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US 7,513,132 B2Granted
Non-aqueous washing machine with modular construction
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsTremitchell L. Wright, Daniel C. Conrad, Stephen David Krefman, Joel A. Luckman, Richard A. Sunshine, Andrew Leitert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a non-aqueous washing machine, methods of using the machine, methods of washing, and recycling and modular components and subsystems thereof.
Claims3
A cleaning machine adapted for the utilization of a working fluid to clean a wash load comprising:
- a first enclosure comprising a wash unit, said wash unit comprising a wash chamber for containing the wash load located within said wash unit;
- a second enclosure comprising a reclamation unit, said reclamation unit comprising a cross flow membrane filter;
- conduits extending between the wash unit and said reclamation unit;
- a control for operating said cleaning machine through a series of washing steps;
- a clean tank;
- and
- a permeate filter, wherein the permeate filter is disposed between the cross flow membrane filter and the clean tank.
4 more elements
A cleaning machine adapted for the utilization of a working fluid to clean a wash load comprising;
- a first enclosure comprising a wash unit, said wash unit comprising a wash chamber for containing the wash load located within said wash unit;
- a second enclosure comprising a reclamation unit, said reclamation unit comprising a cross flow membrane filter;
- conduits extending between the wash unit and said reclamation unit;
- a control for operating said cleaning machine through a series of washing steps;
- a waste tank;
- a clean tank;
- and
- a dead end filter, wherein the dead end filter is disposed between the cross flow membrane filter and at least one of the following:
- the waste tank and the clean tank.
6 more elements
A fabric cleaning machine adapted for the utilization of a working fluid to clean a wash load, comprising:
- a first enclosure having a plurality of walls;
- a wash unit in said first enclosure, wherein said wash unit comprises:
- a wash chamber for containing the wash load of fabric located within said wash unit;
- an access door in at least one wall of said first enclosure adapted to permit selective access to said wash chamber for loading and removing the wash load;
- and
- a dispenser for directing wash liquor into said wash chamber;
- a second enclosure having a plurality of walls;
- a reclamation unit in a second enclosure, wherein said reclamation unit comprises:
- a working fluid storage system;
- a working fluid supply system for supplying working fluid to wash chamber;
- a working fluid retrieval system for recovering working fluid from said wash chamber and returning said working fluid to said working fluid storage tank;
- and
- a working fluid processing system for removing contaminants from said working fluid recovered from said wash chamber;
- wherein the working fluid processing system further comprises a chiller disposed between the wash chamber and a cross flow membrane filter;
- conduits extending between said wash unit and said reclamation unit;
- a pump connected to at least one of said conduits for moving fluid through said conduit;
- a control for operating said cleaning machine through a series of washing steps wherein said first and second enclosures make up a modular system arrangeable and interconnectable in a plurality of functional orientations;
- a clean tank;
- and
- a permeate filter, wherein the permeate filter is disposed between the cross flow membrane filter and the clean tank.
17 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.