Washing machine

Details Washing machine Washing machine

2001-06-13

2004-07-20

Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1746)

Textiles: fluid treating apparatus

Machines

Single tub and automatic sequential operation mechanism

C068S012020, C068S012120

Reexamination Certificate

active

06763687

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a washing machine capable of increasing convenience in use, improving a washing performance and improving an operational efficiency by grasping causes of malfunction of a product in itself, problems in installation, problems in regional peculiarity and a change in a user' living patterns and by properly corresponding to them.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a washing machine is to remove pollutants from the polluted laundries through processes of washing, rinsing and dehydrating operations according to a preset algorism. The washing machine is divided into an automatic washing machine using a horizontal, rotation of rotary blades, an inner tub or an outer tub (wash tub/dehydration tub) and a drum washing machine using a vertical rotation of a drum.
Such washing machines are developed in various washing courses and functions to correspond to users' various desires and applied to various products.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional washing machine includes a motor
10
for directly or indirectly rotating washing blades, an inner tub or an outer tub, loads
11
such as a water supply valve and a drain valve, a key input part
12
for allowing the user to input various laundry operation orders related with washing, a display part
13
for displaying operation conditions or functions of the washing machine, and a system micom
14
for controlling operations of the motor
10
and the load
11
to perform washing motion corresponding to the user's operation order input though the key input part
12
and for controlling the display part
13
to display the corresponding operation condition or function.
At this time, A LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used for the display part
13
and the system micom
14
has a ROM storing unchangeable programs concerning the washing.
An operation of the conventional washing machine will be described as follows.
The user turns on a power source of the washing machine, inserts the laundries into the washtub and inputs washing order through the key input part
12
. After that, the system micom
14
recognizes the washing order, reads the corresponding program from the ROM inside the system micom
14
, and operates the motor
10
and various loads
11
based on the program to perform washing. The micom
14
controls the display part
13
to display the present washing progress state.
The conventional washing machine cannot show its performance due to not only mechanical trouble of the product in itself but also inharmoniousness between the embedded programs and various use environments. Moreover, in the conventional washing machine, there are lots of problems that the users demand repair of the washing machine by mistaking the inharmoniousness as a malfunction, and a service man who repairs the washing machine cannot grasp causes of the malfunction.
The inharmoniousness between the embedded programs and various use environments will be described. Because of hardness of water, there is often a case that the user is not satisfied with the laundry performance even though there is no trouble in the product in itself. That is, the washing performance is largely influenced also by a difference of the hardness of water (hard water/soft water). To improve the washing performance, it is required to accommodate the program to the use environments by changing the control program of a rotating angle of the washing blades and a washing period of time. However, the conventional washing machine cannot change the set programs.
Furthermore, the kinds of the laundries differ according to a change of the user's family members. For example, a new married couple washes the laundries through a standard washing of the washing machine. But, if there is a child or a baby, the laundries such as diapers requiring sanitation occur. Thus, for the sanitation, a program having strengthened rinsing performance must be applied, but the conventional washing machine cannot change the programs.
As described above, the conventional washing machine, which cannot change the programs, cannot solve the problems, such as the change of life patterns.
Next, there is a case that a problem due to the use environments not defects of the product in itself is mistaken as the malfunction of the product. In this case, the service man cannot often find the cause of the problem, and thereby, cannot repair unsuitably. For example, in a dehydration, stoke, there is a case that the washtub does not rotate or rotates in a low speed and thus the dehydration cannot be performed. It is the reason that the motor in itself is malfunctioned or that the motor is damaged due to overload by restricting the rotation of the washtub by tension of excessively lots of bubbles generated by overcharge of a detergent. However, in this case, the service man cannot grasp the cause of the malfunction or damage, and thereby cannot find measures against the malfunction or damage.
Additionally, if a water supply time for washing is lengthened due to problems, such as water pressure of the home in which the washing machine is installed, an installation position (high elevated area/low area), a water supply method and others, the user recognizes abnormality in water supply and notifies a manufacturer of the abnormality. In this case, the service man checks the water supply valve. However, if the water supply valve is not out of order, the service man cannot grasp the cause of the abnormality.
In that case, the service man can take the optimum measures by analogizing and explaining the malfunctions of the product or components or the use environments mistaken as the malfunction, if knowing detailed use records and malfunction records of the washing machine. However, because the conventional washing machine does not give the use records, the malfunction records and, operational condition records thereof, the service man cannot grasp the causes of the malfunction and cannot take proper measures.
Therefore, the conventional washing machine has the following problems.
First, because the washing machine cannot store the use records, the malfunction records and the operational condition records thereof, the causes of the malfunction are not grasped. So, if only the corresponding component is replaced, namely, only with measures on hardware, it cannot be prevented that the same problems occur.
Second, if the unchangeable washing programs are applied to a low capacity memory, not the malfunction, of the product in itself but the problems due to the installation, the regional peculiarity and the change of life patterns cannot be solved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine capable of replacing or changing set programs with programs suitable for a change of family members, a change of life patterns and a change of season.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a washing machine capable of completely solving malfunctions by grasping use records of the washing machine and use records of each component of the washing machine and grasping causes of the malfunctions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a washing machine capable of obtaining washing information for a more developed washing machine by grasping washing patterns preferred by users, washing records and causes of malfunction.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a washing machine including: a storage tank mounted vertically or horizontally for storing washing water; an inner tub mounted vertically or horizontally inside the storage tank in a rotatable manner; a load part including a motor for rotating the inner tub, water supply means for supplying water and drain means for draining water; a drive micom for controlling the load part; a key input part for allowing a user to input various operation orders or to set functions of the washing machine; a display part for displaying the functions and o

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