US 5,806,120 A · Ozonated laundry system

Abstract

A system for treating laundry with ozone including a controller that receives a load signal based on a wash load selection. The controller varies an output potential from a variable power supply to an ozone generator in response to the load signal. The ozone generator produces different levels of ozone corresponding to the output potential. A wash liquor is drawn out of a laundry machine and sent through a filter past an injector adjacent a venturi. The injector entrains ozone from the ozone generator into the wash liquor and the wash liquor is returned to the laundry machine. A method is disclosed for treating laundry with ozone by: selecting a wash load selection from a plurality of wash load selections; varying the amount of ozone provided to the injector by an ozone generator in response to the load selection; drawing a wash liquor from the laundry machine by a pump; filtering the wash liquor from the laundry machine through a filter; entraining ozone from the ozone generator into the wash liquor; and returning the wash liquor to the laundry machine.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for treating laundry with ozone comprising:

a laundry machine having a selector for choosing a load selection;
a controller for receiving a load signal from the selector and for determining a control signal corresponding to the load selection;
an ozone generator electrically connected to the controller and adapted to receive the control signal for producing ozone in response to the control signal;
an air dryer receivably connected to said ozone generator by a shaft, said ozone generator ionizing the air from said air dryer thereby producing ozone;
an injector for receiving wash liquor from the laundry machine and ozone from the ozone generator and for entraining ozone into wash liquor, said injector having a discharge conduit for sending wash liquor and ozone to the laundry machine;
and
a pump connected to said laundry machine and said injector for drawing wash liquor out of the laundry machine and sending wash liquor to the injector;
wherein the ozone concentration entrained in the wash liquor is varied in response to the load selection.

5 more elements

A method for treating laundry with ozone having a laundry machine receiving wash liquor and having a selector for load selections, a controller, an ozone generator having a variable power supply and electronically connected to the controller, an injector connected to the ozone generator by a feed line, a filter removably connected to the pump and the injector and a pump connected to the laundry machine and the filter, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a load selection on the selector from a plurality of load selections;
varying an ozone concentration provided to the injector by the ozone generator in response to the load selection;
drawing a wash liquor from the laundry machine by the pump;
filtering the wash liquor from the laundry machine through the filter, wherein the filtered wash liquor is sent to the injector;
entraining ozone from the ozone generator into the wash liquor received from the filter in the injector;
and
sending the wash liquor from the injector to the laundry machine;
wherein the ozone concentration entrained in the wash liquor is regulated by the controller in response to the load selection.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ozonated laundry system

Life of this patent

Ozonated laundry system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20