Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567701-B2
Application number	US-201514619526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

The laundry treating apparatus includes a door to open and close the introduction port about a first rotational or a second rotational axis which is different from first rotational axis. A first switching unit is provided in the door to allow rotation of door about the first rotational axis, and a second switching unit is provided in the door to allow rotation of the door about the second rotational axis. A lock fixes a position of at least one of the first switching unit or second switching unit when the door opens the introduction port. A damper is also provided. As can be appreciated, the mechanism used for the laundry apparatus may be applicable to other home appliances or non-home appliances where two different rotational axes may be needed to open and close a door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a cabinet having a front panel with an introduction port;
a chamber provided in the cabinet to provide a space to receive laundry supplied through the introduction port;
a door provided at a front panel, the door having a door body configured to open and close the introduction port by rotating about a horizontal axis parallel to a bottom surface of the front panel, wherein the door body includes a contact surface provided at one side thereof to face the front panel at an oblique angle when the door is closed; and
a damper including a damper housing fixed to the front panel, a piston having a first end arranged in the damper housing and a second end contacting the door when the door is closed, a piston support unit arranged in the damper housing to elastically support the piston, wherein the second end of the piston has an inclined piston surface to support the contact surface, wherein the contact surface has a flat surface, and the inclined piston surface is arranged parallel therewith when the door is closed.

2. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the damper further comprises:
a guide protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the piston; and
a guide groove provided at the damper housing for receiving and defining a movement path of the guide.

3. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the damper housing is fixed to a rear surface of the front panel, and
the second end of the piston extends through the front panel to support the contact surface.

4. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the damper further comprises a housing fixing hole provided at an outer circumferential surface of the damper housing and a first position setting unit provided at the outer circumferential surface of the damper housing such that the first position setting unit is not positioned on a horizontal line passing through a center of the housing fixing hole, and
the front panel further comprises a damper fixing hole corresponding to the housing fixing hole and a second position setting unit to which the first position setting unit is coupled.

5. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the damper further comprises a housing flange protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the damper housing, the first position setting unit being provided at the housing flange, and
the first position setting unit has a protrusion protruding from the housing flange and the second position setting unit has a groove or a hole provided at the front panel to receive the protrusion.

6. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the damper further comprises:
a housing flange protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the damper housing; and
a bracket fixed to the rear surface of the front panel such that the housing flange is pushed toward the front panel.

7. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a first hinge having a first shaft provided at the front panel to define a vertical axis and a first shaft receiving unit provided at the door to receive the first shaft;
a second hinge having a second shaft coupled to the door to define the vertical axis together with the first shaft, a coupling unit body fixed to the front panel, and a third shaft adapted to rotatably fix the second shaft to the coupling unit body while defining the horizontal axis;
a third hinge comprising a fourth shaft provided at the front panel and the door to define the horizontal axis together with the third shaft and a fourth shaft receiving unit provided at the door to receive the fourth shaft;
a first switching unit provided at the door, and configured to move so as to open and close the first shaft receiving unit; and
a second switching unit provided at the door, and configured to move so as to open and close the fourth shaft receiving unit, the second switching unit being adapted for closing the fourth shaft receiving unit when the first switching unit opens the first shaft receiving unit.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the bracket is configured to fix at least one of the coupling unit body or the fourth shaft receiving unit thereto.

9. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a cabinet having a front panel with an introduction port;
a chamber provided in the cabinet to provide a space to receive laundry supplied through the introduction port;
a door provided at a front panel, the door having a door body configured to open and close the introduction port by rotating about a horizontal axis parallel to a bottom surface of the front panel, wherein the door body includes a contact surface provided at one side thereof to face the front panel at an oblique angle when the door is closed; and
a damper including a damper housing fixed to the front panel, a piston having a first end arranged in the damper housing and a second end contacting the door when the door is closed, a piston support unit arranged in the damper housing to elastically support the piston, wherein the second end of the piston has an inclined piston surface to support the contact surface, wherein the contact surface has a curved surface, and the inclined piston surface has the same radius of curvature as the contact surface.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Aram
• Kim Soojin
• An Yongjun
• Park Soowon

Classifications

• D06F37/268

  for suspension devices · CPC title

• D06F39/14 Primary

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F37/225 Primary

  Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets · CPC title

• D06F37/28

  Doors; Security means therefor · CPC title

• D06F37/10 Primary

  Doors; Securing means therefor · CPC title