Washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10047474-B2
Application number	US-201615067931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2016
Priority date	Mar 13, 2015
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a washing machine including a main body having a washing space and an opening through which clothes are inserted and withdrawn into and from the washing space, a door to open and close the opening, and a sub-washing unit to form a sub-washing space separate from the washing space and separably provided from the door. By such configuration, sub-washing may be efficiently performed, and space utilization may be improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
a washing machine main body having a main body in which an opening is formed and a door configured to open and close the opening; and
a sub-washing unit configured to be mounted on the opening and form a sub-washing space in which hand-washing is possible,
wherein the sub-washing unit is provided to be movable between:
a mounted state of being seated on the main body to enable hand-washing; and
a discharge state of moving from the mounted state to discharge wash water in the sub-washing space to an inner portion of the main body,

wherein the sub-washing unit comprises a seating flange formed along a circumference of the main body to be seated on the main body, and
wherein the main body comprises:
a seating part on which a first portion of the seating flange is seated for the sub-washing unit to be at the mounted state; and
an inclined seating part to which a second portion extending from the first portion corresponds and inclined downward from the seating part to rotate and move from the mounted state to the discharge state.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sub-washing unit comprises a sub-water drain port formed at one portion of the sub-washing space; and
the sub-washing unit rotates and moves from the mounted state to the discharge state such that the wash water in the sub-washing space is discharged from the sub-washing unit through the sub-water drain port.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein a position of the sub-water drain port is configured to be lower at the discharge state than at the mounted state.

4. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the main body comprises:
a rotation support part disposed at the seating part to support rotation of the sub-washing unit,
and the sub-washing unit comprises:
a unit body configured to form the sub-washing space; and
a rotary protrusion protruding from the unit body to be rotatably coupled to the rotation support part and provided for the sub-washing unit to rotate and move between the mounted state and the discharge state.

5. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-washing unit is configured to be movable between a first state of being restrained by the door and a second state of being separated from the door to enable sub-washing.

6. The washing machine according to claim 5 , wherein the sub-washing unit is disposed at the opening at the second state.

7. The washing machine according to claim 5 , wherein the door comprises a unit holding part configured to restrain the sub-washing unit by the door at the first state.

8. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein the unit holding part comprises:
a control part provided at the door to be pressed by an external force and be movable back and forth; and
a locking part to move by the back and forth movements of the control part to restrain one portion of the sub-washing unit.

9. The washing machine according to claim 8 , wherein the sub-washing unit comprises:
a locking groove into which the locking part is inserted; and
a locking seating part provided adjacent to the locking groove to be restrained by the locking part.

10. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein the unit holding part comprises an insertion rail formed along an inner portion of the door and into which one portion of the sub-washing unit inserted.

11. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein:
the unit holding part comprises a holding lever disposed at one surface of the door to be rotatably provided; and
the unit holding part moves between a locking position in which the holding lever comes in contact with one portion of the unit body to restrain the unit body and an unlocking position in which the holding lever rotates from the locking position to release the restraining of the unit body.

12. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein:
the unit holding part comprises a sliding lever disposed at one surface of the door to be slidably provided; and
the unit holding part moves between a locking position in which the sliding lever comes in contact with one portion of the unit body to restrain the unit body and an unlocking position in which the sliding lever slides and moves from the locking position to release the restraining of the unit body.

13. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein the unit holding part comprises:
a first holding part provided at the door; and
a second holding part provided to have an attractive force with respect to the first holding part and provided at the sub-washing unit.

14. The washing machine according to claim 7 , wherein the first and second holding parts comprise a magnetic body.

15. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-washing unit comprises a unit hinge part rotatably coupled to a door hinge part provided at the door to be separably provided from the door hinge part.

16. The washing machine according to claim 15 , wherein the unit hinge part is formed to surround at least a portion of the door hinge part to be rotatable with respect to the door hinge part and have one portion thereof opened to be separable from the door hinge part.

17. The washing machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sub-washing unit is provided to be movable among a first state of being restrained by the door, a second state of relatively rotating from the door to enable sub-washing, and a third state of being separated from the door,
the door comprises a unit holding part configured to restrain the sub-washing unit by the door at the first state; and
the unit holding part comprises a locking part protruding from any one of the door and the sub-washing unit, and an interference part provided at the other one of the door and the sub-washing unit to be restrained by the locking part.

18. The washing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a water supply valve configured to control an introduction of wash water to the main body from the outside; and
a water supply pipe having an inlet part connected to the water supply valve, a first outlet part configured to supply wash water introduced into the inlet part to the washing space, and a second outlet part configured to supply the wash water introduced into the inlet part to the sub-washing space,
wherein the first and second outlet parts are configured to be branched from the inlet part.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jun Hyun
• Kang Geun
• Kim Sung Jin

Classifications

• D06F29/00

  Combinations of a washing machine with other separate apparatus in a common frame or the like, e.g. with rinsing apparatus · CPC title

• D06F39/14 Primary

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F1/04

  the tub walls or bottom having corrugations · CPC title

• D06F31/00

  Washing installations comprising an assembly of several washing machines or washing units, e.g. continuous flow assemblies · CPC title

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title