Fabric treating appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179963-B2
Application number	US-201514809529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2015
Priority date	Jul 27, 2015
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

A fabric treating appliance includes a rotatable basket defining a treating chamber for receiving a load of laundry items for treatment. A float valve can be incorporated into the basket structure, selectively opening or closing the valve based upon the liquid level in a tub. As liquid fills the tub, the float valve will rise until it moves into a closed position, permitting the basket and treating chamber to fill with liquid. As the tub drain, the float valve can fall, opening the valve and permitting liquid to drain from the basket or treating chamber. The opened or closed positions can be selectively operated by opening or closing a pump or sump and allowing a tub to drain or fill, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fabric treating appliance for treating laundry according to a cycle of operation, comprising:
a tub having a tub end and a tub peripheral wall extending from the tub, with the tub end and the tub peripheral wall collectively defining a tub interior, and the tub peripheral wall terminating at a tub terminal edge to define a tub access opening providing access to the tub interior;
a basket having a basket end, an inner wall, and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall to define an annular intervening space and extending from the basket end, the inner wall including a plurality of perforations, with the basket end and the inner wall collectively defining a basket interior forming at least part of a laundry treating chamber, the inner wall terminating at a basket terminal edge to define a basket access opening providing access to the basket interior, the basket terminal edge and at least some of the plurality of perforations located vertically above the tub terminal edge, the basket end located within the tub interior, and the basket end having at least one through opening fluidly coupling the laundry treating chamber to the tub interior to define at least one drain opening;
a motor operably coupled to the basket and rotating the basket relative to the tub about a basket axis of rotation; and
at least one valve housing having a valve seat coupled to the basket at the at least one drain opening; and
a float valve having an annular float body with at least one valve body and a rest plate located within the tub interior and coupled to the basket, the float body moveable relative to the rest plate in response to a level of liquid in the tub between an opened position, where the at least one valve body is spaced from the valve seat of the at leak one valve housing enabling fluid flow through the drain opening, and a closed position, where the valve body closes the drain opening at the valve seat to prohibit fluid flow through the drain opening;
whereby the basket permits the level of liquid in the basket interior to fill above the tub terminal edge when the float valve is in the closed position.

2. The fabric treating appliance of claim 1 further comprising multiple drain openings and multiple float valves corresponding to the multiple drain openings.

3. The fabric treating appliance of claim 2 wherein the multiple float valves are physically interconnected.

4. The fabric treating appliance of claim 3 further comprising a ring physically interconnecting the multiple float valves.

5. The fabric treating appliance of claim 4 further comprising a drive shaft assembly operably coupling the motor to the basket and the ring circumscribes the drive shaft assembly.

6. The fabric treating appliance of claim 5 wherein the multiple drain openings are circumferentially spaced about the basket end.

7. The fabric treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the at least one through opening comprises a passage extending through the basket end.

8. The fabric treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the outer wall further includes an outer wall drain emptying into the tub.

9. The fabric treating appliance of claim 8 wherein the outer wall drain comprises at least one opening in the outer wall and located within the tub interior.

10. The fabric treating appliance of claim 8 wherein the outer wall drain comprises a gap between the inner wall and the outer wall.

11. The fabric treating appliance of claim 1 further comprising a membrane forming a flow opening at the drain opening and the valve body abuts the membrane in the closed position.

12. The fabric treating appliance of claim 11 wherein the valve body comprises a bulbous protrusion moveably mounted to the basket end.

13. A fabric treating appliance for treating laundry according to a cycle of operation, comprising:
a vertically-oriented tub defining a tub interior and having a tub terminal edge;
a vertically-oriented basket defining a laundry treating chamber and having a basket end, an inner wall terminating at a basket terminal edge, and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall to define an annular intervening space, including a plurality of perforations and extending from the basket end, the basket end located within the tub interior, the basket terminal edge and at least some of the plurality of perforations located vertically above the tub terminal edge, and the basket having at least one through opening fluidly coupling the laundry treating chamber to the tub interior to define a drain opening; and
a float valve having a valve body located within the tub interior and moveable between an opened position, where the valve body is spaced from the drain opening enabling fluid flow through the drain opening, and a closed position, where the valve body closes the drain opening to prohibit fluid flow through the drain opening, in response to a level of liquid in the tub interior;
whereby the basket permits the level of liquid in the laundry treating chamber to fill above the tub terminal edge when the float valve is in the closed position.

14. The fabric treating appliance of claim 13 further comprising multiple drain openings and multiple float valves corresponding to the multiple drain openings.

15. The fabric treating appliance of claim 14 wherein the multiple float valves are physically interconnected.

16. The fabric treating appliance of claim 13 wherein the at least one through opening comprises a passage extending through the basket end.

17. The fabric treating appliance of claim 13 wherein the outer wall further includes an outer wall drain emptying into the tub.

18. The fabric treating appliance of claim 13 further comprising a membrane forming a flow opening at the drain opening and the valve body abuts the membrane in the closed position.

19. The fabric treating appliance of claim 18 wherein the valve body comprises a bulbous protrusion moveably mounted to the basket end.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Alexander Benjamin E
• Burgess Brent M
• Cluskey Michael K
• Jones Christopher A
• Mueller Dale E
• Bohenick Zachary

Classifications

• D06F39/086

  Arrangements for avoiding detergent wastage in the discharge conduit · CPC title

• D06F17/10

  Impellers · CPC title

• D06F21/08

  within an enclosing receptacle · CPC title

• D06F23/04 Primary

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F39/083

  Liquid discharge or recirculation arrangements · CPC title