EP2419689B1

EP2419689B1 - A cooling device with illuminated water dispenser

Info

Publication number: EP2419689B1
Application number: EP10714619.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Soner Kahraman; Han Iyigun; Serpil Kaymak; Soner Ilgin; Fuat Ari
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2009-04-13
Filing date: 2010-04-13
Publication date: 2013-06-05
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-13
Also published as: WO2010119016A2; CN102395847B; EP2419689A2; CN102395847A; WO2010119016A3; ES2426727T3

Description

The present invention relates to a cooling device with illuminated water dispenser.
In cooling devices, water dispensers are used that enable users to take their chilled beverages without opening the cooling device door and that are disposed on the door.
Water dispensers generally comprise a water tank at the side of the door that remains in the body and a faucet at the side of the door that remains outside. In some water dispensers, hot water and cold water faucets are situated. Water dispensers generally comprise an illumination element that provides the faucets to be reached in dark surroundings without the need of light. The illumination element can be a bulb or LED, and can be operated continuously or when desired.
In some of the state of the art embodiments, the illumination element is located on the rear wall of the water dispenser. In this embodiment, when the user leans his/her glass to the faucet, he/she hinders the illumination element with his/her hand and therefore it cannot be distinguished whether the glass is filled or not.
In some of the state of the art embodiments, the illumination element is disposed into the faucet and thus, illuminates the flowing water. In this embodiment, since the illumination element does not illuminate the outside of the faucet when the faucet is turned off, it cannot provide the water dispenser and the faucet to be visible in dark surroundings.
In the state of the art European Patent Application No EP1939558A1 , a refrigerator is described which comprises a water dispenser having a light source that is located within the nozzle and activated by turning on the actuator, and that illuminates the water. A cooling device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from US 2005/0044871 .
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooling device having a water dispenser that is illuminated effectively.
The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is explicated in the claims.
A water dispenser is located on the door of the cooling device. The water that is cooled and/or heated by the cooling device is either received from the mains or stored in the water receptacle located in the cooling device.
Water is carried to the water dispenser by means of pipes. The end of the pipe extends towards the water dispenser housing that opens to the outside. At the end of the pipe, the faucet that enables the water flow by the actuation of the trigger is located.
In the water dispenser, furthermore an illumination element is located, which in one position illuminates the trigger and in the other position the water flowing from the faucet. The illumination element illuminates the trigger when the trigger is not in use. In the second position, to which the illumination element is brought as the trigger is pushed, the illumination element illuminates the water flowing from the faucet and thus, it both provides a nice appearance and provides the user to see whether the glass is filled or not.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a transmission means that transmits the movement of the trigger to the illumination element is located in the water dispenser. While the illumination element illuminates the trigger in the first position, it illuminates the water as a result of the transmission means rotating it by the actuation of the trigger.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser comprises a carrier wherein the transmission means is carried. The trigger hangs out of the carrier towards the inside of the housing. A bearing member is located on the carrier. A first shaft is borne to the bearing member and the first shaft connected to the trigger rotates as the trigger rotates. A first gear is mounted onto the first shaft. While the first gear rotates by the actuation of the trigger, it provides a second gear to rotate. The illumination element is mounted to the end of the second shaft, to which the second gear is connected. Thus, by means of the gears that are actuated by the trigger being brought from the first position to the second position, the illumination element is provided to be brought to the second position. Accordingly, the illumination element illuminates the trigger in the first position and the water flowing from the faucet in the second position.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the trigger is produced from a clear, transparent material. Thus, the trigger is completely illuminated when the trigger is lit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, light carriers are located on the trigger. Light carriers provide the light, which is given by the illumination element from one end of the trigger, to be dispersed onto the whole trigger surface and the trigger surface to light up the surroundings.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a crescent-shaped light collector, the orifice portion of which collects the light emitted from the illumination element, is located at the trigger end facing the illumination element.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser has two faucets, from which water at different temperatures can be received, two triggers and two transmission means. In this embodiment, faucets and triggers are illuminated with different colors.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the light of the illumination element enters through an aperture located at the upper portion of the oblique T-shaped faucet. Water intake to the faucet is provided by connecting a pipe to an inlet located at the side of the faucet. The water received from the inlet is provided to be illuminated with the light entering through the aperture and to flow to the outside through an outlet located at the lower portion of the faucet.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the light of the illumination element enters through the aperture located on the vertical arm of the cross shaped faucet. The connection of the pipes to the faucet is provided through the ends of the vertical arms.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet is wider than the inlet in order to provide the water to be foamed and hence, to provide it to carry the light for a long period of time.
By means of the water dispenser of the present invention, access to the water dispenser is provided by illuminating the trigger when the user does not receive water, and the desired amount of water is provided to be received by illuminating the flowing water by means of the rotation of the illumination element while the user is receiving water.
The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:
Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cooling device.
Figure 2 - is the sideways cross-sectional view of a door.
Figure 3 - is the view of detail D in Figure 2 when the trigger is active.
Figure 4 - is the view of detail D in Figure 2 when the trigger is passive.
Figure 5 - is the rear perspective view of a transmission means inside a carrier in an embodiment of the present invention comprising two faucets.
Figure 6 - is the front perspective view of the transmission means in an embodiment of the present invention which comprises a faucet mounted to the end of a pipe.
Figure 7 - is the perspective view of a T-shaped faucet, which has a water pipe inlet, in Figure 6.
Figure 8 - is the perspective view of a transmission means, which enables the flow of water at different temperatures, in an embodiment of the present invention which comprises a faucet mounted to the ends of two pipes.
Figure 9 - is the perspective view of the cross shaped faucet, which has two water pipe inlets, in Figure 8.
The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Cooling device
2. Body
3. Door
4. Water dispenser
5. Housing
6. ,106., 206. Water pipe
7. Faucet
8. Trigger
9. , 109., 209. Illumination element
10. Transmission means
11. Carrier
12. Bearing member
13. First shaft
14. First gear
15. Second shaft
16. Second gear
17. Aperture
18. 118., 218. Inlet
19. Outlet
20. Light collector

A. Opening
C. Light carrier
A cooling device (1) comprises a body (2), at least one door (3) and a water dispenser (4) located on the door (3).
The water dispenser (4) comprises

a housing (5) located on the door (3),
at least one water pipe (6), the end of which that provides water to be transmitted to the housing (5) opens into the housing (5),
at least one faucet (7) mounted to the end of the water pipe (6) and
at least one trigger (8) enabling water to flow from the faucet (7) (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

The water dispenser (4), furthermore, comprises an illumination element (9)

which illuminates the trigger (8) in the first position,
which illuminates the water flowing from the faucet (7) in the second position, and
which changes from the first position to the second position by means of the movement of the trigger (8) by the user (Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4).

The water dispenser (4) comprises a transmission means (10) which changes the position of the illumination element (9) (Figure 5 and Figure 6). The transmission means (10) transmits the movement of the trigger (8) to the illumination element (9).
The illumination element (9) shows the location of the water dispenser (4) and the cooling device (1) in dark surroundings by illuminating the trigger (8) when the water dispenser (4) is not in use, that is, in the first position. The illumination element (9) illuminating the flowing water in the second position, to which it is brought by rotating towards the faucet (7) when the trigger (8) is pushed, enables the user to see whether the water is filled or not.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the trigger (8) is produced from a transparent material. When the trigger (8) is lit towards one end by the illumination element (9), the light passes along the body of the trigger (8) and reaches the other end of the trigger (8) and thus, the trigger (8) is completely illuminated.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the trigger (8) comprises light carriers (C). Thus, in dark surroundings, when the illumination element (9) faces the trigger (8) in the first position, the impression is given that light is emitted to the outside from the whole surface of the trigger (8). Accordingly, the user reaches the trigger (8) more easily and an elegant appearance is provided (Figure 4).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises a carrier (11) which is located on the upper portion of the housing (5) and wherein the trigger (8) and the faucet (7) are disposed. The transmission means (10) is located on the carrier (11) and the trigger (8) is located under the carrier (11). The carrier (11) comprises openings (A), which enable the connection of the trigger (8) with the transmission means (10), on top. The carrier (11) also enables the transmission means (10) to be carried inside the water dispenser (4) without being visible to the user (Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 5).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the transmission means (10) comprises

a first shaft (13) whereon the trigger (8) is mounted from one end in a rotatable manner,
a bearing member (12) whereon the first shaft (13) is borne and which is located on the carrier (11),
a first gear (14) which is mounted onto the first shaft (13) such that the first shaft (13) will be the rotational axis, and which rotates by the movement of the trigger (8),
a second shaft (15) whereon the illumination element (9) is disposed, and
a second gear (16) which is mounted onto the second shaft (15) that operates interactively with the first gear (14) when the trigger (8) is pushed (Figure 5 and Figure 6).

The illumination element (9) is positioned such that it faces the trigger (8). In the first position, the trigger (8) is illuminated. While the user brings the trigger (8) to the second position by pushing it in the horizontal direction, the first shaft (13), to which the trigger (8) is connected, starts rotating in the same direction as the trigger (8). In the meantime, the first gear (14) rotates together with the first shaft (13) around the axis of the first shaft (13). The second gear (16), which operates interactively with the first gear (14), rotates in the opposite direction of the first gear (14) and the trigger (8). The illumination element (9), that is located at the end of the second shaft (15) which is the rotational axis of the second gear (16), rotates in the same direction as the second shaft (15) and starts illuminating the faucet (7). Thus, the illumination element (9) provides the trigger (8) to be illuminated when it faces the trigger (8) in the first position, and provides the water flowing from the faucet (7) to be illuminated when it faces the faucet (7) in the second position it is brought.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises a concave light collector (20) which extends from the first shaft (13) towards the illumination element (9). The light collector (20) is an extension of the trigger (8) and the first shaft (13) forms a rotational axis between the light collector (20) and the trigger (8). When the trigger (8) is in the first position, the light collector (20) almost entirely encircles the illumination element (9) and thus, provides all of the light to be transmitted to the light carriers (C) (Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 8). Thus, in the second position, the illumination element (9) illuminates only the water flowing from the faucet (7) (Figure 3).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises two faucets (7), from one of which cold water and from the other hot water is received, and two illumination elements (9) having different colors. In this embodiment, two illumination elements (9) are mounted to two water pipes (106, 206), through one of which hot water and through the other cold water flows, wherein one of the illumination elements (9) gives out a blue light to the faucet (107) from which cold water flows, and the other gives out a red light to the faucet (207) from which hot water flows. By means of two transmission means (10) mounted to the ends of two water pipes (106, 206) separately, the water flowing from the cold water faucet (7) appears blue and the water flowing from the hot water faucet (7) appears red (Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 8). Thus, for example, even if the user uses the trigger (8) that provides hot water to flow when desiring to receive cold water, the user understands by the color of the water that hot water is filled to his/her glass.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises a faucet (7) wherein two pipes (106, 206) are connected in the shape of a cross.
The faucet (7) comprises

an aperture (17) at the upper portion of the vertical arm, enabling the light to reach the water when the illumination element (9) is in the second position,
an inlet (118), to which a pipe (106) is connected, at one end of the horizontal arm,
an inlet (218), to which another pipe (206) is connected, at the other end of the horizontal arm, and
an outlet (19) at the lower portion of the vertical arm, enabling the water which is brought from the inlet (118 and/or 218) and which is illuminated by the light transmitted through the aperture (17) to flow downward (Figure 9).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises an oblique T-shaped faucet (7) which is mounted to the end of the pipe (6).
The faucet (7) comprises

an aperture (17) at the upper portion of the vertical arm, enabling the light to reach the water when the illumination element (9) is in the second position,
an inlet (18), to which the water pipe (6) is connected, at the end of the horizontal arm, and
an outlet (19) at the lower portion of the vertical arm, enabling the water which is brought from the inlet (18) and which is illuminated by the light transmitted through the aperture (17) to flow downward (Figure 7).

In the embodiments wherein the faucet (7) is oblique T-shaped, to which a single pipe (6) is connected, and wherein the faucet is cross shaped, to which two pipes (106, 206) are connected, the aperture (17) is at a higher level than the inlet (18, 118 or 218). Thus, water is prevented from splashing from the inlet (18, 118, 218) to the illumination element (9) positioned onto the aperture (17). The water brought to the inlet (18, 118 or 218) through the pipes (6, 106, 206) flows vertically into the housing (5) by reaching the vertical arm and then by being directed to the outlet (19) by the influence of gravity. The light that reaches the water in the direction of water flow through the aperture (17) located on the vertical arm enables the water to appear illuminated until the water reaches the glass.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the aperture (17) is covered with a transparent lid (not illustrated in the figures). Thus, entering of dust into the water and splashing of water to the illumination element (9) are prevented and the light is enabled to pass.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises a faucet (7), the width of the outlet (19) of which is greater than the width of its inlet (18). Thus, the water is provided to foam and hence, to carry the light received from the illumination element (9) until the light reaches the glass.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the water dispenser (4) comprises two faucets (7), from one of which cold water and from the other hot water is received, and two illumination elements (109, 209) having different colors. Thus, the user is provided to receive water at the desired temperature and enabled to control the temperature of the received water by its color.
By means of the present invention, by using a single illumination element (9), either the water dispenser (4) or the flowing water is provided to be indicated if need be. The illumination element (9) illuminating the trigger (8) when the water dispenser (4) is not in use rotates as the trigger (8) is pushed and illuminates the water flowing from the faucet (7). The transmission means (10) disposed in the carrier (11) transmits the movement of the trigger (8) to the illumination element (9).
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed above and an expert in the technique can easily introduce different embodiments. These should be considered within the scope of the protection postulated by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

A cooling device (1) comprising a body (2), at least one door (3) and a water dispenser (4) located on the door (3), wherein the water dispenser (4) has an illumination element (9) which illuminates a trigger (8) in a first position, and which illuminates water flowing from a faucet (7) in a second position, characterized in that the illumination element (9) changes from the first position to the second position by means of a movement of the trigger (8) by a user.
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the water dispenser (4) comprises a transmission means (10) which changes the position of the X illumination element (9).
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the trigger (8) is produced from a transparent material.
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized in that the trigger (8) comprises light collectors (C).
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized in that the water dispenser (4) comprises a carrier (11) which is located on an upper portion of a housing (5) and wherein the trigger (8) and the faucet (7) are disposed.
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the transmission means (10) comprises a first shaft (13) whereon the trigger (8) is mounted from one end in a rotatable manner,
a bearing member (12) whereon the first shaft (13) is borne and which is located on the carrier (11), a first gear (14) which is mounted onto the first shaft (13) such that the first shaft (13) will be the rotational axis, and which rotates by the movement of the trigger (8), a second shaft (15) whereon the illumination element (9) is disposed, and a second gear (16) which is mounted onto the second shaft (15) that operates interactively with the first gear (14) when the trigger (8) is pushed.
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 6, characterized in that the water dispenser (4) comprises a concave light collector (20) which extends from the first shaft (13) towards the illumination element (9).
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by the faucet (7) wherein two pipes (106, 206) are connected in the shape of a cross and which has an aperture (17) at an upper portion of a vertical arm, enabling the light to reach the water when the illumination element (9) is in the second position, an inlet (118) to which a pipe (106) is connected at one end of the horizontal arm, an inlet (218) to which another pipe (206) is connected at the other end of the horizontal arm, and an outlet (19) at the lower portion of the vertical arm, enabling the water that is brought from the inlet (118, 218) and that is illuminated by the light transmitted through the aperture (17) to flow to the housing (5).
A cooling device (1) as in Claims 1 to 7, characterized by an oblique T-shaped an faucet (7) that is mounted to an end of a pipe (6) and that has an aperture (17) at the upper portion of a vertical arm, enabling the light to reach the water when the illumination element (9) is in the second position, an inlet (18) to which the water pipe (6) is connected at the end of a horizontal arm, and an outlet (19) at the lower portion of the vertical arm enabling the water which is brought from the inlet (18) and which is illuminated by the light transmitted through the aperture (17) to flow downward.
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the faucet (7) comprises a transparent lid which covers the aperture (17).
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by two faucets (7), from one cold water and from the other hot water is received, and by two illumination elements (109, 209) having different colors.