Auxiliary dryer and complex laundry machine including the same

Abstract

An auxiliary dryer and a complex laundry machine are disclosed, by which a laundry machine having a relatively large size can be conveniently operated to save energy in a manner of handling a small laundry and the like without out driving the laundry machine. The present invention includes a body having a laundry accommodating part for accommodating a laundry therein, a hot air supplying means provided within the body to supply hot air to the laundry accommodating part, and a safety means for preventing a safety accident from being caused to a user by the hot air supplying means.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0083384, filed on Aug. 31, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to an auxiliary dryer, and more particularly, to an auxiliary dryer and a complex laundry machine including the same. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for combining the auxiliary dryer with a washer to provide the complex laundry machine.[0004]2. Discussion of the Related Art[0005]Generally, a laundry machine means a device for carrying out washing, drying or both on clothes or dresses. A single laundry machine performs either a washing function or a drying function or can perform both of the functions.[0006]Recently, a laundry machine equipped with a steam supply device has been developed and used to perform refresh functions for c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0033]The safety means can be configured in various shapes to prevent a safety accident from being caused to a user.

[0034]Since air is supplied into the laundry accommodating part, if the door is open or if the auxiliary dryer body is filled with water to a predetermined level, it is preferable that the auxiliary dryer is not operated. If the auxiliary dryer is operated, a drying effect is degraded and a safety accident may take place. Moreover, if water is heated to overflow, a user may get burned.

[0035]In another aspect of the present invention, a complex laundry machine includes a laundry machine for performing washing or drying on a laundry accommodated herein and an auxiliary dryer configured smaller than a body of the laundry machine in volume and height, the auxiliary dryer including a body having a laundry accommodating part for accommodating a laundry therein, the body assembled to the laundry machine, a door provided to the body to enable the laundry accommodating part to selectively communicate with an external environment, a hot air supplying means provided for supplying hot air to the laundry accommodating part, and a safety means for preventing a safety accident from being caused to a user by the hot air supplying means.

[0036]Therefore, according to the present invention, a user is able to wash a laundry or dry a considerable amount of laundries using the laundry machine. And, a small amount of laundries can be dried using the auxiliary dryer. Hence, the user is facilitated to operate the laundry machine or the auxiliary dryer and energy can be saved.

[0037]Moreover, shoes, dresses, hats and the like having difficulty in being dried by a related art drum type dryer can be easily dried.

[0038]Besides, the present invention enables the auxiliary dryer to be driven more safely through a safety device. In this case, the safety device is able to directly stop driving the hot air supplier of the auxiliary dryer, the driving unit of the steam generator, and the like. And, the safety device can stop driving the driving unit by sending a signal to the control unit.

Problems solved by technology

In particular, laundry machines for home appliances tend to grow in exterior size.

Meanwhile, a washing machine among the related art laundry machines may not be equipped with a drying function.

As laundry machines having the drying function tend to grow in size gradually, a large-size dryer is inevitably driven to dry a small quantity of laundry.

This is disadvantageous in aspect of energy saving.

In case of a drum type dryer, it is difficult to dry shoes, laundry and the like.

If so, it is inconvenient for a user to attach / detach the rack.

However, the related art fails to assign a prescribed function for laundry process to the support 20.

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