Patent Description:
In general, a washing machine is a machine that washes clothes using electric power, and as a type of washing machine, there are a drum washing machine in which laundry is washed by falling down after being lifted upward along an inner circumferential surface of a rotating tub as the rotating tub, which is disposed horizontally, rotates in forward and reverse directions with respect to a horizontal axis and a vertical axis washing machine in which laundry is washed using a water current generated by a pulsator disposed inside a rotating tub when the rotating tub disposed vertically rotates in forward and reverse directions with respect to a vertical axis.

In general, a drum washing machine includes a cabinet, a tub storing washing water inside the cabinet, and a drum accommodating laundry and rotatably installed inside the tub. An opening is provided on the cabinet, and the opening is provided to be opened and closed by a door.

In a state in which laundry, detergent, and washing water are fed into the drum, the drum rotates to agitate the laundry with the washing water, thereby removing grime on the laundry. Laundry is fed through the opening of the cabinet, and detergent and washing water are supplied by a detergent supply device.

In the case of such a drum washing machine, the door is kept closed by a door-lock so that the door is not opened during washing.

On the other hand, when a user sprays water toward a front panel, an upper panel, and the like of a washing machine to clean an exterior of the washing machine, the water may penetrate into the door-lock so that safety accidents such as fire may occur.

<CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> disclose washing machines having a door lock.

The present invention is directed to providing a washing machine capable of blocking water from penetrating into a door-lock when a user sprays the water into the washing machine to clean an exterior of the washing machine.

Further, the present invention is directed to providing a washing machine capable of preventing the occurrence of safety accidents such as fire due to penetration of moisture into a door-lock.

The present invention provides a washing machine including a cabinet including a front panel in which a laundry inlet is formed, a door coupled to the front panel to open and close the laundry inlet, a door-lock disposed on a rear of the front panel and coupleable with the door to maintain the door in a closed state, a cover member mounted on a rear surface of the front panel to cover the door-lock, and a sealing member sealing a gap between the cover member and the rear surface of the front panel.

The cover member may include an upper surface covering an upper end of the door-lock, and an upper flange facing the rear surface of the front panel on a side of the upper surface.

The sealing member may include a body coupled to the upper flange, and a lip formed integrally with the body and inclined upward toward the rear surface of the front panel.

The sealing member may include an elastic material.

The lip may form a first angle with respect to the body.

The lip may be deformed as the lip comes into contact with the rear surface of the front panel to form a second angle smaller than the first angle with respect to the body and to be in close contact with the rear surface of the front panel.

The first angle may be formed in a range of <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees.

Each of the body and the lip may have a thickness of <NUM>.

The sealing member may be insert-injected onto the upper flange.

The body may be adhered to the upper flange through an adhesive.

A coupling groove may be formed on the upper flange to allow the body to be fitted to the upper flange.

The cover member may include a side surface covering a side of the door-lock, and a lower flange facing the rear surface of the front panel may be provided on a side of the side surface.

A washing machine according to the present invention can prevent the occurrence of safety accidents, such as fire, by blocking water introduced into the washing machine from the outside from penetrating into a door-lock.

Further, the washing machine according to the present invention
can block the penetration of water into the door-lock simply by providing a sealing member at an upper end of a cover member without a separate device, so that the washing machine can have a further simple structure and the manufacturing cost can be lowered.

The embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only examples of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and various modifications may be made at the time of filing of the present disclosure to replace the embodiments and drawings of the present specification.

Like reference numbers or signs in the various drawings of the application represent parts or components that perform substantially the same functions.

The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to restrict and/or to limit the present disclosure. For example, the singular expressions herein may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, the terms "comprises" and "has" are intended to indicate that there are features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. The term "and/or" includes any combination of a plurality of related items or any one of a plurality of related items.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is an exploded perspective view in which a door of the washing machine of <FIG> is separated from a cabinet, <FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a front panel, a cover member, and a sealing member of the washing machine of <FIG>, <FIG> is an enlarged perspective view of the cover member and the sealing member of <FIG>, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the washing machine <NUM> includes a cabinet <NUM> forming a washing space <NUM> therein, a tub (not shown) to store washing water or rinsing water to be used in a washing process or a rinsing process, and a driving motor (not shown) to rotate the drum (not shown). The washing space <NUM> inside the cabinet may be formed by the tub and the drum.

The cabinet <NUM> includes an upper panel 10a, a front panel 10b, a rear panel 10c, and a side panel 10d constituting an upper, front, rear and side surfaces of the cabinet, respectively.

A control panel <NUM> including input parts 81a and 81b to receive an operation command of the washing machine <NUM> from a user and a display part <NUM> to display operation information of the washing machine <NUM> is provided at an upper portion of the front panel 10b.

In the center of the front panel 10b below the control panel <NUM>, a laundry inlet <NUM> for putting laundry into the drum <NUM> is provided, and a door <NUM> provided to open and close the laundry inlet <NUM> is hinged to the front panel 10b.

The door <NUM> is provided to correspond to the laundry inlet <NUM>, and may be provided rotatably with respect to the cabinet <NUM>. The door <NUM> may include a door frame <NUM> and a door glass <NUM>.

The door frame <NUM> is configured in a substantially annular shape, but may also be configured in a substantially rectangular shape.

The door glass <NUM> may be formed of a transparent material so that the inside of the drum may be seen from the outside of the washing machine even when the door <NUM> closes the laundry inlet <NUM>. The door glass <NUM> may be disposed to convexly protrude from the door frame <NUM> toward the inside of the cabinet <NUM>. Through this configuration, the door glass <NUM> may be inserted into the laundry inlet <NUM> when the door <NUM> is closed.

A hinge <NUM> is provided around the laundry inlet <NUM> so that the door <NUM> may rotate with respect to the cabinet <NUM>, so that the hinge <NUM> is coupled to a hinge coupling part <NUM> formed on one side of the door <NUM>. A hook <NUM> is provided on the other side of the door frame <NUM>, and a door-lock S including a hook accommodating portion <NUM> corresponding to the hook <NUM> is provided on the front panel 10b, so that the door <NUM> may be maintained in a state of closing the laundry inlet <NUM>.

That is, the door-lock S is coupled to a rear surface of the door <NUM> by allowing the hook <NUM>, which is provided on the rear surface of the door <NUM>, to be accommodated in the hook accommodating portion <NUM> when the door <NUM> closes the laundry inlet <NUM>, thereby maintaining the door <NUM> in a closed state. In other words, as the hook <NUM> is inserted into a main body of the door-lock S to be fixed to the main body of the door-lock S, the door frame <NUM> may be maintained in a state of closing the laundry inlet <NUM>.

When the user sprays water from the outside of the washing machine <NUM> toward the front panel 10b to clean an exterior of the washing machine <NUM>, the water may be introduced into the washing machine <NUM> through a gap between the front panel 10b and the control panel <NUM>. Also, when the user sprays water toward the upper panel 10a or the side panel 10d of the washing machine <NUM>, the water may be introduced into the washing machine <NUM>. As such, as the user sprays water toward the washing machine <NUM>, the water introduced into the washing machine <NUM> may fall and penetrate into the door-lock S, and when the water penetrates through the door-lock S, safety accidents such as fire may occur.

Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of safety accidents, as illustrated in <FIG>, the washing machine <NUM> further includes a cover member <NUM> and a sealing member <NUM> to prevent water from penetrating into the door-lock S.

The cover member <NUM> is mounted on a rear surface 10b-<NUM> of the front panel 10b to serve to cover the door-lock S. In this case, the cover member <NUM> may include an upper surface <NUM>, a lower surface (not shown), a front surface (not shown), a rear surface <NUM>, and opposite side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> to cover the door-lock S.

The upper surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> may be formed above the door-lock S to cover an upper portion of the door-lock S. Accordingly, when water introduced into the inside of the washing machine <NUM> from the outside falls from above the door-lock S, moisture does not penetrate into the door-lock S.

The front surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>, which is a surface facing the rear surface of the front panel 10b, may cover only a portion of a front portion of the door-lock S. This is to allow the hook accommodating portion <NUM> formed on the front portion of the door-lock S to penetrate the front panel 10b such that the hook <NUM> provided on the rear surface of the door <NUM> may be coupled to the hook accommodating portion <NUM>.

The lower surface, the rear surface <NUM>, and the opposite side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> may cover a lower portion, a rear portion, and opposite side portions of the door-lock S, respectively.

As such, the cover member <NUM> may be mounted on the rear surface of the front panel 10b to cover the door-lock S so that moisture does not penetrate into the door-lock S.

However, as the cover member <NUM> is mounted on the rear surface of the front panel 10b, there is a possibility that water penetrates into a gap between the cover member <NUM> and the front panel 10b and is introduced into the door-lock S. That is, water may be introduced into a gap between an upper flange <NUM> on the upper surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>, which is a portion facing the rear surface of the front panel 10b, and the front panel 10b.

Accordingly, as the sealing member <NUM> is provided on the upper flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> to seal the gap between the rear surface of the front panel 10b and the upper flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> serves to block water from entering the door-lock S by penetrating into the gap between the cover member <NUM> and the front panel 10b.

More specifically, the upper flange <NUM> formed on the upper surface of the cover member <NUM>, which is a portion facing the rear surface of the front panel 10b, may have a shape corresponding to the rear surface of the front panel 10b. For example, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, when a step <NUM> having a donut shape is formed on the rear surface 10b - <NUM> of the front panel 10b, the upper flange <NUM> may include a concave portion <NUM> to correspond to the step <NUM>.

The sealing member <NUM> may be configured to include an elastic material. For example, the sealing member <NUM> may be made of a material including at least one of rubber, sponge, and silicon.

The sealing member <NUM> may include a body <NUM> coupled to the upper flange <NUM>, and a lip <NUM> integrally formed with the body <NUM>.

The body <NUM> may be provided on the upper flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> to face the rear surface 10b-<NUM> of the front panel 10b. In addition, the body <NUM> may be formed in a shape corresponding to the upper flange <NUM> to be coupled to the upper flange <NUM>. For example, when the upper flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> includes the concave portion <NUM>, the upper flange <NUM> may have a shape including a first bent portion <NUM> corresponding to the concave portion <NUM>. Accordingly, the first bent portion <NUM> may be formed in a shape corresponding to the step <NUM> to be in close contact with the step <NUM>.

The body <NUM> may be provided to have a thickness of <NUM>.

The lip <NUM> may be provided to be inclined upward from the body <NUM> to form a predetermined angle with respect to the body <NUM>. That is, the lip <NUM> may be bent upward from the body <NUM> in a state in which the body <NUM> is coupled to a first side <NUM> to form a first angle θ1 with respect to the body <NUM>. In this case, the first angle may be formed within a range of <NUM> degrees to <NUM> degrees. The lip <NUM> may be provided to have a thickness of <NUM>.

As such, when the cover member <NUM> is mounted on the front panel 10b in a state in which the sealing member <NUM> is coupled to the cover member <NUM>, the lip <NUM> may be deformed to form a second angle θ2 that is smaller than the first angle θ1 with respect to the body <NUM> as the lip <NUM> comes into contact with the front panel 10b in a state of being formed at a first angle θ1. At the same time, the lip <NUM> may be in close contact with the rear surface of the front panel 10b by including an elastic material, and thus the lip <NUM> may more effectively seal the gap between the rear surface of the front panel 10b and the cover member <NUM>.

The lip <NUM> may include a second bent portion <NUM> to be in close contact with the step <NUM> like the body <NUM> in a state of being coupled to the body <NUM> as described above.

The second bent portion <NUM> may include a protrusion <NUM> in which a portion thereof protrudes toward an end of the step <NUM>, that is, an end of the concave portion <NUM>, and thus the second bent portion <NUM> may be effectively in close contact with the end of the step <NUM>.

As described above, as the gap between the rear surface of the front panel 10b and the cover member <NUM> is sealed by the sealing member <NUM>, when water is introduced into the washing machine <NUM> from the outside, water may be prevented from falling from an upper end <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> and being introduced into the door-lock S located at a lower portion of the cover member <NUM>.

The sealing member <NUM> may be insert-injected onto the upper end <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> through a conventional insert injection molding apparatus. Accordingly, because the sealing member <NUM> is integrally formed with the cover member <NUM> when provided on the upper end <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> not to form a gap between the sealing member <NUM> and the cover member <NUM>, the inflow of water between the sealing member <NUM> and the cover member <NUM> may be blocked, and thus, the penetration of water into the door-lock S may be blocked more effectively.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cover member and a sealing member of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cover member and a sealing member of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a sealing member <NUM> may be further easily coupled to the cover member <NUM> through a conventional adhesive. That is, when an adhesive surface <NUM> is formed on the upper flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> by the adhesive, the body <NUM> may be adhered to the adhesive surface <NUM>.

Alternatively, referring to <FIG>, a sealing member <NUM> may be fitted to the upper flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>. That is, a coupling groove <NUM> formed to be concave downward may be provided on the upper flange <NUM>, and a lower portion of the body <NUM> may be formed in a shape corresponding to the coupling groove <NUM> to be coupled to the coupling groove <NUM>. Thus, the sealing member <NUM> may be fixed to the upper flange <NUM> more stably.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a cover member and a sealing member of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a sealing member <NUM> of a washing machine <NUM> may be provided to seal a gap between at least one of the opposite side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> and the rear surface of the front panel 10b.

That is, as illustrated in the drawing, the sealing member <NUM> may be provided to seal a gap between the second side surface <NUM> of the first and second side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> and the rear surface of the front panel 10b. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the sealing member <NUM> may be provided to seal a gap between the first side surface <NUM> and the rear surface of the front panel 10b, and may be provided on each of the first side surface <NUM> and the second side surface <NUM> to seal both the gap between the first side surface <NUM> and the rear surface of the front panel 10b and the gap between the second side surface <NUM> and the rear surface of the front panel 10b.

A lower flange <NUM> provided to face the rear surface of the front panel 10b may be formed on one side of the first side surface <NUM> or the second side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>. As the sealing member <NUM> is coupled to the lower flange <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> may prevent water from penetrating into a gap between the lower flange <NUM> and the rear surface of the front panel 10b.

In this case, the sealing member <NUM> may be insert-injected onto the lower flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> through a conventional insert injection molding apparatus, or alternatively, may be adhered to the lower flange <NUM> through an adhesive, and may be fitted into the lower flange <NUM> by being inserted into a coupling groove (not shown) formed on the lower flange <NUM>.

Further, although not illustrated in the drawing, the sealing member <NUM> may be provided on both the upper flange <NUM> and the lower flange <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> to seal both the gap between the upper flange <NUM> and the front panel 10b and the gap between the lower flange <NUM> and the front panel 10b.

As described above, when water is introduced into the washing machine <NUM> as the user sprays water toward the exterior of the washing machine <NUM> to clean the exterior of the washing machine <NUM>, the washing machine <NUM> of the present disclosure may fundamentally block the inflow of water into the door-lock S, thereby preventing safety accidents such as fire due to contact between water and the door-lock S.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a cover member, an auxiliary cover, and a door-lock of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of <FIG>, <FIG> is a perspective view illustrating the cover member and the auxiliary cover of <FIG>, <FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating a part 'C' of <FIG>, <FIG> is a perspective view of the cover member and the auxiliary cover of <FIG> viewed from a different angle, and <FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating a part 'D' of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the washing machine <NUM> further includes an auxiliary cover <NUM> coupled to the cover member <NUM>.

The auxiliary cover <NUM> may be connected to one side surface of the cover member <NUM>. The auxiliary cover <NUM> may be provided to be foldable with respect to the cover member <NUM>. The auxiliary cover <NUM> may be provided to be folded or unfolded with respect to the cover member <NUM>.

The cover member <NUM> and the auxiliary cover <NUM> may be manufactured by injection molding to enable mass production, thereby reducing production costs. The cover member <NUM> and the auxiliary cover <NUM> may be provided integrally.

The door-lock S may be positioned inside the cover member <NUM> in a state in which the auxiliary cover <NUM> is unfolded with respect to the cover member <NUM>, and when the door-lock S is positioned, the auxiliary cover <NUM> may be folded with respect to the cover member <NUM> to prevent from the water fallen from the upper end of the cover member <NUM> into being introduced into the door-lock S.

The auxiliary cover <NUM> may be positioned inside the cover member <NUM> when a connection part <NUM>, which will be described later, is folded, to be positioned below the upper end of the cover member <NUM>. Accordingly, the water fallen to the cover member <NUM> through the gap between the front panel 10b and the control panel <NUM> is blocked from the flow by the auxiliary cover <NUM>, so that the water may not be introduced into the door-lock S. That is, the water flowed along the upper end of the cover member <NUM> may not penetrate into the door-lock S by an upper end of the auxiliary cover <NUM>.

More specifically, the auxiliary cover <NUM> may include the connection part <NUM> provided to be foldable on one side surface of the cover member <NUM>, and an auxiliary part <NUM> connected to the connection part <NUM> to block the penetration of water into the door-lock when the connection part <NUM> is folded.

The connection part <NUM> may be coupled to the one side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> as illustrated in the drawing, or alternatively, to the other side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>. However, when a portion of the other side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> is cut to accommodate the door-lock S as illustrated in the drawing, it may be appropriate for the connection part <NUM> to be coupled to the one side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> to ensure structural stability.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the connection part <NUM> includes a bent portion <NUM> provided on one side and first and second extension portions <NUM> and <NUM> provided on opposite sides of the bent portion <NUM>.

The bent portion <NUM> is provided between the first extension portion <NUM> and the second extension portion <NUM>, the first extension portion <NUM> is connected to a side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>, and the second extension portion <NUM> is connected to the auxiliary part <NUM>.

The bent portion <NUM> may have a thickness smaller than a thickness of each of the first and second extension portions <NUM> and <NUM>. Thus, the connection part <NUM> may be more easily folded around the bent portion <NUM>, and in a state in which the connection part <NUM> is folded around the bent portion <NUM>, the auxiliary cover <NUM> may be positioned below the upper end of the cover member <NUM> to block water from penetrating into the door-lock S.

The bent portion <NUM> may include a groove <NUM>. The groove <NUM> may be provided on one surface <NUM> of the connection part <NUM>. The groove <NUM> may be provided in a U-shape or a V-shape. The connection part <NUM> may be folded to face the rear surface of the cover member <NUM> around the groove <NUM> from a state of being unfolded with respect to the cover member <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>.

Referring back to <FIG> and <FIG>, the auxiliary part <NUM> includes an upper plate <NUM> and a front plate <NUM> extending from one end of the upper plate <NUM>. When the auxiliary cover <NUM> is folded, the upper plate <NUM> may be positioned to face the upper surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>, and the front plate <NUM> may be positioned to face the front panel 10b.

The upper plate <NUM> may be provided to cover an upper end of the door-lock S. The upper plate <NUM> may be provided to be inclined upward toward the rear surface of the cover member <NUM>. Thus, the water fallen from the upper surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> may move to the front plate <NUM> along the upper surface plate <NUM>.

A protrusion <NUM> protruding toward a front surface of the front plate <NUM> to prevent from the water flowed along the upper plate <NUM> to fall may be provided at an end of the front plate <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the water flowed along the upper surface of the cover member <NUM> by falling to the cover member <NUM> through the gap between the front panel 10b and the control panel <NUM> may fall to the upper plate <NUM> of the auxiliary part <NUM>, and the water fallen to the upper plate <NUM> may move to the protrusion <NUM> of the front plate <NUM> along the upper plate <NUM>. As the upper plate <NUM> covers the upper end of the door-lock S and the protrusion <NUM> is formed to protrude from the end of the front plate <NUM>, even when water falls from the protrusion <NUM>, the water may not penetrate into the door-lock S.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the washing machine may further include a rib <NUM> to connect the other surface <NUM> of the connection part <NUM> and the side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>. The rib <NUM> may be provided to connect from the side surface of the cover member <NUM> to a position at the other surface <NUM> of the connection part <NUM>, which corresponds to the groove <NUM> provided on the connection part <NUM>. Thus, the rib <NUM> may serve to not only assist the connection part <NUM> to be easily folded around the groove <NUM>, but also serve to reinforce the strength of the connection part <NUM>. The present disclosure exemplifies that three of the ribs <NUM> are provided, but the number of ribs <NUM> is not limited thereto.

Referring back to <FIG> and <FIG>, the auxiliary part <NUM> may further include a hook member <NUM> connected to the front plate <NUM>. The hook member <NUM> is coupled to a protrusion (not shown) provided on the other side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM> when the connection part <NUM> is folded, so that the auxiliary cover <NUM> may be fixed to the cover member <NUM>.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a cover member and an auxiliary cover of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a plan view of the cover member and the auxiliary cover of <FIG> viewed from above.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the connection part <NUM> may include a bent portion <NUM> having a semicircle or arc shape, and first and second extension portions <NUM> and <NUM> connected to opposite ends of the bent portion <NUM>.

The bent portion <NUM> is provided between the first extension portion <NUM> and the second extension portion <NUM>, the first extension portion <NUM> is connected to the side surface <NUM> of the cover member <NUM>, and the second extension portion <NUM> is connected to the auxiliary part <NUM>.

When the connection part <NUM> is folded to be positioned below the upper end of the cover member <NUM>, the connection part <NUM> may be folded around the bent portion <NUM>. In this case, as the connection part <NUM> is folded around the bent portion <NUM> having a semicircle or arc shape, the connection part <NUM> may be prevented from being deformed or broken by being bent.

Claim 1:
A washing machine comprising:
a cabinet (<NUM>) comprising a front panel (10b) in which a laundry inlet (<NUM>) is formed;
a door (<NUM>) coupled to the front panel to open and close the laundry inlet;
a door-lock (S) disposed on a rear of the front panel (10b) and coupleable with the door (<NUM>) to maintain the door in a closed state;
characterized by:
a cover member (<NUM>) mounted on a rear surface (10b-<NUM>) of the front panel to cover the door-lock (S); and
a sealing member (<NUM>) sealing a gap between the cover member (<NUM>) and the rear surface (10b-<NUM>) of the front panel.