Back to results
US 9,518,352 B2Granted
Unitary balance ring for a washing machine appliance
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorJames Quentin Pollett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A unitary balance ring for a washing machine appliance includes a first plurality of ribs and a second plurality of ribs positioned within a tubular body of the unitary balance ring. Each rib of the first plurality of ribs has a bottom edge that is positioned at a bottom surface of the interior volume, and each rib of the second plurality of ribs has a bottom edge that is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the interior volume.
Claims14
A unitary balance ring for a washing machine appliance, comprising:
- a tubular body defining an interior volume;
- first plurality of ribs positioned within the tubular body, each rib of the first plurality of ribs having a bottom edge that is positioned at a bottom surface of the interior volume, in contact with the bottom surface across an entire width of the interior volume;
- and
- a second plurality of ribs positioned within the tubular body, each rib of the second plurality of ribs having a bottom edge that is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the interior volume, wherein the bottom edge of each rib of the second plurality of ribs and the bottom surface of the interior volume define a gap along a vertical direction, the gap being at least an eighth of an inch.
1 more element
A method for forming a unitary balance ring for a washing machine appliance, comprising:
- establishing three-dimensional information of the unitary balance ring;
- converting the three-dimensional information of the unitary balance ring from said step of establishing into a plurality of slices, each slice of the plurality of slices defining a respective cross-sectional layer of the unitary balance ring;
- and
- successively forming each cross-sectional layer of the unitary balance ring with an additive process;
- wherein, after said step of successively forming:
- (1) a tubular body of the unitary balance ring defines an interior volume;
- (2) each rib of a first plurality of ribs is positioned within the tubular body and has a bottom edge that is positioned at a bottom surface of the interior volume, in contact with the bottom surface across an entire width of the interior volume;
- and (3) each rib of a second plurality of ribs is positioned within the tubular body and has a bottom edge that is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the interior volume, wherein the bottom edge of each rib of the second plurality of ribs and the bottom surface of the interior volume define a gap along a vertical direction, the gap being at least an eighth of an inch.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.