AU9705498A

AU9705498A - Alien substance inflow preventing structure for drum type washing machine

Info

Publication number: AU9705498A
Application number: AU97054/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Han Ki Cho; Ho Cheol Kwon; Yang Hwan No; Jong A. Park
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 1997-12-11
Filing date: 1998-12-10
Publication date: 1999-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2018-12-10
Also published as: DE19856973B4; CN1106475C; AU752305B2; DE19856973A1; KR19990049044A; KR100240120B1; CN1219621A

Description

IU'WUU11 2M'W Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION

STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: ALIEN SUBSTANCE INFLOW PREVENTING STRUCTURE FOR DRUM TYPE WASHING MACHINE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us ALIEN SUBSTANCE INFLOW PREVENTING STRUCTURE FOR DRUM TYPE WASHING

MACHINE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine, and more particularly, to an improved alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine, capable of preventing an alien .substance in an inner tub from being flowed in between the inner tub and an outer tub thereof, thereby preventing a possible breakdown of the inner and output tubs and a heater in the machine.

2. Description of the Background Art Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the construction of a conventional drum type washing machine.

As shown therein, the conventional drum type washing machine includes a cabinet 10 manufactured using metallic material and forming an outer shape of the drum washing machine, an inner tub 20 disposed in the cabinet 10 and carrying out the washing operation, a driving motor 30 for driving the inner tub a lower pulley 40, a belt 41 and an an upper pulley 42 for respectively serving to transfer the driving force of the motor 30 to the inner tub 20, an output tub 50 for covering over the inner tub 20 of the cabinet 10, being supported by a damper (not shown) and a spring (not shown), allowing a washing water to flow in and being connected to a drain pump 51, a heater 60 disposed between the respective lower portions of the inner and outer tubs 20, 50 in a lower section of the machine, a gasket 70 including a wrinkled portion 71 serving as a packing by connecting an entrance of the outer tub and at time same time absorbing an outer tub vibration resulting from rotation of the inner tub, and an alien substance inflow preventing wall 72 preventing the alien substance from being flowed in between the inner tub 20 and the outer tub 50, and a glass door 80 opened to the entrance of the outer tub 50 and mounted at the laundry input port of the cabinet Figure 2 is an enlarged view of portion I in Figure 1. as shown therein, the conventional alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine will now be described in further detail.

First, the gasket 70 includes a wrinkled portion 71 for absorbing vibration of the outer tub 50 resulting from the rotation of the inner tub 20, and an alien substance inflow preventing wall 72 for preventing an alien substance 91 from being flowed in between the inner and outer tubs 20, Also, an engagement clamp 99 is provided at an engagement portion between the outer tub 50 and the gasket 70 so as to strengthen the connection.

Reference numeral 90 is laundry, 91 is an alien substance such as a coin.

The laundry-washing process of the thusly constituted drum type washing machine will now be explained.

Initially, the glass door 80 is opened and the laundry 90 is inserted into the inner tub 20. The glass door 80 is closed and an appropriate amount of water is flowed into the outer tub 50. Then, the driving motor 30 becomes driven.

The driving motor 30 serves to rotate the inner tub 20 through the lower pulley 40, the belt 41 and the upper pulley 42. Accordingly, the inner tub becomes rotated and the washing operation of the laundry 90 placed in the inner tub 20 is carried out.

At this time, an alien substance such as a coin may remain in the laundry being washed in the inner tub 20. The alien substance 91 becomes moving toward the entrance 21 of the inner tub 20 and it may be drifted in between the wrinkled portion 71 and the inflow preventing wall 72 of the gasket 70. Here, the flowed-in alien substance 91 may escape from between the wrinkled portion 71 and the inflow preventing wall 71 by the vibration of the outer tub 50 resulting from a fast rotation of the inner tub 20 during a dehydration stroke of the machine and it may flow in between the inner tub 20 and the alien substance inflow preventing wall 72.

The flowed-in alien substance 91 may then be externally drained from the outer tub 50 in accordance with the operation of the drain pump 51.

However, the alien substance 91 may remain in the machine without being externally drained, in spite of the operation of the drain pump 51. At this time, the alien substance 91 may turn along a dehydrational rotating direction during a dehydration stroke of the washing machine and collide with the inner and outer tubs 20, 50 and the heater 60 disposed between the inner and outer tubs 20, thereby disadvantageously damaging the inner and outer tubs 20, 50 and the heater 51.

In order to overcome the above problem, as shown in Figure 3, an alien substance preventing protrusion 72a is extended from a portion of the inflow preventing wall 72 toward the entrance 21 of the inner tub 21.

However, since the alien substance preventing protrusion 72a is formed to be adjacent to the entrance 21 of the inner tub 20, a centrifugal force induced by a shaking and eccentricity due to the rotation of the inner tub 20, and the leaning of the laundry to the side causes the inner tub 20 to be undesirably drooped and to make a friction against the gasket 70, thereby incurring additional noise and wearing the gasket 70 and further damaging the function of the washing machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to overcoming the conventional disadvantages.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine, capable of preventing an alien substance in an inner tub from being flowed in between the inner tub and an outer tub of the machine and further preventing the gasket abrasion occurring due to the contact of the alien substance to the gasket by the shaking or drooping of the inner tub in accordance with the rotation.

To achieve the above-described object, there is provided an alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine according to the present invention which includes a cabinet forming an outer shape of the machine, an inner tub disposed in the cabinet and carrying out a washing operation, an outer tub covering over an exterior of the inner tub, and a gasket including a wrinkled portion serving as a packing by connecting an entrance of the outer tub and at time same time absorbing an outer tub vibration resulting from rotation of the inner tub, and an alien substance inflow preventing wall preventing the alien substance from being flowed in between the inner tub and the outer tub, an alien substance inflow preventing structure comprises a protrusion extended from a side portion of the alien substance inflow preventing wall so as to prevent

I

the alien substance in the wrinkled portion of the gasket from being flowed out and flowed in between the inner tub and the outer tub.

The object and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific example, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustration and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an inner structure of a conventional drum type washing machine; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of portion I in Figure 1, illustrating an alien substance inflow preventing structure according to the conventional art; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of an alien substance inflow preventing structure for a conventional drum type washing machine; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11' in Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II1-111l' in Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the alien substance inflow preventing structure for a conventional drum type washing machine will now be described.

Here, the basic structure of the drum type washing machine according to the present invention is identical to that of the conventional art, and its general structure will be omitted, so that only the alien substance inflow preventing structure in relation to the prevent invention will be explained.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11' in Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ill-111' in Figure 4.

As shown therein, a gasket 100 includes a wrinkled portion 110 for absorbing the vibration of an outer tub 300 resulting from the rotation of an inner tub 200, and an alien substance inflow preventing wall 120 for preventing an substance 400 such as a coin from being flowed in between the inner and outer tubs 200, 300.

The alien substance inflow preventing wall 120 includes a protrusion 130 extended from a middle portion thereof toward the wrinkled portion 110. The protrusion 130 prevents the alien substance 400 inside the wrinkled portion 110 from being flowed out and guided in between the inner and outer tubs 200. The outflow of the alien substance 400 occurs due to the vibration of the outer tub 300 I I III resulting from the rotation of the inner tub 200.

At this time, the water flow in the wrinkled portion 110 makes a curved path so that the flowed-in alien substance 400 becomes hooked up by the protrusion 130 and accordingly prevented from being flowed out.

Also, an upper portion of the protrusion 130 is slantedly formed, so that the alien substance 400 becomes easy to flow in but difficult to flow out.

Meanwhile, the gasket 100 additionally includes a first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 140 and a second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 150 respectively extended from a lower portion of the alien substance 1o inflow preventing wall 120 toward the inner tub 200.

The first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 140 is formed at a portion of the gasket 100 below the entrance 210 of the inner tub 200, and slanted upwardly toward an upper portion of the inner tub 200.

The second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 150 is formed between the inner tub 200 and a bent portion of the outer tub 300, wherein an upper portion of the first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 150 becomes bent toward the alien substance inflow preventing wall 120.

At this time, the bent portion of the second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 150 is formed thin and flexible so as to be prevented from being worn out when contacted to the inner tub 200 during its rotation.

In the meantime, the distance D from the inner tub entrance 210 to an indent 160 at the lower portion of the alien substance inflow preventing wall 120 is formed to be less than the diameter of a smallest coin being currently used.

Although the alien substance 400 is flowed in between the inflow preventing wall 120 and the entrance 210 of the inner tub 200, it remains standing in the gap between the inflow preventing wall 120 and the entrance 210 of the inner tub 200 by the blocking of the first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 150, as shown in Figure 4, thereby preventing the coin from being flowed in. Further, since a portion of the coin becomes exposed to an exterior, the coin can be easily eliminated by a user.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in order to prevent the gasket 100 from being drooped by a shaking or vibration resulting from the rotation of the inner tub 200 and the alien substance inflow preventing wall 120 from being transformed, drooppreventing ribs 170 are formed on the outer periphery of the gasket 100 and transform-preventing ribs 180 are disposed on an inner lower portion of the alien substance inflow preventing wall 120.

At this time, the droop-preventing ribs 170 are disposed on outer portions of the gasket 100 to correspond in mounting intervals to the portions mounted by the transform-preventing ribs 180.

Reference numeral 500 is an engagement clamp to strengthen the connection of the gasket 100 and the outer tub 300.

In the drum type washing machine having the alien substance inflow preventing structure according to the present invention, there will be explained an example in which the alien substance 400 stays in the inner tub 200 during the washing operation.

First, when the alien substance 400 in the inner tub 200 is moved toward the entrance 210 of the inner tub 200 and flowed in between the alien substance inflow preventing wall 120 and the wrinkled portion 110 of the gasket 100, the alien substance 400 is smoothly flowed in along the slanted upper surface of the protrusion 130 extended from the alien substance inflow preventing wall 1200

I

toward the wrinkled portion 110 of the gasket 100. The flowed-in alien substance 400 is prevented from being escaped because the water flow in the wrinkled portion 110 becomes curved by the protrusion 130.

Here, if the alien substance 400 is moved toward an entrance of the inner tub 200 and flowed in between the entrance 210 of the inner tub 200 and the alien substance inflow preventing wall 120, the alien substance 400 becomes blocked from entering by the first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 140 and the second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion 150, thereby preventing the inner and outer tubs 200, 300 and the heater (not shown) from being damaged.

As described above, the alien substance inflow preventing structure for a drum type washing machine facilitates the flow of an alien substance into the wrinkled portion of the gasket and prevents the alien substance from being flowed in between the inner tub and an outer tub of the machine and further prevents the gasket abrasion which may occur due to the contact of the alien substance to the gasket by the shaking or drooping of the inner tub in accordance with the rotation.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to embrace the appended claims.

Claims

1. In a drum type washing machine including a cabinet forming an outer shape of the machine, an inner tub disposed in the cabinet and carrying out a washing operation, an outer tub covering over an exterior of the inner tub, and a gasket including a wrinkled portion serving as a packing by connecting an entrance of the outer tub and at time same time absorbing an outer tub vibration resulting from rotation of the inner tub, and an alien substance inflow preventing wall preventing the alien substance from being flowed in between the inner tub and the outer tub, an alien substance inflow preventing structure, comprising a protrusion extended from a side portion of the alien substance inflow preventing wall so as to prevent the alien substance in the wrinkled portion of the gasket from being flowed out and flowed in between the inner tub and the outer tub.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the protrusion has an upper surface portion thereof slanted to facilitate the inflow of the alien substance.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is downwarldy slanted to facilitate the inflow of the alien substance.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the gasket further comprises: a first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion formed below the entrance of the inner tub and slantedly extended from a lower portion of the gasket toward the inner tub; and a second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion extended from the first alien substance inflow preventing protrusion.

The structure of claim 4, wherein an end portion of the second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion is bent toward the alien substance inflow preventing wall.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein an end portion of the second alien substance inflow preventing protrusion is formed to be thin and flexible so as to be prevented from being worn out by the contact thereof to the inner tub during the rotation of the inner tub.

7. The structure of claim 1, wherein a plurality of droop-preventing ribs are disposed along an outer periphery of the gasket to prevent the gasket from being drooped from the engagement thereof to the outer tub, and a plurality of transform-preventing ribs are disposed along an inner portion of the alien substance inflow preventing wall.

8. The structure of claim 7, wherein the droop-preventing ribs are disposed on external peripheral portions corresponding in respective internals thereof to the transform-preventing ribs.

9. The structure of claim 7, wherein the respective internals of the droop-preventing ribs are different from those of the transform-preventing ribs.

I The structure of claim 9, wherein the droop-preventing ribs are narrower in internals thereof than the transform-preventing ribs.

11. The structure of claim 1, wherein a distance from the entrance of the inner tub to a lower indent portion of the alien substance inflow preventing wall is formed to be less than a diameter of a smallest coin in use. DATED this 10th day of December 1998. LG ELECTRONICS INC. WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN. VIC. 3122.