CN106996002B

CN106996002B - Laundry treating machine

Info

Publication number: CN106996002B
Application number: CN201611263625.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马尔科·桑塔罗萨
Original assignee: Electrolux Appliances AB
Current assignee: Electrolux Appliances AB
Priority date: 2015-12-30
Filing date: 2016-12-30
Publication date: 2021-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-30
Also published as: CN106996002A; EP3187651B1; EP3187651A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry treating machine comprising a cabinet provided with a laundry loading opening for accessing a laundry treating chamber and a loading door hinged to the cabinet for selectively closing or opening the laundry loading opening, the cabinet further comprising a revolving door hinged to the cabinet and openable to allow access to an interior region within the cabinet of the machine, characterized in that the revolving door comprises a closing mechanism to keep the revolving door closed when it abuts against the cabinet, the closing mechanism comprising a handle visible from the exterior of the cabinet when said loading door is closed, said handle and cabinet forming a gap at an edge of said laundry loading opening, wherein, when the laundry loading door is closed, said laundry loading door blocks access to the gap so as not to allow the insertion of a finger into the gap to pull the handle, and wherein the gap is sized to allow finger insertion to pull the swing door open when the laundry loading door is open.

Description

Laundry treating machine

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to household appliances for treating laundry, i.e. laundry treatment machines, such as laundry washing and/or drying machines.

Background

In laundry treatment machines, such as laundry washing-drying machines and laundry drying machines, one known solution requires the accommodation of a drying air moisture condensation system in the bottom portion of the appliance, below the revolving drum or (in the case of washing and drying machines) tub. The moisture condensing system may comprise a single air-air heat exchanger, wherein moisture-containing drying air from the laundry treatment chamber is cooled by a flow of cooling air drawn in from the external environment during the drying operation to cause condensation of the moisture. Alternatively, the moisture condensing system may comprise two or more heat exchangers of the heat pump system having an evaporator and a condenser.

The bottom portion (i.e., base) of the appliance cabinet may be perforated to enable intake and exhaust of cooling air.

The base advantageously comprises an openable base door, usually hinged on one side to the rest of the appliance cabinet or machine frame, in order to enable access to the interior region of the cabinet, and in particular to the moisture condensing system, for example in order to empty the condensate collecting tank, for cleaning the condensing system or generally for maintenance purposes. Typically, a locking device is provided for holding the base door closed and is operable to unlock the base door. Advantageously, the locking means, which are at least partially arranged inside the appliance cabinet, are operable by the user via a release member, such as a slider or a button or similar means, conveniently located in the edge of the machine laundry loading door. In this way, as the release member is concealed when the loading door is closed, the aesthetics of the appliance are not degraded, and it is also ensured that a user cannot inadvertently open the base door and access the moisture condensing system when the loading door is closed and the appliance is operating. The release button actuates a locking element, such as a tooth, which engages/disengages a corresponding seat formed in the base door at its top, near its upper corner of the free side, i.e. the side of the base door which is not hinged to the appliance cabinet.

Examples of such locks and corresponding base doors are given, for example, in european patent application EP 2647754 in the name of the same applicant.

However, the provision of a lock requires the construction and assembly of many different components. Furthermore, as with all movable mechanical parts, breakage of the lock may occur, thereby failing to open or close the base door.

Furthermore, the opening of the base door, which is initiated from the inside of the laundry treating machine, i.e. the fact that the base door can only be opened when the loading door is opened by a release mechanism located in the loading door, requires knowledge of the positioning of the release member of the lock. For a new user of the laundry treating machine, he/she may not know the "hidden" release member position at all, and therefore he/she may start to disturb the base door to open it, leading to possible damage.

Disclosure of Invention

The applicant has noticed that in laundry treating machines with a revolving door openable by a locking device with a release mechanism, due to the standard position of the locking device described with reference to the prior art, the user needs to have prior knowledge of the release member's position and how to operate the release member, for example by reading a machine manual or by somebody informing about the knowledge that is available.

However, it is known that users prefer the device to be as easy as possible in its use, and to consult the user manual as little as possible.

Providing a release member on the outside of the cabinet such that it is visible is also not a feasible or preferred solution, since the user may also open the revolving door during operation of the laundry treatment machine, e.g. during a drying or washing cycle, with the possible risk of coming into contact with parts that may cause harm to the user, such as moving or hot parts present inside the cabinet.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a laundry treating machine with a revolving door, for example for accessing a heat exchanger, filter or condensate tank of the machine, the opening of which is visible from the outside of the machine, but at the same time, while the laundry treating machine is running, the opening of which is not possible, or at least the risk of such opening is minimized.

According to one aspect, the invention relates to a laundry treating machine comprising a cabinet provided with a laundry loading opening for accessing a laundry treating chamber and a loading door hinged to the cabinet for selectively closing or opening the laundry loading opening, the cabinet further comprising a revolving door hinged to the cabinet and openable to allow access to an interior region within the cabinet of the machine, characterized in that the revolving door comprises a closing mechanism to keep the revolving door closed when it abuts against the cabinet, the closing mechanism comprising a handle visible from the exterior of the cabinet when said laundry loading door is closed, said handle forming with the cabinet a gap at an edge of said laundry loading opening, wherein, when the laundry loading door is closed, said laundry loading door blocks access to the gap such that no fingers are allowed to be inserted into the gap to pull the handle, and wherein the gap is sized to allow finger insertion to pull and open the revolving door when the laundry loading door is open.

The laundry treating machine of the present invention may comprise a washing machine, a drying machine or a combined washing-drying machine. Laundry treatment machines generally comprise a washing and/or drying chamber, i.e. a treatment chamber, in which the laundry can be placed for washing and/or drying; the chamber may be rotated about a chamber axis during washing and/or drying operations. Furthermore, the laundry treating machine may be a front loader, meaning that the axis of rotation of the washing chamber is positioned in a horizontal manner or slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal, or a top laundry treating machine, in which the axis of the washing chamber is substantially vertical.

In a preferred embodiment, the laundry treating machine is a dryer, and more preferably, the laundry treating machine is a front loading laundry dryer.

The laundry treating machine comprises a cabinet, preferably comprising a front wall, a rear wall, side walls, a top wall and a base or pedestal. The front or top wall may include a user panel to control the function of the appliance by a user. The cabinet defines a boundary between an interior volume of the laundry treating machine and an exterior of the laundry treating machine. Furthermore, preferably, the cabinet comprises a laundry loading door hinged to the cabinet itself, for example to the front wall in the case of a front loader or to the top wall in the case of a top loader, the laundry loading door being openable for putting laundry into the washing compartment. The laundry loading door thus opens or closes a laundry loading opening realized in the cabinet, such as for example in the front wall of the cabinet.

The base has in particular the function of housing several components of the machine, such as a portion of a drying air duct, a heat exchanger, a motor for the rotating chamber, a fan, etc. In addition, the base also has the function of supporting some walls of the cabinet. The rear wall is secured to the base when the appliance is in the assembled position.

The base may be implemented by any material; preferably the base is realized in a plastic material. Furthermore, the wall of the housing can also be realized in any material, preferably the rear wall in plastic. Preferably, at least one of the two side walls, at least a portion of which is realized in metal, more preferably at least a portion of the front wall of the cabinet. In the base, a front side, a rear side and two side faces may also be defined, which abut the front wall, the rear wall and the side walls of the cabinet, respectively, when the appliance is fully assembled.

When the machine is in a standard operating condition, the base is normally positioned on the floor and rests substantially horizontally. The base defines a base plane that is substantially parallel to a plane on which the base rests, e.g., a horizontal plane.

For example, the base may be divided into an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion. The upper and lower housing portions define the outer boundary of the base, thereby dividing the volume of the "interior" of the base and the "exterior" of the base.

In the cited art, the portion of the housing surrounding the base is also referred to as the "base".

The laundry treating machine further comprises an additional door, called revolving door, also hinged to the cabinet, for accessing parts, such as components, of the laundry treating machine located inside the cabinet. For example, the revolving door allows access to one or more heat exchangers of the laundry treatment machine, or to a condensation tank to check or empty the condensation tank, to a fan for moving the treatment drying air, etc. The revolving door preferably remains closed for safety reasons during the washing and/or drying cycle of the laundry treatment machine, since it may allow access to components of the laundry treatment machine that may be in motion or may reach relatively high temperatures when the laundry treatment machine is running. On the other hand, when the laundry treating machine is not in operation, the revolving door needs to be openable in order to access the above-mentioned internal components of the laundry treating machine, for example for cleaning, inspection or maintenance purposes.

In order to keep the revolving door closed during operation of the machine, the revolving door preferably comprises a locking or closing mechanism which keeps the revolving door closed when the laundry loading door is closed. The fact that the laundry loading door is closed may be an indication that the laundry treating machine is operating.

The swing door may be opened by operating a handle formed in the swing door. According to the present invention, the swing door can be opened only when the laundry loading door is opened. However, even if the laundry loading door is closed, the rotary door may be closed from the open position. The handle of the revolving door forms a gap with the cabinet of the laundry treating machine, and by inserting a finger or hand into the gap, a force may be applied to pull the handle, thereby pulling the revolving door away from the cabinet and thus opening the revolving door. However, in the first operating configuration, in which the laundry loading door of the laundry treating machine is closed on the loading opening of the cabinet, the gap formed between the handle and the cabinet cannot be accessed, since the gap is covered by the laundry loading door and therefore the user's hand cannot enter the gap. Even if a slot is formed between the laundry loading door and the revolving door, for example between the laundry loading door and the handle, such slot is dimensioned to prevent the entry of a human finger into the gap existing between the revolving door and the cabinet, in order to allow the relative movement of one door with respect to the other door, when both are in the closed position. Even when the laundry loading door is closed, such gap is still partially visible from the exterior of the cabinet through the slit, but cannot be accessed to pull the handle by the hand of the user. However, the slit allows the revolving door to move from the open position to the closed position even if the laundry loading door is in the closed position. This is because the swing door can be moved to the closed position without using a handle provided on the swing door.

In order to allow access to the gap formed between the revolving door and the cabinet when the revolving door is in the closed position, reference has been made to a "test finger" having a diameter of 12mm and a length of 80 mm as defined in european standard EN 60529. Thus, a slit having at least one dimension in a certain direction of less than 12 millimeters does not allow for finger introduction and therefore cannot enter the gap.

However, when the laundry loading door is open, the edges of the laundry loading opening are free and therefore can easily enter the gap: a user's hand or finger can be introduced into the gap and the swing door can be pulled open by pulling on the handle. When the laundry treating machine is not operated when the laundry loading door is opened, it is safe to open the revolving door and to be able to access or manipulate the components of the laundry treating machine present in the cabinet.

The handle may be a fixed handle relative to the revolving door, i.e. relative movement of the handle relative to the revolving door is not possible. In this embodiment, for example, the handle may be formed as an integral part of the swing door, e.g. in the same molding process step. Alternatively, the handle may operate the lock, for example the handle may be movable, such as the handle may be rotated and in this way disengage the pins of the lock from the respective seats. When both the revolving door and the laundry loading door are in the closed position, the rotating movement of the handle out of engagement with the lock is prevented. Alternatively, a handle may be provided in the mechanism such that the handle, when pulled, also disengages a portion of the lock from its locked position and then automatically returns to the initial position.

Preferably, the handle comprises a tab which must be pulled by the user to open the revolving door.

Furthermore, in order to clearly identify the position of the handle, so that the user can easily understand how to operate the revolving door, the handle is always visible from the outside of the cabinet, for example, in all operating configurations of the laundry treatment machine, the handle remains visible from the outside of the cabinet when the laundry loading door is opened or closed, and is not or only partially covered by the laundry loading door, in particular when the laundry loading door is closed over the laundry loading opening. In contrast, as mentioned, when the laundry loading door is closed, the gap is blocked by the laundry loading door, i.e. the user cannot enter.

In this way, the opening of the revolving door can be performed only when the laundry treating machine is not running (if the laundry loading door is opened when the laundry treating machine is performing a drying or washing cycle, the machine is immediately stopped), but on the other hand, the way of operating the revolving door is clear and visible from the outside in all machine operating conditions, without the need to seek "hidden" mechanisms or actuating elements inside the washing chamber.

Preferably, the handle is a pull handle. More preferably, the handle is integral with the revolving door. In this embodiment, the configuration of the handle is simplified, there is no moving part, and the handle can be simply pulled in order to open the swing door.

Preferably, a slot is formed between the laundry loading door and the handle when the laundry loading door is closed, and wherein the size of the slot defined by the distance between the laundry loading door and the handle is comprised in the range of about 1mm to 11 mm. Although there may always be a small slot between the laundry loading door and the edge of the revolving door or the handle provided on said revolving door, the slot is usually not wide enough to allow the insertion of a finger to reach the gap existing between the revolving door and the cabinet to pull the handle to open the revolving door.

Preferably, the gap is located below the laundry loading door when the laundry loading door is closed. The position of the gap may be in the lowermost portion of the edge of the laundry loading door, the gap also being easily accessible to the user when the laundry treating machine is in a vertical stacking position, for example in the case of a dryer mountable on top of a washing machine.

Preferably, the handle is positioned along the axis of symmetry of said revolving door. The symmetrical positioning of the handle is functional, reduces the force required to open the swing door, and also improves the aesthetic appearance of the cabinet.

Preferably, the revolving door is located at the base of the cabinet. More preferably, a swing door is located below the laundry loading door, and the swing door is hinged to a lower side of the cabinet. Advantageously, the revolving door is used for accessing an inner lower part of the laundry treating machine. The revolving door can be used, for example, for draining condensed water, removing and cleaning filters, checking the function of the heat exchanger, etc. Typically all of these components are located at the bottom of the laundry treating machine where space is provided for these relatively large components.

Preferably, the handle protrudes upwardly from the revolving door toward the laundry loading opening. This embodiment is preferably used in combination with a revolving door hinged at the lower part of the casing: in this manner, the handle is positioned at a gripping height that is relatively comfortable for the user.

Preferably, said handle is at least partially covered on its side facing the cabinet by an element formed of elastic material, which abuts against said cabinet when the revolving door is closed. This element serves to damp the closing of the revolving door, so that preferably only a faint sound is produced when the revolving door abuts the cabinet. This is particularly useful when the case is formed of a metal material that produces a large metallic sound when struck. For example, the handle may include a seat, wherein the resilient material is injection molded over the seat.

Preferably, the closure mechanism comprises at least one magnet. It is preferable to minimize the amount of movable parts that must be manufactured, assembled, and prone to failure. Preferably, therefore, the closure of the revolving door is not ensured by the presence of a mechanical lock, but preferably by the presence of one or more magnets which, when the door abuts or comes into close proximity to the cabinet, keep the door closed with its attractive force. For this purpose, at least a part of the casing is preferably realized in a metallic material, so that an attractive force is generated by the magnet. Preferably, in case the handle comprises an elastic material element, the elastic material element forms a seat for the magnet. Alternatively, the seat for the magnet may be integrally formed to the handle or to one or more other portions of the swing door.

More preferably, the at least one magnet is located at the handle and/or at one lateral end of the revolving door. For example, in the case where the casing comprises a front wall to which the laundry loading door is hinged and two side walls, the lateral end of the revolving door may be located in the vicinity of one of the two side walls. Further, the side end portion may be parallel to one of the side walls of the cabinet.

Even more preferably, at least three magnets are positioned at the handle and at both lateral ends of the revolving door. Preferably, the positioning of the magnets is such that a substantial portion of the revolving door remains closed flush with the front wall of the cabinet. It is actually desirable that the entire revolving door, when closed, remains flush with the cabinet, so that it cannot be opened by inserting a finger into the slot. The flush revolving door also improves the aesthetic appearance of the laundry treating machine.

Preferably, the magnet faces a portion of the cabinet when the rotary door is closed, and wherein there is a space between the magnet and the portion of the cabinet. This spacing is preferred, on the one hand, to avoid damage to the possible paint coating of the cabinet, which may be caught by the continuous ridge of the magnet striking the cabinet surface when the revolving door is closed, and, on the other hand, to avoid noise caused by the closing of the revolving door.

Preferably, the handle has a form matching in shape to the contour of the laundry loading opening. In other words, the handle has the same shape or profile as the edge defining the laundry loading opening. The handle is preferably located at the outside of the rim of the laundry loading opening and follows the rim of the laundry loading opening for at least a part of the perimeter of the handle. Therefore, due to the fact that the user usually focuses on the laundry loading opening to load the laundry treating machine, the handle can be easily seen and identified from the outside of the cabinet. For example, the handle may have a circular arc shape in case of a circular laundry loading door or a straight line shape in case of a rectangular laundry loading door.

Preferably, the revolving door is openable to enable access to a laundry treatment machine area in which at least a part of a laundry treatment air moisture condensing system is arranged. Thus, cleaning and maintenance of the air moisture condensing system may be performed.

More preferably, the cabinet base is provided with a penetration hole for sucking/discharging laundry processing air.

Preferably, the gap has a dimension defined by a distance between the handle (155) and the housing (105) and equal to or greater than about 12 mm. According to european standard EN60529, the dimensions are generally wide enough to allow insertion of one or more fingers of a user's hand to comfortably pull the handle and open the swing door.

Drawings

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be better presented by reading the following detailed description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is an isometric view of a laundry treating machine according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first operating configuration;

fig. 2 is a partial isometric view of the laundry treating machine of fig. 1 in a second operating configuration;

fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a detail of the laundry treating machine in the operating configuration of fig. 2;

figure 4 is an additional view of the detail of figure 3 in a third operating configuration;

fig. 5 is an enlarged isometric view of the revolving door of the laundry treating machine of fig. 1 and 2;

fig. 6 is a section of the basement of the laundry treating machine in the operating configuration of fig. 1;

fig. 7 is a section of the basement of the laundry treating machine in the operating configuration of fig. 2; and

fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a detail of the section of fig. 6 or 7.

Detailed Description

Referring first to fig. 1 and 2, an isometric view of a laundry treating machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is depicted in a first and a second operating configuration. The laundry treating machine referred to in the following description, generally designated 100, may be a laundry dryer or a laundry washing/drying machine, but it should be understood that the invention is also applicable to laundry washing machines. The laundry treating machine 100 has a casing or appliance cabinet 105, in which casing or appliance cabinet 105 the structural and functional parts of the machine are housed, such as a rotating drum 110 (or a drum rotatable in a tub in the case of a laundry washing/drying machine), a moisture condensing system for dehumidifying the drying air, fans, pumps, valves, motors, vibration damping devices, electronics. A laundry loading opening 115 for allowing access to the inner space of the drum (or drum) 110 is formed in the front wall 120 of the cabinet 105; a laundry loading door 125 for closing the loading opening 115 is provided. Laundry loading opening 115 comprises an edge 116, edge 116 defining a surface that outlines laundry loading opening 115, wherein laundry loading opening 115 surrounds laundry loading door 125 when laundry loading door 125 is in the closed configuration as in the configuration in fig. 1.

In addition to the front wall 120, the housing 105 may also comprise a rear wall (not visible in the figures) and two

side walls

121, 122. And a top wall 123 for closing the top of the housing 105.

The laundry treating machine 1 is a front loading machine, and preferably, the laundry treating machine 1 defines a vertical axis Z along which the laundry treating machine 1 extends. Preferably, the front wall 120 is substantially vertical.

Below laundry loading opening 115, front wall 120 terminates and forms a bottom region of appliance housing 105 by a base 130. The basement 130 is a cover for a bottom portion of the laundry treating machine 100, wherein a moisture condensing system, for example an air-air heat exchanger, is at least partially located in the bottom portion of the laundry treating machine 100, in which the moisture-laden drying air coming from the laundry treating chamber is cooled by a flow of cooling air drawn in from the external environment to cause condensation of the moisture.

For this purpose, the base 130 is preferably perforated to enable the intake and exhaust of cooling air.

A portion of the base 130 is rotatably coupled to the housing 105 to enable opening of the base 130 and allow access to the area behind it and closing of the base 130 when not accessing the area behind it. For example, the base 130 is hinged at its lower side 143 to the cabinet 105 and forms a base door 140, which base door 140 can be opened (by a user or repairman) to access the moisture condensing system, e.g. a tank or a filter to be cleaned for collecting the condensed water released by the drying air in order to empty it. The base door 140 is preferably perforated at its bottom strip; the cooling air for the moisture condensation system is for example sucked in through the perforations 150 in the first base part (by means of a fan, not visible in the figure) and discharged through the perforations 150 in the second base part. Preferably, the base door 140 is positioned symmetrically with respect to the vertical axis of the front wall 120.

As seen in fig. 1, 2 and enlarged views of fig. 3 and 4, a handle 155 is provided for opening the base door 140 when desired. Advantageously, the handle 155 is centrally located with respect to the base door 140 and protrudes from a top edge 144 (see fig. 5, where the base door 140 is depicted in an enlarged view) of the base door 140 for access by a user/operator. As shown in fig. 3, 4 and 5, the handle 155 is contoured to at least partially follow the shape of the rim 116 of the loading opening 115. Thus, when laundry loading opening 115 is generally circular, the handle has a curved shape, which may be a circular arc. The handle generally has the form of a flat tab, however, the form of the flat tab does not geometrically follow the outer surface of the base door, but is slightly recessed relative to the outer surface of the base door 140 when the base door is closed.

Handle 155 is visible from the outside of casing 105 both when laundry loading door 125 is closed (see operating configuration of fig. 1 and 6) and when loading door 125 is open (see operating configuration of fig. 2 and 7). Thus, the location of the actuator (i.e., handle) for opening the base door 140 is unquestionable to the user.

The handle 155 forms a gap 160 with the cabinet 105 (or a frame of the laundry treating machine). In particular, the gap 160 is visible in the cross-sectional side views of fig. 6 and 7. The width of the gap is preferably defined by the distance between the handle 155 and the housing 105 when the base door 140 is closed and is equal to or greater than 12 millimeters to accommodate one or more fingers of a user. The gap is located at the edge 116 of the loading opening 115.

When the laundry treating machine 100 is in the operating position of fig. 1 and 6, the gap 160 is covered by the loading door 125 such that a user cannot enter the gap. Indeed, in the operating configuration of fig. 1 and 6, the loading door 125 is located on this gap, and a narrow slit 161 of size less than 12mm still exists between the loading door 125 and the edge 116, and therefore between the door 125 and the gap 160, insufficient for the insertion of a finger or any other part of the user's hand. For example, the slot has a width, defined as the distance in the vertical direction Z between the laundry loading door 125 and the handle 155 when the laundry loading door 125 is closed, of between 1mm and 11 mm. The user can also see the position of the handle 155 when the laundry loading door 125 is closed, but cannot operate the handle 155 because the handle can only be grasped through the gap, otherwise there is no other way to pull the handle. Therefore, when the laundry treating machine 100 is in operation and the loading door 125 is closed, it is impossible to open the pedestal door 140. In fact, the handle 155 does not provide any protrusion from the exterior of the cabinet that can be used to pull the handle 155 and thus open the seat door 140. However, when the laundry loading door 125 is closed and the pedestal door 140 is opened, the pedestal door 140 may be closed.

Furthermore, when the loading door 125 is open, a gap 160 is visible in the lower part of the peripheral edge 116 of the loading opening 115, and as shown in the enlarged view of fig. 4, when the base door is slightly open, the user can reach this gap 160, he can insert his/her hand or finger and pull the handle 155 to open the base door 140.

In addition, the handle 155 comprises an element 156 made of elastic material, which element 156 is preferably coupled to a seat 157 formed in the handle 155. Element 156 is preferably molded into seat 157 and dampens the closing of base door 140 on housing 105. When the base door 140 is in the closed position as seen in fig. 8, the member 156 abuts the chassis front wall 120.

The base door 140 is made of, for example, a plastic material (although other materials, such as sheet metal, may be used).

In addition, the handle 155 is part of a closing mechanism located in the base door 140. The closure mechanism also preferably includes one magnet and more preferably three magnets, each indicated at 170 in the drawings. As can be seen in fig. 5, one of the magnets 170 is located at the handle 155 and two of the magnets 170 are located at opposite

lateral sides

141 and 142 of the base door 140. In this manner, the magnetic force is well distributed over some area of the base door perimeter to keep the base door 140 perfectly flush with the chassis front wall 120. The positioning of the magnets allows the base door 140 to be fully closed each time the base door 140 is positioned adjacent the housing 105 and keeps the door closed until the force resisting the magnetic attraction, such as a pulling force on the handle 155, overcomes the force generated by the magnets 170.

Each magnet 170 is preferably housed in a seat 171. The seat may be implemented, for example, integral with the handle 155 or base door 140. The seat 171 realized in the base door is depicted in the enlarged view of fig. 8. The depth of each seat 171 is preferably deeper than the depth of the magnet 170 so that the magnet does not reach the end edges of the seats 171. In this manner, when the base door 140 is in contact with the enclosure 105, the magnets do not contact the surface of the enclosure itself, such as the surface of the front door 120. In this manner, substantially no noise is audible when the base door 140 is closed and does not cause damage to the cabinet paint.

The provision of at least three magnets 171 (see fig. 5) allows the base door 140 on the housing 105 to be flush closed.

Claims

1. Laundry treating machine (100) comprising a cabinet (105), said cabinet (105) being provided with a laundry loading opening (115) for accessing a laundry treating chamber (110) and a loading door (125) hinged to said cabinet for selectively closing or opening said laundry loading opening, said cabinet (105) further comprising a revolving door (140), said revolving door (140) being hinged to said cabinet and openable to allow access to an inner region of said machine within said cabinet, characterized in that,

the swing door (140) comprising a closing mechanism to hold the swing door closed when the swing door abuts the cabinet (105), the closing mechanism comprising a handle (155), said handle (155) being visible from the outside of said cabinet (105) when said laundry loading door (125) is closed, said handle (155) forming with said cabinet a gap (160) at the edge (116) of said laundry loading opening (115), wherein the laundry loading door (125) blocks access to the gap (160) when the laundry loading door is closed such that no finger is allowed to be inserted into the gap to pull the handle (155), and wherein, when the laundry loading door (125) is opened, the gap (160) is sized to allow the insertion of a finger to pull the handle (155) and open the revolving door (140).

2. The laundry treating machine (100) of claim 1, wherein said handle (155) is a pull handle.

3. Laundry treatment machine (100) according to claim 2, wherein a slot (161) is formed between said laundry loading door (125) and said handle (155) when said laundry loading door (125) is closed, and wherein the size of said slot defined by the distance between said laundry loading door and said handle is comprised between 1mm and 11 mm.

4. The laundry treating machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said gap (160) is located below said laundry loading door (125) when said laundry loading door (125) is closed.

5. The laundry treating machine (100) of claim 1, wherein said handle (155) is located along an axis of symmetry of said revolving door (140).

6. The laundry treating machine (100) according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein said revolving door (140) is located at a basement (130) of said cabinet (105).

7. The laundry treating machine (100) of claim 6, wherein said revolving door (140) is located below said laundry loading door (125), and said revolving door (140) is hinged at a lower side of said cabinet (105).

8. Laundry treatment machine (100) according to any of the previous claims 1-5, wherein said handle (155) protrudes upwards from said revolving door (140) towards said laundry loading opening (115).

9. The laundry treating machine (100) according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein a side of said handle (155) facing said cabinet is at least partially covered by an element (156) formed of elastic material abutting said cabinet when said revolving door (140) is closed.

10. The laundry treating machine (100) of claim 1, wherein said closing mechanism comprises at least one magnet (170).

11. Laundry treatment machine (100) according to claim 10, wherein said cabinet (105) comprises a front wall (120) hinging said laundry loading door (125) and two side walls (121, 122), wherein said at least one magnet (170) is located at said handle (155) and/or at one lateral end (141, 142) of said revolving door (140), said lateral end (141, 142) being close to one of said side walls (121, 122) of said cabinet.

12. The laundry treating machine (100) according to any of claims 10-11, wherein said magnet (170) faces a portion of said cabinet when said revolving door (140) is closed, and wherein there is a spacing between said magnet (170) and said portion of said cabinet (105).

13. Laundry treatment machine (100) according to any of the previous claims 1-5, wherein said handle (155) has a form matching in shape the edges of said laundry loading opening (115).

14. Laundry treatment machine (100) according to claim 6, wherein said revolving door (140) is openable to enable access to a machine area provided with at least a part of a laundry treatment air moisture condensation system.

15. The laundry treating machine (100) according to claim 14, wherein said basement (130) is provided with perforations (150) for the entry/exit of said laundry treating air.

16. The laundry treating machine (100) according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein said gap (160) has a dimension equal to or greater than 12mm defined by the distance between said handle (155) and said cabinet (105).