Laundry treating apparatus

• US 10,161,076 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwon, Yongwoo, Yong, Seungji, Cheon, Kangwoon, Choi, Jaehoon, Park, Jungjin
• Primary Examiner(s): THAKER, NIDHI VIVEK
• Application Number:
  US15/335,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20170121888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/08 Control circuits or arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/266 Gaskets mounted between tub and casing around the loading opening
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/14 Doors or covers; Securing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 11/006 by gluing gluing of plastics material B29C65/48
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/10 using selector switches
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23023 Control knobs, levers integrated into display, display parameters near knobs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23058 Knob, pedal selects ranges, functions and controls in each range as function of position
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25087 Selector switch to set function of each module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus including a body provided with a laundry inlet; and a door configured to open or close the laundry inlet, wherein the door includes a door frame having a first opening portion facing the laundry inlet when the door is closed and a second opening portion corresponding to a display module mounted at an inside, and a door cover coupled to the door frame to form an appearance of the door, and the door cover includes a non-light-transmitting region, and a first light transmitting region corresponding to the first opening portion and a second light transmitting region corresponding to the second opening portion within the non-light-transmitting region.

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:

a body having a laundry inlet and a laundry accommodation part accommodating laundry through the laundry inlet; and

a door configured to open or close the laundry inlet, wherein the door includes;

a door frame having a first opening portion that faces the laundry inlet when the door is closed and a second opening portion formed in a position spaced apart from the first opening portion;

a door window installed in the door frame to correspond to the first opening portion and disposed to correspond to the laundry inlet when the door is closed;

a display module installed to correspond to the second opening portion within the door frame to output visual information through the second opening portion; and

a door cover coupled to a front side of the door frame to form an appearance of the door, wherein the door cover includes a non-light-transmitting region, and a first light transmitting region corresponding to the first opening portion and a second light transmitting region corresponding to the second opening portion within the non-light-transmitting region, and

the non-light-transmitting region surrounds both the first light transmitting region and the second light transmitting region to compartment the first light transmitting region allowing the laundry accommodation part to be visible and the second light transmitting region allowing visual information output from the display module to be visible.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second light transmitting region is smaller size than the second opening portion, and overlaps with the second opening portion when the door cover is coupled to the door frame.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the non-light-transmitting region covers an edge portion of a display provided in the display module in which visual information is not displayed.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second opening portion is rectangular and corresponds to the display module having a rectangular shape, and the second light transmitting region is circular and overlaps with the second opening portion, wherein visual information is not displayed on a portion of the display that does not correspond to the second light transmitting region of the display module.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein a touch sensor covers the second light transmitting region to sense a touch input to a sensing region containing the second light transmitting region is adhered to a rear surface of the door cover.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5, further including a controller configured to control whether to activate touch sensing to a region that does not correspond to the second light transmitting region within the sensing region.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the door cover includes:

a cover body formed of a light transmitting material; and

a shield layer that covers a rear surface of the cover body to form the non-light-transmitting region.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and the second light transmitting regions are a portion at which the shield layer is not provided.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the shield layer includes a black based pigment, and is printed on a rear surface of the cover body.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein a touch sensor that senses a touch input to the second light transmitting region is adhered to a rear surface of the cover body and corresponds to the second light transmitting region.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the door cover includes:

a cover body formed of a light transmitting material; and

a film adhered to a rear surface of the cover body, wherein the film includes;

a first light transmitting portion and a second light transmitting portion corresponding to the first and the second light transmitting regions, respectively; and

a non-light-transmitting portion that surrounds the first light transmitting portion and the second light transmitting portion, and corresponds to the non-light-transmitting region.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first and the second light transmitting portion are partitioned from each other by the non-light-transmitting portion.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11, wherein a touch sensor to sense a touch input to the second light transmitting region is adhered to a rear surface of the film corresponding to the second light transmitting portion.

14. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:

a body having a laundry inlet and a laundry accommodation part accommodating laundry through the laundry inlet; and

a door configured to open or close the laundry inlet,

wherein the door includes;

a door frame having an opening portion facing the laundry inlet when the door is closed and a display module accommodation part formed in a position spaced apart from the opening portion;

a door window installed in the door frame to correspond to the first opening portion and disposed to correspond to the laundry inlet when the door is closed;

a display module accommodated in the display module accommodation part; and

a door cover coupled to a front side of the door frame to form an appearance of the door,

wherein the door cover includes a non-light-transmitting region, and a first light transmitting region corresponding to the opening portion and a second light transmitting region corresponding to the display module accommodation part within the non-light-transmitting region, and

wherein the non-light-transmitting region surrounds both the first light transmitting region and the second light transmitting region to compartment the first light transmitting region allowing the laundry accommodation part to be visible and the second light transmitting region allowing visual information output from the display module to be visible.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the second light transmitting region is formed to be smaller than the display module accommodation part and disposed in an overlapping manner within the display module accommodation part when the door cover is coupled to the door frame.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the display module accommodation part is rectangular to correspond to the rectangular display module,

the second light transmitting region is circular and disposed in an overlapping manner within the display module accommodation part, and

visual information is not output to a portion of the display module not corresponding to the second light transmitting region.

17. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the door cover includes:

a cover body formed of a light-transmissive material; and

a shield layer disposed to cover a rear side of the cover body to form the non-light transmitting region,

wherein the shield layer includes black-based pigment and is printed on the rear side of the cover body.

18. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 14, wherein

a touch sensor is attached to a rear side of the door cover, disposed to cover the second light transmitting region, and sensing a touch input applied to a sensing region including the second light transmitting region.

19. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a controller controlling whether to activate touch sensing with respect to a region of the sensing region not corresponding to the second light transmitting region.

20. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the first and second light transmitting regions are part where the shield layer is not disposed.