Drawer-type washing machine and process of washing laundry using the same
First Claim
1. A drawer-type washing machine, comprising:
- a housing opened at its front to form a cavity;
a cabinet opened at its top and received in the cavity of said housing such that the cabinet is movable forward or backward relative to the housing;
a washing tub unit consisting of an outer tub and an inner tub, and set within the cabinet, said washing tub unit containing washing water therein, and carrying out both a washing operation and a spin-drying operation for laundry contained therein;
a drive unit installed at a position under the outer tub of said washing tub unit, and rotating the inner tub of the washing tub unit;
a suspension unit used for supporting the washing tub unit within said cabinet while performing a damping function of attenuating operational vibrations of the washing tub unit; and
a sliding unit provided at a movable junction of the housing and the cabinet for allowing a linear sliding movement of the cabinet relative to the housing.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A drawer-type washing machine and process of washing laundry using the washing machine is disclosed. The washing machine has a housing opened at its front to form a cavity. A cabinet, opened at its top, is received in the cavity of the housing such that the cabinet is movable forward or backward relative to the housing. A washing tub unit, consisting of an outer tub and an inner tub, is set within the cabinet. This washing tub unit contains washing water therein, and carries out both a washing operation and a spin-drying operation for laundry contained therein. A drive unit is installed at a position under the outer tub of the washing tub unit, and rotates the inner tub of the washing tub unit. A suspension unit supports the washing tub unit within the cabinet while performing a damping function of attenuating operational vibrations of the washing tub unit. A sliding unit is provided at a movable junction of the housing and the cabinet for allowing a linear sliding movement of the cabinet relative to the housing. In the washing machine, the cabinet is designed to be drawn forward and pushed backward, thus allowing a user to easily put laundry into or take laundry out of the washing tub unit. The washing machine of this invention is also easily installed on a desired area without being critically limited by the vertical space above the top of the washing machine.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A drawer-type washing machine, comprising:
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a housing opened at its front to form a cavity;
a cabinet opened at its top and received in the cavity of said housing such that the cabinet is movable forward or backward relative to the housing;
a washing tub unit consisting of an outer tub and an inner tub, and set within the cabinet, said washing tub unit containing washing water therein, and carrying out both a washing operation and a spin-drying operation for laundry contained therein;
a drive unit installed at a position under the outer tub of said washing tub unit, and rotating the inner tub of the washing tub unit;
a suspension unit used for supporting the washing tub unit within said cabinet while performing a damping function of attenuating operational vibrations of the washing tub unit; and
a sliding unit provided at a movable junction of the housing and the cabinet for allowing a linear sliding movement of the cabinet relative to the housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A process of washing laundry using a drawer-type washing machine, with first and second cabinets respectively containing first and second washing tub units and set in a housing to be movable forward or backward relative to said housing, comprising:
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a first step of determining whether the first washing tub unit is in its rinsing operation;
a second step of determining whether the rinsing operation of the first washing tub unit has been finished when it is determined at the first step that the first washing tub unit is in its rinsing operation, and a third step of feeding processed water from the rinsing operation of the first washing tub unit to the second washing tub unit when it is determined at the second step that the rinsing operation of the first washing tub unit has been finished;
a fourth step of determining whether the second washing tub unit is in its rinsing operation when it is determined at the first step that the first washing tub unit is not in its rinsing operation;
a fifth step of determining whether the rinsing operation of the second washing tub unit has been finished when it is determined at the fourth step that the second washing tub unit is in its rinsing operation; and
a sixth step of feeding processed water from the rinsing operation of the second washing tub unit to the first washing tub unit when it is determined at the fifth step that the rinsing operation of the second washing tub unit has been finished.
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20. A process of washing laundry using a drawer-type washing machine, comprising the steps of:
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sensing pressure induced by pressure head inside a washing tub unit after water is fed into said washing tub unit, and determining whether water inside the washing tub unit has reached a reference level;
turning on a heater to heat the water inside the washing tub unit when it is determined that the water has reached the reference level;
determining whether the pressure inside the washing tub unit has been increased equal to or higher than a reference level;
discharging highly pressurized vapor from said washing tub unit to the atmosphere when it is determined that the pressure inside the washing tub unit has been increased equal to or higher than the reference level;
determining whether the pressure inside the washing tub unit has been reduced lower than the reference level; and
stopping the vapor discharging action when it is determined that the pressure inside the washing tub unit has been reduced lower than the reference level.
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Specification