Dispenser cup

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371841-B2
Application number	US-202217961829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2022
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A method of supplying treating chemistry to at least a treating chamber or at least one bulk reservoir of a laundry treating appliance. The method including selectively moving a selector compartment defining a selector compartment cup between a first position, where the selector compartment cup is fluidly coupled with the treating chamber and a second position where the selector compartment cup is fluidly coupled with the at least one bulk reservoir.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of supplying treating chemistry to at least a treating chamber or at least one bulk reservoir of a laundry treating appliance, the method comprising: selectively moving a selector compartment defining a selector compartment cup between a first position, where the selector compartment cup is fluidly coupled with the treating chamber and a second position where the selector compartment cup is fluidly coupled with the at least one bulk reservoir, whereby depending on the position of the selector compartment cup, a liquid treating chemistry in the selector compartment cup will flow into the treating chamber or the bulk reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively moving the selector compartment cup comprises moving the selector compartment cup relative to a base cup holding the selector compartment cup.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein moving the selector compartment cup comprises rotating the selector compartment cup relative to the base cup.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein rotating the selector compartment cup relative to the base cup comprises rotating the cup to different detent positions corresponding to the first positions and the second position.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one bulk reservoir comprises multiple bulk reservoirs which are fluidly coupled to the selector compartment cup at different physical positions of the selector compartment cup.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the laundry treating appliance includes a cabinet defining an interior and having an access opening providing access to the interior and a treating chamber located within the interior; wherein the multiple bulk reservoirs are located interiorly or exteriorly of the cabinet.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selector compartment cup is located in a front portion of the laundry treating appliance.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the selector compartment cup is located above the at least one bulk reservoir.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the selector compartment cup is nested in a base cup and moves relative to the base cup.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein fluid conduits selectively couple the base cup to the treating chamber and the bulk reservoir.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the base cup comprises a first fluid outlet coupled to the treating chamber by a first fluid conduit and a second fluid outlet coupled to the bulk reservoir by a second fluid conduit.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising closing one of the first or second fluid outlets in the base cup and opening the other of the first or second outlets in the base cup by rotating the selector compartment cup.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the selector compartment cup comprises a single outlet and the base cup comprises two outlets.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the selector compartment cup and the base cup have complimentary shapes.

15. A method of supplying treating chemistry to multiple destinations in a laundry treating appliance, the method comprising selectively moving a selector compartment to fluidly couple an outlet of the selector compartment to one of multiple conduits, each of the multiple conduits supplying a different destination, with one of the destinations being a treating chamber and another of the destinations being a bulk reservoir.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the selector compartment comprises a selector cup.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising a base cup that is configured to receive the selector cup therein, the method comprising moving the selector cup relative to the base cup to fluidly couple the selector compartment with each of the multiple conduits.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein selectively moving the selector compartment comprises rotating a cup relative to a cup base.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein rotating the cup relative to the cup base comprises rotating the cup between different detent positions.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein each detent position corresponds to a different fluid connection between the selector compartment and one of the multiple conduits.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Ayers Kevin
• Bixby Seth
• Murphy Sayer J

Classifications

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title

• D06F23/04

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F39/022 Primary

  in a liquid state (D06F39/024 takes precedence) · CPC title