Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7921493?dq=oakley+D523,461&ei=qiI4T-CjGqXf0QHz_PSUCA
Timestamp: 2014-03-17 21:59:46
Document Index: 664915464

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 8', 'arts 8', 'art 8', 'arts 28', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'arts 28', 'arts 28', 'art 10', 'art 48', 'arts 48', 'arts 48', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'arts 48', 'arts 48', 'arts 48', 'arts 48', 'art 72', 'art 70', 'art 74', 'art 70', 'art 72', 'art 74', 'art 72', 'art 70', 'art 72', 'art 70', 'art 72', 'art 54', 'art 54', 'art 54', 'art 54', 'art 54', 'art 54', 'arts 48', 'art 54', 'art 54', 'arts 48', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 48']

Patent US7921493 - Washing machine - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsDisclosed is a washing machine, which can automatically supply a liquid detergent into a washing tub and automatically clean inner flow passages through which the liquid detergent has flown with a cleaning solution. A liquid detergent supply mechanism supplies at least one kind of liquid detergent to...http://www.google.com/patents/US7921493?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7921493 - Washing machineAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7921493 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/057,810Publication dateApr 12, 2011Filing dateMar 28, 2008Priority dateMar 31, 2007Also published asCN101646821A, CN101646821B, EP2145041A1, EP2145041A4, EP2145041B1, US20080235880, WO2008120935A1Publication number057810, 12057810, US 7921493 B2, US 7921493B2, US-B2-7921493, US7921493 B2, US7921493B2InventorsKyeong Hwan Kim, IL Hyeon Jo, Jin Ho ChangOriginal AssigneeLg Electronics Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (15), Non-Patent Citations (3), Classifications (8), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetWashing machineUS 7921493 B2Abstract Disclosed is a washing machine, which can automatically supply a liquid detergent into a washing tub and automatically clean inner flow passages through which the liquid detergent has flown with a cleaning solution. A liquid detergent supply mechanism supplies at least one kind of liquid detergent to the washing tub, and the inner flow passages of the liquid detergent supply mechanism through which the liquid detergent has flown are cleaned with the cleaning solution supplied from outside.
a liquid detergent supply mechanism, the liquid detergent supply mechanism comprising at least one liquid detergent storage container that stores liquid detergent to be supplied to the washing tub,
wherein the liquid detergent supply mechanism is configured to supply the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container to the washing tub, and to remove residual liquid detergent not supplied to the washing tub by using a cleaning solution,
wherein the washing machine further comprises a draining mechanism that discharges the washing water stored in the washing tub, the cleaning solution includes the washing water drained by the draining mechanism, and the liquid detergent supply mechanism further comprises:
2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the draining mechanism further comprises a drainage pump that generates a pressure differential to discharge the washing water being drained, and
wherein, when the cleaning solution supply passage and the second flow passage are communicated with each other by the valve, the washing water being drained is fed to the washing tub via the second flow passage according to the pressure differential generated by the drainage pump.
3. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the washing machine further comprises a detergent supply pump that generates a pressure differential for feeding the liquid detergent or the cleaning solution to the washing tub,
wherein the operation of the detergent supply pump applies pressure to the cleaning solution to remove residual liquid detergent not supplied to the washing tub.
wherein the washing machine further comprises a circulation mechanism that circulates washing water contained in the washing tub, the cleaning solution including the circulated washing water, and the liquid detergent supply mechanism further comprises:
a cleaning solution supply passage for guiding cleaning solution to the valve, the cleaning solution removing residual liquid detergent not supplied to the washing tub,
wherein the liquid detergent supply mechanism further comprises a second flow passage connecting the valve and the washing tub for selectively guiding the liquid detergent or the cleaning solution passing through the valve to the washing tub, and
wherein the washing machine further comprises a detergent supply unit disposed on a water supply passage that supplies water to the washing tub, one end of the second flow passage being connected to the detergent supply unit.
10. The washing machine of claim 9, wherein the detergent supply pump operates in a forward direction for a first period of time to supply the liquid detergent in the liquid detergent storage container to the washing tub via the first flow passages, the valve, and the second flow passage,
the detergent supply pump is stopped or operates in a backward direction for a second period of time to feed liquid detergent remaining in at least one of the first flow passages, the valve, and the second flow passage back to the liquid detergent storage container, and
the detergent supply pump again operates in a forward direction for a third period of time to remove residual liquid detergent remaining in at least one of the first flow passages, the valve, and the second flow passage by feeding the cleaning solution to the washing tub.
a detergent supply pump disposed on the second flow passage to generate a pressure differential for supplying the liquid detergent to the washing tub,
again operating the detergent supply pump in a forward direction for a third period of time to remove residual liquid detergent remaining in at least one of the first flow passages, the valve, and the second flow passage by feeding the cleaning solution to the washing tub. Description
Generally, a washing machine is an apparatus for cleaning laundry via washing, rinsing, and dewatering in order to separate dirt from clothes, bedding and so on (hereinafter, referred to as �laundry�) using water, detergent and a mechanical operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine, which improves user convenience by automatically supplying liquid detergent in to a washing tube, and prevents a flow passage from clogged due to the solidification of the liquid detergent by automatically cleaning the flow passage through which the liquid detergent flows upon completion of supply of the liquid detergent.
The washing tub 4 comprises a tub 8 disposed in the casing 2 so as to be buffered by springs 8 a and a damper 8 c and containing water and detergent therein, a drum 10 rotatably disposed in the tub 8 to contain laundry therein and provided with a plurality of water holes 10 a through which the water and detergent in the tub 8 pass, and a lifter 12 disposed on the inner surface of the drum 10 to lift laundry to a predetermined height upon rotation of the drum 10 and then drop it.
Opening parts 8 b and 10 b through which the laundry is put in and out are formed on the front surface of the drum 10. A laundry entrance 2 a for putting laundry in and out is formed at a position opposite to the opening parts 8 b and 10 b on the front surface of the casing 2. A door 2 b for opening and closing the laundry entrance 2 a is rotatably disposed on the casing 2. A gasket 14 serving as a packing is disposed between the opening part 8 b of the tub 8 and the laundry entrance 2 a so as to damp impact caused by the rotation of the drum 10 and keep water from overflowing.
The detergent supply mechanism 18 is an apparatus, into which a user puts detergent in before the operation of the drum type washing machine 1, and which supplies the detergent to the tub 8 upon operation of the drum type washing machine 1. The detergent supply mechanism 18 comprises a dispenser 26 connected to the first water supply hoses 22 at an upper portion and connected to the second water supply hose 24 at a lower portion and a detergent box 28 with a plurality of detergent containing parts 28 a accommodated in the dispenser 26 so as to be drawn in and out and allowing a user to put detergent in. The dispenser 26 is opened at the front surface and communicatively coupled to a hole part 2 c formed on the front surface of the casing 2. The detergent box 28 is disposed so as to be put in and out of, the dispenser 26 through the hole part 2 c of the casing 2. Accordingly, the dispenser 26 receives water from the first water supply hoses 22 and selectively dispenses water into the detergent containing parts 28 a, and supplies the water discharged along with the detergent from the detergent containing parts 28 a of the detergent box 28 to the tub 8 through the second water supply hose 24. The detergent to be put in to the detergent supply mechanism 18 may include both powder detergent and liquid detergent.
The circulation pump 42 operates when water is stored in the tub 8 at a predetermined or higher water level to form a pressures differential so that the water in the tub 8 is forced to circulate from the other end to one end of the circulation passage. The circulation nozzle 44 is disposed to penetrate through the top portion of the gasket 14 and dispenses the water delivered via the circulation passage to the inside of the opening part 10 b of the drum 10.
The liquid detergent storage part 48 may be provided in singular or plural in the washing machine 1 according to the type of liquid detergent used in the washing of laundry. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with respect to a case wherein a plurality of liquid detergent storage parts 48 are disposed on the drum type washing machine 1 to use various kinds of liquid detergents in the washing of laundry. In other words, the liquid detergent storage parts 48 may comprise a first liquid detergent storage part 48 a for storing a laundry detergent of a liquid phase to remove dirt from the laundry, a second liquid detergent storage part 48 b for storing a bleaching agent of a liquid phase to bleach the laundry, and a third liquid detergent storage part 48 c for storing a softener of a liquid phase to soften the fabrics of the laundry.
The liquid detergent storage parts 48 disposed on the outer side of the casing 2 may be housed in a separate structure, such as a pedestal supporting the drum type washing machine 1. Referring to FIG. 2, a slot for putting in a liquid detergent is formed on the top portions of the liquid detergent storage parts 48, and a stopper 49 a may be detachably mounted to the slot so as to prevent the liquid detergent in the liquid detergent storage parts 48 from hardening. Besides, a mesh type filter 49 b may be disposed on the inner side of the slot so as to prevent impurities from entering into the liquid detergent storage parts 48.
FIG. 4 illustrates a four-direction control valve as one example of the valve 52. Referring to FIG. 4, the valve 52 comprises a stationary part having first, second, third, and fourth inlets 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, and 70 d connecting the first flow passages 58, 60, and 62 and the cleaning solution supply passage 56 and a rotary part 72 having one outlet 72 a rotatably placed on the upper surface of the stationary part 70, and communicated to any one of the first, second, third, and fourth inlets 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, and 70 d depending on the angle of rotation by connecting to the second flow passage 64. A guide part 74 may be formed at the ends of the stationary part 70 in such a structure as to cover the ends of the rotary part 72. The guide part 74 rotatably supports the rotary part 72 and prevents leakage of the liquid detergent and the cleaning solution. Furthermore, FIG. 5 illustrates a plane view of the stationary part 70 and a bottom view of the rotary part 72. The first, second, third, and fourth inlets 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, and 70 d are formed on the stationary part 70 so as to be spaced apart from each other at the same angle along a circumferential direction. The outlet 72 a is formed at a position corresponding to the first, second, third, and fourth inlets 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, and 70 d. Hence, whenever the rotary part 72 rotates at 90 degrees, the outlet 72 a is selectively communicated to any one of the first, second, third, and fourth inlets 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, and 70 d. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the cleaning solution storage part 54 will be explained. The cleaning solution storage part 54 is disposed on the inner side of the casing 2, and stores a cleaning solution therein. A water level sensor 55 for sensing the water level of the cleaning solution is disposed at the cleaning solution storage part 54. The cleaning solution storage part 54 may be connected to the water supply valves 20 by a third water supply hose 23. Thus, water used as the cleaning solution is automatically supplied into the cleaning solution storage part 54 by the water supply valves 20 and the third water supply hose 23. However, the cleaning solution storage part 54 may be disposed separately on the outer side of the casing 2, like the cleaning solution storage parts 48 are. Moreover, the cleaning solution storage part 54 may be provided with a slot (not shown) for allowing a user to directly put in the cleaning solution.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the cleaning solution supply passage 56, the first flow passages 58, 60, and 62, and the second flow passage 64 will be explained. One end of the cleaning solution supply passage 56 is connected to the cleaning solution storage part 54, and the other end thereof is connected to the first inlet 70 a of the valve 52. One ends of the first flow passages 58, 60, 62 are connected corresponding to the liquid detergent storage parts 48, and the other ends thereof are connected corresponding to the second, third, and fourth inlets 70 b, 70 c, and 70 d of the valve 52. One end of the second flow passage 64 is connected to the outlet 72 a of the valve 52, and the other end thereof is communicatively connected to the tub 8. That is, the other end of the second flow passage 64 is directly connected to the tub 8 to guide liquid detergent or cleaning solution into the tub 8. The liquid detergent or cleaning solution supplied to the tub 8 by the second flow passage 64 is mixed with water supplied into the tub 8. Alternatively, the other end of the second flow passage 64 may be communicatively connected to the dispenser 26 of the detergent supply mechanism 18. In this case, the liquid detergent or cleaning solution is dissolved in water supplied to the dispenser 26, and thus supplied into the tub 8 along the second water supply hose 24.
First, laundry is put into a drum 10 via a laundry entrance 2 a, and the laundry entrance 2 a is enclosed with a door 2 b and then the drum type washing machine 1 is operated. At this time, the drum type washing machine 1 senses the volume of the laundry put in the drum 10, and sets water level, supply amount of detergent, washing time, and so on.
This will be explained more concretely. In the washing stroke of the drum type washing machine 1, the valve 52 makes the first flow passages 58, 60, and 62 connected to the first liquid detergent storage part 48 a communicated to the second flow passage 64, and then the detergent supply pump 66 supplies a laundry detergent in the first liquid detergent storage part 48 a into the tub 8 until a set amount is reached. And, in the washing stroke of the drum type washing machine 1, the valve 52 makes the first flow passages 58, 60, and 62 connected to the second liquid detergent storage part 48 b communicated to the second flow passage 64, and then the detergent supply pump 66 supplies a bleaching detergent in the second liquid detergent storage part 48 b into the tub 8 until a set amount is reached. Also, in the rinsing stroke of the drum type washing machine 1, the valve 52 makes the first flow passages 58, 60, and 62 connected to the third liquid detergent storage part 48 c communicated to the second flow passage 64, and then the detergent supply pump 66 supplies a softener in the third liquid detergent storage part 48 c into the tub 8 until a set amount is reached.
One end of the cleaning solution supply passage 156 is communicatively connected to the valve 52, and the other end thereof is communicatively connected to the circulation mechanism 40. Thus, in this embodiment, the water in the tub 8 is used as a cleaning solution for cleaning the inner flow passages of the liquid detergent supply mechanism 150. One end of the cleaning solution supply passage 156 is communicatively connected to the first inlet 70 a of the valve 52. The other end of the cleaning solution supply passage 156 is communicatively connected to the circulation pump 42 of the circulation mechanism 40. However, the other end of the cleaning solution supply passage 156 may be communicatively connected to the circulation hose 46 of the circulation mechanism 40.
FIG. 9 illustrates the third embodiment of the washing machine 100 using the water in the tub 8 as a cleaning solution. In other words, in the washing machine 100, the valve 52 and the draining mechanism 30 are connected by a cleaning solution supply passage 156′ of a liquid detergent supply mechanism 150′. That is, while the washing machine 100 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 uses the water being circulated by the circulation mechanism 40 as a cleaning solution, the washing machine 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention uses the washing water being drained by the draining mechanism 30 as a cleaning solution. And, as the washing water drained according to a pressure differential formed by the drainage pump 34 is introduced into the washing tub 4 via the second flow passage 64, a residual detergent is removed. Also, in order to remove the residual detergent by the above-described method, one end of the cleaning solution supply passage 156′ is communicatively connected to the first inlet 70 a of the valve 52, and the other end of the cleaning solution supply passage 156′ is connected to the drainage pump 34 of the drainage mechanism 30.
One end of the cleaning solution supply passage 256 as above is communicatively connected to the valve 52, and the other end thereof is communicatively connected to the water supply valve 20. One end of the cleaning solution supply passage 256 may be communicatively connected to a hole formed at other regions than the first inlet hole 70 a of the valve 52. This is because the liquid detergent supply mechanism 250 has a structure where the flow of a cleaning solution is controlled by the cleaning solution supply vale 254, and thus the valve 52 does not need to control the cleaning solution flowing through the cleaning solution supply passage 256 directly by itself.
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