IP Library Granted Patent US 12,419,488
Granted Patent B2
US 12,419,488 · App. 18/077,428 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Dishwasher

Inventors: Hyung Man Park (Seoul, KR); Deok Won Kang (Seoul, KR); Jeongkon Kim (Seoul, KR); Min Jae Jeong (Seoul, KR); Jeong In Kim (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
A47L15/488A47L15/4257A47L15/486
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,419,488
App. No.
18/077,428
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A dishwasher includes a tub, a door coupled to a front of the tub, and a drying device disposed at the door and configured to dry an inside of the tub. The drying device includes a bracket that defines a space configured to receive the wet air and the dry air, an impeller coupled to the bracket and configured to cause the wet air and the dry air to be mixed, where the impeller is configured to generate a flow of the mixed air. The drying device further includes a cover coupled to the bracket, and an air guide disposed between the bracket and the cover and configured to guide the flow of the mixed air into the impeller. The impeller is rotatably coupled to the air guide.

Claims (51)

1. A dishwasher comprising:

a tub that defines a washing space configured to accommodate objects to be washed;

a door coupled to a front of the tub and configured to open and close the tub; and

a drying device disposed at the door and configured to dry an inside of the tub, the drying device being configured to guide (i) wet air discharged from the inside of the tub and (ii) dry air introduced from an outside of the tub,

wherein the drying device comprises:

a bracket that defines a space configured to receive the wet air and the dry air,

an impeller coupled to the bracket and configured to cause the wet air and the dry air to be mixed, the impeller being configured to generate a flow of the mixed air,

a cover coupled to the bracket, and

an air guide disposed between the bracket and the cover and configured to guide the flow of the mixed air into the impeller, wherein the impeller is rotatably coupled to the air guide,

wherein the bracket comprises a first bushing that is coupled to the cover and protrudes in a direction of a rotational axis of the impeller, and

wherein the air guide comprises a second bushing that protrudes in the direction of the rotation axis of the impeller and defines an edge area of the air guide.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1 , wherein the first bushing defines a space that accommodates at least a portion of the impeller, and

wherein the second bushing is disposed inside the first bushing such that the first bushing and the second bushing overlap with each other.

3. The dishwasher of claim 2 , wherein the bracket further comprises a casing that defines a mounting space of the impeller, the mounting space including a first through-hole that is open in the direction of the rotation axis of the impeller.

4. The dishwasher of claim 3 , wherein the drying device further comprises a motor disposed in the casing and configured to rotate the impeller, and

wherein the casing defines a slit hole that surrounds at least a portion of the motor and is configured to receive the dry air into the casing.

5. The dishwasher of claim 4 , wherein the casing comprises:

an outer panel that defines the slit hole; and

an inner panel that is spaced apart from the outer panel and defines a flow portion together with the outer panel, the flow portion being configured to carry the dry air introduced into the casing, and

wherein the motor is mounted to the outer panel, and the slit hole extends along at least the portion of the motor.

6. The dishwasher of claim 5 , wherein the motor comprises:

a driving part coupled to the outer panel; and

a bent portion that is coupled to the driving part and defines a groove accommodating the driving part, and

wherein the slit hole is spaced apart from the bent portion in a radial direction of the driving part.

7. The dishwasher of claim 3 , wherein the air guide defines a second through-hole at a position corresponding to the first through-hole, the second through-hole being in fluid communication with the cover.

8. The dishwasher of claim 7 , wherein the drying device further comprises a duct that is in fluid communication with the bracket and an outlet of the cover, the duct being configured to discharge the mixed air from the impeller to the outside.

9. The dishwasher of claim 8 , wherein the bracket defines:

a first inlet that is in fluid communication with the outside of the tub and configured to receive the dry air from the outside; and

a second inlet that is spaced apart from the first inlet and in fluid communication with the tub, the second inlet being configured to receive the wet air from the tub.

10. The dishwasher of claim 9 , wherein the drying device further comprises a valve coupled to the bracket and disposed in a flow path of the wet air, the valve being configured to open and close the second inlet.

11. The dishwasher of claim 9 , wherein the bracket comprises:

a first communication portion that defines a space in fluid communication with the cover;

a partition wall that defines the second inlet and partitions off the first communication portion from an inner space of the bracket; and

a first outlet that is in fluid communication with the duct and configured to discharge the mixed air having passed through the impeller.

12. The dishwasher of claim 11 , wherein the cover comprises:

a second communication portion that is coupled to the first communication portion and defines a space in fluid communication with the bracket; and

a third inlet that enables fluid communication between the second communication portion and the tub, the third inlet being configured to supply the wet air from the tub into the drying device.

13. The dishwasher of claim 8 , wherein the air guide comprises:

a body that defines the second through-hole; and

an extending portion that extends from the body and is disposed inside the duct.

14. The dishwasher of claim 13 , wherein the duct comprises a pair of coupling protrusions that protrude from an inner surface of the duct and face each other, the pair of coupling protrusions being coupled to the extending portion, and

wherein the extending portion defines a first inserting hole at a position corresponding to a first coupling protrusion of the pair of coupling protrusions, the first inserting hole receiving the first coupling protrusion.

15. The dishwasher of claim 14 , wherein the bracket defines a second inserting hole at a position corresponding to a second coupling protrusion of the pair of coupling protrusions, the second inserting hole receiving the second coupling protrusion.

16. The dishwasher of claim 13 , wherein the extending portion comprises a sealing protrusion that protrudes toward the bracket and the cover, the sealing protrusion being in contact with the bracket, the cover, and the duct to thereby block the mixed air from leaking through a gap defined among the bracket, the cover, and the duct.

17. The dishwasher of claim 13 , wherein the air guide comprises a bell mouth that extends along a circumference of the second through-hole and has a convex shape protruding toward the cover, the bell mouth being configured to guide the flow of the mixed air from the cover to the impeller.

18. The dishwasher of claim 17 , wherein the air guide further comprises a guide ring that protrudes from the body toward the bracket and surrounds the bell mouth.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18 , wherein the guide ring comprises:

a first region disposed inside the second bushing; and

a second region disposed at a portion of the edge area of the air guide in which the second bushing is not provided, and

wherein the second region and the first bushing overlap with each other.

20. The dishwasher of claim 18 , wherein the guide ring is configured to reduce a circulation flow of the mixed air along the bell mouth based on the mixed air being introduced into the impeller through the second through-hole.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 24, 2023
From: PARK, HYUNG MAN; KANG, DEOK WON; KIM, JEONGKON; JEONG, MIN JAE; KIM, JEONG IN
To: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Reel/Frame 063421/0168 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2021-0194349 · Dec 31, 2021 · national
KR 10-2022-0119923 · Sep 22, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230210343A1 · Jul 6, 2023
References Cited (38)
US 2918068A · Karig · 1959 [cited by examiner]
US 3064662A · Given · 1962 [cited by examiner]
US 3117582A · Perl · 1964 [cited by examiner]
US 3908681A · Schimke · 1975 [cited by examiner]
US 8757179B2 · Wetzel · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 8758525B2 · Kim · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20040163689A1 · Lee · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20060231122A1 · Stelzer · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 20070006898A1 · Lee · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20080077235A1 · Kirson · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20080087307A1 · Han · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20080264455A1 · Brewer · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20150320289A1 · Stutts · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150359412A1 · Delgado · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20160022115A1 · Vallejo Noriega · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20160022116A1 · Delellis · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20170319045A1 · Wu · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20190335974A1 · Kopera · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190350432A1 · Kopera · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200100644A1 · Kopera · 2020 [cited by examiner]
CA 2199095A · 1997 [cited by examiner]
CA 2597854A1 · 2008 [cited by examiner]
CH 683819A5 · 1994 [cited by examiner]
EP 521815A1 · 1993 [cited by examiner]
EP 1230891A1 · 2002 [cited by examiner]
EP 1961362A2 · 2008 [cited by examiner]
EP 1551272B1 · 2012 [cited by examiner]
EP 3263005A1 · 2018 [cited by examiner]
EP 3469977A1 · 2019 [cited by examiner]
EP 3622875B1 · 2022 [cited by examiner]
KR 20070120254 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2004019750A1 · 2004 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2016083615A1 · 2016 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2017052796A1 · 2017 [cited by examiner]
Machine Translation of EP 1230891 A1 to Ennen et al., Jan. 2002. (Year: 2002). [cited by examiner]
Machine Translation of EP 1551272 B1 to Lilja, Aug. 2003. (Year: 2003). [cited by examiner]
Machine Translation of EP 0521815 A1 to Huettemann et al., Jun. 1992. (Year: 1992). [cited by examiner]
Machine Translation of CH 683819 A5 to Voegl et al., May 1994. (Year: 1994). [cited by examiner]