Low pressure laundry treating appliance
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorRodney M. Welch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for a low pressure laundry treating appliance having a cabinet defining an interior, and a drum provided within the interior, the drum including at least an inner wall and an outer wall. Pressure differentiations and flash evaporation can enable drying without excess use of conventional heating methods.
Claims20
A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to an automatic cycle of operation, the laundry treating appliance comprising:
- a drum assembly comprising an outer drum defining an outer drum interior, an inner drum located within the outer drum interior, the inner drum at least partially defining a treating chamber having an access opening, and the inner drum spaced from the outer drum to define an interstitial space;
- a closure selectively closing the access opening;
- a liquid reuse tank fluidly coupled to the interstitial space;
- a vent fluidly coupled to the reuse tank;
- and
- a drain system fluidly coupling the interstitial space to the reuse tank, the drain system comprising at least one collection channel within the interstitial space and formed in the outer drum, and a drain channel fluidly coupled to the at least one collection channel.
A method of draining fluids in a laundry treating appliance having a drum assembly comprising an outer drum defining an outer drum interior, an inner drum located within the outer drum interior, the inner drum at least partially defining a treating chamber having an access opening, and the inner drum spaced from the outer drum to define an interstitial space;
- the method comprising:
- flowing fluids in a set of collection channels formed in the outer drum and located within the interstitial space;
- dispensing the fluids into a set of collection conduits at least partially disposed within the set of collection channels and extending axially from one of a rear or a front of the laundry treating appliance toward the other of the rear or the front of the laundry treating appliance and disposed circumferentially about the outer drum;
- draining the fluids into a drain channel circumscribing one of the rear or the front of the laundry treating appliance;
- passing the fluids through at least one drain conduit extending radially toward the rotational axis from the drain channel;
- and
- moving the fluids from the at least one drain conduit into a reuse tank disposed within the laundry treating appliance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.