Water storage tub integrated with a drive unit supporting member during formation thereof

Abstract

A washing machine including a water storage tub coupled to a rotation drive unit via a supporting member. The water storage tub may be made of plastic and the supporting member may be made of metal. The supporting member strengthens the bottom of the water storage tub and thereby prevents the water storage tub from being deformed or otherwise damaged by operation of the drive unit. During the injection molding process of forming the water storage tub, the supporting member is inserted into the water storage tub and thereby integrates with the water storage tub. Thus, a separate integration process after the water storage tub is formed is advantageously eliminated, leading to improved installation precision, simplified manufacturing processes, and reduced manufacturing cost.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A washing machine comprising:
 a water storage tub configured to contain washing water;   a washing tub disposed inside the water storage tub and configured to accommodate laundry;   a pulsator disposed in the washing tub and configured to agitate washing water by rotation; and   a drive unit comprising a motor for driving rotation of the pulsator,   wherein the water storage tub comprises a supporting member that is integrated with the water storage tub as the water storage tub is being formed during an injection-molding process, and wherein further the water storage tub is coupled to the drive unit via the supporting member.   
     
     
         2 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the supporting member comprises a motor supporting portion configured to support the motor. 
     
     
         3 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the drive unit further comprises:
 a gear member disposed in a lateral distance from the motor and coupled to the pulsator; and   a power transmission member disposed between the motor and the gear member and configured to transmit rotational force from the motor to the gear member.   
     
     
         4 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , wherein the supporting member comprises:
 a motor supporting portion protruding toward the washing tub and configured to accommodate the motor;   a through hole located coaxially with a rotation center shaft of the pulsator; and   a gear member supporting portion disposed adjacent to the through hole and coupled to the gear member.   
     
     
         5 . The washing machine of  claim 4 , wherein the through hole comprises a curved cylinder portion that is configured to bend toward the washing tub. 
     
     
         6 . The washing machine of  claim 5 , wherein a rotation center shaft of the gear member penetrates the through hole. 
     
     
         7 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the water storage tub is made of a plastic material. 
     
     
         8 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the supporting member is made of a metal material. 
     
     
         9 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the pulsator and the motor are disposed coaxially. 
     
     
         10 . A method of manufacturing a water storage tub of a washing machine, the method comprising:
 forming the water storage tub by an injection molding process; and   inserting a supporting member into the water storage tub, wherein the supporting member comprises a metal material, and wherein the supporting member is configured to couple the water storage tub to a motor, and wherein further the motor is configured to rotate a washing tub and a pulsator of the washing machine.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the water storage tub is made of a plastic material. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the supporting member comprises:
 a motor supporting portion protruding toward a washing tub of the washing machine and configured to accommodate the motor;   a through hole for accommodating a rotation center shaft of the pulsator; and   a gear member supporting portion for accommodating a gear member of the motor.