The present disclosure generally relates to an appliance, and more specifically, to a leveling assembly for an appliance.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includes a frame that defines a channel, and a user interface operably coupled to the frame. The user interface has a console and a front panel. At least one leveling assembly is coupled to the console and is configured to adjust a gap defined between the front panel of the user interface and the frame. The at least one leveling assembly includes a bracket housing that has a first portion that defines an aperture and a second portion that extends orthogonally to the first portion. A leveler has a shaft and a knob that is coupled to the shaft. The leveler extends through a second portion of the bracket housing and defines threads along a length of the shaft.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a leveling assembly for a user interface includes a bracket housing that defines an aperture. A tab projects from to bracket housing. The tab is configured to engage a frame of an appliance. A carrier is disposed within the bracket housing. The carrier defines an opening proximate to the aperture defined by the bracket housing. An engagement feature is coupled to the carrier and extends through the opening and the aperture. A leveler is operably coupled to the carrier and is configured to translate the carrier between a first position and a second position relative to the aperture defined by the bracket housing.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includes a frame that defines a channel and a slot. A leveling assembly is coupled to the frame and includes a bracket housing that has a tab, a first portion and a second portion normal relative to the first portion. The second portion defines a threaded aperture. A leveler has a shaft that defines threads along a length of the shaft, and a knob is coupled to the shaft. The shaft extends through the threaded aperture defined by the second portion of the bracket housing and rotatably couples the leveler to the bracket housing. A user interface has a front panel and a console that is operably coupled to the frame via the leveling assembly.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles described herein.
The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus components related to a leveling assembly. Accordingly, the apparatus components have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent like elements.
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosure as oriented in
The terms “including,” “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises a . . . ” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
Referring to
Referring to
The first door 50 of the appliance 10 is positioned proximate to the front panel 20 of the user interface 16 to define the gap 24 therebetween. It is generally contemplated that the first door 50 is hingedly coupled to the frame 12 of the appliance 10 to transition the first door 50 from a closed position to an open position. When the first door 50 is in the closed position, the gap 24 is defined beneath the front panel 20 and above the first door 50. It is contemplated that the gap 24 may be five millimeters or less. As described in more detail below, the gap 24 is maintained, adjusted, and set by the leveling assembly 22, which is coupled to both the frame 12 and the console 18.
As illustrated in
Referring now to
With further reference to
As generally mentioned above, the leveling assembly 22 includes at least the bracket housing 26 and the leveler 36. In general, the bracket housing 26 includes at least the first portion 28 and the second portion 32, such that the second portion 32 is normal to the first portion 28 and coupled to the first portion 28 via the arcuate edge 34. The second portion 32 defines a threaded aperture 84 which is configured to receive the threads 42 defined along the shaft 38 of the leveler 36, described in further detail below. As illustrated in
A tab 96 extends from the bracket housing 26 and couples the leveling assembly 22 to the frame 12. The tab 96 can be described as arcuate as it generally curves to define a hook attachment with the frame 12, described below. Depicted in
Referring now to
The engagement feature 112 has an attachment end 126 and an engagement end 128, wherein the attachment end 126 defines a generally circumferential groove 130 around the engagement feature 112. As illustrated in
With further reference to
Referring now to
The threaded coupling of the leveler 36 and the bracket housing 26 allows the leveling assembly 22, and thus the console 18 and the front panel 20, to be adjustable within the appliance 10. By way of example, and not limitation, the leveler 36 can be rotated to translate the leveler 36 in either an upward direction or downward direction, such that when the leveler 36 is adjusted upward or downward, the nut 114 and the carrier 110 are also adjusted upward and downward with respect to the bracket housing 26. As the carrier 110 is adjusted upward or downward by the leveler 36, so is the engagement feature 112. The engagement feature 112 is translated within the aperture 30 and engages the flange 70 (
Referring now to
As mentioned above, the leveler 36 also includes the knob 40 on the portion of the leveler 36 that extends beneath the second portion 32 of the bracket housing 26. The knob 40 defines a series of ridges 142 and recesses 144 around a circumference Ci of the knob 40. The knob 40 is fixedly coupled to the shaft 38 of the leveler 36, such that the knob 40 rotates the shaft 38 while being free from separate rotation relative to the shaft 38. Accordingly, the knob 40 generally rotates the leveler 36 within the bracket housing 26 to translate the shaft 38 through the threaded aperture 84 defined by the second portion 32 of the bracket housing 26. As the shaft 38 translates through the threaded aperture 84, the threads 42 defined along the length L of the shaft 38 threadably engage the threaded aperture 84 of the second portion 32 of the bracket housing 26. As illustrated in
With further reference to
Referring again to
The invention disclosed herein is further summarized in the following paragraphs and is further characterized by combinations of any and all of the various aspects described therein.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includes a frame that defines a channel, and a user interface operably coupled to the frame. The user interface has a console and a front panel. At least one leveling assembly is coupled to the console and is configured to adjust a gap defined between the front panel of the user interface and the frame. The at least one leveling assembly includes a bracket housing that has a first portion that defines an aperture and a second portion that extends orthogonally to the first portion. A leveler has a shaft and a knob that is coupled to the shaft. The leveler extends through a second portion of the bracket housing and defines threads along a length of the shaft.
According to another aspect, at least one leveling assembly is disposed within a channel and is coupled to a frame.
According to yet another aspect, at least one leveling assembly includes a first leveling assembly and a second leveling assembly. The first leveling assembly is operably coupled to a first end of a console and the second leveling assembly is operably coupled to a second end of the console.
According to still another aspect, a carrier is disposed within a bracket housing. The carrier defines an opening proximate to an aperture defined by the bracket housing. An engagement feature is coupled to the carrier and extends outwardly from the opening and through the aperture defined by a first portion of the bracket housing.
According to another aspect, a leveler is operably coupled to a carrier and is configured to translate the carrier and an engagement feature within a bracket housing and an aperture.
According to another aspect, a first portion of a bracket housing includes a tab that is configured to engage a frame.
According to yet another aspect, a second portion of a bracket housing defines a threaded aperture. A shaft of a leveler is rotatably coupled to the second portion via the threaded aperture.
According to still another aspect, an engagement feature defines a groove. A perimeter edge of a carrier is disposed within the groove and operably couples the engagement feature to a carrier.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a leveling assembly for a user interface includes a bracket housing that defines an aperture. A tab projects from the bracket housing. The tab is configured to engage a frame of an appliance. A carrier is disposed within the bracket housing. The carrier defines an opening proximate to the aperture defined by the bracket housing. An engagement feature is coupled to the carrier and extends through the opening and the aperture. A leveler is operably coupled to the carrier and is configured to translate the carrier between a first position and a second position relative to the aperture defined by the bracket housing.
According to another aspect, an engagement feature is configured to engage a console frame of a user interface to minimize a gap that is defined by the user interface.
According to yet another aspect, an engagement feature defines a groove and an opening of a carrier that is defined by a perimeter edge.
According to still another aspect, a perimeter edge of a carrier is disposed within a groove of an engagement feature.
According to another aspect, a nut is operably coupled to a leveler proximate to a carrier. The nut engages the carrier.
According to still another aspect, a leveler extends through a bracket housing and includes a shaft having threads defined along a length thereof.
According to yet another aspect, a bracket housing defines a threaded aperture. Threads of a shaft are rotatably coupled to the bracket housing via the threaded aperture.
According to another aspect, a leveler is operably coupled to a carrier and is configured to translate the carrier between a first position and a second position relative to a threaded aperture defined by a bracket housing.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includes a frame that defines a channel and a slot. A leveling assembly is coupled to the frame and includes a bracket housing that has a tab, a first portion and a second portion normal relative to the first portion. The second portion defines a threaded aperture. A leveler has a shaft that defines threads along a length of the shaft, and a knob is coupled to the shaft. The shaft extends through the threaded aperture defined by the second portion of the bracket housing and rotatably couples the leveler to the bracket housing. A user interface has a front panel and a console that is operably coupled to the frame via the leveling assembly.
According to another aspect, a tab is disposed within a slot defined by a frame and is configured to couple a bracket housing to the frame.
According to still another aspect, a leveling assembly is configured to adjust a gap defined between a front panel of a user interface and a frame.
According to another aspect, a bracket housing includes an arcuate edge. A first portion of the bracket housing is coupled to a second portion of the bracket housing via the arcuate edge.
It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described disclosure and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the disclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.
It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210285652 A1 | Sep 2021 | US |