EP2425747B1

EP2425747B1 - Device with adjustable kick plate

Info

Publication number: EP2425747B1
Application number: EP11178313.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Erkan Eroglu; Murat Erten
Original assignee: Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Current assignee: Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Priority date: 2010-09-03
Filing date: 2011-08-22
Publication date: 2013-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-22
Also published as: TR201007368A2; EP2425747A1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device with an adjustable kick plate.

Prior Art

Devices for personal use, such as dishwashers, washers and/or driers, comprise at least one kick plate, attached to their front lower sides. Such kick plates hide the foot-like components of devices from the front and provide a decorative appearance. Kick plates are preferably structured so as to be attachable/ detachable by users. Thanks to this feature, the feet of devices are easily accessed to.
Kick plates provided in such devices according to the prior art are generally produced in a single-piece form. When the size of device feet is altered in devices comprising single-piece kick plates, the kick plate does not suffice in hiding the inferior of device and an unpleasant appearance is generated as a result of a gap formed between the bottom and side portions of kick plate and the ground.
In addition, when a decorative front panel is attached to built-in devices provided with replaceable front panels, the kick plate and the front panel become misaligned. Since the kick plates according to the prior art do not allow correcting said misalignment, the plate is left in a different alignment from that of the decorative panel, resulting in an unpleasant view.
In the patent document WO 03/063676 A1 , in which one of the embodiments for solving said problems is disclosed, a cover part is mounted to the respective device by means of an adjustment piece with one end fixed to the cover part. Said adjustment piece is provided with horizontally-positioned holes, into which a connection element can be fitted, said connection element fastening the cover part to the device. In the device developed according to that invention, at least one slot is provided into which said adjustment piece can be introduced. With that embodiment, a cover part applied to a device is positioned at the horizontal axis as one wishes and is fixed thereto by means of the connection element.
In the patent document JP2003111713A is disclosed another embodiment for solving said problems. The so-called kick-in part according to that embodiment can be placed behind the device's front cover in a sliding manner. Said kick-in part is fastened to the respective device by means of vertically-extending slots, provided at both sides thereof. The lower part of the kick-in part is extended forward, so that an alignment is achieved with the front tip point of the device. Bars are placed into the gap left between the extended part and the front panel of device, so that the kick-in part is entirely aligned with the front tip point of the device.
In another published patent document No. FR2101545A5 of the prior art, a cabinet store, in particular for refrigerator furniture, comprising a plinth to cover the space between the lower edge of the cabinet and the ground is disclosed. Said plinth is fixed to a mounting rail which can be moved in height and which is provided on the cabinet store. The plinth consists of multiple profiled strips which are connected to each other by means of a dove tail structure provided thereon. On the upper profile strip there is provided an extension in order to fix the plinth to the mounting rail by means of a bolt. Moreover, the upper profile strip of the plinth further comprises an elastic intermediate part provides the connection of the extension to the upper profile strip. Therefore, the plinth is able to be raised in order to clean the place remaining behind the plinth. With the help of the plinth, when the height of the cabinet store is adjusted by means of the feet provided therein, the remaining space between the ground and the store is able to be covered by means of the plinth by attaching the profile strips to each other. However, in this document, there is provided no solution for horizontal movement of the plinth.

Brief Disclosure of Invention

In the device developed according to the present invention as claimed in claim 1, it becomes possible to close any gap to form underneath the kick plate by making use of bars that can be attached under the main body of the kick plate. It is also possible now to align said kick plate with a decorative panel, possibly to be mounted to the respective device, by fixing the kick plate at different positions in the forward and backward direction.

Objective of Invention

The aim of the present invention is to develop a device with an adjustable kick plate. Another aim of the present invention is to develop a device comprising a kick plate which contains adjustment bars allowing changing its vertical size.
A further aim of the present invention is to develop a device comprising a kick plate which, once attached to the former, can be adjusted with respect to its horizontal position.

Description of Figures

Exemplary embodiments of the subject adjustable kick plate and a device comprising said kick plate are illustrated in annexed figures briefly described hereunder.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the kick plate and the components thereof in an assembled form.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the kick plate and the components thereof prior to assembly.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the kick plate and the adjustment bars thereof prior to assembly.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the kick plate and the adjustment bars thereof in an assembled form.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the kick plate and of the connection part fixing the former to the respective device prior to assembly.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the kick plate and of the connection part connected thereto in a form mounted to the respective device.
Figure 7 is an illustration of the connection part.
Figure 8 is an illustration of the detail C of adjustment bar.
Figure 9 is an illustration of the connection part.

All the parts illustrated in figures are individually assigned a reference numeral and the corresponding terms of these numbers are listed below.

Kick plate	(A)
Device	(B)
Main body	(1)
Slot	(1a, 1b, 3a)
Lower surface	(1c)
Rear surface	(1d)
Adjustment bar	(2)
Protrusion	(2a)
Protrusion orifice	(2b)
Fastening element	(3)
Contact surface	(3b)
Surface	(3c)
Connection part	(4)
Connection element	(4a)
Locking element	(4b)
Adjustment orifice	(4c)
Assembly orifice	(4d)
Recess	(5)
Connection orifice	(5a)

Disclosure of the Invention

The device (B) developed according to the present invention comprises at least one kick plate (A) comprising at least one main body (1), at least one connection part (4) and at least one adjustment bar (2) attached to the main body; and at least one connection recess (5) on the device (B) to which said kick plate (A) is fitted.
An assembled form and a form prior to assembly of the kick plate (A), according to the present invention are given in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. The main body (1) of the kick plate (A) comprises at least one orifice (1 a) disposed on the lower surface (1 c) of itself (1), whereas the adjustment bar (2) comprises at least one protrusion (2a) disposed on itself (2). The adjustment bar (2) is attached to the orifice (1a) on the main body (1) by making use of said protrusion (2a). Thus, it becomes possible to lengthen the kick plate (A) downward (in the direction of -Y).
In an embodiment according to the present invention, after the bar (2) is fitted to the orifice (1 a), at least one fastening element (3) is attached to the exposed part of the protrusion (2a). Illustrations of the kick plate (A), before and after said fastening element (3) is attached are given in figures 3 and 4, respectively. At least one orifice (3a), into which said protrusion (2a) can be introduced, is provided on the fastening element (3). Said element (3) further comprises at least one contact surface (3b), contacting the lower surface (1a) of the main body (1). An illustration of the fastening element (3) is provided in Figure 9. The fastening element (3) provides for the fixation of the bar (2) after the protrusion (2a) is fitted into the orifice (1a), and preferably prevents any gap formation between the bar (2) and the lower surface (1a) of the main body (1). Said element (3) is preferably produced from a resilient material and a certain distance is provided in the vertical direction (in the direction of +Y/-Y) between the contact surface (3b) and the surface (3c) on which said orifice (3a) is present. Thus, said element (3) provides spring effect and allows exerting a force in a direction opposite to the weight of the bar (2).
A cross-section "C" of the adjustment bar is illustrated in Figure 8. In another embodiment according to the present invention, at least one protrusion orifice (2b) is provided on the bar (2). Another adjustment bar (2) is optionally attached to said protrusion orifice (2b) by making use of said protrusion (2a). It is thus allowed to attach many bars (2), one under the other, to the lower surface (1c) of the main body (1) and to change the height of the kick plate (A) (its size in the direction of +Y/-Y). Thus any gap, between the lower surface (1 c) of the kick plate (A) and the ground on which the respective device (B) is placed, can be closed by said adjustment bars (2).
At least one connection part (4) is provided on the main body (1), extending inward from said body (1) (in the direction of -Z). An illustration of said connection part (4) is given in Figure 7, whereas an illustration of said connection part (4) and kick plate (A) are given in Figure 5. The connection part (4) may be produced either to be single-piece with the main body (1), or preferably as a part, which is fixed to the main body (1) with a connection element (4a) by making use of at least one connection orifice (4d) provided on the connection part (4) and of at least another orifice (1 b) provided on the main body (1). In an embodiment of the present invention, said orifice (1b) is disposed on the rear surface (1d) of the main body (1). At least one adjustment orifice (4c) is disposed on the connection part (4).
An illustration of the kick plate (A) and the device (B) according to the present invention is provided in Figure 6. The device (B) is provided with at least one recess (5) into which said connection part (4) is placed. The kick plate (A) is attached to the device (B) as a result of introducing said connection part (4) disposed on the kick plate (A) into the recess (5). Thus, it becomes possible to move the kick plate (A) by sliding the connection part (4) in said recess (5) in the forward (+Z) direction and backward (-Z) direction. Once the kick plate (A) is positioned at a desired point in the +Z/-Z direction, at least one locking element (4b) is introduced into the adjustment orifice (4c) so as to restrict the forward/backward movement (in the direction of +Z/-Z) of the kick plate (A). The kick plate (A) cannot be moved backward (in -Z direction) with the locking element (4b) introduced, but it can be moved forward (in +Z direction) and brought to a desired position. In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one orifice (5a) is disposed on the recess (5) that is opened into the recess (5). In this embodiment, the locking element (4b) is passed through the orifice (5a) and adjustment orifice (4c) in order to fix the kick plate (A) to the device (B). The kick plate (A) is thus restricted from moving in the forward/backward direction (in direction of +Z/-Z) and is fixed to the device (B).
The device (B) developed according to the present invention makes it possible to adjust the height (the size in the direction of +Y/-Y) of the kick plate (A) by means of the adjustment bar (2) and the position thereof in the direction of +Z/-Z by means of the connection part (4). Thus, any gap to remain between the kick plate (A) and ground can be closed and the position of the kick plate (A) in the forward/backward direction (in the direction of +Z/-Z) be adjusted.

Claims

A device (B) comprising at least one recess (5) and at least one kick plate (A) which comprises at least one main body (1) provided with at least one orifice (1a) on its lower surface (1 c); - at least one adjustment bar (2) provided with at least one protrusion (2a), attached to said orifice (1a) on the main body (1) by means of said protrusion (2a) and providing vertical distance (-Y/+Y) adjustment of the kick plate (A) with respect to the ground on which the device (B) is placed characterized in that the kick plate (A) of the device (B) further comprises;
- at least one connection part (4) disposed on the main body (1), extending inward from said body (1) (-Z) towards the device (B) provided with at least one adjustment orifice < 1> (4c), and fitted into the recess (5) provided on the device (B) in a movable manner by sliding and providing horizontal distance (+Z/-Z) adjustment of the kick plate (A) with respect to the device (B) by sliding movement in the recess (5);

- at least one locking element (4b) suitable for being introduced into said adjustment orifice (4c) on the connection part (4) and restricting the movement of the kick plate (A) in the forward/backward (+Z/-Z) direction with respect to the device (B) by contacting to the device (B), once introduced into said adjustment orifice (4c) .
The device (B) according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising at least one protrusion orifice (2b) on said adjustment bar (2), into which a protrusion (2a) provided on another adjustment bar (2) is fitted.
The device (B) according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising one fastening element (3), fitted to the exposed part of the protrusion (2a) when the protrusion (2a) is placed into the orifice (1 a), and comprising at least one orifice (3a) to which said protrusion (2a) is fitted and at least one contact surface (3b) contacting the lower surface (1c) of the main body (1).
The device (B) according to Claim 3, characterized in that a certain distance is provided in the vertical direction (+Y/-Y) between the contact surface (3b) and the surface (3c) on which said orifice (3a) is present.
The device (B) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said connection part (4) and main body (1) are single-piece.
The device (B) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said connection part (4) is fixed to the main body (1) with a connection element (4a), fitted into at least one connection orifice (4d) provided on the connection part (4) and into at least another orifice (1b) provided on the main body (1).
The device (B) according to Claim 6, characterized in that said orifice (1b) is disposed on the rear surface (1d) of the main body (1).
The device (B) according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising at least one orifice (5a) opening to said recess (5) to accommodate said locking element (4b).