Washing machine
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsSangdeog Byeon, Hoon Chang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A washing machine comprises: an outer tub containing water; an inner tub rotating on a vertical axis within the outer tub and having a first opening at the bottom; a motor providing torque; a dewatering shaft rotating by the motor; and a hub supporting the inner tub from the bottom, wherein the hub comprises: a connecting boss whose center is connected to the dewatering shaft; a plurality of spokes extending outward radially from the connecting boss and having second openings overlapping the first opening; and a circular flange connecting the outer edges of the spokes and attached to the bottom of the inner tub, wherein the spokes comprise at least one first spoke whose underside faces the bottom of the outer tub and is entirely smooth.
Claims20
A washing machine comprising:
- an outer tub configured to receive water;
- an inner tub located within the outer tub and configured to rotate about a vertical axis, the inner tub defining a first opening at a bottom portion of the inner tub;
- a motor configured to provide torque and configured to rotate the inner tub;
- a dewatering shaft configured to be rotated by the motor;
- and
- a hub configured to support the inner tub from the bottom portion of the inner tub, the hub comprising:
- a connecting boss that comprises a center portion configured to be connected to the dewatering shaft;
- a plurality of spokes that extend radially outward from the connecting boss, and that are spaced apart by a plurality of second openings that overlap with at least a portion of the first opening of the inner tub;
- and
- a circular flange that connects outer edges of the plurality of spokes together, and that is attached to the bottom portion of the inner tub,
- wherein the plurality of spokes comprise one or more first spokes that each have a first bottom surface that (i) faces the outer tub and (ii) satisfies a smoothness criterion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.