METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING LAUNDRY ITEMS

• US 20140277751A1
• Filed: 01/22/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: FULMER, GREGORY R., GHOSH, KAUSTAV, MURCH, WILLIAM L., PINKOWSKI, ROBERT J., QUDDUS, MIR A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,072,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/62 Quaternary ammonium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/72 Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/835 Mixtures of non-ionic with cationic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/12 Soft surfaces, e.g. textile
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0021 Dye-stain or dye-transfer inhibiting compositions
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/04 Quantity, e.g. weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/42 Detergent or additive supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/37 of metering of detergents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 13/395 Isocyanates
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 13/402 Amides imides, sulfamic acids
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A clothes dryer for drying fabric items in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, includes a treating chamber receiving fabric items for treatment and a controller having a memory in which is stored a set of executable instructions comprising at least one user-selectable cycle of operation, the controller may receive an indication of a dye transfer event and implement a cycle of operation based thereon.

Claims

1. A method of operating a clothes dryer having at least one automatic cycle of operation for drying laundry, the method comprising:

receive as an input, to a controller for the clothes dryer, an indication of a dye transfer event for the laundry to be dried according to the automatic cycle of operation; and

control implementation of the at least one automatic cycle of operation of the clothes dryer, by a controller, based on the indication of the dye transfer event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving as input an indication of a dye transfer event comprises receiving a communication from a washing machine that the dye transfer event has occurred.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the communication from the washing machine is at least one of a wireless communication or a hard-wired communication.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving as input an indication of a dye transfer event comprises receiving a user input that the dye transfer event has occurred.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the implementation of the at least one automatic cycle of operation based on the indication of the dye transfer event comprises implementing one or more specific drying actions or cycles.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the implementing of the one or more specific drying actions or cycles occurs regardless of what cycle of operation is selected.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein only the one or more specific drying actions or cycles may be selected by a user.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the implementing of the one or more specific drying actions or cycles comprises controlling a drying temperature of the clothes dryer to be below a thermoset temperature.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the receiving as input an indication of a dye transfer event comprises further receiving information related to one of a type of dye transferred or a type of laundry.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the controller determines the drying temperature based on the type of dye transferred or the type of laundry.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the implementation of the at least one automatic cycle of operation based on the indication of the dye transfer event comprises limiting temperatures during the cycle of operation.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the implementation of the at least one automatic cycle of operation based on the indication of the dye transfer event comprises limiting dryness achieved during the cycle of operation.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling the implementation of the at least one automatic cycle of operation based on the indication of the dye transfer event comprises adjusting a rotation profile of a drum of the clothes dryer.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating, on a user interface of the clothes dryer, information related to the dye where the information comprises at least one of:

at least one action taken by the clothes dryer in response to the indication of the dye transfer event, at least one consequence of the at least one action taken by the clothes dryer, or indicating on the user interface that the dye transfer event has been determined.

15. A clothes dryer for drying fabric items in accordance with an automatic cycle of operation, for drying laundry, comprising:

a treating chamber for receiving fabric items for treatment;

a controller having a memory in which is stored a set of executable instructions comprising at least one user-selectable cycle of operation; and

at least one of;

a user interface operably coupled with the controller and providing an input and output function for the controller and providing an indication of a dye transfer event or a data communicator for receiving information from a washing machine and outputting information to the controller to provide an indication of a dye transfer event; and

wherein the controller receives an indication of the dye transfer event from the user interface or the data communicator and is configured to control implementation of the at least one automatic cycle of operation based on the indication of the dye transfer event.

16. The clothes dryer of claim 15 wherein the controller is configured to terminate the cycle of operation upon a specific dryness being reached.

17. The clothes dryer of claim 15 wherein the data communicator wirelessly communicates with a washing machine or is in hard-wired communication with a washing machine.

18. The clothes dryer of claim 15, further comprising an air flow system for supplying air to the treating chamber and a heater operably coupled to the treating chamber to selectively heat the air supplied to the treating chamber.

19. The clothes dryer of claim 18 wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the heater, based on the indication of the dye transfer event, to be below a thermoset temperature.

20. The clothes dryer of claim 15 wherein the controller is further configured to provide an indication on the user interface of the indication of the dye transfer event.