Patent Application
20180106027
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Application No. 10-2016-0133443, 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 in which an electrically-operated module is accommodated.
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, the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to explain a washstand cabinet according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
The washstand cabinet 10 according to on embodiment may include a washstand 20, a housing 30 provided under the washstand 20 to define a storage space therein, at least one module (or electronic device) 200 accommodated inside the housing 30, and a controller 400. The module 200 may be electrically operated, and the controller 400 may be configured to recognize a type of the module 200 and to control the recognized module 200. The washstand cabinet 10 according to one embodiment may further include a module case (or case) 100, which divides the space inside the housing 30 into two or more spaces and accommodate the module 200 therein. The configuration of the washstand cabinet 10 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference 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.
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
Referring to
As illustrated in portions (c) and (d) of
It should be appreciated that the specific arrangements of modules illustrated in
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 400 (see
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 400 may be provided on the rear surface of the input unit 40 inside the housing 30 to recognize and control each module 200. Referring to
As previously described, the washstand cabinet 10 according to one embodiment may further include one or more module case 100 that divide the space inside the housing 30 into two or more spaces and accommodate the module(s) 200 therein. Hereinafter, the module case 100 will be described with reference to
The module case 100 may define the space in which the module 200 is stored. The module 200 may be separably coupled inside 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. The module case 100 may have a size suitable for surrounding the exterior of the module 200, and may occupy a predetermined space inside the housing 30. The washstand cabinet 10 according to the present embodiment may include a plurality of module cases 100. The module cases 100 may divide the space inside the housing 30 so as to accommodate one or more modules therein.
The module case 100 according to one embodiment may include a front member (or front wall) 110 provided on the front surface of the washstand cabinet 10, a coupling portion (or coupling wall) 120 mating to at least one surface of the module 200 so as to be in contact with this surface of the module 200, and a drawer member (or sliders) 150 configured to guide a movement of the module case and to allow the user to pull the module case 100 outward from the housing 30 The front member 110 may define a portion of the external shape of the module case 100. Specifically, the front member 110 may define a portion of the external shape of the housing 30. The front member 110 according to one embodiment may be provided on the front surface of the washstand cabinet 10.
The coupling portion 120 may be coupled to the module 200, which is mounted inside the module case 100, so as to be in contact with the module 200. One surface of the coupling portion 120 may be the inner surface of the front member 110. The coupling portion 120 may have a shape corresponding to the external shape of the module 200 so that the module 200 may be received within the coupling portion 120. At least one surface of the coupling portion 120 may be exposed so as to be separably coupled to the module 200.
The coupling portion 120 according to one embodiment may include a front surface 122 located inside the front member 110, a rear surface 124 spaced apart from the front surface 122 so as to be parallel thereto, and a vertical side surface 126 interconnecting the front surface 122 and the rear surface 124. The coupling portion 120 according to the present embodiment may further include a bottom surface 128, which is provided under the front surface 122, the rear surface 124, and the side surface 126 so as to be orthogonal thereto. This configuration is given merely as an example, and some surfaces of the coupling portion 120, such as the side surface 126 may be omitted or one or more other surfaces may be added within the coupling portion 120.
One surface of the coupling portion 120 may include or may be coupled to the module recognition unit 420, which recognizes the type of module 20. For example, the module recognition unit 420 according to one embodiment may be a tactile switch 134 which may contact the module 200 to recognize the module type and may generate different signals to controller 400 depending on the type of the module 200. The module case 100 according to one embodiment may include a plurality of tactile switches 134, such as different tactile switches 134 located at different portions of the coupling portion 120. The module 200 may include a push device (or extension) 210, which contacts at least one of the tactile switches 134 provided on the module case 100. A different number of push devices 210 may be formed at different positions depending on the type of module 200. The signal input to the module case 100 may change depending on the number and positions of the tactile switches 134 that are pushed by each module 200.
Referring to
Referring to
In the case where the air-conditioning module 300 (corresponding to module D) is provided under the modules A, B and C, as illustrated in
The module case 100 may be provided with the power supply unit (or power supply) 140, which supplies power to the module 200. The power supply unit 140 may be a circuit to regulate and supply power to drive a module 200, and the power supply unit may be provided on the portion of the module case 100 such that the power supply unit 140 is in contact with the module 200 in the state when the module 200 is mounted in the module case 100. The power supply unit 140 according to one embodiment may be provided on the bottom surface 128 of the module case 100. The module 200 may be provided with a module power unit 240, which is provided at a position corresponding to the power supply unit 140 so as to receive power from the power supply unit 140. Once the module 200 and the module case 100 have been coupled to each other, the module 200 may receive power from the power supply unit 140.
The coupling portion 120 may include the guide portion (ir guide extension) 132, which guides a movement of the module 200 so as to be mounted in the module case 100. The guide portion 132 may be formed on one surface of the coupling portion 120 that is coupled to the module 200 in a direction parallel to the direction in which the module 200 is inserted. Referring to
The drawer member 150 may be used when pulling the module case 100 outward from the housing 30 or inserting the module case 100 into the housing 30. The drawer member 150 may cause the module case 100 to slide inside the housing 30 inwardly or outwardly relative to the housing 30. In one embodiment, the drawer member 150 may be provided on the bottom surface 128 of the module case 100.
The module case 100 may further have a hole or opening (not illustrated) connected to a flow path through which water is discharged. This hole serves to discharge water, for example, when a small dehydrator module 200c is mounted, as illustrated in portion (c) of
The module case 100 according to one embodiment may be pulled or otherwise moved outward from the housing 30 by a first method in which the module case 100 is substantially moved outward from the housing 30 using the drawer member 150 when pressure is applied to the front member 110. In addition, the module case 100 according to the present embodiment may be pulled outward from the housing 30 by a second method in which the user pulls the front member 110 so as to extract the module case 100. In the second method, the module case 100 according to one embodiment may include a handle by which the user opens or closes the module case 100.
In the washstand cabinet 10 according to one embodiment, the module recognition unit 420 and the power supply unit 140 may be provided inside the module case 100 in which the module 200 is mounted. The washstand cabinet 10 according to the present embodiment may omit the module case 100. When the module case 100 is not included in the housing 30, the washstand housing 30 according to the present embodiment may include the module recognition unit 420 and the power supply unit 140 inside the housing 30.
The module 200 mounted in the washstand cabinet 10 according to one embodiment may be an electric device that is electrically operated and is usable in a bathroom. Types of modules are depicted in
The shape and size of each module 200 may determined so that the module 200 may be stored in the module case 100. Thus, the user may select the module that the user wishes to use, and may mount the corresponding module in the module case 100 when in use. The module 200 may have a substantially rectangular outer shape. The module 200 is configured so as to be separably coupled to the module case 100.
When the module 200 is coupled to the module case 100, the module 200 may include the module power unit 240 to receive power from the power supply unit 140 of the module case 100. In addition, the module 200 may include the push device 210 when contacts one or more of the tactile switches 134 provided on the module case 100 when the module 200 is received within and coupled to the module case 100. As illustrated in portions (a)-(c) of
The module power unit 240 and the push device 210 may be formed on the exterior of the module 200. When the module 200 is coupled to the module case 100, the power supply unit 140 of the module case 100 may electrically couple to (or dock with) the module power unit 240 of the module 200.
First, a step S100 of mounting the module in the washstand cabinet is performed. The module 200 may be mounted inside the housing 30, which is partitioned so as to accommodate at least one module 200 in the washstand cabinet 10. According to one embodiment, the module 200 may be mounted in the module case 100, which is provided inside the housing 30.
The module 200 may be mounted into the module case 100 via the guide portion 132 of the module case 100 when the module case 100 is pulled outward from the housing 30 using the drawer member 150. The module 200 mounted in the module case 100 may be provided inside the washstand cabinet 10 when the module case 100 is inserted into the housing 30 using the drawer member 150.
Thereafter, the controller 400 may perform a step S200 of recognizing the module. The controller 400 may perform the recognizing of the module 200 via the module recognition unit 420. The module case 100 according to one embodiment includes the tactile switches 134. The module 200 includes the push device 210, which contacts at least one of the tactile switches 134 depending on the type of the module 200. The positions and number of push devices 210 may be changed according to the type of module. Once the module 200 has been mounted in the module case 100, the tactile switches 134 provided on the module case 100 may transmit different signals depending on the number and positions of tactile switches 134 contacted by the to the controller 400. The controller 400 may recognize the module 200 by judging the signals transmitted from the tactile switches 134 of the module case 100.
Thereafter, the controller 400 performs a step 300 of controlling the recognized module 200. The controller 400 may perform control depending on the recognized module 200. Because the control may be changed depending on the type of module, the controller 200 may performs specific control suitable for the recognized module. For example, the controller may perform control related to dehydration when the module 200 is a small dehydrator module, and may perform control for sterilization when the module 200 is a sterilizer module for toothbrushes and/or other bathroom items.
The step S300 of controlling the recognized module may be performed such that any one of a plurality of modules provided in the washstand cabinet 10 is selected and the selected module is controlled. As illustrated in
As is apparent from the above description, the present disclosure has the following effects. First, when an electric product is configured to have a modular structure so as to be provided in a washstand cabinet, efficient use of bathroom space may be secured. Second, because a module inside the washstand cabinet is replaceable, the module that the user requires may be selectively used, which ensures more effective use of bathroom space. Third, the washstand cabinet may function to recognize a module mounted therein and to perform control suitable for the recognized module.
Thus, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a space for disposing an electric product therein. It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a device, which recognizes and controls an electric product that a user wishes to use, in a washstand cabinet in which the electric product is provided. In accordance with the present disclosure, the above and other aspects may be accomplished by the provisioning of a washstand cabinet including a washstand having a water supply valve and a washing bowl in which water is accommodated, a housing provided under the washstand and defining a storage space therein, at least one module accommodated inside the housing, the module being electrically operated, and a controller configured to recognize the module and control the recognized module.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating a washstand cabinet may include mounting a module inside the washstand cabinet, recognizing the mounted module, and controlling the recognized module.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2016-0133443 | Oct 2016 | KR | national |
