Washing machine

Abstract

A washing machine is disclosed. The washing machine includes a cabinet, a drum rotatably installed in the cabinet, and a control panel assembly detachably mounted to a front surface of the cabinet. The control panel assembly includes a control panel directly defining at least a partial rim of the front surface of the cabinet, and a deco-member provided at one side of the control panel. The washing machine enables a reduction in assembly time and costs thereof.

Description

This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0017857, filed on Feb. 27, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a washing machine capable of reducing assembly time and costs.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Generally, washing machines include a washing machine to wash, rinse and dehydrate an object to be washed, a drying machine to dry an object having passed through a washing operation, and the like.

Most conventional washing machines have problems due to substantial assembly time and costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a washing machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of reducing assembly time and costs.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a washing machine includes: a cabinet; a drum rotatably installed in the cabinet; and a control panel assembly detachably mounted to a front surface of the cabinet, wherein the control panel assembly includes; a control panel directly defining at least a partial rim of the front surface of the cabinet; and a deco-member provided at one side of the control panel.

Here, the control panel may directly define an upper rim of the front surface of the cabinet, and the deco-member may include a pair of deco-members provided at both sides of the control panel.

Specifically, the deco-members may be detachably connected to the control panel. For this, the control panel may be provided at both sides thereof with connectors, to which the deco-members are connected.

In this case, each of the connectors may have one or more fastening holes, and the corresponding deco-member may have fastening bosses corresponding to the fastening holes. Meanwhile, the connector may have one or more guide members to guide movement of the deco-member upon mounting of the deco-member, and the deco-member may have one or more guide ribs corresponding to the guide members, the guide ribs serving to reinforce a strength of the deco-member.

The connector may be tilted by a predetermined angle and specifically, the connector may be tilted such that an upper portion of the connector protrudes further forward than a lower portion of the connector. In this case, the deco-member may have a pivoting protruding portion to be hung on an upper end of the connector. Also, the connector may have one or more stepped portions.

The connector may have a recessed portion, and the deco-member may have one or more protruding portions corresponding to the recessed portion.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a side portion of a control panel assembly shown in FIG. 2, prior to mounting a deco-member thereto;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a control panel shown in FIG. 3 after mounting a deco-member thereto;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the deco-member shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the control panel assembly;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting portion of a front panel shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the control panel assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. It is noted that the term a “washing machine” is used herein as including a washing machine to wash, rinse and dehydrate an object to be washed, a drying machine to dry an object having passed through a washing operation, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, upon assembly of the washing machine, a control panel 10, provided to control operations of the washing machine, is located at a front surface of the washing machine and more particularly, is located in an upper portion of a front panel 20. More specifically, an exterior member 14 defining a rim is first installed to the upper portion of the front panel 20 and then, the control panel 10 is mounted inside the exterior member 14.

In the above-described assembly method, since the exterior member 14 is installed prior to assembling the control panel 10, the number of assembling processes disadvantageously increases. Further, since the control panel 10 is mounted inside the exterior member 14 installed on the front panel 20, installation of the exterior member 14 requires very delicate work. In addition, mounting the control panel 10 inside the exterior member 14 is difficult and makes it difficult to separate the control panel 10 later.

Hereinafter, a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention to solve the above-described problems will be described.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment includes a cabinet 110 defining the exterior appearance of the washing machine, a drum 120 rotatably installed in the cabinet 110, and a control panel assembly 130 detachably installed at a front surface of the cabinet 110. Specifically, in the washing machine according to the present embodiment, instead of installing the exterior member and control panel separately, the control panel assembly 130 of single module type is mounted, achieving a reduction in assembly time and costs of the washing machine. The control panel assembly 130 will be described in detail hereinafter.

The cabinet 110 defines the exterior appearance of the washing machine and more particularly, includes a base (not shown), a side panel 112, a front panel 114 and a top cover 113. Here, the side panel 112 may be formed of a single member, or a rear panel defining a rear surface of the cabinet 110 may be formed by a separate member.

The drum 120, which receives an object to be washed, is rotatably installed in the cabinet 110. The configuration of the drum 120 is well known to those skilled in the art and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The control panel assembly 130 according to the present embodiment includes a control panel 140 defining at least a partial rim of the front surface of the washing machine, and a decorative member 160 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “deco-member”) provided on at least one side of the control panel 140.

In the present embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 140 directly defines at least a partial rim of the front surface of the washing machine. Specifically, the control panel 140 directly defines at least a partial rim of the front surface of the cabinet 110, rather than being surrounded by the exterior member defining a rim of the front surface of the washing machine. A pair of deco-members 160 is provided on at least one side of the control panel 140, and more particularly, provided on at both sides of the control panel 140. The control panel assembly 130 consists of both the control panel 140 and deco-members 160.

The deco-members 160 are provided at both sides of the control panel 140 and consequently, directly define at least a partial rim of the front surface of the washing machine, and more particularly, at least a partial side rim of the front surface of the washing machine.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, instead of installing the control panel 140 and deco-members 160 separately, the deco-members 160 are first mounted to the control panel 140 to define the single module type control panel assembly 130 and thereafter, the control panel assembly 130 is mounted to the front panel 114 of the cabinet 110. This enables a remarkable reduction in assembly processes and time. Hereinafter, the configuration of the control panel assembly 130 will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a side portion of the control panel 140 shown in FIG. 2, prior to mounting the deco-member 160 thereto, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the control panel 140 after mounting the deco-member 160 thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the control panel 140 according to the present embodiment is mounted to the front panel (114, see FIG. 2), the control panel 140 directly defines an upper rim of the cabinet (110, see FIG. 2).

The deco-members 160, provided at both sides of the control panel 140, may be detachably provided for the purpose of easy assembly. For this, the control panel 140 is provided at both sides thereof with connectors 142 to be connected with the deco-members 160, respectively.

Each of the connectors 142 extends from a body 141 of the control panel 140, and is perforated with one or more fastening holes 144 for connection of the corresponding deco-member 160. As screws (not shown) are fastened to the deco-member 160 through the fastening holes 144, the deco-member 160 is fixed to the control panel 140.

The connector 142, which extends from either side of the control panel 140, is formed with one or more guide members 146. The guide members 146 serve to guide the deco-member 160 upon mounting of the deco-member 160.

The guide members 146 extend from the connector 142 in a mounting direction of the deco-member 160, thereby guiding movement of guide ribs 162 formed at the deco-member 160 that will be described hereinafter. Specifically, when the deco-member 160 is mounted to either side of the control panel 140, the guide ribs 162 provided at the deco-member 160 are located immediately above the guide members 146 of the connector 142, preventing the deco-member 160 from sagging. Also, when the deco-member 160 is moved toward the connector 142, the guide ribs 162 are moved along upper surfaces of the guide members 146, guiding movement of the deco-member 160.

The connector 142 may be attached to the side of the control panel 140, so as to be tilted by a predetermined angle. More particularly, the connector 142 may be tilted such that an upper portion thereof protrudes further forward than a lower portion thereof. Accordingly, upon mounting of the deco-member 160, a pivoting protruding portion (164, see FIG. 5) formed at an upper position of the deco-member 160 is able to be hung on an upper end of the connector 142, allowing the deco-member 160 to be pivotally rotated downward and mounted to the connector 142. With the tilted connector 142 having a predetermined inclination angle and the above-described guide members 146, the deco-member 160 can be easily mounted at an accurate position.

The connector 142 may have at least one stepped portion 148. Providing the connector 142 with the stepped portion 148 can accomplish an increased strength of the connector 142. In addition, the connector 142 has a recessed portion 149 such that a protruding portion (168, see FIG. 5) of the deco-member 160 is inserted into the recessed portion 149 of the connector 142 upon mounting of the deco-member 160, preventing the deco-member 160 from sagging and allowing the deco-member 160 to be located at an accurate position.

In conclusion, in the washing machine according to the present embodiment, both the guide members 146 of the connector 142 and the protruding portion 168 of the deco-member 160 form a double safety mechanism to prevent the deco-member 160 from sagging and consequently, to allow the deco-member 160 to be located at an accurate position.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the deco-member 160 shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 5, the deco-member 160 may have an approximately hexahedral shape and an open rear surface, although the present invention is not limited thereto.

The one or more guide ribs 162, which correspond to the above-described guide members 146 of the connector 142, are arranged in an interior space of the deco-member 160. Specifically, the guide ribs 162 extend widthwise in the deco-member 160, serving not only to increase the strength of the deco-member 160, but also to guide movement of the deco-member 160 in cooperation with the guide members 146 of the connector 142 to thereby prevent the deco-member 160 from sagging. The configurations of the guide ribs 162 and guide members 146 have been described above and thus, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

The deco-member 160 may have fastening bosses 166 corresponding to the fastening holes 144 of the connector 142. The fastening bosses 166 are positioned to correspond to the respective fastening holes 144, allowing the deco-member 160 to come into close contact with the connector 142 without a gap when being coupled using screws, etc.

In addition, of both sidewalls 170 and 172 of the deco-member 160, the pivoting protruding portion 164 is formed at an upper position of the sidewall 172 adjacent to the control panel (140, see FIG. 3) and the protruding portion 168 is formed at a lower position of the sidewall 172. As described above, the pivoting protruding portion 164 is hung on the upper end of the connector 142 and serves as a rotating center of the deco-member 160 when the deco-member 160 is pivotally rotated and mounted to the connector 142. Upon mounting of the deco-member 160, furthermore, the protruding portion 168 comes into contact with the top of the recessed portion 149 of the connector 142, preventing the deco-member 160 from sagging and allowing the deco-member 160 to be located at an accurate position.

Hereinafter, an operation for mounting the deco-member 160 to the control panel 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

First, the pivoting protruding portion 164, formed at the upper position of the deco-member 160, is hung on the upper end of the connector 142 via manual operation of a worker. Then, as the worker pivotally rotates the deco-member 160 downward, the deco-member 160 is mounted to the control panel 140. During pivotal rotation of the deco-member 160, the guide ribs 162 of the deco-member 160 are moved on the upper surfaces of the guide members 146, enabling guidance of movement of the deco-member 160.

When the deco-member 160 comes into contact with the connector 142, the protruding portion 168 of the deco-member 160 is inserted into the recessed portion 149 of the connector 142, preventing the deco-member 160 from sagging and allowing the deco-member 160 to be located at an accurate position.

After the deco-member 160 is accurately positioned, the worker can couple the deco-member 160 to the connector 142 by fastening screws through the fastening holes 144.

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the control panel assembly 130, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting portion 116 of the front panel 114 on which the control panel assembly 130 is mounted.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the control panel assembly 130 and cabinet 110 are provided with a positioning structure to determine a mounting position of the control panel assembly 130. Hereinafter, the positioning structure will be described.

The positioning structure includes first and second recesses 174 and 176 defined in the bottom of the control panel assembly 130, more particularly, in the bottom of the deco-member 160, and first and second protrusions 118 and 119 formed at the mounting portion 116 of the front panel 114 to correspond to the first and second recesses 174 and 176, respectively. Accordingly, when the control panel assembly 130 is mounted to the front panel 114, the first and second protrusions 118 and 119 are inserted into the first and second recesses 174 and 176, respectively. The first and second protrusions 118 and 119 allow the control panel assembly 130 to be mounted at an accurate position on the mounting portion 116 of the front panel 114.

After the control panel assembly 130 is mounted on the mounting portion 116 of the front panel 114, the control panel assembly 130 is fixed using screws, etc. fastened through upper fastening holes thereof.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a rear surface of the control panel assembly 130. The control panel assembly 130 is connected to the front panel 114 by means of a plurality of connecting bosses 150 formed at the rear surface thereof.

As apparent from the above description, in the washing machine according to the present invention, the control panel assembly is pre-assembled to construct a module, accomplishing a remarkable reduction in assembly time and costs of the washing machine.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A washing machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a drum rotatably provided in the cabinet; and

a control panel assembly detachably provided to a front surface of the cabinet,

wherein the control panel assembly includes a control panel directly defining at least a partial rim of the front surface of the cabinet and a deco-member provided at one side of the control panel.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control panel directly defines an upper rim of the front surface of the cabinet.

3. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the deco-member includes a pair of deco-members provided at both sides of the control panel.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the deco-members directly define at least a partial side rim of the front surface of the cabinet.

5. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the deco-members are detachably provided to the control panel.

6. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the control panel is provided at both sides thereof with connectors, to which the deco-members are connected.

7. The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein each of the connectors has one or more fastening holes, and the deco-member has fastening bosses corresponding to the fastening holes.

8. The washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the connector has one or more guide members to guide movement of the deco-member upon mounting of the deco-member.

9. The washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the deco-member has one or more guide ribs corresponding to the guide members, the guide ribs serving to reinforce strength of the deco-member.

10. The washing machine according to claim 9, wherein the connector is tilted by a predetermined angle.

11. The washing machine according to claim 10, wherein the connector is tilted such that an upper portion of the connector protrudes further forward than a lower portion of the connector.

12. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the deco-member has a pivoting protruding portion to be hung on an upper end of the connector.

13. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the connector has one or more stepped portions.

14. The washing machine according to claim 12, wherein the connector has a recessed portion, and the deco-member has one or more protruding portions corresponding to the recessed portion.

15. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning structure to determine a position of the control panel assembly when the control panel assembly is mounted to the front surface of the cabinet.

16. The washing machine according to claim 15, wherein the positioning structure includes at least one recess provided at one of the control panel assembly and cabinet, and at least one protrusion provided at the other of the control panel assembly and cabinet, so as to correspond to the recess.