HOUSEHOLD CLEANING APPLIANCE WITH A SINGLE WATER FLOW PATH FOR BOTH NON-BULK AND BULK DISPENSING

• US 20130160500A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: HENDRICKSON, MICHAEL S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,382,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 68/12.18
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4214 Water supply, recirculation or discharge arrangements; Devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4418 in the form of liquids A47L15/4409, A47L15/4436, A47L15/4445 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4463 Multi-dose dispensing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/449 Metering controlling devices A47L15/4229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/06 Recirculation of washing liquids, e.g. by pumps or diverting valves
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/37 of metering of detergents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• 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

Abstract

A household cleaning appliance configured to execute a cleaning cycle on an article, the appliance including a cabinet defining an interior, a treating chamber located within the interior for receiving the article for cleaning, a dispensing system having a dispensing cup fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and a bulk dispensing cartridge configured to hold multiple treating chemistry doses for respective ones of multiple cleaning cycles, wherein the dispensing cup is configured to selectively hold the bulk dispensing cartridge, or a single treating chemistry dose for a single cleaning cycle when the bulk dispensing cartridge is not present.

Claims

1. A household cleaning appliance configured to execute a cleaning cycle on an article, comprising:

a cabinet defining an interior;

a treating chamber located within the interior for receiving the article for cleaning;

a dispensing system having a dispensing cup fluidly coupled to the treating chamber; and

a bulk dispensing cartridge configured to hold multiple treating chemistry doses for respective ones of multiple cleaning cycles,

wherein the dispensing cup is configured to selectively hold the bulk dispensing cartridge, or a single treating chemistry dose for a single cleaning cycle when the bulk dispensing cartridge is not present.

2. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the bulk dispensing cartridge comprises an outlet fluidly coupled to the dispensing cup to dispense the treating chemistry thereto.

3. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the bulk dispensing cartridge comprises a through passage through which supplied water flows to flush treating chemistry to the treating chamber.

4. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 3, wherein an outlet of the bulk dispensing cartridge is fluidly coupled to the through passage.

5. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing system further comprises a housing fluidly coupled to the treating chamber and underlying the dispensing cup to direct flushed treating chemistry into the treating chamber.

6. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 5, wherein the dispensing system further comprises a drawer containing the dispensing cup and slideably mounted to the cabinet for movement between a closed position overlying the housing and an opened position exterior of the housing.

7. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 5, wherein the bulk dispensing cartridge is fluidly coupled to the housing to dispense the treating chemistry to the treating chamber through the housing while bypassing the dispensing cup.

8. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a single water flow path supplying water to the dispensing system to flush treating chemistry from either of the dispensing cup or the bulk dispenser cartridge to the treating chamber.

9. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a treating chemistry meter operable to control the flow of treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge.

10. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 9, further comprising a controller configured to implement the cleaning cycle and to control the operation of the treating chemistry meter to thereby control the flow of treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge.

11. A household cleaning appliance configured to execute a cleaning cycle on an article, comprising:

a cabinet defining an interior;

a treating chamber located within the interior for receiving the article for cleaning;

a dispensing system having a dispensing cup fluidly coupled to the treating chamber; and

a bulk dispensing cartridge configured to hold a first amount of a first treating chemistry needed for at least two cleaning cycles,

wherein the dispensing cup is configured to selectively hold the bulk dispensing cartridge, or a second treating chemistry when the bulk dispensing cartridge is not present,

wherein the dispensing system is configured to discharge substantially all of the second treating chemistry from the dispensing cup into the treating chamber during a single cleaning cycle when the bulk dispensing cartridge is not present, and to discharge a second amount of the first treating chemistry needed for a single cleaning cycle from the bulk dispensing cartridge into the treating chamber during each cleaning cycle when the bulk dispenser is present.

12. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 11, wherein the second treating chemistry comprising the first treating chemistry.

13. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 11, further comprising a treating chemistry meter operable to control the flow of the first treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge.

14. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 13, further comprising a controller configured to implement the cleaning cycle and to control the operation of the treating chemistry meter to thereby control the flow of the first treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge.

15. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 11, further comprising a single water flow path supplying water to the dispensing system to flush treating chemistry from either of the dispensing cup or the bulk dispenser cartridge to the treating chamber.

16. A household cleaning appliance configured to execute a cleaning cycle on an article, comprising:

a cabinet defining an interior;

a treating chamber located within the interior for receiving the article for cleaning;

a dispensing system having a dispensing cup fluidly coupled to the treating chamber; and

a bulk dispensing cartridge configured to hold a first treating chemistry,

wherein the dispensing cup is configured to selectively hold the bulk dispensing cartridge, or a second treating chemistry when the bulk dispensing cartridge is not present,

wherein the dispensing system is configured to discharge substantially all of the second treating chemistry from the dispensing cup into the treating chamber during a single cleaning cycle when the bulk dispensing cartridge is not present, and to discharge a predetermined amount of the first treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge into the treating chamber during each cleaning cycle when the bulk dispenser is present.

17. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 16, wherein the second treating chemistry comprising the first treating chemistry.

18. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 16, further comprising a treating chemistry meter operable to control the flow of the first treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge.

19. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 18, further comprising a controller configured to implement the cleaning cycle and to control the operation of the treating chemistry meter to thereby control the flow of the first treating chemistry from the bulk dispensing cartridge.

20. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 16, further comprising a single water flow path supplying water to the dispensing system to flush treating chemistry from either of the dispensing cup or the bulk dispenser cartridge to the treating chamber.