U.S. patent application number 12/379696 was filed with the patent office on 2009-08-27 for washing machine.
Invention is credited to Jong A. Park.
Application Number | 20090211307 12/379696 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40078673 |
Filed Date | 2009-08-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090211307 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Park; Jong A. |
August 27, 2009 |
Washing machine
Abstract
A washing machine is disclosed. The washing machine includes a
cabinet, a drum rotatably installed in the cabinet, and a control
panel assembly detachably mounted to a front surface of the
cabinet. The control panel assembly includes a control panel
directly defining at least a partial rim of the front surface of
the cabinet, and a deco-member provided at one side of the control
panel. The washing machine enables a reduction in assembly time and
costs thereof.
Inventors: |
Park; Jong A.; (Changwon-si,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCKENNA LONG & ALDRIDGE LLP
1900 K STREET, NW
WASHINGTON
DC
20006
US
|
Family ID: |
40078673 |
Appl. No.: |
12/379696 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/12.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 39/12 20130101;
D06F 34/34 20200201; D06F 34/28 20200201 |
Class at
Publication: |
68/12.01 |
International
Class: |
D06F 33/00 20060101
D06F033/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 27, 2008 |
KR |
10-2008-0017857 |
Claims
1. A washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a drum rotatably
provided in the cabinet; and a control panel assembly detachably
provided to a front surface of the cabinet, wherein the control
panel assembly includes a control panel directly defining at least
a partial rim of the front surface of the cabinet and a deco-member
provided at one side of the control panel.
2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control
panel directly defines an upper rim of the front surface of the
cabinet.
3. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the
deco-member includes a pair of deco-members provided at both sides
of the control panel.
4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the
deco-members directly define at least a partial side rim of the
front surface of the cabinet.
5. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the
deco-members are detachably provided to the control panel.
6. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the control
panel is provided at both sides thereof with connectors, to which
the deco-members are connected.
7. The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein each of the
connectors has one or more fastening holes, and the deco-member has
fastening bosses corresponding to the fastening holes.
8. The washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the connector
has one or more guide members to guide movement of the deco-member
upon mounting of the deco-member.
9. The washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the
deco-member has one or more guide ribs corresponding to the guide
members, the guide ribs serving to reinforce strength of the
deco-member.
10. The washing machine according to claim 9, wherein the connector
is tilted by a predetermined angle.
11. The washing machine according to claim 10, wherein the
connector is tilted such that an upper portion of the connector
protrudes further forward than a lower portion of the
connector.
12. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the
deco-member has a pivoting protruding portion to be hung on an
upper end of the connector.
13. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the
connector has one or more stepped portions.
14. The washing machine according to claim 12, wherein the
connector has a recessed portion, and the deco-member has one or
more protruding portions corresponding to the recessed portion.
15. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a
positioning structure to determine a position of the control panel
assembly when the control panel assembly is mounted to the front
surface of the cabinet.
16. The washing machine according to claim 15, wherein the
positioning structure includes at least one recess provided at one
of the control panel assembly and cabinet, and at least one
protrusion provided at the other of the control panel assembly and
cabinet, so as to correspond to the recess.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2008-0017857, filed on Feb. 27, 2008, which is
hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
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 capable of reducing assembly
time and costs.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, washing machines include a washing machine to
wash, rinse and dehydrate an object to be washed, a drying machine
to dry an object having passed through a washing operation, and the
like.
[0006] Most conventional washing machines have problems due to
substantial assembly time and costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a washing
machine.
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a washing
machine capable of reducing assembly time and costs.
[0009] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the
invention will be set forth in part in the description which
follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary
skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be
learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other
advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the
structure particularly pointed out in the written description and
claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0010] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in
accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and
broadly described herein, a washing machine includes: a cabinet; a
drum rotatably installed in the cabinet; and a control panel
assembly detachably mounted to a front surface of the cabinet,
wherein the control panel assembly includes; a control panel
directly defining at least a partial rim of the front surface of
the cabinet; and a deco-member provided at one side of the control
panel.
[0011] Here, the control panel may directly define an upper rim of
the front surface of the cabinet, and the deco-member may include a
pair of deco-members provided at both sides of the control
panel.
[0012] Specifically, the deco-members may be detachably connected
to the control panel. For this, the control panel may be provided
at both sides thereof with connectors, to which the deco-members
are connected.
[0013] In this case, each of the connectors may have one or more
fastening holes, and the corresponding deco-member may have
fastening bosses corresponding to the fastening holes. Meanwhile,
the connector may have one or more guide members to guide movement
of the deco-member upon mounting of the deco-member, and the
deco-member may have one or more guide ribs corresponding to the
guide members, the guide ribs serving to reinforce a strength of
the deco-member.
[0014] The connector may be tilted by a predetermined angle and
specifically, the connector may be tilted such that an upper
portion of the connector protrudes further forward than a lower
portion of the connector. In this case, the deco-member may have a
pivoting protruding portion to be hung on an upper end of the
connector. Also, the connector may have one or more stepped
portions.
[0015] The connector may have a recessed portion, and the
deco-member may have one or more protruding portions corresponding
to the recessed portion.
[0016] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description of the present
invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide
further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] 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:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine
according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a side portion of
a control panel assembly shown in FIG. 2, prior to mounting a
deco-member thereto;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a control panel
shown in FIG. 3 after mounting a deco-member thereto;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the deco-member shown
in FIG. 4;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the control panel
assembly;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting portion
of a front panel shown in FIG. 2; and
[0025] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the control panel
assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to
refer to the same or like parts. It is noted that the term a
"washing machine" is used herein as including a washing machine to
wash, rinse and dehydrate an object to be washed, a drying machine
to dry an object having passed through a washing operation, and the
like.
[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, upon assembly of the washing machine, a
control panel 10, provided to control operations of the washing
machine, is located at a front surface of the washing machine and
more particularly, is located in an upper portion of a front panel
20. More specifically, an exterior member 14 defining a rim is
first installed to the upper portion of the front panel 20 and
then, the control panel 10 is mounted inside the exterior member
14.
[0029] In the above-described assembly method, since the exterior
member 14 is installed prior to assembling the control panel 10,
the number of assembling processes disadvantageously increases.
Further, since the control panel 10 is mounted inside the exterior
member 14 installed on the front panel 20, installation of the
exterior member 14 requires very delicate work. In addition,
mounting the control panel 10 inside the exterior member 14 is
difficult and makes it difficult to separate the control panel 10
later.
[0030] Hereinafter, a washing machine according to another
embodiment of the present invention to solve the above-described
problems will be described.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine
100 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 2, the washing machine 100 according to
the present embodiment includes a cabinet 110 defining the exterior
appearance of the washing machine, a drum 120 rotatably installed
in the cabinet 110, and a control panel assembly 130 detachably
installed at a front surface of the cabinet 110. Specifically, in
the washing machine according to the present embodiment, instead of
installing the exterior member and control panel separately, the
control panel assembly 130 of single module type is mounted,
achieving a reduction in assembly time and costs of the washing
machine. The control panel assembly 130 will be described in detail
hereinafter.
[0033] The cabinet 110 defines the exterior appearance of the
washing machine and more particularly, includes a base (not shown),
a side panel 112, a front panel 114 and a top cover 113. Here, the
side panel 112 may be formed of a single member, or a rear panel
defining a rear surface of the cabinet 110 may be formed by a
separate member.
[0034] The drum 120, which receives an object to be washed, is
rotatably installed in the cabinet 110. The configuration of the
drum 120 is well known to those skilled in the art and thus, a
detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0035] The control panel assembly 130 according to the present
embodiment includes a control panel 140 defining at least a partial
rim of the front surface of the washing machine, and a decorative
member 160 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "deco-member")
provided on at least one side of the control panel 140.
[0036] In the present embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the control
panel 140 directly defines at least a partial rim of the front
surface of the washing machine. Specifically, the control panel 140
directly defines at least a partial rim of the front surface of the
cabinet 110, rather than being surrounded by the exterior member
defining a rim of the front surface of the washing machine. A pair
of deco-members 160 is provided on at least one side of the control
panel 140, and more particularly, provided on at both sides of the
control panel 140. The control panel assembly 130 consists of both
the control panel 140 and deco-members 160.
[0037] The deco-members 160 are provided at both sides of the
control panel 140 and consequently, directly define at least a
partial rim of the front surface of the washing machine, and more
particularly, at least a partial side rim of the front surface of
the washing machine.
[0038] Accordingly, in the present embodiment, instead of
installing the control panel 140 and deco-members 160 separately,
the deco-members 160 are first mounted to the control panel 140 to
define the single module type control panel assembly 130 and
thereafter, the control panel assembly 130 is mounted to the front
panel 114 of the cabinet 110. This enables a remarkable reduction
in assembly processes and time. Hereinafter, the configuration of
the control panel assembly 130 will be described in more detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0039] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a side
portion of the control panel 140 shown in FIG. 2, prior to mounting
the deco-member 160 thereto, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective
view illustrating the control panel 140 after mounting the
deco-member 160 thereto.
[0040] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the control panel 140
according to the present embodiment is mounted to the front panel
(114, see FIG. 2), the control panel 140 directly defines an upper
rim of the cabinet (110, see FIG. 2).
[0041] The deco-members 160, provided at both sides of the control
panel 140, may be detachably provided for the purpose of easy
assembly. For this, the control panel 140 is provided at both sides
thereof with connectors 142 to be connected with the deco-members
160, respectively.
[0042] Each of the connectors 142 extends from a body 141 of the
control panel 140, and is perforated with one or more fastening
holes 144 for connection of the corresponding deco-member 160. As
screws (not shown) are fastened to the deco-member 160 through the
fastening holes 144, the deco-member 160 is fixed to the control
panel 140.
[0043] The connector 142, which extends from either side of the
control panel 140, is formed with one or more guide members 146.
The guide members 146 serve to guide the deco-member 160 upon
mounting of the deco-member 160.
[0044] The guide members 146 extend from the connector 142 in a
mounting direction of the deco-member 160, thereby guiding movement
of guide ribs 162 formed at the deco-member 160 that will be
described hereinafter. Specifically, when the deco-member 160 is
mounted to either side of the control panel 140, the guide ribs 162
provided at the deco-member 160 are located immediately above the
guide members 146 of the connector 142, preventing the deco-member
160 from sagging. Also, when the deco-member 160 is moved toward
the connector 142, the guide ribs 162 are moved along upper
surfaces of the guide members 146, guiding movement of the
deco-member 160.
[0045] The connector 142 may be attached to the side of the control
panel 140, so as to be tilted by a predetermined angle. More
particularly, the connector 142 may be tilted such that an upper
portion thereof protrudes further forward than a lower portion
thereof. Accordingly, upon mounting of the deco-member 160, a
pivoting protruding portion (164, see FIG. 5) formed at an upper
position of the deco-member 160 is able to be hung on an upper end
of the connector 142, allowing the deco-member 160 to be pivotally
rotated downward and mounted to the connector 142. With the tilted
connector 142 having a predetermined inclination angle and the
above-described guide members 146, the deco-member 160 can be
easily mounted at an accurate position.
[0046] The connector 142 may have at least one stepped portion 148.
Providing the connector 142 with the stepped portion 148 can
accomplish an increased strength of the connector 142. In addition,
the connector 142 has a recessed portion 149 such that a protruding
portion (168, see FIG. 5) of the deco-member 160 is inserted into
the recessed portion 149 of the connector 142 upon mounting of the
deco-member 160, preventing the deco-member 160 from sagging and
allowing the deco-member 160 to be located at an accurate
position.
[0047] In conclusion, in the washing machine according to the
present embodiment, both the guide members 146 of the connector 142
and the protruding portion 168 of the deco-member 160 form a double
safety mechanism to prevent the deco-member 160 from sagging and
consequently, to allow the deco-member 160 to be located at an
accurate position.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the deco-member 160
shown in FIG. 4.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 5, the deco-member 160 may have an
approximately hexahedral shape and an open rear surface, although
the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0050] The one or more guide ribs 162, which correspond to the
above-described guide members 146 of the connector 142, are
arranged in an interior space of the deco-member 160. Specifically,
the guide ribs 162 extend widthwise in the deco-member 160, serving
not only to increase the strength of the deco-member 160, but also
to guide movement of the deco-member 160 in cooperation with the
guide members 146 of the connector 142 to thereby prevent the
deco-member 160 from sagging. The configurations of the guide ribs
162 and guide members 146 have been described above and thus, a
repetitive description thereof will be omitted.
[0051] The deco-member 160 may have fastening bosses 166
corresponding to the fastening holes 144 of the connector 142. The
fastening bosses 166 are positioned to correspond to the respective
fastening holes 144, allowing the deco-member 160 to come into
close contact with the connector 142 without a gap when being
coupled using screws, etc.
[0052] In addition, of both sidewalls 170 and 172 of the
deco-member 160, the pivoting protruding portion 164 is formed at
an upper position of the sidewall 172 adjacent to the control panel
(140, see FIG. 3) and the protruding portion 168 is formed at a
lower position of the sidewall 172. As described above, the
pivoting protruding portion 164 is hung on the upper end of the
connector 142 and serves as a rotating center of the deco-member
160 when the deco-member 160 is pivotally rotated and mounted to
the connector 142. Upon mounting of the deco-member 160,
furthermore, the protruding portion 168 comes into contact with the
top of the recessed portion 149 of the connector 142, preventing
the deco-member 160 from sagging and allowing the deco-member 160
to be located at an accurate position.
[0053] Hereinafter, an operation for mounting the deco-member 160
to the control panel 140 will be described with reference to FIGS.
4 and 5.
[0054] First, the pivoting protruding portion 164, formed at the
upper position of the deco-member 160, is hung on the upper end of
the connector 142 via manual operation of a worker. Then, as the
worker pivotally rotates the deco-member 160 downward, the
deco-member 160 is mounted to the control panel 140. During pivotal
rotation of the deco-member 160, the guide ribs 162 of the
deco-member 160 are moved on the upper surfaces of the guide
members 146, enabling guidance of movement of the deco-member
160.
[0055] When the deco-member 160 comes into contact with the
connector 142, the protruding portion 168 of the deco-member 160 is
inserted into the recessed portion 149 of the connector 142,
preventing the deco-member 160 from sagging and allowing the
deco-member 160 to be located at an accurate position.
[0056] After the deco-member 160 is accurately positioned, the
worker can couple the deco-member 160 to the connector 142 by
fastening screws through the fastening holes 144.
[0057] FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the control panel
assembly 130, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a
mounting portion 116 of the front panel 114 on which the control
panel assembly 130 is mounted.
[0058] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the control panel assembly 130
and cabinet 110 are provided with a positioning structure to
determine a mounting position of the control panel assembly 130.
Hereinafter, the positioning structure will be described.
[0059] The positioning structure includes first and second recesses
174 and 176 defined in the bottom of the control panel assembly
130, more particularly, in the bottom of the deco-member 160, and
first and second protrusions 118 and 119 formed at the mounting
portion 116 of the front panel 114 to correspond to the first and
second recesses 174 and 176, respectively. Accordingly, when the
control panel assembly 130 is mounted to the front panel 114, the
first and second protrusions 118 and 119 are inserted into the
first and second recesses 174 and 176, respectively. The first and
second protrusions 118 and 119 allow the control panel assembly 130
to be mounted at an accurate position on the mounting portion 116
of the front panel 114.
[0060] After the control panel assembly 130 is mounted on the
mounting portion 116 of the front panel 114, the control panel
assembly 130 is fixed using screws, etc. fastened through upper
fastening holes thereof.
[0061] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a rear surface of
the control panel assembly 130. The control panel assembly 130 is
connected to the front panel 114 by means of a plurality of
connecting bosses 150 formed at the rear surface thereof.
[0062] As apparent from the above description, in the washing
machine according to the present invention, the control panel
assembly is pre-assembled to construct a module, accomplishing a
remarkable reduction in assembly time and costs of the washing
machine.
[0063] 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 inventions. Thus,
it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications
and variations of this invention provided they come within the
scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *