Laundry treating appliance lint filter

• US 9,725,845 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Kehl, Dennis, Leitert, Andrew, Richman, Lonnie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US14/687,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20160305060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/26 Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/22 Lint collecting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/36 Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry

Abstract

A method of removing lint from drying air in a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for holding clothes for treatment according to a cycle of operation, a treating chemistry dispenser fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and an air supply having an inlet and outlet fluidly coupled to the treating chamber is disclosed. The method comprises a laundry treating phase comprising supplying treating chemistry from the treating chemistry dispenser to the treating chamber and leaving a portion of the treating chemistry within the treating chamber to form a bath of treating chemistry, a laundry drying phase comprising supplying air to the treating chamber through the inlet and exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber.

Claims

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

a treating chamber in which laundry may be placed for treatment according to the cycle of operation;

a dispenser having a housing with a port fluidly coupled to the treating chamber;

a lint filter comprising a bath tub located within the dispenser and defined by a portion of the housing and a retaining wall and where the bath tub is fluidly coupled with the port; and

an air circuit comprising an air supply conduit coupled to the treating chamber and a conduit having a portion coupled to the port in the dispenser and in fluid communication with the bath tub;

wherein at least a portion of a liquid treating chemistry dispensed from the dispenser is retained in the bath tub to form a bath of treating chemistry and the air supplied from the conduit to the dispenser is deflected towards the bath of treating chemistry such that the air contacts the bath of treating chemistry such that at least some lint entrained in the air is retained in the bath of treating chemistry.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1, wherein the lint filter further comprises a deflector that extends from a portion of the housing towards the bath tub and deflects the air from the conduit onto the bath tub.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 further comprising an air mover fluidly coupled to the air circuit to move air through the air circuit at a speed where the air deflected onto the bath tub forms a standing wave in the bath of treating chemistry.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 3 wherein the speed of the air is between 14 ft/s and 42 ft/s.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 wherein an upper surface of the bath of treating chemistry is level with an upper edge of the retaining wall and forms a gap with a lower edge of the deflector.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the dispenser comprises a drawer having at least one reservoir for retaining treating chemistry and the lint filter is spaced from the drawer.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 wherein the lint filter is spaced below the drawer.