Methods and compositions for treating laundry items

• US 9,702,074 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Alexander, Benjamin E., Pinkowski, Robert J., Scharich, III, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US14/275,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20140259448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/005 Methods for washing, rinsing or spin-drying

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.

Claims

1. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a tub and a rotatable drum located within the tub and operably coupled with a motor for rotating the rotatable drum, the rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to a cycle of operation, the method comprising:

a pre-wash phase comprising;

rotating the rotatable 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 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.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising wetting the laundry with water prior to forming the annulus of laundry.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the treating chemistry comprises a dye absorber, a dye fixative, a fabric softener or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating the rotatable drum to impart a centrifugal force comprises rotating the rotatable drum at a satellizing speed.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the supplying the treating chemistry occurs when a speed of rotation of the rotatable drum satisfies a predetermined threshold less than the satellizing speed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the rotatable drum further comprises a clothes mover inside the rotatable drum and mounted on a rotational axis of the rotatable drum and the supplying the treating chemistry to the tub comprises supplying the treating chemistry onto the clothes mover.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplying the liquid to the tub is contemporaneous with or after the supplying the treating chemistry.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the rotatable drum to redistribute the laundry in the rotatable drum from the annulus after the supplying the treating chemistry to the tub.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein rotating the rotatable drum to redistribute the laundry comprises alternately turning the motor on and off or reversing a direction of rotation of the rotatable drum.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing the mixture of the liquid and the treating chemistry prior to supplying the mixture onto the laundry.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the mixing comprises supplying water to a first predetermined liquid level in the tub and rotating the rotatable drum to a predetermined speed to agitate the mixture of the liquid and the treating chemistry in the tub.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplying the mixture onto the laundry comprises wetting a portion of the laundry adjacent a side wall of the rotatable drum.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wetting a portion of the laundry comprises rotating the rotatable drum at a predetermined speed to draw the mixture up the side wall of the rotatable drum.

14. A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to a cycle of operation, comprising:

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.

15. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14, further comprising controlling the liquid supply system to wet the laundry with water prior to forming the annulus of laundry.

16. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 wherein the treating chemistry comprises a dye absorber, a dye fixative, a fabric softener or combinations thereof.

17. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 wherein the drum further comprises an impeller inside the drum and mounted on a rotational axis of the drum configured to direct treating chemistry dispensed onto the impeller to the drum.

18. The laundry treating appliance of claim 17 wherein the impeller comprises a plurality of apertures and wherein treating chemistry dispensed onto the impeller flows through the apertures to the drum.

19. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 wherein the dispensing system comprises at least one sprayer configured to spray the treating chemistry into the center of the annulus of the laundry.

20. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 wherein controlling the motor to rotate the drum to impart a centrifugal force comprises rotating the drum at a satellizing speed.

21. The laundry treating appliance of claim 20 wherein the supplying the treating chemistry occurs when a speed of rotation of the drum satisfies a predetermined threshold less than the satellizing speed.

22. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 wherein the dispensing system is controlled to supply the liquid to the tub contemporaneously with or after the supplying the treating chemistry.

23. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14, further comprising controlling the motor to rotate the drum to redistribute the laundry in the drum from the annulus after the supplying the treating chemistry to the tub.

24. The laundry treating appliance of claim 23 wherein controlling the motor to rotate the drum to redistribute the laundry comprises alternately turning the motor on and off or reversing a direction of rotation of the drum.

25. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14, wherein controlling the liquid supply system to supply liquid to the tub to form a mixture of the liquid and the treating chemistry comprises supplying liquid to a first liquid level in the tub.

26. The laundry treating appliance of claim 25, further comprising controlling the motor to rotate the drum to a predetermined speed to agitate the mixture of liquid and the treating chemistry in the tub.

27. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 wherein controlling the recirculation system to supply the mixture in the tub onto the laundry comprises wetting a portion of the laundry adjacent a side wall of the drum.

28. The laundry treating appliance of claim 27, wherein the wetting a portion of the laundry comprises controlling the motor to rotate the drum at a predetermined speed to draw the mixture up the side wall of the drum.