JP7833951B2 - Lint filter - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a filter net and a lint filter used in a washing machine.

Washing machines are generally equipped with lint filters to remove lint and other debris generated from laundry during washing. Patent Document 1 discloses a lint filter consisting of a bag-shaped filter net fixed to a mounting frame or the like.

The lint filter described in Patent Document 1 uses a filter net formed into a bag shape by sewing together a single piece of net fabric. Specifically, as shown in Figure 10, a rectangular piece of net fabric is folded in half along its center line, and two of the three overlapping edges (the three sides other than the folded edge) are sewn together (usually the adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge). This closes the folded edge and the sewn edge, forming a bag-shaped filter net with the remaining edge serving as the opening.

Patent No. 3178948

When forming a bag-shaped filter net by sewing together a single piece of net fabric, overcast stitching is used at the seams to prevent fraying at the edges of the net fabric. However, conventional filter nets have problems with aesthetics and ease of cleaning due to the presence of overcast seams.

For example, if the overcast seam is on the outside of the filter net, the stitching thread will be exposed, reducing its aesthetic appeal. Alternatively, the filter net may be used inside out so that the overcast seam is on the inside of the bag. While this minimizes the reduction in aesthetic appeal by concealing the seam, it makes it easier for lint to accumulate inside the filter net and become entangled in the stitching thread, reducing the ease of cleaning. Forcibly cleaning the filter net when lint is entangled in the stitching thread may cause the thread to come loose along with the lint, potentially unraveling the seam.

This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a filter net and lint filter that are excellent in both aesthetics and ease of cleaning.

To solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides a filter net formed in a bag shape by folding a net fabric along a center line, sewing together two overlapping edges of the net fabric, closing the folded edge and the sewn edge, and leaving the remaining edge as an opening. The sewn edge is characterized by having a seam where the edge of the net fabric is covered with a covering fabric, and the overlapping net fabric and the covering fabric are sewn together with a basic stitch.

According to the above configuration, the edges of the net fabric at the seam are covered with the overlay fabric during sewing, preventing fraying of the edges. Furthermore, since a regular stitch can be used instead of an overcast stitch, the sewing thread used in overcast stitching is not exposed to the outside, improving aesthetics. Additionally, even when the filter net is used inside out so that the seam is on the inside of the bag, lint accumulated inside the filter net does not get tangled in the sewing thread, improving ease of cleaning.

Furthermore, in the above-described filter net, the covering fabric can be folded in four times, with both long edges folded inward, and the edges of the net fabric can be sandwiched between the four-folded covering fabric at the seam.

According to the above configuration, the edge of the covering fabric at the suture is folded inward at the suture, preventing fraying of the covering fabric's edge.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, a second aspect of the present invention is a filter net formed in a bag shape by folding a net fabric along a center line, sewing together two overlapping edges of the net fabric, closing the folded edge and the sewn edge, and leaving the remaining edge as an opening. The sewn edge is characterized by having a seam where the edge of the net fabric is folded inward twice, and the overlapping net fabric is sewn together with a basic stitch.

According to the above configuration, the edges of the net fabric at the seam are folded inward, preventing fraying of the edges. Furthermore, since a regular stitch can be used instead of an overcast stitch, the thread used for overcasting is not exposed to the outside, improving aesthetics. Additionally, even when the filter net is used inside out so that the seam is on the inside of the bag, the lint accumulated inside the filter net does not get tangled in the thread, improving ease of cleaning.

Furthermore, the filter net can be configured such that the adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge are the sutured edges, and a radius (R) is formed at the corner between the two sutured edges.

According to the above configuration, by providing a corner radius between the two suture edges, it becomes easier to remove lint accumulated in the corner radius, thus improving cleanability.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, a third aspect of the present invention is a lint filter having a bag-shaped filter net and a filter frame attached to the opening edge of the filter net, characterized in that the filter net is the filter net described above.

Furthermore, in the above-described lint filter, the filter net can be attached to the filter frame in a state where it is turned inside out so that the sutured portion faces the inside of the bag.

The filter net and lint filter of the present invention achieve both aesthetic appeal and ease of cleaning by providing a seam at the seam of the filter net where the edge of the net fabric is covered with an overlay fabric, and the overlapping net fabric and overlay fabric are sewn together with a basic stitch, or where the edge of the net fabric is folded inward twice, and the overlapping net fabric is sewn together with a basic stitch.

This is a perspective view showing the appearance of a lint filter, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention. This is a perspective view showing a washing machine with a lint filter installed. This is a plan view showing the manufacturing procedure of the filter net according to the first embodiment. This is a plan view showing the manufacturing procedure of the filter net according to the first embodiment. This is a plan view showing the manufacturing procedure of the filter net according to the first embodiment. This is a plan view showing a filter net according to the first embodiment. This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the suture portion of the filter net according to the first embodiment. This is a plan view showing a filter net according to the second embodiment. This is a plan view showing a filter net according to the third embodiment. This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sutured portion of the filter net according to the third embodiment. This is a plan view showing a filter net according to the fourth embodiment. This is a plan view showing a filter net according to the fifth embodiment. This is a plan view showing the manufacturing procedure for conventional filter nets.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[Basic structure of a lint filter]
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the lint filter 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a washing machine with the lint filter 100 installed in the washing tub.

As shown in Figure 1, the lint filter 100 has a bag-shaped filter net 110 and a filter frame portion 120. Specifically, the filter frame portion 120 is attached to the opening edge of the filter net 110 to form the lint filter 100. It is preferable that the filter net 110 is firmly fixed to the filter frame portion 120 by welding or other means.

In washing machines using the lint filter 100, a filter holder 130 is provided on the inner surface of the washing tub, as shown in Figure 2. The lint filter 100 can be attached to and detached from the filter holder 130 with a single touch, making cleaning and replacement easy. To remove the lint filter 100 from the filter holder 130, press down on the knob 121 (see Figure 1) located on the upper part of the filter frame 120 (the upper part when installed in the washing machine) while pulling the lint filter 100 forward.

[Filter network configuration]
Next, the configuration of the filter net according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

(First Embodiment)
Figures 3A to 3C are plan views showing the manufacturing procedure of the filter net 110A according to the first embodiment. Figure 3D is a plan view showing the filter net 110A according to the first embodiment. The filter net 110A is made by preparing a rectangular net cloth 111A (see Figure 3A), which is then folded in half along the center line (axis of symmetry in line symmetry) (see Figure 3B).

Furthermore, in the filter net 110A, two overlay fabrics 112A are prepared to cover the seam edges (see Figure 3C), and the seam where the net fabric 111A and the overlay fabrics 112A overlap is sewn together by a basic stitch (see Figure 3D). This closes three sides—the folded edge and the seam edge—forming a bag-shaped filter net 110A with the remaining side serving as an opening. Note that the seam edges here are the adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge.

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the suture of the filter net 110A (cross-sectional view A-A in Figure 3D). The overlay fabric 112A is folded along three folds in the longitudinal direction; that is, the overlay fabric 112A is folded in four, with both long edges folded inward. At the suture of the filter net 110A, as shown in Figure 4, two sides of the net fabric 111A are sandwiched between the four-folded overlay fabric 112A, and the overlapping overlay fabric 112A and net fabric 111A are sewn together by a basic stitch.

In the filter net 110A, both the net fabric 111A and the covering fabric 112A have their edges folded inward at the seams, preventing fraying of the edges. Furthermore, since a simple stitch can be used instead of an overcast stitch, the thread used for overcast stitching is not exposed to the outside, improving aesthetics. Additionally, even when the filter net 110A is used inside out so that the seams are on the inside of the bag, lint accumulated inside the filter net 110A does not become entangled in the thread, improving ease of cleaning. Moreover, at the opening of the filter net 110A, the net fabric 111A is fixed to the filter frame 120, preventing fraying of the edges.

(Second Embodiment)
Figure 5 is a plan view showing the filter net 110B according to the second embodiment. Similar to the filter net 110A, the filter net 110B has adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge as stitched edges.

In the filter net 110B, a net fabric 111B is used that has a shape in which a radius (R) is formed at the corner between the two seam edges. Then, a single covering fabric 112B is used to sew the seam where the two seam edges meet (the seam including the corner radius). In the filter net 110B, the corner radius between the two seam edges makes it easier to remove lint accumulated in the corner radius, thus improving cleanability.

(Third Embodiment)
Figure 6 is a plan view showing the filter net 110C according to the third embodiment. Similar to filter nets 110A and 110B, the filter net 110C has adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge as seam edges. In filter nets 110A and 110B, the seam is formed by covering the edge of the net fabric 111A with the covering fabric 112A and sewing it in place. In contrast, in filter net 110C, the seam is formed using only the net fabric 111C without using the covering fabric.

Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the seam of the filter net 110C (the B-B cross-sectional view in Figure 6). At the seam of the filter net 110C, the edges of the overlapping net fabric 111C are folded twice so that the edges of the net fabric 111C are folded inward. Then, the overlapping net fabric 111C, formed by the folding, is sewn together with a basic stitch.

In the filter net 110C, the edge of the net fabric 111C at the seam is folded inward at the seam, preventing fraying of the edge. Furthermore, since a regular stitch can be used instead of an overcast stitch, the sewing thread used in overcast stitching is not exposed to the outside, improving aesthetics. Additionally, even when the filter net 110C is used inside out so that the seam is on the inside of the bag, the lint accumulated inside the filter net 110C does not get tangled in the sewing thread, improving ease of cleaning.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Figure 8 is a plan view showing the filter net 110D according to the fourth embodiment. Similar to the filter nets 110A to 110C, the filter net 110D has adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge as stitched edges.

In the filter net 110D, a net fabric 111D is used that has a shape in which a radius (R) is formed at the corner between the two seam edges. Then, the overlapping edges of the net fabric 111D are folded twice over the seam where the two seam edges meet (the seam including the corner radius), and the overlapping net fabric 111D is sewn together by a basic stitch.

(Fifth Embodiment)
In the filter nets 110A to 110D shown in the first to fourth embodiments, a single piece of fabric is used as the net fabric 111A to 111D (collectively referred to as net fabric 111). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the net fabric 111 may be formed by sewing together multiple pieces of fabric. Figure 9 is a plan view showing a filter net 110E according to the fifth embodiment. Although filter net 110E is shown as a modified example of filter net 110A, it can also be a modified example of filter nets 110B to 110D.

In filter net 110E, net fabric 111E is used instead of net fabric 111A of filter net 110A. Net fabric 111E is formed by sewing together two pieces of fabric 111E-1 and 111E-2. The seam between fabrics 111E-1 and 111E-2 is parallel to the opening edge of filter net 110E. While the sewing method at the seam between fabrics 111E-1 and 111E-2 is not particularly limited, overcast stitching is preferred from the viewpoint of stitching strength. In this case, the overcast seam is formed so that it lies on the inside of the bag when filter net 110E is in use (when attached to the filter frame 120).

In the filter net 110E, using fabrics 111E-1 and 111E-2 with different properties can provide the filter net 110E with desirable characteristics. Specifically, the fabric 111E-1, which is positioned on the opening side of the filter net 110E, is preferably made of a fabric with higher strength (for example, thicker than fabric 111E-2) than fabric 111E-2, as it frequently comes into contact with the filter frame 120 during washing. Furthermore, the fabric 111E-2, which is positioned on the opposite side of the opening side of the filter net 110E, is preferably made of a fabric with higher water permeability than fabric 111E-1, allowing water to escape easily during washing and improving lint collection performance.

[Method for attaching the filter net to the filter frame]
In the lint filter 100, when attaching the filter net 110 (any of filter nets 110A to 110E) to the filter frame 120, it is preferable that the folded edge of the filter net 110 be on the bottom (the bottom when attached to the washing machine). This is because lint tends to accumulate more easily on the folded edge of the filter net 110. In the filter net 110, it is easier to clean the accumulated lint from the folded edge than from the seam edge, and by accumulating more lint on the folded edge, the ease of cleaning is further improved.

Furthermore, when attaching the filter net 110 to the filter frame 120, it is preferable to ensure that the seams of the filter net 110 are on the inside of the bag. This is advantageous not only for improving aesthetics but also for facilitating the creation of the lint filter 100. Specifically, in the lint filter 100, as shown in Figure 1, the filter net 110 is fixed to the inside of the filter frame 120 by welding or other means. By positioning the seams of the filter net 110 on the inside of the bag, the seams do not interfere with the welding process, making the welding work easier.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be restrictive. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not construed solely by the embodiments described above, but is defined by the claims. This includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims.

For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the entire sutured portion of the opening edge and the adjacent sutured edge is covered with a covering cloth 112A or 112B (collectively referred to as covering cloth 112). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a portion of the sutured edge adjacent to the opening edge may not be covered with the covering cloth 112, but instead sewn by overcast stitching. In this case, when the filter net 110 is fixed to the inside of the filter frame portion 120 by welding or other means, the covering cloth 112 is not present at the welding portion, making the welding work easier.

Furthermore, in the second and fourth embodiments described above, a corner radius (R) is provided between the two stitched edges. However, the R may also be formed at the lower corner when the filter is installed in the washing machine. This configuration is intended to prevent the lint filter 100 from contacting the pulsator when it is positioned near the bottom of the washing tub (near the pulsator).

Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 2, the lint filter 100 is installed in the washing tub so that the opening edge of the filter net 110 faces sideways. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lint filter 100 may be installed in the washing tub so that the opening edge of the filter net 110 faces upwards.

100 Lint filter 110 Filter net 110A-110E Filter net 111A-111E Net cloth 112A, 112B Cover cloth 111E-1, 111E-2 Fabric 120 Filter frame 121 Knob 130 Filter holder

Claims (2)

A lint filter having a filter net formed in the shape of a bag and a filter frame portion attached to the opening edge of the filter net,
The filter net is formed in a bag-like shape by folding the net fabric along the center line, sewing together the two overlapping edges of the net fabric, closing the folded edge and the sewn edge, and leaving the remaining edge as an opening.
The aforementioned seam edge has a seam where the edge of the net fabric is covered with an overlay fabric, and the overlapping net fabric and the overlay fabric are sewn together with a basic stitch.
The aforementioned covering cloth is folded into four sections, with the long edges on both sides folded inward.
In the aforementioned suture, the edge of the net fabric is sandwiched between the four-folded covering cloth.
The lint filter is characterized in that the filter net is attached to the filter frame in an inverted state such that the sutured portion is on the inside of the bag . A lint filter according to claim 1 ,
The adjacent and opposite sides to the folded edge are the sutured edges.
A lint filter characterized by having a radius (R) formed at the corner between the two sutured edges.