Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11035069-B2
Application number	US-201715790214-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2017
Priority date	Jul 19, 2017
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a tub, a drum, a cover defining a detergent inlet, a storage body configured to store the detergent, a barrier partitioning an interior of the storage body into first and second detergent spaces, a storage unit water supply nozzle configured to supply water to the first detergent space, a first body through hole defined at a bottom surface of the storage body, a first discharge pipe, a second discharge pipe, a siphon formation pipe surrounding the first discharge pipe and being configured to flow liquid from the first detergent space to the first body through hole based on a liquid level inside the first detergent space, and a space communication unit configured to flow liquid from the first detergent space to the second detergent space based on liquid not being discharged to an outside of the first detergent space through the first body through hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a tub defining a space configured to receive water;
a drum rotatably mounted in the tub and configured to receive laundry;
a storage body comprising a bottom surface that defines a through hole and a side surface that defines a first water supply inlet;
a barrier disposed in the storage body, the barrier partitioning a space defined by the side surface and the bottom surface of the storage body into a first space and a second space;
a connection pipe that connects the storage body to the tub; and
a cover that is detachably coupled to the storage body and that defines a communication hole configured to allow liquid to flow from the cover to the storage body, the cover comprising:
a detergent inlet configured to receive detergent,
a cover bottom surface that is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the storage body in a state in which the cover is coupled to the storage body, and
a cover side surface that is connected to the cover bottom surface and that defines a detergent storage space together with the cover bottom surface, the cover side surface defining a second water supply inlet,

wherein the cover is configured to receive water supplied from the first water supply inlet through the second water supply inlet,
wherein the barrier defines a space opening that is configured to allow liquid to flow from the first space to the second space, and
wherein the through hole comprises:
a first through hole defined at the bottom surface of the storage body and configured to supply liquid in the first space of the storage body to the tub, and
a second through hole defined at the bottom surface of the storage body and configured to supply liquid in the second space of the storage body to the tub.

2. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cabinet defining an outlet on a front surface of the cabinet;
a drawer body configured to be ejected from an inside of the cabinet to an outside of the cabinet through the outlet, the drawer body defining a space configured to receive the tub;
a drawer cover defining an upper surface of the drawer body, the upper surface of the drawer body defining a drawer cover through hole configured to receive the laundry and a fitting hole configured to receive the cover that is detachably coupled to the storage body.

3. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a tub water supply pipe connecting a water supply source to the tub;
a first water supply pipe branched from the tub water supply pipe and connected to the first water supply inlet;
a first valve configured to open and close the tub water supply pipe; and
a second valve configured to open or close the first water supply pipe.

4. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the cover is configured to couple to the drawer cover through the fitting hole, and
wherein the storage body is fixed to the drawer cover and arranged below the fitting hole.

5. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cabinet defining a space configured to receive the tub, the cabinet comprising an upper surface that defines a cabinet inlet; and
a fitting hole defined at the upper surface of the cabinet and configured to receive the cover.

6. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first discharge pipe that protrudes from the first through hole toward the cover; and
a siphon formation pipe that surrounds the first discharge pipe and that is configured to, based on a level of liquid stored in the first space being higher than a height of the first discharge pipe, supply the liquid in the first space to the first discharge pipe.

7. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second discharge pipe disposed between the bottom surface of the storage body and the connection pipe,
wherein the first through hole and the second through hole are defined inside one end of the second discharge pipe, and
wherein one end of the connection pipe is connected to the second discharge pipe and another end of the connection pipe is connected to a side wall of the tub.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the space opening is defined at a location higher than an upper end of the first discharge pipe and lower than the detergent inlet.

9. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the barrier protrudes from the bottom surface of the storage body toward the cover, and
wherein the space opening is defined by a free end of the barrier at a location above the upper end of the first discharge pipe and below the detergent inlet.

10. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the first water supply inlet is defined at a surface of the storage body that defines the second space together with the barrier, and
wherein the first water supply inlet is positioned above the free end of the barrier and below the detergent inlet.

11. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a detergent inlet pipe connected to the tub and the connection pipe and configured to receive liquid from the second discharge pipe through the connection pipe;
a first backward flow preventer comprising a ball that is movably disposed in the second discharge pipe and that is configured to restrict water flow from the tub to the storage body; and
a second backward flow preventer comprising a blocking board that is rotatably disposed in the detergent inlet pipe and that is configured to restrict water flow from the tub to the storage body.

12. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the second discharge pipe is configured to receive liquid from the first space to through the first through hole.

13. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the first backward flow preventer includes:
a first communication pipe that is disposed in the second discharge pipe, that defines a first communication pipe inlet and a first communication pipe discharge outlet, and that is configured to guide liquid from the second discharge pipe to the connection pipe through the first communication pipe inlet and the first communication pipe discharge outlet;
a ball configured to open and close the first communication pipe inlet by reciprocating in the first communication pipe,
a support that is disposed in the first communication pipe and that supports the ball based on the ball opening the first communication pipe inlet; and
a path formation protrusion that protrudes from an inner surface of the first communication pipe toward the ball and that defines a path between the inner surface of the first communication pipe and an outer surface of the ball to flow liquid through the path.

14. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the second backward flow preventer includes:
a second communication pipe that is disposed in the detergent inlet pipe, that defines a second communication pipe inlet and a second communication pipe discharge outlet, and that is configured to guide liquid from the second communication pipe to the detergent inlet pipe through the second communication pipe inlet and the second communication pipe discharge outlet;
a blocking board rotatably that is disposed inside the second communication pipe, that is configured to restrict water flow from the tub to the connection pipe, and that is configured to allow liquid to flow from the connection pipe to the tub.

15. The laundry treating app

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Jihong
• Kim Kyungjin

Classifications

• D06F39/088

  Liquid supply arrangements · CPC title

• D06F39/022 Primary

  in a liquid state (D06F39/024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F39/028

  Arrangements for selectively supplying water to detergent compartments · CPC title

• D06F39/02 Primary

  Devices for adding soap or other washing agents · CPC title

• D06F37/04

  adapted for rotation or oscillation about a horizontal or inclined axis · CPC title