Laundry treating appliance with a tub ring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016258103-A1
Application number	US-201514639457-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 5, 2015
Priority date	Mar 5, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tub ring mountable to an upper end of a liquid holding tub in a laundry treating appliance may include a circumferential side wall, a top wall extending radially inward from the side wall, and a plurality of radial stiffening ribs extending between the top wall and the side wall. The ribs may have a bottom edge with at least a portion inclined relative to horizontal. At least a portion of the bottom edge may also be complementary to a top wall of a balance ring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A laundry treating appliance comprising:
a tub having a peripheral wall terminating in an upper edge defining an opening to an interior of the tub for holding liquid; a basket located at least partially within the interior of the tub and having a peripheral wall terminating in an upper edge defining an opening to an interior of the basket for receiving laundry for treatment; a balance ring mounted to the upper edge of the basket and having a top wall with at least a portion inclined relative to horizontal; and a tub ring having a circumferential side wall mounted to the upper edge of the tub, a top wall overlying at least a portion of the balance ring top wall, and a plurality of stiffening ribs extending between the side wall and the top wall and having a bottom edge at least partially complementary to the top wall of the balance ring.

2 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the bottom edge is inclined to be complementary with the inclined portion of the balance ring top wall.

3 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 2 wherein the entire bottom edge of the rib is inclined from the tub ring side wall to the tub ring top wall.

4 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 2 wherein the tub ring top wall extends radially inward from an outer edge, where the top wall joins the side wall, to an inner edge, and the ribs terminate at one end at the top wall inner edge.

5 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 1 wherein the tub ring top wall is formed by a plurality of flat sections and a plurality of inclined sections, wherein the flat sections and the inclined sections alternate circumferentially around the tub ring and transition at the ribs.

6 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 5 wherein the ribs comprise a generally horizontal top edge, at least a portion of the bottom edge is inclined, and the top wall flat sections join the top edges of adjacent ribs, and the top wall inclined sections join the bottom edges of adjacent ribs such that each rib joins to one of the flat sections at the rib top edge and to one of the inclined sections at the rib bottom edge for the transition from the one of the flat sections to the one of the inclined sections.

7 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 6 wherein at least one of the inclined sections, the adjacent ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections, and the tub ring side wall between the adjacent ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections form a treating chemistry cavity, and the at least one of the inclined sections includes at least one aperture that directs treating chemistry from the treating chemistry cavity into a space between the tub peripheral wall and the basket peripheral wall.

8 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 1 wherein the tub ring top wall is annular with an outer, inclined portion joined to the side wall and an inner, flat portion, and the side wall and the inclined portion form a circumferential channel extending around the tub ring adjacent to the flat portion of the top wall.

9 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 8 wherein the inclined portion of the tub ring top wall includes at least one drainage opening fluidly coupling the circumferential channel with the tub.

10 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 1 wherein the tub ring top wall is generally flat and annular and extends radially inward from the tub ring side wall generally perpendicular to the tub ring side wall.

11 . A tub ring mountable to an upper end of a liquid holding tub in a laundry treating appliance, the tub ring comprising:
a circumferential side wall; a top wall extending radially inward from the side wall; and a plurality of radial stiffening ribs extending between the top wall and the side wall, the ribs having a bottom edge with at least a portion inclined relative to horizontal.

12 . The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the side wall is generally vertical, and the top wall is generally horizontal and annular and is joined to the side wall at a substantially right angle.

13 . The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the at least a portion of the bottom edge is inclined upward in a direction moving radially inward along the bottom edge.

14 . The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the top wall extends radially from an outer edge, where the top wall joins the side wall, to an inner edge, and the ribs terminate at one end at the top wall inner edge.

15 . The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the top wall is formed by a plurality of flat sections and a plurality of inclined sections, wherein the flat sections and the inclined sections alternate circumferentially around the tub ring.

16 . The tub ring according to claim 15 wherein the ribs comprise a generally horizontal top edge, and the top wall flat sections join the top edges of adjacent ribs, and the top wall inclined sections join the bottom edges of adjacent ribs such that each rib joins to one of the flat sections at the rib top edge and to one of the inclined sections at the rib bottom edge.

17 . The tub ring according to claim 16 wherein at least one of the inclined sections, the adjacent ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections, and the side wall between the adjacent ribs joined by the at least one of the inclined sections form a treating chemistry cavity, and the at least one of the inclined sections includes at least one aperture for releasing treating chemistry from the treating chemistry cavity.

18 . The laundry treating appliance according to claim 11 wherein the tub ring top wall is annular with an outer, inclined portion joined to the side wall and an inner, flat portion, and the side wall and the inclined portion form a circumferential channel extending around the tub ring adjacent to the flat portion of the top wall.

19 . The tub ring according to claim 18 wherein the inclined portion of the tub ring top wall includes at least one drainage opening for the circumferential channel.

20 . The tub ring according to claim 11 wherein the ribs are triangular.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Hunnell John M
• Kumar Pradeep
• Sharp Brenner M
• Strain Christine L

Classifications

• D06F37/264 Primary

  Tubs provided with reinforcing structures, e.g. ribs, inserts, braces · CPC title

• D06F37/267

  Tubs specially adapted for mounting thereto components or devices not provided for in preceding subgroups (D06F37/206 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F37/26

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title