Rinse release dispensing device
AssigneeThe Clorox Company
InventorsKen Chiang, Michael J. Petrin, Timothy M. Soto, Frank M. Knafelc
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lightweight, free-body and buoyant dispenser that is centrifugally actuated for releasing a laundry product following the spin cycle includes a housing that has one or more covered apertures one of which is exposed during the spin cycle. The laundry product, which is a liquid, solid, gel powder, or mixture thereof, however, does not exit the dispenser until the spinning has subsided. Disc-shaped dispensers having two apertures that are covered by biased-doors are especially suited for delivering laundry agents for post-spin cycle treatment.
Claims24
A dispenser, for use in a basket of an automatic washing machine for dispersing a laundry product into the basket that includes a rotatable inner wall and an interior region, wherein the dispenser comprises:
- a housing defining an internal chamber adapted to receive the laundry product and having at least one aperture;
- cover means for covering and sealing the at least one aperture wherein the cover means includes at least one cover that is movable between a closed position and an opened position upon activation of the cover means;
- latch means for engaging the at least one cover to maintain the at least one cover in its closed position until the latch means is disengaged whereby the at least one cover moves to its opened position;
- a weight assembly that is actuated by centrifugal force and that is operatively connected to the latch means, whereby the weight assembly upon actuation by the centrifugal force causes the latch means to disengage the at least one cover;
- means for causing the housing to orient within the basket, when the housing is subject to a centrifugal force, so that when the weight assembly is actuated and the at least one cover moves to its opened position the laundry product remains within the internal chamber until the centrifugal force has substantially subsided or been removed, with the proviso that only one aperture becomes exposed to the environment when the housing is subject to the centrifugal force;
- and
- means for biasing the weight assembly to return the weight assembly to a neutral position when the centrifugal force has substantially subsided or been removed.
A method of dispensing a laundry product into an automatic washing machine that is equipped with a basket having a rotatable inner wall and an interior region so that the laundry product is released from the dispenser following the spin cycle, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a dispenser that comprises:
- (i) a housing defining an internal chamber adapted to receive the laundry product and having at least one aperture;
- (ii) cover means for covering and sealing the at least one aperture wherein the cover means includes at least one cover that is movable between a closed position and an opened position upon activation of the cover means;
- (iii) latch means for engaging the at least one cover to maintain the at least one cover in its closed position until the latch means is disengaged whereby the at least one cover moves to its opened position;
- (iv) a weight assembly that is actuated by centrifugal force and that is operatively connected to the latch means, whereby the weight assembly upon actuation by the centrifugal force causes the latch means to disengage the at least one cover;
- (v) means for causing the housing to orient within the basket, when the housing is subject to a centrifugal force, so that when the weight assembly is actuated and the at least one cover moves to its opened position the laundry product remains within the internal chamber until the centrifugal force has substantially subsided or been removed, with the proviso that only one aperture becomes exposed to the environment when the housing is subject to the centrifugal force;
- and
- (vi) means for biasing the weight assembly to return the weight assembly to a neutral position when the centrifugal force has substantially subsided or been removed;
- (b) filling the internal chamber of the dispenser with a laundry product and closing the at least one aperture;
- (c) placing the dispenser into the basket of the washing machine along with articles of clothing;
- and
- (d) operating the washing machine whereby during the spin cycle one of the apertures open but the laundry product remains within the chamber until the spin cycle has stopped and water begins to fill the basket whereupon the laundry product dissolves or otherwise mixes into the water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.