Laundry treating appliance having a liquid distribution assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11814767-B2
Application number	US-202017068362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2020
Priority date	May 31, 2018
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance is disclosed. The laundry treating appliance includes a tub having a tub side wall and a tub end wall defining a liquid chamber with a tub end opening. A tub manifold portion is positioned at the tub end wall. A rotatable drum is located within the liquid chamber, rotatable about a rotational axis, and has a drum side wall and a drum end wall at least partially defining a treating chamber with a drum end opening. A drum manifold portion is positioned at the drum end wall and confronts the tub manifold portion. At least one lifter is secured to the drum, and a liquid conduit fluidly couples the drum manifold portion to the at least one lifter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating appliance, comprising:
a tub having a tub side wall and a tub end wall defining a liquid chamber with a tub end opening opposite the tub end wall;
a tub manifold portion positioned at the tub end wall;
a drum located within the liquid chamber, the drum rotatable about a rotational axis, and having a drum side wall and a drum end wall at least partially defining a treating chamber with a drum end opening opposite the drum end wall;
a drum manifold portion positioned at the drum end wall and confronting the tub manifold portion;
at least one lifter secured to the drum;
a liquid conduit fluidly coupling the drum manifold portion to the at least one lifter; and
a sealing interface formed between the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion and at least partially defined by at least one of the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion, the sealing interface comprising:
one of the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion comprising a sealing element, and
the other of the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion comprising a sealing surface, the sealing element configured to selectively bear against the sealing surface when a flow of liquid is flowing through the sealing interface and to not contact the sealing surface when the flow of liquid is not flowing through the sealing interface.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the flow of liquid through the sealing interface biases the sealing element against the sealing surface.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion have interiors that are configured to be fluidly sealed with one another by the sealing interface to collectively define a common fluid reservoir.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 3 wherein the at least one lifter has an interior defining a fluid reservoir that is fluidly coupled to the common fluid reservoir.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the liquid conduit extends between the drum manifold portion and the at least one lifter to fluidly couple the common fluid reservoir to the fluid reservoir of the at least one lifter.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the sealing interface comprises a labyrinth seal, a lip seal, or both.

7. A laundry treating appliance, comprising:
a tub having a tub side wall and a tub end wall defining a liquid chamber with a tub end opening opposite the tub end wall;
a tub manifold portion positioned at the tub end wall;
a drum located within the liquid chamber, the drum rotatable about a rotational axis, and having a drum side wall and a drum end wall at least partially defining a treating chamber with a drum end opening opposite the drum end wall;
a drum manifold portion positioned at the drum end wall and confronting the tub manifold portion;
at least one lifter secured to the drum;
a liquid conduit fluidly coupling the drum manifold portion to the at least one lifter; and
a sealing interface formed between the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion and at least partially defined by at least one of the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion, the sealing interface comprising:
one of the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion comprising a sealing element, and
the other of the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion comprising a sealing surface, the sealing element configured to selectively bear against the sealing surface only when a flow of liquid is flowing through the sealing interface.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 7 wherein the sealing element is further configured to not contact the sealing surface when the flow of liquid is not flowing through the sealing interface.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 7 wherein the flow of liquid through the sealing interface biases the sealing element against the sealing surface.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 7 wherein the tub manifold portion and the drum manifold portion have interiors that are configured to be fluidly sealed with one another by the sealing interface to collectively define a common fluid reservoir.

11. The laundry treating appliance of claim 10 wherein the at least one lifter has an interior defining a fluid reservoir that is fluidly coupled to the common fluid reservoir.

12. The laundry treating appliance of claim 11 wherein the liquid conduit extends between the drum manifold portion and the at least one lifter to fluidly couple the common fluid reservoir to the fluid reservoir of the at least one lifter.

13. The laundry treating appliance of claim 7 wherein the sealing interface comprises a labyrinth seal, a lip seal, or both.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Budicky Tibor
• Cervenka Bystrik
• Iannicelli Crescenzo
• Mancini Mauro
• Martinko Jan
• Olejar Vladimir
• Petracek Vaclav

Classifications

• D06F37/065 Primary

  ribs or lifters having means for circulating the washing liquid · CPC title

• D06F37/245

  Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets · CPC title

• D06F39/088

  Liquid supply arrangements · CPC title

• D06B1/00 Primary

  Applying liquids, gases or vapours onto textile materials to effect treatment, e.g. washing, dyeing, bleaching, sizing or impregnating (mercerising D06B7/00; solvent-treatment D06B9/00; treatment of selected parts of textile materials D06B11/00; with aid of vibration D06B13/00) · CPC title

• D06F37/06

  Ribs, lifters, or rubbing means forming part of the receptacle · CPC title