WASHING MACHINE COMPRISING A DRAWER FOR LOADING WASHING AGENT

• US 20130263631A1
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool EMEA SpA (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Elisa Mariotti, Fernanda Gaggioli, Maria Angela Mariotti
• Inventors: D'Andrea, Luca, Bombardieri, Giovanni, Pierucci, Gianluca, Baldini, Maurizio, Mariotti, Costantino
• Granted Patent: US 9,074,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 68/17.R
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

A washing machine, in particular a laundry washing or washing/drying machine, has at least one wash tub, one tank for a washing agent, and one drawer for loading washing agents, in which machine the drawer can be moved to at least a first position, wherein at least a portion of the drawer is in fluid communication with the tub, and a second position, wherein at least a portion of the drawer is in fluid communication with the tank.

Claims

1. A washing machine, in particular a laundry washing or washing/drying machine, comprising at least one wash tub, one tank for a washing agent, and one drawer for loading washing agents, wherein

the drawer is movable to at least a first position, wherein at least a portion of the drawer is in fluid communication with the tub, and a second position, wherein at least a portion of the drawer is in fluid communication with the tank.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the first position corresponds to a partial extraction of the drawer and the second position corresponds to a full extraction of the drawer.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drawer comprises at least two open-top chambers accessible from the outside in both the first and second positions.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the drawer has a front wall and the chambers extend longitudinally from the front wall of the drawer to a rear region thereof, where they have an aperture for discharging the washing agent supplied into the chamber.

5. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the drawer has a floor and is housed in a housing seat that is fixed with respect to the drawer and surrounds it at least underneath the floor, which seat has two drain apertures in the bottom, which are in fluid communication with said tanks, said drain apertures being closed by the floor of the drawer when the latter is in the partially extracted condition, and being open when the latter is in the fully extracted condition.

6. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the housing seat comprises a drain afferent to the tub, which opens in the proximity of a rear wall of the housing seat, so that a washing agent supplied into the chamber is conveyed towards the tub when the drawer is partially open or retracted.

7. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the housing seat also comprises a partition wall adjacent to the drain apertures and extending on the side of the latter that faces the rear wall, and a floor comprising an inclined portion sloping down towards the rear wall, so that the washing agent is conveyed towards the drain by gravity.

8. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the drawer comprises one oscillating door for each chamber, arranged in the rear portion of the chamber, and wherein the oscillating door extends downwards to a certain distance from the floor of the chambers.

9. The washing machine according to claim 5, also comprising a fixed top arranged on the drawer and fixed with respect to it, which features an edge beyond which the chambers of the drawer protrude partially or fully in the partially or fully extracted condition, respectively.

10. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the drawer comprises at least one feedbox for loading washing agents into the tank, and wherein the chamber is separated from the feedbox for the purpose of containing a washing agent to be discharged into the tub.