Laundry treating appliance with a tub ring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10655262-B2
Application number	US-201815873462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2018
Priority date	Mar 5, 2015
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A tub ring mountable to an upper end of a liquid holding tub in a laundry treating appliance may include a circumferential side wall, a top wall extending radially inward from the side wall, and a plurality of radial stiffening ribs extending between the top wall and the side wall. The ribs may have a bottom edge with at least a portion inclined relative to horizontal. At least a portion of the bottom edge may also be complementary to a top wall of a balance ring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tub ring mountable to an upper end of a liquid holding tub in a laundry treating appliance for overlying a balance ring having a top edge positioned on a rotatable drum located within the liquid holding tub, the tub ring comprising:
a circumferential side wall;
a top wall extending radially inward from the side wall terminating at an inner edge, with the inner edge configured to terminate radially exterior of the top edge of the balance ring; and
a plurality of radial stiffening ribs extending between the top wall and the side wall, the plurality of stiffening ribs having a bottom edge with at least a portion of the bottom edge inclined relative to horizontal defining an upper edge and a lower edge for the bottom edge;
wherein at least a portion of the top wall is configured to overlie at least a portion of the balance ring, and the upper edge is configured to locate above the balance ring top edge and the lower edge is configured to locate below the balance ring top edge, relative to the horizontal.

2. The tub ring according to claim 1 wherein the side wall is generally vertical, and the top wall is generally horizontal and annular and is joined to the side wall at a substantially right angle.

3. The tub ring according to claim 1 wherein the portion of the bottom edge is inclined upward in a direction moving radially inward along the bottom edge.

4. The tub ring according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of stiffening ribs terminate at one end at the inner edge of the top wall.

5. The tub ring according to claim 1 wherein the top wall is formed by a plurality of flat sections and a plurality of inclined sections, wherein the plurality of flat sections and the plurality of inclined sections alternate circumferentially around the tub ring.

6. The tub ring according to claim 5 wherein the plurality of stiffening ribs comprise a generally horizontal top edge, and the plurality of flat sections join the upper edges of adjacent stiffening ribs, and the plurality of inclined sections join the lower edges of adjacent stiffening ribs such that each stiffening rib of the plurality of stiffening ribs joins to one flat section of the plurality of flat sections at the upper edge and to one inclined section of the plurality of inclined sections at the lower edge.

7. The tub ring according to claim 6 wherein at least one of the inclined sections, the adjacent stiffening ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections, and the side wall between the adjacent stiffening ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections form a treating chemistry cavity, and the at least one of the inclined sections includes at least one aperture for releasing treating chemistry from the treating chemistry cavity.

8. The tub ring according to claim 1 wherein the top wall is annular with an outer, inclined portion joined to the side wall and an inner, flat portion, and the side wall and the outer, inclined portion form a circumferential channel extending around the tub ring adjacent to the flat portion of the top wall.

9. The tub ring according to claim 8 wherein the outer, inclined portion of the top wall includes at least one drainage opening for the circumferential channel.

10. The tub ring according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of stiffening ribs are triangular.

11. A tub ring mountable to an upper end of a tub in a laundry treating appliance, the tub ring comprising:
a circumferential side wall configured to mount to the upper end of the tub;
a top wall extending radially inward from the side wall; and
a plurality of stiffening ribs extending between the top wall and the side wall, the plurality of stiffening ribs having a side edge extending along the side wall of the tub ring and a top edge extending along the top wall of the tub ring, with the plurality of stiffening ribs having a bottom edge inclined relative to the horizontal extending from the side edge to the top edge;
wherein the side edge, the top edge, and the bottom edge of the plurality of stiffening ribs form a triangle; and
wherein the top wall extends radially from an outer edge, where the top wall joins the side wall to an inner edge, and the top edge of the plurality of stiffening ribs terminates at one end at the top wall inner edge.

12. The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the side wall is generally vertical, and the top wall is generally horizontal and annular and is joined to the side wall at a substantially right angle.

13. The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the at least a portion of the bottom edge is inclined upward in a direction moving radially inward along the bottom edge.

14. The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the top wall is formed by a plurality of flat sections and a plurality of inclined sections, wherein the flat sections and the inclined sections alternate circumferentially around the tub ring.

15. The tub ring according to claim 14 wherein the top edge of each of the plurality of stiffening ribs is generally horizontal, and the plurality of flat sections join the top edges of adjacent stiffening ribs of the plurality of stiffening ribs, and the plurality of inclined sections join the bottom edges of adjacent stiffening ribs of the plurality of stiffening ribs such that each stiffening rib joins to one of the plurality of flat sections at the top edge and to one of the plurality of inclined sections at the bottom edge.

16. The tub ring according to claim 15 wherein at least one of the inclined sections, the adjacent stiffening ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections, and the side wall between the adjacent stiffening ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections form a treating chemistry cavity, and the at least one of the inclined sections includes at least one aperture for releasing treating chemistry from the treating chemistry cavity.

17. The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the top wall is annular with an outer, inclined portion joined to the side wall at an inner, flat portion, and the side wall and the outer, inclined portion form a circumferential channel extending around the tub ring adjacent to the inner, flat portion of the top wall.

18. The tub ring according to claim 17 wherein the inclined portion of the top wall includes at least one drainage opening for the circumferential channel.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Hunnell John M
• Kumar Pradeep
• Sharp Brenner M
• Strain Christine L

Classifications

• D06F37/264 Primary

  Tubs provided with reinforcing structures, e.g. ribs, inserts, braces · CPC title

• D06F37/267

  Tubs specially adapted for mounting thereto components or devices not provided for in preceding subgroups (D06F37/206 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F37/26

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title