Laundry treating apparatus with drawer unlocking unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10385494-B2
Application number	US-201615252390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Sep 4, 2015
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a drawer. The laundry treating apparatus further includes a cabinet that is configured to receive the drawer. The laundry treating apparatus further includes a drum that is configured to rotate and that is located inside the drawer. The laundry treating apparatus further includes fastening units that are configured to dampen one of vertical motion or horizontal motion of the drawer and that are configured to connect the drawer to the cabinet. The laundry treating apparatus further includes a feeding unit that is configured to operate the fastening units. The laundry treating apparatus further includes a driving unit that is configured to reciprocate the feeding unit along another one of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. The laundry treating apparatus further includes an unlocking unit that is configured to restrict movement of the feeding unit to one direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a drawer;
a cabinet that is configured to receive the drawer;
a drum that is configured to rotate, that is located inside the drawer, and that is configured to receive laundry;
fastening units that are configured to couple the drawer to the cabinet by reciprocating in one of a horizontal direction or a vertical direction of the drawer;
an operating unit that is configured to operate the fastening units and that includes an operating body that is configured to reciprocate along the vertical direction of the drawer;
a driving unit that is configured to reciprocate the operating unit along another one of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction; and
an unlocking unit that is configured to decouple the fastening units from the cabinet by enabling one-way movement of the operating unit and that includes:
a handle that is located on the drawer and that is configured to detach from the drawer; and
a wire that is configured to connect the operating body with the handle and that is configured to move the operating body in a particular direction only.

2. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fastening units include:
a first bar reciprocating along the horizontal direction of the drawer by means of the operating unit, that includes a first coupling unit that is connected to the operating unit, and that includes a first bar free end that is configured to engage the cabinet; and
a second bar reciprocating along the horizontal direction of the drawer by means of the operating unit, that includes a second coupling unit that is connected to the operating unit, and that includes a second bar free end that is configured to engage the cabinet.

3. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the operating body defines a first slot that is configured to receive the first coupling unit, that is configured to connect the first bar free end to the cabinet based on the operating body moving in a first direction, and that is configured to detach the first bar free end from the cabinet based on the operating body moving in the particular direction, and
the operating body defines a second slot that is configured to receive the second coupling unit, that is configured to connect the second bar free end to the cabinet based on the operating body moving in the first direction, and that is configured to detach the second bar free end from the cabinet based on the operating body moving in the particular direction.

4. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
the first slot and the second slot are symmetrical about a reference line that is parallel with a direction that the operating body is configured to move, and
the first slot and the second slot each define an angle with respect to the reference line that is greater than zero and less than ninety degrees.

5. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
a distance between the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit increases based on the operating body moving in the first direction, and
the distance between the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit decreases based on the operating body moving in the particular direction.

6. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the drawer further includes a handle support unit that defines a space that is configured to receive the handle.

7. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the handle includes:
a handle body that is connected to an end of the wire, wherein the handle support unit is configured to receive the handle body; and
an ejecting unit that is configured to eject the handle body from the handle support unit.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the ejecting unit includes:
a plate that extends from the handle body,
a protrusion that protrudes from the plate, and
a pressurizing request unit that is located between the protrusion and an end of the plate that is opposite the plate.

9. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the handle body is round and defines a hole in a middle of the handle body.

10. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the handle body is configured to rotate about the protrusion and eject from the handle support unit based on pressure being applied to the pressurizing request unit.

11. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the handle support unit is located on a bottom of the drawer, and
the drawer defines a panel through hole through which the wire passes.

12. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:
the drawer further includes a wheel that is located on the bottom of the drawer, that is configured to support the drawer during movement of the drawer in and out of the cabinet, and
the handle support unit is spaced apart from a ground by the wheel.

13. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the wheel is located at a front of the drawer and is located closer to one side of the drawer than to another side of the drawer.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Sim Inbo
• Seo Jinwoo
• Lee Jihong

Classifications

• A47B88/41

  Drawers with castors, rollers or wheels, supported directly on a surface below, e.g. on a floor, shelf or desktop · CPC title

• A47B95/02

  Handles {(similar handles for doors in general E05B1/0015)} · CPC title

• A47B2095/024

  Drawer handles · CPC title

• A47B2210/17

  Drawers used in connection with household appliances · CPC title

• D06F29/00 Primary

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