Detachable pretreat sink for laundry appliance having an operable washboard

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11499259-B2
Application number	US-202017027802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2020
Priority date	Oct 15, 2019
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A laundry appliance includes an outer cabinet having a top panel that defines an aperture for accessing an interior of the cabinet. A tub is positioned within the outer cabinet and below the aperture. A rotating drum disposed within the tub. A pretreat basin is selectively positioned in an installed position relative to the top panel and above the drum. The pretreat basin has an outer frame and a pivoting central portion that rotationally operates within the outer frame between a sealed position defined by the pivoting central portion being in alignment with the outer frame and a rotated position defined by the pivoting central portion being rotated out of alignment with the outer frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry appliance comprising:
an outer cabinet having a top panel that defines an aperture for accessing an interior of the outer cabinet;
a tub positioned within the outer cabinet and below the aperture;
a rotating drum disposed within the tub; and
a pretreat basin that is selectively positioned in an installed position relative to the top panel and above the rotating drum, the pretreat basin having an outer frame and a pivoting central portion that rotationally operates within the outer frame between a sealed position defined by the pivoting central portion being in alignment with the outer frame and a rotated position defined by the pivoting central portion being rotated out of alignment with the outer frame, wherein the pivoting central portion rotates about a pivot axis that extends through a center of the pivoting central portion, and wherein the rotated position of the pivoting central portion is characterized by the pivoting central portion extending through the outer frame in an oblique orientation.

2. The laundry appliance of claim 1 , wherein the installed position is further defined by the outer frame selectively resting on one of the top panel and a balancing ring of the rotating drum, wherein the outer frame in the installed position is stationary relative to the top panel.

3. The laundry appliance of claim 2 , wherein an opening into the rotating drum is defined by the balancing ring and the pretreat basin is coupled with the balancing ring in the installed position.

4. The laundry appliance of claim 1 , wherein the pretreat basin in the installed position is disposed on the top panel of the outer cabinet.

5. The laundry appliance of claim 1 , wherein the installed position is further defined by the pivoting central portion of the pretreat basin being positioned below a top surface of the rotating drum and within a processing chamber of the rotating drum.

6. The laundry appliance of claim 1 , wherein the pivoting central portion is at least partially translucent.

7. The laundry appliance of claim 1 , wherein the pretreat basin includes a sidewall that extends between the outer frame and the pivoting central portion.

8. The laundry appliance of claim 7 , wherein the sidewall is a flexible member that is adjustable between a collapsed position and an expanded position.

9. The laundry appliance of claim 8 , wherein the flexible member extends between the outer frame and a pivot-retaining frame, wherein the pivoting central portion is rotationally coupled with the pivot-retaining frame.

10. The laundry appliance of claim 1 , wherein the pivoting central portion includes a textured surface.

11. A laundry appliance comprising:
an outer cabinet having a top panel that defines an aperture for accessing an interior of the outer cabinet;
a tub positioned within the interior and below the aperture;
a rotating drum disposed within the tub, the rotating drum having a balancing ring at a top edge of the rotating drum and below the aperture; and
a pretreat basin that is selectively positioned in an installed position on one of the top panel and the balancing ring, the pretreat basin having an outer frame and a pivoting central portion that rotationally operates within the outer frame between an aligned sealed position and an oblique rotated position, and wherein a pivot axis of the pivoting central portion extends centrally through the pivoting central portion and wherein the pivoting central portion extends obliquely through the outer frame in the oblique rotated position.

12. The laundry appliance of claim 11 , wherein the installed position is further defined by the pivoting central portion of the pretreat basin being positioned below a top surface of the rotating drum and within a processing chamber of the rotating drum.

13. The laundry appliance of claim 11 , wherein the pretreat basin includes a sidewall that extends between the outer frame and the pivoting central portion.

14. The laundry appliance of claim 13 , wherein the sidewall is a flexible member that is adjustable between a collapsed position and an expanded position.

15. A pretreat basin for a laundry appliance, the pretreat basin comprising:
an outer frame that is selectively positioned over a processing chamber of said laundry appliance;
a pivoting central portion that is rotationally disposed within the outer frame and rotates about a pivot axis, wherein the pivoting central portion rotationally operates between a sealed position characterized by the pivoting central portion being in alignment with the outer frame and an oblique rotated position characterized by the pivoting central portion being rotated out of alignment with the outer frame, and wherein the pivoting central portion extends obliquely through the outer frame when the pivoting central portion is rotated into the oblique rotated position; and
a sidewall that extends between the outer frame and the pivoting central portion.

16. The pretreat basin of claim 15 , wherein the pivoting central portion is at least partially translucent.

17. The pretreat basin of claim 15 , wherein the sidewall is a flexible member that is adjustable between a collapsed position and an expanded position.

18. The pretreat basin of claim 17 , wherein the sidewall includes a plurality of pleats that selectively unfurl and operate the pivoting central portion between the collapsed and expanded positions.

19. The pretreat basin of claim 17 , wherein the flexible member extends between the outer frame and a pivot-retaining frame, wherein the pivoting central portion is rotationally coupled with the pivot-retaining frame at the pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis extends centrally through the pivoting central portion.

20. The pretreat basin of claim 15 , wherein the pivoting central portion includes a textured surface.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Bixby Seth E
• Murphy Sayer J
• Netti Giuseppe
• Park Jun Young
• Watkins Jeremy D

Classifications

• D06F3/02 Primary

  Rubbing boards · CPC title

• D06F37/16

  Partitions · CPC title

• D06F37/12 Primary

  adapted for rotation or oscillation about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F29/00 Primary

  Combinations of a washing machine with other separate apparatus in a common frame or the like, e.g. with rinsing apparatus · CPC title

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title