Laundry treating appliance having a dispensing drawer

• US 9,663,886 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Pinkowski, Robert J., Mackay, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shahinian, Levon J
• Application Number:
  US12/856,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20120036901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,479 Days
• Field of Search: 68 17 R
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 29/00 Combinations of a washing machine with other separate apparatus in a common frame or the like, e.g. with rinsing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence

Abstract

A dispensing system for a laundry treating appliance may include a drawer slidable between a closed position and an open position, a cartridge recess formed in a portion of the drawer configured to receive the cartridge of treating chemistry, and an aperture through which the cartridge is viewable and formed in the portion of the drawer.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance comprising:

a cabinet having an interior and having an access opening providing access to the interior;

a laundry treating chamber located within the interior and accessible through the access opening;

a door movably mounted to the cabinet configured to selectively close the access opening; and

a dispensing system configured to supply treating chemistry to the laundry treating chamber and comprising;

a drawer slidably coupled with the cabinet for movement between a closed position and an open position and having an angled bottom wall;

a cartridge recess formed in a portion of the drawer, defined at least in part by the angled bottom wall, and configured to receive a cartridge of treating chemistry; and

an aperture at least partially formed in the angled bottom wall of the cartridge recess;

wherein when the drawer is in the closed position, the drawer is received within the interior, and when the drawer is in the open position at least a portion of the aperture is exterior of the cabinet and the cartridge is viewable through at least a portion of the aperture when the drawer is viewed from below.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the drawer has a relief area or an offset area adjacent the cartridge recess to enable a user to grasp the cartridge for removal.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 wherein the drawer has at least one side wall that partially defines the cartridge recess, and the relief area is formed by a reduced-height portion of the at least one side wall.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 wherein the drawer has at least a first side wall that partially defines the cartridge recess, and the offset area is formed in the first side wall to create a gap between the first side wall and a cartridge received in the cartridge recess.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the drawer has at least a second side wall that partially defines the cartridge recess, and the relief area is formed by a reduced-height portion of the second side wall.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the angled bottom wall comprises a graduated scale on a lower surface of the angled bottom wall that indicates the amount of treating chemistry in the cartridge.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 wherein the portion of the drawer comprising the angled bottom wall and the graduated scale is adjacent the aperture such that a treating chemistry level seen through the aperture may be compared to the graduated scale to indicate the amount of treating chemistry in the cartridge.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 7 wherein the aperture extends substantially along the entire length of the cartridge recess.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the aperture comprises a window.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 9 wherein the window comprises a light transmitting material.

11. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the aperture opens into the cartridge recess.

12. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1, further comprising a coupling configured to fluidly connect with the cartridge of treating chemistry, wherein the coupling is carried by one of the drawer and the cabinet.

13. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1, further comprising a drum within the cabinet and defining the treating chamber.

14. A modular laundry system comprising:

a lower laundry treating appliance;

an upper laundry treating appliance vertically stacked above the lower laundry treating appliance and comprising;

a cabinet having an interior and having an access opening providing access to the interior;

a laundry treating chamber located within the interior and accessible through the access opening; and

a door movably mounted to the cabinet configured to selectively close the access opening; and

a dispensing system provided with the upper laundry treating appliance and configured to supply treating chemistry to the laundry treating chamber of the upper laundry treating appliance, the dispensing system comprising;

a drawer slidably coupled with the cabinet for movement between a closed position and an open position and wherein the drawer comprises an angled bottom wall;

a cartridge recess formed in a portion of the drawer, defined at least in part by the angled bottom wall, and configured to receive a cartridge of treating chemistry; and

an aperture at least partially formed in the angled bottom wall of the cartridge recess;

wherein when the drawer is in the closed position, the drawer is received within the interior, and when the drawer is in the open position, at least a portion of the aperture is exterior of the cabinet and the cartridge is viewable through at least a portion of the aperture when the drawer is viewed from below.

15. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the upper laundry treating appliance comprises one of a washing machine, a clothes dryer, a dispensing dryer, a fabric freshener, a non-aqueous laundry system, a combination washing machine and dryer, and a dishwashing appliance.

16. The modular laundry system of claim 15 wherein the lower laundry treating appliance comprises one of a washing machine, a clothes dryer, a dispensing dryer, a fabric freshener, a non-aqueous laundry system, a combination washing machine and dryer, and a dishwashing appliance.

17. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the drawer has a relief area or an offset area adjacent the cartridge recess to enable a user to grasp the cartridge for removal.

18. The laundry treating appliance of claim 17 wherein the drawer has at least one side wall that partially defines the cartridge recess, and the relief area is formed by a reduced-height portion of the at least one side wall.

19. The laundry treating appliance of claim 17 wherein the drawer has at least a first side wall that partially defines the cartridge recess, and the offset area is formed in the first side wall to create a gap between the first side wall and a cartridge received in the cartridge recess.

20. The laundry treating appliance of claim 19 wherein the drawer has at least a second side wall that partially defines the cartridge recess, and the relief area is formed by a reduced-height portion of the second side wall.

21. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the angled bottom wall comprises a graduated scale on a lower surface of the angled bottom wall that indicates the amount of treating chemistry in the cartridge.

22. The modular laundry system of claim 21 wherein the portion of the drawer comprising the angled bottom wall and the graduated scale is adjacent the aperture such that a treating chemistry level seen through the aperture may be compared to the graduated scale to indicate the amount of treating chemistry in the cartridge.

23. The modular laundry system of claim 22 wherein the aperture extends substantially along the entire length of the cartridge recess.

24. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the aperture comprises a window.

25. The modular laundry system of claim 24 wherein the window comprises a light transmitting material.

26. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the aperture opens into the cartridge recess.

27. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the upper laundry treating appliance further comprises a coupling configured to fluidly connect with the cartridge of treating chemistry, wherein the coupling is carried by one of the drawer and the cabinet.

28. The modular laundry system of claim 14 wherein the upper laundry treating appliance further comprises a drum within the cabinet that defines the laundry treating chamber.