Filtering cap for an impeller of a vertical axis laundry appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371844-B2
Application number	US-202217874389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2022
Priority date	Jul 27, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A washing appliance includes a drum that is rotationally operable within a tub about a vertical rotational axis. An impeller is positioned within a lower portion of the drum and is rotationally operable about the vertical rotational axis. The impeller includes a plurality of flow channels that extend below the impeller and between the impeller and the tub. A receiver is positioned at a top of the impeller and includes apertures that are in communication with the respective flow channels. A filtering cap is disposed on a top of the receiver and positioned within a medial horizontal level of the tub. The filtering cap includes inlets that direct a toroidal flow into a removable particulate chamber positioned within the filtering cap. The toroidal flow is further directed through the respective flow channels to continue through the toroidal flow within the drum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing appliance comprising:
a tub that is positioned within an outer cabinet;
a drum that is rotationally operable within the tub about a vertical rotational axis;
an impeller that is positioned within a lower portion of the drum and is rotationally operable relative to the drum about the vertical rotational axis, the impeller comprising:
a plurality of external vanes that define respective flow channels, wherein the respective flow channels extend along an underside of the impeller and through the plurality of external vanes;
a receiver positioned at a top of the impeller and having a vertically-extending outer wall, the receiver including apertures that are in communication with the respective flow channels;
a plurality of structural ribs disposed on the underside of the impeller, wherein the respective flow channels and the plurality of structural ribs cooperate to promote a toroidal flow of wash fluid within the drum; and
a filtering cap disposed on a top edge of the receiver and positioned within a medial horizontal level of the tub, the filtering cap having a plurality of inlets that direct the toroidal flow into a removable particulate chamber that is positioned within the filtering cap, and wherein the toroidal flow is further directed through the respective flow channels to continue through the toroidal flow within the drum, wherein the removable particulate chamber is configured to capture particulate from the toroidal flow and retain the particulate within an interior of the filtering cap, the filtering cap including a cap member and a filter member that extends downward from the cap member, wherein the filter member selectively attaches to the cap member to define the removable particulate chamber, and wherein the cap member selectively attaches to the top edge of the vertically-extending outer wall to define a top surface of the impeller.

2. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the vertically-extending outer wall includes flow openings that are positioned within a sidewall of the vertically-extending outer wall, and wherein the flow openings are aligned with the removable particulate chamber that is defined within the filtering cap.

3. The washing appliance of claim 2 , wherein the filtering cap includes a filtering mesh that surrounds the removable particulate chamber to capture the particulate within the toroidal flow of the wash fluid.

4. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter member includes a grid that supports a filtering mesh of the removable particulate chamber, wherein the toroidal flow is directed through inlets defined within a top surface of the filtering cap and into the removable particulate chamber, the toroidal flow moving from the removable particulate chamber and through the filtering mesh, wherein the particulate is captured within the removable particulate chamber and the toroidal flow is directed to the respective flow channels.

5. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the apertures of the receiver correspond to the respective flow channels defined by the plurality of external vanes.

6. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter member is disposed within and separated from the vertically-extending outer wall.

7. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the flow channels extend to an outer edge of the impeller.

8. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the impeller is independently operable relative to the drum.

9. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of external vanes extend from the vertically-extending outer wall of the receiver.

10. The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the cap member is secured to the vertically-extending outer wall via a twist-lock interface.

11. The washing appliance of claim 10 , wherein the filter member is attached to the cap member via a separate twist-lock interface.

12. A washing appliance comprising:
a tub that is positioned within an outer cabinet;
a drum that is rotationally operable within the tub about a vertical rotational axis;
an impeller that is positioned within a lower portion of the drum and is rotationally operable relative to the drum about the vertical rotational axis, the impeller comprising:
a plurality of flow channels that extend below the impeller and between the impeller and the tub;
a receiver positioned at a top of the impeller and having a vertically-extending outer wall, the receiver including apertures that are in communication with the respective flow channels, wherein the apertures correspond to, and are aligned with, respective external vanes of the impeller; and
a filtering cap disposed on a top edge of the vertically-extending outer wall of the receiver, the filtering cap including a cap member that is selectively attached to the top edge of the vertically-extending outer wall of the receiver, and a filter member that is selectively separable from the cap member and extends downward from the cap member to define the removable particulate chamber, the filtering cap defining a top surface of the impeller and positioned within a medial horizontal level of the tub, wherein the filtering cap includes a plurality of inlets that direct a toroidal flow into a removable particulate chamber that is positioned within the filtering cap, and wherein the toroidal flow is further directed through the respective flow channels to continue through the toroidal flow within the drum, and wherein the toroidal flow is directed through the plurality of inlets defined within a top portion of the filtering cap, the toroidal flow moving through the removable particulate chamber, wherein particulate within the toroidal flow is separated from the toroidal flow and captured within the removable particulate chamber that is defined within the filtering cap, and wherein the toroidal flow continues through the removable particulate chamber to the apertures of the receiver.

13. The washing appliance of claim 12 , wherein the filtering cap is a multi-part cap that includes a cap member and at least one filter member, wherein the cap member and the at least one filter member define the removable particulate chamber within the filtering cap.

14. The washing appliance of claim 12 , wherein the vertically-extending outer wall includes flow openings that are positioned within a sidewall of the vertically-extending outer wall, and wherein the flow openings are aligned with the removable particulate chamber that is defined within the filtering cap.

15. The washing appliance of claim 14 , wherein the filtering cap includes a filtering mesh that surrounds the removable particulate chamber to capture the particulate within the toroidal flow of wash fluid, wherein the filtering mesh defines the removable particulate chamber within the filtering cap.

16. The washing appliance of claim 12 , wherein the apertures of the receiver correspond to the respective flow channels defined by the respective external vanes.

17. The washing appliance of claim 12 , further comprising:
a plurality of structural ribs positioned below the impeller, wherein the respective flow channels and the plurality of structural ribs cooperate to promote the toroidal flow of wash fluid within the drum.

18. The washing appliance of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of structural ribs are attached to an underside of the impeller.

19. The washing appliance of claim 12 , wherein the respective external vanes extend from the vertically-extending outer wall of the receiver.

20. The washing appliance of claim 12

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Attar Mohsin M
• Campos Anayancy
• Costa Marcos L
• Kardile Sandip K
• Randstad Danilo Ferreira De Oliveira
• Silva Aliander F
• Vasko Eric J

Classifications

• D06F37/24

  in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• B01D33/073 Primary

  arranged for inward flow filtration · CPC title

• D06F39/083

  Liquid discharge or recirculation arrangements · CPC title

• B01D33/11

  arranged for outward flow filtration · CPC title

• D06F23/04

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title