Whirlpool Corporation

Whirpool Corporation

Whirlpool Patents Company

Robert J Pinkowski

Kaustav Ghosh

Kirk Dunsbergen

Alvaro Vallejo Noriega

Brian Keith Rogers

Benjamin E Alexander

John W Euler

Gregory R Fulmer

Matthew Craig Parsons

Ricardo Schiesser

Markus Beck

Raveendran Vaidhyanathan

Thomas Alan Latack

Nicholas E Righetti

Kenneth N Whah

John Carl Aldrin

Floyd G Jackson

Nicholas E Leep

William L Murch

Viktor N Kopyrin

Farhad Ashrafzadeh

Nyik Siong Wong

Luiz Von Dokonal

Jason M Schneemann

Mir A Quddus

James J Visin

David Scharich, Iii

Karl Furderer

Karl David McAllister

Dale E Mueller

Roy E Masters

Michael Todd Moore

Eric A Gallagher

John M Hunnell

Erica L Roberts

Mary Ellen Zeitler

Robert J Rolek

Kathleen M La Belle

Brooke L Lau

Guy Stormo

Flavio Erasmo Bernardino

Kurt L Masciovecchio

Christoph Herkle

Michael R MacKay

Brent Allen Deweerd

Raymond Thompson

Robert Harlan Nehrig

Raymond A Kaczmarek

Prithi Rao

Ray Thompson

Edward S Hynek

James C Perso

Kurt L Masciovecchi

Viktor J Kopyrin

Raveedran Vaidhyanathan

A laundry appliance includes a drum for processing laundry. A blower delivers process air through an airflow path that includes the drum. A lint filter is positioned within the airflow path that separates particulate matter from the process air to define entrapped lint particles. A lint disposal mechanism removes the entrapped lint particles from a surface of the lint filter to define removed lint. A holding compartment receives the removed lint for disposal.

Separation of lint from an exhaust airstream within a laundry appliance

A pressure-driven metered treating chemistry dispensing pump for a laundry treating appliance having a housing having first, second and third chambers, with the first and second chambers each in fluid communication with the third chamber; a fluid inlet fluidly coupling a first fluid to the first chamber; an outlet fluidly coupled to the third chamber; a piston disposed in the housing; wherein, when the piston moves in a first direction in response to the first fluid entering the first chamber via the fluid inlet, the second chamber decreases in volume thereby ejecting at least some of the second fluid from the second chamber into the third chamber, and when the piston moves in a second direction, different from the first direction, the first chamber decreases in volume thereby ejecting at least some of the first fluid from the first chamber into the third chamber to mix the at least some of the first fluid and the at least some of the second fluid to form a mixture in the third chamber, which can be emitted through the outlet.

Pressure-driven metered mixing dispensing pumps and methods

A laundry treating appliance, such as a clothes washer, either vertical or horizontal axis, can have a bulk dispenser capable of dispensing multiple doses of treating chemistry from a reservoir of treating chemistry. A housing fluidly couples a supply of water and the treating chemistry for supplying both to a treating chamber within the laundry treating appliance.

Laundry treating appliance with stain station

A method and apparatus for operating a laundry treating appliance comprising a treating chamber for receiving a load of laundry for treatment according to at least one cycle of operation wherein a dye containing liquid is generated in the treating chamber during the operation, the method comprising backwashing the pre-filter to remove the non-dye material from the pre-filter.

Laundry treating appliance with pre-filter backwashing

Systems, components, and methodologies for uniformly distributing fabric enhancers onto laundry loads in laundry treating appliances. The methods may include accepting one or more of a laundry detergent, a fabric softener, and a bleach for dispensation into the laundry treating appliance, accepting a plurality of fabric enhancers in respective compartments of a fabric enhancer storage assembly, receiving indications of the types of fabric enhancers stored in the respective compartments, selecting dispensation patterns suitable for each of the types of fabric enhancers, and dispensing the plurality of fabric enhancers in accordance with the selected dispensation patterns.

Fabric enhancer and laundry additive dispensation in laundry appliances

A clothes dryer for drying fabric items in accordance with a treating cycle of operation, includes a treating chamber receiving fabric items for treatment and a controller having a memory in which is stored a set of executable instructions comprising at least one user-selectable cycle of operation, the controller may receive an indication of a dye transfer event and implement a cycle of operation based thereon.

Methods and compositions for treating laundry items

A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotating drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for the receipt of laundry for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation includes a dye fixative removal phase that includes supplying heated water in the treating chamber and adjusting the pH of the heated water.

An example pressure-driven metered mixing dispensing pump includes a housing, a fluid inlet, a piston disposed in the housing at least partially defining first, second and third chambers, the first and second chambers each in fluid communication with the third chamber, the piston to, in response to first fluid entering the first chamber via the fluid inlet, move in a first direction to decrease the volume of the second chamber thereby ejecting second fluid from the second chamber into the third chamber, a spring to move the piston in a second direction to decrease the volume of the first chamber thereby ejecting at least some of the first fluid from the first chamber into the third chamber thereby mixing the at least some of the first fluid and the second fluid to form a mixture, and an outlet to discharge the mixture from the third chamber.

A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the cycle of operation including a pre-wetting phase which includes misting an exposed surface of the laundry with a pre-wetting liquid and a pre-wash phase which includes supplying a dye fixative to the surface of the laundry wet by the pre-wetting liquid for distributing a dye fixative to a laundry surface.

A fabric treatment appliance according to one embodiment of the invention comprises a receptacle defining a fabric treatment chamber for receiving laundry, a steam generator having an inlet for receiving water from a water supply and an outlet for supplying steam to the fabric treatment chamber, and a liquid trap upstream from the steam generation chamber blocking backflow of steam from the steam generation chamber to the water supply conduit.

Fabric treatment appliance with steam backflow device

A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a tub and a rotatable, perforated drum located within the tub and operably coupled with a motor for rotating the drum, the drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment according to a cycle of operation comprises a pre-wash phase in which a treating chemistry is dispensed and a main wash phase.

A laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment, and a controller programmed to execute an automatic cycle of operation that includes spraying a pre-wash mixture comprising water and a color care agent onto the laundry to cover the laundry with the color care agent to protect the laundry from dyes released from the laundry during the wash phase.

A dispensing system for a laundry treating appliance may include a drawer slidable between a closed position and an open position, a cartridge recess formed in a portion of the drawer configured to receive the cartridge of treating chemistry, and an aperture through which the cartridge is viewable and formed in the portion of the drawer.

Laundry treating appliance having a dispensing drawer

A method of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment includes a pre-wetting phase, a wash phase, and a rinse phase and further includes a dye fixative phase, a first dye absorber phase, and a second dye absorber phase.

Growing community of inventors

Baroda, MI, United States of America

Robert J Pinkowski