Laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus is provided. The laundry treating apparatus may include a cabinet having a receiving space in which laundry is received, a supply device supplying at least one of air or moisture into the receiving space, and a presser provided in the receiving space, the presser including a support device to support the laundry and a compression device to compress the laundry supported by the support device to form a crease in the laundry.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:
 a cabinet having a receiving space to receive laundry;   a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close an access opening of the receiving space;   a supply device that supplies at least one of air or moisture into the receiving space; and   a presser provided at an inner surface of the door, facing an interior of the receiving space in a closed position of the door, the presser including a support device configured to support the laundry in the receiving space and a compression device configured to compress the laundry between the compression device and the support device,   wherein the support device is fixed to the inner surface of the door, and the compression device is rotatably coupled to the inner surface of the door so as to rotate relative to the support device and selectively extend across the support device.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the compression device includes:
 a body rotatably coupled to an inner circumferential surface of the door and configured to rotate to a position against the support device so as to compress the laundry supported by the support device between the support device and the compression device; and   a body through hole formed through the body.   
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the compression device further includes a mesh panel provided in the body through hole. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the compression device further includes at least one compression plate provided at the body and configured to compress a corresponding portion of the laundry toward the support device. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one compression plate includes:
 a first compression plate fixed to the body; and   a second compression plate fixed to the body, spaced apart from the first compression plate by a predetermined distance.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the door further includes a presser receiving groove formed as a recess in the inner surface of the door, and
 the support device includes at least one support plate provided in the presser receiving groove.   
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the support device further includes at least one elastic device provided in the presser receiving groove to elastically support the at least one support plate. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one support plate includes:
 a first support plate provided in a longitudinal direction in the presser receiving groove and configured to support the laundry; and   a second support plate provided in the longitudinal direction in the presser receiving groove and configured to support the laundry, the second support plate being spaced apart from the first support plate by a predetermined distance, and   wherein the at least one elastic device includes:   a first elastic device elastically supporting the first support plate in the presser receiving groove; and   a second elastic device elastically supporting the second support plate in the presser receiving groove.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the first support plate and the second support plate are each spaced apart from the presser receiving groove by a predetermined distance by the first elastic device and the second elastic device, respectively, and the first and second support plates each include at least one through hole extending therethrough. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein a through hole formed in a body of the compression device guides heated air or moisture generated by the supply device from the receiving space to the laundry supported on the supporting device, and through holes in the support device guide the heated air or moisture which has passed through the laundry back to the supply device. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the door further includes a laundry support bar configured to have a first end portion of the laundry fixed thereto, and the presser includes a fixing device configured to have a second end portion of the laundry fixed thereto such that the laundry is held in position between the support device and the compression device by the laundry support bar and the fixing device. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the laundry support bar is positioned above the support device on the inner surface of the door, and the fixing device is positioned below the support device on the inner surface of the door. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further including:
 a machinery compartment provided under the receiving space, the machinery compartment being partitioned from the receiving space, wherein the supply device includes an air supply device provided in the machinery compartment to supply heated air to the receiving space and a moisture supply device provided in the machinery compartment to supply steam to the receiving space.   
     
     
       14. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:
 a cabinet having a receiving space formed therein;   a machinery compartment formed in the cabinet, below the receiving space and partitioned from the cabinet;   a supply device provided in the machinery cabinet and configured to supply at least one of heated air or moisture into the receiving space;   a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet so as to selectively open and close an access opening into the receiving space; and   a presser provided on an interior wall defining the receiving space, wherein the presser includes:
 a support device provided on the interior wall and configured to support a laundry item thereon; and 
 a compression device rotatably coupled to the interior wall, at a position corresponding to the support device, and configured to rotate relative to the support device so as to extend across the support device and compress the laundry item between the support device and the compression device, 
 wherein the compression device includes:
 a body formed as a frame that is rotatably coupled to the interior wall, the frame of the body defining an opening; and 
 a body through hole formed through the body. 
 
   
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the support device includes:
 first and second support plates positioned side by side, with a space therebetween, in a presser receiving groove formed as a recess in the interior wall;   a first elastic device provided between the first support plate and the presser receiving groove and a second elastic device provided between the second support plate and the presser receiving groove, the first and second elastic devices elastically supporting the first and second support plates and maintaining a predetermined gap between the first and second support plates and the presser receiving groove, respectively; and   a plurality of first through holes formed in the first support plate and a plurality of second through holes formed in the second support plate.   
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the compression device further includes:
 a mesh panel provided in the opening formed in the body, and   a first compression plate and a second compression plate coupled to the body, positioned side by side and spaced apart from each other a predetermined distance,   wherein the compression device is rotatably coupled to the interior wall by a hinge provided at a first lateral edge of the body, and wherein the compression device and the support device are  10  selectively coupled against each other by an attaching device provided at a second lateral edge of the body of the compression device, opposite the first lateral edge thereof.   
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the attaching device includes a plurality of protrusions formed on one of the body of the compression device or the interior wall of the receiving space, and a corresponding plurality of receiving grooves formed in the other of the body of the body of the compression device or the interior wall of the receiving space, wherein the plurality of protrusions are respectively received in the plurality of receiving grooves to fix the compression device against the support device and compress the laundry item received therebetween, and the plurality of protrusions are released from the plurality of receiving grooves to rotate the compression device away from the support device. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein openings formed in the mesh panel of the compression device guide the at least one of heated air or moisture generated by the supply device to the laundry item compressed between the compression device and the support device, and the plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second through holes respectively formed in the first and second support plates of the support device guide the at least one of heated air or moisture which has passed through the laundry item into the presser receiving groove for discharge. 
     
     
       19. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:
 a cabinet having a receiving space to receive laundry;   a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close an access opening of the receiving space;   a supply device that supplies at least one of air or moisture into the receiving space; and   a laundry press provided at an inner surface of the door and facing an interior of the receiving space in a closed position of the door, the laundry press including a support and a compression device configured to compress the laundry against the support,   wherein the support is mounted on the inner surface of the door, and the compression device is provided to rotate relative to the support, and   wherein the support includes
 a first surface vertically extended along a length of the support and configured to press the laundry with the compression device, 
 a second surface vertically extended along the length of the support and provided a prescribed distance laterally from the first surface and configured to press the laundry with the compression device, and 
 a space provided between the first surface and the second surface, the space extending toward the inner surface of the door relative to the first and second surfaces and being configured to accommodate part of the laundry when the compression device presses the laundry with the first surface and the second surface.  
   
     
     
       20. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 19, wherein portions of the support defining the first surface and the second surface are mounted to the inner surface of the door adjacent the space.  
     
     
       21. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 20, wherein the portions of the support defining the first surface and the second surface are provided a prescribed distance away from the inner surface of the door.  
     
     
       22. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 21, wherein the support further includes at least one elastic device to elastically support the support.  
     
     
       23. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first surface and the second surface are configured to move toward the compression device by elastic force of the elastic device.  
     
     
       24. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first surface and the second surface are configured to contact the compression device.  
     
     
       25. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 24, wherein the laundry is pants and the laundry press is configured to accommodate seams of the pants in the space such that the seams are not pressed while creases in the pants are pressed between the inner surface of the compression device and the front surface of the support.  
     
     
       26. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 19, wherein the support includes a first plate and a second plate,
 wherein the first plate defines the first surface, and the second plate defines the second surface, and   wherein the space is provided between the first plate and the second plate.    
     
     
       27. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:
 a cabinet having a receiving space to receive laundry;   a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close an access opening of the receiving space;   a supply device that supplies at least one of air or moisture into the receiving space; and   a laundry press provided at an inner surface of the door and facing an interior of the receiving space in a closed position of the door, the laundry press including a support and a compression device configured to compress the laundry against the support, and   a space that extends vertically along a central region of the support, the space being configured such that a prescribed region of the laundry is not pressed by the compression device,   wherein the support is mounted on the inner surface of the door, and the compression device is provided at the inner surface of the door so as to rotate relative to the support, and   wherein the support is provided a prescribed distance from the inner surface of the door.    
     
     
       28. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 27, wherein the support includes
 a first surface vertically extended along a length of the support and configured to press the laundry with the compression device, and   a second surface vertically extended along the length of the support and provided a prescribed distance laterally from the first surface and configured to press the laundry with the compression device, and   wherein the space is configured to accommodate part of the laundry when the compression device presses the laundry with the first surface and the second surface.    
     
     
       29. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 28, wherein portions of the support defining the first surface and the second surface are mounted to the inner surface of the door.  
     
     
       30. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first surface and the second surface are provided a prescribed distance away from the inner surface of the door.  
     
     
       31. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 30, wherein the support further includes at least one elastic device to elastically support the movement of the support. 
     
     
       32. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first surface and the second surface move toward the compression device by elastic force of the elastic device.  
     
     
       33. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first surface and the second surface are configured to contact the compression device.  
     
     
       34. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 33, wherein the laundry is pants, and the laundry press is configured to accommodate seams of the pants in the space such that the seams are not pressed while creases in the pants are pressed between the inner surface of the compression device and the front surface of the support.  
     
     
       35. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 28,
 wherein the support includes a plurality of plates including a first plate and a second plate,   wherein the first plate defines the first surface, and the second plate defines the second surface, and   wherein the space is provided between the first plate and the second plate.    
     
     
       36. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 27,
 wherein the support includes a plurality of plates, and   wherein rear surfaces of the plurality of plates are, respectively, spaced from the inner surface of the door.