U.S. patent application number 10/721339 was filed with the patent office on 2004-08-12 for drum type washing machine.
Invention is credited to Cho, Han Ki, Ha, Young Hoon, Jung, Yeon Su, Kang, Jung Hoon, Kim, Jong Seok, No, Yang Hwan, Park, Myung Sik.
Application Number | 20040154356 10/721339 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32822527 |
Filed Date | 2004-08-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040154356 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim, Jong Seok ; et
al. |
August 12, 2004 |
Drum type washing machine
Abstract
Disclosed is a drum type washing machine, and more particularly,
a tub of a drum type washing machine enabling to effectively drain
water and foam in the tub. The present invention includes a tub
body having a drum installed rotatably inside, a sump at a bottom
of the tub body to store water or foam, a drain outlet at a bottom
of the sump wherein the water or foam is discharged via the drain
outlet, and a rib at one side of the sump to prevent the water or
foam from deviating from the sump.
Inventors: |
Kim, Jong Seok;
(Changwon-si, KR) ; No, Yang Hwan; (Changwon-si,
KR) ; Cho, Han Ki; (Changwon-si, KR) ; Jung,
Yeon Su; (Changwon-si, KR) ; Kang, Jung Hoon;
(Changwong-si, KR) ; Park, Myung Sik;
(Changwong-si, KR) ; Ha, Young Hoon; (Mason-si,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
32822527 |
Appl. No.: |
10/721339 |
Filed: |
November 26, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/208 ;
68/23R |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 39/083 20130101;
D06F 37/26 20130101; D06F 37/42 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
068/208 ;
068/023.00R |
International
Class: |
D06F 039/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 29, 2002 |
KR |
P2002-0075359 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A tub of a drum type washing machine, comprising: a tub body
having a drum installed rotatably inside; a sump at a bottom of the
tub body to store water or foam; a drain outlet at a bottom of the
sump wherein the water or foam is discharged via the drain outlet;
and a rib at one side of the sump to prevent the water or foam from
deviating from the sump.
2. The tub as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sump is expanded to
increase a capacity of storing the water and foam therein.
3. The tub as claimed in claim 2, wherein the drain outlet is
formed at an expanded portion of the sump.
4. The tub as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rib is formed at an
edge top of the expanded sump to prevent the water or foam from
deviating from the sump by a rotation of the drum.
5. The tub as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sump is expanded in a
rotational direction of the drum on dewatering to increase a
capacity of storing the water and foam therein.
6. The tub as claimed in claim 5, wherein the drain outlet is
formed at an expanded portion of the sump.
7. The tub as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rib is formed at an
edge top of the expanded sump to prevent the water or foam from
deviating from the sump by a rotation of the drum.
8. A drum type washing machine, comprising: a cabinet forming an
exterior; a drum in the cabinet to hold a laundry and a detergent
therein; a tub body having the drum installed rotatably inside; a
sump at a bottom of the tub body to store water or foam; a drain
outlet at a bottom of the sump wherein the water or foam is
discharged via the drain outlet; and a rib at one side of the sump
to prevent the water or foam from deviating from the sump.
9. The drum type washing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the
sump is expanded to increase a capacity of storing the water and
foam therein.
10. The drum type washing machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein
the drain outlet is formed at an expanded portion of the sump.
11. The drum type washing machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein
the rib is formed at an edge top of the expanded sump to prevent
the water or foam from deviating from the sump by a rotation of the
drum.
12. The drum type washing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein
the sump is expanded in a rotational direction of the drum on
dewatering to increase a capacity of storing the water and foam
therein.
13. The drum type washing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein
the drain outlet is formed at an expanded portion of the sump.
14. The drum type washing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein
the rib is formed at an edge top of the expanded sump to prevent
the water or foam from deviating from the sump by a rotation of the
drum.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Application(s)
No. 10-2002-0075359 filed on Nov. 29, 2002, which is/are hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a drum type washing
machine, and more particularly, to a tub of a drum type washing
machine enabling to effectively drain water and foam in the
tub.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, in a drum type washing machine, a drum holding
the laundry, water, and detergent inside is rotated to lift the
laundry up by protrusions to perform washing using the shock energy
of the laundry falling down and a frictional force thereof.
[0006] Such a drum type washing machine avoids causing damage to
the laundry and prevents the laundry from being entangled, thereby
prevailing in use gradually.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a drum type
washing machine according to a related art.
[0008] Referring to FIG. 1, in a drum type washing machine
according to a related art, a cabinet 2 forms an exterior. An
entrance is formed at a front side of the cabinet 2, and a door 14
is installed at the entrance to prevent a laundry from popping out.
And, a tub 30 supported by a spring 4 is installed in the cabinet 2
to hold water.
[0009] A drum 6 in which the laundry and detergent are put is
rotatably installed in the tub 30. A rotational shaft 7 coupled
with a motor 10 is installed in rear of the drum 6 to transfer a
driving force to the drum 6. And, a plurality of lifts 8 are
installed on an inside of the drum 6 to pull up the laundry to
fall. Moreover, a multitude of perforated holes 5 through which the
water and foam communicate are formed at the drum 6.
[0010] Meanwhile, a gasket 16 formed of such an elastic material as
rubber is installed between the door 14 and the tub 30. The gasket
16 alleviates a shock generated from a rotation of the drum 6 as
well as makes the door 14 airtight to prevent the water from
leaking.
[0011] A damper 24 is installed at one side under the tub 30. The
damper 24 attenuates the vibration transferred to the tub 30
through the rotational shaft 7 while the washing machine
operates.
[0012] Moreover, a control panel 18 for controlling an operation of
the drum type washing machine is installed on a top of the cabinet
2. A water supply hose 20, a water supply valve 22, and a detergent
box 24 are installed in an upper part of the cabinet 2 to supply
the water and detergent to the tub 30. And, a drain pump 26 and a
drain hose 28 are installed at one side under the tub 30 to
circulate or discharge the water.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tub and a drum of a
drum type washing machine according to a related art for showing an
operation on dewatering.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, a tub 30 according to a related art
consists of a tub body 32 having a drum 6 installed rotatably
inside to hold a laundry and a sump 34 at a lower part of the tub
body 32 to store water or foam therein. And, a drain outlet 36 for
discharging the water or foam in the sump 34 is formed at a bottom
center of the sump 34.
[0015] In this case, a central portion of a bottom of the tub body
32 is recessed downward to construct the sump 34 for storing the
water and foam.
[0016] In the above-constructed drum type washing machine according
to the related art, as the drum 6 rotates at high speed clockwise
`a` on dewatering, the water and foam is discharged between the
drum 6 and the tub 30 via the perforated holes 5 at the drum 6. The
discharged water and foam gathers in the sump 34 along an inner
circumference of the tub body 32.
[0017] However, the related art drum type washing machine has the
following problems or disadvantages.
[0018] First of all, a volume of the sump is so mall that the water
and foam on dewatering fail to be stored in the sump. Instead, the
water and foam deviates from the sump by the rotational force of
the drum to move along the inner circumference of the tub body,
whereby the water and foam fail to be smoothly drained through the
drain outlet.
[0019] Moreover, as a drum type washing machine increases in size
lately, so a laundry amount increases. Hence, the amount of the
water and foam increases as well as a centrifugal force of the
drum, whereby the related art sump is inappropriate for such a
washing machine of large-capacity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a drum
type washing machine that substantially obviates one or more of the
problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related
art.
[0021] An object of the present invention, which has been devised
to solve the foregoing problem, lies in providing a tub of a drum
type washing machine, by which water and foam in the tub are
effectively drained.
[0022] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be
apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination
of the following or may be learned from a practice of the
invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention
will be realized and attained by the subject matter particularly
pointed out in the specification and claims hereof as well as in
the appended drawings.
[0023] To achieve these objects and other advantages in accordance
with the present invention, as embodied and broadly described
herein, there is provided a tub of a drum type washing machine
including a tub body having a drum installed rotatably inside, a
sump at a bottom of the tub body to store water or foam, a drain
outlet at a bottom of the sump wherein the water or foam is
discharged via the drain outlet, and a rib at one side of the sump
to prevent the water or foam from deviating from the sump.
[0024] In this case, the sump is expanded to increase a capacity of
storing the water and foam therein, and the drain outlet is formed
at an expanded portion of the sump.
[0025] And, the rib is formed at an edge top of the expanded sump
to prevent the water or foam from deviating from the sump by a
rotation of the drum.
[0026] Moreover, the sump is preferably expanded in a rotational
direction of the drum on dewatering to increase a capacity of
storing the water and foam therein.
[0027] In this case, the drain outlet is formed at an expanded
portion of the sump and the rib is formed at an edge top of the
expanded sump to prevent the water or foam from deviating from the
sump by a rotation of the drum.
[0028] In another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a drum type washing machine including a cabinet forming an
exterior, a drum in the cabinet to hold a laundry and a detergent
therein, a tub body having the drum installed rotatably inside, a
sump at a bottom of the tub body to store water or foam, a drain
outlet at a bottom of the sump wherein the water or foam is
discharged via the drain outlet, and a rib at one side of the sump
to prevent the water or foam from deviating from the sump.
[0029] It is to be understood that both the foregoing explanation
and the following detailed description of the present invention are
exemplary and illustrative and are intended to provide further
explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a drum type
washing machine according to a related art;
[0032] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tub and a drum of a
drum type washing machine according to a related art for showing an
operation on dewatering;
[0033] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a tub and a drum of a
drum type washing machine according to the present invention for
showing an operation on dewatering; and
[0034] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a drum type washing machine
according to the present invention, in which an interior is
partially shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0035] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiment(s) of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings,
like elements are indicated using the same or similar reference
designations where possible.
[0036] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a tub and a drum of a
drum type washing machine according to the present invention for
showing an operation on dewatering and FIG. 4 is a perspective view
of a drum type washing machine according to the present invention,
in which an interior is partially shown.
[0037] In a drum type washing machine according to the present
invention, like elements, except a tub 50 holding water and a drum
60 rotatably provided in the tub 50, are indicated using the same
or similar reference designations of the related art where
possible.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 3, a tub 50 according to the present
invention includes a tub body 52. And, a drum 60 is rotatably
installed in the tub body 52 to hold a laundry. A multitude of
perforated holes 62 through which the water and foam communicate
are formed at the drum 60, and a plurality of lifts 63 are formed
inside to pull the laundry to fall.
[0039] A sump 54 is formed at a lower part of the tub body 52 to
store the water or foam therein. And, a drain outlet 56 for
discharging the water or foam in the sump 54 is formed at a bottom
center of the sump 54.
[0040] Moreover, a rib 58 is formed at one side of the sump 54 to
prevent the water or foam from deviating from the sump 54.
[0041] In this case, the sump 54 expands to increase a capacity of
storing the water and foam. The sump 54 preferably extends in the
same direction of the rotational direction `a` of the drum 60 on
dewatering.
[0042] Of course, the sump 54 can extend to both sides to increase
the capacity of storing the water and foam more.
[0043] Besides, the drain outlet 56 is formed at the expanding
portion of the sump 54 and the rib 58 protrudes from an edge top of
the expanding portion of the sump 54 to leave a predetermined
distance from the drain outlet 56 in a rotational direction of the
drum 60.
[0044] The rib 58 prevents the water and foam from deviating from
the sump 54 to move along the tub body 52 in the same direction of
the drum 60 by the rotational force of the drum 60, thereby
collecting the water and foam in the sump 54.
[0045] Of course, in case that the sump 54 extends to both sides,
the drain outlet 56 can be formed at each side of the expanding
sump 54 as well as the rib 58 can be formed at each edge top of the
expanding sump 54.
[0046] Meanwhile, the drain outlet 56, as shown in FIG. 4, is
provided to incline to one side from a bottom center of the sump 54
as the sump 54 expands. Hence, a tub fixing packing 64 may be
installed at the bottom center of the sump 54. The tub fixing
packing 64 is installed at the bottom of the sump 64 to securely
fix the tub 50 thereto on packaging the drum type washing
machine.
[0047] An operation of the above-constructed drum type washing
machine according to the present invention is explained as
follows.
[0048] First of all, once a power is applied to the drum type
washing machine, water and detergent are supplied to the tub 50
according to an amount of the laundry put in the drum 60.
[0049] After the tub 50 is sufficiently filled with the supplied
water, a washing step is executed so that the drum 60 is rotated by
the motor 10. In this case, the laundry in the drum 60 is lifted up
to fall down for washing.
[0050] After completion of the washing step, a draining step is
initiated to discharge the water and foam in the tub 50. In this
case, the drain pump 26 pumps the water and foam to drain via the
drain outlet 56 and the drain hose 28 outside the drum type washing
machine.
[0051] After completion of the draining step, new water is supplied
to the tub 50 and the drum 60 is then rotated to perform a rinsing
step for rinsing the laundry. After completion of the rinsing step,
the draining step is repeated.
[0052] Meanwhile, the drain step includes a dewatering step to
effectively remove the water and foam involved in the laundry.
Moreover, in case of completing all washing steps, the dewatering
step is performed to finally eliminate the water involved in the
laundry.
[0053] In the dewatering step, the drum 60 is rotated in one
direction `a` at high speed by the motor 10, and the laundry is
pushed toward the inner circumference of the drum 60 by the
corresponding centrifugal force.
[0054] Moreover, the water and foam involved in the laundry are
discharged between the drum 60 and the tub body 52 via the
perforated holes of the drum 60 by the centrifugal force, and the
discharged water and foam gather in the sump 54 along the inner
circumference of the tub body 52.
[0055] Yet, a considerable amount of the water and foam intends to
deviate from the sump 54 to move in a rotational direction of the
drum 60 along the inner circumference of the tub body 52 by the
rotational force of the drum 60.
[0056] In this case, the water and foam are blocked by the rib 58
so as not to move further but are retrieved to the sump 54 to be
discharged via the drain outlet 56.
[0057] Accordingly, the drum type washing machine according to the
present invention has the following effects or advantages.
[0058] First of all, the rib protruding from the expanding edge top
of the sump prevents the water and foam from moving along the tub
body by the rotational force of the drum. Therefore, the water and
foam are retrieved to the sump to be effectively discharged.
[0059] Secondly, the expanding sump enables to store a massive
amount of water and foam therein, thereby being applicable to
handling a considerably large amount of water and foam in a
big-capacity drum type washing machine an d the like.
[0060] Thirdly, the drain outlet is formed to incline to one side
from the bottom center of the sump, whereby the tub fixing packing
is installed at the bottom of the sump to securely fix the tub
thereto on packaging the drum type washing machine. Therefore, the
drum type washing machine is prevented from being broken as the tub
rocks on transportation.
[0061] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made in the present invention
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus,
it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications
and variations, provided they come within the scope of the appended
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *