Laundry appliance balance ring
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsTanner Davis Gunn, Cody Ewing
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laundry appliance includes a cabinet, a tub positioned within the cabinet, a basket rotatably mounted within the tub and defining a chamber for receipt of articles, and a balance ring. The balance ring is positioned on the basket and defines a balance ring interior. The balance ring includes a fluid inlet extending into the balance ring interior such that the fluid inlet permits fluid to flow into the balance ring interior. Additionally, the balance ring includes a fluid retaining wall protruding from a surface into the balance ring interior. After the fluid flows into the balance ring interior, rotation of the basket permits the fluid to collectively move onto the fluid retaining wall for providing balance to the basket during rotation of the basket.
Claims20
A top load washing machine appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the top load washing machine appliance comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a tub positioned within the cabinet;
- a vertically oriented basket rotatably mounted within the tub, the basket defining a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing;
- and
- a balance ring positioned on a bottom of the basket and defining a balance ring interior, the balance ring comprising:
- a fluid inlet extending radially into the balance ring interior such that the fluid inlet permits fluid to flow radially into the balance ring interior;
- and
- a fluid retaining wall protruding from a surface into the balance ring interior,
- wherein, after the fluid flows into the balance ring interior, rotation of the basket permits the fluid to collectively move onto the fluid retaining wall for providing balance to the basket during rotation of the basket.
A laundry appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the laundry appliance comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a tub positioned within the cabinet;
- a basket rotatably mounted within the tub and defining a chamber for receipt of articles, the basket including an interior end surface and an interior circumferential surface extending from the interior end surface;
- and
- a balance ring positioned on the basket and defining a balance ring interior, the balance ring comprising:
- a fluid inlet extending from the interior circumferential surface of the basket into the balance ring interior such that the fluid inlet permits fluid to flow from the basket into the balance ring interior;
- and
- a fluid retaining wall protruding from a surface into the balance ring interior,
- wherein, after the fluid flows into the balance ring interior, rotation of the basket permits the fluid to collectively move onto the fluid retaining wall for providing balance to the basket during rotation of the basket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.