Laundry treating appliance lint filter

• US 10,738,407 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2019
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• 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:
  US16/446,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20190330787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 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 includes a laundry treating phase including 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 including supplying air to the treating chamber through the inlet and exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber.

Claims

1. 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 forming a housing having a first chamber and a deflector and fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, and an air supply having an inlet and outlet fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, the method comprising:

forming a liquid bath defined by a portion of the housing and a retaining wall in the treating chemistry dispenser, wherein a free surface of the bath forms a gap with an edge of the deflector;

supplying air to the treating chamber through the inlet;

exhausting the supplied air from the treating chamber through a port into the first chamber of the treating chemistry dispenser toward the deflector; and

impinging the exhausted air onto the deflector and then through the gap between the bath and the deflector, wherein the bath removes lint contained within the exhausted air.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein impinging the exhausted air onto the bath comprises impinging the exhausted air onto a free surface of the bath.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein impinging the exhausted air onto the free surface of the bath comprises deflecting the exhausted air onto the free surface of the bath.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the impinging the exhausted air onto the free surface of the bath comprises impinging turbulent exhausted air onto the free surface of the bath.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the impinging the turbulent exhausted air onto the free surface comprises impinging the turbulent exhausted air onto the free surface at along an impingement vector.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a speed of the turbulent exhausted air is between 14 ft/s and 42 ft/s.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the impinging the turbulent exhausted air onto the free surface forms a standing wave on the free surface.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the impinging the exhausted air onto the bath comprises impinging turbulent exhausted air onto the bath.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the impinging the exhausted air onto the bath comprises impinging the turbulent exhausted air onto the bath along an impingement vector.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a speed of the exhausted air is between 14 ft/s and 42 ft/s.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the impinging the exhausted air onto the bath comprises impinging the exhausted air onto the bath along an impingement vector.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a speed of the exhausted air impinging the bath is between 14 ft/s and 42 ft/s.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the impinging the exhausted air onto the free surface forms a standing wave on the bath.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein directing the exhausted air to the dispenser comprises directing the exhausted air into a housing of the dispenser.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein directing the exhausted air into the housing comprises directing the exhausted air into the housing at a location away from a dispensing drawer slidably received within the housing.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the exhausted air is directed into the housing below the drawer.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the treating chemistry dispenser comprises at least water.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein impinging the exhausted air onto the bath comprises deflecting the exhausted air onto the bath.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the impinging the exhausted air onto the bath comprises impinging turbulent exhausted air onto the bath.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the deflector is located opposite of the port.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the deflector divides the housing into the first chamber and a second chamber.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the gap between the liquid bath and the edge of the deflector creates a pressure drop between the first and the second chamber that causes a velocity of the exhausting air flowing through the gap to be higher than a velocity of exhausting air flowing into the chamber.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the liquid bath is formed from at least a portion of treating chemistry dispensed from the treating chemistry dispenser.