Installation structure for a drain pump filter of a washing machine

Abstract

Installation structure of a drain pump filter of a washing machine, comprising a tubular body having a side wall (4) designed to house a drain pump filter, wherein at least one positioning ridge (1) and at least one an arch-shaped guide ridge (3) are internally formed on said side wall (4), the positioning ridge (1) being at a bottom of the side wall (4) and being designed to house a raised positioning tab (6) of said drain pump filter, the arch-shaped guide ridge (3) developing above the positioning ridge (1) and being designed to guide the raised positioning tab (6) toward said positioning ridge (1) during insertion of the drain pump filter within the installation structure.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of drain pumps for washing machines and, more specifically, to an installation structure of a drain pump filter for a washing machine.Prior art

[0002] The current drain pumps for washing machines are equipped with a filter having a filtering function to avoid foreign bodies from entering the drain pump along with water and from damaging the impeller of the drain pump.

[0003] The filter is made of plastic material and can be removed, cleaned and re-installed after having been used for a certain time period.

[0004] The current structure of the housing of a washing machine drain pump filter is mainly the one shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 2.

[0005] When the filter is mounted in the housing, the raised positioning tab 6 on the filter must be aligned with a positioning ridge 1 within the drain pump filter housing, otherwise the filter cannot be precisely and smoothly installed.

[0006] An upper part of the existing positioning ridge 1 is connected to a diverging linear guide ridge 2, and its opening extends up to the upper part of the drain pump filter housing.

[0007] However, in concrete applications, the drain pump is usually located at the bottom right of the washing machine, therefore the users cannot easily and precisely align the positioning tab 6 with the positioning ridge 1 during installation nor verify the alignment with the linear guide ridge 2.

[0008] Moreover, many users are not aware of the need for aligning the linear guide ridge 2 for the installation since the drain pump filter housing is a plastic structure, therefore if the filter is not actually aligned with the linear guide ridge 2, it is possible to apply a light force to compress the filter, causing it to be crushed and blocked.

[0009] First of all, filter components will be damaged, which could cause water leaks. Secondly, it will be difficult to remove the filter to successively clean it.Summary of the invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a technical solution for the installation of a drain pump filter for a washing machine to solve the above mentioned problems.

[0011] The present invention provides in particular an installation structure of a drain pump filter for a washing machine, which comprises a tubular body having a side wall designed to house a drain pump filter.

[0012] At least one positioning ridge and at least one an arch-shaped guide ridge are internally formed on said side wall, the positioning ridge being at a bottom of the side wall and being designed to house a raised positioning tab of said drain pump filter, the arch-shaped guide ridge developing above the positioning ridge and being designed to guide the raised positioning tab toward said positioning ridge during insertion of the drain pump filter within the installation structure.

[0013] In the context of the present disclosure, the bottom of the tubular body is the portion of the tubular body away from an entrance in which the drain pump filter is inserted. The terms above and below, upper and lower and their derivatives should be interpreted with reference to such an orientation of the installation structure.

[0014] The tubular body of the installation structure preferably has, at its bottom, a volute designed to be part of a centrifugal pump. Said volute has a radial outlet.

[0015] Preferably, the tubular body has at least one main pipe, in particular a water inlet pipe, laterally departing from the side wall.

[0016] Advantageously, neither the at least one positioning ridge nor the at least one arch-shaped guide ridge intersect with an internal opening of the main pipe. Preferably, the opening of the main pipe is located beneath the at least one arch-shaped guide ridge.

[0017] Preferably, the tubular body has at least one secondary pipe, in particular a venting pipe, laterally departing from the side wall.

[0018] Advantageously, neither the at least one positioning ridge nor the at least one arch-shaped guide ridge intersect with an internal opening of the secondary pipe. Preferably, the opening of the secondary pipe is located beneath the at least one arch-shaped guide ridge.

[0019] Preferably, the tubular body has, at its top, a connector which is designed for the insertion and the connection of the drain pump filter.

[0020] Preferably, the at least one arch-shaped ridge connects with the at least one positioning ridge.

[0021] Preferably, the arch-shaped guide ridge has an apex and two sloping portions, the apex being the uppermost point of the arch-shaped guide ridge, the two sloping portions of the arch-shaped guide ridge descending from the apex toward the bottom of the side wall, both sloping portions connecting with an end of one of the at least one positioning ridges.

[0022] Preferably, the apex of the arch-shaped guide ridge is located at the connector of the pump body, a space being present between the lower end of the connector and the arch-shaped guide ridge.

[0023] Preferably, the positioning ridge is U-shaped and substantially parallel to the axis of the tubular body.

[0024] Preferably, the at least one positioning ridge and the at least one arch-shaped guide ridge define a continuous ridge which develops along the whole circumference of the tubular body.

[0025] Preferably, the one or more positioning ridges and the one or more arch-shaped guide ridges are in equal number.

[0026] Preferably, the arch-shaped ridges are a plurality and they are evenly distributed along the side wall, a positioning ridge being positioned between each pair of subsequent arch-shaped ridges.

[0027] Preferably, the arch-shaped ridges are two in number and the positioning ridges are two in number, each arch-shaped ridge spanning an angle of about 180°.

[0028] Preferably, the at least one arch-shaped ridge follows a curvilinear path.

[0029] Preferably, the ridges are formed by varying the internal radius of the tubular body, so that a lower portion of the body protrudes inwardly with respect to the upper portion. This defines an upwardly-oriented step which guides and houses the raised positioning tab of the drain pump filter.

[0030] Through this solution, independently of the installation angle of the filter in the pump body, the raised positioning cap of the filter will automatically slide into the positioning ridge along the arch-shaped guide ridge and it will not be necessary to rotate and test the alignment.

[0031] The arch-shaped guide ridge also eliminates the issue of incorrect assembly for users unaware of the need for alignment.

[0032] The invention therefore achieves the following advantages: it makes the installation of the filter easier and more precise; it avoids the risk of incorrect installation of the filter, as well as the risk of water leakage, damages and other market defects caused by incorrect installation; customer after-sales defects and after-sales maintenance costs are significantly decreased.

[0033] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with reference to the appended drawings.Brief description of the drawings

[0034] The appended drawings depict an embodiment of the invention and, along with the description, are useful to explain the principles of the invention. Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the installation structure of a prior art drain pump filter; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the filter structure; Figure 3 is a transversal sectional structural schematic diagram of an installation structure according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an installation structure according to the invention.

[0035] In the figures the following reference numbers are employed: 1. Positioning slot; 2. Linear guide ridge; 3. Arch-shaped guide ridge; 31. Apex of the arch-shaped guide ridge; 4. Side wall; 5. Connector; 6. Raised positioning cap.Detailed description

[0036] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings.

[0037] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the relative arrangement of components do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0038] The present invention concerns an installation structure of a drain pump filter for a washing machine, which includes a tubular body.

[0039] The installation structure further comprises: at the bottom of the tubular body, a centrifugal pump's volute with a radial outlet; at the top of the tubular body, a connector designed for the insertion and the connection of the drain pump filter.

[0040] The tubular body has a side wall 4. A water inlet pipe, having a greater diameter, and a venting pipe, having a smaller diameter, laterally depart from said side wall 4.

[0041] An internal positioning ridge 1 is formed on the bottom of the side wall 4 of the pump body.

[0042] Two positioning ridges 1 are present, which are symmetrical and arranged sideways on the wall 4; at the upper end of the positioning ridge 1 an arch-shaped guide ridge 3 is provided and the apex 31 of the arch-shaped guide ridge 3 where the arches bows is located below the lower end of a connector 5 of the pump body and is spaced apart from the lower end of the connector 5.

[0043] The arch-shaped guide ridge 3 develops evenly along the entire side wall 4 of the pump body.

[0044] The positioning ridges 1 and the arch-shaped guide ridges 3 are both raised structures compared to the side wall 4: in particular, they define an upwardly-oriented step. In the example depicted, the side wall 4 maintains a greater thickness below the positioning ridges 1 and the arch-shaped guide ridges 3.

[0045] Through this solution, independently of the installation angle of the drain pump filter in the pump body, the raised positioning tab 6 of the filter will automatically slide into the positioning ridge 1 along the arch-shaped guide ridge 3, and it is no longer necessary to rotate the filter in order to find the correct alignment.

[0046] Users unaware of the need for alignment no longer suffer the issue of a potential incorrect installation.

[0047] Though a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail through the example above, the person skilled in the art should understand that the above mentioned example is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the scope of the present invention. The person skilled in the art should understand that the above mentioned embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

[0048] The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Installation structure of a drain pump filter of a washing machine, comprising a tubular body having a side wall (4) designed to house a drain pump filter, wherein at least one positioning ridge (1) and at least one an arch-shaped guide ridge (3) are internally formed on said side wall (4), the positioning ridge (1) being at a bottom of the side wall (4) and being designed to house a raised positioning tab (6) of said drain pump filter, the arch-shaped guide ridge (3) developing above the positioning ridge (1) and being designed to guide the raised positioning tab (6) toward said positioning ridge (1) during insertion of the drain pump filter within the installation structure.

2. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one arch-shaped ridge (3) connects with the at least one positioning ridge (1).

3. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the arch-shaped guide ridge (3) has an apex (31) and two sloping portions, the apex being the uppermost point of the arch-shaped guide ridge (3), the two sloping portions of the arch-shaped guide ridge (3) descending from the apex toward the bottom of the side wall (4), both sloping portions connecting with an end of one of the at least one positioning ridges (1).

4. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the apex (31) of the arch-shaped guide ridge (3) is located at a connector (5) of the pump body, a space being present between the lower end of the connector (5) and the arch-shaped guide ridge (3).

5. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to one of the previous claims, wherein the positioning ridge (1) is U-shaped and substantially parallel to the axis of the tubular body.

6. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to one of the previous claims, wherein the at least one positioning ridge (1) and the at least one arch-shaped guide ridge (3) define a continuous ridge which develops along the whole circumference of the tubular body.

7. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to one of the previous claims, wherein the one or more positioning ridges (1) and the one or more arch-shaped guide ridges (3) are in equal number.

8. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the arch-shaped ridges (3) are a plurality and they are evenly distributed along the side wall (4), a positioning ridge (1) being positioned between each pair of subsequent arch-shaped ridges (3).

9. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the arch-shaped ridges (3) are two in number and the positioning ridges (1) are two in number, each arch-shaped ridge (3) spanning an angle of about 180°.

10. Installation structure of the drain pump filter of a washing machine according to one of the previous claims, wherein the at least one arch-shaped ridge (3) follows a curvilinear path.

Images