Detergent supplying apparatus of washing machine

• US 9,121,123 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Song, Hyung Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIGGLEMAN, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US11/476,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20070079637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,351 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

Provided is a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine. The apparatus includes a drawer and drawer caps. The drawer has bleach supplying parts provided with bleach siphon tubes, and softener supplying parts provided with softener siphon tubes. The drawer caps are provided with bleach siphon caps covering the bleach siphon tubes together with softener siphon caps covering the softener siphon tubes.

Claims

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

a drawer having a detergent supplying part and a bleach and softener supplying part, the drawer including;

a drawer body comprising a left side wall, a right side wall, a bottom surface, and a plurality of outlets formed at a rear side of the drawer body through which the detergent, the bleach, and the softener are discharged; and

a front panel fixed to a front side of the drawer body and provided with a handle portion,

wherein a connection wall is formed at the drawer body between the left side wall and the right side wall such that the detergent supplying part and the bleach and softener supplying part are placed side by side in a left and right direction of the drawer body,

wherein a partition part is formed at a central portion of a front and rear direction of the bleach and softener supplying part to partition the bleach and softener supplying part as a bleach supplying part having a bleach siphon tube and softener supplying part having a softener siphon tube such that one of the bleach supplying part and the softener supplying part is disposed in a front direction of the other,

wherein a single drawer cap is configured to cover the bleach siphon tube and a softener siphon tube, the single drawer cap being provided with a top surface which covers at least the partition part such that the bleach is prevented from flowing into the softener supplying part and the softener is prevented from flowing into the bleach supplying part,

wherein the partition part comprises;

a front portion extended from one of the left side wall or the right side wall towards the connection wall in the left and right direction of the drawer box;

a rear portion extended from the connection wall towards the one of the left side wall or the right side wall in the left and right direction of the drawer box, the rear portion being placed in a rear direction of the front portion; and

a connection portion formed between the front portion and the rear portion in a front and rear direction of the drawer body for connecting a free end of the front portion and a free end of the rear portion, the connection portion being interposed between the connection wall and one of the left side wall or the right side wall,

wherein the bleach siphon tube is positioned at one of a left side or a right side of the connection portion, and the softener siphon tube is positioned at the other side of the connection portion,

wherein the drawer cap further comprises;

a front wall bent downwardly from a front portion of the top surface and disposed in a front direction of the front portion of the partition part; and

a rear wall bent downwardly from a rear portion of the top surface and disposed in a rear direction of the rear portion of the partition part, and

wherein a bleach siphon cap portion for covering the bleach siphon tube and a softener siphon cap portion for covering the softener siphon tube are downwardly protruded for the top surface of the draw cap.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the partition part is provided at a portion opened at a time of drawing the drawer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a horizontal rib is protruded horizontally outside from a lowest portion from at least one of the front surface part and the rear wall.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising;

a dispenser housing within which the drawer is detachably installed; and

a dispenser cover configured to cover and opened top of the dispenser housing,

wherein a locking unit is provided on a front portion of at least one of the left side wall and the right side wall of the drawer body to be locked temporarily by a front part of the dispenser cover, a front portion and a rear portion of the locking unit are inclined at a predetermined angle.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a slit hole is formed at one of a left side and a right side of the locking unit to allow the locking unit to be elastically deformed downwardly.