Apparatus having a switch which is operable via a dome-shaped elastic cover

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus comprising a housing having a housing wall formed with a passage closed by a cover connected to the housing wall, which cover is elastically deformable and has a portion which is raised with respect to the adjacent area of the housing wall in a rest position of the cover and owing to its elastic deformability, the raised portion of the cover is movable transversely to the housing wall in a direction toward the apparatus interior from a rest position into an operating position, and which has an actuating means which, when the raised portion is moved from its rest position into its operating position, is movable from an inactive position into an active position, and comprising switching means which are accommodated in the apparatus and by means of which, when the actuating means is moved from its inactive position into its active position, a switching function can be activated with the aid of the actuating means.

Such an apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example from the document EP 0 011 320 A2. In the known apparatus a housing wall has a plurality of passages in the form of small holes and the cover is located in the interior of the apparatus, the cover having protrusions which extend through the passages in the housing wall, the free ends of the protrusions thus forming the raised portions of the cover. When in the known apparatus the raised portions of the cover, i.e. the free ends of the protrusions are brought into a position in which they are flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall, this activates a switching function of the switching means inside the apparatus, as a result of which the apparatus is, for example, switched on. The construction and the operation of this known apparatus have the drawback that, for example, by simply placing the apparatus onto a surface, the free ends of the protrusions of the cover can assume a position in which they are flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall, which may result in an inadvertent actuation of a switching function of the switching means, which is obviously undesirable. Such an inadvertent actuation of a switching function of the switching means of the apparatus may lead to, for example, an unwanted loading of the batteries used in such an apparatus, which results in undesired draining of these batteries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to preclude the afore-mentioned problems and to provide an improved apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph. According to the invention, in order to achieve this object with such an apparatus, when the raised portion of the cover has been moved out of its rest position into a position flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall, the actuating means of the cover occupies an intermediate position situated between its inactive position and its active position, in which intermediate position an actuation of a switching function of the switching means with the aid of the actuating means is inhibited, and the raised portion of the cover is movable towards the apparatus interior out of its position in which it is flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall into an operating position in which the actuating means, which then occupies its active position, actuates a switching function of the switching means.

By means of the measures in accordance with the invention it is achieved in a very simple and also very reliable manner that an unintentional actuation of a switching function of the switching means of the apparatus is precluded or inhibited in a far more reliable manner than in the known apparatus mentioned in the introduction, primarily because for actually performing a switching function of the switching means the raised portion of the cover must be moved into an operating position which, with respect to a flush position relative to the adjacent area of the housing wall, are situated nearer the apparatus interior, which is possible almost only by deliberately actuating the raised portion by means of a finger, for example the thumb, of a hand. In preferred embodiments of the invention:

the passage in the housing wall has a circular cross-section and the raised portion has a dome shape adapt to this circular cross-section; and/or

the raised portion, which is dome-shaped, has an actuating means in the form of an actuating projection which projects from the dome interior of the raised portion; and/or

the housing wall has a second passage having a second circular cross-section and a second raised portion has a dome shape adapted to the second circular cross-section and both raised portions, which each have a dome shape, belong to a single cover; and/or

there are two dome-shaped raised portions as discussed hereinabove, and both dome-shaped raised portions each have an actuating means in the form of an actuating projection which projects from the respective raised portion into the dome interior; and/or

the switch comprises a switch toggle having two switch arms and each of the two actuating projections provided as actuating means is constructed and arranged to cooperate with a switch arm of the switch toggle.

The above-mentioned as well as further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the example of an embodiment described hereinafter and will be elucidated with reference to this example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings and given by way of example, to which the invention is not limited.

FIG. 1

is an oblique view of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, which is a wet-dry shaver comprising an elastic cover in the area of a housing wall, which cover has two dome-shaped raised portions.

FIG. 2

shows a part of the apparatus of

FIG. 1

in a longitudinal sectional view taken across the two raised portions of the cover of this apparatus, the two raised portions each being shown in a rest position and the switching means of the apparatus being shown in an off position.

FIG. 3

, similarly to

FIG. 2

, shows a part of the apparatus of

FIG. 1

, one raised portion being shown in a position flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall and the switching means being shown in their off position.

FIG. 4

, similarly to

FIGS. 2 and 3

, shows a part of the apparatus of

FIG. 1

, both raised portions being shown in their rest positions and the switching means being shown in their on position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1

shows an apparatus

1

, which is a so-called wet-dry shaver. The apparatus

1

has a housing

2

which essentially comprises two shell halves

3

and

4

, which are connected to one another to form a one-piece shell. At one end of the housing

2

the shell is closed by an end portion

5

. In the area of the end portion

5

a shaving head

6

projects from the housing

2

, which comprises cutting means not shown in

FIG. 1

, for example a stationarily mounted shear foil and a reciprocatingly drivable lamellar cutter which cooperates with the shear foil.

The housing

2

accommodates a drive motor, not shown in

FIG. 1

, for driving the lamellar cutter. The housing

2

further accommodates two rechargeable batteries, not shown, for powering the drive motor. To switch on the apparatus

1

, for which the batteries and electrically conductive connection to the drive motor is established, the apparatus

1

comprises switching means

7

, as can be seen in

FIGS. 2

to

4

.

The switching means

7

comprise a switch toggle

9

which is pivotable about a pivot

8

, which is shown diagrammatically. The switch toggle

9

comprises a first switch arm

10

and a second switch arm

11

, which each have a recess

12

and

13

, respectively. The switching means

7

further comprise a flexible contact spring

14

having an end portion

15

secured to an inner wall

16

of the apparatus

1

. The switching means

7

further comprise a stationary contact

17

, which is likewise connected to the inner wall

16

. The contact spring

14

has a curved portion

18

with which it cooperates with the first switch arm

10

, in such a manner that by a pivotal movement of the switch toggle

9

in the direction indicated by an arrow

19

the curved free end portion

20

of the contact spring

14

can be brought into electrically conductive engagement with the stationary contact

17

.

FIGS. 2 and 3

show the switching means

7

in their off position, in which the free end portion of the contact spring

14

is disengaged from the stationary contact

17

and the curved portion of the contact spring

14

engages against the first switch arm

10

of the switch toggle

9

, which is then disengageably held in a position corresponding to the off position of the switching means

7

with the aid of means, not shown. These means are formed by, for example, latching means.

FIG. 4

shows the switching means

7

in their on position, in which the switch toggle

9

occupies a position in which it has been moved in a direction indicated by the arrow

19

and in which it is disengageably held with the aid of means, not shown. These means can also be formed by, for example, latching means. In the on position of the switching means

7

the contact spring

14

is held in a position in which it has been moved in the direction indicated by the arrow

19

with the aid of the first switch arm

10

of the switch toggle

9

, the curved free end portion

20

of the contact spring

14

being in electrically conductive engagement with the stationary contact

17

.

The housing

2

of the apparatus

1

has, in addition to other housing walls, a housing wall

21

, which is shown in sectional view in

FIGS. 2

,

3

and

4

. The housing wall

21

has a first passage

22

and a second passage

23

. The first passage

22

has a first circular cross-section. The second passage

23

has a second circular cross-section. The two passages

22

and

23

are formed in the housing wall

21

directly adjacent one another and are only separated from one another by a portion

24

of the housing wall

21

, which portion substantially has the shape of a double wedge.

To close the two passages

22

and

23

the apparatus

1

has a cover

25

made of an elastically deformable plastic and formed in a so-called molding-on process, in which a mechanically stable and liquid-tight joint is obtained. As a result of the use of an elastically deformable plastic the cover

25

is elastically deformable.

In the present case, the cover

25

has a first portion

28

which is raised with respect to the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

in a rest position of the cover

25

and a second portion

29

which is raised with respect to the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

in a rest position of the cover

25

. Owing to its elastic deformability each raised portion

28

or

29

of the cover

25

is movable transversely to the housing wall

21

in a direction toward the apparatus interior from a rest position shown in

FIGS. 1

,

2

and

4

into an operating position.

The first raised portion

28

has a dome-shape adapted to the first circular cross-section of the first passage

22

. The second raised portion

29

has a dome-shape adapted to the second circular cross-section of the second passage

23

.

The cover

25

has an actuating means

30

and

31

, respectively, for each of the raised portions

28

and

29

, i.e. a first actuating means

30

associated with the first raised portion

28

and a second actuating means

31

associated with the second raised portion

29

. As can be seen in

FIGS. 2

to

4

, each dome-shaped raised portion

28

and

29

has an actuating means

30

or

31

in the form of an actuating projection which projects into the dome interior from the respective raised portion

28

or

29

. Each of the two actuating projections forming the actuating means

30

and

31

is constructed and arranged to cooperate with a respective switch arm

10

or

11

of the switch toggle

9

. The actuating means

30

and

31

are constructed and arranged to cooperate with the recesses

12

and

13

in the switch arms

10

and

11

, which guarantees a reliable cooperation.

When the raised portion

28

or

29

is moved from its rest position into its operating position each actuating means

30

or

31

is movable from an inactive position shown in

FIGS. 2 and 4

into an active position, not shown in the Figures. When one of the two actuating means

30

and

31

is moved from its inactive position into its active position a switching function can be activated in the switching means

7

with the aid of the respective actuating means

30

or

31

. By a movement of the first raised portion

28

from its rest position into its operating position and by the resulting movement of the first actuating means

30

from its inactive position into its active position the switch toggle

9

of the switching means

7

is movable into its position shown in

FIG. 4

, as a result of which the switching means

7

assume their on position, in which the contact spring

14

is in electrically conductive engagement with the stationary contact

17

and the apparatus

1

is consequently switched on. By a movement of the second raised portion

29

from its rest position into its operating position and by the resulting movement of the second actuating means

31

from its inactive position into its active position the switch toggle

9

of the switching means

7

is movable into its position shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, upon which the switching means

7

assume their off position, in which the contact spring

14

is disengaged from the stationary contact

17

and the apparatus

1

is consequently switched off.

According to the invention, the construction of the apparatus

1

is such that, when the raised portion

28

or

29

of the cover

25

has been moved out of its rest position into a position flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

, the respective actuating means

30

or

31

of the cover

25

occupies an intermediate position situated between its inactive position and its active position, in which intermediate position an actuation of a switching function of the switching means

7

with the aid of the actuating means

30

and

31

is inhibited, as is illustrated in

FIG. 3

for the first actuating means

30

which is movable by means of the first raised portion

28

, which Figure by way of illustration shows a wall

32

which holds the first raised portion

28

in its flush position. Each of the raised portions

28

and

29

of the cover is movable towards the apparatus interior in a direction indicated by an arrow F, out of its position in which it is flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

into an operating position, not show in the Figures, in which the actuating means

30

or

31

, which then occupies its active position, actuates a switching function of the switching means

7

.

An excursion a of the first raised portion

28

, a distance b between the first actuating means

30

and the first switch arm

10

of the switch toggle

9

, and a distance c between the free end

20

of the contact spring

14

and the stationary contact

17

are indicated in FIG.

2

. In the apparatus

1

the construction is such that the excursion a is smaller than the sum of the distances b and c, which ensures that when the first raised portion

28

has been moved out of its rest position into a position in which it is flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

the first actuating means

30

does not actuate a switching function of the switching means

7

. Likewise, an excursion for the second raised portion

29

and a distance b between the second actuating means

31

and the second switch arm

11

of the switch toggle

9

are given in FIG.

4

. In the apparatus

1

the construction is such that the excursion a is selected to be smaller than the distance b, which ensures that when the second raised portion

29

has been moved out of its rest position into a position in which it is flush with the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

the second actuating means

29

does not actuate a switching function of the switching means

7

.

In the apparatus described hereinbefore an unintentional actuation of a switching function of the switching means

7

of the apparatus

1

is inhibited with a comparatively high reliability because in order to achieve that a switching function of the switching means

7

is actually actuated the respective raised portion

28

or

29

of the cover

25

must be moved into an operating position which, with respect to a flush position relative to the adjacent area of the housing wall

21

, is situated nearer the apparatus interior, as a result of which the cover should have a recessed shaped in the area of the respective raised portion

28

or

29

which is moved into its operating position, which is possible almost only by deliberately actuating the respective raised portion

28

or

29

by means of a finger, for example the thumb, of a hand.

The invention is not limited to the apparatus in accordance with the embodiment described hereinbefore by way of example. For example, an apparatus in accordance with the invention may comprise a cover having only on raised portion by means of which a switch can be changed over or actuated and which upon actuation effects switching on and upon a subsequent actuation effects switching off.