Patent Publication Number: US-7588218-B2

Title: Height adjusting apparatus and household electric appliance provided with the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-81248, filed Nov. 17, 2003 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a height adjusting apparatus for household electric appliances and a household electric appliance provided with the same, and more particularly, to a height adjusting apparatus to expand a height adjustment range of a household electric appliance, and a household electric appliance provided with the height adjusting apparatus. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Generally, a household electric appliance, such as a washing machine or a refrigerator, comprises a main body, and a height adjusting apparatus installed at a base of the main body, to adjust a height of the appliance to satisfy installation circumstances. Such a height adjusting appliance includes connection holes respectively formed through corners of the base and is provided with internal threads formed thereon. Support legs are respectively screwed to the connection holes. Each of the support legs includes a leg portion inserted into the corresponding one of the connection holes and is provided with an outer thread formed on the outer circumference thereof, and a head portion seated on the base around the corresponding one of the connection holes. 
   The height of the main body of the household electric appliance provided with the above height adjusting appliance is adjusted by adjusting a distance between the base and an installation surface by rotating the support legs, which are respectively screwed into the connection holes. 
   Since the above conventional height adjusting appliance for the household electric appliance is constructed such that the height of the main body is adjusted by rotating the support legs screwed into the base, the height adjustment range of the main body is limited to the length of the support legs, thus causing a problem in that the height adjustment range of the main body cannot be increased more than the length of the support legs, or be decreased to less than a length of the head portions of the support legs. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, an aspect of the invention is to provide a height adjusting apparatus to expand a height adjustment range of a household electric appliance, and the household electric appliance provided with the height adjusting apparatus. 
   In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a height adjusting apparatus for a household electric appliance including a main body with a base, the height adjusting apparatus comprising: support legs positioned between the base of the main body and an installation surface; and support members installed on the base, each of the support members including a leg connection portion receiving a corresponding one of the support legs, wherein installation orientations of the support members on the base are modified to vary a height of the leg connection portions with respect to the installation surface. 
   According to one aspect, the installation orientations of the support members on the base are converted so that the leg connection portions are positioned on one of an internal surface and an external surface of the base. 
   According to one aspect, each of the support members includes a base connection portion supported on the base, and a protrusion protruding from the base connection portion, the leg connection portion being connected to an end thereof, wherein the base has a through hole corresponding to an installation position of each support member, through which the corresponding protrusion is selectively inserted, and one of first and second surfaces of the base connection portion is selectively supported on the base so that the leg connection portion is positioned on one of the internal and external surfaces of the base. 
   According to one aspect, the base connection portion is supported on the external surface of the base. 
   According to one aspect, the support members are detachably connected to the base, and the support legs are detachably connected to the corresponding support members. 
   According to one aspect, the height of the main body is adjusted by the support legs. 
   According to one aspect, each of the leg connection portions has a connection hole, and each of the support legs includes a leg portion inserted into a corresponding one of the connection holes, and a head portion seated on the outer circumference of the connection hole; an inner circumference of the connection hole has an internal thread, and an outer circumference of the leg portion has an external thread, to adjust the height of the main body by the rotation of the support legs. 
   According to one aspect, the outer diameter of the head portion is less than an inner diameter of the protrusion. 
   According to one aspect, a length of the head portion is greater than a length of the protrusion. 
   In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a household electric appliance provided with a height adjusting apparatus, the appliance comprising: a main body; a base provided on the main body; support legs positioned between the base and an installation surface; and support members installed on the base, each of the support members including a leg connection portion receiving the corresponding one of the support legs, wherein installation orientations of the support members on the base are converted to vary a height of the leg connection portions with respect to the installation surface. 
   According to one aspect, the household electric appliance is a drum-type washing machine. 
   According to one aspect, the household electric appliance is a drum-type clothes dryer. 
   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. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     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: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a part of a household electric appliance provided with a height adjusting apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the height adjusting apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the height adjusting apparatus of  FIG. 1 , in which a support member is in an installation position; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the height adjusting apparatus of  FIG. 1 , in which the support member is in another installation position; and 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of a stack structure of a lower drum-type washing machine and an upper drum-type drying machine, respectively applying the height adjusting apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   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. 
   As is shown in  FIG. 1 , a household electric appliance provided with a height adjusting apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body  10  defining an appearance thereof, and a height adjusting apparatus  20  positioned between a base  11  of the main body  10  and an installation surface, for both supporting the main body  10  and adjusting the height of the main body  10 . 
   The height adjusting apparatus  20  includes support legs  30  positioned between the base  11  of the main body  10  and the installation surface. The height adjusting apparatus  20  further includes support members  40  installed at the base  11  to connect the support legs  30  thereto. The height of the main body  10  is adjusted by the support legs  30  and the support members  40 . 
   As is shown in  FIG. 2 , the support legs  30  are detachably connected to the support members  40 . Each of the support members  40  includes a leg connection portion  41  provided with a connection hole  41   a  to receive the support legs  30 . Each of the support legs  30  includes a leg portion  31  inserted into the connection hole  41   a , and a head portion  32  seated on the leg connection portion  41 . To adjust the height of the main body  10  using the support legs  30 , internal threads are formed on inner circumferences of the connection holes  41   a , and external threads are formed on outer circumferences of the leg portions  31  of the support legs  30 . Accordingly, when the support legs  30  are rotated in one direction, once the leg portions  31  of the support legs  30  are screwed into the connection holes  41   a , the support legs  30  come out of the support member  40  by a designated distance, thereby allowing the main body  10  to have an increased height. On the other hand, when the support legs  30  are rotated in the opposite direction, the support legs  30  enter into the support member  40  by a designated distance, thereby allowing the main body  10  to have a decreased height. 
   Since the leg portions  31  of the support legs  30  are prepared to have a designated length, when the support legs  30  are continuously rotated in the direction that the height of the main body  10  is increased, the leg portions  31  of the support legs  30  come out of the connection holes  41   a  and the support legs  30  are separated from the support members  40 . On the other hand, when the support legs  30  are continuously rotated in the direction that the height of the main body  10  is decreased, the head portions  32  of the support legs  30  are seated on the leg connection portions  41  around the connection holes  41   a , so that the height of the main body  10  is not further decreased. 
   The base  11  further includes through holes  12 . The through holes  12 , having a predetermined size, are positioned at corners of the base  11  of the main body  10 . The support members  40  provided with the support legs  30  connected thereto are detachably attached to the base  11  so that the through holes  12  are covered with the support members  40 . The support members  40  are designed such that the heights of the leg connection portions  41  vary, thereby allowing the height of the main body  10  to be adjusted independent of the movement of the support legs  30 . 
   Hereinafter, a structure of the support member  40  and a height adjusting function of the main body  10  using the support member  40  will be described in detail. 
   A base connection portion  42  is formed in an annular shape around the edge of the support member  40 , and is provided on each of the support members  40 . A plurality of holes  13  to screw the support members  40  to the base  11  are positioned on the base connection portions  42  and corresponding portions of the base  11  around the through hole  12 . Accordingly, screws  14  are screwed into the holes  13  when the base connection portions  42  of the support members  40  are supported on the external surface of the base  11 , so that the holes  13  positioned on the base connection portions  42  coincide with the holes  13  formed through the base  11 , thus connecting the support members  40  to the base  11 . According to one aspect, the support members  40  can be connected to the base  11  even when the base connection portions  42  are inverted. 
   Each of the support members  40  further includes a protrusion  43  formed integrally with the base connection portion  42 , and each of the through holes  12  is positioned such that the protrusion  43  can be inserted into the through hole  12 . As is shown in  FIG. 3 , when an upper surface of the base connection portion  42  of the support member  40  is supported on the external surface of the base  11 , the protrusion  43  protrudes from the support member  40  toward the lower part of the through hole  12 . On the other hand, as is shown in  FIG. 4 , when a lower surface of the base connection portion  42  of the support member  40  is supported on the external surface of the base  11 , the protrusion  43  protrudes from the support member  40  toward an upper part of the through hole  12 . The leg connection portion  41 , on which the support leg  30  is seated, is positioned at the end of the protrusion  43 . 
   Accordingly, when the support members  40  are installed on the base  11  such that the protrusions  43  protrude through the through hole  12 , as is shown in  FIG. 4 , the leg connection portions  41  are positioned on the upper surface of the base  11 , and the height of the main body  10  is decreased. On the other hand, when the support members  40  are installed on the base  11  such that the protrusions  43  are positioned under the through hole  12 , the leg connection portions  41  are positioned on the lower surface of the base  11 , and the height of the main body  10  is increased, as is shown in  FIG. 3 . Thereby, it is possible to adjust the height of the main body  10  by reorienting the support members  40 . 
   The above-described height adjusting apparatus of the present invention adjusts the height of the main body  10  using the support members  40  as well as the support legs  30 , thus being effectively employed by household electric appliances requiring the main body  10  having a height in a broad adjustment range. 
   That is, as is shown in  FIG. 3 , when the support legs  30  are inserted into the connection holes  41   a  of the support members  40  when the support members  40  are connected to the external surface of the base  11 , such that the protrusions  43  protrude from the support members  40  toward the lower parts of the through holes  12 . Thus, the base  11  is separated from the installation surface by the total sum of the length of the support legs  30  outwardly extended from the support members  40  and the length of the protrusions  43 . As such, the height of the main body  10  is allowed to be increased more than the maximum extension length of the support legs  30 . 
   Further, as is shown in  FIG. 4 , when the support legs  30  are inserted into the connection holes  41   a  of the support members  40  when the support members  40  are inverted, and are then connected to the external surface of the base  11 , the protrusions  43  protrude from the support member  40  toward the upper parts of the through holes  12 , and are rotated such that the head portions  32  of the support legs  30  are located within the protrusions  43 . Thus, the height of the main body  10  is adjusted to be decreased so that the leg portions of the support legs  30  are entirely positioned within the main body  10 . 
   According to one aspect, the base connection portions  42  of the support members  40  can be supported on the internal surface of the base  11 . But, to easily convert the orientation of the support members  40  after the assembly of the main body  10  of the household electric appliance, or during the use of the household electric appliance, it is preferable that the base connection portions  42  of the support members  40  are supported on the external surface of the base  11 . 
   According to one aspect, an outer diameter of the head portion  32  of the support leg  30  is smaller than an inner diameter of the protrusion  43  of the support member  40 . Thus, an upper portion of the head portion  32  of the support leg  30  is positioned in the protrusion  43  when the protrusion  43  protrudes from the support member  40  toward the upper part of the through holes  12 , allowing the distance from the base  11  to the installation surface to be adjusted to less than a length of the head portion  32  of the support leg  30 . Further, according to one aspect, the length of the head portion  32  of the support leg  30  is greater than a length of the protrusion  43  of the support member  40 , so that the main body  10  is supported on the installation surface through the support legs  30  even when the height of the main body  10  is maximally decreased. 
   The above-described height adjusting apparatus  20  can be applied to general household electric appliances, such as a washing machine, a clothes dryer, a refrigerator, ovens, or other large or small devices for which leveling or adjustment relative to the surface is required. Additionally, the apparatus  20  can be used in non-appliances, such as furniture. Further, the apparatus  20  can be used in legs or supports for a shelving system. But the apparatus  20  can be effectively applied to certain household electric appliances, which are used independently or stacked on other appliances, such as a drum-type washing machine or a drum-type clothes dryer. Hereinafter, a drum-type washing machine and a drum-type clothes dryer, respectively applying the height adjusting appliance  20 , will be described in detail, by way of example. 
     FIG. 5  is a side view of a stack structure of a lower drum-type washing machine and an upper drum-type clothes dryer respectively applying the height adjusting apparatus  20  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
   As is shown in  FIG. 5 , the conventional drum-type washing machine  50  and drum-type clothes dryer  60  respectively include main bodies  51  and  61 , and doors  52  and  62 , respectively installed at front surfaces of the main bodies  51  and  61 . The conventional drum-type washing machine  50  and drum-type clothes dryer  60  can be installed independently, or can be stacked to reduce an installation area thereof. When the conventional drum-type washing machine  50  and drum-type clothes dryer  60  are stacked, as is shown in  FIG. 5 , the clothes dryer  60 , having a comparatively light weight, is stacked on the washing machine  50 . 
   The height adjusting apparatus  20  is installed on each of bases  53  and  63  of the respective main bodies  51  and  61 . The height adjusting apparatuses  20  of the drum-type washing machine  50  positioned at the lower part, are oriented such that the protrusions  43  are protruded from the support members  40  toward the lower parts of the through holes  12 , so that the leg connection portions  41  are positioned on the lower surface of the base  53  and the support legs  30  are maximally extended outwardly from the support members  40 . 
   Accordingly, the main body  51  of the drum-type washing machine  50  positioned at the lower part has an increased height larger than the length of the support legs  30  using the height adjusting apparatus  20 , thereby minimizing an inconvenience that a user bends forward to put the laundry into and take the laundry out of the main body  51 . 
   Further, the height adjusting apparatuses  20  of the drum-type clothes dryer  60 , positioned at the upper part, are oriented such that the protrusions  43  protrude from the support members  40  toward the upper parts of the through holes  12 , so that the leg connection portions  41  are positioned on the upper surface of the base  63  and the support legs  30  are maximally inserted into the support members  40 . 
   Accordingly, the main body  61  of the drum-type clothes dryer  60 , positioned at the upper part, is separated from an upper surface of the main body  51  of the washing machine  50  by a distance that is less than the length of the head portions  32  of the support legs  30 , thereby allowing the user to easily put the laundry into and take the laundry out of the main body  61  without use of a foothold, footstool, or other elevating device. 
   Since the above-described height adjusting apparatus  20  for a household electric appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is constructed such that the height of the main body is adjusted by the support members  40  as well as the support legs  30 , the height adjustment range of the main body  10  of the household electric appliance is highly expanded, thus allowing the height adjusting apparatus  20  to be effectively applied to a drum-type washing machine  50  and a drum-type clothes dryer  60  used independently or in a stacked structure. 
   Although not shown in the drawings, if the height adjusting apparatus  20  of the present invention is applied to the drum-type washing machines  50  arranged in a multiple stack structure or the drum-type clothes dryers  60  arranged in a multiple stack structure, the height adjusting apparatus  20  has the same functions and effects. 
   Hereinafter, functions and effects of a household electric appliance provided with the height adjusting apparatus  20  of the present invention will be described in detail, together with assembly and operation of the height adjusting apparatus  20 . 
   When the height adjusting apparatus  20  is installed at the household electric appliance to adjust the height of the main body  10  so that the maximum distance between the base  11  and the installation surface is greater than the length of the support legs  30 , the holes  13  positioned on the base  11  coincide with the holes  13  positioned on the base connection portions  42  of the support members  40 . The support members  40  are positioned on the base  11  around the through holes  12 , such that the protrusions  43  protrude from the support members  40  toward the lower parts of the through holes  12 , and the support members  40  are fixed to the base  11  by inserting the screws  14  into the holes  13 . Thereinafter, the leg portions  31  of the support legs  30  are inserted into the connection holes  41   a  formed through the leg connection portions  41  of the support members  40 , thereby allowing the height adjusting apparatus  20  to be completely installed at the household electric appliance. In this state, the height of the main body  10  may be adjusted by rotating the support legs  30  such that the maximum distance between the base  11  and the installation surface is greater than the length of the support legs  30 . 
   If a user then wants to adjust the height of the main body  10  such that the minimum distance between the base  11  and the installation surface is less than the length of the head portions  32  of the support legs  30 , the support legs  30  are separated from the support members  40 , and the support members  40  are separated from the base  11  of the main body  10 . Then, the support members  40  are fixed again to the base  11  such that the protrusions  43  protrude from the support members  40  toward the upper parts of the through holes  12 . Thereafter, the leg portions  31  of the support legs  30  are inserted again into the connection holes  41   a  formed through the leg connection portions  41  of the support members  40 , and in this state the height of the main body  10  may be adjusted by rotating the support legs  30  such that the minimum distance between the base  11  and the installation surface is less than the length of the head portions  32  of the support legs  30 . 
   As is apparent from the above description, the embodiments of the present invention provides the height adjusting apparatus and the household electric appliance provided with the apparatus, in which the height of the main body  10  of the household electric appliance is adjusted using both the support members  40  installed at the base  11  and connected to the support legs  30 , as well as the support legs  30  positioned between the base  11  of the main body  10  and the installation surface, thereby highly expanding the height adjustment range of the main body  10 . 
   While described in terms of adjusting a vertical height, it is understood that the present invention can be used to adjust a relative distance between adjacent sidewalls, to adjust a horizontal distance. 
   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 this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.