Abstract:
A home appliance assembly employs an alignment device provided to the respective flanges of a front panel and side cabinet of the outer case of a home appliance, such as a dryer, to facilitate assembly and prevent a distortion of the front panel that may occur when the completed assembly is transported. The home appliance assembly includes at least one first flange formed on a front panel of an outer case, at least one second flange formed on a side cabinet of the outer case to oppose the first flange, and an alignment device for aligning the front panel with respect to the side cabinet during assembly of the outer case.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. P2003-085614, filed on Nov. 28, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to home appliances, and more particularly, to a home appliance assembly, which employs an alignment means provided to the respective flanges of a front panel and side cabinet, to facilitate the assembly of a home appliance such as a dryer.  
         [0004]     2. Discussion of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Generally speaking, a home appliance comprises a plurality of outer panels forming an outer case for housing the inner workings of the appliance, and the outer panels are provided in pieces to facilitate manufacturing and repair stages. For logistical and aesthetic reasons, the outer panels are typically provided as large panels of sheet metal to be structurally joined at the edges. In joining these panels to form the outer case of a home appliance, structural strength and integrity and ease of assembly should be considered.  
         [0006]     As an exemplary home appliance assembly,  FIG. 1  illustrates a contemporary dryer in which an outer case includes a front panel  20  to be assembled to a side cabinet  30  of the dryer. Corresponding pairs of first and second flanges  21  and  31  are formed on the rearward edges of the lateral sides of the front panel  20  and on the forward edges of the side cabinet  30 , respectively, and are coupled together securely by a plurality of coupling means, such as screw locks, so that the front panel  20  is fixed to the side cabinet  30 . In manufacturing the front panel  20  and the side cabinet  30 , however, it is virtually impossible to form the first and second flanges  21  and  31  with mating surfaces that are perfectly flat, even, and consistent, such that random and inconsistent gaps between the first and second flanges  21  and  31  are inevitably present in the completed assembly of the outer case of a home appliance.  
         [0007]     Therefore, in a home appliance assembly of a related art, the front panel  20  assembled to the side cabinet  30  tends to shake or rattle during operation of the home appliance and tends to move or shift during its transport. Moreover, the home appliance assembly requires numerous screw locks to assemble the front panel  20  and side cabinet  30 , thereby hindering productivity, and assembly necessitates a production worker to hold in place the front panel with respect to the side cabinet, to allow for installation of the screw locks. Furthermore, when the completed assembly is carried manually such that the cabinet sides are compressed, the front channel tends to distort or buckle, which may cause permanent damage.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a home appliance assembly that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
         [0009]     An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance assembly having an outer case, which facilitates the assembly of the outer case.  
         [0010]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance assembly, which prevents a distortion of a front panel of the outer case that may occur when the completed assembly is transported.  
         [0011]     Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from a practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the subject matter particularly pointed out in the specification and claims hereof as well as in the appended drawings.  
         [0012]     To achieve these objects and other advantages in accordance with the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a home appliance assembly includes at least one first flange formed on a front panel of an outer case, at least one second flange formed on a side cabinet of the outer case to oppose the first flange, and alignment means for aligning the front panel with respect to the side cabinet during assembly of the outer case.  
         [0013]     The alignment means includes at least one holder protruding from one of the first and second flanges, wherein the other flange has a recess corresponding to the holder such that the holder may be inserted into the recess. Preferably, the alignment means further includes at least one protrusion having a predetermined height to maintain a uniform gap between the flanges.  
         [0014]     In another aspect of the present invention, a home appliance assembly includes a front panel, provided to a front side of an outer case, having a pair of first flanges respectively formed at a rearward edge of both sides of the front panel, a side cabinet, provided on both lateral sides of the outer case, having a pair of second flanges respectively formed on forward edges of the side cabinet to oppose the first flanges, at least one protrusion having a predetermined height to maintain a uniform gap between the first flanges and the second flanges, and a holder, protruding from said at least one protrusion, for aligning the front panel with respect to the side cabinet during assembly, wherein said at least one protrusion is provided to one of said pair of first flanges and said pair of second flanges and a recess is formed in the other pair of flanges to receive said holder.  
         [0015]     In a further aspect of the present invention, a dryer including a first flange formed on a front panel of an outer case, a second flange formed on a side cabinet of the outer case, to oppose said first flange upon assembly of the outer case, and a holder protruding from one of said first and second flanges, the other flange of said first and second flanges having a recess corresponding to said holder, wherein, when said holder is inserted into the recess, the front panel is aligned with respect to the side cabinet during the assembly of the outer case.  
         [0016]     It is to be understood that both the foregoing explanation and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [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 embodiments 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 breakaway diagram showing the assembly of a front panel to a side cabinet of a contemporary dryer;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a perspective breakaway diagram of a front panel and side cabinet of a home appliance assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a perspective breakaway diagram of a front panel and side cabinet of a home appliance assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective breakaway diagram of a front panel and side cabinet of a home appliance assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a perspective breakaway diagram of an assembly of a holder and flange of a home appliance adopting the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, like elements are indicated using the same or similar reference designations where possible.  
         [0024]     The present invention may be applied to any home appliance having joined cabinet panels. In the accompanying drawings, a drum-type dryer is shown for illustrative purposes only.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front panel and side cabinet of a home appliance assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the edge of each side of a front panel  200  of a home appliance adopting the present invention is bent into a channel shape having a first flange  210  formed at a rear surface of the channel to establish a mating surface, and a forward edge of each side of a side cabinet  300  is bent approximately at a right angle, to form a second flange  310  for meeting the corresponding first flange  210  of the front panel  200  at the mating surface. The bends in the front panel  200  reinforce its structural rigidity, and the bends in the side cabinet  300  reinforce the rigidity of the front panel  200  after assembly, i.e., after a coupling the first and second flanges  210  and  310 .  
         [0026]     The home appliance assembly is provided with alignment means for maintaining a proper alignment position of the front panel  200  with respect to the side cabinet  300 , for facilitating an assembly (or coupling) of the front panel to the side cabinet, and for reinforcing the rigidity of the coupled parts after assembly. The alignment means is provided at a plurality of locations, preferably at at least one site on each side of the upper and lower ends of the first and second flanges  210  and  310 , the sites of each flange being separated by a predetermined distance (or intervals). As shown in  FIG. 2 , the alignment means comprises at least one holder  410  protruding from the second flange  310  to allow for insertion into a recess  420  formed in the first flange  210  at a location corresponding to that of the holder  410 . The holder  410  is tapered toward its distal end to facilitate insertion. In assembling the front panel  200  to the side cabinet  300 , the holder  410  is inserted into the recess  420 , thereby facilitating an alignment of the first and second flanges  210  and  310 , whereby the relative positioning is maintained.  
         [0027]     In the first embodiment of the present invention, the holder  410  is provided to the second flange  310 , and the recess  420  in which the holder  410  is to be inserted is formed in the first flange  210 . The holder  410  may be integrally formed with the second flange  310  or, subsequent to the formation of the second flange  310 , may be affixed thereto, for example, by welding, using a screw coupling, or via a hook (not shown). The recess  420  may be open at the edge of the first flange  210  or may be formed as an enclosed hole through the first flange  210 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  illustrates a home appliance assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the alignment means comprises at least one holder  410 ′ protruding from a first flange  210 ′ to allow for insertion into a recess  420 ′ formed in a second flange  310 ′ at a location corresponding to that of the holder. The holder  410 ′ is tapered toward its distal end to facilitate insertion. In assembling the front panel  200  to the side cabinet  300 , the holder  410 ′ is inserted into the recess  420 ′, thereby facilitating an alignment of the first and second flanges  210 ′ and  310 ′, whereby the relative positioning is maintained.  
         [0029]     In the second embodiment of the present invention, the holder  410 ′ is provided to the first flange  210 ′, and the recess  420 ′ in which the holder  410 ′ is to be inserted is formed in the second flange  310 ′. The holder  410 ′ may be integrally formed with the first flange  210 ′ or, subsequent to the formation of the first flange  210 ′, may be affixed thereto, for example, by welding, using a screw coupling, or via a hook (not shown). The recess  420 ′ may be open at the edge of the second flange  310 ′ or may be formed as an enclosed hole penetrating the second flange  310 ′.  
         [0030]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side cabinet and front panel of a home appliance assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the alignment means further comprises at least one protrusion  430  having a predetermined height, provided to a forward surface of one of the first flange  210  and second flange  310 , for maintaining a uniform gap between the first and second flanges  210  and  310 . That is, though shown protruding from the second flange in  FIG. 4 , the protrusion  430  may be provided to either the first flange  210  or the second flange  310 . Preferably, the protrusion  430 , which may be integrally formed with the holder  410 , is provided to the flange having the holders. In any event, the protrusion  430  is provided at each location of the first or second flange  210  or  310  that corresponds to a location of the holder  410 . In doing so, the protrusion  430  may be integrally formed with the first or second flange  210  or  310  by a process known as “foaming”. Preferably, the foaming process integrally forms the holder  410 , the protrusion  430 , and the corresponding flange as one body.  
         [0031]     The foaming process is performed to manufacture the first flange  210  of the front panel  200  or the second flange  310  of the side cabinet  300 , thus forming the protrusion  430  and holder  410  on one flange, and the recess  420  is formed in the other flange. Then, in assembling the front panel  200  and side cabinet  300 , the holder  410  having the tapered shape is inserted into the recess  420 , thereby achieving alignment. In doing so, the flange ( 210  or  310 ) in which the recess  420  is formed makes contact with the surface of the protrusion  430  provided to the other flange ( 210  or  310 ), and the protrusion  430  maintains a uniform gap between the flanges, thereby preventing the front panel  200  from rattling during operation or being shifted during transport. Finally, the assembly of the front panel  200  and side cabinet  300 , which are temporarily fitted together by the alignment means, is completed using a screw coupling or the like.  
         [0032]     According to the present invention, the holder  410  and protrusion  430  are provided to the first or second flange  210  or  310 , which are coupled together using, for example, a screw coupling.  
         [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , illustrating a screw coupling of the holder  410  to the second flange  310  provided with the protrusion  430 , a locking hole  431  is centrally formed in the protrusion so as to penetrate the flange, and a through hole  411  is formed through the holder  410 . A screw  100  is passed through the through hole  411  to be secured in the locking hole  431 , thereby fixing the holder  410  to the second flange  310  at the protrusion  430 . As an alternative to screw coupling, the holder  410  may be coupled to the protrusion  430  by welding or via a hook (not shown).  
         [0034]     As described above, the assembly of a home appliance adopting the present invention is facilitated since the alignment between the front panel and the side cabinet is achieved by the holder provided to one of the flanges. Moreover, a distortion of the front panel that may occur during the transport of the completed assembly is prevented since the holder provided to one flange is inserted into the recess provided to the other flange, thereby reinforcing the rigidity of the front panel. In addition, the protrusion provided between the holder and the flange maintains a uniform gap between the flanges after assembly of front panel to the side cabinet.  
         [0035]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations, provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.