Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10724170-B2
Application number	US-201715663079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes an accommodating body, a dry chamber that is mounted in the accommodating body and spaced apart from the accommodating body by a preset distance, a rack provided in the dry chamber and configured to receive objects to be dried, an air inlet hole defined at a rear surface of the accommodating body, an air supply unit configured to supply heated air through the air inlet hole toward a space defined between the accommodating body and the dry chamber, and an air supply hole defined at a chamber front and allowing flow of air from the accommodating body to the dry chamber through the air supply hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a first cabinet that defines an opening at a front side;
an accommodating body configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the first cabinet through the opening, the accommodating body including:
a bottom surface,
a front surface extending upward from the bottom surface,
a rear surface that is fixed to the bottom surface, that faces the front surface, and that defines at least one air inlet hole, and
first and second lateral surfaces connecting the front surface and the rear surface;

a dry chamber body that is inserted in the accommodating body, that defines a dry chamber, and that is spaced apart from an inner surface of the accommodating body by a preset distance, the dry chamber body including:
a chamber bottom configured to face the bottom surface of the accommodating body,
a chamber front configured to face the front surface of the accommodating body, the chamber front defining at least one air supply hole that allows flow of air from the accommodating body to the dry chamber,
a chamber rear configured to face the rear surface of the accommodating body,
a chamber first side and a chamber second side that connect the chamber front and the chamber rear to each other and that are configured to face the first lateral surface and the second lateral surface of the accommodating body, respectively, and
a top surface that defines a clothes-introduction opening that allows loading of objects to the dry chamber and unloading of the objects from the dry chamber;

at least one rack provided in the dry chamber and configured to receive the objects to be dried; and
an air supply unit configured to supply heated air through the air inlet hole toward a space defined between the accommodating body and the dry chamber body.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rack comprises:
a first rack spaced apart from the chamber bottom, the first rack including a first mesh configured to receive the objects; and
a second rack disposed vertically above the first rack and spaced apart from the first rack, the second rack including a second mesh configured to receive the objects, and
wherein the air supply hole is located between the first rack and the second rack.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the air inlet hole is positioned vertically lower than the chamber bottom.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least one path formation unit provided between the chamber front and the front surface of the accommodating body and configured to guide the heated air toward the air supply hole.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the path formation unit comprises:
a first guider that protrudes from the chamber front toward the front surface of the accommodating body; and
a second guider that protrudes from the chamber front toward the front surface of the accommodating body and that is spaced apart from the first guider, and
wherein the air supply hole is defined at a portion of the chamber front between the first and second guiders.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the air inlet hole is defined at an area of the rear surface of the accommodating body that faces toward the portion of the chamber front between the first and second guiders.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a chamber bottom through hole that is defined at the chamber bottom and configured to communicate air between the dry chamber and the accommodating body.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first guider and the second guider extend toward the bottom surface of the accommodating body.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the air supply hole includes a first air supply hole and a second air supply hole that is spaced from the first air supply hole by a predetermined distance along a traverse direction of the chamber front,
wherein the air inlet hole includes a first air inlet hole facing toward the first air supply hole and a second air inlet hole facing toward the second air supply hole, and
wherein the path formation unit includes a first path formation unit configured to guide air toward the first air supply hole and a second path formation unit that is spaced apart from the first path formation unit in the traverse direction and configured to guide air toward the second air supply hole.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first path formation unit comprises first and second guiders that protrude from the chamber front toward the front surface of the accommodating body,
wherein the second path formation unit comprises third and fourth guiders that protrude from the chamber front toward the front surface of the accommodating body,
wherein the first air supply hole is defined at a first portion of the chamber front between the first and second guiders, and
wherein the second air supply hole is defined at a second portion of the chamber front between the third and fourth guiders.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first air inlet hole is defined at a first area of the rear surface of the accommodating body that faces toward the first portion of the chamber front between the first and second guiders, and
wherein the second air inlet hole is defined at a second area of the rear surface of the accommodating body that faces toward the second portion of the chamber front between the third and fourth guiders.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an additive agent supply unit detachably provided between an outer surface of the dry chamber and an inner surface of the accommodating body, the additive agent supply unit being configured to accommodate an additive agent that supplies fragrance to the dry chamber; and
an additive agent supply hole defined in at least one of the chamber front, the chamber rear, the chamber first side, or the chamber second side, the additive agent supply hole being configured to communicate the fragrance of the additive agent between the additive agent supply unit and the dry chamber.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air supply unit is positioned rearward of the chamber rear within the first cabinet.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second cabinet disposed vertically above a top surface of the first cabinet;
a drum mounted in the second cabinet and configured to receive clothes;
a second cabinet opening defined at a front surface of the second cabinet and configured to communicate with the drum; and
a second air supply hole configured to supply second heated air to the drum.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a door coupled to the first cabinet or to the dry chamber body, the door being configured to open and close the clothes-introduction opening.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a second cabinet disposed vertically below a bottom surface of the first cabinet;
a drum mounted in the second cabinet and configured to receive clothes;
a second cabinet opening defined at a front surface of the second cabinet and configured to communicate with the drum; and
a second air supply unit configured to supply second heated air to the drum.

17. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a hinge unit that is located at at least one of the chamber first side or the chamber second side,
wherein the r

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Haewoong
• Kim Seonghwan
• Bae Jinwoo

Classifications

• F26B13/10

  Arrangements for feeding, heating or supporting materials; Controlling movement, tension or position of materials (heating processes F26B3/00) · CPC title

• D06F21/00

  Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement  (with receptacles serving both for washing and centrifugally separating water from the laundry D06F23/00, D06F25/00; programme control aspects D06F33/00) · CPC title

• D06F58/20 Primary

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

• D06F39/14

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F29/005

  the other separate apparatus being a drying appliance · CPC title