Water purifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10322943-B2
Application number	US-201715659719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2017
Priority date	Jul 26, 2016
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A water purifier according to an aspect includes: a cooling water tank that keeps cooling water; a cold water pipe that is provided in the cooling water tank; an evaporator that is provided in the cooling water tank; a separator on which the evaporator is provided and that is provided over the cold water pipe to divide the internal space of the cooling water tank into a first space and a second space; a stirring member that is provided in the cooling water tank and stirs the cooling water; a stirring motor that has a rotary shaft to which the stirring member is coupled; a stirring motor cap that covers the side and the top edge of the stirring motor; and a stirring motor support to which the stirring motor cap is fastened and that is provided at the top of the cooling water tank to seal the top of the cooling water tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water purifier comprising:
a tank that holds a first liquid;
an evaporator that extends into the tank to contact the first liquid, the evaporator carrying a refrigerant that cools the first liquid;
a pipe that extends into the tank to contact the first liquid, the pipe carrying a second liquid that is cooled by the first liquid;
a stirring head hat is at least partially provided in the tank;
a stirring motor coupled to the stirring head, the stirring motor moving the stirring head to circulate the first liquid;
a stirring motor cap provided on a side surface and a top surface of the stirring motor; and
a stirring motor support that is provided at a top of the tank, wherein the stirring motor support includes:
a bottom layer that extends horizontally and has a seating hole to receive the stirring motor;
a seating rib that protrudes upward from the bottom layer along an edge of the seating hold and supports an upper layer of the stirring motor cap; and
a plurality of fastening holes that are spaced from each other around the seating rib, the stirring motor cap engaging the fastening holes to couple to stirring motor to the stirring motor support.

2. The water purifier of claim 1 , wherein the stirring motor has:
a cylindrical motor body that has a rotary shaft provided at a bottom of the motor body, the rotary shaft being coupled to the stirring head to apply a force from the stirring motor to move the stirring member; and
a motor case that is coupled to a top portion of the motor body, and
wherein the stirring motor cap is positioned on an outer surface of the motor body and a top surface of the motor case.

3. The water purifier of claim 2 , wherein each of the seating hole and the seating rib have a circular shape, and
an inner diameter of the seating hole is larger than a diameter of the outer surface of the motor body.

4. The water purifier of claim 2 , wherein the stirring motor cap has:
an upper layer that is positioned on the top surface of the motor case;
an extension that protrudes downward from a bottom surface of the upper layer and covers at least a portion of the outer surface of the motor body; and
fasteners that protrude downward from a bottom surface of the upper layer and are positioned to be inserted into the fastening holes.

5. The water purifier of claim 4 , wherein a retention hole having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the extension is formed through a top surface of the upper layer of the stirring motor cap.

6. The water purifier of claim 4 , wherein retention ribs protruding inward are formed on an inner surface of the extension, and
the retention ribs are each formed in an annular ring shape extending from the inner surface of the extension.

7. The water purifier of claim 6 , wherein the retention ribs protrude inward and upward at an angle from the inner surface of the extension.

8. The water purifier of claim 4 , wherein each of the fasteners has:
a body that protrudes downward from the bottom of the an upper layer;
an annular flange that circularly protrudes at a middle portion of the body; and
an inclined step that is circumferentially formed and inclined upward at a predetermined position from a lower end of the body.

9. The water purifier of claim 8 , wherein when the fasteners are inserted into the fastening holes, a portion of the bodies between the annular ring and the inclined step is locked in the fastening hole by the annular ring and the inclined step.

10. The water purifier of claim 1 , further comprising:
a perforated separator that divides an internal space of the tank into a first space that receives a portion of the evaporator and a second space that receives a portion of the pipe.

11. The water purifier of claim 10 , wherein the separator has:
a bottom layer that is horizontally formed and has a center hole through which the stirring head is inserted;
a first extension that extends upward from an edge of the center hole; and
a plurality of separation walls that extend upward from an supper surface of the bottom layer and are positioned around the center hole.

12. A water purifier comprising:
a tank that holds a first liquid;
an evaporator that extends into the tank to contact the first liquid, the evaporator carrying a refrigerant that cools the first liquid;
a pipe that extends into the tank to contact the first liquid, the pipe carrying a second liquid that is cooled by the first liquid;
a stirring motor coupled to a stirring head positioned within the first liquid and moving the stirring head to circulate the first liquid, wherein the stirring motor includes:
a motor body; and
a motor case that is coupled to a top of the motor body;

a stirring motor cap to receive the stirring motor, wherein the stirring motor cap includes:
an upper layer that is positioned over at least a portion of a top surface of the motor case; and
an extension that protrudes downward from a bottom surface of the upper layer and covers at least a portion of a side surface of the motor body; and

a stirring motor support that is provided at an upper portion of the tank, wherein the stirring motor support includes:
a bottom layer that extends horizontally and has a seating hole; and
a seating rib that protrudes upward from an upper surface of the bottom layer along an edge of the seating hole, wherein a portion of the cylindrical motor body and a portion of the extension are received in the seating rib, and a top surface of the seating rib supports the bottom surface of the upper layer of the stirring motor cap.

13. The water purifier of claim 12 , wherein:
the stirring motor support further includes a plurality of fastening holes in the bottom layer and positioned around the seating rib, and
the stirring motor cap further includes fasteners that protrude downward from the upper layer and are positioned to be inserted into the fastening holes.

14. The water purifier of claim 13 , wherein each of the fasteners has:
a body that protrudes downward from the bottom of the an upper layer;
an annular flange that protrudes at a middle portion of the body; and
an inclined step that is circumferentially formed and inclined upward at a predetermined position from a lower end of the body.

15. The water purifier of claim 14 , wherein when the fasteners are inserted into the fastening holes, a portion of the bodies between the annular ring and the inclined step is locked on the fastening hole by the annular ring and the inclined step.

16. The water purifier of claim 12 , wherein each of the seating hole and the seating rib have a circular shape, and
an inner diameter of the seating hole and the seating rib have is larger than diameters of the outer surfaces of the motor body and the extension such that the motor body and the extension do not contact the inner surface of the seating rib when the stirring motor cap couples the stirring motor to the stirring motor support.

17. The water purifier of claim 12 , wherein a retention hole having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the extension is formed through a top surface of the upper layer of the stirring motor cap.

18. The water purifier of claim 12 , wherein the retention ribs protruding inward are formed on an inner surface of the extension, and
the retention ribs are each formed in a annular ring shape extending from the inner surface of the extension.

19. The water purifier of claim 18 , wherein a groove is formed on the inner surface of the extension between a pair of the reten

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Park Jongwoo
• Kim Goeun
• An Kwangyong

Classifications

• F25D31/003 Primary

  with immersed cooling element · CPC title

• F25D23/006

  for mounting refrigerating machinery components · CPC title

• C02F9/20

  Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems · CPC title

• C02F2209/40

  Liquid flow rate · CPC title

• C02F1/003 Primary

  using household-type filters for producing potable water, e.g. pitchers, bottles, faucet mounted devices (C02F9/20 takes precedence) · CPC title