Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10570558-B2
Application number	US-201715655695-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2017
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A laundry apparatus having a first cabinet with a dry chamber therein; a first air supply unit to supply air to the dry chamber; a second cabinet disposed on a top surface of the first cabinet or supportively disposed below a bottom surface of the first cabinet; a second air supply unit to supply air to a drum located in the second cabinet; and a hinge unit for rotatably coupling a rack in the dry chamber, wherein the hinge unit has a rotational shaft; a first operation body located outside the dry chamber and rotatable by the shaft; a stopper body having first and second stoppers spaced apart from each other and located outside the dry chamber; and a second operation body rotatable between the first and second stoppers and rotatable in the reverse direction of a rotational direction of the first operation body by contacting the first operation body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a first cabinet;
a dry chamber provided in the first cabinet;
a first air supply unit to supply heated air to the dry chamber;
a rack provided in the dry chamber;
a second cabinet disposed at a surface of the first cabinet;
a drum mounted inside the second cabinet;
a second air supply unit to supply heated air to the drum; and
a hinge unit for rotatably coupling the rack with the dry chamber,
wherein the hinge unit comprises,
a rack shaft that extends inside the dry chamber and forms a rotational center of the rack;
a first operation body located outside the dry chamber and is rotatable by the rack shaft;
a stopper body comprising a first stopper and a second stopper that are spaced apart from each other and located outside the dry chamber; and
a second operation body rotatable between the first stopper and the second stopper and rotatable in an opposite direction as a rotational direction of the first operation body, whereby the second operation body rotates when in contact with the first operation body when the first operation body is being rotated.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a securing portion attached to the stopper body;
a supporting portion provided in the space between the first stopper and the second stopper;
an operation body shaft provided in the supporting portion, the operation body shaft having the second operation body rotatably coupled thereto; and
a connecting portion connecting the securing portion with the supporting portion, the connecting portion providing an elastic force to the supporting portion.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the rack comprises,
a first rack; and
a second rack that is spaced apart from the first rack.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the hinge unit is rotatably coupled with the second rack.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the hinge unit comprises,
a first hinge unit rotatably coupled with the first rack; and
a second hinge unit coupled with the second rack.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein each of the first and second racks comprises,
a frame having the rack shaft coupled thereto;
a frame through hole formed in the frame; and
a mesh surface located at the frame through hole.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a shaft coupling portion detachably coupling the frame to the rack shaft,
wherein the shaft coupling portion comprises:
a first groove that extends along a longitudinal direction of the frame and forms a path for the rack shaft to move within; and
a second groove that extends from the first groove in a direction toward a front of the frame and forms a path for the rack shaft to move within.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a curved portion formed by curving one surface of a space defined by the frame where the rack shaft is coupled in a direction getting farther from the dry chamber and allowing a space formed over the frame and a space formed under the frame to communicate with each other.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
an accommodating body provided inside the first cabinet, the accommodating body comprising a bottom surface, a front surface extending upwardly from the bottom surface, a rear surface extending upwardly from the bottom surface and facing the front surface, and first and second lateral surfaces connecting the front surface and the rear surface with each other; and
an air inlet hole penetrating one of the front surface, the rear surface and the first and second lateral surfaces and allowing the heated air supplied from the first air supply unit to be drawn into the accommodating body,
wherein the dry chamber is mounted inside the accommodating body and comprises a chamber bottom surface, a chamber front surface extending upwardly from the chamber bottom surface, a chamber rear surface extending upwardly from the chamber bottom surface and facing the chamber front surface, and chamber first and second side surfaces connecting the chamber front surface and the chamber rear surface to each other,
whereby the chamber bottom surface, the chamber front surface, the chamber rear surface, and the chamber first and second side surfaces are respectively spaced apart from the bottom surface, the front surface, the rear surface, and the first and second lateral surfaces of the accommodating body.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
an air supply hole provided in at least one of the chamber front surface, the chamber rear surface, and the chamber first and second side surfaces, whereby the air supply hole allows the air drawn into a space formed between the accommodating body and the dry chamber to be supplied to the dry chamber.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the air inlet hole is formed in the rear surface of the accommodating body, and
the air supply hole is formed in the chamber front surface and located between the first rack and the second rack.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:
a path formation unit provided in a space formed between the front surface of the accommodating body and the chamber front surface, the path formation unit configured to guide the air drawn into the space formed between the accommodating body and the dry chamber toward the air supply hole.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the path formation unit comprises,
a first guider projected from the chamber front surface toward the front surface of the accommodating body along a longitudinal direction of the dry chamber and located adjacent to the air supply hole; and
a second guider projected from the chamber front surface toward the front surface of the accommodating body along a longitudinal direction of the dry chamber and located in opposite to the first guider with respect to the air supply hole provided there between.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the air inlet hole is located in a space formed between a region where the first guider is projected onto the rear surface of the accommodating body and a region where the second guider is projected onto the rear surface of the accommodating body.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:
a chamber bottom surface through hole formed in the chamber bottom surface and to allow the dry chamber and the accommodating body to communicate with each other.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
an opening formed in the first cabinet and located adjacent the front surface of the accommodating body; and
a clothes-introduction opening formed in a top surface of the dry chamber,
wherein the accommodating body is retractable from the first cabinet through the opening.

17. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a through hole formed in a top surface of the first cabinet;
a clothes-introduction opening provided in a top surface of the dry chamber; and
a door coupled to the first cabinet or the dry chamber and configured to open/close the clothes-introduction opening.

18. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second cabinet is disposed on a top surface of the first cabinet.

19. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second cabinet is supportively disposed underne

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Um Yeji
• Kim Myungshik
• Kim Byeongkook

Classifications

• D06F58/02

  having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title

• D06F29/005

  the other separate apparatus being a drying appliance · CPC title

• D06F58/20

  General details of domestic laundry dryers  (D06F59/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F58/10 Primary

  Drying cabinets or drying chambers having heating or ventilating means · CPC title