# US 12,178,380 B2 · Dishwasher

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- Number: US 12,178,380 B2
- Document ID: US12178380B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/792,907
- Filed: 2020-01-20
- Published: 2023-03-02
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-14
- Assignees: LG Electronics Inc.
- Applicants: LG Electronics Inc.
- Inventors: Myungwon Ko
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178380B2

## CPC

- A47L 15/4265: {Arrangements of door covering/decoration panels or plinths, e.g. for integrated dishwashers}
- A47L 15/4261: {Connections of the door to the casing, e.g. door hinges}
- E05D 3/06: with two or more pins (E05D7/08 takes precedence)
- E05Y 2900/304: for dishwashers
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- E05D: HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS (pivotal connections in general F16C11/00)
- E05Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF

## Abstract

A dishwasher includes a tub, a base disposed beneath the tub, a door for opening/closing one side of the tub, a door bracket fastened to the door and rotatably connected to the tub, a cover panel that covers the door and one side of the base, and a link module for moving the cover panel in the longitudinal direction of the door when the door is rotated. The dishwasher further includes an upper holder fastened to one side of the cover panel and movably mounted on the door bracket, and a lower holder spaced apart from the upper holder downwards, fastened to one side of the cover panel, and movably mounted on the door bracket. The door bracket includes an upper guide unit for guiding movement of the upper holder, and a lower guide unit disposed beneath the upper guide unit so as to guide movement of the lower holder.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A dishwasher comprising:
a tub that defines a space configured to receive objects to be washed, the tub having an open side;
a base that is disposed below the tub and supports the tub at a position spaced apart from a floor surface;
a door configured to open and close the open side of the tub;
a door bracket coupled to the door and rotatably connected to the tub;
a cover panel configured to move relative to the door in a lengthwise direction of the door based on rotation of the door;
a link that enables the cover panel to move relative to the door in the lengthwise direction of the door;
an upper holder coupled to a first side of the cover panel and movably disposed at the door bracket; and
a lower holder spaced apart from the upper holder and coupled to the first side of the cover panel, the lower holder being movably disposed at the door bracket,
wherein the door bracket comprises:
an upper guide configured to guide movement of the upper holder, and
a lower guide that is disposed below the upper guide and configured to guide movement of the lower holder.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the door comprises:
an inner door that is configured to contact a front surface of the tub and close the open side of the tub; and
an outer door that is coupled to a front of the inner door, and
wherein the upper guide and the lower guide of the door bracket are disposed between the inner door and the outer door.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein one side of the door bracket is coupled to the inner door, and another side of the door bracket is coupled to the outer door.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the door bracket comprises:
a bracket front surface that defines the upper guide and the lower guide; and
an inner door fastening portion disposed at an upper portion of the bracket front surface and coupled to the inner door.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein the inner door fastening portion is bent from the bracket front surface and extends rearward to the inner door in a thickness direction of the door.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein the inner door defines a door bracket fastening groove recessed rearward from the front surface of the inner door, and
wherein the inner door fastening portion is inserted into the door bracket fastening groove and fastened to the inner door.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein the bracket front surface comprises an outer door fastening portion that is disposed between the upper guide and the lower guide and fastened to the outer door.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the outer door defines:
an upper hole that is open toward a front of the upper guide and extends in a movement direction of the cover panel; and
a lower hole that is open toward a front of the lower guide and extends in the movement direction of the cover panel.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The dishwasher of claim 8, wherein the upper guide comprises an upper guide hole configured to guide the movement of the upper holder,
wherein the lower guide comprises a lower guide hole configured to guide the movement of the lower holder,
wherein a size of the upper hole of the outer door is greater than a size of the upper guide hole to thereby allow the upper holder to move along the upper guide hole without contacting the outer door, and
wherein a size of the lower hole is greater than a size of the lower guide hole to thereby allow the lower holder to move along the lower guide hole without contacting the outer door.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the door bracket comprises:
a first door bracket that is coupled to the inner door and rotatably connected to the tub; and
a second door bracket that is connected to the first door bracket and coupled to the outer door.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The dishwasher of claim 10, wherein the second door bracket comprises:
a bracket front surface that defines the upper guide and the lower guide;
a bracket fastening portion disposed at a lower portion of the bracket front surface and coupled to the first door bracket; and
an inner door fastening portion disposed at an upper portion of the bracket front surface and coupled to the inner door, and
wherein the second door bracket has (i) an upper end that is coupled to the inner door and (ii) a lower end that is coupled to the inner door through the first door bracket.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The dishwasher of claim 10, wherein the first door bracket comprises:
a tub connecting portion disposed at a lower end of the tub and rotatably connected to the tub;
a door fastening portion that extends upward from the tub connecting portion in the lengthwise direction of the door and is coupled to the inner door; and
a link connecting portion that is disposed rearward relative to the tub connecting portion in a thickness direction of the door and connected to the link.

### Claim 13 (depends on 2)

The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the door further comprises an upper cover door that is disposed at the outer door and coupled to the inner door, the upper cover door being disposed rearward relative to the cover panel, and
wherein the door bracket is disposed at a lower side of the upper cover door.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the upper guide and the lower guide are spaced apart from each other in the lengthwise direction of the door, and
wherein a distance between the upper guide and the lower guide is greater than or equal to a vertical length of the upper guide or the lower guide.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the upper guide comprises:
an upper insertion hole configured to receive the upper holder; and
an upper guide hole that extends downward from the upper insertion hole and is configured to guide the movement of the upper holder, and
wherein the lower guide comprises:
a lower insertion hole configured to receive the lower holder, and
a lower guide hole that extends downward from the lower insertion hole and is configured to guide the movement of the lower holder.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the door comprises:
an inner door that is configured to contact a front surface of the tub and close the open side of the tub; and
an outer door that is coupled to a front of the inner door, and
wherein the door bracket is disposed between the inner door and the outer door.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The dishwasher of claim 16, wherein the door bracket defines an outer door fastening hole disposed between the upper guide hole and the lower insertion hole and coupled to the outer door.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the upper guide is a hole that receives the upper holder, and the lower guide is another hole that receives the lower holder.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a link module that connects the door bracket to the cover panel, the link module comprising a plurality of links including the link.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a tub bracket disposed at a lower portion of the tub,
wherein the link rotatably connects the door bracket to the tub bracket.