Household cleaning appliance with a non-bulk dispensing system convertible to a household cleaning appliance with a bulk dispensing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920468-B2
Application number	US-201514697947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2015
Priority date	Jul 1, 2008
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A household cleaning appliance having a treating chamber and a non-bulk dispensing system coupled with the treating chamber and having a portion of material configured to be removable wherein the non-bulk dispensing system is configured to receive a removable cartridge containing a treating chemistry when such material is removed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A household cleaning appliance, comprising:
a treating chamber; and
a non-bulk dispensing system including a set of walls forming at least one dispensing cup fluidly coupled with the treating chamber and wherein a portion of one of the set of walls is configured to be removed to create an opening in the one of the set of walls and wherein the non-bulk dispensing system is configured to receive a removable cartridge containing a treating chemistry that is fluidly coupled to the treating chamber via the opening when the portion is removed and the removable cartridge is received in the non-bulk dispensing system.

2. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1 wherein when the removable cartridge is received the household cleaning appliance comprises a bulk dispensing system configured to deliver a charge of treating chemistry from the removable cartridge to the treating chamber.

3. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1 wherein the non-bulk dispensing system comprises a drawer including the set of walls and the portion and wherein the drawer is slidable between an opened position wherein the at least one dispensing cup is accessible by a user and a closed position wherein the drawer is fluidly coupled with the treating chamber.

4. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 3 , further comprising a drawer housing fluidly coupling the drawer and the treating chamber and wherein the drawer overlies the dispenser housing in the closed position.

5. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 3 , further comprising a metering device coupled to the drawer and operably coupled to the removable cartridge to dispense treating chemistry when the removable cartridge is received within the drawer.

6. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 5 , further comprising a water supply to the dispenser housing that bypasses the at least one dispensing cup.

7. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one dispensing cup further comprises a dispenser siphon configured to remove liquid from the at least one dispensing cup.

8. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of removable cartridge, the metering device, or a fluid coupler there between extends through the opening.

9. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 8 wherein the metering device comprises a pump.

10. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 8 wherein the metering device comprises a venturi.

11. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 8 wherein the metering device comprises a pressurized cartridge.

12. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 8 wherein the metering device comprises a gravity drain.

13. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 8 wherein the metering device comprises a flowmeter.

14. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 8 wherein the metering device comprises a pumping air into the cartridge.

15. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 5 , further comprising a fluid coupler fluidly coupling an outlet of the removable cartridge and an inlet of the metering device.

16. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 1 wherein the portion of material configured to be removable is a punch-out.

17. A household cleaning appliance, comprising:
a cabinet defining an interior;
a treating chamber located within the interior; and
a non-bulk dispensing system including a drawer having at least one dispensing cup and where the drawer is slidably mounted to the cabinet wherein the drawer is slidable between an opened position wherein the at least one dispensing cup is accessible by a user and a closed position wherein the drawer overlies a dispenser housing that is fluidly coupled with the treating chamber and wherein the at least one dispensing cup includes a removable portion of material that when removed creates a drawer opening through which a fluid outlet of a removable bulk dispensing cartridge, containing a treating chemistry, extends when the bulk dispensing cartridge is fully received within the at least one dispensing cup such that the fluid outlet of the removable bulk dispensing cartridge is fluidly coupled with the dispenser housing.

18. The household cleaning appliance according to claim 17 wherein the removable portion of material is a punch-out.

19. A household cleaning appliance, comprising:
a treating chamber; and
a non-bulk dispensing system including at least one dispensing cup fluidly coupled with the treating chamber and wherein the at least one dispensing cup includes a removable portion of material configured to form an opening in the at least one dispensing cup upon removal and wherein the non-bulk dispensing system is configured to receive a removable cartridge containing a treating chemistry when such material is removed and fluidly couple the removable cartridge to the treating chamber via the opening when the removable cartridge is received in the non-bulk dispensing system and wherein the at least one dispensing cup with the opening is further configured to be utilized as a non-bulk dispensing system.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Hendrickson Michael S
• Luckman Joel A

Classifications

• Y10T29/49716

  Converting · CPC title

• D06F39/022 Primary

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

• D06F39/02

  Devices for adding soap or other washing agents · CPC title

• D06F33/02

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F39/028

  Arrangements for selectively supplying water to detergent compartments · CPC title