Domestic appliance for the care of items of washing and method for removing lint

• US 20090151191A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Grunert, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/480
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/22 Lint collecting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/24 Condensing arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to a domestic appliance for the care of items of washing, with a process air supply, through which a stream of air is able to be directed through a drum for holding the items of washing and which has a mesh filter for separating the lint out of the air stream, and with a facility for removing lint from the mesh filter, with the facility being embodied for removal of lint which is collected outside the process air supply on the mesh filter and includes a rinsing device with which this lint is able to be rinsed out of the mesh filter with rinsing fluid. The invention also relates to a method for removal of lint from a mesh filter of the domestic appliance.

Claims

1. A domestic appliance for care of items of washing, comprising:

a drum for accepting the items of washing;

a process air supply through which an air stream is able to be directed through the drum;

a mesh filter for separation of lint from the cooling air stream;

a lint remover for removing lint which has collected outside the process air supply on the mesh filter; and

a rinser for washing lint off the mesh filter with rinsing fluid.

2. The domestic appliance of claim 1, comprising a squeegee that collects lint at an edge of the mesh filter outside the process a supply.

3. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the rinsing fluid comprises a condensate in the domestic appliance during its operation.

4. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the lint removed by the rinsing fluid can be directed into a floor pan of the domestic appliance.

5. The domestic appliance of claim 4, further comprising a collection vessel in a floor pan for the rinsing fluid laden with lint and for filtering the lint out of the rinsing fluid.

6. The domestic appliance of claim 5, wherein the collection vessel comprises an outlet through which the rinsing fluid from which the lint has been filtered out can be drained out of the collection vessel.

7. The domestic appliance of claim 6, wherein the rinsing fluid from which the lint has been filtered out is able to be drained out into the floor pan.

8. The domestic appliance of claim 5, wherein the collection vessel is removable from the floor pan.

9. The domestic appliance of claim 5, wherein the collection vessel comprises a filter device for filtering the lint out of the rinsing fluid, for allowing removal of the filtered lint from the collection vessel, and through which rinsing fluid can pass.

10. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the domestic appliance comprises a condensing dryer.

11. A method for removing lint from a mesh filter a process air supply of a domestic appliance for care of items of washing, comprising

providing a mesh filter with lint;

and

removing lint collected outside the process air supply on the mesh filter by directing a rinsing fluid to the mesh filter to rinse the lint from the mesh filter.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising collecting the removed lint with a squeegee at an edge of the mesh filter.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising directing the rinsing fluid laden with lint from the mesh filter into a floor pan.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising filtering the lint from the rinsing fluid in a collection vessel in the floor pan.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising draining the filtered rinsing fluid through an outlet in the collection vessel.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the collection vessel comprises a removable filter through which the rinsing fluid can pass.