Clothes washing machine

• US 7,934,402 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Young Su
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin; Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US10/582,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20080041117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,581 Days
• Field of Search: 68/17.R
• US Class Current: 68/17.00R
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/003 using electrochemical cells
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

A washing machine includes a colloidal silver maker and a detergent feeder which are integrated with each other, thus enhancing assembility and reliability of the washing machine. The colloidal silver maker includes a silver ion casing, a lid, and a pair of silver plates. An outlet pipe and a connecting part are provided on predetermined portions of the silver ion casing. The outlet pipe is integrated with an inlet of the detergent feeder, and the connecting part integrally connects the colloidal silver maker to the detergent feeder. Thus, the colloidal silver maker is integrated with the detergent feeder while the silver ion casing of the colloidal silver maker communicating with the detergent feeder. The silver plates are placed in the silver ion casing while being supported by the lid. Further, at least one spacing projection is upwardly projected from a bottom of the silver ion casing to be provided between the silver plates.

Claims

1. A washing machine, comprising:

a water tub;

a washing tub rotatably disposed in the water tub;

a water supply unit to supply water from an external water source to the washing tub;

a colloidal silver maker coupled to the water supply unit to directly receive water from the ater supply unit;

a detergent feeder connected to the colloidal silver maker to receive the colloidal silver-containing wash water from the colloidal silver maker and feed the colloidal silver-containing wash water to the washing tub, the detergent feeder having a body opened at a front thereof and a detergent container sliding through the open front of the body; and

an outlet pipe provided at a side of the colloidal silver maker to feed the colloidal silver-containing wash water from the colloidal silver maker to the detergent feeder, the outlet pipe being disposed between the colloidal silver maker and the detergent feeder and integrally formed with the colloidal silver maker and the detergent feeder so that the colloidal silver-containing wash water produced from the colloidal silver maker is supplied to the washing tub through the detergent feeder,

wherein the colloidal silver maker comprises a silver ion casing to define a water passage through which wash water passes and a pair of silver plates placed in the water passage of the silver ion casing and submerged by wash water flowing along the water passage to generate silver ions, the pair of silver plates being arranged in parallel to a flowing direction of the wash water.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connecting part provided between the colloidal silver maker and the detergent feeder to integrally connect the colloidal silver maker to the detergent feeder, the connecting part integrating the colloidal silver maker with the detergent feeder into the single structure, in cooperation with the outlet pipe.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the colloidal silver maker further comprises:

a lid mounted to an upper portion of the silver ion casing with an inlet hole being provided on a predetermined portion of the lid to feed the water into the silver ion casing wherein the plurality of silver plates are placed in the silver ion casing while being supported by the lid.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, further comprising:

at least one spacing projection provided between the pair of silver plates, the spacing projection being upwardly projected from a bottom of the silver ion casing.

5. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the inlet hole is provided on an end of the lid to correspond to a first end of the silver ion casing and the outlet pipe is provided on a second end of the silver ion casing so that the silver ions dissociated from the pair of silver plates are added to the water while the water introduced into the silver ion casing through the inlet hole flows from the first end to the second end of the silver ion casing.

6. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the detergent feeder receives water only through the colloidal silver maker.

7. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the colloidal silver maker and the detergent feeder are disposed at an upper portion of the washing machine.

8. A washing machine, comprising:

a colloidal silver maker to produce colloidal silver;

a detergent feeder to feed a detergent;

a water tub provided under the detergent feeder; and

a connection pipe to integrally connect a lower end of a predetermined portion of the colloidal silver maker to an upper end of a corresponding portion of the detergent feeder so that the colloidal silver maker and the detergent feeder are integrated with each other, the colloidal silver being fed from the colloidal silver maker through the connection pipe to an upper portion of the detergent feeder,

wherein the colloidal silver maker comprises a silver ion casing to define a water passage through which water passes, with a connection pipe being provided on a predetermined portion of the silver ion casing, a lid mounted to an upper portion of the silver ion casing with an inlet hole being provided on a predetermined portion of the lid to feed the water into the silver ion casing, and a pair of silver plates placed in the silver ion casing while being supported by the lid and submerged by wash water flowing along the water passage to generate silver ions.

9. The washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the detergent feeder comprises:

a body to define an external appearance of the detergent feeder, with the connection pipe being connected to a predetermined portion of the body;

a spray unit provided in the body to be disposed under the connection pipe, the spray unit having a plurality of spray holes to spray the colloidal silver fed through the connection pipe onto a lower portion of the body; and

a detergent container to slide through a front of the body, with the detergent being mixed with the colloidal silver sprayed through the spray holes in the detergent container.

10. The washing machine according to claim 9, wherein the detergent container is placed in the body of the detergent feeder while a bottom surface of the detergent container being spaced apart from a bottom surface and a rear surface of the body, so that the colloidal silver sprayed through the spray holes flows to a rear portion of the detergent container together with the detergent container in the detergent container, and then flows to a front portion of the body along the bottom surface of the body, prior to falling into the water tub.

11. The washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the inlet hole is provided on an end of the lid to correspond to a first end of the silver ion casing and the connection pipe is provided on a second end of the silver ion casing so that the silver ions dissociated from the pair of silver plates are added to the water while the water introduced into the silver ion casing through the inlet hole flows from the first end to the second end of the silver ion casing.