Laundry treating appliance having a treating tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11624137-B2
Application number	US-202117324247-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2021
Priority date	Oct 22, 2018
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a laundry treating appliance including a chassis defining an interior and a treating chamber located within the interior. A dispenser of the laundry treating appliance can include at least one treating chemistry reservoir fluidly coupled to the treating chamber. The laundry treating appliance can further include a treating tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating appliance comprising:
a chassis defining an interior;
a treating chamber located within the interior;
a drawer slidably received within the interior and containing a dispenser having at least one treating chemistry reservoir fluidly coupled to the treating chamber; and
a treating tool having an internal treating chemistry reservoir and positioned within the dispenser to fluidly couple the internal treating chemistry reservoir with the treating chamber.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the treating tool comprises a brush with a handle having bristles extending from the handle.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 , wherein the internal treating chemistry reservoir is located within the handle.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a tool docking station located within the drawer and comprising a recess in which the treating tool is received.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 , wherein the recess comprises a drain that is fluidly coupled to the treating chamber.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 , further comprising a water supply line fluidly coupled to the recess, such that water supplied to the recess can be supplied to the treating chamber via the drain.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 , wherein the treating tool comprises an outlet fluidly coupling the internal treating chemistry reservoir to the recess, wherein water supplied to the recess via the water supply line flushes a treating chemistry down the drain to the treating chamber.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 , wherein the drain comprises a first fluid coupling and the treating tool comprises a second fluid coupling which fluidly mates with the first fluid coupling when the treating tool is docked with the tool docking station to fluidly couple the internal treating chemistry reservoir to the drain.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 8 , further comprising a pump fluidly coupled with at least one of the internal treating chemistry reservoir and the drain to pump the contents of the internal treating chemistry reservoir through the drain and to the treating chamber.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 , wherein the tool docking station is located in a peripheral edge of the drawer.

11. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the tool docking station is fluidly coupled to the at least one treating chemistry reservoir to fluidly couple the tool docking station to the treating chamber.

12. A laundry treating appliance comprising:
a chassis defining an interior;
a treating chamber located within the interior and having a fluid inlet;
a removable treating tool having an internal treating chemistry reservoir with a fluid outlet; and
a fluid coupling between the fluid outlet of the internal treating chemistry reservoir and the fluid inlet of the treating chamber.

13. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 , further comprising a dispenser within the interior and having at least one treating chemistry reservoir fluidly coupled to the treating chamber.

14. The laundry treating appliance of claim 13 , further comprising a drawer slidably received within the interior and containing the dispenser.

15. The laundry treating appliance of claim 14 , further comprising a tool docking station located within the drawer and comprising a recess in which the removable treating tool is received.

16. The laundry treating appliance of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the tool docking station overlies the at least one treating chemistry reservoir to at least partially form the fluid coupling.

17. The laundry treating appliance of claim 15 , further comprising a water supply line fluidly coupled to the recess such that water supplied to the recess can be supplied to the treating chamber via the drain.

18. The laundry treating appliance of claim 15 , wherein the fluid outlet of the removable treating tool is fluidly coupled to the recess when the removable treating tool is docked with the tool docking station, wherein water supplied to the recess via the water supply line flushes a treating chemistry down the drain to the treating chamber.

19. The laundry treating appliance of claim 18 , wherein the drain comprises a first fluid coupling, and wherein the fluid outlet of the removable treating tool fluidly mates with the first fluid coupling when the treating tool is docked with the tool docking station to fluidly couple the internal treating chemistry reservoir to the drain.

20. The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 , wherein the removable treating tool comprises a brush including a handle with bristles extending from the handle, wherein the internal treating chemistry reservoir is located within the handle.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Cannon Marcus A
• Carpenter Scott E
• Sells Joel M

Classifications

• D06F39/02 Primary

  Devices for adding soap or other washing agents · CPC title

• A46B11/001

  with integral reservoirs (A46B11/0003, A46B11/0006 take precedence) · 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

• D06F21/02

  about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• A46B2200/3053

  Clothes brush, i.e. brushes specifically designed for cleaning clothes · CPC title