# US 11,078,616 B2 · Washing machine

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,078,616 B2
- Document ID: US11078616B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/462,113
- Filed: 2017-11-09
- Published: 2019-10-31
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-23
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Myung-Hee Ryu; Kyoung Woo Lee; Dong-Won Kim; Yongjie Jin; Jun Hong Park
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078616B2

## CPC

- 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)
- D06F 37/267: {Tubs specially adapted for mounting thereto components or devices not provided for in preceding subgroups (D06F37/206 takes precedence)}
- D06F 39/12: Casings; Tubs
- D06F 58/20: General details of domestic laundry dryers (D06F59/00 takes precedence)
- D06F 29/00: Combinations of a washing machine with other separate apparatus in a common frame or the like, e.g. with rinsing apparatus
- D06F 34/28: Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating programme parameters, e.g. the selected programme or its progress
- D06F 58/02: having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis
- D06F 58/26: Heating arrangements, e.g. gas heating equipment (D06F58/18 takes precedence)
- D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES

## Abstract

Disclosed is a washing machine including a drying function. Here, a height of a bottom end of a dryer disposed above a tub is lower than a height of a top end of the tub to have a space for integrating other devices having additional functions above the tub.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A washing machine comprising:
a housing;
a tub disposed in the housing;
a drum disposed to be rotatable in the tub;
a dryer configured to supply hot air to an inside of the drum and disposed above the tub to deviate toward one side of the tub with a height of a bottom end of the dryer being lower than a height of a top end of the tub;
a connector which connects the dryer to the tub, and comprises an inside air inlet into which air in the tub flows and an outside air inlet into which air in the housing flows, wherein a height of a bottom surface of the outside air inlet is lower than a height of a bottom surface of the inside air inlet;
a suction hose which connects the inside air inlet of the connector to the tub; and
a residual water drain hose which connects the bottom surface of the outside air inlet of the connector to the suction hose.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein a height of a top end of the dryer is lower than the height of the top end of the tub.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the dryer further comprises:
a case,
a fan, inside the case, to suction air in a rear of the tub and blow the suctioned air toward a front of the tub,
a duct connected to a front lower portion of the case, and inclined toward a center of an opening disposed at a front of the tub, to guide the blown air toward the center of the opening, and
a heater, inside the case, which heats the air suctioned by the fan.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The washing machine of claim 3, wherein
the case comprises a lower cover and an upper cover,
the duct is connected to a front of the lower cover and a bottom of the upper cover, and
the upper cover comprises a drawing part provided at an end near the duct and recessed toward the duct.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The washing machine of claim 3, further comprising:
a spring which connects an outer surface of the tub to a top of the housing,
wherein the case of the dryer comprises a concave part provided to guide a blowing direction of the fan, and the spring is disposed to pass an outside of the concave part of the case.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The washing machine of claim 3, wherein the dryer is inclined to allow the fan and the case to be parallel to a tangential direction of the opening of the tub.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The washing machine of claim 3, wherein
a side of the duct that longitudinally extends in a direction in which the blown air is received into the duct forms an acute angle between an upper portion of the duct forming an inlet of the duct and a lower portion of the duct forming an outlet of the duct, so that the duct is inclined toward the center of the opening.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The washing machine of claim 4, wherein
the upper cover comprises a fan cover disposed near the fan and a heater cover disposed near the heater, and
the heater cover comprising the drawing part comprises a metal material.