Patent Application
20180106026
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Application No. 10-2016-0133441, filed on Oct. 14, 2016, whose entire disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a washstand cabinet provided under a washstand, and more particularly, to a washstand cabinet including an air drying module.
A bathroom may have a relatively limited storage space for organizing bathroom articles, and an upper cabinet (also commonly referred to as a medicine cabinet) may be installed on a bathroom wall to provide additional space for organizing bathroom articles. The upper cabinet may be configured such that an accommodating space is formed within a main body, and a door having a mirror may be installed on the main body to enable the storage of bathroom articles in the accommodating space through the opened door.
In order to promote the utilization of a lower space in a bathroom under the upper cabinet, Korean Patent Application No. 20-2011-0011271 (published as KR 20-2013-0003854 on Jun. 28, 2013) teaches a lower cabinet that includes a modular storage space defined under a washstand. For example, a laundry basket may be accommodated in the storage space. However, this and other conventional bathroom cabinets do not include a separate device for providing a flow of air that may be used, for example, to remove water from a damp bathroom surface or a user or is circulated inside a washstand cabinet. The above reference is incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.
The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:
Hereinafter, a washstand cabinet (also commonly known as a vanity) including an air-conditioning module (or dryer) according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The washstand 20 may be a fixture that is provided at a wall or other region of a bathroom and is configured to enable a user to wash his/her hands or face. The water supply valve 24 may be provided on the upper end of the washstand 20. The washing bowl 22 may be concavely formed in a central portion of the washstand 20 to accommodate water therein. In addition, the washstand 20 may be is connected to a drain pipe (not illustrated) that drains the water accommodated in the washing bowl 22.
The washing bowl 22 may be formed, for example, as an enameled basin or an earthenware basin. In other examples, the washing bowl 22 may be provided in various different forms and materials. The washing bowl 22 may be the enameled basin, for example, so that the housing 30 may be easily coupled to the bottom of the washing bowl 22.
The housing 30 may be located under the washstand 20. The housing 30 may define an external shape at a periphery and bottom of the washstand cabinet 10. The top of the housing 30 may be connected to the washing bowl 22. In one example, the housing 30 may have an open top to receive the washing bowel 22. In order to prevent water used in a bathroom from entering the interior of the housing 30, a seal may be provided at a portion of the washing bowl 22 connected to or contacting the housing 30.
Cabinet legs 50 may be provided at a bottom of the housing 30 for spacing the washstand cabinet 10 apart from the floor of the bathroom by a given distance. However, the cabinet legs 50 may be omitted according to, for example, a use purpose of the washstand cabinet 10 and/or the desired space inside the washstand cabinet 10. When the cabinet legs are omitted, the bottom of the housing 30 may be positioned to directly contact the floor of the bathroom. In this configuration, the bottom of the housing 30 may be sealed along the floor of the bathroom in order to prevent water in the bathroom from entering the interior of the housing 30.
One or more modules 200 may be provided inside the housing 30 (see
Various arrangements of modules 200 inside the housing 30 will be described. As illustrated in portion (a) of
In another example illustrated in portion (b) of
It should be appreciated that the particular arrangements of the modules 200 illustrated in the
A module case 100 may be provided in the washstand cabinet 10 to divide the space inside the housing 30 into two or more spaces and to accommodate one or more of the modules 200 therein, and the module case 100 may define a space in which the module 200 is stored. The module 200 may be separably coupled to an interior of the module case 100. The module case 100 may be provided inside the housing 30 so as to be pulled outward from the housing 30 (see
An input unit (or user interface) 40 may be provided on the upper portion of the housing 30 and may be used to input a command to a controller (not shown), which is provided inside the washstand cabinet 10 to control the module 200. In an example, shown in
The input unit 40 may include a button for receiving a control command related to an operation of the module 200 or the air-conditioning module 300 of the washstand cabinet 10 from the user (e.g., by a user contact of the button). In addition, the input unit 40 may include or be associated with a display (not illustrated), such as an liquid crystal display (LCD) or a display with light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be provided to visually display information related to the operating state. For example, the input unit 40 may be formed as a touch panel to simultaneously receive a user input and to display information to the user.
The controller (not illustrated) may be provided on the rear surface of the input unit 40 inside the housing 30 to recognize and may control one or more of the modules 200. For example, the controller may forward control signals to control the air-conditioning module 300 provided in the lower region of the housing 30, and may be connected to the input unit 40 to control an input user command. For example, the controller may selectively activate the air-conditioning module 300 based on a user input received via the input unit 40. In another example, the controller may be connected to a sensor (not shown), such as a moisture sensor, a user promiity sensor, a temperature sensor, etc., and the controller may selectively activate the air-conditioning module 300 based on information collected by the sensor, such as to activate the air-conditioning module 300 when detected air moisture levels exceed a threshold level.
The air-conditioning module 300 according to one embodiment may be a device that removes moisture in the air in the bathroom. The dried air may be discharged by the air-conditioning module 300 toward a surface of the bathroom floor or the user or may be internally circulated. The air-conditioning module 300 may be provided in the lower region of the housing 30 that is close to the floor, for example, as a flow of dried air to dry the floor surface. However, this lower positioning of the air-conditioning module 300 is merely given by way of example, and the air-conditioning module 300 may be provided in the upper region of the housing 30 or on the side surface thereof (e.g., as one of modules A-C in
Referring to
The suction portion 310 may be located in the rear of the air-conditioning module 300 (e.g., adjacent to a wall where the washstand cabinet 10 is installed) and may be provided with the suction port 318 that opens downward. A fan 314 may be provided in the suction portion 310 to suction air into the suction port 318. A filter 312 may be provided in the suction port 318 to remove particulates (e.g., dust) from the air introduced into the air-conditioning module 300.
In the embodiment shown in
The filter 312 may be a device that removes particles (e.g., dust) in the air suctioned into the housing 30 and/or removes the air discharged from the discharge port. For example, the filter 312 may remove airborne particles to protect devices provided inside the air-conditioning module 300 from contamination by the particles. In one embodiment, the filter 312 may be provided in a space inside the air-conditioning module 300 into which air is suctioned (e.g., in a flow path from the suction port 318). In addition, the filter 312 may be further provided in the space for communication between the air-conditioning module 300 and another module 200. For example, the other module 200 may be provided above the air-conditioning module 300 (see,
The discharge portion 340 may be located in the front section of the air-conditioning module 300 (e.g., positioned opposite the wall against which the washstand cabinet is installed). The discharge portion 340 may be provided with the discharge port 342 that is opened forward (e.g., toward a user). The vane (or cover) 350 may be installed in or adjacent to the discharge port 342 to adjust the direction in which air is discharged from the discharge portion 340. In one example, the vane 350 may control the direction of air discharged from the discharge port 342 such that the air is discharged upward or downward. For example, the vane 350 may rotate such that the air-conditioning module 300 may discharge air downward to dry the floor of the bathroom or may discharge air upward so as to dry the user or a higher portion of the bathroom space (e.g., a towel hanger).
As shown in
The connecting portions 356 may support the front vane 352 and the rear vane 354 so as to maintain a constant distance therebetween. Multiple connecting portions 356 may be formed between the front vane 352 and the rear vane 354. As such, a plurality of guide holes (or openings) 357 may be formed between the respective neighboring pairs of connecting portions 356 extending between the front vane 352 and the rear vane 354. The rear vane 354 and the connecting portions 356 may function as a structure that supports the front vane 352.
Side surface portions (or side surfaces) 358 may be provided on opposite lateral sides of the front vane 352 and the rear vane 354. The side surface portions 358 may be oriented perpendicular to the front vane 352 and the rear vane 354. The side surface portions 358 may be interconnected to the front vane 352 and the rear vane 354 and, in one implementation, may protrude rearward from the rear vane 354.
Each side surface portion 358 may be provided with a rotating shaft 359 that extends from a lateral end surface of the side surface portion 358, such that the vane 350 may rotate around the rotating shaft 359. For example, vane 350 may be attached at the rotating shaft 359 to a motor 360, described below. In one example shown in portion (d) of
The motor 360 may be connected to one side of the side surface portion 358 (see
The flow of air from the discharge port 342 may change depending on the orientation of the vane 350, as will be described below with reference to
The vane 400 according to the embodiment illustrated in
Referring to
Additionally, an ionizer 380 that generates ions may be installed inside the air-conditioning module 300 in the connection flow path 330. The ionizer 380 may generate ions in the air that is moving in the air-conditioning module 300 and may discharge the ions through the discharge port 342. The ions may function to disinfect the air passing through the air-conditioning module 300.
In one implementation, the air-conditioning module 300 may cause air to move to the inside of the housing 30, rather than externally outputting the dried air to dry the bathroom or a user. For example, dried air may be circulated within the module case 100 when the vain 350 is positioned to block the discharge portion 340. Referring to
The air-conditioning module 300 may include includes a guide portion (or guide surface) 332, which directs the movement of air to the communication hole 320. The guide portion 332 may extend in the direction opposite the direction in which air moves in the connection flow path 330 (e.g., extending toward the suction portion 310). For example, the guide portion 332 may have an L-shaped form so as to guide the air, which moves in the connection flow path 330, toward the communication hole 320 formed in the top of the air-conditioning module 300.
The air that moves through the air-conditioning module 300 may be directed to the modular space inside the housing 30 through the communication hole 320. When a module 200 is provided in the modular space, the movement of air may be provided to the module 200 for performance of a function. For example, a module 200 may include an electronic component, such as a music player to output audio, and the air received from air conditioning module 300 may function to dry the electronic component. When no module 200 is provided in the modular space, the movement of air may function to dry the modular space and items contained therein.
Referring to
As illustrated in
The module 200 according to one embodiment may be a device that is electrically operated and is controlled when power is supplied from a power supply unit 140 of the module case 100 to a module power unit 240. When the module 200 is positioned in the module case 100, power may be supplied to the module 200 so as to control the module 200. When no module is accommodated in the module case 100, the space inside the module case 100 may be utilized as a general storage space.
Thus, when the module 200 is provided inside the module case 100, the movement of air to the inside of the module 200 may be performed to circulate air within the module 200. When the module 200 is not provided inside the module case 100, the movement of air inside the module case 100 may be performed to circulate air within the module case 100.
For example, the air-conditioning module 300 may further include at least one holder (or hook) 390 provided on the top thereof. The holder 390 may allow the air-conditioning module 300 to be mounted to the bottom of the housing 30 of the washstand cabinet 10. A holder recess 35 may be formed in a horizontal surface (e.g., a bottom) of the housing 30 of the washstand cabinet 10 to receive and engage the holder 390. The air-conditioning module 300 according to this embodiment may be separably coupled as the holder 390 engages the holder recess 35 formed in the lower surface of the washstand cabinet 10. When the air-conditioning module 300 is mounted to the bottom of the washstand cabinet 10, the air-conditioning module 300 may have therein a hole or opening for the movement of air from the air-conditioning module 300 to a module (e.g., module 200) inside the housing 30.
As is apparent from the above description, a cabinet according to the present disclosure may have the following effects. First, a cabinet in which a module is accommodated may be provided under a washstand to define a storage space inside a bathroom, and an air-conditioning module may be provided inside the washstand cabinet. The air-conditioning module may function to dry the bathroom and/or a user's body. Second, the air-conditioning module inside the washstand cabinet may be connected to a modular space inside the washstand cabinet, thereby serving to dry the modular space. Third, even when an electrically-operated module is provided inside the washstand cabinet, air may be moved to the module so as to dry the inside of the module.
An aspect of the present disclosure utilizes the space under a washstand as a washstand cabinet and to dry the air in a bathroom or dry the human body using the washstand cabinet. Another aspect of the present disclosure moves air to the space inside a washstand cabinet or a module provided inside the washstand cabinet.
To dry a bathroom in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a washstand cabinet may include an air-conditioning module provided therein to discharge dry air outward, wherein the air-conditioning module may include a vane or cover configured to selectively discharge the air upward or downward from a discharge port of the air-conditioning module. To achieve the function of moving air into a module, in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a washstand cabinet including a hole configured to permit an air-conditioning module provided inside the washstand cabinet to communicate with a space inside the washstand cabinet or a module provided inside the washstand cabinet so as to move air to the space or the module inside the washstand cabinet.
Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.
Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2016-0133441 | Oct 2016 | KR | national |
