IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,006,625
Granted Patent B2
US 10,006,625 · App. 14/977,623 · Granted Jun 26, 2018

Touch sensor assembly and door including the same

Inventors: Minchel Kim (Seoul, KR); Jinseung Park (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
F21V33/0044F25D29/005G06F3/0412G09F3/208G09F13/22H03K17/962F25D2400/361G09F2013/222H03K2217/960755H03K2217/960785
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,006,625
App. No.
14/977,623
Granted
Jun 26, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A household appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a front panel forming an exterior, a display window formed with a plurality of through holes having minute or fine sizes formed at the front panel, and the plurality of through holes are filled with a coating liquid including an anti-foaming agent.

Claims (33)

1. A household appliance comprising:

a front panel forming an exterior of the household appliance and formed of a metal material;

a display window area which includes a plurality of through holes to display information;

a display assembly provided at a rear of the front panel corresponding to the display window area and includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) which emit light toward the plurality of through holes;

a coating layer to fill the plurality of through holes, the coating layer having an anti-foaming agent and provided on a rear surface the front panel corresponding to the display window area;

a first black layer printed on a surface of the coating layer except the plurality of through holes; and

a display cover pressed against the first black layer,

wherein the display cover includes:

a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the plurality of through holes, through which light emitted toward the plurality of through holes passes; and

a second black layer which is printed on a front surface of the display cover.

2. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the display window area includes eighty eight segments form formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

3. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the display window area includes at least one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

4. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein a part of a coating liquid forming the coating layer fills the plurality of through holes.

5. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the anti-foaming agent is included in an entire coating liquid forming the hole filling coating layer at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.

6. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the hole filling coating layer is in a range of 35 to 55 μm.

7. The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising an anti-fingerprint coating layer provided onto a front surface of the front panel.

8. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the coating layer has a prescribed transparency such that a brightness of light transmitted through the plurality of through holes is at least 40 nit.

9. The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising:

a touch sensor assembly mounted on the display cover; and

a display frame which slides and is inserted into a rear surface of the display cover in a state in which the display assembly is mounted.

10. The household appliance of claim 1 , a diameter of a front end of each of the plurality of first through holes is less than a diameter of a rear end thereof.

11. A method of manufacturing a household appliance, comprising:

forming on an exterior panel of a household appliance a plurality of through holes to form a display window area;

screen printing an urethane coating liquid which includes an anti-foaming agent on a rear surface of the exterior panel to form a coating layer filling the plurality of through holes;

contouring the exterior panel to a prescribed shape base on a shape of the household appliance;

mounting a display cover on the rear surface of the contoured exterior panel at a location corresponding to the display window area;

forming a first black colored layer on a surface of the coating layer except the plurality of through holes, and

forming a second black colored layer on a front surface of the display cover, wherein when the display cover is mounted on a rear surface of the front panel, the second black colored layer is in contact with the first black colored layer.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

mounting a display assembly on a display frame; and

coupling the display frame to a rear surface of the display cover.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the display window area includes at least one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the anti-foaming agent is included in the urethane coating liquid at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 21, 2015
From: KIM, MINCHEL; PARK, JINSEUNG
To: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Reel/Frame 037345/0926 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2014-0189150 · Dec 24, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160186985A1 · Jun 30, 2016