Clothing treatment apparatus

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laundry treating apparatuses face issues with long laundry items touching the bottom of the inner casing, leading to dust accumulation, blocked steam or hot air flow, and potential damage, as well as the risk of laundry falling during treatment.

Innovation Solution

A clothes hanger with a detachable cover and an adjustable connector that allows the hook to change its vertical level, preventing the lower end of the laundry from touching the inner casing and minimizing the risk of falling, while also being angle-adjustable to reduce moisture and foreign substance penetration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If long laundry is hung on a clothes hanger inside the inner casing, then the laundry can be treated, but the lower end of the laundry touches the bottom of the inner casing causing dust accumulation and blocked steam flow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelaundry treatmentVSAvoiddust accumulation and blocked steam flow
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a movable hook mechanism that changes the vertical position of the clothes hanger, effectively using the vertical dimension to adjust the laundry length relative to the inner casing bottom, preventing contact and eliminating dust accumulation and steam flow blockage issues

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If the lower end of laundry touches the bottom surface, then steam or hot air flow channel is blocked, but this causes performance deterioration and heat generation risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesteam flow efficiencyVSAvoidperformance stability and safety
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

By adjusting the vertical position of the hook, the system maintains optimal distance between the laundry and the bottom surface, ensuring steam flow channels remain unblocked while preventing heat generation risks and performance deterioration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If a clothes hanger cover is added to prevent laundry from falling, then laundry security is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelaundry securityVSAvoidhanger structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The clothes hanger is divided into separate components including the hook, frame, and detachable cover, allowing the cover to be added or removed based on specific needs, thereby improving laundry security when required without permanently increasing structural complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cover is designed to be detachable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of the hanger structure based on whether laundry security is needed, thus avoiding permanent complexity increase while maintaining reliability when required

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Adaptability or versatility

If the hook vertical level is fixed, then the structure is simple, but long laundry cannot be accommodated without touching the bottom

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelaundry length accommodationVSAvoidhook positioning mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hook is designed with movable positioning capability along the vertical direction, allowing it to be adjusted to different heights to accommodate various laundry lengths, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining relatively simple structure through linear movement guidance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4650508A1Clothing treatment apparatus
Publication Date: 2025.11.19 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP4650508A1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)~2
  • EP4650508A1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)
  • EP4650508A1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~4(b)

AI summary

The present disclosure can provide a clothing treatment apparatus characterized by comprising: a cabinet; an inner case that is provided inside the cabinet and forms a space for accommodating clothing; a hanger part that is provided in an upper region of the inner case and supports the load of the clothing; and a hanger that is detachably provided in the hanger part and holds the clothing. The hanger includes: a hook part mounted on the hanger part; a frame connected to a lower portion of the hook part and holding the clothing; and a connection part connecting the hook part to the frame. The connection part is provided to change the height of the hook part exposed above the frame.