Method for cleaning metering lines in automatically controlled laundry care devices
First Claim
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1. An automatically controlled laundry care device, comprising:
- a laundry treatment chamber within a housing;
at least one reservoir, each configured to contain different flowable laundry treatment agents;
a metering line;
outlet lines connected to each reservoir and configured to supply the different flowable laundry treatment agents to the metering line;
a rinsing line;
a rinsing agent source configured to provide a rinsing agent;
a rinsing agent controller configured to flush the metering line with the rinsing agent via the rinsing line from the rinsing agent source;
and a laundry care device controller configured to initiate adding a metered dose of the different flowable laundry treatment agents from the reservoir without a post flush operation, andwherein after a delay period of time the laundry device controller is further configured to initiate a flushing by the rinsing agent controller, the flushing configured to occur only immediately before adding another flowable laundry treatment agent.
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Abstract
Flowable laundry treatment agents can be added in automatically metered dosages via a metering line to a laundry treatment process by means of an automatic metering system comprising a reservoir. Advantageously, a metering line of is flushed with a rinsing agent, particularly water, after adding a dose. In order to prevent the development of germs in the residues of the rinsing agents, comprising diluted residues of laundry treatment agents, when remaining in the fluid lines for a longer period of time, exemplary embodiments of the invention provide for the metering line to be flushed immediately before adding a dose.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An automatically controlled laundry care device, comprising:
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a laundry treatment chamber within a housing; at least one reservoir, each configured to contain different flowable laundry treatment agents; a metering line; outlet lines connected to each reservoir and configured to supply the different flowable laundry treatment agents to the metering line; a rinsing line; a rinsing agent source configured to provide a rinsing agent; a rinsing agent controller configured to flush the metering line with the rinsing agent via the rinsing line from the rinsing agent source; and a laundry care device controller configured to initiate adding a metered dose of the different flowable laundry treatment agents from the reservoir without a post flush operation, and wherein after a delay period of time the laundry device controller is further configured to initiate a flushing by the rinsing agent controller, the flushing configured to occur only immediately before adding another flowable laundry treatment agent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for cleaning a metering line in an automatically controlled laundry care device, the method comprising:
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adding a flowable laundry treatment agent in a first metered dose from one of at least one reservoir through a metering line to a laundry treatment process without a post-flush operation; flushing said metering line with a rinsing agent after a delay period of time only immediately before adding another metered dose of another flowable laundry treatment agent from one of at least one reservoir; and immediately following flushing said metering line, adding another flowable laundry treatment in another metered dose from one of the at least one reservoir through the metering line to the laundry treatment process. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification