Laundry Treating Apparatus and Control Method of the Same

• US 20120017381A1
• Filed: 09/11/2009
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hong, Sang Wook, Chang, Jae Won, Park, Sun Young, Koo, Bon Kwon, Kang, Ki Young, Kim, Ji Hee
• Granted Patent: US 9,567,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 8/142
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/125 Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/02 having one rotary cleaning receptacle only
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/085 Filtering arrangements; Filter cleaning; Filter-aid powder dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/088 Condensing arrangements

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus and a control method thereof are disclosed. A laundry treating apparatus includes a casing (10), a tub (15) provided in the casing (10), rotatable drum (20) provided in the tub (15), a water supply part (40, 45) provided in the casing (10) to supply water to the rotatable drum (20) and a solvent supply part (70, 71, 72, 73) supplying dry-cleaning solvent to the rotatable drum (10).

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:

a casing;

a tub provided in the casing;

a rotatable drum provided in the tub;

a water supply part provided in the casing to supply water to the rotatable drum; and

a solvent supply part supplying dry-cleaning solvent to the rotatable drum.

2. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solvent supply part comprises,

a solvent receiving part receiving the solvent therein;

a pump connected to the solvent receiving part to supply the solvent to the rotatable drum; and

a spraying device connected to the pump to spray the solvent onto the rotatable drum.

3. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a solvent collecting part collecting the solvent sprayed into the rotatable drum,

wherein the solvent collecting part comprises a solvent collecting pipe guiding the collected solvent toward the solvent receiving part; and

a filter part connected to the solvent collecting pipe to filter foreign substances contained the collected solvent.

4. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the solvent collecting part further comprises,

a condensation device condensing gaseous solvent to supply liquid solvent to the solvent receiving part, if the collected solvent is gaseous.

5. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

a closable valve provided between the condensation device and the solvent receiving part to control the flow of the liquid solvent.

6. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein, the filter part comprises a replaceable filter cartridge that is able to be inserted in the casing.

7. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a surfactant receiving part provided adjacent to the solvent receiving part to receive surfactant therein, wherein the solvent receiving part and the surfactant receiving part comprise covers to selectively open and close insides, respectively, and the covers are exposed to a supply groove formed in a predetermined portion of the casing.

8. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

a cover member rotatably coupled to an outer portion of the casing to prevent the filter cartridge or the covers from being exposed outside.

9. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a hot air supply device provided in the casing to supply hot air to the rotatable drum, the hot air supply device connected to the tub.

10. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the laundry treating apparatus comprises a washing machine and a drying machine,

and the spraying device is provided in a tub or a casing of the washing machine to spray solvent toward an opening of a rotatable drum of the washing machine or in a tub or a casing of the drying machine to spray solvent toward an opening of a rotatable drum of the drying machine.

12. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the solvent supply part and the solvent collecting part are provided in the casings of the washing machine and the drying machine, respectively.

13. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the solvent supply part and the solvent collecting part are provided in the casing of the washing machine or in the casing of the drying machine.

14. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein supporting compartments are provided under the casings of the washing machine and the drying machine, respectively, to heighten the installation height of the rotatable drums, the supporting compartments partitioned off from the casings, further wherein the solvent receiving part and the solvent collecting part are provided in the supporting compartments.

15. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the solvent receiving part and the solvent collecting part are dividedly provided in the supporting compartment of the drying machine and the supporting compartment of the washing machine.

16. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the solvent receiving part and the solvent collecting part are provided in the supporting compartment of the drying machine or the supporting compartment of the washing machine.

17. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the solvent supply pipe comprises a solvent receiving part receiving solvent therein and a surfactant receiving part receiving surfactant therein, and the solvent collecting part comprises a filter part filtering the collected solvent, further wherein a front of the supporting compartment comprises,

a supply groove exposing predetermined portions of the solvent receiving part and the surfactant receiving part to enable the solvent or surfactant to be supplied thereto;

and

an attachment groove provided in the front of the supporting compartment to enable a filter cartridge of the filter part to be replaceable.

18. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein a cover member covering the solvent receiving part and the filter part is rotatably coupled to the front of the supporting compartment.

19. The laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solvent is silicone oil.

11. (canceled)

20. A control method of a laundry treating apparatus that is able to perform washing and dry-cleaning comprising:

determining whether dry-cleaning is completed; and

washing off solvent used in the dry-cleaning by supplying a predetermined amount of water to the laundry treating machine, if it is determined that the dry-cleaning is completed.

21. The control method of the laundry treating apparatus as claimed in claim 20, further comprising, if it is determined that the dry-cleaning is completed:

asking through a display device whether a user wants select a laundry treating apparatus cleaning command; and

cleaning an inside of the laundry treating apparatus if the user selects the cleaning command.