. After the insertion and rotation of the locking portion, this locking portion thus overlaps the aperture fully such that no undesired gaps remain visible from one viewing side.

In this second design option, the same undercut shape can in principle be used as is known from the first option. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, however, the largest dimension of the undercut shape can correspond to the longer lateral edge of the aperture. This dimensioning restricts the rotatability of the undercut shape inside the rectangular aperture. In this way, for example, the rotation required for assembling of the door lock can be restricted in terms of its direction and the angle swept in the process. The assembly rotation can advantageously be restricted to 90°, for example. Stipulation of the direction of assembly rotation may be necessary in order to preclude incorrect assemblies or because, for reasons of space, rotation in a different direction is not desired. The undercut shape can by this means also form limit stops which produce precisely defined contact surfaces of the undercut shape inside the aperture. They ensure that the locking portion is held in the aperture with no play.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the peripheral contour of the undercut shape may be based upon a rectangular with a length corresponding to the length of the shorter lateral edge of the aperture. Instead of two opposing corners, it can have curvatures, the radius of which corresponds to half the length of the shorter lateral edge of the aperture. This undercut shape fixes its rotational direction in the direction of its rounded comers. In addition, it can be rotated only about 90°. In the position of a 45° rotation, it utilizes the total length of the aperture, because the diagonal dimension approximately corresponds to the length of the aperture. In the operating position, i.e. after a rotation about 90°, the undercut shape than lies with the two shorter lateral edges of the original square in contact over their entire length with the longer lateral edges of the aperture. By this means, two opposite and parallel contact surfaces are produced which ensure that the locking portion is held in the aperture in a clearance-free and precisely defined manner. The locking portion can then be displaced only in a direction parallel to these contact surfaces. In this direction, however, the stop knob fastens it as soon as it has been inserted into the stop opening.

The contact surfaces can also be fashioned selectively such that in the operating position they do not run exactly parallel to the corresponding lateral edges of the aperture. The stop knob then has to be inserted into the stop opening under pretension. This deliberate imperfection produces an initial tension of the locking portion in the aperture which prevents possible play about the axis of assembly rotation as well as in the direction of this axis. Additional spring elements or the like which have to compensate for tolerances between locking portion and aperture are then indispensable.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the stop knob is elastically mounted. This facilitates assembly of the door lock and prevents deformations on the front panel of the machine during installation.

The stop knob interacts with a stop opening. For ease-of-production reasons, the stop opening has a circular periphery, and the stop knob consequently a circular cross-section. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the stop knob can have a cross-section that deviates from the circular cross-section. The stop opening must of course also be fashioned correspondingly. This arrangement prevents to a large extent rotation of the stop knob in the stop opening such that wobbling and rattling of the door lock is consequently virtually ruled out.

The object is also achieved in a method for assembling a door lock of a front loading door of a washing machine, a dryer or the like on a front panel of the machine, in which the door lock is inserted with a locking portion into an aperture on the front panel, then rotated into its operating position, and locked in the operating position on the front panel.

The principle of the invention will be explained by way of example in greater detail below with reference to drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a section from a front panel of a washing machine according to a first design option,

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a door lock,

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the door lock as per the sectional line III-III in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the door lock as per the sectional line IV-IV in FIG. 3,

FIGS. 5 to 8 show sectional views of the door lock according to FIG. 3 in various positions during installation,

FIG. 9 shows a section from a front panel of a washing machine according to a second design option,

FIG. 10 shows a plan view of a door lock,

FIG. 11 shows a sectional view of the door lock as per the sectional line X-X in Figure III, FIG. 12 shows a sectional view of the door lock as per the sectional line XI-XI in Figure IV,

FIGS. 13 to 15 show sectional views of the door lock according to FIG. 12 in various positions during installation.

FIG. 1 shows a section from a front panel 1 of a washing machine in the region of a loading opening. The loading opening is lockable by means of a loading door (not shown). The front panel has a square aperture 2 with equally long horizontal lateral edges 3, 3′ and vertical lateral edges 4, 4′, each of length A, and a stop opening 5. They serve for fastening a door lock 10 (shown in the further figures) which interacts with a hook (likewise not shown) on the loading door. FIG. 1 offers a view of the front panel from the inside 6 thereof, opposite to which lies an outside 7 visible only in FIGS. 5 to 8.

FIG. 2 represents a plan view of the door lock 10. For the sake of simplicity, only the particular part of the door lock 10 is shown which serves in fastening it, and this is shown as an approximately cubic body 11. The remaining attaching parts for, for example, a locking mechanism for blocking the door release have been omitted. The body 11 supports a locking portion 12 which has a funnel-shaped catch opening 13. The hook (not shown) of the loading door engages with the catch opening 13. The locking portion 12 has a rectangular periphery with horizontal lateral edges 14 of edge length B and vertical lateral edges of edge length C. The length C of the edge 15 corresponds approximately to the length A of the edges 3, 3′, 4, 4′ of the aperture 2. The length B of the lateral edge 14, on the other hand, is greater than the length A of the edges 3, 4.

A stop knob 16 having a circular cross-section is arranged next to the locking portion 12 on the body 11. The diameter of said knob corresponds to that of the stop opening 5.

On the body 11, a bevel 17 with respect to the locking portion 12 is arranged opposite the stop knob 16. It can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3 which corresponds to a sectional view along the sectional line III-III in FIG. 2. It undercuts the locking portion 12 such that it forms a projection 18 of depth D. Together with a flange 19 produced as a result on the locking portion 12 it encloses an angle a. It continues in a circulating undercut between the locking portion 12 and the body 11 which on the side of the locking portion 12 opposite the projection 18 opens into an indentation 20 having a return 21 of depth E.

The undercut is not fashioned regularly but has a changing depth along its course. This gives rise to an irregularly shaped peripheral contour of the undercut. FIG. 4, which represents a section along the sectional line IV-IV in FIG. 3, shows it in a plan view. The peripheral contour 30 surrounds two portions of the body 32, 32, lying next to one another, which have differing shapes. They are separated from one another by a lateral axis a and are respectively fashioned symmetrically with regard to a longitudinal axis b. They have the same width along the lateral axis a as the edges 15, 15′. Along the longitudinal axis b, on the other hand, the portion of the body 31 has the smaller depth F and the portion of the body 32 the greater depth G. There, the contour 30 thus touches—viewed two-dimensionally—the edges 14 lying opposite each other at the points 33. At precisely these points 33 the lateral axis a also cuts the edges 14 and the contour 30, and the longitudinal axis b cuts the contour 30 at the points 34 and 35.

In the portion of the body 32, the peripheral contour 30 constitutes a semicircular arc of radius R₁. The radius R1 corresponds to the length G and is half as long as the length C of the edges 15, 15′. Thus, twice the length of the radius R₁ also corresponds approximately to the length A of the edges 3, 3′, 4, 4′ of the aperture 2. The semicircular arc about the portion of the body 32 has the shortest distance to the lateral edge 15 at point 35. The distance has the length E and corresponds to the depth of the notch 20 (FIG. 3).

On the portion of the body 31, on the other hand, the peripheral contour 30 is fashioned elliptically. Its course there is defined by three differingly large radii R₂, R₃ and R₄. The contour 30 has in its elliptical section on the portion of the body 31 the shortest distance to the edge 15′ at point 34. This distance corresponds to the depth D of the projection 18 (FIG. 3).

The extent F of the portion of the body 31 along the longitudinal axis b is thus shorter than the extent G of the portion of the body 32. The shorter segment F together with the depth E of the indentation 20 corresponds to the length G. In order to assemble the door lock, it is necessary for the sum of the segment F, the segment G and the depth E to be at most equal in length to the lateral length A of the square aperture 2, because the locking portion 12 could not otherwise be inserted into the aperture 2 in the manner shown later. Per se, the dimension of the length D is almost arbitrary. Here, it corresponds to twice the depth E. Accordingly, the sums of the lengths D and F on the one hand and of G and E on the other are identical, such that the horizontal axis a constitutes an axis of symmetry of the locking portion 12 and its point of intersection with the longitudinal axis b simultaneously constitutes the center of gravity. The segments F and G together with the lengths D and E yield the length B. The peripheral contour 30 is thus asymmetrically arranged relative to the locking portion 12 such that the contour has a distance D from the edge 15′ at point 34 that is twice the distance (E) from the edge 15 at point 35.

FIGS. 5 to 8 below are intended to clarify the assembly process. FIG. 5 shows a starting position of the door lock 10 in a first assembly step, in which it is inserted from the inside 6 thereof into the front panel 1 in the direction of the arrow R. The front panel 1 is to this end viewed in a sectional view according to the sectional line V-V in FIG. 1. The door lock 10 is arranged with an inclination relative to the front panel 1 at the aperture 2 such that the locking portion 12 is firstly inserted with the portion of the body 31 into the aperture 2, the edge 3 of the aperture 2 drops fully into the undercut between the bevel 17 and the flange 19 and comes to rest at point 34 on the peripheral contour 30. In order for the edge 3 to be able to engage at all with the undercut running horizontally on the locking portion 12, the bevel 17 is arranged on the front edge of the locking portion 12 in the direction of the arrow R. It lies flush against the inside 6 of the front panel 1 in the region of the edge 3. The locking portion 12 thus undercuts with its projection 18 the edge 3 such that the flange 19 comes to rest against the outside 7 of the front panel 1. Because the edges 3, 3′ have the same length as the edges 15, 15′, the edges 14, 14′ of the locking portion 12 running at a right angle thereto rest against the edges 4, 4′ of the aperture 2. The locking portion 12 is thus held immovably in a direction parallel to the lateral axis a in the aperture 2. In this position, the door lock 10 has an inclination relative to the front panel 1 that corresponds to the angle a (FIG. 3). This position is shown in FIG. 6.

The door lock 10 is then lowered in the direction of the arrow S on to the front panel 1 such that the locking portion 12 also drops with the portion of the body 32 into the aperture 2. This is possible because the part of the locking portion 12 dropping into the aperture has the depth F of the portion of the body 31, the depth G of the portion of the body 32 and the depth E, which together correspond to the edge length A of the aperture 2. The stop knob 13 still prevents in this position the door lock 10 from resting with its body 11 flush against the inside 6 of the front panel 1 (FIG. 7). It is, however, a prerequisite in order for the return 21 to be able to undercut the edge 3′. To enable this, either a deformation of the front panel 1 has to be accepted or the stop knob 16 has to be elastically mounted.

In order to bring the door lock 10 into its operating position according to FIG. 8, it has to be rotated out of its position according to FIG. 7 about a 90° rotation. In the process, the point of contact of the undercut with the edge 3, which lay previously at point 34, moves along the peripheral contour 30 to one of the points 33. Only when the quadrant rotation is complete, i.e. the stop knob 16 engages with the stop opening 5, does the door lock 10 rest flush against the inside of the undeformed front panel 1.

FIG. 8 represents the operating position of the door lock 10. Its view corresponds to the sectional line VIII-VIII in FIG. 1. The locking portion 12 in this position now no longer undercuts the front panel 1 with its projection 18 and its return 21 in the region of the edges 3, 3′, but in the region of the edges 4, 4′. The edge 4 now penetrates the indentation 20 of the undercut. The projection 18 of the aperture 2 opposite the indentation 20 is slightly withdrawn from the undercut in the region of the bevel 17. An unwanted displacement of the door lock along this path during operation is, however, prevented by the fit of the stop knob 16 in the stop opening 5, so that the position of the door lock 10 inside the aperture 2 in the direction of the longitudinal axis b is precisely defined and fixed. In the direction of the lateral axis a running perpendicular thereto, the peripheral contour 30 rests at the points 33 respectively against the edges 3, 3′ of the aperture 2 with no possibilities of movement.

FIGS. 9 to 15 show an alternative embodiment of the door lock connection according to the invention. In a front panel 40, which in FIG. 9 can be viewed from a front side 45, in place of a square aperture, a rectangular aperture 41 is now arranged with lateral edges 42 and 43. The shorter lateral edge 42 has the length K, the longer lateral edge 43 the greater length L. Arranged next to the aperture 41 is a, likewise circular, stop opening 44.

FIG. 10 shows an associated door lock 50. It likewise has a body 51, a locking portion 52 with a funnel-shaped catch opening 53. The locking portion 52 has a rectangular outline with longer lateral edges 54 of length I and shorter lateral edges 55 of length M. A stop knob 56 is arranged next to the locking portion 52. The body 51 likewise has a bevel 57, above which a projection 58 on the locking portion 52 projects. The sectional view along the line X-X, which FIG. 11 represents, does not differ in principle from the sectional view according to FIG. 3. Only the shape of the undercut which begins between the bevel 57 and behind the projection 58, runs around the locking portion 52 and opens into an indentation 59 on the opposite side, has a peripheral contour 70 which can only be seen in FIG. 12 and deviates from the previous exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 offers a sectional view along the sectional line XII-XII in FIG. 11. This section is traced in the plane of the undercut and also records the stop knob 56. The sectional view according to FIG. 12 thus provides a view, seen as it were from the direction of the body 51. The locking portion 52 forms with its longer lateral edges 54 of length I and its shorter lateral edges 55 of length M a rectangle. Arranged thereupon is an undercut shape 71 with the peripheral contour 70. The undercut shape 71 has an essentially rectangular shape with the longer lateral edges 72 and the shorter lateral edges 73. The longer lateral edges 72 have the length O, the shorter lateral edges 73 the shorter length N. The rectangle on which the undercut shape 71 is based is rounded at two diagonally opposite corners 74, with the radius R5 that corresponds to a length O/2. For assembling the door lock 50, the diagonal dimensions of the undercut shape 71 are also of significance. The longer diagonal 75 of the undercut shape 71 has the length P, the shorter diagonal 76 the length Q. Since the diagonal 76 is determined from the radius R5, its length Q corresponds to twice the length of the radius R5. Since this radius in turn makes up half the length O, the length Q and the length O are thus identical. The diagonal 76 consequently has the same length as the longer edge 72 of the rectangle on which the undercut shape is based.

The following dimensions are also important for assembling the door lock 50: the length P of the diagonal 75 of the undercut shape 71 is slightly smaller than the length L of the edge 43 of the aperture 41. In addition, the length O of the longer edge 72 of the undercut shape 71 essentially corresponds to the shorter lateral length K of the edge 42 of the aperture 41.

The significance of this dimensioning will be illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 15 below, in which the assembly of the door lock 50 on the front panel 40 is represented. In principle, it occurs in the same steps as were explained in FIGS. 5 to 8. Supplementary reference will also be made to these below. FIG. 13 represents a first assembly step in which the locking portion 52 is already inserted in the aperture 51 and the projection 58 is already undercutting the front panel from the outside 46 thereof. The assembly status in this diagram thus corresponds approximately to the diagrams in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the first exemplary embodiment in which the stop knob 56 prevents the door lock 50 from resting flush against the inside 46 of the front panel 40.

FIG. 14 represents a rotational image of the door lock 50 which is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow T shown in FIG. 7, toward its operating position, which is represented in FIG. 15. The rotation is made possible by the rounding off of the opposing corners 74. In interaction with the rectangular aperture 41, this design stipulates a rotation in a clockwise direction. Stipulation of a direction of rotation of the door lock 50 may be necessary in order, e.g. to rule out assembly defects on the inside 45 of the front panel 40 if spatial conditions in the region of the door lock 50 are cramped. With the locking portion 51 in the position shown in FIG. 14, the diagonal 76 of the undercut shape 71 extends over the total shorter width K of the aperture 41, the longer diagonal 75 filling the total length L of the undercut 41.

In FIG. 15, the door lock 50 has reached its end position and thus taken up its operating position. So that it is no longer dislodged from this position, the stop knob 56 engages in the aperture 44. The undercut shape 71 comes to rest with its opposing parallel lateral edges 73 against the longitudinal edges 43 of the aperture 41. They define the position of the door lock 50 in a lateral direction. In this lateral direction, the locking portion 52 covers the aperture 41 with its edge regions 77. In a longitudinal direction at a right angle thereto, by contrast, the lateral edges 55 of the locking portion 52 and the lateral edges 42 of the aperture 41 coincide. The stop knob 56 engaged in the stop opening 44 secures the door lock 50 against displacement of the locking portion 52. The door lock 50 is thus fixed, non-displaceably in any direction, in the aperture 41.

Since the preceding arrangements, described in detail, of door lock connections are exemplary embodiments, they can to a broad extent be modified in a usual manner by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the specific embodiments of the shapes of the locking portion can be executed in a different form from that described here where this is necessary for spatial or design reasons. Furthermore, the use of the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility of a plurality of the features concerned being present.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS FOR FIG. 1 TO FIG. 8

• 1 front panel
• 2 aperture
• 3, 3′ horizontal lateral edge
• 4, 4′ vertical lateral edge
• 5 stop opening
• 6 inside
• 7 outside
• 10 door lock
• 11 body
• 12 locking portion
• 13 catch opening
• 14, 14′ horizontal lateral edges
• 15, 15′ vertical lateral edges
• 16 stop knob
• 17 bevel
• 18 projection
• 19 flange
• 20 indentation
• 21 return
• 30 peripheral contour
• 31 portion of the body
• 32 portion of the body
• 33 point on the contour 30
• 34 point on the contour 30
• 35 point on the contour 30
• A edge length of the aperture 2
• B edge length of the edges 14, 14′
• C edge length of the edges 15, 15′
• D depth of the projection 18
• E depth of the indentation 20
• F depth of the portion of the body 31
• G depth of the portion of the body 32
• R direction of assembly
• S direction of assembly
• T direction of rotation
• a lateral axis
• b longitudinal axis
• R1 radius of semicircle
• R2, R3, R4 radii of ellipses

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS FOR FIG. 9 TO FIG. 15

• 40 front panel
• 41 aperture
• 42 horizontal lateral edges
• 43 vertical lateral edges
• 44 stop opening
• 45 front side
• 46 rear side
• 50 door lock
• 51 body
• 52 locking portion
• 53 catch opening
• 54 horizontal lateral edges
• 55 vertical lateral edges
• 56 stop knob
• 57 bevel
• 58 projection
• 59 indentation
• 70 peripheral contour
• 71 undercut shape
• 72 longer lateral edges
• 73 shorter lateral edges
• 74 corners
• 75 longer diagonal
• 76 shorter diagonal
• 77 lateral overhang
• I longer lateral length of locking portion 52
• H depth of indentation 59
• M shorter lateral length of locking portion 52
• N shorter lateral length of undercut shape 71
• O longer lateral length of undercut shape 71
• P length of longer diagonal 75
• Q length of shorter diagonal 76

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. An arrangement of a door lock of a front loading door of a laundry appliance including at least one of a washing machine and a dryer and having a front panel, the door lock comprising:

a stop knob and a locking portion with an undercut, the front panel having an aperture and a stop opening, the locking portion penetrating the aperture in its operating position;

grips opposing edges of the aperture from behind with the undercut and the stop knob fits into the stop opening; and

wherein the undercut has an at least partially rounded peripheral contour enabling a rotation of the locking portion in the aperture.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a single stop knob for fixing an operating position of the door lock.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a square aperture, wherein the largest dimension of the undercut shape defined by the peripheral contour corresponds to the length of a lateral edge of the aperture.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a peripheral contour which is composed of a semicircular arc and the flatter semi-elliptical arc.

15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a rectangular aperture with longer and shorter lateral edges, wherein the length of the longer lateral edge of the aperture corresponds to the length of at least one lateral edge of the locking portion.

16. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the largest dimension of the peripheral contour corresponds to the length of the longer lateral edge of the aperture.

17. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a peripheral contour which, based upon a rectangle with a length corresponding to the length of the shorter lateral edge of the aperture, has instead of two corners opposing curvatures, the radius of which corresponds to half the length of the shorter lateral edge of the aperture.

18. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stop knob is elastically mounted.

19. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stop knob has a cross-section which deviates from the circle cross-section.

20. A method for assembling a door lock of a front loading door of a laundry appliance having a front panel, the method comprising the acts of:

inserting the door lock with a locking portion into an aperture on the front panel; and

rotating the door lock into its operating position and locking the door lock in the operating position on the front panel.