Detergent supplying apparatus of washing machine

Abstract

Provided is a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine. The apparatus includes a drawer 254 provided in a water supplying flow of a washing machine or drawn to the outside through an opening 16 formed in the washing machine and a stopper 320 formed at the bottom of the drawer 254 to be locked to or released from the bottom of the opening 16. Since the stopper 320 is not easily found by a user, the number of times where the user tries to disengage the drawer 254 is much smaller than the number of times where the user tries to disengage the drawer 254 when the stopper 320 is formed in a drawer cap 280 or at the top of the drawer 254 so that it is possible to prevent the drawer 254 from being easily disengaged and lost.

Description

This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 10-2005-0057177 filed in Korea on Jun. 29, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine provided with a drawer that houses and supplies detergent and is drawn or disengaged outside the washing machine, and more particularly, to a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine in which a drawer is not easily disengaged from the washing machine so that it is possible to prevent the drawer from being lost.

2. Description of the Background Art

In general, a washing machine refers to a device for cleaning a laundry through washing, rinsing, dewatering, and drying to decontaminate clothes and bedclothes (Hereinafter, referred to as “laundry”).

The washing machine is classified as a home washing machine and a commercial washing machine depending on a purpose of use. The home washing machine is installed at each home and is used for washing the laundry generated by a member of family. The commercial washing machine is separately installed at a shop or dormitory and is used for leasing its use to a user desiring to wash the laundry in return for a predetermined use fee.

The commercial washing machine is separately provided with a fee processing unit other than the structure of the general home washing machine, and separately requires a control algorithm of the fee processing unit.

The washing machine is provided with a detergent supplying apparatus for housing detergent, bleach, and softener and then, selectively supplying the detergent, the bleach, and the softener at a necessary time.

The detergent supplying apparatus includes a drawer for housing and supplying the detergent, the bleach, and the softener.

The drawer is disposed in a water supplying flow of the washing machine to mix and supply water passing through the water supplying flow of the washing machine, and is formed to be drawn or disengaged outside to input the detergent, the bleach, and the softener.

In the case where an additional stopper locked by the washing machine when the drawer is drawn is provided in the drawer, the stopper is locked by the washing machine when the user draws the drawer so that only a part of the drawer is drawn. When the stopper is released from the washing machine, the entire drawer is drawn to the outside to be disengaged from the washing machine.

However, according to the conventional washing machine, in particular, the commercial washing machine, when the drawer is easily disengaged from the washing machine, it may be often lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve at least the problem s and disadvantages of the background art.

The present invention is to provide a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine in which a stopper for locking or releasing a drawer is not easily seen from the top of the drawer so that it is possible to prevent the drawer from being disengaged and to thus prevent the drawer from being lost.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, there is provided a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine. The apparatus includes a drawer provided in a water supplying flow of a washing machine or drawn to the outside through an opening formed in the washing machine and a stopper formed at the bottom of the drawer to be locked to or released from the bottom of the opening by elasticity.

The drawer is provided with a bleach/softener supplying unit for housing and supplying at least one of bleach and softener and a detergent supplying unit for housing and supplying detergent on the right and left thereof.

The stopper is integrally formed between the bottom surface of the detergent supplying unit and the bottom surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit.

The stopper is formed at the rear bottom of the drawer.

The stopper includes a panel having an elastic part curved upward and a protrusion protruded from the bottom of the panel.

The panel is horizontally formed and longitudinally formed back and forth.

The panel is provided with a plurality of slits longitudinally opened back and forth so that the approximate center of the panel can be curved upward.

The protrusion is protruded downward from the rear bottom of the elastic part.

The protrusion includes a vertical rib protruded to be perpendicular to the bottom of the elastic part and longitudinally formed from side to side and inclination ribs protruded to be perpendicular to the bottom of the elastic part and the vertical rib and inclined upward toward the rear part of the protrusion.

The inclination ribs are formed in the left and right ends of the vertical rib.

The detergent supplying apparatus of the washing machine further includes a drawer cap coupled with the drawer to cover the top surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit.

The washing machine is a commercial drum washing machine.

In the detergent supplying apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described structure, since the stopper locked or released by the opening formed in the washing machine is formed at the bottom of the drawer so that the stopper is not easily found by a user, the number of times where the user tries to disengage the stopper is much smaller than the number of times where the user tries to disengage the stopper when the stopper is formed in the drawer cap or at the top of the drawer so that it is possible to prevent the drawer from being easily disengaged and lost.

Also, since the stopper is formed to be integrated with the drawer, it is possible to prevent the stopper from being separated from the drawer when the drawer is drawn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in detail with reference to the foll owing drawings in which like numerals refer to like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a commercial drum washing machine employing a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the commercial drum washing machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the commercial drum washing machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the detergent supplying apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the drawer illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross section taken along the line B-B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the drawer and the drawer cap illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bottom of the drawer illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the drawer of FIG. 9 is inserted into a washing machine through the opening of the washing machine;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the drawer of FIG. 9 is locked to the bottom of the opening of the washing machine; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the drawer of FIG. 9 is released from the bottom of the opening of the washing machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in a more detailed manner with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a commercial drum washing machine employing a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine according to the present invention.

In the commercial drum washing machine 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, when a user selects wanted cleaning course and time, a fee processing unit 2 approves a proper fee based on the selected cleaning course or time. By water and detergent and mechanical action, a laundry is washed, rinsed, dewatered, and dried and thus, is decontaminated.

The fee processing unit 2 is comprised of a coil box 3 and a card reader 4.

The coin box 3, a device for approving a fee using a coin, houses, and mechanically processes a plurality of coins. Thus, it is very large in appearance and weight.

On contrary, the card reader 4, a device for approving the fee using a magnetic card or an integrated circuit (IC) card, electronically reads and processes the card. Thus, it is so small in appearance and weight compared with the coin box 3.

The commercial drum washing machine 1 is simultaneously provided with the coin box 3 and the card reader 4 in order to improve user's convenience.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the commercial drum washing machine illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the commercial drum washing machine illustrated in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3, the commercial drum washing machine 1 includes a casing 6 forming an appearance; a tub 20 installed inside the casing 6 such that it can be buffered by a spring 18 and a damper 19; a drum 30 rotatably disposed inside the tub 20 and having a plurality of water holes 22; a lifter 40 installed on an inner circumference surface of the drum 30 and lifting up the laundry by a predetermined height so that the laundry can fall by gravity; and a motor 50 installed in the rear of the tub 20 and rotating the drum 30.

The casing 6 includes a base 7; a cabinet 8 installed on the base 7 to form the appearance on the right and left surfaces and the back surface of the commercial drum washing machine 1; a cabinet cover 10 installed in front of the cabinet 8 and having a water doorway 9 in the center thereof; and a top plate 11 installed at the top of the cabinet 8.

A support frame 12 longitudinally provided from side to side is mounted in the front upper part of the cabinet 8, and supports the right and left surfaces of the cabinet 8.

An insertion hole 13 is provided back and forth in the support frame 12 to insert the front end of a dispenser housing 252 to be described later.

A door 14 for opening and closing the water doorway 9 is rotatably installed in the cabinet cover 10.

A control panel 15 is installed on the cabinet cover 10 to display an operation state of the commercial drum washing machine and control an operation of the commercial drum washing machine.

The card reader 4 is installed in the control panel 15.

An opening 16 is provided back and forth in the control panel 15 to allow entrance and exit of the drawer 254 described later.

The coin box 3 is installed on the top plate 11, and a buffer pad 17 is provided at the top of the top plate 11. The coin box 3 is put and installed on the buffer pad 17.

The coin box 3 and the card reader 4 are connected to an electronic equipment of the control panel 15 such that they can transmit a signal to control an operation by the control panel 15 and to display a fee processing state for the exterior.

A wire of the coin box 3 passes through the buffer pad 17 and the top plate 11 and then, is wired toward the control panel 15 along the bottom surface of the top plate 11.

A water supplying unit 230 is installed above the tub 20.

The water supplying unit 230 includes a water supplying valve 232 for controlling water supplied from an external water source; a water supplying hose 234 for guiding the water passing through the water supplying valve 232; the detergent supplying apparatus 250 for mixing the water guided by the water supplying hose 234, with any one of detergent, softener, and bleach, and discharging the mixture; and a water supplying bellows 236 for guiding and supplying the water, which passes through the detergent supplying apparatus 250 and is mixed with the detergent and the like, into the tub 20. Parts of the water supplying valve 232, the water supplying hose 234, and the detergent supplying apparatus 250, and the water supplying bellows 236 form a water supplying flow of the washing machine.

The water supplying valve 232 is installed to pass through the back surface of the cabinet 8 in the upper part of the cabinet 8. The water supplying valve 232 includes cool water valves 232A and 232B for introducing cool water from the exterior, and a hot water valve 232C for introducing hot water from the exterior.

The cool water valves 232A and 232B are provided to have one inlet and two outlets, and the hot water valve 232C is provided to have one inlet and outlet.

The detergent supplying apparatus 250 is installed to communicate between the water supplying hose 234 and the water supplying bellows 236, thereby supplying the detergent, together with the water supplied from the water supplying unit 230, to the tub 20.

The water supplying hose 234 is installed between the water supplying valve 232 and the detergent supplying apparatus 250 to guide the water to the detergent supplying apparatus 250. The water supplying hose 234 includes first and second cool water hoses 234A and 234B connecting between the cool water valves 232A and 232B and the detergent supplying apparatus 250; and a hot water hose 234C connecting between the hot water valve 232C and the detergent supplying apparatus 250.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a water draining unit 240 is installed at the bottom of the tub 20 to discharge a washing water used for washing and rinsing, and water dewatered from a bag (Hereinafter, referred to as “washing water”), to the exterior of the commercial drum washing machine.

The water draining unit 240 includes a water draining bellows 242 connecting to a water draining port of the tub 20; a water draining pump 244 connected to the water draining bellows 242; and a water draining hose 246 for guiding the washing water pumped by the water draining pump, to the exterior of the commercial drum washing machine.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the detergent supplying apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the drawer illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 illustrates a cross section taken along the line B-B of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the drawer and the drawer cap illustrated in FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the detergent supplying apparatus 250 includes a dispenser housing 252 connected to the water supplying bellows 236 and opened at the front top thereof; the drawer 254 for housing and supplying the detergent, the softener, and the bleach; a dispenser cover 256 provided on the opened top of the dispenser housing 252, communicating with and connected to the water supplying hose 234, and supplying water into the drawer 254.

The dispenser housing 252 is installed on the back of the support frame 12 such that it communicates in the front with the opening 16 of the control panel 15.

A water draining port 253 is protruded from the dispenser housing 252 to be connected to the water supplying bellows 236 such that a mixture liquid of detergent and water dropping from the drawer 254 can be supplied inside the tub 20.

The drawer 254 is inserted into the dispenser housing 252 that is the water supplying flow of the washing machine, through the opening 16 of the control panel 15 and the opening 13 of the support frame 12. The drawer 254 is disposed in the water supplying flow of the washing machine or is drawn to the exterior.

The drawer 254 includes a drawer body 260 provided with a detergent supplying unit 262 for housing and supplying the detergent, the softener, and the bleach; and a front panel 270 coupled with the front surface of the drawer body 260 and having a handle 272 in the front thereof.

The drawer body 260 is provided with a front part 264 for mounting the front panel 270 in the front thereof.

The drawer 254, specifically, the drawer body 260 includes a detergent supplying unit 300 for housing and supplying the detergent; and a bleach/softener supplying unit 310 for housing and supplying at least one of the softener and the bleach. A connection unit 268 is provided between the top of the detergent supplying unit 300 and the top of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The detergent supplying unit 300 is provided to have the approximately same area as a whole of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The detergent supplying unit 300 is provided to have a box shape opened at the rear top thereof.

The detergent supplying unit 300 is provided with a cutoff wall 302 in the rear thereof to prevent a powder detergent of lump state from dropping from the dispenser cover 256 to the dispenser housing 252 due to sprayed water.

The detergent supplying unit 300 is provided with a detergent amount setting wall 304 separated backward by a predetermined distance from the front panel 270 to set a capacity of the detergent.

The cutoff wall 302 and the detergent amount setting wall 304 are plate-shaped members horizontally provided from side to side. The cutoff wall 302 and the detergent amount setting wall 304, in the right and left ends, are connected to right and left walls of the detergent supplying unit 300, and are separated from the bottom surface 301 of the detergent supplying unit 300 by a predetermined distance so that the detergent housed in the detergent supplying unit 300 can be discharged to the dispenser housing 252.

The detergent supplying unit 300 is provided with a semi-circular shaped discharge hole 306 below the cutoff wall 302 so that the water or detergent is smoothly discharged from the detergent supplying unit 300.

The detergent amount setting wall 304 is positioned to correspond to the opening 16 of the control panel 15 when the drawer 254 is maximally drawn to the front of the opening 16 of the control panel 15 and sets a detergent input space to the detergent supplying unit 300.

The detergent amount setting wall 304 is vertically positioned to correspond to the opening 16 of the control panel 15 when the drawer 254 is maximally drawn and limits the capacity of detergent that can be housed in the detergent supplying unit 300.

The detergent amount setting wall 304 is provided up and down to be inclined such that the upper end thereof is disposed behind the opening 16 of the control panel 15 and also, the lower end thereof is disposed in front of the opening 16.

The detergent amount setting wall 304 is inclined so that the drawer main body 260 is easily molded. The upper end of the detergent amount setting wall 304 is positioned inside the opening 16 of the control panel 15 so that it is possible to prevent the powder detergent from being inputted to the rear space of the detergent amount setting wall 304.

The bleach/softener supplying unit 310 is provided to wholly have a box shape opened at the rear top thereof.

In the bleach/softener supplying unit 310, a bleach supplying unit 311 for housing the bleach and a softener supplying unit 312 for housing the softener are longitudinally provided back and forth as a whole.

In the bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312, the rear parts are in the form of boxes whose tops are opened in a position separated upward from the bottom surface 310A of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 by a predetermined height.

A bleach siphon tube 313 is protruded by a predetermined height from the rear bottom surface of the bleach supplying unit 311.

A softener siphon tube 314 is protruded by a predetermined height from the rear bottom surface of the softener supplying unit 312.

The bleach/softener supplying unit 310 is provided with a drawer partition rib 316 to form the walls of the bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312 while partitioning it off into the bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312.

The drawer partition rib 316 partitions off the drawer such that any one 311 of the bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312 is positioned on the side of and in front of the other one 312.

The drawer partition rib 316 includes a first lower partition rib 316A longitudinally provided from side to side from the left wall toward the right wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 in the inner front part of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310; a second lower partition rib 316B longitudinally provided in the rear of the first lower partition rib 316A; and a third lower partition rib 316C provided from side to side in parallel with a part of the first lower partition rib 316A and then, longitudinally provided to the rear.

The drawer partition rib 316 is provided such that the front part of the bleach supplying unit 311 is wider than the rear part of the bleach supply unit 311 and is provided such that the front part of the softener supplying unit 312 is wider than the rear part of the softener supplying unit 312 so that the drawer partition rib 316 allows the bleach to be easily inputted to the front part of the bleach supplying unit 311 and allows the softener to be easily inputted to the front part of the softener supplying unit 312.

In other words, the first lower partition rib 316A is longitudinally provided to the right from the left wall toward the right wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310, and is provided longer than a half of the width between the left wall and the right wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The second lower partition rib 316B is longitudinally provided from the right end to the rear of the first lower partition rib 316A. The width between the left wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 and the second lower partition rib 316B is provided greater than the width between the right wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 and the second lower partition rib 316B.

The third lower partition rib 316C is provided to the left from the lower end of the second lower partition rib 316B toward the left wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310, and is longitudinally provided from the middle between the left wall and the right wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 to the rear.

The bleach/softener supplying unit 310 structurally serves as a bottleneck section between the second lower partition rib 316B and the right wall of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310. A mixture of the water and the softener is generally greater in viscosity than a mixture of the water and the bleach. Thus, it is desirable that the bleach supplying unit 312 is set and positioned on the side of and in front of the softener supplying unit 311 in consideration of the bottleneck section, and the bottleneck section is provided.

In other words, the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 is provided such that the bleach supplying unit 311 is positioned on the side of and in front of the softener supplying unit 312, that the front part of the bleach supplying unit 311 is wider than the rear part of the bleach supplying unit 311, and that the front part of the softener supplying unit 312 is wider than the rear part of the softener supplying unit 312. Thus, a drawn distance of the drawer 254 is minimized while the bleach or the softener can be easily inputted.

In the bleach/softener supplying unit 310, the bleach siphon tube 313 is protruded upward from the bottom surface of the bleach supplying unit 311, and the softener siphon tube 314 is protruded upward from the bottom surface of the softener supplying unit 312.

The bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314 interpose the drawer partition rib 316 therebetween. The bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314 are provided from side to side to be separated from each other. The bleach siphon tube 313 is positioned on the right surface of the third lower partition rib 316C, and the softener siphon tube 314 is positioned on the left surface of the third lower partition rib 316C.

A rear wall 317 is provided in the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 to form the rear parts of the bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312.

The rear wall 317 has overflow units 317B and 317C at the middle top thereof such that, when the bleach or the softener is excessively inputted or the water is excessively supplied, the bleach and softener or the water can overflow to the dispenser housing 252.

The overflow units 317B and 317C are provided to be lower than the other parts of the rear wall 317.

The bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312 are provided to have a structure in which the part provided with the bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314 rises downward by a predetermined height. A shield wall 318 is provided at the bottom surface 310A of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 such that the bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314 can be shielded at the front bottoms thereof.

The shield wall 318 is provided to be separated from the bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314 by a predetermined distance in front of the bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314 such that, when the drawer 254 is inserted into the opening 16 of the control panel 15, air pressure can be applied to lower ends of the bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314.

Accordingly, when the drawer 254 is closed, the air pressure is applied to the lower ends of the bleach siphon tube 313 and the softener siphon tube 314. Thus, it is possible to prevent the bleach and the softener stored in the bleach supplying unit 311 and the softener supplying unit 312 from being discharged to the bottom surface 310A of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 through the siphon tubes 313 and 314 and siphon caps 285 and 286 to be described later.

The front panel 270 is hooked and coupled with the front part 264 of the drawer body 260 and, is connected and fixed by a connection bolt 274.

In other words, a hook hole and a hook are provided in the front part 264 of the drawer body 260 and the front panel 270 to face with each other. Thus, the front panel 270 is coupled with the front part 264 of the drawer body 260, and a connection hole or a connection boss are provided to face with each other and are connected and fixed by the connection bolt 274. The front panel 270 is firmly mounted and fixed to the front part 264 of the drawer body 260 and thus, is not easily separated from the drawer body 260.

A drawer cap 280 is provided in the drawer 256 to cover the top surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The drawer cap 280, an approximately plate shaped member mounted to cover the top surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310, is up-fixed in the front part thereof to a seating unit 319 step-jawed in the front part of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 and is up-fixed in the rear thereof to the upper end of the rear wall 317 provided on the back surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The hook 281 is protruded downward from the front bottom surface of the drawer cap 280. In the detergent box 264, a hook through-hole 319A inserted and hooked by the hook 281 is provided up and down in the seating unit 319.

In the drawer 264, a protrusion 317A is protruded backward from the back surface of the rear wall 317 and in the upper end of the rear wall 317. In the drawer cap 280, a locking hole 282A for locking the protrusion 317A is provided in the rear wall 317. A locking unit 282 is protruded, and is closely attached to the back surface of the rear wall 317.

The locking unit 282 is closely attached to the back surface of the rear wall 317 in the upper end of the rear wall 317.

When the locking unit 282 is positioned behind the rear wall 317 while the locking hole 282A is locked by the protrusion 317A and the front part of the locking unit 282 is pressed down to insert the hook 281 into the hook hole 319A, the drawer cap 280 is not only firmly mounted on the drawer 254 but also, when the drawer 254 is drawn, the hook 281 and the protrusion 317A are not exposed outside, thereby preventing the drawer 254 from being easily disengaged by the user.

In the drawer cap 280, a bleach input port 283 for inputting the bleach and the water is provided correspondingly to the front part of the bleach supplying unit 311, and the softener input port 284 for inputting the softener and the water is provided to correspond to the front part of the softener supplying unit 312.

In the drawer cap 280, the bleach input port 283 and the softener input port 294 are provided and opened up and down in the front part of the drawer cap 280, and the bleach input port 283 is provided in front of the softener input port 284.

In the drawer cap 280, the bleach input port 283 and the softener input port 284 are protruded downward more than the around, and have box shapes in which square holes are provided in the centers.

In the drawer cap 280, a bleach siphon cap 285 covering the bleach siphon tube 313 is provided to correspond to the bleach siphon tube 313 of the bleach supplying unit 311, and a softener siphon cap 286 covering the softener siphon tube 314 is provided to correspond to the softener siphon tube 314 of the softener supplying unit 312.

The drawer cap 280 is provided such that the bleach siphon cap 285 and the softener siphon cap 286 are provided from side to side to be separated from each other.

The drawer cap 280 has rising units 289A and 289B in which each of bleach siphon cap 285 and softener siphon cap 286 rises downward by a predetermined depth.

In the drawer cap 280, there are provided a bleach-purposed water supplying port 287 for allowing a passage of water dropping from the dispenser cover 256 toward the bleach supplying unit 311, and a softener-purposed water supplying port 288 for allowing a passage of water dropping from the dispenser cover 256 toward the softener supplying unit 312.

The bleach-purposed water supplying port 287 and the softener-purposed water supplying port 288 are protruded downward in a square structure from front parts of the rising units 289A and 289B and are integrated with a plurality of grills, respectively.

In the drawer cap 280, the water dropping from the dispenser cover 256 passes through the bleach-purposed water supplying port 287 and is supplied inside the bleach supplying unit 311, thereby promoting dilution of the bleach, and the water dropping from the dispenser cover 256 passes through the softener-purposed water supplying port 288 and is supplied inside the softener supplying unit 312, thereby promoting dilution of the softener.

In the drawer cap 280, a drawer cap partition rib 290 whose bottom surface is closely attached to the drawer partition rib 316 of the drawer body 260 is protruded downward.

The drawer cap partition rib 290 includes a first upper partition rib 290A provided from side to side to be closely attached to the first lower partition rib 316A; a second upper partition rib 290B closely attached to the second lower partition rib 316B; and a third upper partition rib 290C provided from side to side in parallel with a part of the first upper partition rib 290A from the rear end of the second upper partition rib 290B to be attached to the third lower partition rib 316C and then, longitudinally provided from the center of the drawer cap 280 to the rear.

The first upper partition rib 290A is provided close to the back surface of the first lower partition rib 316A.

The second upper partition rib 290B is longitudinally provided from the right end of the first upper partition rib 290A to the rear to be attached to the left surface of the second lower partition rib 316B.

The third upper partition rib 290C is provided to be closely attached to the front and left surfaces of the third lower partition rib 316C.

The drawer cap 280 is provided such that the bleach input port 283 and the softener input port 284 are provided back and forth to be separated from each other with the first upper partition rib 290A interposed therebetween.

A first fitting rib 292 closely attached to a front surface of the first lower partition rib 316A is protruded from the front part of the first upper partition rib 290A. Second and third fitting ribs 294 and 296 closely attached to the right surface of the third lower partition rib 316C are protruded from the right surface of the third upper partition rib 290C.

When the drawer cap 280 is mounted, the first lower partition rib 316A is fitted between the first upper partition rib 290A and the first fitting rib 292, and the third lower partition rib 316C is fitted between the third upper partition rib 290C and the second and third fitting ribs 294 and 296.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the dispenser cover 256 includes a bottom panel 256A mounted at the opened top of the dispenser housing 252; and a top panel 256B up-mounted at the top of the bottom panel 256A to form the detergent water supplying flow 330, the bleach water supplying flow 332, and the softener water supplying flow 334, together with the bottom panel 256A.

In the bottom panel 256A, a hose connection unit 338 connected to the water supplying hose 234 of the water supplying unit 230 is protruded in rear.

The hose connection unit 338 includes a first hose connection unit 338A connected to a hot water hose 234C to supply hot water to the detergent water supplying flow 330; and second and third hose connection units 338B and 338C connected to first and second cool water hoses 234A and 234B to supply cool water to the bleach water supplying flow 332, the softener water supplying flow 334, and the detergent water supplying flow 330.

In the bottom panel 256A, a plurality of water supplying holes 340 are provided to face the detergent water supplying unit 300 and the bleach/softener supplying unit 310 of the drawer 254.

The water supplying hole 340 includes a plurality of detergent water supplying holes 342 provided at the top of the detergent supplying unit 300 to supply the water within the detergent water supplying flow 330 to the detergent supplying unit 300; a plurality of bleach water supplying holes 344 provided at the top of the bleach supplying unit 311 to supply the water within the bleach water supplying flow 332 to the bleach supplying unit 311; and a plurality of softener water supplying holes 346 provided at the top of the softener supplying unit 312 to supply the water from the softener water supplying flow 334 to the softener supplying unit 312.

The detergent water supplying hole 342 is provided in plural to face the inner surface of the detergent supplying unit 300. The bleach water supplying holes 344 are provided to face the bleach input port 283 and the bleach-purposed water supplying port 287, respectively. The softener water supplying holes 346 are provided to face the softener input port 284 and the softener-purposed water supplying port 288, respectively.

In the dispenser cover 256, the detergent water supplying flow 330 is provided such that cool water or hot water can flow from the first, second, and third hose connection units 338A, 338B, and 338C to the detergent water supplying hole 342. The bleach water supplying flow 332 is provided such that cool water can flow from the second and third hose connection units 338A and 338B to the bleach water supplying hole 344. The softener water supplying flow 334 is provided such that cool water can flow from the second and third hose connection units 338B and 338C to the softener water supplying hole 346.

In the detergent water supplying flow 330, the bleach water supplying flow 332, and the softener water supplying flow 334, the parts where the detergent water supplying hole 342, the bleach water supplying hole 344, and the softener water supplying hole 346 are provided rise downward by a predetermined depth compared with other parts.

In the parts where the detergent water supplying hole 342, the detergent water supplying hole 344, and the softener water supplying hole 346 are provided, not only the capacity of water increases but also a backflow from the parts where the detergent water supplying hole 342, the bleach water supplying hole 344, and the softener water supplying hole 346 are provided to the first, second, and third hose connection units 338A, 338B, and 338C is prevented.

A detergent water supplying rib 331 forming the detergent water supplying flow 330, a bleach water supplying rib 333 forming the detergent water supplying flow 332, and a softener water supplying rib 335 forming the softener water supplying flow 334 are provided to protrude from at least any one of the top panel 256B and the bottom panel 256A.

The top panel 256B and the bottom panel 256A are thermally fused and assembled.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bottom of the drawer illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the drawer of FIG. 9 is inserted into a washing machine through the opening of the washing machine. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the drawer of FIG. 9 is locked to the bottom of the opening of the washing machine. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the drawer of FIG. 9 is released from the bottom of the opening of the washing machine.

In the detergent supplying apparatus 250, a stopper 320 for preventing the drawer 254 from easily disengaging from the washing machine is provided in any one of the drawer 254 and the drawer cap 280.

The stopper 320 is a kind of disengagement prevention unit that is locked to the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15 when the drawer 254 is drawn to the front to set the maximal drawing distance of the drawer 254 and also, if necessary, to entirely disengage the drawer 254 from the commercial drum washing machine 1. The stopper 320 is provided to be locked in the drawing direction of the drawer 254 around the opening 16 of the control panel 15.

The stopper 320 can be integrated with to the drawer 254, in particular, the drawer body 260 and can also be integrated with the drawer cap 280.

In the case where the stopper 320 is provided to the drawer cap 280, when the drawer cap 280 is disengaged from the drawer 254 or the drawer cap 280 is lost, there is no structure to prevent the drawer 254 from being disengaged in the drawer 254 itself, thereby causing a free separation of the drawer 254. Thus, it is desirable that the stopper 320 is integrated with the drawer 254.

The stopper 320 can be provided at the top of the drawer 254 and can also be provided at the bottom of the drawer 254.

In the case where the stopper 320 is provided at the top of the drawer 254, for example, in the connection unit 268 or is provided at the top of the detergent supplying unit 300 or the bleach/softener supplying unit 310, the stopper 320 is easily found by the common user, thereby getting the stopper 320 free from the washing machine and separating the drawer 254. Thus, it is most desirable to provide the stopper 320 at the bottom of the drawer 254 so that it is difficult for the common user to find the stopper 320.

In other words, the stopper 320 is provided at the bottom of the drawer 254 so that the drawer 254 is not exposed to the outside when the drawer 254 is drawn. The stopper 320 is integrated with the drawer 254 so that it is prevent the drawer 254 from being easily disengaged.

The stopper 320 includes a panel 322 provided to be elastically pressed between the bottom of the detergent supplying unit 300 and the bottom of the bleach/softener supplying unit 310; and a protrusion 324 protruded downward from the bottom surface of the panel 322 to be locked to the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15 when the drawer 254 is drawn so that the stopper 320 is locked to or released from the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15.

The stopper 230 further includes a reinforcement unit 323 that links the panel 322 and the connection unit 268.

The panel 322 is a plate shaped member molded to be integrated with the bottom of the drawer body 260. In the panel 322, the right and left sides are connected to the bottoms of the detergent supplying unit 300 and the detergent/softener supplying unit 310, and the approximate center is provided with an elastic part 326 elastically transformed up and down.

The panel 322 is provided in parallel on the rear bottom of the drawer body 260, and is longitudinally provided back and forth between the detergent supplying unit 300 and the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The panel 322 is provided with two slits 325A and 325B on the left and right sides, respectively, to be separated from the detergent supplying unit 300 and the bleach/softener supplying unit 310.

The left slit 325A and the right slit 325B are longitudinally provided in the panel 322 and the elastic part 326 is provided to be pressed between the left slit 325A and the right slit 325B.

In the elastic part 326, the left and right ends are provided with the left slit 325A and the right slit 325B, respectively, and in the panel 322, the front and rear ends are elastically connected.

The center of the elastic part 326 is convexly and elastically transformed upward as pressed.

The protrusion 324 is protruded downward by a predetermined height on the rear bottom surface of the elastic part 326 such that the rear part of the drawer 254 is positioned behind the opening 16 of the control panel 15.

The protrusion 324 is comprised of ribs protruded in ‘’ shapes on the rear bottom surface of the elastic part 326.

The protrusion 324 includes a vertical rib 327 longitudinally provided from side to side from the bottom surface of the elastic part 326; and inclination ribs 328 longitudinally provided to the rear and in the right and left ends of the vertical rib 327, respectively.

The vertical rib 327 is vertically protruded from the bottom surface of the elastic part 326, and locked to the bottom of the opening 16 when the drawer 254 is drawn.

The inclination ribs 328 support the vertical rib 327 and are inclined upward from the vertical rib 327 to the rear such that the drawer 254 is easily inserted into and mounted in the opening 16.

The protrusion 324 is preferably positioned in the rear of the elastic part 326 rather than in the middle between the front and rear parts of the elastic part 326 such that the front end of the inclination rib 328 can be more greatly transformed upward than the rear end of the inclination rib 328 when the drawer 254 is inserted to be mounted.

The operation of the above-described detergent supplying apparatus of the commercial drum washing machine according to the present invention will be described below.

First, when the user pulls the drawer 254 in front of the opening 16 of the control panel 15, the drawer 254 passes through the opening 16 of the control panel 15 and is drawn to the front, and as illustrated in FIG. 11, the protrusion 324 provided at the bottom of the drawer 254 is locked forward to the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15 and the drawer 254 is opened outside only at the front top thereof.

If the user inputs the detergent to the front of the detergent supplying unit 300 of the drawer 254, the detergent is housed within the detergent supplying unit 300. If inputting the bleach to the bleach input port 283 of the drawer cap 280, the bleach is housed within the bleach supplying unit 311. If inputting the softener to the softener input port 284 of the drawer cap 280, the softener is housed within the softener supplying unit 312.

In a state where the detergent, the bleach, and the softener are inputted to the detergent supplying unit 262 of the drawer 254 as above, when the drawer 254 is pushed and put to the rear of the opening 16 of the control panel 15, the drawer 254 is deeply inserted into the dispenser housing 252.

If the user manipulates the control panel 15 and sets washing course or time, the commercial drum washing machine calculates a fee based on the set washing course and time, and displays the calculated fee using the control panel 15 or a fee processing unit 110. If the user approves the fee using the fee processing unit 110, the commercial drum washing machine 1 is in a state where driving is possible by the user. The commercial drum washing machine 1 is driven through manipulation of the control panel 15, and the set washing course is executed by the user.

A process of supplying the water through the water supplying unit 230 will be in detail described below.

First, when the water supplying valve 232 is switched on, the external water sequentially passes through the water supplying valve 232 and the water supplying hose 234, and is supplied to the dispenser cover 256 of the detergent supplying apparatus 250.

The water introduced to the dispenser cover 256 drops toward the drawer 254 along any one of the water supplying flows 330, 332, and 334 and any one of the water supplying holes 342, 344, and 346.

The water guided to the detergent water supplying flow 330 of the dispenser cover 256 passes through the detergent water supplying hole 342 and drops to the inside of the detergent supplying unit 310. The dropping water is mixed with the detergent housed in the detergent supplying unit 310, flows to the rear of the detergent supplying unit 310, drops toward the bottom of the dispenser housing 252, and is supplied to the tub 20 through the water supplying bellows 236.

The water guided to the bleach water supplying flow 332 of the dispenser cover 256 drops downward through the bleach water supplying hole 344. The water passing through a front-side bleach water supplying hole 344 of the bleach water supplying hole 344 passes through the bleach input port 283 of the drawer cap 280, and is supplied to the front of the bleach supplying unit 311. The water passing through a front-side bleach water supplying hole 344 of the bleach water supplying hole 344 passes through the bleach-purposed water supplying port 287 of the drawer cap 280, and is supplied to the rear part of the bleach supplying unit 311.

The water supplied to the bleach supplying unit 311 is mixed with the detergent, is discharged through the bleach siphon tube 313 and the bleach siphon cap 285, drops to the bottom of the dispenser housing 252, and is supplied to the tub 20 through the water supplying bellows 236.

The water guided to the softener water supplying flow 334 of the dispenser cover 256 drops downward through the softener water supplying hole 346. The water passing through a front-side softener water supplying hole 346 of the softener water supplying hole 346 passes through the softener input port 284 of the drawer cap 280, and is supplied to the front part of the softener supplying unit 311. The water passing through a softener water supplying hole 346 in the rear among the softener water supplying holes 346 passes through the softener-purposed water supplying port 288 of the drawer cap 280, and is supplied to the rear part of the softener supplying unit 312.

The water supplied to the softener supplying unit 312 is mixed with the softener, is discharged through the softener siphon tube 314 and the softener siphon cap 286, drops toward the bottom of the dispenser housing 252, and is supplied to the tub 20 through the water supplying bellows 236.

When the drawer 254 is to be disengaged to the outside of the commercial drum washing machine in order to clean and repair the drawer 254, the drawer 254 is drawn forward in the state where the stopper 320 is adjusted so that the protrusion 324 of the stopper 320 is not locked to the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15.

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 12, when the drawer 254 is drawn forward in the state where the elastic part 326 is sufficiently pressed upward until the vertical rib 327 of the protrusion 324 is not locked to the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15, in the drawer 254, the protrusion 324 is taken off to the front of the opening 16 of the control panel 15 and the opening 13 of the support frame 12 so that the drawer 254 is disengaged from the commercial drum washing machine 1.

When the drawer 254 is to be mounted in the commercial drum washing machine 1 again, the drawer 254 is pushed back to the opening 16 of the control panel 15.

As described above, when the drawer 254 is pushed back to the opening 16 of the control panel 15, in the drawer 254, the inclination rib 328 of the protrusion 324 is locked to the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15. However, when the drawer 254 is continuously pushed back, as illustrated in FIG. 10, in the stopper 320, the elastic part 326 is pressed upward so that the inclined surface of the inclination rib 328 passes over the bottom of the opening 16 and slides back.

At this time, when the elastic part 326 is appropriately pressed upward, the drawer 254 is smoothly mounted.

In the drawer 254, when the front end of the inclination rib 328 passes over the bottom of the opening 16 of the control panel 15, the elastic part 326 is elastically recovered to an initial state so that the vertical rib 327 of the protrusion 324 is locked by the back of the opening 16 of the control panel 15. Insertion is performed until the control panel 15 is attached to the front panel 270 so that the drawer 254 is mounted.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

The effects of the detergent supplying apparatus of the washing machine according to the present invention having the above-described structure will be described as follows.

In the detergent supplying apparatus of the washing machine according to the present invention, since the stopper locked or released by the opening formed in the washing machine is formed at the bottom of the drawer so that the stopper cannot be easily found by the user, the number of times where the user tries to disengage the stopper is much smaller than the number of times where the user tries to disengage the stopper when the stopper is formed in the drawer cap or at the top of the drawer so that it is possible to prevent the drawer from being easily disengaged and lost.

Also, since the stopper is formed to be integrated with the drawer, it is possible to prevent the stopper from being separated from the drawer when the drawer is drawn.

Also, since it is possible to prevent the drawer from being easily lost, it is possible to improve reliability. In particular, in the case of the commercial drum washing machine, it is possible to easily manage and repair the washing machine and to reduce the inconvenience of the owner of the washing machine.

Claims

1. A detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine, the apparatus comprising:

a drawer provided in a water supplying flow of a washing machine or drawn to the outside through an opening formed in the washing machine; and

a stopper formed at the bottom of the drawer to be locked to or released from the bottom of the opening by elasticity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drawer is provided with a bleach/softener supplying unit for housing and supplying at least one of bleach and softener and a detergent supplying unit for housing and supplying detergent on the right and left thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the stopper is integrally formed between the bottom surface of the detergent supplying unit and the bottom surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stopper is formed at the rear bottom of the drawer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stopper comprises:

a panel having an elastic part curved upward; and

a protrusion protruded from the bottom of the panel.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the panel is horizontally formed and longitudinally formed back and forth.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the panel is provided with a plurality of slits longitudinally opened back and forth so that the approximate center of the panel can be curved upward.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the protrusion is protruded downward from the rear bottom of the elastic part.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the protrusion comprises:

a vertical rib protruded to be perpendicular to the bottom of the elastic part and longitudinally formed from side to side; and

inclination ribs protruded to be perpendicular to the bottom of the elastic part and the vertical rib and inclined upward toward the rear part of the protrusion.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the inclination ribs are formed in the left and right ends of the vertical rib.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the detergent supplying apparatus of the washing machine further comprises a drawer cap that covers the top surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the washing machine is a commercial drum washing machine.

13. A detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine, the apparatus comprising:

a drawer positioned in a water supplying flow of a washing machine or drawn to the outside through an opening formed in the washing machine and provided with a bleach/softener supplying unit for housing and supplying bleach and softener and a detergent supplying unit for housing and supplying detergent on the left and right sides thereof;

a panel formed between the bottom of the bleach/softener supplying unit and the bottom of the detergent supplying unit and having an elastic part curved upward; and

a protrusion protruded from the bottom of the panel.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the panel is formed in the rear part between the bottom of the detergent supplying unit and the bleach/softener supplying unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the panel is provided with a plurality of slits longitudinally opened back and forth so that the approximate center of the panel can be curved upward.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the protrusion is protruded downward from the rear bottom of the elastic part.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the washing machine is a commercial drum washing machine.

18. A detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine, the apparatus comprising:

a dispenser housing provided behind an opening of a control panel for operating a washing machine and connected to a water supplying bellows;

a dispenser cover provided at the top of the dispenser housing and connected to a water supplying hose to supply water; and

a drawer provided in the dispenser housing or drawn to the outside through the opening of the control panel and integrated with a stopper locked to or released from the bottom of the opening by elasticity.

19. The apparatus of claim 18,

wherein the drawer is provided with a bleach/softener supplying unit for housing and supplying at least one of bleach and softener and a detergent supplying unit for housing and supplying detergent on the right and left thereof, and

wherein the stopper is formed between the bottom surface of the detergent supplying unit and the bottom surface of the bleach/softener supplying unit.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the washing machine is a commercial drum washing machine.