Description A TELEVISION

[ 1 ] Field of the Invention

[2] The present invention relates to a television comprising a chamber for cleaning the remote control.

[3] Prior Art

[4] Remote controls used with electronic devices are often located at common use areas and used by many different people. For this reason, dust, dirt, bacteria and microorganisms accumulating on the remote control by time pose a threat to the health of the users. Various applications have been developed for clearing remote controls and similar common use objects of bacteria and microorganisms. These applications are generally structures specially produced for cleaning the said objects, or they are solutions which carry out cleaning making use of an external energy source.

[5] The Korean patent document No. KR20050122875, an application within the state of the art, discloses a chamber embedded within the television and used for sterilizing the remote controls against microorganisms and bacteria. In the chamber comprising a photosensitive surface, beams coming from a light source arranged within the chamber and from the external environment are shed on this surface. As a result of the reaction occurring on the surface, the remote control device placed within the chamber is chemically cleared of microbes.

[6] Another problem commonly seen in electronic devices (television, computer, etc.) is the excessive heat arising in electronic circuits and components during operation of the device. In order to prevent the said electronic equipment from getting damaged upon overheating due to this heat emitted by the circuits and components within the device, the heated air should be directed towards outside of the device. For this purpose, structures (ventilation holes, etc.) to facilitate heat transfer and special assemblies to direct the heated air towards outside of the case of the device by means of a fan are formed within the cases of the devices.

[7] Accordingly, assemblies provided in the state of the art for discharging the excessive heat that is released in the electronic equipment during operation of the device and for cleaning the remote controls are designed and operated separately. This causes the production cost and physical volume of the device to increase.

[8] Summary of the Invention

[9] The objective of the present invention is to realize a television which comprises an assembly for sterilizing the remote control thereof against bacteria and microorganisms.

[10] The television realized to fulfill the objective of the present invention and defined in

Claim 1 and in its dependent claims, comprises a fan which directs the air whose temperature increases due to the heat released during operation of the television and a chamber where the remote control device is placed and cleaned by being exposed to the said heat. This chamber is accessed by means of a cover which is arranged horizontally or vertically in the inner volume of the case and which is located on any surface of the case. Open-close mechanism of the said cover can be designed to be drawer type, dismountable type, hinged or sliding.

[11] In clearing the remote controls placed within the chamber from microorganisms and bacteria, clearing the remote control from microorganisms and bacteria and discharging the overheated air are performed by means of a single assembly by making use of the heat emitted from the electronic circuits and components within the television device. Thus, as a result of applying the cooling structures comprising fans used in almost all electronic devices, together with a remote control chamber, the process of clearing the remote controls from microorganisms and bacteria is performed by using the excessive heat that arises during operation of the television device, without requiring an additional energy source or cost.

[12] Detailed Description of the Invention

[13] The television realized to fulfill the objective of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures in which,

[14] Figure 1 is the front perspective view of a television comprising a chamber with a drawer type cover.

[15] Figure 2 is the view of the remote control chamber within the case together with the surfaces including a fan or a grate on two sides thereof.

[16] Figure 3 is the view of another embodiment of the inventive television.

[17] Figure 4 is the view of a further embodiment of the inventive television.

[18] The components shown in the figures are numbered as follows:

[19] 1. Television

[20] 2. Chamber

[21] 3. Cover

[22] 4. Fan

[23] 5. Grate

[24] The inventive television (1) comprises a case; a chamber (2) within the case where the remote control (A) can be placed and which has a cover (3) at the outer surface of the case; a fan (4) which enables the inner heat of the television to be directed towards the chamber (2); and a grate (5) which is formed by the openings provided on the case and which allows the hot air passing through the chamber (2) to exit from the case.

[25] The chamber (2) which is designed to allow horizontal or vertical arrangement of the remote control (A) within the case is preferably a rectangular prism and is located on

the front, rear, side or top surface of the case. After the user places the remote control, the cover (3) reduces the heat exchange between the chamber (2) and the external environment. The cover (3) is located on any of the front, rear, side or top surfaces (Figure 1, Figure 3, Figure 4) and it is possible to design it as drawer type, dis- mountable type, hinged or sliding.

[26] The heat to which the remote control (A) will be exposed with the purpose of cleaning the bacteria and microorganisms on the remote control (A) placed within the chamber (2), is supplied from the idle heat that arises in the circuits and components within the television. For this purpose, the fan (4), whose one face is embedded to the side where the circuits and components that release heat are located within the television and whose other face is embedded to the surface facing the chamber (2), transfers the heat that is released during operation of the television to the chamber (2) and enables it to be discharged from the television (1) via the grate (5). In various embodiments of the invention, the fan (4) is operated automatically when the temperature within the television (1) exceeds a certain level or when the remote control (A) is placed within the chamber (2), or it is operated by a user.

[27] The air directed by the fan (4) to the chamber (2), after contacting the remote control

(A) and ensuring that it is cleared of the microorganisms and bacteria thereon, is discharged from the case through a grate (5) which is located on the case and preferably aligned with the fan (4). Thus, while the device placed within the chamber (2) is cleaned, the hot air released during operation of the television (1) is discharged ensuring that overheating of the pieces within the television (1) is prevented. The grate (5) which enables the air directed by the fan (4) to be discharged from the television (1) after passing through the chamber (2), is provided on the television (1) case or cover (3) (Figure 4), and it is comprised of horizontal, vertical or circular linear openings or ventilation holes aligned with the fan (4).

[28] During operation of the television (1), average inner temperature thereof is 55-6O ⁰ C.

However, depending on the design of the television (1) frame and the arrangement of the pieces, this temperature can rise up to 8O ⁰ C. By means of the hot air transferred to the chamber (2) via a fan (4), these temperatures are also reached within the chamber (2). By placing and keeping the remote control (A) within the said chamber (2) during operation of the television (1) for 30 - 60 minutes, the remote control (A) is cleared of a substantial amount of the microorganisms thereon. A significant amount of the as- porogenic bacteria are destroyed under the said temperatures within the said periods of time. For example, in order for the microorganism named influenza, which is effective in emergence and spreading of many diseases, to be destroyed, it is sufficient for it to stay at a medium with a temperature of 55 ⁰ C for 30 minutes.

[29] Within the framework of this basic concept, it is possible to develop various em-

bodiments of the television (1). The invention is essentially according to the claims and it can not be limited to the examples described herein.