METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FLUSHING A BULK DISPENSING SYSTEM IN A CLEANING APPLIANCE

• US 20120216836A1
• Filed: 05/09/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: HENDRICKSON, MICHAEL STEPHEN, DALTON, MICHAEL T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/028 Arrangements for selectively supplying water to detergent compartments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0424 Liquid cleaning or flushing

Abstract

A household cleaning appliance includes a bulk dispensing system configured to receive a removable cartridge containing multiple doses of treating chemistry and configured to deliver a charge of treating chemistry from the cartridge to a treating chamber and a water supply configured to be selectively coupled to the bulk dispensing system to flush at least a portion of the bulk dispensing system.

Claims

1. A method for operating a household cleaning appliance having a treating chamber and a bulk dispensing system having a removable cartridge configured to contain a treating chemistry, the bulk dispensing system configured to deliver a charge of treating chemistry to the treating chamber, the method comprising:

flushing at least a portion of the bulk dispensing system when the cartridge is removed.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the flushing comprises flushing a housing of the bulk dispensing system containing the cartridge.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the flushing comprises flushing a drawer carrying the cartridge and slideably mounted relative to the housing.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the flushing of the drawer effects flushing of the housing.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the drawer is a single use dispensing drawer having at least one treatment cup and the cartridge is removeably received in the treatment cup.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the household cleaning appliance is a clothes washer.

7. The method according to claim 2 wherein the flushing comprises flushing at least one conduit fluidly coupling the housing to the treating chamber.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the flushing comprises flushing a pump fluidly coupled to the cartridge and the conduit.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the flushing is in response to a predetermined stimulus.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the predetermined stimulus is a user-initiated flush or an appliance-initiated flush.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the user-initiated flush may be inoperative when the bulk dispensing system contains the cartridge.