US 11,982,033 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for cleaning laundry

AssigneeElectrolux Home Products, Inc.

InventorsAllison White, Martino Bondi, Yihong Li, Elisa Stabon, Alberto Lucchetta

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A method for controlling a laundry washing machine. The method includes: performing a tub loading process comprising operating supply valve(s) to provide a first volume of water through a detergent supply system and into a tub to fill the tub with wash liquid; performing a washing process comprising rotating a drum to agitate laundry in in the presence of the wash liquid; performing a static rinsing process comprising operating a pump to remove a free volume of wash liquid from the tub without rotating the drum; and performing one or more rinsing processes comprising: operating the supply valve(s) to provide a volume of clean rinse water to the tub, operating the pump to remove the rinse water from the drum, and operating the motor to spin the drum at high speed to extract rinse water from the laundry, while continuing to operate the pump.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A laundry washing machine comprising:

a tub;
a drum rotatably mounted within the tub;
a motor configured to selectively rotate the drum;
one or more supply valves connectable to a water supply system;
a detergent supply system;
a water draining pump;
and
a control unit, the control unit being configured to:
perform a tub loading process comprising operating the one or more supply valves to provide a first volume of water through the detergent supply system and into the tub to fill the tub with wash liquid;
perform a washing process comprising operating the motor to rotate the drum to thereby agitate laundry in the drum in the presence of the wash liquid;
perform a static rinsing process comprising operating the water draining pump to remove a free volume of liquid solution from the tub without simultaneously operating the motor to rotate the drum;
and
perform one or more rinsing processes comprising:
performing a tub loading process comprising operating the one or more supply valves to provide a volume of clean rinse water to the tub,
operating the water draining pump to remove the rinse water from the drum, and
operating the motor to spin the drum at high speed to extract rinse water from the laundry, while continuing to operate the draining pump.

13 more elements

A laundry washing machine comprising:

a tub;
a drum rotatably mounted within the tub;
a motor configured to selectively rotate the drum;
a water draining pump;
and
a control unit, the control unit being configured to:
present to a user an option to selected between a first cleaning cycle and a second cleaning cycle;
receive a selection of one of the first cleaning cycle and the second cleaning cycle;
upon receiving a selection of the first cleaning cycle:
fill the tub with wash liquid,
operate the motor to rotate the drum to agitate the contents of the drum in the wash liquid,
perform a static rinsing process comprising operating the water draining pump to remove a free volume of liquid solution from the tub without simultaneously operating the motor to rotate the drum,
fill the tub with a first volume of clean rinse water,
operate the water draining pump to remove the rinse water from the drum, and
operate the motor to spin the drum at high speed to extract rinse water from the laundry, while continuing to operate the draining pump;
and
upon receiving a selection of the second cleaning cycle:
fill the tub with wash liquid,
operate the motor to rotate the drum to agitate the contents of the drum in the wash liquid,
operate the water draining pump to remove an a free volume of liquid solution from the tub,
operate the motor to rotate the drum,
fill the tub with a second volume of clean rinse water,
operate the water draining pump to remove the rinse water from the drum, and
operate the motor to spin the drum at high speed to extract rinse water from the laundry, while continuing to operate the draining pump.

21 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/108,339Filed 10 Feb 2023 · continuation
Priority: 14 Sep 2018
Published: US 2023/0193542 A122 Jun 2023
Granted: 14 May 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

D06F 33/00
Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers
D06F 33/32
Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control: control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement…
D06F 23/02
Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing…:…
D06F 34/18
Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters: condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight

Family

Application16/131,941Parent of this division · filed 14 Sep 2018
Application17/352,894Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Jun 2021
US 11,131,048 B2Parent of this division · filed 28 Sep 2021
US 2023/0193542 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Jun 2023
US 11,598,040 B2Parent of this continuation
Application17/352,894Parent of this division
US 2020/0087828 A1Published application
US 2021/0310170 A1Published application
US 11,982,033 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.