TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a washing machine top cover and more particularly, the invention relates to a washing machine top cover the body thickness of which is reduced and plastic frame surrounding the top cover is modified so that strip component is eliminated from the frame providing one piece part of plastic frame.

BACKGROUND ART

The present invention concerns a washing machine top cover of the kind comprising a body and a plastic frame surrounding the body. The body further comprises fixture components secured to internal face of the body. The body is secured to the plastic frame through hot-melt bonding in which the bonding agent, in solid phase at the beginning of the process, is heated up to 100-1200C to traverse liquid phase and then the body is fit to plastic frame. Those processes are performed by robotic applications usually and the fixture components are also secured to the body by the identical method.

Such a washing machine top cover is known from the background art. The plastic frame surrounding the body comprises plurality of protrusions at the rear side of the frame. The protrusions are intended to boost the mechanical connection security, since the plastic frame is fixed to the body through connection means like bolts. However, the presence of such protrusions is accompanied with some disadvantages including weight increase and moulding investment for producing such a plastic frame (Prior art Fig.2).

The known washing machine top cover includes a strip component for both preventing water vapour leakage and exhibiting sufficient strength when the body is bonded to the plastic frame, since the frame is exerted external forces by an apparatus of the robot in the course of montage (Prior art Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). Although the strip component serves technical utilities in known top covers, it is appreciated that utilizing such a supplementary part induces labor loss in mounting the auxiliary component and increases the production costs also. Typically, a body, made of chipboard material usually, of a top cover is produced having thicknesses of 12 mm and 15 mm. The reason that the thickness is held within these particular values is mainly originated from the external forces applied to the external surface of the body of the top cover. Such external forces exerted from the external surface of the body are usually in static character. For instance, a weight of any object placed on the external surface of the body is balanced i.e. reacted by reaction forces inherently occurred through the lateral s heets o f t he ' washing machine, since the body is solely supported by the edge portions. In other words, central part of the body exhibits deflection (not seen by naked eye), since there is simply no support member at the central part of the body. This is the underlying reason that the chipboard thickness is held within certain values. However, using such relatively thick chipboard leads to overall weight increase of the washing machine and also material loss.

BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The invention seeks to provide a washing machine top cover rendering sufficient strength against external forces and simultaneously decreasing overall weight of . the washing machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine top cover the supplementary components of which are eliminated to simplify the assembly.

In accordance with the invention, this object is accomplished in a washing machine of above kind in that the thickness of the body is decreased in a predetermined value and at least one support member is provided between opposite or adjacent edges of the top cover and optionally a support piece is mounted between the support member and the body.

The washing machine top cover according to the present invention further comprises at least two longitudinally extending protrusion in the vicinity of the front side of the plastic frame. Whereby, water vapour is remained in the intermediary part in between the protrusions for preventing water introduction through the washing machine. Furthermore, the strip component is eliminated and in replace of the strip component, above-mentioned longitudinally extending protrusions and radially extending protrusions are mounted.

One alternative of the present invention includes that the body is produced by plastic injection moulding having plurality of protrusions at the internal surface of the body. Therefore, the thickness of the body is decreased and front and rear fixtures are produced with the same plastic injection moulding without necessitating further securing assembly steps for securing thereof to the body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates washing machine top cover assembly according to the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a prior art view of the plastic frame rear side.

Figure 3a illustrates rear side of the plastic frame according to the present invention.

Figure 3b illustrates rear side of the plastic frame in detail according to the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates prior art view of the strip component.

Figure 5 illustrates prior art view of the top cover to which the strip component is mounted.

Figure 6 illustrates l ongitudinally extending p rotrusions a ccording to the p resent invention.

Figure 7 illustrates support piece mounted to the support member according to the present invention.

Figure 8a illustrates support piece according to the present invention. Figure 8b illustrates support piece in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 8c illustrates support piece in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 9a illustrates an alternative support piece according to the present invention.

Figure 9b illustrates an alternative support piece in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 9c illustrates an alternative support piece in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 10a illustrates an alternative support member according to the present invention.

Figure 10b illustrates an alternative support member in different view angle according to the present invention. ,

Figure 10c illustrates an alternative support member in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 11 illustrates control panel connection pieces mounted to the machine according to the present invention.

, Figure 12a illustrates control panel connection pieces according to the present invention.

Figure 12b illustrates control panel connection pieces in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 12c illustrates control panel connection pieces in different view angle according to the present invention.

Figure 13 illustrates top cover produced from plastic injection moulding. Figure 14 illustrates rear fixtures of the top cover produced from plastic injection moulding.

Figure 15 illustrates front fixtures of the top cover produced from plastic injection moulding.

5 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 illustrates washing machine top cover assembly according to the present invention. As seen in the figure, the top cover comprises a body (13) and a plastic frame (2) surrounding the body (13). Plurality of fixtures is mounted to the internal face of the body ( 13), p articularly two f ront fixtures (9,10) a nd two rear fixtures 10 (14,15) are provided and these fixtures (9,10,14,15) are in contact with washing machine lateral sheets (not shown) when the top cover is in closed position.

Figure 2 illustrates the prior art view of the rear side protrusions of the plastic frame. The protrusions are eliminated now in the present invention and at the rear side (16) of the plastic frame, a bolt flange (17) is provided at the bolt connection 15. point which provides the plastic frame to connect the body.

In the prior art figures 4 and 5, a strip component and the location to which the component is disposed are shown. The strip component disposed into a housing (18) in the prior art, is eliminated according to the present invention. In replace of strip component protrusion (19), plurality of longitudinally extending protrusions 0 (1), preferably two, are formed at the front side of plastic frame (2). Between the longitudinally extending protrusions (1), there is a gap provided so that water vapour is held in this gap for preventing to introduce into the washing machine.

As the strip component is eliminated, in replace of the strip radial protrusion , (20,21 ,22,23,24), plurality of radial protrusions (3,4,5,6,7,8) is formed in the front 5 side of the plastic frame as seen in Figure 1.

Washing machine top cover further comprises a support member (12) between the opposite or adjacent edges of the top cover. In Figure 1 , the support member (12) is arranged between two opposite edges; alternatively however the support member (12) can be arranged between the edges next to each other. A support piece (11 ) having a certain height is mounted between the support member (12) and the body (13). Since the support piece (11) has a certain height, the body (13) thickness is decreased accordingly, the body thickness can be reduced to 4,6,8 and 10 mm. according to the invention.

The body (13) is made of chipboard material, however the body (13) can be produced from a plastic or a plastic-based material. In such case, the thickness of the body (13) is remained under certain level as compared to thickness of the prior applications.

Detailed views of the support piece are shown in Figure 8 group. The support piece (11) comprises two sheet recesses (28) for facilitating support member penetration therein. Moreover, the support piece (11) comprises a housing (29) for supporting the support member protrusion. The support piece (11) further comprises a seating face (27) contacting with the body (13). The seating face (27) is intentionally formed to have relatively wide contacting area to provide sufficient strength of the body (13).

As an alternative embodiment, the support member (12) can have sheet protrusions (30) each having certain amount of height to facilitate sufficient height to decrease body (13) thickness. The protrusions (30) are formed through longitudinal direction of the support member (12) at a predetermined distance to each other. Sheet protrusions (30) are contacted with the body ( 13) to s upport thereof.

The top cover according to the invention can comprise at least one control panel connection piece (25,26) to which washing machine control panel is mounted through attachment means like bolts etc. By the presence of the connection pieces (25,26) a top sheet being disposed above the lateral sheets of the washing machine can be eliminated ..so the overall machine weight is decreased accordingly. The panel connection pieces (25,26) are formed at the front side of the top cover. Flanges (31 ) are formed through which the connection pieces (25,26) are secured to the machine control panel by attachment means for increasing local mechanical stability. According to one alternative of the invention, in Figure 13, the top cover produced by plastic injection moulding is illustrated. Rear and front fixtures (14,9) are integral (built of one piece) to the body (13), as the body (13) is produced by plastic injection moulding, the rear and front fixtures are also produced with the same process i.e. by plastic injection moulding.

The top cover (13) produced by plastic injection moulding comprises plurality of protrusions (32) at the internal surface thereof, so defining a ribbed structure for strengthening the body (13) against external forces.