LAUNDRY APPLIANCE

• US 20110107799A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Geoffrey, Carr, David Wayne, Hall, Erin Louise, Duncan, Gerald David, Duncan, Anna Kathryn, Bernardino, Flavio E., Zeitler, Mary Ellen
• Granted Patent: US 8,028,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 68/131
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 17/08 Driving arrangements for the impeller
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 17/10 Impellers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 23/04 and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/40 for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively D06F37/304, D06F37/308 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/083 Liquid discharge or recirculation arrangements

Abstract

A laundry machine configured to supply a first amount of water to the wash tub wherein a wash plate can be oscillated such that clothes items directly above and in contact with the impeller are frictionally dragged in a oscillatory manner with the wash chamber while continuing to oscillate said wash plate, an additional supply of water is added to said wash tub such that as cloth items lost frictional engagement with the wash plate, the cloth items continue to move along an inverse toroidal rollover path at higher water levels.

Claims

1. A laundry machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a wash tub supported within the cabinet;

a motor suspended beneath the wash tub;

a wash basket rotatably supported within the wash tub and drivingly connected to the motor;

a wash plate disposed in a bottom of the wash basket and defining an outer periphery and comprising;

a central hub encircled by the outer periphery;

a plurality of vanes extending substantially radially from the central hub toward the outer periphery, the vanes comprising a pair of side walls diverging as they extend away from the hub, the vanes having a continuously increasing width as they extend radially away from the hub; and

apertures through the wash plate and immediately adjacent the vanes; and

wherein the wash plate is rotatably supported in the wash basket and drivingly connected to the motor to oscillate the wash plate such that cloth items directly above the wash plate are frictionally dragged in an oscillatory manner and the cloth items rollover within the wash basket along an inverse toroidal rollover path, the cloth items are drawn against the vanes by a suction induced through the apertures.

2. A laundry machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a wash tub supported within the cabinet;

a motor suspended beneath the wash tub;

a wash basket rotatably supported within a wash tub and drivingly connected to the motor;

a wash plate disposed in a bottom of the wash basket and defining an outer periphery and comprising;

a central hub encircled by the outer periphery;

a plurality of vanes extending substantially radially from the central hub toward the outer periphery, and comprising;

a continuously increasing width as they extend radially away from the hub;

a pair of side walls diverging as they extend away from the hub;

an outer portion terminating at the outer periphery;

a shoulder extending from the hub and transitioning into the outer portion;

wherein the shoulder is located above the outer portion and both the outer portion and shoulder have a convex cross section; and

wherein the wash plate is rotatably supported in the wash basket and drivingly connected to the motor to oscillate the wash plate such that cloth items directly above the wash plate are frictionally dragged in an oscillatory manner and the cloth items rollover within the wash basket along an inverse toroidal rollover path.

3. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein one of the plurality of vanes further comprises side walls that curve apart such that a rate of divergence of the side walls of each vane increases as they extend away from the hub.

4. A laundry machine according to claim 3 wherein the side walls curve so as to be inclined in advance of a radius of the wash plate at the outer periphery.

5. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein the vanes occupy between 0.33 and 0.66 of a plan area of the wash plate.

6. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein adjacent the outer periphery of each vane a height of the side walls decreases such that the outer portion converges to the outer periphery of the wash plate.

7. A laundry machine according to claim 6 wherein the outer portion of the vane is substantially flat in a circumferential direction extending between the side walls.

8. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein the shoulder has converging walls that are less steeply inclined than the side walls.

9. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein the shoulder and the hub extend to a height that is 50% to 150% greater than the height of the substantially flat outer portion of one of the plurality of vanes.

10. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein the wash plate includes between 3 and 5 vanes.

11. A laundry machine according to claim 2 wherein the wash plate includes apertures through the wash plate between the vanes, the apertures arranged to be immediately adjacent the vanes, and when the wash plate is oscillated such that the cloth items directly above the wash plate are dragged in an oscillatory manner and the cloth items rollover within the wash basket along an inverse toroidal rollover path, the cloth items are drawn against the vanes by a suction induced through the apertures.

12. A laundry machine according to claim 11 wherein there are no apertures through the wash plate except adjacent the vanes.

13. A laundry machine according to claim 11 wherein the apertures are arranged in groups, each group adjacent the side wall of one of the plurality of vanes.

14. A laundry machine according to claim 11 wherein each aperture comprises a slot.