Whirlpool Corporation

Arun Rajendran

Gianluca Bocchino

Roy E Masters

Michael Jon Vriezema

Mark L Herman

Garry L Peterman

Marcos Javier Rios Acebal

Rajwardhan Deshmukh

Jason R Spears

Alexander Joseph Halbleib

Mohsin Mahamadshafi Attar

Wesley P Traylor

Kurt L Masciovecchio

Kristian N Engelsen

Roy Edward Masters, Jr

Logan R Urbanski

Jason A Green

A combination washer/dryer machine has a rotatable drum inside a cabinet. The drum has an external surface. A tub is positioned inside the cabinet. The drum is rotatable in the tub. The tub has an inner surface. A seal extends between the exterior surface of the drum and the inner surface of the tub forming a desired gap during washing operations and the seal operates to minimize the bypass of drying air during drying operations.

Controlling process air bypass around the drum in combo wash-dry system

A laundry appliance may include a blower configured to deliver exhausted air through an airflow path, a heat exchanger arranged within the airflow path and configured to dehumidify the exhausted air, a drain channel configured to receive condensate from the heat exchanger, a cleaning block arranged above the heat exchanger and configured to deliver fluid flow over the heat exchanger to clean the heat exchanger.

Heat exchanger cleaning system for laundry appliance

A laundry machine washer-dryer combination includes a cabinet, a drum, a heater, an air duct, a container, and a fluid loop. The cabinet defines an internal chamber. The drum is disposed in the internal chamber and is configured to receive clothing articles. The heater is disposed in the internal chamber and is configured to heat air flowing to the drum during a drying cycle. The air duct is disposed in the internal chamber and is configured direct air from the drum to the heater during the drying cycle. The container is disposed in the internal chamber and has an energy storage material disposed therein. The fluid loop is configured to transfer heat from the air flowing through the air duct to the energy storage material during the drying cycle.

Combination washing and drying laundry treating appliance

A laundry appliance including an appliance housing, a wash unit tub disposed inside the appliance housing, a drum rotatably supported within the wash unit tub, and a wash water dispenser assembly. A laundry compartment is provided inside the drum and the drum is rotatable about a drum axis. The wash water dispenser assembly includes a dispenser hose and a mating interface assembly. The dispenser hose includes a dispenser hose inlet and a dispenser hose outlet. The mating interface assembly connects the dispenser hose outlet to the wash unit tub. The mating interface assembly includes a tub port adapter on the tub sidewall that extends outwardly away from the drum axis to provide a mechanical connection with the dispenser hose outlet.

Mating interface assembly between a dispenser hose and wash unit tub of a washer and dryer combination appliance

A laundry treating appliance comprising a tub with a tub access opening, a rotatable drum located within the tub and partially defining a treating chamber, a drying air duct having an inlet formed in the tub and defining a cross-sectional area of the inlet, and a filter overlying the inlet and having a surface area greater than the cross-sectional area of the drying air duct.

Laundry treating appliance with a filter

A laundry appliance includes a rotating drum for processing laundry. A blower directs process air through an airflow path that includes the rotating drum. A heat exchanger is positioned within the airflow path that dehumidifies the process air. A fixedly-secured lint filter captures lint from the process air at a position upstream of the heat exchanger. A fluid spray system has spray nozzles that deliver fluid to a surface of the fixedly-secured lint filter. Each spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles directs captured lint away from the fixedly-secured lint filter.

Heat exchanger filter for self lint cleaning system in dryer appliance

A combination washer/dryer machine has a rotatable drum inside a cabinet. The drum has an external surface. A tub is positioned inside the cabinet. The drum is rotatable in the tub. The tub has an inner surface. A seal extends between the exterior surface of the drum and the inner surface of the tub forming a desired gap during both washing and drying operations and minimizing bypass of drying air during the drying operation.

A washer and dryer combination appliance including a housing, a drum positioned in the housing, and a dynamic, expandable seal positioned between the drum and the housing. A laundry compartment inside the drum is accessible through openings in the front of the housing and drum. The drum has a rear wall with perforations that permit air to flow into the laundry compartment. An air gap is located between the rear of the housing and the rear wall of the drum. The dynamic, expandable seal, is actuatable between a retracted position and an extended position. In the extended position, the dynamic, expandable seal extends across the air gap to direct airflow through the perforations in the rear wall of the drum. In the retracted position, the dynamic, expandable seal is spaced away from the drum and therefore does not add any drag on the drum as the drum rotates.

Dynamic seal for washer and dryer combination appliance

A fluid flow system for a laundry appliance includes a blower that delivers process air along an airflow path having a heat exchanger. A drain channel receives condensate from the heat exchanger and fluid spray from a spray nozzle for directing lint particles to the drain channel and on to a sump for collecting fluid, including the condensate. A pump seat and a fluid outlet are integrally formed in a sump cover. A pump directs the fluid from the sump to the fluid outlet. A fluid level sensor detects at least minimum and maximum capacities of the fluid in the sump. When the fluid is below the minimum capacity, the pump defines an idle state. When the fluid reaches the minimum capacity, the pump defines an active state. When the fluid exceeds the maximum capacity, the pump directs the fluid to the fluid outlet.

Self cleaning sump cover

A laundry appliance including an appliance housing, a drum housing positioned in the appliance housing, and a drum that is configured to rotate inside the drum housing. A laundry compartment inside the drum is accessible through openings in the front of the appliance housing, drum housing, and drum. A front appliance door is pivotally connected to a front ring of the drum housing. A water recirculation insert is mounted to the front ring of the drum housing. The water recirculation insert includes a nozzle portion that extends through the front ring to a nozzle opening that is located inside the drum housing and configured to dispense recirculated fluid directly into the laundry compartment.

Water recirculation insert for laundry appliance

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet that includes a pump. A drum is disposed within the cabinet and a tub is operably coupled to the drum and is disposed proximate to the cabinet. A water recirculation assembly is operably coupled to the pump. The water recirculation assembly includes a first tube that is operably coupled to the pump within the cabinet, a second tube that is fluidly coupled to the first tube, and a gap that is defined between the first tube and the second tube.

Water recirculation assembly for a laundry appliance

A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a drum, and an air conduit fluidly coupled to the drum, with a heat source associated with the air conduit, includes moving air through an air conduit to the drum; heating the moving air by operating the heat source; and introducing atomized liquid into the air conduit upstream of the heat source.

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St. Joseph, MI, United States of America

Arun Rajendran