Methods and compositions for treating laundry items
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the cycle of operation comprising:
- a pre-wetting phase comprising;
rotating the laundry in the treating chamber;
prior to any wetting of the laundry in the treating chamber, misting the laundry by spraying into the treating chamber a predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid, sufficient to wet a first exposed surface of the laundry, in the form of droplets having a diameter and at a rate that the droplets will be temporarily suspended in air;
a pre-wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wetting phase, comprising;
rotating the laundry in the treating chamber;
supplying a pre-wash liquid comprising at least one treating chemistry to the laundry wet by the pre-wetting liquid;
a wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wash phase, comprising;
supplying a wash liquid comprising water and a detergent to the laundry; and
applying mechanical energy to the laundry;
wherein misting the laundry with the pre-wetting liquid prior to supplying the pre-wash liquid to the laundry provides a more uniform distribution of the at least one treating chemistry on the laundry.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the cycle of operation including a pre-wetting phase which includes misting an exposed surface of the laundry with a pre-wetting liquid and a pre-wash phase which includes supplying a dye fixative to the surface of the laundry wet by the pre-wetting liquid for distributing a dye fixative to a laundry surface.
172 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. A method for operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the cycle of operation comprising:
-
a pre-wetting phase comprising; rotating the laundry in the treating chamber; prior to any wetting of the laundry in the treating chamber, misting the laundry by spraying into the treating chamber a predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid, sufficient to wet a first exposed surface of the laundry, in the form of droplets having a diameter and at a rate that the droplets will be temporarily suspended in air; a pre-wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wetting phase, comprising; rotating the laundry in the treating chamber; supplying a pre-wash liquid comprising at least one treating chemistry to the laundry wet by the pre-wetting liquid; a wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wash phase, comprising; supplying a wash liquid comprising water and a detergent to the laundry; and applying mechanical energy to the laundry; wherein misting the laundry with the pre-wetting liquid prior to supplying the pre-wash liquid to the laundry provides a more uniform distribution of the at least one treating chemistry on the laundry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method of applying a treating chemistry to laundry in a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation and a dispensing system comprising at least one sprayer for supplying the treating chemistry to the laundry, the method comprising:
-
rotating the laundry relative to the at least one sprayer; prior to wetting of the laundry in the treating chamber, supplying a pre-wetting liquid to the laundry through the at least one sprayer as a pre-wetting mist comprising liquid droplets of a diameter and at a rate that the droplets will be temporarily suspended in air to wet a first exposed surface of the laundry; controlling at least one of the rotating the laundry or the supplying a pre-wetting liquid such that the pre-wetting mist settles on an exposed surface of the laundry; supplying a at least one treating chemistry to the laundry wet by the pre-wetting mist; and subsequent to the supplying the at least one treating chemistry, supplying a wash liquid comprising water and a detergent to the laundry; wherein supplying the at least one treating chemistry to the laundry already wet by the pre-wetting mist provides a more uniform distribution of the at least one treating chemistry on the laundry. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
Specification