# US 8,302,431 B2 · Method and apparatus for using steam in a commercial laundry machine as an environmentally-friendly replacement of conventional dry cleaning or wet cleaning processes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,302,431 B2 - Document ID: US8302431B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/477,149 - Filed: 2009-06-03 - Published: 2010-12-09 - Granted: 2012-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2009-06-03 - Assignees: Green Solution LLC - Inventors: Dennis H. Kimm; Kenneth D. Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8302431B2 ## CPC - D06L 1/00: Dry-cleaning or washing fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods - D06F 39/40: Steam generating arrangements - D06L 1/12: using aqueous solvents - D06F 34/28: Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating programme parameters, e.g. the selected programme or its progress - D06F 2101/20: Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programmes, service modes or refreshment cycles - D06L: DRY-CLEANING, WASHING OR BLEACHING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR MADE-UP FIBROUS GOODS; BLEACHING LEATHER OR FURS - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES ## Abstract A commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine is configured to use steam instead of dry-cleaning chemicals or water as a primary cleaning agent for garments rotating in a drum of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine. In one embodiment of the invention, a steam injector at least partially exposed to an inner surface of the drum is configured to provide a MCU-controlled fresh steam injection into the drum during a cleaning cycle of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine. The fresh steam into the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine is from an outtake of a standalone boiler system which is typically used for a variety of fabric treatment machines in a commercial laundry operation. A debris and clean steam/air separation chamber periodically or continuously separates and/or filters debris, chemicals, and/or other undesirable elements from the drum and evacuates clean or cleaned-up air and moistures to an air-out duct. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine configured to use steam as a primary cleaning agent for garments, the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine comprising: a drum operatively connected to a front-loading door and a drum motor of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine, wherein the drum is configured to rotate inside the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine by a rotational force provided by the drum motor; a steam injector at least partially exposed to an inner surface of the drum, wherein the steam injector is configured to provide a microcontroller (MCU)-controlled fresh steam injection into the drum during a cleaning cycle of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine; a steam-in duct operatively connected to the steam injector and an external water boiler system outside the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine, wherein the steam-induct is configured to carry fresh steam produced from the external boiler system outside the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine into the steam injector of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine; a control panel operatively connected to the microcontroller (MCU) of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine, wherein the control panel enables a user to select, initiate, or halt a particular garment-cleaning program using steam as the primary cleaning agent; an air-in duct operatively connected to the drum, wherein the air-in duct is configured to bring fresh outside air continuously or periodically during an operation of the particular garment-cleaning program to condense the steam onto the garments; a debris and clean steam/air separation chamber operatively connected to an outtake port inside the drum, wherein the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber is designed to separate, filter, and/or clean an incoming mixture of debris, steam, moisture, chemicals and/or air from the drum; and an air-out duct operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the air-out duct is configured to evacuate filtered and/or cleaned steam, air, and/or condensed water from the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a detergent and/or fabric conditioner input port operatively connected to the drum. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the steam injector and the detergent and/or fabric conditioner input port are enabled, disabled, and/or pressured-controlled by the microcontroller (MCU) of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine based on the particular garment cleaning program currently executed by the microcontroller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris and clean steam/air separation cylinder operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber and the air-out duct, wherein the debris and clean steam/air separation cylinder provides an additional level of filtering, cleaning, and/or separation of undesirable or environmentally harmful debris, steam, moisture, chemicals, and/or air. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris collection pipe, a debris container pipe, and a debris container which are operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the debris container is configured to collect the environmentally harmful debris, steam, moisture, chemicals, and/or air. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris collection pipe and a disk filter/distillation tank unit which are operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the disk filter/distillation tank unit is capable of boiling and evaporating moistures coming into the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber using a heat coil. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a chamber filter container placed inside the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the chamber filter container includes a debris and clean steam/air filter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control panel comprises a touch-screen display and/or a graphical user interface to enable the user to select, initiate, or halt the particular garment cleaning program. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particular garment cleaning program comprises a combination of cleaning, rinsing, and/or drying cycles with varying amounts of steam injection, cycle frequencies, and cycle durations based on a color and/or a type of garments for a particular load of laundries. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pressure controller operatively connected to the steam-in duct and/or the steam injector. ### Claim 11 A commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine configured to use steam as a primary cleaning agent for garments, the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine comprising: a drum operatively connected to a front-loading door and a drum motor of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine, wherein the drum is configured to rotate inside the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine by a rotational force provided by the drum motor; a first steam injector and a second steam injector at least partially exposed to an inner surface of the drum, wherein the first steam injector and the second steam injector are configured to provide a microcontroller (MCU)-controlled fresh steam injection into the drum during a cleaning cycle of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine; a steam-in duct operatively connected to the first steam injector, the second steam injector, and an external water boiler system outside the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine, wherein the steam-induct is configured to carry fresh steam produced from the external boiler system outside the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine into the first steam injector and the second steam injector of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine; a control panel operatively connected to the microcontroller (MCU) of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine, wherein the control panel enables a user to select, initiate, or halt a particular garment-cleaning program using steam as the primary cleaning agent; an air-in duct operatively connected to the drum, wherein the air-in duct is configured to bring fresh outside air continuously or periodically during an operation of the particular garment-cleaning program to condense the steam onto the garments; a debris and clean steam/air separation chamber operatively connected to an outtake port inside the drum, wherein the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber is designed to separate, filter, and/or clean an incoming mixture of debris, steam, moisture, chemicals and/or air from the drum; and an air-out duct operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the air-out duct is configured to evacuate filtered and/or cleaned steam, air, and/or condensed water from the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least some portions of the first steam injector and the second steam injector directly face each other at 180-degrees inside the drum. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a detergent and/or fabric conditioner input port operatively connected to the drum. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first steam injector, the second steam injector, and the detergent and/or fabric conditioner input port are enabled, disabled, and/or pressured-controlled by the microcontroller (MCU) of the commercial steam-cleaning laundry machine based on the particular garment cleaning program currently executed by the microcontroller. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris and clean steam/air separation cylinder operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber and the air-out duct, wherein the debris and clean steam/air separation cylinder provides an additional level of filtering, cleaning, and/or separation of undesirable or environmentally harmful debris, steam, moisture, chemicals, and/or air. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris collection pipe, a debris container pipe, and a debris container which are operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the debris container is configured to collect the environmentally harmful debris, steam, moisture, chemicals, and/or air. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a chamber filter container placed inside the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the chamber filter container includes a debris and clean steam/air filter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris collection pipe and a disk filter/distillation tank unit which are operatively connected to the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber, wherein the disk filter/distillation tank unit is capable of boiling and evaporating moistures coming into the debris and clean steam/air separation chamber using a heat coil.