U.S. patent application number 11/038088 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-10 for washing machine having drain casing.
This patent application is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., LTD.. Invention is credited to Kim, Do Weon, Song, Chang Min.
Application Number | 20050246843 11/038088 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36830299 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050246843 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Song, Chang Min ; et
al. |
November 10, 2005 |
Washing machine having drain casing
Abstract
A washing machine filter having improved structures of a drain
filter and a drain casing so that foreign substances are
effectively eliminated from wash water, thereby making itless
necessary to frequently clean the drain filter. The drain filter
includes a filter member having filter holes and filter
protrusions, and a hand lever rotatably connected to the front end
of the filter member. The filter protrusions, having a length
larger than the depth of the filter holes, are perpendicularly
protruded upward from the surface of the filter member, and each of
the filter holes has a hexagonal shape. The drain filter can be
detachable from the drain casing through a filter entrance formed
in the front surface of the drain casing. A guide plate can be
positioned at the rear end of the filter member, and a guide
protrusion corresponding to the guide plate can be formed at the
filter entrance, thereby permitting alignment of the drain filter
within the drain casing.
Inventors: |
Song, Chang Min; (Suwon-si,
KR) ; Kim, Do Weon; (Suwon-si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700
1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
36830299 |
Appl. No.: |
11/038088 |
Filed: |
January 21, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
8/158 ; 68/13R;
68/208; 68/3R |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 39/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
008/158 ;
068/003.00R; 068/013.00R; 068/208 |
International
Class: |
D06F 037/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 4, 2004 |
KR |
2004-31439 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A washing machine comprising: a tub to contain wash water; a
drain casing to discharge the wash water; and a drain filter,
positioned in the drain casing, comprising a filter member having a
plurality of filter holes and a plurality of filter
protrusions.
2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the filter protrusions
perpendicularly protrude upward from a surface of the filter
member, with the filter protrusions having a length larger than a
depth of the filter holes.
3. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein each of the filter holes
has a hexagonal shape.
4. The washing machine of claim 1, further comprising a drain pump,
installed in the drain casing, to forcibly discharge the wash
water.
5. The washing machine of claim 4, wherein the drain pump comprises
an impeller, with a driving motor for the impeller, positioned
outside the drain casing, being connected to the impeller.
6. The washing machine of claim 5, wherein: a front surface of the
drain casing forms a filter entrance through which the drain filter
can be inserted into or removed from the drain casing, with the
casing comprising an inlet pipe introducing the wash water into the
drain casing and an outlet pipe permitting the wash water to be
discharged from the drain casing, respectively positioned along
alternate sides of the drain casing; and the impeller is installed
close to the outlet pipe.
7. The washing machine of claim 6, wherein the filter member is
inclined relative to the inlet pipe.
8. The washing machine of claim 7, wherein a guide plate, having an
upper end inclined relative to the filter member at a designated
angle, is positioned at the rear end of the filter member, a guide
protrusion corresponding to the inclined upper end of the guide
plate is formed at the filter entrance of the drain casing, and
when the upper end of the guide plate of the drain filter aligns
with the guide protrusion of the drain casing the drain filter can
be inserted into the drain casing.
9. The washing machine of claim 5, further comprising: a housing
containing the tub and the drain casing; and a support member for
fixing the drain casing, which includes the drain filter, to a
lower panel of the housing.
10. The washing machine of claim 9, wherein a connection protrusion
protrudes downward from a lower portion of the drain casing, and a
groove for fixedly receiving the connection protrusion is formed in
an upper surface of the support member.
11. The washing machine of claim 9, wherein a screw hole for
screwing the support member to the lower panel of the housing is
formed in a lower surface of the support member.
12. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the washing machine is
encapsulated in a housing and the drain filter can be removed from
the drain casing without removal of the housing, with the drain
casing protruding from the surface of the housing.
13. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the filter member is
connected to an end of the drain filter, with the end of the drain
filter being rotatable relative to the filter member, such that the
filter member stays aligned in a particular orientation, and with
the end of the drain filter being capable of sealing the drain
filter into the drain casing.
14. A drain casing, comprising: a main body having a designated
volume; an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe respectively positioned
along opposing sides of the main body; a filter entrance along a
front surface of the main body; a drain filter, detachable from the
main body through the filter entrance, with the drain filter
including a plurality of filter holes and a plurality of filter
protrusions; and a drain pump installed adjacent the main body to
forcibly discharge wash water from within the main body through the
outlet pipe.
15. The drain casing of claim 14, wherein the filter protrusions
protrude perpendicularly upward from a surface of a filter member
of the drain filter, with the filter protrusions having a length
larger than a depth of the filter holes.
16. The drain casing of claim 14, wherein a filter member, of the
drain filter, including the plurality of filter holes and
protrusions, is inclined relative to the inlet pipe.
17. A method of washing with a washing machine comprising a tub to
contain wash water, a drain casing to discharge the wash water, and
a drain filter, positioned in the drain casing, comprising: using
the wash water to wash a material in the tub; draining the wash
water from the material in the tub; and filtering the drained wash
water through a two stage filtering process, with a first stage
comprising filtering the wash water past a plurality of protrusions
and a second stage comprising filtering the wash water through a
plurality of holes, with the height of the protrusions being
greater than the depth of the holes.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the two stage filtering process
is encapsulated in the drain filter and the drain filter is
removable from the drain casing without removal of a housing of the
washing machine.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the two stage filtering process
is encapsulated in the drain filter, the plurality of holes of the
drain filter are oriented on a planar filter member, with the
plurality of protrusions protruding from the filter member, and
with the filter member being oriented at an angle relative to an
inflow of wash water from the tub.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the drain filter is removable
from the drain casing, and can only be inserted into the drain
casing along a particular orientation such that the drain filter
will have a particular orientation within the drain casing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Korean
Patent Application No. 2004-31439, filed May 4, 2004, in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more
particularly to a washing machine having a drain casing, to which a
drain filter with an improved structure for filtering wash water is
included.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, washing machines are apparatuses for washing
laundry and operate by rotating a cylindrical drum containing wash
water and laundry. Washing machines are divided into drum-type
washing machines, in which a drum is horizontally arranged so that
laundry is washed by lifting the laundry along an inner surface of
the drum and then dropping the laundry when the drum is rotated on
a horizontal axis in a regular or opposite direction, and vertical
axis-type washing machines, in which a drum is provided with a
pulsator positioned therein and is vertically arranged so that
laundry is washed by a water current generated when the pulsator is
rotated in a regular or opposing direction.
[0006] Each of the above drum-type and vertical axis-type washing
machines includes a tub containing wash water for washing the
laundry contained in the drum, a drain pump for forcibly
discharging the wash water from the tub to the outside after the
wash of the laundry is completed, and a drain filter installed in
front of the drain pump for filtering the wash water. Here, the
tub, the drain filter, and the drain pump are interconnected by a
drain hose extended from a main body of the washing machine.
[0007] The drain filter includes a plurality of filter holes,
having designated sizes, formed therein. When the drain pump is
operated in a wash, rinse or dehydration mode, the wash water
contained in the tub flows along the drain hose. Then, hard foreign
substances, such as buttons or pins, or soft foreign substances,
such as lint or hairs, are caught by the filter holes, thereby
being prevented from being introduced into the drain pump.
[0008] In the above-described conventional washing machine, the
drain filter operates as a filter only using the filter holes.
Where the sizes of the filter holes are decreased, the foreign
substances are more efficiently caught by the filter holes but the
filter holes are more easily clogged by the foreign substances,
thereby requiring the drain filter to be cleaned more frequently.
On the other hand, when the sizes of the filter holes are
increased, the filter holes do not easily stop the foreign
substances, thereby not requiring the drain filter to be cleaned
frequently but damage the drain pump, as the foreign substances
having passed through the filter holes clog the drain pump. This
causes the drain pump to operate inefficiently and potentially
become damaged by the hard foreign substances.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Therefore, an aspect of the present invention is to provide
a washing machine, including an improved drain filter structure so
that foreign substances contained in wash water are effectively
caught by the drain filter, thereby removing the necessity of
frequently having to clean the drain filter.
[0010] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice
of the invention.
[0011] To achieve the above and/or additional aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention include washing
machine including a tub to contain wash water, a drain casing to
discharge the wash water, and a drain filter, positioned in the
drain casing, comprising a filter member having a plurality of
filter holes and a plurality of filter protrusions. The filter
protrusions may perpendicularly protrude upward from a surface of
the filter member, and the filter protrusions, may have a length
larger than a depth of the filter holes.
[0012] Additionally, the washing machine may further include a
drain pump, installed in the drain casing, to forcibly discharge
the wash water. The drain pump may include an impeller, with a
driving motor for the impeller, positioned outside the drain
casing, being connected to the impeller.
[0013] Further, a front surface of the drain casing may form a
filter entrance through which the drain filter can be inserted into
or removed from the drain casing, with the casing including an
inlet pipe introducing the wash water into the drain casing and an
outlet pipe permitting the wash water to be discharged from the
drain casing, respectively positioned along alternate sides of the
drain casing, and the impeller can be installed close to the outlet
pipe. The filter member may also be inclined relative to the inlet
pipe. In addition, a guide plate, having an upper end inclined
relative to the filter member at a designated angle, may be
positioned at the rear end of the filter member, a guide protrusion
corresponding to the inclined upper end of the guide plate may be
formed at the filter entrance of the drain casing, and when the
upper end of the guide plate of the drain filter aligns with the
guide protrusion of the drain casing the drain filter can be
inserted into the drain casing.
[0014] Additionally, The washing machine may further include a
housing containing the tub and the drain casing, and a support
member for fixing the drain casing, which includes the drain
filter, to a lower panel of the housing. A connection protrusion
may protrude downward from a lower portion of the drain casing, and
a groove for fixedly receiving the connection protrusion may be
formed in an upper surface of the support member. Further, a screw
hole for screwing the support member to the lower panel of the
housing can be formed in a lower surface of the support member.
[0015] In the washing machine, the washing machine can be
encapsulated in a housing and the drain filter can be removed from
the drain casing without removal of the housing, with the drain
casing protruding from the surface of the housing. Further, the
filter member may be connected to an end of the drain filter, with
the end of the drain filter being rotatable relative to the filter
member, such that the filter member stays aligned in a particular
orientation, and with the end of the drain filter being capable of
sealing the drain filter into the drain casing.
[0016] To achieve the above and/or additional aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention include a drain
casing, including a main body having a designated volume, an inlet
pipe and an outlet pipe respectively positioned along opposing
sides of the main body, a filter entrance along a front surface of
the main body, a drain filter, detachable from the main body
through the filter entrance, with the drain filter including a
plurality of filter holes and a plurality of filter protrusions,
and a drain pump installed adjacent the main body to forcibly
discharge wash water from within the main body through the outlet
pipe.
[0017] The filter protrusions may protrude perpendicularly upward
from a surface of a filter member of the drain filter, with the
filter protrusions having a length larger than a depth of the
filter holes. Further, a filter member, of the drain filter, may
including the plurality of filter holes and protrusions, may be
inclined relative to the inlet pipe.
[0018] To achieve the above and/or still additional aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention further include a
method of washing with a washing machine comprising a tub to
contain wash water, a drain casing to discharge the wash water, and
a drain filter, positioned in the drain casing, including using the
wash water to wash a material in the tub, draining the wash water
from the material in the tub, and filtering the drained wash water
through a two stage filtering process, with a first stage
comprising filtering the wash water past a plurality of protrusions
and a second stage comprising filtering the wash water through a
plurality of holes, with the height of the protrusions is greater
than the depth of the holes.
[0019] The two stage filtering process can be encapsulated in the
drain filter and the drain filter is removable from the drain
casing without removal of a housing of the washing machine.
Similarly, the plurality of holes of the drain filter can be
oriented on a planar filter member, with the plurality of
protrusions protruding from the filter member, and with the filter
member being oriented at an angle relative to an inflow of wash
water from the tub. Further, the drain filter can be removable from
the drain casing, and may only be inserted into the drain casing
along a particular orientation such that the drain filter will have
a particular orientation within the drain casing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings of which:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic
internal structure of a drum-type washing machine, according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drain casing and drain
filter of the drum-type washing machine of FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drain casing and drain
filter just before the drain filter is connected to the drain
casing, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV
of FIG. 3; and
[0025] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of
FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the
present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the
like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to
explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
[0027] Embodiments of the present invention can be applied to both
a drum-type washing machine and a vertical axis-type washing
machine, though only the drum-type washing machine will be
illustrated herein, as an example, for convenience of
description.
[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic
internal structure of a drum-type washing machine in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG.
1, this drum-type washing machine, can include a housing 1 having a
front panel 1a, a rear panel, both side panels, an upper panel, and
a lower panel 1b, The washing machine further includes a tub 2,
having a drum shape and horizontally positioned in the housing 1
for containing wash water, a drum 3, rotatably positioned in the
tub 2 and provided with a plurality of dehydration holes formed
therein, and a motor 4, for rotating the drum 3 in wash, rinse and
dehydration modes.
[0029] Front surfaces of the tub 2 and the drum 3 can be opened so
that laundry can be put into or taken out of the drum 3
therethrough. A door 5, for opening and closing the opened front
surfaces of the tub 2 and the drum 3, is hinged to the front panel
1a of the housing 1. A plurality of lifters 6, which are spaced
from each other according to a designated distance, are arranged
along the inner surface of the drum 3 in a longitudinal direction,
and serve to lift laundry to a designated height by means of the
rotation of the drum 3 and then to drop the laundry, thereby
washing the laundry.
[0030] Water supply hoses 7, for supplying wash water from the
outside to the washing machine, and a detergent container 8, for
mixing a detergent into the supplied wash water, are installed on
the upper panel of the housing 1. A drain casing 20, for
discharging of wash water contained in the tub 2 to the outside in
the wash, rinse and dehydration modes, is installed on the lower
panel 1b of the housing 1, and a drain pump 21 and a drain filter
30 are positioned in the drain casing 20.
[0031] The drain filter 30 is detachably assembled with the drain
casing 20, and the tub 2 is connected to the drain casing 20 by the
drain hose 9. The drain hose 9 is extended to the outside of the
housing 1, thereby allowing the wash water, contained in the tub 2,
to be discharged to the outside of the housing 1.
[0032] Hereafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, structures of the
drain casing 20, the drain pump 21 and the drain filter 30, and
assembly structure of the drain filter 30 and the drain casing 20
will now be described.
[0033] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
drain casing 20 installed on the lower panel 1b of the housing 1
and connected to the tub 2 by the drain hose 9, and the drain
filter 30 connected to the drain casing 20.
[0034] The drain casing 20 is hollowed to have a designated volume,
for providing space for the wash water to flow therein. The drain
pump 21 is positioned with the drain casing 20, and includes an
impeller 22 (as illustrated in FIG. 5) for forcibly discharging the
wash water and a driving motor 23, axially connected to the
impeller 22, from the outside of the drain casing 20 for rotating
the impeller 22.
[0035] The open front surface of the drain casing 20 forms a filter
entrance, through which the drain filter 30 can be inserted into or
removed from the drain casing 20. An inlet pipe 25, for causing the
wash water to be introduced into the drain casing 20, and an outlet
pipe 26, for causing the introduced wash water to be discharged to
the outside of the drain casing 20, are respectively positioned at
different sides of the drain casing 20.
[0036] The inlet pipe 25 is parallel to the upper surface of the
drain casing 20, and the outlet pipe 26 is inclined upwards
relative to the drain casing 20. Since the impeller 22 of the drain
pump 21 is positioned below the outlet pipe 26 at the side surface
of the drain casing 20, being opposite to the inlet pipe 25 (as
illustrated in FIG. 5), the driving motor 23 of the drain pump 21
is installed at a position opposite to the inlet pipe 25.
[0037] The drain hose 9, connected to the tub 2, connects to the
inlet pipe 25, and then extends to the outside of the housing 1
through outlet pipe 26, thereby causing the wash water contained in
the tub 2 to be forcibly discharged to the outside of the housing 1
when the drain pump 21 is operated to rotate the impeller 22
(illustrated in FIG. 5).
[0038] The filter entrance 24 has an approximately cylindrical
shape, with a screw thread 24a being formed along the inner
circumference of the filter entrance 24. A horizontally formed
guide protrusion 24b, obtained by extending the upper end of the
filter entrance 24 downward, is provided at the end of the screw
thread 24a. The screw thread 24a serves to promote insertion or
removal of the drain filter 30 to or from the filter entrance 24,
with the guide protrusion 24b serving to properly align the drain
filter 30 within the drain casing 20.
[0039] A connection protrusion 27, having an approximately
cross-shaped section, protrudes downward from the lower end of the
drain casing 20. The connection protrusion 27 can then be inserted
into a support member 40 connected to the lower panel 1b of the
housing 1 (illustrated in FIG. 1).
[0040] The support member 40 serves to absorb vibrations and noise
generated by the operation of the drain pump 21 and to connect the
drain casing 20 to the lower panel 1b of the housing 1. A groove
41, corresponding to the shape of the connection protrusion 17, is
formed in the upper surface of the support member 40, thereby
allowing the connection protrusion 17 to be fixedly inserted
thereinto. Screw holes 42 are formed at corners of the lower
surface of the support member 40, thereby allowing screws 43 to
respectively pass through the lower panel 1b of the housing 1 and
then to be respectively inserted into the screw holes 42, thus
allowing the drain casing 20 to be assembled with the housing
1.
[0041] The drain filter 30 includes a filter member 31 for
filtering the wash water, a hand lever 32 positioned at the front
end of the filter member 31 for attaching or detaching the filter
member 31 to or from the drain casing 20, and a guide plate 33
positioned at the rear end of the filter member 31 for guiding the
filter member 31 along the inside of the drain casing 20 when the
filter member 31 is positioned to accurately align with the
position of the filter entrance 24 of the drain casing 20.
[0042] The filter member 31 includes a main body 31a having an
approximately regular plate shape, a side surface 31b having a
circular arc shape and extended from both sides of the main body
31a, and a front end 31c extended upward from the front end of the
main body 31a (as illustrated in FIG. 4).
[0043] The main body 31a of the filter member 31 is provided with a
plurality of filter holes 34 having a designated size, and a
plurality of filter protrusions 35 protruding upward from areas
between the filter holes 34. The filter holes 34 have a hexagonal
shape so that the wash water passing through the filter holes 34
meets with little resistance. The main body 31a has sufficient
strength to accommodate, and is provided with, as many filter holes
34 as possible.
[0044] The filter protrusions 35 positioned between the hexagonal
filter holes 34 have a length larger than the depth of the filter
holes 34, and protrude perpendicularly upward from the surface of
the main body 31a, where the "depth" of the filter holes 34 is
meant to correspond to a width or diameter of the holes, for
example.
[0045] Foreign substances contained in the wash water are first
caught by the filter protrusions 35, and are then caught by the
filter holes 34, thereby being effectively filtered out by the
filter member 31. Thus, it is possible to lengthen the lifetime of
the drain filter 30 before a cleaning is required, while preventing
foreign substances from clogging or damaging the impeller 22 of the
drain pump 21.
[0046] The hand lever 32 has an approximately cylindrical shape
corresponding to the shape of the filter entrance 24 of the drain
casing 20, and a screw thread 32a is formed on the outer
circumference of the hand lever 32, corresponding to the screw
thread 24a of the filter entrance 24. A knob 32b for rotating the
hand lever 32 protrudes from the outer surface of the hand lever
32. Further, a sealing member 36, for hermetically sealing the
filter entrance 24 of the drain casing 20, is attached on an inner
surface of the hand lever 32.
[0047] The guide plate 33, positioned at the rear end of the filter
member 31, includes an inclined upper end 33a extended upward from
one side of the filter member 31 and rectilinearly directed to the
other side of the filter member 31. The guide plate 33, having the
above-described structure, has an approximately fan shape at the
rear end of the filter member 31, with the upper end 33a of the
filter member 31 being inclined against the main body 31a of the
filter member 31 at a designated angle.
[0048] Accordingly, when the drain filter 30 is positioned such
that the upper end 33a of the guide plate 33 is parallel with the
guide protrusion 24b, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the inclined upper
end of the guide plate 33 is aligned with the guide protrusion 24b
of the filter entrance 24 so that the drain filter 30 can be simply
inserted into the assembly position of the drain casing 20. With
this arrangement, when the filter member 31 is positioned in the
drain casing 20, the filter member 31 becomes inclined towards the
inlet pipe 25 (as illustrated in FIG. 5).
[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in order to fix the filter member
31 and rotate only the hand lever 32 while the drain filter 30 and
filter member 31 are being inserted into, or removed from, the
drain casing 20, the hand lever 32 is rotatably connected to the
filter member 31.
[0050] That is, a hollowed bushing 37 is positioned in the front
end 31c of the filter member 31, and serves to connect the hand
lever 32 to the filter member 31 by a screw 38, thereby permitting
the hand lever 32 to rotate relative to the filter member 31.
[0051] Accordingly, when the knob 32b of the hand lever 32 is
rotated in one direction when the filter member 31 is inserted into
the drain casing 20, the hand lever 32 can be rotated and the screw
thread 32a of the hand lever 32 will engage with the screw thread
24a of the filter entrance 24, thereby allowing the drain filter 30
to be incorporated into the drain casing 20. Then, when the knob
32b is rotated in the opposite direction, the drain filter 30 can
be disassembled from the drain casing 20.
[0052] When the hand lever 32 protrudes from the front panel 1a of
the housing 1, the drain filter 30 can be detached from the drain
casing 20 without the the housing 1 required to be disassembled,
thereby permitting the filter member 31 to be easily cleaned.
[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 5, when the drain filter 30 is
incorporated within the drain casing 20, the filter member 31 is
inclined towards the inlet pipe 25. In this state, when the driving
motor 23 of the drain pump 21 is operated to rotate the impeller 22
of the drain pump 21, the wash water is introduced into the drain
casing 20 through the inlet pipe 25. Thus, foreign substances, such
as buttons or lint, contained in the wash water are first caught by
the filter protrusions 35, perpendicularly protruded upward from
the filter member 31, and residual foreign substances having passed
through the filter protrusions 35 can then be caught by the filter
holes 34. The filtered wash water can then pass through the
impeller and be discharged to the outside through the outlet pipe
26.
[0054] As apparent from the above description, the present
invention provides a washing machine having a drain filter inclined
towards an inlet pipe in a drain casing, with the drain filter
being provided with a plurality of filter protrusions and a
plurality of filter holes for eliminating foreign substances from
wash water through two steps. In this arrangement, a large quantity
of the foreign substances can be eliminated from the wash water,
lengthening the time between cleanings of the drain filter, and
effectively preventing defects or damage to the drain pump caused
by foreign substances caught in an impeller of the drain pump.
[0055] Although a few embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without
departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *