Laundry appliance including a filtering agitator having an internal fluid pumping structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12516465-B2
Application number	US-202217984526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2022
Priority date	Nov 22, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A washing appliance includes a tub positioned within an outer cabinet. A rotating drum rotates within the tub. A fluid flow path directs fluid through the tub and the drum. A rotator selectively rotates relative to the drum to generate at least a toroidal flow of the wash fluid through the drum and a supplemental flow of the wash fluid through a filter assembly positioned within the rotator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A washing appliance comprising:
a tub positioned within an outer cabinet; a rotating drum that rotates within the tub; a fluid flow path that directs wash fluid through the tub and the drum; and a rotator that selectively rotates relative to the drum to generate at least a toroidal flow of the wash fluid through the drum and a supplemental flow of the wash fluid through a filter assembly positioned within the rotator, wherein the rotator is an impeller, wherein the supplemental flow of the wash fluid is directed through a top aperture of the impeller and through the filter assembly, and wherein the filter assembly includes a ring having a side aperture and a cap member.

2 . The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the impeller includes a plurality of fluid outlets that are defined within a base of the impeller, wherein the plurality of fluid outlets directs the supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the base and a plurality of respective flow outlets, wherein the flow outlets are positioned within a medial portion of the base between external vanes of the impeller.

3 . The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter assembly includes a filter member, and wherein the filter member and the cap member are removable from the impeller.

4 . The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter assembly includes a mesh filter.

5 . The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter assembly is disposed within a filtration chamber, wherein the filtration chamber extends to a plurality of flow channels that are positioned proximate a plurality of external vanes of the rotator.

6 . The washing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter assembly is selectively removable from the rotator via the top aperture of the impeller.

7 . A washing appliance comprising:
a tub positioned within an outer cabinet; a rotating drum that rotates within the tub; a fluid flow path that directs wash fluid through the tub and the drum; and an agitator having a stem and a base selectively rotates relative to the drum to generate a toroidal flow of the wash fluid through the drum and a supplemental flow of the wash fluid through a filter assembly positioned within the stem of the agitator, wherein the agitator includes a plurality of fluid outlets that are defined within the base of the agitator, wherein the plurality of fluid outlets directs the supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the base and to an underside of the agitator, and wherein rotation of the agitator causes an interior set of ribs to produce a suction that generates the supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the filter assembly and through the plurality of fluid outlets.

8 . The washing appliance of claim 7 , wherein the agitator includes a plurality of external vanes and the interior set of ribs, wherein the external vanes and the interior set of ribs produces the toroidal flow of the wash fluid within the drum and the supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the filter assembly.

9 . The washing appliance of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of fluid outlets are aligned with the plurality of external vanes, respectively.

10 . The washing appliance of claim 7 , wherein the supplemental flow of the wash fluid is directed through an exterior wall of the stem and through the filter assembly.

11 . The washing appliance of claim 10 , wherein the filter assembly includes a rigid filter member having a plurality of perforations.

12 . The washing appliance of claim 11 , wherein the filter assembly includes a side access aperture that provides access to the rigid filter member, the side access aperture configured to allow for extraction of captured particulate material from the filter assembly.

13 . A washing appliance comprising:
a tub positioned within an outer cabinet; a rotating drum that rotates within the tub; a fluid flow path that directs wash fluid through the tub and the drum; and an impeller having a base and a filter assembly positioned within a top aperture of the base, wherein selective rotation of the impeller relative to the drum generates a toroidal flow of the wash fluid through the drum and a supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the filter assembly, wherein the impeller includes a plurality of fluid outlets that are defined within the base of the impeller, wherein the plurality of fluid outlets directs the supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the base and the plurality of respective fluid outlets, and wherein the fluid outlets are positioned within a medial portion of the base between a plurality of external vanes of the impeller.

14 . The washing appliance of claim 13 , wherein the impeller includes a plurality of fluid outlets that are defined within a base of the impeller.

15 . The washing appliance of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of fluid outlets directs the supplemental flow of the wash fluid through the base and a plurality of respective fluid outlets.

16 . The washing appliance of claim 13 , wherein the filter assembly includes a filter member and a cap member, and wherein the filter member and the cap member are removable from the impeller.

17 . The washing appliance of claim 13 , wherein the filter assembly includes a mesh filter.

18 . The washing appliance of claim 13 , wherein the filter assembly is disposed within a filtration chamber.

19 . The washing appliance of claim 18 , wherein the filtration chamber extends to a plurality of flow channels that are positioned proximate a plurality of external vanes of the impeller.

20 . The washing appliance of claim 13 , wherein the filter assembly is selectively removable from the impeller via a top aperture of the base.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Campos Anayancy
• Jeffery James
• Merrow Eric W
• Murphy Sayer J
• Peschke Brian D
• Pinto Erica L
• Rutter Ryan
• Silva Aliander F
• Spicer Thomas D
• Vasko Eric J
• Walter David
• Wankhede Mahendra S
• Shiva B

Classifications

• D06F17/10

  Impellers · CPC title

• D06F13/02 Primary

  wherein the agitator has an oscillatory rotary motion only · CPC title

• D06F21/06

  about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F39/10 Primary

  Filtering arrangements · CPC title