METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING LAUNDRY ITEMS
First Claim
1. A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a tub and a rotatable, perforated drum located within the tub and operably coupled with a motor for rotating the drum, the drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to a cycle of operation, the cycle of operation comprising:
- a pre-wash phase comprising;
rotating the drum to impart a centrifugal force to the laundry sufficient to distribute the laundry about a periphery of the drum to form an annulus of laundry within the treating chamber;
supplying a treating chemistry comprising at least one substance other than water to the tub via the drum by supplying the treating chemistry through a center of the annulus of laundry such that the treating chemistry bypasses the laundry and flows through the perforations in the drum into the tub;
supplying liquid to the tub to form a mixture of the liquid and the treating chemistry; and
supplying the mixture onto the laundry; and
a wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wash phase, comprising;
forming a wash mixture comprising water and a detergent composition;
supplying the wash mixture to the laundry; and
applying mechanical energy to the laundry.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a tub and a rotatable, perforated drum located within the tub and operably coupled with a motor for rotating the drum, the drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to a cycle of operation comprises a pre-wash phase in which a treating chemistry is dispensed and a main wash phase.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a tub and a rotatable, perforated drum located within the tub and operably coupled with a motor for rotating the drum, the drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to a cycle of operation, the cycle of operation comprising:
a pre-wash phase comprising; rotating the drum to impart a centrifugal force to the laundry sufficient to distribute the laundry about a periphery of the drum to form an annulus of laundry within the treating chamber; supplying a treating chemistry comprising at least one substance other than water to the tub via the drum by supplying the treating chemistry through a center of the annulus of laundry such that the treating chemistry bypasses the laundry and flows through the perforations in the drum into the tub; supplying liquid to the tub to form a mixture of the liquid and the treating chemistry; and supplying the mixture onto the laundry; and a wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wash phase, comprising; forming a wash mixture comprising water and a detergent composition; supplying the wash mixture to the laundry; and applying mechanical energy to the laundry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to a cycle of operation, comprising:
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a tub defining a tub interior; a rotatable, perforated drum located within the tub interior and at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment; a motor operably coupled to the drum to effect a rotation of the drum; a dispensing system supplying treating chemistry to the treating chamber; a liquid supply system supplying liquid to the tub; a recirculation system supplying liquid in the tub to the treating chamber; and a controller having control software programmed to; implement a pre-wash phase comprising; controlling the motor to rotate the drum to impart a centrifugal force to the laundry to distribute the laundry about a periphery of the drum to form an annulus of laundry within the treating chamber; controlling the dispensing system to supply a treating chemistry comprising at least one substance other than water to the tub via the drum by supplying the treating chemistry through a center of the annulus of laundry such that the treating chemistry bypasses the laundry and flows through the perforations in the drum into the tub; controlling the liquid supply system to supply liquid to the tub to form a mixture of the liquid and the treating chemistry; and controlling the recirculation system to supply the mixture in the tub onto the laundry; and implement a wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wash phase, comprising; controlling the dispensing system and the liquid supply system to supply a detergent composition and water to the treating chamber to form a wash mixture; and controlling the recirculation system to supply the wash mixture to the laundry. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification