Apparatus and method for utilizing a venturi effect in a dispenser

• US 9,051,676 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Leibman, Alexander, Acharya, Alaknanda, Davis, Paul Owen, Kappler, Jerrod Aaron, Omalley, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): KO, JASON Y
• Application Number:
  US13/075,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20120246836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/088 Liquid supply arrangements

Abstract

An apparatus for delivering additive into a clothes basket and cleaning remaining additive from an additive container are provided. The apparatus includes a clothes basket rotatable about an axis, a motor coupled to the clothes basket, a Venturi component, an additive container connected to a vacuum area of the Venturi component through a U-tube, a water inlet connected to the Venturi component through an inlet hose, an outlet hose connecting the Venturi component to the clothes basket, a valve controlling flow of water into the inlet hose, a valve controlling flow of water into the additive container, and a processor coupled to the motor and the valves, the processor being operative to manipulate the valve controlling flow of water into the inlet hose and the valve controlling flow of water into the additive container to deliver additive into the clothes basket and to clean remaining additive from the additive container.

Claims

1. A dispensing cup apparatus comprising:

a dispensing cup comprising one or more additive chambers;

a dispensing cup cover;

a motif fluid valve, wherein the motif fluid valve facilitates motif fluid to be mixed with additive from one or more of the one or more additive chambers carried to a washing chamber, and wherein the motif fluid valve also branches out to carry motif fluid towards the dispensing cup cover; and

one or more channels to provide motif fluid flow along walls of the one or more additive chambers to wash the walls of the one or more additive chambers, wherein the one or more channels comprise a gap between the cover and the dispensing cup that increases from a point of motif fluid entry in the additive chamber to a point of motif fluid exit from the additive chamber, facilitating motif fluid to move from an area of higher fluid pressure to an area of lower fluid pressure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more additive chambers holds at least one of a liquid additive, a powder additive, an additive tablet and an additive pouch.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one additive chamber is a sub-chamber of one of the one or more additive chambers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dispensing cup cover comprises at least one of a snap-on cover, a glued-on cover and a welded-on cover.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motif fluid comprises water.

6. The dispensing cup apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tube connecting the motif fluid valve to the point of motif fluid entry in the additive chamber and an output component at the point of motif fluid exit from the additive chamber, wherein the tube is narrower than the output component.